1
"There's too many eyes here.", the little girl stated.
It was dark. But with this particular little girl, there was only the dark. Sometimes the pitch blackness of a deep cave. Other times, the soft glow of evening revelry. But darkness nonetheless.
The teen age boy spread out the paper in front of her. "But look here."
The headlines suggested that his idea was indeed possible. People were becoming bodies at a prodigious rate for an American city. No where near the rate they did a century ago, when polio and influenza and the fevers took their tolls. But a rate enough. And moreover, most importantly, the city celebrated. Well, certainly not its elders or its rulers but its commoners hailed the bloodletting.
He smiled at her. "All we have to do is be careful about who. If they're bad guys, no one will report anything dangerous. And with the movement they may even ignore or expect the things you can do."
She frowned. "I'm a bad person, Oskar."
He slammed his hand into the table. "No you're not. And here, never again."
She picked up his hand from the table and wrapped his arm over her like a shawl. "You really believe in this, don't you?"
"I believe in you."
Her eyes narrowed. "Fine. Let's clean up this town."
2
Tony through a few crumpled hundred dollar bills across the table. "Here's enough to play around with. I'll call/"
The little girl slammed her hand on the table. The one that still held the some what silenced pistol in it. "I want to see it."
The man pointed his finger in the girls face. "Look, I ain't exactly accostommed myself to giving you any work to begin with. I kept up my end. And not to you-to Leon. I make sure your tuition at that fancy upstate finisher is paid in full. I keep clothes on your back and food in your belly. Don't act like I'm/"
"I'm not...!", she started. Then she took apart the weapon. The silencer. The bullets. The mechanical parts. "I just want to see it. Please?", she finished with puppy dog eyes.
"I ain't...ah hell. But I don't want no lip, capisce?", Tony acquiesced.
The girl was all smiles and nodding and for once quiet. The man rolled his eyes and led her into the restaurant's freezer. And then past the door disguised as a wall.
"I told you. Nobody knocks off ole Tony.", he stated with pride.
The girl's eyes lit up. "And this is all Leon's?" She wanted to make sure.
"Well, yours now. And it's gonna keep growin' if you keep workin'.", he confirmed.
"Good.", she settled. "Now, I can clean."
3
The thug scratched at his neck as he held a gun on the couple in the alley. He was about to repeat his demand but they weren't looking at him or his gun. They were looking behind him.
At the little girl in purple.
"Oh shit!", the thug exclaimed. His legs were pumping nearly before he even decided to run. He got a few paces too. Then his feet whipped out in front of him as the fishing line he was about to scratch at dragged his neck back.
"Don't worry, small fry.", she *ahem* comforted. "I'm not gonna throw you back. You'll make good soup."
The girl turned to the couple. "Did that line make sense out loud? I was practicing it and it didn't sound right to me."
The thug tried to point his gun at the girl only to have it kicked out his hand, and then nearly get kicked out his mind.
"nope." "great line." "really funny." The couple blurted out whatever the costumed girl wanted to here. It was far better than the screams of the thug under her boot.
"Thanks.", she said with a youthful smile. "Now to clean up."