"Jason Moore?" Someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to face them.

"I have a job for you," he said, looking a little nervous. "There's a guy I want you to hit. Get his bank information, whatever. You mess up his life as much as you can, doing what you do best, and I'll pay you."

"How much?" I asked.

"Five hundred."

"Five hundred dollars?"

He looked at me like I was crazy. "Five hundred MILLION."

I didn't have to think about it for long.

"Alright. Who is he, and where can I find him?" I didn't really care where he was. I would probably have gone to China for that much cash.

"He's right here in Chicago, and his name's Aiden Pearce." He hesitated before he said his name, his gaze shifting to look around, as if he was sure he was being watched.

Well, Aiden. Let's see why you're worth so much.

I watched my target, Aiden, through the blacked-out windows of my car. It was by no means a rich man's automobile, but it had helped me more than once.

He wasn't doing much of anything, really. All I had seen him do was check his phone a few times. Maybe he was some businessman out for a walk. He had on a brown trench coat with a white sweater, jeans, brown boots and a black baseball cap. Maybe he was just a normal guy that crossed my employer the wrong way. I decided he was no real threat, and started the backdoor hack into his phone.

He seemed to check his phone right as the hack begun. He frowned a little, but this time, he kept it out. He was standing on the sidewalk, completely focused on his phone.

My phone buzzed. Strange. I don't give my number to anyone. I pulled it out, and a letter icon flashing in the middle of the screen showed that I had a new message. I tapped it, and it opened.

"NICE TRY."

What?

I looked out of the window, and Aiden was gone. I looked at my phone again, and the hack was still going. It buzzed in my hand again, showing I had a new message. Opening it, I was greeted by another message.

"I'M FEELING GENEROUS. YOU HAVE A 30 SECOND HEAD START. RUN."

Of course, with my infinite wisdom, I didn't run. Thirty seconds later, I got another message.

"BIG MISTAKE."

My car lurched forwards, launching my face into my steering wheel. I felt blood leaking from my nose.

I opened the door and stumbled out, and I saw the car behind me's doors opening too. I was still disoriented from the initial bump, but I tried to run.

I looked back, and saw Aiden walking towards me. Now though, he was sporting a black mask that covered his face, and a handgun that looked like it could easily kill me. He was still carrying his phone in his hand for some reason. Unfortunately, his phone wasn't the thing hurling bullets at me.

I ran through the sidewalk, dodging through fleeing civilians. I heard sirens in the distance. Someone probably called the police when they heard the gunfire. I looked back again, and he was still following me. He was running now too, one hand holding a pistol, and the other holding his phone.

I turned right into an alleyway. There was a bike leaning against one of the sides. If I could just...

I was hit by burning hot water. It knocked me to the ground, soaking my clothes and almost burning my skin. I tried to get up, but slipped and fell again. The water stopped, but I noticed Aiden pointing his gun at my head.

"Look, Jason." He said. His voice was gravelly. "You probably didn't know what you were getting into when you accepted that contract, did you?" He asked. "No sane person would have accepted that knowing I was the target, unless they were too young to know about me. And you don't look insane." He lowered the pistol. "I'm gonna let you live. But I'm also gonna make sure you don't come looking for me again." His pistol let off a horrifyingly loud bang, and pain lashed through my leg. I cried out, clutching my bleeding thigh. Aiden ran down the alley, disappearing around the corner.

The last thing I saw before I lost consciousness was the red and blue of police sirens.