Morana looked up from the small paper in her hand and hefted her backpack up a little higher on her shoulder. Sure enough, this is where she was to meet the other Proxy. To keep up a "normal" image, all her usual gear was stowed inside her camping backpack. Instead of her grey hoodie, she wore a black and white one, and left her bandanna in the bag with her beloved gasmask. Her feet no longer wore the combat boots she usually donned, but a pair of Converse lent to her by her roommate.
She sighed, shifting her weight and keeping her eyes open, scanning the constantly moving waves of people for the tell-tall hair. Sure enough, after leaning on the lamppost on the busy street corner for a while longer, the tell-tale hair came into view. Short cropped pale blonde, spiked up and the top dyed with a rainbow gradient, the punk in question sauntered directly to Morana. Dressed in a fitted black shirt, with a design unknown to Morana, Razorback clearly wasn't carrying the weapons that were her namesake.
Stopping in front of the tomboy, Razorback's wallet chains clinked together, barely audible over the low roar of the big city. "Surprised you actually managed to make it here, Mora. How long did it take you to even find this spot?"
"Shut it Kenley." The grey-eyed female growled, clearly not in a good mood. "I had a long night."
The punk started walking, Morana following. "Ah, big whoop. You have it easy, being in a group. Least you don't have to head out on a job like, every two days."
"I have before, had to when more than half of the pack was off on the other side of the damn continent. For more than three months, and I hate it when I can't get time just to relax." Morana huffed. "You don't live in a house full of idiots who break just about everything they touch."
"True."
The two walked in silence for a long distance, until they were on the edge of the city, by the old warehouses.
"Let's hope Walker's okay with this."
Morana stopped midstride in the alleyway, shocked. Kenley stopped a moment later. "What?" She asked, turning around.
"You haven't told her?!" Morana snapped.
"Nah. Not that big of a deal, stay out of Walker's way and you should be fine."
"Are you serious? Walker will kill me! The most sadistic fucking demon and you haven't told it?! How well does it take to surprises?!" The duo resumed walking.
"Okay, first tip for survival; never call Walker an 'it'. She identifies as female. Believe me, steep learning curve with that. Second, just don't go near her when she's busy. Just don't. You'll be the next one in pieces. Wait for her to come to you."
"That's it?"
"That's it. Besides, you're on one job, you probably won't see her. She's going down to the docks for the night. Cops are gonna have fun when they find the bodies." Kenley let out a low whistle as she spoke, unlocking an old padlock and opening a rusted door, with stairs that led down into the underground home of Master and Proxy.
"Anyways, she's asleep right now, so chill."
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, a massive thwump was heard, accompanied by a scream from one being and a hiss from another.
"Orrrrr she's not." As both Morana and Kenley peeked around the corner, the only thing visible was the back of a clearly agitated Skinwalker, tail lashing about and crest raised, as well as the dangling legs of the battered and bloody male she held pinned against the wall.
"How did you find this place?!" She hissed, her face almost touching his. She slammed him against the concrete wall again. "Tell me!"
"I- I don't know! I was just doing a look around, finding empty storehouses and I found this place by accident! No one put me up to this! I swear!" The man spoke quickly, voice full of fear. "Puh- Please let me go, I won't say nothing! Promise!"
"Where did you come in here?!" Walker hissed again, mouth opening wider to expose the small, needle-thin teeth inside.
"Down- Down that hallway! There's an old meat locker with another door out! Please let me go, I, I got a wife! Kids! They need their father!"
"Well, too bad for them. They won't get the correct father." She growled, raising her other hand.
"Wha- WhaaaGGGHHH!" The man's confusion rapidly evolved to a banshee's scream.
She slowly slide one claw into the man's flesh, cleanly slicing through the muscle tissue, then the ribs and sternum. Blood flowed freely, dripping down Skinwalker's scales and onto the floor, pooling beneath the two. Once the heart was visible, she took great care in cutting it free, slowly.
Once the organ was out of the man's chest, she dropped the twitching corpse to ground. Throwing the heart up, she caught it in her mouth, flipped her head back and swallowed.
Slowly, the demon turned around, to see her Proxy and another standing there.
"Back so soon, Razorback? I wasn't expecting you till late."
"Traffic was light, bus got there faster than I thought." Kenley responded.
"And I see you have brought Break Away."
"Yeah, she's here for a job then leaving."
"Very well. I need to skin him. This Klp'nach invaded my space. I'll be invading his family's." As she walked off, carrying the corpse, Kenley leaned slightly closer to Morana.
"Welcome to my world."
That evening, Skinwalker left to go after the family of the intruder, wearing said man's skin. Morana also started getting her equipment in order, donning her usual clothes and making sure the poisons were correct.
Once she was ready to go, Kenley laid out a map of the area in a large table, and showed Morana the quickest route there and back.
"This one's shorter by a minute or two, but you've got a greater chance of be snagged by the Crushers. But from what I hear, that's not a problem with you. So, what's the secret, Break Away?"
"Stow it, Kenley. I just want to get this done and get out of here. I despise this place."
The punk placed a hand over her heart in mock offense. "I'm hurt, Mora. It's such a lovely city."
"Whatever." With that parting word, Morana slug her bag on and pulled the gasmask over her face, then left the underground
Morana slipped the slender picks into the lock of the back door, gaining entrance quickly. At almost zero hour, no one should be awake in the home, allowing her to get in, kill the offending male and get out. She let out a low sigh. She almost always is assigned to kill the males on the list, and after a while, they tend to get boring.
Then again, the eldest son in this house committed date rape, and was never found to be guilty.
'Looks like punishment is coming to him. How does Slender even FIND this people, anyways?' Morana thought, creeping through the halls.
Once upstairs, she slowly eased open the door to the male's room. Sure enough, there he was, asleep in bed oblivious to what is about to take place.
Sliding the vial of C17H23NO3, known to most as Belladonna, out of her bag, she positioned her thumb just under the cap of the tube. She crept closer and closer to the bed, and froze when a floor board creaked beneath her weight.
'Shit! Please, don't let anyone be awake right now. Please, please please...'
As soon as Morana resumed her walk, another creak sounded, this time not from the floor, but from the door.
"Jer? Are you awake? I thought I heard you up." A feminine voice spoke softly, the younger sister.
Almost as if he was awake, he rolled over and groaned in his sleep. The girl stepped into the room, footsteps light on the floor.
Mora stood stock still, just out of the path of the girl and the path the glow of the street light traced across the room.
'ShitshitshitshitSHIT. Gotta breathe. Okay. Stay quiet.' Morana breathed in slowly and softly, then breathed out. However, a gasmask is not built to breathe extremely quiet. The girl looked directly at Morana, and stepped closer.
"Who's... Who's there? Anyone? Hello?" As soon as the female stepped into the dim light, Morana's eyes widened.
"Shit just got a whole lot more awkward..." The murderer mumbled.
"Hello? Did someone say something?"
Sighing, Morana slipped one vial into her bag and another, this time of her tranquillizer, out, as she pulled her gasmask up.
"Hey. Long time, no see, Lily."
"Who...?"
"Surprised you don't recognize me. Suppose that's for the best though. Don't remember your grade seven year, back in Canada, I guess." Morana didn't know why she was doing this. Perhaps because the tranquilizer would destroy this moment in Lily's memory bank.
"Grade seven... Canada... Seven... Morana? No, that can't be you. Is it?" Lily mumbled softly.
Morana scoffed and stepped forwards. "Course it is."
"Why are you here?"
"I have a job. One. One person and its not you."
"What do you mean-" Lily cut her own words off the second she saw Morana's gasmask and the vial in her hand. "No. No no no no. Its not possible."
Morana pulled her left sleeve up to reveal the branded Proxy's tattoo, then let her sleeve drop again.
"I'm so sorry." Before the other girl could say anything, Morana pulled her gasmask down and raced forwards, placing the girl in a headlock and covered her mouth and nose with the tranquillizer-soaked rag. For the first few seconds, Lily fought Morana's grip. Once the effects of the tranquillizer took hold, however, she stopped fighting and slumped against her friend-turned-murderer, unconscious.
Slowly letting Lily sink to the ground, Morana opened up her vial of poison and walked towards her old friend's brother.
As she grabbed his jaw and forced it open to pour the poison down his throat, she let one last thought escaped her lips.
"Goodbye Lily. Have a good life."
Morana crept down the hallway of the underground compound, about to leave, hoping not to disturb Razorback, or Skinwalker, if the demon was back.
As soon as she entered the make-shift kitchen, Kenley looked up from a mug of tea.
"Mora, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Morana chuckled slightly at the concern. From one killer to another, that's rare. As she resumed her walk, she responded.
"I did. A ghost of my past."