How easy is it to take a life?

There, in a dark and dimly lit room, sat a female red heeler who was dressed in an all-black outfit: Black combat shoes, black jeans, a long-sleeve black shirt, and black fingerless gloves. The light above her shined down, making the shadow of her figure appear large on the floor, she sat in a chair. The warehouse reeked of metal and rot, the air thick with the tang of blood. Pools of crimson glistened under the flickering fluorescent light, casting streaked shadows over the figure's boots.

It's pretty easy if you ask me.

The Heeler sat there, a lit cigarette in her mouth, slowly taking a huff as she was covered in… blood. Dark red stained her shirt and some of her fur. And yet, her eyelids remained half-lidded. She was calm, collected even. She hunched over in the chair, looking at the mess that she had made.

Sprawled all over the floor of this place were numerous bodies, the floor mopped with blood. The bodies of each of the deceased were littered with stab or slash wounds, meaning that this girl had slaughtered them all in cold blood… with a blade of some sort.

2 years into this whole business, killing is as natural as breathing. I don't really hesitate anymore, I don't think about it. I just… do it.

The girl had let out a sigh, smoke of the cigarette that she huffed filled her lungs, escaping her as she exhaled. Her eyes were dull, cold, and emotionless. Having the eyes of a killer. In her other hand, was a black combat knife that was drenched in dark red blood, still warm in fact. With a groan, she stood up, slowly walking to one of the bodies and slowly turning him over on his back with a foot.

A male Rottweiler. Mid 30's, slightly obese, wears designer clothing.

Yup. That was her guy.

The red heeler stashed her knife into its holster that was on her hip and pulled out her smartphone, her cig still in her mouth, taking a huff and she snapped a photo of the deceased fellow in front of her.

Do I like doing this stuff? Well, it's complicated. But it keeps the bills paid and honestly, it keeps me busy.

She sent the photos to someone in her contact that went by "Sevyn". Apparently, this person wanted this guy and the rest of his buddies dead.

They picked the right girl for the job.

?: Job's done.

Sevyn: Perfect. I'll wire your funds as quickly as possible. Thank you.

?: Nah, thank YOU. Kind sir. Pleasure doing business.

Sevyn: Remember. Bring his body to me.

?: Oh, yeah. Right. Where do you want to meet?

Sevyn: Sending you a location now.

The woman soon got a location. With one last huff of her cig, she took it and tossed it to the ground, squashing it out. She approached the deceased body and knelt.

"Alright, big guy… let's go." With a grunt, she picked up the dead man and slung him over her shoulder, walking out the door of the dreaded warehouse. She walked to her sedan, which was secured in a dark alleyway.

She had got a body bag out of her backseat, wrapping up his body like a gift.. then putting him in the back of her truck, like groceries.

Bingo took one last good look at him before slowly shutting her trunk.

CLAMP

You guys are probably wondering how I ended up doing, uh.. this stuff. Funny enough, a friend of a friend of a friend pretty much introduced me to this little place called the "Underground". At first, I thought it was just some bar or someplace, but it was something more than what I could ever imagine. I'm thankful though. Because without finding this place... I'd still be as feeble as ever... that, and pretty broke.

The Heeler got in her car. She sighed, slowly putting on her seatbelt and turning the car over. She looked at herself in the rearview mirror.

What a little monster she was.

She reached over and turned the radio on, only to be greeted by some holly jolly Christmas music! She just rolled her eyes and groaned in dismay as the tune played.

"Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Let your heart be light

From now on, our troubles will be out of sight.."

"Ugh, I hate Christmas music..." The red heeler woman muttered as she drove off into the streets of Melbourne, Australia. These streets were way different from those of Brisbane, whenever she moved out a few years back. This was a new change of scenery.

The Christmas music played in the background. It was that time of year, the killer of a red Heeler kept her eyes on the road.

Let's just cut to the chase, shall we? My name's Bingo. Bingo Heeler. I'm 20 years old and I live in Melbourne, Australia! I'm the youngest child of Bandit and Chilli Heeler, and Bluey Heeler's little sister. You guys know this, right?

Bingo tapped on her steering wheel, finding herself humming the tune of the Christmas song… she didn't like Frank Sinatra that much, but here she was listening to him and humming. Damn it, Frank.

"Once again, as in olden days

Happy golden days of yore

Faithful friends who are dear to us

Will be near to us once more.."

I bet you guys weren't expecting me to be doing this sorta stuff, huh? I didn't expect to be doing this, but here I am! I'm making money, I'm covered in terms of benefits. I think I've got it made, yeah?

At least for now, anyway. ….

Click

The trunk of Bingo's car opened once more, revealing the point of view of whoever was inside. Looking up at Bingo and the new face standing beside her.

Bingo pulled the body from the trunk and unzipped the bag, showing her associate the fresh corpse.

Standing beside Bingo was a husky woman with the standard black-and-white fur, clear glasses, a yellow blouse, tan capris, and brown sandals.

"That's him. You actually did it, huh?" The woman spoke blankly, her blue eyes staring like daggers that sent a shiver down Bingo's spine.

"Yeah? Dennis Marsh, right?" Bingo asked, double-checking.

"Precisely." The woman grinned with satisfaction. "I've wanted this man dead for years, and nobody could pull it off. But you did it in one night. Impressive." She chuckled darkly. "You're truly an amazing mercenary, Knives. Well done." She calls me impressive like this is art. God, what would Mum say if she knew? What about Dad? Hell.. What would Bluey think..?

"It's no sweat." Bingo—Knives, as she was known—shrugged it off, trying to sound casual.

Oh, that's my code name, by the way. Knives. Pretty cool, huh? It's because I'm good with knives. Real original.

"Well now, I've wired you your payment. But I suppose a little more incentive is in order." Sevyn reached into her pocket and pulled out a thick wad of cash, handing it to Bingo. "Here. Consider it an early Christmas gift from me to you."

"Heh, don't mind if I do!" Bingo smiled, flicking the cash with her thumb. "You sure know how to make a girl happy, Sevyn."

"And you sure know how to keep a client, Knives." Sevyn glanced back down at the dead man, her hands on her hips. "Now! Do you mind helping me bury this chubby fuck six feet under?"

Bingo tucked the cash into her pocket. "Yeah, why not."

This is Ms. Sevyn, by the way. She's a recurring client of mine. Pays well, and she keeps me busy. We've been working together for about six months now. She gives me people to take care of, I charge her, I make my money, and she's rid of one more problem. Honestly, she's a bit odd... Always smiling like it's Christmas when someone's dead. But, as long as she keeps paying, I'm not complaining.

Bingo and Sevyn dragged the body to a freshly dug hole, one Sevyn had prepared earlier just for this occasion. Together, they dropped the body into the grave with a heavy thud.

Sevyn tossed a shovel to Bingo, who caught it easily. "Here. Let's bury him."

Bingo glanced at the grave and then at Sevyn. "Yeah, guess so. No time like the present, right?" she replied, starting to shovel dirt over the body. "What'd this guy do to piss you off so bad?"

"Oh, just an old associate of mine," Sevyn said casually, shoveling dirt with a practiced hand. "Helped me with a few things, you know? An acquaintance, if you will."

"Uh-huh... and now here we are. Burying your old acquaintance," Bingo said, dropping a shovelful of dirt.

"Mhm."

Bingo paused, leaning on her shovel. "...So what'd this fucker do?"

Sevyn didn't hesitate. "Oh, he screwed me over on a deal we made. That pissed me off. So, I wanted him dead."

Man, that's what this is about? A screwed-up deal? Could've worked it out with some negotiation. But hey, she's paying, so I guess it doesn't matter. Another reason for someone to die... People are really that petty? Whatever, it's not my problem. Just another payday.

Bingo kept working, throwing dirt into the grave as Sevyn spoke.

Eventually, they finished burying the body, and Bingo hopped back into her car, ready to drive off. But before she could pull away, Sevyn tapped on the window. Bingo rolled it down, giving her a questioning look.

"What's up?" Bingo asked.

"Are you doing anything special for the holidays?" Sevyn leaned against the car door. "Don't you have a family you want to go see?"

Bingo looked away, sighing. Damn, didn't have to hit me with such a personal question, Sev... Family... I'd rather not deal with my folks right now, but goddamn it, I can't keep avoiding them.

"Eeeeyyyeaaaah... I actually gotta go back home in about a week," Bingo said, hesitating. "My folks are getting together or whatever. Honestly, a part of me would rather stay out here and work... but, you know, it's family."

"Yeah. I understand." Sevyn's voice softened, her tone turning serious. "But you should go see them. You're lucky, you know? Most people in this field don't have families to go back to during the holidays. Make the most of it while you can, Knives." She leaned in a little closer, her voice quiet and intense. "Trust me, I know what it's like to lose people. Not everyone gets the chance to have family around for the holidays. Do not—I mean it—DO NOT waste it."

Bingo looked at Sevyn for a moment, her face blank, but then something shifted. Her expression softened, and she got a little uncomfortable. Her eyes darted away, unsure of how to respond.

What the hell... did she just get all... sentimental on me?

Sevyn's intense stare softened, and then she laughed, tapping the car door. "Alright, run along. I'll let you know if I need anyone else dead."

Bingo cleared her throat, trying to regain her composure. "Good deal. Uhh... See you later, Sev... pleasure doing business with you."

And just like that, they parted ways.

Bingo started the engine, her thoughts still swirling from that last exchange. Fuck, that woman is scary.

Bingo shifted gears and drove off, heading back home.

….

Bingo flopped down into her bed, fur lightly damp from the shower that she had just taken not too long ago. Her TV blared in the background as she stared at her ceiling. She was dressed in a white T-shirt with black shorts.. she was barely clothed but it was her home, she could be damn near naked if she wanted to!

After a long night like this one, killing around 20 guys plus the one main target… I usually just come home and process my thoughts. Not that much to think about besides how I could've done better in my contract, or like, what I could eat for dinner… damn, I didn't eat yet, did I?

The Heeler got up and walked to her kitchen to grab something quick to eat.. a hot pocket. A hot pocket was all she wanted. She warmed it up, let it cool, then took it out, and started munching down on it.

Bingo stayed in a pretty nice 1 bedroom 1 one-bathroom apartment out here in Melbourne. It was cozy for her, she decorated it like.. home. A part of her really, really missed Brisbane, but now that she's a mercenary… She didn't want to put her family at risk.

Moving here was a good call.

If you haven't caught on yet, I'm a bounty hunter. Targets, contracts, money– that's the gig. I guess that I could tell you a bit more about the Underground.

Now. The Underground is the place where most of the Bounty Hunters come together if they want to book a contract, get resources, or even share a drink or two if they'd want. This place is filled with killers, obviously… and sometimes, killers need friends, so most of them gather into factions. There are a ton of different factions out there that go and split bounties together. Real cute. But, I don't do that. I roll solo.

Not only can you go after just regular targets, but you can also target other bounty hunters too! We all have bounties. I have a bounty, I'm like, worth around 107 thousand AUD..? Pretty decent. The more dangerous you are, the higher your bounty goes up. That's pretty much it... I think? There's a lot to this stuff that I don't pay attention to.

The red Heeler woman flopped back into her bed, sighing as she sunk into her soft bed, she hugged her pillow. "Ohhhh bed, how I've missed you." She softly whispered, closing her eyes. Getting real comfortable.

Until her cell phone rang.

"Ughhhhh!" She groaned as she sat up, looking at her phone on her nightstand.

It wasn't ringing.

But her other phone was.

Gotta keep two phones: one for personal use and one for professional use... can't let those two sides of my life interlink.

Bingo rolled over to the other side of her bed, reaching for her phone on the other nightstand. The screen lit up, displaying the caller ID. She froze, blinking in surprise.

It was her mother, Chilli Heeler. At nearly 1 AM.

Bingo answered quickly, trying to hide the surprise in her voice. "Hello? Mum? What's up?"

"Hello, sweetheart! How are you?" Chilli's voice came through cheerfully, though there was an undercurrent of something more—concern, maybe?

Bingo sat up slightly, glancing at the clock. "I'm alright, just uh… doing stuff. Erm, what are you doing calling me this late? It's almost 1 AM."

Chilli laughed softly. "Well, I was just calling to see if you were still coming for the holidays? Christmas is right around the corner, and Bluey's home. We were just worried about you. You don't call much, you're not as talkative as you used to be… We miss you, Bingo."

Bingo's heart dropped a little. She had been avoiding calls for a while now. Too caught up in work, in her own secret life to even keep up with her family. She didn't know what to say for a moment.

"...I miss you guys too, Mum," Bingo replied, her voice quieter than usual, forcing a smile her mother couldn't see. "Yeah, I'll book a flight. I'll be out there in two days. It's been a while since I've seen everyone… six months, right?"

Truth was, I didn't even remember how long it had been. Eight months? A year? Time blurred when all you thought about was survival.

Chilli chuckled. "Actually, it's been eight months," she corrected with a teasing tone. "But I'm just glad you're coming. You work so hard over there in Melbourne, all alone... I still don't get why you went all the way out there for office work. You could've worked somewhere closer to home!"

Bingo froze at the mention of her "office work." She could feel that old pang of discomfort rise in her chest, but she pushed it down. "Mum, I'm a big girl. I couldn't stay in Brisbane forever." She smiled a little, trying to sound nonchalant. "I love it here. Melbourne's great. I'm fine, okay?"

"I know, sweetie, but you've always been my little baby… It's hard to believe even now that you're all grown up and living on your own..." Chilli's voice softened. "Just remember, if you ever feel like coming home, our door is always open. But you better show up for Christmas, Bingo. Or I'll come drag you back myself!"

Bingo rolled her eyes but smiled at her mother's insistence. "Okay, okay! I'll be there. Stop stressing about me! You're too olddddd for that, girlie!"

"Hey!" Chilli laughed, sounding mock-offended. "Your mum is still young and beautiful, thank you very much." She yawned, clearly ready to head to bed. "Alright, this girl's sleepy, so I'll let you go. Get some sleep too, love. And don't stay up all night playing video games or whatever you do at this hour."

"Alright, alright, Mum! I love you, oldie."

"I love you too, Bingo."

Bingo hung up the phone, the smile slowly fading from her face as she flopped back on her bed. She stared at the ceiling, her mind racing. It's been too long since I've seen them… She sighed, a quiet ache in her chest. Maybe Mum's right. Maybe I need to stop hiding.

But then, she shook her head, pushing those thoughts away. No. I can't afford to let anyone in. Not now. Not with everything I've done.

The room felt colder now, the silence louder. She rolled over, burying her face in the pillow, trying to shut out the thoughts, even as they clawed at her mind. Well. At least the day's over, yeah? Nope. On her professional phone line, she had received a text message. To which her phone flashed and pinged about... Must've been important, yeah? The heeler groaned and grabbed her other phone, unlocking it with a fingerprint and staring at the screen blankly at first… then her expression gradually turned into one of shock.

"Good evening, Knives. This is the leader of the Black Widow faction, "Phantom" contacting you directly to invite you over for tea, around.. 11 AM? Sharp? In the faction tower, top floor. I've noticed how much traction you've been getting in the underground, and I've wanted to give you an offer of a lifetime. I hope to see you tomorrow. Sincerely, Phantom."

Bingo sat there in silence, her phone slowly slipping out of her hands and onto the floor with a silent clunk.

Holy fucking shit. The Black Widows. Want to talk with... Me.

For context. The Black Widows are the most powerful faction right now in the underground. They have the highest bounties, have their noses deep in business within the underground, and, everyone fucking fears them. Assassins don't even THINK about looking in their direction. But me?

I HATE those stuck-up, arrogant fucks.

They have the nerve to talk to me, huh? Yeah. I'll give them something to talk about alright.