Recalled Memories
Chapter 1
Nina's eyes opened while standing perched on the rooftop in the midst of night, watching her breath frost in front of her.
The moon was full tonight, accompanied by the twinkling stars that brightened in the sky. Noisy traffic had dominated the streets below, making it impossible for any pedestrians to cross through to the other side. The unmerciful wind gusts grew colder against her face and body, the strongest she had ever felt it.
The city seemed familiar, but every time Nina tried to remember a thing, the thoughts blurred with an accompanied headache. Somehow, she had forgotten the memories of her past. She was lucky enough to remember her name though she knew not much else about herself except that she was an assassin. However, it was perhaps best to keep focused on the mission now even though she could not help but wonder how it all happened.
Nina inhaled before expelling what she needed to, stepping backward toward the opposite end of the building. Belfast was beautiful to look at no doubt, but there were other matters to attend to.
"Time to go to work," she said aloud.
She climbed down the apartment with knifes and pistols in tow, remaining silent upon the descent. The light to the target's room was still on, the window already left opened to her advantage. Nina peered through the glass to ensure safety before attempting to enter. With no signs of hostilities or danger, she slid open the window and crawled in. It was a bedroom, warm and messy as if no one had cleaned it in weeks. Nobody was there, instructing her to search the next room in silence to avoid detection. Her head peeked from around the dark corner, again with no traces of the target.
Footsteps filled Nina's ears once she stepped closer, urging her to hide before they discovered her. She tiptoed back into the room from where she had infiltrated and slipped through the closet door. The target's baldhead came into view a moment later via the slits in the closet door. A former crime boss for the Irish mob he was, once selling drugs and thieving money in his prime. Now he was just a washed up old man living in a different life with death awaiting him in the form of Nina. All this according to the information sent via email by the mafia syndicate.
His back had turned, bending over to remove the sheets off the mattress of the messy bed. This was Nina's chance. He was right where she wanted him.
Her finger slid open the closet door and crept toward him for the kill with knife in hand. His neck was only inches away from reach now, anticipation gripping her heart; a step closer and she would have him.
A pattering sound occurred from outside the entrance to his room, forcing Nina back into the closet. She grunted with a mental curse, shaking a fist at the sudden interruption with gritted teeth.
"Alban! Are you getting ready to wash those sheets?" a feminine voice called from outside the room. It had to be the wife or perhaps his girlfriend. This was going to make things a little tricky with her around.
"Yes, I'm getting to it right now." He answered with a sigh as if she had asked the question more than once.
"Ok, just making sure. I'm going out for a little bit. Be back soon."
Thank goodness she was leaving now. A loud slam of the door confirmed her departure, encouraging Nina to make her move while she had the chance.
She repeated the same tactic she used before whilst licking the dryness from her cracked lips. One hand obscured his mouth to silence a scream; the other did its task with the knife slitting his throat. He dropped to his knees before lying sprawled on the carpet, a trace of blood oozing from his neck. At last, Nina could make her exit with the job done.
The moment she whirled to take her leave, the woman from before stood at the doorway with widened eyes. "Oh my goodness….you killed him," came the whisper in her voice. Her fingers were already dialing at the cell phone she held, no doubt phoning the authorities.
With a swift movement, Nina snatched the silencer pistol from its holster and shot the woman dead.
She made a dart for the window and climbed out to the fire escape, hearing police sirens thereafter. A jump down into the alley and she sprinted through the many passages ahead. The air stunk of rotted garbage, but Nina ignored it and continued forth.
Every turn seemed like a dead end rather than an escape route, redirecting her to the next. Her knee length boots trudged through the puddles of water, splashing up against the leather of her bodysuit.
"You there, stop!" shouted voices from behind, but Nina disobeyed the command, continuing to run.
Somehow, she managed to outrun them, but they were still close behind like rapid dogs on her tail. Then the idea came, later than it should have.
She gripped the two bombs from her pocket and threw them on the ground behind her, emitting the grayish smoke that existed inside. That would slow them down and buy her some time for at least a minute or two before the diversion expired.
A brief smile crossed her lips with a snicker. "Suckers…." she said, panting.
They fired bullets in retaliation, though she knew the fools could not see what they were shooting at. She jumped around the next upcoming corner, sprinting further on with head turned back to spot following hostilities. Before she got any farther, her head made contact with a sudden pipe hung out from the building beside her. Darkness had overtaken the mind and before long, she was unconscious.