Kendrick did not stop to overthink the situation. Instinct took over. He stood hard on his pedals, his mountain bike surging forward as he accelerated toward the man.
"Hey! Stop! That's not your bike!" Kendrick shouted, his deep voice echoing across the quiet park as he rapidly closed the distance.
The thief looked over his shoulder. Seeing a tall, athletic teenager charging after him, the man’s eyes widened, and he began pedaling frantically. Kendrick chased him out of the park, onto the smooth asphalt of the street, and down the next block, repeatedly yelling for him to stop.
The man in black kept darting panicked glances backward. It was abundantly clear that Kendrick was not giving up, and the thief was losing ground.
The high-speed pursuit continued for another two blocks. Kendrick’s legs burned, but he kept gaining on the thief. Desperate, the man made a sharp, reckless turn into a narrow, paved alleyway between two large brick buildings.
As soon as he entered the alley, the thief realized his mistake. The path was broken up by a short flight of concrete stairs and tight corners that made it impossible to navigate on wheels at such a high speed. Trapped, the man jumped off the red bicycle while it was still moving, letting it crash loudly onto the pavement. Without looking back, he sprinted deeper into the labyrinth of the alleyway and disappeared.
Kendrick skidded to a halt, his tires squealing against the concrete. For a brief second, he considered leaving the bikes and continuing the chase on foot. But the man already had a significant head start, and Kendrick had no idea where the alley led.