Kirsten wished he could know what was passing through Alicia’s mind as she walked by the streets with seemingly no intended destination or goal. She just kept walking in a straight line, unopposed by anyone, not even the police who were still patrolling intensely around the downtown area.


    There was no one else outside in that part of the town except for her and himself, and with that rifle it should’ve been easy to put her down, but he still hesitated, something was wrong.


    She kept walking forward, never looking back. Kirsten recalled that the commander mentioned she was supposed to have sharper senses than anyone else, then that should mean that she was aware of his presence in that very moment, yet she kept looking forward as if there was nothing else in the world except for that sidewalk. What was she thinking about? Were her thoughts scary? Clear? Unhinged? Or was she not thinking at all? Kirsten felt as if he couldn’t kill her before knowing the answer to these questions.


    They kept walking, their destination unknown. They walked for so long that Alicia’s bloody footprints dried up and faded away at some point. Kirsten didn’t need to be too perceptive to know that she had killed a lot of people that night.


    Suddenly, she placed both hands behind her back, her right hand was closed in a fist while the other held it tightly. Kirsten resisted the urge to just call her out and hold her at gunpoint, maybe to ask his questions, maybe to just put her down; he knew that wasn’t the smart approach to this situation. But then, which approach was the smart one? What was the best method to deal with the most lethal mass murderer in existence? Kirsten had faced terrorists of all sorts, career criminals of all types and killers of all shapes and sizes, but he had found himself at a loss on what to do with a mere teenager, though to be fair, that teenager had a higher kill count than all the other killers he had encountered.


    He tried to raise up the rifle in his hands but he simply couldn’t, there was something preventing him from doing what he had resolved to do right there and then. For some reason he couldn’t figure out what he felt for this person that simply couldn’t stop killing.


    Soon enough they made it to the forest line and she walked into it, Kirsten followed closely so he wouldn’t miss her in the trees.


    They walked for what felt like an entire hour. Kirsten had to remain focused to not trip over some branch or make noise by stepping on twigs, but she however, she just knew where to step on and when, her footsteps were completely devoid of noise, something that he didn’t know was even possible, much less in a forest area.


    Kirsten noticed that after a few minutes of walking she hastened her pace. She continued advancing with long steps and he had difficulty keeping up with her until he lost sight of Alicia entirely.


    He stopped and looked around trying to spot her in between the trees, but it was as if she had banished in the air. He braced himself for impact assuming that she had detected him and was setting up to ambush him right there and then; she could come from anywhere, behind, from the left, from the right, from above, but after a minute of anxious expectation, Kirsten realized that Alicia wasn’t going to attack him, she preferred to leave.


    There was nothing else he could do but keep on going forward, but he had his pistol out of its holster just in case.


    As he walked he noticed the terrain becoming more inclined, he was now going up a hill. He remembered that when he looked at the town’s map that there was a couple of houses around those parts.


    Putting himself on her shoes he thought that after fighting for six hours on end she must have gotten wounded at some point, without mentioning that she must be feeling depleted and tired. Their walk through the forest didn’t help to demonstrate the latter, but there was no way that she didn’t feel tired after running around town killing people for several hours on end, so she would be looking for a place to rest and lick her wounds before moving on.


    Convinced with this train of thought Kirsten kept walking up the hill, and just like he expected he found a big house at the top of it. A two stories house with a pool included, he thought that people probably rented it to have a good time during the summer or to house wealthy clients during their stay in the town.


    He noticed a pair of dirty footprints going all the way to the house, they were unmistakably Alicia’s. Kirsten didn’t know how she lost sight of her back in the forest but he was on her track once again, and the chase was about to reach its end.


    Kirsten crouched and approached the house as silently as possible. The door’s lock was completely destroyed, another show of her unnatural strength. Once he was close enough, he could hear the distinct sound of a shower up in the second floor.


    “(She’s taking a shower?)” – He assumed that she needed to wash all the blood away. Knowing this, he stepped inside the house and found himself in the living room, everything was neatly ordered, the floor was white and clean, at least until she walked inside with her dirty boots.  It was a living room like any other, there was no point in looking around, Kirsten had a task ahead of him.


    He made his way up the stairs and saw an opened door at the end of the hallway, that had to be the bedroom.


    Kirsten peeked inside and saw Alicia’s bloodied clothes all over the ground. Obviously, most of that blood was not hers.


    The water was still running. He had just decided to walk inside when she closed the faucet, so he took two steps back sticking to the wall and the shadows.


    He heard a few muffled noises coming from inside the bathroom, like a closet being opened and things being dropped or placed over surfaces. Kirsten stood there, idle, not knowing if he was waiting for her to come out so he could strike once and for all, or if he was so scared that he simply couldn’t move a single muscle.


    A couple of minutes passed, and she finally walked out of the bathroom. She was wearing a plain gray t-shirt and a pair of black gym pants. These clothes she probably found inside the closet of the room; that was better than the bloody clothes lying on the ground.


    She had covered her head with bandages and there were more wrapping her shoulder judging by the ones peeking from under the shirt. Kirsten was safe to assume that she had sustained damage during her campaign of murder, something to be expected, but it was impressive she didn’t get wounded any further than just a stab and a couple of blows on her head.


    It was obvious at a glance that she was tired, too tired to pay attention to her surroundings and way too exhausted to keep fighting; if Kirsten was to act, it had to be right there and then, he knew for a fact he’d never get an opportunity like this one again.


    However, he couldn’t just peek from the corner, aim and take the shot, that didn’t sit right with him, if he was to kill Alicia, he preferred to look into her eyes before doing it, that’s the least he owed her, himself and the people she may have hurt or did hurt while she wandered around with no one to hold her by the leash.


    Alicia sat on a chair at the bottom of the bedroom, staring out the window, towards the full moon. Kirsten caught himself thinking that this was one of the best places to die.


    Without any shame or fear in his heart any longer, Kirsten walked into the room and aimed at her center of mass.


    “Alicia…” – He called her name and she turned towards him. Looking at her face, Kirsten could see that the beast behind her eyes was nowhere to be found anymore, she looked as if she was going to pass out at any moment. – “…You shouldn’t have done this. This is all my fault… and I suppose this is the only way to fix it.”


    He took the safe off the pistol. – “Goodbye, Butcher.”


    Kirsten placed the finger on the trigger, he was ready to pull it, the readiest he’d ever be, but then he was brought out of his trance by the vibration of his cellphone.


    He used his free hand to bring it out and see who could be calling at such a critical moment. He couldn’t help but lose his focus when he saw it was Darius who was calling him. There was no other thing to do but to answer immediately.


    “Darius?”


    “Hello, Eyler. It’s been a while, even in such a dire situation you still prove loyal to my organization’s ideals and objectives.”


    “I’m in the middle of something right now, boss.” – He said looking back at Alicia who hadn’t moved a single inch. He wondered if she was taking him seriously at all. She may have been tired, but anyone in her position would have found a last drop of energy within them to try and ensure their survival, why hadn’t she done something yet?


    “I know, one of my people has kept me up to date.” – Said Darius, catching Kirsten off guard. How many people were watching him!? First it was Conrad’s silent lapdog, now Darius had his own invisible man keeping tabs on him. – “And this is where I tell you to stand down, put down your weapon and don’t threaten Butcher any further.”


    “Sir, Butcher has become a liability. She exposed herself and caused chaos involving innocent bystanders, drawing in the attention of law enforcement. Her face will be on every single news channel in less than 6 hours from now, she’ll become the organization’s weak link and it may lead to serious consequences.”


    “Oh yes, I’m aware of that.” – He responded. – “Those are serious problems, yes. But believe me, that’s nothing we can’t fix. What you say is true, her killing spree has proven her to become a liability, but at the same time, she proved to be one of the most valuable assets my organization has.”


    “What!? What do you mean sir!?”


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    “My man on the ground told me every single detail of Alicia’s vigilante run…and let me tell you, some of the things he took note of are nothing short of marvelous, Alicia has shown everything that I hoped to see in her, and then some…to put it simply, she’s the perfect nemesis to put against our enemies, and for her to fulfill her role, of course, I need her alive. So please, put down your weapon and talk to her, convince her to come back, I really need to have a conversation with her.”


    “Sir, if your man saw what she did, then you know…”


    “Like I said, nothing we can’t handle or fix. She’s more valuable to us alive than dead, and of course, on our side. As far as I know you wanted to bring her back before deciding at some point she was too unstable to rescue, now I ask you to go back to that mentality, for the sake of our organization, for her sake, and your own.”


    Kirsten wanted to argue, but maybe this was the excuse he was waiting for, the justification he needed to put down his weapon and not kill a kid. He was scared of how willing he was to do it a few seconds before receiving the call. Maybe some of the things that made him eligible to become an agent in the CIA still lingered in him.


    “…Understood sir.” – Kirsten lowered his weapon, bracing himself for the consequences, but much to his surprise there weren’t any. Alicia remained still on the chair, just looking at him. –“I’ll do as you ask.”


    “Good, do your best my friend. I know you can do it.”


    Darius ended the call, silence fell over the room. Now it was just Kirsten and her.


    Alicia refused to have the first word, so Kirsten decided to break the ice himself.


    “Butcher, I…”


    Kirsten saw as she jumped out of her seat and slapped him. The pain felt so real, but ultimately it wasn’t. He blinked once again, and she was back in her seat, she hadn’t moved a single muscle, and there was no mark on Kirsten’s cheek. The fact that he had no idea how she could do that made it the more unnerving.


    “Damn…I’m so tired.” – She said. – “That’s all you’ll get while I get some rest.”


    “Butcher, you… what the hell did you do?”


    “…I showed my gratitude to the people of this town.” – She said, staring out the window. – “There were so many predating on the innocents…so many enemies…I took care of them. It was a hard task, but I did it. I kept killing them until I couldn’t smell them anymore.”


    “Smell them?”


    Upon saying this, Alicia made a demonstration to him. Kirsten stared in awe as her scars glowed and she took her time to smell him, just to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating down in the streets.


    “What is that? What are you supposed to be?” – He asked, completely tired of this mystery and yearning to know the answer once and for all. – “Why do your scars glow?”


    After a couple of seconds her scars stopped glowing, and then she grasped at her chest, feeling a sudden sharp pain there. That was the indicative she needed to know that forcing herself to keep using that power would be lethal in her current state.


    “…You don’t smell like anything…I’m surprised I guess.” – She said. – “I’m confused now.”


    “Confused?”


    “I was supposed to move on from this place, look for you and kill you because I knew you were no different to the scum I gunned down tonight…but turns out you are not like them, that changes everything…”


    “Ah fuck…” – Kirsten hadn’t thought about what had happened in a while, of course she was still angry about it. – “I assure you, Butcher, all of this was a huge misunderstanding.”


    “I’m sure it was…then what actually happened?”


    “After you departed for your mission, there was a… let’s call it a rebellion, a man named Lionel Fritz convinced many agents and operators to take over and reshape the organization as they saw fit…and for that they also had to get rid of the most…troublesome assets, according to him. That included the assassins, and that includes you.”


    “…He must’ve been the one I spoke to on the radio when I landed.” – She said, surprising him.


    “You spoke with Lionel?”


    “He wanted me to stand down and give up, I told him I’d kill him, I made sure to not forget about that.”


    “Yes, he’s responsible for all of this…” – Kirsten averted his gaze, still conflicted. – “I came all the way here thinking that you’d be hurt, unable to fight and laying low. I came here determined to persuade you and help you leave this place safely. Then I found you raising hell instead.”  - He rubbed his temple. – “I’m sure that even you know what was the most sensible thing to do, I’m pretty sure you know what’s right and wrong, pragmatically and morally. So…why, why did you do this instead?”


    “Assassins, came looking for me.” – She said. – “People I met were in peril; I had to distance myself from them as soon as possible. Yes…I could’ve just eluded them and leave the town, I know…but…”


    “But?”


    “…I felt like I couldn’t leave without doing some cleaning first.”


    “What!? Why? Why would you think that?”


    Alicia closed her eyes and clenched her fists. – “It’s weird, isn’t it? someone like me, someone that has led such a lifestyle so young shouldn’t give a damn about the world’s woes or good and evil, I should only care about my own survival, money or shelter…Yeah, I used to be like that, some years ago. I didn’t care about shit. I saw killing and fighting as my method to ensure my own survival. I wanted strength, the rawest form of power, and I figured that when I became strong enough, I’d simply be invincible, money was an added bonus. I was doing ok just following orders…but then I stumbled upon that desert.”


    “Iraq?”


    Alicia saw herself holding what remained of Malak in her arms. – “If you wanna see what happens when there’s no good left in a place, look there…they killed the last good thing they had, and for that they were destroyed…I destroyed them all.” – Alicia looked at Kirsten dead in the eyes. – “Ever since then, I’ve been unable to ignore it, evil. I just feel this urge.” – Alicia clutched at her chest. – “All things become an afterthought until I punish whoever has to be punished, until I do what I want to do.”


    Kirsten looked at the ground, assimilating what she just told him. By her tone and her choice of words he knew that it took a lot of willpower or courage to talk about that, and even then, she skipped over a lot of details and still left him in the dark.


    But some of the things she said echoed in his mind. What she said made it quite clear to him why Darius wants to keep her around.


    Two years back he was talking with him, and he asked why he created the organization, and why was he so determined to bring down the elites.


    “Why? Hmm…” – He said. – “…That’s a hard question. I guess I can’t just leave it alone, you know? I can’t ignore their influence, I can’t ignore how they tarnish our world…so I want them gone, it’s as simple as that. They believe themselves gods, but you know as much as I, that God…there’s only one.”


    Kirsten snapped back to reality.


    “…Can I ask about the glow?” – Silence was his answer. – “…Right.”


    “If you are not here to kill me, then why did you come?” – She asked.


    “Don’t get it twisted, I was indeed here to kill you, but the boss thinks that you are more useful than ever now, so he wants me to get you to come back.”


    “Why would I want to return to a group that can barely stand on its own?”


    “It all caught us by surprise, Butcher. But he’s taking care of it, everyone is.”


    “Hmph.” – She looked back out the window. – “…Assuming that I would even entertain the idea, I want you to tell me something.”


    “What is it?”


    “During the mission in Mexico, I rescued a lot of children. A helicopter took them away. Where are they now? What did the MTW do with them?”


    Kirsten’s ears perked up. – “Oh, that! I’m glad you ask.”


    Alicia raised an eyebrow.


    “See, Darius, our boss, you could say he’s the last true philanthropist. Our organization is not just about murder, you know? He’s used his wealth to invest in many businesses and industries which give him back his investment with a bonus, and then he uses a sum of his money to build orphanages, schools, donate to real causes that are not fronts for money laundering. In those places funded by our organization, we make sure that they are given an opportunity to grow, to heal, to learn and to come out into the world prepared to continue with their lives, even if the beginning was particularly rough.”


    He took a look at her face and he couldn’t see if she believed him or not. He was telling the absolute truth, but given what had happened he figured she was finding it all hard to believe.


    “Those kids you rescued…” – He continued. – “Will be taken care of, nursed back to health, we’ve got people who will help them deal with the trauma, and if they can, they’ll give them a good home to go to, I guarantee it.”


    That was everything he had to say on the matter, but she still had that stern expression on her face. He felt as if she was going to use the last drop of strength she had in her to break his neck or other more gruesome ways to kill him.


    But instead, she looked at the moon once again, and asked. – “Will you take me to one of those places?”


    “What?”


    “I want to see it by myself. If I go with you, I want to check on the kids I saved in the desert. That’s my condition to return.”


    Kirsten was surprised she was asking for so little. But, then again, assassins were simple people, all things considered.


    “…Sure, I can take you wherever you want.” – He said. – “So…that means you’ll come back?”


    “We’ll see…but right now? Not going nowhere. Too tired.”


    “Right…”


    “I’m going to close my eyes now.” – She said. – “I need to rest.” – While she closed her eyes she pointed at Kirsten. – “If you dare attack me while I sleep, I’ll kill you. You’ll be surprised how I do it.”


    “…Alright, point taken.”


    Alicia fell asleep in an instant. He believed her when she said that even while asleep, she’d still find a way to kill him before she got to lay a hand on her, she had already proven she was capable of such a feat and then some.


    Certainly she and Darius had a lot to talk about, if he didn’t know any better he’d think she’s his long lost daughter. He considered him a pragmatic leader, someone that did everything necessary for the sake of the organization, so insisting on keeping someone like Butcher around was very out of place for him.


    Was it just because they were similar? Kirsten couldn’t say for sure, but he wouldn’t dare disobey him.


    Kirsten felt quite tired himself. He leaned on his chair and exhaled. Ideally, after the sun comes up, he’d take Alicia with him to the car, pick up Charlie and then head towards one of the organization’s safehouses, there they’d be safe for a while, then they’d return to the headquarters and prepare to hunt down Lionel.


    Yeah, that sounded like a plan. Kirsten was feeling sleepy himself, and couldn’t help but close his eyes.


    Everything was ok in the world, but then he was woken up by the sound of glass breaking right in front of him.


    He opened his eyes to witness Alicia being dropkicked out of the window by another man.


    “Alicia!” – He was about to get up and fight, but then a hand closed itself around his neck, and big and strong hand like no other.


    He saw a hulking man with bandages around his arms, his grip was so strong he couldn’t get oxygen through his lungs.


    “Fucking freak, lowering her guard just like that thinking no one’s coming after her.” – Said Luis. – “That’s gotta do it alright.”


    He centered his attention on Kirsten. – “And what are you supposed to be? Her dad? You’ve got one bitch of a daughter…or used to have at least.”- Luis noticed Kirsten’s face becoming purple. – “Igor, take it easy you are strangling the life out of him.”


    Igor eased up his grip. Kirsten immediately had a cough fit.


    “Who…the fuck are you?” – He asked while feeling his aching neck.


    “We were hired to take down your pal. We lost two people coming after that bitch, so she went out easy, all things considered. I kick hard, I put everything in that single kick, so she must be lying on the ground outside with a broken neck.” – He stretched his neck. – “Now that only leaves us you. You are not a target but, it’s better to be safe than sorry.”


    “You don’t know who you are messing with.”


    “I don’t fucking care, man. If you are gonna be like that, I figure that the world will be a better place without you.” – Luis pulled out his gun and placed it over the side of his head, intending to make it look like a suicide.


    But he wouldn’t get to end Kirsten. For a professional assassin Luis was very bad at confirming his kills.


    Igor and Luis heard something land on the edge of the window, they looked back to see their target still pretty much alive, but now her face was covered with her own blood.


    However, there was something different about her now. They were pretty sure that she had scars on her face and arms, but now they were completely gone.


    “Now you’ve done it, you assholes!” – She said. – “You kicked her hard enough to send her to sleep, so guess what motherfucker, I’ll be the one to bury you in the pavement!”


    “You are not Butcher? Who the hell are you?” – Asked Luis.


    Ten cracked her knuckles and brushed her hair backwards, the bandages around her head became undone and fell on her shoulders, showing them a cut the broken glass had made on her temple.


    “It doesn’t matter, lad. If you thought Butcher was bad, you are in for a rude awakening.”