The rain began in the early evening. Dale had hoped it would have stopped before his meeting, but as luck would have it, the weather only got worse. Between the clouds and the early sunset, the apartment's windows were already growing dark.
Dale checked his watch. He still had a few minutes before he needed to leave the safety of his apartment. Warren had left pretty quickly that morning after changing, giving Dale plenty of time to fully investigate the contents of the envelope.
Inside of the packet had been a stone engraved with his initials, DB; a slip of paper with information for his upcoming meeting; a new identity complete with a driver's license, passport,and credit card; a key; and a small canister of butter. The instructions made it clear that he needed to bring all the materials given to him as well as anything else he would require for the next two weeks besides weapons and food.
After thoroughly checking each item, Dale had placed everything back in the envelope besides the instructions and the key before putting the envelope in his backpack. He also made sure to pack clothes and other necessities for his upcoming trip. Now all he had to do was wait until it was time to leave. Putting his backpack and duffle bag on the floor by the door, Dale sat down next to it, not wanting to distance himself too much from the envelope.
Even though he had been through similar processes over all his years of being an adventurer for hire, Dale still felt a little apprehensive about his latest gig. It was a little too secretive for his taste and sneaking around always made him extra self conscious about his line of work. He never did anything terrible like killing, but he wasn't above a treasure hunting in a creature's lair or even the occasional a heist from a magically involved mortal. Afterall, they didn't really need the gold or magical items he took from them, and his employers always ensured he was plenty compensated and safely anonymous. Only when he spent long amounts of time with his zealous always-do-good brother (whom Dale left in the dark about his profession) did he start to question whether or not he was in the wrong line of work.
But he couldn't afford that today. Not with so much hanging on the line.
Dale checked his watch again. "Close enough," he muttered, standing up. He swung his backpack onto his back and placed his duffel in a comfortable position on his shoulders. It would be a bit of a walk to the meeting place.
As he exited his apartment, he stood face to face with the neighbor across the hall, DJ. His hand reflexively reached back to where a knife was normally hidden at his side.
"Oh. Look at our timing," she said, a smile on her face.
"No kidding. You headed out to paint the town?" Dale asked, allowing himself to relax a little and drop his hand back down. He also realized that he hadn't brought his knife, since the instructions had been clear about bringing no weapons.
"Ah. No. Nothing so exciting. Just some grocery shopping," she replied.
"Well food is always important," Dale replied.
DJ looked straight into his eyes. "I agree. And right now I only have corn and peanut butter in my pantry so this is an important trip." She laughed, but Dale thought it seemed forced. Her demeanor seemed overly serious despite the joke and big smile.
Dale stared at her in wonder. "Um. Yeah. Have fun with that." He gave his neighbor a tight smile and turned to leave.
"Where are you off to?" As DJ began speaking again, he stopped and turned to face her once more. "Maybe we can walk together or something..." Her voice trailed off. She gave him a hopeful smile, but Dale became only more certain that she was hiding something.
"Unfortunately I'm about to head out on a work trip. Maybe next time."
"Oh. Work trip to where?" DJ took a few steps towards him.
"Um, well…" Dale struggled to find a good answer. He hadn't expected this kind of question from her.
DJ's dark eyes continued to stare into him. "Top secret?" She smiled that same almost genuine smile.
A little unsure of himself, Dale turned away from her. "Something like that. I can talk more about it when I return, but I'm in a hurry right now. When I get back maybe I'll have time to discuss it with you."
DJ didn't move as Dale began to leave. "Alright. When you're home again and have a spare moment, just knock. I'm here most evenings."
"Ok. See you then," Dale agreed, relieved the exchange was over and more anxious about returning home than he was about the secret mission ahead.
He looked back over his shoulder and noticed DJ walking towards the elevator. Chances were that the elevator wasn't fixed yet, but he was half down before he realized he maybe should have mentioned that to DJ. He reprimanded himself and promised to do better next time, but continued down the stairs. Being late would reflect badly on him, and his livelihood required good word of mouth reviews. Besides, she had put him extra on edge which might make things harder. She deserved extra walking for being so nosy.
Dale pulled himself from his thoughts and stopped before stepping outside into the rain. His bags were waterproof, but he didn't think the paper with the instructions would be. Reaching into his jacket's pocket, he felt the key from the packet, his apartment key, and several pieces of paper. Latching onto the paper, he pulled out an old forgotten napkin and the slip from the packet.
The address was at an awkward location. It was a far walk, but not too close to any kind of public transportation. Driving or taking a cab wasn't an option either as secrecy was a priority. Dale had planned to take two trains and a bus and then walk. It wasn't the most time efficient route, but it also made it harder for someone to follow him.
Getting to the mysterious location proved uneventful, but Dale still tried to stay alert the entire time. This job promised to give him the biggest pay off yet, but it also was from the most dangerous and secretive employer he had ever worked for.
As Dale walked down the deserted street listed on the paper, he never saw the right location. At the end of the street he doubled back and paid extra attention to the area. A little past the midpoint, he found what he was looking for. Dale stepped through a small opening in a tall brick fence into a seemingly empty lot. Afraid he had ended up being late despite his careful preparation, he checked his watch again.
When his eyes glanced down, hands grabbed him. Instantly, his reflexes kicked in. He jerked, attempting to throw his attacker, but the arms held strong and placed a wet rag to his mouth. Dale resisted taking a deep breath, but the fumes alone were strong enough to make him drowsy. Within a minute, he lost all consciousness.