Prologue
"ARE YOU SURE ABOUT this?" The younger mans' apprehensive, yet determined voice whispered through the gloom of the alley the two men had chosen as rendezvous point. He was the fitter, stealthier of the two; the one that had been able to shoot since his fourteenth birthday and, if need be, could catch a knife in his jaw. Yet, even through his experience, he was certainly having doubts about where his faith had fallen. Geoff nodded, defiance radiating off his skin.
"Yes," came Geoff's one word response. It was enough to quieten the other mans doubts for a few more minutes, which, for Geoff, was all he would need to cut the power to the building, pick the back doors' lock and enter the building completely undetected. He knew that as soon the power went down, so did the security system that had been so furtively fitted into the building. The top-floor residents hadn't been taking chances when they had moved here.
"What if they wake?" The younger man questioned further. Geoff's gaze remained on the top window of the flat just a mere street from where they still crouched, flushed with the brick of the abandoned building.
"They will. But we don't want them, we just want him." His cold response promised something darker than what he was letting onto, and although he had noticed, the younger man was in no position to question the matter further. He was there to do what he had been paid to do. Infiltrate the targets home and kill him. It seemed straightforward enough. So why was he beginning to second guess his decision to come?
From inside his leather jacket, Geoff handed over a gun. The younger man brought it closer to his face, studying it. He recognised the make. A Smith and Wesson .40. Although small, it was powerful, with a three and a half inch barrel and square grip. Along with the gun, the younger man had concealed in his belt two knives. He was leaving nothing to chance tonight. Geoff gave a small nod.
"Now."
Still crouching as one with the shadows, the two men made their way across the street. A small alley, filled with overturned trash cans and the pungent smell of something seemingly dead for the past week, held the fuse box to the entire building and the only back entrance. The two men entered, the smell almost overpowering. The younger man felt his head begin to swim with the fumes, and had to brace himself against the wall. The smell had obviously effected Geoff as well, because he had brought a hand up to cover his nose. He shook his head, frustrated.
"Someone thinks they're clever," he mused. "He's planted something in the alley. If we don't hurry we'll collapse from the fumes." Geoff brought a pair of pliers from his belt. "Cutting the power in three... two ..." The younger man hardened his grip on the gun. "One. Go!" As though rehearsed, both men ran toward the back entrance in perfect sync, leaving the smell behind them. Geoff brought a second implement from his belt and quietly began to jimmy the lock. With a soft, click, the door swung open and Geoff entered, completely enveloped in darkness. The second man followed.
They took the stairs to the top floor. Geoff knew this was where their target was; most likely sleeping, along with his wife and two children. Geoff peered over at the younger man. He, however, was peering back down the stairwell they had just scaled, as though afraid. Geoff knew the other residents would wake up, in fact, he could already hear a small stirring. But the door they stood in front of was the only one on the top floor. No one else lived up here. They were in the clear.
Geoff tapped the other mans shoulder, causing his head to snap back around. Geoff explained, voice hoarse, "he has two daughters and a wife. If they see you... shoot them." The other man seemed a little taken aback by this, his eyebrows disappearing into his hairline. Geoff hoped he had promised enough cash that the younger man would do as he was told.
"I don't kill children," the younger man stated.
"I paid you" Geoff shot, voice cold. The younger man looked amused by this.
"Not enough" Geoff took in a deep breath and nodded once, accepting. This was it.
Using the same implement he had used to open the back entrance, he unlocked the door. Geoff nodded once. The younger man returned the gestured and entered. Thankfully, the floor was carpeted, and muffled the sound of their combat boots. The younger man took to scouting the lounge, where Geoff continued down the hallway. Geoff had made it very clear what the other man was meant to do. Make sure nobody entered or left. This early into their break-in, the younger man knew nobody was coming or leaving, so he took to searching the kitchen. He froze.
"Who are you?" The girl asked, bright eyes filled with fear and confusion. She had what looked like a Dora the Explora cup, poised at her lips. The younger man brought his gun to rest at his side, crouching low. He didn't kill children.
"You have to keep quiet, now," he said, ignoring the girls' question. She looked to be about four years old, with dark brown hair and big blue eyes. The younger man was suddenly reminded of his own son; his own family. The one he'd left at home tonight so he could come and destroy someone else's. He had known this was wrong from the moment he had accepted. Why he had come he would probably never fully understand. But right now, faced with a young child, he knew better than before that this – all of this – had been a mistake.
The younger man reached out a hand. "Come now," he whispered. The girl didn't move. "Please," he added, a slight smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Sweat began to bead on his forehead and his hands were shaking slightly from panic. He hoped the smile was convincing. "You have to leave here." The little girl, although still reluctant, wrapped her small hand tightly around his index finger and let him guide her from the kitchen.
"Where is my Mummy and Daddy? Where's Lisa?" She asked, coming to a sudden stop. They are most probably dead, hardly seemed the response she would be looking for. Geoff hadn't returned, yet no sound had seemed to surface from within the bedroom. Either they were already dead and Geoff had left, or Geoff was yet to find the target.
"They are safe," the younger man lied. "You will be safe soon too. But you must be quiet." The little girl nodded and continued to follow him. Until the blood curdling scream split the air. It shattered the atmosphere like the breaking of a glass, causing the man to jump.
"What was that?" The girl asked, on the brink of hysteria, tears starting to make tracks down her face. She wrenched her hand away, only to cover her ears in the hopes of blocking out the sound. The younger man looked to the door. Certainly no one would be leaving now. But if anyone was going to be entering, it would surely be the police, which he most definitely did not want to have to encounter. The younger man had no choice.
He picked up the girl, cradling her in his arms like he would his own boy, and ran for the fire escape. Either Geoff had overlooked that way of entry or he had deemed it too loud. But right now, it was all the younger man had. Opening the window, wind began to lick at his arms, the girls' already mussed hair blowing around her face. Ignoring, he began to climb down the rusted ladder, the screeching noise it made with every rung echoing through the alley. He winced, hoping it would not draw any unnecessary attention.
When his feet finally touched the hard-packed earth, he drew out a sigh of relief and began to run. He ran hard and fast, breathing ragged and uneven, heart pounding against his ribcage. He needed to get as far away from the building as possible... if he wanted to get out of this without being caught. Aside from the gun he had slipped back into his jacket, Geoff had cut the power, unlocked the doors; everything led to Geoff. Maybe he was already in the clear. He continued running until he reached the end of the alley.
The girl, still nested into his chest, finally pushed the hair from her eyes and whispered, "That was Mummy. Why was she scared? Was she having bad dreams?" The younger man felt sympathy for the girl take hold of him; the full impact of what had just happened hitting home.
"I'm sure she's alright now. Maybe try to go back to sleep? You'll be home in the morning." The little girl, so full of faith, nodded and closed her eyes. Before three loud shots rang through the air. The younger man covered the girls' ears, making small, soothing noises. It was over.
The younger man walked down the street, the girl already snoring softly in his arms. As he turned a right, an unexpected, fourth shot rang through the air and at least five distinguishable sirens reached the younger mans' ears. He sighed.
The girl would not be waking up at home tomorrow. She would wake to the morning in an orphanage.
The younger man would go home to his family tonight, he realised. He would wake up tomorrow and see his wife and three children. Where the girl would wake up tomorrow, with no one.