Poland - 2013
Bailey looked down the scope of her rifle, she was 370 yards away from her target, she was a mercenary. Most found her on the black market or found her through a friend of a friend.
She didn't know the man's name, only what his wife told her. For years, he had been beating her senseless and raping her, every time she would leave he would find her and their children.
Not being totally heartless, Bailey had two requirements for a job, the first being that there had to be a real reason to end this person's life, and the world would be better off without them. The second being she would never hurt a child.
With the target's face lined up, she took in a deep breath and held it as she pulled the trigger. All that could be heard was the sound of the bullet whistling as it left the barrel of her gun. She quickly and quietly took apart her rifle and placed it in her black duffle bag.
As she walked to her car at the top of a parking garage, it's always dark and empty at that time.
"Ms.James?" a voice called from behind her.
She froze and turned around "I'm sorry?" She asked,
"Ms. James, I need your help with something." Bailey looked the man talking to her up and down. He was a tall, white, and wearing a suit. She could already tell he was bad news.
"I don't know anyone by that name, you must have made a mistake." She loaded her things into the trunk of her car with one hand while keeping her other hand on the gun in her jacket pocket.
He took a step closer to her, "You and I both know that that is a lie, Bailey Elizabeth James".
Her palms felt sweaty. One of the first things she had learned on the job was always used a different name, not once had she ever used her real one. So how the hell did this man know her?
"Who the fuck are you?" She asked.
"John Doe. Like I said I need your help, I understand you are very good at tracking people down." He said walking closer to her, "I know you have a gun in your left pocket and you are ready to shoot at any moment".
It was true, Bailey was able to find a person just by the color of their eyes and shoe size. She had made a fairly good living finding missing people as well, reuniting families or long-lost lovers. But something about this man was wrong.
"I don't think you'd be able to afford my services".
"I can pay you in not turning you or killing you." He continued.
Turning? She had no idea what he meant, and truthfully she didn't want to know. "Listen, I was polite the first time. Now I'm not, piss off".
"Oh Ms. James, you have no idea what you have just done", he quickly pulled a needle out of his pocket and stabbed it into her neck.
_
Fear, its all he really knows anymore. Fear and pain, nothing but. Its like a game they played; They run and someone eventually finds them, taunting the girl that was with him, calling her 'whore', saying how beautiful she is, yelling 'slut'.
It was a strange facility, they occasionally took bloods and saliva samples off the prisoners, but most people roamed free. Although, Piers had decided it was best to stay away from the others, they all seemed unhinged and dangerous.
He was in a run down bedroom, trying to see his reflection in what's left of a mirror. He held on tightly to the edge of the filthy porcelain sink with both hands and trying to piece together his face in the cracks of the blood stained-glass. Piers didn't look like himself, He didn't recognize his eyes that are now dark and lifeless, his lips are dry and cracked.
This was his sanctuary, the dirty disgusting bedroom. Fucking disturbing yes but it is all that they have, It was far away from everyone else.
His fingers ache, and he looks down and realize that he's holding on too tight. So he lets go of the cold hard edge and backs away from the freak in the mirror. Every time Piers looked at himself for too long, his eyes always wondered to his arm.
Eerie silence is something that he is used to but it still manages to creep up on him whenever he's alone.
But he was never alone for long. "Piers, I have a plan" a whispering voice said from behind him. He sighed. Truthfully he didn't see the point, but he admired Baileys attitude to the situation. She wasn't giving up.
He turned to face her. She was leaning against the door frame. She looked frail, her dark blonde hair was almost stained red. When Bailey was taken she had long shiny golden blonde hair. But one of her punishments, every time she tried to run away they cut a piece of her hair off. It now sat just under her ears and was dry and straggly.
Piers didn't know much about her, she claimed she didn't know why she was taken. He was still unsure of her, but trusted her enough to help him escape.
Piers never looked directly at her, he always done his best to look at the ground or around her. He didn't know if she knew or just stopped caring that her top was see-through. All she had was a large white t-shirt covered in dirt, blood, and sweat. She didn't have any shoes on and her feet were bloody and dirty, covered in cuts and bruises.
He sighed, "what's the new plan?"
Bailey stepped closer to him. "If we can get into that security room"
Piers glared at her, as he shoved past her. They had been over this, that area was extremely high in security.
"Just listen to me! If we do it you can send a message out! You said people would be looking for you!"
Piers thought about it for a moment, she had a point. Chris would definitely be looking for him, even if it wasn't personal it would be for the fact Piers could be a biological weapon. He through his hands up in defeat, "fine, but we need to plan it out this time, you need to listen to me okay?"
Bailey nodded.
_
They had it planned out. Bailey would distract them while he snuck in to send a message. Simple, right?
They watched and waited for a couple of weeks, they needed the moment to be right.
Piers rushed back into the bedroom and was almost sick. He couldn't believe it. That couldn't have been real.
"Piers, are you alright?"
He felt a soft touch on his shoulder. Without thinking, he instantly turned and grabbed the person touching him. His eyes widened in horror, when he realized he had hurt Bailey.
"Shit, sorry... I just. It doesn't matter, we are doing this tonight".
_
He watched Bailey as she caused a commotion, the guards were dangerously close to her now and Piers needed to go quickly but very quietly, he slipped into one of the stalls and held his breath.
He left the stall and exited the bathroom. His arm began to throb against the stitches laced through his skin by the fingers but Piers is careful with his steps across the floor and does his best to keep the silence.
Something wasn't right, he could feel it. He hoped the girl was okay, she was a pain but had begun to grow on him.
He heard the alarm saying all staff to canteen. She had done it, she had actually done it. He sneaked into the room, and sent a video message to Chris.
All he could do now was wonder and wait.