Never mind the rain.
A tall figure swiftly crossed the street and moved further along the sidewalk. She pulled the hood of her raincoat up and over her head as the wind picked up and the rain started to pour. "Fuck this weather", she muttered under her breath whilst stuffing her cold hands deep in her pockets to warm them. She kept her gaze down and was mesmerized for a moment by the droplets of rain that sprang off of her boots as her feet marched on. She glanced up only to read the street signs, making sure she was headed the right way. A phone buzzed in her chest pocket and she adjusted the, almost invisible, wireless earbud before answering the call."Hello?" She spoke into the receiver, never slowing her pace. "Good afternoon ma'am. I'm calling to inform you that your package arrived."
"Right", she spoke softly and glanced up to read the street sign above her head before continuing more firmly "thank you for calling." She crossed the street, ignoring the honking car and adjusted the straps of her backpack. "My pleasure. Do you have any questions regarding our service or your package ma'am?" She thought about this question for a moment. "Did the package arrive just now?" She asked the nameless voice. "Let me check ma'am, one moment please." She picked up the pace as the rain came down even harder and pulled the hood of her coat all the way over her eyes. "Ma'am, your package arrived about 25 minutes ago." She couldn't refrain herself from grunting into the receiver at hearing this. The voice on the other end was silent for a moment before speaking "…The package isn't going anywhere ma'am, not to worry".
"I know" she mumbled, "thanks for calling". "You're very welcome ma'am, thank you for doing business with us and we hope to see you again sometime soon. Take care." The voice cheerfully replied before the call was disconnected. She dug around in her pockets to find her black leather gloves and slipped them on, her hands still cold.
She took a sharp left turn and was surprised by the slipperiness of the concrete sidewalk, her boots slipping every so slightly. Unfortunately, it didn't go unnoticed. "Careful sweetheart, wouldn't want you to fall." A soft voice spoke and she looked up to see a friendly old face staring back at her from the ground. An old man was sitting on a dark colored plaid, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He presented her with a toothy grin, though several teeth were missing. He chuckled. "Cause if ya fall? Ya ain't getting back up, ain't that right Gona love?" He spoke to the giant Bullmastiff sitting next to him who clearly agreed and happily barked up at her, wagging her tail.
A small laugh erupted from somewhere inside of her and she couldn't help but smile at the man and his dog. She glanced around quickly whilst digging around in her pockets for some change, only to come up with nothing. "I'm sorry I don't seem to-" she started but was cut off. "The smile you just gave me was worth more than a few bucks honey." He said and started petting the dog lovingly who barked once more. "Ah see? Gona agrees with me." The man started humming a tune and busying himself with feeding a few pigeons that were sat at his feet. Eager to take whatever he got, which wasn't a whole lot. He shared his crumbs with the birds, the ham on his bread with the dog and ate the rest himself. Occasionally even offering a bite to the bullmastiff. She broke out of her daze to smile once more at the man, turned on her heels and left.
Before long, she spotted her destination. Not realizing before how she wasn't all that far away. She still had plenty of time to get the package and be on her way. She entered the building and fished a set of keys out of her back pocket. Her eyes were drawn to the graffiti on the left sidewall, 'all my friends are heathens' it read in bold red letters. You don't say she thought to herself. She spotted the private post boxes on the wall and searched for the right number. "96…, 97,… 98,… 99,…"she whispered and paused.
There you are "100" she spoke aloud this time and slid the key into the lock. She got the package from the box and closed it before turning and heading up the stairs. Every step creaked under her weight but it was for her ears only as the sound was, for the most part, drowned out by the blaring of radios and TV's in the building. All my friends are heathens take it slow she hummed the tune to herself whilst climbing the stairs. Wait for them to ask you who you know. It took her a long time before she reached the top floor. Even the floorboards protested as she crossed the hallway, her eyes scanning the numbers on each door. She halted in front of door number one hundred and used the set of keys to gain access to the room.
There was barely any furniture aside from a dusty looking table with 2 chairs, a stained sofa and a small coffee table. "Home sweet home" she muttered to herself and removed her hood as she stepped inside and locked the door behind her. She crossed the room in just a few steps and opened the window, allowing some fresh air to stream in. Her backpack landed with a thud as she threw it onto the floor near the window and pulled up a chair to sit down. The package that was tucked neatly underneath her arm was ripped open. She pulled out a picture that showed an ordinary but grim looking man in his late fifties and a piece of paper.
Objective: eliminate the subject shown in the picture.
Unique feature(s): ruby ring on his left hand (pinky), tattoo on his left hand (anker).
Timeframe: subject will be arriving around fifteen forty-five.
She put the picture along with the paper back in the package and unzipped her backpack to pull out a high-end sniper rifle complete with silencer and placed it onto the table. She rolled her head from side to side and took a deep breath before setting up the rifle along with a scope. The time on her watch read fifteen forty-one. It's showtime. She peered through the scope and made a few adjustments before being content with the setup.
The two cars that pulled up across the street down below didn't go unnoticed by her. A man, who more or less resembled a bear, got out of the second car and opened the rear door. The seconds ticked away but no one exited the car. "Come on, come oooon…where are you?" she whispered to herself. Another few seconds ticked away before there was any movement. Another man exited the car and was offered a cane by the bear. The hand that accepted the cane was as described in the papers; ruby ring and anker tattoo on his left hand. She took a deep breath, held it as she zoomed in on the man's head and braced herself to take the shot. Her finger was steady on the trigger, waiting for the right time. There is no right time she thought and squeezed the trigger lightly.
It always seems to happen in slow motion. Time always slows down the moment she takes a life. The cane clattered to the ground before the body even processed the hit. There was no need for her to witness the scene unfolding any further; she knows exactly what it's like. First there's confusion, then some more and ultimately there is panic, anger, sadness and sometimes even immediate grief. She shuts the window and moves away from the line of sight, packing up her belongings and pressing the speed dial on her phone in the process. A male voice answered the call: "cleaning department". She's already out the door with the hood pulled over her head and swiftly moving down the flight of stairs before answering with "It's a go".
"Right, we're on our way". The line is then disconnected and she stuffs the phone and earpiece along with the set of keys in her backpack. She makes a beeline for the fire exit on the second floor that leads to an alley behind the building. The door is easily opened and as expected, no alarm. A black van pulls up as she jogs down the steps. The side door slides open and she hands her backpack to the hand that's extended, not bothering to check for a name or face. She continues walking as the men enter the building the same way she left.
When it rains, it pours
she thought to herself as it came down even harder than before. She kept on walking until she heard the sirens wailing in the distance and closed her eyes knowingly for a brief moment.
She rounded the corner and her stomach grumbled, she hadn't even had a proper lunch yet. Hell, not even a cup of coffee. Her eyes spotted the neon sign on a diner called 'Arkadia' and her feet automatically took her there. The bell above the door chimed as she walked in and was greeted by the smell of coffee.
She took off her coat and walked up to the counter, ready to order. Unfortunately for her, the place was packed and the waitress was too busy in the kitchen to take her order. Her eyes were drawn to the TV that showed the aftermath of what she'd done. She knows she shouldn't look, shouldn't even think about it… But there are some things in her life that she can't quite get used to or forget for that matter. And as much as she wants to believe that it's what keeps her sane, she knows it's just an excuse. As she turns around, she softly hums the words to the tune she's grown to like.
All my friends are heathens take it slow.
Wait for them to ask you who know.
Her eyes find another pair looking straight at her and the stare is so intently that she's caught off guard. A smile erupts on her face because the girl is, without a doubt, easy on the eyes. The fact that the blonde is caught staring doesn't seem to faze her at all. It's either that or she's so lost in her own world that she doesn't know she's caught yet. Lexa raises her eyebrows questioningly at the girl as if to ask 'like what you see?' but regrets it immediately as she's once again the cause of chaos.
Please don't make any sudden moves.
You don't know the half of the abuse.
The song used is called 'Heathens' by the band Twenty One Pilots.