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Here we were, standing in the alleyway of Mickey's Comics, eagerly waiting for our next target.

But here's the catch, they're planned, the others were not. They're begging for it; the others were not.

People thronged the shop, walking past the aisles housing various books with hideous pictures. The yellow light spreading a feeling of warmth, coziness, and safety. But warmth, coziness, and safety wither away into the shadows when I'm around. Our dear target is not to be seen lounging around the disgusting books. They weren't here for the disgusting book after all.

New York skies the past few days had been in my favor. Cotton-like clouds swam across the murky sky, shielding the hideous blue from my eyes. The streets were covered in mud and puddles, as the people hopped around with their colorful boots and coats, umbrellas tucked under their arms. Mothers with their babies pushed the strollers across the rough path, the wheels violently colliding with the uneven surfaces. And I stood here, cigarette held between my lips, waiting for our target.

Such a peaceful day, I'd hate to ruin its tranquility for the others.

But I found peace in terminating...people.

It's nice if you stop and think occasionally. You could possibly avoid a fatal tragedy, but most people these days opt not to. And speaking of the devil, they hopped out of the shop, their phone in their hand as they navigated around the streets. Their eyes sparkling with hope and determination as they ran a hand through their hair that played with a chilly wind. And now the opportunity presented itself.

I crept along the brick wall, bringing myself closer to the target, who stood on the road, examining something deeply in their phone, their back just a few inches ahead of me.

This had to be the stupidest way to do it, the most reckless way to do it. But in my defense, I'd only made up my mind an hour ago. Things were not properly thought out, and the only thing that ran across my mind was terminating them. So, I discreetly followed their car, knowing that it'd end up where I'd suspected it.

But this would be our last termination in New York because I'd be leaving behind way too much evidence with the cameras around the street. New York had been good to me, exceedingly kind, very gentle, very naive.

I hope our next stop, San Diego, would treat us this kindly.

They stood there, just out of reach and any more movement would alert them of my presence. So, I grabbed a fist full of their hair that flowed with the wind, yanking them backward and clamping a tight hand over their mouth before they let out a shriek, pulling them into the shadows as the rain heavily pattered against the grey roads.

They thrashed, heavily, their nails scraping against my gloved hand, trying to pry it away with all their might, their muffled cries lost in the echoes of the water falling against the tarmac. Their shoes slipping against the slick road as they tried to stop themselves from being dragged back.

I carefully timed my moves, letting the hand over their mouth fall limp against my side and using the other which held their hair to push their head vigorously against the brick wall.

As soon as their dainty head collided with the wall and blood gushed out of it, they lay lifeless against it and a smile crept up my lips.

Termination was successful.

Now the body had to be hidden, far away from New York, maybe buried in a farm or a barnyard. I inched closer to them, crouching on my knees to get a better look at their face as the rain washed away the crimson blood from the large gash on their forehead. Triumph overwhelmed me, a sense of peace spreading across my heart, the thoughts in my mind now numbed as I didn't feel a thing looking at their corpse.

Just as I tried to haul them up, trying to drag them to my van, a large kick to the groin caused a striking pain to erupt, making me bend to shield it from spreading further up my body.

They had gotten up, their eyes fluttering open with a slight smirk on their face, gaining their full height, which wasn't really that intimidating. And as I grumbled in agony while the pain continued to take over my body, they launched another kick to my face, pushing across the tarmac, leaving my nose bloodied.

Now I had to resort to using weapons. And I didn't like using weapons, they caused an unnecessary mess. I pushed myself up from the wet tarmac, spitting out the dirt from my mouth and unsheathing the dagger from my back pocket. Their innocent eyes widened, and a smug smile made its way to my lips, a beautiful smile that was however covered with a black cloth.

I launched myself at them before they could run away, holding them firmly by their neck against the wall, the blade of the sharp knife glinting under the shadows of the alley. I brought it closer to their gut, as they desperately tried to remove my strong hold, coughing up weak cries of help as the rain drowned out their voice. This was it, my final target of New York and ironically the toughest one.

But my plan was interrupted as blackness took over me, almost as if the shadows of the alley came alive and swallowed me. An unnerving pain shot up my body, suffocating me in the darkness, crushing the air out of my lungs, my insides clenched, the pain now being unbearable as if a lightning bolt had struck me, setting fire to my body. The darkness was intolerable, and I left the grip on their neck, dropped the knife, and whipped around to search for light. But pitch-black shadows loomed around me, dancing and mocking my failure as the target ran away, coughing and gasping for breath.

And I laid there on the soft road, waiting for the pain to subside down that had taken over me like a storm. Waiting for the darkness to fade away to the grey clouds masking the blue skies.

We weren't done, Mayra Knott. If it's a nice game you want, it's a nice game you'll get. And it would bring me joy to play with a smart mind such as yours. Only the game would leave you in ruins, shattering you into pieces that won't be fixed by any glue or even vibranium.

We've been in touch, Mayra Knott.

We'll been in touch.

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