ã€ŠAngel&#x27;s Initiationã€‹


 The Butcher

    The Men of the World¡¯s organization had a goal to achieve, and for that, they needed the assistance and support of some of the most dangerous killers on the face of the earth. No matter where they were or how much they asked for, the organization needed them to be on their side.

    Kirsten had been given the task of finding three legendary killers whose feats and actions had been told from mouth to mouth across the free world like fables for the new generation. With enough effort and a silver tongue, he managed to convince two of them, and then headed to Switzerland to find the last killer on his list.

    By just reading the dossier he had a feeling this killer would be the hardest to convince.

    A soldier who ravaged through Iraq on his own, slayer of hundreds upon hundreds of combatants, leveled entire towns and cities, forced the United States military to retreat from the territory and dissolved Saddam Hussein¡¯s regime, sinking it in an ocean of blood. The disaster left at his wake would fuel the nightmares of the Arabian people for centuries.

    Those were the stories told about the soldier known as ¡°Qisab¡± among the Arabians, and ¡°Butcher¡± among the Americans, a person that didn¡¯t know friend from foe, and was only interested in killing as many as he could.

    Ultimately those stories were just that, stories, but having seen all the things he had seen, Kirsten was pretty inclined to believe them.

    If it was up to him, he wouldn¡¯t have any interest in hiring a murderer like him, but the boss offered a convincing enough argument.

    ¡°It¡¯s best to have a monster on our side than letting it be approached by our enemies and become a bigger problem later on. Besides, I think his skills are greatly wasted in that company.¡± -He said.

    ¡°We are hiring monsters now, huh?¡± He said to himself, at least the other two assassins on his list were more reasonable individuals, a bit quirky and maybe with a few screws loose, but they clearly had a capability for discernment and civilized discourse.

    He assumed it would be an entirely different matter with this Butcher felon. Suddenly, he felt an urge to protect his neck from an incoming attack.

    His driver informed him they were about to arrive at the base. According to the information provided by the operators, the Butcher was affiliated to an international mercenary group known as the Crimson Rangers, whose headquarters were located deep in Switzerland¡¯s Bjorno forest, an unusual place to settle your company, but their leader had a lot of enemies just like the organization, and thus appreciated the protection and secrecy the deep forests provided.

    It took a while but the commander of the Crimson Rangers, a man named Conrad Floyd Amber, had agreed to let him into his base to have a chat under the idea that Kirsten wanted to hire the rangers¡¯ services for a very important assignment.

    Kirsten had faith the deal would go smoothly; he was confident in his persuasion skills. Still, a little bit of luck was always welcomed.

    They found the path across the forest to reach the base, a zone usually forbidden for the general public so no one would notice they were there.

    The road was rocky and rudimentary, but the car managed to drive through it decently enough. Then, after a few minutes of driving through curves and being wary of falling off the cliff, they finally arrived at the headquarters of the Crimson Rangers. The guard at the gate let them through when he saw their vehicle approaching and told the driver where to stop the car.

    After leaving the vehicle, Kirsten was approached by the commander himself in the parking lot.

    ¡°Mr. Eyler, I presume.¡± -Kirsten could feel his imposing presence. His stature, his rank, his body, all of these things screamed ¡°he¡¯ll kill you if you prove to be a threat.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. You must be commander Amber, pleased to meet you.¡± -They shook hands, both their grips seemed to be equally strong. Conrad was surprised to see that a ¡°puny businessman¡± like he considered Eyler to be had this much strength; he quickly realized there was more to him than what meets the eye.

    ¡°Your base is quite far from civilization.¡± -Commented Eyler.

    ¡°That¡¯s on purpose, we want civilization far away from us for reasons you may be able to infer.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I have an idea of why you wouldn¡¯t want your old friends in the US government to find your base. I¡¯m surprised your company is still considered a mercenary group instead of a terrorist organization.¡±

    ¡°The United States does consider us a terrorist organization, but if you look hard enough, you¡¯ll see we¡¯ve obtained the favor of the many other countries that have hired our services, even if they have direct relations with the states.¡±

    ¡°The hero obtaining the favor of the king¡¯s subjects¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a way of seeing it, but I doubt you came here only to listen to the story of my group. Let¡¯s talk business in my office now.¡±

    Having said that, Conrad guided Kirsten to his office located in the heart of the base. He ordered a handful of his men to entertain the driver while he waited for his client to come back out of basic courtesy for him as a guest.

    ¡°We are a small group, but each of my men¡¯s skills are worth the ones of a whole squad of seasoned veterans.¡±

    While walking, Eyler looked at the other soldiers in the base going by their usual routines and chores; target practice, working out, weapon maintenance, and recreational activities to not get bored out of their minds.

    ¡°Is it true that most of your men are outcasts from other military groups across the world?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Do you have a problem with that?¡±

    ¡°None at all, but it makes me curious about why they were cast away in the first place.¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯t leave their factions willingly, I can tell you that much. If you listen to their stories, you¡¯ll find that betrayal is a common theme among them, betrayal for doing the right thing and betrayal for refusing to do wrong.¡±

    ¡°I would like to sit down and have a nice chat about war crimes, morals and horrifying landscapes, but my schedule is completely packed at this point.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunate.¡±

    Kirsten noticed two women at the distance who seemed to be arguing about something involving a teddy bear one of them was holding in her hands. Kirsten considered that an unusual sight in a military base.

    ¡°(Do they have children here?)¡± ¨C he wondered; the Crimson Rangers were truly a very peculiar group.

    After a short walk, they arrived at the building where Conrad¡¯s office was located. They were received by Conrad¡¯s bodyguard and silently asked Kirsten to take a seat.

    ¡°Your organization must be very influential and have their own share of power to be able to contact us for a request. Still, I find it strange that you wanted to meet up in person rather than just sending me the request on paper.¡± -Commented Conrad while his bodyguard served him coffee in his favorite mug.

    ¡°That could¡¯ve been the case, but the truth is, this request is rather¡­special, so I wanted to talk about the matter with the commander personally so we can come to an agreement.¡±

    ¡°I assume you don¡¯t want us to rescue a VIP or get rid of some group that¡¯s causing you trouble. It has to be something more critical but¡­ I can¡¯t really think of any other alternatives. Sensible information retrieval, maybe?¡±

    ¡°Nothing of that nature, honestly. It has to do with one of your soldiers.¡±

    Conrad took a sip of his coffee while raising an eyebrow.

    ¡°Oh? You want to exclusively recruit one of my men? Why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s common knowledge among the circles my group is into that your company was hired to provide support during the Iraq war, correct?¡±

    Conrad remained silent for a few seconds, having a bad feeling about where the conversation was leading to.

    ¡°Correct. We were hired to go to Iraq, two years ago. It was a rather messy contract, and in the end, our clients didn¡¯t want to uphold their own end of the deal, so we had to take some other things as a manner of payment from them, if you know what I mean. Why do you bring that up?¡±

    ¡°I mention this, Mr. Conrad, because during your stay in Iraq, a chain of events took place in the country that led to all factions involved to be completely dissatisfied, so to speak, or to their complete and utter destruction. According to the information gathered by our informants, one of your men had a huge role in these events.¡±

    ¡°Cut the bullshit already, Eyler. Tell it to me straight, what is it that you want from us?¡±

    ¡°I would like to meet and talk with this soldier. We know that he¡¯s still under your command, even considering the circumstances.¡±

    ¡°What? Did someone send you to enact retribution?¡±

    Eyler noticed how the bodyguard walked and quietly positioned behind him, ready to slit his throat if he said the wrong thing.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that really. It¡¯s like you said, I¡¯m interested in meeting him and¡­hiring his services.¡±

    Conrad threw and inquisitive look at Kirsten, and after a dozen seconds of threatening silence, the commander laughed and took another sip of his coffee.

    ¡°So that¡¯s what this is about. I was wondering when someone like you would show up at my base. So, you actually came just to talk with the girl?¡±

    ¡°Oh, so the Butcher is a woman?¡±

    ¡°No, not a woman, a girl. There¡¯s a key difference.¡±

    ¡°(Wait, what does he mean by that?)¡± ¨C Kirsten raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°But first, I¡¯d like to know¡­¡±-Continued Conrad. ¨C ¡°I could let you hire any of my men right here, right now and get to an agreement. Most of them are very capable soldiers that would serve your cause well, surpassing any other first-class mercenary on the market, I¡¯d even let you have my bodyguard, he too has a talent for a multitude of tasks.¡±

    Kirsten looked back to see the bodyguard glaring at him.

    ¡°Why, out of all of them, you want to hire her?¡±

    ¡°My boss has taken a great interest in her due to her track record and her multiple feats across the conflict zones around the world, alongside the ones of your own company.¡±

    ¡°Ah, so she¡¯s made a name for herself without even realizing it. I suppose it was bound to happen at some point.¡±

    ¡°For instance, we know she was the one who killed the infamous arms dealer known as Simon Glass during a train ride.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, used one of his own white phosphorus grenades and blew him up to the heavens. Keep this between us but, I actually sent her on that mission expecting her to be killed. Imagine my surprise when she came back, almost completely unscathed.¡±

    ¡°Is she as monstrous as many people say?¡± -Kirsten was very curious about this just to know how wary he should be of her.

    Conrad took one last sip of his coffee and placed the mug on the table.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s complicated. If the people that know about her consider her a monster, well, I can¡¯t say I blame them. You wanna know how she joined our group? a few years ago we were making some inventory about our food reserves when one of my men, Aiden, found her sleeping inside one of the supply crates, she had eaten most of the apples inside. Some people in the group wanted to get rid of her, send her to an orphanage. But in the end, we decided for her to stay, and she wasn¡¯t against the idea, in fact, she wanted to stay with us. She didn¡¯t know how to read nor how to speak, she didn¡¯t know anything for what we could tell, and it was quite obvious she had been through some hell of her own.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± -Kirsten motioned his finger to tell Conrad to continue with the story.

    ¡°I trained her to be a weapon in a way I¡¯m sure God won¡¯t ever be able to forgive me for, and when she was ready, we left her tag along with us to some missions, she proved to be very competent¡­then Iraq came, shit hit the fan and she ended up splitting up from us, getting lost in the desert. She stayed there for over a year, doing God knows what. If I were to tell you the entire story, we would be sitting here the entire day, so I¡¯ll just say this: When she came back, she brought something with her, something abnormal. In terms of skill, there¡¯s my lieutenants, then there¡¯s her. Some of my men doesn¡¯t even consider her to be human anymore.¡±

    Suddenly, Conrad¡¯s expression turned grim. - ¡°¡­Ever since coming back she¡¯s been obsessed with that. You know, the hunt.¡±

    ¡°The hunt?¡±

    ¡°She may seem like she doesn¡¯t care about anything, but when killing people is about, boy, it¡¯s almost as if she has an entire encyclopedia on how to kill a person inside that head of hers. She takes some tacit pride on it, on every successful kill and every successful mission. Still, after every firefight and carnage, more often than not, I notice how she stops and has a displeased look on her face. It¡¯s like she¡¯s looking for something¡­and the people she kills are the ones who have it.¡±

    Kirsten felt a shiver down his spine, creating an image of the monster under Conrad¡¯s wing in his imagination.

    ¡°Oh, well¡­in any case, I think I may have sold you the bike already. I¡¯ll take you with her, and don¡¯t worry, she has mellowed out a lot during the last couple of weeks, so you should be able to approach her with no worries. One thing though, do keep your distance, just for precaution.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Conrad and Kirsten walked out of the office and headed towards the southern corner of the base; a spot pretty separated from the rest of the facility, all the way through the training field.

    ¡°She lives so far from the base?¡± -Asked Kirsten.

    ¡°Not really, her dorm is in the same place as the others, specifically close to lieutenant Anya¡¯s room. She just hangs around here most of the time, all by her lonesome, and only comes back when it¡¯s lunch time or there¡¯s a mission briefing. -Conrad extended his arms forward, emphasizing his point. - She uses this area as her personal playground, and ventures to the forest beyond to train, keep her skills sharp and¡­-He made a pause, wondering if saying this would be adequate. -¡­talk to herself, I guess.¡±

    ¡°Talk to herself?¡±

    ¡°Sometimes I¡¯ve caught her speaking to the air out loud, rambling as if there was someone else there, speaking with her. If I was a superstitious man, I¡¯d say there¡¯s a ghost haunting her or something similar. -Conrad pointed at his own head. - But it¡¯s obvious she¡¯s just not too well up here.¡±

    ¡°(Just what I needed¡­)¡± -Thought Kirsten, completely unamused, unable to accept the fact he was sent to hire such an unstable person. ¨C ¡°(What is the boss thinking?)¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you are wondering about the reason we keep a person like that here. Voices in her head or not, she gets the job done. Besides, you too would end up a bit insane if you went through hell as many times as she did.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± -There was a logic in that reasoning, yet that apparent insanity concerned him.

    After walking through the field, they arrived at an area adorned with rows of roses both red and white.

    ¡°Roses?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s been planting and taking care of them for a while now, in honor to a friend of hers, as far as I know.¡±

    ¡°Friend?¡± -Asked Kirsten, wondering who would be crazy enough to want to be friends with a psychopath like her.

    ¡°She never speaks to anyone about the people she met in Iraq, all we know for sure is that they meant a lot to her, and you know how war is¡­¡±

    They moved forward, looking for the mysterious Butcher. It was common for Kirsten to see that, aside from killing people, killers also had interest in other healthier activities like cultivation, art and literature.

    After walking through the path between the flowers, they finally found her, watering a row of white roses yet to bloom.

    Kirsten wanted to let his jaw drop, but he managed to keep it together to not be discourteous. He had made an idea for himself of how the legendary Butcher looked like, but she didn¡¯t correspond to his ideal of her at all.

    ¡°There she is, the one you are looking for. One of my best soldiers: Alicia, The Butcher.¡± -Said Conrad proudly while Kirsten stared at her.

    He could have never thought that the Butcher, the infamous villain and terror of Iraq, was just a teenager.

    ¡°(Are you kidding¡­? Is Conrad fucking with me? she¡¯s just a child, she cannot be more than 15 years old!)¡± ¨C he thought, the only reasonable possibility was that Conrad was trying to trick him in the most absurd way possible. ¨C ¡°Is this a joke, commander?¡±

    Conrad laughed out loud; Kirsten felt like he had been played like a fiddle. However, the commander relaxed and recovered his composure.

    ¡°Ah¡­nope. She¡¯s actually the one you are looking for. Pretty unbelievable, I know. The most dangerous killer in Iraq is a 15-year-old child soldier.¡±

    ¡°You are not actually trying to mock me, are you?¡±

    Kirsten looked at the girl, and the first thing he noticed was the cross-like scar drawn on the right side of her face. It was a thick mark, like it was a carved by the knife of a deeply hateful individual. Kirsten wondered if it was done by the man next to him, his soldiers or their enemies.

    ¡°Not at all.¡± -Said Conrad. ¨C ¡°Do you want me to prove it to you?¡±

    Conrad took out his knife, held it by the point and threw it with all his might with the intention of killing her.

    ¡°Wait, no!¡± -Kirsten protested, but it was too late, for the knife was already circling in the air about to penetrate her skull.

    Against all predictions she caught the knife by the handle just before it hit her, and nailed it on the table next to her; she wasn¡¯t even looking at it as it approached. Alicia kept on watering the flowers without a care in the world.

    Kirsten took a step back unconsciously, his eyes wide open, trying to comprehend how she did that without even looking at the knife. Does she have a 360 degrees¡¯ vision?

    ¡°No matter what I do, she always sees it coming. Her senses are just simply out of this world.¡± -Commented Conrad containing a laugh. ¨C ¡°I should have told you sooner, but I didn¡¯t expect you to require her out of all people, and didn¡¯t expect you to believe me if I told you she was just a teenager anyways.¡±

    ¡°I¡­this is a lot to assimilate.¡± -During 10 years, Kirsten assumed he had seen it all, but by taking this request, his preconceptions of what was realistic and what wasn¡¯t were completely shattered; meeting those three killers had been a bizarre experience for him.

    ¡°She¡¯s a pretty wild child, also quite abrasive, but if you get on her good side, she¡¯ll answer all of your questions. Take your time now, I¡¯ll leave you two alone and have a walk around.¡±

    Conrad walked away to let him finish his business with Alicia.

    Kirsten took a deep breath to try and collect his thoughts, remembering the purpose of his presence in the base.

    ¡°(Right¡­Calm down, Eyler¡­you are a professional. No matter the conditions, no matter who she is or how she looks like, you came to recruit her.)¡±. -He thought to himself while fixing his tie and recovering his motivation.

    He approached Alicia being too self-aware of his own movements. Meanwhile, she placed the watering can on the ground and walked up to a little statue placed in the middle of the flowers. It seemed to be a funerary statue with a silver plaque placed in the middle of its base; He counted twelve names written on it.

    She sat in front of the statue and stared at it.

    ¡°(Let¡¯s start with introducing ourselves properly.)¡± ¨C He thought, going over the basics of etiquette and formality. ¨C ¡°Excuse me, miss. Can I talk to you for a moment?¡±

    The girl turned around and for brief second, he got lost in her eyes devoid of all good emotions; those weren¡¯t merely human eyes, something else lied beyond them. He also spotted yet another scar on the left side of her face, this one was thinner but longer, extending itself towards the bridge of her nose.

    She analyzed him from head to toes and then turned her attention to the statue once again.

    ¡°You don¡¯t look like the usual bigshots that Conrad brings about¡­don¡¯t you have any businesses with him?¡±-She asked, her voice was softer and deeper than he expected.

    ¡°My business with him is already done, now I want to speak with you for a while.¡±

    ¡°I have nothing to say to you, or anyone else¡­Leave me alone.¡±

    ¡°The commander already told me you weren¡¯t a pretty amicable person, but that¡¯s ok, we don¡¯t need to be friends if you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Whatever is it that you want from me, I don¡¯t have it. I don¡¯t have nothing.¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s entirely true. I have heard a lot of stories about you, about the things you¡¯ve done. You¡¯ve left your mark in the world at such a young age, the terror of the desert and its denizens, the slayer of hundreds of Hussein¡¯s men and American soldiers alike, the destroyer of a nation: The Butcher.¡± -He said with a dramatic tone to see if he could get her attention.

    She turned around once again.

    ¡°And you believe those stories?¡±

    ¡°Are you implying they aren¡¯t true?¡±

    She looked down to the ground then at him. - ¡°¡­Believe whatever you want.¡±

    ¡°Are you ashamed of those stories?¡±

    ¡°Who knows¡­?¡± -She looked up to the clouds, diverting her attention from him.

    Kirsten analyzed her expression; he couldn¡¯t get a read on her at all. If anything, she just looked apathetic; bored with everything.

    ¡°I¡¯m actually curious to know how someone your age managed to do something like that. Conrad said you are rather skillful, even gave me a demonstration.¡±

    ¡°I had just assumed it was yet another one of his sickening tests.¡± -She said looking at the knife she put on the table.

    ¡°The rumors talk about your great proficiency with guns of all sorts, even melee weapons, I¡¯d think some of those weapons would be rather heavy to hold for someone your age.¡±- Kirsten noticed how she was feeling her hands with her thumbs, as if there was something there. He couldn¡¯t see it, but for Alicia her hands always felt sticky with blood. -¡°Did Conrad teach you to use them?¡±

    She just nodded; you didn¡¯t need to be a genius to see she wasn¡¯t pleased with Kirsten¡¯s presence.

    ¡°¡­I see.¡± -Kirsten looked around, admiring her little garden of roses on the corner of that mercenary base. ¨C ¡°I¡¯d like to ask, what inspired you to plant these roses?¡±

    ¡°None of your business.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll do anything with that information.¡±

    ¡°Still, stop asking.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­ (Damn, I think I¡¯m starting to get on her wrong side)¡± -Thought Kirsten, feeling the ambience becoming heavier by the second.

    But then, Alicia decided to speak up before he could say another word.

    ¡°There¡¯s only a reason someone like you would talk to me. If you want me to kill your rivals, political enemies, cult stalkers, whatever the hell they are, you have to talk to Conrad first so we all accept the task as a group. I¡¯ll kill all the para¡­all the targets you require, so there¡¯s no point for you to be talking to me.¡±

    ¡°Were you about to call these hypothetical enemies parasites?¡±

    ¡°¡­You are just hearing things.¡±

    Alicia got up from the ground, walked up to the table and grabbed the knife. Kirsten felt slightly threatened.

    The longer he looked at that knife, it was as if its entire nature changed by the second. It looked sharper, darker; it looked like as if it threatened to sever all life around them.

    ¡°¡­Still, there¡¯s not many differences from the people I kill and parasites.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m curious about your concept of what a parasite is.¡±

    ¡°A parasite feeds off life.¡± -She confronted him, she was five steps away from him, yet he felt like she was just close enough to kill him.

    ¡°Heh¡­¡± -It may have seemed like he was walking on thin ice, but Kirsten was waiting for a chance to start to pry on her story and motives to sway her into joining. It was time to press. ¨C ¡°¡­You know, those stories usually make sure to talk about your unquenchable bloodthirst. Those people all talked about how you pursued your victims like a hyena to a gazelle, and when you were done with one, you¡¯d go to the next, over and over again, and when you had time, you would torture them and carve them up with a knife pretty similar to the one you are holding right there.¡±

    She looked back at him, the void hidden in her eyes had stepped forward, and the knife kept looking sharper by the second.

    ¡°You are talking with a mercenary, with a killer, that¡¯s what I do. If you take objection to that, you have no business hiring the Crimson Rangers.¡± -She said with an authoritative tone.

    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t really have a problem with that (just a bit), I¡¯m just wondering if there¡¯s a reason for such violence aside from the fact that it is your job.¡±

    Suddenly, Kirsten felt the air becoming heavier. He felt a rising pressure in his chest, it was like the ground was trembling.

    ¡°You are implying there¡¯s another reason? Which is it?¡± -She questioned; a threatening shadow kept growing in her expression.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to say for sure¡­but I got a feeling it has to do with the people those names belonged to.¡± -Kirsten said, pointing at the statue.

    Alicia remained silent and stared at Kirsten with an ever-rising murderous intent.

    ¡°I¡¯ve talked with many killers in my career, getting a fair idea of why they did the things they did. I can say for sure, at some point, it was indeed just a job for you, or rather just your means of survival. As long as you kept killing, you¡¯d see the next day¡¯s sunrise.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± -Her shadow extended itself towards Kirsten¡¯s feet.

    ¡°But then, something happened, and it wasn¡¯t just about surviving anymore. Those savages, those enemies, those parasites¡­they took something from you, or rather, the people you cared for the most in this world.¡±-Kirsten made a pause when he noticed how the knife vibrated, as if it had come alive. - ¡°And just like that, vengeance overcomes the need to survive.¡±

    Alicia¡¯s hand holding the knife moved slightly and a vision took his mind by assault.

    He saw himself as his head was detached from his body in a single swift cut, a cut so fast it was painless, but soon a small stream of blood surged to the air, escaping his severed neck. He snapped back to reality and touched his neck, making sure his head was still attached to the rest of the body.

    ¡°(¡­Did she just¡­?)¡± -He had no way of knowing for sure, but his gut told him she had done something and almost scared the soul out of him.

    She looked at him with focused eyes, her gaze told him everything he needed to know. She was no joke; she was even as good as some of the best killers already hired by the organization.

    ¡°You talk a lot, just like all businessmen¡­¡± -She said. ¨C ¡°¡­You made a lot of guesses, and some of them aren¡¯t really too far off the mark¡­but if you think that you know me, you are dead wrong¡­¡± -Kirsten noticed how she clutched at her arm tightly, keeping it still, her hand holding the knife was trembling, trying to contain the already accepted order of killing him. ¨C ¡°¡­I don¡¯t want to have anything to do with you. Leave, now.¡±

    There was a moment of cold silence between them, it seemed like it was the end of their conversation, but Kirsten wouldn¡¯t leave without an answer.

    ¡°One thing I¡¯m sure of is that, you can see how no matter how many enemies you kill, they keep appearing, wars keep happening, and the people around you keep on suffering.¡±

    ¡°¡­I know where it all comes from¡­¡± -She replied. ¨C ¡°But they are all out of my reach¡­out there, beyond the wasteland, they keep moving the strings and I keep on cutting them. They think themselves gods¡­Invincible. If only I could get closer, just a little bit¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Fortunately for you, I think I can help with that.¡±

    Alicia looked back at him, intrigued.

    ¡°You see, I represent an organization that actively antagonizes the groups and societies that profit and take advantage of the multiple tragedies you have witnessed throughout the wasteland. Human trafficking, drug trafficking, arms dealing, nuclear weapons, eco-crime, pharmaceutical corruption, Psy-Ops¡­they are the people who do it everything and wash their hands from the consequences of their actions.¡±

    Alicia remembered all the strange symbols and insignias she found in her assaults on the different crime syndicates across the middle east. Now it all made sense, those syndicates were administered and funded by the groups hiding within the realm of civilization.

    ¡°We aim to put an end to them, destroy their entire empire. In terms you¡¯ll like: we¡¯ll bring the war to their doorstep.¡±

    A sudden emotion rushed through her body; curiosity and anticipation; he had managed to catch her interest, just like he wanted.

    ¡°My boss wants you to take part in this war. If you join us, you¡¯ll be able to wage your own war against them, on your own terms, and every kill will assure you that their actions won¡¯t ever have echoes across the world anymore.¡±

    Alicia looked back at the statue once again, reading the names engraved on it, one by one. There was still an opportunity to fulfill her promise with the ones those names belonged to.

    ¡°What do you say? Would you like to join us? Aside from letting you work the way you see fit, we would make it worth your while, because there¡¯s no such thing as living off good intentions and love, right?¡±

    Alicia looked up to the sky, thinking about his offer. She knew this was the chance she was waiting for and probably the only one she would ever receive.

    She was about to say something, but Conrad interrupted her.

    ¡°Hope you had a good conversation with my soldier, but there¡¯s the brakes¡­¡± -Conrad had returned, having made his mind about how useful she is to her. ¨C ¡°¡­I won¡¯t let you take her away from us.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­I had a feeling this affair would end up like this since you spoke so fondly of her a while ago.¡±

    ¡°I just care for the wellbeing of this company and nothing else. I have long term goals, but to see those through, I have to make sure we are as strong as we can be. Her presence here is key for that, I¡¯d reckon.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°You said so yourself, she¡¯s the Butcher. Her skill makes sure our workload lessens on the field. She¡¯s my greatest weapon, my masterpiece, and as her creator, I just can¡¯t get separated from my creation. I¡¯m sure even God would understand that.¡±

    ¡°So, did I come here for naught?¡±

    ¡°That you did. Now follow me so I can get you out of my base already. If you ever want to hire us, it¡¯ll have to be in other occasion, or rather, you¡¯ll have to send your request formally.¡±

    Kirsten sighed, knowing there would be no way to convince the commander otherwise. He turned to see Alicia once again and said:

    ¡°Welp, it is how it is.  I¡¯m sorry, girl, I guess you¡¯ll have to continue fighting your war where your company takes you.¡± -He shook Alicia¡¯s hand emphatically and then walked up to Conrad. ¨C ¡°It¡¯s a shame, really. Didn¡¯t know she meant that much to you.¡±

    ¡°If you had a favorite weapon, you too wouldn¡¯t want to detach yourself from it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all she¡¯s to you? A weapon?¡±

    ¡°¡­Just look at her. No objections, she just remains silent. In fact, you can¡¯t even see the slightest unconformity in her face, you can¡¯t see anything at all. She¡¯s comfortable with being a weapon, I¡¯m sure she made that clear to you already. As long as she¡¯s killing whoever she wants, she won¡¯t have any objections.¡±

    Just then, Kirsten could see the kind of man commander Conrad was. Far from a regular military man, he had become someone quite detached from the basic moral values and ethics of the society he once fought for.

    He now resembled more a warlord than a hero.

    ¡°I¡¯m the master, and she¡¯s the sword, even though she tries to handle herself sometimes. Only I have the strength to wield her.¡±

    Kirsten felt the necessity to say something.

    ¡°Oh, well¡­you may be surprised Conrad. In my experience, I¡¯ve learned that swords tend to be more complex than what its master thinks.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°You may discover it eventually¡­¡±

    After a few minutes, Kirsten and his driver were out of the base, heading back to the town where they had settled for their search.

    ¡°Did you manage to recruit that assassin, sir?¡± -Questioned the driver, having the bad feeling his boss had failed in his endeavor.

    ¡°Ah¡­I¡¯m afraid that her commander put a stop to the recruitment process.¡±

    ¡°That means she¡¯s not coming with us?¡±

    ¡°Not really¡­you see, when you recruit someone to do anything, sometimes you have to give them some time to think about your offer, and thus, you make sure that they have a way to reach out to you once they¡¯ve made up their mind.¡±

    ¡°So, that means¡­¡±

    ¡°Exactly. I better keep an eye out on my office¡¯s phone in the meantime.¡±

    When he shook Alicia¡¯s hand, he gave her his calling card which contained his phone number and his office¡¯s number. If she really wanted to take him up on his offer, then she would find a way to make the call; an experienced assassin wouldn¡¯t have much problems with such a simple task.

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Kirsten had the feeling that things would go his way, he only needed to be patient.

    Two days passed in the blink of an eye, she never made the call to confirm she¡¯d join up, but he wasn¡¯t going to give up just yet. He¡¯d wait for as long as it took for her to reach out to him, or at least that¡¯s what he thought.

    When it was 5 PM, his phone received a call, but not from the one person he was expecting.

    ¡°Hello Kirsten. How¡¯s the recruitment going?¡± -It was his boss, the leader of the organization, merely known as the ¡°Man of the sunflowers.¡±

    ¡°Hello sir. Unfortunately, her actual handler proved to be quite jealous and got in my way.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a real shame, then are you admitting that you failed at your task? Should I send someone else to take care of this?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, sir. Don¡¯t worry, I made sure she received my calling card, if she¡¯s interested, she¡¯ll call me soon. Now it all depends on her answer.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not wise to leave things up to chance, Kirsten. But since you had no better alternatives, you made the right choice. I¡¯ll give you twelve more hours, if she hasn¡¯t responded by then, just come back, I¡¯ll take care of the matter on my own.¡±

    ¡°¡­Understood. Thanks, boss.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be a stranger.¡±

    He ended the call and Kirsten sighed with relief, he had been given a new frame of opportunity, but nothing guaranteed him she was going to make that call during that time.

    ¡°You seem to be in quite the pinch, boss.¡± -Said a voice from the bottom of the room, it was Kirsten¡¯s lead operator and part time secretary, Emilia Blaire. She was comfortably hanging around, sitting on Kirsten¡¯s couch while watching tv and drinking hot chocolate.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it a pinch; the recruitment process just became more complicated than what it needs to be.¡±

    ¡°If I wasn¡¯t familiar with the Sunflower man, I¡¯d think he¡¯d use brash methods to force those people to hand her over and drag her into the organization. It¡¯s weird, I wonder why he gives the assassins so much freedom to act on their own and give them a careful treatment.¡±

    ¡°You already know the answer, Emilia. They are fighters, maybe the strongest in the entire world, and we follow the boss¡¯ philosophy of respecting their strength, no matter how¡­peculiar they may be.¡±

    ¡°We would have better results if we hired proven professionals in the freelancer market. Instead, we are told to bring in the weirdos and obvious psychopaths just because they have something that makes them stand out. They got skill, sure, but for all you know they¡¯ll chop your head off on a whim at any moment of the day. In my opinion sir, that¡¯s going to blow up in the organization¡¯s face one day.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still too early to jump to conclusions, Emilia. Relax, they work for us because our interests align with theirs. Besides, they are not that bad, they just think differently; their minds don¡¯t work like yours or mine.¡±

    ¡°They are freaks and that¡¯s about it.¡±

    ¡°You say that as if you weren¡¯t one yourself, Ms. No Emotions.¡±

    ¡°You are the one who put that nickname on me, and there¡¯s a huge difference between a spy and information broker and a serial killer that takes pride in her plans to kill a certain number of people, like that poison girl one of your colleagues brought in the other day.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so he managed to bring that one in. She¡¯s actually a freelancer, you know?¡±

    ¡°She may as well be the exception to the rule of the assassins we hire.¡±

    Kirsten laughed off Emilia¡¯s concerns. Even if she was right, the boss¡¯ decision was absolute; the assassins they recruited were special, not only because of their skills, but also because they all held a special kind of determination that no other human possessed.

    It was a pretty slow day with little to no progression on his current mission or any other task he had at hand. He was at least pleased with the fact that he managed to recruit the other two killers on that list, and if worst came to worst, they would have to suffice for their incoming campaign to destroy the global elites¡¯ society known as The Imperium.

    This campaign would take the organization to new horizons, or doom it altogether, and it was in Kirsten¡¯s best interest for it to be a crushing success.

    He closed his eyes, and remembered he had been in similar situations throughout his life, where everything he could do was to wait, even if it was painful to do so.

    In the end, some of those occasions ended in soul crushing conclusions which defined the way he was up until then.

    ¡°(Here lies Kirsten, the failed spy.)¡±

    He opened his eyes at the sound of the phone ringing and quickly picked it up. The call was coming from an unknown number. He didn¡¯t want to raise his hopes, but maybe this was his lucky day.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°¡­Mr. Eyler?¡± -It was her voice, undoubtedly.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you. Have you considered taking my offer? What does your commander think about it?¡±

    ¡°¡­I escaped from the base.¡±

    Kirsten became shocked at hearing that sentence, his eyes wide open. Suddenly, he found himself uncapable of uttering a word.

    ¡°Mr. Eyler?¡±

    ¡°Oh, my apologies. I got distracted for a moment. So, where are you now?¡±

    ¡°I made it to Hegelstad, five kilometers away from the base. I¡¯m calling from a public phone near a lodging house south of the town, in the plaza. Probably the commander already noticed my absence, so it¡¯s a matter of time he sends people to search for me. Tell me where we can meet up.¡±

    Kirsten managed to get his thoughts in order and react accordingly.

    ¡°Ah¡­Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll be there soon, we are a couple of hours away from that town but we¡¯ll get there as fast as we can, so stay put and don¡¯t get into trouble.¡±

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think that will be possible.¡±

    ¡°What? Why not?¡±

    ¡°There are some people here, looking for trouble.¡±

    She ended the call, leaving Kirsten alone with a deafening silence.

    ¡°I guess that means she¡¯s on our side now.¡± -Commented Emilia.

    ¡°We have to find her! let¡¯s go!¡±

    Kirsten got up from his desk and rushed out of his office, followed by Emilia who wasn¡¯t as enthusiastic about this as him.

    He had to hurry up before the situation escalates because someone was stupid enough to aggravate her.

    His driver was waiting with the car outside the building, the three of them entered the vehicle and headed to Hegelstad through the highway. The driver was speeding through the road as fast as he could, fortunately there weren¡¯t any other vehicles coming or going by the same route.

    It was already night, if she stayed in the shadows, it would be difficult to find her, or at least that¡¯s what Kirsten thought.

    He wouldn¡¯t need to search for long, he only needed to follow the trail of corpses.

    Alicia was a simple person, she had a handful of goals she wanted to achieve before she died, all of them tied to the one thing she cared for the most: hunting¡±.

    She first killed a man when she was ten years old, and from that moment she knew what she wanted to do with her life.

    After being under the Crimson Rangers¡¯ wing for so long, she had almost lost all hope of hunting down the people she wanted to kill the most, but Kirsten had offered her the miraculous possibility of finally completing her objectives.

    Now she had a chance to fulfill her promise with her old partners, with herself and with the one person that comprehended her better than anyone else.

    She wasn¡¯t lying when she said that there were some people looking for trouble. While she was speaking on the phone, she felt the presence of multiple people approaching her slowly from the back. They waited patiently for her to finish her call and face them.

    They were big men with black leather gloves and dark coats. The way they carried themselves made it obvious to her they were very experienced and not to be taken lightly; professionals, like the ones she had heard about from some of the soldiers at the base.

    ¡°What¡¯s the deal with these suckers?¡±

    ¡°(It¡¯s obvious they are here for a reason.)¡±

    They were a group of five, and Alicia was completely sure they were packing heat under those coats just in case the situation went south. She looked beyond them, and noticed there was a sixth stranger, hidden atop of a building, aiming down the scope of a sniper rifle. She could see the glow of his laser sight posing itself on her.

    The man at the center of the line, probably their leader, stepped forward and said the first word.

    ¡°Hello, missy¡­are we safe to assume that you are the soldier known as ¡°Butcher¡±, correct?¡±

    ¡°God, if we are going to have to deal with idiots like these from now on existing is going to be a pain in the ass.¡±

    Alicia turned around to face him and separated her feet from one another, making sure her center of gravity was completely stable.

    ¡°What would you do if I was?¡±

    The man found the reply funny and chuckled a little hanging his head low, then regained his composure.

    ¡°I gotta say I¡¯m surprised. We had received the information but, I still couldn¡¯t believe it. Who would have thought that ¡°The Butcher¡± would be just some kid¡­ that said, you are way taller for your age.¡±

    ¡°¡­What do you want from me? Are you with Kirsten?¡±

    ¡°We are not, and he doesn¡¯t need to know about us. As to why we are here, we are here to relay a message. A message for him and for the entire organization he represents.¡±

    ¡°¡­Then why don¡¯t you wait for him to arrive? Why are you talking with me?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s a message only you can deliver.¡±

    The man searched through his coat and took his gun. A luger, a very old-fashioned weapon, but that man had a penchant for the dramatic and symbolic.

    ¡°We were waiting for an opportunity like this one. We were waiting for you to make your way out of that base¡± -He said as he aimed at her center of mass. ¨C ¡°We¡¯d like you to make them know, that the Men of the World¡¯s path of conquest is coming to an end.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what¡¯s up, huh?¡±

    Alicia tilted her head to the left.

    ¡°Do you really intend to kill a kid?¡±

    ¡°But you are no regular kid, are you? You are The Butcher, the ¡°ultimate killer¡±; it would be foolish of me to not take you seriously.¡±

    ¡°¡­I thought you weren¡¯t taking me seriously.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame¡­this is all you can do while being serious.¡± ¨C The moment she finished that sentence she took out her own gun from her jacket, a quickdraw, faster than what his eye could perceive, and shot him in the chest.

    Time slowed down for everyone involved in this unfair showdown, 5 against one, in other circumstances it would seem like the conclusion is quite clear, but that was never the case while facing the Butcher.

    While he fell to the ground, Alicia redirected her aim and stabilized the pistol with her other hand, opening fire on the other assassins before they had a chance to fight back.

    She shot another one in the neck and the one by his side through the frown. The third one managed to react and took out a silenced Uzi from under his coat and shot a burst of bullets towards her, at the same time, the sniper at the other side of the street opened fire, intending to hit her chest.

    Alicia jumped backwards, avoiding the bullet storm coming in her direction and gunning down the fourth attacker, shooting him first in the right leg and then nailing him in the head.

    Then, she rolled to the side to avoid the incoming fire from the sniper and took cover behind a tree.

    Against all odds, the leader had managed to survive the shot in the chest, he had put on a Kevlar vest for safe measure; it paid up to be prepared.

    ¡°You brat!¡± -He yelled as he got up from the ground with difficulty. Even while wearing armor, being shot can shake you to the core.

    The leader backed up and hid behind a vehicle close by alongside his remaining ally who had made the sound decision of taking cover the moment he saw his teammates being disposed of with superhuman speed and reflexes.

    ¡°Falcon-1, you got visual on her?¡± -He asked through the intercom to their sniper support.

    ¡°Negative, she¡¯s hiding behind the tree.¡±

    The leader decided to go for a bold move and told his partner:

    ¡°I¡¯ll flank her by the left side, you go for the right side. Even if we just force her out of her cover, Falcon will take the shot.¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    The assassins walked out of their cover and approached the tree by both sides, intending on ambushing her and opening fire the moment they crossed her line of fire. Every step they took was harder than the previous, they could feel the sweat running down their faces. The leader kept his nerves under control but he couldn¡¯t say the same about his partner, who seemed like he was going to misfire his gun at any second due to how much his hands were shaking, a little bit more and he would surely piss himself; they clearly made a mistake by bringing him to that mission.

    When they were close enough, both professionals dashed to the side of the tree and opened fire. It took them two shots to realize she had vanished.

    ¡°Where is she!? How¡­Did she leave!? Falcon-1, what happened!?¡± -The leader called for the sniper, thinking he would have an explanation, but he was just as puzzled as them. But then, he noticed something that the other two were too low on the ground to see; the tree¡¯s leaves rustled, opening a gap between them.

    It was too late to react. The truth was, she hadn¡¯t gone too far, she was right above them.

    Alicia took aim and shot, the bullet flew across the street and pierced his right eye and skull through the scope. Then, she threw her knife to the leader¡¯s neck, nailing the carotid artery.

    The last attacker panicked and emptied his gun on the tree¡¯s branches, hoping to at least hit her once, but while he was shooting carelessly, she descended from the tree and put herself in position on the ground, on an angle to have a clear shot on him and pulled the trigger, forcing his trigger finger to come to an abrupt stop when the bullet pierced right through his brain.

    The leader kept agonizing on the ground, holding onto the knife that had caused him such a lethal wound; he was not long for this world.

    He stared at her as she got up from the ground, and on that moment, he was capable of seeing what is only perceivable when you are so close to dying.

    He witnessed the abysmal energy emanating from her. An energy composed of pure violence, threatening to consume all the life around her; the power only a monster possesses.

    She turned around to face him and stared at him with a pair of dehumanized eyes.

    ¡°You should have shot me and then relayed your message, maybe that way we all could¡¯ve had a happy ending.¡± -She said while checking how many bullets she had left inside the magazine; only one bullet, better to use it wisely.

    For the first time in his life after becoming a professional killer and extinguishing dozens of lives in an impeccable and precise manner, he felt so overburdened and small.

    If he had known this job would end up like this, he would¡¯ve rejected it. He was hired to kill a ¡°second rate mercenary who wouldn¡¯t stand a chance being so far away from home.¡±

    And instead, there he lied, defeated by a purebred killer.

    ¡°Agh¡­You¡­you demon!!!¡± -He weakly raised his gun, grasping at the final chance of killing his target and completing his job before perishing, but she was quick to the aim and executed him just like the others.

    She had emptied the mag of her right-side gun.

    ¡°(Saving ammo¡­)¡± -She thought and reloaded the magazine.

    ¡°Poor zaps, I wonder how much they were promised for killing you.¡±

    ¡°Probably the standard quota.¡±

    She looked around and noticed that they had made quite the scandal, but no police nor civilians were approaching to see what was going on.

    ¡°Weird.¡± -It was an intriguing mystery, but she didn¡¯t have time to solve it as she noticed a shadowy figure rushing through the street, away from the scene. Whoever he was, he was clearly connected to the people that just tried to kill her.

    If that was the case, hopefully he would lead her to what remains of their strike force.

    Alicia quickly walked up to the corpses and took a pair of their pistols, placing them around her belt, some spare mags and the silenced Uzi one of them had, without forgetting about getting her knife back from the leader.

    ¡°Now we are packing heat! Let¡¯s chase him!¡±

    ¡°Freedom is very intriguing.¡±

    ¡°This is such a warm welcome to our independence.¡±

    Alicia rushed through the street, following the tracks of the straggler.

    She didn¡¯t care for whoever those people were or why they wanted to kill her. The things their leader said before she killed him were echoing through her head. They clearly believed in something; they were working for a bigger cause they loyally followed.

    Whatever this cause was, she was more than glad to crush it.

    ¡°They started a war they won¡¯t win.¡±

    There was 1 hour of travel left to arrive to Hegelstad, even while driving at full speed. Kirsten hoped to arrive at the place and pick her up before something bad happened to her.

    However, deep inside he knew he was being silly. After all, what could ever happen to an experienced killer like her?

    Instead, he worried about those ¡°troublemakers¡± she talked about. They would die needlessly if he didn¡¯t make it in time.

    Emilia stared outside the window, trying to make sense of the reasons that led to the organization, namely its leader, to consider seriously hiring someone that is more fit to destroy nations for wetwork.

    She reviewed every point and fact, her dubious background and the files on the other two killers that were brought into the organization. Ever since she started to work for them, she always wondered what the boss was thinking, she had never seen him in person, yet his decisions always ended up changing her surroundings.

    Deep inside she didn¡¯t want to question his decision, so she tried for the first time in so long to adopt someone else¡¯s mindset to try and reach the same conclusions as them.

    Emilia recalled what Kirsten said about the comments Conrad made when he was at the base.

    ¡°He kept calling her a weapon.¡±

    ¡°(¡­A very destructive weapon, in fact.)¡± -She thought, imagining that ¡°weapon¡± as she shot her way through a barrage of enemies.

    Then, right after imagining that situation, she realized what was the most plausible reason the leader of the organization wanted to hire the Butcher for.

    ¡°(Could it be¡­? ¡­then he¡¯s really serious about this little war of his.)¡± -She concluded and looked forward, towards the road.

    If that was the kind of plan the boss had for using her, then all she could do was to keep on supporting the organization the best way she knew, and of course, making sure that the Butcher fulfilled her role to perfection as well.

    That was her oath as an operator.

    Time went by fast until they arrived at the town and directly headed to the plaza, trying to keep a low profile. Even if they were in a hurry, it was tantamount they didn¡¯t draw in the attention of the authorities.

    However, as they drove through the street to reach the plaza, they discovered that the access was blocked by the police.

    A huge crowd had gathered around the area, wondering what was happening.

    ¡°This seems far too convenient.¡± -Commented Emilia.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get out and see what¡¯s going on. Wait here for us.¡± -He said to the driver, who nodded in agreement.

    Kirsten got out of the car and approached a police officer who was speaking through his radio. He managed to hear a little bit of what they were saying.

    ¡°¡­We cannot clear the street yet; the chief¡¯s friends are facing difficulties¡­¡±

    ¡°Understood, we¡¯ll keep the public at bay.¡±

    ¡°(There¡¯s clearly something going on here.)¡± -Thought Kirsten as he approached the officer. ¨C ¡°Excuse me, officer. Can you tell me what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°We have blocked off the entire plaza, sir. We received reports that there may a potential terrorist threat in the premises, thus we have evacuated the townsfolk and cordoned off the area.¡±

    ¡°A terrorist threat?¡±

    ¡°A far-left group that vies for political influence through extreme means, nothing too unusual on this corner of the world. In any case, the area is off limits, sir. If you are looking for lodging, you can try the motel at B. Avenue.¡±

    ¡°I understand. Thanks, officer.¡±

    Kirsten walked back to the car. Emilia stared at him, puzzled.

    ¡°Found out anything?¡± -She asked.

    ¡°The cops are covering something. They created a very convenient story to keep people away from the plaza.¡±

    ¡°Do you think this has anything to do with Butcher?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s highly likely. We must find a way to get past the police¡¯s perimeter.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s have a look around, see if we can find a way through.¡±

    They got back in the car and continued along the road, circling around the plaza. While the car advanced, Kirsten thought about what he caught from the conversation the police officer had over the radio.

    ¡°(¡­ ¡°The chief¡¯s friends are facing difficulties¡± ¡­?)¡±

    All Kirsten knew for sure was that Alicia was inside the police¡¯s perimeter, and whatever was going on, the police wouldn¡¯t let anyone get close. There was only a handful of groups and individuals that had such a sway over the authorities in that country, including the organization itself.

    Suddenly, Kirsten noticed two police patrols coming up the road from the direction they were heading towards.

    ¡°Reinforcements, maybe?¡± -Asked Kirsten, without expecting any real answer from anybody.

    ¡°Not at all. If they were they would have come right behind us. That vehicle is from the patrol that is already present in town.¡± -Deduced Emilia looking back, watching as the police car disappeared by the corner of the block.

    ¡°They are already backing off? Why?¡±

    ¡°Maybe the situation has changed.¡±

    They kept driving around to reach the northern bridge that had a connection to the plaza, expecting to encounter a tight police barricade that prevented them from coming through.

    Instead, they found the place completely abandoned; the path was clear.

    ¡°Were they ordered to leave?¡±

    ¡°Seems like it. But it¡¯s not something that should happen on the fly. It also means that the access to the plaza won¡¯t be restricted to the civilians anymore.¡±

    Kirsten walked out of the car and headed to the bridge where he noticed a blood trail on the ground.

    He quickly called Emilia to come and check on it.

    ¡°Hmm¡­the blood is fresh, so they just passed by. Whoever it is, they were badly injured, probably shot.¡±

    ¡°You think it¡¯s from her?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be sure¡­guess we¡¯ll find out if we follow it.¡±

    They followed the blood trail with the eye and noticed it went all the way towards the forest line a block away.

    That¡¯s when they noticed the black smoke rising up from behind the trees. Someone had started a fire.

    ¡°We have to go there!¡± -Said Kirsten as they went back to the vehicle. The driver obeyed without a question and headed towards the forest through an old road used mostly by explorers.

    He had no proof or way of knowing, but Kirsten had a gut feeling that this was all linked to Alicia and her arrival to the town, knowing that he would get there to pick her up.

    Halfway down the road they made a turn to the left and started to ascend through the mountain.

    After a minute, they were able to see the origin of the fire.

    There was a house hidden in the middle of the trees, it was probably used for private lodging for wealthy clients. The house was set on fire and was slowly being consumed by the flames. There were also a few corpses on the ground, it was obvious they were gunned down, even from inside the car.

    ¡°What the hell happened here!?¡±

    ¡°Hey, Kirsten!¡± -Called out Emilia. ¨C ¡°This one¡¯s still alive.¡±

    He walked up to the one Emilia was holding in her arms. He had been hit in the left lung; he didn¡¯t have much time left as blood kept rising up to his throat.

    ¡°Who are you people? What happened here?¡±

    The man opened his eyes, and the moment he saw Kirsten, he tried to attack him with the knife in his pocket. But he was too slow and weak to even scratch him for Kirsten grabbed his arm with the knife and took it from him.

    ¡°Why did you do that!?¡±

    The man coughed and abandoned all hope.

    ¡°Yoouuuu¡­released that monster¡­ *cough ¡­you are a monster too¡­our world is doomed¡­¡± -And with those last words, he perished.

    He was clearly talking about Alicia, but she was nowhere to be found.

    Kirsten took a look around, and after a few seconds of uncertainty, he found another blood trail heading towards the forest, descending the hill and right back at the town. Maybe just a survivor of the attack, but Kirsten had no other clues to follow.

    ¡°I found a trace, let¡¯s follow it.¡± -He said to Emilia then went into the forest following the red stains over the leaves on the ground and tree¡¯s crusts. Emilia followed suit having noticed the blood trail herself.

    The driver stayed behind and got back into the vehicle to return to the town through the trail they came from.

    It seemed like Alicia had lost a lot of blood, but the trail kept going, Kirsten was very impressed. All of this served as evidence that her skills were true to her legend.

    A few minutes before, the cloaked man Alicia spotted kept running through the plaza, escaping from his impending doom, heading towards the bridge as it was the closest escape route.

    He stopped at one point behind a building¡¯s pillar and made a phone call to the police chief.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Chief, pull your men back, now!¡±

    ¡°Are you done with whoever you were looking for?¡± -Inquired the chief.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make questions, just call them back to HQ!¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll make the call.¡±

    Once done with that, the man tried to catch his breath before starting to run again, then a burst of bullets flew towards him, hitting on the pillar behind him and hitting him in the face with the gravel that flew from the impacts.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    Scared, he rushed in a panic towards the bottom of the street to reach the turn of the corner and head towards the bridge, but while he was running, she shot a burst of bullets again and nailed him twice over the shoulder, making him lose his balance and fall on the ground for a second. He quickly regained his composure and kept on running while bleeding out slowly.

    He felt his heart burn as he ran for his life, his muscles losing strength, his sight was becoming blurry; this was supposed to be an easy hit job, to just kill the girl and walk away, make it seem like a regular assault, but things turned upside down in the bat of an eye. He wasn¡¯t even sure when things started to go wrong.

    The moment he saw the Butcher take out her gun at such a fast speed, he knew many people would die.

    They had underestimated her, greatly. She was clearly not a normal person, not with such a superhuman speed and agility. As he ran, he wondered to himself: ¡°Who would create a monster like her?¡±

    He finally made it to the bridge and crossed it as fast as he could, even if his legs already wanted to give in. Fortunately, the police chief had listened to his order and told his men to back off. This was a strictly covert operation, so they had to make sure that the regular members of law enforcement didn¡¯t spot any of the agents on the field, nor their target in question.

    He headed straight towards the trees and went up the mountain; the safehouse was pretty close by.

    They used a two-floor house reserved for private lodging as their base of operations on the field, the rest of the crew in charge of the logistics and strategies were inside, waiting for a report. He didn¡¯t have enough breath to tell them over the radio while he was running. Besides, he actually wanted to preserve his life and survive this ordeal, that was the whole point of the operation.

    As he finally walked into the clear and found the house, he was received by the concerned looks of the sentinels watching the front of the house.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong!? What happened!?¡± -They asked. He found it difficult to articulate a single sentence, he was out of breath and his nerves were completely shattered due to the stress, and couldn¡¯t concentrate because of the pain affecting his mind.

    ¡°T-the-t-they ar¡­¡±

    ¡°Get him inside, check those wounds.¡± -Ordered one of the sentinels, and thus, the others helped him to get in and sat him on a corner and went to the kitchen to look for the first aid kit and a glass of water, all while the others tried to calm him down.

    ¡°What the hell happened down there!? where¡¯s the rest of the team?¡± -Asked John Calhoun, the actual leader and intellectual author of the operation to pull the hit on the Butcher.

    One of the guards finally brought him a glass of water and he drank it all in one gulp.

    ¡°Ah¡­ah¡­they are all dead.¡±

    ¡°What!?¡±

    ¡°The Butcher¡­she pulled out a gun and killed everyone! She was fast¡­too fast!¡±

    ¡°Even if Adam and her group had her cornered!?¡±

    ¡°She was fast, I tell you! I didn¡¯t even see her move as she pulled out her gun and shot him in the chest. I¡­I couldn¡¯t do anything, they¡­couldn¡¯t even hit her once, I could only run away¡­she saw me, she was the one who shot me.¡±

    ¡°Did she follow you here!?¡± -Asked John, and without waiting for an answer he pulled out his radio and said: - ¡°Everyone, stay alert, the enemy may be approaching the area, if you see anything suspicious, shoot on sight!¡±

    Everyone took the safeties off their guns and stayed alert, looking for the slightest movement among the trees and bushes.

    One of the sentinels headed towards the right side of the house to look for the target, but his life was cut short by receiving a shot to the side and a shot in the head.

    A sentinel at the front noticed the sound of the body falling to the ground and raised the alert.

    ¡°We got contact!¡± -He said as he dashed towards the side of the house and aimed his rifle searching for the enemy.

    His partners witnessed as he received a burst to the center of mass and neck, then dropped to the ground. Alicia was done playing hide & seek and rushed out of the bushes, opening fire on the nearby enemies and dropping the two that were approaching. She realized the Uzi ran out of bullets and discarded it without a second thought.

    ¡°This must be their little den.¡±

    ¡°Lights off.¡± -She took out the pair of pistols on her belt and shot the power switch, plunging the inside of the house into darkness.

    The people inside the house turned on their flashlights and quickly addressed the situation.

    ¡°She shot the power switch! Sentinels, come in! is anyone out there!¡±

    ¡°She must have killed them all¡­¡± -Said the man that brought the report to them, in a sudden state of crippling hopelessness. ¨C ¡°If we want to survive, we have to make a run for it.¡±

    ¡°You shut up already.¡± -Said John, unwilling to back off. ¨C ¡°I¡¯m going to have her head served on a plate.¡±

    The guards took positions around the house, weapons aimed forward, making sure that if she were to get into the house, they would be able to neutralize her easily. Alicia knew this, assuming that they were self-respecting professionals and were going to give her a tougher challenge than the ones she killed a few minutes prior.

    With that in mind, she started to look around, and noticed one of the corpses had a few things that would be pretty useful to her and took them.

    A minute passed. Complete silence on the outside. Nothing on the kitchen, nothing on the living room, nothing on the second floor¡¯s quarters and nothing at all on the roof. The assassins remained still, finger off the trigger but ready for anything, some of them could feel the cold sweat running down their faces; they wouldn¡¯t dare move a single inch if that meant giving off signs of life.

    John Calhoun darted his eyes around, looking around the windows, attentive to the slightest move he could perceive on the outside.

    But then, the silence was shattered when the kitchen¡¯s door was blasted open and a smoke grenade thrown inside.

    ¡°Smoke! She¡¯s here!¡± -Yelled one of the guards, the smoke quickly spread throughout the room hindering their field of vision.

    One of them caught a glimpse of the bullet heading straight to his head before perishing. His partner witnessed it and quickly sprayed the room with bullets, hoping to hit the target on the blind. Alicia quickly came out of the smoke, cut his right tendon with her knife and shot him in the backside of the head point blank.

    The rest of the assassins rushed to the kitchen to intercept her. She received the first one to turn on the corner by shooting him four times in the center of mass with her dual pistols. She could hear a crowd of footsteps approaching from both sides. Knowing she didn¡¯t have a chance facing all of them at the same time, she made a quick decision and jumped out of the window.

    The crew had problems knowing what happened due to the smoke, but all they knew was that she had escaped through the window. John sent two men outside to search for her while two of them rushed to the upper floor to see if they could snipe her.

    While the two assassins looked around outside, she took cover on a corner of the house. Alicia waited for five seconds and came out of the cover, opening fire on the two targets. Hitting the first one in the center of mass and the other around the neck and head.

    Suddenly, she had a piercing cold feeling in her arm; a bullet managed to hit her from a burst coming from the second floor. She quickly stepped back to avoid the incoming fire from the shooter on the window and shot back, forcing the shooter to take cover.

    Alicia¡¯s right handgun ran out of bullets so she quickly discarded it and rushed towards the front of the house.

    There, she quickly hit the floor as a storm of bullets came out of the windows when the remaining targets inside spotted her.

    One of the targets kicked the door open intending to deal the killing blow but she was quicker to the trigger and put two shots in his chest then continued rushing while the body provided cover as he fell to the ground.

    There were only six of them left, including the one that managed to get to the house before her.

    She still had mobility in her right arm, the bullet was stuck inside the muscle; she was still capable of putting up a fight at her top performance.

    ¡°That was just a lucky shot, they¡¯ll need more than that!¡±

    ¡°Be prepared, we are going back in.¡±

    ¡°Aye, aye.¡±

    Alicia took out one of her personal pistols out of its holster to replace the absence of the other handgun, spotted another window in the eastern side of the house, and before the second shooter could get into position to take shots at her she jumped through the window, tackling the assassin standing right behind it.

    He tried to strike back but she quickly shot his arm with the pistol in her left hand and executed him with the other.

    The others noticed the scandal and the closest rushed to the hallway where he heard the noise.

    There was no place to take cover, so Alicia decided for a head on approach.

    The assassin made a turn on the corner and opened fire, missing the first shot of his shotgun. Alicia aimed and shot his right leg forcing him to kneel and she quickly anchored herself around his neck with her legs and started to squeeze the oxygen out of him, and while he was struggling, her right arm moved on its own and killed him, plunging her knife at the side of his neck.

    Two men approached from the end of the corner. She quickly displaced her weight towards the opposite side and lied on the ground, once again to use a corpse as a shield.

    The couple shot with precision and fully-automatic. Luckily the corpse was wearing a Kevlar vest that absorbed the bullets.

    She extended her left arm forward and counterattacked, engaging with the enemies on the crossfire, her sight being obstructed by their flashlights¡¯ intensity and their rifles¡¯ firepower; she didn¡¯t have the factor of surprise on her side anymore.

    Eventually, they both needed to reload. Alicia made the decision of taking a gamble with her life.

    ¡°Get the one on the left.¡±

    ¡°You got it.¡±

    She holstered her pistol and took out the knife, then placed her boots on the body¡¯s chest and applied all of her legs¡¯ strength to push it towards them, then when they reloaded and peeked out of their covers, Alicia rushed towards them and jumped using the body as a platform.

    With her knife on her left arm and the pistol in the other, she sliced through the assassin¡¯s neck and nailed a shot on the other¡¯s shoulder. The remaining target however reacted fast enough and managed to counter attack nailing a bullet on her hip when she landed. Alicia managed to ignore the pain and finally gun down the remaining enemy. He slid down the wall behind him as he perished.

    ¡°Woooohh! That was hella intense!¡±

    ¡°Too close for comfort¡­¡±

    Alicia tried to get up, and that¡¯s when she felt the accumulated pain coming to hit her like a train. She found herself uncapable of getting up from her knees, her arms felt heavy, her head hurt and her sight became blurry. She wasn¡¯t capable of controlling her breathing, she had completely lost control of her body.

    ¡°¡­Ugh¡­ah¡­¡± -She tried to gasp for air, but her throat was dilated, closed shut.

    ¡°Alicia! Get it together! We can¡¯t stop here yet! Come on, breath in¡­breath out. Relax.¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯m trying¡­)¡± -But the pain extended across her body, even moving a finger felt like it could bring a massive amount of agony.

    The world around her slowly distorted, the air smelled like ashes and death. The smell of rotting flesh became sharper and stronger than ever. She felt as if something was trying to drag her into hell as the ground below her turned crimson red and the faces of those she knew, friends and enemies, family and traitors, appeared on it, accusing her, yelling all sorts of curses.

    She closed her eyes and tried to control the pain. Slowly, her body gave in to her mind, regained her grip on reality and the horrid nightmares around her slowly faded away.

    ¡°(The world won¡¯t waste a chance to kill me. They all think they are better than me, thinking the world dances around their palms¡­)¡±-She thought to herself.

    Meanwhile, John Calhoun and the messenger approached from the other end of the hallway intending on flanking her.

    ¡°She¡¯s weakened, this is our chance¡­¡± -He whispered at the messenger while giving him a gun to help him kill her. They quickly turned on the corner and managed to catch a glimpse of her, briefly.

    ¡°(¡­I¡¯ll devour them whole.)¡±-She finished, regaining the strength in her legs and rushed forward, escaping the sudden barrage of bullets from John and the messenger.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get her!¡± -Ordered Calhoun, the combat suddenly became a game of cat and mouse, tracking her around the building.

    Everyone else was dead or dying, the messenger was suppressing all his urges to drop everything and run away, knowing that the man besides him would shoot him in the back the moment he tried to make a run for it to the exit. John Calhoun was determined to complete this mission and present the Butcher¡¯s body to his contractors.

    They went back to the living room. Alicia had left a blood trail that stopped abruptly in the middle of the room, right over the mattress. They started to look around for the faintest signal of her presence.

    The silence became deafening for Calhoun, so at a lack of better options, he decided to taunt her so she would give off her position.

    ¡°You really live up to your name, Butcher! You wasted all of my men with mere pistols. You know, you appear to be more of a gunslinger than a Butcher, does that name have to do with all the people you have tortured to death as the stories say!?¡±

    ¡°What are you doing!? Don¡¯t provoke her!¡± -Warned the messenger, but he wasn¡¯t listening.

    ¡°I heard all about it, the huge mess you did of the Arabs back in the day. Who would have thought that a mere child wielded such power, skill¡­and was capable of such inhumane cruelty."

    Still no noise, but he was sure she was close by, and that she could hear his voice loud and clear.

    ¡°I actually doubt you are even human. A mere child wouldn¡¯t have made it this far, actually, you would have died like a charred and raped corpse in the desert in any other case, but you didn¡¯t. The devil whispers in your ear, and you are his most loyal servant. I¡¯m sure you can hear the voices of your victims every night, haunting your dreams. You aren¡¯t the kind of killer whose conscience doesn¡¯t torment you. It must be so tragic, knowing you won¡¯t ever be able to live a life without killing people.¡±

    ¡°Please, stop!¡± -Said the messenger, feeling an impending doom approaching.

    ¡°You are at the mercy of your own destiny; you cannot choose by yourself. You are a murderous slave that will continue to kill to please her masters. A pathetic brat that should¡¯ve been impaled up the ass and left to rot under the sun!¡± -At that point, John was expressing his own disdain for others that weren¡¯t him. He didn¡¯t feel anything for his dead comrades, from the moment he met them, he wanted to see them all dead by a side of the road.

    He was rotten to the very core, and Alicia could smell it.

    Suddenly, he heard a gurgling sound behind him. He turned around and saw the messenger standing still. He remained still like a statue for a solid second until his body collapsed and his head got detached from his shoulders. Somehow, at some point, she managed to get close enough and decapitate his last ally without him being able to sense it.

    A shiver crawled up his spine; he didn¡¯t want to admit it, but the truth was that he was not in control of the situation anymore.

    He kept looking around, finger on the trigger, a cold sweat running down his back, now he was the one thinking about making a run for it and escaping an assured death.

    But then, he heard something fall at the bottom of the room, in the kitchen.

    He quickly turned around and shot the wall that separated the living room from the kitchen, it was very slim so the bullets would make their way through.

    He heard a small whimper, that was enough to draw a smile on his face; He had landed a shot on her successfully.

    John rushed to the kitchen to finish her off if it was necessary, but when he arrived at the kitchen, he saw no body aside from the ones that were already there, and also a gas leak quickly filling up the room, and a frag grenade without its pin over the oven.

    ¡°Dammit!¡±

    The grenade exploded, igniting the gas and setting everything on fire. The safehouse would soon succumb to the flames.

    John Calhoun had survived the blast, albeit barely. He slowly crawled out of the house, escaping from the heat of the flames. His legs had been damaged by the explosion and was bleeding profusely. He couldn¡¯t believe he had been defeated by someone marginally younger than him.

    Still, he made the mistake of thinking that he could win a battle against one of the greatest killers roaming the earth.

    Once he was out of the house, he kept crawling forward until a pair of boots entered his field of vision. He slowly looked up to find Alicia, who was crouched, looking at him with remarkable antipathy.

    He could tell that she too was injured, she had multiple gunshots staining her jacket and pants with her own blood. It was absolutely amazing she was still alive, even more that she still had the strength and willpower to walk and move around as if nothing had happened.

    She was truly a monster, and he had made a mistake approaching her as if she was just a regular target. They should¡¯ve gone all out, like the boxer who has his opponent on the line.

    She slowly got up from her position and walked behind him.

    ¡°¡­What are you looking for, killer?¡± -He said finding it hard to draw breath. ¨C¡°¡­Money? Fame? Do you want everyone to fear your name? is that why you are going to join Kirsten in his little vanity project¡­? ¡­Monsters think alike, I guess¡­ People like you just want to tear it all apart, ruin everything¡­for everyone.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this guy on about? If they hadn¡¯t attacked us none of this would¡¯ve happened.¡±

    ¡°Just so you know¡­you won¡¯t have it easy. No matter what, there will be someone out there strong enough to stop you¡­ everyone like you, including Kirsten, deserve the most painful of all ends! ¡­You won¡¯t warp this world to your twisted wants!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t believe your own delusions when you are about to die¡­¡± -She said as she placed her hands at both sides of his head. ¨C ¡°¡­That¡¯s a bad habit vermin have.¡± -Then, she snapped his neck, putting him out of his misery.

    Finally, the job was done. All in all, it was a very explosive and violent welcome to their newfound freedom.

    She stood still for a second, inhaling the smell of ashes; even that was better than the rotting odor those people carried.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, Ali.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°You still got bullets stuck in your body, you know?¡±

    ¡°¡­Right.¡±

    She walked up to a tree, leaned on it and took out her knife. She proceeded to take off her jacket so the fabric wouldn¡¯t get in the way, no need to take off the shirt.

    She took her time to take out the bullets from inside her body with the point of the knife, ignoring the piercing pain of the procedure the best she could; no matter how much time it passed or how many times she did this same procedure, she could never get used to the pain. One by one, in between of groans and whimpers, she managed to take out the four bullets that managed to hit her. They coincidentally all hit in an angle that got them stuck in the flesh instead of piercing through.

    She gasped for air once she was done, she felt an acute pain in her chest that fortunately dissipated as time went by. Her legs felt a bit weak, but it was nothing she couldn¡¯t handle. Her clothes, however, were still a bloody mess.

    ¡°A lot of time has passed, and that man is nowhere to be found¡­we can¡¯t go back to the base now.¡±

    ¡°What should we do then?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s make our own way through, let¡¯s get away from here for starters, go somewhere else.¡±

    ¡°Great! We are going to take the entire world by assault! What do you say if we travel to the city and visit the Millennium magazine headquarters?¡±

    ¡°That place only exists in the novels, Ten. That¡¯s not a real place whatsoever.¡±

    ¡°Oh, come on¡­it would be great if it did exist though.¡±

    ¡°You like those books a lot, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°They are great in their own way. That Lisbeth girl reminds me a lot of you!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t compare us.¡±

    There was nothing else for her to do there. She decided to walk away from the scene before anyone else, be it a civilian or law enforcement, came around to see the mess she caused.

    Alicia descended by the mountain, walking through bushes and avoiding fallen trees, it took her a while until she was back at the ground level.

    ¡°Now, what do I do with these clothes?¡± -She said, looking at herself, the blood was already starting to stick to her body.

    She wandered by the sidewalk, heading north for no reason in particular. She had already assumed that Kirsten wouldn¡¯t come to get her, so she and Ten were already making plans for the future like where to stay and how to earn cash to travel through and finally out of Sweden.

    After walking for a while, the blood loss started to weigh on her body. She leaned on the wall to find her balance. With that number of injuries, it was obvious she wouldn¡¯t go too far.

    ¡°I can¡¯t continue like this.¡±

    ¡°Where could we find a place to rest? This side of the town is desertic.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what worries me. The injuries¡­I have to do something before they get worse.¡±

    But before she could think about what to do and where to go, she heard a couple of voices coming from the other end of the street.

    Hooded individuals approached her, one of them was carrying a pocket knife and the other a revolver. They spoke in Swedish, so the meaning of their words eluded her, but their intentions were as clear as day.

    ¡°Hm¡­¡±

    ¡°These idiots are really everywhere, it¡¯s the first time we have encountered so many of them in one night.¡±

    ¡°(If this is how things are in the civilized world¡­)¡± -She thought as the pair of thugs reached to intimidate her, and when they noticed she wasn¡¯t reacting to their threats, they quickly became aggressive.

    The one with the pocket knife tried to grab her by the neck and plunge the knife¡¯s steel into her gut, but his fist clutching it was suddenly stopped by a strong and steady hand that prevented it from advancing any further.

    ¡°(¡­I have a lot of work to do.)¡± -She finished her train of thought, tightened her grip and leaned in to rip out his throat with her teeth. The thug felt the most agony he ever had in his life when her jaws closed shut around his throat and started to pull backwards.

    The thug died in a state of shock as he fell to the ground holding onto his mangled neck, staring at the girl holding the missing piece in her mouth and then spitting it on the ground like chewed bubblegum.

    The second thug panicked and jumped back before realizing that he still had a firearm, so he raised his gun to neutralize her.

    ¡°(Take care of this one, Ten.)¡± -She spoke into her mind.

    ¡°Aye aye, sis!¡± -She replied, and she quickly assumed control. The wounds didn¡¯t mean anything when she was at the front. She had been eager to stretch her legs this entire time.

    She dashed towards the thug, knife in hand, while he unsuccessfully tried to land two shots on her as she pounced in a crouched posture.

    She cut his belly with finesse and when he was on his knees, she ended it all by plunging the knife¡¯s point all the way from under his jaw, towards the brain.

    The corpse dropped to the ground at her feet. Once again silence settled around them, and just like with the barrage of enemies that came before those two junkies, no one was there to witness their murder.

    There was no one else left to bother them now. Alicia felt a lot pressure being released from inside her body. After a few seconds, she was capable of cooling herself down to a normal temperature.

    ¡°Freedom¡­is complicated.¡± -She said while letting the remaining air in her lungs escape through her mouth.

    ¡°But it¡¯s way better than being stuck in that company for the rest of our lives.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t ever¡­work for him again¡­¡± -Alicia looked up to the starry sky. Nothing had changed up there since the last time she looked at it. Her friend¡¯s favorite star was still there too, shining brighter than all the others. She enjoyed the time they spent together, even if it was short-lived. ¨C¡°I won¡¯t be his sword ever again¡­¡±

    Alicia sat down, her back against the wall, and almost fell asleep due to the exhaustion.

    She closed her eyes and her conscience started to drift away. It would seem like her life would fade right there and then, and despite the circumstances, she would be ok with that. However, her death would be postponed for later.

    She heard the sound of a car¡¯s door opening and closing and two pairs of footsteps approaching. She hoped that they weren¡¯t cops, otherwise she¡¯d have to muster up whatever dribble of strength she had left to try and get out of this situation, but luck would smile upon her this time.

    ¡°¡­Alicia?¡± -She recognized that voice, and slowly opened her eyes. It was Kirsten, he had come as promised. ¨C ¡°I see you have been rather busy while we got here.¡±

    ¡°¡­A bunch of idiots pushed my buttons¡­they were professionals but, they didn¡¯t play their cards right.¡±

    ¡°Still, that you were capable of killing them all¡­and then some¡­¡± -He said, referring to the corpses at her feet. ¨C ¡°It¡¯s nothing short of impressive.¡±

    She slowly got up from the ground, making her injuries all the more obvious to him and the ones nearby.

    ¡°They wanted to get you too¡­I would like you to fulfill your promise before getting yourself killed.¡±

    ¡°And that I will do¡­¡± -He said, showing his hand to her. ¨C ¡°¡­You are truly the powerful killer that the stories talked about. You are fit to work for our organization. I, as one of the highest-ranking members, would like to welcome you to the Men of the World.¡±

    ¡°What a nice name.¡±

    Alicia reached out and shook his hand.

    ¡°Right¡­let¡¯s get along.¡±

    ¡°We are going to be the best of pals; I can already tell.¡±

    ¡°Excellent. Now, get in the car, Emilia will take care of your injuries.¡±

    They got in the car and drove away from the scene before anyone else showed up. Soon, the police would find the corpses of both the muggers that tried to assault Alicia, the ones in the plaza, and the ones deep in the forest along with the house reduced to ashes.

    These discoveries would lead to an investigation, but it wouldn¡¯t bear fruits thanks to the influence of the Men of the World.

    The global elites thought they were the only ones with so much influence over the law and order, but something kept growing in their shadow, ever stronger and ever greater. A threat so terrible that, for the first time in a century, the elites would feel a shiver down their spines at the realization that they weren¡¯t the only apex predators wandering the earth anymore.

 The Organization

    It was time to go back to the base, Kirsten wasted no time to inform his boss of his success and called him while on the ride to the airport.

    ¡°Hello, Kirsten. Did you finally get her on board?¡± -He asked the moment he answered the call.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, sir. We are going back to the airport as we speak, we¡¯ll be back at the base shortly.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good, very good indeed.¡± -He said. Kirsten let a proud smile creep onto his face. Before they ended the call, Kirsten heard a beeping sound in the background. ¨C ¡°Oh¡­? Hold on Kirsten, it seems someone wants to speak to you.¡±

    ¡°With me? who is it?¡±

    ¡°Commander Conrad. I assume he isn¡¯t very happy with this conclusion.¡± -Said the boss, making Kirsten frown. The last thing he expected was the immediate suspicion and retaliation from that man.

    Still, as an adult and businessman, Kirsten had to face the consequences of his actions and see them through.

    ¡°Alright, sir. Put me up with him.¡±

    ¡°Good luck, Kirsten.¡± -The boss ended the call and linked him with the commander.

    ¡°Hello?¡± -Said Kirsten, feigning ignorance.

    ¡°So, it seems the girl has made her choice. Don¡¯t try to hide it, I know she left to follow you.¡± -Said Conrad, surprisingly calm given his favorite weapon had jumped ship.

    ¡°I told you; weapons can be more complex than you give them credit for, Conrad. You didn¡¯t correspond to her wishes, so she decided to come with someone that would do just that.¡± -Kirsten puffed out his chest.

    ¡°Nah. You see, it¡¯s pretty simple, like all children at a certain age, she had the wish to see and explore the outside world, and then you came by and promised the moon to her. I¡¯m a patient man, Eyler, once she¡¯s seen everything she needs to see, she¡¯ll come back to us, maybe not tomorrow, but she¡¯ll come back. Until then, we¡¯ll make due with what we¡¯ve got, so no worries and no hard feelings.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you are taking this with so much calm, Mr. Conrad. Thanks for your comprehension.¡± ¨C Kirsten suspected there was more to the fact that Conrad seemed so confident that she¡¯d get bored at some point and return to him.

    ¡°Welp, since she¡¯s already with you. I¡¯m going to give you the one piece of advice you¡¯ll find the most useful.¡± -Conrad¡¯s tone became somber. ¨C ¡°¡­Do not make her kill someone she doesn¡¯t want to, and if it isn¡¯t too much trouble, don¡¯t try to stop her from killing someone she does want to kill. Just let her loose, and she¡¯ll be your best friend.¡±

    ¡°¡­Got it. I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± -He said, taking the severity of his words as a sign of things to come.

    ¡°Good¡­well, you know what you are doing. From one professional to another, I wish you luck.¡±

    ¡°(Everyone seems to have good wishes for me these days.)¡± -Thought Kirsten. ¨C ¡°I appreciate it, commander.¡±

    ¡°Feed her so much she falls in love with you. Don¡¯t let her starve, or she¡¯ll go looking for her own food.¡± ¨C Said Conrad, right before ending the call.

    Kirsten put the phone back in his pocket. ¨C¡°(What the hell did he mean by that?)¡±-For some reason he had a feeling he didn¡¯t mean to feed her with actual food.

    ¡°Did you hear that, Alicia?¡± -He asked while turning his head around, but was stopped by Emilia.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look back, Kirsten.¡± -She warned. ¨C ¡°I haven¡¯t finished treating her yet.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Let a girl have her privacy.¡± -She replied as she tended to Alicia¡¯s wounds with the first aid kit they had at hand in the car. Emilia didn¡¯t like her much, but still wanted to help her preserve her dignity.

    Alicia¡¯s body, from her arms to all around her torso, was riddled with scars of varying sizes and antiquity caused by gunshots, burns and cuts, both deep and superficial. They were all done during combat by the people who managed to get close enough to attack, or the ones who had the best accuracy out of all the people she engaged in firefights with.

    ¡°Who did this to you?¡± -She asked, surprised that someone her age was capable of withstanding this amount of cruelty and punishment.

    ¡°Enemies¡­dead enemies.¡± -She replied.

    Kirsten felt like he should say something, but he decided to not push his luck and keep his eyes on the road alongside his driver, who had no attention for anything else.

    The other killers were peculiar in their own way, with their own woes and memories to bear, even if they didn¡¯t show it at first glance; She was no different.

    However, Kirsten wondered if, even having walked down the path he had taken, he could withstand the darkness inside their hearts, even if he couldn¡¯t stand his own.

    But all in all, everything that mattered was that he had succeeded. Now, it was time to return home and determine their next move.

    The journey was uneventful, and in little to no time they were already in the air in a private jet, heading towards The Organization¡¯s headquarters, located in the Alaskan mountains.

    Alicia had lost a lot of blood, but somehow managed to compensate it with an adrenaline shot that Emilia administered to her. If anything, both Kirsten and Emilia commended her for her superhuman resilience.

    The plane¡¯s personnel provided Alicia with a simple change of clothes to get rid of her damaged and bloodied attire. For the first time in a long while, Alicia was capable of wearing something different to military fatigues.

    After they took off, the agents on the ground burned the clothes inside a barrel.

    Kirsten and Emilia remained focused on their job during the journey, him sorting out information with his laptop while she received the important calls and reports on other currently ongoing operations. Alicia remained silent throughout most of the journey, only interacting with Ten in her own inner world where no one could hear them.

    It was always up to Ten to make Alicia behave and feel like a normal adolescent when she wasn¡¯t working or interacting with nasty people, to make sure she didn¡¯t go awry like many times in the past. She, being part of her mind, understood that Alicia needed even the littlest moment of peace she could find, more than anyone else, and a day long travel would suffice.

    From time-to-time Kirsten would turn to look at her, sitting on a chair next to the window, he wondered if she was just sleeping or meditating.

    ¡°(Weirdly enough, she may be just as calm as The Chain.)¡± -He thought, referring to the second killer he recruited; he was surprised they weren¡¯t brother and sister.

    She suddenly opened her eyes and turned to look at him. For the moment, that violent spirit residing in her eyes seemed to be asleep.

    ¡°Do you have something to read?¡± -She asked.

    ¡°Sure. Ask the stewardess.¡± -He said while signaling the stewardess to approach.

    ¡°Did you want something, miss?¡± -She asked, trying to not show her intense discomfort from being in her presence.

    ¡°Do you have books in this plane?¡± -

    ¡°Of course, we got a small collection for readers here. Give me a moment.¡±

    The stewardess walked back to the front and searched through one of the closets for the collection they had on board, a varied selection of fiction and non-fiction books for all interests and ages.

    She put the books in a cart and went back to see if any of them piqued her interest.

    ¡°Do you see something that interests you, miss?¡±

    She looked at the books¡¯ titles and decided for one that was already in her reading list.

    ¡°Beowulf! I¡¯ll read that one.¡±

    The stewardess handed the book to her and walked away with the cart.

    Kirsten felt the need to make a comment.

    ¡°You know, your commander made it seem like you barely had a proper education. When we first talked, I was impressed that you could sustain a normal conversation with me.¡±

    ¡°Was like that¡­5 years ago.¡± -She said. ¨C ¡°Someone in the base made himself responsible of my education.  The things he taught me helped relieve my boredom.¡±

    ¡°Boredom?¡±

    ¡°Training all day can get dull sometimes. Reading is a good way to kill time.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Would have never thought you were an avid reader.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t consider myself one.¡±

    ¡°Is he trying to get to know you?¡±

    ¡°(Just curiosity from his part, I assume.)¡±

    The both of them were far from trusting Kirsten, but they would have enough time to form a sense of comradery, or at least that¡¯s what he was aiming for.

    Kirsten went back to his own business, and was about to get immersed in his work when Alicia broke the ice between them.

    ¡°What can you tell me about the people you want me to kill?¡±

    Kirsten leaned on his chair and looked up to the roof, searching for the best words to define their enemies.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you have dealt with a lot of people like them in the past. While you were in the desert you had to kill many slavers, rapists, arsonists, cultists and the like, correct?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sort of.¡±

    ¡°These people are no different. What sets them apart from the savages that you murdered in Iraq is that they are good at hiding their intentions and perverse emotions. They¡¯ll keep a straight and innocent face while they execute a handful of innocents, profit from a hundred patients¡¯ deaths, mutilate someone just because it gives them a hard on, stuff like that.¡±

    ¡°The worst ones are the ones with power. They are the best at hiding their monstruous nature, hiding it under piles of money. This also makes them hard to approach and kill.¡± -Commented Emilia.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Don¡¯t let them fool you once you have them on a corner. Despite everything, they understand humanity better than anyone, and will try to appeal to yours, even if they don¡¯t have one, to make you desist on your attempt at killing them, only to stab you in the back once given the chance.¡±

    Alicia tilted her head and held her chin, muttering:

    ¡°They aren¡¯t so different then¡­¡±

    ¡°Conrad said you have relaxed ever since you left those days behind. But I¡¯d recommend you to regain a bit of that edge so you can see your missions through.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get too far ahead of yourself, Kirsten.¡± -Said Emilia, cutting short his enthusiasm. ¨C ¡°Remember that we must do some tests on her before we formally introduce her to the organization.¡±

    ¡°Tests?¡± -Asked Alicia, concerned that it was the kind of tests that involve syringes.

    ¡°Ah, they are just a matter of protocol, some specialists will make a range of your physical and psychological attributes with some exams, nothing too drastic. We won¡¯t perform blood tests on you if you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°¡­I appreciate that.¡± -She said. At least she had the privilege of skipping that pain.

    ¡°Try to get along with the rest of the personnel, got it?¡± -He asked for his own sake.

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Kirsten was eager to see her results, even if he had already witnessed first-hand the range of her skill back in Sweden.

    Once they landed in Alaska, they boarded off and headed to the base in a helicopter. Kirsten was received like a long gone relative, while the base¡¯s personnel treated Alicia with wariness, like they did with all the other killers with horrifying backgrounds in the base.

    Kirsten stood at Alicia¡¯s side and raised his hand.

    ¡°Here it is, welcome to the Men of the World¡¯s headquarters.¡±

    ¡°A base in the mountains?¡± -She asked.

    ¡°We have bases and hideouts all around the world, but you could say this one is the most important. This place used to be a facility for the creation of life-terminating weaponry, but we took it over and use it for¡­healthier purposes, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll abstain from touching anything that looks important.¡± -She said, not liking the kind of story that facility had.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry much about it.¡±

    Alicia was escorted by the personnel while Kirsten followed them closely.

    Half a day passed while the medical staff took charge of healing Alicia¡¯s wounds and making sure that she wasn¡¯t feeling frail or sick; if that had been the case, they would have made her stay in the medical ward for extensive treatment for the rest of the day, but just like with Kirsten and Emilia, they learned with great interest about her resilience. Not many people had such a strong willpower, even among the assassins.

    They patched her up with proper tools and proper medical skills and told her to not do any overstimulating activities for the rest of the day. Alicia nodded and walked out of the ward.

    Once she was away, Kirsten walked in to have a talk with the medical chief.

    ¡°That¡¯s a quite peculiar lady you brought in, Mr. Eyler.¡± -Commented the chief. ¨C ¡°I¡¯ve never seen someone so lively, even for her age when they are at their most active.¡±

    ¡°She has quite the reputation, and I witnessed how tough she was when we met. In any case, what do you think of her?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t make many observations about her specifically.¡± -She replied. ¨C ¡°But there¡¯s a lot to say about her physical condition.¡±

    ¡°Share the details with me.¡±

    ¡°Her entire body has been honed and toughened up with extensive, intense training, that much is apparent from a glance. We would have to subject her to a series of exercises to get an estimate of her strength, agility and reflexes, so we¡¯ll have to talk with the personnel in the training area later.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of her body, well¡­I don¡¯t know if I should comment about this.¡±

    ¡°You are talking about the scars? Emilia mentioned them to me already.¡±

    ¡°Yes, she has a lot of them, all around her body, caused by multiple methods like lacerations and gunshots. It¡¯s safe to say she¡¯s got a lot of experience in combat.¡±

    ¡°The boss counts on that.¡±

    ¡°¡­If I may speak freely, sir. I¡¯m very critical of the fact the organization decided to bring a child soldier to serve as an assassin. It goes beyond of what unethical practices entail. Can I ask why the Man of the Sunflowers would approve this decision at all?¡±

    ¡°You see, Ms. Salvador, the boss decided to bring her in because of her skills, regardless of her age. I assume you worry about her well-being, right?¡±

    ¡°Any self-respecting medical specialist would worry when taking a look at her. In a way, this organization is taking advantage of her. She may be ¡°The Butcher¡±, she may be the murderer of God knows how many people, but that doesn¡¯t give us the right to enable her harmful behavior.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡­¡± -Kirsten wanted to argue, but Ms. Salvador raised her hand, interrupting him.

    ¡°¡­But I know that my objections are insignificant in the face of the organization¡¯s goals. I wouldn¡¯t have joined if I couldn¡¯t accept that. Besides, I get the feeling she would take offense to what I¡¯ve said about her, trying to treat her like a normal girl.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­I too had that feeling before.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll support her in the only way I know, just like I already do with the rest of the group. Up until now, you and the handlers haven¡¯t brought in killers that are perverted, twisted or monstrous in nature. As long as the organization doesn¡¯t compromise its own values, the nurses and I will continue to accompany you in your journey.¡±

    ¡°I see. Thanks Ms. Salvador.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Now, go catch up to her.¡±

    The doctor turned around and walked back into the medical ward.

    Kirsten went back on his steps to follow Alicia to the next examination; she was going to be interviewed by a psychologist and get her profile. Like with the other tests, it was just a formality, they wouldn¡¯t kick her out if the psychologist was to find her mentally unstable; there was no point to be selective.

    An hour passed, Kirsten found himself waiting inside a control room, looking at Alicia being interviewed by one of the group¡¯s therapists formulating a few questions to her to attain a diagnosis as accurate as possible.

    In that control room he was accompanied by a couple of operators who controlled a set of panels purposed to monitor Alicia¡¯s heart rate, stress and aggression levels, and other indicatives that would hint at the interview going poorly.

    The interview ended successfully and the doctor got up from his chair.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave the room for a moment, please wait here.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± -She replied, and he left the room to have a quick chat with Kirsten.

    When they met face to face, Kirsten was the first to talk.

    ¡°So, what do you think, sir?¡±

    The doctor took his glasses off and tried to be as honest as possible.

    ¡°Well, where to begin? ¡­Quick witted, of few words, marked anti-social tendencies and there¡¯s a very likely chance she suffers from a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder. She didn¡¯t lower her guard during the whole interview, not even for a second. She always kept her eyes on me and my hands¡­she perceived me as a threat no matter how amicable I tried to make myself look like. Did she behave like this with you when you met her, sir?¡±

    Kirsten remembered the vision of himself being decapitated, but determined it was better to not bring that up with the doctor to not worsen his impression of her.

    ¡°Hm, let¡¯s say she did, yes.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not surprising. I understand that she was in a fierce combat zone. I can only shudder at the thought of the things she must have seen and done there. Honestly, Mr. Eyler, in my opinion as a professional, she¡¯s not fit to work in this group. A person like her should be in a rehabilitation center, receiving the help she needs to reintroduce herself into society.¡±

    ¡°¡­You see, Mr. Clarke, I got the feeling that there¡¯s nothing she would hate more than being reintroduced to society.¡± -Commented Kirsten, supporting himself on the things she said during the interview.

    ¡°She¡¯s in no position to determine that for herself. I may have little power, but at least I¡¯m entitled to share my point of view, just like with the other two that you brought in. They are all so young and already involved in such a grim profession.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a dark world out there, and those kids are a product of it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes¡­I suppose that¡¯s right.¡± -Said Dr. Clarke. ¨C ¡°Still, it¡¯s such a waste. She¡¯s a young lady with a fine intellect, she could¡¯ve graduated from a prestigious academy if things were different, the same could be said for the others, honestly.¡±

    ¡°I think so too.¡±

    ¡°I suppose it would be too much to ask for you to make sure they lead more normal lives once all of this is over, Mr. Eyler.¡±

    Kirsten didn¡¯t want to shrug off his words so easily, that would be unceremonious of him.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have many hopes, doctor Clarke, but if we are all still alive by the end of this¡­I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all I¡¯m asking for. I¡¯m going to wrap up the interview and let her go now.¡±

    Clarke went back into the room and continued his talk with Alicia.

    ¡°So, if you don¡¯t mind me asking, what do you seek to obtain from working with the organization.¡±

    ¡°¡­Not something I expect to get soon.¡±

    ¡°But what is it?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s people out there¡­they got something I want, but it¡¯s not something that you can grasp.¡±

    ¡°You mean it¡¯s something else? Something¡­intangible?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­let¡¯s call it¡­a feeling.¡±

    ¡°A feeling?¡±

    ¡°They have it, and I want it.¡±

    ¡°But what happens once you find this ¡°feeling¡±?¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s enough for me to know that I¡¯m doing a good job.¡±

    ¡°You mean¡­¡±

    Alicia tilted her head. ¨C¡°¡­Is it wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t judge you for the way you live your life¡­however, I would also like you to consider that there¡¯s many other things for you to do. You don¡¯t have to lead this lifestyle, you are still young, you can choose.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t stop, not now.¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d be leaving my work unfinished.¡±

    The doctor was surprised at her response. He could only imagine the things she would do in the future.

    After that test, it should¡¯ve been the end of it given Alicia¡¯s current condition and Ms. Salvador¡¯s recommendations, but the rest of the organization didn¡¯t see it like that. Right after coming out of the psych evaluation, she was approached by two agents who were ordered to escort her to the training grounds.

    ¡°No, she cannot exert herself as she is now, doctor¡¯s orders.¡± -Said Kirsten. ¨C¡°Tell Darius to postpone the test.¡±

    ¡°He insists, sir.¡± -Said one of the agents. ¨C¡°Mr. Darius wants to see The Butcher in action ASAP, he doesn¡¯t care about her current condition.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s¡­¡± -Kirsten wanted to keep on protesting, but Alicia had other plans.

    ¡°It¡¯s ok.¡± -She said. She turned back to look at him. ¨C¡°It¡¯s just a test.¡±

    ¡°¡­the stitches may bust Alicia, you may bleed.¡± -He said.

    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± -She said. Alicia walked forward, telling the agents silently to lead the way. ¨C¡°Stuff like this won¡¯t make me work for it.¡±

    Kirsten was left there, in the middle of hallway, dealing with his own disbelief. He didn¡¯t know Darius was such an impatient person. Like a child, he wanted to see his new toy in action right after buying it.

    Usually, for other newcomers they would first have to pass a hand-to-hand combat test, proving their martial prowess, but Kirsten¡¯s report made clear it wouldn¡¯t be necessary. Besides, they didn¡¯t have no one in her age and weight category that could even stand up against her for over a minute.

    So, in her case, the organization would directly skip to the firearms combat simulation.

    Alicia was escorted to the weapons¡¯ training room. There, she found herself standing before a replica of a maze-like warehouse, designed for teaching their agents about combat tactics and how to handle close quarter shootouts.

    Kirsten headed to the observation cabin overlooking the area where he would be able to see the session from a panoramic view. Besides him sat one of the officers and chief operator: Adam Bonde, who had helped himself to a bottle of wine to watch the session more comfortably.

    The man looked intrigued as the trainer instructed Alicia on what they were going to do.

    ¡°So that¡¯s the legendary Butcher.¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know, I was expecting that killer to be a man and more¡­adult, so to speak.¡±

    ¡°I was just as surprised as you are, sir.¡± -Responded Kirsten, sitting next to him on a metal chair. ¨C¡°When I first saw her I thought her commander was trying to pull my leg, but a few days later she proved to me she was the real deal.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, I heard she was attacked by a mysterious group of professionals. I¡¯ve put some operators on the case to discover who they were affiliated with. I already have some ideas on who they may be, but still, the fact that they knew where she was is quite concerning.¡±

    ¡°Do you think¡­?¡± -Kirsten wanted to complete that question, but the chief had already read his mind.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to put suspicions on our own group, but it¡¯s a very present possibility. You must be wary of who you trust from now on.¡± ¨C The chief made a pause and looked back down. ¨C¡°¡­It seems like they are about to begin.¡±

    Kirsten focused his attention on the training grounds, Alicia stepped forward, prepared for the task ahead.

    The trainer explained to Alicia what the test was about:

    ¡°I heard that you were a little expert gunslinger, so this should be a walk in the park for ya¡¯. See, you¡¯ll be walking into this replica of a warehouse, it includes resting rooms, bathrooms, corridors and a basement; the full package. In there, you¡¯ll engage in a firefight with a group of agents whose only objective is to take you down. If you are as good as the stories say, you¡¯ll be able to eliminate all of them within the time limit.¡±

    ¡°Oh, well, just another day-to-day thing.¡±

    ¡°Eliminate them, you say¡­¡± -Alicia already had a very different idea of what that test was about in her mind.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself, lass. You¡¯ll be using red paint bullets to simulate you are shooting them. This is a test, and we are a serious organization, we are not some Darwinist cult.¡±

    ¡°I see. Alright then.¡±

    Alicia adjusted the laces of her boots and stretched her arms.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not make Ms. Salvador worried about us, ok Ali?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    Everyone in the training area suddenly noticed that the upper cabins were getting full with onlookers. Many people in the organization, from mere employees to veteran agents, wanted to see the legendary Butcher of Iraq in action, or whatever came close to that; even a training drill would suffice.

    Alicia loaded the replica FN pistol and waited for the signal to get in.

    ¡°How many am I facing again?¡± -She asked the trainer behind her, controlling the panel to open and close the door.

    ¡°It¡¯s a group of twelve. We normally use a group of six for the other initiates, but the higher ups are giving you a special treatment.¡± -He chuckled, already anticipating what was going to happen. ¨C ¡°Good luck, Butcher.¡±

    The door slid open, letting her walk in. Once she was inside, a bell announced the beginning of the test, and both parties were supposed to have silence to concentrate on the task at hand, but the silence was quickly broken by the mass of viewers in the cabins above, shouting and cheering, some for Alicia and others for the opposing team.

    ¡°Go, Butcher! Show us what you¡¯ve got!¡±

    ¡°Miles, give that bitch a lesson!¡±

    ¡°Kick their ass, Butcher!¡±

    ¡°Humiliate that monster!¡±

    ¡°Hey, we got some fans! I feel so famous now!¡±

    ¡°(They should go look at something else.)¡±

    The strike team advanced in groups of three through the corridors. Alicia took a deep breath and rushed forward.

    While Alicia advanced through a narrow corridor, she heard movement from the other side of the wall to the right.

    ¡°They are there.¡±

    ¡°We have to find a way around.¡±

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°According to whom?¡±

    Alicia closed her fist and punched a hole in the wall, throwing one of the agents off balance and raising up a lot of dust. Afterwards, she shot through the hole, nailing the one on the ground twice and the one next to him in the leg. She quickly pulled back before the other agents could get a clear shot on her.

    ¡°I¡¯m hit.¡± -Declared the agent on the ground, his vest now stained with a bright red color. Everyone in the training zone could hear the viewers complaining about what happened.

    ¡°He never told me I couldn¡¯t do that.¡± -Said Alicia as she moved on.

    She quickly made her way to the dining area where she met face to face with a squad who opened fire the moment they spotted her.

    Alicia took cover behind a pillar, two agents dashed towards her while one of them stayed behind, applying pressure with his gun.

    She waited for the two agents to come closer before peeking out by the right angle and shooting one of them, then feinting forward, then backwards to evade the bullets of the incoming agent and shooting him too. Afterwards, she crawled under one of the tables to get out of the remaining agent¡¯s vision field. Realizing this, the agent tried to reposition himself to find a clear shot on her, but he suddenly felt a sharp pain on his ankle, making him lose his balance and fall on his knee.

    It took him no time to realize that Alicia had shot him in the ankle to have a clear view of his head before staining his face with red paint.

    ¡°Miles!!!¡± -Yelled one of the viewers in the crowd when he got hit with the paint ball.

    Another team rushed into the room and forced Alicia to run to the second floor. While going up the stairs she stumbled upon another agent, shot him twice and kicked him down the stairs.

    The audience was going crazy, they couldn¡¯t believe what they were seeing, experienced combat agents were having a hard time against a single teenager.

    The other two were waiting for her in the second floor, when they came out of their cover, Alicia kept on the run while taking shots at them, hitting them in the legs and shoulders; even if it wasn¡¯t a straight shot, it was still valid for a hit and disqualifying them.

    But before she thought she was done there, the last one from the squad pounced at her and pinned her on the ground.

    ¡°Like hell I¡¯m losing!¡± -He said while placing his knee in her chest and pinning her right arm with his left hand, then he drew out his own pistol.

    He aimed for her head and pulled the trigger, but she managed to move her head out of the line of fire, evading the paint bullet at point blank range, then she reached out to his collar and used her lower body¡¯s strength to push up and turn around.

    The agent hit the ground with his back, and before he could react, Alicia placed two red stains in his vest, defeating him and then shooting another agent coming up the stairs.

    Her fans were cheering and the haters were booing, raging like crazy.

    Two agents took shots at her from the first floor, she jumped over the rails and nailed them while on the fall and landing on a table.

    She thought she could have a moment to catch her breath but suddenly another agent came out from under the table, but she was able to shoot him before he could raise his gun. While she was distracted, another one came out of hiding and held her by the arms, dragging her down the table, resisting her as she struggled while another one came out from behind a pillar ready to take her down.

    ¡°Oh no, not yet!¡± -Said Ten as she took control and threw her weight to the side violently, forcing the agent out of balance and catching his partner¡¯s bullets with the back of his vest, then slid out from under the one holding her back and rushing towards the shooter, evading his line of fire, approaching him with leaps and vaults.

    ¡°(All yours sis!)¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡±

    Alicia quickly raised her gun and shot the pistol out of his hands, stopped her sprint abruptly in front of him and shot three bullets to his vest, depleting the pistol¡¯s mag completely.

    ¡°That was way more than just twelve.¡± -She said out loud, to see if she could get an explanation from the agent in front of her, to which he just shrugged; he was just as puzzled as her.

    An alarm roared through the warehouse. - ¡°Seems like we have a winner!¡± -The trainer announced through the speaker. Both cheers and insults fought for dominance over the ambience. Alicia was confused as she heard both praises and curses thrown at her; she had never experienced something like this before, nor was she accustomed to hear her alias being thrown with such a positive emotion behind it.

    ¡°...They played dirty.¡±

    ¡°In any case, we won their little challenge. Now, I wonder what our reward will be.¡±

    Alicia was ready to walk out of the warehouse when suddenly another one of the agents entered the room and pulled out a real pistol, Alicia was capable of telling the difference from a glance.

    She quickly dropped to the ground, evading him as he shot carelessly. The crowd was confused.

    ¡°What are you doing!? Stop!¡± -Yelled the agent in the room to try and stop his partner, but he quickly turned towards him and shot him in the leg.

    Kirsten jumped out of his seat and was ready to go down and intervene, but Alicia had everything under control. She managed to sneak into the agent¡¯s blind spot and ambush him, grabbing him by the arm and throwing him over her back with a judo grapple, disarming him.

    She held him on the ground at gunpoint while the help arrived.

    ¡°What¡¯s the deal with you, fam!?¡± -Asked Ten, taking a hold of Alicia¡¯s tongue, but the agent laughed hysterically instead of answering.

    His eyes darted around with hysteria and his chest puffed violently with his maniacal laughter.

    ¡°What is wrong with you?¡± -Alicia asked out loud, just then the security staff arrived.

    ¡°Get up now, leave this to us.¡± -Said the operator, setting her aside and putting the agent under arrest.

    They put handcuffs on him and dragged him out of the training zone, all the while the man struggled and tried to escape from their firm grips.

    Kirsten and the chief operator had witnessed it all, the former seemed rather confused like everyone else in the crowd while the chief seemed unimpressed.

    ¡°I guess this confirms my suspicions.¡± -He said while getting up from his chair. ¨C¡°We got traitors in the organization, and that girl you brought in seems to have pushed them to action.¡±

    He drank the last bit of wine in his glass and looked at Kirsten.

    ¡°You better stay alert now, Eyler, keep an eye out on those you don¡¯t trust and those you do too, and I shall do the same for myself while my men solve this conspiracy.¡±

    ¡°Traitors in the organization, how could this be? I thought we made thorough background checks on everyone!¡±

    ¡°Maybe a few rogue assets came past us.¡± -Said the chief. ¨C¡°However¡­sometimes the infiltrators don¡¯t come from the other side, instead they choose to become infiltrators at some point.¡±

    ¡°You mean¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s all a matter of why people choose to switch sides¡­and what they are willing to do to achieve it.¡±

    He walked past Kirsten, heading out, but not before making a comment about what he had just seen.

    ¡°That girl you brought in is something else, alright. Fighting hand to hand against fifteen experienced agents all by her lonesome, pinning down men twice her height, punching through walls... You know¡­that¡¯s not something a normal girl can do, not by a long stretch.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m aware of that, and I¡¯m curious too.¡± -Said Kirsten, watching as Alicia walks out of the fake warehouse and gives back the trainer the replica Five Seven.

    ¡°This goes beyond military training pushing someone¡¯s limits. My instinct tells me there¡¯s something else about her, something she¡¯s hiding. It would be good to know what it is.¡± -Suggested the chief and then walked away.

    ¡°(Yes, it¡¯s something beyond that.)¡± -Thought Kirsten, reminiscing about the spectacle she had just given everyone in the training area. ¨C ¡°(¡­Something powerful.)¡±

    Shortly after, Kirsten walked down to the training area to meet up with Alicia once again. She was standing right in front of the entrance to the fake warehouse. She suddenly sat on the ground and Kirsten realized something was wrong.

    Alicia¡¯s shirt got damped with her own blood in multiple spots; the stitches had come undone and her wounds reopened.

    ¡°Get out of the way!¡± -Kirsten was shoved to the side by Ms. Salvador, rushing in alongside her nurses to help Alicia.

    Salvador quickly crouched besides her, holding onto a first aid kit. She looked up to the instructor in charge and didn¡¯t waste the chance to complain for her sake. ¨C¡°I told you people, she needed rest!¡± -She said.

    ¡°That¡¯s not on me broad, that¡¯s on the boss!¡± -He said, washing his hands off the whole matter and walking away.

    Doctor Salvador opened the first aid kit and used a pair of scissors to quickly tear Alicia¡¯s shirt off and see the wounds. ¨C¡°Why did you agree to this? you were in no condition to fight, I told you that already!¡± -She said, in disbelief by Alicia¡¯s imprudence and lack of consideration for herself.

    ¡°I could handle it.¡± -Replied Alicia. ¨C¡°I knew I could handle it¡­and I did it.¡±

    Salvador and her nurses wrapped her wounds with gauze and helped her get back up. ¨C¡°Stop trying to put up a tough front, child.¡± -She said. ¨C¡°You are wounded, and wounded people must not overexert their bodies like you just did.¡± ¨CShe sighed. ¨C¡°You will come with us to the sick ward, and you¡¯ll stay there until the wounds have properly closed.¡±

    Ten pretended to cry. ¨C¡°No one has worried so much for us before! bless you, doctor!¡±

    ¡°(I suppose I should have listened to her¡­I don¡¯t like making people like her angry.)¡±

    Alicia walked away being escorted by Salvador and her nurses. ¨C¡°Now, do you like orange juice, dear?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t say I dislike it¡­¡± -Said Alicia

    ¡°Good, we¡¯ll give you lots of it.¡±

    ¡°Standard procedure?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just that good¡­¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    Kirsten watched in silence as the scene unfolded, none of them seemed to acknowledge his presence either.

    He had failed Alicia by not standing her ground against the boss¡¯ orders, even if Alicia didn¡¯t mind. No matter what, he wanted to make sure this situation wouldn¡¯t happen again.

    Knowing her she would heal up quickly enough, just in time for her first job, it was time to take care of the paperwork.

    Kirsten walked through the hallways, heading towards the resting zone of the facility, when he suddenly stumbled upon another handler.

    He was younger than him, but had a stern and stubborn look in his eyes, he didn¡¯t like Kirsten even if Kirsten didn¡¯t have anything bad to say about him. That was the kind of person Matthew Richter was, laying out his judgements before you could even notice he¡¯s pointing his finger at you.

    ¡°So, you managed to bring that girl here.¡± -He said, skipping all politeness and formality. ¨C¡°Are you really going to do this, Eyler? Do you really think you can hold the reins of a mass murderer and expect her to do your bidding?¡±

    ¡°What? You speak of her as if she was just a mindless monster.¡± -Replied Kirsten, almost feeling offended by what he was implying.

    ¡°That¡¯s because she is, Eyler. No matter how calm she may appear or how agreeable she is with our goals. She rampaged, all by herself somehow, throughout Iraq and killed so many people, civilians and combatants alike, tore them to shreds, and burned it all to the ground, there¡¯s nothing to salvage from that country anymore.¡±

    ¡°I know all of that, but it was the boss¡¯ wish for her to come aboard, it wasn¡¯t up to me.¡±

    ¡°That excuse will only get you so far Kirsten. You know that she¡¯s the kind of assassin that our enemies hire.¡±

    ¡°Come on now¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m dead serious. That is the reason we reached out to so many of them so far, The Imperium has its own net of assassins for hire, one more dangerous than the other, inhumane, unexplainable, with supernatural abilities, that¡¯s why no other group has stood a chance against them so far. But one thing they all have in common has been their depravity, their savagery, monsters like that do not act out on greed, they relish on violence; the worst humanity has to offer.¡± -Matthew made a quick pause, breathing in and trying to contain his disconformity. ¨C¡°¡­And you are telling me the boss wanted one of those animals here? I don¡¯t know¡­this can only mean one thing to me.¡±

    ¡°Matthew, you better choose your words wisely now. Depending on what you say¡­¡± -Kirsten wanted to issue his warning, but Matthew already had enough of that conversation.

    ¡°I¡¯m just saying, man. I know you aren¡¯t too up your ass to not see the writing on the wall. I do see it myself, and I¡¯m planning accordingly before the storm catches me off guard.¡± -He said and then walked away.

    He had made the grave mistake of making his position clear to Kirsten. After hearing the chief operator¡¯s advice, he was planning to keep it in mind at all moments and with everyone around him.

    Kirsten didn¡¯t want to think of the possibility, but the organization wasn¡¯t safe anymore.

    Two more days passed, and after a load of paperwork and getting the boss¡¯ sign and delivering it to the tech team, Alicia became officially an assassin employed by the Men of the World. Her name and alias were added to the database, along with a rank recommended by the medical chief, the trainer and the chief operator alike: ¡°A¡±, making her suitable for the most dangerous missions the organization had to offer, but still a long way from becoming a grade S, the group of assassins that answered to the boss directly.

    At noon, the report was delivered to Kirsten¡¯s office and he read through it.

    ¡°(Huh¡­I thought she was eligible to be an S rank.)¡± -He thought, feeling a bit disappointed. It was as if he had participated in a pet contest with his prideful dog and only got second place. ¨C ¡°(In any case, that should be enough. All it matters is that she¡¯s with us.)¡±

    He got up from his chair and stretched his back, he looked out the window, admiring the snowy landscape that extended beyond the base. For Kirsten, the world felt small sometimes, he always had the impression he had been in a place before, even if he didn¡¯t know about it at all.

    His former profession had left him jaded, with a crescent apathy, knowing that the ones that forced him to become the person he was were still alive, breathing and laughing to their hearts content.

    ¡°(Alright¡­it¡¯s time to get back at them.)¡± -He thought and picked up his phone, calling Alicia in her room; with time she would earn enough money to buy her own hideout which would suit her own needs, but for the moment, she would stay close to them.

    She answered the call after a few seconds.

    ¡°Kirsten?¡±

    ¡°Hello, Alicia. Now that you are one of us, it¡¯s time to get to work.¡±

    ¡°I was wondering when you¡¯d say that.¡± -She said, getting excited about the days ahead.

    ¡°We must play our hand while we still have the advantage, so I must play my role so the boss can focus on the most important strategies. Now, come to my office, we have a lot to talk about.¡±

    He ended the call and waited for Alicia while going over his usual paperwork about the other assassins he recruited, for they were already out there on their own missions.

    Alicia was lying in her bed, amassing enough strength and energy to get through the day. She was already getting accustomed to the peace and quietness that the base in the mountains offered, but she always knew that it wasn¡¯t some sort of resort with all paid expenses. She was a worker, a killer; she, the blade, had changed masters. Deep inside, she hoped this one would allow her to cut those she was looking for.

    She was tired of dealing with the parasites¡¯ puppets, thinking that¡¯s the way you wage a real war. She knew better, and was going to show it to them.

    Alicia got up from the bed and put on her new clothes, including her customized jacket issued to her by the assassins¡¯ division. She was thankful for the newfound privacy, and hoped it would be like this for some more time.

    ¡°(It¡¯s time to work.)¡±

    ¡°You got it, sister! Let¡¯s see what the old man has in store for us. You¡¯ll have a lot to shoot¡­!¡±

    ¡°(And you a lot to cut.)¡±

    ¡°As the way it should be.¡±

    Alicia walked out of the room and headed to his office at the other end of the complex, walking past a blonde woman she assumed was another assassin like her.

    She didn¡¯t mind her at first, but then she caught her whispering to herself while walking away.

    ¡°¡­She¡¯s¡­an angel?¡±

    Alicia stopped walking and looked back, watching the blonde woman going her own way.

    ¡°¡­What was that about?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that important, let¡¯s get going.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­¡±

    Alicia moved forward to her destination. The woman who walked past her crouched near the corner of the hallway, uncapable of holding her tears of excitement.

    She had seen something that wasn¡¯t obvious to Alicia, or to anyone else. She would not tell anyone and keep the secret closed in her heart.

    Finally, after so long, she felt as if her faith had been validated and rewarded. She had to think about what to do now that she had encountered a real angel.

    Alicia arrived at the office and took a seat in front of him.

    ¡°Glad you could come by. I¡¯m sure you were starting to wonder if I really recruited you to do some wetwork at all.¡±

    ¡°I was willing to be patient.¡± ¨C She said.

    ¡°I see, thank you for that. Anyway, let¡¯s talk business. Last time I spoke with Floyd, he mentioned I must not force your hand to kill someone that you don¡¯t want to kill.¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s good that he told you about that.¡± -She traced her right cheek¡¯s scar with her fingers unconsciously.

    ¡°Yes, and the boss also agrees on that. It¡¯s fairly obvious to us that you work better with certain targets, that¡¯s why we¡¯d like you to take care of certain jobs. If the stories told about you have a figment of truth, I assume that you are not very fond of criminals of the slaver type¡­¡±

    Alicia¡¯s expression perked up for a moment, Kirsten had caught her interest successfully.

    ¡°Sex traffickers, child traffickers, organ traffickers, I guess you have your own story with them.¡±

    Alicia tilted her head to the side. ¨C ¡°A long one.¡±-She looked at her hands as if they were still covered in blood. ¨C ¡°But don¡¯t be too selective for my sake. Whoever they are, I¡¯ll kill them.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­I¡¯m glad you are so enthusiastic.¡± -Said Kirsten, trying to brush off the air of dangerousness coming from her. ¨C ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I think you¡¯ll like this one.¡±

    Kirsten presented a file to her with all the information they had on the target, his group and criminal activities.

    ¡°We¡¯ll send you to Mexico, the boss wants you to debut in the underworld by targeting a hotshot in the world of child trafficking. His name is Robert Schmidt, an Ex-CIA operative, at least he¡¯s an ex-operative on paper. He¡¯s in charge of a human trafficking ring that operates near the Mexican-US border. Under direct orders of the CIA¡¯s higher spheres, he gathered all the human wastes and convicts he could find to run his crime syndicate.¡±

    While he talked, Alicia skimmed through the pages, absorbing the information.

    ¡°He makes his living by targeting families trying to cross the border, specifically the younger members of said families. His men kill their parents and any other adult companion and take the children away. He breaks them, tortures them in any way you can think, preparing them to pack them up in a neat little package and sending them to the wealthiest bidder.¡±

    Inside the file there was a photo of one of such children tucked up in a package, he had died because of asphyxiation.

    ¡°Recently, a party has been trying to loosen up the immigration policies to the point of making them inexistent, in other words, to just open the borders and let immigrants flow in. On paper, this is a humanitarian act, but in reality, this only serves to give Mr. Schmidt a bigger workload and fatter pay off. Imagine that, a huge wave of undocumented children, with no one to come around and ask for them once they are gone, ready for the taking to please the needs of the most depraved and rich men up there in Washington.¡± -Kirsten got up his chair and served himself some coffee from the machine in a corner of his office. ¨C ¡°It¡¯s hard to imagine men like him even exist outside of dark fantasy, but they do.¡±

    Alicia held Robert¡¯s photograph against the light of the lamp on the table.

    ¡°¡­So he¡¯s the type¡­¡± -She said in a whisper. Afterwards, she raised her thumb up to her mouth and bit her nail, he could notice a small hint of excitation in her face.

    Kirsten saw something unusual in her glare. The beast had awakened, but it seemed to just be calm while telling its story.

    ¡°¡­I wonder¡­¡± -She muttered.

    Just then, Kirsten could swear he saw something paranormal. For a brief moment, it seemed like Alicia¡¯s facial scars were glowing with a somber crimson red, and the glow disappeared just as quick as it had shown itself.

    ¡°¡­I wonder if he¡¯s any different?¡± -She said. ¨C ¡°Do you want his head?¡±

    Kirsten sat back on his chair, and no matter how he sat he felt uncomfortable.

    ¡°Ehh¡­I don¡¯t think that will be necessary.¡± -Alicia seemed disappointed to hear that. -¡°Assassinating him will suffice. Also, make sure to release the captured people you find and let them out. Killing a slaver and not releasing the slaves would defeat the initial purpose, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± -She stretched her legs and got up. ¨C¡°¡­And how will I find this man?¡±

    Kirsten looked through his desk¡¯s drawer and took out another file. ¨C ¡°I was wondering when you¡¯d ask that. Like all crime syndicates, they have their own net of associates, contacts and people that overall can get things done.¡± -Kirsten showed her the photo of another man. ¨C¡°His name is Juan Mendoza, native of the country, obviously. He walks around, jumping from both sides of the border, making deals with disgruntled parents sunk in debt or desperation to sell their children to the syndicate. You¡¯d think that someone couldn¡¯t be so convincing, that¡¯s where his prodigious silver tongue comes in.¡±

    Kirsten noticed Alicia¡¯s left eye twitching; at some point, he had said something that put her off.

    ¡°¡­I see.¡± -She crossed her arms and sharpened her eyes, that thing behind her glare seemed to be livelier than ever. ¨C ¡°Parents selling their kids, huh?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s heinous, inhumane, I know. But it falls in the hands of someone else to enact judgement on them.¡± -Then, Kirsten noticed the air becoming heavier around Alicia, just like that time at her garden. She was putting up pressure on her surroundings, discharging her strength.

    ¡°You think so?¡± -She asked.

    Kirsten could feel it as his blood ran colder and colder.

    ¡°Eh¡­ok, let¡¯s keep going. Take a look at this.¡± -Kirsten showed her some photographs of a group of armed individuals, some others that appeared to be civilians, but they had that insidious glare that gave away their perverted intentions. ¨C¡°Schmidt hires all kinds of thugs and lowlifes to keep an eye on the extensions of his syndicate, however, we are aware that he keeps a highly trained group of men on standby that will come running if he ever calls for them. they are all ex-military or mercs that stay around because he pays well and regularly, they are also armed to the teeth, so you may want to be as discreet as possible, so he won¡¯t have a reason to call for them to defend him.¡±

    ¡°Highly trained soldiers, you say...¡± -She said, almost wanting to scoff at the highly trained soldiers she was seeing in those photos. For her, those terms aside from soldier meant hardly anything ¨C ¡°¡­Won¡¯t make a difference.¡±

    Once again, he caught a glimpse of the crimson glow.

    ¡°In any case. That¡¯s all we got on them. You¡¯ll depart tomorrow, you can do whatever you want until then.¡±

    With that said, Alicia got up from her chair.

    ¡°Good, I¡¯ll prepare then. See you later, Kirsten.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Alicia left the office, and now Kirsten could allow himself to feel unsettled.

    ¡°(¡­That glow)¡± -He was completely sure it wasn¡¯t just his imagination. ¨C ¡°(I feel like I¡¯ve seen it before¡­)¡±

    Kirsten had a vague memory in the back of his mind. He remembered seeing something like that before, somewhere, a long time ago.

    He saw it in someone, and he was sure that someone was the strongest person on earth.

    ¡°(Is she the same as him?)¡± -He wondered. Kirsten would remain puzzled for the rest of the day, even while attending his other responsibilities.

    Alicia remained in her room afterwards. Her conversation with Kirsten had given her a lot to think about, on the target, on the location, on their actions and how they were all related to her in a way none of them, not even Kirsten, could expect.

    She sat at her desk and used a whetstone to sharpen her knives, the only weapons she was allowed to keep inside the base after the agents took everything else.

    Alicia quietly hummed to herself, reflecting on everything she had learned and fantasizing about the things she would do.

    ¡°(I don¡¯t want to assume anything, I really don¡¯t¡­)¡± -She thought. ¨C ¡°(But maybe, they truly think they have won.)¡±

    ¡°Won? In what way?¡± -Asked Ten, once again wondering what her sister was thinking about.

    ¡°(They prey on those that cannot call for help, those foolish enough to seek what¡¯s not theirs and those who want to work to rightfully get it, running away from an even greater evil, we¡¯ve heard the stories before, remember?)¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°(They have it all sort it out. No one touches them, no one suspects of them. they fill their hands with silver as they ship children away. Surely they had to go through a long and tiring war to get here.)¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the same song with all syndicates, like the one Glass had built for himself.¡± -She said.

    ¡°(Yeah¡­maybe they are just like him.)¡± -She thought. ¨C ¡°(Maybe they think they are above everything, but they are not above what I bring about.)¡±

    Alicia finished sharpening the knife and left its iron shine with the moonlight.

    ¡°(Their awkward peace is the product of the long war they waged against their opponents.)¡± -Without realizing, the crimson glow in her scars reappeared. ¨C ¡°(Let¡¯s show them their war isn¡¯t really over.)¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s do our best and we better not let any of them get away.¡±

    The following day, Kirsten called Alicia up to the armory located in the third basement of the covert operations building; an assassin is not complete without his weapons, and they were more than glad to provide her with some that would fit her just fine.

    Kirsten waited for her in front of the entrance to the armory, today there was no glow in her scars and whatever it was behind her eyes seemed to be at ease today.

    ¡°Good morning, Alicia, how are you doing?¡± -He asked, trying to be polite.

    ¡°No name-calling today.¡± -She replied.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m about to go on a contract, a mission. While I¡¯m at it, I¡¯m the Butcher, not Alicia.¡±

    ¡°You and your melodramatic non-sense.¡±

    ¡°Alright then, Butcher. I called you today to give you a special gift.¡± -He said and used his keycard to open the door.

    Alicia was introduced to a gallery full of all sorts of weaponry in varying states of building and termination, a shooting gallery at the bottom of the room and rows of blueprints pinned to the wall inside the office of the one in charge of the armory.

    ¡°We call him Saint.¡± -Said Kirsten pointing at the man in the office. ¨C¡°He¡¯s the saint patron of all guns. There¡¯s no gun he doesn¡¯t know inside and out, and don¡¯t let his jagged and roughed up exterior fool you, his hands are all he needs to get the job done.¡±

    It was apparent that the man was partially blind, his hands were covered with scars and burn marks, undoubtedly caused by his methods of maintenance and weaponry modding, forgetting about all sorts of regulations and safety measures that would¡¯ve guaranteed his well-being otherwise.

    ¡°What an unpolite way of introducing the one responsible of your top-notch weaponry.¡± -Said Saint, pretending to be offended. He raised his head and stared at Alicia. ¨C ¡°¡­My, you must be the legendary Butcher. While I¡¯m an expert at maintaining weapons, you must be an expert at using them, correct?¡±

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s what everyone says.¡± -She responded.

    ¡°Don¡¯t feign humbleness, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a fact. If you didn¡¯t, I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t be alive and standing here right now.¡± -He held his chin with his hand. ¨C ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll take good care of them. Give me a moment.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s gotta be the most unique gunsmith we¡¯ve found so far.¡±

    ¡°(The one on the base was a very boring man.)¡±

    Saint looked opened a closet and took out a small hardcase and put it over the desk in front of them.

    ¡°We studied your M.O, Butcher.¡± -Said Kirsten. ¨C¡°We noticed that you tend to favor pistols in most situations, even if you alternate between all sorts of weaponry.¡±

    ¡°I do what I can.¡± -She replied, surprised that she was so easy to read in that regard.

    ¡°So, we asked Saint to craft something special for you. I¡¯m sure you have never placed your hands in guns such as these.¡± -He announced with pride as Saint opened the case.

    ¡°A pair of modified AMT Hardballers, the preferred pistols for all international assassins.¡± -Presented Saint, proud of his most recent work of art. ¨C ¡°I refitted them so they would use a specialized .454 Casull cartridge instead of the regular .45 ACP it used to shoot. Since it uses that ammunition, it¡¯s to be expected for it to have a mean punch and recoil, so I added an inner stabilizer to reduce the recoil and filter out gas.¡±

    Saint handed to her a brand-new belt with a holster, including pockets for the magazines and grenades.

    ¡°All guns need a holster like all blades need a sheathe.¡± -He said.

    ¡°Ain¡¯t that the truth?¡±

    Alicia took the belt and buckled it up around her waist and then took the pistols, feeling their weight. It was obvious for Kirsten that those pistols weren¡¯t made to be used by regular people. Fortunately, she was anything but that.

    ¡°They are heavy.¡± -She noticed and analyzed them while holding them, from the receiver to the magazine port. Afterwards, she threw them both to the air and caught them once again, spun them with her fingers at high speed and placed them into their holsters.

    Saint clapped, for a moment he thought that she would be too sloppy and let them fall to the ground, but he had clearly underestimated her.

    ¡°I knew they were the most adequate for you!¡± -He said and presented Alicia a handful of spare mags to fit into her belt. ¨C¡°This should be enough for your current mission.¡± -And then, he took out another large suitcase for her to place the guns, the belt and other things to keep a low profile while moving around the civilian areas. ¨C ¡°And this is for moving it all around.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± -She said and grabbed the suitcase.

    ¡°Now, that¡¯s one thing, but I suppose that you get the feeling that you¡¯ll need something else for this mission.¡± -Said Kirsten. ¨C ¡°Is there anything else you need from this armory?¡±

    Alicia took a look around, trying to find something else that may be useful to her. Then, she approached the shelves with the sniper rifles and grabbed an M110 model.

    ¡°I¡¯ll need one of these¡­with a tripod, preferably.¡± -She said while holding it in an aiming position, making sure she was able to hold it properly.

    ¡°Right, I¡¯ll prepare one for you before you go.¡± -Said Saint and went to work.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget the ammo.¡± -Said Kirsten and walked up to her. ¨C¡°Didn¡¯t take you for one who works at long distance.¡±

    ¡°¡­The rumors talk about how I sliced up hordes of people in half, at close-range, correct?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sorta.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t usually do that¡­¡± -She said, catching Kirsten¡¯s attention. ¨C¡°At least not in a good day¡­I must be really aggravated for that to happen.¡±

    ¡°Aggravated? What do you mean?¡± -Asked Kirsten.

    Alicia looked back at Kirsten. ¨C ¡°¡­Sometimes it¡¯s hard to keep it all together.¡±-She grabbed the top of the case and closed it. ¨C¡°¡­It¡¯s all situational.¡± -She pointed with her left hand at the places in her body in which she had been shot. ¨C¡°Stress piles up, running out of options, and so, I always default to them.¡±

    ¡°I¡­kind of get it.¡± -Said Kirsten, not really sure about what she meant. He was conflicted, debating with himself if she was just being obtuse to avoid talking about that matter or she really didn¡¯t know at all.

    ¡°Anyway, I always try my best to not let myself do that kind of thing again.¡± -She said, holding to her head, suppressing a migraine. - ¡°It¡¯s all in the past, all that matters now is that I¡¯m going to fly off and kill all these people, get paid, and then go back to bed, preferably.¡±

    Saint came back, packing up the disassembled rifle in an extra bag for her.

    ¡°This one is easy to get together. You know how to piece together rifles, right?¡± -He asked.

    ¡°Totally, it¡¯s part of the training.¡± -She replied and took the bag. ¨C ¡°With this I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to do a smooth job.¡±

    ¡°Now¡­let¡¯s go out and collect some heads.¡±

    Alicia and Kirsten walked out of the armory and headed to the heliport.

    ¡°Are you the kind of assassin that takes her jobs personally?¡± -Asked Kirsten, concerned that they would have to prepare and plan accordingly if she was one of them.

    ¡°Who knows?¡± -She said. ¨C ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll find out once your agents hand over the mission¡¯s report to you.¡±

    ¡°Please, be professional.¡±

    ¡°If you insist¡­but let me tell you this:¡± -Alicia looked back at Kirsten. ¨C ¡°I always make sure to that my jobs are thorough and I don¡¯t leave any loose ends.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see. That¡¯s good.¡± -Said Kirsten, glad that she¡¯d take it seriously. Unfortunately, he had misunderstood the meaning behind her words, and now that he had given her his approval, she felt compelled to do as she pleased on the field.

    While heading to the heliport they came across a young man standing in their way.

    Kirsten knew him well. He was another handler, just like him, very morally inflexible, a man that made detailed judgements of all those that he came across. He always seemed unpleased with everyone around him, as if he had some golden standard everyone should adhere to.

    That was the kind of man Harold Kane was.

    ¡°Hey, Kirsten.¡± -He greeted, but Kirsten could notice the hint of hostility in his voice. ¨C ¡°I see that you came through with the boss¡¯ plans.¡±

    ¡°Orders are orders, Kane.¡± -That was his only response.

    ¡°I guess they are. I also have my own orders, for a change they are orders that I do agree with.¡±-He then centered his attention on Alicia. ¨C ¡°Watched that show she put up during the combat test, you must be very proud of having tamed this beast.¡±

    Alicia¡¯s eye twitched, Kirsten stepped forward to intervene.

    ¡°Settle down, Kane. Why don¡¯t you mind your own business instead of pestering us?¡± -He said, and Harold didn¡¯t take kindly to his mockery.

    ¡°What? You didn¡¯t like a small observation from a colleague, or is it that you are afraid that she¡¯ll go berserk for getting a little insult thrown at her? why bring someone like that here then? -He crossed his arms and looked down on them. -I was starting to suspect that good ol¡¯ boss was losing it, but she¡¯s the absolute proof he is.¡±

    ¡°Harold¡­¡± -Kirsten got serious. ¨C ¡°¡­You must mind your words carefully. I¡¯m sure you know already; we are in a very sensible situation. This is a moment in which it¡¯s in everyone¡¯s best interest to put down any suspicions the others may have.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn about your suspicions.¡± -He said as he walked past them. ¨C¡°The Men of the World isn¡¯t the group it used to be. The presence of this murderer, the fact that she wears our badge is a proof of that. This ship is setting course towards absolute doom, and I don¡¯t intend on getting sunk with it.¡±

    He walked past Alicia, and suddenly, the shocking image of his head being sliced in half crossed his mind, staying engraved in his pupils for twenty seconds. He jumped out of nervousness and felt his face with his hands, making sure everything was still in its place.

    Kane turned back to see Alicia, who was leaning on the wall having left her bags on the ground; he, just like Kirsten, knew for a fact she had done something to him in that split of second.

    ¡°What¡¯cha looking at, weasel? Wanna start something?¡± -Ten had stepped forward, ready to take care of him for her sister.

    ¡°You fucking freak.¡± -He wanted to start a fight, but his legs didn¡¯t seem to obey him; he didn¡¯t want to admit he was too cowardly to even think of fighting an assassin, whatever his rank, and deep inside he knew he didn¡¯t have the slightest chance against her.  ¨C ¡°One day¡­you understand?¡± -He raised his finger. ¨C ¡°One day, you¡¯ll pay for all the things you¡¯ve done¡­you may not even see it coming, but you will be punished.¡±

    He turned back and made haste, walking away. Alicia looked at Kirsten ¨C ¡°I may just be an assassin, but wanna hear some advice?¡± -She asked.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Make a call. Kill that rat.¡± -She said and continued walking.

    After that short interruption, they finally arrived at the heliport.

    ¡°You¡¯ll land in Ted Steven¡¯s airport, and from there you¡¯ll take a few flights until you arrive on Mexico.¡± -Explained Kirsten. ¨C ¡°Make sure to keep a low profile until then. We prepared a hideout in the city¡¯s downtown for you. Look for the Pascal Hotel.¡±

    Kirsten handed a card to her with the logo of the hotel so she would recognize it once she saw it.

    ¡°Roger that.¡± -She replied and hopped onto the helicopter.

    ¡°My name is Michael; I¡¯ll be your pilot today.¡± -Said the pilot, and gave his gloomy and armed to the teeth passenger a thumbs up, telling her she could trust him.

    ¡°Pleased to meet ya¡¯, pal! Make this a fun flight, will ya¡¯? -Said Ten, taking control of Alicia¡¯s tongue, so she wouldn¡¯t pass off as rude to him.

    ¡°You got it, miss!¡± -He said, wondering what was the deal with all of those rumors about the Butcher. ¨C¡°(¡­She seems like a decent enough lady.)¡±

    She sat on the back of the helicopter, keeping her baggage close. The pilot started the helicopter and the propellers gyrated.

    ¡°Make sure to come back in one piece!¡± -Yelled Kirsten at her. ¨C ¡°We got a lot of work to do, places to go!¡±

    Alicia gave him a thumbs up, and they lost sight of each other as the helicopter elevated and flew away into the horizon.

    She looked forward, closing her hands into fists and loosening them, over and over again.

    ¡°(At the back of a helicopter once again¡­Once again heading to a warzone.)¡± She looked over the landscape, seeing the beautiful white clouds and the sun ascending from the east. ¨C¡°(But this one is a bit different.)¡±

    ¡°All in all, let¡¯s have a fun time.¡± -Said Ten, trying to hype up her sister.

    ¡°(¡­Yeah. Let¡¯s have fun.)¡±

    Kirsten watched as the helicopter flew away, and once he lost sight of it, he received a call from the boss.

    ¡°Is the Butcher already on the field?¡± -He asked.

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s heading to her destination as we speak, it may take her a day or two to get to Mexico.¡±

    ¡°Good. I¡¯ve mobilized my own men as we speak. They are going to be looking for leads that help us snuff out the traitors.¡± -Kirsten felt a cold shiver down his spine when he mentioned his own team of assassins. ¨C ¡°I received a report on the agent that tried to kill Butcher. He was under the effect of a psychotropic drug that altered his perception of reality. Now, there are only a few people in the Organization who could¡¯ve done that, and thus I¡¯ve made sure some people keep an eye on them, however, I¡¯m afraid this won¡¯t be enough.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, sir?¡±

    ¡°A negative about leading a big group, is that you can¡¯t keep tabs on everyone at the same time as easily, if at all.¡± -He explained. ¨C ¡°Somehow, many information lines that should¡¯ve led to a conclusive suspect, have led to dead ends instead. Someone is covering things up, altering the facts. Someone is covering the tracks of the others, all the while keeping up a fa?ade.¡± -Suddenly, Kirsten heard a faint noise in the background that was quickly silenced by what he knew was a punch. ¨C¡°Fortunately, that drugged agent helped us get a lead, and the twins helped me catch someone that is associated with the traitors.¡±

    Kirsten walked back into the base, leaving the cold exterior of the mountains behind. Every time the boss mentioned his own personal squad, Kirsten could barely control his intrigue, because even if he could be considered a high-ranking member of the organization and Darius¡¯ most trusted associate, he had never seen a single member of that exclusive squadron that he kept for himself.

    ¡°They found a lead?¡±

    ¡°Huntress caught someone trying to plant a worm in the main database and Praetorian interrogated him. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t know much, not even who else was in on this betrayal, but all he knew was a lot of people were going to defect and establish their own group, starting with the dissolution of our own, of course.¡±

    Kirsten could hear someone struggling in the background, choking on something. It was clear to him now that Darius had decided to call him while those two he mentioned disposed of the captured traitor since he wasn¡¯t useful to them anymore.

    ¡°What should we do now then?¡± -Asked Kirsten, recognizing that they didn¡¯t have much to work with.

    ¡°There¡¯s no rush, and I¡¯m sure my men will be able to take care of any unexpected eventualities as they come. While they are investigating, I¡¯d like you and your own team to keep an eye out on any unusual behavior. Hell, once Butcher comes back, you could ask her to shake up everyone she thinks is suspicious to see what we can find.¡±

    ¡°(What is she, a thug?)¡± ¨C Kirsten didn¡¯t know under what concept Darius had her. ¨C ¡°Well, I guess she wouldn¡¯t be opposed to the idea¡­¡± -He remembered what she said to him before departing. ¨C¡°Actually, boss, I talked with Kane a while ago, and he said things that raised my suspicions on him.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± -Kirsten suspected one of Darius¡¯ men was listening in and was ready to get on Kane¡¯s case. ¨C¡°I know I can trust you, so I¡¯ll tell someone to see what they can learn about him. Given his attitude, I won¡¯t be surprised if he has something to tell me about himself.¡±

    ¡°(That kid may as well be dead.)¡± -Thought Kirsten, imagining what Darius would do to him.

    ¡°Thanks for telling me, Kirsten. Now you can go on with your own business. Goodbye.¡±

    After Darius ended the call, Kirsten quickened his step to get to the end of the hallway faster. That place was so quiet he felt like someone was going to jump him at any moment.

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember this hallway being so long.¡± -He said to himself.

    After walking for a short while he finally made his way to the corridor that would lead him back to the offices, there he stumbled upon the same blonde woman Alicia had encountered before. He knew her well, codename: Sword, real name: Jules D¡¯arc, B rank; She seemed unusually anxious.

    ¡°Sir!¡± -She raised her voice. ¨C¡°How¡¯ve you been? Were you talking with that new girl?¡±

    ¡°Butcher? Yeah. What is it? Did she catch your attention?¡± -Asked Kirsten, and his suspicions were confirmed when the muscles in her face contracted for a moment.

    ¡°Honestly sir, yes, I do¡­¡± -She admitted it, and clutched at the cross necklace she was wearing. ¨C ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, does she seem¡­unusual to you?¡±

    Kirsten raised an eyebrow. ¨C ¡°Unusual? Well, she¡¯s mighty unusual in all sorts of aspects anyway, she¡¯s a killer, just like you.¡±

    She shook her head. ¨C ¡°¡­No, you misunderstand me. I mean, if you¡¯ve noticed something in her that may be out of what¡¯s natural¡­something that you haven¡¯t seen before.¡±

    Kirsten remembered the glow of her scars. ¨C ¡°(She saw them too?)¡± -He thought to himself. For the moment, he intended to keep that information to himself, until he had a fair assessment of what it could mean, both for her and them as a group. ¨C ¡°Not really, I mean she has a weird look in her eyes sometimes but that¡¯s something to be expected from someone like her.¡±

    Jules narrowed her glare; her worrisome look was replaced by a hint of suspicion. She wasn¡¯t na?ve, in fact, she was quite perceptive and knew when people were lying, it was her natural talent. ¨C ¡°¡­So you¡¯ve seen something.¡±

    Kirsten was shocked, and didn¡¯t know how to get out of this situation knowing he couldn¡¯t use his silver tongue to get to a favorable conclusion, but that wouldn¡¯t be necessary since right after she saw through his lies, she turned around and started to walk away.

    ¡°¡­She must be one, she has to be¡­I have to talk to her.¡± -She said out loud, making sure Kirsten could hear her.

    ¡°Wait, what business do you have with Butcher?¡±

    Jules stopped for a moment and looked back. ¨C ¡°¡­that nickname doesn¡¯t really fit her, you know, sir? It may be too crude for what she really is.¡±

    She disappeared in the corridor¡¯s corner, leaving Kirsten with great intrigues.

    ¡°(What did the boss get us into?)¡± -He thought, realizing that these new mysteries were presenting themselves because the boss wanted to bring her in.

    After that encounter he went back to his office and sat at his desk. Somehow, he felt as if things had started to change, but he couldn¡¯t say for sure if that change was a good or a bad thing. All he knew was that everything revolved around this new and supernatural breed of killers they were employing.

    ¡°¡­Almost as if they were all spawned into existence from one day to another.¡± -But they were always there, it¡¯s just that no one ever really bothered to really look for them. ¨C ¡°¡­And with her, we are ready to go to war.¡± -He said to himself, following the boss¡¯ same train of thought. He didn¡¯t want to admit it, but deep inside, he was quite excited.

 The war (Part 1)

    Juan Mendoza had received a message about a possible ¡°deal¡± at the south of El Paso, at the heart of Abilene¡¯s district. He often sent out his men to go around the city¡¯s bars, nightclubs and other derelict businesses to see if they find someone that fits their target demographic: disgruntled or addicted parents with lots of debts that just so happen to have children, and in their desperation are willing to consider selling them off if that relieves some of their woes.

    However, there was something suspicious about this new opportunity. He had already made a deal with someone in that location, in fact it was the same address, the one that lived there was some fat bastard called Gustavo Savaleta. As far as Juan knew, he only had an 8-year-old daughter and he had already sold her to him.

    So, that could only mean two things: or he had some child hidden around for whatever reason, or there was something funny going on. Nevertheless, this situation was something unusual for Mendoza, and was curious enough to go back there and see for himself what was happening.

    Just for safe measure, he brought a handful of his thugs with him, Gustavo was an inoffensive drunk, but it¡¯s not bad to be cautious in this line of business.

    They made their way to the south in a van, his men were armed with rifles and pistols, and he had his own trusty magnum he so cherished.

    Gustavo lived near an alley way that would make for a perfect meeting spot, no one else ever wandered around those parts, it was practically the most deserted part of town at that point of the day.

    They parked the van around the corner and then went up the street towards the alleyway, whoever saw them coming turned around and made haste towards safer places, they didn¡¯t want to be any closer to the location where a group of potential cartel members were doing their usual businesses.

    Juan walked at the front of the group, he wasn¡¯t afraid of any incoming threats, at that point in his life, and seeing how everyone always seemed to bend to his desires, he felt like God incarnate.

    After a short walk, they finally reached the alley and walked in, just to find Gustavo standing right in the middle of it with no children, no package, no tribute; nothing at all to give.

    ¡°Gustavo!¡± - Called Mendoza. ¨C ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this!? Why did you call us here?¡±

    But Gustavo didn¡¯t reply, he remained still, in absolute silence; Mendoza¡¯s men could already smell something was up, some of them even took the safe off their guns.

    Mendoza was quite perceptive too, there was something off about Gustavo, he seemed more disheveled than usual, his greasy hair covered half of his face, and he clutched to his arm quite tightly.

    ¡°Gustavo¡­? What the hell is going on?¡± -Mendoza was starting to get edgy. ¨C ¡°¡­Say something!¡±

    ¡°¡­B-b-bb-bb-b-b-¡­¡±-He kept on stuttering, and suddenly fell quiet once again, but right afterwards he managed to whisper something. ¨C ¡°¡­Behind you.¡±

    ¡°?What!?¡± -Mendoza didn¡¯t manage to hear him, but he certainly heard the whistle coming right behind him and felt the droplets of blood as they fell on his face.

    It all happened so fast yet so slow for Mendoza and his men, he turned around to see one of them fall with a huge hole on the back of his head. They didn¡¯t have time to react when another one went up flying backwards when a bullet pierced through his chest and through his back.

    The rest managed to turn around and see that they were getting shot at from a cargo truck parked at the bottom of the opposite alleyway. They raised their guns to open fire but that was the moment when the shooter decided to hasten her trigger finger.

    The intensity of the onslaught was too much for them, Mendoza¡¯s thugs dropped like flies, and when he desperately shot his magnum hoping to hit the shooter, he received an impact in his right shoulder and right leg, effectively neutralizing him.

    He screamed because of the pain, but no one would come to help him. In his desperation he turned to look at Gustavo for help, but he had already given up, having fallen to his knees and muttering prayers in hopes he would be spared of being a victim of this massacre.

    ¡°Help! Somebody help me!¡±-He kept on screaming while the shooter came out of her hiding spot. Alicia was lucky to find a blanket that could cover her body perfectly inside that truck; it made for the perfect sniping spot.

    She dropped the empty mag and replaced it with a new one, then walked up to the scene of the crime, being careful to not trip over any of her victims.

    ¡°A fine job as always, killer!¡± -Said Ten, excited for the mission.

    ¡°(We are just beginning.)¡± -She picked up Mendoza¡¯s magnum and walked up to him. ¨C ¡°Mr. Mendoza?¡±

    ¡°Fuck you!¡± -He tried to drag himself away from her but she stopped him on his tracks by shooting the other leg. ¨C¡°Ahhhh! You bastard!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a simple question for you.¡± -She said while crouching by his side. ¨C ¡°Where can I find Schmidt¡¯s turf?¡± -She was consciously trying to give him a chance to give her the information willingly. But obviously he would waste that chance by jumping towards her trying to tackle her into the ground.

    He failed at his attempt and received a kick in the chin as a reward, sending a tooth flying out of his mouth in the process.

    ¡°Told ya¡¯ he would be stupid.¡±

    ¡°(Had to try)¡± -Alicia put her boot over one of his bullet wounds, making him scream in agony. ¨C ¡°Where does he keep the children? Where is it?¡±

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡± -Mendoza caved in easily. ¨C ¡°Amarillo! Hermosillo Slaughterhouse! Around Cereza Avenue. In the basement! He keeps them in the basement!¡±

    ¡°You ain¡¯t lying to me, are you?¡± -She aimed the magnum at him, making sure he wasn¡¯t just lying to get out of the situation.

    ¡°It¡¯s true! It¡¯s the absolute truth!¡± -He yelled. ¨C¡°Please, don¡¯t kill me! I told you what you wanted to know!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, appreciate it.¡± -She said, just before blasting his brains off with his own magnum. She dropped the piece to the ground and walked towards Gustavo, almost done with what she went to do there.

    ¡°I did what you told me to do! We are even now, right!?¡± -Gustavo looked up, hoping that this teenage sicario would find the mercy in her heart to spare his life.

    An hour back, he was relaxing in his home about to eat breakfast, until he heard a glass breaking in the kitchen. He got up from his chair to go check it out and the next thing he knew he was getting kicked in the nose by an assailant.

    He tried to fight back and throw a punch, but she easily grabbed him by the arm and dislocated his shoulder, forcing him to his knees.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard a few things about you, sir.¡± -She said. ¨C ¡°You sold your child to a sex trafficker. I should kill you right now, but¡­what if you do me a favor instead?¡±

    ¡°?Qu¨¦ es lo que quiere? ?Hare lo que sea!¡±(¡°What is it!? I¡¯ll do anything!¡±) -He responded, almost uncapable of thinking because of the pain.

    ¡°You still got the number of that slaver? I want you to call him to meet up with you.¡±

    ¡°What!? NO! He¡¯s going to kill me!¡± -He replied, and then he felt a burn as she started to pull his arm upwards.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you are in no position to refuse.¡±

    In the end, he caved in and reached out for his phone to call Mendoza; of course, she didn¡¯t look away from him, not even a single second, to not give him a chance at escaping or calling for help.

    She stayed around him like a looming shadow until it was time to meet Mendoza, and even then, he never thought of running away, he was uncapable of doing so. Every time he tried to figure a way out in his mind, the same scenario kept repeating itself: him running in the dark and being cut down by her, one way or another.

    His only choice was to play his role and hope for the best.

    ¡°You are going to let me go, right!?¡± -He asked as she approached, still on his knees.

    Her left arm moved on its own, unsheathing the knife and slicing the side of his neck, splitting the artery. ¨C ¡°Talk with the knife.¡±

    Gustavo dropped to the floor and died on a puddle of his own blood alongside the others.

    Alicia walked back to the truck to put the rifle back in its case. She was very surprised that the police didn¡¯t seem anywhere close to arriving at the scene, it reminded her of the wasteland, although the wasteland didn¡¯t have buildings as tall as the ones she could see downtown, but the neighbors did behave like the civilians in the war zone, staying inside their houses, hiding in a corner, scared of the terrifying men with the big guns.

    ¡°This might be easier than we thought if people don¡¯t call the police.¡±

    ¡°(If this doesn¡¯t make them call the cops, I don¡¯t know what does.)¡±

    ¡°Anyway, at least we now know where to find that old man¡¯s little business. What do you say if we crash the place?¡±

    ¡°(That¡¯s what we were hired to do anyway.)¡±

    Alicia disappeared from the scene, and the locals came out of their homes to witness the aftermath shortly after. They reported the shootout to the police not before taking the guns away from their corpses and hiding them inside their houses. Alicia thought that this town had many things in common with the desert, now she needed to locate the Hermosillo Slaughterhouse, it was kind from the organization¡¯s part to provide her with a map of the city, making it easier to find the Amarillo district.

    Alicia found it more convenient to move through the alleyways and barren zones of the city, that way she wouldn¡¯t attract unwanted attention. She always did the exact same thing back with the Crimson Rangers when they had to operate in small settlements for whatever reason.

    ¡°(It¡¯s all so similar¡­but the air smells different)¡±. -She walked through an alley, heading towards the Amarillo district. That alleyway in particular reminded her of one in Baghdad, full of mud and dampness. ¨C ¡°(This city is big¡­too big.)¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s civilization for ya¡¯, girl. Their system is built all around these big complexes, or that¡¯s what I think, remember that we aren¡¯t exactly smart people.¡±

    ¡°(A system¡­)¡± -She walked into the sunlight and found herself before an open field with a couple of houses around and a big highway that split the field in half. Even greater buildings lied at the distance. For everyone else this was a common sight, for Alicia this was like awakening from a century¡¯s slumber, seeing this part of the world and comparing it to the countries she was in, it was like night and day for her.

    However, she had already made an idea for herself of what hid inside those buildings.

    ¡°(All the sin comes from here¡­)¡± -She thought, not referring to the country, but to civilization itself.

    She proceeded forward, throughout the open fields, while halfway through her march, she heard gunshots at the distance, a rapid succession; probably an SMG.

    ¡°Apparently this country has a lot of problems with organized crime.¡±

    ¡°(If we are lucky, we¡¯ll be capable of taking out as many of them as we can along the way.)¡±

    ¡°You are always thinking on how you can kill as many as you can, why don¡¯t you cool it off for once and stop being so edgy all the time?¡±

    ¡°(No relaxing while at work.)¡±

    ¡°You are going to age poorly if you keep it up.¡±

    She hastened her pace, feeling like she was taking too long to walk through that field.

    ¡°(If I relax, the consequences of anything that happened that I could prevent are on me.)¡±

    ¡°Pff¡­whatever, hero.¡± -Alicia didn¡¯t like being called a hero, and Ten knew that, she just wanted to pick on her for a bit.

    She wouldn¡¯t be a real hero until she could actually make up for being so slow in the past.

    A couple of hours passed before she made it to the meat market, and following the indications around the light posts, she found Cereza Avenue and thus made it to the Hermosillo slaughterhouse. It was still pretty early in the day, and she was now pretty deep into the concrete jungle, so she could expect the police to answer faster when the shootout started, and if they didn¡¯t come, she could expect Schmidt¡¯s reinforcements to arrive if someone raised the alarm.

    Alicia wasn¡¯t intimidated by the odds; she wouldn¡¯t have made it that far if she was. She looked around, searching for an easy access point, the front would be too straightforward, so the back where the trucks packed with meat were stationed would be the best course of action.

    She lurked through the alleys, both her inner voice and Ten were silent, focusing on the task ahead. After making it to the back of the slaughterhouse she jumped the high wall that separated the lot with the rest of the streets and landed on the other side. She made sure to leave the case hidden between two crates, as it would be cumbersome to move with it for the action that lied ahead.

    She quickly took cover behind a truck and analyzed the place. Suddenly a person came out of the building, holding a phone over his ear, she could hear him berate to himself at that distance.

    ¡°Come on¡­why doesn¡¯t he answer? What is that fat fuck doing?¡± -He muttered to himself, walking and turning hastily. ¨C¡°I told him to answer whenever I call him, no matter what!¡±

    Another person joined on the scene, he had a very obvious SMG dangling from a belt around his left shoulder.

    ¡°What¡¯s up, boss? What happened with Mendoza?¡±

    ¡°He isn¡¯t answering my goddamn calls!¡± -He closed his flip-phone too hard and put it back inside his pocket. ¨C¡°He said that he had a business with a ¡°former client¡±, we only deal with the common folks once and be done with it! What the hell is he thinking?¡± -He showed his back to the henchman and started to think, his mind quickly reached to one of the worst possible outcomes. ¨C ¡°Shit! What if he got canned? He must¡¯ve been set up! I want your men to go look for him at that address, now!¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    The thug went back into the building, most likely to gather his men, leaving the boss to ponder on his own in the exterior.

    ¡°They¡¯ll find the corpses soon, we better get this over with before they have any idea of what¡¯s going down.¡±

    ¡°(Even so¡­I¡¯ll wait for them to come back.)¡± -Said Alicia, something that didn¡¯t surprise Ten at all.

    ¡°There you go again, wanting to be ¡°thorough¡±, ha!¡±

    Alicia sneaked behind the boss who was busy making another call.

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve got the latest batch of ¡°products¡± from the border, we¡¯ll make sure that Ricardo doesn¡¯t rough them up that much, but you know how we work, we must punch a little bit of compliance into them, and if that doesn¡¯t work, Ricardo¡¯s appetite should do just fine¡­ hey, a missing product or two shouldn¡¯t make a difference if your clients want them to be in a docile state when they get to them¡­what¡¯s wrong with the boxes¡­? In that case, you shouldn¡¯t be talking with me, you¡¯ll have to talk with Mr. Schmidt, alright? Once you do that, we can talk again. If that¡¯s all, I¡¯ll be hanging now.¡±

    He ended the call, and the next thing he knew was that he was feeling the all too familiar edge of a knife over his neck. He stood there, paralyzed, trying to process how someone had been capable of approaching him that deep in his own territory, and worse yet, get so close to him without him even noticing.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± -He asked, but Alicia wouldn¡¯t answer that question. ¨C ¡°What the hell do you want?¡±

    ¡°One question: How do I get to the basement?¡± -She asked, and he instantly knew what she was looking for.

    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you a goddamn thing.¡± -Was his response, but then he felt as the edge of the knife started to press harder on his skin, making it bleed a little. Usually, this wouldn¡¯t be enough to intimidate him, but for some reason, this time, it was as if he was being dragged into a cold abyss; the pressure around him was too much for him to bear.

    ¡°Is that your final answer?¡± -She asked as she pressed the knife even harder.

    ¡°¡­Go inside, and turn on the left, you¡¯ll find the stairs to the basement. There¡¯s a door at the bottom with a code pad, if you let me live I¡­¡±

    ¡°Tell me the code.¡±- The pressure kept on rising; he was already shivering uncontrollably. He couldn¡¯t know what was wrong with himself, he couldn¡¯t think of fighting back, he couldn¡¯t think of posing any sort of resistance against this mysterious assailant that had ambushed him.

    ¡°¡­Please¡­I can unlock the door for you! Y-you can use me as warrant for my men down there!¡± -That man didn¡¯t know it yet, but if the dead could speak, they would tell him that bargaining with The Butcher was always a bad idea, especially if you are on the receiving end of her guns.

    ¡°A warrant¡­?¡± -She said, tilting her head. The man could feel as the edge of the knife strayed away from his neck¡¯s skin, only to be replaced by the cold feeling of a gun¡¯s cannon right behind him. ¨C¡°¡­Lead the way, then.¡±

    ¡°S-s-sure, let¡¯s go.¡±

    They walked into the slaughterhouse, being welcomed by the smell of refrigerated meat, blood and other liquids that Alicia couldn¡¯t really guess what they were. In her mind, ignorant of how the civilized world worked, thought that a place like that could only work as a fa?ade for trafficking operations such as the one she was about to destroy.

    As they walked down a hallway, he asked her:

    ¡°And what are you supposed to be? A sicario? Did our rivals in the market send you to fuck us over?¡±

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    ¡°That is not the right question.¡± -She pressed the cannon of the pistol in his back harder. ¨C¡°And you are in no position to be asking questions.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s strange in many ways to see a sicario attacking a potential contractor. What is it in this for you? Whatever they paid you, we can double it!¡± -Once again, negotiations were of poor taste for her.

    ¡°Money is secondary.¡± -She replied, feeling her trigger finger itch, on the edge of just shooting him to stop him from uttering another stupid question. He was particularly surprised at hearing that.

    ¡°What!?¡±

    ¡°My reward is right here¡­¡± -But suddenly, their unamicable exchange was interrupted by the presence of another person.

    ¡°Boss? I have to tell you¡­¡± -they crossed paths with a young man, he had a gun dangling from around his hip. He fell silent and stood in place like a statue at the sight of his boss standing right in front of a person he had never seen before around those parts. He took one careless glare into her eyes, and saw exactly what Kirsten saw on multiple occasions. He thought of reaching for his pistol, but every fiber in both of his arms denied to obey him.

    The boss swallowed before recomposing himself. ¨C¡°¡­Benito. What did you want?¡±

    ¡°W-w-who is¡­?¡± -Before he could complete that question, the boss raised his hand and stopped him.

    ¡°She¡¯s just an associate, no need to worry, alright?¡±

    But Benito didn¡¯t seem convinced at all by what he was saying, he could clearly see that his boss was so terrified that his legs were shaking. He had never seen him like this before, Benito thought that no man or woman would be able to intimidate him, but this person was absolutely different.

    ¡°S-s-sir¡­what do we¡­?¡±

    ¡°He can come with us if he so wants to.¡± -She said, sinking the boss¡¯ heart to his stomach, this was the last thing that he ever wanted to happen.

    He whispered back to her:

    ¡°Please, no. He¡¯s green, he doesn¡¯t have anything¡­¡± -But she interrupted him.

    ¡°You want to test me?¡± -The pressure around them became heavier. ¨C¡°You want to test a ¡°sicario¡±?¡±

    He turned back to Benito, who seemed to be getting more anxious by the minute.

    ¡°C-c-come with us, Benito. I want to show you something.¡±

    ¡°Sir?¡± -Benito caught a glimpse of the gun Alicia was using to threaten his boss, now the situation was quite clear for him. His heart was telling him to fight, but his legs were telling him to run.

    ¡°Come with us, Benito¡­¡± -He said, but Benito could only hear him telling him to do the exact opposite.

    Benito turned back and started to run. The next thing the boss knew, he received a strong impact on the back of his head, stunning him and rendering him on his knees. He lost his hearing for a moment, but he still could see how Alicia took out her knife and threw it at Benito, piercing him right through the back.

    Benito dropped to the ground, and his boss wasn¡¯t able to even hear his last whimper, the ringing in his ears had taken that away from him.

    His vision became blurry for a moment, until she walked back to him having retrieved her knife from Benito¡¯s corpse.

    ¡°Get up¡­¡±

    ¡°You bitch¡­¡± -He tried to protest but she grabbed him by the arm to force him to get back up.

    He couldn¡¯t believe he was being tossed around by a girl younger than him; this was a nightmare, he was convinced of it, but he didn¡¯t know how to wake up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that.¡±-She said, feeling disgusted at the very idea that this man was trying to pretend he wouldn¡¯t have done the same in her place. ¡°You know what they say: What¡¯s one more, right?¡±

    ¡°Fuck you!¡± ¨C She hit him in the face with the butt of her pistol, bruising his left eye and impairing his vision.

    ¡°I think he wants to do this, Ali!¡± -Said Ten, stirring the flames lying inside Alicia¡¯s heart.

    She grabbed his face and leaned in closer, looked at him straight in the eye. The boss soon could see that thing that wanted to devour him whole. ¨C ¡°Take me to the basement.¡±- She said.

    She forced him to get back up, then they continued walking through the hallway, making sure to not stumble upon any other unexpected individuals. Alicia was lucky for having caught the boss when the civilian workers were out on a break, they wouldn¡¯t be back for a while, or rather, they wouldn¡¯t ever go back after what was about to happen there.

    They finally reached the staircase and descended through it, finding the access door to the basement. Like he said, it was shut by an electronic lock that required a password.

    ¡°Input the code.¡± -She ordered and he obeyed, the door unlocked on its own. They walked through another long hallway until they reached the access door. They could hear the faint sound of salsa music coming from the other side. There were guards there, enjoying their break; this was a good moment to use him as a bargain, like he suggested to her.

    Unfortunately, The Butcher had other plans.

    ¡°My men won¡¯t shoot as long as I¡¯m alive.¡± -He said.

    ¡°What a pity.¡± -She replied then kicked him through the door, surprising the four guards on the other side.

    Alicia took out her other pistol, shot the boss in the back of his head, and when his body plummeted to the ground, she gunned down the guards before they could reach for their rifles, all in just a couple of seconds.

    That scandal was enough to draw the attention of the guards standing by on the rest of the basement.

    ¡°Let¡¯s send them packing!¡±

    Alicia grabbed the SMG on the table and walked further into the basement.

    She turned on a corner and heard the hasty footsteps of the guards approaching, drawn in by the echo of her shots. When they got close enough, she popped out of the corner and opened fire, taking them down with a barrage of firepower; now the others knew they were actually under attack. Alicia could hear them raise their voice to gather up their guns, one of them screamed ¡°watch the kids!¡±, with that she could confirm they kept the kids there.

    Alicia pressed forwards and rushed through another room; she had entered the office where they kept all the paperwork on their grim transactions. There were two henchmen inside waiting for her, they came out of their hiding spots behind the desks and opened fire. She quickly dashed to the right side and took cover behind another desk, when she heard one of them reloading, she popped out of her cover and put a burst of bullets in his head.

    She rushed to shorten the distance between her and the other gunman. When he came out of the cover, she grabbed his shooting arm, keeping his gun down, then shot two bursts into his stomach and a final one to the chest, eliminating him.

    ¡°Over here!¡± - She heard a voice coming from the other side of the door at the bottom of the office, she switched the SMG¡¯s firing mode to fully automatic and unloaded the magazine on the door. The bullets pierced through with no difficulties, hitting the gunman standing at the other side.

    She dropped the SMG on the ground and took out her pistols once again.

    ¡°Step right up, you rats!¡± ¨C Yelled Ten as Alicia sprinted towards the door and pushed it through with a dropkick.

    She had managed to throw two guards out of balance with that stunt, she took that chance to put two bullets in the chest of each of them.

    ¡°Sicario!¡± -A man yelled right behind her, raising up his shotgun to shoot a barrage of pellets that would surely kill her. with fast reflexes, Alicia rolled back into the office, evading the pellet storm. When she made a full turn, she applied all of her strength into her legs and jumped forward through the door frame and place a bullet in the man¡¯s dome midair.

    Before the other guards arrived, she approached the corpse and took his shotgun, then she kept pressing forward. She turned on the hallway¡¯s corner, taking a gunman by surprise and sending him flying with a shot of the shotgun, the others were approaching from the bottom of the hallway, so she pushed them back by unloading the shotgun on them relentlessly, taking down another two of them, the last one managed to retreat into the room unscathed. She used the eight shots of the shotgun and dropped it to the ground.

    While approaching the room at the bottom she heard a child squeal. She had effectively cornered that man to desperation, and he was willing to step so low if it gave him a chance at survival.

    ¡°We got a situation in there!¡± -Pointed out Ten, who also had an idea of what they were going to find in there.

    Alicia kept her guns in their holsters and stepped into the room.

    The gunman was holding a little boy hostage, pressing a kitchen knife over his throat. The boy kept on struggling to no avail, he couldn¡¯t escape his grasp. That thug was more than willing to kill him if it meant he would get some advantage over the sicario that had come to assault their facility.

    ¡°Drop your weapons now! Or he dies! I swear, I¡¯ll slice his throat out! You want this child¡¯s blood to be on your hands!? Huh!?¡± -The man kept on throwing threats around, but Alicia wasn¡¯t even listening to him anymore. She was focusing exclusively on her hands; on every movement she could make with her fingers. ¨C ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me!? drop your goddamn weapons! He¡¯s going to die!¡±

    ¡°Sie machen zu viel L?rm¡± ¨CShe said right before quick drawing her left hand¡¯s pistol and blowing his brains out with a swift movement the thug didn¡¯t manage to perceive on time.

    The boy ran away screaming and hid under a table, crying his eyes out, he was scared when he was brought there, but this situation was overwhelming him completely.

    ¡°¡­We should leave him alone, for now.¡± -Advised Ten, it was better to not aggravate him with her presence any longer.

    Alicia went back to exploring the basement, following the echoes of the voices of the remaining guards that had entrenched themselves in the closed rooms. She could clearly hear them argue and threatening the children so they would keep quiet. One of them informed the others the reinforcements shouldn¡¯t take too long to come, that they must hold out until then. Another one mentioned that they should inform Ricardo of what was happening, as he was confident that as the most competent mercenary in the gang, he would be able to dispose of the intruder in no time

    Ricardo¡¯s kitchen was isolated so he certainly hadn¡¯t heard the gunshots, and he didn¡¯t like phones, so he didn¡¯t have any. None of them were brave enough to rush out of the room and try to reach out for him.

    A minute passed; the survivors were overburdened by the heavy silence that had settled around them. Effectively, there was nothing to be heard, inside or outside.

    One of them decided to open the door and check the area. Maybe they were lucky and she had overlooked them completely, going her merry way, and they could use this small window of opportunity to escape.

    Unfortunately, Alicia was already outside the door waiting for him to come out.

    The man peeked his head out the door, only to be received with a bullet to the brain that splattered the door with his blood.

    The kids screamed in terror, the remaining guards panicked, one of them snapped and turned his gun at the children, but before he could pull the trigger, Alicia rushed into the room and blew his brains out with a well-placed shot to the back of his head, and at the same time, raising the gun on her right hand, shot twice and blew away the legs of the other thug who was aiming at her. He pulled the trigger on his mac-10 while falling to the ground, shooting a burst of bullets to the wall and to the roof and dropping it when his torso hit the ground.

    Now he was the one crying and screaming instead of the children, the man was completely petrified by pain he couldn¡¯t even think about trying to crawl away to safety.

    Alicia put an end to his misery with one last shot. Right after killing that man, Alicia could finally pay attention to the place she was in.

    The kids were trapped in small cubic cages, filthy and some of them rusty, Alicia counted at least a dozen kids inside those cages, some of them looked malnourished and starved, a live indicative of how long they had remained there.

    ¡°Sick fucks.¡± -Said Ten, wishing she could kill people twice.

    ¡°(We got no time to waste.)¡± -Alicia approached the cages and broke the padlocks that kept them closed. The children crawled out of the cages, scared of what the big bad murderess could do to them, but Alicia, or rather, The Butcher was not that kind of killer.

    ¡°Help these two, you have to save them!¡± -She said, pointing at the two malnourished children. A couple of kids from the group approached them and dragged them out of the cages, slowly as to not hurt them. ¨C ¡°Keep them safe, hide in a different room and let no one hear you, I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± -She said and left them there, she still had one more room to clear out.

    She walked through the bloodstained corridors, being careful as to not trip over the corpses and staying alert for any suspicious noise that could indicate the basement wasn¡¯t completely cleared.

    Finally, she arrived at a two door¡¯s entrance and opened it, discovering a spacious room that served both as a meat processing lair and kitchen. All sorts of meat were hanging from hooks and sprayed over big tables across the room, surrounded by vegetables, spices and condiments.

    However, on further inspection, Alicia noticed that some of that meat didn¡¯t belong to animals, judging by the severed hands placed neatly on a table to her right, small hands to be specific.

    There was a man in the middle of the room, chopping some tomatoes with his knife. He raised his head when he noticed someone had entered his territory.

    ¡°Can you stop it with the noise? I¡¯m trying to prepare a new plate for the b¡­-He turned around to face Alicia. ¨C ¡°¡­Oh, hey. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve met, and I¡¯m very intimate with all of Mr.Schmidt¡¯s men. Who are you?¡±

    ¡°You are Ricardo?¡±-Asked Alicia, making a conscious effort to keep her hands at both sides of her body, this wasn¡¯t the moment to lose her patience, she had to get a good reading on this man first. ¨C¡°(I can see it, this one is different.)¡±

    ¡°I got a feeling that this one can hold his own with us.¡± -Commented Ten, looking at him from top to bottom, wondering what that man is capable of.

    ¡°Oh, where are my manners? Schmidt just hired you, right? Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Ricardo Finley Beaumont, enchant¨¦.¡± -He said while bowing to her as a sign of courtesy. ¨C¡°I¡¯m the chief cook, and maybe the best cook on this side of the frontier, dare I say. The men that know me admire my dishes, even if some of them are too¡­refined for their palates.¡±-He pointed with his knife at some sliced pieces of meat he had laying around and finally at the hands piled up on one of the tables. ¨C¡°In that case I keep my best recipes all for myself, you know what I¡¯m saying? You want me to prepare something to start up our professional relationship on good terms? How about a wellington steak of the highest quality?¡±

    ¡°(People like him¡­so far into civilization¡­)¡± -Alicia couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing nor seeing, the entrails of the civilized world were darker than she thought of. ¨C¡°(Too much work¡­too much work to do¡­)¡±

    ¡°Relax sis, maybe he¡¯s an exception to be cut off, ya¡¯ know?¡± ¨C Her sister tried to calm her down, but suddenly, she noticed Alicia¡¯s muscles tensing up, her vision entirely focused on him, her train of thought had gone quiet; this man, Ricardo, had a certain type of smell.

    Ricardo leaned to the right to look behind her, and noticed one of the corpses lying around in the hallway, that¡¯s when he got the full picture of the situation; he had received a very peculiar diner.

    ¡°Oh¡­I get it, an assassin eh? Did Jim¨¦nez do something to piss off Mr. Schmidt? Di done of our competitors hire you?, One of the children here is the son of a powerful man who sent you here to rip our balls out?, am I getting close?¡± -Even if he recognized the severity of those scenarios, Ricardo didn¡¯t take the situation seriously at all. In fact, even if his opponent had the guns on her side, his experience cutting down armed opponents put him at ease.

    ¡°Likely the latter, not sure.¡± -She shrugged. ¨C¡°I don¡¯t think it matters.¡±

    Ricardo¡¯s eyes opened wide. ¨C ¡°I see¡­ I think you and I understand each other better than you may admit. I doubt you are doing a job as risky as this one out of a sense of duty or justice. Nah, people like that only exists in novels and TV shows. I do this because it¡¯s the only way I can sate my peculiar appetite, just like my dad, my grandfather and the father of my grandfather, and beyond, generation after generation.¡±

    Alicia was thinking of making a move that could take him down with a single blow, but Ricardo was just as perceptive as her, the moment she drew out her gun he would take cover and attack and if she tried to shorten the distance and slash him, she wouldn¡¯t come out unscathed from that fight.

    ¡°A peculiar appetite?¡± -She asked, tilting her head to the left.

    ¡°Meat is wonderful, is it not? It¡¯s the number one food all around the world, all who are sane consume it. beef, deer, pork, chicken¡­ some madmen even eat dogs! ¨C He laughed, thinking of the foul taste those kinds of people have. ¨C ¡°But few are like me, who recognize there¡¯s a meat whose flavor triumphs above all others, something so Delicious God himself forbade us from eating it ¡­once you take a bite, you change completely, and you can¡¯t go back¡­ -He pointed the knife towards the fridge. ¨C ¡°And I, as an artist of this culinary category, I¡¯ve discovered that the most tender the meat is, it tastes better.¡±

    Alicia¡¯s left eye twitched, now she realized that she wasn¡¯t imagining things, there was a certain scent coming from that man, a scent she hadn¡¯t caught in such a long time that she had almost forgotten about it.

    She was almost entranced by it, compelled by it. Her vision became a tunnel in which he was the center.

    ¡°The adult meat is too rough, not fine at all.¡± -He continued. ¨C ¡°But the young one, is certainly a delicacy¡­¡±

    ¡°This is why you work for Schmidt? To eat children? what does he think of that? aren¡¯t you hurting his earnings?¡±

    Ricardo pretended to be offended. ¨C¡°Ha! No, nothing like that, he gives me the right to choose one he knows won¡¯t bring him any benefits, he ensures the obedience of the others like that. They behave once they know they are within reach of a fairy tale¡¯s Monster. Maybe Schmidt doesn¡¯t understand my tastes, but he knows how to get an advantage out of them. Besides, if someone steps out of line or doesn¡¯t pay their debts, I don¡¯t like the adult meat, but I have no reservations about cutting.¡±

    ¡°This compadre is seriously fucked in the head¡­¡± -Commented Ten, but Alicia wasn¡¯t listening anymore. ¨C¡°Ali?¡±

    ¡°(He¡¯s one of them¡­)¡± -She whispered into her mind. She had remembered what that scent meant. ¨C¡°(¡­He has to be.)¡±

    Just when she said those words, Ten could also smell that fragrant and intoxicating scent, and just like Alicia, she couldn¡¯t help but be attracted by it.

    ¡°Oh¡­I get it¡­yeah, I think we caught another one.¡±

    ¡°You may want to judge me.¡± -Continued Ricardo. ¨C¡°But think about it,  we are almost seven billion monkeys on this planet! More mouths to feed, less food, less water, less of everything! But many die every single second, even a thousand on a single day, millions if we are lucky. Only a few will miss the ones who fall, but the world? For this world, we are not even a foot note.¡± -He finished his diatribe with a sigh. ¨C¡°¡­Is there any reason for why you let me monologue? Any other hitman worth their weight in gold would¡¯ve tried to attack me already. If you like my voice so much, let me ask you: Do you have any idea of what human meat tastes like?

    ¡°Chicken¡­¡± -she replied, the change had already settled. ¨C ¡°The answer is¡­chicken.¡±

    Ricardo gasped with amazement. ¨C¡°It can¡¯t be¡­you too?¡±

    ¡°Have you ever had an Arabic steak?¡± -She asked him, and Ricardo was overjoyed.

    ¡°Wonderful! I thought there was no one like me left in this world¡­but, since you and I are on opposing sides of a conflict of interests, I¡¯m afraid we cannot be friends.¡±

    ¡°No way.¡±-Replied Alicia, then she walked up to the table to her right, there lied the biggest knife she had ever seen, you¡¯d think that it wasn¡¯t designed to cut chunks of meat but to cut logs in half. ¨C¡°¡­The only thing that matters now¡­¡± -She grabbed the knife, for a single second her muscles resented trying to lift that piece of sharpened metal, but then it was almost as if it didn¡¯t have any weight at all. ¨C ¡°¡­Is if you think that you have what it takes to survive this¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s such a shame it¡¯s come down to this.¡± -Replied Ricardo. ¨C¡°I¡¯ll make sure to turn you into the greatest dish I¡¯ve ever prepared, I¡¯m sure my best clients will be delighted out of their senses, given that your essence has mixed with an exotic flavor.¡±

    Ricardo prepared to pounce; Alicia placed the dull side of the knife on her shoulder. Without realizing, her facial scars started to tremble, burn, and finally they reopened, letting out streaks of blood that slid down her face, and the crimson glow made itself present, bursting out of her scars like fire.

    ¡°Do not blink, don¡¯t lose focus. If you do¡­ [your right arm will come off.]¡±

    At that moment, unbeknown to the entire world and whoever it may concern, Alicia and Ten had achieved full synchronization; Ten and Alicia had become one, the one harbinger of terror in the middle-east.

    ¡°I¡¯ll devour you!¡± -Ricardo, showing that he wasn¡¯t a simple cook, slid 4 small knives from under his collars to his hands.

    He threw the knives at Alicia, but when they were close to pierce her body, she swatted them away with great speed.

    ¡°Nice!¡± -Ricardo turned around for a moment to grab his cleaver and rush at Alicia, but when he turned his head once again, she had completely disappeared.

    Time slowed down as his brain tried to process the new information. He stared in shock as he witnessed how his right arm went up in the air and fell to the ground, leaving a crimson trace behind. Alicia was standing next to him, now there was a single line of blood covering the edge of the great knife.

    ¡°(I¡¯m an idiot.)¡± -He thought as she quickly gyrated on her feet and plunged the knife through his back all the way until it pierced through his chest. Ricardo screamed in pain as anyone would do, but his mind was oddly quiet, reprimanding himself. ¨C ¡°(She warned me¡­I shouldn¡¯t have taken my eyes off of her.)¡±

    Alicia couldn¡¯t think of anything else but her yearn to see this cannibal drop to the ground, victim of one of his own tools.

    She twisted the knife and pulled it up, cutting through his right shoulder and splitting him.

    ¡°(I am¡­an idiot¡­)¡± -That was the last thing Ricardo thought before hitting the ground. He had been finally beaten by someone that under other circumstances, would¡¯ve been just another one of his forbidden meals. But here, it was almost as if she was created for that single moment.

    His blood slowly turned into a puddle and stained the soles of her boots. There was a quiet whistle in Alicia¡¯s mind, she stood still like a statue for half a minute, feeling it and processing it. That man carried the scent, he was just like them, the ones she had met during her childhood.

    ¡°(¡­Have I killed the evilest man in the world?)¡± -She wondered, trying to probe every single inch of that feeling, hoping that finally, after so long, she had managed to recreate the same feeling she got in that place, 5 years before, when she closed her hands around the neck of the man that created her.

    After a meticulous inspection, sound returned to the world around her.

    ¡°¡­Was it him?¡± -Asked Ten, because Alicia was the only one out of the two that could be completely sure of it.

    Alicia didn¡¯t respond immediately, but after another half a minute, she said:

    ¡°¡­He came close¡­he came very, very close¡­¡± -Alicia clutched at the great knife. ¨C ¡°But it wasn¡¯t him¡­¡±

    ¡°Geez¡­¡± -Ten sighed with frustration. ¨C¡°He set the bar too high though.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Cooling down, but the crimson glow was far from disappearing. That supernatural strength wouldn¡¯t abandon her, for there was still a lot to be done.

    Suddenly, she heard a loud noise coming from behind, at the bottom of the room, there was still someone left. A fat old man was staring at her, paralyzed with fear. It was Miguel, Ricardo¡¯s assistant. Miguel wasn¡¯t staring at an assassin, the only thing he was looking at was a monster so terrible it had managed to kill Ricardo, a man he thought was invincible.

    The crimson glow became more intense when Alicia noticed there was someone else left.

    Miguel reacted, snapping out of his shock and realized what he had to do. He turned back and ran to the bottom of the storeroom, there was a shotgun there he could use to hopefully kill the beast

    He stopped on his tracks when the great knife came flying, spinning like a jet engine, cutting his right shoulder right before nailing itself on the wall at the bottom of the room.

    Miguel screamed in pain just like his master did, though the wound was not deep and not even lethal. If he had finished organizing the supplies on time. But regardless, there was no way he could escape the fate that had now fallen over him.

    Miguel shrunk, falling on his knees, clutching at his wound trying to stop the bleeding. He touched the cold floor of the storeroom with his forehead; the pose he made as he curled up in pain and fear resembled that of a man bowing to God.

    Alicia walked past him to retrieve the great knife. It was a pretty good knife given it could endure being thrown around with such strength.

    She stood in front of Miguel who shrunk even further when he was covered by her shadow.

    ¡°Wanna ask you a question.¡± -She said. ¨C¡°Who takes the children and where?¡±

    ¡°T-t-there¡¯s a truck, Road Runner Courier services, it¡¯ll come here soon¡­¡± -He responded. ¨C¡°It takes them¡­to the headquarters in the outskirts¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­I see¡­¡± -She thanked him and tightened her grasp on the knife.

    ¡°Plea¡­¡± -He tried to plea for his life, but Alicia had already cut through his neck, a cut so fast and swift, he didn¡¯t realize his neck had been severed until a few seconds later, when the separation between his neck and shoulders was made evident.

    She walked out of the room while Miguel¡¯s sight turned blurry and everything faded to black.

    ¡°(A truck, huh?)¡± -She thought. ¨C ¡°Surely, it¡¯ll come, but before it gets here¡­¡±

    ¡°We must get rid of the new guys first!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s hide the children somewhere safe¡­¡± -She placed the knife over her shoulder once again. ¨C¡°I don¡¯t want them to see what I¡¯m going to do¡­¡±

    Alicia walked back to where she had left the children, to see what she could do for them so they could endure a little longer, walking right over the trail of corpses she had left behind.

    She wasn¡¯t lying when she told Kirsten that she didn¡¯t do ¡°this kind of stuff¡± often, she wasn¡¯t lying when she talked about how stress kept piling up. Kirsten didn¡¯t understand her, but what she meant back then was that her forcing her body and techniques beyond their limits was all about aggravation.

    In that environment, surrounded by the meat of both animals and children, Alicia was feeling quite aggravated.

 The War(part 2)

    The reinforcements arrived five minutes later, rushing through the streets in an armored van, armed with rifles, geared up with top quality Kevlar, a group of men experienced in single combat.

    The syndicate had a direct association with the Diaz Cartel, the dominant gang in the region, receiving an acceptable share of the benefits that came from their human trafficking operation, and as long as they kept their end of the deal, the cartel would protect them from any and all threats.

    They rushed into the slaughterhouse, kicking the doors open, they already knew where to go. Passing by Benito¡¯s corpse, they ran through the main complex until they were standing before the access to the basement.

    Running down the stairs they entered formation, almost as if they were real soldiers trained in this kind of operations. They breached in, only to find the basement sunk in absolute darkness.

    They found the corpses, including the boss¡¯, confirming they were in the middle of the worst case scenario. The soldiers proceeded to check the area, room by room.

    As they walked through the corridors and assessed the situation, they reached the conclusion this attack couldn¡¯t have been performed by a single person, but an entire death squad, probably a squad sent by a rival family or a group of mercenaries. All in all, the location was an absolute mess, and by noticing the absence of the children in the basement, they would have to report to their boss that there was nothing to salvage there anymore.

    The gangsters gathered in the middle of the basement, in the accountability room, to go over everything they saw.

    Just then they noticed that the basement was colder than it should be, and there was a fog covering their boots. Someone had busted the coolant pipes in the kitchen and destroyed the power switch, but they hadn¡¯t seen anyone in there, so the gang could only wonder why they would do that.

    But that was the problem, they hadn¡¯t seen anyone, but they had been seen.

    One of the gangsters looked up for a moment, and there he saw a dark space on the roof. Within that darkness he saw a crimson light staring back at him.

    ¡°Contact!¡± ¨C The soldier tried to raise up his rifle, but it was too late. The shadow descended over him and pierced through his neck with a giant knife and falling over him, using him as a cushion.

    The other soldiers reacted quickly and were ready to open fire. Why would Alicia expose herself like this? why would let herself be caught with almost no defense; wide open, ripe for the taking.

    This is a symptom of the aggravation, as her mental stress keeps building up, her strength and speed grow, challenging the limits of her physical condition and resistance, and also opens a wide arrangement of possibilities.

    She looked up and blew as hard as she could, releasing a cloud of smoke that filled the entire room in a matter of seconds.

    The soldiers couldn¡¯t see beyond 2 cm from their nose because of the smoke, and as the smoke filled up their lungs, they couldn¡¯t stop coughing.

    They tried to center their attention back on her, but when they looked back, she was already gone.

    They turned on the flashlights in an attempt to pierce through the smoke to no avail. They thought about moving out of the room, but she wouldn¡¯t allow it; The Butcher had them exactly where she wanted them to be.

    The soldiers heard the air whistle, and shortly after they saw the head of one of their teammates flying right above them.

    The pressure was too much, the soldiers opened fire on the general direction the head came out flying from, but when they thought a bullet storm would be enough to take down this monster, they heard the anguished screams of another teammate as he was being sliced in half by the hip.

    Alicia heard how one of the enemies was trying to reload so she threw the knife at him, piercing through his body armor and torso, then she rushed towards him and jumped over his shoulders, taking the knife with her and slicing another one¡¯s head in half with it.

    The soldier¡¯s corpse died pulling the trigger and the rifle shot a burst of bullets indiscriminately, managing to wound two teammates right next to him. Another one managed to spot Alicia through the smoke and opened fire, but she took cover behind the still standing body, taking advantage of its body armor.

    She kicked the corpse towards him and its weight managed to put him off balance for enough time for her to shorten the distance and chop off his arms and half of his head.

    The last two soldiers resorted to their backup pistols and opened fire. Alicia managed to stop a bullet that threatened to hit her in the head with the knife and taking cover behind a desk.

    The smoke was clearing out, but that wouldn¡¯t be an impediment. Alicia used her legs to push the desk towards them, trapping one of the soldiers between the wall and the desk, the impact launching the gun away from his hand. The other one tried to counterattack but she rushed towards him and slicing his torso.

    The last soldier tried to reach for his pistol that had landed over the desk, but his head would drop on it as well a moment later.

    After cutting through his neck and hitting the wall right behind him, half of the knife shattered into pieces like a glass. This scene took Alicia out of the flow, realizing that the combat was over.

    She stared at the knife, realizing that she had pushed it to its maximum performance, and it gave up on her at the right time.

    ¡°¡­Thanks for your help.¡± ¨C She said to the knife, leaving what remained of it to rest peacefully over the desk, right next to the narco¡¯s decapitated head.

    The crimson flame died out, leaving Alicia¡¯s open scars behind, bleeding like any open wound would bleed. But all things considered, she didn¡¯t really notice, she was feeling quite at ease and relaxed.

    Alicia pulled down the piece of cloth she used to protect herself from the smoke and dropped it. Afterwards, she walked away towards the stairs, she had to meet up with the kids again before the truck arrived.

    ¡°Do you feel better now?¡± -Asked Ten.

    Alicia stretched her arms and neck, feeling her muscles a bit stiff and tired, but it was nothing that she couldn¡¯t handle for the time being.

    ¡°(Kind of¡­I won¡¯t get a good sleep until we are through with this job.)¡±

    ¡°You really obsess over this kind of jobs; it concerns me a bit.¡±

    ¡°(It shouldn¡¯t.)¡±

    After Alicia departed to Mexico, Kirsten was occupied with other matters, specifically, solving the mystery about the conspirators inside the organization. This matter became even more urgent, when a group of operators was ambushed and eliminated on the field, gunned down by a group of specialists hired by the people they were spying on. This situation was unprecedented to the organization, and it would bring severe consequences, so Darius quickly put some of his killers on the case to eliminate the ones responsible for the attack and erase the information they had gotten from the dead operators.

    It was evident that someone had told them about that surveillance team, and the only people who could¡¯ve known about their existence were people inside the Organization. Uncovering the traitors became a very urgent matter.

    Kirsten was wandering through the corridors of the training sector while speaking with Emilia on the phone.

    ¡°Fate wants to help on the investigation.¡± -She informed him. ¨C ¡°Those strings of hers can be very useful in this situation.¡±

    ¡°Did you find something? Anything that can lead us to the culprits?¡±

    ¡°We are following the paperwork and investigating the ones that authorized the operation, provided them with the hideout, scouted the targets¡­for all we care they are all very suspicious.¡±

    ¡°Right, tell me if you find anything. We have to get this over with, quick.¡± -Kirsten unconsciously lit up a cigarette and put it in his mouth, he had tried to drop the habit but this sudden crisis made him relapse fast. ¨C¡°If there¡¯s any of the assassins involved in this¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be pessimistic, but it¡¯s most likely at least one of them is, and depending on his rank our problems may keep on multiplying when the gig is up. Suffice to say that there¡¯s some killers whose loyalty to this organization was always dubious at best.¡±

    Kirsten puffed out a cloud of smoke. ¨C¡°¡­tell Chain too, maybe he can provide some insight.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how that blonde Tarzan is going to be of help to us but alright. I¡¯ll also talk with Silencer; She may not look like it, but she has her own ways to find things out whenever she wants.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t expect anything else from a silent assassin. Alright, we¡¯ll talk later.¡±

    He ended the call and kept walking; he just couldn¡¯t stand still for longer than a minute. In a way, he may have been the one that wanted to solve this conspiracy the most out of everyone. It was a very serious threat to the organization, and they couldn¡¯t afford being rendered powerless when their war with the Elites was about to begin.

    It was his hidden wish, his ambition; he wanted to see the ones pulling the strings on their knees, and the Men of the World was his vehicle to see that goal through.

    While walking through the hallways, he remembered what Alicia said when he talked about what she wanted to achieve. He remembered seeing her, sitting in front of that big grave, reaching out with her hand to nowhere, ¡°If only I could get a little bit closer¡­¡± -she said. Kirsten realized that they looked for the same thing.

    ¡°(I guess we are not so different after all.)¡± -He concluded before finishing his cig, unconsciously heading towards the shooting range, attracted by the echoes of gunfire.

    In there he found John Alquist, one of the veteran assassins of the organization, he had given up his proper alias a long time ago, but those who knew him still called him ¡°Crow¡± out of habit and as a sign of friendship. As always, he was keeping his skills sharp with firearms, taking down the targets as they popped out of the floor.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were going to drop the habit, Eyler?¡± -Asked John without turning away from the targets, he had noticed Kirsten¡¯s presence before he even walked into the room. ¨C ¡°Smoking is bad for you.¡±

    ¡°Says a fellow smoker.¡± -he replied, offering John a cigarette. He kindly accepted it and lit it up with his own lighter.

    ¡°I can afford to smoke; I¡¯ve reached an age in which I don¡¯t need to worry about anything in the long term. Didn¡¯t smoke for at least 30 years, and who knows how much time I still got left in this world? Nothing should stop me now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not precisely a young person either, you know?¡±

    ¡°You seem like you are ten years younger. Honestly, this profession has some influence in us, that keeps us moving, on the edge, and that translates to being more fit, lethal¡­and handsome!¡±

    They both laughed. John was the first assassin Kirsten managed to create a friendship with, because more than a professional killer, John acted like the relaxed and collected workmate you¡¯d have at your regular office job from nine to five.

    ¡°Speaking of age¡­¡± -Said John after puffing out some smoke. ¨C ¡°¡­I saw the new executioners good old Darius asked you to bring in. Gotta say, these are the most peculiar killers I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±

    ¡°Tell me about it.¡±

    ¡°And they are all adolescents! That¡¯s the most impressive thing about this. Where did you find them? They don¡¯t seem like the kind of reprobates you¡¯d find with the red lotus organization in Japan or any of the combat cells that trains orphans around the world.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­Fate I found in Paris, making quick work of a known organ trafficker and his harvesters¡­Chain I found living in a shack in the middle of the Bayou¡¯s wilderness¡­and Butcher I found under the wing of a mercenary group in Switzerland.¡±

    ¡°Quite a picturesque bunch, especially that Butcher chick, she¡¯s got everybody shaking in their britches, ha!¡± -He puffed some smoke once again. ¨C ¡°¡­Reminds me of when I was young, there were some people around that couldn¡¯t be in the same room as me.¡± -He chuckled.  ¨C ¡°¡­you and the other handlers really revolutionized this organization by bringing such freaky characters on board.¡±

    ¡°It was Darius¡¯ decision, he said that it was vital for our war against the Elites.¡± -Explained Kirsten, then brought the cig back into his mouth.

    ¡°Never thought I¡¯d see the day. Really started to believe he was comfortable with the place he had made for himself and the organization in this world. I hope his ambition doesn¡¯t bite us all in the ass.¡±

    ¡°What? You weren¡¯t informed?¡±

    ¡°I may have ignored a call or two in the last few days, so I guess my ignorance is on me.¡± -He said that so casually, as if it wasn¡¯t a very irresponsible thing to ignore important calls from the operators, or worse yet, from Darius himself. ¨C ¡°And I don¡¯t make many questions, so¡­¡±

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    ¡°You¡¯ve really relaxed a lot, John.¡±

    ¡°One of the perks of growing old, ya¡¯ know?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to use your age as an excuse for everything.¡± ¨C They both laughed once again. ¨C ¡°¡­Still, this business has changed a lot, I understood that when I saw Fate and Chain in action¡­I have never seen anyone use strings like that.¡±

    John finished his cigarette, walked back to the firing range and picked up his gun to continue his training.

    ¡°¡­Me neither, and I think those things are a sign of how the world is changing. Now the really important question is: will we be capable to adapt to these new changes?¡±

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t really know.¡± -Kirsten finished his cigarette, feeling unsure of himself.

    ¡°I for one know that I won¡¯t be able to. The future doesn¡¯t have any use for an old wolf like me. However, I don¡¯t oppose it, and I hope things do change for the better. But for now¡­I think the most important matter is to sort the traitors from the loyalists.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­What do you think of what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°These infiltrators are bold¡­yet so cautious. They know that some of us can chop their heads off the moment they peek their head out of their hiding corner. If I was the one leading them, I would be considering all of my options, thinking of how to take down this organization in the least number of moves, and you and I already know one of the best ways to do that, not only with this group but all groups.¡±

    ¡°Taking down the chain of command.¡±

    ¡°Yup, however, this organization is special, is it not? Our chain of command isn¡¯t built like a real chain. But everyone here has a certain amount of authority and importance, even if some of them don¡¯t make full use of said authority. The lead operators, the lieutenants¡­the assassins, and of course¡­. the handlers.¡±

    Kirsten forgot about taking out another cigarette, he was completely focused on what John was telling him.

    ¡°If I remember correctly, that group of operators was being led by Liam, a handler from the eastern division. He had been working with Darius for years, just like you do. His experience, knowledge and competency were of utmost importance to this organization, and now that he¡¯s gone, he¡¯s left a giant hole not anyone can fill out.¡±

    Kirsten could feel some tension rise up, but he didn¡¯t understand why.

    ¡°Handlers are very important, some more important than others¡­¡± -John reloaded his gun and left it on the table. ¨C ¡°¡­And I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed but, Kirsten, you are very, very important.¡±

    ¡°You mean¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes. You are the closest to the boss. which means you¡¯ll be the one they attack next.¡± -John looked at the score on the panel right next to him, he almost had a perfect score, which was less than optimal to him, however it was to be expected and he wasn¡¯t going to deny it; age truly affects your performance. ¨C ¡°They most probably want to isolate Darius to force him to abide by their demands, leaving him no other choice by cutting his ties and influence over the organization he leads. However, there¡¯s a problem about that.¡±

    ¡°They are being too slow about it.¡± -inferred Kirsten. ¨C ¡°If they have already infiltrated, what¡¯s stopping them from just tearing it all apart in a single organized assault?¡±

    John pointed at himself with his thumb. ¨C ¡°This is the answer, Kirsten. Me, Butcher, Fate, Chain, Darius¡¯ death squad, the assassins of the eastern division, the Silver Star¡­I kind of understand now why Darius recruited so many killers even if they weren¡¯t precisely ¡°professional killers¡±. Their sole presence makes people fear them, some of them are abnormally imposing like your Butcher. The traitors cannot take their gloves off as long as there¡¯s an assassin in the vicinities who¡¯d slice their throats at the moment¡¯s notice¡­as long as Darius has us roaming around, the traitors won¡¯t dare to put a hand on him, or you for that matter.¡±

    Suddenly, their conversation was cut short when the speakers system turned on to relay a message to the entire facility.

    ¡°Alert, alert! There¡¯s a firefight going down in the western quarters, security staff must head to the location ASAP! Pacify the aggressors, you are authorized to use lethal force if necessary!¡±

    John sighed and asked Kirsten for another cigarette. He grabbed his guns and put them in their holsters as he lit it up. ¨C¡°I guess that¡¯s my queue to go out and do something. Depending of who they are, just standing there may not be enough to get them to drop their guns and surrender.¡±

    ¡°This is concerning, alarmingly so.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic now, Kirsten. Keep that head over your shoulders. Right now, this organization needs you, just as much as it needs Darius and just as much it needs us.¡±

    John walked out of the firing range to go and see what he could do about the current situation. When Kirsten walked out, he saw the employees running from one way to the other, carrying papers and leading security guards away and towards the western quarters. Of course, Kirsten decided to head the opposite way, towards the elevator, there wasn¡¯t anything he could do to help in that place, it was better to leave it to the security staff and whatever assassin wandering around that place.

    He walked into the elevator and pressed the button for the main floor.

    As the doors closed, he stared to the bottom of the hallway, there he saw Spectre, another of the assassins they recruited, unlike the others, he was assigned to be under his management by the administration department, ordered by Darius himself.

    He was walking through the hallway, dragging a corpse with his left hand and holding a silenced pistol in the other.

    Unconsciously, Kirsten prevented the elevator from closing and waited for him to walk inside with the corpse. He threw the body in and Kirsten scurred to a corner so they would all fit inside.

    Silencer pressed the button for the main floor again and the doors closed.

    They slowly went up to the first floor, with an almost deafening silence setting around them.

    ¡°S-Spectre¡­¡± -Kirsten talked to him, something that took a lot of effort to do, he wanted an explanation, but couldn¡¯t garner the courage to do so.

    ¡°Your group has some roaches lurking around¡­took care of this one.¡±

    Kirsten looked at the body, he recognized him as well, it was one of the operators that had been investigating the attack on Liam¡¯s surveillance team.

    ¡°I¡¯ll snipe for you, I¡¯ll kill for you, but you better keep these cocksuckers from stabbing me in the back. It¡¯s not like they can get close enough, but it pisses me off¡­¡± -He kept on looking towards the doors with that thousand-yard stare of his, as if he wasn¡¯t even there in the first place. ¨C ¡°Darius has a message for you.¡±

    ¡°Darius?¡±

    ¡°He wants you to put me on Butcher¡¯s case to back her up. At this point she may be almost done with the job.¡±

    ¡°Why? Why does he¡­?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t question it, and I won¡¯t question it. I¡¯m set to replace her when she executes Schmidt and secures the children he¡¯s got, then it will be up to me, got it?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes, I¡¯ll make sure of it.¡±

    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll go get my rifle then, but first there¡¯s something I gotta do.¡±

    The doors of the elevator opened and he walked out dragging the body, getting a good scare out of some people on that floor.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you get checked up by Miss Salvador first?¡±

    ¡°This one didn¡¯t do a dent on me; I don¡¯t give a shit.¡± -He looked forward again, and suddenly realized that it was very important for Kirsten to see what he was about to do. ¨C ¡°Come.¡±

    ¡°What for?¡±

    ¡°This idiot gave me a lead.¡±

    Kirsten¡¯s senses perked up and hastily followed her through the hallway.

    ¡°Someone call security! They killed somebody!¡± -Yelled an employee, implying that they were members of the conspirators. ¨C ¡°Arrest them! Someone do something!¡±

    ¡°Sometimes I¡¯d like to blast your people¡¯s heads off, ya¡¯ know? They are so annoying.¡±

    Spectre, a prodigious former ranger and sniper, he always tried to be professional above everything else but his short fuse always got in the way somehow. He had been employed by a number of agencies before ending up on the Men of the world¡¯s payroll, Kirsten was yet to understand why he decided to work for his group, given he had been on the government¡¯s side for so long.

    ¡°(He may be the less weird out of everyone in my crew¡­)¡± ¨C Thought Kirsten. ¨C ¡°(¡­And also the oldest.)¡±

    They walked all the way to the offices of the southern branch, the offices reserved for the planning of operations and the operators¡¯ reports and paperwork.

    People fell silent and stepped out of their way as they walked through, some were unsure of what to do, others ran immediately to find the guards and tell them what was going on, but no one stopped them.

    In the middle of the office they found Grant Felton, the chief of security, ordering people around.

    ¡°Check their personal belongings! Talk with their friends! We gotta find clues and fast! Even the smallest detail can give us a lead!¡±

    ¡°Sir! Behind you!¡± -One of the employees warned him. He turned around and saw Spectre slowly approaching him while dragging that body.

    ¡°W-what¡¯s the meaning of this!? What the hell are you thinking, Kirsten!?¡±

    ¡°He said he found a lead.¡± -He answered.

    ¡°You must keep your beasts in check, didn¡¯t you know!?¡± ¨C Then he realized who was it that he was dragging. ¨C ¡°Oh¡­Oh dammit!¡±

    Before he could reach for his gun, he kicked it out of its holster, startling him, and before he could react, Spectre sent him into the ground with a straight punch to the face. The gun slid to a corner, far away from them.

    Everyone gathered to see the fight that was about to happen. Spectre took off his jacket and gave his pistol to Kirsten. ¨C ¡°Take care of this for a moment.¡± -He told him, then turned once again to face Grant.

    ¡°You¡­fucking bastard!¡± -His nose was bleeding like a stream, but he managed to ignore it and get up. ¨C ¡°You are going to pay for that!¡± -He threw a straight punch but Spectre received him with a counter punch to the liver, and when he tried to fight back and throw a right hook, Spectre grabbed him by the arm, punched his throat¡¯s apple, grabbed him by the face and slammed him into the ground once again, knocking him out for a moment.

    The guards entered the office guns in hand and threatened Spectre, but before they could separate Grant for him, Spectre grabbed him by the arm and twisted it.

    ¡°You got something to tell us, don¡¯t you?¡± -He said, Kirsten ordered the guards to wait for a moment and they were unsure of what to do, even if the employees were yelling at them to disobey that order and kill Spectre.

    ¡°Fuck you!¡± -Said Grant, and Spectre twisted his arm further, Kirsten reaffirmed his order to hold it and the employees around them were getting desperate.

    After a few seconds of worthless struggle, Grant finally caved in to the pain. ¨C¡°Alright! Alright! I sent that man to kill you!¡±

    Spectre finally let him go and stood back up. ¨C¡°You are all going to die here!¡± -Threatened Grant right before Spectre knocked him out with a kick to the jaw, sending a couple of his teeth flying in the process.

    ¡°Put him in a cell, you call tell Darius we have one of the culprits.¡± -Said Spectre referring to everyone in the room, grabbed his jacket from the floor, took his pistol from Kirsten¡¯s hand and walked away.

    The security staff promptly arrested Grant with no questions asked and dragged him away, the employees were all rendered speechless. ¡°The assassins are goddamn animals.¡± -Someone whispered in a corner, hoping that Spectre hadn¡¯t heard him. He did, but he didn¡¯t want to waste his time with a defenseless employee.

    Kirsten followed Spectre and got to him when he was about to use the elevator again.

    ¡°You know there was better ways to get him arrested than just walking up to him and beat his ass, right?¡±

    ¡°He would¡¯ve caught wind of it and run away. No, I didn¡¯t want to give him that chance, it was now or never.¡±

    ¡°This is one of the reasons most people avoid the assassins¡¯ division.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s tough, I¡¯d say we don¡¯t want to have anything to do with them either, as long as they all make sure we get what we want, we¡¯ll keep on killing for their shitty organization¡¯s interests, so you better do your part too.¡±

    ¡°Right, no need to be so aggressive.¡±

    ¡°Make sure they don¡¯t try to pull off something like that again, and we¡¯ll see.¡±

    Spectre hit the button and the elevator went down back to the basement. Kirsten sighed and wished he had another cigarette to smoke. ¨C ¡°(I¡¯ll make sure he gets sent to Mexico as fast as I can.)¡± -He thought, maybe that way people would rest easier around there.

    ¡°I hope he isn¡¯t that noisy on the field.¡± -Kirsten heard someone right behind him. As he turned, he saw a girl wearing a black beret on top of her head and a big bag on her back, the kind of bag you use to store a sniper rifle in it. Emilia did as she said and had called Silencer to the premises. ¨C ¡°Being so loud can give us trouble.¡±

    ¡°Hey Silent, how have you been? Have your wounds healed properly?¡± -He asked, since they found her in a pretty rough shape a few weeks prior to bringing Alicia there.

    ¡°They weren¡¯t that bad, so I¡¯ll be fine from now on. What really matters is that I still can aim and shoot properly.¡±

    ¡°That is good to know.¡±

    ¡°Your people seem to be on edge these days. I heard that there¡¯s infiltrators here, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­that¡¯s the gist of it.¡± -Kirsten took out another cigarette to smoke.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you if I see anything suspicious if that¡¯s the case. Also, I should mention I¡¯m a little bit intrigued about Butcher, you said that she was just like Fate and me, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course, she was trained by a¡­let¡¯s call it a mercenary company. I think you and her have many things in common.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­it will be interesting to work with her.¡± -She replied, wondering what kind of person Alicia was, because in her experience, even if a killer lives up to his title, there¡¯s a lot more beyond how people call them. ¨C ¡°In any case, I¡¯m ready to get back in action, whenever you need me sir.¡±

    ¡°Right, I¡¯ll have something ready for you when we settle this matter.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate it.¡±

    She turned around. As she was walking away, Kirsten felt a sudden urge to say something else, calling her by her real name.

    ¡°Misha¡­¡± -her name escaped his mouth, stopping her on her tracks. She slowly turned her head back to him.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Once again, I¡¯m very sorry for what happened with your partner.¡±

    She turned back once again, she didn¡¯t want to face Kirsten, the grief she had managed to suppress days ago managed to crawl its way back up from the depths of her heart.

    ¡°She gave everything for me¡­if it was up to me, I would take this rifle and kill myself with it.¡±

    ¡°Misha¡­¡±

    ¡°But she told me I must stay alive, no matter what. No matter what I think of life now, I must honor her wish. -She pushed back the single tear that was threatening to come out of her left eye¡¯s socket. ¨C ¡°When we are all done with your enemies, those ¡°elites¡±, the red lotus organization will be defenseless, and I¡¯d like you to help me get even with the director.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll do what we can.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate it.¡±

    With that said, she walked away. That conversation served Kirsten as a reminder of the fact that they weren¡¯t the only ones employing professional assassins, as it was logical. The Red Lotus association was in the opposing end of their cold war, and the moment they¡¯d go all out, they would do so too.

    ¡°(Everything keeps pilling up.)¡± -No matter how much he smoked, his anxiety wouldn¡¯t relent. ¨C¡°(Why now? Why do we have to deal with this right now?)¡±

    He was suddenly taken out of his trance by the ringing of his phone. He promptly took it out of his pocket and answered the call without looking at the number that was calling.

    ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°Sir, this is Aaron, lead operator overviewing the Butcher¡¯s mission in Mexico.¡±

    ¡°Right, do you have anything to report?¡±

    ¡°We have prepared everything to receive Spectre as Butcher¡¯s replacement on the operation. Currently, the Butcher is clearing the facility used by the target as their main importation hub of slaves.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good news, how is she doing?¡±

    ¡°We cannot approach without anyone noticing our presence, and it¡¯s very quiet inside the building. We¡¯ll wait for another few minutes for her to come out of the place.¡±

    ¡°Right. In any case, I¡¯ll send Spectre your way. He¡¯s already up to speed on the operation, so just tell him where to go once he gets there.¡±

    ¡°Roger that.¡±

    As the call ended Kirsten received another call, this time from the chief operator. Kirsten felt a shiver running down his spine, trying to predict what kind of news he will receive from him.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Bonde?¡±

    ¡°Hello Eyler, I need to speak with you in private regarding our current predicaments.¡± -He whispered, as if he was afraid someone ill-intentioned would hear him. ¨C ¡°My team has found new information.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? What¡¯ve you got?¡±

    ¡°I¡­cannot discuss it over the phone with you! This is critical; concerning beyond measure. You are the only one I¡¯m absolutely sure isn¡¯t in on this betrayal, you actually believe what the Men of the World stands for, so I hope I can count on you.¡±

    Kirsten didn¡¯t know what to think nor to say. He looked around, making sure no one was watching him. Everyone kept to their own business in that hall, he was currently an afterthought on everyone else¡¯s day, so he could speak at ease with the chief operator.

    If this was the hint they needed to put an end to this conspiracy, he would go for it, with no questions asked.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, we must meet immediately.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m away from the facility at the moment, and given what I know it may be for the best. You must be careful too; they may be gunning for you up next.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Alquist expressed that same concern to me already.¡±

    ¡°He did well by doing just that. I¡¯ll send you an address shortly, a place where we can meet. Make sure no one suspects that you are leaving the facility to meet up with me, make it something related to your current operations, but you must not raise any suspicions. Don¡¯t tell anyone, not even Emilia.¡± ¨C He made a pause, Kirsten could hear someone talking to Bonde at the bottom of the room, but he couldn¡¯t understand what he said. ¨C ¡°And just to make sure¡­don¡¯t tell anything to that Butcher girl either.¡±

    ¡°What does she have to do with this?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope nothing at all.¡± -He said, planting a new unfounded fear on Kirsten¡¯s heart. ¨C ¡°¡­but I cannot discard the possibility that she may turn her knife against us, and namely against you if someone was to place the right ideas in her head¡­I truly not want to have a savage like her around for this, so watch who you talk to from this point onwards, please.¡±

    ¡°¡­Alright, I¡¯ll be careful then.¡±

    Kirsten ended the call. He may have respected the chief operator as an equal, but he wasn¡¯t gullible enough to not suspect of an interaction such as this. Kirsten trusted the people he mentioned, but he didn¡¯t.

    In an instant, he remembered that vision of himself as his head was split apart from the rest of his body.

    He could feel the coldness of the knife as it cut through bone, marrow and flesh, a feeling so real, it couldn¡¯t have been just a mere hallucination.

    ¡°Butcher would really turn against us?¡± -He asked to himself.

    While he was pondering on her loyalty, she was doing her job as she was told to do.

 The trucker

    A truck entered the slaughterhouse¡¯s parking lot, the driver was ready to transport the usual confidential products he would take to the facility in the desert every single end of the month. Normally when he finished parking in front of the building¡¯s cellar door, a man would promptly come out and give him his cut of the earnings so he would be incentivized to take the products as he was tasked to.

    But this time there was no man bringing him the money, nor guards, nor nobody. The parking lot, or rather, the entire facility, was eerily quiet.

    A voice in the back of his head was telling him to hit the gas and get out of there, but he listened to that voice too late. When he had the idea to turn the keys in the ignition, he felt the cold end of a pistol pressing over the side of his face.

    ¡°?You the mule?¡± -He heard the soft but sour voice of Alicia. He slowly turned his eyes to see a girl whose own blood covered almost the entirety of her face. ¨C ¡°?You are the one who transports the kids?¡±

    ¡°Y-y-yes¡­¡± -he answered, by the size of that gun, the blood that stained her clothes and face, he could only assume that the interior of that building was an absolute mess.

    ¡°Ok, how about if we make a deal? You¡¯ll transport them again, but this time you¡¯ll take me with you. Same route, same routine. If you do this, you¡¯ll come out of this situation unharmed, how about that?¡±

    ¡°I-it¡¯ll be my pleasure, miss ¡­¡± -he had no other choice, he didn¡¯t consider himself a coward, but he knew better than to turn down the deal of someone that was most likely a rival cartel¡¯s sicario.

    ¡°Good.¡± -She suddenly hit him in the back of the head, knocking him out for a few minutes. Meanwhile, Alicia gathered the children and guided them to the truck out from their hiding spot in a corner of the building, luckily the people she had skewered a few minutes ago didn¡¯t bother to check the outside area.

    She opened the truck¡¯s container, it was big enough for all of them, and there were a few mattresses lying around so the ones that needed it the most would be comfortable for the time being.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± -One of the little girls asked her.

    ¡°Far away from here, a place better than here¡­¡± -She said. ¨C ¡°But before that, I¡¯ll make sure no one comes after you.¡±

    ¡°Are you¡­ an angel?¡± -Asked a boy on the back of the group. He was following Alicia¡¯s silhouette with his gaze, but his eyes had been cut through with a scalpel, rendered blind by the cruel hands of Ricardo, but somehow, he could clearly see her. ¨C ¡°God¡­Did God send you?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the deal with this kid?¡± -Asked Ten, weirded out by the feeling of being followed by that kid¡¯s gaze.

    ¡°I could not tell you¡­¡± -She said. ¨C ¡°What matters is that I¡¯m here and you¡¯ll be ok, soon.¡±

    The children listened to her, they hoped she would be true to her word and help them get to safety, and to save the most ill and malnourished among them.

    They entered the container and sat down while looking at Alicia with their glassy eyes.

    ¡°Keep quiet, you¡¯ll be here for a while, but I¡¯ll wrap this up soon. Stay put and don¡¯t be afraid.¡±

    She closed the container¡¯s doors and walked up to the front to the enter the truck¡¯s shotgun seat.

    Just as she sat down, the driver managed to snap out of unconsciousness. Once again, she threatened him with her gun.

    ¡°Ready. Now drive, don¡¯t try anything stupid, because no matter how or when, I¡¯ll kill you.¡±

    ¡°Y-yes ma¡¯am¡­¡± -He said, he turned on the ignition and drove out of the slaughterhouse¡¯s parking lot, through downtown, heading to the southern highway that would take them into the desert.

    The travel was quiet throughout most of it, but Alicia made sure to remind the driver that he was being held at gunpoint a few times. He was sweating bullets throughout all of it, and not necessarily because of the ruthless sun posing itself over the territory.

    The blood in her face kept on dripping down to her shoulders and then staining the seat, but she didn¡¯t seem to be affected by it in the slightest.

    ¡°Mi¡­Miss¡­¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­your face¡­it¡¯s bleeding.¡± -He pointed it out, but surprisingly she hadn¡¯t realized of that fact.

    Alicia touched her face and noticed the blood tainting her finger tips. Once again, she wasn¡¯t surprised, something similar to this had happened to her before.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± -she took a towel from behind the seat and used it to clean the blood away. Her wounds kept on bleeding, but not as much as they did before. The wounds would soon close, needless to say that at a faster speed than other people¡¯s wounds. And whenever she wanted, they would open up again, to release the great power and curse that lied within her.

    ¡°You¡¯ve bled a lot¡­¡± -Commented the driver. ¨C ¡°Are you ok?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Good enough for you to not try to knock me out and try to escape.¡± -She took her gun and put it back in its holster. More than a sign of trust or even relaxation, it was a challenge; Alicia dared the driver to try and do something, anything, to get rid of her and find his way out of this situation. Maybe escape the country, maybe change his name or his face. She left herself open to a man that could be stronger than her, because she was interested in seeing what he could do. ¨C ¡°Regardless, if you think that¡¯s not true, you can try something, right now.¡±

    ¡°What¡­?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t intend to waste a bullet with an asshole like you. Look at me, my pistols are holstered, this cabin is too small for me to take out my knife swiftly ¡­I¡¯m defenseless, truckman¡­ What are you waiting for?¡±

    The driver had his eyes glued to the road. Stopping at the red lights as he was meant to and advancing when the light changed to green, yet in those moments in which he stopped in front of a red light, he didn¡¯t even dare to look in her direction, not even he dared to take his hands off the wheel.

    ¡°M-miss, I¡¯m not a violent man.¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°I would never attack someone, not even someone like you, please understand.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡± -Even if she was glad he would cooperate no matter what, she felt disappointed that someone as big as him didn¡¯t have the courage to fight for his own sake.

    ¡°Did a cartel send you?¡±

    ¡°Everyone makes that question.¡± -She said, rolling her eyes. ¨C ¡°Does it make any difference if I was sent by a cartel at all?¡±

    ¡°¡­I guess not¡­¡±

    They fell back to silence, on the road they drove passed a handful of police patrols heading in the opposite direction, they were probably heading towards the slaughterhouse after the employees called for help upon discovering the pile of corpses she left behind.

    But still, the driver didn¡¯t dare to call for their attention, and she noticed that.

    They soon got to the highway, slowly but surely drifting apart from the city.

    She looked at him and the driver turned his eyes for a moment, just like Kirsten, he noticed that the beast that lied within those gray eyes had fallen back slightly.

    ¡°Did you know the people in the basement?¡±

    ¡°I did not¡­ they just paid me; I took the shipments to the desert for them.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I was indebted, I gambled and lost. They told me I could repay my debt like this.¡±

    The beast slowly stalked forward, applying pressure.

    ¡°And you knew that you were taking children to some traffickers.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes¡­y-y-yes, I did¡­¡±

    He felt a hand creep over his shoulder, a hand that wasn¡¯t really there. cold, accusative and of ruthless might. The driver couldn¡¯t help bursting into tears.

    ¡°You knew what would happen to them if you took them there.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Let me ask you something¡­¡± -The beast dwelling inside her retired for a moment, letting her heart become calm enough to absorb this experience. She wanted to test something.

    She wanted to know the kind of people that live in civilization, and especially, the ones that live closer to the darkness that dwelled in its roots. To see how much in common they had with those that lived in the desert.

    ¡°From all the times you transported children towards that complex, every single end of month. From all the times you drove through this very same route¡­did you ever think of detouring? Did you ever think of¡­you know¡­choosing a different route¡­letting the children go, abandoning this truck and running away, no matter the consequences?¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡­¡± -The driver knew he couldn¡¯t justify himself, and felt like he had no right to do so.

    Every night he would dream of the children¡¯s screams and pleas as they were taken away to that dark and horrible place, he would always wake up in his bed with a cold sweat and heavy feeling in his chest, every single night, without fail.

    He couldn¡¯t eat without thinking about them, he couldn¡¯t speak without thinking about them. His existence had been cursed by the pain of those children he had helped condemn.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m scared¡­¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°¡­I can¡¯t do anything¡­because I¡¯m afraid¡­they are so powerful¡­they would destroy me and everyone around me¡­ they are just too powerful¡­ no one in this country can defeat them.¡±

    Alicia listened attentively to his grievances while looking at the road. She now confirmed that the people in civilization weren¡¯t that different from the ones she found in the wasteland.

    ¡°Fear is something reasonable to feel in the face of a mayor power.¡± -She said. ¨C¡°But it¡¯s flawed to keep on being afraid when that power threatens your very livelihood, and maybe not only yours, but of all of those around you as well. Rebelling, standing up and biting the neck of those that seek to put you down, is not something anyone can do¡­at least not for those that didn¡¯t prepare themselves for it. But when you do¡­you realize how little such ¡°power¡± matters.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± -He asked.

    ¡°You won¡¯t ever know what you are capable of until you kill a man more wicked than you, and when you do it, you must ask yourself: how many more can I take for myself? One after the other, see how superior you are, both inside and out.¡±

    She looked up to the sky from the window and remembered what she saw while being extracted from the desert: news about hordes of refugees moving to the west, through land, sea and air. There were all sorts of people in that mass of unfortunate fugitives; women, children, elderlies, but those didn¡¯t matter to her. the ones that really caught her attention were the others, those that she knew well with just one look, those that escaped her knife. They surely thought that by fleeing they had escaped her shadow, but she would make sure to prove them wrong.

    ¡°Above all, you must make sure to be thorough, not only with killing, with anything you do, no matter how long it takes you.¡±

    The driver remained silent, he wanted to say something, but couldn¡¯t utter a word after smelling the strong scent of blood that came from her.

    ¡°Let me tell you, your country has a lot of useless heads that should roll¡­when I¡¯m off work, I¡¯ll make sure to come back and see what I can do about that.¡±

    ¡°Please, no!¡± -suddenly, the driver had the courage to object to her goals and raised his voice. ¨C ¡°You¡¯ll cause a war, many people will die.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll die even if I do nothing.¡±

    She had nothing else to say to the man, and he didn¡¯t want to say anything else either.

 The War(part 3)

    An hour passed; the sun was on its high point. It would be more reasonable to assault a slaver¡¯s complex during the night, but Alicia wasn¡¯t feeling very reasonable; day or night, it was all the same to her.

    ¡°By now, that old bastard must be getting the feeling there¡¯s something wrong.¡± -Said Ten. As a CIA agent, he had to be a well-prepared individual for all sorts of eventualities, so she didn¡¯t doubt he would have a plan to fight an assassin of her caliber, or at least that is what she wanted to think.

    ¡°(Let¡¯s hope he doesn¡¯t disappoint us.)¡±

    ¡°If he does, make sure to ask Kirsten for a bonus when we are done for wasting our time.¡±

    Finally, she could see the complex on the horizon, it looked like a regular post and shipping complex on the outside, but just like that slaughterhouse, it hid a lot of dark secrets in its entrails.

    ¡°We are almost there.¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°What am I supposed to do once we get there?¡±

    ¡°Just do as you are told, park the truck inside, and let me do the rest.¡± -She said as she prepared her rifle.

    ¡°But what if they kill me!?¡± -He asked, but she didn¡¯t respond, when the driver turned to look at her, she had disappeared. ¨C ¡°What the fuck!?¡±

    He was completely overwhelmed by the situation, but he had no other choice but to do as she said. For an instant, he thought of following her advice, turn around and run away, but given the circumstances, and knowing what she was capable of, it was already too late to take the reigns of his own destiny.

    The trucker had been afraid of sicarios ever since he was a child, but then he realized that there were some sicarios that defied all human logic with what they were capable of.

    The guards allowed him through the gate with the truck, they were dressed as regular security guards but it jumped to the sight that they were armed with M4 assault rifles, a weird kind of weapon for a mere security guard of a post and shipping company.

    They opened the loading dock for him to park the truck. Once inside he was hurried to get out of the vehicle by two men also armed with assault rifles. It was quite obvious they were jumpy and highly suspicious of him.

    ¡°I-I brought the shipment.¡± -Said the driver, but the thugs didn¡¯t care about the shipment anymore.

    ¡°Why is no one answering at the slaughterhouse!?¡± -One of them asked. ¨C¡°Why aren¡¯t they picking up the phone!?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea what you¡­¡±

    ¡°Answer us!¡± -They aimed their guns at him. ¨C¡°What¡¯s going on!? Else we¡¯ll¡­¡±

    Suddenly, the head of the guard by his side exploded and then his own head too, staining the driver¡¯s face with the blood of both of them.

    ¡°Oh God! Aaaaaah¡­!¡± -The trucker jumped backwards, covering his face with trembling hands. He turned around and spotted Alicia with her rifle atop of the truck, she had executed them in a fraction of a second, something the trucker didn¡¯t know was even possible.

    She heard the two guards from outside rushing towards the door. She quickly jumped off the truck and waited for them next to the entrance.

    As the door slid open and they ran in, Alicia aimed up to shoot one through the head and hit the one right next to him at the same time.

    She pulled the trigger and the bullet pierced right through the first one¡¯s jaw, sending him to the ground, and the bulled fled past and hit the other one through the brain, killing him instantly.

    The one that hit the ground first had survived and was trying to pull himself together, endure the pain and grab his rifle again.

    ¡°Yegh Fahcjking who¡­!¡± -But Alicia doubled tapped him before he could raise the rifle towards her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t lose it now.¡± -She said to the trucker. ¨C ¡°I want you to keep an eye on the truck. If you leave, I¡¯ll track you down. I¡¯ll go ahead and finish this.¡±

    ¡°What the fuck is going!?¡± -A voice echoed behind the storage¡¯s door. Three men stormed through it and were received by Alicia¡¯s gunfire, hit in the center of mass for an instant death, the three of them fell almost at the same time.

    The alarms blared through the complex, now everyone knew they were being attacked. Alicia quickly reloaded her rifle and walked towards the door they came through.

    ¡°Find a place to hide, and don¡¯t let anyone get near that truck!¡± -She ordered him.

    ¡°How am I supposed to do that!?¡± -He asked, his legs were shaking and about to give in, just like his bladder.

    ¡°Look at all the fucking guns on the ground, use them!¡± -She told him as she walked down the hallway. Her guns were ready, and so was she.

    ¡°You are placing a lot of faith in that civvie.¡± -Critiqued Ten, in her place, she would¡¯ve disposed of that man a long time ago.

    ¡°(It¡¯s the best choice I¡¯ve got¡­)¡± -She responded, and then focused on the action onwards, and just like she expected, Schmidt would actually prove to be a challenge worth taking on.

    The lights suddenly went off, sinking the entire building in absolute darkness, the windows in the upper floors were covered with thick blankets that didn¡¯t let the sunlight in, the exit doors were closed shut with an electronic lock.

    The speakers¡¯ system turned on with a blaring static noise.

    ¡°You must be the killer we were warned about. Welcome, we have been expecting you.¡±

    ¡°Warned!? Motherfucker¡­someone ratted out on us!¡±

    ¡°Your employers were foolish to go up against us, and you were even more foolish than them by taking up this job.¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°You are not only going up against a mere cartel. You are going up against the government of the United States.¡±

    It seemed like the commander wasn¡¯t exaggerating when he said that the US had their hands in most of these dark enterprises.

    ¡°I can only assume you attacked the slaughterhouse. Be aware, unlike the scum you found in that place, we do know how to play this game.¡±

    Alicia could hear a dozen footsteps echoing through the corridors. Having received the warning, Schmidt called up his most experienced and competent men to protect the facility. Dangerous, disciplined and trained ruthlessly, they were Schmidt¡¯s boogeymen.

    ¡°You¡¯ve made a grave mistake by coming here.¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°There¡¯re places in this world that no assassin, no matter how lethal, must set their foot in. By attacking this facility, you have compromised your career as a contract killer. After all, what is a professional killer with no one to hire him? A waste of space and training, simple as. So let me do you a favor, and allow me to put you out of your misery. Have a nice death.¡±

    Her eyes would take some time to get used to the pitch-black darkness, but she didn¡¯t have the privilege of time.

    Alicia put her rifle in her back and took out her right hand pistol, she closed her eyes and advanced slowly through the corridor, allowing her senses to guide her through the darkness.

    ¡°That old man surely knows how to entertain his guests!¡±

    ¡°(It would be more exciting if he was the one stalking us.)¡±

    ¡°Nah, he¡¯s too old now. Old men are only good at giving orders!¡±

    ¡°(We¡¯ve met many like that.)¡±

    ¡°Engaging!¡± -She heard a voice at the front and quickly hit the ground, feeling as a burst of bullets flew above her. Once on the ground she aimed forward and pulled the trigger twice, hitting the boogeyman in the chest, the sound of his body dropping to the ground signaled her about her successful kill.

    Alicia stood up and approached the corpse. Suddenly, she sensed someone coming from the right. A boogeyman was rushing at her, wielding a combat knife.

    She evaded the first swing of the knife and used her free hand to unsheathe her own blade. Alicia sliced his biceps in half, forcing him to drop his knife. The boogeyman, overcoming the stinging and cold pain rushing through his body, used his healthy hand to grab his backup gun.

    Once again, she managed to evade the bullet, stepped on his right leg, forcing him to kneel and finished him off plunging the blade into his neck.

    ¡°He would¡¯ve had better chances if he had just shot you.¡±

    ¡°(Guess he wanted to show off.)¡±

    She took one of the corpses¡¯ NV goggles and put them on, now the darkness wasn¡¯t an impediment.

    ¡°My source told me I would be facing none other than the legendary Butcher.¡± -Schmidt turned on the speakers again. ¨C ¡°You made our work almost impossible back there in Iraq, now the higher ups don¡¯t really have much interest in that piece of dirt anymore. I also always thought that ¡°The Butcher¡± would be some rugged up rogue ranger, but what you truly are¡­for a moment I thought they were trying to pull my leg.¡±

    Alicia kept advancing, she met with another closed door. She took cover on the wall next to it and opened it slightly. A barrage of bullets pierced through the door. She stayed put, trying to be as close to the wall as possible until the bullet storm stopped, a few of them had managed to graze her arm and leg.

    ¡°Be careful, throw a grenade in.¡± -Said one of the boogeymen. Meanwhile, Schmidt kept on monologuing.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe some of our best assets were taken down by a little girl, it makes me ashamed on behalf of everyone you massacred in that desert. You delayed our plans in that region almost indefinitely, we may not see any progress at all in a few decades.¡±

    A frag grenade fell next to the door, Alicia ran away as it got blown apart. She took cover on the hallway¡¯s corner watching as a bunch of lasers aimed through the corridor, behind the smoke wall that had been risen by the blast.

    ¡°It would be useless to pretend I¡¯m better than you. At this point, I may have killed more children than you men. I guess that makes you stronger and more lethal than me, but that¡¯s what these soldiers are for.¡±

    Alicia peeked out of the cover and nailed one in the head, the rest opened fire in retaliation. She shot at them peeking the gun out of the corner and hoping for the best, luckily managing to hit one in the shoulder and one in the leg, the last one had stopped to reload, this gave Alicia an opening to come out of her cover and unload the mag on them, managing to kill the wounded boogeyman while the last one took cover.

    ¡°As far as I know, some of these soldiers have personal grievances with you, you may have killed their brothers, sisters, girlfriends, boyfriends and friends all those years ago. I don¡¯t exactly blame you; they were going to kill you if you didn¡¯t kill them. But, what¡¯s worth the life of a murderess like you in the grand scheme of things? You don¡¯t provide, nor give, you just take and take and take, lives and money all the same.¡±

    ¡°Does he ever shut the fuck up?¡±

    The last boogeyman rushed up to her while shooting on her cover to keep her suppressed, then stepped into her cover to gun her down, but she was already on the move before he even thought of pulling the trigger again.

    Alicia slid in between his legs, cut the tendon on his right foot with the knife, pushing him forward with her left foot and shooting him in the back of the head.

    For a moment she thought that those were all the men at Schmidt¡¯s disposition, but then she heard another group of footsteps walking through the second floor. She didn¡¯t waste a single moment and took one of the rifles on the ground along with a spare mag from one of the corpses.

    Schmidt kept on talking to himself.

    ¡°I¡¯ve met many killers, dealt, bargained with and hired them too. They were all singular and quirky in their own unique way. Some overtly educated, keeping a fa?ade, others deranged and bloodthirsty beyond relief. Those latter types, despite what many great strategists may say, are the most dangerous, they don¡¯t need a reason, they just do it. Killing is the goal and the reward, I envy them in a way. I do wonder if you are one of them¡­¡±

    Alicia advanced through the corridor, arriving in a larger room with lots of pillars to take cover behind. She kept walking, approaching the next door at the bottom, until it was kicked open and a flashbang thrown in.

    ¡°(Well thought¡­)¡± -Alicia quickly hit the ground and looked away, the explosion of the flashbang stunned her ears, as it was expected, she approached a pillar right in front of her and took cover behind it.

    The squad of boogeymen quickly rushed inside and opened fire on her position, taking spots meters apart from each other so she couldn¡¯t pin them down all at once.

    The pillar she hid behind was being reduced to rubble with every impact. This was an unsurmountable situation for a lone combatant, but she couldn¡¯t allow herself to be overwhelmed by her odds. She quietened her train of thought, and Ten made sure to remain quiet too, because it was important for the survival of both of them that Alicia managed to get into her focused state.

    Her senses heightened, she could now distinguish the smell of gunpowder from the smell of blood, she could also distinguish the booming of every firearm that was being shot at her, every pause, their fire rates, for how long they kept the trigger pulled before stopping.

    Then, suddenly, a new sound joined the rumbling orchestra, the distinct click of an empty rifle. It was coming from her left side, in a corner, one of them had kept the trigger pulled longer than the others.

    Alicia stopped focusing, turned left out of the cover and shot a burst of bullets towards the enemy, hitting him right over the armor plaque, piercing his neck, then she displaced her body¡¯s weight further to her right, to evade the incoming fire from the others, and simply opened fire, fully automatic, spraying a hail of bullets on her opponents, dropping a couple of them while the other two took cover, she bounced back behind the pillar and reloaded.

    ¡°Fire in the hole!¡± -Said one of them before throwing one more grenade. He had cooked it up in anticipation so she wouldn¡¯t get to throw it back on time, but her quick reaction allowed her to kick the grenade away.

    The grenade exploded in the middle of the room, spraying shrapnel all over the place and raising up a lot of dust.

    ¡°This is the real deal, alright!¡±

    ¡°(You are enjoying this too much; you aren¡¯t even doing anything.)¡± -She thought before peeking out of her cover and hitting one of them in the shoulder with a burst before he managed to hide behind a pillar.

    ¡°I hear all of that noise up there. You are really making my men work. I guess I spoiled them by making them deal with lesser people and other barely disciplined dregs. Would you be willing to reconsider your contract and think of a more lucrative opportunity?¡±

    Alicia got distracted by his stupid proposal long enough for one of the boogeymen she assumed was already dead to get up and shoot at her with his pistol, hitting her over the shoulder and hip. As she fell to the ground, her will allowed her to redirect the rifle and pull the trigger to double tap the wounded boogeyman, finally killing him.

    The other two boogeymen took that golden chance to get out of cover and open fire. The moment one of them peeked out of their hiding spot she killed him by shooting a burst of bullets straight through his skull, while the other managed to land three shots on her, piercing her other shoulder, left leg and her right arm.

    She recoiled and trembled with pain, not before twisting around and shooting another hail of bullets, piercing both of his legs and sending him to the ground with her, she tried to finish him up, but realized the rifle had run out of bullets and he had sent his rifle away when he hit the ground.

    Both of them hurried up to take out their pistols to finish up the other. The soldier was faster and opened fire, but she did her best to ignore the cold pain invading her body and roll to the right and end up lying on her back, evading the bullets. She took out her gun and executed her opponent with two shots to the head.

    The room was finally cleared, but she hadn¡¯t managed to come out of it unscathed, and worst yet, the job was far from done.

    ¡°Goddammit¡­¡± -She tried to get back up, but her body wasn¡¯t collaborating, she saw as small dribbles of blood leaked out of her body

    ¡°This is worse than last time alright. Do you think we¡¯ll be able to pull out of this one?¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯m¡­not sure¡­)¡± -Alicia stared into the puddle of blood. There she could see the faces of people she wished she could forget. It seemed like people do bear grudges, even after they die; they were there to delight themselves with every second she spent in pain, they were there to witness how she bled out. However, she was determined to do her best to not give them that pleasure. ¨C¡°(¡­We have to¡­improve our odds.)¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    She slowly but surely managed to get up from the ground, the bleeding wouldn¡¯t stop no matter what. Her vision was becoming blurry. There was nothing left in that room aside from cartridges, blood and corpses, but knowing that they were expecting her, they surely must have some first aid equipment in case they were wounded rather than killed.

    Before leaving the room, she heard one of their communicators activating.

    ¡°Here¡¯s Schmidt. Squad 2, report. Come in, Squad 2, have you eliminated her yet? Squad 2, respond!¡±

    She had to hurry up, certainly that couldn¡¯t be the last she saw of them.

    Alicia walked through the hallway from which they came from and walked up a set of stairs to the second floor. Schmidt confirmed they had failed he saw her walking up the stairs through the camera placed at the top.

    The speakers activated once again. ¨C ¡°I see they just managed to rough you up a little, I suppose they weren¡¯t entirely useless after all. Still, you are a tough one, but in your condition, I doubt you can survive this.¡±

    She pushed through the door at the top of the staircase, finding a storage room with some beds and equipment she didn¡¯t know how to use, it was probably the place where his team of boogeymen were staying at, awaiting her arrival.

    At the bottom of the room she noticed a red bag, it was probably where they kept the medicine and bandages.

    Alicia dragged her feet towards the bag, passing by a locker. Suddenly the locker opened, and a man wielding a revolver rushed out trying to finish her.

    ¡°Die you freak!¡±

    She leaned backwards, barely evading the bullet that was aimed to hit her in the head. She proceeded to hit him in the stomach with her elbow, while her other arm controlled by Ten plunged the knife into him, disemboweling him and raising the knife upwards, slicing his heart in half. The man dropped the revolver before falling, dying over his own innards.

    ¡°Now you can¡¯t say I didn¡¯t do anything¡­¡± -Said Ten with a smug smile only Alicia could see. Alicia ignored her and reached out for the bag.

    As expected, it was full of all sorts of stimulants, patches and bandages. Better yet, some of them were military grade. Alicia didn¡¯t waste time and used her rough methods to patch herself up using stapples before using the bandages.

    Meanwhile, Schmidt kept on taunting her over the radio.

    ¡°You committed a grave mistake coming here alone. No matter what, we will always win, because we possess all the power. Do not worry, when you die, I¡¯ll make sure your corpse gets sold at a reasonable price, we¡¯ll even fix it up. I have a couple of clients that, far from liking them young, they like them dead.¡±

    ¡°What a sick bastard¡­¡± -If she could help it, Ten wouldn¡¯t ever let anyone lay a hand on her sister for those nefarious purposes, but she kept those thoughts for herself, because Alicia was too proudful to allow someone else to defend her if it ever came to that.

    Alicia used a pair of tweezers to take out the bullets that were still ingrained on her shoulder and hip, then more stapples. Afterwards, she covered them with bandages. Still, the pain wouldn¡¯t let her move freely, she needed something to relieve it. That¡¯s when she remembered there was something inside the bag she hadn¡¯t used yet.

    ¡°I guess we got no other choice. I know how much you detest needles, but we¡¯ve got to-¡°

    ¡°I know¡­¡± -Interrupted Alicia. ¨C¡°¡­I know¡­I¡¯ll get over it, just this time.¡±

    Alicia searched through the bag and grabbed a stimulant, the military grade one: Brutalin C. an adrenaline stimulant.

    This was a tough situation for her, adrenaline is often injected through the thigh. Weirdly enough, even if Alicia was able to endure the pain of being shot, cut, punched and hit with all sorts of weapons and even using stapples to close up wounds in a hurry, she simply could not stand the idea of pinching herself with a needle for any reason; it brought a lot of old bad memories back to the surface.

    ¡°¡­Do you want me to do it for you?¡± -Ten knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to get over her fear that easily, so she was always willing to give her a push in the right direction.

    ¡°(¡­Fine.)¡± -Alicia gave her the green light. Ten took control of her arm and gently plunged the needle through the fabric of her pants, into the skin, piercing the vein and injecting the compound into her bloodstream.

    Once they were done, Alicia threw the needle away and waited for it to take effect.

    ¡°See? It wasn¡¯t so bad. It doesn¡¯t hurt as much as a bullet or a knife! You are just being silly.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t judge me because I¡¯m a minor!¡± -She said, imitating the voice of the typical child that would say something like that.

    ¡°Oh, you seem to be in a better mood now. It¡¯s always so fascinating seeing you display the slightest hint of emotion beyond being angry all the time and bloodthirsty all the time.¡±

    ¡°You have been way too judgmental on me this week¡­¡± ¨C The stim was starting to take effect. Alicia rose up from the ground and cracked her neck and shoulders. ¨C¡°I don¡¯t like depending on drugs¡­but I guess if I want to decapitate that bastard in the basement, I must cave in¡­¡±

    ¡°And you are back at being your usual self.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you want from me¡­¡± -That¡¯s when Alicia felt the rush of the adrenaline. Her eyes dilated, she felt energetic, and her scars glowed with a crimson light. ¨C ¡°¡­This is who I am.¡±

    Alicia grabbed her jacket and put it back on, then she heard a group of footsteps coming up the stairs, the third squad of boogeymen.

    Alicia grabbed one of the grenades from the table next to her, pulled the pin and threw it through the door.

    ¡°Grenade!¡± -Yelled one of the agents and they hit the ground. One of them was caught by the explosion. She took that chance to ambush the others before they got back up and unloaded her pistols on them. the one in the front died while pulling the trigger and as he turned around because of the impact he received in the head, he ended up spraying bullets over his teammates before plummeting atop of them.

    The bodies slid down to the bottom. Alicia grabbed one of the rifles that got left behind and opened fire on the mass of bodies that had accumulated there to double tap any survivors, having learned her lesson a few moments ago. Indeed, some of them were still alive, but now they wouldn¡¯t have the chance to strike back.

    Alicia walked over the pile of bodies back on the first floor. One of the boogeymen regained consciousness and grabbed her by the ankle, in a worthless effort to stop her. Alicia aimed at his head and finished him off. She discarded the rifle having run out of ammo.

    ¡°I guess this was inevitable.¡± -Said Schmidt. ¨C ¡°You haven¡¯t gotten rusty at all. Those people lied to me.¡±

    Alicia reloaded her pistols and walked down the corridors, heading towards the basement.

    ¡°I wonder who was the profligate that created you¡­¡± -Having said that, Schmidt shut down the speakers and didn¡¯t say a word through them again. Both Ten and Alicia appreciated the silence.

    Alicia found the access door to the basement and walked down the stairs. Halfway through she met with another enemy wielding a shotgun.

    ¡°Die!¡± -He screamed before shooting. Alicia evaded the pellets and shot the enemy in the neck. He fell forward holding onto his gaping wound over the rials and fell to the bottom, a three seconds descent. Alicia picked up his shotgun on the way down.

    When she reached the bottom, she discovered that the man had fell on his head, an ultimately quick death.

    ¡°She¡¯s here! Get her!¡± -Someone screamed through the basement, it would soon become a new killing floor.

    Alicia cocked the shotgun and proceeded through the basement. Kicked open the door next to her, finding two men wearing white robes and latex gloves organizing some boxes.

    One of them reached out for his gun, she instantly blew his brains apart with the shotgun, and the other she sent flying with another shot. A nurse appeared from a door to her left, charging at her with a scalpel. She evaded her swing, placed the cannon on her chest point blank and pulled the trigger, sending her away through the air.

    ¡°Woooooooooohhh! I love shotguns!¡±

    Alicia pulled back having cleared the room, finding three armed men at the bottom of the corridor, they opened fire the moment they saw her.

    ¡°(Got no patience for this shit now.)¡± -Instead of taking cover inside the room, Alicia charged towards them, zigzagging through the corridor.

    She shot at the one to her left crippling his left arm, making him stumble and fall to the ground. Shooting again she hit the one in the center on the chest. Once she was close enough, she hit the third one in the face with the butt of the shotgun, stunning him, then executed the one on the ground and finally placed the shotgun over her shoulder and killed the last one. his body slowly slid down the wall, the noise he made as he hit the ground confirmed the kill to her.

    Alicia discarded the shotgun and rushed forward. Three more rooms full wearing robes and blue uniforms, as if they were a hospital¡¯s personnel. She assaulted every room and gunned down the ones inside, scoring eight more victims to her kill count.

    Throughout all of that, even in her wild-like state, she realized that there were no children to be found. There were cages and cells, but they were all empty. When she went to clear the second to last room, the man inside charged at her with a power drill. Alicia took this chance to interrogate him.

    She evaded the drill, grabbed him by the arm and kicked his leading leg, then twisted his arm and pressed him on a table, then threatened him with the knife.

    ¡°Where are the children?!¡± -She asked.

    ¡°Fuck off, g¨¹era!¡± -He responded, a poor answer. She plunged her knife through his free hand, making him wail in pain.

    ¡°Tell me!¡± -She demanded while twisting the knife. It didn¡¯t take long for him to confess.

    ¡°The boss! The boss got them! the main office!¡± -He responded, of course they would be in the last room she would ever check.

    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± -She said before pulling him up and letting Ten slice his neck.

    Now there was only one room left. She stood in front of the doors for a moment, and after hyping herself up, she kicked the doors open, only to end up rolling on the ground and taking cover next to them, when a hail of pellets flew towards her.

    Schmidt had armed himself with an automatic shotgun, and had been expecting to use it on her the moment she reached the basement.

    ¡°You came a long way! But this insanity ends right here!¡± -He said while grabbing a detonator from the table. Right behind him there was another room, sealed off with a bullet proof glass. Twenty children were trapped inside, they were weakened and confused, but that was the least of their problems. Schmidt had put explosive collars on their necks, in preparation for the worst-case scenario in which Alicia would be able to get to him. ¨C ¡°If you take one step into this office, I¡¯m going to press this detonator, and the heads of these children are going to go up flying! You understand!?¡±

    ¡°What a goddamn rat, taking them as hostages!¡± -She started to think on a way to get them all out of this situation. But due to her methods, she couldn¡¯t think of anything effective to beat Schmidt in this situation.

    ¡°I ain¡¯t going to beat around the bush!¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°I can safely assume you came here for these children, correct!? If that¡¯s the case, then we can reach an understanding!¡±

    ¡°(Who does he think he is¡­?)¡± -Alicia had a foul taste in her mouth. She was too uneasy to think clearly, the Brutalin was still in her system.

    ¡°I know I said I would take advantage of your corpse.¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°But seeing how none of my men were able to take you down, and seeing that you have bounced back to good health, my chances are pretty slim in a fight against you. So, I propose you this: you let me walk out of here with my hide intact, and I won¡¯t send these children to sweet kingdom come. When I get far away enough my detonator will be out of range, out of your sight, and hopefully, out of your mind.¡±

    ¡°Oh boy¡­he doesn¡¯t know who he¡¯s bargaining with.¡±

    ¡°On the other hand, if you refuse to let me go, and it¡¯s my fate to die right here today, then so be it. I¡¯ve lived a long life, I¡¯ve done everything I wanted to do, I made my country proud¡­but before I draw my last breath, you can be sure as hell I¡¯m gonna take all of the kids with me, and their blood will be on your hands.¡±

    ¡°(I only need him to look the other way for a single moment)¡±. -Thought Alicia while peeking out of the corner. Unfortunately, Schmidt had his eyes glued to the entrance, holding the AA-12 with one hand and the detonator in the other, his thumb ready to press the red button that would smoke the children¡¯s lives in a single second.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s it gonna be!?¡± -He asked. ¨C ¡°You¡¯ve already destroyed my operation; I¡¯ve got nothing else but my life and my savings. Without my group, my country has no use for me anymore, so I¡¯ll just disappear, ride into the sunset, and you nor your employers will ever hear from me again. How does that sound?¡±

    Alicia checked her pistols¡¯ magazines, reloaded them and crouched next to the entrance. ¨C ¡°You are mistaken¡­ I didn¡¯t come only for them. I was told to kill you and bring them with me.¡±

    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve got a big problem on your hands!¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°Because I ain¡¯t going down without taking someone with me, and if it¡¯s gotta be a dozen children, then so be it. I don¡¯t believe in hell, but if that hot cauldron is there, waiting for me, then I¡¯m going to do my best to impress the devil.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d prefer to do that than dying with the little dignity you still have?¡±

    ¡°You are gravely mistaken, dear. I abandoned that thing a long, long time ago. My country has done a lot for me, so when the Koch family put me in charge of this operation, accepting is the least I could do. I¡¯m only doing my share to preserve the west¡¯s order.

    ¡°What does order have anything with treating children as sexual products?¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t only serve them for sexual pleasure¡­all children have something special, right inside their spines. Have you heard of cerebrospinal fluid? My sponsors use it to conserve themselves, keep their young and lively faces and even physical build, no matter how many years pass. That fluid is the first step to eternal life.¡±

    Alicia had heard those words before; someone had uttered them before torturing her. In that instant, her mouth was filled with the taste of raw human flesh.

    ¡°My sponsors need that liquid to extend their lifespans.¡± -He continued. ¨C¡°As far as I know, they are the only ones that can rule this side of the world, they guarantee the order, civilization! I¡¯m willing to make these sacrifices, despite the flaws the current system may have.¡±

    ¡°[¡­That¡¯s a whole lot of justification for a whole lot of nothing.]¡± -Alicia and Ten had fully synchronized once again. ¨C¡°[I don¡¯t care about the order of things in civilization. I¡¯ll start with you¡­then I¡¯ll continue with them.]¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t ever get close enough to my sponsors.¡± -He retorted. ¨C ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can do, they are invincible, they are this world¡¯s gods!¡±

    ¡°[¡­I already killed the gods of the desert. Now I¡¯ll kill the gods of civilization. No matter what, I¡¯ll destroy your world.]¡±

    ¡°¡­If you have nothing else to say, and you won¡¯t let me go, then I guess we don¡¯t have anything else to talk about! Say goodbye to-¡±

    Before he could complete that sentence, his eyes barely registered her movement as she jumped across the entrance. Her aim was right, as it always was. She pulled the trigger and the bullet flew straight towards his hand holding the detonator, tearing his thumb apart and sending the detonator flying.

    ¡°Ahhhh¡­! You whore!¡± -He tried to raise his gun but she quickly fired once again, hitting him in both shoulders, mutilating his arm holding the shotgun, forcing him to drop it.

    He screamed in pain while stepping back, clashing with the bulletproof glass behind him. His legs lost their strength and he slid down to the ground. With both of his arms crippled, he stood no chance against his opponent.

    He watched her as she walked forward, he instantly noticed the crimson flames raising up from inside her scars. That was the moment he understood, it was all supposed to play out this way. He tried hard to challenge fate, but in the end, he never stood a chance against one that has discarded her humanity to obtain something even greater.

    Now he understood how she was able to kill so many people. Looking at those crimson flames he remembered the story one of his oldest clients told him when he had just begun with this operation.

    ¡°Oh¡­You are¡­¡± -But unfortunately, Alicia wouldn¡¯t let him say another word.

    She raised her gun up to his head and didn¡¯t stop pulling the trigger until the gun was completely empty.

    When she heard the blunt click of her pistol, she allowed the smoke to dissipate. Schmidt¡¯s head had been reduced to a bloody pulp full of holes.

    Her head isolated all noises and smells for a moment. Alicia closed her eyes and dedicated herself to savor that moment. She twisted her tongue inside her mouth, as if savoring the soul of the wicked man she had just put an end to.

    The crimson flames reverberated and became more intense, impressing the children that were conscious enough to witness what had happened. For them it was quite clear God had sent down one of his angels to punish the evil men that had hurt them.

    After a while she opened her eyes and left the world reach her senses once again.

    ¡°Was it him?¡±

    ¡°(¡­He came close too.)¡± -She said. ¨C ¡°(¡­Even closer than Ricardo¡­but it wasn¡¯t enough. Not yet.)¡±

    Alicia looked on the ground for the detonator, grabbed it and deactivated it.

    ¡°I wonder if we¡¯ll ever find someone just as evil as those two.¡±

    ¡°(I won¡¯t give up. I will find them.)¡±

    The children knocked on the glass, asking to be released.

    Alicia told them with signs to stay calm, she would get them out soon. But before she reached for the entrance door, the phone inside her jacket chirped. The helicopter¡¯s pilot had received instructions to give it to her before she took the flight to Mexico, so the one overseeing the operation could contact her once Schmidt had been eliminated. The operators watching her had calculated how long it would take her to take him down, judging by her past feats and performance record.

    She reluctantly answered the call.

    ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°Hello, Butcher. My name is Isaac, I¡¯m in charge of directing and planning all assassin operations around the globe.¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°How blunt. You killed the objective, correct?¡±

    ¡°Just did.¡±

    ¡°Excellent. Did the children survive?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± -She puffed her chest, recognizing that small feeling of pride fluttering in her heart.

    ¡°Very well done. You took care of the contract like a true professional, despite the mess that you left behind. Either way, now that you took care of Schmidt, we have your new set of instructions.¡±

    ¡°Instructions?¡±

    ¡°Tell me something, and be honest. Where were you planning to take those children?¡±

    ¡°To a hospital, a police station, wherever they could help them.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not an option.¡±

    Alicia¡¯s nose wrinkled with suspicion.

    ¡°What exactly does that mean?¡±

    ¡°It means what it means. You see, despite what you may think, those kids you rescued have been vanished from all records where their names were written. Their parents? Gone, other relatives? Gone, data? Wiped out. You just rescued a bunch of ghosts. Children that are now forced to live outside of the system.¡±

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s going to happen to them then?¡±

    ¡°They may live outside the system for now, but with our help, they can aspire to rejoin it with a fresh start, with new identities and new lives. None of them deserve to be negated such rights. They are victims of circumstance. That¡¯s why, I want you to take the children to the coordinates I¡¯m going to send you through the phone, a group of specialists will be waiting for you, they¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡±

    Alicia remained silent and looked at the children. She recognized if that man was telling the truth, then her plan would be just like throwing those children to the street only for them to be picked up by another trafficker.

    ¡°Let¡¯s give him a chance, shall we? He¡¯s with Kirsten so, he must know what he¡¯s doing and Kirsten must be up to speed on this. If we see anything suspicious, we can always shoot and ask later.¡±

    ¡°(¡­Yeah¡­you are right. Let¡¯s-)¡± -Alicia¡¯s thoughts were interrupted when a bullet flew past her head and hit the glass.

    She crouched and flipped Schmidt¡¯s desk. A barrage of bullets flew over her head, she could hear the muffled sound of silenced pistols shooting from the entrance. Two pairs of footsteps were hastily flanking her position.

    Before they managed to get to her, Alicia grabbed the AA-12 and prepared to receive the new enemies.

    A man wearing desert camo clothes and wielding a silenced M9 appeared from the corner of the table. She blew his left leg away before he got to pull the trigger, sending him down to the ground, then she finished him up with a blast to the face.

    Then she aimed up and forward, opening fire on the one who had jumped over the table.

    Finally, the third one managed to flank her, she quickly rolled on the ground to evade his gunfire. She took her chance mid-roll and shot three times, managing to hit the enemy over the shoulder, he stumbled back a bit, losing his composure, but he didn¡¯t groan or make a single noise because of the pain. He tried to raise his gun once again, but Alicia dispatched him with another blast slightly above the center of mass, hitting him around the neck, neutralizing him.

    Alicia felt the air escape her body. She did all she could to breath in and out, almost passing out. After being vulnerable for a moment, she stood back up and took a look around, making sure there was no more of them left.

    ¡°Who the hell are these people?¡± -She asked as she approached one of the bodies to check if he had anything on him that would help her identify them.

    Aside from spare ammunition, Alicia found and took a silver necklace from one of the corpses. It was a triangle with a big hole in the center of it. Alicia wasn¡¯t sure what it was supposed to mean. She had seen the symbols of many groups, but she didn¡¯t recognize this one at all.

    ¡°Whoever they are they are very well equipped¡­and well, they probably were here for us.¡±

    ¡°(If Schmidt knew we were coming, it¡¯s safe to assume whoever told him also told anyone that had interest in taking my head.)¡± -Alicia kept one of the necklaces. ¨C ¡°(Either way, we¡¯ll worry about that later. Let¡¯s get these kids out of here.)¡±

    ¡°Aye aye.¡±

    Alicia searched for the keys in Schmidt¡¯s corpse and took the collars off the children¡¯s necks, then guided them through the basement towards the first floor.

    While they were approaching the loading bay, she could hear two voices coming from inside.

    ¡°Move away, dammit!¡±

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t! I won¡¯t let you hurt them!¡±

    ¡°You really want to die that much!? Fine!¡±

    She heard a muffled shot and the driver¡¯s pained groan. Alicia rushed inside while readying her pistol. There was another of those agents, he quickly noticed her presence and turned around, but it was already too late. She put a cap in between his eyes and he promptly fell to the ground. Some of the children screamed with fear after hearing the loud explosion coming from her gun. She reassured them by showing them her hand. ¨C¡°Everything is fine now.¡± -She said.

    The driver was still alive too, the agent had only shot him in the leg. He sat up and looked up at her. ¨C¡°¡­He wanted to hurt the kids.¡± -He said. ¨C¡°I don¡¯t have the guts to use a gun, but I couldn¡¯t let him do that.¡±

    ¡°¡­Well done.¡± -She commended him for his courage, just then she received the text message with the coordinates.

    Alicia helped him get back up and patch up the wound with a towel, then told the children to get in the container. Just like with the others, they were reluctant at first, but one look towards her was enough for them to trust her with their lives.

    Once they were all inside the container, Alicia and the driver went back to the truck and drove away from the facility.

    Alicia looked over a map of the region and marked the location the coordinates indicated with a pencil. ¨C ¡°Take us to this location.¡± -She ordered him.

    ¡°Why? What¡¯s over there?¡±

    ¡°The children will be safe there.¡±

    The driver looked towards the road, then to Alicia, doubts started to bloom in his mind. ¨C¡°Miss¡­are you¡­?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not like them." -She said. ¨C ¡°¡­At least I don¡¯t think so.¡±

 The failed spy

    Before leaving the base, Kirsten had to report his departure to the boss, so he tried to come up with a solid excuse for why he had to leave at such a critical time and without looking suspicious.

    ¡°Leaving? Where?¡± -Asked Darius.

    ¡°To Canada, I¡¯m meeting an associate there. He has some eh¡­important information regarding a recent operation.¡±

    ¡°An operation? And you have to meet him in person for this?¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡­¡± -Kirsten considered himself decent at lying, but that skill wasn¡¯t helping him much this time around.

    ¡°¡­I see.¡± -Said Darius, the way he said it made Kirsten¡¯s skin crawl. ¨C ¡°¡­If it¡¯s that important then it¡¯s fine. You can go, I¡¯ll keep an eye on the current situation.¡±

    ¡°Thanks sir, I¡¯ll return as soon as I can.¡± ¨C Kirsten ended the call, hoping that when he reached the helipad no one would shoot him in the back.

    Once he was far away from the base and on ground level, he sent the pilot back to the base and took a vehicle that was prepared for him and headed towards the Canadian border. He agreed to meet up with the chief operator in one of the safe houses located in Alberta, and the pilot had dropped him off close to the border, so he only needed to drive around 6 hours to get there, he couldn¡¯t get there directly with the helicopter, because that would draw in unwanted attention.

    He crossed the Canadian border with no problems and headed towards the city, there were only three more hours of journey until he got to his destination, still, it was a lonely ride. Despite everything, he didn¡¯t like to take entourages by his lonesome, but according to the chief, it was a necessity.

    When he was getting close to the city his phone chirped, it was the chief once again.

    ¡°Chief?¡±

    ¡°Are you on your way to the hideout?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m on my way. I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡±

    ¡°Good very good.¡± -The chief made a pause to take a deep breath. ¨C¡°¡­There¡¯s one thing you must know before you come here though.¡±

    ¡°¡­What? What is it?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to recognize it at first, Kirsten. I¡¯d like to admit, just like you, in the beginning, I believed in the Organization¡¯s cause. I disappeared from the world just to help Darius in this fight, I believed we would really change the world for good.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to say, sir?¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m saying that everything has changed, Kirsten. The game has changed. We cannot stay in the shadows any longer, the elite have their eyes on us now, and they have moved their finger¡­this is a real game now, with defined sides¡­¡± -At that moment, Kirsten noticed how lonely the highway was. ¨C¡°¡­And I want to be on the winning side.¡±

    Kirsten looked to his left and saw a black van about to collide with him. He didn¡¯t have time to react, they made sure he wouldn¡¯t be able to.

    The van crashed with his vehicle and the impact knocked him out. The people inside the van quickly dragged Kirsten out of the car and took him with them, just as planned.

    Kirsten had no way to know how much time had passed ever since he fell unconscious, it could¡¯ve been minutes, hours, and even days. All it mattered to him was the predicament he had gotten himself into.

    He slowly regained consciousness, he found himself strapped to a wooden chair inside a dusty and derelict warehouse. His sight was still blurry, but he could feel the presence of five people standing in front of him.

    ¡°You are finally awake, Eyler.¡± -He recognized that voice, it was the chief¡¯s. ¨C ¡°I was getting worried that they may have hit you a bit too hard.¡±

    ¡°Chief? Adam?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that it has come to this, but I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ve all been cornered to make these choices.¡±

    Kirsten¡¯s vision finally centered. The chief was standing right in front of him, accompanied by Richter, some men he didn¡¯t recognize, one of the assassins they had hired the year before: The Spider, and the most important of all, his superior as a handler: Lionel Fritz.

    ¡°Hello Kirsten¡­¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Fritz¡­what the hell did you do?¡± -Asked Kirsten, feeling his heart slumping down to his stomach. ¨C ¡°What the hell is going on!?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t take it personal, Kirsten.¡± -Said Fritz. ¨C ¡°If you think about it, it was just a matter of time everything devolved into this.¡±

    ¡°I told you to think carefully about jumping ship when you still could, Eyler.¡± -Said Richter, taking this chance to taunt his most despised rival. ¨C ¡°You played your cards wrong, now you are going to pay for it! you are going to suffer like a lowly criminal!¡±

    Adam raised his hand. ¨C ¡°Settle down, Matthew. You see Kirsten, it would¡¯ve been very easy for us to order the men that brought you here to execute you right after they knocked you down during the crash.¡±

    ¡°¡­Then why didn¡¯t you do it¡­?¡± ¨C He asked.

    ¡°Because despite what my colleagues may want, Mr. Fritz and I think you are still deserving of a chance to get out of the walking shipwreck that is the Men of the World.¡±

    ¡°Walking shipwreck?¡±

    ¡°Do not pretend it isn¡¯t so, Eyler. Lionel here has told me all about it, and you don¡¯t need to be an expert in logistics to know that it¡¯s all true.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s true? What the hell are you talking about? You¡­you betrayed the organization?¡±

    ¡°That smack in the head may have made him a little bit slow, Richter.¡± -Said Spider, letting out a mocking laugh. ¨C¡°Your guys should¡¯ve been more careful.¡±

    ¡°Believe me, he deserves far worse.¡±

    Lionel walked up to Kirsten and placed his hand on his shoulder. ¨C ¡°I know how much this group means to you. It was the same for me. Darius saved your life, gave your life a whole new purpose, so you repay him with your utmost loyalty. He¡¯s a very private and secretive man, that always bothered me about him, if only we knew where he got the fortune and resources to make all of this possible¡­One thing we do know about him though, is that he¡¯s very idealistic, in fact, way more idealistic than anyone else I¡¯ve ever met.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± -Asked Kirsten, trying to force his way out of his restraints, his forearms getting hurt by the friction of the ropes, the more he struggled, the more they tightened.

    ¡°What I¡¯m saying is that Darius, his organization, both of them are like a single man armed with a wooden stick facing an iron giant. Given those odds, it¡¯s inadmissible that the man would win, is it not?¡±

    ¡°You are implying we can¡¯t win this war?¡±

    ¡°Exactly. Darius needs more than what he has to even make a dent on the machine that is the world¡¯s elite, The Imperium, however you want to call it, and good intentions aren¡¯t enough. I¡¯m sure he knows it too, no matter how hard he tries or how much the elites let us get away with, they¡¯ll smoke us all in the end, the only thing they have to do is say ¡°enough is enough¡± then they¡¯ll send their best to clear the entire organization. Men, resources, bank accounts, deals, associations, every-thing.¡±

    Adam raised up his voice once again. ¨C ¡°That¡¯s why he now desperately grasps around, ordering us to find the most dangerous human beasts around the world, to even have the slightest chance against their own supernatural beasts¡­ but the truth is:  Spectre, Chain, Fate, Alquist, and even Butcher¡­none of them stand a chance against those people, we are sure of it.¡±

    ¡°So what? You gonna¡­accelerate the organizations¡¯ ultimate demise by aiding with its destruction?¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t destroy it, we¡¯ll just force it to be passed onto someone else¡¯s authority. The Organization may be flawed in many ways, but it¡¯s worth preserving.¡± -Said Lionel. ¨C ¡°It only must change, adapt to survive.¡±

    ¡°Adapt?¡±

    ¡°Darius is the problem.¡± -Said Richter. ¨C ¡°That bastard, as long as he lives, will drag the entire organization to ruin. That maggot must go if we aim to create something better with it.¡±

    ¡°He took you in when everyone else had abandoned you, you sick pretentious bastard!¡± -Yelled Kirsten, Fritz punched him in the face as punishment.

    ¡°That¡¯s what he does best.¡± -Said Fritz. ¨C¡°He recognizes that the best method to guarantee the loyalty of his people is for them to be in his debt, just like he did with you, me, Mr. Bonde and Richter over here. But the key to reach out towards a better future is to break out of that feeling of indebtment and do what is right, to do what needs to be done!¡± ¨C Fritz turned around and showed him his back, he couldn¡¯t tolerate seeing him in the eye any longer. ¨C¡°The Men of the World won¡¯t ever win a war against the Elites¡­not an open and all-out war, that is. We believe that the real course of action is to make changes from the inside.¡±

    ¡°Changes? From the inside? What in the goddamn are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m aware of your story with all the groups and companies that comprise The Imperium. That experience has made you shut down any idea or proposition of making peace with them, but I tell you, peace is the only choice here!¡±

    Adam interceded. ¨C¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯ll subvert the organization, slowly but surely, disposing of the most dangerous and troublesome elements inside. There are many people inside the organization that support us, so a takeover will be easier. Then, once Darius is gone, we¡¯ll reach out to The Imperium¡¯s envoys. The Men of the World will annex themselves to them.¡±

    Kirsten couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. For a long time, he thought that he knew those three men perfectly as workmates. There he learned that you never get to know people perfectly.

    He couldn¡¯t believe that the men that once inspired him to keep going forward were so cowardly and corrupted.

    Lionel spoke up once again. ¨C ¡°So¡­here¡¯s where you come in. As I said, you deserve a chance. Despite everything, you are a capable, intelligent and rational man. It would be a waste, a terrible tragedy, to negate you the opportunity to continue forward, of putting you down even. You are more than capable of running the organization, you understand its purpose and meaning. That is why we want you to join us, to change the organization for good.¡±

    Kirsten looked down to the ground, a few droplets of his own blood spilling on the floor. That crash may have moved his brain a little, making him hallucinate, because he could swear he saw the reflection of Butcher in those drops of blood, staring at him with that cold yet fiery glare.

    ¡°Of course, as a sign of good faith, we must show The Imperium some ¡°servitude¡± if you know what I mean.¡± -Said Lionel. ¨C¡°That¡¯s why we must break the organization¡¯s sword.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Well, there¡¯s some assassins that do agree with what we are trying to achieve, like Ms. Spider here, but most of them are pretty much closed to even considering working for the elites. Darius made a fine job selecting them, I never thought that idealistic and uncompromising killers actually existed in this world, but here they are, and they are in the way.¡±

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Kirsten was creating a scenario in his mind, but even if it was imaginary, the possibility of it becoming reality was very high.

    Lionel was underestimating the Men of the World¡¯s assassins; Darius selected them for a reason. He said that they didn¡¯t stand a chance against the Imperium¡¯s assassins, but he was gravely wrong. Kirsten had seen it himself; their skills and experience made them an equal match for their executioners.

    Darius had warned him to not allow anything to aggravate them. In Kirsten¡¯s vision he saw Butcher, Fate and many of the others they had recruited, tearing down the Organization piece by piece as an act of retaliation and vengeance.

    He saw Fate decapitating the entire administrative crew with her strings. He saw Chain sinking their naval base into the depths of the ocean. He saw Silencer blowing apart Matthew¡¯s brains with a .50 Cal, Spectre scalping Adam and sending his hide to the white house as some sort of symbolism.

    And of course, he saw Alicia, severing his own head with that terrifying knife that never leaves her side.

    ¡°So, what do you say?¡± -Asked Lionel, bringing Kirsten out of his stupor. ¨C¡°Will you take this chance to save yourself, along with us? Will you help us change the Men of the World for the better?¡±

    Kirsten hung his head low, staring once again at the drops of blood at his feet. Alicia was still there, now she had a puzzled look in her face, wondering what path he would take; what kind of man he was? Both she and him wondered about that.

    Kirsten wanted to believe he was the right kind of man to correct the mistakes done by others. He raised his head back up, and stared at Lionel dead in the eye. He could already predict Kirsten¡¯s answer.

    ¡°In this job, I¡¯ve worked with many different people¡­mainly assassins. They all were and are pretty unique individuals in their own right. They always set off to kill whoever¡¯s file I hand to them, a pretty grim profession, I know. Sometimes, I would speak with them when they returned after completing their job, in between small talk, I would ask them: ¡°What did you think of your target when you saw him?¡±

    ¡°What does this have to do with-¡± -Protested Richter, but Kirsten didn¡¯t allow him to complete that interruption.

    ¡°Let me finish. I¡¯d ask them that, and most of them told me the same: They were the most petty, self-righteous and delusional bastards they had ever seen in their career¡­after enough of them told me that, I revindicated the promise I made to myself when I started to work in this organization: I wouldn¡¯t ever work with them ever again, not with them nor with any of their branches. If I returned to work for them, I would return to work for a lie, a fantasy that leeches off the real world¡­that leeches off its people, real people, people that deserve to be fought for and protected.¡±

    Lionel barely could hold the vitriol that was threatening to come out of his mouth.

    ¡°Now that you¡¯ve decided to take this path, all of you are now my enemies.¡± -Concluded Kirsten, getting a laugh from Spider as an immediate reaction.

    ¡°I told you he wouldn¡¯t ever accept that, Bonde.¡± -Said Richter. ¨C ¡°He¡¯s a goddamn parasite, just like the girl he brought in.¡±

    ¡°You fear her that much, huh?¡± -Asked Kirsten, taking this chance to mock him. ¨C ¡°It¡¯s good that you are afraid of her. Butcher is no normal assassin. Judging by what you people told me you must¡¯ve already sent some of your sympathizers to get rid of her, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± -Said Lionel.

    ¡°How many? 10, 20 men?¡±

    ¡°Around 6 covert operatives and there will be 12 agents waiting for her in her plane back to the base.¡±

    Kirsten laughed loudly, his chuckles echoing throughout the warehouse.

    ¡°¡­That won¡¯t be enough, not by a long shot. You said many sympathized with your cause. Well, just like you said the assassins wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against the Elites¡­your people don¡¯t stand a chance against Butcher.¡± -He turned to see Adam and Matthew. ¨C ¡°The same goes for all of the others; Fate, Chain and even Jeanne. You want to take them down because they wouldn¡¯t ever comply to your hostile takeover, but guess what, the moment you pit them against you¡­is the moment you lose.¡±

    Lionel closed his eyes and shook his head with disapproval.

    ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate you see things like this, it¡¯s also unfortunate we cannot be allies. If that¡¯s the case, then we¡¯ll continue on without you, and you shall be disposed of accordingly, as a member of the former Men of the World.¡± -Adam, Matthew and Spider walked towards the exit alongside some of their men. ¨C ¡°Goodbye, Kirsten. Hope God has mercy on you.¡±

    ¡°He won¡¯t have any.¡± -He replied. ¨C ¡°And he won¡¯t have any on you either.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯ll go first.¡± -After saying that, Lionel walked away, leaving the warehouse and leaving Kirsten alone with the handful of thugs that had been ordered to stay there and make him suffer as much as they could.¡±

    One of the thugs approached Kirsten while clenching his fists. ¨C ¡°Mr. Fritz told me to give you a bad time before you kicked the bucket.¡±

    ¡°Of course he did¡­¡±

    ¡°I know it¡¯s none of my business, but you should¡¯ve taken his offer.¡± -Commented another thug standing right next to him.

    Kirsten sighed. ¨C ¡°Well¡­I prefer to keep my dignity. I only do what I think it¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and you¡¯ll pay for that.¡± -Said the thug in front of him right before hitting him on the nose. That man was a heavy hitter, his punch was strong enough to stun Kirsten¡¯s ears. Then he received a blow to the stomach, then back to the face twice.

    With every punch, Kirsten¡¯s conscience drifted away more and more. It wasn¡¯t up until the fifth strike that he was sent back to his memories, to those experiences that made him the man he was.

    He was a proud American citizen, always aiming at doing good, protecting and serving American citizens. He was young and stubborn, determined to protect his loved ones.

    After a successful career in the military, being commended by his efficiency, courage and esprit de corps, he was approached by some influential individuals in the CIA, who offered him a spot inside the agency to participate in extra-judicial operations, the real kind of operations in which national security was at risk, or at least that¡¯s what Kirsten was led to believe.

    He journeyed around the world, saw its many dangers, participated in the fight against many dangerous terrorists and extremist organizations that threatened his country, one way or another.

    The thrill of the work, the dangers he went through, all of the many close calls there were. unlike his colleagues, it was all very invigorating to him, but he still kept his collected and professional demeanor, making him one of the CIA¡¯s best spies of his generation.

    His director then thought that it would be a great idea to involve him in the most extra-judicial operations and missions the CIA dealt with.

    ¡°Our main priority is to ensure global equilibrium.¡± -Said the director. ¨C ¡°Every day, that balance is at stake, every day something new arises that would put society at risk if left unchecked. We exist to guarantee control and ensure that order is not upset.¡±

    Inland threats, anomalies, information leaks and deserters, Kirsten¡¯s role in the CIA was to deal with all of the aforementioned. He worked in auto-pilot, dealing with these threats systematically, maintaining collateral damage to a minimum, silent and discreet. He wouldn¡¯t stop to think about the why and how of the fires he was putting off, or the people he would capture and even assassinate, if they all were threatening his country, then there was no point in making questions, only pulling the trigger was worth his time.

    It didn¡¯t take much time for Kirsten to see who the real enemy of his country was. One day, they received news of a certain terrorist attack that would take place in the heart of the country, they had all the means and resources to prevent it and neutralize the perpetrators; Kirsten was more than ready to move out. But then, his team received new instructions: they were ordered to stand by and let it happen.

    Kirsten didn¡¯t want to abide by those orders, he protested, he berated their commanding officer, but he didn¡¯t give him any other choice, and his teammates seemed to be onboard with abiding by those orders.

    He was forced to stare with impotence as thousands of lives were being extinguished in the most catastrophic terrorist attack to ever happen on American soil. The director, Edward Aubrey Koch, would tell him that this event was vital to ensure peace and order in the United States, but Kirsten refused to accept that.

    Later on, Kirsten would notice a new act being propositioned to the congress in response to the terrorist attack. They called it the Loyalist Act, and on paper it guaranteed the citizens¡¯ security and well-being against terrorist and other national threats, but in practice it allowed the government to circumvent American freedoms to get a tighter hold on their livelihoods, income, social life, among many other aspects of regular life they would use this opportunity to tamper with.

    Some would tell Kirsten he was exaggerating, but from his perspective this was the beginning of a darker and perverse turn for the United States, the end of many good things, and unlike many others in his same line of work, he was unwilling to accept this as the new status quo.

    And thus, he departed, abandoning his role as a CIA agent, and hellbent on stopping their injustice. However, he was just a single man, he alone wouldn¡¯t be able to stand a chance against the big American giant.

    That¡¯s when he was approached by Darius, and he offered the sun to him.

    ¡°You and I search for a better future for everyone.¡± -Said Darius. ¨C ¡°As long as the Imperium exists, that future won¡¯t ever be a reality. How about if we change that?¡±

    Kirsten would follow Darius to the end of the world, because he knows that Darius has the key to change the world for the better and permanently so.

    ¡°Here lies Kirsten, the failed spy.¡± -With these words, Kirsten sought to leave his past behind as nothing but a mere nightmare and be reborn as a new man who sought peace for everyone all around the world.

    A year after being recruited into the MTW, Kirsten heard from their informants that Edward Koch had met his ultimate end in Iraq. He was leading an operation for the destabilization and silent reformation of the country, but he winded up burnt to death alongside his men in camp Sigma. They never knew the details of his death like what happened or who attacked them, the informants called it ¡°an act of God.¡±

    But now, with the new information they had gathered, Kirsten was absolutely sure: Edward Aubrey Koch had been murdered by the Butcher, and because of that, he was eternally grateful to her.

    Kirsten was brought back to the present with another heavy blow, now his entire face was bleeding, not to mention the damage he had been dealt to his ribs and stomach. The thug using him as a punching bag was starting to enjoy himself, showing to his pals how hard he could punch.

    He hit him three more times, straight to the face, stunning his ears, Kirsten was wondering in between punches if there was a way out of this ordeal.

    That¡¯s when he noticed that due to the impacts, the chair¡¯s legs were damaged, he just needed one more push. Exactly as he realized this, the thug felt the need to show his friends he couldn¡¯t just use his hands, but also his legs, so he kicked Kirsten in the stomach as hard as he could, destroying the back legs of the chair, sending him to the ground.

    Alongside the chair, Kirsten¡¯s restraints were also undone, but he didn¡¯t have enough energy to move, he was barely conscious as he was.

    The thugs stared at him on the ground, wondering if with that kick they had managed to put him out of his misery, or maybe he had been dead long before that.

    ¡°I think you may have busted his brain with all of those punches you threw at his face.¡± -Commented one of them. ¨C ¡°Go kick him a bit, just to make sure.¡±

    Kirsten¡¯s torturer approached him and kicked him slightly, just because he was feeling pity for him, seeing how low a man can fall. After kicking him twice he checked his pulse, it was very weak, that was a sign for him that Kirsten wasn¡¯t long for this world, and that was enough for him.

    ¡°(I was too weak to prevent it all.)¡± -He thought for himself. ¨C¡°(Yet, she was capable of putting an end to him on her own, with just the guns on her back. Maybe she¡¯s got a death wish¡­or maybe, I¡¯ve been a coward this entire time.)¡±

    Kirsten slowly opened his eyes, his vision becoming clear once again. He saw his torturer speaking with his friends. ¨C ¡°I should try and become a professional boxer after all!¡±-He bragged to them, and they were fully supportive of his idea.

    ¡°(It¡¯s all going to happen again¡­unless I throw myself at the action this time.)¡± -He slowly reached out to a piece of the broken chair that looked sharp enough. ¨C ¡°(¡­let¡¯s try following her example.)¡±

    A surge of conscience, Kirsten quickly got up from the ground before the other thugs could warn his torturer and plunged the piece of wood into his throat.

    ¡°Shit! Get him!¡± -Yelled one of them. the torturer dropped to the ground holding onto his own neck.

    The youngest out of them rushed Kirsten with a combat knife but he evaded it on instinct and countered him by smashing his Adam¡¯s apple, stealing his knife and plunging it into his side, piercing the heart.

    It had been a while since Kirsten was in the middle of some real action, but it seemed like his body still remembered what to do and how to move.

    The other two drew out their pistols and opened fire while he took cover behind a pillar.

    ¡°Surround him!¡± -yelled one of the two, then Kirsten heard both of their footsteps approaching from both sides of the pillar. He couldn¡¯t deal with the two of them at the same time.

    There was a piece of rope next to Kirsten, he could¡¯ve preferred something more effective but it was better than nothing, now he needed to make every move count. He quickly tied the rope to make a loop and waited for the two thugs to come close enough.

    Once they were two steps away from ambushing him, Kirsten turned to his left and threw the knife at the first thug, nailing him in the neck, then turned to the right and threw the lace and caught the thug¡¯s pistol, then pulled it away with all of his strength.

    They both looked at the gun flying through the air, falling towards Kirsten¡¯s side. The henchman couldn¡¯t believe the situation he was in, but this kind of bizarre tactics were a common sight for Kirsten.

    He grabbed the gun once it was within his reach and didn¡¯t stop to listen to the thug¡¯s pleas, placing two shots in his chest. Once the man had fallen to the ground, he turned towards the other thug who was on his knees holding onto his neck but was still willing to put up a fight. He tried to lift up his gun to shoot at Kirsten, but he was quicker on the trigger, putting an end to his misery.

    Miraculously he had been able to take down all of these enemies without help and being at a massive disadvantage. Kirsten started to feel 10 years younger, once again he felt the rush of being in the thick of the action. He fell on his knees, his entire body started to tremble, forcing him to drop the gun on the ground. He was bleeding from his forehead and was badly bruised, but it was nothing that would kill him.

    ¡°(I had forgotten.)¡± -He thought. ¨C ¡°(Maybe this is how she feels after every firefight¡­I wonder what she¡¯d say if she saw me in this state¡­)¡±

    He placed his hand on his knee to get back up, he drew a pleased smile on his face. ¨C ¡°(Since when I have been thinking about her so much? We barely know each other.)¡± -Kirsten looked at the corpses, they may have been agents he never had the pleasure to meet or were independent contractors. In any case, it wasn¡¯t personal for most of them, and they expressed themselves openly. He felt remorse putting down people like them. ¨C ¡°(¡­Maybe it¡¯s just she can do something I can¡¯t.)¡±

    Either way, he realized he didn¡¯t have the privilege of staying there reflecting, he had to leave and stop the rebels.

    He limped out of the warehouse, gun in hand. Lionel and Adam were both gone, just like Spider and Richter. Fortunately, it seemed the henchmen inside had their own vehicle parked right there. He approached the car, broke the glass to open the door and hotwired the ignition; there was no time to go snooping around for the key.

    He drove the vehicle towards the highway and stepped on the accelerator, soon he noticed a sign indicating that Calgary was just 5 kilometers away. Lionel¡¯s men had taken him very far away from his meant destination, but at least he was close enough to another hideout located near Bullhead Road.

    Kirsten hastened his pace, pressing the accelerator down to the bottom, disregarding the speed limit. He needed to get there and inform Darius before Lionel¡¯s group made their move.

    He had to be fast, or else, the assassins would destroy the organization because of Lionel¡¯s stupidity.

 Another you

    The driver took the truck to the coordinates indicated by Alicia. It was a location very off the road, near the border; he had never been there before, he would¡¯ve never thought about going there in the first place, but now he didn¡¯t really have a choice.

    Alicia wasn¡¯t feeling too confident either, she kept looking forward, wondering what kind of surprises awaited her, she hadn¡¯t heard from Kirsten in a long time, and even if she didn¡¯t want to admit it, she was starting to get worried.

    In a matter of minutes her trust on the MTW disappeared. She couldn¡¯t confirm that those men in tactical gear belonged worked for them, but if any of the people they were supposed to meet in that location tried anything funny, she wouldn¡¯t doubt to pull the trigger.

    They got to the location after half an hour of driving, and both of them were very surprised at seeing a heavy load helicopter standing there waiting for their arrival. It was also surrounded by a number of armed guards who were protecting a group of medics waiting inside a tent.

    ¡°They are your people?¡± -Asked the driver as they approached and everyone around the landing zone prepared themselves to receive them.

    ¡°Yeah, I guess¡­¡± -She said. ¨C ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting them to take this matter so seriously.¡±

    They parked the truck in front of the landing zone and the troop of medics carrying a handful of stretchers.

    Alicia jumped out of the vehicle to meet them.

    ¡°You arrive just in time!¡± -Said the leader of the medics. ¨C ¡°They are back there?¡±

    ¡°Yes, some of them are too weakened to walk, it¡¯s good that you brought stretchers.¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go people!¡±

    The driver opened the container. The children inside were briefly blinded by the sunlight, but when their eyes got used to it, they met the group of medics that came to help and stabilize them.

    The kids wouldn¡¯t have let them lay a hand on them at all if Alicia wasn¡¯t there to reassure them that they were good people, unlike Schmidt¡¯s men.

    They treated the kids with kindness, especially those that were on the edge of death, carrying them as carefully as possible. Alicia felt proud for them for being able to endure and linger on until she arrived and took them all there.

    One of the soldiers approached Alicia to give her a report: ¡°We¡¯ll take the children to a medical facility. Isaac wants you to return to the base as soon as possible. There¡¯ll be a plane waiting for you tomorrow, Isaac will send you the coordinates.¡± -He said just as her phone vibrated, surely that was what he meant about coordinates. Afterwards, he turned to glare at the driver who was standing near the truck, trying to stay as idle as possible so no one would take him into account. ¨C ¡°What do we do with him, ma¡¯am?¡±

    Her instincts argued. A part of her said that he was a good man, he was innocent, so there was no need to hurt him and just let him go. Another part of her wanted to dispose of him right away, make him pay for playing a role in the suffering of so many children, even if it was a small, unwilling role.

    Both voices within her entered conflict, a heated debate. She could feel her hands twitching, demanding action, but her heart beat loudly, demanding compassion.

    If they had a mind of their own like Ten did, she would have liked to tell them to shut up and let her brain do the deliberations, but that was not the case.

    ¡°(¡­What do you say, Ten?)¡±

    ¡°I think¡­well, what if we make a compromise; find a middle ground, so to speak.¡±

    ¡°(A middle ground¡­)¡± ¨C Alicia bit her thumbs nail, fixating her vision on that trucker. The soldier next to her was getting concerned. ¨C ¡°(¡­I¡¯ve got an idea.)¡± -She turned towards the soldier. ¨C ¡°Let me take care of him. Pretend he doesn¡¯t exist.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± -With that, the soldier walked away. Alicia took a deep breath and walked up to the trucker.

    ¡°I-I-I-I did everything you told me to do!¡± -Said the trucker showing her his palms, trying to put an imaginary wall between them. ¨C ¡°We are¡­good, right? We are good!? I-I won¡¯t tell anyone about-¡±

    Alicia showed him her hand, the tacit sign of letting someone have a word. The trucker stopped talking.

    ¡°I know¡­you did as I asked you to.¡± -She said. ¨C ¡°You defended those children; you might have saved them from certain death. By bringing them here, you saved them.¡±

    ¡°Then I-¡±

    ¡°But you also played a part in many more kids getting killed¡­¡± -Alicia took a step forward, being a mere inch away from him. ¨C ¡°¡­those men were both selling them and harvesting their organs and other stuff, you know?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± -The trucker felt sick, he would¡¯ve preferred to not be cursed by this knowledge, but that was what she wanted.

    ¡°If you had stopped, who knows¡­? Maybe they would still live¡­¡± -Alicia pulled out her knife.

    ¡°No! Please!¡± -The trucker begged for his life, he was about to kneel, but he wouldn¡¯t get the chance for his kneecaps to feel the warmth of the dirt beneath them.

    In a swift, almost imperceptible move, Alicia swung her knife twice, slicing his face. However, there was no killing intent behind that attack, they were superficial, non-lethal, enough to not kill, but to work as a brand instead.

    The trucker fell backwards, screaming. He felt the side of his face with his fingers and recoiled as he saw his own blood tainting his fingertips.

    Alicia had branded him, making an X-shaped cut over his left check, just like the one she wore on her own face, just thinner and less deep.

    She ran her fingers across her scar. ¨C ¡°I just did this to you.¡± ¨C She said as she sheathed the knife once again. ¨C ¡°Let it be a reminder of what happened today. Let it remind you that you came so close to die with the men that exploited you and the children you brought to them. Look at it to motivate yourself to take your life through a different course, away from all of this. If you have the guts for it, try and rectify your mistakes¡­but what matters the most is that, one day I¡¯ll return, maybe for similar matters, and you better hope I don¡¯t catch you doing this same shit again¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­I swear¡­I swear¡­¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°I won¡¯t¡­I¡¯m done with this¡­I¡¯m free¡­¡±

    ¡°Good¡­now get the fuck out of here!¡±

    The trucker crawled back into his truck, turned the keys and drove away as fast as his truck allowed him to while covering his facial wound with a towel.

    Alicia stepped away from the cloud of dirt, clutching at her frown feeling a migraine coming up.

    ¡°Calm down, calm down. There, there¡­I know it took some restraint, but it was the right thing to do.¡±

    ¡°(¡­I know¡­either way, it was still hard.)¡±

    The helicopter departed as well, everyone else was packing up and would leave soon enough. Just then, Alicia noticed someone else walking towards her, a young woman with brown short hair and blue eyes carrying a red suitcase. Alicia noticed that she had a very methodic way of walking, as if she thought of every step she took and where to place it.

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be doing so well¡­¡± -She said. ¨C ¡°I can help you; I was told to give you medical assistance if you required it.¡±

    ¡°¡­You are not like the other medics here.¡± -Replied Alicia, staring at her from head to toe. There was just something off about this individual. She then noticed that this person had a particular smell, a very unique one.

    That girl smelled like medicine, the kind of medicine that soothes you until you fall asleep.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m not exactly one of them.¡± -She confessed. ¨C ¡°But I was hired to treat you exclusively, as far as I know, all assassins are assigned a personal physician that treats their wounds after every job.¡±

    ¡°Kirsten never told me about any of this.¡± -Alicia¡¯s nerves tensed up, she realized that she had lowered her guard for a moment, something she would scold herself for later. Knowing this, she decided to prepare herself. ¨C ¡°He would¡¯ve mentioned it otherwise¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, he may have neglected mentioning that detail, but that¡¯s the fact.¡± -She said, trying to cut off any suspicions. ¨C ¡°So, what can I do for you?¡±

    The soldiers boarded up their vehicles and drove away, now Alicia and this mysterious woman were alone in the landing zone.

    Alicia sat under the only tree standing around there to get a little bit of its shadow.

    ¡°It was a long day, wasn¡¯t it?¡± -Asked the medic.

    ¡°Been through longer ones.¡±

    While sitting there, she looked through her holsters and inside her bag to determine how much ammo she still had left. Not much for the pistols and two spare mags for the rifle.

    Knowing what to expect, Alicia took the rifle and reloaded it, then put the half empty mag inside the bag alongside the other one. She held it close to her chest and waited, she didn¡¯t know what she was waiting for, but she knew letting it catch her by surprise would be a grave mistake.

    The medic looked at her with some curiosity, it was the first time she had problems approaching someone. From what she could see, Alicia had several bullet wounds around her body, but there was no bleeding to be seen. ¨C ¡°Did you patch yourself up at some point?¡± -She asked.

    ¡°Found a medkit.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you know your way with medicine too?¡±

    ¡°Only the essential.¡±

    ¡°Right. Either way, it¡¯s obvious you¡¯ll need some energy to make it to the extraction point, so I¡¯ll give you something for the pain and something that¡¯ll give you the impulse to move forward. - The girl placed her bag next to her. -By the way, my name is Dana, Dana Frazer, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡±

    ¡°Sure¡­¡± ¨C Alicia decided to trust her gut feeling and not take her eyes off Dana.

    ¡°I hope you aren¡¯t afraid of syringes, because most drugs that have a kick need to be applied intravenously.¡±

    ¡°Whatever you say.¡± -Alicia folded her jacket¡¯s sleeve so Dana could inject the drug with no issues.

    ¡°Oh, look at you. You are actually facing your fear.¡±

    ¡°(Give me a break Ten, please.)¡±

    ¡°Ok, ok. Sorry, I just wanted to tease you a bit.¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯m not in the mood for that anymore.)¡± -Alicia noticed something inside Dana¡¯s bag, it was a syringe containing a transparent liquid that acquired multiple colors reflecting the sunlight. Alicia knew a little bit about medicines, and she knew for a fact that was no medicine. ¨C¡°(And I¡¯m not in the mood for this bullshit either.)¡±

    ¡°Oh, you have a little bit of blood in your nostril, let me help you with that.¡± -Dana reached her hand out to place her thumb on Alicia¡¯s nose, but when she was within reach, Alicia grabbed her arm and forced her to the ground, making her groan with pain. ¨C ¡°Aaah¡­what!?¡±

    ¡°The MTW does not assign physicians to their assassins; you made that up. You must be with those soldiers that ambushed me inside Schmidt¡¯s facility.¡±

    ¡°¡­Shit! Stop! I can explain.¡± -Alicia twisted her arm further. ¨C ¡°Aaah! Please, let me go!¡±

    ¡°Give me a good reason for why I shouldn¡¯t kill you.¡±

    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± -Dana tried to relax a bit. She had the feeling Alicia would be true to her word no matter what, so there was no reason to resist. ¨C ¡°¡­Alright, someone in your organization hired me to kill you. I¡¯m a freelancer, ok? In the market people call me Painkiller.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­So those fucking assholes really did it, huh?¡±

    ¡°(Kirsten, I¡¯m going to kill him slowly¡­)¡± -She imagined the many ways she could kill him the moment they saw each other again. First, she would kill him, then she would destroy his entire organization, that was the idea, just as Kirsten feared. She centered her thoughts back on Dana. ¨C¡°Do you still plan to try and kill me?¡±

    ¡°Look, you beat me, alright? I have no chance against you, and I¡¯m not good enough to have some crazy ace up my sleeve I can use, even from this position. I may be a killer but not some world class professional like you or those other guys.¡±

    ¡°You know who I am?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, they just handed me your photograph and told me to deal with you as fast as possible. I put some extract of Dendrobates azureus mixed up with a high concentration of arsenic to give you a quick and painless death¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Who gave you that photograph?¡±

    ¡°Some old man. He was accompanied by some other people dressed in black coats. The payout was very tempting¡­ received half of it upfront so I guess this wasn¡¯t a complete bust.¡±

    Alicia looked at the horizon once again, feeling the wind change its direction. Dana was being honest; she could feel it.

    After a short deliberation, she released Dana, but just to make sure she wouldn¡¯t try anything else; she confiscated her bag. ¨C ¡°If you try to touch me again, I will kill you.¡±

    ¡°¡­Sure, sure¡­I won¡¯t try anymore.¡±

    ¡°Wow, first time I see a rival assassin that isn¡¯t willing to gamble with their own life just to take us down.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s surprising, that you don¡¯t want to try anything else.¡± -Commented Alicia, to which Dana just scoffed.

    ¡°It may hurt my reputation and tarnish my record, but I¡¯ve got a lot to lose. Or rather, there are many things that depend on me staying alive and working.¡±

    Suddenly, Dana¡¯s phone chirped. She stood still like a statue for a moment, debating with herself if whether answering the phone right in front of Alicia would be a good move or not.

    ¡°Go ahead. Pick up the call.¡± -She ordered. Dana slowly reached for her phone.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°Hello? ¡­Oh! Hey mom!¡±

    Alicia¡¯s eyes widened. ¨C ¡°(Mom?)¡±

    ¡°This is very unusual alright.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m just about done with the job¡­¡± -She continued speaking. ¨C ¡°¡­Well, not too well, I guess I will have to do some overtime tomorrow to compensate for what happened today¡­yep, wasn¡¯t up to the task¡­No, no, relax mom, it¡¯s ok¡­I¡¯ll figure something out, you don¡¯t need to worry, remember, I¡¯m a professional. Besides, stressing is bad for you. Trust me, we¡¯ll have the money we need to buy that new house you were keeping your eye on. Anyway, how¡¯s everyone else?¡±

    ¡°(Everyone else? Like brothers and sisters?)¡±

    ¡°This girl has to be hella crazy to be working as a contract killer if she has so much to lose.¡±

    ¡°(It¡¯s not like we can criticize her.)¡±

    Dana looked over to the north while listening to her mother. ¨C ¡°Oh, he won his first football match, that¡¯s great! Tell Ian I¡¯m proud of him and I¡¯ll bring something special for him back home. Tell me, did James pass that exam? An A+? I knew it, he¡¯s the smartest boy I¡¯ve ever met¡­Yeah, it¡¯s ok mom, there¡¯s no rush but I¡¯ll make sure to get back home for dinner, ok? I¡¯ll see you all around 7. Right, take care mom, I love you. Don¡¯t forget about your medication.¡±

    She finished the call and looked back at Alicia, suddenly a chilling fear crawled through her spine. ¨C¡°umm, I¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you afraid that¡¯ll track down your family and kill them all?¡±

    ¡°Please, don¡¯t-¡± -Alicia raised up her hand to calm her down and stop her from talking.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I couldn¡¯t care less. Besides, I¡¯m not that kind of killer.¡±

    ¡°How can I be sure that you are saying the truth?¡±

    ¡°¡­you¡¯ll have to trust me, whether you like it or not.¡±

    Dana looked to the ground, unsure of what to do. She had the idea in the back of her head to try and poison her again, but the vision of her family having to get by without her prevented her from moving a single finger. She remained sitting in her spot, unsure of what to say, which made Alicia uncomfortable.

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you run away yet?¡± -Asked Alicia. ¨C ¡°Don¡¯t you have to be at home for dinner?¡±

    ¡°¡­I wasn¡¯t sure if I had your permission to move.¡±

    ¡°Well, you can leave whenever you want. I already defeated you. Though, you may want to be careful for the people that hired you to kill me. Clients really, really don¡¯t like failure at all, so they¡¯ll want a return of their investment.¡±

    ¡°I see, thanks for the advice.¡± -Dana had killed many kinds of people up until then in her career, but she had never tested her skills against another assassin. Even though she was aware of all the kinds of assassins that wandered around the world, Alicia appeared to be different from all the others. ¨C ¡°First, I¡¯d like to ask, why do those people want you dead?¡± -She wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep that night if she didn¡¯t solve that enigma.

    ¡°Who knows? They literally hired me a few days ago, this is the first job I do for them.¡±

    ¡°What a bunch of assholes. They sent you here to do some wetwork and then hired someone else to dispose of you so they wouldn¡¯t have to pay you¡­That must mean they would¡¯ve disposed of me if I was successful too¡­Ugh, I¡¯ll start to be more careful around my clients.¡±

    Alicia kept her eyes focused on the south, waiting for her suspicions to be validated. ¨C ¡°Either way, I did as they asked¡­and I can¡¯t say I¡¯m not pleased with what I did here. Though, it does not change the fact they dared to cross me like this.¡±

    ¡°What are you gonna do then?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to get even, if they wanna play, I¡¯ll play. My handler has a lot to answer for.¡±

    ¡°We are going to bring the entire rooftop on their sorry heads!¡±

    Dana raised an eyebrow. ¨C ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just lay low for a while?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like that idea¡­I¡¯ll take them head on and kill every last one of them.¡±

    Dana was at a loss of words for a moment. From this, she could get an idea of what kind of person, or rather, what kind of killer she was. ¨C¡°¡­You are kind of bloodthirsty, you know?¡± -She commented. ¨C¡°You give me a pretty big ¡°elite soldier¡± vibe but, if they are such a big and influential organization, you wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against them. And even if you did succeed and destroy them all, then what? You¡¯d go looking for the next target to kill?

    Alicia centered her sight on the south once again. ¨C ¡°You are not the first one to ask me that kind of things, and you¡¯ll probably won¡¯t be the last.¡± -The wind had changed directions once again, her ears caught a soundwave coming from the front, and it was fast approaching. She slowly raised up her rifle to take aim, bringing Dana more concerns. ¨C ¡°Why are you in this job anyway? you have a regular family, it just doesn¡¯t add up to me.¡±

    Dana looked down to the ground and closed her knees, feeling a bit ashamed of herself. ¨C ¡°¡­Well, it¡¯s just mom, my seven brothers and I. Yeah, we are a big family. My dad died on duty many years ago, and she¡¯s very sickly to do any sort of job, so we were very poor and we got rejected out of subsidies. I decided to study medicine to try and land a high paying job as a doctor, get money and make my mother happy, I was about to get into uni¡­then her condition got worse. I couldn¡¯t wait any longer to get money¡­so, here I am.¡±

    ¡°¡­And you decided to become a killer for that?¡± -Alicia tilted her head. ¨C ¡°Honestly, you may have been crazy from the start. If it wasn¡¯t your mother, you would¡¯ve ended in this line of business for any other reason.¡±

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not a psychopath, ok?¡± -Argued Dana. ¨C ¡°I weighed my options¡­and I realized that this was the fastest course of action to get the most amount of money to pay for her treatment¡­ I choose my targets carefully, and those men knew it, they told me you were a bloodthirsty murderer and I said: well, why not? And it doesn¡¯t seem like they lied.¡±

    ¡°¡­But I bet it was hard the first couple of times.¡± -Said Alicia.

    ¡°¡­Yeah¡­yeah it was.¡± -Dana looked down once again, her heart feeling heavy.

    ¡°(¡­I¡¯m surprised.)¡± -Alicia couldn¡¯t relate, but she had heard it was hard for almost everyone else.

    Suddenly, Dana realized something she should have from the very beginning. She noticed how¡­youthful Alicia looked under those scars.

    ¡°How old were you again?¡± -She asked.

    Alicia stared back at her from the sideline. ¨C ¡°¡­I¡¯m not sure¡­maybe 15.¡±

    Dana recoiled. ¨C ¡°¡­Holy fuck, they never told me you were a kid!¡± -She raised her palms up to her forehead. ¨C ¡°No¡­what was I about to do!?¡±

    ¡°¡­I take it you don¡¯t like killing children even if they are like me.¡±

    ¡°Of course not, no kid deserves that!¡± -She shook her head multiple times. ¨C ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­I shouldn¡¯t have ever taken up this contract.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. You were just doing your work, and they withheld info from you.¡± -She said.

    ¡°You are being weirdly comprehensive, you know?¡±

    ¡°(It¡¯s not her fault¡­)¡±

    ¡°But¡­Jesus Christ¡­¡± ¨C She felt a knot forming and unraveling in her throat. Then she looked back at her. ¨C ¡°But¡­how long have you been an assassin?¡±

    ¡°¡­I think 5 years? about to be 6 years.¡±

    ¡°And you subdued me so effortlessly.¡±- It didn¡¯t add up in her brain how someone as young as Alicia could¡¯ve done something like that, much less see through her intentions. She looked back at the scars, covered with a fresh layer of crust, the way she held that rifle up, her concentration, and her determined glare. Dana didn¡¯t need to be a genius to know Alicia had been through a lot of stuff, and made her feel like a hypocrite for choosing this line of work in the first place. ¨C ¡°¡­I¡¯d like to ask¡­how did you end up like this?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°What happened to you? How did you become an assassin?¡± -She asked, feeling her gut tense up with anticipation to the cruelty she could hear about after making that question.

    ¡°What put me in this path¡­Hm¡­¡± -Alicia looked through the scope, taking deep breaths and controlling her pulse. The drug was finally out of her system, so she could relax and regulate her heart rate.

    She didn¡¯t really know how to answer that question, at least not without being vague. Alicia promised that she would take that secret with her to the grave, no matter who asked and where.

    ¡°Are you really going to tell her? she tried to kill just a moment ago.¡±

    ¡°(¡­No, I won¡¯t¡­)¡±. ¨C She looked at Dana from the side of her eye. ¨C ¡°The details are a bit fuzzy.¡±

    Alicia cleared her throat, Dana perked up her ears. ¨C ¡°¡­There was once a girl that was very comfortable with the world she lived in, until that world blew up in her face. After that, she saw the reality of that world, and even though many people kept telling her to learn to let go and live with it¡­¡± ¨C Alicia placed her finger on the trigger, hearing the roaring sound getting closer. ¨C ¡°¡­She just couldn¡¯t bring herself to accept the world for what it is.¡±

    Suddenly, a jeep appeared from the south, advancing at high speed. Atop of it there was a man with a heavy machine gun. He opened fire the moment he spotted Alicia right under the tree.

    Dana hit the ground covering her head with her arms while the bullets flew above her. A bullet hit right over Alicia¡¯s head, piercing the tree¡¯s bark, that hail of fire at that distance wasn¡¯t enough to frighten her and upset her aim. In fact, she had a clear target now.

    Alicia pulled the trigger and the bullet pierced right through the driver¡¯s dome, the jeep¡¯s horn serving as confirmation for the kill.

    The driver had died with his foot placed on the accelerator, and the jeep kept on driving forward until it turned itself and flipped on the road, disabling the vehicle and sending the man handling the machine gun flying off the jeep and landing on the dirt.

    Alicia got up from the ground and walked up to the wreckage while aiming the rifle. A man stumbled out of the back seat, and before he could lift up his gun Alicia landed a shot on his knee, making him scream and drop the gun, she then finished him off with a headshot. After he was out of her line of sight, she could see the soldier that was sitting next to him in the back seat, so she aimed up and shot him two times through the torso.

    Afterwards she walked up to the gunner who was trying to crawl his way out of this situation. She shot him in the left leg, getting a pained scream out of him, then she landed another shot in his shoulder.

    ¡°Please! I don¡¯t wanna di-!¡± -He tried to plea, but the moment he opened his mouth, Alicia inserted the rifle¡¯s barrel into his mouth and pulled the trigger, splattering some blood on her face.

    Dana looked over her shoulder after noticing that the firefight was over. The only thing she could see was Alicia standing right next to a corpse and a wrecked jeep right next to her.

    Alicia looked back at her, that foreboding feeling in her chest was gone so now she could relax. Dana felt increasingly smaller in her presence.

    Before doing anything else, Alicia grabbed a rag and wiped the blood off her face. Then she looked through the corpse¡¯s equipment, and aside from a few 5,56mm rounds, and some smoke grenades and flashbangs, she found another necklace similar to the one she took from one of those agents that tried to kill her in the facility. With this she could assume there was a group that wanted her dead, and that group was no other than the MTW themselves. She convinced herself of what Dana said, they had sent her there to do their dirty work and then dispose of her to cut corners.

    ¡°They want a war, they got it.¡± -She said, and Ten was wholly supportive of their new objective.

    Alicia walked back to Dana¡¯s side to pick up her bag and store the rifle inside. ¨C¡°¡­That girl couldn¡¯t just accept the things everyone else saw as normal.¡± -Alicia continued her tale. ¨C ¡°So, I decided to make her sincere wish a reality.¡±

    ¡°¡­Wait, so you weren¡¯t that girl?¡± -Asked Dana, trying to make sense of Alicia¡¯s story. ¨C¡°Who was that girl then?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, she is not with us anymore.¡± -She said. ¨C ¡°And it¡¯s for the best. She couldn¡¯t have been capable of getting along with the world as it is now.¡±

    ¡°I-I see¡­¡±

    Alicia returned her bag. ¨C ¡°Here, these are your tools of the trade, I wouldn¡¯t know what to do with them. Have a good day and goodbye.¡± -She stored her rifle inside the bag and walked towards the south, intending to go find a spot in the wilderness to take a break in before heading to tie that last loose end.

    ¡°Wait!¡± -Dana caught up to her and gave her a flask of pills. ¨C ¡°Analgesics, it may not be much, but they may help you keep on going until you are done.¡±

    ¡°I see, thanks.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Goodbye then, don¡¯t let yourself get killed!¡±

    ¡°Same as you.¡±

    Alicia and Dana parted ways, one heading north and the other heading south. None of them were sure that their paths would ever cross again. Dana for one, hoped that if they were to meet again, it would be in more amicable terms.

    Alicia lost her balance for a moment and almost tripped to the ground, she leaned on a lamppost until she got herself together and recovered her equilibrium.

    ¡°Ali, are you ok?¡±

    ¡°(Lost too much blood¡­I need to rest.)¡±

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s find a spot, shall we? Preferably a place with a roof of sorts, there you can rest, eat an MRE, and don¡¯t you dare sit up and polish those guns.¡±

    ¡°(Alright, alright¡­I¡¯ll take a break this time around.)¡±

    Alicia looked up to the sky, wondering why there wasn¡¯t a single cloud up there. The country was surrounded by kilometers of desert, yet it somehow felt hotter than the bigger desertic countries she once wandered in.

    ¡°This can¡¯t be good for my health.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s gotta be a spot somewhere.¡±

    She walked for a while, she thought she was going to succumb to the heat when she finally spotted a place to settle in: a small shack located next to a small plateau. The roof seemed solid enough, and it was better than nothing.

    Once inside, Alicia placed her bag on a corner and looked around. It seemed like someone had settled in that location a long time ago and simply departed one day. No bones, no clothes, no cutlery.

    Finally in the middle, there was a small circle of stones full of ashes, the owner most likely used it to lit up fires during the night to have some light and warmth that far away in the desert.

    ¡°Quite cozy¡­¡±

    ¡°(It feels awfully familiar.)¡±

    Someone living like that is considered a hermit under modern standards, but Alicia had seen more than a handful of people who lived like this back in the warzone.

    Without further ado, Alicia took off her gear and lied on the ground, feeling the soreness taking over her muscles.

    ¡°(Long day¡­)¡±

    ¡°We at least got to fight some real assholes today.¡±

    ¡°(¡­.Their essence was weaker than I expected though.)¡±

    Alicia looked up to the roof, going over it all once again. She knew that every kill had a weight that was not for her to carry alone. - ¡°(They must be panicked trying to sort it all out.)¡± -she thought, a proud and smug smile creeping on her face unconsciously, and then, just as it appeared, it disappeared, leaving only her usually serious expression ¨C ¡°(Still, even if there were some that came close to him, none of them were evil enough.)¡±

    ¡°I wonder how many levels we must crawl up on their hegemony to find the ones that are the real deal. How perverted can they be?¡±

    ¡°(If they aren¡¯t just as evil as him then they are all a footnote for me.)¡± -Alicia crossed her arms and closed her eyes, trying to give them a short but deserved break.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, they offered an interesting fight, we seldom come so close to dying.¡±

    ¡°(You are the only one that judges the targets and their henchmen for how good of a challenge they provide for you.)¡±

    ¡°Sure, it¡¯s better than just discarding them so coldly.¡± -She sighed. ¨C ¡°If only you¡¯d let me out completely more often, it¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve gotten any chance to stretch my legs you know, and moving your wielding arm is getting rather stale.¡±

    ¡°(If you didn¡¯t go out of your way to do things more difficult for yourself, I would let you take over more often.)¡±

    ¡°Come on, there¡¯s nothing wrong with the way I do stuff. That I have a little more fun that you on the edge is just a small detail. I¡¯ll always come out victorious in the end, no matter what!¡±

    ¡°(I don¡¯t understand how you can treat fighting as if you were in a¡­how do you call them?)¡±

    ¡°Videogames, Ali.¡±

    ¡°(Videogames¡­)¡±

    ¡°Regardless of that, you¡¯ll have to let me out to play some time, you don¡¯t want me to get bored and start annoying you from a place you can¡¯t reach!¡±

    Alicia sighed. ¨C¡°(Fine¡­next time it¡¯ll be your turn.)¡±

    ¡°Hooray!¡±

    ¡°(Don¡¯t get us both killed.)¡±

    Alicia¡¯s wounds itched. She still had a few bullets lodged around her body, and it was in her best interest to take them out before a lot of time passed.

    ¡°I assume Ms. Salvador will be eager to see me again¡­even if the rest of the entire organization doesn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s such a lovable person, makes going back there all the more worth it.¡±

    ¡°(I assume no one else there might share the sentiment.)¡±

    ¡°Who cares what they think? They¡¯ve been giving us death stares from the moment we got there¡­¡± -Ten gasped. ¨C¡°Maybe that¡¯s it! they betrayed us because they don¡¯t like us.¡±

    ¡°(¡­That¡¯s petty. Very petty.)¡± -However, in Alicia¡¯s mind, it made all the sense in the world. ¨C ¡°(¡­But that¡¯s what they are. So, it makes sense.)¡±

    Alicia scratched the scar on her right cheek, feeling a little burn under them. ¨C¡°We¡¯ll give them a reason to not be petty anymore.¡±

    It didn¡¯t take long for Alicia to fall asleep. Way before she started to work for the Men of the World, she¡¯d have a number of recurrent nightmares that would take her back to the battlefields she once fought in, to fight the same enemies and shoot the same faces. Sometimes she¡¯d face people she never met, products of her imagination, or at least that¡¯s what she thought, and there was also a handful of people that she could swear she never met, but their faces were kind of familiar to her.

    A woman with short black hair and a white dress, with her hands clasped together, asking for forgiveness and a man with a blue dirty shirt, accusing her with his big and robust index finger.

    Those dreams were an absolute hell for her; fighting during the day only to keep on fighting in her slumber, but despite everything, those nightmares were a hell that she was very accustomed to, so she would heed them no mind, even after waking up; what was important to her is that she managed to rest.

    However, after escaping from the Crimson Rangers, after escaping from the commander, those dreams seemed to have faded into the corners of her mind, unable to disturb her anymore, and they were replaced by the comforting nothingness that many people experienced during their sleep, something they were all accustomed to, but for her it was a welcomed experience, and that time wouldn¡¯t be an exception.

    Alicia woke up to a starry night. It was already too late to think about wandering through the desert at that time.

    She took an MRE she had packed up in her bag and lit up a fire. She felt right at home, in the wasteland, where everything that dared live died. Everything, except her.

    The following day, MTW agents created a perimeter around the extraction point in order to secure the area and make sure no nasty surprises would present themselves while they waited for Butcher¡¯s arrival. A plane with a capacity of 50 people landed in the zone shortly after.

    Lionel had told Kirsten there would be 12, but one of his sympathizers was not confident with that number; he felt exposed, so he decided to bring in some extra assets outside of the MTW using some contacts. Bolstering up their numbers put his mind at ease.

    Half of the agents waiting on the ground boarded the plane and prepared themselves to set up their surprise for Butcher. Every squad had received her dossier which contained information on her skills and feats, compensating for her lack of background. This information served them to prepare an attack they were sure she wouldn¡¯t be able to escape from alive.

    ¡°She sustained heavy injuries during her mission. Robert¡¯s men worked her up good.¡± -Said the leader of the alpha squad. ¨C ¡°She will be too tired to respond on time, and in such a reduced space her options are limited. She¡¯s severely outgunned, it¡¯s impossible for her to survive what¡¯s in store for her. But do not do anything until she¡¯s inside the plane.¡±

    Everyone agreed through the intercom and kept waiting for her arrival. It went without saying but, no matter what it took, and no matter what happened, they had to make sure Alicia didn¡¯t return to the base alive.

    ¡°Alpha team, Bravo 2 here.¡± -it was one of the guards from around the perimeter. ¨C¡°Please respond.¡±

    ¡°What is it, Bravo 2?¡±

    ¡°Uh, I have a question. Butcher should have facial scars, right?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, Bravo 2? Of course she has scars on her face, don¡¯t you have her picture?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course, but eh¡­we have a situation here.¡±

    ¡°Come on, guys¡­I recently got some skincare treatment, that¡¯s all. It was way more effective than I expected. All things considered, it¡¯s like I was born again.¡±

    Bravo 2 and his partner looked at the picture, then at the person that was standing right in front of them. They shared an uncanny resemblance, and her clothes matched with the description, they had bullet holes in them as well, she was also carrying the bag full of weapons the target was supposedly carrying.

    ¡°The coordinates told me to come here, so here I am! Can you people¡­extract me already?¡± -She said, showing the mercenaries a big, childlike smile.

    No matter what she said, they knew deep inside. Whoever she was, she was not Alicia the Butcher.

 Strings for the wicked

    The southern outpost located near Bullhead Road had an unexpected visitor. Due to sudden and mysterious orders, she was brought there after completing her mission in England. Even if she was an assassin, the personnel were relaxed because she was one of the few assassins that didn¡¯t make them tremble in fear with their presence alone. Besides, she was also very educated and amicable, unlike the others.

    One of the rebels had invited her to play a game of chess while she waited further orders. She was no stranger to the game so she accepted the offer. But he didn¡¯t invite her just to have fun and pass the time, Lionel believed that she would be open to consider supporting their hostile takeover, based on the theory that her set of beliefs aligned with theirs.

    ¡°It may be rude for me to make assumptions but, I¡¯m sure that you are the kind of professional that only works for good and honest causes. You not only pursue the payment; you actively work to ensure the peace and order of the territories you work in. Am I right?¡± ¨C His name was Jeremy, a third division operator, he was participating in the rebellion just like everyone else in his division, and was currently waiting for the order to act and fight. He suspected that once he reported back to Bonde and told him about his success recruiting Fate¡¯s help, they would proceed with the takeover.

    He for one was confident that their rebellion would be a massive success and that Darius had no idea what he was in for.

    Jeremy made his move on the board and waited for Fate¡¯s response.

    She showed him a playful smile and adjusted her cap. ¨C¡°You are not too off the mark, I do aspire to do something good with my work. The problem is, I really don¡¯t care about other people¡¯s peace.¡±

    ¡°Oh? And why is that?¡±

    ¡°It just isn¡¯t my role in this world.¡± -Fate showed Jeremy the strings that intertwined around her fingers. ¨C¡°These strings cut whatever I tell them to cut, they catch, pressure and cut; a weapon, so it serves no other purpose than hurting people, but they are meant for a certain kind of people.¡±

    ¡°What kind of people?¡±

    ¡°The kind that relish and thrive from exploiting normalcy, forcing it into stagnation, that grasp at it and refuse the change, breaking the natural order of things. If there was no fool trying to do something like that, these strings would not exist, and I wouldn¡¯t have been born, yet here I am, and here they are.¡±

    ¡°I see. So, you do think that change is necessary.¡±

    ¡°¡­But what kind of change?¡± -She threw an insightful look at him. ¨C ¡°I¡¯ve got this feeling we are not on the same page, you know?¡±

    ¡°Well I-¡±

    ¡°You intend to change something? ¡­Check.¡±

    Fate managed to put Jeremy¡¯s king in check and he quickly made a move to put the king out of danger.

    ¡°You could say so¡­¡± -He said. ¨C¡°A few others and I find ourselves¡­let¡¯s say dissatisfied with how things have been running lately. We think that, the way things are going, we¡¯ll never see our ultimate goal fulfilled. You do know that the Men of the World seek to change the world, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Kirsten told me so.¡±

    ¡°Ah, Kirsten¡­¡± -He had a bittersweet taste in his mouth, assuming that by that point, Kirsten would be already dead. ¨C ¡°Yeah, he has the right ideas, but doesn¡¯t see the bigger picture. The way things are going, that great change won¡¯t ever happen. So, my people and I seek to do things our way to make sure that change does happen.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± -Fate placed her hand on her cheek as she moved her bishop to capture a knight. ¨C¡°To make sure the change happens¡­¡±

    ¡°And judging by our conversation, I recognize that you too want to see this great change happen. So, I was wondering if we could count on you.¡±

    Fate yawned while moving her tower to place the king in check once again. ¨C¡°¡­So you guys seek to appropriate this change and see it through with your own hands.¡± -He didn¡¯t notice, but Fate¡¯s strings made a small cut on his neck¡¯s skin, only to confirm what was already obvious to her. ¨C ¡°See, I¡¯m not a girl of big thoughts or insights, beyond these strings and the gifts they give me, I¡¯m just a simple individual, with a simple background.¡±

    Jeremy put his king back to safety once again, but Fate didn¡¯t make her move instantly, she stared at the board, knowing that somewhere around those 64 tiles, the check-mate was one move away.

    ¡°When humans are faced with change, there are three kinds: those who embrace it, those who challenge it, and those who appropriate it.¡±

    Fate grabbed her knight and used it to finally checkmate Jeremy¡¯s king, finishing the game. ¨C ¡°These strings have revealed to me that, even if the existence of these three types of humans is undoubtable, the world could make due without one of them.¡±

    Their conversation was interrupted by the radar¡¯s alarm. ¨C ¡°Heads up, we got an unknown vehicle approaching the perimeter.¡± -Announced one of the agents in charge of watching over the area.

    Jeremy excused himself and stood up to see what was going on. The agents checked on the road¡¯s cameras to determine what they were dealing with.

    They spotted a single blue rover approaching from the northern path at high speed, they couldn¡¯t see who the driver was with the sun reflection over the windshield covering his face.

    ¡°It¡¯s a single rover, we don¡¯t know who it belongs to. The guards on the outside will intercept it when it breaches the perimeter.¡± -The agent was very impartial, approaching the situation according to protocol.

    Everyone at the hideout were feeling pretty confident, everyone except Jeremy who recognized that blue rover the moment it appeared on screen. It belonged to the thug they hired to torture Kirsten to death, he wasn¡¯t supposed to be there or know about that location at all.

    That order of ideas made him reach to a conclusion, whoever it was behind the wheel, he was not one of their allies, and had to be dealt with immediately.

    Fate watched as Jeremy grabbed a submachine gun from the armory next door and rushed out to deal with the intruder before he could show himself to the guards.

    ¡°(The most normal people are usually the most easily corrupted)¡± -She thought while re-ordering the pieces on the board, and once she was done with that she got up from her chair and walked out of the lodge to follow him.

    After a journey of hours that felt like days, Kirsten had finally made it to Bullhead Road, and before arriving at the Bullhead community center, he made a sharp turn to the right, driving through the unpaved road that would take him to the Night Lodge that was currently one of their many hideouts located in Canada, right under the enemy¡¯s nose.

    He pressed hard on the accelerator without caring for any obstacles or bumps that could be found on the road ahead of him, there was no place in his mind to think about precautions at that moment.

    In a matter of seconds, he could see the lodge right in the middle of the wilderness, his heart throbbed with anticipation, his thoughts were in such disorder that he almost forgot about what he was going to say to them.

    A couple of guards came out of the lodge and stood in front of the gateway, aiming their pistols at the approaching vehicle, trying to determine if he was an ally or a foe. Knowing that if he didn¡¯t stop all of his efforts would be for naught, Kirsten finally slowed down and stopped right in front of the gateway.

    ¡°Identify yourself!¡± -Demanded one of the guards. Kirsten lowered one of the windows and showed them his bruised and bloodied hands.

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m-¡± -He was interrupted and forced to take cover as a storm of bullets flew through the windshield. Jeremy kept spraying his gun, hoping to fill him with lead after doing so for long enough.

    When he emptied a mag, he dropped it on the ground and loaded another one. The guards tried to stop him but he smacked both of them in the face to get them out of his way and kept on shooting.

    The bullets were flying dangerously close to Kirsten¡¯s head as he crouched and hid under the wheel. He had run out of options, and he couldn¡¯t just wait for Jeremy to run out of ammo. He placed the gear lever on first velocity and pressed the accelerator to the bottom, hoping to run over Jeremy.

    As the vehicle advanced, Jeremy jumped out of the way, letting the car crash with a pillar near the entrance. He reloaded once again and walked up to the car to open the door and deal the killing blow, assuming that crash hadn¡¯t killed him.

    Kirsten was still alive, but now he had no other cards left to play, he was completely at Jeremy¡¯s mercy.

    ¡°(I¡¯ll make up an excuse later, they¡¯ll absolve me.)¡± -Thought Jeremy, having faith on his rebellious partners¡¯ loyalty, assuming they wouldn¡¯t leave a brother behind. ¨C¡°(I¡¯ll kill him before he says anything.)¡±

    Jeremy pulled the door open and confirmed his suspicions, Kirsten had found a way to escape his captors, but he made a bad decision going there.

    He quickly raised up the gun but was suddenly forced to let go off it.

    Jeremy felt a pressure around his neck that kept tightening until no breath of air could come in or out of his body. He put his hands around his neck, trying to find with his touch whatever was trying to strangle him. He felt with his finger a number of slim but solid strings tightening around his neck until they touched each other, creating a perfect knot that cut through his neck¡¯s skin and veins, performing an imperfect but more than superficial decapitation.

    Jeremy fell on his knees feeling the blood escape his body, trying to stop it with his hands, but the stream was too big and too intense to stop it. The strings let loose, but it was already too late. Jeremy¡¯s eyes bent backwards as he dropped to the ground surrounded by a crimson puddle.

    Kirsten raised up his head, surprised to see that his would be executioner had died before finishing his job. As the smoke dissipated, they both recognized each other, Kirsten couldn¡¯t be gladder to have met her in this place; truly, the world could be very small at times and luck could bring us the greatest of blessings.

    ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s you!¡± -Said Fate. ¨C ¡°I guess it was the right move to take care of this guy.¡±

    ¡°Charlie¡­what are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°After my job was over, I was sent here. People have been very cool, so it¡¯s been great to hang around here.¡± ¨C She looked at her hand as the strings swiftly interlaced around her fingers. ¨C ¡°But it¡¯s safe to assume that you didn¡¯t come here just for some small talk.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­no, I didn¡¯t.¡± ¨C He replied, wanting to laugh a bit, but his ribs would resent him if he did so.

    Help came shortly after, they dragged Kirsten out of the vehicle and took care of Jeremy¡¯s body.

    While Kirsten was being tended to inside the lodge, he asked the agents to bring him a phone to report his findings. Everyone aside from Charlie were surprised to learn about the betrayal of such important members of the organization and went to work to spread the news immediately throughout all channels and sources, making sure that everyone knew to the very last agent.

    Soon enough Kirsten found himself alone inside a spare bedroom they had inside the lodge, giving him enough space and silence to do his job, he sat on the edge of the bed and grabbed the phone.

    He kept on dialing, hoping it wasn¡¯t too late, but no matter how much time it passed, no one would pick up the call. Slowly but surely, he lost all hope and concluded that Lionel and his people had already made their move until after the 4<sup>th</sup> attempt, Darius finally picked up the call.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Boss! it¡¯s Kirsten! I found the traitors! Lionel and the chief operator are all involved, section 3 is compromised. They plan to take over and eliminate you, you have to move ASAP!¡±

    Kirsten didn¡¯t know what reaction he was expecting from the boss, but he surely didn¡¯t expect him to react with such apathy.

    ¡°Huh¡­is that so?¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°So Lionel has forgotten his place. Why does he want to destroy all I¡¯ve worked for, I wonder? Doesn¡¯t he realize that killing me would set off the living time bomb that is this society?¡± -Kirsten was glad to know that Darius had reached the same logical conclusion than him. ¨C ¡°You say he¡¯s already on the move¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, sir. He may be coordinating an attack right now.¡±

    ¡°Knowing that man he must have lots of adepts.¡± -Kirsten could hear through the line how Darius pressed the intercom¡¯s switch to contact his secretary. ¨C ¡°Maria, please, send a message to reaper, tell her to come immediately¡­I¡¯ll make preparations if that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll compensate you properly after all of this is over, Kirsten. For the time being, keep yourself alive. I don¡¯t need to be a genius to know that this is only the beginning of this death game.¡±

    ¡°Right. Take care of yourself sir.¡±

    ¡°Same as you.¡±

    Darius ended the call, he¡¯d know what to do to protect himself, but Kirsten couldn¡¯t relax just yet. He dialed to another person he needed to warn about the peril her life was in. He trusted Butcher would be able to take care of the problem on her own, but she may have better chances to survive if she was warned beforehand.

    Unfortunately, as his call was responded, he realized it was too late for a warning.

    ¡°Butch-!¡± -He wanted to call out her alias, but was suddenly welcomed by an ear-piercing scream coming from the other side of the line.

    He could hear slashes, blunt noises, gunshots, screams and a dozen voices all at the same time.

    ¡°Suppress her, don¡¯t let her breath!¡±

    ¡°My arm! My fucking arm!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m blind, someone help me!¡±

    He recognized one of the voices, it was Harold Kane. Kirsten wasn¡¯t surprised that he was involved in this conspiracy too.

    Kirsten listened as air was being cut swiftly, then cringed when he heard a loud impact, a rifle shooting on full auto, succeeded by the sound of bones and cartilages breaking apart. Someone went up flying and landed over his partners, pushing them to the ground.

    ¡°What kind of freak you are!?¡± -Yelled Kane, there was an unsurmountable terror in his voice.

    ¡°You just hate what you cannot be, darling.¡± -It was Alicia¡¯s voice, but it was somehow different, livelier. ¨C ¡°If you thought you had us completely figured out, you have no idea how stupid you are. Here¡¯s a little thing you didn¡¯t know, my sister is the one with the prodigious aim and straight assassination techniques, she says that she doesn¡¯t see the charm in prolonging things; She keeps it straight and brief. Me though? I love fighting. Every trick I have makes sure I have lots of fun every time! And there¡¯s nothing more fun than fighting in such a narrow space.¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­! We¡¯ll take you down no matter what!¡±

    ¡°Keep trying bucko! Don¡¯t give up! You only lose when you give up!¡± ¨C Kirsten heard a pin being pulled and the distinct sound of a smoke grenade releasing its cloud. ¡°Now I¡¯ve got some to think. Who is it?¡±

    Kirsten gasped. ¨C ¡°Butcher, it¡¯s me, Kir¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, Kirsten! It¡¯s good to hear you again. What? Are you calling to taunt me? that¡¯s ok, it won¡¯t make a difference.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what? No, Butcher, I-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you this, this contract was entertaining, and your people really know how to party, but honestly, I would¡¯ve been more surprised if you didn¡¯t try to cross me at all. We had something good, you know?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not what you think!¡±

    ¡°Sure it isn¡¯t¡­¡± ¨C Alicia reloaded her rifle. ¨C ¡°*Sigh, I was hoping we could be friends, real friends, you know? But it is what it is¡­Sit down and relax, before you know it, your lights will go out, there¡¯s nothing stopping my killstreak. So until then, enjoy the game!¡±

    There were more cuts, cries and explosions of noise until the call was ended abruptly.

    Kirsten left the phone fall down next to him. He was capable of deducting what was going on in his mind, Lionel had stayed true to his plan and attacked Alicia, and just as expected, she was proving to be a pain in the ass, and as a consequence, she thought they were all involved, including him.

    They should¡¯ve known better than cross one of the most dangerous killers alive, he had faith that she would survive, but now the situation was harder to reconcile.

    ¡°Sounds like someone is in a lot of trouble.¡± -Commented Charlie, Kirsten hadn¡¯t noticed that she was in the room, sitting next to him.

    ¡°Did you hear all of that?¡±- He asked.

    ¡°Most of it. That must be the butcher I¡¯ve been hearing about this last couple of weeks. She must be a very strong individual; I¡¯d like to meet her and her sister soon.¡±

    ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t even know she had a sister.¡± -Said Kirsten, reviewing everything he knew about her. Not in a single page was ever a sister mentioned. He found it strange that they had skipped over such an important detail. He kept on rationalizing this hole in his information, ignoring the deep secret that sentence hid within.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t know? I thought that you were the expert and knew everything about us.¡±

    ¡°That girl is full of surprises¡­she¡¯s really a wild child.¡± -Kirsten laughed sourly, ignoring the piercing pain he felt around his ribcage. ¨C ¡°¡­Working with her is already proving to be lots of fun.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m eager to work with her on our first cooperative operation, maybe even bring Silencer and Spectre along the way too, assuming she doesn¡¯t stay an enemy, of course.¡±

    ¡°Soon¡­pretty soon, I¡¯ll make sure of it.¡± -He and the other loyal handlers were preparing something, an operation that would be the equivalent to chopping off the elites¡¯ right leg; a crippling declaration of war.

    But before making that mission a reality, they had to deal with the rebellion first, and then rebuild, and only God knew how long that would take.

    ¡°I know the situation looks bad, but she¡¯s more rational than people give her credit for. I know that if we find her and talk to her, she¡¯ll come with us.¡± -Kirsten sighed, trying to comfort himself.

    ¡°You have a lot of faith in her, almost as if you¡¯ve known her for a very long time.¡± -Said Fate, raising her hand up to her chin.

    ¡°¡­In a way, she¡¯s altered my life in ways she wouldn¡¯t ever be able to imagine.¡±

    Kirsten knew that their enemies wouldn¡¯t waste this chance to eradicate them, but the possibility didn¡¯t scare him anymore.

    If his team and him were the only thing standing between the Men of the World and total annihilation, he would fight to the last breath.

    Kirsten was quickly inspired by Butcher¡¯s relentlessness, and deep within his heart, he wanted to make sure that ravenous flame wouldn¡¯t fade away.

 Lets play!

    Prior to Kirsten¡¯s arrival on the lodge, someone that looked almost exactly as Alicia was being retained right outside the extraction point¡¯s perimeter. The mercenaries stared at her, looking at the photo and searching for differences besides the obvious one: She had no scars on her face and neck, unlike the real Alicia.

    ¡°No matter how we look at it, you are not her.¡± -They raised up their rifles. ¨C¡°Who the hell are you and how did you find this place?¡±

    ¡°Come on guys¡­¡± ¨C She laughed. ¨C ¡°What do I have to do to prove to you I¡¯m the real one? yeah, I HAD scars, that photo is outdated!¡±

    ¡°Wh¡­they took this photo only a few days ago!¡± -Said one of them.

    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s no skincare product in this world that can fade scars away so quickly.¡±

    ¡°Please¡­you want to see my badge?¡± ¨C She gave her badge to one of the mercs.

    ¡°Alpha team, this is Bravo 2, the suspect gave us a badge, can you verify if it¡¯s authentic?¡±

    ¡°Roger that, Bravo 2, turn on your bodycam, show us the badge.¡±

    The mercenary turned it on and the surveillance team analyzed the badge, Lionel¡¯s man on the field looked at it personally.

    ¡°It¡¯s completely authentic.¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°But that doesn¡¯t prove anything. She may wear her clothes and carry her guns, but that¡¯s not Butcher.¡±

    ¡°Are you certain, sir?¡± -Asked the leader of the alpha team.

    ¡°I saw her with my very own eyes, I antagonized her personally, I stood at 2 meters away from her.¡± -Without realizing, her right hand trembled and he rushed to stop it with his other hand. ¨C ¡°She¡¯s not good at lying, that much is pretty obvious, but this is simply weird, something¡¯s up.¡±

    ¡°How do you want us to proceed, sir?¡± -Asked the leader.

    He looked at the impostor through the screen, his stomach twisted and turned at the sight of her childish smile and confident demeanor. She was certainly underestimating them, taking them for absolute fools. But no matter what, the reality was that she was the only fool in that place, or at least that¡¯s what everyone else wanted to think.

    ¡°Let her through¡­¡± -He said. ¨C¡°The Butcher is not coming. If the strike team failed, of course she wouldn¡¯t come. We don¡¯t know where she might be, but this impostor certainly does. Play along for now and let her board the plane.¡±

    ¡°Roger that, sir.¡± -Said Bravo 2 agreeing to the new orders. He made up a plausible excuse in his mind and looked back at her. ¨C ¡°You are lucky, girl. Keep going, the plane has landed, we¡¯ve been expecting you for a while.¡±

    ¡°Oh, thank you love, I was starting to think I would lose this flight. Really, you guys should learn to never judge a book by its cover.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Move along, we can¡¯t wait here any much longer.¡±

    ¡°Aye aye.¡±

    The impostor walked through, heading to the landing zone and finding the plane at last.

    ¡°Ahh it¡¯s good to finally leave this godforsaken country. I really need to feel the cold of the mountains again!¡± -She said. ¨C¡°And I need a very urgent shower, this place is so dirty.¡±

    The plane was bigger than she thought it would be. She figured it would be the same kind of jet that took Alicia to Alaska back then, but it was obvious they intended this flight to transport multiple agents at a time, and their intentions were obvious enough.

    She frowned at the idea that the people around her underestimated her and thought of her as a simpleton, or just na?ve. If there was something she despised, and she despised only a few things, was to be underestimated.

    Regardless of her feelings, she allowed herself to be guided to her seat by the stewardess and took a deep breath, she would enjoy the sight of the plane taking off when everything was ready.

    ¡°The target is secured.¡±- Said the alpha leader. ¨C ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The engines powered on, everyone was on their respective spots. The plane took off to the skies shortly afterwards. Given the results she achieved during the mission, and regardless of all the damages she caused and the trail of corpses she left behind, much to Isaac¡¯s displeasure, the MTW could consider Butcher¡¯s assignment a resounding success.

    The pilot had been given instructions to make a landing in a base within Canadian territory, they asked him and his co-pilot to consider this an ¡°off the books¡± flight, and to not interfere or comment on anything that could happen within the plane for the duration of it.

    She drank a cup of coffee while looking at the morning sky and the landscape that extended under it, she was wholly glad to be saying goodbye to that wasteland.

    At least by being far away from it, Alicia¡¯s mood could lighten up a bit again.

    ¡°(Appearing out of nowhere in front of them was imprudent, Ten.)¡± -Said Alicia, taking a break within the confines of her own mind.

    Just like she promised to Ten, she was allowing her to take care of the business while she was taking a deserved break.

    ¡°(But it worked, didn¡¯t it? they had no choice but to open the gates to me since, literally, you didn¡¯t come.)¡±

    ¡°(They could¡¯ve killed you.)¡±

    ¡°(You really think they could stand a chance? I have no patience for arrogant amateurs like those two.)¡±

    Alicia groaned. ¨C ¡°(¡­Just make sure my body at least can still move for when we land.)¡± -She said. ¨C ¡°(I¡¯ve got the feeling these guys are planning something.)¡±

    ¡°(Aye, sis. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure your body comes out unscathed from this ordeal, if they have the guts of making this journey one.)¡±

    Some seats around her were occupied by men and women wearing black suits, some even bothered to bring dark sunglasses. Ten didn¡¯t need to be too perceptive to know they were carrying as well.

    ¡°Be ready people.¡± -Said Lionel¡¯s lieutenant. ¨C ¡°Butcher is quite perceptive and knows when she¡¯s being threatened, but we don¡¯t know anything about this lookalike. For all we know she may have no fighting skills. For the time being, Echo team, be prepared to breach in if there¡¯s trouble.¡±

    ¡°Roger that.¡± -Said the leader of the Echo team, who were hidden in a compartment right above Ten. If things got complicated, they would open the hatch and rain lead on her. Her chances to survive if nothing went wrong were highly unlikely.

    ¡°As for the others.¡± -He continued. ¨C ¡°It¡¯s highly likely the real Butcher is still hiding in Mexico, the chances to find her are slim, so we have to get everything we can out of this envoy of hers. Interrogate her, and once and if she says anything useful, dispose of her quickly and discreetly, don¡¯t give her a chance to counterattack.¡±

    ¡°(Ah¡­I can feel the danger, they are preparing something, I¡¯m so excited.)¡±-Ten squealed internally. It had been so long since she had full control, and to Alicia¡¯s displeasure, she intended to make the most out of this opportunity.

    ¡°(I¡¯m going to get killed and I¡¯m going to go to hell, and once I¡¯m in hell, I¡¯ll wait down there to kick your ass!)¡± -Alicia¡¯s body (or the concept of it within her mind) vibrated with anxiety knowing she was leaving her safety in the hands of the craziest killer she knew of.

    ¡°(Come on, don¡¯t say that.)¡± ¨C in the exterior, every agent with their eyes on her stared unnerved and anxious. Ten was smiling with her eyes closed, a mischievous smile that made everyone nearby feel uneasy. ¨C ¡°(You won¡¯t ever go to hell. You are pure, Alicia, you are the purest person I know, you know what¡¯s right and what¡¯s wrong, and your feelings may be intense, but¡­)¡± -Ten crossed her legs over one another. ¨C ¡°(It¡¯s because of them you rejected the sweet enchantment of corruption!)¡±

    Alicia sighed. ¨C ¡°(¡­There¡¯s nothing¡­pure about being an assassin, Ten. Even less when I have killed so many people at a time. I don¡¯t deserve to be called pure.)¡±

    ¡°(One day you¡¯ll understand why I say it.)¡± ¨C Ten interlaced her fingers, feeling the power she could muster through them. ¨C ¡°(Aside from that. Don¡¯t worry about your body. Just like in Siberia, remember I¡¯m just as strong as you.)¡±

    ¡°(¡­Right¡­I guess I forget sometimes.)¡±

    That seemed to have settled the discussion.

    Suddenly, another man approached her from the corridor.

    ¡°Excuse me madam, do you mind if I sit here?¡± ¨C He asked

    ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t mind, have a seat.¡± ¨C She responded. ¨C ¡°(At this distance I¡¯ve got so many funny techniques to practice on him.)¡±

    ¡°(And then you dare call me bloodthirsty?)¡±

    Ten chuckled under her breath, making the agent feel a little insecure.

    He was a smiling and cheery man, or at least that¡¯s what he wanted her to think, a bit overweight too, but that hardly mattered in that situation.

    The agent took the seat next to her, looked at his watch and then to everyone else around him, probably looking for reassurance. ¨C ¡°Thank you, I got relocated at the last moment.¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°And they allowed me to take this seat. Actually, I think it¡¯s better than the one I was supposed to have.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no biggie. I don¡¯t really like to fly with an empty seat next to me.¡±

    The agent gasped and stared at her face intently. ¨C ¡°Wait¡­the Butcher, you are Alicia the Butcher, the new assassin Eyler recruited.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­I feel so famous.¡±

    ¡°(Fame is problematic.)¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, I¡¯m Daniel, Daniel Johnson.¡± -He reached out to her hand and shook it. ¨C ¡°Just a mere field agent, but it¡¯s an honor to be working with you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure, love. I¡¯m always open to making new friends in the organization.¡± -Ten fluttered her eyelashes, throwing a smiley glare at him. ¨C ¡°Friends are one of the most important things to have in this world.¡±

    ¡°(Shut the hell up.)¡±

    ¡°Let me tell you...¡± -He said.  ¨C ¡°¡­You are a legend in flesh and bone!¡±

    ¡°Oh, come on, you are embarrassing me¡­¡± ¨C Ten looked to the window, pretending to be embarrassed, her attitude was slowly but surely upsetting the other people around her.

    ¡°Come on, I¡¯m serious!¡± -Said Daniel. ¨C ¡°The MTW is a big organization. The assassins are the executing hand of our group, and the truth is, most agents may end up working through their entire careers in the organization without ever seeing an assassin at least once. I kind of envy those operators since they are the ones that interact the most with you guys.¡±

    ¡°Is that so¡­ha!¡± -She said. ¨C ¡°Most of you agents don¡¯t seem to be that comfortable with folk like me when they stumble upon us.¡±

    ¡°Ah, they are just scaredy cats, they don¡¯t want to recognize your contributions to the future of this organization. We have a lot of enemies, strong and wealthy, I¡¯m glad you are supporting us, a real thoroughbred killer.¡±

    Ten¡¯s smile widened. ¨C ¡°Oh, it¡¯s been such a long time since someone called me that. One of my masters liked to encourage me using those words. I hope she¡¯s doing ok.¡±

    ¡°(It¡¯s because of whoever that whore is that we have to deal with you!)¡± -Thought Daniel, he did a good job to make sure his facial expressions didn¡¯t give him out. ¨C¡°But really now, in my country, when people think of professional assassins or hitmen, they think of these stealthy, ninja-like individuals that lurk and attacked under the veil of night,  sniping their targets from afar, living in expensive and secluded lodges far away from cities and towns. They think about this trope and discard it altogether, as if it wasn¡¯t possible. But you exist, you are the real deal. Sure, you may not be as stealthy as others I¡¯ve heard about that work for our group too, but you have your own style, essence and are capable of things that no one could ever think possible.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you are flattering me just because¡­what are you trying to say, man?¡±

    ¡°Well, I guess I just admire you, it¡¯s all. You, and the others in the assassins¡¯ division. I don¡¯t mean this as an offense, but you guys are a great mystery to all of us, it¡¯s like working with a unicorn, you are undecipherable, a true enigma; you people have no file, no identity and no history. I¡¯m kinda charmed by you, you know what I¡¯m saying?¡±

    The other agents were impressed with Daniel, he was doing a great job playing his role as a bootlicker. Of course, he¡¯s had a lot of practice in the past.

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°Awwww¡­that¡¯s cute.¡± ¨C Ten placed her hands behind her neck. ¨C ¡°What do you find so charming about me?¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯m getting uncomfortable)¡± -Said Alicia.

    ¡°It¡¯s your strength. You are very strong, and your track record is proof of that.¡± -He said while pointing at her. ¨C ¡°Everyone that has challenged you has perished, no matter what you keep going. No matter what others might say, you are just built different.¡± -He pointed at her. ¨C ¡°Like, we¡¯ve heard rumors that you didn¡¯t stop after leaving Iraq, you kept going at it in Afghanistan. You kept jumping from one war to the other, and no stood a chance. You are unique!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you say that to every girl you meet.¡± ¨CTen laughed.

    Suddenly, Daniel¡¯s expression turned serious, he looked at his watch for a moment then turned to Alicia once again.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, I¡¯d like to know how a person becomes an assassin, the mindset and skills specifically. What does a person have to do to reach that level of skill and finesse to do this job?¡±

    Ten tilted her head and narrowed her glare. ¨C ¡°You wanna know how I became a beast of a woman?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, if that¡¯s ok with you.¡± -He said and laughed. ¨C ¡°That¡¯s a way of putting it.¡±

    She placed both her arms on the armrests and looked forward, relaxing her muscles for what was about to happen. Daniel kept looking at his watch and moving his knee nervously, waiting for something from his own side.

    ¡°It¡¯s no rocket science, really.¡± -She said. ¨C ¡°Wait, it actually might be rocket science, my upbringing wasn¡¯t exactly normal, so to speak. Eh, forget about that, I think a good place to start is by understanding and knowing yourself.¡±

    ¡°Knowing myself?¡±

    Ten¡¯s vision was suddenly overtaken by Alicia¡¯s, and Ten could feel and see the blood that stained Alicia¡¯s hands, that blood that she didn¡¯t seem to be capable of washing off her mind. She couldn¡¯t help but feel pity for Alicia, knowing that they hadn¡¯t found a way to deal with the grueling guilt that kept harassing her.

    ¡°You have to know yourself, what you actually believe in.¡± -She said. ¨C ¡°You have to know what you are willing to do to see your ideals fulfilled. Once you¡¯ve done that, you must stop limiting yourself, and dare hurt another person.¡± -Ten looked at Daniel dead in the eye, and he almost got lost in that blue sea her eyes were. ¨C¡°Humans have been conditioned to not hurt each other you know? Some more than others, so if you are one of those that cannot even fathom the idea of hurting someone else, you have to work hard to get rid of that limiter.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± -Daniel¡¯s stress was skyrocketing, he didn¡¯t know how much he could stand.

    ¡°Afterwards¡­you must force yourself to your absolute limits!¡± -Ten clenched her fist, feeling pleasure by basking on her own strength. ¨C ¡°You must throw yourself to danger, face your enemies, you must learn the meaning of holding another one¡¯s life in your bare hands.¡±

    Alicia stepped forward. They weren¡¯t really synchronizing; it was as if they were sharing a microphone.

    ¡°You must understand what is hell on earth.¡± -Said Alicia. ¨C ¡°¡­the meaning of combat¡­the meaning of survival¡­embracing chaos¡­the weight of killing¡­and the meaning of pain.¡±

    ¡°I-I see¡­¡± -Daniel placed his hand to the side of his seat, the stewardess passed by just then and handed something to him, hoping that Ten wouldn¡¯t notice. Unfortunately, he¡¯d have to do better than that to fool her, and it was already too late.

    ¡°Train until you can¡¯t even recognize yourself in the mirror. Then you must acquire skills of your choosing meant for wetwork.¡± - Concluded Alicia.

    ¡°That makes sense.¡±

    ¡°And then¡­you debut!¡± -Ten shrugged. ¨C ¡°Find someone to employ you, they¡¯ll give you a name, they normally don¡¯t care how you pull it off, you just have to do it. Pay the target a visit, and don¡¯t dare think about what you are about to do if you can¡¯t stomach it. Get the work done, no matter how messy, escape, throw up in some alleyway if you need to, then report back to your client.¡±

    ¡°Keep going¡­¡± -Daniel clutched at the thing he was hiding in his hand.

    ¡°Assuming you don¡¯t get caught, all that¡¯s left to do is to reap your rewards. Rinse¡­and repeat.¡± - Alicia closed her eyes envisioning her first time. Even though Ten was reminiscing on her experience, her first time there was no one to pay her for it.

    ¡°So that¡¯s how you¡¯ve become so strong. I see. It must¡¯ve been tough for someone your age.¡±

    Ten shrugged. ¨C¡°Nah¡­I didn¡¯t really think much about it. Thinking back on it, maybe I was always destined to become who I am today.¡± ¨C Ten stretched her neck and cracked her fingers, preparing for what was to come, she was already getting impatient. ¨C ¡°There¡¯s one last thing though¡­¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Sometimes subtlety is very important, quite important even¡­and you are quite subtle, yeah, but not enough to get it past me.¡±

    A cold sweat drifted through Daniel¡¯s forehead. The agents around them looking at each other, doubting and confused on how to proceed or if they even were capable of proceeding at all.

    Daniel didn¡¯t have anything else to say, his tongue had retreated to the back of his throat. Both Alicia and Ten knew what this deafening and awkward silence meant.

    ¡°¡­I guess we are done chatting.¡± -She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting herself open.

    There was no more need for masks anymore, Daniel asked her directly.

    ¡°Listen up¡­we know you are not the real Butcher. We were expecting her, but you came instead. Where is she? tell us now and nothing will happen to you, I¡¯ll personally guarantee your safety.¡±

    Ten smiled. ¨C ¡°Not happening, pal. She told me what I had to do and fucked off without saying anything else, she could be on a boat right now, heading to¡­ I don¡¯t know, China? She could be going anywhere as we speak¡­she doesn¡¯t care about the organization or whatever they are doing anymore, so she left, she¡¯s going to take advantage of her freedom to find someone else to make use of her services.¡±

    ¡°And what did he tell you to do?¡± -He asked, his tone becoming slightly threatened.

    Ten opened her eyes slightly, and glared at him. ¨C¡°If you let me get back to the base you¡¯ll find out.¡± ¨C She closed her eyes again. ¨C ¡°That¡¯s everything I have to say about the matter¡­you won¡¯t find Alicia unless she wants you to, so I¡¯m afraid interrogating me has gotten you nowhere.¡±

    The lieutenant had heard it all, and agreed with this conclusion. ¨C¡°Fuck it! we won¡¯t get anything else out of her. Daniel, take her down.¡± -He commanded him through the intercom.

    Daniel agreed silently, and waited for his chance to assassinate her, keeping in mind all the advice she had given him prior to this moment.

    He looked at her, she had her eyes closed, her arms over the armrests, giving off an air of absolute serenity, she was as open as she could ever be.

    ¡°(It has to be now.)¡± -He thought, and bracing himself with courage he lifted his arm upwards and aimed at Alicia¡¯s neck, trying to stab her with his weapon.

    He was very close, but unfortunately, he never had a chance.

    She stopped his arm mid-way grabbing it by the wrist. She quickly assessed the fact that he had tried to stab her with a scalpel.

    Before he could react, she snapped his wrist out of the joint, forcing him to drop the scalpel, and once she took it, she returned the favor and stabbed him in the neck, then pulled it inwards to widen the damage.

    ¡°How unfortunate, I was expecting you to be more of a player.¡±

    ¡°Daniel failed. Alpha team, engage!¡± ¨C Commanded the captain. The triggermen hidden in the ventilation above Ten lifted open the panel, ready to open fire.

    Right before the lead storm rained upon her, Ten grabbed Daniel¡¯s corpse and lifted it above her, using him as a human shield. The mercs opened fire, but their bullets were stopped by his mass.

    ¡°Too late!¡±

    Ten took out one of her pistols and retaliated shooting from a side, landing a headshot on one of the mercs and hitting the others in the vests.

    ¡°Take cover!¡± ¨C the mercs pulled back. The agents jumped out of their seats ready to shoot all at once to kill her.

    ¡°HA!¡± -Ten took out a handful of smoke grenades and threw as hard as she could, making some of them bounce around the plane¡¯s walls before releasing their clouds. There was a thick smoke cloud standing between the agents and Ten, but that didn¡¯t stop them from opening fire while blind.

    Ten hit the ground, barely evading the onslaught. Alicia remained silent, focused on Ten¡¯s actions; she wanted to see if Ten was going to stay true to her promise and not get her body too damaged.

    ¡°I guess the gig is up!¡± -Ten raised up her free hand. ¨C¡°It¡¯s showtime!¡±

    Ten snapped her fingers, and for a brief instant, every agent in that part of the plane felt slightly different. Something was wrong, but they couldn¡¯t quite place their finger on it.

    Regardless, they slowly closed the distance, approaching Ten¡¯s last known location, walking through the smoke wall.

    Finally, when they were at the other side, they found her corpse, full of holes and her eyes bloodshot. Everyone felt a rush of relief and satisfaction upon the sight of her dead carcass.

    One of the agents turned on his communicator. ¨C ¡°Target neutralized, awaiting further instructions¡­¡±

    He was expecting anything except for what he was about to hear. ¨C ¡°What are you talking about!? What are you people doing!? She¡¯s¡­!¡±

    Suddenly, everyone was startled by the sound of another detonation. They turned around to see Alicia, or rather Ten, executing one of them with her pistol.

    Their brains suffered whiplash, they didn¡¯t understand what just had happened, none of them could process it. They had killed her just a moment ago, her fuming body lied on the ground right next to them.

    One of the agents had enough time to look back at the place where they were sure Alicia¡¯s body was, and what he found there was a terrifying nothing; no corpse, no blood, just a bunch of bullet holes, and not much else.

    He wanted to make questions, but a bullet flying through his head prevented him from doing so.

    Ten waltzed around them, her aim being true, she put them down point blank, evading their aim with finesse. Once she had killed the fifth one, her pistol ran out of bullets, the second to last agent next to her tried to take this chance to shoot her, but he wasn¡¯t fast enough. Ten dropped the gun and reached for his arms, kicked him in the legs to upset his balance and twisted his arms until he was aiming at himself, and just as quickly, pulled the trigger, killing him with his own gun.

    ¡°Everyone, move in! Kill that bitch!¡± -Ordered the alpha captain, Lionel¡¯s lieutenant stared in utter impotence and terror as the action developed.

    The team hiding in the vents breached through the roof, dropping a flashbang. Ten¡¯s reaction was to cover her eyes and hide behind the seats of the last row. Once she had heard the flashbang go off, she reloaded the pistol.

    The smoke had scattered across the section, giving er just enough freedom to cut the distance between herself and the mercs.

    She rushed out of cover and shot the leading merc through his throat, point blank. Before he dropped, she grabbed him by the vest and took his MP5, proceeding to opening fire on the others while using his corpse as a shield, dropping two mercs as a result, the remaining four took cover and counterattacked.

    When the MP5 ran empty, Ten hid behind the seats two rows apart from their position.

    As she was crouching she heard another team moving down through the corridor on her left flank. It was such a simple tactic, but not even she could outmaneuver something like that from her position.

    Anyone else would¡¯ve known they had lost at that moment, but it was Ten who they were dealing with, and Ten¡¯s first solution to a problem was to snap her fingers.

    The mercs set their sights on her as she recklessly rushed out of her cover and gunned her down.

    Two mercs walked up to the corpse and looked at it, basking in her lifeless expression.

    ¡°Target down.¡± -Said one of them.

    ¡°Man, we certainly got her, guys!¡± ¨C They felt as one of the agents placed her arms on their shoulders. ¨C ¡°Man, what a horrible way to die, wouldn¡¯t want to be her right now.¡±

    ¡°Be professional, soldier.¡± -Said the one to her right.

    ¡°You are right, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¨C She suddenly grabbed them by the side of their heads and clashed their skulls with enough strength to cause a severe contusion.

    Ten stole the M4 one of them was carrying and sprayed it across the room, nailing three mercs and six agents before they could retaliate, but she also managed to hit two of the windows, causing a breach.

    The air filtered out, causing turbulence. Under the lieutenant¡¯s instruction, they activated the emergency panels that quickly covered the windows, solving the problem.

    While the enemies were recomposing themselves, she hit the ground, supporting the rifle with a merc¡¯s corpse and fired upon the enemies exposed on the corridor of the next section, taking down three of them and wounding two.

    She ran out of ammo, but the body she was hiding behind from had some spare mags around his vest. She reloaded and kept applying pressure on the front line.

    Four men tried to flank her through the other corridor, but just as their pointman peeked on the corner his skull was pierced by a .454 bullet.

    Ten fell back a couple of rows while fighting back the mercs that were advancing from both corridors, they were applying pressure shooting a lead storm over her head.

    She took cover behind the seats and could hear the bullets whistle as they impacted on the seats, some piercing through dangerously close to her.

    ¡°(Remember what I got those grenades for!)¡± -Interceded Alicia, making sure that Ten was not forgetting about them on purpose.

    ¡°Aye aye!¡± ¨C Ten threw a flashbang towards the enemy line, rendering them blind, she took her chance to shoot on full auto, taking out the enemies on both corridors.

    ¡°You weren¡¯t expecting things to go this way, right people? I¡¯m barely breaking a sweat!¡±

    Right after saying that, Ten saw in awe as a dozen red lasers pierced through the cloud of smoke.

    ¡°Oh no.¡± ¨C Ten hit the ground as another barrage of lead flew above her. ¨C ¡°Goddamn! They really want you dead.¡±

    ¡°(Can¡¯t say I blame them.)¡±

    ¡°Come on, have some self-esteem.¡±

    Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed through the smoke.

    ¡°You won¡¯t survive this, you goddamn animal! Surrender, and we¡¯ll make it quick!¡±

    She had only heard that voice on one occasion, but there was only a handful of people -that were still alive- that referred to her as an animal. Besides, that ever so annoying tone of his voice was like a trademark of his.

    ¡°Ohhhhh¡­I remember you! You are Kane, aren¡¯t you!?¡± -She asked. ¨C ¡°The little bitch that almost pissed his pants in her presence?¡±

    ¡°Shut up, you pest!¡± -He responded, his hands still trembling. ¨C¡°It''s impossible you don''t know where Butcher went, where is she!?"

    ¡°Sorry pal, but someone like you won¡¯t ever be able to get anything out of me.¡± -Ten reloaded and took some mags she found on the corpses closest to her. ¨C ¡°You made an ass out of yourself in front of my sister, acting all imposing and righteous up until she gave you a good scare¡­she noticed your legs trembling, you know? If you can¡¯t stand being in the presence of a killer, what¡¯s a cowardly retard like you doing in this business?¡±

    ¡°You fucking bitch¡­ We don¡¯t care if you are her sister, or whatever the fuck you are! God willing, you won¡¯t leave this plane alive!¡±

    Ten¡¯s smile faded away momentarily. ¨C ¡°Ah, it¡¯s a shame, you¡¯ve actually made me angry.¡± ¨C Ten took off her jacket to move more freely. As expected, while she was at the front, the scars in Alicia¡¯s arms also disappeared. ¨C ¡°I intended for this to be my last resource if things went south, but I think you¡¯ve earned it with honors.¡±

    ¡°Watch out, she¡¯s onto something.¡± -Said Kane to the mercenaries, and they readied up their guns once again, prepared to shoot at her the moment she crossed the smoke cloud.

    ¡°You think you can stop me, but a minion hardly will ever be able to stand up against a real player.¡± ¨C Ten clapped once, as strong as she could. The clap echoed throughout the plane, reaching their ears, everyone¡¯s eyes dilated and they were uncapable of thinking, their minds filled up with white noise.

    Ten picked up her rifle and walked through the corridor with all the peace of mind she could ever have, no one would shoot at her if she didn¡¯t want them to.

    ¡°You are in way over your head.¡± ¨C She said. ¨C ¡°On realistic terms, if you have to do this much to give me a good fight, I tell you, you have no chances against my sister. She¡¯s crazy strong you know, and just crazy as well.¡±

    ¡°(Don¡¯t put me on the spot here, Ten.)¡±

    ¡°If it was her you were facing, she wouldn¡¯t be playing around like me, you would be already dead. No matter how righteous you think you are, none of that means jack shit in the face of the forces of nature¡±  -Ten walked out of the smoke cloud, and stood right in front of the mercenaries, they stared at her dumbfounded, unsure of what to do; they actually forgot what they were supposed to do or what it is that you do while holding a gun, they even forgot how to use their tongues to speak.

    ¡°Arrogance and hubris are two of the poisons that plague righteousness.¡± -Ten aimed her rifle towards the first merc standing near the corner to the right. ¨C ¡°And as long as you keep being driven by these two, Kane¡­you will always lose against me!¡±

    Ten opened fire, executing the mercenaries one after the other with controlled bursts of the assault rifle. Meanwhile, Kane stood there, witnessing how she killed everyone effortlessly while he was utterly powerless to do anything.

    ¡°(Move!)¡± -He told himself, trying to regain control of his body. ¨C ¡°(Move! Fucking move!)¡±

    His body finally reacted just in time to fall back and take cover, right before she got to him to put him down.

    ¡°Wow, you actually did it!¡±  - She fired on full auto, gunning down the remaining mercenaries that weren¡¯t so lucky. ¨C ¡°Despite what I said, you are actually quite strong willed! Let¡¯s play a little bit more!¡±

    Kane ran away towards the comms room right before the pilot¡¯s cabin, there were still three more squads left without counting the alpha leader and his personal squad. Even then, Kane knew that if they hadn¡¯t been able to stop her with this many people, three more squads wouldn¡¯t make any difference.

    ¡°You have to stop her, at all cost!¡± -Ordered Kane to the remaining mercenaries.

    They were all thinking about the same thing, they were all thinking about how they should¡¯ve charged thrice the agreed amount.

 Difficulty spike

    Kane thought this was going to be easy, that no matter how many tricks she had under her sleeve, she wouldn¡¯t have a chance against so many people in such a tight location, once he found himself hiding behind a table in the comms room, listening to the sound of his mercenaries being gunned down one by one, and even multiple at the same time, he realized that Alicia the Butcher was simply out of his league. Damn, she even was confident enough to take up a phone call while people were shooting at her.

    He could still feel it, the powerlessness and panic as he watched through the cameras how out of nowhere his men just stopped shooting and even reported that they had taken out the target while he could see her clearly, waltzing around them to the tune of an imaginary waltz, mocking him.

    The sudden silence behind the door could only mean one thing at this point: She was done killing the three squads waiting on the back line and would bring down the door at any moment.

    The leader of alpha team and his personal entourage were readying up their guns and grenades. Of course, they weren¡¯t about to bring down the entire plane with them just to kill her, these grenades were special, and under these circumstances they would be of great help to immobilize her enough time to give her the killing shot.

    ¡°Please, you are the only ones left, you have to-¡± -Kane begged to the leader, and he punched him in the nose as a response.

    ¡°If I had known what we were dealing with, I would have taken the money and then shot you in the face.¡± -He said as he pulled down a gas mask to his face, his men did the same. ¨C ¡°After we put her down, you are next.¡±

    Kane¡¯s wrath surged up once again from the deep corners of his cowardly heart. ¨C ¡°You treacherous snak-!¡± -The mercenary kicked him in the balls, sending him to the ground once again.

    They got into position behind the door. Out of all the mercenaries that had boarded that plane, these six men were the most skilled out of them, not because they had been in more firefights than the others, but because they had been trained to deal with targets such as Alicia.

    ¡°(There¡¯s no mistaking it.)¡± -Though the leader. ¨C ¡°(She must be like that freak we encountered in Prypiat.)¡±  - He gave a quick glance to his men who were waiting for his orders. ¨C ¡°(Not a problem, if we could take that motherfucker down, this bitch shouldn¡¯t be harder to deal with.)¡± -He raised up his hand. ¨C ¡°3¡­2¡­1¡­breach in!¡±

    Meanwhile, Ten was on the other side of the door, checking the rifle she had picked up and its ammo.

    ¡°He¡¯s the last one left, I suppose.¡±  -She said. ¨C ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll provide much of a challenge, but let¡¯s kill him¡­for completion¡¯s sake.¡±

    ¡°(You are the boss¡­at least until we hop out of this plane.)¡± -Said Alicia.

    ¡°It was fun while it lasted.¡±

    She approached the door to the comms room, only for it to be blasted open.

    A grenade came out flying from the dark. Ten looked at it while it was in the air, she had seen many grenades before, but none had a shape like that one. It was not a frag, or a gas grenade, nor even a flashbang. You could call it a very harmful toy under the right circumstances.

    The grenade exploded, releasing a cloud of stingballs at high speed, bouncing all around the room, hitting her in the arms, legs and face.

    ¡°What the hell!?¡± ¨C She was expecting anything except for that. Right after the final squad moved in, opening fire with extreme prejudice.

    Ten used up all her will to fall backwards and take cover behind the seats.

    In response to that, three of the mercenaries threw tear gas grenades to her position, to force her to come out.

    ¡°Goddamn!¡± -She quickly covered her face with a piece of cloth and rushed out of her cover, spraying lead to her enemies, but they had already anticipated this and were covering behind two squad members with riot shields. ¨C ¡°Nice!¡±

    Before they could open fire, Ten jumped towards them, dropkicking the defender at the front, making them fall backwards. The one who received the impact quickly got back up and bashed her with the shield, giving him room to pull out his pistol in an attempt to execute her.

    Ten kicked the gun out of his hand, but he didn¡¯t waste time and pulled out a taser, sending an electric shock from her abdomen to her entire body.

    Ten groaned in pain as her will struggled against the flow of electricity to regain control of her body. Meanwhile, another merc got back up and was ready to blast her head out with his combat shotgun. Ten grabbed the soldier¡¯s arm and pulled him towards her, using him as a shield from the incoming blast.

    The pellets impacted the soldier on the back of his body armor, forcing him to fall to the ground. Ten took that chance to snatch the gas mask out of his face before the shotgunner had a clear shot on her.

    Ten ran away while a lead storm flew above her head, into the cloud of tear gas, trying to find a place to regain her breath.

    She crouched behind another row of seats. Ten panted heavily, clutching at the gas mask on her face, feeling her burning throat and her eyes being flooded with tears because of the gas.

    ¡°(It hurts, doesn¡¯t it?)¡± -Said Alicia. ¨C ¡°(The reason I seldom give you control is because I¡¯m used to shit like this, you don¡¯t have the same pain tolerance I do, even if you are nimble enough to dodge bullets. I never wanted you to feel anything like this.)¡±

    ¡°Cut me some slack, you idiot!¡± -Answered Ten, surprising Alicia a bit. ¨C ¡°Don¡¯t assume I can¡¯t take this¡­If I didn¡¯t get hurt, it wouldn¡¯t be as exciting, you know!?¡± ¨C Ten opened her eyes, they were bloodshot and the right one was partially blinded. ¨C ¡°I love this difficulty spike! It makes it all worth it!¡±

    ¡°(Just don¡¯t get yourself killed, otherwise I¡¯m going to kick your ass on our way to the far beyond.)¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that.¡± ¨C Ten adjusted the gas mask to her face, tossed the assault rifle away, knowing it would be useless to what she aimed to achieve. Afterwards, she pulled Alicia¡¯s combat knife out of its sheathe. ¨C ¡°I¡¯m going to step up my game now.¡±

    The mercenary she took the gas mask from took a spare from the comms room and returned to the formation. They split up in two groups of three, the ones holding the shields ahead of the others, and they walked through the corridors, a simple strategy that would inevitably corner her.

    The leader walked down the left corridor behind the shield, aiming over his teammate¡¯s shoulder, they had managed to rough her up and even wound her more than all the corpses that laid at their wake.

    He had been through a similar scenario before, many years before, in the zone of exclusion, a foiled arms deal. They were once a bigger mercenary company, but the man they faced in that place trimmed down their numbers quite significantly.

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    A man of great skill and willpower, they were almost tricked into thinking he was a god on earth, but in the end, he too was human. A lucky shot was all they needed to put an end to the nightmare. He never learned who hired that man or how he was capable of causing so much damage, not like it mattered much to him anymore.

    Every kill teaches you something, and his fight against that monster prepared him to encounter any more freaks like him in the future, and now it was time to put his skills to the test against another monster.

    They marched through the cloud of tear gas, and when they were halfway through, the unexpected happened.

    An explosion coming from above, wires and bolts fell on them as a giant hole appeared on the ceiling, and from it Ten descended, plunging the knife into the leading merc¡¯s head. The descent didn¡¯t make her lose her impulse, so she pulled the knife back out and slashed through the shotgunner¡¯s neck while shooting at the merc to her left in his head point blank. She was now mere two steps apart from the leader.

    The second squad turned, but the cloud was impeding their vision, they wouldn¡¯t be able to interfere on time.

    Just then, the leader saw him through her, that man too managed to get that close to him, he had also used a similar tactic, how could he have forgotten about it?

    What was his name again? He called himself the interloper, because he was always there where he wasn¡¯t welcomed. The leader was in no position to argue against that.

    When the interloper had gotten this close, he wasn¡¯t prepared to take him head on so he managed to wound him severely, though if it wasn¡¯t because of his men, he would¡¯ve have died right there and then.

    But this time he was ready.

    He could read Ten¡¯s next move, he took a step back, evading her slash, grabbed her by the collar and tossed her away with a swift judo throw.

    She bounced off the ground, a gasp came out of her mouth with some spit and blood, it was like she had fallen from a fifth floor.

    The leader raised up his rifle and opened fire, but Ten got herself together and rolled into cover. Right there, she heard the second squad approaching, that was a good chance as any to dispose of them.

    One with an SMG was approaching her position, she used her legs to propel herself upwards and headbutted him, destroying his gas mask. The man went down grasping at his face, feeling the itch in his eyes.

    She landed on her feet and shot the two men a row away from her before they could react and crouched again when the second protector sent a burst of lead her way with his Glock 18.

    Ten applied pressure shooting at him, knowing perfectly well he would protect himself behind that shield, she rushed forward to try and catch his back while he responded with fire as well.

    The soldier heard the click of his pistol, then he breathed out like a geyser, focusing in his next move. He ran forward to meet up with Ten on her trajectory, clenched his muscles and bashed her in the chest with the shield at full speed, sending her flying away.

    Even if she was stunned, Ten was still smiling. While she was in the air, she dropped a flashbang without its pin, catching the merc off guard and blinding him.

    Once she hit the ground, she recomposed herself and gunned him down, spending the last mag she had on her for the pistols. But fortunately, at least for her, the fun was not over yet, the leader was still alive and kicking.

    He shot through the cloud of gas, managing to graze Ten¡¯s left arm as she was trying to get up. She took the shield and used it to resist the bursts. Suddenly she heard the heavy steps of that man rush towards her before he kicked her down to the ground once again.

    He snatched the shield from her hand and threw it away, he was about to execute her right there and then, but the sour click coming from the AR made his heart drop down to his stomach.

    Ten kicked his legs, making him fall to her level, there she performed a leglock on him and twisted as far as she could. The leader tried to fight back before it was too late, grabbing his taser and shocking Ten, but she endured the pain extending through her body and kept twisting his leg until it finally snapped out of his knee. the leader screamed in agony, but he wouldn¡¯t be a mercenary if this was enough to stop him.

    He displaced his weight to the right, getting on the top, then pushed himself upwards with his arms to fall down once again, smashing her stomach with his elbow. He tried to reach for her neck to strangle her, but he had forgotten she was strong, if not stronger than most of the mercenaries in that plane, so it wasn¡¯t hard for her to grab his arms and push him backwards while she sat back up. The man responded headbutting her, breaking her gas mask, and she did the same as a response. They had no other choice but to get away from one another and run out of the cloud if they didn¡¯t want their respiratory systems and vision to suffer because of it.

    The leader limped of the gas, falling again and coughing violently, feeling as his eyes were flooded with burning tears, Ten was going through a similar situation.

    ¡°(Guess we have used all our resources)¡± ¨C She opened her eyes and realized that she couldn¡¯t see much anymore. It wouldn¡¯t take long for her vision to return, but while being next to an enemy, it was concerning. She closed them again; the darkness was preferable than seeing a bunch of blurry images and black spots. ¨C ¡°(He knows how to throw hands, I¡¯ll give him that, not bad for an old man.)¡±

    ¡°(Pray that my vision doesn¡¯t resent this in the end, Ten.)¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t, don¡¯t worry¡­)¡± ¨C Ten stood back up and stretched her back. ¨C ¡°It¡¯s time we wrap up this fiasco.¡±

    She walked up to the man and stood a few steps away from him, keeping a relaxed pose. She couldn¡¯t see anything, but she could still hear his heavy breathing. ¨C¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, ol¡¯ man. But you certainly know how to party when you need to¡­it¡¯s been such a long time ever since someone¡¯s hurt me this way.¡± ¨C Ten cracked her shoulders and stretched her neck. ¨C ¡°I killed all your goons so, why don¡¯t we call it a day and you let me kill the bitch you¡¯ve been protecting so far?¡±

    The leader kept panting, trying to recompose himself. He sat up and using applying enough pressure in the right spot, he united the femur and shinbone once again with a loud crack, making him scream once more, but at least he could get back up again. ¨C¡°Agh¡­.ah¡­! you¡­why didn¡¯t you break it? why didn¡¯t you break my leg if you had the chance.¡±

    Ten tilted her head. ¨C ¡°Hmm¡­I don¡¯t know, maybe I¡¯m just a bit rusty. Hadn¡¯t had the chance to come out and play in such a long time.¡±

    ¡°So this is all a game for you, young lady?¡±

    ¡°Not any kind of game, the most dangerous game of all, and I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m an adrenaline junkie, haha!¡±

    He looked at her with utmost disgust, but somewhere deep in his heart he wished he could be as carefree and even powerful as the girl in front of him. ¨C¡°¡­There¡¯s nothing more dangerous than someone like you who enjoys killing this much¡­who the hell created you?¡±

    ¡°Beats me!¡± ¨C Ten shrugged. ¨C And enjoy killing? Me? nah, it¡¯s not like that, tell that to my sis. Killing for me it¡¯s just like ending a race, it¡¯s not the point even if I get there every time. You know what I mean? It¡¯s the race, what¡¯s in between of the start and the finish line what matters.¡±

    ¡°(Pff¡­)¡± -It was the complete opposite of it for Alicia.

    ¡°So you like fighting¡­¡± -He said. ¨C¡°I get it. Met a lot of people like you in the past. You are a junkie alright¡­a pretty disastrous junkie.¡±

    ¡°I declare myself guilty.¡±

    ¡°And you say your sister is stronger¡­no wonder there¡¯s such a price on her head.¡±¨C He stood back up, he still had one more ace, literally up his sleeve: a makarov he always kept for when he was cornered but close enough to kill and even survive under the right circumstances. ¨C¡°¡­it would have set me up for my retirement.¡±

    ¡°Believe me, if she had bothered to come here herself, she wouldn¡¯t have wasted so much time on you.¡±¨C She said. ¨C ¡°Oh well. Leaving that aside¡­will you let me through? Or do we continue?¡±

    The tear gas cloud behind them dissipated slowly thanks to the vents system, that made things a little bit easier for the both of them. But only one would get to enter the comms room.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t let you do that.¡± -He said. ¨C¡°You can¡¯t just¡­kill so many people and think you¡¯ll walk away that easily.¡±

    Ten smiled, ashamed. ¨C ¡°Oh¡­you are right¡­I apologize, haha.¡±

    Ten rubbed the back of her head and snapped her fingers once again. The pistol slid down from under his sleeve, he aimed and shot her through the frown, she dropped the moment right after.

    Seeing her corpse on the ground, he was ready to claim victory, but the piercing pain of his neck being torn apart like a piece of cloth snatched all his illusions away from him. He managed to close his eyes and embrace it, he knew what would come next, it was inevitable, so he just left himself go.

    Blood spurted out of his neck from four wide and deep cuts. Ten was standing right behind him, her finger tips bloodied. He couldn¡¯t help put down the defensive barriers of his mind, Ten had recovered enough will to use her trick, giving her the victory right there and then.

    He had beat a man who stood above many other men, but how could a man defeat something that had skills beyond his comprehension?

    ¡°You should have given up. You were a good player, I won¡¯t forget you.¡±

    With that said, he dropped to the ground and Ten marched forward, having regained her vision, even if just a little bit.

    Kane was completely alone now.

 Done playing

    Desperation was the only thing Kane could feel now, for all intents and purposes he was completely alone. Certainly, the pilots wouldn¡¯t lift a finger to help him, they were too busy piloting that flying mass grave. For all they knew, he was just another corpse.

    But that desperation kept talking to him, clutching at his heart, telling him what he needed to do; Desperation gives bravery to the cowards.

    ¡°Fight her, Harold. You have to fight her! stop hiding in this room and fight! There¡¯s no other way, Harold. Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!¡± -His desperation had acquired a voice, echoing through each and every single drop of sweat sliding down his brow.

    There was a loaded magnum .44 on the table right in front of him, he could do a lot of things with that. 6 shots, he could kill himself 6 times with it and still feel like killing himself at least 30 times more. On the other hand, he had 6 chances to take that demon down, at that distance and in such a closed space, 6 bullets should everything he needs to make justice, not only for himself, but also for each and every single mercenary that died trying to take her down.

    He decided to listen to desperation. He grabbed the magnum and waited.

    He could hear her approaching, her heavy steps walking over the corpses hindering her through the corridors. She suddenly began whistling, that whistle bounced through the corners of his mind, going from one side to the other of his psyche, settling there as a new but temporal entity. What was its purpose? What was it planning? He had no way of knowing, nor a way to get rid of it.

    Kane vaguely recognized that tune, he had heard it somewhere before, but he had never paid attention to it. It appeared in movies, tv shows¡­and funerals.

    But while he was thinking about that song, he made his first mistake, he had let her get too close, she was now three steps away from the door, ready to kick it down and catch him. If he had to act, he had to do it now.

    Kane gritted his teeth and kicked the door open.

    ¡°DIE! DIE! DIE, YOU WHORE! DIEEEEEEEEEE!!!!¡± -He unloaded the mag on her, the six shots came out flying from the magnum, each bullet determined to lodge itself on some part of her body.

    If bullets had feelings, the six of them would have been very disappointed at the realization that they would never fulfill their duty as they were meant to.

    He kept pulling the trigger, being soothed by the sound of the click that would be dreadful for anyone else in that situation. The smoke cleared out, and hopelessness settled when he saw her there, right in front of him, still standing and relatively unscathed.

    ¡°¡­Is this your first time holding a gun? No wonder you can¡¯t aim for shit.¡± -She said, right before kicking the gun out of his hand.

    ¡°H-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h¡­HOW!?¡± ¨C Kane felt like smashing his head against a wall. ¨C ¡°HOW IS IT POSSIBLE!?¡±

    Ten kicked him in the gut, forcing him down to the ground once more. He was getting swollen around the pelvis.

    ¡°From the very beginning, by allowing me to have a spot within your mind, rent free, you gave me access to your conscious and unconscious, so determining your moves was way easier than it usually is and thus I could use my bag of tricks on you. Ain¡¯t that wacky? Haha¡­!¡± ¨C Ten stretched her arms and legs, feeling sore. ¨C ¡°Suffice to say, maybe wearing ear plugs would have helped your case and made the game harder, but you didn¡¯t think of that, and thus, here you are.¡±

    Kane stayed on the ground, holding onto his stomach, knowing that there was little to none he could do if he stood up to fight once again. The only thing he could do now was to speak.

    ¡°¡­Why¡­why do you do this?¡±

    ¡°Huh? That¡¯s like¡­the oldest question in the book, you know? I could have a thousand reasons to do what I do and you would still bitch and moan about it.¡± -She kicked him in the gut once again, but he endured it.

    ¡°You began in Iraq¡­then Afghanistan¡­then Syria¡­then Siberia, the Netherlands, Africa¡­ you keep killing, and killing, and killing, and no one is able to stop you¡­ why? Why do you kill people? Why have you killed so many people? Do you like it that much? If you were to go the US or even England, would it all be the same to you? Would you kill anyone you came across just because you feel like it¡­? -He looked up to her, on his knees, shaking with powerlessness.

    ¡°(He¡¯s mine, Ten. Back off for now.)¡±

    ¡°(Fiiiine¡­I¡¯ll go take a break now.)¡± -It was time to give the wheel back to Alicia. ¨C ¡°Look, man¡­it¡¯s not up to me to answer that question, so I¡¯ll let you hear it from her instead. Bye bye!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Kane couldn¡¯t believe his own eyes. Right in front of him, Alicia went through some sort of transformation.

    Scars drew themselves across her arms, fading into existence as if God himself drew them on her body, stretching and separating the good skin with marks. They appeared on her arms, then her neck and finally three long ones appeared on her face, one extending itself over the bridge of her nose from her left cheek and the last two crossing over one another over her right cheek, forming an X-like mark.

    Her glare also recovered that grim shroud she had when he first talked with her, the real look of a murderer.

    ¡°Wh¡­what¡­what are you!? What the hell are you!?¡± -Asked Kane, trembling like a jelly.

    Alicia stretched again, getting in full control of her body. ¨C ¡°¡­Not even I can answer that question.¡± -She said. ¨C ¡°I just am¡­¡±

    She approached him, and he stumbled backwards and backed off towards the wall behind him, like a child cowering away from his angry mother.

    ¡°If it was up to me, I would kill anyone whenever I felt like it, wherever I pleased¡­¡± ¨C Alicia stopped walking and tilted her head, averting her gaze from Kane. ¨C ¡°But¡­I made a promise¡­two promises in fact, and those promises have something in common¡­¡± -She looked down to her hands once again, the blood staining them was real this time, but she could still see the thin layer of imaginary blood right under the real one. ¨C ¡°¡­And I intend to stay true to my word.¡±

    ¡°And that promise¡­involves killing innocent people?¡±

    She crouched right in front of him, looking at him dead in the eye. ¨C ¡°You won¡¯t get anywhere throwing those buzzwords at me.¡± -Without further notice, Alicia threw an uppercut at his chin, briefly propelling him from the ground until he fell on his back. ¨C ¡°Get up.¡±

    Kane stood back up with difficulty, still holding onto his pained innards. That fury that refused to die within him surged back up and gave him enough bravery to try and keep on attacking. ¨C ¡°You¡­you whore!¡± ¨C He threw a punch at her, which she easily deflected and countered with a jab and sweep, sending him back to the ground.

    ¡°Get up.¡± -She said, and indeed he got back up, though it was harder this time.

    Kane responded with a roundhouse kick, which she caught midair and gripped at his muscles, making him scream in agony before sending him back to the ground.

    ¡°Get up.¡± ¨C She said once again.

    ¡°Shut up!!¡± -Kane rushed back up and threw a flurry of punches at her. But of course, by this point the outcome was obvious.

    ¡°I thought that playing with your food was not your style, Ali.¡±

    ¡°(I just can¡¯t stand people like him.)¡± -Alicia deflected his punches effortlessly, until she caught his right arm snapped it out of the elbow, making Kane fall to the ground in anguished pain once more. ¨C ¡°(I wanted him to get the message.)¡±

    Kane¡¯s back was against the wall once more, holding onto his disabled arm. Alicia was still there, throwing a glare at him he could only define as demonic.

    Alicia was disappointed, he had promised he would take her down, but once more, arrogant people are all talk; she could never expect a happy ending from one of them. ¨C ¡°I¡¯m done playing with you.¡±

    Alicia breathed out all the air in her lungs, feeling the calm beat of her heart, achieving absolute concentration. She was about to give Kane a punishment she seldom used because of the great effort it required to pull it off.

    Kane was panicked, defenseless, he looked around looking for something that would give him the slightest chance at survival. There to his right, he saw a spare knife the mercs had left behind.

    He grabbed it and rushed at her, using the last ounce of courage he had, prepared to swing it down on his face to at least do some damage.

    One, two, three, four steps. Kane was about to make it, if heavens were on his side, he would be able to cut down Alicia with that knife.

    The crimson glow burst out of her scars instantly, but not only through the ones on her face, it manifested itself through her arms as well. Alicia stabilized her balance, focused on Kane¡¯s chest and moved her fist forward, like a karate¡¯s punch, aiming at it, intercepting his chest with her fist.

    If you had blinked, you would have missed it. In a fraction of second, Kane was pushed back once more against the wall, leaving the mark of his shoe grazing the ground before him.

    Kane wasn¡¯t feeling pain, but instead he was feeling an overwhelming cold manifesting itself all over his body.

    He looked down to discover a huge crater piercing his chest. He looked back up to see Alicia¡¯s bloodstained punch extending itself forward. It was clear what had just happened, but he couldn¡¯t articulate a single word to explain it.

    Her fist was powerful enough to pierce his thorax, all the way to reach his heart and destroy it with her raw power.

    He trembled one last time, trying to grasp at the hole in his chest unsuccessfully, reaching out to her as he fell on his knees and finally bending over backwards, his life escaping through that very hole.

    Alicia swatted the blood on her hand away and closed her eyes, savoring this moment, savoring Kane¡¯s soul.

    ¡°¡­So¡­was he the one?¡±

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    Alicia spat on the ground. ¨C ¡°Too bitter¡­he was just pathetic.¡±

    Now there was no one left to get in her way, she only needed to greet the pilots and give them some new instructions.

    Or at least that¡¯s what she intended to do at first, before hearing a grenade¡¯s pin popping off its grenade.

    She looked back to see one of the mercenaries, alive and standing, his mask was broken and eyes bloodshot. He was that mercenary Ten got out of her way quickly by destroying his mask, of course that wouldn¡¯t be enough to kill him.

    He didn¡¯t care about payment nor survival anymore, all he cared about was seeing Butcher dead, and there was no better way to do it than with an explosive.

    He threw the grenade at her with shriek and she kicked it back just in time for the explosion. There was no helping it, so both she and Ten embraced the results.

    The explosion created a hole on the plane¡¯s side, sucking everything out of it. the pilots couldn¡¯t keep it flying under these conditions.

    In a matter of a few minutes, the plane crashed, destroying everything at its wake.

    Some time after the Crimson Rangers found Alicia inside that crate of apples, the commander had an interesting idea. He didn¡¯t know why he would even consider doing this, but every time he looked at that quiet young girl, sitting idly on a corner and gazing into the void, with such an animalistic and craving glare, he had a feeling there was a deep untaped potential within her broken and abused frame.

    He approached her one day, she was sitting around, as usual, but she was in an unusual place: in the backyard, staring at the body of the prisoner Aiden had executed an hour before.

    Her expression had a deep shroud above her, the commander couldn¡¯t guess what she was thinking at all. She was looking at that poor bastard¡¯s corpse so intently, staring at the hole the bullet made as it pierced through his forehead and splattered everything inside on the wall, the commander had never seen a child so fixated in something as horrid as death.

    He felt as if, during one night, the lights were to go out, she would go out and hunt the first person she saw.

    But no matter what, at that point, that was only his imagination playing tricks on him because of the unnerving presence of this weird, creepy girl. SO, he finally made up his mind, and talked to her.

    ¡°Tell me something, brat: you wanna work with us?¡± -He asked. ¨C ¡°I can¡¯t say it¡¯s a decent and honest lifestyle, but at least that way you¡¯d be winning your day¡¯s food and even some money, you can¡­¡±

    She nodded soon after he made that question. She didn¡¯t need to hear the perks and benefits of being a mercenary.

    ¡°Hah! You crazy bastard, are you absolutely sure you¡­?¡±

    She jumped back to her and kept nodding so intently the commander took a step back unconsciously.

    He was used to seeing this level of enthusiasm on golden hearted recruits back in the states. However, he frowned once more and looked down on her. Yeah, she had the enthusiasm, but he needed to find out if she had the determination to back it up. ¨C ¡°Alright.¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°Then let¡¯s put you through a little test.¡±

    Next week, the crimson rangers were settled in a secret base located near the southern border of Siria, they had been hired by a local magnate for protection while a deal was taking place.

    It was all well and good, the payment was generous as well, but the commander had accepted that job for another reason. Syria, or rather, the entirety of the middle east, was plagued by the worst kinds of degenerates and criminals the human race had to offer. The perfect practice for their new promising recruit.

    He commanded two of his men to put Alicia inside a cage underground and tell her to wait there. When everyone in the company learned about this, many of the soldiers questioned the commander about what he was aiming to do, but he just said: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just doing a little experiment.¡± -The tone he used to say that didn¡¯t inspire any trust in his men, and they began to doubt his sanity.

    Then all tensions finally arrived at a boiling point when Conrad ordered his bodyguard, Colin, to bring a man, any man, from the local town near the base, the more belligerent he looked, the better.

    Aiden was the first to step out of line and met him at his office, holding him at gunpoint.

    ¡°I have no idea what kind of plans you are devising in your head, you sick motherfucker, but this is going too fucking far¡­¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°I don¡¯t care about your little experiments, but you are not going to hurt that little girl!¡±

    ¡°Relax, Aiden, I¡¯m¡­¡±

    ¡°No, no! I¡¯m not relaxing, this is a little girl we are talking about. You are going to bring one of those fucking animals here to hurt her, right? And what in the actual hell do you want to accomplish with that!? What¡¯s the point!? If you found some sick new perversion, I¡¯m killing you right now and that bastard next.¡±

    He raised his hand to try to appease him, even if only a bit. ¨C ¡°No, Aiden. This got nothing to do with that, I don¡¯t want that kind of thing to happen in my base. If things were to go wrong, I will protect her.¡±

    ¡°Then what the hell are you thinking?¡±

    Just then, the commander¡¯s found chirped, and he answered it. ¨C ¡°Colin, did you bring anyone? ¨C The next thing he heard was the distinct sound a piece of duct tape makes when you peel it off, what followed after was a man yelling all sorts of expletives in Arabic. ¨C ¡°Very good, take him to the basement and wait there.¡± -He put the phone down. ¨C ¡°Follow me.¡±

    Conrad guided Aiden to the tunnels under the base, he was still aiming at him by the back. ¨C¡°What are you trying to do, I don¡¯t get it.¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°What¡¯s the big idea?¡±

    ¡°Aiden, ever since you saw that girl, haven¡¯t you had the feeling there¡¯s something off about her?¡± -Asked Conrad. ¨C ¡°When you look at her, don¡¯t you get this¡­feeling there¡¯s something amiss? As if not everything is in its place?¡±

    ¡°What? Hmm¡­¡± -Aiden actually pondered on it. ¨C ¡°¡­Well, I have certainly felt that there was something off about her beyond what was obvious.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, I too had that feeling, so I want to see what it¡¯s about by myself.¡±

    They went through a door and entered the cage room, there they saw Alicia, sitting on a dark corner of the cage, staring at them like a starved hyena watches a group of gazelles.

    ¡°Hello, girl. How have you been?¡± -He asked. Silence was his answer. ¨C ¡°¡­I¡¯m glad to hear that. See, it¡¯s time for your first test, if my gut feeling is right about you, this should be an easy task.¡±

    He took his own combat knife out of its sheathe and gave it to Alicia, she held it in both hands; it was clearly too heavy for her.

    ¡°A man is going to come into this cell¡­¡± -He said, Aiden was more and more appalled by the second. ¨C ¡°¡­He¡¯s a bad man, he¡¯ll want to hurt you, even touch you in places he shouldn¡¯t, until you die¡­ what you have to do is pretty simple: Kill that man, use that knife to slit his throat.¡± ¨C He ran his thumb across his neck. ¨C ¡°Stab him in the chest as many times as you can.¡± ¨C He poked at Alicia¡¯s chest, still no reaction. ¨C ¡°Do whatever you can, what matters is that you kill him. Do that, and you¡¯ll pass the test, alright?¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°Captain you can¡¯t be serious.¡± -Aiden raised up his gun once again. ¨C ¡°She has no chance against an adult.¡±

    Conrad turned towards him and placed his hands on his shoulders. ¨C ¡°Please, you have to trust me on this one, please¡­¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°¡­If things go south, you are authorized to intervene, now let¡¯s go.¡±

    He pushed Aiden out of the cage and closed it behind him. They stood there for a while, waiting for Conrad¡¯s test subject to arrive. After a couple of minutes passed, two me entered the room dragging a handcuffed man by the arms, he kept on struggling but they were too strong for him.

    Once inside they dropped him on the ground. Conrad pulled out his gun and aimed at the local, give him a reason to not struggle and behave, at least for a little moment.

    He turned towards his men; Colin was being accompanied by the perfect man for the task. ¨C ¡°Amin, it¡¯s good you came, I need you to translate some instructions for this man.¡±

    ¡°I had a feeling you were going to ask me that.¡± -He said.

    ¡°Alright....¡± -He helped the local to stand back on his feet, still holding him at gunpoint. ¨C ¡°Tell him that we brought him to fulfill a certain role.¡± -Amin translated word by word to the stranger. ¨C ¡°The task is simple, I¡¯ll give you money, a lot of money, enough money to eat like a king. See that girl in the cage right next to us? I want you to go into the cage and do all you want with her. Punch her, strangle her, murder her, anything you want. Once you are done, you¡¯ll get the money. What do you say?¡±

    Amin couldn¡¯t believe he would ever translate something like this, he felt sick and wanted to kill Conrad right there and then, but his loyalty was still too strong.

    The stranger seemed more and more relaxed by the commander¡¯s proposal. He raised his hand to his chin, then he turned to stare at Alicia, they glared at each other mutually, then he turned back again to the commander. He made a question, of course he didn¡¯t understand until Amin translated it.

    ¡°He asks if we¡¯ll give him any sort of weapon.¡±

    ¡°Nope, you won¡¯t get a weapon, all you need is your bare hands, I can guarantee it.¡± -He responded, Amin translated and the man pondered more on the matter. In the end, he accepted.

    After a couple of seconds, he was in the cage, running his tongue over his lips. He yelled at Alicia, most likely calling her a whore, of course she would never get it.

    Both Aiden and Amin aimed at the commander. ¨C ¡°If you just brought that man to hurt the girl, we¡¯ll kill you and then him.¡± -Said Aiden, but suddenly he felt the edge of a machete hoovering over his neck, they had forgotten Colin was in the room; he was that good at hiding his presence.

    Conrad raised his hand, ordering Colin to stand down. He retired the machete from over Aiden¡¯s neck and sheathed it as ordered.

    ¡°Gentlemen, I¡¯m surprised by the little trust you have on me.¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°I always do things for a reason. Heh, sometimes I even surprise myself, and I think this is one of those times.¡± ¨C The stranger walked up to Alicia, hiding her in his shadow, trying to be as imposing as he could. ¨C ¡°I think this is the most surprised I¡¯ll ever be.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, right, I think you have lost it, Conrad!¡± -Said Aiden. ¨C ¡°We are gonna have a problem, and we¡¯ll¡­¡±

    He was suddenly interrupted by an ear-piercing scream that echoed through the room. Conrad¡¯s eyes focused on the man in the corner, a bunch of blood was falling down from his stomach; Alicia had plunged the knife into his gut as deep as she could, but she was not done, she clutched at the handle and pulled upwards.

    The local fell on his back trying to push Alicia away, but she was unyielding, she kept moving and twisting the knife across his torso, showering her on bursts of blood as they flew out of his body.

    Amin and Aiden were horrified. Conrad, as he expected, was surprised by himself, he was right all along.

    Alicia kept carving him up, a big puddle of blood forming around them, the man kept screaming until all air had left his lungs, then his eyes turned backwards as he convulsed and finally passed out, dying out of massive blood loss and organ failure.

    The man had managed to unzip his pants before Alicia took that chance to grab the knife she was hiding behind her back and stab him. He had lowered his guard, underestimated her, as most people in that country do when they torture children. In the end, Alicia was above him, admiring his ¡°beautiful¡± expression: an expression of absolute pain.

    She ran her hand across her face as to clean it up then swatted the excess of blood to the ground. She looked back at Conrad and his men, staying completely still, adding weight to the room with just her presence.

    Conrad noticed it, he could see it in her eyes, now that he had fed the starved hyena, that glare looked livelier than ever.

    ¡°Now you see what I¡¯m talking about, gentlemen?¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°This is what we are actually dealing with.¡±

    ¡°Holy¡­fuck.¡± -Said Aiden, forgetting completely about shooting the commander. He holstered his weapon. ¨C¡°She just¡­killed him, just like that? No hesitation? No fear? What the hell?¡±

    ¡°What is going on, commander?¡± -Asked Amin.

    ¡°Remember the state she was in when we found her?¡± -Asked Conrad. ¨C ¡°She had a lot of dry blood on her face, arms¡­that was not her blood. Gentlemen, this girl is no stranger to killing, just like us, and she just gave us a demonstration.¡±

    He grabbed a towel from the locker at the bottom of the room and entered the cage. He thought that rewarding her with a pat on the head would reassure her about what she just did, but the moment he approached his hand to her hair, she slapped it away, surprising the three men.

    Conrad felt himself getting angry, but he controlled his emotions. There was no reason to be angry, that was to be expected by someone like her. ¨C ¡°You don¡¯t like human touch, huh? That¡¯s ok.¡± -He handed the towel to her. ¨C ¡°You passed, little girl, I guess we¡¯ll be training you from now on, and I think I know just the right way to hone your skills¡­¡± -He scratched his beard while she was cleaning her face with the towel. ¨C ¡°Hmm¡­I think you¡¯ll need a proper name. For now, let¡¯s call you¡­Alicia, like the one in that book. I don¡¯t know why, but seeing you, it just came to mind.¡±

    She didn¡¯t object to the name; she didn¡¯t see a reason to do so.

    Thus, before being an assassin, Alicia became a child soldier. Floyd trained her with a regime akin to those reserved for the likes of the SEALS and other elite groups, expecting to break her at some point, but she went through it without complaining, not a single groan of frustration either. Sometimes her progress was fast, sometimes slow, but she never showed any signs of wanting to give up at all. This frustrated the commander somewhat, and his training methods became more and more extreme.

    The rangers trained her as well, teaching her everything they knew about killing a man, and Floyd would sometimes take her to train under masters of the craft all around the world, inhumane as they were, and she would use this knowledge in the pit fights Floyd would put her through to test her further, pitting her against the worst scum they could get out of the streets.

    First they were simple dregs, then thugs armed with clubs and knives, then delinquents with pistols, sometimes groups of them all at once. In the end, she would pull through them all.

    Everyone in the company was convinced she had to be the most dangerous child to ever walk the earth.

    Some of the soldiers wanted to protest, but they had the feeling that Alicia didn¡¯t want anyone to defend her when she didn¡¯t need to.

    She was where she wanted to be. At some point, Floyd began to smile at the sight of her slashing through the gangs he would bring in to try and murder her. She became his very own personal project, something he never though he would find pleasure in, and something he never thought he was so good at.

    However, after Iraq happened, she didn¡¯t take much time to become a thorn on his side.

 Thirty percent

    Alicia never talked about the things she did or saw in Iraq, not even to the rangers that considered themselves to be close to her. The only thing they had were the testimonies and articles written by the journalists about the horrifying events that took place during the last year of the war.

    Towns full of corpses, entire garrisons of insurgents massacred, half of Fallujah had been annihilated, bodies hanging from lampposts, charred, sliced in half, both from American soldiers and insurgents. No one knew what was going on anymore on both sides, radios had gone silent. For years to come, the survivors of this catastrophe would speak legends about a demon that was born from the grief caused by the war.

    The name of that demon was: ¡°Butcher.¡±

    Alicia remained silent for an entire year, isolating herself from the entire company, not even talking to Conrad no matter how much he imposed himself on her. He began to wonder if Iraq had finally broken her, he wondered if that wasteland had managed to succeed at what he had failed so many times to do. However, one look in her eyes was enough to know that it was more complicated than that.

    No, she was not broken, it was something worse than that: she was changed, but Conrad didn¡¯t know if it was a good or bad change.

    He was about to find out.

    The Crimson Rangers were hired for a job in Afghanistan, a kidnapping of sorts.  There was a man known simply as ¡°Arash the unerring¡±, leader of a cell of extremists that were on the crosshairs of all security agencies across the globe. The client that contacted the rangers wanted to get ahead of the curve and think about the bigger picture at the same time. The rangers were supposed to find Arash and capture him at all cost, then take him to a certain location where he would be interrogated by the client¡¯s benefactors. They wouldn¡¯t even need to take care of recognizance, the client had already done that part for them, so Conrad and his posse took the job.

    Conrad¡¯s first mistake was reaching out to Alicia and asking her if she wanted to participate. ¡°You have to work to be part of this company. You¡¯ll lose faculties if you stay idle too long.¡± -He said, and of course she agreed to tag along.

    Conrad¡¯s second mistake he committed when they arrived in the country. He commanded Alicia to go ahead of the group and scout the area, keep an eye on their hideout and make an assessment of their forces. She nodded and headed on out.

    Just to make sure she didn¡¯t get any funny ideas Conrad only allowed her to take a single knife and a Glock 17 with a single mag. He assumed she would have enough common sense to know if she were to do something stupid, she wouldn¡¯t be able to get out of the situation alive with just that; That was his third and last mistake.

    The rangers would rendezvous with Alicia at dusk close to the perimeter of Arash¡¯s hideout out in the desert. They drove through the road in a line of three Humvees, armed to the teeth, but they weren¡¯t expecting to use any of that weaponry, at least not yet.

    When they were close enough, Conrad called Alicia through the radio, but there was no reply.

    ¡°Scout, this is commander, what¡¯s the situation? Over.¡±

    Still no response.

    ¡°Scout, what¡¯s the situation? Respond. Over.¡±

    There were a few seconds of static through the line, she finally turned on the radio, but what came next was not her voice, but the agonizing screams of a man that was being carved and gutted like a fish.

    Everyone jumped out of their seats, Floyd quickly turned off the radio.

    ¡°We have to hurry.¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°She went and did it.¡±

    They stepped on the accelerator, maybe it was not too late, maybe they were just in time to stop her before she threw the entire operation out of the window.

    The target was supposed to be hidden inside a complex comprised of tunnels under a mountain and the entrance was supposed to be guarded by at least 4 combatants.

    When they arrived, they found the four combatants dead on the ground, one of them was missing his rifle and another one was missing his head. The metal door to access the tunnel was wide open, the missing head was lying next to it, there was another corpse at the entrance, his throat slit open.

    ¡°Holy fuck¡­¡± ¨C Said Cole, the squad¡¯s marksman. ¨C ¡°What the hell did she do?¡±

    ¡°We have no time for that, we must go in.¡± -Commanded Conrad as he raised up his rifle and walked into the tunnels.

    Inside they found yet another massacre. Bodies of extremists sprawled all around, gunned down, thorn by grenades, cut by a sharp knife and an exceptional might. Inside a room they found Farid, Arash¡¯s second in command, he had been nailed to a wall. A nail for both hands, arms, legs and finally a single one lobotomizing him.

    ¡°She¡¯s gone completely insane.¡± -Said Aiden as he looked at the carnage. ¨C ¡°Where the hell is she? it¡¯s so quiet in here.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep going.¡± -Said Conrad, looking away from Farid¡¯s corpse and moving on.

    They had to be careful to not trip over the corpses, there were at least fifty of them, and they could only assume she had been the one that killed them all.

    The rangers finally made it to the command room after having to deal with the pungent scent of blood flooding the tunnels. They finally found her, sulking on a chair right next to the corpse of Arash.

    There she was, hanging her head low, holding onto that rifle she had snatched from an enemy¡¯s dead hands, she hadn¡¯t even noticed that they were there.

    ¡°You fucking brat!¡± -The commander¡¯s belligerence brought her back from her stupor as he grabbed onto her chair and pushed her away to the wall. They quickly examined the corpse, and they didn¡¯t need the medic¡¯s professional assessment to know that this man had died not long ago, clearly amidst a deep and agonizing pain none of them would ever want to feel. After confirming Arash¡¯s death, he turned his attention back to Alicia. ¨C ¡°We needed that man alive, you sick bitch!¡±

    He threw a haymaker down on Alicia¡¯s face, but she didn¡¯t stop it, she just received it and endured it. She looked back up to him, expecting the next blow. Her silent defiance only made him more furious.

    ¡°You¡­agh!¡± ¨C He grabbed her by the collar and kept punching her in the face. He kept punching until his knuckles began to bleed and swell, no one dared to interfere, not only because that would be defying the commander¡¯s authority, but also because they thought that was the least she deserved as a punishment.

    She didn¡¯t counter a single one of those punches, she just remained still, staring at Conrad with those animalistic eyes of her that told him ¡°I don¡¯t care, I¡¯m a demon, you cannot do anything to hurt me.¡±, but this only made him even more furious.

    He kept punching until his knuckles cracked and he was forced to stand back by the pain on his own hands. Alicia remained in the chair, her nose shattered, bleeding from both nostrils, the mouth, an eye and her jaw was swelling.

    Conrad was about to continue with his healthy hand, disregarding the pain he felt in the other one, but he was promptly interrupted.

    ¡°Sir, you have to see this.¡± ¨C Said Aiden.

    ¡°What is it? can¡¯t you see I¡¯m busy!?¡±

    ¡°This is important, sir. Look.¡± ¨C Aiden showed him an USB. -We found this on the table, we checked it out on Arno¡¯s computer. It contained a folder full of documents pertaining to this cell¡¯s operations, including a whole list of names and associations with other groups¡­ -He looked back at Alicia, snorting out the excessive blood that had gathered inside her nostrils, splashing it on the ground, still with a deprecating glare. ¨C ¡°Eh¡­We also found a book, Arash used it to keep a schedule. He¡¯s supposed to meet up with some important people in two weeks.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know if this is what the client is looking for, Aiden.¡± -Argued the commander.

    ¡°Maybe not, maybe it¡¯s just what they need. What matters is that there¡¯s the slightest chance that these pieces of information might appease the client and we can still get something out of this really bloody mess.¡±

    Conrad pondered on it. Aiden had a point. Even if their current client didn¡¯t want any of the things they found in that mass grave, they could still make an arrangement with them, or find someone that was interested in them instead. After all, information on terrorist groups and activities was just as valuable as eight bars of gold in those times, and the price didn¡¯t show any signs of going down any time soon.

    ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll take everything. Let¡¯s go back to the base.¡± -Said Conrad. Everyone picked up the information and any additional piece they could find in the vicinity and walked away.

    ¡°What do we do with her, commander?¡± -Said Aiden.

    Conrad looked back at her, still sulking in that chair like so discarded puppet.

    He just spat on the ground and walked away, making sure to not trip over the cadavers sprawled around.

    Aiden thought of executing her in order to put an end to her murderous yet somehow sad existence. She even saw his fingers approximate to his backup pistol, but he quickly reconsidered it.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever understand why you came up and killed everyone when you were already informed on what we had come to do, Alicia.¡±

    She closed her eyes, feeling exhausted by everything that had happened, including the beatdown she had just put up with.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°But I can¡¯t blame you. Honestly, these animals deserved it.¡± -He looked at the corpses around them. ¨C ¡°You were just way more honest about it than all of us.¡±

    He stretched his hand towards her, but she didn¡¯t return the gesture. She stood up from the chair and averted her gaze from his.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± -She said, those were the first words she would say in a very long time, and Aiden felt kind of weird for being the one to hear them among all others.  ¨C ¡°¡­I just can¡¯t stand it¡­¡±

    ¡°What? What can¡¯t you stand?¡± ¨CHe asked, trying to overcome the surprise of hearing Alicia speak.

    She looked back at him. She looked so tired and dejected, but that fire the commander saw within her was still pretty far from dying. ¨C ¡°¡­That every second it passes, they are still alive¡­¡±

    Alicia dropped the rifle and walked away, not before spitting some blood that had accumulated in her mouth.

    Aiden was left puzzled by that sentence. ¨C ¡°(Who¡¯s still alive?)¡± ¨C He wondered. All in all, it could only be related to what happened in Iraq, but he couldn¡¯t be sure because she never spoke about it.

    They offered those logs files to the client as some sort of compensative action for failing to fulfill the conditions of the contract.

    Fortunately, the client did seem interested in acquiring that information, and he was surprised that they found it in such an exposed place. Like the saying goes, stuff is always in the last place you¡¯d go to search for them.

    The client accepted the information, an acceptable payment for the group. Still, the fact that they failed at the initial conditions of the mission still made Conrad furious.

    Back in the headquarters, Conrad had reached the conclusion that Alicia was of no use to him anymore. He had invested a lot of time and resources into training her, but in her current mental state, she was simply detrimental to their activities, and he couldn¡¯t keep her around as a free loader either, and to top it all off she certainly wasn¡¯t suited to stay in the base as a cook or just a janitor.

    He had to get rid of her. However, it wasn¡¯t as simple as walking up to her and shooting her in the back of the head, she had somehow earned the sympathy of the softest members in the brigade, and killing her personally would cause a schism within the group.

    He couldn¡¯t tell Colin to do it either, it would be pretty obvious he commanded him to assassinate her.

    A few days later, just as he was drawing a blank and about to give up on thinking what to do, a new job offer reached his table: an assassination contract. They received some of those from time to time, easy enough for just one of them to take them on. However, this one was special.

    He would recognize the target anywhere. Simon Glass, the most prolific arms dealer of the decade. He had been spotted in Belorussia, probably checking up on his clients in the country.

    According to the file, he was getting ready to travel to Russia in a cargo train in a couple of days. He had his own entourage of mercenaries watching his back at all hours, heavily armed, disciplined and well trained. His arsenal for sale was also traveling with him in that train, he liked to stay close to his merchandise.

    The objective was to assassinate Glass before he crossed the border, there were no other conditions for the completion of the contract, so under all clauses, it was a simple job, completing it was a whole different matter.

    Those mercenaries were no joke, they were prepared for all sorts of eventualities, absolute professionals. One wrong move and the rangers would be overwhelmed; Glass had a small army at his service.

    That¡¯s when Conrad had one of his Machiavellian ideas.

    He picked up his phone and called Colin.

    ¡°Colin, do me a favor and call Alicia to my office.¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°I¡¯ve got a job for her.¡±

    A few minutes later, Alicia was sitting right in front of him in his office. It was pretty obvious that the last thing she wanted was to have to talk to him at the moment.

    ¡°How¡¯s your nose doing?¡± -He asked. ¨C ¡°It seems to be healing up pretty fast.¡± ¨C He pointed at the band aid over her nose bridge.

    She didn¡¯t respond, as per usual. When Aiden told him that she had spoken he was hoping she would loosen up a bit afterwards, but she wouldn¡¯t do that in his presence.

    ¡°I know that I said a lot of things back there and I roughed you up really bad¡­but you at least understand why I did it, right?¡±

    She just nodded.

    ¡°Right, good to know. I¡¯ve realized I was just too brutal back there with you, so I¡¯ve been thinking on how to compensate you.¡± -He took the file from inside his desk and showed it to Alicia. ¨C ¡°A while ago this came to me, and I thought that you might be interested.¡±

    Simon Glass was partially responsible for the mass destruction that happened in Iraq due to the weapons he sold to the insurgents, Conrad knew, and he also knew that Alicia was aware of it, he was sure that she had seen him before and knew what he had done.

    Her reaction by seeing his picture confirmed his suspicions. That bloodthirsty glare so characteristic of hers betrayed her emotions.

    However, that file didn¡¯t include everything that she needed to know about the task. He had made sure to leave out the pages that mentioned his small army of mercenaries.

    ¡°I know you and this man have history.¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°And this is an opportunity as good as any other. The payment is also good. So here¡¯s the deal, you¡¯ll go into this mission solo, and once you complete it, I¡¯ll allow you to keep thirty percent of the earnings. What do you say? Will you kill Glass?¡±

    ¡°¡­I will.¡± -She said.

    ¡°Excellent, you¡¯ll be in the helicopter at midnight, go prepare yourself. Dismissed.¡±

    Just like he said, she was up in the air that night, heading to Byelorussia before the train departed. What methods she used to kill Glass or not, that was ultimately up to her; it¡¯s not like he cared at all.

    That night he served himself a cup of hot chocolate and leaned on his chair, smiling, relishing on the feeling of relief he had thinking that she wouldn¡¯t ever come back.

    A day and a half later, a concern was brought to him. Carlos, the gunsmith in charge of the armory went to talk to him.

    ¡°Boss, there¡¯s something you need to know.¡±

    ¡°What is it, Carlos?¡±

    ¡°Uh, I was doing some inventory on our arsenal and I noticed that there were a few things missing from our black stock.¡±

    The black stock were the weapons they weren¡¯t supposed to use under normal circumstances, as to not draw the attention of NATO or any other global authority.

    ¡°What? What¡¯s missing?¡±

    ¡°Six mustard gas grenades, sir.¡±

    ¡°Six!? How¡¯s it possible!?¡± ¨C Conrad scratched his beard. ¨C¡°What else is missing?¡±

    ¡°Nothing else. Eh¡­when the girl was gearing up for her mission, she also took four blocks of C-4, I asked her if she knew how to handle them and she said yes, so I left her take them, if she blows up her fingers trying to activate them, it¡¯s not my fault. She also took a gas mask, I don¡¯t know why she would need one but¡­¡±

    ¡°She took four blocks of C-4¡­she isn¡¯t trained to use them as far as I know.¡±

    Conrad went over these facts in his head, it was all too obvious, and because of it, concerning.

    ¡°Oh no, she couldn¡¯t have¡­!¡± -He said, and just as he was about to get up from his chair, another person entered his office.

    ¡°Sir! Sir! You have to come to comms room! it¡¯s urgent!¡± ¨C It was Bernard, he was in charge of the logistics and communications.

    ¡°Now what!? What¡¯s happening!?¡±

    ¡°Simon Glass¡¯ death is on TV.¡±

    Conrad rushed to the comms room. There, Bernard showed him the recording of the news clip covering the event.

    ¡°A huge catastrophe happened in the eastern Byelorussian border.¡± -Said the news anchor on channel 6. ¨C ¡°The authorities suspect this was a reckoning between criminal organizations.¡±

    They proceeded to show footage of a derailed cargo train from a helicopter. There were signs that a series of explosions took place, getting the train off the tracks, and destroying a huge part of the merchandise within. Conrad could also see a few charred corpses sprawled around the scene of the crash.

    ¡°The border authorities received a report of a train derailment at 8 PM yesterday. This train was coursing under the fa?ade of transporting medical equipment, when in reality it transported an undetermined amount of illegal weaponry, including rifles, pistols and rocket launchers. Around the wreckage, the police have found the corpses of consultants from a private military company, these people were under the employment of a man known as Simon Glass, an arms dealer wanted by multiple organizations all across the world for his involvement in multiple armed conflicts. The police assumes that he was within the train at the moment of the wreckage, but it will take time to identify his corpse among all the other ones.

    Just then, the cameras showed the presence of people wearing hazmat suits carrying cleanup equipment.

    ¡°The authorities have also determined the presence of chemical agents within some of the wagons, so a specialized squad has been called to deal with the gas so it doesn¡¯t spread across the area.¡±

    They proceeded to interview one of the people in charge of the cleanup, he didn¡¯t seem excited about it.

    ¡°We¡¯ve determined that mustard gas was used to kill the people within the wagons before the train derailed. It¡¯s a highly dangerous chemical so we prioritize getting rid of it as to not expose people nor nature to the danger.¡±

    ¡°The Byelorussian government speculates this was an attack performed by a terrorist group to settle accounts with Simon Glass, though the motives might remain unknown until an investigation is carried out.¡±

    Conrad turned off the TV, he couldn¡¯t bear listening anymore. He could only pray that she was among those unidentified charred corpses they mentioned at some point.

    A message came through the radio. ¡°HQ, this is Pequod, requesting authorization to land.¡±

    ¡°Roger that, Pequod. Welcome back.¡± -Said Bernard answering the request. Right after, the commander snatched the microphone off his hands.

    ¡°Pequod, this is commander, are you alone?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­no sir.¡± -He replied. ¨C ¡°I extracted corporal Alicia as requested.¡±

    In response, Conrad smashed the gadget into the ground and walked away.

    ¡°What the fuck was that, commander!?¡± -Said Bernard as he was walking away, the sound of the door being smashed was his response.

    Conrad walked through the base, all the way to the landing zone, muttering to himself. He was confused, his head was spinning in all directions, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

    ¡°It was a sure death, that man was untouchable¡­¡± -He muttered to himself. ¨C ¡°He was untouchable, invincible¡­how the fuck does a brat manage to kill a man like that? Did she get lucky with the gas? Most likely, without it she would¡¯ve risked herself and died. I should¡¯ve told Carlos to dispose of those fucking things, I¡¯m so fucking stupid, why didn¡¯t I think about that before? she doesn¡¯t care about laws nor rules of engagement, of course she would use them if she had the chance¡­¡±

    He kept muttering to himself until he was at the landing zone, watching how the helicopter approached from the horizon and landed right in front of him.

    Alicia got off from the helicopter, carrying the used gas mask on one hand. She had a huge spot of dry blood on her face, it reminded him of the bitter day they found her. oh, how he regretted having bought that crate of apples.

    She was walking towards him, at that point he didn¡¯t even care about schism, he was about to draw his pistol and gun her down right there and then.

    But suddenly, he saw as she was quicker to the trigger, took her gun and shot him twice in the chest and once in the head, sending him down to the ground. Conrad saw himself die, he felt the shock of being murdered, but the moment he blinked he was back on his feet, completely unscathed, no bullet holes to be found.

    He felt his chest, trying to look for them, trembling. Then he searched for the one on his forehead, nothing.

    Alicia walked past him, setting her eyes on the showers. ¨C ¡°Thirty percent¡­mine.¡± -She said as she walked away.

    ¡°¡­Yeah¡­thirty percent.¡± ¨C He said, resigning himself.

    Using mustard gas was a risky move, but with that disaster no one would be able to involve them with the attack. All that mattered is that a mercenary under the banner of the Crimson Rangers had completed one of the hardest jobs available at the moment. That was the best publicity the group could ever ask for.

    A bunch of new jobs arrived to Conrad¡¯s table, alongside a lot of money for Glass¡¯ death, the team would be able to buy some commodities for themselves with that amount.

    Of course, Alicia was the one that benefitted the most from the success of this mission, and she made sure the amount was right according to the percentage that was owed to her. Conrad cursed Arno, from the logistics room, for teaching her how to math.

    However, she didn¡¯t do much with the money, she asked Anya to teach her how to stash money the way adults do, meaning: in an offshore account under a fake name, and so she did. Alicia would take money out from time to time, but she would mostly use it to buy books she had an interest in reading.

    In any case, it was time to get back to work, all requests seemed good enough, so he and the team would be very busy during the entire season. Of course, he¡¯d bring Alicia to each and every single one of these jobs.

    She only kept improving as a killer during each assignment. Every mission was a success, not only because of his brilliant tactician mind but also because she usually dealt with the bulk of any opposition they faced during the missions alongside Anya and Colin.

    Afghanistan, Africa, Siberia, Syria, Jordania, and the list kept growing. Alicia made a lot of enemies and killed many under the leadership of the Crimson Rangers.

    But a person cannot just kill and walk away, that¡¯s not how the world works.

 Hunger

    Spectre¡¯s participation in the operation was confirmed, he was heading to Mexico as the past events took place.

    He was supposed to receive a batch of objectives on site and get to work. Of course, he had brought his own gear; he never went anywhere without at least one of his weapons, the only guns he knew would never give up on him, because he cleaned, modified and repaired them all by himself.

    He thought it would be a simple job, but a phone call was about to change the whole course of the operation before he even got to step into the country.

    He picked up the call. ¨C ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Spectre, this is Emilia.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you¡­What is it? Did Eyler forget to mention anything I should know?¡±

    ¡°Listen, we don¡¯t have much time, you can forget about your current contract.¡±

    Spectre rubbed his temple. ¨C ¡°¡­Ok¡­what the fuck happened now?¡±

    ¡°Kirsten identified the leaders of the conspirators. Apparently they are already taking action.¡±

    ¡°Alright¡­And what are they trying to do now?¡± -He asked, crossing his legs and holding onto his bag.

    ¡°According to Kirsten their main priority is to take all the assassins out of the picture, at least the ones they knew wouldn¡¯t agree to their coup. Given the leaders were high ranking members of the organization, they must know about all current ongoing operations and who is involved in them. In other words, they may be targeting you already.¡±

    Spectre grinned. ¨C ¡°Hah! Sounds fun, if those half-assed pussies think they can bring me down, then so be it, I¡¯ll play.¡±

    ¡°Spectre, think rationally for once, you caveman with a rifle.¡± -She said, smacking her desk with a closed fist. ¨C ¡°You must not expose yourself to danger more than necessary, facing the enemy head on when you don¡¯t even know who¡¯s a friend or foe is simply suicidal.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, darling, I¡¯m a professional. I¡¯ve been through bullshit like this before. Worst case scenario: they already know I¡¯m aware of what¡¯s happening so they¡¯ll wait for the first chance to take me down once I get off this plane. In any case, they are closing in on me, and I assume it must be the same for all the others, so while I¡¯m in this desert abandoned by the hand of God, I¡¯ll do things my way.¡±

    Emilia threw her hands to the air and leaned back on her chair. ¨C ¡°Whatever, when you die and are sucking cocks in hell, don¡¯t blame me for your own stupidity.¡±

    ¡°Never change, Emilia, wouldn¡¯t like you any other way.¡± - Spectre finished the call and prepared himself for this sudden game of survival. Emilia, on the other hand, stayed there, covering her eyes with her hands, feeling a migraine creeping up.

    ¡°Why are assassins such freaking weirdoes?¡± -She wondered. ¨C ¡°Don¡¯t they appreciate their own lives?¡±

    She then called Jules to inform her, she still had to make another thirty calls and she was already tired.

    ¡°Sword? It¡¯s me, Emilia.¡± -Jules had picked up her phone almost immediately.

    ¡°Hey, Emilia, what¡¯s wrong? Do you have an assignment for me?¡±

    ¡°Not this time. Kirsten has obtained the identity of the lead conspirators. They are already on the move, and according to him, their first goal is to get rid of the assassins.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ I see¡­¡± -She said. Emilia could hear her rummaging through stuff on the background. ¨C ¡°What should I do then?¡±

    ¡°For the time being, lay low. Are you in the headquarters right now?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Mr. Alquist wanted to meet up with me in the warehouse.¡±

    ¡°What for?¡± -Asked Emilia. ¨C ¡°Right now is not the time to have secret meet ups, you have to¡­¡±

    A new call entered the line, it was Alquist.  ¨C ¡°Sorry, Jules, give me a minute and I¡¯ll get back to you.¡± -She answered his call. ¨C ¡°John?¡±

    ¡°Ah, Emilia, I thought I should put you up to speed on this.¡± -He said.

    ¡°What are you doing? What the hell is going on?¡±

    ¡°I received a message from Darius. The traitors are going to try to take this place by force any minute now. I sent some people home already on a helicopter, others I¡¯m discreetly securing in the warehouse. I¡¯m setting up the battlefield, you know how it is.¡±

    The migraine Emilia was trying to hold back had finally made it up to her brain. ¨C ¡°¡­Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± -She groaned.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve got such a sharp mind, my dear lady.¡± ¨C He said.  ¨C ¡°I¡¯m gathering up a little squad¡­we¡¯ll give these subversives the what for, I guarantee it, I already gave instructions to some of them, with that said, stay away from the fourth basement, Arthur is there, and he plays a key role in my defense.¡±

    Emilia closed her eyes and put her hands together, exhaling as loudly as possible. ¨C ¡°¡­There might be assassins allied with Fritz, taking these people head on is a death sentence at the moment, you are aware of that right, Alquist?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, yeah¡­¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°But I can only see that decision coming from some of the half-assed ¡°pros¡± that Darius hired prior to bringing in the batch of freaks that keep you so much on edge.¡± -He laughed. ¨C ¡°You already know these people, how crazy they are, but I¡¯ve got the feeling I am the only one here that understands them the most.¡±

    ¡°Of course you do, you savage.¡± -She said, to which he laughed once more.

    ¡°They¡¯ll fight for the organization, not because they know who the biggest bidder is or because they agree with its goals in particular. I can¡¯t speak for everyone, but I¡¯m sure most of them love the idea of a good fight.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll never understand you, murderers.¡± -She said, reaching for her cup of coffee. ¨C ¡°I¡¯m just doing my job, if you people refuse to take the safe choice, then when you die, don¡¯t cry because we replaced you.¡±

    ¡°The dead don¡¯t cry, Emilia. Don¡¯t worry about us, if I die, I¡¯ll make sure to return as a canary and sing next to your window every morning.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll throw a cup full of water at you if you do.¡±

    John laughed once more. ¨C ¡°Never change, Emilia. Call you later.¡±

    He ended the call and Emilia went back to Jules.

    ¡°Jules¡­you are free to meet up with Alquist¡­do whatever he wants you to do. I¡¯ve got the feeling that telling you otherwise would be pointless.¡±

    The background noise through the line was becoming unbearable for Emilia. ¨C ¡°You do know there¡¯s only one thing we know how to do best, Miss Emilia¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¨C Said Jules.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know¡­ I¡¯ll leave you to prepare.¡±

    ¡°God be with you.¡±

    Fritz didn¡¯t know Kirsten had escaped his enclosure, and the only who knew was now in a morgue with a deep wound all around his neck, so he and his group proceeded as planned with little to no suspicions.

    The Men of the World counted with many individuals experienced in combat and law enforcement, spread all around the world waiting for the call to action or a job, be it tracking down individuals, protection and covert operations alongside the assassins; an ever-growing army. Unfortunately, Lionel had found a way to persuade a great amount of these agents to support his insurrection, exploiting their moral fiber to convince them to support the change he represented. Deep inside, these people didn¡¯t want to be renegades against the system forever, so allying themselves with a man that promised peaceful integration and work from the inside of said system, it was as if that man was promising a pretty much real paradise to them.

    Lionel commanded a group of a hundred agents to start the assault inside the headquarters, all the while he surveyed the situation from a safe location far away from the base. These hundred agents and operators performed their usual activities and tasks around the complex up until they received the signal to act.

    They placed explosive charges in the generator room and the corridors that connected every building directly, to sink the base into complete darkness and block the reinforcements movement, then they spread around the base in smaller groups to block certain areas, including all the possible exits, to make sure that no one would be able to escape during the firefight. They already knew the faces of all the people that weren¡¯t part of the insurrection, and were instructed to dispose of them immediately.

    Their main strategy was to clear the buildings simultaneously, eliminating all potential threats and witnesses, making sure to eliminate all assassins present inside the base, all the while closing in on Darius¡¯ office at the main building and convince him to hand over the control of the organization to their new administration peacefully or be executed.

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    That was the plan on paper, and given they counted with top notch weaponry, gear and training, the rebels were already convinced that the takeover would be a smashing success.

    The fire teams got into position around the base, preparing discreetly, making sure none of the loyalists would spot them. Afterwards, they reported to Adam, telling him they were ready to begin.

    Most employees around the complex could only feel the ground shake beneath them as the explosions triggered one after the other, those crossing the corridors from building to building were caught in the falling rubble with nothing more than a muffled scream, and the lights went out one after the other.

    The moment Darius saw the lights go out he knew his enemies were already taking action. However, he was far from concerned, not even worried. He served himself some tea and looked out the window to stare in awe at the snowy mountains.

    ¡°It seems that Mr.Fritz cannot wait any longer.¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°I¡¯ll give Kirsten a bonus when this is all over, hell, I may even promote him.¡±

    There was someone else in the dark office with him, standing on a corner while eating a red apple.

    ¡°Knowing Eyler, he¡¯ll probably find a way to turn it down. His lack of ambition concerns me.¡± -She commented.

    ¡°You think? I honestly would like to get him in a position closer to mine. He may be one of the few individuals I would trust this organization to.¡±

    ¡°I would drop this place if you were to step down the role of director.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, Reaper. I told you that much loyalty hardly ever gets rewarded.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t say it out of loyalty.¡± -She placed the bitten apple on a nearby table. ¨C ¡°I say it because I know for a fact anyone else would run this entire operation into the ground, just like Fritz is trying to do right now.¡±

    ¡°Well, you already know what to do to make sure that doesn¡¯t happen.¡± ¨C He took a sip of the tea.

    ¡°Why did you call me though?¡± -She asked, crossing her leather-clad arms. ¨C ¡°You could¡¯ve called anyone else from the S-rankers, Praetorian is better suited for situations like this, for instance.¡±

    ¡°Praetorian is strong, but he¡¯s too straightforward.¡± -He looked away from the window to look at Reaper, standing in front of the entrance. ¨C ¡°I didn¡¯t want things to devolve into this situation, but if this is what¡¯s going to happen, I¡¯ve got to make sure the following seven days get engraved in the memory of all of our members, including the rebels that may be spared from our retaliation.¡± -He walked up to Reaper; her nose was flooded with the scent of his red tea. ¨C ¡°For that, a little bit of psychological warfare is needed, and I think that you, aside from Butcher, know this kind of warfare better than anyone else.¡±

    ¡°You always think in the long term, don¡¯t you Darius?¡± -She kindly grabbed his cup and took a sip of the tea. It tasted like apples.

    ¡°That¡¯s the way I¡¯ve been able to fight on even terms with the idiots up there for a very long time.¡±

    ¡°I suppose the newborn blood they offered you wasn¡¯t good enough.¡±

    ¡°Those are just mere stories.¡± -Darius laughed, wondering if there¡¯s people out there who actually believe that story.

    ¡°I know, just wanted to humor you a bit.¡± ¨C Just then, the sound of gunfire finally reached their ears. Guns shooting, people screaming and fighting; war had finally broken out inside the organization. ¨C ¡°I guess that¡¯s my queue for me to go.¡±

    ¡°Make sure that Lionel gets the message.¡±

    ¡°Will do.¡±

    The woman known as Reaper walked out of the room, into the fire of combat. Darius returned to his desk, sat down and placed his legs over the table, achieving absolute relaxation.

    To the screams joined even more screams, which he was sure belonged to a handful of the rebels that had the misfortune to stumble upon one of the few real silent assassins, the one that appeared out of nowhere, codename: ¡°Reaper¡±.

    Suddenly his phone rang, he had a fair assumption of who awaited on the other side of the line.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Darius.¡± -Just as he predicted, Lionel couldn¡¯t resist confrontation. ¨C ¡°I suppose you already know what this is all about.¡±

    ¡°I got a fair picture of the situation.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯d like to negotiate with you to stop this carnage as fast as possible. I for one didn¡¯t want the situation to devolve into this, but your stubborn attitude has left me no choice. So, let¡¯s start from what¡¯s most important: We¡¯d like you to step down from the role of director as soon as-¡±

    ¡°I heard that you placed a trap for Butcher.¡± -Said Darius, interrupting him. ¨C ¡°How did that go?¡±

    ¡°We are not talking about that person; she doesn¡¯t have anything to do with the ordeal you currently find yourself in.¡±

    ¡°Oh, but she is.¡± ¨CHe looked back at the snowy mountains once again, wondering from where was Lionel surveying this operation. ¨C ¡°She¡¯s a mere assassin, but you came out of your way to set up an ambush just for her before anyone else, did you not? So, you recognized how much of a threat she is to your entire conspiracy.¡±

    ¡°Do not change the topic at-¡±

    ¡°Tell me and then we¡¯ll talk about what you want. Is she dead? Did your men manage to kill her?¡±

    Lionel grunted with disgust, but then realized this was all on him; he already knew what kind of man Darius was, and skipped that detail altogether. He decided to give him what he wanted if that meant they could proceed with the negotiation. ¨C ¡°Yes, they had to sacrifice themselves to put her down. She now lies in a forest among the wreckage of the plane she was in, somewhere around Oregon.¡±

    ¡°Have you confirmed the kill?¡±

    ¡°¡­There¡¯s men in the area working on it.¡±

    Darius laughed. ¨C ¡°In that case I would advise you not to sing victory just yet. Believe me, it¡¯s in your best interest to get rid of her before even thinking about taking over my organization.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be more concerned about the men inside the headquarters? They are getting massacred to the very last man.¡± -Commented Lionel, trying to get the smallest sensation of fear from Darius.

    ¡°It may be so, but the tides can change rather quick.¡±

    Just then, Lionel started to receive reports from the many squads around the base.

    ¡°Zulu team reporting! The security team is fighting back, they are receiving instructions from Alquist! They are entrenching themselves around the southern wing, we cannot advance any further!¡±

    ¡°Foxtrot reporting in! We have to retreat from basement four. The Chain is here, he¡¯s flooded the entire area and drowned half of the squad, he¡¯s coming after us!¡±

    ¡°Alpha team reporting in, the Reaper has locked us out of the main building, she¡¯s trapped a quarter of the squad inside, we have lost contact with them. We¡¯ll have to find a way around!¡±

    quarter of the squad inside, we have lost contact with them. We¡¯ll have to find a way around!¡±

    Lionel hoped that Darius hadn¡¯t heard that, but he accurately assumed, judging by Lionel¡¯s silence, that things weren¡¯t going so smoothly for him anymore.

    ¡°I see that you¡¯ve already found a wall, so to speak.¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°It¡¯ll only be worse for you if you let the Butcher live.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m curious now.¡± -Said Lionel, leaning forward on his chair, wondering why out of all the dangerous killers that Darius hired, she¡¯s the most special. ¨C ¡°She¡¯s hundreds of kilometers away from the base. Why should I be more wary about her the most? Logically speaking, she is not a threat.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t disqualify her, that would be your last mistake.¡± -Argued Darius. ¨C ¡°For you see, she doesn¡¯t need to be here to become a problem for you. Nor her, nor the others that are away from the base at the moment.¡±

    ¡°And why is that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of what she¡¯s capable of.¡± ¨C Darius placed his feet back on the ground and straightened his back, reminiscing.  ¨C ¡°I¡¯ll tell you a little secret, but I¡¯ve been following her from up close for a very long time. I¡¯ve seen her evolve into what she is now. She wasn¡¯t aware of it, but I was there, spectating her crusade across the desert, displaying a power unknown to everyone in this world¡­ every assassin is driven by a concept, be it an idea, a goal or an emotion. In her case, she¡¯s driven by many of these things, but she¡¯s also driven by something more primordial, and that is hunger.¡±

    ¡°Hunger?¡±

    ¡°A very special kind of hunger¡­she may not recognize it as such, she may not even know how to describe it, but it is there, and she knows she has to keep on satisfying it if she wants to stay alive, just like how she needs to eat normal food three times a day. That hunger enables her to become one of the most dangerous hunters that ever walked the earth, always looking for the most exquisite specimen to satiate her spiritual palate.¡± ¨C Darius¡¯ tone became deeper and serious. ¨C ¡°And now, Lionel, you decided to send some of the people she despises the most after her, and you decided to season yourself with the sins and concepts that give flavor to a corrupted soul. Mark my words: she won¡¯t get her eyes off of you until she finally kills you, because you my friend, look like the best wellington steak in the world right about now.¡±

    ¡°None of what you say makes sense at all, Wiltshire!¡± -Said Fritz. ¨C ¡°What? You say she¡¯s going to eat me? are you that delusional!?¡±

    ¡°Not literally eat you. She¡¯ll kill you.¡± -He snapped his fingers. ¨C ¡°Just like that, nothing you can do about it, what happens next you won¡¯t even expect it.¡±

    Lionel scoffed at Darius¡¯ words. ¨C ¡°Thanks for the history lesson, Mr. Darius, but in my opinion, you are gravely overrating her. She¡¯s just a mentally ill child forced to become a soldier, a couple of guns and a handful of bullets are enough to kill someone like her. And it¡¯s better like that; we¡¯ll put her out of her misery.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s what you think.¡±

    ¡°I assume we haven¡¯t gone nowhere with this agreement. In that case, you¡¯ve forced our hand. God willing, you won¡¯t leave that base alive.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that. Good luck, Lionel.¡±

    Lionel ended the call abruptly, and listened to the radio frequencies again.

    ¡°Attention! Whiskey Team, be advised, Tango has been wiped out by the Sword, proceed with caution.¡±

    ¡°Foxtrot here, we have escaped from basement five. The current whereabouts of The Chain are unknown, we have multiple casualties.¡±

    ¡°Be advised, we have lost contact with alpha team, reinforcements have been sent to check up on the situation.¡±

    Lionel didn¡¯t want to play Darius¡¯ mind games, he didn¡¯t want to believe there was a figment of truth in what he said, he wanted to think that Darius was just a delusional and power-hungry idiot.

    ¡°Fire team, are you there? respond, over! Did you confirm the kill? Respond, fire team!¡±

    Finally, someone responded the call, but it wasn¡¯t a pleasant response at all.

    ¡°Are you Lionel?¡± -Asked a feminine voice on the other side of the frequency.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me, who wants to know?¡±

    ¡°¡­Where are you?¡±

    ¡°Far away. Like I said, who the hell wants to know?¡±

    ¡°The one person you keep trying to kill.¡± ¨C Lionel felt his heart skip a beat. ¨C ¡°I finally got to have a talk with you.¡±

    ¡°¡­Butcher¡­if I¡¯m being honest, I¡¯m surprised you¡¯ve managed to make it this far.¡± -He said, pretending to be amicable. ¨C ¡°I advise you to lay low and do not interfere with what¡¯s happening right now. You don¡¯t need to get involved in this fight.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see, you are all the same.¡± -She said. ¨C ¡°Don¡¯t tell me how to pick my fights. I¡¯ve made up my mind. If you want a war so badly, you just got it¡­¡±

    ¡°Listen to when someone is trying to be reasonable with you, Butcher. You may be a dangerous and experienced assassin; you may have killed hundreds upon hundreds of people but¡­you are still just a young girl. I can safely assume that your body is gravely damaged after the crash, I have a lot of men at my disposal; you cannot kill all of them, if you keep this up, you¡¯ll inevitably fall.¡±

    He got nervous when he couldn¡¯t hear anything at the other side of the line for a few seconds, but then she raised her voice once again.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got new scars and wounds in my body thanks to your people. I¡¯m aware being wounded is a given in this profession, but still¡­ now, you have my full attention. I don¡¯t know how you look like, but that won¡¯t matter. Rest assured; I¡¯ll meet you soon.¡±

    She crushed the radio, ending the communication with deafening static. The fact that she managed to get a hold of that radio spoke for itself, the scout team had been wiped out.

    Things started to seem very somber to Lionel, and he preferred to cut his losses and proceed with plan B.

    He made a call to his operator team and gave them their new instructions. ¨C ¡°Access the main database, I want all the data we can get, use it as a bargaining chip with the Imperium.¡±

 Turn of the tables

    Soon the violence inside the headquarters died down, becoming more of a game of cat and mouse than a firefight.

    The corpses of the employees and security guards littered the facility¡¯s corridors; Lionel¡¯s men had been thoroughly ruthless and reduced them all, filling them with lead. However, the closest they approached to the main building and Darius¡¯ office, from all angles and floors inside the complex, more of Lionel¡¯s men were killed.

    Strangled, drowned, gunned down, burned, cut and executed, Lionel¡¯s task force was being reduced in number, just like they did with all of their victims.

    The last remaining agent in basement four managed to retreat to a vent where he could find some oxygen to survive. The entire area had been flooded by the base¡¯s water supply.

    He had no escape and the communications were completely cut. He was hoping for someone to find a way to filter the water by opening the emergency shuttles, which were away from his reach.

    He hid in a shadowy corner, hoping that The Chain wouldn¡¯t find him. He knew that boy was still there, swimming underwater, looking for him; for all he knew, he could hold his breath for hours, maybe for all eternity, he was like a shark stalking its prey. No matter what, he wouldn¡¯t leave the safety of that vent.

    Meanwhile, a squad advanced towards the main building, they advanced in formation, keeping an eye out on any potential threats or targets to be eliminated.

    They advanced through the northern corridor towards the main lobby, there they found an uncommon and unsettling sight. They found the bodies of the missing squad team that was supposed to neutralize Darius at the beginning of the operation. They were all standing still around the place, holding onto their weapons apathetically and hanging their heads low, as if they were in deep meditation.

    The squad leader approached one of them, and on a closer look he found out that they were actually dead. Somehow, they had all died on their feet, completely rigid; an unexplainable phenomenon.

    Some of them had their throats slit by some kind of blade, while others had broken necks. None of them showed signs of struggle, their rifle muzzles were also completely cold; they had been caught completely by surprise, and maybe they didn¡¯t even know they were under attack until it was too late.

    They kept their guns up, terrified of the thought that whoever did this to them was still at large, somewhere in that dreary facility full of blood and death.

    One of the soldiers then approached another body, the one that seemed to be the only woman in the squad, which was weird, since that team wasn¡¯t supposed to have a female member.

    That¡¯s when the captain noticed the naked body hidden under the secretary¡¯s desk. ¨C ¡°Wait, she¡¯s the¡­!¡±- But he didn¡¯t manage to alert his teammate in time. The female soldier suddenly came back to life and slit his throat with a small curved blade she was hiding under her collar, then she quickly drew out her silenced pistol and terminated the remaining three combatants.

    The soldier took off her mask and showed her face to the one agent that was still lingering on. He had been fooled and methodically suppressed by none other than The Reaper, though he had no way of knowing that, since field agents were never aware of the existence of Darius¡¯ personal troop of assassins.

    She called Darius through her intercom. ¨C ¡°Another squad has been wiped out. They keep on coming, I wonder how long it¡¯ll take them to change strategy.¡±

    ¡°They won¡¯t have enough men to afford that. Soon enough they¡¯ll just retreat.¡±

    ¡°As long as they get that, we¡¯ll be able to finish their little attempt at a takeover.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it will be that easy¡­¡± -Darius was looking at his personal computer, sending the new instructions to the operators in charge of the database to protect the information at all cost.

    ¡°I have worked with Lionel long enough to know that he likes to have many plans and tactics on hold, just in case the main one doesn¡¯t work. If we repel his men¡¯s attack, he¡¯ll probably attack the next most vulnerable thing.¡±

    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± ¨C Reaper sat over the secretary¡¯s desk and checked her gear. ¨C ¡°Well, if it is what I think it is, it¡¯s up to the nerds to defend the fort next.¡±

    ¡°I have high hopes on them, just like I do with Eyler.¡±

    Suddenly the power returned, someone had managed to activate the emergency grid. Reaper assumed that it was probably Alquist since he was the only one that wasn¡¯t actually defending something, so he could be free to go to the offense.

    Reaper exhaled looking at all the blood and death she had sprayed around that room, she looked at the corpses and squinted her eyes, drawing a little and modest smile on her face. ¨C ¡°I¡¯m not going to sugarcoat it, Darius, you lost a lot of people today.¡± -She said through the intercom. ¨C ¡°Lionel may not be able to take it over, but he sure as hell did an excellent job trying to dissolve it.¡±

    ¡°Do not worry.¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°It¡¯s in a pretty rough shape right now. But just like Lionel, I know how to make my plans. I¡¯ll make sure to put it all back together.¡±

    ¡°I sure hope so.¡±

    Meanwhile, Sword went down to basement five and used the valves in the boiler room in order to open the emergency shuttles and get rid of the water in basement four. Alquist had told her to go find Chain so he could join the offensive against the enemy forces regrouping in the administrative building, so she was done with her part of the defense as soon as possible.

    Sword went down the elevator to basement four, there she found the corpses of the rogue agents that didn¡¯t manage to escape in time. There were no signs of Chain to be found, maybe he had been flushed out through the shuttles by accident.

    Suddenly she heard the safe of a gun being pulled off. She turned around to meet the last soldier standing in the basement, barely on his feet because of a wounded knee and a cut on his forehead blinding his vision; when he saw the water going down, he thought that was his chance to escape, but he wouldn¡¯t have it easy.

    ¡°You¡­you are Sword, aren¡¯t you?¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°Out of all fucking people to come¡­¡±

    Jules showed him her hands. ¨C ¡°Don¡¯t do anything crazy, agent. It¡¯s over, you¡¯ve been left for dead.¡±

    ¡°Do you think I care? Heh¡­this was supposed to be just a simple job, and the first thing that happens is I get trapped in a room with a freak that can breath under water¡­!¡± ¨C He coughed. ¨C ¡°He killed everyone, but he didn¡¯t get to kill me, I suppose I¡¯m blessed.¡±

    ¡°You have nowhere to go.¡± -She argued. ¨C ¡°You should give up now, you are in no condition to fight.¡±

    ¡°Give up!? Nah, I ain¡¯t giving up, I¡¯m not gonna be thrown in a cell to be tortured by the likes of you, I¡¯m out of here¡­and you are going to get me out of here.¡±

    ¡°You gonna use me as a hostage?¡± -She asked, arching her eyebrows, looking beyond him.

    ¡°Of course. What are you, stupid? No one would dare shoot one of their own.¡± ¨C He stepped aside.  Lead the way, take me to the heliport, if you take a detour I¡¯m shooting you in the back.¡±

    But Jules didn¡¯t move an inch. Instead, she crossed her arms and kept looking somewhere else.

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    ¡°What the fuck are you waiting for!? Move!¡± -He demanded.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that won¡¯t work.¡± -She said.

    ¡°What!?¡±

    ¡°You are one bad move away from dying¡­I¡¯ll pray for you.¡±

    ¡°What the fuck are you talking¡­!?¡± -The mercenary took a step forward, and the moment his boot touched the ground, a sudden and intense air stream rushed past him, slicing his body in half like mere butter.

    In his last moments of conscience, he watched as he was suddenly spinning around in the air for no reason. At one point he spotted the lower half of his body as it kneeled and then dropped to the ground. The massive amount of endorphins produced by his brain protected him from the pain - if there was any ¨C and from reality itself.

    ¡°Ahh¡­this is surreaaaaal¡­¡± ¨C He whispered as he flied until his head impacted the ground, lights out.

    Jules saw a chain elevate from the ground, coiling and curling, emerging from the darkness. At the end of this chain there was a small axe, but its edge could cut through an oak with enough strength applied to it.

    The chain returned to the shadows. If Jules was not certain of what had happened, she would be preparing to fight right there and then, but that was not the case.

    ¡°Arthur. You survived!¡± -She said.

    From the shadows emerged a young man, many would mistake him for the reincarnation of Adam. His blue eyes shined like emeralds, but just like Alicia¡¯s, they contained an intense savagery behind them. He wore many chains tied around his waist, and from them dangled a handful of different weapons and tools, though in the eyes of Jules, those tools could be his best weapons.

    ¡°Mr. Alquist is looking for you, we need to support him in the counterattack.¡±

    ¡°Their attempt at a conquest was misguided¡­¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°They knew this was death¡¯s abode, yet they still intruded, intending to make it a home of their own... Have the others been crushed?¡± ¨C Arthur searched around until he found his jacket and put it on, even if it was soaking wet.

    ¡°Not yet, the enemy is falling back to the administrative building. Alquist wants you spearhead the attack.¡±

    ¡°I shall cull them myself.¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°No one else must be hurt, not if I can help it.¡±

    He rushed out of the room into the elevator, Jules followed him.

    She called Alquist through the radio. ¨C ¡°Alquist, I found Arthur, we are heading your way.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t take too much time, Sword, I think we are gonna have a problem here¡­¡±

    John¡¯s men had set up a perimeter in front of the building, making sure to stay in cover. Misha, or rather Silencer, was overlooking the building from a safe spot with her rifle, she had already managed to eliminate four enemies peeking out behind the walls or from the windows, but now they were facing a more critical problem.

    Emilia had been captured, her hiding spot wasn¡¯t good enough, and worse yet, the enemies had a rogue assassin on their side. He was currently holding her hostage right in front of everyone at the other side of the bridge, but just at the right angle to make sure Silencer didn¡¯t have a clear shot on him.

    Even in that dire situation, Emilia was not amused in the slightest, in fact, she seemed to be quite pissed about the whole thing, if she was just a little bit as skillful as the assassins she had to manage, she wouldn¡¯t think twice about trying to decapitate the man holding her against her will.

    Regardless of that, while she allowed the situation to unfold, Emilia couldn¡¯t help but wonder how Kirsten was doing, hoping he wasn¡¯t caught in an ambush set by the traitors. She also knew for a fact that they surely had something special prepared for Butcher but doubted they would be able to put her down.

    Either way, she couldn¡¯t envision a future where the Men of the World could recover from an incident such as this.

    Kirsten tried to reach out to Alicia again, but she wouldn¡¯t pick up the phone. While he stubbornly kept on dialing her number, he received a report from one of the operators at the hideout.

    ¡°We got new information sir. The plane in which the Butcher was extracted, it crashed somewhere around Washington.¡±

    Kirsten sighed, hanging his head low and sinking his hands into his hair. Fate laughed and puffed her chest.

    ¡°Come on, Kirsten, you don¡¯t have to worry so much.¡± -She said. ¨C ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be fine. If she¡¯s really the Butcher, she must¡¯ve survived the crash, one way or the other.¡±

    ¡°They must¡¯ve prepared it all to make sure she wouldn¡¯t make it out alive.¡± -He said. ¨C ¡°Lionel has made it quite clear that he aims to eliminate all assassins employed by the organization, making an emphasis on the ones I hired.¡±

    ¡°So that includes me? huh¡­maybe Jeremy was trying to set me up after all¡­¡± -She raised her hand to her chin and chuckled; her convictions had been validated once again. ¨C ¡°Thanks to your honesty, I was capable of discerning between an honest agreement and a mischievous conspiracy.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t give me so much credit.¡± -He said, his voice almost fading to a whisper. ¨C ¡°You are a clever girl; I already knew as much by reading your file.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes stories can be deceiving, but thanks for the flattery.¡± -She laughed. From time to time, Kirsten would forget that Charlie was supposed to be a legendary assassin. Her face, her lexicon, her mannerisms, all of them weren¡¯t proper of a killer, or maybe Kirsten had gotten too used to talking with those that were far away from the norm.

    Later on Kirsten would regain his strength to get back up, and just as he was walking out of the room, he was approached by another operator.

    ¡°Sir, we¡¯ve got a new report from the HQ, they managed to get the power grid back on and push back against the traitors.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s very good.¡± -He looked at the operator in the eyes. ¨C ¡°But I assume that Lionel isn¡¯t taking this lying down.¡±

    ¡°You are right, sir. They¡¯ve got their own group of operators trying to hack into the organization¡¯s database. We think that he¡¯s trying to pull a salted earth tactic to cripple the foundations of the group as a whole.¡±

    ¡°I figured as much. Can we do something about it?¡±

    ¡°Darius¡¯ team is taking care of it, so we must not interfere. However, it¡¯s very likely they¡¯ll turn off the power again soon, just to be sure.¡± ¨C The operator raised a finger. ¨C ¡°Also, the rebels are currently making a last stand in the administrative building, they¡¯ve got an assassin on their side, I think it is Mitchell Reagan. Alquist and his team are taking care of the situation.¡±

    ¡°I see. Well, I guess I have no role to play in this fight.¡± -Said Kirsten, feeling his body becoming heavier. ¨C ¡°Any news on the plane crash?¡±

    ¡°We haven¡¯t heard anything new since the crash. In my opinion sir, I think it¡¯s appropriate to declare Butcher KIA.¡±

    ¡°No¡­no, that¡¯s not happening.¡± -He said.  ¨C ¡°There¡¯s gotta be a way to make sure, to be absolutely sure. I¡¯ll go there myself if it¡¯s necessary!¡±

    ¡°With all due respect sir, leaving this outpost under these circumstances would be very imprudent, you cannot risk yourself out in the open as long as Lionel has men to spare.¡±

    ¡°¡­Damn¡­¡± -Kirsten¡¯s brain was completely blank. It was the first time in months that he couldn¡¯t come up with a solution to a predicament, and it aggravated him, given that they were in the middle of a very critical situation.

    Suddenly, one of the people in charge of the computers spoke up. ¨C ¡°Sir, the news channels are talking about the plane crash!¡±

    ¡°Put it on the screen!¡± ¨C Commanded Kirsten. The map disappeared and soon after they could see the news broadcast live. They were broadcasting from Oregon, near the Henry Hagg County Park.

    ¡°An unexpected accident occurred a few hours ago near the Henry Hagg County Park. Multiple witnesses reported watching as a plane crashed behind the mountains.¡±

    They proceeded to interview one of the witnesses. ¨C¡°It was big, you know? There was a lot of smoke coming out from it, maybe something exploded inside! It kept falling until we heard the crash and then an explosion, I don¡¯t think anyone survived.¡±

    ¡°And no one survived indeed. After receiving the call, a group of police officers, ambulances and the park rangers were dispatched to the crash site in order to put out the fire and determine the number of casualties.¡±

    ¡°it¡¯s a complete an utter mess.¡± ¨C Said the chief of police on the scene, his name was Liam Thompson. ¨C ¡°My men are on the scene, so far they¡¯ve found around twenty corpses on the scene, and we are afraid that many more came out flying from the plane due to the explosion. We haven¡¯t found any signs of possible survivors either.¡±

    ¡°What can you tell us about the casualties, sir?¡± -Asked the journalist.

    ¡°So far we haven¡¯t been able to identify the victims, their bodies are gravely damaged, all we can say at a glance is that most of them were adult males and some adult women, and from what we can determine, they carried military grade weaponry and equipment with them.¡±

    ¡°Were they terrorists?¡±

    ¡°Like I said, we can¡¯t be sure, at least for now, we must conduct a thorough investigation on the matter, and that might take a while.¡±

    Afterwards, they went on to talk about other unrelated news, but that is all they needed to know. The chances were slim, very slim, but Kirsten wanted to cling to that small possibility that Butcher was still alive.

    ¡°We have to hurry up. Get in touch with the outpost in Washington, we have to find her and rescue her before it¡¯s too late.¡± -Kirsten went to get prepared for the journey. ¨C ¡°I¡¯ll meet up with them when it¡¯s time to proceed.¡±

    ¡°Sir, it¡¯s just like I told you, it¡¯s too risky to go out in the open right now! You must not put yourself in harm¡¯s way.¡± -Said the lead operator.

    ¡°I know, I know¡­but right now, the last thing I want is to take a backseat from the action.¡± -replied Kirsten. ¨C ¡°Lionel messed with me, messed with all of us, and I want to make sure I¡¯m close enough to see him fall when the time is right. And for that, I must contribute to the cause, personally.¡±

    At that moment, the operator longed for those days where his word and common sense meant anything to those above him.

    Kirsten prepared some clothes for the journey while ordering the operators to prepare a fake ID for him to roam through the states safely, the CIA was still looking for him after all those years.

    His years of experience as an agent were coming back to him, his body felt lighter and mind sharper, in a way he had managed to reconcile his actual self with his past self. Knowing this, he thought he would be capable of finding and extracting Alicia out of the country, or at least out of that state, without making a fuss; it had to be a swift and discreet escape under the law¡¯s nose.

    He hoped that Alicia would be in a stable enough condition for that.

 Kindred spirit

    A few hours before, at the crash site, there were corpses all around the area. Some sprawled on the ground, some stuck in the trees that were still standing, some had landed in the river not far from there, tainting the water with whatever blood they still have in them.

    The plane had been reduced to a steaming pile of metallic rubble, shattered in multiple pieces, some of its parts were still on fire, threatening to spread all across the forest if someone didn¡¯t put it down quickly.

    Some of the corpses, however, were a bit fresher than the others, because they had arrived there after the plane crashed, looking for Alicia¡¯s corpse, and if it was necessary, to put her out of her misery.

    They underestimated Alicia¡¯s current state, and thus they ended that way. The leader of the group had found Alicia lying next to a rock, there was a lot of blood, so they could only conclude that she had bled out and finally died.

    The group of six gathered around her body, intending to take pictures to confirm the kill. According to their client she had a badge on her with her name, so they should retrieve that too.

    When the leader reached out to her pockets, when he was close enough, Alicia came back to life and slashed his throat with her right hand while she stole his backup pistol with the other and with inhumane speed, she gunned down the soldiers around her before they could react.

    The moment everybody had hit the ground and she was certain everyone was dead, she allowed herself to recoil and turn in pain. For the first time in a very long while, Alicia allowed herself to scream because of the immense amount of pain she was feeling, some tears even managed to escape her eye sockets.

    Her left arm broke because of the crash, but she was capable of moving it through sheer willpower, but only for that one time. Due to the amount of focus and energy it took, she wouldn¡¯t be able to do something similar again. Her left eye was completely blinded by the blood that had been spilled over it, she also had a few broken ribs dangerously close to puncturing one of her lungs. Overall, if someone else tried to attack her right there and then, she wouldn¡¯t be able to fight back.

    Fortunately, it seemed like Lionel couldn¡¯t spare more men at the moment.

    Alicia stood up, slowly and carefully, trying to not move more than necessary in order to not feel any more piercing pain.

    ¡°(Ten¡­Ten, are you there?)¡±

    ¡°Jesus Christ, that fall shook up my brains¡­where the hell are we?¡±

    ¡°(I don¡¯t know¡­some kind of forest¡­we are not safe here; we have to leave¡­we have to¡­)¡±

    Just when she decided to walk away, she heard the voice of Lionel calling for his men through the radio, and the rest is history.

    After crushing the radio she walked away. When she had managed to put some distance between herself and the wreckage she heard helicopters and vehicles approaching the site. She knew that it was in her best interest to not be seen, so she kept to the shadows, stumbling through the forest, being cautious of not tripping over rocks or fallen logs.

    ¡°Where do we go now? We won¡¯t last long in this condition.¡±

    ¡°(We¡¯ll find something¡­we always do¡­this won¡¯t kill me¡­something like this won¡¯t ever kill me.)¡± -Alicia stopped for a moment and leaned on a tree, coughing up some blood stuck in her throat, then she kept advancing. ¨C ¡°(There¡¯s a lot of stuff to do still¡­we have to get even with that motherfucker¡­I have to get even¡­right, Ten?)¡± ¨C But she didn¡¯t respond, it was as if she had evaporated. ¨C ¡°(¡­Ten? ¡­Fine, take a break, I¡¯ll keep going.)¡±

    Her legs shook and bent against her will, she kneeled on the ground, noticing how little strength she had left on her legs, she didn¡¯t doubt it was because of the immense amounts of energy she had spent in these constant firefights; she was completely fatigued. The It that lied within her had forced her limits to the point of burnout.

    ¡°(I can barely feel them.)¡± -Alicia grasped at her legs, fortunately it didn¡¯t seem like she had broken something.

    She kept walking, farther and farther from the sound of the helicopters and sirens, until she didn¡¯t hear them anymore. Alicia was safe now, but the matter of her wounds was a more critical problem than getting caught by the authorities.

    ¡°(I must not get caught. I have to escape this place. We¡¯ve got a lot of things to do and places to go.)¡±

    Alicia tried her hardest to regulate her breath, but conscience was slowly slipping away from her. It hurt to breathe; her lungs were burning after being put under such an extenuating test; she was one mistake away from losing control of the lower half of her body completely.

    Still, she pressed forward, just like she was taught to by the commander. As long as her mind didn¡¯t give up, her body would be forced to pick itself up and drag forward, no matter how wounded or tired she was. Many soldiers around the world had felt an even heavier tiredness, in her mind, her pain was nothing compared to that.

    A few minutes passed, but they felt like hours, hours of endlessly dragging her feet through the dirt and dead leaves, the It that lied within her had returned to its relatively peaceful slumber, leaving her with little to no options.

    ¡°(I must find a way out of here¡­I must push forward¡­)¡± -Her eyelids felt heavy and her legs were about to give up. ¨C ¡°(¡­They¡¯ll die if I don¡¯t-)¡±

    Suddenly, Alicia stumbled on a branch and the left side of her face got acquainted with the dirt below her boots, allowing her to pass out almost instantly.

    She found herself surrounded by endless fields of white roses. The starry sky beckoned her with sparkling stars and a moon whose bright shone over the land with optimism.

    It was THAT place, the place she was denied to thrive in, yet she¡¯s allowed to visit from time to time.

    Normally, this mystic and pure landscape would reach into the depths of a person¡¯s heart and inspire a flurry of overwhelming emotions that would lead them to cry like children, but Alicia didn¡¯t allow herself to feel that kind of things, at least not yet.

    ¡°(Again¡­)¡± -She thought. ¨C ¡°(I thought that my day pass had expired at this point¡­)¡±

    ¡°Alicia!!!¡± -Someone called her name in the distance. She recognized that voice instantly. After all, how could she ever forget about them? ¨C ¡°Hey, Alicia!¡±

    She looked over in the direction of the voice, there she saw a single girl with a white dress and a white ribbon over her head rushing to meet her. that bright, optimistic smile that didn¡¯t fade even when everything ended, those eyes full of life, even if then it seemed ironic, she never forgot about them.

    ¡°¡­Hello, Malak¡­¡± -Said Alicia, greeting her.

    ¡°Alicia!¡± ¨C The girl jumped to embrace Alicia in a tight, warm hug, rejoicing in her presence. ¨C ¡°I knew you¡¯d be back; I knew it! you always return!¡± -She looked up to her eyes, theirs were teal green, something strange among those that lived in the wasteland.

    ¡°Hi, Malak¡­I-I can¡¯t say I was planning to come here but¡­here I am.¡± -It may just be a fever dream caused by the exhaustion and her wounds, it may be all just an elaborate hallucination created by her brain, but Alicia was truly beyond the point of caring about that. Malak was there, and that¡¯s all she cared about. ¨C ¡°How have you been?¡±

    ¡°Everything¡¯s been great. Everyone is ok too; we found an excellent place to stay and live together.¡± -She said, referring to the others that crossed the bridge with her. ¨C ¡°It¡¯s a very humble shack near a lake, so we have lots of fun swimming around and playing in the fields.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see¡­¡±

    ¡°Come, I¡¯ll take you there!¡± -She grabbed Alicia¡¯s hand and walked. ¨C ¡°I think we can make some room for you, don¡¯t worry about food, we¡¯ve got plenty of that¡­¡±

    ¡°Malak, wait-¡±

    ¡°Salem will be very happy to see you, don¡¯t mind him if he cries, you already know how much of a crybaby he is.¡±

    ¡°Malak, I-.¡±

    ¡°Dalil misses his toys but he¡¯s been learning some carpentry to¡­¡±

    ¡°Malak!¡± -She stopped her on her tracks.

    ¡°¡­What? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°I can¡¯t do it, Malak.¡± -She reached out for Malak¡¯s hand and placed it on her chest, allowing Malak to feel her heartbeat. ¨C ¡°I can¡¯t go there with you.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see¡­¡± -A sad smile crept up her face. ¨C ¡°I thought you had come to stay for good. That you had finally decided to catch up to us.¡±

    ¡°¡­No. I would like to rush things, you know?¡± -She said while imitating the form of a pistol with her hand and aiming it at her head. ¨C ¡°But it doesn¡¯t work like that, if I did that¡­I wouldn¡¯t be able to be with all of you¡­it must happen naturally¡­or someone else has to do it for me.¡±

    ¡°So, this is just another visit?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so. The day you don¡¯t feel my beating heart, you¡¯ll know I¡¯ve come here to stay.¡±

    ¡°Right, I forget about it sometimes.¡± -Malak put her arms behind her back, interlacing her fingers. ¨C ¡°So¡­you are still wandering out there, being a hero?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing heroic about what I do, Malak¡­¡± -She said, scratching the back of her head and averting her gaze.

    ¡°You know that¡¯s not true. All the things you did for us, no one else would¡¯ve been able to help us the way you did, and to top it all off, you never asked for anything in exchange. We wouldn¡¯t have survived for so long if it wasn¡¯t for you.¡±

    ¡°None of that matters because you didn¡¯t make it in the end.¡±

    ¡°Of course it matters!¡± -Malak grabbed Alicia¡¯s hands. ¨C ¡°We got here because of you. We stayed together because you found a way for us. Everything you¡¯ve done was for our sake, even this, that¡¯s what heroes do.¡±

    ¡°¡­if people on the other side could hear what you say, they¡¯d laugh at you.¡± -She said, looking the other way again.  ¨C ¡°Adults around the world coined a nickname for me: The Butcher. I did a lot of bad things after you guys left, left the entire world in shock.¡±

    ¡°So I¡¯ve heard, but the way I see it, the only thing you did was to give the adults reasons to end the war.¡±

    ¡°¡­I guess I did, in a way¡­¡± -She could feel Malak¡¯s glare analyzing her face and prying into her eyes, to see if anything had changed within her.

    ¡°And what are you doing nowadays? I hope you haven¡¯t returned to the wasteland after everything that happened that day.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been in deserts, but never returned there.¡± -She said while rubbing the bridge of her nose. ¨C ¡°I¡¯ve been on many missions ever since, ran away from my commander.¡±

    ¡°You did!? Oh, Alicia, that¡¯s great. You are free now, right?¡±

    ¡°Well, I got hired by a different organization, but that fell apart as well, so¡­I guess I¡¯m truly free now.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s amazing!¡± -Malak hugged her once again. ¨C ¡°So, what are you going to do now? Where are you heading?¡±

    ¡°¡­There¡¯s people to take care of¡­many things to do.¡± -She said, looking at her own feet. ¨C ¡°I think that, after I¡¯m done with all of it, I¡¯ll find a place I can call my home, and spend the rest of my days there, however many they may be, and then I¡¯ll be able to meet all you again.¡±

    ¡°So, you are out to save the world now?¡± -Asked Malak, not really understanding the meaning behind Alicia¡¯s words.

    But Alicia didn¡¯t want to break her illusions. She didn¡¯t want to cause more wounds to heal in her heart, not to her, and certainly not to the other kids.

    ¡°¡­I guess so, yeah.¡±

    ¡°I see. Well, I never thought that the world deserved any salvation, but if it¡¯s you, I think you can take down all the bad guys. I think that you can make the world a better place for everyone.¡±

    Alicia could only bite her tongue whenever Malak exposed the ever-erroneous concept she held of her line of work.

    It didn¡¯t mean that what she was saying wasn¡¯t true, but things wouldn¡¯t happen the way she envisioned them.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, Malak.¡± -She said. ¨C ¡°I swear I will.¡±

    ¡°I know you will. You are invincible.¡± -She said while caressing the scar on her left cheek. ¨C ¡°There¡¯s so many of these, and they represent how many people have failed to destroy you, I think that¡¯s what makes you invincible.¡±

    Malak turned around and walked away, leaving Alicia behind amidst all the white roses.

    Before disappearing in the horizon, Malak turned to see her once again. ¨C ¡°It¡¯ll be the greatest day ever when you come with us!¡±

    After saying that she disappeared, she probably returned to the shack with the other children that Alicia once called her family.

    She looked up to the moon once again, wondering how long would it be before she could cross the border with them, and if she would have settled every score before that.

    It was simply irrational, Alicia wanted to go with them as soon as possible, but she didn¡¯t want to depart from the world without making sure that the ones that pull the reigns of the world and their lackeys pay for every single one of their sins.

    She knew that whoever created that paradise was certainly laughing at her from a place she couldn¡¯t reach.

    Like always, Alicia was casted out of that realm, like the end of a dream. However, this time would mark the beginning of a new one. She was still in the forest, she realized she tripped over and passed out. Her arm felt healthy weirdly enough, and the fatigue that had settled over her shoulders had disappeared. She got up from the ground and looked around, there was only darkness as far as her eyes could see.

    ¡°Oh, I thought you wouldn¡¯t get up, I guess that means you aren¡¯t going to die yet.¡±

    Alicia¡¯s ears perked up. She looked up and saw something we can only call unusual at a lack of a better word.

    There was a young girl with short jet-black hair hanging from a tree next to her. A noose was tightly tied around her neck, so tight that her neck had acquired a purple tone. Her eyes were a pair of gray, lifeless marbles staring down to the ground, and her mouth dangled open, letting out clouds of ice cold air, even if the temperature wasn¡¯t that cold around them.

    Her clothes looked ragged and dirty, also kind of old-fashioned, but the thing that caught Alicia¡¯s attention the most was the M1911 she was clutching at in her right hand, covered in dust and rust.

    Alicia didn¡¯t need to be a genius to know she was in the presence of a tormented spirit. She had read about them on some books she had found, she wasn¡¯t sure if to believe they existed or not, but now she knew for certain.

    ¡°Who are you? What do you want?¡± ¨C She asked.

    ¡°Impressive, you are the first person to not cower when they see an apparition like me. I have to say, you have given me a boost in self-esteem. I¡¯d cry if I could, but wraiths don¡¯t cry, do they? We make people cry¡­well, I don¡¯t, and I have no interest in making you cry either.¡±

    ¡°I said who are you?¡±

    ¡°Relax, it¡¯s not like I can steal your soul. My name is Nyx Adler, and your essence lured me towards you. I was bored, contemplating as eternity passed by me and then I felt you nearby, it¡¯s been so long since I met a kindred spirit.¡±

    ¡°¡­A kindred spirit?¡±

    ¡°I know, I can see it, your aura is covered by the essence of death, the essence all murderers carry. I was a murderer too, I went berserk. I was strong, I was awesome, I was even sexy, but it didn¡¯t quite work out, as you can see.¡±

    Alicia relaxed; she didn¡¯t feel any hostility coming from the ghost. ¨C ¡°You got caught I guess¡­?¡±

    ¡°Not at all. They got close, but I preferred to die than to allow them to parade me around in shackles to boost the election rates of some halfwit politician, so I didn¡¯t give them the satisfaction, as you can see. Oh, how I was expecting to wake up in a steaming cauldron, being picked apart by devils alongside other damned souls¡­but¡­in the end, that didn¡¯t happen, I¡¯m stuck here, in this world, and I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s good or bad.¡±

    ¡°So what? You came to me so I can help you find your way to the far beyond?¡± ¨C Asked Alicia. ¨C ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t have the time nor the knowledge to help you with that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s ok, it¡¯s not up to you after all. I guess there¡¯s something I must do before I can get my ticket to hell, if there¡¯s a hell to begin with.¡±

    ¡°And why are you here then? You came just because I¡¯m a ¡°kindred spirit¡±?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly.¡± ¨C She puffed more cold air out of her mouth. ¨C ¡°I can see that you¡¯ve got a gift, something no one else has as far as I know. It¡¯s very dangerous, volatile, and it benefits you, but it comes at a great price¡­¡± ¨C The ghost aimed her gun at her own head, Alicia could hear the cracking and tearing of her old ghastly bones and skin as she performed this simple motion.  ¨C ¡°It demands death, a lot of death for it and you to grow, but it will wound your mind¡­¡± ¨C She pointed at her heart. ¨C ¡°And your heart, making you unstable¡­making you end up like me.¡±

    Nyx pulled the trigger, releasing a bullet that made every single bird fly out of their nests scared and every single leaf rustle because of its force.

    ¡°Like you?¡±

    Nyx¡¯s shooter arm came back to its original position. ¨C ¡°You don¡¯t like arrogancy, do you? Well, me neither. I worked long and hard to get noticed and hired by a couple of mafiosos, did my very best, got paid handsomely, felt at the top of the world. The funny thing is, I didn¡¯t kill a single human being. Some idiots in this world would call those I killed people, but they weren¡¯t. If normies knew how to actually differentiate good from evil, I wouldn¡¯t have needed to splatter the brains out of so many assholes on my free time. Went back to my parents¡¯ house when I was fifteen, they were asleep, took a knife from the kitchen, got dad first before he could fight back, mom didn¡¯t know how to react to someone fighting back against her abuse in a lifetime, so she cowered in a corner asking for mercy, and I did my thing. ¨C She shrugged. ¨C ¡°Located my classmates, went to each of their houses, stab stab stab! found a gun, bang bang bang! All in the same night, baby. Yeah, I was full of energy, the police could never catch up.  All of this happened before I became a hired gun for the mafia, by the way, so you could consider it practice.¡±

    ¡°Why did you do that?¡± -Asked Alicia, now sitting on a rock, knowing that moving around in the dark would be ultimately dangerous and pointless.

    ¡°They were all scum, they all tortured me in ways you certainly can imagine. I ran away, but then the need to prove I was strong overcame me, and so I returned, to make them all pay, and then I swore I¡¯d make the entire world pay, and that¡¯s how a killer was born. It didn¡¯t take much time for me to get out of control, I could only think of my vengeance, and the consequences reached me faster than I thought, and the rest is history.¡±

    ¡°And you say we are kindred spirits?¡± ¨C Alicia huffed. ¨C ¡°You are delusional. What the hell makes you say that?¡±

    ¡°I can see it, that wrath that drove me to do all of that, resides within you as well. You are strong enough to keep it in check, although barely, unlike me. You have to control it, make it yours, before that fire consumes your heart and you lose control.

    Alicia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, looking at Nyx from the side. - ¡°¡­Assuming that what you are saying is true, where do I begin?¡±

    ¡°¡­For now I can only say¡­give the individual a chance to be better. Not people, people can go fuck themselves, kill as many as you can for me, but the individual¡­there¡¯s many out there who deserve your attention, and also your help, that way they can be better and make this world a better place.¡±

    An alarm blared through the entire forest.

    ¡°Seems our time is up. We¡¯ll see each other again. For now, it¡¯s time to wake up.¡±

    Nyx raised up her gun and shot at the rope and fell back to the ground on her feet, she was completely reanimated. There was no sound when she landed. ¨C ¡°Talking with you helped a bit.¡± ¨C She raised up her shooter arm once again, faster than Alicia could perceive and shot her in the head, lights out.

    She was assaulted by visions and voices she couldn¡¯t quite recognize.

    Alicia saw visions of herself destroying Simon Glass¡¯ head with one of his own grenades, messing with the Chechens and their slavery operations, killing them in their sleep.  She saw herself hunting an African warlord through the barren lands, landing an impossible shot on his driver¡¯s head, forcing the jeep out of the road and crashing it, and of course, visions of her eternal and grueling war with the jihadists, ending up in a gruesome crimson waltz.

    ¡°Fuck the people! But give the individual a chance! If they fail, kill them all!¡±

 Chains that bind

    A few months back, Kirsten put all his energy and focus into finding the second legendary killer on his list. He had a taste of what to expect from such people with Fate, so he assumed this one wouldn¡¯t be that different.

    Long ago rumors began to spread about a lone man living in the mysterious depths of the bayou, the place where an esoteric kind of evil lurks. The rumors said this man had the power and skills of all predators known to man; the strength of a rhino, the speed of a cheetah, the presence of a lion, silent as a mouse, and according to some more outlandish testimonies, he could also remain under water for as long as he pleased, as if he was some mix between man and fish.

    Fate was one thing, but these rumors just were too bizarre to be true, or at least that¡¯s what Kirsten believed. Regardless of what he thought, his task was to find him, and make a deal with him.

    He arrived on New Orleans and began asking questions, of course no rich individual would know about him, he needed to reach deeper into the entrails of the city, where the essence of voodoo and all sorts of pagan rituals were still commonplace.

    After some inquiring, Kirsten found a man simply known as Bastian and his humble abode full of trinkets that he was sure if he were to put a hand on them, a thousand curses would fall upon him in a second.

    ¡°No one dares thread in the swamp anymore¡­¡± ¨C Said Bastian while preparing a strange concoction Kirsten didn¡¯t want to know what purpose it had. ¨C ¡°Someone became its master, the spirits escaped in fear of his power¡­I have never seen something like it before, just like that, in a blink, the spirits, their essence, and we, their servants, lost our authority over the swamp.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡± -Asked Kirsten.

    Bastian inhaled the fumes of the concoction then suddenly stood up and search in his drawers. Kirsten thought that if things got even weirder, he would storm out of there, he would even search for his objective blind if necessary, but he refused to keep dealing with these people.

    Bastian showed him a piece of cloth with a strange symbol drawn with old ink on it. It looked like a man hung from his feet. ¨C ¡°Years ago, a group settled in the heart of the swamp.¡± -Said Bastian. ¨C ¡°They adored a strange god we didn¡¯t know about, their customs were similar to ours, but with time¡­it seemed like their god demanded them bigger, transgressive sacrifices¡­people.¡±

    Bastian then showed Kirsten a newspaper¡¯s cutout, it talked about human limbs found floating across the Vermillion River.

    ¡°A child was born within this cult.¡± -Said Bastian. ¨C ¡°A beautiful child I heard, and because he was so beautiful, his people determined he would make a fine sacrifice for their god when he had grown enough.¡±

    ¡°And they sacrificed him?¡± ¨C Asked Kirsten, now invested in what he was talking about.

    ¡°¡­No¡­this is where the story gets complicated. There¡¯s nothing stronger than a mother¡¯s love¡­and that child¡¯s mother was no different. She chose to go against the rules of the cult in order to save her child. She ran away, she intended to go somewhere the cult would never find her and her child, but ultimately, she failed¡­but she made sure the child wouldn¡¯t fall under the claws of the cult. She put him in a boat and sent him floating down the Brays, and she saw him float away as she got slain¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­The kid¡­what happened to him?¡±

    ¡°All we know is that he arrived at a shore far from there, and he toddled into the depths of the wilderness¡­the swamp raised him, the forest raised him¡­ mother nature raised him, gave him a power no other man was worthy of possessing, and many years later, he returned with a single goal in mind¡­to purify the bayou.¡±

    He showed him more cutouts. A coven of witches chopped to pieces, a whole Haitian gang slain and their hideout reduced to rubble, a construction company retreating from a patch of land to the west after being harassed by an ¡°entity¡±, and finally, a whole cult exterminated, their leaders crucified at the entrance of their villa for everyone to see.

    ¡°This child had acquired the power of nature and all of its creations. Every animal gathered in a single place and endowed the child with their very own gift, and when he grew up, it was just a matter of time this happened.¡±

    ¡°Do you know where I can find him?¡±

    ¡°You must be unhinged if you want to meet him. He¡¯ll kill you.¡±

    ¡°I can handle myself. I must meet him no matter what.¡±

    Bastian took a deep breath, putting his palms over his face then looked at him in the eyes. ¨C ¡°If you really want to meet him, head south from here, keep walking south until you see the effigies he¡¯s built to keep strangers away, then find the old trail that heads west¡­at the end of the trail you¡¯ll find a shack, that¡¯s where he lives¡­¡± ¨C Bastian pointed at him. ¨C ¡°If he deems you impure, he won¡¯t hesitate to kill you and use you as fertilizer for his crops.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take my risks.¡±

    Kirsten was heading for the door when suddenly a doubt surfaced in his mind. ¨C ¡°By the way¡­how do you know about all of this? were you involved somehow?¡±

    Bastian stared at him and then took his shirt off, showing Kirsten the long scar that crossed through his torso, as if someone had attacked him with a buzzsaw. ¨C ¡°I was there when the brotherhood fell, was nothing but a foot soldier guarding the front door. He stood right before me, told me to step aside¡­ I refused.¡± ¨C He imitated the form a blade with his hand and cut through the air. ¨C ¡°He slashed me with his scythe, but the edge was dull¡­I laid there on the ground¡­watching as he killed my brothers¡­¡±

    He sat down once more, demanding Kirsten to leave at once, and so he did.

    Bastian was saying the truth, Kirsten crossed the swamp following his directions and after traveling through some old roads and then the rest on foot, he came across those strange effigies he mentioned; made out of pieces of wood and bones that resembled the shape of a butterfly, he at least hoped those weren¡¯t human bones. Their intended purpose was to be warning signs to keep strangers out, and they seemed to be doing a good job so far.

    He headed west from there, and after half an hour of walking and being harassed by mosquitoes, he came upon a small shack in the middle of a clearing in the swamp.

    When he stood into the open field, all the denizens of the swamp went rabid, hollering and croaking, sending shivers down Kirsten¡¯s spine.

    The sun was about to set, the swamp suddenly fell into a deafening silence. Kirsten looked back at the shack, the entrance door opened slowly with a loud creak. A hooded figure walked out.

    There he was, The Chain, looking at a poor bastard who dared tread into his territory.

    Kirsten had to act fast. ¨C ¡°Now, listen¡­¡±

    But he was not having it.

    A chain extended itself towards Kirsten at an incredible speed and trapped his leg. Then he was pulled towards the hooded figure, being dragged across the dirt like a plastic bag, weightless and powerless.

    Kirsten knew in the back of his head this was bound to happen, something similar happened when he met Charlie, he had fallen into her trap without even realizing it, and knew he had to be more cautious next time. He did his research, dug as deep as he could to find anything on him and how he came to be. In the end he had found something he wasn¡¯t sure was related at all, but now he was sure.

    But how helpful could it be, knowing he probably didn¡¯t remember her at all? at a lack of better options, he had no other choice but to try; he would have time to regret his imprudence later in the afterlife if it came to that.

    The Chain dragged Kirsten towards him, in range to be slain. When he was at his feet, he raised up a hand axe and was about to let it fall on Kirsten¡¯s skull; it was now or never.

    ¡°Mary-Ann Black!¡± ¨C Yelled Kirsten at the top of his lungs, as articulate as he could be so every single syllable would reach his ears. The axe stopped right over Kirsten¡¯s head, cancelling his execution.

    At that distance Kirsten could have a better sight of the face of the man under the hoodie. He was told he was young, but he could¡¯ve never imagined the pureness of his handsomeness. Not a single mark or imperfection on his face, even considering the harsh environment he lived in, the only thing that wasn¡¯t conventionally beautiful in him were those blue savage eyes that hid behind the golden locks of hair that fell over his face, giving up his wild, yet honest nature.

    The Chain looked at him like would look at a cornered animal, adding some spiteful feelings due to him mentioning a name he didn¡¯t want in anyone¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°The boldness of wandering into my territory disregarding all warnings. Coming unprepared to pose a challenge, and on top of it all, you dare utter the name of my mother with your debaucherous mouth.¡± ¨C He said as he placed the edge of the axe over Kirsten¡¯s neck. ¨C ¡°What would such a reckless man want by marching into my home and committing so many mistakes?¡±

    Kirsten was surprised by how articulate he was, even using words that no person his age would use or even know of without grabbing a dictionary to find it.

    He showed him his hands as a sign of pacifism. ¨C ¡°Please, I mean you no harm! I came here because I wanted to talk to you.¡±

    ¡°Talk with me? I shouldn¡¯t exist for the larger world at all. Someone as knowledgeable as you is dangerous for my peace.¡± ¨C He raised up his axe, ready to slash his skull with it.

    ¡°Wait, wait, wait! I mean it, I¡¯ve heard a lot about you, the things you did outside the swamp didn¡¯t go unnoticed. You became a folk legend, many know about you, many fear you even¡­¡±

    ¡°Then why are you the only simpleton who¡¯s tried to meet their doom personally with me?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to talk to you¡­I know you¡¯ve got skills beyond anyone else¡¯s; I know that you are stronger than most in this world¡­¡± -Kirsten took a deep breath, thinking about what he should say next. ¨C ¡°I represent a group of likeminded individuals who think that we could benefit each other with an alliance.¡±

    The Chain spat to the ground right next to his head. ¨C ¡°I¡¯m not interested in any kind of pacts with anyone from the tarnished societies. I have already fulfilled my goals by protecting this land from the blasphemous forces that sought to feed from it.¡±

    He allowed Kirsten to get up, put the axe away and hid the chain he used to drag Kirsten through the dirt somewhere within his rudimentary jacket. Kirsten could only wonder what other weapons he was concealing under his clothes.

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like culling you anymore¡­¡± -He turned his back on Kirsten. ¨C ¡°So, you should take this chance to run away while you still can. You can forget about any offer you might have for me.¡±

    He walked back into his shack, allowing Kirsten to have a look inside.

    It was as humble as any other shack, a bit too small for his liking. A number of hunting tools and weapons adorned the walls. The place was well lit using oil lamps, something Kirsten thought was a thing of the past, but the thing that caught his attention the most was the little altar next to a window adorned with flowers of many types surrounding a picture of none other than Mary-Ann Black. Despite being a child when they got separated, it seemed like he still loved her and remembered her with all his soul.

    Kirsten wanted to approach, but was deterred by Chain. ¨C ¡°If you place a step into my home, that foot is going to be severed from the rest of your body.¡±

    ¡°¡­Right, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¨C Said Kirsten, taking two steps back for safe measure.

    ¡°Your time to leave is running out.¡±

    Kirsten kept his head held high and stood his ground. He was there on a mission, to recruit The Chain into the organization, but this also became a matter of pride the moment he dragged him through the dirt, he would feel ashamed of himself if he were to capitulate to someone younger than himself by a long shot.

    ¡°You said that you already fulfilled your duty by protecting this place from certain groups that wanted to destroy it, right? Well¡­what if I told you that your job is not exactly over?¡±

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    That seemed to catch his attention.

    ¡°The world is a big place, you know? Far bigger than some are willing to admit, and every day a tree gets cut down and no seed is placed in its stead to compensate for its death. There are many people out there who want to destroy nature in order to build frivolous things in exchange of wealth or simple vanity¡­and they are so powerful that they¡¯ve managed to replace their opposition with people of their own side to discredit the importance of the preservation of nature; villains, each and every last one of them.¡±

    Chain stood upright and looked at him in the eyes, he could see his honesty as clear as day so the hand that was clutching at the axe meant to sever Kirsten¡¯s life was put at ease.

    ¡°¡­If I may try and guess¡­I¡¯d say you don¡¯t protect this landscape because some superior power gave you this assignment¡­you protect it because your mother loved it, didn¡¯t she?¡±

    He looked at his mother¡¯s portrait and back at Kirsten. ¨C ¡°You say there¡¯s a greater evil that seeks to destroy this world¡¯s greatest beauty?¡±

    ¡°That is correct.¡±

    ¡°And what role do you and your people play in this conspiracy?¡±

    ¡°We seek to put a stop to their felonies¡­but for that we need the help of extraordinary and overly competent specialists such as you. You¡¯ve got a gift no other mercenary in this world has, and we think it¡¯s just what we need to put an end to them.¡±

    Chain averted his gaze once again, towards the window, staring at the thick wall of wilderness that was being coddled by the darkness of night, yet he could see it as clear as day. There was no point in protecting a single patch of land while ignoring the silent suffering of the rest of God¡¯s creation.

    ¡°¡­If what you say is true¡­I¡¯ll have to see it by myself.¡± ¨C He said. ¨C ¡°But if you are lying, you¡¯ll suffer the consequences.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be here if I had to make up lies to get you on our side¡­so, will you come with me?¡±

    He took his hood off, allowing him to marvel at his golden hair that some would say shines in the darkness, like a holy symbol that deters evil spirits.

    ¡°That I will.¡±

    But before doing anything else, Kirsten had another question for him. ¨C ¡°¡­By the way, no matter how much I investigated, I never found your real name¡­do you have any?¡±

    ¡°Arthur¡­like King Arthur.¡±

    ¡°How do you know about king Arthur?¡±

    ¡°My mother loved that story.¡±

    Kirsten took Arthur out of the country, and showed him what he needed to see to decide to side with the MTW. In the future, knowing what he knows by then, Kirsten would wonder about the reason Darius chose these three assassins, and on top of that, why he chose him to recruit them in the first place. Did he give him the task for a reason? Was he just available for it? was it all decided by chance? Did it even matter?

    He would often look at the three of them, wandering about on their usual routines and he¡¯d wonder how each of them saw the world, if it was a hopeful place, a place worth fighting for, or something to be annihilated.

    At least for Arthur he could make a fair picture of what he felt about the world. It was indeed worth protecting for no other reason that it was the right thing to do, but for him there weren¡¯t many who understood how to protect nature, and thus he chose to side with them.

    Arthur¡¯s only wish was to protect the world his mother loved so much.

    Emilia began shuddering because of the cold air descending from the peak of the mountain, he couldn¡¯t stand being the captured princess anymore and wished that the man holding her hostage would just kill her already so she wouldn¡¯t have to deal with this anymore.

    She knew about him, his name was Derek Smith, a specialist the organization hired before Darius decided to recruit insane murderers as assassins. After that day, she would be willing to admit that Darius had a point on hiring them, disgusted by the fact that so called ¡°professionals¡± would have the gall to betray them this way.

    ¡°Don¡¯t take it personally, lady.¡± ¨C He whispered to her ear. ¨C ¡°This is just business, that¡¯s how this world works. We are just gonna find our way out of here, and you won¡¯t ever hear from us anymore.¡±

    ¡°Stupid idiot, as if you could leave. Alquist and his men will gun you down no matter what you try.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that, you are just the perfect coin to get us a ticket out of this frozen tomb. Besides, I know Alquist, he has a weakness for women and you are just his type, he isn¡¯t going to risk you getting killed just to stop me, believe me, I always keep this kind of information at hand if I need to improvise.¡±

    Alquist raised up his voice from the other end of the bridge. ¨C ¡°Smith, let¡¯s talk this out, let the woman go!¡±

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m retarded!? She¡¯s staying with me until you and your minions step aside and let me find my way down this facility.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s only a few ways this is gonna play out, or you surrender and put down your weapons, you get out of this place in handcuffs! Otherwise, the only way you and your friends are gonna leave this place is in a bunch of body bags!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you care about the life of this lady? Try anything and I¡¯ll splatter her brains all over this snow at our feet.¡±

    Silencer would take some time to reposition and find the correct angle to shoot from, they had reached and impasse, Emilia was the only thing that kept Derek from being gunned down by the dozen men present there.

    However, just as he was about to put his tactician mind at work, the key to victory would arrive.

    Half-naked and armed with a cold determination, Arthur arrived on the scene, followed closely by Jules. He dropped his jacket right next to Alquist, exposing himself further to the cold, not like it did much to protect him from it anyway, nor he needed it.

    ¡°Ah, Chain. Good to see you! We need to make a plan to-¡± -Arthur walked past him without heeding him attention, straight towards the danger, like the blue prince about to face the dragon to save the princess, but even the blue prince would think twice about doing what he was about to do.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t get ahead of yourself, come back here!¡± ¨C ordered Alquist, but Arthur just kept walking.

    ¡°Ah¡­that must be one of the freaks Darius hired.¡± ¨C Said Derek. ¨C¡°You think he¡¯s human enough to put your safety above all else? Because I very much doubt it.¡±

    ¡°That also puts you in disadvantage you idiot!¡± -Said Emilia. ¨C ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to come out of this alive? He¡¯ll make sure you don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Not a problem, I still got another card under my sleeve.¡±

    Arthur stopped a dozen steps right in front of them, Emilia couldn¡¯t understand how he could be out there with them in the cold wearing just his boots and pants and nothing above, almost as if he didn¡¯t even perceive the cold.

    ¡°This perfidy has come too far.¡± ¨C Said Arthur pointing at Derek. ¨C ¡°Desist on your reckless foolishness and let her go!¡±

    ¡°Well, what¡¯s this? did you eat a dictionary or something, forest boy?¡± ¨C Said Derek. ¨C ¡°What I ask is pretty reasonable, I want a ride out of this place for the boys and me, will you get it for me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not my responsibility to make such deals. My only duty with this organization is to cull all of their enemies, and because of your bloody betrayal, you have made a convincing case for why you must be exterminated.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a bold little brat? Don¡¯t you care about her life?¡± ¨C Derek clutched at Emilia¡¯s throat, plunging his nails into her skin. ¨C ¡°I¡¯m strong enough to rip her throat apart with my hand, you wouldn¡¯t be able to take two steps before you are showered with her blood.¡±

    ¡°Is this really the path you wish to take?¡± -Aske Arthur, he ran his fingers across the chains tied around his waist. ¨C ¡°This is a turning point, a point where everything can change. We don¡¯t know how the future will play out, but at least we can determine our present by ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t spit cheap philosophy at me, brat. Back the fuck off or she dies.¡±

    Arthur closed his eyes and sighed, a cold cloud of smoke coming out of his mouth. ¨C ¡°As you wish.¡±

    Arthur gripped at the chains around his waist, the tension kept escalating. He didn¡¯t show any signs of wanting to back off. Derek kept his eyes on him to see if he would be imprudent enough to try and attack him while he had Emilia¡¯s life in his hands. In the best case scenario, he would be able to kill Emilia, evade his attacks and back off inside the building again and reunite with his comrades, he just needed to be fast enough and put all of his focus into this single task: staying alive, or at least that¡¯s what he thought would happen.

    Everyone around them was on edge, Alquist noticed Derek was too focused on Arthur, so maybe he could land a shot on him now that he was distracted, he was tempted by the idea and his hand was approaching his pistol unconsciously.

    Silencer was about to arrive at a better position to kill Derek, she had the skill to do so from that position, but she was running out of time.

    Like Derek said, he had one last ace up his sleeve. He wasn¡¯t alone out there after all. There were at least eight men waiting for the right moment to strike and deal with the enemies in front of them before any of them realized what was going on. No one would be able to see them, they were equipped with the best camouflage you could buy in the black market, something that was not available to armed forces anywhere in the world; they weren¡¯t ready for it yet. No regular human could ever see through optic camo. However, Arthur was no mere human, the sun revealed their position to him. He didn¡¯t quite understand how they managed to become invisible, nor he needed to.

    All he cared about was to show them that no one gets far through treachery.

    Crack! Derek felt a sharp pain on his chain, he was suddenly out of air.  He stared at Arthur, he was holding onto a chain that had flied towards him somehow. He followed the chain with his eyes to see where the other side was.

    Just like he suspected, the other end of the chain had pierced through his chest and hooked itself to his rib cage.

    ¡°Auggh¡­you bastard!¡± ¨C He was about to kill Emilia, but then Arthur pulled the chain towards him with all of his might, sending Derek flying through the air, releasing Emilia in the process.

    Both friends and foes couldn¡¯t process what was happening on time, Derek was completely alone and at the mercy of Arthur the Chain.

    Derek was falling head first towards Arthur, he tried to react and reach for his gun to counterattack somehow, but the moment his feet were divorced from the ground, it was already too late.

    Arthur used his free hand to take the chain with the sickle and chose the right moment. When Derek was within range, Arthur used his sickle to slice him in half like a familiar sized piece of butter.

    Emilia witnessed as the man that a few moments ago was clutching at her throat was being slashed as if he was nothing, a mere piece of paper flying in the air. Arthur washed himself with his blood before his severed corpse fell right behind him. His left hand held a chain whose end was like the head of a spear, sharp and lethal, it still had a piece of Derek¡¯s ribcage stuck on the point.

    When she put her eyes on him, she saw a strength she had never seen in any other man. Just like how she understood why Darius sought to hire Butcher¡¯s services, she now understood why he sought Arthur¡¯s.

    The invisible agents nearby jumped into action, three of them took Arthur head on armed with knives, since they were invisible, they concluded that Arthur would have a hard time making sense of their figures and position before they could stab him in a vital point.

    But even if that was true, Arthur only needed to see the print of their boots sinking in the snow, one after the other.

    He swung three chains around, tied to three different blades, decapitating the closest one, slashing the chest of the second and chopping in half the third one.

    The moment those two died their optic camo deactivated, surprising the spectators by their sudden appearance.

    ¡°What the hell!? Who are they!?¡± ¨C Said Emilia, trying to get to cover. Alquist reacted and ordered his men to advance.

    Stealth was out of the picture now. The remaining agents readied up their guns and opened fire on Arthur. Fast like a gazelle, he rushed towards the agent he had wounded and used him as shield, that¡¯s when Alquist and his men opened fire, following the last location of the muzzle flash from the enemy¡¯s SMGs.

    They took cover behind the rocks or hit the ground and blended with the white landscape, a couple of them retreated into the building and stayed close to the entrance, they were invisible, not invincible. The agents looked back at the corpse Arthur was using as a shield, and much to their surprise, Arthur was completely gone.

    Suddenly, there was an explosion of snow in the spot where one of them was hiding, when it was cleared out, they could see the corpse of their ally, with a big open wound on his back.

    One more time, another explosion of snow, when the snow cleared out it was the same story. They had lost the majority of their team in less than two minutes at the hands of a force of nature, mysterious and lethal. The ones that managed to hide in the building were the smartest ones. They retreated further into the facility to rendezvous with the other agents and make up a plan, they would have to find another way to escape the facility, they had no chance against the organized forces of the MTW anymore. Lionel had effectively left them for dead.

    Arthur approached Emilia. ¨C ¡°Are you wounded, lady?¡± ¨C He asked, reaching his hand to her.

    Emilia just stood on her own and shook off the snow that had stuck to her clothes. ¨C ¡°What took you so long? That asshole was going to rip my throat.¡±

    ¡°Those ruthless enough to brutalize women in such a manner deserve the swiftest of punishments. I had to put a lot of my focus and might in the correct moves¡­¡± ¨C Arthur clutched the hand he used to grab the chain with the hook blade. ¨C ¡°Otherwise, I would have hooked you with him.¡±

    Emilia shivered.  ¨C ¡°W-whatever, all that matters is that freak is dead.¡±

    He just nodded. Alquist walked up to Arthur while his men rushed into the administration building to follow the rebels.

    ¡°That was impressive boy, I seldom see such power in action.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised that no one else is capable of doing it.¡± ¨C Said Arthur. ¨C ¡°All men are blessed with a gift.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­but some are more¡­special than others.¡± ¨C Said Alquist, thinking about the other beasts that Kirsten had recruited.

    They all had a distinct smell, the smell of blood, Alquist¡¯s senses were sharp enough to notice it. Butcher had the thickest scent, though that was no surprise; out of all the legendary assassins, Butcher probably had the largest kill count.

    Jules on the other hand, had a different scent, something Alquist couldn¡¯t exactly say what it was.

    ¡°My men will take care of the ones inside.¡± ¨C Said Alquist. ¨C ¡°You can go to the main building and see if you can find any stragglers, and put some clothes on, you are gonna catch a cold like that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m impervious to weather, worry not.¡± ¨C Said Arthur. ¨C ¡°But I shall keep on fulfilling my role until the organization is out of danger.¡± ¨C He turned around, but before walking away, he asked one last thing. ¨C ¡°Where¡¯s my handler?¡±

    ¡°Kirsten? Well, he left the base, had a little perchance but he¡¯s alive and safe as far as we know.¡±

    ¡°He better be. If he dies, my ties to this group will be severed.¡±

    Arthur walked away, leaving a certain impression on both Emilia and John.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got the feeling that the three of them are more loyal to Kirsten than the organization itself.¡± -Said Emilia.

    ¡°Well, can¡¯t blame them, Eyler has a pretty decent silver tongue. Besides, in a way, he believes in the same things they do, and he¡¯s got his own experience getting his hands dirty.¡±

    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why he managed to get them on board.¡± ¨C She said, crossing her arms. ¨C ¡°You need to be one to understand another one.¡±

    ¡°In that case I would¡¯ve been able to recruit them myself.¡± ¨C Said John while reloading his guns.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make me laugh. You are so incompetent with young people that each of them would have attacked you after you said the wrong thing.¡±

    ¡°Ah, come on¡­have some faith in me.¡±

    While they were bantering, Arthur headed to the main building. Aside from Kirsten, there was someone else occupying his thoughts.

    He was watching when she made that demonstration at the training area, for some reason he could see through her while she fought, he could see the crimson light, wavering and growing as her energy grew, and when it was all done, it became nothing but a tame bonfire, eager for the next chance to burst out.

    Arthur heard the rumors about her. While he was in the wilderness, fighting the great evil that threatened to take it over, she was out in the dead wasteland, destroying the evil that had conquered it since ancient times.

    He was certain that this girl was just like him, and that they could understand each other. Alas, he was eager to work with her.

    Later on, Butcher would find her way to safety, though it was one that she wasn¡¯t used to. She was used to the cold and humid, silent and empty shelters that are out of the way enough for no enemy to consider you are hiding there, and the walls provide enough darkness so you won¡¯t be spotted at a first glance.

    No, this shelter was the complete opposite of that, and better yet ¨Cor worse yet in her opinion- she would have company.

 American integrity (Part 1)

    A couple of days of uneasiness and uncertainty had passed. The enemy that had surfaced within the MTW¡¯s headquarters had been suppressed. All that was left for the organization¡¯s members was to lick their wounds and prepare for a counterattack. Meanwhile, Lionel and his people were already preparing a better, more indirect course of action to bring the organization back to its knees, and this time, to get rid of Darius once and for all, but as long as they were blocked out of the database, they would have to be patient and bid their time, waiting for their chance.

    Even if they hadn¡¯t accomplished their ultimate goal, they had done a lot of damage, many of the agents, operators and assassins spread across the globe had been eliminated by Lionel¡¯s agents and mercenaries. The numbers within the MTW¡¯s payroll grew smaller, however, they hadn¡¯t managed to take down the ones that were a priority to take down.

    Spectre was playing a game of cat and mouse with his pursuers while waiting for further instructions, though he was quickly growing tired of this routine.

    Emilia was taken care of by the medical team. Ms. Salvador was safe, even Lionel¡¯s cutthroats had limits and they wouldn¡¯t hurt someone that dedicated herself to healing people. John stayed close to her, she wouldn¡¯t ever admit it, but she liked to have her own bodyguard, especially if it was someone as capable as him.

    Arthur had done as requested and took care of the stragglers remaining around the base. They had guns but he knew how to strike from the shadows when necessary.

    Meanwhile, Kirsten was preparing to make his journey into the US to search for Butcher, intending to keep a low profile for as long as possible; The Organization had eyes and ears all around the world, but he was sure Lionel had his own as well, so it was better to be safe than sorry.

    A convincing new ID, a convincing yet simple disguise; glasses, some hair dye and casual clothes can get you a long way. Now, he just needed to get a vehicle, the operators would take care of that.

    No matter what, he intended to find Alicia and explain everything to her, then bring her back, she was a valuable asset to the organization even if her methods were messy, to say the least. Besides, it was the least he could do for her, he owed her a lot than she was aware of.

    After regaining consciousness, Alicia kept dragging her feet forward through the dark, hoping to find shelter, a light, something that could help her survive the situation like she always had.

    At some point she found the highway, she figured that if she walked along, she would end up finding a hint of civilization, or at least a place where she could rest.

    She kept walking and walking, for anyone else she would look like a zombie, following the faintest scent of fresh meat she could find in those lonely landscapes. To be truly fair, she was half-dead, if no one intervened soon, she would collapse again and die and she knew it. somewhere deep inside she was ok with that, she would finally be able to go with Malak and the others, and this time stay for good.

    However, just as she was about to stop, a car drove by, the driver saw her and stopped right next to her.

    Next thing Alicia knew, she found herself in a house, receiving a rudimentary, yet professional and dexterous medical attention. She laid down on a table and her dirty clothes were removed with a scissor, exposing her wounds to the air.

    ¡°Your left arm¡¯s broken, fortunately for you I¡¯ve got a sling around here.¡± ¨C Said the person who rescued her, a woman with redhead and a determined demeanor. ¨C ¡°You also got a bunch of open wounds and bullets stuck in your body. I don¡¯t have any anesthesia but¡­if you were capable of enduring all of this up until this point, you might be able to this on, am I right?¡±

    Alicia responded by taking the belt around her waist and putting it in her mouth.

    ¡°You are strong, kiddo. I like that.¡±

    The woman used tweezers and a scalpel to extract the fragments in her body, thread and needle to close the reopened wounds, some alcohol to disinfect and gauze. The woman was impressed by how resilient she was, barely even flinching at this painful procedure.

    ¡°My name is Jane.¡± ¨C Said the woman while she was sewing shut a wound on her leg. ¨C ¡°Jane Bradley, what¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°¡­Sofia Rieper.¡± ¨C Said Alicia, remembering the fake identity the people at the organization had prepared for her before she departed to Mexico, she was to not use her real name under no circumstances, she even had a fake ID somewhere in her pockets.

    Jane laughed. ¨C ¡°Sorry, but that whole name sounds and feels fake, you know?¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s the only one I can give.¡±

    ¡°I see. No offense, but if you made that up yourself, you are an idiot.¡± -She laughed.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me¡­but yeah, whoever it was, he¡¯s an idiot.¡±

    The bloodied tools rested on a table in the living room; the work was done, they had saved another person once more, Jane would make sure to clean them up and put them back in their proper place later.

    Alicia now rested in a spare bedroom the woman had after taking a sponge bath, the room was illuminated by a single lightbulb, it was very spacious all things considered, with a single closet and a table at the bottom.

    Jane had provided Alicia with a spare t-shirt and shorts to discard her bloodied clothing, and of course, she had put her arm on a sling to keep the bone in its place, hoping for a fast recovery, she also gave her a bag of ice so she could rub it on her side to heal her broken ribs.

    It would seem like Alicia had fortunately fallen under the care of a good Samaritan, but Jane was not na?ve nor stupid, far from it, the moment she saw her she had a fair idea of what kind of person Alicia was, and those guns she carried only helped to confirm her suspicions.

    Jane had taken her pistols and was inspecting one of them right in front of her.

    ¡°I have never seen a pistol like this before.¡± ¨C She said, looking at it from right to left, up and down. ¨C ¡°It¡¯s big, and heavy, like a .44. I know little about guns but I¡¯m sure this isn¡¯t chambered in 9mm, or even .357¡­ this is a unique model.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve been exposed, Ali.¡±

    ¡°(Not like we had any other alternative.)¡±

    ¡°I guess it would be useless to ask where did you get this from?¡± -Asked Jane, to which Alicia just nodded. ¨C ¡°I see.¡±

    Jane put the gun on the table at the bottom of the room and sat down again. ¨C ¡°A while ago I saw a burning plane crash down near the county park, supposed that it was a commercial flight, a pretty horrible tragedy. Then rumors began to surface about there being guns in that plane, armed individuals¡­ that didn¡¯t sound like a regular plane anymore¡­ and then I found you near the valley road.¡±

    Allicia looked the other way, she never liked to interact with people after coming back from the other side. For her it was like a sour reminder that she could be up there with the people she once loved, but was stuck in this bitter and violent reality she can¡¯t seem to escape from completely.

    Jane took a good look at her, to all the things that were easy to notice and take note of. She also took notice of the fact that even if she had lost a considerable amount of blood, she still had a sharp look in her eyes, a spark of life that not many people had under these conditions, if anyone at all had such resistance.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty obvious that you are not a regular individual.¡± -She said, placing her elbows on her knees and resting her face over her palms. ¨C ¡°¡­You are so young though¡­you are a teenager, right?¡±

    Alicia just kept looking at the wall, hoping Jane would stop making questions. However, her silence was enough of an answer for someone as perceptive as this woman.

    ¡°Hmm¡­Calling you a petty criminal could be offensive; I can tell that much.¡±

    ¡°Glad you know that, lady. If you were to call us petty criminals we would beat your ass.¡±

    Of course, only Alicia could hear that, but Ten would never lose anything running her tongue at times like this because of that.

    ¡°What are you, then?¡± ¨C She looked back at the pistols on the table, they were revolutionary pieces of weaponry, something never seen before, something that shouldn¡¯t be possible yet, or maybe they are something no one had ever tried to build yet.

    Those scars also told their own story. Less insightful people would say they are self-harm wounds, but people who self-harm leave thinner, shallow marks, usually done with small sharp objects such as scalpels or pocket knives. These marks were done by someone else, maybe by more than one person, slashing with precision or swaying their blades in desperation, the direction of these cuts was all over the place and Jane couldn¡¯t help but feel horrified that there were so many of them.

    ¡°(The marks on her arms.)¡± ¨C Jane imagined this strange girl in a defensive position, protecting her face and chest using her forearms while invisible blades made their work on her skin. ¨C ¡°(She was defending herself from each one.)¡±

    Jane placed her arms on her hips and puffed her chest. ¨C ¡°I know! You are a mercenary, right?¡±

    ¡°The real question she should be doing to herself is if it will do her any good to know that.¡±

    ¡°(¡­I¡¯m getting uncomfortable again.)¡±

    ¡°Never thought an urban myth would end up bleeding out in my house.¡± ¨C Said Jane, leaning forward. ¨C ¡°I¡¯ve heard many stories about you guys, even read a book or two. Secret agents at the service of secret societies or the government itself, I¡¯m pretty sure our government employs some of you.¡±

    That evoked some memories in Alicia¡¯s mind. Indeed, back with the Crimson Rangers they had to deal with assassins sent by the US government from time to time, getting in the way of their missions with the intention of sabotaging it or directly eliminating them, some of them had been hired exclusively to take down the commander and find out the identity of ¡°The Butcher¡±, though in the end they always ended up failing at their endeavors.

    ¡°I know some people that love stories about assassins, they say assassins shape the world as we know it from the shadows and even protect it from world-ending threats.¡± ¨C Jane was getting too enthusiastic, flailing her arms around, imagining the scenarios she was describing, inadvertently elevating assassins to the level of superheroes. ¨C ¡°Am I right?¡±

    ¡°(That¡¯s it.)¡± ¨C Alicia was reaching the end of her patience. She didn¡¯t want to talk, but saying a few words wouldn¡¯t hurt.

    Alicia sat up, placing her back on the pillow to be comfortable and looked back at Jane. Jane was marveled by that sharp and focused glare, something that no one she knew had, not even those closer to violence by being on law enforcement.

    ¡°¡­Do you think knowing all of that will help you?¡± ¨C Alicia tilted her head. ¨C ¡°You know what happens to those who know too much, right?¡±

    Jane was taken aback by these questions; she couldn¡¯t help but feel a shiver down her spine. However, this was nothing but just a moment of weakness, before long she leaned forward once again and looked at that dangerous killer in the eyes. Jane intended to prove one thing to herself and another to Alicia with this conversation.

    ¡°Oh¡­yeah I know¡­even in the world of killers, there¡¯s good killers and bad killers right? Those that target innocent people for money? But¡­I wonder¡­are you that type of killer? Would you kill a na?ve young woman for saving your life and asking too many questions?¡± ¨C Jane crossed her arms. ¨C ¡°I¡¯ve got a good eye to know people¡­and you¡­you don¡¯t look like a serial killer to me.¡±

    The wind stopped blowing, the moonlight shone over the darkness outside. Many animals that lived within the wilderness stopped in place and looked to the horizon, feeling the danger coming from the killer with a broken arm. Still, Jane remained unyielding, challenging whatever darkness there was to find within the heart of the girl she had saved.

    She was not normal, she already knew that much. A normal person would¡¯ve cowered and ran away already, searching for the nearest figure of authority to report her. Not even that, a normal person wouldn¡¯t have stopped her vehicle to save a bleeding stranger walking aimlessly on the side of the road. Still, even a person like this must have her limits, all she needed to do was to prove her that you will always get burned when you play with fire.

    Simple procedure as usual, Alicia projected her killing intent on her and abstracted her perception of reality.

    Alicia imagined a pistol and held it on her hand, took aim and finally pulled the trigger.

    Click.

    Something had gone wrong; this had never happened to her before. She looked back at the gun and checked the magazine, it was completely empty.

    What happened? She would never forget about the bullets, it was inadmissible.

    Oh, but there was a logic behind it all. How could she project her killing intent on her if she didn¡¯t have any intentions on killing her in the first place? she had betrayed her own nature.

    She looked at the imaginary pistol dumbfounded, then back at Jane who had a smug, confident smile on her face, but unlike all the other smiles Alicia was used to find repulsive and destroy at all cost, this one didn¡¯t bother her at all.

    ¡°So I hit the nail on the head.¡± ¨C Said Jane. ¨C ¡°You are not a bad person.¡± ¨C Jane snapped her fingers. ¨C ¡°I¡¯m certain that there¡¯s good mercenaries and bad mercenaries, and you are one of the good ones.¡± ¨C She leaned forward, realizing of what just had happened. ¨C ¡°That was an impressive trick though, never experienced anything like it! what is it? hypnotism?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nothing I can share.¡±

    Jane pretended to be frustrated and groaned. Alicia was defeated, her dominance had been trampled over by another woman. Only one person had managed to do that before, lieutenant Anya, the commander always paired them up and got to know each other pretty well.

    Anya had managed to defuse her intimidation tactics by asserting the terrifying presence she always made an effort of keeping in check and then showing her that there was no need to try and stand taller with someone equal to her. Jane however, had showed her that there was no need to be equals to understand you don¡¯t always need to keep that pressure up.

    ¡°Give the individual a chance.¡± Said that hanging ghost, and maybe she was right. Alicia thought that most people were like that trucker she did her best effort not to kill, but maybe there was more to that.

    Soon after, Alicia would get to know this woman better and the ones that lived with her.

    Half an hour after they got acquainted, a man and a young boy arrived at the house.

    His name was Hector, he worked in the town not too far from there, and the little guy was Paul, a shy kid who hid behind his father the moment he saw a stranger in their house.

    Jane couldn¡¯t tell her husband that she had saved and sheltered a dangerous mercenary right from the get go, but she could soften the context with a few details.

    She mentioned the plane crash, the pistols and the state she was in. Hector seemed to understand why she would go out of her way to save her; she was charitable like that.

    However, he still had his reservations about this shady looking girl resting in the spare room, so he told Jane and Rudy to let him have a talk with her privately.

    ¡°So, you fell off the sky, huh? You must be a tough one if the only thing you got out of that was a broken arm.¡± ¨C He said. ¨C ¡°My wife is such a gentle soul, no wonder she became a doctor. She would be capable of running into a house on fire to save a baby kitten in the third floor. I wonder sometimes if her kindness has a limit.¡± ¨C He looked at the empty pistols at the bottom of the room then back at her. ¨C ¡°But I know now that she doesn¡¯t draw the line on bringing shady people at the house just because they got roughed up.¡±

    ¡°¡­If you let me rest here, I¡¯ll leave tomorrow at dawn.¡±

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m willing to let this slide. You are young, like very young, so I figure you¡¯ve been through some eh¡­less than optimal circumstances.¡±

    ¡°We should really bank on this sympathy we get from adults, Ali.¡±

    ¡°(I don¡¯t like that.)¡±

    ¡°All I want to know¡­¡± ¨C He continued. ¨C ¡°¡­is that if you won¡¯t cause us any trouble. We¡¯ve have led a very peaceful lifestyle so far, this place and the nearby town are our¡­let¡¯s say, our own piece of Eden, someone like you being here makes me think that peace may be in peril so, all I want is to have the certainty that you won¡¯t do anything to upset that peace. She vouched for you, so the least I can do is trust her.¡± ¨C He reached his hand towards her. ¨C ¡°So, what do you say?¡±

    Alicia didn¡¯t hesitate, she didn¡¯t have any other choice and, all things considered, it wasn¡¯t like she had any other place to go.

    She stretched his hand and nodded.

    ¡°Good to know.¡± ¨C He crossed his arms. ¨C ¡°You can stay for as long as you want, but if you stay for more than a month, heh, you gonna have to contribute to the house, find a job or something.¡± ¨C He thought about Rudy for a second and remembered that the person right in front of her was a teenager. ¨C ¡°Eh, I could also get you into school but that¡¯d be very, very complicated.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± ¨C Said Alicia. ¨C ¡°I¡¯ll work. That¡¯s what I like to do the most.¡±

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    The conversation ended there. Hector agreed to let her stay, but he would tell his son to keep his distance from her.

    That night, Alicia dreamed once again, but this was not a visit from a stranger spirit, it was something closer to home.

    She found herself in a deep dark space, a void where nothing could grow and no light could be born. Alicia was hoovering, looking around, seemingly uncapable of finding a way forward or out of that void, she was stuck there, but she remained calm knowing that dream would end soon.

    But then a spark of light appeared within the confines of the void under her feet and it rose up towards her. It was a mere red dot at first, but as it got closer, Alicia managed to recognize it as an orb of crimson fire.

    The orb stopped right in front of her, one would expect to emanate warmth, but the air had become stunningly cold around it.

    It took her a moment but Alicia realized what this was. It had to be the glow in its purest form, that glow that appears whenever she needs it in order to give her strength and fortitude and rages as intensely as her emotions.

    She concluded that this thing had summoned her there for some reason.

    ¡°Ehm¡­Is there something you want?¡± ¨C Asked Alicia, raising an eyebrow.

    Suddenly, the orb began to warp and twist, transforming into something else entirely. Alicia witnessed as a hand was created from the fire, then another, then two legs, a curvy torso with shredded abs. Muscles, breasts, hair, and finally two pairs of white eyes to give it vision; the transformation was complete.

    Alicia was impressed to say the least, it had recreated her figure up to the smallest detail, but it still looked like a red fire spirit. It hadn¡¯t created a mouth, so it couldn¡¯t speak, in fact, Alicia didn¡¯t know if it could understand her at all.

    ¡°What is it? what is going on?¡± ¨C Asked Alicia, hoping for something to happen.

    The creature then pointed at her own left arm, and then to hers, and used her hands to make a motion similar to breaking a twig.

    ¡°What? ¡­Oh, my arm? Yeah, it¡¯s broken.¡± ¨C Said Alicia, getting the message. ¨C ¡°It was a hard fall.¡±

    Suddenly the creature reached out for her left arm, it felt as if a thousand ice cubes were being rubbed against her skin.

    The crimson spirit closed its eyes and the fire began to cover Alicia¡¯s arm, now the feeling of those cubes spread all over her arm, up to the shoulder, both in and out of the arm.

    Alicia thought of fighting back, but those thoughts suddenly banished. In one way or the other, that spirit could exert a certain influence on her, submit her to its own will for whatever purpose.

    Ultimately, Alicia gritted her teeth and just allowed the spirit to do whatever it wanted to do.

    Finally, after a few seconds, the spirit released her, leaving a very cool sensation around the arm, and much to her surprise, she could now move it freely and painlessly, the pain on her side was also gone as well.

    The spirit had defied the laws of nature and fixed her bones, putting them back together and in their rightful place.

    Alicia was impressed, she had been through unusual events but this one was special.

    ¡°Thanks! I didn¡¯t know you could do that.¡± ¨C She said, then she noticed the light coming from the spirit was weakening, becoming dimmer. ¨C ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    This act had required a lot of energy, and it was something that it had never tried doing before. The spirit would need to rest to regain its energies, and that was clear to her.

    ¡°I see. You rest now, I can take care of myself.¡±  - Said Alicia, dismissing the spirit. Shortly after, the spirit descended back into the infinite darkness of the void, becoming a single red dot in the black brume.

    The spirit needed to rest, but more than that, it needed its fuel, it needed food. Alicia had been feeding this spirit without noticing for the last five years without even realizing, but soon she would learn what would happen if she allowed it to starve for too long.

    When she woke up, she realized that it wasn¡¯t merely a dream, her arm was indeed fixed, as if nothing had happened to it.

    ¡°Hey hey, your arm is repaired, what happened!?¡±

    ¡°(That thing in me did it. It did something to me and fixed my arm.)¡±

    ¡°That glowy thing puts me on my nerves, not gonna lie, it can be really useful at times.¡±

    She could use it freely, but if she did, she would catch some unwanted attention from Jane who confirmed it was broken. So, for the time being, she¡¯d keep her arm in the sling and not use it, at least not in front of the Bradleys.

    Alicia got up from the bed and looked out the window. A new day had come, back at the crash site she thought she wouldn¡¯t get to see it at one point, but there she was, so it was time to continue as usual.

    Then she noticed how quiet that place was. The sound of the birds chirping, some vehicles coming and going from time to time, the wind blowing gently. For some reason she never stopped to appreciate this ambience in any other place up until then, maybe because other landscapes were contaminated by the effects of war, crime, conflict and death.

    Despite all of this, she didn¡¯t know if she liked it or not. In any case, now that she was awake, she intended to follow Hector¡¯s suggestion and make herself useful.

    It was barely 6 o¡¯clock, it was about to dawn, everyone was still asleep, it was Sunday; finally, she had managed to recover her sense of time.

    She decided to prepare breakfast for the family, she walked out of her room and headed to the kitchen. Looking in the freezer she found a juicy piece of pork, a perfect complement for breakfast with some fried eggs.

    Jane was awakened by the scent of fried pork seducing her nose, she walked out of her bedroom to see what was going on and there she found Alicia ¨C or rather, Sofia ¨C preparing four pork steaks and some fried eggs in a separate frying pan.

    ¡°What are you doing!? What¡¯s this!? ¨C She walked up to her, uncapable of taking her eyes off the steaks in the pan.

    ¡°Breakfast.¡± ¨C Said Alicia. ¨C ¡°Found pork in the fridge.¡±

    ¡°Aww, Sofia, Hector may have said that you have to be useful but you don¡¯t have to do get down to it immediately.¡± ¨C She pointed at her ¡°broken¡± arm. ¨C ¡°Also, you shouldn¡¯t do this kind of tasks with an arm in such conditions.¡±

    ¡°I can do well with a single arm.¡± ¨C She grabbed a fork and turned the chops to cook them on the other side.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­well, in that case¡­ I like them medium rare, just like that.¡± ¨C She pointed at one that was on point, Alicia took it out of the pan and put it on a plate immediately and placed a fried egg on top, like icing on a cake.

    ¡°Do you want salt on the egg?¡± ¨C Asked Alicia. Jane noticed that even while doing mundane stuff she still had that sharp and savage look in her eyes; the eyes of a professional assassin.

    ¡°Eh, yeah, of course¡­¡±

    Alicia sprinkled a moderate amount of salt on the egg and passed the dish to Jane. ¨C ¡°Enjoy.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Sofia.¡± ¨C She sat at the table in the living room and had a bite of the steak. ¨C ¡°Very good!¡±

    ¡°I prefer them well done, but¡­¡± ¨C She took out the steaks when they were medium rare and a single well done steak for her. ¨C ¡°I can adapt to the taste of others.¡±

    ¡°Very good, what else can you cook?¡±

    ¡°All kinds of meat and some basic meals.¡±

    ¡°Judging by the way you carry yourself I thought you would be a huge fan of MREs.¡±

    Alicia looked up to the roof, remembering the taste of MREs. ¨C ¡°Above everything I prefer real food.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    The smell of a hot meal soon awakened Hector and Paul, a welcomed sight waking up in the morning.

    ¡°You did all of this? thank you.¡± ¨C Said Hector sitting down to have a bite. ¨C ¡°Nowadays not many people your age are interested in learning how to cook, they just order fast food or something.¡±

    Alicia pretended to know what that was. Some people in the Crimson Rangers had mentioned that they missed fast food, but she never inquired on what qualified as fast food, she only knew that they tended to be greasier than usual.

    Hector turned towards his son. ¨C ¡°Now, Paul, what do you say when someone does something for you?¡±

    He looked at Alicia and quickly looked the other way.

    ¡°Come on you are not that scary, are you? Children love you.¡±

    ¡°(Except this one, it seems.)¡±

    ¡°Ehhh¡­¡± -The child was having a hard time raising his voice. ¨C ¡°Thank you¡­miss.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it, Paul, good job.¡±

    ¡°Gotta cover up those marks, scarface. Maybe that¡¯s what makes you so scary to children.¡±

    ¡°(Hm¡­covering them up may work, healing them is still a tall order for me because they keep reopening every time.)¡±

    They had breakfast and had a trivial conversation. They made Alicia some superficial questions about if she was born in the US or how many places she had been to during her work.

    ¡°Too many to count.¡± ¨C She said, and she left it at that. The Bradleys knew to not dig any deeper for answers because she wouldn¡¯t answer, and if she did, she would be vague.

    Later in the morning, Jane would give Alicia a tour around the house, now that the sun had arisen, she had a better view of her surroundings. They sat at the porch and basked in the landscape.

    Plains, forests to the east and west, a few houses and ranches down the road, the electrical lines providing energy to all of them, and a town down the north, that was Forest Grove, a quiet place all things considered, where tended to their own, and that¡¯s the way they liked it.

    Again, aside from a few vehicles coming and going, it was quiet, quieter than she was used to.

    ¡°We were very fortunate to get this house when we did.¡± ¨C Said Jane. ¨C ¡°I used to live in New York, but that place is¡­I didn¡¯t like it, that¡¯s all I¡¯m saying, that wasn¡¯t the right place to raise Paul, so Hector and I moved here and we¡¯ve been doing just fine ever since.¡±

    ¡°Are the cities particularly bad?¡± ¨C Asked Alicia feeling a weird itch on her arm.

    ¡°You have no idea. Crime goes up and down, but when it goes up, it gets somehow higher than before. From petty theft to rapes, the cities have it all.¡±

    Alicia could feel her heart tingle, but it wasn¡¯t her heart per se, it was that thing, twisting and recoiling in expectation, it wanted to go there as soon as possible. This had never happened before; Alicia didn¡¯t even know it could get anxious.

    ¡°(What the hell is wrong with you?)¡±

    ¡°You talking to me?¡±

    ¡°(No, it¡¯s that thing, the fire.)¡±

    ¡°Anyway¡­¡± ¨C Jane interrupted her train of thought. ¨C ¡°Hector opened a weapons store and a shooting gallery; it¡¯s been a steady source of income. I don¡¯t know if you know this but, here in the US, guns are kind of commonplace, to say the least.¡±

    ¡°Really now?¡±

    Alicia was used to seeing places where guns were in the hands of the savages and the hordes of the innocent and defenseless preferred to run away than to seek around for some and defend themselves. Though, to be honest, if they did that, the Crimson Rangers wouldn¡¯t have work to do and they would have to do something else like a cleanup service.

    ¡°Yup, that¡¯s the second amendment for you.¡± ¨C Said Jane. ¨C ¡°So, I figure you must be from Europe, right? Though, you don¡¯t have an accent so I¡¯m a bit confused.¡±

    ¡°¡­I suppose so.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean you suppose so?¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s been a long time¡­I don¡¯t really remember.¡±

    ¡°Are you¡­?¡±

    She didn¡¯t complete the question; it would be useless either way. Alicia didn¡¯t really remember much, nor wanted to. Every time she tried, she could only remember That place and gore splashing over her eyes.

    Jane kept showing her around without realizing they had a pair of curious eyes on them.

    Paul was staring at Alicia as she walked around, marveled by her as any child would be at watching a fairy in flesh and bone. His parents couldn¡¯t see it, but he could, that small spark of light within Alicia, that creature that comes from the neverland. He was both infatuated and scared by it, to the point he couldn¡¯t stand uttering a word in her presence until his father urged him to do so.

    He could tell his friends at school, but he had the feeling he¡¯d get in a lot of trouble if he did, so he¡¯d keep this secret to himself.

    Later on, Alicia would continue to take care of the house chores, she had a keen eye to notice things out of place or in need of cleaning, something she owed to her extensive experience in ¡°cleanup jobs.¡±

    Jane kept insisting it wasn¡¯t necessary but she remained stubborn. Alicia didn¡¯t like being idle, a while ago she had realized that staying idle gave the opportunity to all manner of bad thoughts to surface and she preferred the certainty of concentration.

    After she was done with the chores, the Bradleys received a visit from a lawman, she saw him park his police car right outside at the front. She didn¡¯t think he noticed her, so she took that chance to hide.

    Alicia hid behind the kitchen counter and eavesdropped on the conversation.

    ¡°Well, Hector, as you already know there was an accident yesterday, a plane crashed near the park, a huge mess. I can¡¯t say much but¡­let¡¯s just say the passengers weren¡¯t regular folk, you know?¡±

    ¡°They weren¡¯t?¡± ¨C Asked Hector. ¨C ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You know what I mean, Hector. They were the kind of people that¡¯d be your customers. Contractors, you know? They seemed to be in a lot of trouble¡­so, we¡¯ve been asking around if anyone has seen something suspicious, anything. So, do you have something in mind?¡±

    ¡°Hmmmm¡­ I don¡¯t know, have you seen something, Jane?¡±

    ¡°Nope, it¡¯s been pretty quiet, didn¡¯t see anything when I was driving back home yesterday. Though, well, there¡¯s nothing much to see when it¡¯s dark.¡±

    Alicia had to give them credit, they were very good at lying, but that only made them the more puzzling to her, why would they lie to protect her? why would they help her?¡±

    ¡°I see, ok, do give us a call if you saw something. We are inclined to believe that someone could¡¯ve survived that crash.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡± ¨C Asked Hector.

    ¡°Well, I guess I can tell you, you do know how to keep a secret. See, in the wreckage area, we found a few corpses of people that had no relation to the ones from the plane, a group of six, heavily armored, they were murdered, and forensics determined they died after the plane had crashed¡­this means they walked into the area and someone killed them, and they didn¡¯t get a chance to oppose resistance.¡±

    ¡°Very fine, Butcher.¡±

    ¡°(Not my best work so far.)¡±

    ¡°So you mean there¡¯s a killer on the loose!?¡± -Asked Jane, the officer wasn¡¯t keen enough to see through the faked surprised.

    ¡°Sorta¡­we don¡¯t know for certain yet. So, if any of you see anything weird or someone wandering around you don¡¯t recognize, do give us a call, alright?¡±

    ¡°You got it Hank.¡± ¨C Said Hector.

    The officer left the residence shortly after. Jane walked into the kitchen to serve herself a glass of water and she would never discover that Alicia was hiding there not long before she walked in. Jane walked out to the backyard and found Alicia checking on the clothes under the sun hanging from a cord.

    ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¨C Asked Alicia.

    ¡°Nah, we just received a short visit, is all.¡± ¨C Said Jane, and Alicia took note of the fact that she would keep info from her. ¨C ¡°Have the clothes dried up yet?¡±

    ¡°Not yet, maybe in fifteen minutes.¡±

    The day was uneventful afterwards. Jane and Hector kept making some insignificant questions to Alicia, which she would respond comfortably, but she would quickly mark the limit at anything to do with her and the things she did. Meanwhile, Paul would look at her, hiding at a distance, quiet as a mouse.

    Jane and Hector now knew something for certain, Jane had rescued a bonafide professional killer from certain death, but as she had proved before, she was not the kind of killer to turn her blade towards innocent people.

    However, what Jane didn¡¯t know was the set of criteria to determine when someone was not innocent on Alicia¡¯s eyes. Armed or not, Alicia didn¡¯t care, for she had already killed many that had brought ruin to the world without firing a single gun.

    Night came once again, Alicia went back to her bedroom and closed the door behind her. Knowing for certain she wasn¡¯t going to be bothered anymore, she took the sling off and moved her arm to give it some exercise, she couldn¡¯t risk the muscles going soft and losing strength.

    ¡°Good job today, Ali. I didn¡¯t know you were such a competent servant.¡±

    ¡°(You already saw me do chores around the base, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m completely useless.)¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s been so long since the last time. At some point the commander just stopped putting you on cleanup duty. I wonder why?¡±

    ¡°(Maybe I wasn¡¯t fit for that role anymore, but in the good sense.)¡±

    Alicia stretched a bit and laid down on the bed, she was quickly asleep shortly after.

    It would have been a dreamless night, peaceful and quiet, but then a delicious and intoxicating scent reached her nose, waking her up with a jolt.

    It was coming from outside, and it was somehow filtering through the closed window. It smelled like roasted chicken and sweet sauce on top of it. Alicia wouldn¡¯t have given it a second thought and ignore it, she¡¯s had chicken before, and it was probably someone else¡¯s meal, but for some reason she felt compelled to go, to walk out of the house and follow that marvelous smell, she suddenly felt so hungry, her stomach roared as if she hadn¡¯t had a decent meal in an entire week.

    She couldn¡¯t resist it any longer. Alicia put on her boots and a black shirt and jumped out of the window as cautiously as possible to not wake up the Bradleys.

    ¡°(Do you smell that, Ten? It¡¯s coming from the west, into the trees.)¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s gotta be the tastiest chicken ever made in the world! No matter what, we must have a taste of it!¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯m glad we agree.)¡±

    Alicia walked forward through the open field and into the line of bushes and trees. She expected to find the source of the smell there, but no, it was further away, up the hill. Once she had managed to make it up there she realized she wasn¡¯t even getting close to the scent, so she kept walking deeper and deeper into the forest.

    Something odd was going on, not even her could catch the smell of something at such a distance. Could it be she was walking into a trap? No, not even the most sophisticated baits had such a range. However, it didn¡¯t cross her mind to question it, hunger had possessed her rationale, she just wanted to reach the origin of the scent and hopefully have a bite of whatever is being cooked there.

    It took her half an hour of walking, but after traversing through that batch of nature she was finally getting close, she could feel it.

    As she was approaching, she could hear voices behind the bushes, there were multiple people, arguing with each other.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to jail because of this, Ralph! I told you this was going too far!¡±

    ¡°Relax, relax, I¡¯ll think of something.¡±

    ¡°I should have never let you guys bring me into this shit!¡±

    ¡°Both of you, shut up! Let me think¡­no one knows that we are here, no one knows she¡¯s here, we have to find a place to-¡±

    Just then Alicia went through a bush and stepping on some twigs, making a lot of noise.

    ¡°Wh-who¡¯s there!?¡± ¨C Yelled one of the voices. Alicia wasn¡¯t going to hide, so she stepped out of the darkness and into the light.

    What she found on the other side was a grim scene like any other, but something she could¡¯ve seen before nonetheless. Three men standing around a campfire, one of them young and scrawny looking, one of them big and with a fair amount of muscle and the other lean but short.

    To their feet was a girl, probably older than her but not by much, she was naked down the waist, her eyes were bloodshot open and bruises covered her entire neck; Alicia couldn¡¯t see a single sign of life coming from her. It was fairly obvious what had gone down in that campsite.

    ¡°Who the fuck are you!? What are you doing here!?¡± ¨C Asked the tall one. ¨C ¡°How did you find this place!?¡±

    ¡°Dude she saw the corpse!¡± ¨C Said the scrawny one. ¨C ¡°She¡¯s gonna tell everything!¡±

    However, there was something that caught Alicia¡¯s attention the most¡­no matter where she looked, there was no roasted chicken in the camp. Not over the bonfire, nor on a stove, there was no chicken to be found. Somehow, she had been tricked to be there, be it by her senses or something else. She didn¡¯t know what to think or what to make of this situation, it just didn¡¯t make any sense.

    ¡°No she ain¡¯t telling anyone!¡± ¨C Said the lean one as he rushed towards Alicia wielding a big piece of wood, intending to hit her over the head with it as hard as he could.

    ¡°(*Sigh¡­)¡±

    Alicia made a quick assessment of the situation. She thought she had finally found a place to take a break from this stuff, but somehow, violence always finds her way to her or she finds her way to violence.

    Obviously, something needed to be done, but she couldn¡¯t be straightforward and do things the way she was used to. Killing them carelessly would probably end up in her staining her clothes with blood, and blood is very hard to wash off. Jane and Hector would make questions and in the worst-case scenario, they¡¯d find it in themselves to finally report her to the police and she¡¯d had to leave. Despite everything, she was feeling very comfortable in that place, so she didn¡¯t want that to happen, at least not yet.

    Alas, as she had proven and seen in the past, there are many, even infinite ways to kill someone. The human body is so strong, yet so fragile within; if you are skillful enough, you can kill someone without shedding a single drop of blood.

    It¡¯s all just a matter of knowing where to strike and where to twist.

    ¡°(I¡¯ll take these ones.)¡±

    ¡°Aww¡­¡±

    Once he was within range, Alicia aimed at his throat¡¯s apple and punched, destroying it, sending the pieces back the throat and creating a blockade.

    ¡°What the fuck!?¡± ¨C Yelled the scrawny one as he saw his friend hold onto his neck while collapsing on the ground.

    ¡°You whore!¡± ¨C It was the big one¡¯s turn, he rushed towards her intending to punch her in the face. To counter him, Alicia dashed under his haymaker, positioning herself right behind him, she jumped on his back and locked her legs around his waist and arms around his neck, applying pressure, a pressure that no matter how strong he was, he couldn¡¯t get her off. The scrawny dude just watched cowardly as he witnessed how his friend¡¯s neck was being bent slowly until it snapped like a twig.

    The big opponent fell to the ground, now Alicia centered her attention on the scrawny one, and of course, his first thought was to run away.

    He ran into the bushes while screaming for his dear life, barely stumbling on fallen trees and branches, he didn¡¯t dare look behind, because he knew for certain she was still after him.

    Indeed she was, closer than he realized, jumping right above him, from tree to tree.

    When she was certain of where to jump, Alicia descended and landed right on his head, sending him face first into the ground with the power of her weight, it was as if an anvil had fallen over him, and of course, the result was the same as if it was a real anvil.

    Instant death, his rush was brought down to a grinding halt. Birds flew away from their nests because of the loud blunt noise she made as she fell on him, but after they were gone, the forest had become eerily silent.

    Alicia went back to the camping site and analyzed the scene once more, now with the stark differences. Just then she realized that she didn¡¯t feel as hungry anymore for some reason.

    ¡°What the hell is wrong with me?¡±

    ¡°Many things I¡¯d say, but honestly, what bothers me the most is that there¡¯s no chicken here, we got played.¡±

    ¡°(Yeah, but by who? And why?)¡± ¨C She looked back at the girl¡¯s corpse and then to the others. ¨C ¡°(Was it because of this?)¡±

    Alicia knew she had to go back, get the dirt off her boots and go back to sleep, but as she was heading back into the wilderness, she stopped, invaded by the feeling that her work there wasn¡¯t over yet.

    She turned back and searched through the men¡¯s pockets, finding a cellphone on the big one¡¯s pants. If she recalled correctly, people dialed 911 to call emergency services like police and firefighters, stuff she seldom saw anywhere else.

    ¡°911, what¡¯s your emergency?¡± ¨C Said the woman on the other side of the line.

    ¡°There¡¯s been a murder¡­in the forest.¡± ¨C She said standing next to the girl¡¯s body. ¨C ¡°Three males, they raped and killed a girl.¡±

    ¡°Alright ma¡¯am, do you know the location?¡±

    ¡°Follow the phone¡¯s signal¡­I¡¯ll leave it right here, they won¡¯t go anywhere, I made sure of it.¡±

    ¡°Wait, ma¡¯am, I need you to stay with me! please tell me the location and we¡¯ll send a patrol immediately.¡± ¨C Alicia left the phone on the ground and walked away. ¨C ¡°Ma¡¯am? Are you still there? ma¡¯am?¡±

    The agent would do as she was told and got someone to trace the phone¡¯s signal. Once it was done, they sent a patrol to the location and found the bodies of both the girl and the two boys.

    ¡°HQ, this is officer Rawlings, there¡¯s been a multiple homicide, we need backup and forensics on location, over.¡±

    The other officer approached the corpses and noticed how they had been killed.

    ¡°Daaaaamn, someone strong made these kids his bitches.¡±

    ¡°Jesus Christ, have some tact, Joe.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, but I mean, look at the way his neck is bent, they must¡¯ve challenged a gorilla and paid the consequences.¡±

    Alicia returned to the Bradley¡¯s household, made sure her clothes weren¡¯t dirty and took them off, putting back on her shorts and finally lying down in bed once again. Just like the first time, she had managed to fall asleep in a few minutes.

    But even after waking up, she couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling that something new and unsettling was happening to her.

 American integrity (Part 2)

    In a luxurious apartment located near Miami Beach, a group of four individuals were enjoying their well deserved and earned vacations after a brief yet intense season of wetwork.

    In a small room that was equipped to become a workshop, a woman was working on her main weapon, the one weapon she needed to complete her job, because her body was strong enough to compensate and triumph over any adversity the perils of modern combat situations could throw at her. A unique weapon only she knew how to craft and no one else had bothered in trying to device a similar gadget.

    In another room, their personal gym, there was a big hulking man performing his daily workout routine, lifting around 270 Lbs. in bench press, reaching slowly but surely to break his personal record. It was a good thing the room was sound proofed, otherwise the others would have to tolerate his growls and animal screams as he lifts the bar.

    In the living room there was another man, smaller and quieter than the rest, performing his weekly maintenance of the tools of his craft: an assortment of different short and long range weapons such as an L96 and a Glock 17 equipped with a laser sight. He was preparing them just the way he liked it, for these weapons were an extension of himself.

    Finally, their leader, who was not necessarily more capable or lethal than them, but still a prolific assassin, was resting in the kitchen, serving himself a glass of his favorite wine. That day would have been unordinary until they received an incoming call through the work laptop.

    The leader approached the laptop near the couch right next to the sniper, because he could never bother to pick up a call when he was focused on his maintenance work, and accepted the call. It was their handler, or rather, the person that passed the contracts to them, she preferred to be called ¡°Rose¡±.

    ¡°Rose! I think I thought we agreed that we would get three months of paid leave and no disturbances.¡± ¨C Said the leader. ¨C ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°I know you are enjoying your little vacations, Luis, but I thought you guys would be interested in this one.¡±

    ¡°Come on, if the job being interesting was enough, we¡¯d be doing contracts for mere pennies all year, and we don¡¯t want that. What else you got?¡±

    ¡°Just look at the initial price and tell me what you think¡±. ¨C Said Rose and then sent him an email with the initial offer. He took a very close look to it.

    Those were a lot of zeros, and apparently it was a serious client. He was speechless for a moment and then regained his composure. The sniper took a look at the screen and grinned before going back to his business.

    ¡°Well¡­we are listening.¡±

    ¡°I knew you¡¯d like it.¡± ¨C She sent him the details through another email, this included a dossier, some photographs and a map of the hunting grounds. ¨C ¡°You aren¡¯t going to go too far from home. The target is in the business, just like you, but this one is a bit more peculiar than usual. Goes by the name of Alicia Amber, also known as The Butcher.¡± ¨C Luis took a look at his photo and for a moment he thought this was all a big and elaborate joke. ¨C ¡°Careful, Luis. She may look young; however, she¡¯s got a very extensive record, I recommend you give it a read.¡±

    He took her advice and opened the file and was met with a long list of names and summaries of the circumstances of their assassinations. Most of these names he recognizes as high-profile individuals from the middle east, eastern Europe, India, and some countries abandoned by God himself, but there were a few names that stood out the most.

    ¡°No way, she¡¯s the one that killed Glass?¡± ¨C Asked Luis, leaning forward in his seat as he kept reading. ¨C ¡°Goddamn, she erased him from this planet. She also took out that sheikh, Bilal¡­is this profile authentic?¡±

    ¡°That is correct, Luis. This girl appeared out of nowhere around four years ago, the source says that she operated as a child soldier in Iran during the conflict under a mercenary company known as the Crimson Rangers and quickly demonstrated to be very capable. Then she went on to take on lucrative yet suicidal jobs elucidated in the file, and pulled through every single one, leaving a trail of corpses behind.¡±

    ¡°A girl¡­a child soldier?¡± ¨C Luis brushed his hair backwards with his hand, feeling a laugh surfacing through his throat. ¨C ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s unprecedented, yeah, but it isn¡¯t impossible, as you can see. She¡¯s recently severed her ties with the Crimson Rangers and went on to work for one of our competitors. The client has done his best effort to take her down employing some mercenaries and she killed them all. However, she¡¯s now stranded somewhere in Oregon after an aerial accident, so we assume that she¡¯s not in her top physical condition at the moment.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve got ourselves a real hunter.¡± -Said the sniper. ¨C ¡°I¡¯ve heard the stories, about what happened in Iraq, so she¡¯s the one?¡±

    ¡°That seems so, Carl.¡± ¨C Said Rose. ¨C ¡°Regardless of that, this is a very lucrative job, and it may be so for a reason, so it¡¯s best for you guys to take it seriously and proceed with caution and be discreet.¡±

    ¡°Who we killing this time?¡± ¨C Said the woman walking into the living room having heard a fraction of the briefing.

    ¡°The legendary Butcher, Kalina. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard the myth.¡± ¨C Said the sniper, and she approached to take a closer look to her photo.

    ¡°Hmm¡­I was expecting a Rambo type¡­She seems dangerous though, those scars really amp the intimidation factor. Poor thing, it must be hard to live when you have to walk around looking like a Frankenstein.¡± ¨C She took a look at her profile, specifically at the estimated kill count. ¨C ¡°Though it seems comparing her to a monster may not be too far off. Damn¡­I¡¯d like to have a kill count with three digits like that.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t Kalina.¡± ¨C Said the big muscleman walking into the scene. ¨C ¡°At that point you wouldn¡¯t be considered a professional assassin, just a bloodthirsty fiend, and she¡¯s just that. How tragic, seeing innocence tarnished that way.¡±

    ¡°You are such a softy, big man.¡± ¨C Said Luis, then went back to talk with Rose. ¨C ¡°Alright Rose, we¡¯ll take care of this one, we¡¯ll even arrange the funeral ourselves with that much money.¡±

    ¡°Glad to hear that. Remember, don¡¯t get too confident, or she may get the drop on you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­we¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±

    Rose ended the call. Right afterwards, Luis turned towards his merry crew. ¨C ¡°Seems we are coming out of our vacations early.¡±

    ¡°We couldn¡¯t have asked for a more interesting challenge.¡± ¨C Said Kalina.

    ¡°I¡¯m not very amused by the idea of assassinating a minor, Luis.¡± ¨C Said the big man. ¨C ¡°Are you sure about this?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not just any minor, Igor. If what Rose sent us is true, we are dealing with one of the most prolific mass murderers to ever walk the earth. We can earn ourselves our free pass to heaven and, on top of that, get paid while at it.¡±

    ¡°That might be true. But you three will deal the killing blow. Severing such a young life is unacceptable.¡±

    ¡°You are such a softy, big man.¡± ¨C Said the sniper.

    ¡°And your heart is cold, Carl.¡±

    ¡°Anyway.¡± ¨C Interrupted Luis. ¨C ¡°Let¡¯s not dwell on that matter any longer, let¡¯s get to work, we¡¯ll have to take a flight to Oregon and track her down. This is the most boring part of the job, but for a bounty as generous as this one, it¡¯ll be worth every second of it.¡±

    Alicia didn¡¯t know it, but after what happened that night with those three strangers who killed a girl, her mind would keep dwelling in the ideas she preferred to keep in the back of her head whenever she was trying to relax.

    She dreamed of Africa, something that hadn¡¯t happened in a very long time, she remembered this one almost perfectly.

    The Crimson Rangers had raided the complex of a certain warlord whose name she had forgotten already. It happened right before dawn, they sniped the sentries from afar and when they infiltrated the complex, Alicia and Anya proceeded to take down the guards throughout the eastern wing of the complex, as silently and swiftly as possible using knives and fiber wires, also a silenced pistol if they needed to do it quickly.

    Alicia had caught a slaver in his sleep and proceeded to suffocate him with his pillow, she had always wanted to try that method and scratch it off her list.

    The warlord noticed that his men were being slaughtered way too late, and before he realized, he had been surrounded by a gang of disciplined and well-armed mercenaries in his office.

    They didn¡¯t kill him immediately because the client wanted him to be made an example of first. So, that very same morning, they tied him up to a pole and recorded the event on camera. The commander gave Alicia a club and ordered her to give that man a serious beating for the posterity.

    There was a constant in all of her dreams. No matter the context, she was always covered in blood before and after the action, and she could never find out whose blood was it, if it was hers or someone else¡¯s, but she always figured it had to be the latter.

    And that was not all, the subject of her apathetic cruelty was also deformed, his or her eyes both pebbles of absolute darkness and his mouth emitted a guttural sound that couldn¡¯t be considered human.

    The nightmare transformed them into demons to throw her cruelty back at her, but the only thing that was left was to actually ask her if she even gave a shit.

    She proceeded to beat this demon bloody until his head hung low, all life had escaped from his carcass.

    ¡°You are a thorough-bred killer!¡± ¨C Said Anya, her words echoing through her mind as her consciousness drifted away, marking the end of a dream that pretended to be a nightmare. It was almost as if she didn¡¯t comprehend herself completely.

    Alicia opened her eyes and was met with something unusual. She wasn¡¯t alone in that bed. It was that ghost again, as blue and dry as always, lying next to her and staring into her soul with those pale marbles she called eyes.

    ¡°Aww, I didn¡¯t scare you again. I suppose you have nerves of steel, or they are too fried to send any fight or flight responses up to your brain.¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°I was just having fun watching you, you are fascinating, even while you sleep, you know? I saw what you did to those stupid fucks last night, simply marvelous, and you didn¡¯t even spill a single drop of blood. I personally would¡¯ve shot them and called it a day, but you went the extra mile to avoid getting your clothes dirty.¡±

    ¡°Blood is hard to clean, you know?¡± ¨C Said Alicia, raising an eyebrow. ¨C ¡°Was that everything you had to say?¡±

    ¡°Not everything, I just wanted to talk with you, it¡¯s a bit lonely here in the limbo, much more when all the others know you are a killer. I think some of them saw me do my job while I was still around, you know what I mean?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your problem.¡±

    ¡°It can be your problem too if you aren¡¯t careful, especially knowing the way you are.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¨C Alicia sat down on the edge of the bed, she noticed that Nyx¡¯s neck was bent to the right, a consequence of hanging by a rope for so long.

    ¡°There were times where I didn¡¯t work alone, jobs that required some backup. Sometimes men, sometimes women, sometimes bad shots, sometimes crack shots. Some I loved, some I killed myself, but unfortunately even the good ones died. They made terrible mistakes and retribution fell on them. They all had a different reason to kill, some did it just for the money, others did it because they loved it, others did it because they didn¡¯t have a choice. For me, it was an act of vindication, and I wanted to get it from everyone I came across. In which category do you think you fit in? Love? Money or duty?¡±

    Alicia just looked at the door, trying to get that question out of her mind. As if she was going to talk about those things with the ghost of a psychopathic bitch that thought could compare to her for some wicked reason.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that was a captious question. I already know the answer. You just can¡¯t help yourself, can you? You have to kill, it¡¯s not merely a hobby.¡±

    ¡°I have to?¡±

    ¡°Have you never thought about it before? why you seem to always be thinking about killing? That thing inside you pushes you to do it, yes, why? That I don¡¯t know, but you can¡¯t resist the call, in fact, you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    Alicia looked back, stabbing the ghost with her rageful glare, but that didn¡¯t intimidate the ghost. How could it? she was dead anyway.

    ¡°Maybe you were born for this or you came to be like this, but that¡¯s how it is. You are not merely a blood junkie, it¡¯s a part of you, your nature.¡± ¨C She raised up her fist and clenched it. ¨C ¡°There aren¡¯t many predators like you in the business as far as I remember, but they exist, and they are the best of all of us.¡±

    ¡°(A predator?)¡± ¨C Alicia looked down to the floor, that word bringing her train of thought down to a grinding halt. Nyx was right, when she faced off against that trio of weirdos, not even for a single second she thought about trying to suppress them and avoid herself any hassle that may come with killing someone, nor did she think about disengaging and losing them, then try to approach the situation from another angle. Her first thought and conclusion were the best and quickest way to kill them right there and then.

    ¡°Thinking about it is not pretty, yes. But it had to happen at some point, and I don¡¯t regret making you aware of it. And I wouldn¡¯t try to contradict it, by the way, you might end up getting angry with yourself, and that¡¯s not good, all things considered.¡±

    The same alarm that echoed through space the first time they talked rang once again. ¨C ¡°Seems my time is up, nice chat. I didn¡¯t learn anything today but, maybe if I keep talking with you I¡¯ll get somewhere.¡±

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t be a stranger, I suppose.¡± ¨C Said Alicia. She heard as Nyx took the safe off her pistol and the next thing she knew, she had lost consciousness once again. Nyx had shot her in the back of her head; that was her way to say goodbye, or to cut the line, so to speak.

    Alicia woke up once more in her bed, but this time there was no blue corpse breathing cold air down her neck right next to her. She couldn¡¯t determine if this was all a fabrication of her mind or if there was a real ghost haunting her. Alas, all she could do for the moment is to expect that the next time she goes to sleep, she won¡¯t have to tolerate that cadaver¡¯s presence.

    She sat up on the edge of the bed once again, going over her words.

    She had never thought about those things, she always allowed herself to go with the motions. Alicia was content with killing the degenerates and savages the commander had allowed her to kill, and now it was the MTW who was employing her to take down a different flavor of parasites, but parasites all the same.

    Alicia remembered the first one she killed, that dirty man the commander tricked into going inside her cell to try and harm her. She could see right through him, he was a monster, like many others, someone that for any reason had discarded his humanity in order to harness the pleasure of having power over innocent beings, no matter how small. The commander said ¡°rape her¡± and he obeyed; he had to die.

    But now she was wondering if that was all there was to it. in any case, she couldn¡¯t think about the matter for much longer, she had a day to get through.

    Turns out the Bradleys were running out of groceries, it had to happen at some point, so they got dressed to drive to the town and go to the supermarket. Naturally, they invited Alicia to tag along. Hector thought that even if she had a ¡°broken arm¡± she still could carry something with the healthy one with no difficulties. Alicia agreed, just so because she wanted to see the town up close and compare it to the one she saw back in Mexico. She wouldn¡¯t get her hopes up, at that point, she already had an image of what civilization was: mass graveyards full of weak people, ruled by savage degenerates, something that could be destroyed by her with ease.

    She sat next to Hector who was driving, Jane and her son sat behind. Few vehicles coming and going, even the desert was a bit livelier than this. Alicia shook her head subtly, she tried to avoid thinking about that place as much as she could. She preferred to stay in the present and sometimes ponder about the future, but the past was a can of rotten food that was better left sealed.

    ¡°So, Sofia, what kind of music do you like?¡± ¨C Asked Hector. ¨C ¡°I normally put on the news but you can tune in whatever you want.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± ¨C It had been a while since she had heard music. Regardless of that, her taste in music was not something she was willing to share with anyone, like with most things about her.

    Everyone¡¯s taste for music within the Crimson Rangers was very homogeneous, and after spending some time with them, their tastes became her tastes, however, from time to time, something would catch her attention that wasn¡¯t characterized for bombastic guitar riffs, trembling drums and growling voices.

    ¡°Music huh?¡± ¨C Alicia reached for the radio¡¯s knob to tune in on a station that was broadcasting any song she found familiar. When she turned it on, she stumbled upon a news radio.

    ¡°¡­four corpses were found in the forest outside Forest Grove, the police believe¡­¡± ¨C She changed the station rather quickly. Hector just assumed that she wasn¡¯t interested in hearing about news of any sort. Afterwards, she stumbled upon a rock and metal station, they were playing children of the grave, she knew that song pretty well, Aiden had the full album from where that song came from.

    However, she didn¡¯t feel in the mood for that. Next station, this one played lighter songs regarding their rhythm.

    ¡°Hey, hey¡­wouldn¡¯t be great, great if we could just lay down¡­¡±

    ¡°(Slowtown!)¡±

    Alicia turned off the radio, keeping that neutral expression on her face to not reveal her excitement.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Nothing to your liking?¡± ¨C Asked Hector.

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d like hard rock and metal like most mercenaries.¡± ¨C Commented Jane, going over the multiple soldier stereotypes she knows about.

    ¡°¡­Not really. I¡¯ll try again later.¡±

    Hector was no genius, but he didn¡¯t need to be to know that she was playing her cards as close to her chest as possible. She didn¡¯t like to talk about herself, but he knew that was normal given the nature of her line of work as a whole.

    The ride to town would continue for a few more minutes. When they were close to the town¡¯s limits, Alicia felt that itch again, on her left arm. That itch under her skin, even under her flesh, unreachable and annoying, accompanied by that taste of iron in her mouth.

    ¡°Something wrong, Sofia? Are the slats bothering you?¡± ¨C Asked Jane.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s ok. Just an itch.¡±

    ¡°Oh boy, don¡¯t tell me, this again?¡±

    The same as the day before, but now there was that taste of iron. Ten couldn¡¯t see it, nor feel it, but within Alicia¡¯s heart, that crimson spirit was moving around again, getting restless, scratching the walls of her soul.

    Alicia was doing her best to keep her composure, but every minute it passed, it became more difficult. She had no idea why she was being tested this way, or what it meant for her current condition, but she did know what would happen if she didn¡¯t do her best to control herself.

    For one, blood bursting out of her scars was inconvenient at the moment, to say the least.

    Alicia had her own idea of what all civilized towns looked like, but this one was far different than all the others.

    The cleanliness, the order, the way the sun shone over the streets as if this town and it coexisted in perfect harmony, the way trees adorned some blocks to provide shade to the townsfolk. Clean and well-maintained cars coming and going, there were even some children playing around the neighborhoods too.

    Both Alicia and Ten had never seen something like this before. Such luxuries weren¡¯t commonplace in the countries they had been in, and if they were, they didn¡¯t last for long, they were all a bombing or a raid away from becoming yet another mass graveyard or ghost town to occupy and use as a hideout of sorts.

    ¡°Look at this! so this is the American dream? No wonder every other asshole wants to come here.¡± ¨C When they stopped at a red light, they took a moment to watch over a group of kids playing soccer in a distant avenue with a ball and two improvised goals. ¨C ¡°You know, it¡¯s a bit weird seeing children play around in a place that can¡¯t be considered a war zone.¡±

    ¡°(It¡¯s weird, yeah.)¡± ¨C Alicia remembered watching a group of children play a similar game in a derelict little town up in Chechenia. Carefree and happy, despite the ruins they lived in. She often wondered why they could be happy with so little and not remotely good, if anything at all.

    She couldn¡¯t understand those that had that capability, but she didn¡¯t know if she envied them or pitied them.

    Why not seek strength and find a better place for themselves? And that was not a question she had for those children, but for those that took care of them.

    ¡°I see that you are liking the town, Sofia.¡± ¨C Said Hector noticing her marvel. ¨C ¡°It¡¯s not the most modern, but it¡¯s very nice. I have a little shop around here if you want to pay a visit soon.¡±

    ¡°What kind of shop?¡± ¨C Asked Alicia.

    ¡°It¡¯s a gun¡¯s shop.¡± ¨C Said Jane, with a tongue like a hammer. ¨C ¡°Hector used to be in the military, then became a hunter and some years later decided to make a living selling guns, he made good use of his contacts.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, you say it as if it is a bad thing, baby.¡±

    ¡°What kind of guns?¡± ¨C Asked Alicia, turning back towards him.

    ¡°Well, mostly civilian stuff.¡±

    ¡°Mostly.¡± ¨C Remarked Jane.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I have a few customers that commission higher grade stuff, but it¡¯s all completely legal, I made sure of it.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± ¨C Alicia made a mental note of this, maybe it would be useful in the future.

    In any case, that was enough sightseeing, after a few blocks they had arrived at the mall, and the surprises and wonders would keep coming.

    The abundance Alicia saw within that market was something that Alicia had only seen in some movies and read about in books, and the real deal lived up to the way they were depicted in fiction.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Rows and rows full of food and other products, she was afraid to admit that she felt overwhelmed for a few seconds.

    She followed the family close by while they took care of taking the groceries they needed. Stuff like flour, coffee seeds, eggs and milk. From time to time someone would glare at Alicia with a puzzled look, wondering what could have happened to such a young girl to end up wounded like that. The honest truth would certainly surprise them if they were to hear it.

    Jane looked back at Alicia, noticing that she hadn¡¯t asked to take anything. ¨C ¡°Come on, Sofia. We have enough money to spare, if you want to take something, go for it; put it in the cart.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely, you¡¯ve helped us with a lot, so I¡¯m sure the least we can do is buy something for you.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Looking over the products it was hard to choose, she didn¡¯t know what she wanted, but after a few seconds her eyes posed over a pack of cocoa powder. She had only tasted it once, and knew how it was prepared, it had been a very long time since she had a cup. So, she grabbed a pack and two cartons of milk.

    Jane giggled. ¨C ¡°Despite your looks and background, you are just a girl, like me, and all the others.¡±

    ¡°Believe me ma¡¯am, when you get to know her she¡¯s such a lovely cat.¡±

    ¡°(Shut up.)¡±

    That was a new one for Alicia. No one had ever told her that she was ¡°like any other girl¡±, it confused her plenty. Because of the way she thought, she didn¡¯t know if to take offense to that comment or just not heed it any mind. Either way, it sounded and felt weird.

    The Bradleys kept going with their shopping, at one point Alicia separated from them and decided to explore the mall. Without really looking for it, she made her way to the electronics section where they sold all sorts of televisions, home radios, computers and similar trinkets.

    She was walking past a Tv that was being on for demonstration purposes when suddenly she heard three loud bangs coming from her right flank. She quickly assumed position and reached for her gun unconsciously, just to realize that the source of those three gunshots was a commercial in the sample television.

    ¡°This fall, the wild west comes back to the television in a special charged with lead and silver.¡± ¨C Said the announcer on the commercial, followed by the neighing of a horse. ¨C ¡°Clint Eastwood, in his stellar role as the man with no name¡­¡± ¨C Alicia stopped paying attention after that.

    It was just an ad; she had gotten edgy for something as silly as that. Worst yet, she was unarmed, so she clutched at air when she heard those gunshots. This too was something new, but not good at all.

    ¡°See? You are as scaredy as an actual cat.¡±

    ¡°(I was not scared. That¡¯s just how you react when you hear gunshots.)¡±

    ¡°It would¡¯ve been appropriate if you had a gun, but I saw you grasping at the concept of one and I couldn¡¯t help but laugh.¡±

    Alicia was fixated on that area¡¯s peace and quiet for some reason. She felt uncomfortable with it, as if it wasn¡¯t natural at all, at least for her.

    But this event gave her an idea as to why. She scratched the back of her head and moved on, trying to pretend that didn¡¯t happen.

    The Bradleys were done with their supply run, and of course, they included the items Alicia chose in the cart.

    After coming out with the cart full of products they went back to the car to place the items in the trunk. Alicia looked around, keeping an eye on the surroundings while they finished packing everything up; old habits die hard.

    She could even feel the frame of a gun inside the palm of her free hand. Being far away from combat and the quietness were getting to her in a way she didn¡¯t expect.

    ¡°Honestly, seeing you so paranoid over nothing can be funny, but it overstays its welcome. There¡¯s no sniper aiming at you from one of the buildings nearby, do me a favor and relax.¡±

    Alicia sighed. ¨C ¡°(I know, I know.)¡± ¨C She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. ¨C ¡°(I can¡¯t seem to get used to this peace.)¡±

    She kept looking around until her nose caught a certain scent. It smelled like ribs marinated in barbeque sauce, hot and out of the frying pan; simply irresistible, Alicia drooled at the exposure of that essence.

    Alicia looked back, towards the origin of the scent, and it was closer than the last one. She saw a group of six men at the bottom of the parking lot, wearing hoodies and backward caps, they were laughing at their hearts¡¯ content but Alicia couldn¡¯t quite determine what they were talking about. Taking a harder looked, Alicia determined they were armed, judging by the handle of a beretta 92F peeking out of the pants of one of them, another one kept a forty-five under his shirt.

    No doubt about it, they were a gang, and that was enough for the crimson spirit to get restless again.

    The spirit caught Alicia off-guard and made its way up to her brain. Her sight became reddish and her legs moved by themselves. Alicia witnessed as the spirit took over the qualities of her mind that made her effective as an assassin on her own.

    She saw white silhouettes, a dozen at a time, rush towards the gangbangers and attack them from multiple angles, she knew herself and knew the spirit enough to know that if its planification was put in action, any of those attack courses could become a reality, but the result would be the same: the gangsters would die, and she would end up exposed; she had to stop it at all cost.

    Fortunately, she wasn¡¯t alone on this one. Ten interrupted the connection between the spirit and her mind, starting a struggle.

    ¡°Oh, no, you don¡¯t get to do whatever you want ya¡¯ bellend. Get back to your fucking corner!¡±

    Alicia closed her eyes and focused on reassuming control. Slowly but surely her muscles relaxed and she regained control over her legs.

    She slowly opened her eyes to discover that her sight was not flooded in red anymore; she had successfully resisted the influence of the entity.

    ¡°Hey Sofia, what are you doing? We are done with the groceries, let¡¯s go back home.¡± ¨C Jane called out to her, and that seemed to relax her a little bit.

    ¡°¡­Yeah, sorry, I¡¯m going.¡±

    The crimson spirit didn¡¯t seem to understand concepts such as keeping a low profile or subtlety, jumping like a hyena at the first sight of a prey, but how could it? it wasn¡¯t even human, of course it isn¡¯t going to care about what humans think, nor about the consequences of its actions, after all, it won¡¯t be it who has to face said consequences when it decides to retire back to its corner within Alicia¡¯s heart and leave her to take care of the mess on her own.

    However, she had to agree on something with it. If there was no one there to intervene or just bear witness, if it was down to only them and her, she would kill them all in a heartbeat.

    Before stepping into the vehicle, Alicia looked back one more time and projected her bloodthirst on the gangbangers, it seemed to be amplified by the amount of ¡°hunger¡± she was feeling.

    She imagined she was holding one of her modified pistols and took the shot.

    The gangbangers witnessed as their brains were scattered all over the place in a matter of seconds, but in the next blink it was as if nothing had happened, they were completely fine, but that brief and sharp pain they felt moments before their brains were spread everywhere felt so very real.

    A moment to feel shocked, afterwards they jumped back and took their guns looking around, trying to piece together what just had happened, uttering questions followed by profanities hoping someone would answer to them why they were killed and then were completely fine shortly afterwards. Alicia didn¡¯t give them a third look and stepped into the car. Having finished with the shopping, the Bradleys took the ride back home. The gangbangers, scared for their lives, decided to get back into their vehicles and return to their homes before a real bullet killed them all, right where they were standing.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t like completely silent rides, so with your permission, I¡¯m gonna play something.¡± ¨C Said Hector, reaching for the radio.

    Turning on the radio was followed by a very distasteful set of words to be listened by the child sitting right behind him.

    ¡°Die motherfucker, die!¡±

    The inside of the car was flooded by the sound of a dozen pistols being shot at the same time. The sound was very real, it had to be. Alicia knew how the sound of a pistol firing was like, as it was natural.

    Suddenly she was no longer in the car. In a second she was standing in a cold and gray landscape, surrounded by tall trees and the torrential pillars of smoke raising up to the heavens at the distance. Chechenia, where slavers go to die.

    She had been surrounded by a group of nine men armed to the teeth. They were thugs running after a container¡¯s worth of women, or as they called them ¡°merchandise¡±, that she had stolen from their group two days before. The commander had told her to create a big distraction while the main group was after their leader, some fat and old man that did all the usual slaver stuff for a living. Turns out, Conrad¡¯s plan didn¡¯t go as he was expecting, and the target actually ended coming after her. She never cared to learn his name or motives, but apparently what she had done was harmful enough for his business that he decided to come personally to solve the issue and make an example out of her.

    ¡°¡­We¡¯ve got you surrounded. Give us back the merchandise and we won¡¯t¡­¡± ¨C The crimson fire burst out of her scars, she drew out her pistols and in less than two seconds, she had dropped the men surrounding the objective before they could raise up their rifles, and used the last two bullets left in the mags to shoot them into his gut, making him kneel and groan in agony.

    He tried to reach for his gun but she kicked him in the chin, sending his magnum flying out of his hand. Once he was on the ground, Alicia dropped her pistols as well and proceeded to punch his face as hard as she could. His face was battered, disfigured and finally reduced to a bloody pulp.

    ¡°Sofia? Sofia are you ok?¡± ¨C Asked Hector, snapping Alicia back to reality. Turns out she was staring at a single point at the front, sweating profusely; the sweat was ice cold.

    ¡°Oh! Yeah, yeah¡­sorry, I¡¯m not used to this climate yet.¡± ¨C She said, improvising some excuse.

    It wasn¡¯t even that warm, or at least that¡¯s what Hector thought. He didn¡¯t like that music either so he changed the station immediately before Jane complained about it saying it wasn¡¯t appropriate for Paul to listen to it.

    Alicia had managed to keep the situation under control, at least on the exterior. In the interior however, there was someone she could never fool.

    ¡°Crap, another one of those. I thought ya¡¯ had gotten over them after Siberia, what happened?¡±

    ¡°(Hell if I know.)¡±

    ¡°I think the doc back with the rangers mentioned it once. A term used to encase these symptoms.¡± ¨C Ten rubbed her temple, trying to remember. ¨C ¡°What was it? some psychology mumbo-jumbo¡­ Shellshock?¡±

    ¡°(It¡¯s not shellshock. I¡¯m ok.)¡± ¨C Insisted Alicia. ¨C ¡°(Why the fuck would I be shellshocked if I was never bothered about what I do?)¡±

    ¡°Well, the doc said that it¡¯s not born from guilt.¡±

    Alicia couldn¡¯t believe herself. She always assumed that she was above all of that, that her brain was wired different in order to wage war against her enemies with little to no issues. And now that the silence and peace had made a spot for themselves in her daily life, a bunch of bad thoughts she didn¡¯t know they existed have come to haunt her.

    ¡°You know, I¡¯m actually not surprised. You have always kept your mind busy with prep work, training and then engaging in combat with whatever asshole we gotta take down. We are young ladies, ya¡¯ know? It¡¯s no wonder you¡¯ve developed some issues righ¡¯ up here.¡±

    ¡°(Shut up, don¡¯t patronize me.)¡±

    Alicia may be very good keeping a composed expression on her face, but it was not hard for Jane to know that something was wrong with her aside from the broken arm and those cuts. That was something she wanted to address soon.

    A few hours later, Alicia sat on the house¡¯s porch, staring at the distance while holding a cup full of warm chocolate in her hand. It was as tasty as she remembered.

    Her scars tingled as she saw the sun about to set behind the horizon. The crimson spirit was becoming more and more restless by the hour and she already knew what it was demanding of her to appease it.

    What was it anyway? Both Alicia and Ten were sure it wasn¡¯t a demon, otherwise it would aim towards killing innocents and wouldn¡¯t be so cooperative to heal her and support her. It was something else, and by the looks of it, something more powerful than a mere demon.

    In fact, was she even human at this point? There was no way to be sure, but Alicia personally wouldn¡¯t mind if that was the case.

    She stayed there, drinking her chocolate in silence until the sun set, the night fell upon the country, she was about to go back into the house when Paul approached and sat beside her. He was holding a sketchbook and a couple of pencils.

    She didn¡¯t intend to say anything, but the child insisted in having a conversation.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to draw the moon and the stars.¡± ¨C He said, taking a dark blue pencil to color the night sky.

    She listened as he proceeded to bathe a portion of the page in a deep dark blue color, of course, it was preferable than use a black pencil, the blue gives it a bit more life and it¡¯s still valid.

    Ten was awfully silent, at times like this she would have something to banter about. Maybe she was asleep, that sometimes happen as well.

    After a few minutes, the child stopped coloring and looked at her.

    ¡°Why are you so hurt, miss?¡± ¨C He asked. Silence was his answer, but Paul was stubborn, like most other kids. ¨C ¡°Did a bomb go off near you?¡±

    That question caught Alicia off guard, she looked at him. ¨C ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°If the coyote can survive explosions, then you can too!¡± ¨C He said, getting a laugh out of Ten, waking her up from her slumber. Of course, since he couldn¡¯t read minds at all, he would never get to listen to her beautiful laughter.

    ¡°The¡­coyote?¡±

    ¡°The coyote and the roadrunner, have you never heard of them?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡± ¨C She focused back on the night landscape. ¨C ¡°Besides, that¡¯s not how it works. I just¡­fell off a high place.¡±

    ¡°Like a hundred stairs?¡±

    Alicia looked down to her ¡°broken¡± arm. ¨C ¡°Yeah¡­let¡¯s say a hundred stairs.¡±

    ¡°I fell off a high place once, a tree.¡± ¨C He said. ¨C ¡°The branch broke and I fell over my arm, it also broke. They had to use an arm cast, I didn¡¯t want to get out of bed for a week.¡±

    ¡°It must¡¯ve been painful.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was. Very painful, but yours also broke and you are able to do things like nothing happened.¡±  - Paul shook his book in excitement. ¨C ¡°You must be super strong.¡±

    ¡°What a cute little twerp you are, you flatter us. If I was real, I¡¯d prepare more chocolate just for you!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no big deal.¡± ¨C Said Alicia avoiding eye contact. ¨C ¡°That¡¯s what happens when you train a lot.¡±

    ¡°You actually look like a superhero. Many superheroes are very strong! are you one of them!?¡±

    His innocent questions were rubbing her the wrong way, it reminded her of the way Malak and the other kids saw her as a person.

    If this continued she would end up loathing the word ¡°hero¡± altogether. She was a murderer, the legendary Butcher, not a hero, much less a superhero, but many called her that, even if they were aware of all the stuff she did in the desert. Why would they call a person that massacred hundreds of people a hero? Was that actually what heroes do?

    However, there was a nuance, and she noticed it in that very moment. When she was brought back to that moment in Chechenia, when she was gunning down those slavers and beat their leader to death, there was an important fact to consider: she not only killed them because they were her enemies, and not only because the man in the middle of them was her target. She was there to protect the women and little girls that were hiding in a house a hundred meters behind her.

    She showed her back to the weak and her blade to the strong. She had read books where this event was replicated under many different circumstances. Back towards the weak, blade towards the strong, wasn¡¯t that what heroes do? And yes, how many times has she done that already?

    If the world she lived in allowed her to cling to that nuance and not let go, then yes, there was no shame in accepting it.

    ¡°¡­I guess I am a hero¡­¡± ¨C She said, looking up to the stars. ¨C ¡°¡­At least for now.¡±

    ¡°Amazing!¡± ¨C Said Paul, almost dropping his sketchbook out of excitement.

    ¡°Paul, it¡¯s time to go to bed!¡± ¨C Said Hector from inside the house. Without saying another word, Paul walked back into the house, heading to his bedroom.

    Right afterwards, Hector walked out of the house, Alicia was almost done with her chocolate.

    ¡°Gotta say, you have a good hand with food and drinks!¡± ¨C He said, the chocolate she prepared was simply marvelous.

    ¡°It¡¯s mere instinct.¡± ¨C She said. ¨C ¡°I just know the right amount of everything for it to come out tasty.¡±

    ¡°I can see that.¡± ¨C He leaned on the door frame. ¨C ¡°So, did you like the town? It¡¯s a nice place, truly. Everyone is welcomed to come and do their best.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a nice place, but I don¡¯t see myself going there often.¡±

    ¡°Why not? I think you¡¯ll love it if you stay long enough.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like it. It¡¯s nice and all. It¡¯s very quiet, and it seems I cannot get used to that silence.¡± ¨C Alicia finished her chocolate. ¨C ¡°I don¡¯t think I fit in such a peaceful environment.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. In my opinion, as human beings, everyone needs peace and quiet in some capacity, no matter the path they¡¯ve walked in life, just like how everyone needs to sleep and eat; that¡¯s just part of being human.¡± ¨C He took a step forward and had a look at the bandages covering her arms, being fully aware of the numerous scars right under them. ¨C ¡°Pardon me for saying it, but I¡¯ve got the feeling you are the kind of person who¡¯s too hard on herself.¡±

    ¡°Ya¡¯ are damn right, Bradley. This chick can¡¯t look in the mirror without feeling bad about it.¡±

    ¡°(Shut up.)¡± ¨C Alicia looked over her shoulder. ¨C ¡°What makes you say that?¡±

    ¡°We know very little about you, and I figure you want it to stay like that, but you¡¯d be surprised at how much you can learn from a person by observing them.¡±

    ¡°¡­And what have you learned?¡±

    ¡°Well, I said that it was ok for you to rest, I saw your injuries and I thought that you deserved a break, but no, you decided to make yourself useful right away and help around the house, as if you held yourself to a high standard you wish to uphold, whatever the cost. You also avoid talking about yourself and I saw the face you made when Jane complimented you. Complete puzzlement, that makes me think you seldom get complimented by others or you just don¡¯t know how to react when complimented.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call that a compliment. She just made an observation I didn¡¯t understand the conclusion of.¡±

    ¡°Why? Does that mean that you don¡¯t see yourself as normal?¡±

    Suddenly, Hector felt a weird pressure over his shoulders. This pressure was unnoticeable at first, but it became present as it became heavier and heavier. It became so heavy his knees began to shake. His sweat ran cold and his pupils dilated, he couldn¡¯t think and couldn¡¯t speak; he felt an absolute terror running through his body, even if he didn¡¯t know what he was afraid of.

    And suddenly all of these feelings and burdens disappeared out nowhere, just like how they appeared. He looked at Alicia once again, who was staring at him from the sideline. ¨C ¡°I think it¡¯s a fair assessment to say that I¡¯m not.¡± ¨C She said.

    Hector took a deep breath and stood upright. He regained his composure rather quickly, something that Alicia found very impressive. He reminded her of Kirsten, she hadn¡¯t thought about him in a while, she wondered if he was still alive.

    ¡°Maybe you are not¡­¡± ¨C He said, having regained control of himself. That man had an iron will. ¨C ¡°¡­But that doesn¡¯t mean you shouldn¡¯t have good things. Everyone is a bit different, again, that¡¯s what makes us human, and that¡¯s not bad at all, so you shouldn¡¯t beat yourself for it. Peace and quietness are here for you just as much as it is for me, and Jane, and Paul, and everyone else in town.¡± ¨C Hector turned around and walked back into the house. ¨C ¡°So don¡¯t think in terms of whether you deserve something or not.¡±

    ¡°Finally, someone had the guts to say that to your face.¡±

    ¡°(So you weren¡¯t brave enough to tell me that?)¡±

    ¡°Nah, I just figured that you had to figure it out on your own. It¡¯s just that people always tremble in their britches whenever you are close so no wonder they wouldn¡¯t try to give you a lecture on anything.¡±

    Alicia went over all of this in her mind, trying to determine how this entire situation made her feel.

    Only two days before, she was in a warpath, leaving a trail of corpses right behind her, she had been stabbed in the back by her employers and she was on her way to destroy everything they had built for daring to cross her. However, she realized that while living with the Bradley family and tending to the house¡¯s chores, getting to know them, she had forgotten about this personal vendetta. It was the first time that she had forgotten about a grievance, as if she had landed in that county by mere coincidence.

    Furthermore, the disgust she had felt in Mexico by looking at the way those people lived, that disgust was not present while looking around the town of Forest Grove. It was like night and day; their circumstances were radically different. The people in that town were happy, she could feel it in her bones. In the books she had read, there were some that painted a very positive perspective of civilization, and she was sure that town resembled exactly what they were describing.

    This was real civilization; it wasn¡¯t merely a dream or an ill-intentioned illusion created by the parasites who rule the world.

    However, judging by that group of gangbangers at the parking lot, even the brightest spots of an orderly and peaceful society seemed to have their own weeds.

    Her emotions attuned themselves to those of the crimson spirit, acquiring a finer affinity with it, allowing her to control it better without letting it explode and burst out of her body like it usually does.

    Alicia¡¯s eyes and scars under the bandages glowed a bright red. She had to remove the weeds at all cost, but she needed to find the right moment to do so.

    Fortunately, or rather unfortunately, another change was approaching, and soon she¡¯d have to wander again.

    It had taken some time for Kirsten to organize and get everything he needed to make the journey to the US due to the stalemate between the MTW and Lionel¡¯s faction, but he was finally done making preparations and was on his way towards Oregon. He had successfully crossed the Canadian border, it would be a matter of time getting to the county and start his recon operation on the area.

    He wasn¡¯t alone in this task, of course. Charlie was sitting right next to him, using a very convincing disguise of her own having dyed her hair blonde and using blue contact lenses. He had cut his hair and was using round glasses and a baseball cap, as long as he kept a low profile that should be enough. For all that was worth, they were an unassuming father and his daughter on a ride through the US, the operators made sure their fake IDs backed up this background.

    They made a stop at a gas station forty kilometers away from Oregon to get more gas and some supplies for the ride.

    Charlie went into the store to get the supplies, stuff like snacks and energy drinks, while Kirsten took care of refilling the vehicle¡¯s tank. The tank was half-full when he received a call from an unknown number. He reluctantly answered the call, being wary that it could be anyone on the other side of the line, including Lionel ready to track down his location.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Hello, Eyler. It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¨C Kirsten recognized the confidence and authority behind Conrad¡¯s voice. Why? Out of all times he could have called, he had to choose to do so right there and then? Worst yet, how did he get his number? It was a different phone from the one he uses.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m as fine as I can be, Mr. Amber.¡± -He said, trying to remain respectful. ¨C ¡°How did you find this number?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got my ways, just like how I¡¯ve got eyes and ears everywhere, at least where it matters. I like to keep tabs on important matters, and since you took Alicia away from us, I just had to know how you and your group were doing, and from what I¡¯ve seen, I guess you¡¯ve had better days.¡±

    His heart skipped a beat, how could he know? There was no way he was supposed to know about the coup attempt. How long was Conrad¡¯s reach?

    ¡°How do you know about that?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve underestimated me, Eyler. I may just be the commander of a group of mercenaries, but even I have access to some resources and information, in fact, lots of both of them, both with people and tools. Look around you, one of my men is keeping an eye on you right now.¡±

    Kirsten shuddered and quickly took a look around, trying to spot anyone staring at him from a distance, maybe trying to keep a low profile posing as a worker, a tourist or a trapper, he didn¡¯t care who, he just needed to know if he was saying the truth. But everything he could see around that gas station were trees, the empty parking lot and more vehicles passing by the highway.

    Conrad laughed as if he could see Eyler looking around himself. ¨C ¡°Don¡¯t panic, Eyler. Stay calm, even if you saw him, he would disappear before you could even blink.¡±

    ¡°Who-?¡±

    ¡°Remember my bodyguard? His name is Colin. He wanted to stretch his legs so I sent him out on this small surveillance mission. Don¡¯t worry, he won¡¯t be watching you for much longer, he has more things to tend to before coming back. More than checking on your group, I wanted to check on you, since you were the one that convinced her to bail on us.¡± -The commander drank from his coup and savored the aftertaste on his lips. ¨C ¡°Hmm¡­and actually, I don¡¯t see Alicia with you. Is she alright?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s alright, commander. I can guarantee you that.¡±

    ¡°Where is she then?¡±

    ¡°Away, on a mission currently, so she¡¯s not available to have a conversation at the moment.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, I see¡­didn¡¯t think you¡¯d dare to send her out on a solo mission so early. You must trust her a lot!¡±

    ¡°That I do. You were right, she¡¯s a very competent killer.¡±

    ¡°More than competent!¡± -Kirsten heard how the commander slammed his fist on his desk by pure raw emotion. ¨C¡°I know, because I trained her, I made her who she is! She¡¯s one of the most dangerous killers alive.¡±

    ¡°Still feeling resentful about what happened, commander?¡±

    ¡°¡­Not at all, no. She made her choice; we¡¯ve already established this. But I remind you of this because of a reason. I trained her, and it¡¯s because of this that I know to not let her go too far on her own.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°If you have seen her in action, you should know already that she doesn¡¯t care about money in the slightest, one of the many things that set her apart from all mercenaries and puts her in the same bag with the serial killers.¡± ¨C The commander lit up a cigarette. ¨C ¡°But I think I sold her short when we met. She isn¡¯t only obsessed with hunting; she¡¯s obsessed with war.¡±

    ¡°War?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s got only one mission, to wage war against her enemies and take the war to their doorstep, to make them feel what she felt there, in the desert, no matter the cost. It¡¯s enough for her when someone puts her in front of the bad guys and is given enough ammo to have fun with. But when she runs out of targets, when there¡¯s silence on the radio, better believe it, she¡¯s going to wander around looking for her own targets, and the mess she¡¯ll cause will only be detrimental to you, and the more time she¡¯s left alone, the more she¡¯ll escalate.¡±

    ¡°Escalate?¡± ¨C Kirsten felt a shiver down his spine.

    ¡°The media tried their best, but they were uncapable of covering the full extent of what happened in Iraq. Let¡¯s start with this: For Alicia, those insurgents, Sadam¡¯s soldiers, anyone willing to blow themselves up to send their enemies to Allah, none of them were human, and she was as alone as she wanted to be; for all intents and purposes, that desert was her ideal playground.¡±

    ¡°Where are you going with this, commander?¡±

    ¡°Let me finish. When we returned to the desert after a year, we found this photographer that managed to sneak his way into the hottest area of Fallujah to take pictures. Some of these pictures depicted a soldier wielding a rifle, and wearing body armor¡­ adorned with bones.¡±

    Kirsten stood in place, his muscles tensed up. Such barbarities were common in the ancient times, thousands of years ago, something like that shouldn¡¯t be done in the modern times, or at least that¡¯s what he thought.

    ¡°Shoulder pads and kneepads, and the Kevlar vest was covered with a ribcage, and he covered his face with a black scarf. He looked as if he had jumped out of hell itself.¡± -He continued. ¨C¡°¡­A few days later, we received a message through the radio. It was Alicia, she was asking us to come pick her up. We did as we were told, we found her in the outskirts of the city, sitting on top of a couple of fresh corpses, singing something to herself, and of course, she was wearing that horrible armor.¡±

    Kirsten was completely speechless, he was at the mercy of Conrad¡¯s story, which he didn¡¯t know if to believe or not. His brain was struggling to create a picture of that scene: Alicia, the Butcher, wearing an armor made out of bones.

    ¡°We asked her time and time again who those bones belonged to, but she always said she didn¡¯t remember. She did her best to torment everyone in that desert for over an entire year, and I¡¯d say she did a good job crippling the influence of Islam over that region, if not the entire country itself.¡±

    Kirsten remembered hearing something about many Arabians renouncing their fate under the belief that Allah had sent the Butcher down to the earth as punishment for tarnishing his values, cursing the entire religion as a result.

    ¡°When she returned to the base, man¡­ she had a glare that would set everything on fire. I¡¯ve never seen such a hateful and grudgeful glare, bloodshot eyes all the time, I thought at one point that she had gotten a weird variant of rabies, but the doc told me otherwise. She never did anything to hurt anyone in the base, unless provoked, but I still felt like she was not ok at all¡­ I thought killing Glass would put her in a good mood, if not downright put her out of her misery, but even then, she still seemed unsatisfied.¡± -The commander finished his cigarette. ¨C ¡°She won¡¯t stop at nothing until she finishes her war¡­and we don¡¯t know when that will happen.¡±

    ¡°Why are you telling me this, commander?¡± ¨C Asked Kirsten, trying to conciliate the concept he had of the Alicia he knew and the Alicia the commander was describing.

    ¡°Because I want you to learn of the risk that entails sending her out on her own. If she¡¯s alone, you are giving her free reign to do whatever she wants, and what she wants includes stuff like this. So, I¡¯d say it¡¯s in your best interest to take decisions accordingly. But, heh¡­ I  did say that she¡¯ll be your best friend as long as you keep her fed, so I apologize for that.¡±

    ¡°(So that¡¯s what he meant.)¡± ¨C Kirsten kept his head held high. ¨C ¡°Do you ever regret turning her into what she is today, commander?¡±

    The commander took a moment to think about his response. ¨C ¡°Despite everything that¡¯s happened, not really. After all these years, and seen what I¡¯ve seen, she may as well be the perfect wake up call for all the idiots living on this rock we call our home.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­don¡¯t worry, if she ever goes out of control again, I¡¯ll make sure to be there and put her in her place.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all I¡¯m asking for. Wouldn¡¯t want her to die so early because of her own psychotic recklessness. This may surprise you but, I actually want to see her grow up, you know?¡±

    ¡°Really now?¡± -Kirsten raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I want to see her come of age, see her body develop, her scars heal and close, maybe she¡¯ll start her own mercenary organization and take on big jobs, maybe she¡¯ll finally get tired of killing and go for a more quiet, relaxed lifestyle. She could become a doctor for all I know! And none would know about the murderous little runt she was in the past.¡± -Conrad puffed out some smoke. ¨C ¡°I want to see that, Eyler, I want to see where she goes.¡±

    ¡°You almost sound like her dad, commander.¡±

    Conrad snorted. ¨C ¡°Maybe I am. Given the state we found her, it¡¯s safe to assume her real father is nothing more than a deadbeat rat. I did everything I could, in my own way, so make sure she doesn¡¯t die too soon.¡±

    ¡°Got it. Thanks for the advice, commander.¡±

    ¡°No problem, and good luck.¡±

    The commander finished the call. Afterwards, Kirsten paid for the gas and waited for Charlie inside the car. She returned a couple of minutes later, carrying a handful of snacks for the road.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up now.¡± -Said Kirsten. ¨C ¡°We¡¯ve got to reach Forest Grove by tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s still pretty far¡­¡± -Argued Charlie. ¨C ¡°I doubt we¡¯d make it there by tomorrow, even if you step on the gas.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll find a way.¡± -Said Kirsten as he drove down the highway, eyes on the task at hand.

    ¡°Why so worried? Do you think she¡¯s going to burn down the entire town?¡±

    ¡°From all we know about her, she¡¯s quite capable of doing that.¡±

    ¡°Wow¡­¡± -Deep inside, Charlie still thought Kirsten was exaggerating. ¨C ¡°She sounds like a real handful to deal with.¡±

    ¡°She really is¡­¡±

    They would take some time to reach Forest Grove. Meanwhile, Conrad¡¯s warning was dangerously close to become a reality, and this would only be aggravated further by the arrival of the group of assassins looking for Alicia¡¯s head.

 American integrity (Part 3)

    There were very few things in life that Alicia held in high regard, and even then, those were things that Alicia was not willing to talk about with anyone except for Ten, and maybe Crimson, since it didn¡¯t seem to mind to lend its ear for some banter.

    However, out of all of these things there were some she couldn¡¯t help but demonstrate her love for in subtle movements and expressions only the ones with keen eyes would notice. As expected, she had a great admiration and appreciation for firearms.

    Whether she could hold them in a single hand or hold them with both, for her guns were one of the greatest inventions made by man, not only because of what they are used for, but because of the role they¡¯ve played in her life, even going as far as that moment that defined who she was.

    All things considered, during her stay in that town, whenever she stepped into her room she turned back towards the modified AMTs resting over the table. Silent, patient but empty, they were waiting for her to load them up with .454 bullets and go out to dish out some pain. But she couldn¡¯t, not yet. This quietness and peace she was experiencing had its own charm to it, and she didn¡¯t want to let it go just yet, but there were two things that continually questioned when was she going to have enough of this peace: the pistols, and of course, the spirit within her.

    Alicia was getting restless, and out of all people in that house Hector was the first to notice. So, being the owner of one of the few weapons shops in the entire town, he had an idea.

    Before she realized, Alicia was right in front of Hector¡¯s shop located in Elm Street. It wasn¡¯t anything too impressive nor as big than the competitor just a block away from their location, but it gave Hector a decent influx of income to maintain his family. After all, he had some clients with deep pockets.

    ¡°So this is my shop!¡± ¨C Said Hector, opening the door and showing her inside. Her attention was instantly posed over the cabinets full with pistols of all shapes and sizes and the shelves occupied by rifles, both semi-automatic and bolt action. Next to the rifles there were even more cabinets used to store ammunitions, ranging from 9mm to .308. It was a very complete, standard weapons shop. Alicia was used to seeing arsenals bigger than the things he had there, however, she made an effort to keep in mind she was in a civilian town, and all things considered, if every person was to be given one of the rifles in this shop, and the ones in the shop down the block, they could form a militia to defend the town from an enemy assault. ¨C ¡°What do you think? Pretty cozy, huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­You¡¯ve got a nice stock.¡± ¨C Said Alicia, looking at the magnums on display inside a glass cabinet. Out of all of the six models, she had already wielded and used three. ¨C ¡°Lots of costumers?¡±

    ¡°Eh, just enough to make this place a sound investment. You may be able to start up a shop like this with contacts and enough favors, but keeping it afloat is entirely up to you in the end.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s ask him again in twenty years and see if he¡¯s lived up to those words, Ali.¡±

    ¡°(Twenty years is a lot of time.)¡± ¨C Alicia centered her attention on a shotgun that was resting on a wall right in front of the table, a Remington 870.  She pointed at it. ¨C ¡°You¡¯ve got some quality pieces here.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that one? that one sells for a thousand, but I can give you a discount since you¡¯ve been such a good lady with us.¡±

    Alicia smiled for a moment, thinking about how it could¡¯ve been a good idea to have a few thousand dollars in her pocket when she got stranded in this region. It¡¯s not like she had squandered the money she had earned as a merc and assassin, it was still there, but she was in no position to get any of it at the moment. She scratched the back of her head. ¨C ¡°I guess it won¡¯t be mine then.¡±

    Hector laughed and walked to the back of the counter. ¨C ¡°Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice that little smile there, lady.¡± ¨C Alicia would¡¯ve been flustered if she wasn¡¯t good at regulating her pulse. She did her best effort to keep a neutral, unassuming expression. ¨C ¡°You like guns, don¡¯t you? Well, I assume you do because of your profession¡­¡±

    Alicia couldn¡¯t help but feel intrigued at how the family¡¯s lack of care about the fact that they had left a dangerous individual into their house and made her feel at home, a killer at that, was it because of what happened when Jane beat her shock technique? Was that confirmation enough for them to know she wouldn¡¯t do them any harm? Even so, killers and normies are like oil and water, and she knew that pretty well. Their carelessness played in her favor, but she still felt something was off because of it.

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go with that.¡± ¨C Said Alicia regarding his comment. ¨C ¡°I know my way with guns.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that because I was hoping you¡¯d help me with something.¡± ¨C Hector sat down. ¨C ¡°Since you know your guns, I was hoping you¡¯d help give a few of them a routinary cleanup, you know, disassembling them, polish, rinsing, cleaning and assemble them back. You know how to do that, right?¡±

    She knew, of course, the commander made sure of it, but while pretending to have a broken arm, she didn¡¯t feel like doing the extra effort of handling that kind of procedure with a single arm. ¨C ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s wrong to ask such a task from a minor?¡±

    ¡°There you go again, pulling out the minor card whenever it suits you.¡±

    ¡°(Why the hell would I want to do that kind of work now?)¡±

    ¡°Ah, but you are not any kind of teenager, you know? That¡¯s why I think it shouldn¡¯t be a problem, even considering your left arm isn¡¯t up to condition right now.¡±  - Argued Hector, throwing the excuse right back at her face.

    ¡°There¡¯s no arguing with you I see.¡± ¨C Said Alicia, finally caving in. ¨C ¡°Fine.¡±

    She sat right next to Hector. He stood up and went to look for the two crates of weapons due for maintenance and placing them in between each other. It was a collection of pistols and hunting rifles of all shapes and sizes. Alicia took a pistol and held it in her left hand, a beretta, while Hector placed the tools they¡¯d use for this task over the counter.

    ¡°There¡¯s no rush, so be careful, they are such fine instruments, yet so fragile, am I right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, kind of.¡±

    She disassembled the pistol like she was taught to do and placed the pieces over a cloth in front of her one by one. It was a bit awkward given the position her left arm was in, but she was capable of doing most of the heavy work with her dominant arm. Once the gun was disassembled, she used the toothbrush inside the cleaning kit to clean up the inside of the slide, lubricated the friction points, followed by a little bit of grease, then she cleaned the muzzle using the brush, a patch and some cord. She kept going with this procedure until she was satisfied and then proceeded to reassemble the gun with some fine dexterity.

    ¡°Heh, I was right. You do know your way with a gun, both inside and out!¡± ¨C Said Hector, stopping his work for a moment to see her clean that pistol. ¨C ¡°Who taught you all of these things?¡±

    ¡°Quartermaster.¡± ¨C She said, putting the slide back in its place, the gun was back together once again. She gave the pistol a few spins and aimed forward, making sure the sight was correctly aligned.

    Looking at the beretta in her hand, for some reason he couldn¡¯t understand or really describe, that pistol looked darker than it actually was. It looked heavier, shadier, lethal; there were pistols in this world that outclassed the beretta in terms of firepower, but in this very moment, that model looked as if it had suddenly jumped to be at the apex of all civilian class firearms just by being treated by the person next to him.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s adequate.¡± ¨C She said setting the gun aside.

    ¡°So a quartermaster taught you how to clean guns?¡±

    ¡°He is good, very good. Made sure to pay attention to his lessons.¡± ¨C Alicia grabbed a .44 magnum and proceeded to work on it. ¨C ¡°Didn¡¯t have much else to do.¡±

    ¡°You say that as if you didn¡¯t enjoy it but someone that didn¡¯t like it wouldn¡¯t be so serious about the result.¡± ¨C Hector called her out. Again, if she slipped she would be flustered, but everything was about control when it was up to her. ¨C ¡°There¡¯s no shame in admitting you like things.¡±

    ¡°I love this man, really. All the things I¡¯ve told you all these years are finally being said by someone else.¡±

    ¡°(Give me a break, Ten.)¡±

    Alicia disassembled the magnum and worked on it. As she did that, she felt like confronting him as well.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have brought me here, you know? A normal person wouldn¡¯t let a killer get near guns and ammo. What¡¯s your aim, Hector? Why do you tolerate my presence?¡±

    Hector scratched the back of his head and leaned back on his chair. He didn¡¯t need to be smart to know that, yes, he and Jane haven¡¯t been sincere about their motives up until now. Any person in their sound mind would refuse to house someone like her, however, they both considered each other sound minded people, and there was a reason behind it all.

    ¡°See, it wasn¡¯t out of nowhere you know?¡± ¨C He said while disassembling a Marlin. ¨C ¡°Jane and I have seen a lot of stuff throughout the years. Would you believe me if I told you that you aren¡¯t the first eh¡­young soldier we¡¯ve met?¡±

    Alicia looked at him, her hands still like a statue¡¯s, her eyes had become two big orbits as if someone had just told her that she had a twin sister.

    ¡°Many years ago I traveled with my father to the desert, he was hired as a consultant on firearms training for the troops during the gulf war. We were settled in a pretty peaceful location, hell, there was a wheat field right next to the base.¡±

    ¡°Where are you going with this?¡±

    ¡°Let me finish. One day, I was wandering about, not knowing what to do since my dad was busy giving classes to the troops, that¡¯s when I noticed a person dancing around the field, sowing the wheat and putting it in a basket. I thought she was just a regular farmer until I saw the submachine gun hanging from her back.¡±

    ¡°Oh this is interesting, so there was another girl soldier out there.¡±

    ¡°A lieutenant saw me and approached. He told me she was a girl soldier, and apparently a very prolific one. I asked how and why no one did anything to help her¡­he said that for bureaucratic reasons they couldn¡¯t, and that she had a very devious party watching over her. However, I got pretty scared when he told me that even if she¡¯s young, I should not underestimate her, more than a soldier, she was a killer.¡±

    ¡°Ahh it¡¯s great to learn about the generation prior to ours, don¡¯t you agree Ali?¡±

    ¡°(There¡¯s nothing great about that.)¡± ¨C Alicia left the gun she was working on back on the counter. ¨C ¡°How was she like?¡±

    ¡°Red haired¡­damn, back then that was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen in my entire life. I would¡¯ve asked her out, I was that much of a player back then, so young and na?ve haha¡­but I wasn¡¯t allowed to approach the wheat field because of her. Much like you she had a patch over the left side of her face. I couldn¡¯t see the color of her eyes, but I think they were blue. When you looked at her, you¡¯d think she was just a normal girl that still tried to make the best of her situation in the middle of a war but it wasn¡¯t even close, everything about her was confidential.¡±

    ¡°Did she live there at all?¡± ¨C Asked Alicia, noticing the out of place points in this story. ¨C ¡°Why was she working there?¡±

    ¡°¡­Apparently despite her way of life, she was obsessed with life itself.¡± ¨C Alicia noticed his expression as he wandered into these melancholic memories. However, once he had finished, he took back the rifle and continued working. ¨C ¡°And well, Jane being the altruistic soul she is participated in a few humanitarian missions across the globe. She treated many wounded civilians and soldiers, both adults¡­and young.¡±

    Alicia leaned on her chair and tilted her head. ¨C ¡°Anything to comment about them?¡±

    ¡°About who?

    ¡°Child soldiers¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, what is there to say? I used to think that they were only used by the most perverse of organizations¡­but they are way more commonplace than I thought. When Jane told me about you, I thought: ¡°Damn, so now someone¡¯s done it here, huh?¡± but then she told me more about you, and I knew that no matter where you came from or the things you did, you hadn¡¯t gone berserk like many others I¡¯ve heard of. At some point, no matter the age, a soldier that has been neck deep in violence for too long simply goes insane.¡± ¨C Hector turned back at her, he felt that saying what he was about to say would have a tint of irony or foolishness, but he didn¡¯t care. ¨C ¡°But when I look at you, I get the feeling that despite everything you are a well adjusted person.¡±

    Ten broke down in laughter, he didn¡¯t know what he was talking about. She couldn¡¯t understand why he would say that when he doesn¡¯t know her well enough. Alicia however, she appreciated that.

    ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is that I see no reason to turn you away.¡± ¨C He reasoned. ¨C ¡°I see that your profession doesn¡¯t make you uncomfortable but that doesn¡¯t mean you are a monster. I could tell from a first glance you have been through a lot and you deserved a break, and maybe Jane was at the right moment to rescue you for a reason.¡± ¨C He had finally disassembled the rifle. ¨C ¡°You also kind of remind me of her, the girl in the wheat field¡­It¡¯s been a long time, I wonder if she survived.¡±

    ¡°Child soldiers don¡¯t live long, my man. I¡¯m sorry to tell you, but we are the exception to that trend, we are the last ones of a tragic generation, I reckon.¡±

    ¡°(It¡¯s a good thing that he can¡¯t hear you. That¡¯s a pretty discouraging thing to say.)¡±

    ¡°Since when do you care about other people¡¯s feelings?¡±

    Alicia raised her voice again. ¨C ¡°If she was as good as they made her seem to be¡­she¡¯s probably still around.¡±

    ¡°I see, that¡¯s reassuring. Anyway, let¡¯s get back to work.¡±

    They continued to work on the guns in silence, though there was someone that didn¡¯t feel like shutting up just yet.

    ¡°Ever since we met this family it¡¯s like you¡¯ve become someone else, Ali. Didn¡¯t know you could be so polite.¡±

    ¡°(You¡¯ve been in my head ever since I can use my memory, what do you mean you didn¡¯t know?)¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed but you aren¡¯t known for your good and caring feelings.¡± ¨C Ten shook her head.  ¨C ¡°Hell, it¡¯s no secret to us that Kirsten came to hire us in the first place because of your reputation as a sadist murderer, you know? And to be honest, you seldom are this polite with anyone.¡±

    Alicia looked down at the gun she was handling, at how she was cleaning the revolver¡¯s drum from the inside using a small piece of cotton.

    ¡°(¡­It¡¯s the first time I¡¯m not expected to kill people.)¡± ¨C She said. ¨C ¡°(They saved me, I¡¯m in their debt¡­the least I can do is be nice.)¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯mma note this down: Alicia can be nice whenever she feels like it.¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯m nice with you, aren¡¯t I?)¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah¡­but the way you treat some other people, like our targets or anyone adjacent to them, gives me a little bit of whiplash. Like that trucker man, you scared the ever living shit out of ¡®im, and you almost killed him in the end. It took you a lot of restraint to let him go.¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯m aware.)¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you are more bloodthirsty than me, but hell¡­ this really surprises me. I think you really needed some sort of break, and this must be it, so let¡¯s enjoy it while it lasts, right?¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯ll ignore the part where you said I¡¯m bloodthirsty and just agree with you.)¡±

    ¡°Come on, you won¡¯t let me lie, it¡¯s the truth. You are the one that¡¯s at the front most of the time.¡±

    While they were talking Alicia had finished with the revolver and reassembled it, now she moved on to a Marlin 22 rifle.

    ¡°(You also get your time to move around.)¡±

    ¡°What blatant lies!¡±

    ¡°(You think I didn¡¯t take note of those occasions I went to sleep and, somehow, my boots would end up dirtier than before? I know you move around in my body when I fall asleep and let go of the wheel.)¡±

    ¡°Ah, heck. I supposed you¡¯d notice one day. I don¡¯t do much, I swear!  I just wander around and see if I can have fun playing at something or doing some acrobatics.¡±

    ¡°(No wonder my muscles feel more sore than usual at times. Look, you-¡±)

    ¡°Hey Sofia, there was something I was thinking about¡­¡± ¨C Said Hector, interrupting the banter between the two contrasting personalities. ¨C ¡°¡­We¡¯ve got a sharpshooting contest coming up today, and we haven¡¯t had any luck filling up the spots for participants. So I was thinking¡­do you consider yourself good with a gun?¡±

    ¡°Pff¡­¡± ¨C Those that know Alicia enough are aware that she¡¯s a very reserved individual. However, if there¡¯s one thing she¡¯s willing to talk openly about, and feel proud about, is her skill with a gun. ¨C ¡°¡­Yeah, let¡¯s say I consider myself good with a gun.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Alright then, what do you think about signing in on the competition?¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t there be a problem since I¡¯m wounded?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sure you can participate in the pistols section, I assume your arm in the sling isn¡¯t your dominant arm, right?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not, we are all fine in that case.¡±

    ¡°Excellent. You¡¯ve helped me a lot with the load of work, let¡¯s keep going for a couple of hours and then I¡¯ll search for the application form for you. It¡¯s a small contest, but the prizes are sure worth it. It¡¯ll take place on the other side of the town, so I¡¯ll take you there when the time comes.¡±

    Just then, the bell on top of the door rang; a man walked into the store. Alicia tensed up a little but managed to relax almost in an instant upon seeing the badge dangling from a side of his chest.

    ¡°How ya¡¯ doing Hector!¡±

    ¡°Heeey Thomas, how¡¯s it going?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s officer Thomas when I¡¯m on my turn man, but whatever. Here, I¡¯m having a little problem.¡± ¨C The officer took out his pistol and showed it to him. ¨C ¡°My gun has a problem, it won¡¯t fire, I think the spring is busted, I have to get it fixed pronto.¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see what we can do.¡± ¨C Hector took the pistol and unloaded it.

    While Hector was checking the gun out, officer Thomas noticed Alicia sitting right next to him. He jolted, it was like if a ghost had just appeared out of nowhere within his range of vision.

    ¡°Oh hey, I didn¡¯t notice you had someone here!¡± ¨C Said Thomas.

    ¡°Get your eyes checked, copper.¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± ¨C He asked.

    Alicia was going to open her mouth, about to spit out the information she had memorized from the fake identity the MTW had forged for her, which she hoped hadn¡¯t been scrubbed off yet, but Hector¡¯s tongue was quicker.

    ¡°Ah, she¡¯s Sofia, she¡¯s the daughter of a friend of mine, he lives abroad. He sent her here to have a vacation, and apparently, she likes guns enough to lend a hand in a humble establishment like this one.¡±

    ¡°Really now?¡± ¨C He fixed his hat. ¨C ¡°Don¡¯t mind me saying this but that¡¯s a weird hobby for a girl to have. Not many ladies like guns, much less the younger ones.¡±

    ¡°Really? hmmm¡­¡± ¨C Alicia looked to the side, looking for a good excuse. ¨C ¡°I don¡¯t know, I just like them¡­it runs in the family I suppose.¡±

    The officer laughed. ¨C ¡°Damn, truly a red blooded American. Yeah, we all have this in our blood.¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯m not American though.)¡±

    ¡°Why are you covered in bandages by the way? That¡¯s a lot of bruises you have!¡±

    ¡°I got run over by a car last month.¡± ¨C She said in a very blunt way, throwing the officer off balance.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, it must be a sensitive topic.¡± ¨C He reached to scratch the back of his head, but then he stopped. Something clicked in his mind, reminding him of the current situation they are dealing with at the station. The plane crash, the weaponry they found in the wreckage, the corpses and their affiliations, the possibility someone survived the crash and is at large, and finally, the corpses they found a few kilometers away from the wreckage, four people.

    Clearly, the female victim they found was killed by the other three, but then someone or something swooped in and killed them in a way that revealed a great amount of strength. Usually people kill each other using knives and pistols, he knew that very well, but who kills with their bare hands and still doesn¡¯t shed a single drop of blood? The necks of two of them were broken and the head of the third one was bashed into the dirt with a huge amount of might, his cranium was shattered on the inside.

    Seeing this bandaged girl that appeared of nowhere in Hector¡¯s shop, covered in bandages, reminded him that in his job as a police officer he couldn¡¯t discard possibilities just like that.

    ¡°Before anything else, can I see your ID, miss?¡± ¨C He stretched out his hand towards her. Hector got a little nervous, but Thomas didn¡¯t notice.

    ¡°¡­Sure.¡± ¨C Alicia reached for her pockets and took out her wallet, handing over her fake ID to him. It was fake, yes, but it resembled a real ID to absolute perfection. The people in the MTW headquarters were very dexterous, or at least the ones in charge of paperwork and falsifications were. None of them were on Lionel¡¯s side, but as far as Alicia knew, they were indeed, so she wondered how far that fake ID was gonna take her before law enforcement was warned about a possible fake identification going around.

    The ID stated her whole name was Sofia L. Rieper, from Arizona, there was an address that this officer wouldn¡¯t give a damn to inquiry about due to the distance, but if he was that obsessive, he would find this address would lead him to an apartment block, and if he asked the landlord there, he¡¯d find out no one called Sofia L. Rieper had ever lived in that apartment complex.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s the first time I see someone with a surname like that, Ms. Rieper.¡± ¨C Commented the officer.

    ¡°I hear that a lot.¡±

    ¡°Anyway¡­¡± ¨C The officer relaxed, now that he had fulfilled his duty there, he was ready to carry on. ¨C ¡°Hector, you think you can fix my gun in an hour or so?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah, of course. I already found the problem.¡± ¨C He said, holding an elongated spring in his right hand. ¨C ¡°You were right, the spring is busted, it wore out, I think I have a fitting spare around here, so don¡¯t worry, you can come back for it in an hour.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just great! I¡¯ll be in the office if something happens. Bye, Hector.¡±

    ¡°Bye!¡±

    The officer finally left the store. This exchange left Hector with a few doubts.

    ¡°Is that¡­?¡± ¨C He pointed at the ID on the table.

    ¡°It¡¯s authentic enough¡­¡± ¨C She said. ¨C ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡±

    ¡°I see. That¡¯s alright then.¡±

    They continued working as usual, going through most of the guns that needed a checkup, some of them proved to be more difficult than others, but they had everything they needed in the shop to put them in good condition once again, including the officer¡¯s pistol.

    Once done with that, Hector passed the inscription form to Alicia and she filled it up with all of that made up information the people at the base told her to memorize if she had to deal with a situation where she needed it, and she indeed needed it right there and then.

    She wrote with so much confidence Hector was almost convinced what she was writing was actually her real personal information, but he wouldn¡¯t fool himself, a professional always has a mask to show to the world.

    After the officer returned for his gun Hector took Alicia to the location of the contest. It was pretty out of the way, on the western border of the town. There was a gun range there known simply as Tony¡¯s shooting range, a pretty popular place for hunters and policemen to test their new toys and tools of the trade.

    ¡°Remember, the pistol sharpshooting category is the only category you can participate in with a broken arm. The judges might be doubtful, but they know me, I¡¯ll put in a good word for you.¡± ¨C Said Hector while they were driving through the streets.

    ¡°What¡¯s the prize?¡±

    ¡°For the first place in every category, a hundred dollars and a nice jacket.¡±

    ¡°A decent prize for a contest held in a small town, I guess¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t fifty dollars too little for a shooting contest?¡± ¨C Asked Alicia, raising an eyebrow, she had become a lot more expressive since the day before.

    ¡°Hey, this is a small town, I¡¯d say that¡¯s fair enough for what we can organize around here. These events are mostly for people to come, hang around, have a beer and enjoy the show with their family and friends. If you were to go to the bigger cities or¡­hell¡­participate in the Olympics for all I¡¯m aware, you¡¯d start seeing the juicier prizes.¡±

    ¡°Mental note: Participate in the Olympics.¡±

    ¡°(As if we could.)¡±

    ¡°But this a good start, am I right?¡± ¨C He said. ¨C ¡°I can tell you need to let out some steam and you certainly miss being able to shoot those monsters you left at home.¡±

    ¡°You mean my pistols?¡±

    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind but I took a look at them¡­Jesus, it was the first time I got afraid of disassembling a gun to see what was inside. Those things are absolute freaks of engineering. AMTs modified to shoot .454 Casull rounds. Where did you get them? or rather, do you know who made them?¡±

    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s just say that they were issued to me because I¡¯m good with pistols.¡±

    ¡°Issued? So you didn¡¯t pay for them?¡±

    ¡°Nah, they were already willing to give me whatever I wanted.¡±

    ¡°Any gun you wanted?¡±

    ¡°¡­I think that I¡¯ve said too much already.¡±

    Hector accepted that. It was hard to not forget what he was dealing with. Yet, just like a few other people before him, whenever he looked at her, he could still see traces of the person she was meant to be before her path was interrupted by a series of catastrophic circumstances.

    Behind those scars and behind the battle-hardened exterior, he was sure a normal teenager was still there, waiting for someone to give her another chance to take back her life.

    Hector felt that, maybe, he was the one meant to fulfill that role.

    Maybe he could get her to stay, show her a new lifestyle.

    He didn¡¯t know how close he was to completing that goal. By distracting Alicia¡¯s mind with such quietness and joy, by showing her one of the brightest pieces of the mythical American dream, she was forgetting about her current mission for the first time.

    However, there was one thing he was ignoring. If he really meant for her to stay in that town, he¡¯d have to deal with the fact that he¡¯d have to get used to hearing on the news about corpses found at random locations in and out of town from time to time.

    ¡°Welcome to the annual Forest Grove sharpshooting competition, sponsored by yours truly: Tony Williams!¡± ¨C Said the announcer and owner of the shooting range. The small but committed audience clapped alongside the contestants. ¨C ¡°I¡¯d like to thank everyone for coming today and thank our dear friend, Hector Bradley, and his effort to make sure we¡¯d have a full house for this competition!¡±

    Another round of applause, this time dedicated to Hector. He stood up from his seat and saluted everyone, thanking them for their consideration.

    ¡°Our host is a pillar of the community, who¡¯d have thought?¡± ¨C Alicia and Ten were sitting in the row of seats reserved for the participants of the contest. Even there she was a fish out of the water, there were twelve participants, four for each category, three were women counting her, the others were men with bushy beards wielding rifles and shotguns, some of them had a bit of muscle, which Alicia found appropriate. Some of them were wearing forest camo vest or jackets, but she had no idea if that meant they were ex-military, survival fanatics or simply small time hunters who lived around the area.

    It was a shame she was seeing herself in the need to pretend that one of her arms was broken, otherwise she would¡¯ve been fit to participate in any other category, but pistols should suffice. They were what she liked to shoot the most anyway.

    Hector had allowed her to borrow a Beretta so she could use it for the event. It wasn¡¯t her favorite model, but it would suffice for the task at hand.

    ¡°Excuse me miss.¡± ¨C Said the man sitting right next to her, the thing that made him stood out the most out of everyone else was the fact that he was wearing a cowboy hat, maybe just to show off. ¨C ¡°Pardon my indiscretion, but I don¡¯t think you are in condition to be in this competition.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± ¨C She said. ¨C ¡°Worry about winning.¡±

    ¡°Heh, that¡¯s true, however I hope you realize this is an event for adults, and you are outclassed by everyone else, so don¡¯t get mad when you lose.¡±

    That man suddenly felt a slight pressure on his shoulders, he didn¡¯t know why or how, but after caressing his neck and stretching a bit, it seemed like the pressure receded.

    ¡°Lose? We¡¯ll see¡­¡± ¨C She said. She was holding onto the beretta in her good hand. That man noticed, just like many others before him, how dangerous that gun looked like, more than usual.

    ¡°(Where did this brat come from?)¡± ¨C He thought. ¨C ¡°(She looks like she didn¡¯t come to this contest to shoot at targets.)¡±

    ¡°Now I shall explain the rules of this contest!¡± ¨C Said Tony. ¨C ¡°We¡¯ve divided this competition in three categories. We have a bracket for shotguns, rifles and pistols. Four people will compete in each of these categories, pinning their sharpshooting skills against one another in the range we¡¯ve prepared for each type of firearm. Of course, we¡¯ve prepared prizes for each person that manages to end in first place!¡± ¨C  He pointed at the judges on a nearby table with his hand, they were premium members of the club. ¨C ¡°They shall judge the contestants based on their performance and style, the ones with the most points at the end shall be deemed the fortunate winners of one hundred dollars and a camo jacket, courtesy of the national rifle association.¡±

    ¡°Well we could always do with a new piece of clothing.¡± ¨C The jackets were on display on racket right next to the announcer. ¨C ¡°They remind me of the ones you used back with the Rangers, and the one that unfortunately had to be burned after we escaped.¡±

    ¡°(Very nostalgic.)¡± ¨C Alicia was being sarcastic. However, it was true that Alicia preferred this kind of fashion, the military fashion, just because she was used to it and couldn¡¯t imagine herself picking up on anything else.

    ¡°Without further ado, let¡¯s begin!¡±

    The contest began with the pistols¡¯ bracket, Alicia would be third to come out, and while her turn came she didn¡¯t really pay attention to the others¡¯ performances, she was spacing out looking at the clouds until she was snapped back to reality with her immediate opponent.

    ¡°Looks like you are up against me, lady.¡± ¨C It was the man with the cowboy hat once again. ¨C ¡°It¡¯s not too late to back out and leave.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d want that, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m an experienced gunman, missy. I figure your dad taught you how to shoot that pistol and you feel like you can compete with men that have invested decades of their lives to practice with them, and I don¡¯t think you¡¯d want to be disappointed in your current condition.¡±

    ¡°Let me at him, Ali. I¡¯m gonna floor this asshole.¡±

    ¡°(It¡¯s ok¡­)¡± ¨C Alicia turned towards him. ¨C ¡°I figure you are saying this out of concern, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course miss, in fact you look too young to be in this contest, I don¡¯t know what the judges are thinking¡­¡±

    ¡°Let me assure you, there¡¯s nothing to worry about¡­¡± ¨C She said, just then both of them were called to the front, turns out the name of her opponent was Winston Dreyfuss.  ¨C ¡°I¡¯ll give you a demonstration¡­¡±

    ¡°Ohhhh I¡¯m eager to see your skills, missy.¡±

    Winston wasn¡¯t taking his opponent seriously, but she would soon give him a reason to do so, and even then, there was little he could do.

    There exists many types of experiences, some more valuable than others, and although the experience she had with firearms was the most grim of all, it was the experience that was the most valuable.

    Both shooters approached the firing range and into their respective stations. Before beginning, Alicia lined up four magazines one after the other standing up, the judges and spectators were puzzled by this action.

    ¡°She¡¯s gonna have a hard time reloading with only one arm.¡± ¨C Commented one of the judges. ¨C ¡°Hector insisted we let her participate but honestly, this will only end in her embarrassing herself.¡±

    ¡°Hector has a lot of hope in her so let¡¯s just give her a chance at least.¡± ¨C Said another judge. ¨C ¡°She might be just looking for entertaining experiences, participating in a shooting competition should be enough.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something off though.¡± -Said the third judge. ¨C ¡°It¡¯s the way she carries herself, the way she walks and keeps her back upright, not many kids these days keep such a correct pose¡­I don¡¯t know, I think she might surprise us.¡±

    ¡°I say we should be ready to give Winston the win.¡± ¨C Said the last judge. ¨C ¡°There¡¯s not many people that can beat Winston, he won the contest two years ago, and ever since then he¡¯s had a lot of time to practice. A crippled kid isn¡¯t going to beat him in what he does best.¡±

    Alicia stretched her neck and gave her right hand a spin to warm it up. Then she grabbed the gun and looked ahead towards the firing range.

    ¡°Are the shooters ready!?¡± ¨C Asked Tony. Both contestants nodded. ¨C ¡°Begin!¡±

    A bell chirped at the distance and the first targets went up, as expected they had a human shape, each target would be up for five seconds, and during those five seconds each shooter should land as many bullets as they could on them. Obviously, the center of mass and head were worth more points than hitting any other part of the target.

    Winston played it safe and aimed at the center of mass, taking four shots, every shot there was worth 5 points and every shot to the head was worth 8 points. In his mind he assumed that Alicia¡¯s aim would be so lack luster that she¡¯d be at the very least 12 points behind him once the target went down.

    He was wrong.

    He heard four discharges, for some reason they were louder than they usually are. He looked to his right and saw the red plaque located at the head of the target spinning at a high speed.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    ¡°(Did she¡­!?)¡± ¨C There was no doubt about it, but he still couldn¡¯t believe it. Her pose, the way she held the gun, her eye centered on the front sight, her confident yet dexterous trigger finger. ¨C¡°(¡­How can this be?)¡±

    The targets went down and other two in a different position went up. Winston realized that he couldn¡¯t take this easy, he was now 12 points behind her.

    He decided to raise up the heat, he was confident in his skills, and because of that he knew that he¡¯d have no problems landing shots on the head.

    He landed three shots on the head, the fourth one grazed and missed the target, meanwhile she landed all four shots on the head and managed to get a fifth one in, the targets went down and others came up, same story, both of them ran out of bullets.

    Winston regained some of his confidence  because he thought that she would have issues reloading with a single arm, which would give him an advantage over her.

    He was wrong once more.

    Alicia dropped the empty mag and like handling a hammer, she swung the pistol down, allowing the magazine standing upright on the table to insert itself inside the pistol in a swift and precise manner. She reloaded and kept firing.

    ¡°(What the fuck!?)¡± ¨C Winston was trying his earnest to not break his concentration and keep on shooting, but he had been paired up with a very bad match. Someone that seemed to be so far and beyond all he knew about sharpshooting. ¨C ¡°(Where the fuck did she come from?)¡±

    The gap between scores kept growing larger and larger. Just then there was a pause between the targets coming up and down, the end of the duel was nigh. Next up, eight targets would come up, and they¡¯d have five seconds to land a shot on each of them before they went down. There was no time to be flashy, he had to be precise.

    When the targets went up, he aimed the best he could and landed all five in the center plaque, he had hit all of them, he was satisfied up until he saw the head plaques on his rival¡¯s lane spinning like fans, indicating that she too had hit all of them.

    The gap between scores was the same, with her at the front.

    Another round of targets came up one after the other, some of them were at a farther distance than in the first round, however that didn¡¯t represent a problem for Alicia, she still hit them in the head anyway.

    The public and the judges watched with eyes wide open as this complete stranger who shouldn¡¯t be in any condition to shoot a weapon or even be there in the first place as a contestant was demolishing the man many of them considered to be the better shooter. Winston himself could not believe that there was someone out there that was this good. He thought he had achieved a very competent level of skill; he had cleared his ten thousand hours which should make him very good at what he does.

    But then, what was this? how many hours had she spent shooting a pistol if not more than ten thousand hours? That¡¯s a story she wouldn¡¯t tell anyone, at least not easily. The one that taught her how to shoot a gun the way she does, one of the many assassins the commander took her to learn from, his methods were quite extreme, but they had to be if he was the best gunslinger alive.

    Doing nothing but eating, sleeping and shooting for four months straight it¡¯s a sure way to make even the sloppiest shot into a real crack one.

    She had shot so many bullets, felt the recoil so many times, that the beretta she was holding in her hand had no weight at all.

    The bell rang once again, no more targets to shoot at. Without realizing it, she had gone through most of the mags she had prepared on the table except for one. The lucky mag, it was a shame she couldn¡¯t take it with her.

    ¡°Time¡¯s up. With a clear advantage on points, the winner is: Sofia Rieper!¡± ¨C Announced the lead judge. The public cheered and clapped, feeling they¡¯ve gotten a better show than they expected.

    Alicia exhaled, Winston did the same, but it was more like his lungs were protesting by expulsing all the air by themselves. He had been utterly bested. He had given his all, and he had been trampled over by a force of nature no one knows where she came from.

    He was about to drop his gun to the ground due to the sheer impotence, but then¡­

    ¡°You¡¯ve been bested, but don¡¯t let me defeat you.¡± ¨C Her voice reached out to him, he looked at her, she was staring at him from the sideline. ¨C ¡°¡­You are a great shooter, sir. If it was anyone else, you¡¯d have won, that score doesn¡¯t lie.¡± ¨C She turned around to return to her seat. ¨C ¡°If you get demotivated now, then I won¡¯t be the only one that¡¯s defeated you.¡±

    Alicia walked away, leaving Winston with an assortment of mixed feelings he didn¡¯t know what to do with.

    ¡°(That girl¡­she¡¯s special.)¡± ¨C He thought, reaffirming his grip on his gun before putting it back in its holster. ¨C ¡°(She¡¯s right¡­She¡¯s completely right.)¡± ¨C He wiped the sweat off his brow with his hand. ¨C ¡°(Look at me, being lectured by a teenager¡­)¡±

    Alicia sat down and exhaled, feeling pleased with her performance taking into account the huge handicap she had. If she could use her two arms freely, she felt that she could¡¯ve been twice as fast with the gun.

    ¡°That was amazing! You weren¡¯t kidding when you said you were good!¡± ¨C Hector approached Alicia while laughing. ¨C ¡°You are a natural at this.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that.¡± ¨C Alicia averted her gaze. ¨C ¡°I just grinded my skills as much as I could¡­that¡¯s all I know, sheer effort¡­¡±

    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m sure you have some talent in you, trust me!¡± ¨C He said, giving her a pat in the back. That was a mistake, but fortunately for him, there would be no consequences as Alicia managed to hold back.

    Alicia didn¡¯t like it when people touched her, but there were a few spots that were more sensitive than others. Her back was one of those points, and she often reacted poorly when someone touched her back when she was younger, but with time and discipline she managed to control her reactions.

    ¡°Anyway, the next round is gonna be a little different, but I think you can handle it.¡± ¨C He said. ¨C ¡°It¡¯ll be a matter of close quarters and being fast, do you think you can handle it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, no problem.¡± ¨C She said. Hector seemed pleased with that and returned to his seat before the next round began. Nothing impressive to be seen, at least compared to her performance, she had raised the bar too high for what this competition was about, she felt a little bit guilty for that.

    Then, as she leaned back on her seat and closed her eyes, a certain scent reached her nostrils, waking her up completely. She could feel her scars tingle with the fire caressing the tissue under them.

    It smelled like a ranch burger accompanied with a portion of fries, hot and steaming with flavor, just the way she liked it. It also smelled like a pork steak covered in gravy sauce, they were together, creating a meal worthy of a king!

    She looked around, seeking for the origin of the smell, they were very close. She spotted a married couple sitting on the second row of seats for the spectators. A man with short hair and glasses wearing a Hawaiian T-shirt. A brunette woman was hugging his right arm, she was wearing a white top and jeans, a necklace of black marbles around her neck, at first glance she was beautiful, and he was not too rough looking himself; They were the perfect couple.

    But Alicia could see through them, she knew this smell, she had been served this combo before. Back in the desert, she executed a family of human traffickers, and they all smelled just like that. The father smelled like a burger, and the woman like a steak. Their sons had a distinct smell she couldn¡¯t get from this couple that was sitting at a distance from her, but they smelled tasty enough.

    Alicia covered her nose and looked away, trying to ignore the smell, no matter how hard her stomach growled.

    ¡°(This is not the time for that! Stop it!)¡± ¨C She demanded to the crimson spirit. ¨C ¡°(I¡¯m in the middle of something.)¡±

    The crimson spirit crossed its arms and looked away, the smell suddenly disappeared. Alicia exhaled and rubbed her temple. ¨C ¡°(Don¡¯t do that again. There¡¯s a time and place for this.)¡±

    ¡°That thing makin¡¯ ya¡¯ smell the fucktards in the crowd again?¡±

    ¡°(Yes, something like that.)¡±

    ¡°I swear, that thing can¡¯t read the room!¡±

    Little did Alicia know, but soon she would learn that the scents in the air were abundant, but she wasn¡¯t allowing Crimson to reach deeper for control.

    If she allowed it to do that, she¡¯d see how much work she has to go through, but for the time being, work would have to wait.

    The round was over, the score wasn¡¯t as impressive as Alicia¡¯s, but at least one of the contestants came out on top. People clapped and some whistled, they did so because the winner of that round was a real cutie unlike the girl covered in bandages with an eagle eye.

    Her name was Laney Sawyer, daughter of the owner of the Sawyer¡¯s repairs shop, one of the best mechanics in town. A rare blonde with blue eyes and a well-rounded bust, and at the same time, she was an ace with her Colt 1911.

    She was going to be Alicia¡¯s opponent in the next round. Alicia took a look at her score, it was 3 points behind hers; not a bad score at all. Even then, looking at the way Laney carried herself, she felt like she wasn¡¯t giving it her all and was just playing around. She couldn¡¯t lose against someone who didn¡¯t take what she was doing seriously, no matter what.

    Much to her displeasure Laney was walking towards her, Alicia brazed herself for another unwanted and lackluster interaction.

    ¡°So you must be the other winner!¡± ¨C Said Laney once she was within speaking distance. ¨C ¡°I¡¯m Laney, Laney Sawyer, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet another gunslinger!¡±

    Laney reached out her hand, she was waiting for Alicia to respond to the greeting. Alicia didn¡¯t want to stretch her hand but Ten wanted to make sure she tried to be more social

    Ten took control of her free arm and stretcher her opponent¡¯s hand, then she took a hold of her tongue.

    ¡°The pleasure is mine, my gal. You ready to rumble?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you are feistier than you look, I like that. I don¡¯t know where ol¡¯ Hector got you from but I must admit you are hella good with that semi-auto, rarely see people your age that good, who taught ya¡¯ how to shoot?¡±

    ¡°An Australian womanizer if you can believe it. A good shot, maybe the best around.¡±  - Ten took a deep breath. ¨C ¡°But that¡¯s too long of a story, ya¡¯ know? I saw your performance, you ain¡¯t just a pretty lil¡¯ face, amirite?¡±

    ¡°You betcha, girl. Now we¡¯ll see who¡¯s best in the next round. Sorry to tell you but without your two arms to aim properly, victory is as good as mine!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t write me off just yet girl. You  already saw me kick the ol¡¯ man¡¯s ass, if you get careless something similar will happen to ya¡¯¡±.

    There was a rising tension between the town¡¯s poster girl and the bandaged shooter, but there was no ill will from each side. Both Alicia and Ten were enjoying this event, that was a first for Alicia in a very long time.

    Soon after, Laney walked away to talk with her boyfriend who was in the crowd. If all shooting competitions were like this, civilization was far more entertaining than Alicia had initially thought.

    ¡°You are lucky that I¡¯m here to save you from your antisocial brain, jackass.¡± ¨C Ten scolded her. ¨C ¡°That attitude will only make us more enemies, ya¡¯ know that right? Remember what the doc told us? Make an effort to understand people!¡±

    ¡°(Now you bring that up?)¡±

    She remembered that, back in the base in the mountains, when that psychologist was interviewing her, they had a short discussion on how she viewed people. What she said was followed by him giving her a little piece of advice.

    ¡°I know it¡¯s hard to find inside yourself the empathy you could never afford to show to others or the one others never showed towards you, but I think it would be good for yourself to try and understand people. Not only that¡¯d help you bring a new perspective to your life but also maybe demonstrate you that not everything is as bad as you¡¯d think. Give people the chance to be better.¡± ¨C That¡¯s what he said.

    ¡°(I never asked for his opinion.)¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s a good opinion, isn¡¯t it? Look, I always have to intervene in most social situations because¡­let¡¯s say the way you carry yourself puts people off so much that they feel you are gonna pounce on them in any second, that hasn¡¯t changed in five years, Ali.¡±

    ¡°(What can I do if I don¡¯t feel like putting up a good face, huh? In any case, you are here to deal with those situations whenever they present themselves. I¡¯m not a people¡¯s person¡­and I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll change.)¡±

    ¡°You are just so lazy you don¡¯t wanna work on yourself, you weirdo.¡±

    ¡°(Glass house.)¡±

    ¡°Shut the hell up¡­¡±

    The people cheered and greeted, the first round in the shotgun bracket had just finished, Alicia hadn¡¯t paid attention to it nor the rifles¡¯ bracket, she felt that there was no need to watch that and just focus on her own competition. The staff were already setting up the stage for the second and final round of the pistols¡¯ bracket.

    ¡°(We can talk about this later, it¡¯s almost our turn.)¡±

    ¡°Oh, you can believe we are going to continue this conversation. You are out of control, Ali! that sour little heart of yours needs to mellow out a little.¡±

    Alicia rolled her eyes and walked towards the circuit where the final round was going to take place.

    It was like a drill, a training exercise emphasizing quick thinking and precision. The contestants would have to walk through a linear path with twists and turns, and as they advanced a series of targets would pop up and they¡¯d have to shoot them, bonus points for hitting them in the head, as it was natural. However, among these hostile targets there were also civilian targets that would deduct points from their scores if they were to shoot at them. The hostile and friendly targets looked distinct enough to not mix them up, of course. The hostile targets looked like masked insurgents armed with assault rifles, a little detail that would play a little trick on Alicia¡¯s mind later on.

    ¡°We are finally at the final round of the pistols¡¯ bracket!¡± ¨C Announced Tony. ¨C ¡°It¡¯s been a pretty impressive contest so far, full of surprises and twists, am I right people?¡±

    The spectators cheered and whistled, agreeing with his assessment. ¨C ¡°I figured as much. Now, we are about to see the town¡¯s prettiest mechanic, Laney Sawyer, test her skill with a gun against the one of the mysterious newcomer, Sofia Rieper, who has demonstrated to be an ace with that semi-auto, displaying a level of accuracy and cool that have never been seen before in this county!¡±

    The people clapped and cheered once again. Everyone liked it when an underdog appeared out of nowhere and showed what she was capable of.

    ¡°Look at us, we are so famous now, I don¡¯t know what to do with so much recognition.¡±

    ¡°(It¡¯s not us, they just want to watch a good show.)¡± ¨C Alicia stretched her arm and legs in anticipation to what was going to happen. ¨C ¡°(I want that prize, so we gotta give it to them.)¡±

    ¡°Ohohoho, so you actually want the prize?¡±

    ¡°(That jacket looks good, I want it.)¡±

    ¡°Come on, you just want to prove that you are the best with a pistol. I mean, I¡¯m not saying you shouldn¡¯t, if this was a knife throwing contest you can be rest assured I¡¯d be mopping the floor with the scum they¡¯d call my opponents.¡±

    ¡°(Heh, if only we could do this more often.)¡±

    First it was Laney¡¯s turn, she was lock and loaded, set in her starting position.

    ¡°Watch me girl, don¡¯t miss a single detail!¡± ¨C She said to Alicia.

    The bell rang and she marched forward through the circuit. Alicia took her time to analyze Laney¡¯s posture and weapon handling. There was nothing to say, the way she leaned forward slightly, the sharp look in her eyes, the finger hoovering just above the trigger, the way she held the Colt in general, these were all indicators of her good manners with that pistol.

    She rushed forward, stumbling upon the first target, a clean shot in the face point blank. Next up another target hiding behind a civilian, her aim was true and landed the bullet in its face as well.

    Two terrorists side by side, she shot at the one on her right first then the one on the left and marched forward. Alicia puffed, knowing that if this was a real combat situation, Laney would be dead.

    Next up moving targets, enemies hiding behind civilians, Alicia had seen many such cases, but that didn¡¯t represent a problem for Laney either. When the targets peeked out of behind the civilians, she landed a shot in the face or chest of each of them, nailing the six valid targets with precision and sparing every single civilian. She moved forward after reloading fast and dexterous, nailing both easy and straight and elusive and difficult targets.

    Finally, in the last stretch, she was surrounded by eight targets. It was clear to Alicia that this shooting gallery wasn¡¯t built with real combat situations in mind.

    Laney took her time while being fast, if there was ever such a thing. She shot each target one after the other, turning around like a wheel until she had put down all the targets in her radius.

    The bell rang once again, she had completed the course with resounding efficiency, a marvelous display. Alicia had to admit that she seldom met people so virtuous with a gun without looking at herself in the mirror.

    Ten clapped. ¨C ¡°That was something else a¡¯ight! You think you can do any better, Ali?¡±

    Alicia just scoffed, being offended by the question itself.

    Laney walked away from the field and towards her. ¨C ¡°Good luck mummy girl, try and beat that!¡±

    ¡°¡­Just watch.¡±

    Alicia walked towards the circuit, once she stood at the starting line she took moment to stretch her legs, hips and give a few turns to her healthy shoulder. She had placed a spare mag under her belt, a decision that seemed to puzzle the judges because there was no way she¡¯d be able to reload on the move with just one hand. She had the support of the table in the last round, but this time she wouldn¡¯t have such a crutch.

    ¡°I think this might be the end of our newcomer.¡± ¨C Said one of the judges. ¨C ¡°Who the hell competes in a shooting contest while recovering from injuries anyway?¡±

    But alas, the contest had to continue, they¡¯d make sure to review their terms to participate next year.

    For now, all they had to do was to watch this stranger fumble and move on, giving the prize to Laney, who everyone expected to win if Winston was unable to anyway.

    Or at least, that¡¯s what all of them thought.

    ¡°Alright, are you ready?¡± ¨C Asked Tony to Alicia, she just nodded.

    Everyone could feel it, from the oldest to the youngest spectator in the crowd, Hector could feel it, it had become a familiar feeling. The judges felt it, and all the other contestants did as well, but only one of them knew what it was.

    The wind stopped blowing, the clouds followed their course. Alicia could feel the tickles in her palm, eager to hold the gun once again. Her feet were prepared to bounce, her shoulders were light.

    Alicia had turned off her switch, it had been an entire day since she last did it, but for her that was a very long time.

    ¡°Begin!¡± ¨C The bell rang and everyone saw as Alicia charged forward as if she was running on the track field instead of participating in a shooting contest.

    The first target hadn¡¯t finished coming up and Alicia was already aiming at the point where the head was going to be. Once it was fully up, Alicia nailed a bullet on it, straight in the frown, and she kept charging forward.

    The two targets behind the civilians, two headshots, just like Laney. Both the contestants and the crowd noticed something unusual, it was the way Alicia was holding the gun, that wasn¡¯t an orthodox pose, she was aiming down from her chest during the first shot and then she raised the gun up to her nose in the second shot, none of them had ever seen a technique like that before.

    That was to be expected, it was a brand-new system that was yet to be known around the world. Alicia was certain that the Center Axis Relock system would become popular in the future, but for now she was only one of few people that got to learn it and dominate it.

    She kept rushing forward, the two terrorists side by side were coming next. Right there and then, Alicia surprised everyone once more.

    If you blinked you would have missed it, Alicia moved so fast it was almost imperceivable.  She first shot the one to her right and while taking advantage of her kinetic energy she kept moving her arm up, bent it over her neck and shot at the target on her left, straight in the head. An audible ¡°Jesus Christ!¡± was heard among the crowd, Alicia kept moving forward.

    Laney felt something similar to Winston while watching Alicia, or rather, Sofia rush through the circuit and demolish the targets with such precision, using a technique that she would have never been able to think of. She was certain that Sofia was not a normal person, someone her age shouldn¡¯t be this coordinate, much less so virtuous with a gun.

    She raised her hand up to her mouth and narrowed her glare. She wanted to know more about Sofia Rieper.

    Alicia kept shooting targets until she heard that damned click from her gun. This was the moment the judges were waiting for. They were all wondering what she was going to do, how would she reload in this moment where speed and coordination matter the most? How would she compensate the absence of her left arm when she had nothing around her to work as a crutch?

    Once again, it was almost as if she was a magician of sorts; a magician of guns.

    Alicia turned on her feet, doing a complete 360 degrees turn, leaning forward slightly, dropping the empty mag to the ground, then she pushed the mag in her belt upwards and caught it with the pistol as it ascended, getting it through the empty space; the gun was reloaded successfully.

    Everyone¡¯s jaws dropped, Hector laughed, everyone felt as if they were mere extras in a Hollywood movie where all logic and reason had been thrown out the window during the first thirty minutes of the film.

    However, there was a person within the contestants that was not surprised about this development at all, yet found entertaining watching Alicia in action; he wanted to get an estimate of how serious and how dexterous she was.

    Finally, after a dozen marked targets, she arrived at the end of the circuit where she would be surrounded by targets on all angles. All cards were on the table at this point, no one knew what was going to happen. How would Sofia surprise them this time?

    ¡°(Batter up scumbags.)¡± ¨C Alicia took a deep breath and aimed the gun from her chest. Time came down to a grinding halt as she took note of the location of every single target before they finished coming up, marking them with her eyes. Once she was done, time continued its course and when all targets were up, Alicia took them down, shooting first the 4 in front of her then spinning on her feet and nailing three behind her.

    What about the last one? the last one warranted time to stop once again. That was not a mere tin target anymore, it had transformed into something else.

    The inanimate target had transformed into a soldier, or at least what remained of the upper half of it. It was one of those fighters she and the Rangers encountered in Afghanistan. His eye sockets were empty, only darkness could be seen inside, his uniform was ragged and bloodstained, one of his hands was completely missing, probably because of an explosive, while the other held a bent AK-47 from its belt.

    A pitch-black liquid leaked from his mouth. He had no eyes, but she could feel how he stared at her, it was a glare full of hate.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel nostalgic, demon?¡± ¨C Asked the specter. ¨C ¡°Shooting that gun at objects that represent armed threats, I¡¯m sure you miss the real thing.¡± ¨C He tilted his head to the right. ¨C ¡°Everyone¡¯s fiddling their thumbs, waiting for the time you finally come down here with us, so we can all get even.¡± ¨C The specter showed its black and dirty smile. ¨C ¡°When we get our hands on you, we are going to take turns. You¡¯ll be everyone¡¯s wife, you¡¯ll learn to like it with time¡­you¡¯ll have an eternity to do s-¡±

    Alicia blew whatever brains it had apart with her gun, and he turned back into a target made out of tin. Time ran its course once again. The bell rang once more, snapping Alicia back to reality.

    ¡°It¡¯s over!¡± ¨C Said Tony, everyone in the crowd cheered and clapped, her performance was a sight to behold. ¨C ¡°And this marks the end of the pistols¡¯ bracket, congratulations to our beautiful contestants for showing us such an awesome display of gunslinging skills! You can all return to your seats! Next up, we¡¯ve got the final round of the shotguns bracket, we¡¯ll start in twenty minutes.¡±

    Alicia walked back and plummeted on her seat, keeping her head low.

    ¡°Wow, what the hell happened? Are you okay Ali?¡±

    ¡°(¡­Being visited by ghosts again.)¡±

    ¡°What!?¡±

    ¡°That was amazing, Sofia!!¡± ¨C Said Hector running up to her. ¨C ¡°That was incredible! Where the hell did you learn those moves?¡±

    For the first time in her life, Alicia would go the extra mile in order to save herself further inconveniences and put on a mask.

    ¡°Trade secret.¡± ¨C She said, showing a small but humble smile and looking from the sideline, showing how tiring running the circuit was. ¨C ¡°But you¡¯ll hear from it soon enough.¡±

    ¡°Really now? Alright then.¡± ¨C Said Hector. ¨C ¡°With your performance I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll win the prize with no worries! Just wait until the other categories are finished.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± ¨C Alicia¡¯s stomach growled. ¨C ¡°Is there anything to eat around here?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± ¨C Hector pointed at the buffet to the right, past the judges¡¯ table. ¨C ¡°We have sandwiches, drinks and some other things.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll go grab something.¡±

    Alicia got up from her seat and approached the table with the sandwiches.

    ¡°Just wow.¡± ¨C Said a voice right behind her. ¨C ¡°So, you saying that an aussie womanizer taught you how to shoot like that?¡±

    It was Laney again; it was time for Ten to take control of the situation once more.

    ¡°Nah, he was good, but he lacked the imagination to come up with what I came up with. That¡¯s my groove, ya¡¯ know, I¡¯m pretty sure only I can pull the antics I pull.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure of that.¡± ¨C Said Laney, she took off her cap and held it in her hands. ¨C ¡°I¡¯d really like to learn to that stuff. It was so impressive¡­you must have worked hard to be able to dominate those skills.¡±

    Alicia averted her gaze, feeling something that she wasn¡¯t used to feeling, she seldom heard compliments like those thrown at her. ¨C ¡°Heh, well, I mean¡­kinda, yeah? I didn¡¯t learn it from one day to another if that¡¯s what you mean.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You know, I love shooting.¡± ¨C Said Laney, clutching at the cap in her hands. ¨C ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to improve myself with a gun, and what you showed me, what you showed us today, is a completely new level of skill, everyone is impressed. So please, I think that this is something that should be shared with others. So please, I¡¯d like to learn.¡±

    ¡°Hah, don¡¯t worry about it girl, what you saw is a new system that is being developed, so you¡¯ll hear from it soon enough.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and in any case, what I did is merely trick shooting¡­I can teach you a thing or two but there must be money in between ye¡¯ know?¡±

    ¡°(I never agreed to this.)¡±

    ¡°Well of course I can pay you!¡± ¨C Said Laney. ¨C ¡°I have a job, so of course I can pay.¡±

    ¡°Great, I¡¯m staying with Hector so come hang out whenev¡¯ you can and I¡¯ll teach ya¡¯ a few things.¡±

    Laney jumped with excitement, she shook Alicia¡¯s hand and walked away. Alicia was sure that she could learn to pull off some of the tricks she had performed during the contest semi-competently, assuming that they actually went through with training her for a while.

    In any case, Alicia grabbed a sandwich, and since there was not much else to do, she decided to watch the contest.

    During the shotgun¡¯s bracket, they were skeet shooting, nailing the clay pigeons as they elevated in the air, destroying them with a cloud of pellets. The shooters weren¡¯t half bad, they probably had a lot of practice, and even with a shotgun, it¡¯s not easy to aim at the right place to destroy a target midair, Alicia would know.

    In the end the winner was a man with a gray beard and a beer gut, but Alicia would recognize that he was pretty adept with the Remington he was using. He opened a beer in celebration.

    Now it was time for the final round with the snipers, for this everyone had to move to the open field, they had prepared a special challenge for this occasion. Alicia followed the crowd as they walked through a trail in the middle of the trees, she saw a few signs that said ¡°private property¡±, it would certainly be bad if someone crossed this area while people were doing some target practice.

    They arrived at an open field that had to be at least one kilometer long, there were a few rows of targets lined up across the field next to signs that indicated the distance.

    ¡°Now everyone, pay attention, this is the final round of the tournament.¡± ¨C Said Tony. ¨C ¡°Our snipers are going to take position over the small hill right here.¡± ¨C He pointed to his left, showing the crowd a small pile of dirt they could use to support themselves while shooting. ¨C ¡°The rules are simple, their objective is to hit the targets located at 218 yards, 650 yards and 870 yards. They will only shoot three times, the closer the bullet hits to the center means more points, and the one with more points wins the round, both of them will have two turns. Now, let us begin!¡± ¨C He turned towards one of the contestants. ¨C ¡°You¡¯ll go first, Mr. Crowley.¡±

    That man named Crowley had a good physique and shaved face, Alicia suspected that he had to be a soldier or at least part of law enforcement. He took position over the hill, his form was impeccable, he certainly had experience and knew what he was doing.

    He had good pulse as well, he held his breath as he made the first shot, then pulled the bolt back to release the used cartridge and in once again. Second shot, that one seemed good too.

    Alicia herself preferred new semi-automatic models, they saved a lot of time by not having the need of bolt, but there was a certain appeal to it.

    Once he made the third shot, the crowd applauded, now it was the turn of his opponent.

    The moment Alicia set her eyes on him she knew something was wrong.

    A scent reached her nose, but it wasn¡¯t necessarily the scent of a corrupted soul. No, this one didn¡¯t smell like a delicious Christmas meal. It was blood, the scent all assassins carry.

    His feet made no noise as he walked and he confidently laid down on the hill, he got into position as if it was second nature to him at this point and got prepared to shoot.

    ¡°Ohhh we got another odd one here.¡±

    ¡°(I don¡¯t like this at all.)¡±

    He took more time to shoot than his opponent, and the people were starting to get confused, and then restless, but the moment someone was going to question what he was doing, he made the first shot, pulled the bolt back with utmost speed and made the second shot, and the third shot just as fast.

    People didn¡¯t know what to think but they clapped anyway.

    He got up from his position and walked back to his seat, he turned towards Alicia for a moment and their glares locked into each other.

    For a mere instant, the world around them ceased to exist, their wills overlapped with each other for the two of them had the same intention, to send a shock to the other, an image of one getting bested by the other in a mere second.

    As a result, the sniper pulled up his rifle and Alicia raised up her gun, and then they realized none of them could take the shot, the two of them were too strong for there to be a decisive winner, at least under these circumstances.

    However, for the people around them, none of this happened and it was just a mere passing moment. His opponent took position once again and looked through the scope. His pupils dilated when he saw that the three shots his rival took, they all hit in the center of the targets without fail according to the people down on the field placing markers where the bullets had landed. The red ones were for him, and the blue ones for his opponent, and the blue ones were all placed in the dead center.

    ¡°I think we already know who¡¯s gonna win this round, eh Ali?¡±

    ¡°(¡­He knows me. He knows who I am.)¡± ¨C She thought, the way she looked at her and the way he reacted was all a dead giveaway. It was very likely that after leaving this place, that man would wait for an opportunity to strike and assassinate her.

    ¡°Oh¡­shit¡­then, does that mean¡­?¡±

    ¡°(Yeah, and there has to be more of them.)¡±

    It seemed like the fun, peace and quiet were about to come to an end, both Alicia and Ten knew this, so Alicia would make sure to enjoy these last few moments, and whatever happens next, because what came after implied leaving it all behind.

    As expected, that mysterious man won the sniping competition and with a clear advantage, the connoisseurs in the crowd were in awe at this man¡¯s supernatural precision.

    Finally, it was time to bring the contest to a close, it had been an afternoon full of fun and surprises, and now they had to reward the best for their efforts.

    Tony handed Alicia a Flecktarn camo jacket that fit her just right and some money, which was always appreciated.

    The crowd applauded the winners, many people asked Hector about who she was and where she had come from. Fortunately, he kept the story straight: she was the daughter of a friend that is overseas, and sent her there to hang around and relax.

    She couldn¡¯t believe someone like him or Jane existed at first, but now she was convinced that they were simply exceptions to how people usually are. She was very fortunate to have stumbled upon their care and attention; this made her wonder if maybe whoever is looking at her from above doesn¡¯t hate her as much as she thought.

    Alicia watched as the sniper walked away after receiving his prize, posing his rifle over his shoulder. The way he carried himself, his scent, everything about him helped her determine that he was a professional, just as much as her, and that he probably was in the town to collect the bounty on her head.

    That was to be expected, Alicia had completely forgotten about that. She was gonna beat herself up for forgetting such an obvious detail, but she realized that there were more important matters at hand.

    Now having won her prize and impressed dozens of people with her skills, after having so much fun and met such wonderful people, it was time to move on.

    She never belonged to their world anyway.

    After leaving the shooting range and avoiding the questions of many people in the premises, Alicia and Hector headed to a local diner to have a meal, he was certain that a simple sandwich wouldn¡¯t cut it for Alicia¡¯s appetite.

    They asked for steaks, fries and lemonade, after receiving their order the waiter walked to the kitchen to give the order to the cooks.

    ¡°You certainly managed to surprise at every turn of the event, Sofia. I didn¡¯t think any of the things you did were even possible.¡±

    Alicia straightened her back and held her head high. ¨C¡°It was the expected outcome.¡±

    ¡°I thought you were a little too overconfident, but I guess there was a reason for you to be like that.¡±

    ¡°This is what I¡¯m best at, I have no reason to pretend it¡¯s otherwise.¡± ¨C She took off the belt that Hector had given her, along with the gun. ¨C ¡°I think this is yours.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I¡¯m gonna have to put this one up for exhibition next to a sign: ¡°The 1911 used by Sofia Rieper¡±, I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯ll add value to the shop. Such an spectacle is rarely forgotten around these parts.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m comfortable with that but I guess there¡¯s no helping it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to be modest¡­Butcher, I know for a  fact you kind of like it when people call you like that even if you do your best effort to pretend you don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°(I like it when it¡¯s in the mouths of those that have a reason to dislike that name.)¡±

    ¡°Seeing your moves like, I¡¯d like to believe that you don¡¯t really use them for eh¡­well, that might be a tad too sensible topic, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s not everything I know. I have a few things up my sleeve.¡± ¨C She said. ¨C ¡°And I¡¯ll abstain from making comments on that matter.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s better like that.¡± ¨C He looked at his right for a moment, towards the counter, right behind it there was a window that could let you see through to the kitchen. There was the cook, preparing their orders, he was a big, muscular man that he had never seen before. He wondered what had happened with Jeffrey, the cook he was used to seeing working there. ¨C ¡°You might think this might sound ridiculous, but I was thinking that maybe there was a way to help you to settle down here for good.¡±

    Alicia averted her gaze, having an uncomfortable feeling pile up in her heart.

    ¡°I¡¯m serious, I think you¡¯d like it here.¡± ¨C He said. ¨C ¡°You could keep working in shop, I¡¯d even pay you, people would get used to seeing you around in no time. Besides, Jane and Paul love your cooking, you¡¯ve got a good hand. And, once your arm has healed, we can look into getting you in more competition, I could tell you really liked this one.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s got your number, Ali!¡±

    ¡°Besides¡­whatever you were intending to do where you were going¡­it doesn¡¯t seem to be that urgent to you now.¡±

    Alicia meditated for a few minutes until she was snapped back to reality by the arrival of the waiter.

    ¡°Sorry for the delay, here¡¯s your food!¡± ¨C Said the waiter, he too was an unfamiliar face for Hector, maybe Jerry, the owner of the diner, actually got around to hiring more staff to take over the shifts of the others.

    A steak accompanied by some French fries and lemonade, it all seemed so delicious. The waiter walked away, ignoring the fact that he had committed a grave mistake.

    Alicia noticed the bubbles raising up to the surface inside the glass of lemonade.

    ¡°(¡­Poison huh?)¡± ¨C Alicia sighed.

    ¡°Something wrong, Sofia?¡±

    ¡°¡­Hector¡­I¡­thank you.¡± ¨C She said. ¨C ¡°¡­After these few days going around and just relaxing, having fun¡­for a single moment I too considered staying. Find my own spot and just¡­be something else than what I currently am now.¡±

    ¡°Y-yeah that¡¯s what I mean, so¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­But it seems that is not meant to be.¡±- She said, and Ten saw something unusual happen in that very instant. Alicia, she was feeling ashamed of herself. ¨C ¡°¡­I made a mistake.¡±

    ¡°A mistake? What?¡±

    ¡°I forgot that someone like me is not allowed to settle down, someone will always come to ruin it all.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Alicia pointed at the kitchen and looked down.

    ¡°Wait¡­they¡­so you mean¡­?¡±

    ¡°This glass¡­¡± ¨C She held the glass with what pretended to be lemonade. ¨C ¡°It¡¯s full of poison¡­they¡¯ll try something else the moment they realize something is up.¡± ¨C She looked over Hector, towards the exit, someone had flipped the sign that said ¡°We¡¯re open¡± so people thought that Jerry had closed the diner for the day. ¨C ¡°They even isolated us.¡± ¨C She inhaled and managed to catch the scent of those that were hiding, there was someone in the bathroom, probably waiting to attack if any of them tried to hide in there or just get up to use it. ¨C ¡°There¡¯s another in the bathroom, and you can assume the waiter and the cook are in it too.¡±

    ¡°Ar-are you serious? What the hell are you talking about Sofia? I can¡¯t believe it.¡±

    ¡°You know why I insisted in sitting here, in a table away from the windows?¡± ¨C She asked. ¨C ¡°Because there¡¯s another one out there, the sniper that won the sniper¡¯s category, he¡¯s waiting to blow my or your brains out with that rifle, over a rooftop, not sure which.¡±

    ¡°Sofia¡­you are scaring me¡­¡±

    It was time to stop pretending. Alicia took her arm out of the sling and let the bandages loose, showing Hector that, after all, it was all a fa?ade.

    ¡°¡­Yeah, that¡¯s to be expected.¡± ¨C She said. ¨C ¡°¡­Even if we weren¡¯t under these circumstances, even then, I wouldn¡¯t be able to stay. I would only cause a lot of trouble¡­I can¡¯t help myself. I¡¯ve still got promises yet to fulfill.¡±

    ¡°Promises?¡±

    ¡°Listen¡­if it was up to me, I would¡¯ve just lied down and died next to the road¡­but despite everything common sense says, your wife saved me¡­she shouldn¡¯t have, but she did¡­and you people included me in your lives just like that, without even questioning if I was someone worthy of such confidence¡­for that, I¡¯m really thankful, you people taught me new things.¡± ¨C She put her hands together over the table, showing Hector her scarred arms. ¨C ¡°You showed that there are some people that are indeed better.¡±

    ¡°Sofia¡­¡±

    ¡°But I would be irresponsible if I put you in danger only to hold onto a sense of tranquility.¡± ¨C She concluded.

    ¡°¡­Do you¡­do you need the gun?¡± ¨C Asked Hector, resigning to this unexpected and bitter result.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need it, don¡¯t want you or anything from you to get involved in this. I can handle it. But there¡¯s something you must do.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I want you to call the waiter, I¡¯ll take care of things from there. Once it begins, I want you to hide behind a table and wait for the big guy to come out, then run to the exit through the kitchen., you¡¯ll escape safe and sound that way. Afterwards, I want you to hide wherever you think you¡¯ll be safest.¡±

    ¡°You are going to face them alone?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s what I do best.¡± ¨C Another thing Ten wasn¡¯t used to seeing: Alicia smiled, it was a small and even bittersweet smile, and yet such a rare sight to behold whenever it was Alicia who was at the front.

    Hector was at a loss of words, it was all very sudden, but by the way she was looking at him, those focused yet saddened eyes, he knew that he had to focus if he wanted everything to end right.

    This was Alicia¡¯s way of saying goodbye, and he accepted that.

    ¡°Alright¡­then I guess this is it¡­good luck, Sofia.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave this town today¡­but not before I repay everyone¡¯s kindness the way I know best.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Call the waiter, he might be getting edgy now.¡±

    Luis and his crew had arrived at the town the day before, and even though the town wasn¡¯t that big, they had the suspicion that they¡¯d have to hang around the area for a few days before they managed to spot the target, so they dedicated themselves to look around, take note of points of interests and places from which Carl could shoot, and similar orders to cover all approaches to assassinating their target. When a job was about hunting another professional like them, they didn¡¯t have the privilege of skipping over proper procedure, they had to be meticulous, otherwise the risk of winding up dead was higher.

    According to her profile, Butcher was an A-grade assassin, meaning that she could give them a tough fight if they went for a direct approach; it was best to avoid direct confrontation and to kill her without allowing her to know what hit her.

    The following day after setting up in the town in a motel, Carl had heard about a shooting competition and he felt the urge to show off his superior skills to the weak and unexperienced civvies that lived there. Luis tried to persuade him to keep a low profile, but when shooting and show how superior he was to other snipers was about, Carl just couldn¡¯t help himself.

    Later that day, he called Luis to inform them that he had spotted the target accompanied by a civilian and that they heard him mention going to a diner a few blocks away from their base of operations. He was going to follow them and that they¡¯d better get there and take the opportunity.

    So without wasting a second they headed down to the diner, forced their entrance through the alley door, Kalina and Igor knocked out the staff and the manager and stole some uniforms.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna prepare a meal so delicious it¡¯s gonna be to die for.¡± ¨C Said Kalina. ¨C ¡°Now let¡¯s wait for them to arrive.¡±

    Just like Carl said, Alicia and some adult male stepped into the restaurant. Kalina took care of welcoming them and then flip the sign on the door to deter more people from coming in; they didn¡¯t want any witnesses if they could help it.

    Alicia and the man sat in a table away from the windows, Luis wondered if this was deliberate and knew something was up. However, if they knew, they wouldn¡¯t be hanging around in a diner.

    Luis played his role as a waiter and received their order, once done with that, they prepared their orders and spiked the drinks with a poison that would kill her on the spot in a matter of seconds, that way they could confirm the kill and leave the scene with no one to oppose them.

    However, something seemed to be wrong. Luis couldn¡¯t hear them from his position because they were whispering, but it seemed like they were talking about a serious matter. Then she took her arm out of the sling hanging around her neck, catching Luis off guard. She wasn¡¯t wounded at all, it was all a fa?ade, and it seemed like the man with her didn¡¯t know either. So many questions in such a short time.

    Then she leaned back on his seat, and the man in front of her raised his voice. ¨C ¡°Eh¡­w-waiter, c-c-can you for a sec?¡±

    ¡°(Something¡¯s wrong.)¡± ¨C Thought Luis, his instincts hadn¡¯t failed him up to this point, in fact, he had come out of many dangerous situations thanks to his instinct, and they were telling him he had to be prepared for the worst.

    Every step he took forward cemented that feeling that the plan had been derailed. He posed his eyes on her, she had crossed her arms and was looking down to the ground, and every step he took closer to the table he could feel a particular pressure, an energy that seemed to push him away, but he still charged forward.

    ¡°(She knows.)¡± ¨C Luis focused, thought about all the outcomes in this situation.

    Maybe he still could pretend he was just a waiter, listen to whatever the civilian had to say and just carry on and wait for her to consume the poison or just leave so Carl could blow her brains out. In the worst case scenario she¡¯d wait for him to turn his back and snap his neck. Death.

    In that case, he could approach subtly, whip out the knife under his sleeve and slice her neck and stab the man in the heart, then dispose of the bodies and be on their merry way.

    When he was three steps away from the table, he knew he had to make a decision, and with a closer look on her, he didn¡¯t even see her as a human anymore, but as a sword ready to be released and slash with might and finesse.

    Out of the two options, there was only a real one. He made his decision.

    ¡°Is there any problem sir¡­?¡± ¨C He said once he was within attack distance.

    ¡°Well, you see¡­¡±- Said Hector who was thinking about something to say, but Luis wouldn¡¯t give him time to complete that sentence.

    Luis pulled the knife from under his sleeve and attacked Alicia. He could already see himself slicing her throat and then continuing with that man.

    But his imagination didn¡¯t correspond with what actually happened.

    Alicia grabbed his hand, snapped his wrist out of its place and punched his head through the table, crushing it into the ground.

    ¡°Luis!¡± ¨C Kalina jumped on the tables and attacked Alicia, throwing two knives at her that she shoved away with a roundhouse. Kalina closed the distanced and tried to stab her Alicia, but Alicia grabbed her arm, bent it, hit her stomach with her knee and bashed her into the ground.

    She was about to finish her off when the big man rushed at her and punched her in the chest, bashing her through the wall made out of wood.

    Igor stopped to take a look at Luis and see if he was still alive or not.

    ¡°Luis! Luis, can you hear me!?¡±

    ¡°I-idiot, get her!¡± ¨C He said, regaining consciousness momentarily. Igor stepped over the destroyed table and looked out, there were people around staring at the scene, unsure of what was happening.

    He looked down to the pavement, only to find that Alicia had disappeared.

    ¡°Fuck.¡± ¨C He whispered. ¨C ¡°Get up, we have to get out of here.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me she got away¡­¡± ¨C Said Luis as he tried to get up, feeling as if his head was about to split apart. ¨C ¡°Damn, she hits fucking hard.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna get that fucking bitch.¡± ¨C Said Kalina, feeling her blood boil. She had never been bested in such a humiliating way. She grabbed her intercom and contacted Carl. ¨C ¡°Carl, did you see her?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fucking fast, I¡¯ll give her that.¡± ¨C Said Carl. ¨C ¡°She bounced back up the moment she hit the ground and dashed away.¡±

    ¡°What about the civvie?¡± ¨C Asked Luis. Hector had already disappeared through the backdoor as indicated by Alicia. ¨C¡°Fucking dammit, this job has taken a turn for the worse. Let¡¯s get out of here before the cops show up.¡±

    Luis¡¯ crew abandoned the area just as fast how they came in. Hector had escaped safely and would make sure to rush back home and reunite with his family.

    Meanwhile, Alicia was lying down on a nearby rooftop, looking up to the grand blue sky above, holding onto her arms after receiving such a powerful impact.

    ¡°(¡­They must¡¯ve sent them after their regular troopers failed at stopping me.)¡±

    ¡°You gotta hire the best to kill the best.¡±

    ¡°(I wouldn¡¯t call them the best though.)¡± ¨C She placed her hands over her chest. ¨C ¡°(It was a nice try though.)¡±

    ¡°So we are gonna skip town?¡±

    ¡°(Not yet¡­)¡± ¨C Alicia sat down. ¨C ¡°(Remember what I said. I intend to thank Hector and his family for what they¡¯ve done for me.)¡±

    ¡°So you mean¡­?¡±

    ¡°(¡­This town has its own share of rot.)¡± ¨C Her muscles tensed up. ¨C ¡°(If I can help it, I wish to get rid of it.)¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll take some time though, and we¡¯d get the attention of the assholes coming after us.¡±

    ¡°(No, remember, there¡¯s a way.)¡±

    Ten gasped, she knew exactly what she meant.

    ¡°Ali, no! it¡¯s too dangerous. Last time we did it you almost lost yourself entirely.¡±

    ¡°(I have improved since then. I¡¯m sure¡­I¡¯m certain that I can handle it, at least for a few hours.)¡±

    ¡°Are you absolutely sure that you can do this?¡±

    ¡°(If I want to do this, it¡¯s my best bet. Otherwise, we¡¯ll end up worse for wear.)¡±

    Ten opposed the idea, not only because it was very dangerous but because last time they did it they left a huge mess behind that was very hard to fix.

    However, judging by the position they were in, and the quality of the people that were after her, and of course, the fact that it was nigh impossible to get Alicia to abandon an idea once she thinks about it, there was no other choice but to try what she had in mind.

    ¡°¡­Fine, but if I notice you start to slip, I¡¯m breaking it up!¡±

    ¡°(Fair enough, but I can handle it, I swear.)¡±

    ¡°Yeah, whatever you say, whatever allows you to sleep at night and all of that shit.¡±

    Alicia would wait for the sun to set on that rooftop, trying to remain hidden to the best of her capabilities.

    Once the sun settled and night was arriving, Alicia took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

    ¡°(Hey¡­)¡± ¨C She spoke into the void, calling for Crimson. ¨C ¡°(¡­You want to eat, right? Come on up, we are doing it again. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find it fun.)¡±

    It answered the call and reached for their space.

    ¡°(We all want the same thing¡­yet we are so different. It¡¯s in these moments where we become one and the same that¡­I actually feel so afraid of myself.)¡±

    This was a very exhausting and dangerous state to be in, at least for Alicia, and if she didn¡¯t do her best to keep herself focused, it would be easy for her to fade away into her own mind and her body would collapse entirely.

    But as long as everything went smoothly, Alicia would be able to harness a strength and skill far greater than the one she could use while simply borrowing the energy from the spirit itself.

    Her scars tingle and look like they are about to burst, but the skin stops moving, and instead glow with a bright crimson red, from her face to her arms, a red glow envelopes Alicia before fading away.

    She takes a deep breath and smells them in an instant.

    That place, that town, was a bigger buffet than she had expected. A turkey here, a turkey there, a whole steak in the horizon. She was exalted, that town was drowning with deviants of all shapes and sizes.

    She had only been capable of smelling them recently, but now that she did, Alicia understood why Crimson insisted in her being able to smell them.

    Alicia drooled and lost her balance for a moment, but quickly regained her composure.

    ¡°[Right¡­]¡± ¨C In that very moment Alicia, Ten and Crimson were all one and the same. ¨C ¡°[¡­It¡¯s dinner time.]¡±

 Fuel

    Shortly after escaping the hellscape that Iran had become, many were interested in asking the survivors what they saw; what happened in there, most specifically in Fallujah, and their testimonies were certainly good enough for each of them to fight for their right to appear in the front page of every journal in the United States and the United Kingdom. However, the journalists themselves who listened to these testimonies directly were witness of the absolute horror, sadness and trauma that had scarred the survivors for the rest of their lives, many of them even collapsed in the middle of the interview because of remembering the nightmare they were forced to live through.

    They talked about remaining hidden in their homes, trying to stay out of sight from both the insurgents and the Americans as they killed each other with their accursed firearms and explosives.

    One day, it would seem like all hell broke loose, there were fires everywhere, corpses littering the streets, a huge black cloud covered the skies. The sound of gunfire drowned all the other noises as the battle intensified. None of them knew which faction was going to come out as the victor.

    But then, there was a sudden deafening silence, everyone had stopped shooting. One of the survivors said that he dared look out the window of his house to try and see what was happening. He saw one of the insurgents, wearing a blue scarf around his head and carrying a rocket launcher. He was standing still, looking around, dumbfounded it seemed. He watched as the insurgent dropped his rocket launcher gently on the ground and then took the scarf off his face, the man was bleeding through his nostrils and mouth. The man seemed to be in shock, trying to stop the bleeding.

    Then, and every single survivor testified the same, an ear-piercing scream echoed through the entire city. The ground trembled, the windows shattered, the walls cracked. That survivor that saw the insurgent with the rocket launcher said that the moment they heard that scream, a bunch of blood came out of the insurgent¡¯s face and he perished right there and then.

    None of them knew where that scream had come from, but they would soon discover that after that scream, many people, insurgent or not, had died on puddle of their own blood.

    But that was only the beginning of their nightmare, soon enough they¡¯d hear about an unknown soldier ravaging through the desert, killing everything in his wake, extinguishing dozens of lives all at once, and then they¡¯d feel it, in their lungs, hearts, intestines, stomachs¡­ they felt as if there was something inside, pulling and stretching it all apart.

    Many people died because of this agony, the children were the only ones this pain discriminated. It wasn¡¯t until they actually escaped the country in planes and boats that they stopped feeling the pain.

    Many couldn¡¯t understand nor explain what was happening. Many scientists speculated that they were within the blast radius of a chemical bomb that was released on the entire region, but after making tests on some of the affected, they couldn¡¯t find any trace of any such chemical.

    However, some other people had a different interpretation. That pain was being caused by a being with the power to hurt them that way, something supernatural, something too powerful for any human to stand against. Their suspicions were validated, and then some more, because some time after the people that testified they survived the pain, perished at the hands of the same pain a year later.

    Whatever it was that was killing them had returned to finish the job, and it succeeded this time. The superstitious and religious people that kept looking into this case were now convinced of their suspicions.

    Something had arrived in the desert, something so powerful it could kill people with its mere presence, but they didn¡¯t know if it was the wrath of God himself punishing the infidels and violent, or if it was something else entirely.

    They wouldn¡¯t know how close they were to the truth, at least not at the time.

    Every single town, no matter how big or small, have their own share of troublemakers. That night it would all begin with a small group of them, five people that considered each other friends, gathering around under a bridge next to a highway, because what they were about to discuss was a very sensible, private matter. One of them had an idea most ingenuous on how they could earn a lot of money in a very short amount of time, get rich and leave that town for good.

    ¡°Look man, I got in touch with this dude, he¡¯s an absolute genius!¡± ¨C Said the ambitious one in his group. ¨C ¡°Look at this.¡±

    He showed his friends a plastic bag, inside the bag there were a bunch of pink and red tablets. ¨C ¡°These are miracle workers man! He told me to sell these 10 dollars a tablet.¡±

    ¡°To who exactly?¡± ¨C Said another one, he was carrying a baseball bat for protection since you never know what kind of weirdos lurk around in the dark.

    ¡°I dunno man, he told me to sell it to anyone, as long as they pay up. So, I had this idea, check this out¡­¡± ¨C He raised his finger. ¨C ¡°We find anyone who seems to be having issues, we give them one for free, they are sure to come back, that¡¯s how the pros do it!¡±

    ¡°And if they are already hooked on something?¡± ¨C Said another one, he was wearing a hoodie to conceal the pocket knife he kept in his right hand.

    ¡°Then you just make them a discount and then sell them on 10 dollars when they come back, it¡¯s that simple. But that¡¯s not the end of it.¡± ¨C He said. ¨C ¡°We sell them to kids outside the schools. Some of them are stupid enough to believe they are candies. They¡¯ll keep coming back, man, they¡¯ll even steal from their parents¡¯ wallets to keep buying.¡±

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not that easy man.¡± ¨C Said the one to his right, he was a little bit cleverer than the rest. ¨C ¡°The police will catch onto us.¡±

    ¡°We just keep changing spots, no matter what, the police cannot be in every place at the same time. If we are subtle enough they¡¯ll never have a clue! We are practically invisible man, they have no record on us, it¡¯s gonna be easy!¡±

    His pals were getting excited, they were all in.

    ¡°Alright, look, let¡¯s start small and then go from there. Dwayne, you can go fish clients at downtown.¡± ¨C He gave him three sets of nine tablets. ¨C ¡°James, you can-¡±

    ¡°What the¡­? Sean, your nose is bleeding!¡±

    ¡°What? Oh shit!¡± ¨C He touched under his nose to find out that he was, indeed, bleeding through his nose, it was a lot of blood. ¨C ¡°What the fuck!?¡±

    ¡°What the hell happened man!?¡± ¨C His friends approached, thinking of what they could do to help his friend.

    ¡°Shit, bring me some napkin or somethin¡¯. Why the hell am I bleeding!?¡±

    Then suddenly he felt his stomach turning on itself, like a bad gastritis.

    ¡°You think we should go to the hospital?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I think that¡¯s our best shot, it might be something very bad man.¡±

    They were about to get to a conclusion amongst each other, when suddenly the man named Sean, the one bleeding and the one that had called them there in the first place, noticed someone stumbling across the sidewalk, approaching them slowly.

    ¡°Hey¡­who¡¯s that?¡± ¨C He pointed at the stranger approaching.

    It seemed to be a girl, and she didn¡¯t seem to be on her right senses. Sean¡¯s friends valued his safety and health, but some things took priority over others.

    ¡°Hey man, you think you can hold on for a lil¡¯?¡± ¨C Asked the hooded one. ¨C ¡°I think we are all thinking the same thing here.¡±

    One of them, the one that had come unarmed, approached the girl confidently.

    ¡°Yo wassup girl? You need any help?¡±

    She stepped out of the dark, into the light of the lamppost next to her, now he knew that his eyes weren¡¯t fooling him, that girl had some very weird scars on her arms and face, and they had a very bright red color.

    ¡°Hooo-o-oly shit, what¡¯s that on your face!? you into freaky stuff!?¡±

    He placed a hand over her shoulder which seemed to stop her on her tracks. Then he noticed her moving her nose, sniffing something. He couldn¡¯t smell anything beyond the cold and humid air, but for her there was something attractive and tasty quite nearby. She wanted it.

    She grabbed his face, and with supernatural strength, she twisted his head, bending and breaking his neck faster than what the eye can perceive.

    He dropped to the ground, having his neck contorted. The others screamed with shock and panic.

    ¡°What the fuck!? You fucking bitch!¡± ¨C The one with the baseball bat put his bravery forward and rushed at her swinging the weapon. She evaded the first two attacks and destroyed the bat with a single punch when he swung a third time, she then grabbed both sides of his face and broke his neck.

    ¡°Holy fuck!¡± ¨C The clever one pulled out a revolver, but she suddenly shortened the distance between them and twisted his shooter arm, snatched the gun from his hand and smashed his Adam¡¯s apple, sending him down to the ground while choking.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    The last one pounced on her with his pocket knife. Same story. She grabbed the arm and kicked his dominant leg, making him kneel, she then plunged the knife into his throat and pulled it out, then she discarded the knife.

    Something none of them had noticed before dying was that the closer she got to Sean, the more he agonized and the more his innards burned. Once she was right next to him, Sean was twisting and turning on the ground, seemingly tortured by a fiery pain that spread all across his body, from his toes to his head, screaming his soul out, wishing to die already and get the pain to stop at once. She just stared at him until he passed out and eventually died because of such a piercing and ruthless pain. If you could look inside his body, you¡¯d notice that his organs had become a bloody mess.

    That was a great opening for Alicia, and now she had a gun. She looked at it for a moment. It was a snub nose .38, this gun had a certain nostalgic value for her. This was the very first gun she used, back then, the day she could claim revenge.

    It was a long time ago, she had just killed the evilest man in the world and his colleagues; it was all over, their little project was done for, their machines destroyed and each and every single one of them had gotten what they deserved. She was so dead before it all and she had come back to life simply by taking the life from them.

    But there was one last loose end, and she intended to take care of it. She was standing right in front of the only woman in that group, she was kneeling and begging with eyes drowning her vision. Alicia was holding a revolver that was pretty similar to the one she was holding nine years in the future, it seemed so light and for some reason she already knew how to use it.

    The woman was saying something, something Alicia couldn¡¯t quite grasp, but she could infer that the woman believed that whatever she was saying would be enough to get her to put the gun down and spare her life. Out of all the people in that group, she wasn¡¯t the evilest, but she indeed was the most cowardly, hiding behind any pretext or authority figure or concept she could find or think of in order to save herself from the consequences of her actions.

    But that wouldn¡¯t save her this time around.

    She unloaded the revolver on her, and that was the end of her pleas. Afterwards, Alicia dropped the gun and marched forward, towards the future, towards war.

    Having acquired a gun, no matter how ineffective it might be, it was a start. Alicia smelled the air, searching for the next group of prey to hunt. Certainly, there was a big group of them to the east, in what seemed to be a warehouse. She didn¡¯t waste any time and rushed forward before someone looked out their window and saw the corpses on the sidewalk. The neighbors called the police and they arrived in a matter of minutes, forming a perimeter around the block.

    The police had no idea that was merely the beginning of a very busy and long night.

    There was a party in an abandoned warehouse, gang members had gathered there in order there to celebrate their boss¡¯s birthday. They brought booze, coke and the finest women around, that¡¯s what you can get with enough money.

    The party was inside the warehouse but the guards outside were also having fun, six of them were playing soccer with improvised goals while two at the front were on lookout for anything suspicious. They doubted anyone was going to come, but that was how things were in the end.

    The two guards looked forward and noticed someone approaching, it was a young girl, she seemed to have something on her that glowed red in the dark.

    ¡°Da fuck!? This is a private party bitch! Get lost!¡± ¨C Said one of the guards walking forward and showing her his Tec 9 to deter him from approaching, but she kept walking forward. ¨C ¡°Hey! I¡¯m talking to you bitc-!¡±

    She produced a gun seemingly out of nowhere and put a cap in between his eyes, and then dropped the other guard almost instantly the same way. She opened fire on the ones that hadn¡¯t finished processing what was happening, dropping four of them, the last two stopped panicking and reached for their pistols.

    Alicia rushed forward and reached for the Tec-9 on the ground, she went prone and burst fired on them before they could pull the trigger.

    She took a moment to see her new options. They were all carrying pistols while the guard she killed had a Tec-9 and his partner had a Mac-10.

    Alicia discarded the Tec-9 and took the Mac-10, then she took the pistols and holstered them around her belt. This was less than optimal, but it was better than just carrying two guns.

    Without further ado, she took a deep breath and dropkicked the warehouse¡¯s entrance, sending whoever was on the other side flying through the air and hitting his head against a metal bar.

    ¡°What the fuck!?¡± ¨C Someone said inside. Alicia rushed inside and assessed the situation.

    Multiple gangbangers sitting on couches, five watching from above on the catwalk, one near a fridge at the bottom of the warehouse holding a beer. Two of them sitting on a couch in front of a television playing some videogame, their guns were over the table right in front of them.

    Also, there were women, some too drunk to know what was going on, others were as shocked as the gangbangers next to them. Then, at the center of it all was who she assumed was the leader judging by the golden necklace around his necks and his rings, typical gangsta stereotype that she saw in a movie or two.

    They didn¡¯t have their guns ready, another point in her favor.

    Time advanced slowly for Alicia, but for them she was faster than a cheetah, but for her they moved like turtles. She burst fired on the ones in the couch, destroying one¡¯s head, making the ladies scream in fear. The others cursed, processing what was going on. She aimed the Glock at the ones on the catwalk, hitting three in the center of mass, the last one was fast enough to hide behind a wall.

    She kept running forward, spraying the Mac-10 on those around the boss, the remaining ones fired back, she hid behind the couch. They screamed and cursed but Alicia couldn¡¯t bring herself to try and understand what the hell they were saying; their English was simply deplorable.

    The Mac-10 dried up, she dropped it and took out one of the pistols around her belt.

    She turned around and kicked the couch towards them, managing to throw the three on its course of collision off balance.

    She jumped over the couch and put a bullet in the heads of the two around the boss while hitting him in the face with her knee, crashing him into the ground.

    She placed the end of the Glock into his mouth and pulled the trigger, no shame and no hesitation. The last one above finally got brave enough to open fire. Alicia rushed to her right and took cover behind a pillar. The glock was empty, discarded, she drew out the revolver on a side of her belt.

    The guy mag dumped recklessly and when she heard the expected click, she peeked out of cover and blew his brains out with a .357 bullet. He fell off the catwalk and fell on his head, destroying his neck, he was dead already though, that was just an accidental overkill.

    ¡°Donny fucking brin¡¯ everyone! She killed them all! Everyone!¡±

    Alicia turned around to see one of the girls holding up a phone. Calling in the reinforcements, that was a consequence to be expected from a full-on assault with little to no preparation. The other girls that were sober enough had already run away, leaving the knocked down and drunk behind.

    But this one was stupid enough to stay only to reach for her boyfriend¡¯s phone who was now lying on the ground with 4 rounds in his chest.

    ¡°Now, wait¡­!¡± ¨C She was pretty, she probably used that to her advantage a lot. In a way, Alicia envied women like that, both good and bad, because whatever beauty she had could only be brought back whenever Ten assumed full control, otherwise you could say that her beauty was snatched away a long time ago.

    But aside from envy, she had only one more thing to give to the bad ones.

    Alicia raised up the revolver and executed her right there and then, the bullet travelled through one side of her skull and came out through the opposite side, bringing out pieces of her brain with it. Death is the brake of all beauty, just like bad decisions, and she had made hers.

    The reinforcements would arrive soon, she didn¡¯t know how strong they were numbers wise, but she was sure there had to be enough for them to cover a neighborhood or district, that was good enough in her book.

    She looked around the warehouse for anything that could give her greater firepower. After looking through drawers and lockers she found a few things that would be mighty useful.

    Four frag grenades, a shotgun with twelve rounds to spare for it and the cherry on top: an M4 with three spare mags to have fun with.

    Next to the rifle she had found a purple heart medal and a photograph of their leader in a navy uniform. It made sense, otherwise she doubted that a mere gangbanger would have a rifle like that stashed in his hideout.

    Whatever the case might be, she¡¯d make sure to put that rifle to good use.

    The reinforcements would arrive a few minutes later, three green cars arrive at the front of the warehouse, bringing a total of twelve hoodlums armed with pistols and MP5s into the scene.

    ¡°Someone fucking killed Big D, we have to go in!¡±

    They rushed towards the entrance, finding the corpses of their fallen allies on the entrance. Before they could stop to think about what happened and who might be the culprit, they were already within Alicia¡¯s kill-zone.

    Alicia peeked out of the window on the second floor and opened fire, punching holes into the bodies of five of the gangers that were spearheading the assault.

    ¡°Shit! He¡¯s got Big D¡¯s rifle!¡±

    The others hid behind their cars and opened fire on her position, she moved away from the window and jumped down to the first floor.

    She took a grenade, pulled the pin and threw it through the door, landing behind the line of cars.

    Three thugs go out flying, half a car¡¯s frame bent because of the force and shrapnel. One of the remaining survivors pisses himself while his friends decided it¡¯s not worth it and tried to escape.

    ¡°We gotta leave! Get in! Fuck! Fuck!¡±

    They all crawled back into the car, fortunately they had left the motor running in case they had to make a quick getaway. But while they did that, she rushed out of the warehouse and opened fire on them, hitting the tires and destroying the windows. A lucky bullet pierced the driver¡¯s skull, making him fall out of the vehicle.

    ¡°Miles!¡± ¨C Said one of the two sitting in the back, he and his pal crouched while bullets kept whistling above their heads. ¨C ¡°God! help us!¡±

    The other one sitting at the front tried to respond, shooting his Uzi.

    ¡°Die bitch! Die! Die!¡± ¨C He mag dumped on her general position, more out of panic than out of rage.

    It did manage to stop her for a moment though, forcing her to run to evade the fire and hide behind a cinder block.

    The thug took that chance to get on the driver¡¯s seat and step on the accelerator, regardless if the tires were busted or not, at least the ones on the opposite side weren¡¯t.

    He managed to turn the car towards the road. Maybe they could escape, but another burst of bullets coming from behind said otherwise. Two bullets lodge themselves into the back of his head and he perished with his foot pressing the accelerator. The car kept advancing until they crash with a lamppost; there were two of them left, and suffice to say, this was the scariest night of their lives.

    They looked out from the window and saw someone with red glowing lights coming out from him approaching slowly. They were scared but at least the pistols they were holding in their hands gave them some comfort.

    They shot at the shadowy figure but when the bullets flied she leaned forward and rushed at them, zigzagging, avoiding their line of fire. They were so scared their pulse was trembling, the bullets were scattering all over the place, and she used that to her advantage.

    Once she was close enough she jumped onto the car and using one of the MP5s their friends had dropped she shot into the vehicle, raining bullets on the last two gangbangers. The both of them screamed as a bunch of bullets punched holes into their arms, shoulders, stomach and legs.

    Miraculously, one of them survived that onslaught, his partner had no such luck as he lied dead next to him, his eyes bloodshot and lifeless.

    ¡°Ugh¡­ahg¡­help¡­someone¡­ugh¡­¡± ¨C He coughed up blood, he wasn¡¯t long for this world. ¨C¡°What the fuck¡­? ¡­agh¡­I can¡¯t¡­¡±

    Alicia opened the door, meeting the last thug alive, or whatever remained of him. He tried to raise up his pistol and shoot, but the dreaded click of the gun told him that it was all over.

    ¡°What did we do to you¡­? Why¡­?¡± ¨C He asked, receiving a .45 bullet into his head as her answer.

    Alicia ran away from the area; the police would arrive shortly after, finding the carnage she had left behind. This assault was bountiful, she now had a rifle, a shotgun and pistols. She¡¯d put them to good use, the night was still young, and she was just getting started.

    She had already forgotten about the assassins after her, but they certainly hadn¡¯t forgotten about her. However, they were the least of her problems, because the longer she remained in that state, more and more strange things and events would appear before her.

 Living wraith

    Angel¡¯s initiation:

    Chapter 22:  Living wraith

    The police arrived on the scene of the shootout and surrounded the area, finding the pile of corpses Alicia had left behind.

    Most of the policemen there were used to the peace and tranquility of Forest Grove, sometimes having to arrest a drunk or a junkie, in the worst-case scenario they¡¯d have to intervene in the fights between the small gangs that settled in the most unsavory parts of the town. There was no town or city in this world that didn¡¯t have at least one of such areas. Even then, gun violence in the town was relatively low, and the detectives usually took care of the heavy lifting, keeping it all safe. But this was different, this was a level of violence unprecedented in the town and in their careers as law enforcement officers. Some of them felt a primal fear crawl up their spines upon arriving at the warehouse.

    The police searched the area looking for evidence and maybe even survivors of the carnage. They found lots of the former and none of the latter.

    ¡°Shit, the guys who did this were armed to the teeth.¡± ¨C Said officer Howard Jones upon entering the warehouse. He and his partners walked up to the corpse of Big D, who had a big gaping bullet hole through his mouth. ¨C ¡°Holy fuck, they executed him.¡±

    ¡°Shit, they killed a girl too.¡± ¨C Said an officer who had found the corpse of the girl Alicia had blown her brains apart. ¨C ¡°She had a phone, she asked for help, and paid the price.¡±

    ¡°Ruthless, simply ruthless.¡± ¨C The officer put his gun back in its holster, knowing there was nothing else to see in this warehouse other than a bunch of gangers full of holes, and some were even blown apart with an explosive judging by what they saw out there. ¨C ¡°I guess this is the end of Big D, I knew the asshole didn¡¯t change after coming out of prison.¡±

    ¡°They mostly never do.¡± ¨C Added another officer.

    ¡°Attention all units!¡± ¨C Their radios went on. ¨C ¡°We¡¯ve got another report of a violent crime at the Littlehorn apartments, gunshots reported, all available units please respond.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s five blocks away!¡± ¨C Said an officer.

    Two patrols arrived at the scene, finding a bunch of scared civilians gathering outside the building.

    ¡°Here! Someone broke into an apartment in the third floor. We heard gunfire, I¡¯m sure someone got killed!¡± ¨C Said an old woman standing in the officer¡¯s way.

    ¡°Everyone, stay here, we¡¯ll take care of the situation.¡±

    Four officers took out their guns and went up the stairs to the apartment the neighbors pointed at.

    When they arrived on the third floor they saw the door of the apartment half-opened and a puddle of blood extending itself under it. The officers approached slowly, sticking to the wall and keeping their guns ready.

    The officer taking point opened the door slowly and then fell back a couple of steps. Then he managed to get enough courage to peek into the apartment.

    ¡°Police!¡± ¨C He said as he peeked, only to find five corpses in the living room, three men, two women, their blood had formed a big puddle all across the floor. ¨C ¡°Sweet Jesus¡­¡± ¨C He signaled his partners to move in.

    They searched the apartment carefully, guns up. Checking the bedrooms they found another corpse, a man, he died on the bed, his brains were splattered on the wall behind it.

    Finally, checking the bathroom they made a most shocking and disturbing finding. The officers found a little girl tied up to the sink pipe, and another corpse inside the bathtub, a fat man with a bushy beard and a torso full of holes that colored the water with an intense crimson red.

    They called an ambulance; it was clear what was going on in there.

    The police would later identify the people in the apartment as members of a Mexican cartel that smuggled children across the frontier, and they were expecting instructions from their employers on what to do with the little girl they had with them. The girl was the daughter of a wealthy man and they were holding her hostage for ransom and then to sell her to the highest bidder anyway.

    None in the force had a clue that this was happening in their peaceful town, and they felt ashamed they were ignorant of it, but that was just the beginning.

    They received another report ten blocks away inside another apartment building.

    Second floor, room 206, a man lies dead in the living room with a hole the size of a thumb on the back of his head and his Tv screen was showered with his blood. The police found his collection of child abuse material in his bedroom.

    It was at the fourth call that they realized they had a very big problem in their hands.

    Inside a 7-Eleven store, a very bored clerk thought that he was gonna have a boring night as it was usual and was thinking on how he could get a better job, but at the moment that seemed to be virtually impossible.

    He was suddenly brought out of his trance by the sound of the bell above door ringing.

    ¡°Good evening, wel¡­¡± ¨C He looked towards the door and saw a very grim looking girl carrying a big bag walk inside, but the most notorious thing about her was those livid red scars on her face. ¨C ¡°What the¡­?¡±

    She walked down to the bottom of the store and looked inside the fridge for the milk and ice cream.

    ¡°Hey¡­lady? Are you ok? Do you need help?¡± ¨C He asked, from behind the counter, he didn¡¯t dare approach her.

    Suddenly another person walked into the store and took out a gun from inside his pants.

    ¡°A¡¯ight muthafucka this is a robbery! Gimme all the dosh! Come on!¡±

    The clerk, trembling like a jelly, did as he was told and opened the cashier, all the while this deranged man kept berating him while holding him at gunpoint.

    He was so focused on putting the money in a bag and not screwing up he didn¡¯t notice that girl walking up behind the criminal and shooting him in the back of the head. He sprayed his blood and brains all over the wall and some of it splashed over his face. the clerk panicked and screamed and curled in a corner on the ground.

    The corpse of the thief plummeted over the counter and his blood spilled from over the edges, meanwhile the girl searched his pockets and took out his wallet and looked inside, took six dollars out, put the wallet back in his pants and placed the money on the counter in a place where it wouldn¡¯t be soaked in blood; she was paying for two cartons of milk, she had already drunk half of one.

    She left the store without saying a word. The store clerk would remain on the ground for a few more minutes before getting over his shock and calling the police.

    Alicia walked out of the store while drinking the half full carton of milk, consuming its contents in a single gulp, then she opened the second carton of milk walking down the sidewalk and once again drinking the milk in a single gulp. She then dropped the cartons in a nearby garbage bin.

    She had gotten thirsty after killing the man with the dubious collection of videos, and even then, she suspected that he wasn¡¯t the only one in that town, there were some similar scents nearby, but she wanted to taste something different at least for the moment.

    She smelled the air again, there was a huge gathering of pork steaks nearby, pork belly with cherry BBQ sauce on top of them. Alicia noticed herself drooling again and wiped off the saliva sliding down a side of her mouth.

    Alicia walked down an alley and jumped up the walls, onto the rooftops, she would keep a low profile like this. She could hear police patrols coming and going all around the town, they had noticed what she was doing and were on the case. However, her mind couldn¡¯t grasp why they would care about her cleaning house. But in any case, she didn¡¯t give a single damn about it.

    Alicia rushed forward, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, reaching for her preys. They were close enough, she could already taste them.

    Carl had found an advantage point on a rooftop from which he could survey the situation down in the warehouse, the last hint they had of Butcher¡¯s trace.

    Looking through the scope of his rifle he saw a group of paramedics, backed off by policemen, bringing out a bunch of corpses in bags out of the warehouse, while the forensics team went in to gather evidence.

    ¡°What do you see Carl?¡± ¨C Asked Luis through the intercom.

    ¡°It seems that our little stunt woke up the monster within.¡± ¨C Said Carl. ¨C ¡°When I saw her she seemed to be enjoying herself with simple target practice but that¡¯s not enough anymore, she went and killed a bunch of hoodlums.¡± ¨C He then heard the echoes of the police sirens rushing through the streets nearby. ¨C ¡°¡­And it seems she isn¡¯t done just yet.¡±

    ¡°So let me get this straight, she knows there¡¯s a group of pros after her, and she decides to go and kill a bunch of unrelated cunts?¡±

    ¡°Maybe she¡¯s just warming up.¡± ¨C Interjected Kalina. ¨C ¡°She has to be at peak performance to face a group of assassins, right?¡±

    ¡°She mopped the floor with you Kalina, remember that.¡± ¨C Said Igor.

    ¡°Fuck you, knucklehead.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not just that.¡± ¨C Said Luis. ¨C ¡°Those gangbangers probably were armed, she¡¯s scrounging up the area to get her tools of the trade one way or another. Let¡¯s listen to the police radio, we are gonna follow her tracks and we¡¯ll catch up to her at some point.¡±

    ¡°And then?¡± ¨C Asked Carl.

    ¡°We kill her, of course, before she gets bored and escapes for good.¡±

    A few hours ago, against all odds, Kirsten and Charlie had made it into the town. It was a long journey, and no one guaranteed them that they¡¯d find Alicia by the time they arrived, but at last they were there.

    However, now that they were in the town, Kirsten had to face an uncomfortable fact: they had no idea of her specific whereabouts. He¡¯d really like to have the support of a satellite but they couldn¡¯t afford that at the moment, for all intents and purposes the organization was in shambles, but as long as Lionel couldn¡¯t deal the killing blow, he was convinced that they could get back in shape, Darius would do it, he was a genius, he would do it effortlessly.

    In any case, he was there to fulfill his role. He couldn¡¯t just ask people around if they had seen a girl that looks like a zombie with thick scars on her face, that leaves an impression, passive witnesses, and that could work in the benefit of their enemies if they didn¡¯t know what they were doing already.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    It was better to start slowly, they rented a room in a hotel from which they could organize and gather their thoughts.

    Kirsten set up a map of the city on a wall and a radio from which he could listen to the police¡¯s frequency. Assuming that what the commander said was correct, they¡¯d hear about random violent incidents in the vicinities that could potentially be linked to Butcher.

    ¡°So you say that it¡¯s likely she gets the itch and walks around looking for someone to slash?¡± ¨C Asked Charlie. ¨C ¡°Man, she is a real piece of work.¡±

    ¡°But she¡¯s still a very valuable asset for the organization, and Lionel went to great lengths to make sure she would die, but she¡¯s still alive. Because of that, we have to find her.¡±

    ¡°No wonder he waited for her to be on her own to strike.¡± ¨C She said. ¨C ¡°¡­I¡¯m kind of offended that they don¡¯t hold me in such a high regard.¡±

    ¡°You are more delicate, Charlie, you¡¯ve got finesse.¡± ¨C He said, then he crossed his arms and looked back at her, she had already gotten comfortable on her bed. ¨C ¡°And you are a very agreeable and amicable person, maybe they thought that you¡¯d agree to their terms or oppose little to no resistance¡± ¨C He looked up to the roof evoking his thoughts. ¨C ¡°Lionel and his sympathizers thought that she was a monster from the very beginning, that¡¯s why they are so eager to get rid of her.¡±

    ¡°Well, from what I¡¯ve seen from her they are certainly in their right to try to defuse that time bomb.¡±

    ¡°But she¡¯s a very capable asset, so we must get to her before Lionel¡¯s mercenaries do.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± ¨C Charlie reflected, crossing her arms while placing the back of her head on the pillow. ¨C ¡°¡­Why do you think she¡¯s like that though? Even I know how to take it easy sometimes, go to a nice little beach and take it easy.¡±

    ¡°War does things to people, Charlie.¡± ¨C He said. ¨C ¡°And as you know, she knows a lot about it, she¡¯s been involved in wars for a very long time.¡±

    ¡°So young¡­she reminds me of a certain comic book character.¡± ¨C She said, turning to her side. ¨C ¡°That big dude with the thousand yards stare that punishes criminals, you know?¡±

    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t bring that up Charlie.¡± ¨C Kirsten turned his attention back to setting up the radio.

    ¡°Seriously, she sounds as loveable as that dude, I can already imagine she has that stone cold glare, just like his.¡±

    Kirsten wouldn¡¯t define her glare as stone cold. The commander defined it as full of hate, but when they talked to each other, Kirsten saw something different: he saw a flame burning reluctantly, tired and out of fuel, as if she was dying within, but when her emotions surfaced, that flame regained some of its strength.

    And of course, he couldn¡¯t forget about that indescribable creature that hid behind that glare, the creature that corresponded to her emotions and fought alongside her.

    ¡°In any case, I don¡¯t know how long we¡¯ll stay here, and we are not going to ask around the place for her just like that. Could you go around and keep an eye out on things? See if there¡¯s anything worth noting.¡±

    ¡°Alright, you got it.¡±

    ¡°Ok, and keep a low profile!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m best at.¡±

    Kirsten heard a bell, and when he turned around Charlie had already disappeared from the room, leaving no trace of her presence whatsoever.

    ¡°¡­Assassins¡­¡± ¨C He muttered. ¨C ¡°They couldn¡¯t be like the hitmen from my time, no sir¡­¡±

    He finally set up the radio and could hear miscellaneous transmissions between the various police patrols coming and going around town. He wished he could call back to the HQ to give a status report, the last time he did it was back at the outpost, but he was afraid that if he used his phone again, the wrong people would be listening, everyone in the organization shared this suspicion.

    Regardless he still couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling of being watched. After what the commander said, he could still feel the cold and silent presence of his bodyguard stalking him as if he was his very own shadow.

    ¡°(He can¡¯t let go, just as much as we can¡¯t.)¡± ¨C He thought. The commander refused to let go of his favorite weapon completely, while the organization refused to let go of a legendary killer and her services.

    However, it was better that way. Leaving her to her own devices was irresponsible, and ultimately, destructive, and he would soon see why.

    Kirsten would spend the following hours listening to the radio and keeping a lookout on their base of operations, meaning, their hotel room.

    He had given Charlie a radio they could use to communicate, he turned it on and reached out for her.

    ¡°How¡¯s it going Charlie?¡±

    ¡°This place is booooooring, over.¡±

    Kirsten laughed. ¨C ¡°It¡¯s a nice town, don¡¯t be like that.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to do and nothing to see, it¡¯s the same wherever you look. This is pure americana, but somehow, it¡¯s boring! Where are the cowboy hats? Where are the gothic clothing stores? Where¡¯s the biker gangs? Where¡¯s everyone?¡±

    ¡°If you want to see that stuff we have to go further south, Forest Grove doesn¡¯t really see that kind of things as often as others.¡±

    ¡°And Butcher had to choose the most boring town in the entirety of the US to get stranded into?¡± ¨C She scoffed.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t have much of a choice, did she? The plane detoured from its course while she kept fighting in the plane and it crashed. She¡¯s actually lucky she didn¡¯t fall in the middle of Washington, or worse yet, in a big city like Los Angeles or New York. Maybe the quietness of this town has helped her relax.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t think someone like her knows how to relax.¡± ¨C She said. ¨C ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t see signs of her anywhere, though I did hear something about corpses being found in the forest nearby. Old ladies and their gossip, you know? Apparently a group of dudes killed a girl, and someone passed by and killed them.¡±

    ¡°¡­Sounds like her alright.¡± ¨C He said. Feeling tired he took his shoes off and laid down on his bed. ¨C ¡°Anyway, keep looking around, and if nothing happens, come back before the sun settles.¡±

    ¡°You got it, boss.¡±

    The commander was right, but at least he had made it to the town in time. If they had come a day or two later, who knows what might have happened?

    But the reality was that he had arrived just in time to be part of a bloody and intense play that would make the entire town its stage.

    He decided it was time for a power nap, so he closed his eyes and allowed his consciousness to drift away. He was woken up two hours after by the same bell that announced Charlie¡¯s arrival.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s getting dark.¡± ¨C She said. ¨C ¡°Saw no trace of Butcher, but heard a lot of talk about some sharpshooting competition, apparently they had some interesting contestants there.¡±

    ¡°A shooting contest?¡± ¨C Kirsten pondered, trying to determine if it would make sense for her to be there. ¨C ¡°Well, she does like shooting practice. But why would she go out in public? Wait, maybe she¡¯s using that fake ID we gave her just in case!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s smart to use whatever you gave her. Maybe it¡¯d be worth the shot to look into that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure, but I doubt someone¡¯s left there at this hour.¡± ¨C Kirsten sat back up on the edge of the bed. ¨C ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m hungry, wanna go out for something to eat? It¡¯s on me.¡±

    ¡°You are the best boss I¡¯ve ever had, Kirsten.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the only boss you¡¯ve had. When I found you, you were your own boss doing as you pleased.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm¡­that¡¯s true.¡± ¨C She raised up her hand to her chin and smiled. ¨C ¡°No one stood a chance against the mighty Fate! Those adrenochrome eaters and their little foreign slaves never stood a chance, they were part of some of my best works of art¡­ but when I ran them out of Paris things got rather stale, that¡¯s when you showed up.¡±

    ¡°Is that why you accepted my offer? you were bored?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly, let¡¯s say I was hoping for a better opportunity, I wanted to¡­expand my horizons. Those harvesters were small fries compared to the fucks you have sent me out to kill.¡±

    ¡°Hey, language.¡±

    Charlie chuckled. ¨C ¡°I really went up a few positions in the Interpol¡¯s wanted list thanks to your group.¡± ¨C She lied down on her bed and stared at the roof. ¨C ¡°It¡¯s been the dream, alright. It never gets old when a satanist asks good ol¡¯ Lucy for help before being quartered.¡± ¨C She said as she reached up with her hand.

    Kirsten felt a shiver crawl up his spine. ¨C ¡°¡­You and Butcher have some things in common.¡±

    ¡°Butcher, Chain, Silencer, Spectre and me have a lot in common. Hell, I even see a lot of myself in Jules, and she¡¯s such a good Christian girl.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Charlie¡¯s tone became serious, but she didn¡¯t stop smiling.

    ¡°¡­There¡¯s one thing that sets up apart though. I don¡¯t know about Butcher, but none of the others were born like this. I did.¡±

    Kirsten listened carefully.

    ¡°I was born a weapon, and I¡¯ll die a weapon, if I ever die of course. This is the way I¡¯ve been wired by God himself, and so far, I¡¯ve found no reasons to disobey his command.¡±

    ¡°(Truly¡­they are all insane.)¡± ¨C Thought Kirsten. ¨C ¡°(But for some reason I can¡¯t bring myself to hate them.)¡±

    Kirsten kept listening to the radio. Night had fallen. He was uncertain how long they¡¯d have to stay in that town.

    Fortunately for him it wouldn¡¯t be long.

    There was a change of situation. The police were now on high alert.

    ¡°Attention, all units, we got reports of a shootout around the old Silver Warehouses, any nearby units please respond.¡±

    ¡°A shootout?¡± ¨C Wondered Kirsten. ¨C ¡°It¡¯s probably just random gang violence.¡±

    Charlie just closed her eyes and turned on her bed, she was already falling asleep.

    Ten minutes later another report.

    ¡°Attention, all units, we received calls of a murder in the Littlehorn apartments, shots fired, I repeat, shots fired, any nearby units please respond.¡±

    Five minutes later.

    ¡°Attention all units, we received reports of a failed robbery in the 7-Eleven in the 16<sup>th</sup> avenue, any available units please respond.¡±

    ¡°(All of this, happening one after the other.)¡± ¨C Kirsten got up from the edge of the bed and looked at the map, he took out a box of pins and placed them in the general locations where these crimes were taking place.

    ¡°(They are not that close to each other, are they actually just random occurences?)¡± ¨C He wondered, still skeptic this was the sign he was looking for to follow Alicia¡¯s trail on Forest Grove.

    Then suddenly he and Charlie heard the distinctive boom of a shotgun at the distance, at least two blocks away from their position, then another, and then another.

    ¡°Attention, all units! We¡¯ve got a shootout in the Red Lady brothel. Shots fired, I repeat, shots fired! All available units respond ASAP!¡±

    Kirsten heard as the blasts became more and more opaque until he couldn¡¯t hear them anymore, in exchange, he could now hear the screams of multiple people as they ran away from the scene, most were women to be precise.

    ¡°Charlie, go check it out!¡± ¨C He said.

    ¡°Got it boss.¡± ¨C Charlie disappeared with the ring of a bell, though this time Kirsten felt a gust of wind rushing by his side and out through the window, he assumed that sudden current had to be her, so she really didn¡¯t have any weird superpowers, she was just extremely fast and stealthy; he didn¡¯t know if this was any better or not.

    Charlie jumped over the rooftops and rushed to the scene of the shootout. After running for a couple of minutes she stopped to overlook the brothel were the shootout took place.

    Unfortunately, the cops had arrived first.

    ¡°We¡¯ve surrounded the building! Surrender and come out with your hands up! No one else has to get hurt!¡± ¨C Said an officer holding a megaphone.

    Charlie spotted a handful of corpses at the entrance, they had to be the ones on the receiving end of the shotgun, some were staff of the brothel, others seemed to just be random townsfolk that were there out of sheer coincidence.

    ¡°(She wouldn¡¯t just kill random people, would she? Has she gone berserk?)¡± ¨C Thought Charlie. ¨C ¡°(Only one way to find out I guess.)¡±

    Charlie jumped to the brothel¡¯s roof unnoticed by the police while they formed a perimeter around the building and waited for the SWAT team to come as ordered by the chief.

    She entered through a window and landed on the second floor where the girls¡¯ rooms were located, and once she set foot in the brothel, she felt it.

    A building pressure, gravity felt heavier, she could almost hear the screams of the damned that were murdered and were still dying.

    Charlie heard a whisper. It was a passing thought, yet loud and clear to her ears.

    ¡°[As long as they remain¡­I can¡¯t return home.]¡±

    Charlie gasped. ¨C ¡°(What the hell¡­?)¡±

    She sneaked to the stairs to the first floor where she spotted the aftermath of a carnage.

    Around twenty people lied dead around the main hall, none of them were the girls that worked there, but the corpses seemed to be members of the staff, and once again, random civilians, most of them were wearing suits. They had been gunned down before they could react.

    Charlie heard another whisper coming.

    ¡°[I¡¯ll leave a scar so deep it won¡¯t ever heal¡­]¡±

    She heard screams and gunshots coming from below, in the basement. Charlie rushed towards the stairs, stumbling upon yet another trail of corpses that had formed there, they were probably trying to escape before they stumbled upon their ruthless executioner.

    In any case, she walked down the stairs, making sure to not make a single noise, listening to the unrelenting sound of guns being fired and bodies dropping to the ground amidst screams and pleas filled with pain and terror.

    Charlie walked into the basement, stepping into a puddle of blood. It was hard to determine how many corpses littered the corridor, the lights had been destroyed in the firefight, sinking it in darkness. Only a single flickering light remained at the bottom of the corridor.

    They were armed, and judging by the holes on the walls and roof, they had done their best to defend themselves, but it was a fruitless effort in the end. Whoever killed them, exceeded their capabilities and competency, bringing their lives to a cold and sudden end.

    Charlie wanted to move forward, but for some reason his legs weren¡¯t responding anymore. She was now forced to watch as the events unfolded in front of her.

    A little girl walked out of a nearby room. Her long hair fell over her face, she was dressed with a single bloodied shirt and her right arm was completely absent.

    Then, from the room right in front of her walked out another person, she was holding two MP5s in her hands, a shotgun dangled from her back along a bag full with more guns and a ammunition.

    Charlie saw them, the glowing red scars on her face, but they weren¡¯t merely glowing red anymore, it was as if hell itself was contained within her, holding back a roaring fire that threatened to destroy the entire world around them. Charlie felt weak, her hands were trembling, her mind was completely blank. Her heart was filled with such yearning she shed a couple of tears; she hadn¡¯t cried in so many years she thought that she had lost the capability to do so.

    ¡°Charlie, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¨C Said Kirsten through the radio. ¨C ¡°Do you see anything? What¡¯s happening over there?¡±

    Alicia caressed the hair of the little girl and whispered something to her, the girl nodded and ran back into the room where she came from. Then she turned around and walked towards Charlie.

    ¡°Charlie, what the hell is happening!? Are you ok!?¡± ¨C Kirsten kept reaching out but she didn¡¯t dare pick up the radio.

    Alicia walked pass Charlie and went up the stairs, ignoring her completely, some would say she wasn¡¯t even aware of Charlie¡¯s presence there, she was insignificant, or rather, her soul didn¡¯t smell like anything.

    Charlie finally gave in and kneeled, losing the strength in her legs. She grabbed the radio with her trembling hands and responded. ¨C ¡°It¡¯s her¡­it¡¯s Butcher.¡±

    ¡°Really!?¡±

    ¡°We are in for a fun night, boss¡­¡± ¨C She said with a trembling smile. ¨C ¡°I¡¯m so happy¡­¡±

    Kirsten didn¡¯t know what that was about, but at that point he and Luis were thinking the exact same thing.

    ¡°We have to catch her.¡±

 The extremist one

    Meanwhile, back with the Crimson Rangers at their headquarters, the commander was walking to his office to get some coffee. On his way he stumbled upon Aiden who was doing something out of his usual routine.

    He was sitting on a bench near the dining area using a laptop he had bought recently with his savings.

    ¡°What are you doing, lieutenant? Didn¡¯t know you were tech savvy.¡± ¨C He said.

    ¡°Me? No, it¡¯s not that. Computers are very easy to use if you get around to understand them, at least on a basic level.¡± ¨C Said Aiden. ¨C ¡°I got this laptop because I wanted to try something new.¡±

    ¡°Something new?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, take a look!¡± ¨C The commander leaned over his shoulder. ¨C ¡°It¡¯s a game I¡¯ve been intending to play for a while, and now that we don¡¯t have much work to do, I thought it¡¯d be a good moment to try it out.¡±

    ¡°A game?¡±

    In the game, Aiden was controlling a soldier wielding what the commander assumed was a Spas-12, even if in the game it wasn¡¯t called like that, facing a squad of armored combatants who seemed to be part of another military group, judging by their uniforms, gear and discipline.

    ¡°They are smart I tell you.¡± ¨C Said Aiden. ¨C ¡°They use tactics the same way a real-life squad would use them.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really getting old.¡± ¨C Said Floyd. ¨C ¡°This stuff is beyond me. How can this be?¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s not the best of it all, check this out.¡±- Then, Aiden did something that if he were to do it in real life he would wind out dead. He charged against the enemies hiding behind cover, and with the push of a button, it seemed like the world around them slowed down, allowing Aiden to gun down his opponents with ease and clear the area while the enemies couldn¡¯t put up much resistance.

    ¡°What the hell was that!?¡± ¨C Asked Floyd. ¨C ¡°What did you do!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s called Reflex mode!¡± ¨C Said Aiden. ¨C ¡°Apparently this character I¡¯m playing as, referred to as Point Man, he has such advanced reflexes, it¡¯s like the world around him slows down, like in the Matrix.¡± ¨C He laughed. ¨C ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be mighty useful if one of us could do this? I mean, whoever could do it would be shredding through talibans, African guerrillas or whatever else our job throws at us like nobody¡¯s business.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah, mighty useful.¡± ¨C He said, watching as Aiden¡¯s character walked through corridors, demolishing this unknown military faction, using that reflex mode from time to time in order to get the upper hand on them, at one point he even dodged a missile from an armored bipedal machine out of a sci-fi movie. ¨C ¡°¡­useful.¡±

    He crossed his arms and replaced those white and virtually sterile corridors with derelict and humid alleyways and streets, then he filled them up with armed insurgents rushing through them, pursuing their prey with feverish zealotry.

    Then, he imagined his favorite weapon, Alicia, running towards them and engaging them in a firefight, disposing of multiple of them at once with great speed and precision, something that shouldn¡¯t be possible for someone her age, but somehow, she could do it, because there was no one else like her in this world.

    ¡°(This is probably how she sees the world when she¡¯s fighting.)¡± ¨C He thought, watching Aiden making good use of the reflex mode. ¨C ¡°(Her reflexes are so fast, the world goes slow, and she has time to process everything going on around her¡­but then, this also means she becomes faster than her opponents, so fast they have problems getting their sights on her.)¡±

    He scratched his beard, feeling fascinated by finally being able to get an idea of how Alicia sees the world whenever she¡¯s fighting.

    ¡°(It must be incredible to perceive time different than everyone else.)¡± ¨C He thought. ¨C ¡°(But also very dangerous.)¡±

    The commander walked away. ¨C ¡°You can keep playing Aiden, I¡¯ve gotta make a call.¡±

    ¡°You gonna check up on Colin?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I want to get a status report.¡± ¨C He said. ¨C ¡°(Let¡¯s see if Eyler needs a hand.)¡±

    ¡°Attention, all units.¡± ¨C Said the chief of police through the radio. ¨C ¡°Following the reports we¡¯ve received, we can reach the conclusion that we are dealing with a highly armed and dangerous individual, a spree killer. All units must collaborate with the SWAT teams and form a search perimeter around downtown, the industrial area and protect the neighborhoods. We must stop this murderer at all cost before his kill count grows bigger.¡±

    The police and SWAT did as they were told. Every single unit, every single agent was summoned to perform their role in the task at hand. They had to stop this killer at all cost, be it dead or alive.

    However, not even under these circumstances Alicia seemed to be bothered.

    A couple of police cars drove around the streets, informing people through a speaker to return to their homes and close all doors and windows, they were in a state of emergency but order would be restored soon. Of course, there were some that didn¡¯t listen to these warnings, some because they couldn¡¯t hear it, others because they were too stubborn to stop whatever they were doing and go back home. This played in Alicia¡¯s favor once again, and even then, they coming back home wouldn¡¯t make a difference at all.

    It didn¡¯t cut it in the desert, it didn¡¯t cut it for thousands of them, it wouldn¡¯t cut it now.

    Charlie tried to catch up to Alicia, coming back out through the roof before the SWAT came in to see the aftermath of her work, but by the time Charlie had gone up, Alicia was nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°She disappeared!¡± ¨C Said Charlie.

    ¡°What do you mean she disappeared!?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fast, too fast. She must be looking for her next batch of targets!¡±

    ¡°Well, find her again, I¡¯ll go look around the streets too.¡± ¨C Said Kirsten, putting on his jacket and fastening his holster around his hip and rushing out of the room.

    Luis¡¯ crew had a similar idea. It would be hard to zero in on Butcher if they acted as a group, she could be in one place in a second and then be in another in the next minute, so they decided to split up to cover more terrain, and once one of them spotted her, they would rendezvous at the spotter¡¯s location and attack her as a unit.

    Carl went up a radio tower overviewing the area around the Elementary school located near the 26<sup>th</sup> avenue, Igor took a stroll around downtown, making sure to be discreet enough to not be approached by the cops. Kalina went to the industrial area, and Luis would remain close to the university campus.

    Now there were three different groups looking for her, but the only one that had Alicia¡¯s wellbeing in mind was Kirsten and Charlie. The night was still young.

    For the next couple of hours, the police would go around following every report they received of a violent incident, and they were coming every fifteen to thirty minutes, but whenever they arrived on the area of the incident, it was already too late, Alicia was already gone, leaving a corpse or a bunch of them behind.

    At one point the news spread among the officers. They weren¡¯t just dealing with an armed mass murderer, they were dealing with a vigilante mass murderer, judging by the nature of the people she had been killing up until that point.

    Gangsters, drug dealers, child abusers¡­ the gangs were a problem from time to time, but it was harder to catch child predators. Some of them were glad that someone was kind enough to take out the trash for them.

    The officers that had remained at the brothel found a group of children there that had been tortured in heinous ways and recorded on camera. All the evidence was there. Some of them had to walk up to the parking lot and puke due to how sickening it all was, the kids were mangled and mutilated, but for some reason those monsters had kept them alive, they weren¡¯t done with them it seemed.

    It was not a surprise many of them were filled with the same hatred she felt while killing them, and they refused to participate in the manhunt, choosing instead to stay close to the paramedics to escort the children to safety at the hospital.

    But no matter what a doctor could do for them, some scars would never heal. However, those children could smile again, knowing that there was a being out there, willing and capable of killing all evil.

    ¡°Everyone, status report.¡± ¨C Said Luis, hidden in the darkness of an alleyway.

    ¡°Nothing to report yet, over.¡± ¨C Said Igor.

    ¡°The bitch¡¯s nowhere to be found, over.¡± ¨C Said Kalina, increasingly restless in her spot overlooking another warehouse which she was sure was the humble abode of another gang. If there was a place Butcher was sure to strike, it would be that one.

    ¡°Nothing here either, over.¡± ¨C Said Carl. ¨C ¡°The cops keep coming and going, and some gunshot noises here and there, but she hasn¡¯t come close of here.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, here neither.¡± ¨C Replied Luis. ¨C ¡°But let¡¯s not get impatient, if she¡¯s doing what I think she¡¯s doing, she¡¯s gonna want to kill every single cunt she can spot in this town. How she knows where they are and if they do deserve it or not is anyone¡¯s guess, but the point still stands, she¡¯s gonna stumble by any of us at some point.¡±

    ¡°Much earlier than you might expect actually!¡± ¨C Said Kalina. ¨C ¡°I spotted her, she¡¯s here at the warehouses, she just stormed into a gang hideout and is killing everyone inside.¡±

    ¡°Alright, wait for us Kalina, Igor and I will be with you shortly.¡±

    ¡°Fuck that, I¡¯ve got a score to settle with that bitch! You are welcome to join the party, but it might be over by the time you arrive.¡±

    ¡°Kalina, wait!¡± ¨C Kalina shut down her intercom much to Luis¡¯ chagrin. ¨C ¡°Igor, we have to go before she gets herself killed!¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    They had acquired vehicles in the case they had to operate separately, Luis had a motorcycle and Igor had a car big enough for him to fit inside comfortably. They drove through the streets as fast as they could while the police were too busy with their single-minded search, some would command them to return to their homes since they appeared to be civilians, but evidently they would disregard these warnings.

    Kalina rushed to the warehouse, this one was bigger than the last one she hit, it even had a loading bay, that meant that they would have enough room to duke it out between each other.

    Now that she knew what to expect, Kalina was excited to cut Butcher in half with her favorite weapon.

    It was a slaughter inside the warehouse, the gangsters tried to oppose resistance, but their skill wasn¡¯t enough in the face of a disciplined and superhuman soldier.

    The leader of the gang, Miguel, crawled towards a table to pick up a Spas-12 as his last stand against this mysterious assailant that just had destroyed his gang in a matter of a couple of minutes. Men he knew ever since he was a kid, Ramon, John, Sanchez, and a dozen of the others¡­they were all now lying on the ground in a puddle of their own blood.

    As he crawled towards the table, unfortunately, his arms gave up on him, he had lost too much blood from the big gaping wound in his abdomen spilling his innards on the ground.

    ¡°¡­Fuck¡­you¡­monster¡­what did we do to you?¡± ¨C He said, feeling as the air escaped his lungs along with his life. ¨C ¡°What¡­did we do¡­?¡±

    Alicia placed the barrel of the shotgun over his head and pulled the trigger, bringing his misery to an end.

    A messy job, she had spilled a lot of blood over her clothes, now it would be harder to move around, if someone saw her they¡¯d know she is the one the authorities are looking for.

    She looked up to the table and saw the semi-auto shotgun waiting for a new master to use it, alongside two big boxes of twenty-four slugs to feed it with. Yeah, it was time for an upgrade, she reckoned.

    She unloaded the remaining shells inside the one she had and dropped it. But as she was reaching for the new shotgun, she was forced to take a step backwards as a blade descended on her, aiming to chop her arms off.

    There she landed Kalina, determined to get back at the one who humiliated her back there at the diner.

    ¡°So the stories were true, huh?¡± ¨C Said Kalina. ¨C¡°You almost had me fooled for a second, you are actually the Butcher.¡±

    Alicia still had the guns in her bag and the pistols in her hips, but the question was if she was fast enough to prevent her from taking them out and using them.

    ¡°That was a pretty fucking weird reaction, you know?¡± ¨C Said Kalina. ¨C ¡°We try to murder you at the diner, you kick our asses, Igor punches the air out of you, you run away¡­most would¡¯ve skipped town, or at least tried to¡­but you didn¡¯t, instead you went on a fucking rampage and getting everyone riled up, throwing the town into chaos. No psychopath I¡¯ve ever met would do that.¡±

    Kalina held up her sword just so Alicia could see it. She had never seen anything like that, the blade vibrated with energy, it was a piece of cutting-edge technology. Unlike regular swords, she could be capable of slashing anything in that place to pieces, even if it¡¯s metal or concrete.

    ¡°I read your file, Butcher.¡± ¨C She said. ¨C ¡°I thought those stories they included about the people you killed were exaggerated, who the fuck derails a train and kills four dozens of armed mercenaries to get to a single man? Well¡­I guess you did. Do you get off knowing your reputation? Do you like to hear people talk about the shit you¡¯ve done to the Muslims, to the Serbs, the Afghans¡­?¡±

    Alicia took a deep breath, absorbing her scent and determining if killing her was worth her while or not.

    After catching her scent, she was surprised, because Kalina smelled like nothing at all. There was the essence of blood, but what was within wouldn¡¯t offer anything to her.

    This could only mean one thing: the girl with a sword standing before her was a human being of a better quality than the scum that she had been butchering the entire night, a surprise for sure, but a welcomed one.

    Alicia felt a migraine coming up so she put her hand over her forehead and brushed her hair backwards, staring at Kalina with her tired eyes filled with fire and barbarism.

    ¡°[You are not like them. Stop.]¡±

    ¡°Like who? Who the fuck are you talking about?¡±

    She pointed at one of the corpses at their feet, to the one with eyes turned backwards and a big gaping hole in his chest.

    ¡°You mean like these fucktards? You are damn right I¡¯m not!¡±

    ¡°[¡­Not interested in fighting you. Get lost.]¡±

    ¡°No no no no¡­you don¡¯t get to decide that you fucking bitch. You gave me a good smack back there; it¡¯s only right I return the favor.¡± ¨C She pointed the sword at her. ¨C ¡°There¡¯s a lot of money on your head¡­and I guara-damn-tee you I¡¯m gonna get it.¡±

    ¡°[Suit yourself then¡­]¡± ¨C She had some time to spare, she wanted to move some more, despite her demeanor, Alicia was on a rush.

    She dropped the bag to the ground along with her pistols. Alicia cracked her knuckles and loosened up. ¨C ¡°[You are gonna regret this.]¡±

    ¡°So you taking me on like a fighter huh!? I like that! That gives you some points in my book. Let¡¯s waltz then!¡±

    Kalina pounced on her, aiming to decapitate her in a single swing, but Alicia bent backwards then supported herself on the ground with her hands while swinging her legs upwards to kick Kalina in the chin.

    Alicia then jumped back to her feet and tried to tackle Kalina, but she recovered quickly and drove her knee into her face, then she used that chance to perform the killing slash, but Alicia grabbed her by the sleeve and smashed her into the ground.

    She was about to break Kalina¡¯s wrist, but she overcame the pain and used her free hand to pull out a taser and shock Alicia in the ribs.

    Alicia groaned and jumped back but Kalina followed her swinging the sword, all she needed was a single slash and Butcher would be history, she was sure of it.

    Alicia kept jumping back while dodging the vibrating edge of that sword. She would try to get close to obstacles like boxes or shelves, but the sword would cut through them like mere butter. It would have no issues cutting through a living body, obviously.

    Kalina thrusted the sword towards her chest but she stepped back, and the sword plunged itself into a wall of concrete, melting the concrete around it, and she was capable of pulling it out with ease, but that brief moment was the window Alicia was expecting to fight back.

    She grabbed Kalina¡¯s arm and used it as a support to kick her in the stomach, she hit her hard enough to bash her back and into the ground, but she still refused to let go of that sword.

    Alicia rushed at her and aimed to dropkick her in the face, but Kalina placed her arms in the way just in time, but Alicia hit like a freight train, bashing her away a couple of more meters.

    Kalina¡¯s blood boiled, she rolled on her back and stood back up.

    She plunged the sword aiming at her chest once again, but this was a feint. Kalina instead corrected course, rolled on the ground and snared Alicia¡¯s right leg in her own to bring her down to the ground.

    ¡°I got you!¡± ¨C She raised the sword and brought it down to stab Alicia¡¯s heart. In that position, Alicia had no other choice but to bite the bullet and do whatever was necessary to survive.

    Alicia caught the edge of the sword in between her palms and used her strength to not let it advance any further, but she felt the might of a thousands upon thousands of volts cruising through her body.

    Kalina kept pushing, but Alicia was stronger, she was driving the sword back slowly, but enduring the massive pain of electricity was agonizing, it was like being bombarded by a hundred lightnings.

    Her skin burned, her clothes were tearing up, but she would be damned if she allowed Kalina to kill her.

    She pushed up, gaining territory on Kalina until she was in a position to push her away from her and let go of the blade.

    Lines of smoke came up from Alicia¡¯s body, she had been fried from the inside, but at least she managed to let go before it was too late.

    She was too far from relenting yet, she stood back up, albeit with difficulty.

    ¡°You are tough pussycat, I get it¡­¡± ¨C Said Kalina, wheezing having lost her breath. ¨C ¡°You are the toughest bitch I¡¯ve ever had to kill. Most that put up a good fight are men, so I¡¯m surprised, truly¡­!¡±  - She wheezed. ¨C ¡°¡­Those¡­those scars on your face¡­that¡¯s some freaky shit. Why are they glowing? You some kind of demon or something? Are you possessed? Wouldn¡¯t be surprised.¡±

    Alicia stretched and corrected her posture, she took a look around and spotted what she could use as a weapon, then she readied up once again. ¨C ¡°[No talking.]¡±

    ¡°Right¡­you are an all-business kind of chick I see.¡±

    Alicia jumped and dashed to her left, running deeper into the warehouse. She ran past a gate and pressed the button to bring the metal door down, but Kalina cut through it with ease. But when she cut through the other side, she got surprised by a steel tube flying towards her face, she barely evaded it, but that was enough of a distraction for Alicia to shorten the distance between each other and bash her in the head with another steel tube twice.

    Kalina¡¯s world was spinning, she swung the sword around recklessly to try and get Alicia off of her to no avail, Alicia smacked her in the stomach with the steel tube and then swooped her legs, making her trip to the ground. She tried to counter once more with the taser, aiming at Alicia¡¯s ankles, but Alicia evaded it and stepped on her hand, making her drop the taser and kicked it away for safe measure.

    ¡°You¡­whore!¡± ¨C Kalina, as a self-respecting assassin, still had some tricks up her sleeve. She opened her jacket, removing the pin of a flashbang concealed inside.

    The flashbang exploded, taking Alicia¡¯s vision and hearing away for a few seconds. She knew that if she tried to fight in that state Kalina would get the upper hand and liquidate her, so she jumped aimlessly forward, then to the left, then to the right, like some pinball bouncing around. She crashed with some shelves, knocking them down with everything in them, then through a window and into another part of the warehouse; at that point, she was regretting not keeping her pistols, regretting her own sense of honor to try and fight this girl fair and square. Foolish, why ¨C after fighting dirty with the scum of the earth for years ¨C did she begin to want to have a fair fight with someone?

    Kalina recomposed herself and went after her.

    ¡°I¡¯m fucking done with this you psychotic sack of shit!¡± ¨C She said. ¨C ¡°I¡¯m gonna chop you into a hundred pieces.¡±

    On her way there was a door, that was until she sliced it and the pieces fell to her feet. That part of the warehouse was pitch black and smelled like humidity and stale air. No one had been there in a long time it seemed, the gang that had settled there didn¡¯t care to clean it up and repurpose it at least like they had done with a few more rooms, she was certainly hiding in there, but with the sword¡¯s lightning, she¡¯d have enough light to look around.

    But then, she remembered something very important, the sword¡¯s battery, she wasn¡¯t meant to use it for that long, she had forgotten to charge it up before coming to the town.

    She looked at her sword and watched in despair as the edge lost its light and energy, becoming just a sword like any other. She was now standing in a spot of pure darkness.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± ¨C Kalina rushed back to the door, towards the light, but halfway through towards salvation she heard another couple of footsteps running right behind her.

    Just as she stepped into the light, a couple of arms surrounded her torso and she felt a weight over her back that made her stumble and fall to the ground, rolling out of the dark and into the light; Alicia had caught her and she was ready to keep fighting.

    Being on her back, Alicia put her on a choke hold, strangling the life out of her, but Kalina resisted and used the force in her legs to get back up and jump to fall on her back with the hope of hurting her. The impact at least loosened the grip she had over her neck.

    She escaped Alicia¡¯s grip and placed herself on top of her and proceeded to release a flurry of punches on her. Alicia did her best to block them with her arms, waiting for an opening.

    When Kalina pulled the left fist back Alicia reached for her collar, pulled her in and then hit her in the chin with a right hook.

    Stunned once again, Alicia took that chance to kick her off and stand back. Kalina stood up, but she was wobbly and disoriented, Alicia¡¯s punch was like that of one of those legendary boxers.

    To put an end to this fight once and for all, Alicia took a deep breath and hit Kalina on a side of her head with a succession of four roundhouse kicks. Kalina¡¯s brain bounced from one side of her skull to the other, the mother of all concussions. By the second kick, Kalina was already blacking out, she lost sensitivity in her limbs, and before she realized it, she was already on the ground, the light faded away, and so did she.

    Kalina woke up five minutes later, tied up and trapped inside a container abandoned in the loading bay, right outside the warehouse. There was nothing in there except a pile of boxes from which the gangsters used to take a couple whenever they needed to stash something inside. Alicia was standing at the entrance, holding the doors.

    ¡°[It¡¯s your job to kill me, but I cannot let you. Work to do.]¡±

    ¡°¡­My crew will get you, asshole. You aren¡¯t leaving this town alive¡­¡± ¨C Kalina coughed up blood. ¨C ¡°You should¡¯ve left when you had the chance.¡±

    ¡°[Could say the same to you.]¡± ¨C She tilted her head to the left. ¨C ¡°[You are a good one. Keep it up, then I won¡¯t have to kill you down the road.]¡±

    ¡°Wait, you¡­!¡± ¨C Without uttering another word, Alicia closed the doors and locked them from the outside. ¨C ¡°You can¡¯t leave me here you fuck! Let me out of here, I¡¯ll fucking get you, you hear me!? I¡¯ll fucking gut you, you animal!¡±

    Kalina kept blaspheming against her, but she stopped hearing her when she was far away enough.

    Alicia had already gathered her belongings, including that shotgun she had fought tooth and nail for and that weird sword Kalina had, though it wouldn¡¯t help her much since it was out of power, not like it mattered anyway.

    The sirens were approaching, including Kalina¡¯s pals. It was time to keep moving, there was another delicious scent close by.

 The strong one

    The commander sat down behind his desk and turned on the computer. Unlike Aiden, he didn¡¯t use computers for his own entertainment, it was just another tool like the radio or a radar. He used this computer to keep direct contact between him and Colin, his man on the field monitoring Kirsten¡¯s activity, and judging by his last report, he had found Alicia way before Kirsten could.

    Once the computer turned on, he clicked on a program one of the guys in the communications building prepared for him and taught how to use; it was a barebones direct messaging application, nothing fancy like the other ones that were all the rage with the youth in those times, but it served its main purpose well enough, to stay in contact with Colin whenever he was on a mission.

    ¡°Status report.¡± ¨C He typed. After a couple of seconds, Colin replied.

    ¡°The corporal has gone berserk.¡± ¨C He responded, somehow Conrad couldn¡¯t help but feel he had been in this situation before.

    ¡°No surprise there.¡± ¨C He typed. ¨C ¡°Damage?¡±

    ¡°Multiple casualties, almost reaching one hundred.¡±

    ¡°Civilians?¡±

    ¡°Some.¡±

    The commander sighed; he knew this would happen at some point. But then he took a deep breath and focused, remembering that he forgot to ask a very important question.

    ¡°Anything to note about them?¡± ¨C He typed.

    ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen¡­¡± ¨C Said Colin. ¨C ¡°¡­they were deviants.¡±

    ¡°Deviants?¡±

    ¡°Child abusers and other such filth.¡±

    ¡°(So she¡¯s at that stage huh?)¡± ¨C Thought Conrad. ¨C ¡°(I¡¯m glad she hasn¡¯t devolved into a mindless monster at the very least.)¡±

    ¡°The corporal is still on the move.¡± ¨C Said Colin. ¨C ¡°Broke into a house.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s she doing in there?¡±

    ¡°She seems to be resting.¡±

    After escaping the warehouse, Alicia wandered forward, keeping to the shadows, but now she could feel the heat rising.

    Patrol cars everywhere, three helicopters flying over the town, using a lamplight to search in the darkest corners; the law had put all their hands on this and she knew it.

    She stumbled upon a house and broke inside kicking the backdoor open. The house seemed to be empty, the owners were probably away on vacations or a business trip, it was anyone¡¯s guess.

    Alicia walked into the living room and dropped the bag full with guns next to the couch in the center of the room, then she plummeted on it. She stayed there, staring at her own reflection on the Tv screen right in front of her, looking at the glowing scars on her face.

    She quickly realized how tired she was, she had forced her body beyond its limits, and as a consequence, it was collapsing, falling apart. She couldn¡¯t feel her legs anymore, her muscles were numbed, her tongue fell asleep, and worst of all, her vision was slowly obscured and faded away.

    Alicia was now completely blind.

    Her body was withering away at a fast pace. If it was up to her, she would have just laid down and closed her eyes then go to sleep being lulled by the sound of her own heartbeat, now calm and regretful, then waking up on the other side where she expected to meet with Malak and the others once and for all.

    ¡°[I¡¯ve reached my limit.]¡± ¨C She thought. ¨C ¡°[This is it¡­]¡±

    However, Crimson had a different idea. Thin lines of smoke came out from her scars and a sudden surge of energy ran through her body. She recovered the sensations in her legs and tongue, the soreness in her muscles disappeared and her vision returned. She gasped for air when she felt her heart beating with life and power.

    She looked at her reflection on the screen once again, now her eyes were two red glowing rings surrounded by darkness. She knew this was her hint to know that she couldn¡¯t remain in this state for much longer. She didn¡¯t know what would happen if she lost herself while on full sync mode, but she was sure that it would be just about the same as being dead, and imagining whatever took her place in her mind after she was gone didn¡¯t put her at ease either.

    Alicia stood back and took a moment to stretch, that¡¯s when she received another visit from that corpse that kept stalking her.

    ¡°Daaaaamn, that¡¯s a nice pair of eyes you got there. I don¡¯t think you can be considered human anymore, what are you supposed to be? A demon? A vampire? I haven¡¯t seen you drink blood.¡± ¨C Said Nyx, appearing right next to her on the couch, puffing out a cloud of cold air.

    ¡°[Leave me alone.]¡± ¨C She said while reaching for her bag.

    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be like that. You are the first living supernatural phenomenon I¡¯ve seen! When you wander around as a stranded soul you get used to seeing all sorts of bizarre stuff, but I was under the impression that was exclusive to the spirit world, up until now.¡±

    ¡°[Don¡¯t care.]¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t the least bit curious about what you are at all? that¡¯s boring!¡± ¨C She pointed at Alicia. ¨C ¡°It might be the reason you do the things you do. You are really shaking this town, even the spirit world has been thrown for a spin. Many souls that were stranded here now suddenly can rest in peace. You avenged them, I¡¯m so thrilled about what you¡¯ll do next!¡±

    ¡°[I¡¯m not here to amuse you.]¡± ¨C She took a moment to check how many mags she had left for the rifle and the pistols. She was still good for a little bit more of action.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that. I¡¯m fascinated by how you seem to be comfortable in your own skin, you don¡¯t question yourself. You might be turning into a scarab, and you¡¯ll still be doing what you are doing. What do you make of that stuff inside you? Doesn¡¯t it scare you?¡±

    While Nyx was talking, Alicia noticed a change. Right above her, there was a floating red cloth, it stretched itself infinitely, passing through the closed door and out to the streets, and even then, she could still see it through the walls and bushes.

    Whatever it was, it intended to guide her to something, she centered her gaze on the end of the cloth, there was a couple of scents there, they smelled delicious, but there was something else in them, something that made them different from all the others. For some reason she had the feeling that it was in her best interest to follow the cloth.

    ¡°[It doesn¡¯t scare me.]¡± ¨C She said. ¨C ¡°[It¡¯s useful.]¡±

    ¡°How pragmatic of you, you were truly made for this job.¡± ¨C Nyx crossed her arms. ¨C ¡°Though no one is paying you for doing this community service I believe.¡±

    ¡°[The results are my reward.]¡±

    Alicia walked out of the house, following the red cloth.

    ¡°I wonder what kind of results she¡¯s talking about.¡± ¨C Said Nyx. ¨C ¡°For her sake I hope she doesn¡¯t end like me¡­oh well, it¡¯d be nice to have some company.¡±

    Igor and Luis had arrived too late, the warehouse was already surrounded by policemen and they witnessed how they brought Kalina out of a container, handcuffed and beaten, though they were sure the latter part was Butcher¡¯s work.

    They put Kalina inside a car so she wouldn¡¯t go anywhere, and both of them knew that there was little they could do for her at this point.

    ¡°Kalina is out of the game.¡± ¨C Said Luis. ¨C ¡°Got anything, Carl?¡±

    ¡°Not at all. How¡¯s it possible that someone as loud as her manages to stay out of my sight?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to be more careful; we could stumble by her in any moment.¡± ¨C Said Igor. ¨C ¡°We must attack her as a group, otherwise we¡¯ll end up like Kalina.¡±

    ¡°Fuck you Igor¡­¡± ¨C Kalina managed to turn her intercom back on. ¨C ¡°¡­I¡¯m not done yet¡­get me out of here so I can get even with that bitch.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so Kalina, in my opinion you deserve a little bit of a time out.¡± ¨C Said Luis. ¨C ¡°We¡¯ll get you out when we are done here, in the meantime just stay put and relax.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll pay for this Luis, mark my words¡­¡± ¨C She turned the intercom back off.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t she kill her though?¡± ¨C Asked Igor. ¨C ¡°Kalina might be good but I don¡¯t think she¡¯s good enough to survive a bout with a much more experienced killer.¡±

    ¡°She was either lucky or Butcher took pity on her.¡± ¨C Said Luis. ¨C ¡°Either way, we have to keep looking for her.¡±

    They returned to their patrols but they soon realize their freedom on the streets was becoming more and more limited as time went by.

    The police had closed entire blocks and were performing a thorough search within the perimeters, jumping at the sight of anything remotely suspicious. Luis and Igor made sure to stay at a distance from them, otherwise they risked being questioned and searched by the officers, and unregistered weapons made for an excellent conversation topic with them.

    Igor parked near the town hall once again, wondering how long this operation was going to last. He still had his doubts on if they should have taken this job or not, hunting down a teenager, even if she was one of the most dangerous mass murderers alive, didn¡¯t feel quite right to him. The client was shady enough, which gave him more reasons to believe the things that were included in her file.

    Igor had participated in a number of dangerous missions and assassinated all sorts of dangerous individuals all across the globe like terrorists and politicians, rogue corporate agents, gang leaders way over their heads, whistleblowers, and a handful of competing assassins here and there.

    However, this was the first time he wasn¡¯t sure if his group would be able to complete a contract. He had seen how Butcher had pacified Luis and Kalina in a matter of seconds back at the diner, she already possessed the skill befitting a professional assassin twice her age.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    He managed to send her flying through a wall, that¡¯s true, and that had to do some damage he reckoned, but now that she was armed, it would be harder to even get closer.

    While he kept pondering on the situation, he spotted a shrouded figure running and jumping on the rooftops.

    ¡°Luis, Carl, I think I got her.¡± ¨C Said Igor through the intercom. ¨C ¡°Near the town hall, I¡¯m in pursuit.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything stupid, Igor!¡± ¨C Said Luis. ¨C ¡°Losing Kalina was enough.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡±

    The shrouded figure he believed was Butcher was standing at the top of a building¡¯s rooftop near the town hall, overlooking the streets, probably looking for her next firefight.

    Igor hopped out of his car and made his way to the alleyway, then climbed up the emergency stairs, trying to make as little noise as possible to not tip her of his presence.

    Once he was three steps away from reaching the rooftop, he brought out his magnum and braced himself for whatever she could throw at him.

    He stepped up and aimed at the shrouded figure standing over the edge of the roof.

    ¡°Freeze, Butcher!¡± ¨C He said. ¨C ¡°You are¡­¡±

    The clouds moved away, letting the moonlight pass, the true identity of the shroud was revealed.

    Charlie turned around to meet a big muscular man aiming a magnum at her.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¨C Said Igor, putting the gun away the moment he realized that whoever this girl was, she was not Butcher. ¨C ¡°I¡¯m sorry, miss¡­I mistook you for someone else.¡±

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry big guy. Everyone makes mistakes.¡± ¨C She said. She raised her hand up to her chin. ¨C ¡°But you said something that caught my attention. Are you looking for Butcher.¡±

    ¡°So you know her¡­?¡±

    Tension was rising, Igor took a moment to analyze the girl in front of him. Clearly a teenager, small, he could probably knock her down and capture her with little effort, but the way she carried herself made it apparent that there was more to her than what met the eye.

    ¡°Oh that depends¡­Why are you looking for her?¡± ¨C Asked Charlie.

    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business young lady, stay out of this, for your own wellbeing.¡±

    ¡°I could say the same to you.¡± ¨C She retorted and stepped forward. ¨C ¡°She¡¯s pretty lethal, you know that, right? A killing machine for all intents and purposes, she¡¯s actually killing someone right now for all we know, doesn¡¯t that scare you?¡±

    ¡°Do I look like I get scared that easily?¡± ¨C Asked Igor. ¨C ¡°You are not a normal girl, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Charlie laughed and crossed her arms. ¨C ¡°You can say that I¡¯m out of the norm, maybe, ha ha ha!¡± ¨C She performed a fake laughter.  ¨C ¡°But enough of that, I can only assume you aren¡¯t looking for her to invite her to drink coffee and eat cookies.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t let you go either.¡± ¨C Said Igor, pointing the gun at her again. ¨C ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill a teenager, so don¡¯t force my hand and give it up.¡±

    Charlie laughed. ¨C ¡°Alright Dirty Harry, I know how this goes.¡± ¨C She took a deep breath. ¨C ¡°But I warn you¡­ guns mean nothing to me.¡±

    Igor saw as a bunch of strings tangling themselves on the magnum and pressuring it, cutting it into a bunch of pieces.

    ¡°What the¡­!?¡± ¨C Igor was taken aback, giving Charlie another chance to attack.

    ¡°Wide open!¡± ¨C Charlie rushed at him, there was no need to, but she always liked to make a fight more interesting.

    Igor saw this coming and threw a punch down at her face when she got close enough. Charlie had underestimated him, despite being big and stronger than an ox, she didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be that fast.

    The punch made contact with her face; she received the full damage. However, this wouldn¡¯t be enough to take her down.

    She grabbed the arm and held onto it, then Igor threw another punch aimed at her stomach, she felt as if she was just hit by a truck at full speed. The impact was such some people nearby were able to hear the echo of the impact, but couldn¡¯t quite tell where it came from.

    Charlie spat out blood, Igor thought that would be enough. She was tough, he would give her that, not many people can take even a single punch from him, let alone two.

    ¡°I said¡­wide open¡­¡± ¨C She said, that¡¯s when Igor noticed something was horribly wrong.

    Those strings he saw around his gun tied around his arms, it was dozens of them, they were coming out of her fingers.

    His arms were extended side to side against his will, Charlie jumped back, higher than most people, she held onto the strings and used them to pull herself towards him, kicking him in the face with both feet.

    Igor felt it in every fiber of his whole being, no youngster should be able to hit this hard, he shouldn¡¯t even be able to feel it, but he felt it, and she hit hard, just as hard as him.

    Then she kicked him in the stomach and punched him twice in the ribs for the sake of it, leaving deep and dark bruises under his T-shirt. He groaned, resisting the urge to scream with pain.

    She was not normal; she was a freak. There were a handful of them across the world, Igor was aware of that, he was sure their target was one of them.

    There was no way for him to know what kind of relationship the one attacking him had with Butcher, but he could only assume their interests were misaligned.

    He had to remove her at all cost. He felt relieved knowing that he had hunted a couple of freaks before, he just had to put his mind into it.

    Igor tensed up his arms and resisted the pull of the strings, throwing Charlie off balance, then he threw his arms back with great might, throwing Charlie forward towards him.

    He planted an uppercut on her chin, raising her a meter from the ground, up to his height, and he took that chance to give her a powerful headbutt, he felt her nose shatter against his forehead.

    Charlie¡¯s blood came pouring out of her nose like a stream as she fell on her back to the ground. Igor thought that he had finally neutralized her, but the strings around his arms were still there.

    ¡°What¡­a play¡­¡± ¨C She said, exhausted. Charlie raised up her arms, tensing up the strings around Igor¡¯s arms and pulling them back as hard as she could.

    The strings clung to Igor¡¯s skin and cut through it, leaving deep lacerations all across his arms.

    Igor screamed in pain holding onto his bleeding arms. His anguish caught the attention of a couple of officers patrolling near there and they ran to check out what was going on.

    Before they arrived, Igor kicked Charlie away out of spite, sending her flying off the roof and into another, crashing into a bunch of wooden boxes.

    ¡°What the hell is going on up here!?¡± ¨C Said one of the officers when they finally made it to the roof, but the only they found was a small puddle of blood in the middle of the area and signs there was a fight up there.

    After kicking Charlie away with enough strength to assume he had killed her ¨C much to his displeasure ¨C he jumped off the rooftop and ran towards the alleyways to hide in the darkness, holding onto his bleeding arms.

    He crouched on a corner, using pieces of his own coat as improvised bandages to stop the bleeding, her strings had left deep and long wounds that if not treated immediately, he would end up dying because of the shock.

    ¡°Igor! Igor, you there!? what happened!?¡± ¨C Asked Luis.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t her¡­but it might¡¯ve been one of her allies. I killed her, but she wounded me.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the damage?¡±

    ¡°My arms¡­I¡¯m bleeding a lot¡­I need help.¡± ¨C He almost passed out in that moment, but he made use of all his willpower to stay awake. ¨C ¡°I¡¯m in an alleyway¡­find my signal¡­¡±

    ¡°Stay with me Igor, I¡¯m coming.¡±

    Luis rushed to find his wounded teammate. Meanwhile, Charlie was lying down on the roof near where she had her fight with Igor.

    She sat back up with difficulty, regretting not having taken this situation seriously.

    Pushing out the blood accumulating in her nose she realized it was broken; she had some ribs in very bad condition as well; she could barely move without wincing.

    Charlie had to admit that she seldom found someone that hit as hard as Igor, there were a few exceptions here and there, but it was safe to say he was an exception among the exceptions.

    ¡°And here I was thinking I could play with him.¡± ¨C She said before coughing up more blood. ¨C ¡°Holy crap, I¡¯m such a mess¡­ at least I didn¡¯t break a finger¡­¡± ¨C Charlie tried to get up but something in her creaked when she moved. ¨C ¡°I think I broke a few other things though¡­owww¡­.¡±

    ¡°Charlie, are you there?¡± ¨C Asked Kirsten through his walkie-talkie. ¨C ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­in a rooftop.¡±

    ¡°What happened? You don¡¯t sound so good.¡±

    ¡°I stumbled upon¡­someone else that¡¯s searching for her¡­most probably to assassinate her.¡±

    ¡°Really!? something went wrong!?¡±

    ¡°I left some pretty nasty wounds on him¡­if he isn¡¯t smart, he might bleed out.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°Got a few broken bones, he hit fucking hard¡­¡± ¨C She winced. ¨C ¡°I think I¡¯ll have to sit this one out for a couple of minutes, boss¡­ I need to take a lil¡¯ break.¡±

    Kirsten hung his head low, trying to determine at which point did the situation become so dire.

    ¡°Where are you? Do you need help?¡± ¨C He asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me boss, this will pass¡­¡± ¨C She said that as if she didn¡¯t have fractures and a broken nose. ¨C ¡°I¡¯ll be ok, I just need to rest for a moment, you keep searching for Butcher before things get even more sour.¡± ¨C She coughed.

    Kirsten didn¡¯t know if he could believe her or not, maybe she was delusional enough to think that broken bones and bleeding are no big deal at all and was treating her own wounds as such.

    He was walking while pondering on what to do, then he stumbled upon another blocked off street. People had gathered to see what was happening behind the yellow tape while the police officers were telling them to go back home and that the situation was under control.

    Kirsten made his way to the front and saw the paramedics bringing out a body in a bag from a 7-11 shop. Right next to the shop there was a police officer questioning the clerk whose face had seemingly been washed with the blood of the man inside that bag.

    He was telling the officer what happened in between stutters, the clerk was obviously in shock but he was doing his best to tell him what he saw. From that distance, Kirsten managed to hear the words ¡°girl¡±, ¡°scars,¡± ¡°pistol¡± and ¡°milk¡± for some reason.

    What he was saying was blatantly bizarre to the officer questioning him, but for Kirsten it was a confirmation that he had missed her, but hopefully she wouldn¡¯t be too far from there.

    Kirsten turned around and headed on the opposite direction. ¨C¡°Where are you Charlie? I¡¯m heading your way.¡±

    ¡°Boss, it¡¯s ok, I don¡¯t need¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not up to discussion; I¡¯m not leaving you alone knowing there¡¯s enemies in the area.¡±

    ¡°¡­Fine, I¡¯m near the town hall¡­there¡¯s a park nearby, I¡¯ll wait for you there.¡±

    Meanwhile, there was an elderly couple sleeping comfortably in their house, completely removed from the chaos happening in the streets.

    The woman, Janice, she suddenly felt the urge to use the bathroom, so she got up and walked out of the bedroom.

    Once there, she gasped. There was someone in their house, standing at the bottom of the hallway. Janice¡¯s vision was not good, just like her mind, she could only see a vague figure in the hallway that stood up to her vision because of a couple of red glows coming from her.

    A sound minded individual would¡¯ve thought that it was an intruder and would¡¯ve screamed in panic. But Janice¡¯s mind had went the deep end for most things, recognizing her husband as her husband being an exception. So when she saw this stranger standing menacingly in her house, she could only say one thing:

    ¡°Mary¡­? Is that you Mary?¡± ¨C She asked.

    Mary was her daughter, if she was still alive, she would¡¯ve been 40 years old by then.

    ¡°Oh my God¡­Mary! How glad I¡¯m to see you again!¡± ¨C She walked towards ¡°Mary¡±. ¨C¡°Look how you¡¯ve grown! You are even taller than your daddy now! Oh, how I¡¯ve missed you¡­where have you been Mary? you have no idea how worried I was.¡±

    Janice reached out towards Mary¡¯s face, wanting to hold her, to feel her.

    There were a couple of things that Janice¡¯s distorted mind was forgetting, very important things, things most people would find unforgiveable.

    ¡°I thought we had lost you forever Mary, we were promised you were going to return and make us all better, and it was true, you returned! Are you hungry? Do you want me to prepare something for you?¡±

    Janice placed her palms to both sides of Mary¡¯s face and felt the scars with her thumbs. They were so cold the blood in her fingers stopped circulating through her hands and backed off.

    ¡°M-Mary?¡± ¨C Because of this, Janice soon realized that whoever it was in front of her, probably it wasn¡¯t Mary.

    Alicia held Janice¡¯s right hand, and then made it clear she wasn¡¯t Mary.

    She grabbed her fingers and broke them, and then pulled them apart so hard that her hand tore apart from the middle.

    Janice screamed in agony and dropped to the ground kneeling, her ear-piercing scream reached her husband¡¯s ears, waking him up.

    He stood up from the bed as fast as he could and ran towards the hallway.

    ¡°What the fuck is happ-¡± ¨C The last thing he saw was a knife flying towards his face and plunging itself into his forehead, stabbing his brain.

    He dropped back and slid down the wall, dying instantly.

    ¡°Mary! Mary¡­I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¨C Said Janice. ¨C¡°I remember! We shouldn¡¯t have done it¡­! we should have protected you! You are our daughter! Please Mary, forgive me! I didn¡¯t know what I was doing, they told us it was for our cause!¡±

    Alicia didn¡¯t know who was Mary, but the red cloth had led her there for a reason.

    Her husband was a delicious meal, and she smelled like one too.

    ¡°[Go say that to her.]¡± ¨C Said Alicia, grabbing her head and turning it, breaking her neck.

    With that out of the way, Alicia searched the couple¡¯s belongings and found something interesting inside the husband¡¯s drawer.

    A pentagram necklace made out of silver, a small chest with the engraving of a goat¡¯s head on top and a couple of pamphlets.

    Upon picking up the medal a bunch of incoherent whispers reached her ears, voices that weren¡¯t there. The world seemed clearer for a second, and in a single blink, Alicia was surrounded by the corpses of hundreds of children whose throats were slit and hearts were extracted from their chests.

    The entire room had become a mass grave for these unfortunate souls. One of the bodies stood up and stared at Alicia.

    ¡°[¡­Mary¡­?]¡± ¨C She asked.

    The girl nodded, then she pointed outside and a red light appeared on the horizon, a light that ignored all walls and obstacles, making it clear to her sight. It was guiding her to her next preys, the ones that would offer a lot of nutrition.

    ¡°[¡­On the job¡­]¡± ¨C Said Alicia. Mary dissipated into the air, alongside the other children that lied dead at her feet; they were avenged.

    The night had taken a very interesting turn, and she was eager to know where this would lead her. Her eyes glowed with anticipation.

 Devour the dark

    Inside the town¡¯s community center there was a reunion being held by the ¡°Association of free women of Forest Grove¡±. They watched through the window as the police went around blocking off streets and telling people to go back home.

    ¡°It must be serious; they blocked the entire street.¡± ¨C One of them said. ¨C ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to leave anytime soon.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be safe as long as we stay here, ladies.¡± ¨C Said the host of the gathering, a certain Ms. Clara Hannigan. ¨C ¡°Regardless, we should continue with our event and wait for the situation outside to blow over.¡±

    They all agreed and went back to their seats.

    ¡°Moving on.¡± ¨C Said Clara. ¨C ¡°I¡¯d like to congratulate our sister, Ms. Jenny O¡¯Hare, for supporting our cause for the sexual and social liberation of all women in the United States."

    Everyone in the crowd dedicated a round of applause to Jenny who was sitting at the front of the room, clearly flustered, but not because she was ashamed.

    ¡°With her help, I¡¯m fairly sure that we¡¯ll have a lot of successes to report in the national gathering next year.¡± ¨C Said Clara. ¨C ¡°We are one step closer to achieving our goals on the short term, and in the long term, we¡¯ll get a foothold in the government!¡±

    The crowd applauded once more.

    ¡°And I also wish to congratulate our newest member, Ms. Patricia Martinez, for expressing her sexual freedom in the most powerful way possible: last month, she managed to get a well-timed and opportune abortion, exempting her from the shackles of paternity!¡±

    They all applauded and congratulated Patricia for her bravery and determination, she stood up and bowed to them as a sign of humility, feeling appraised and respected by her sisters in this cause.

    ¡°Having said that¡­I think we can introduce our sister, Patricia, to the rest of our group.¡± ¨C Said Clara, Patricia was visibly confused. ¨C ¡°See Patricia, this group of ours is just the peak of the iceberg as some say, and we are actually a bigger, more reserved group, and we only allow entrance to those that really believe in what we fight for.¡±

    ¡°And even this cause of ours is the just the beginning.¡± ¨C Said Jenny. ¨C ¡°Our cause is way bigger than this.¡±

    ¡°You took a step forward and reached your freedom, not many are as brave as you! And that¡¯s why I think we sho-¡± ¨C Before Clara could finish that sentence, she felt a strong cramp in her stomach and something piling up in her throat and making its way up her head. She held it in with her hand.

    ¡°Clara? What¡¯s wrong!?¡± ¨C Said Jenny approaching her, they both looked at her palm in shock.

    Clara¡¯s palm had been stained with her blood. Jenny then looked at her face and saw blood coming out of her nostrils and making its way down to her chin.

    ¡°Oh crap, Clara! You are bleeding!¡±

    Clara wasn¡¯t reacting, she kept looking at her palm, as if there was something else in the blood.

    All the other women in the room stood up from their seats and ran up to her to see what was going on, maybe they could help to hold her up and then call for help.

    Clara herself was confused. She didn¡¯t have cancer, she had checked herself for it recently, she didn¡¯t have any other illness either, she was as healthy as a late 20s woman can be.

    She kept looking at the blood in her palm while the blood on her face spilled down to her shoes. Then she heard a gasp and looked to her right, another one of the members, Miriam, she coughed up blood, then Jenny bled through her nose too, then Lisa, then Patricia as well.

    Clara felt as if she was forgetting something important. When she became a member of this society, someone approached her, she was sure he went by Baker, he told her a pretty unnerving story, just  a fantasy most likely, some story to scare children, but he assured her that some it carried a very powerful truth, and that she¡¯d do well to remember it, otherwise she would find herself inside the very same situation that story told one of these days.

    The story mentioned something about her and her peers bleeding from their mouths and noses before something really bad happened. She thought hard about it in silence while the ones around her tried to get her attention and determine what they were going to do.

    Suddenly it came to her and she gasped.

    ¡°We have to get out here!¡± ¨C She said. ¨C ¡°Move! We gotta move!¡±

    ¡°What!? What¡¯s happening Clara!?¡± ¨C Asked Patricia

    ¡°We have to move! We are gonna die!¡± ¨C She screamed hysterically, scaring all the women around her.

    Meanwhile, on the first floor, the receptionist was thinking that it wasn¡¯t going to be long before she could finish her shift and go back home, the janitor would take care of closing the building afterwards.

    But then, someone walked into the building, her heavy boots echoing through the lobby.

    ¡°Welcome, how can I¡­?¡± ¨C It didn¡¯t take her long before noticing everything that was wrong about the person that was approaching her.

    Those red glowing scars, those glowing red eyes surrounded by pitch black darkness, her jacket, shirt and pants stained with the blood of others. The bag she was carrying on her back and the shotgun she was holding in her hands.

    She had heard about it all on the radio, about a spree killer rampaging through the town. The receptionist wasn¡¯t expecting this. She felt so overwhelmed tears fell down her face.

    But Butcher just walked past her, towards the stairs.

    ¡°[You should hide.]¡± ¨C She said. The lady listened to her advice and she curled into a ball under the table, sobbing silently while trembling.

    Alicia made her way up to the second floor; she heard a group of footsteps coming in her direction. A commanding voice was at the front telling the others what to do.

    ¡°There¡¯s no time to explain, if we don¡¯t leave now, we are gonna¡­!¡± ¨C The women stumbled upon Butcher just as she made her way to the top of the staircase.

    Six women in the group, including Jenny and Patricia, collapsed on the ground, wailing and screaming, holding onto their stomachs feeling a massive surge of pain. The others turned around and intended to run in the opposite direction, but it was already too late.

    Butcher¡¯s shotgun was fully loaded. She raised it up and opened fire, blowing out the brains of two women, then destroying the torso of another next to them.

    She shot at the lower back of the one next to Clara, the pellets made their way through her spine and out through the stomach, then she took care of Clara by shooting somewhere around the hip, destroying her right hip and taking out a huge chunk of her quadriceps.

    Clara fell to the ground screaming with pain, she looked back briefly and discovered with horror that everyone that was right behind her were now dead, their brains and organs all splattered across the walls and corridor, in exception for the ones that were still screaming on the ground, completely paralyzed by a pain from inside.

    But even that wouldn¡¯t last long, Butcher turned her attention towards them, splattering Patricia¡¯s head with the shotgun at point blank, then she killed the others in a similar way, shooting at their chests or heads.

    Surprisingly, the last one to die would be Clara. She tried to drag herself away from her, even if there was no point. She was bleeding through every hole in her face and through that huge wound she had on her hip, yet she still believed she could save herself from such a gruesome fate.

    Butcher stared at her while she performed this insignificant effort and approached slowly, putting down the shotgun and bringing out a pistol.

    Everything was going just right for Alicia, she was well fed, almost full, she had thoroughly cleansed the town, she had even taken down one of the enemies after her, and on top of that, she was now on the track of a potentially bigger catch, a source of evil so big she¡¯d have nourishment for months, maybe even an entire year.

    But even then, Alicia still gritted her teeth, pressing them against each other, she couldn¡¯t even keep her hands still, wanting to close them into fists and reduce every single corpse around her to bloody masses.

    She had it everything, yet she still felt so incredibly angry.

    Suddenly, right before using her pistol to finish her off, Alicia felt the urge to say something, product of the frustration she felt. She wanted to be listened to, she wanted to speak her mind, no matter if who was listening to her was about to die.

    ¡°[¡­Guns are incredible things, aren¡¯t they?]¡± ¨C She said. ¨C ¡°[They are the easiest way to kill a person, and if their wielder is skilled enough, the death can be as painful or as painless as they want.]¡±

    She stood right over Clara and pulled her up by the hair as she cried and begged for her life.

    ¡°[I love guns¡­a gun set me free, a gun gave me my vengeance, and guns ensure my survival.]¡± ¨C She placed the end of the gun on Clara¡¯s head. ¨C ¡°[Everyone should have a gun, if only to make sure people like you cease to exist.]¡±

    ¡°P-p-p-Please¡­ I didn¡¯t want to¡­¡±

    ¡°[Guns can be so noble and such a blight at times¡­]¡± ¨C She pulled the safe off. ¨C ¡°[¡­A blight because they are often in the hand of people like you, and so few in the hands of people willing to use them properly.]¡± ¨C The headache returned and she squinted her eyes. ¨C ¡°[¡­Why are there so many of you? ¡­When will I be done?]¡±

    She pulled the trigger and splattered Clara¡¯s brains all over the floor.

    Being done with that, she searched through Clara¡¯s pockets and found a membership card for some kind of group, its logo was the same goat head placed right in the middle of a pentagram.

    The card had an address written on it, and at the end there was a quote saying: ¡°¡­To wash ourselves in the glory of the bright one.¡±

    She could only assume this would be useful for her. Just then, a SWAT team stormed into the building, Alicia was so focused she hadn¡¯t heard the police sirens outside the building. She had allowed them to close in on her, bad sign.

    ¡°ENGAGE THE SUSPECT!¡± ¨C Said a man outside the building. That was to be expected, after dropping so many people it would be a surprise if they still expected to bring her in alive.

    The squad made their way up the stair while she rushed to the bottom of the hallway and into another room, she heard the bullets of their submachine guns whistle right behind her and hitting the wall, it seemed some of them weren''t interested in catching her alive.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    She kept running forward and jumped, breaking through a window and landing right outside next to the building.

    ¡°HE JUMPED OUT! DON¡¯T LET HIM ESCAPE!¡± ¨C They still didn¡¯t know who they were dealing with exactly, that was good for her, but that would only last as long as she kept moving.

    She ran towards the alleyways, the lawmen followed close by, they couldn¡¯t just shoot at her while they ran, they had to get a clear shot.

    While running through an alley the police took that chance to block the exits with their cars.

    ¡°POLICE! DROP YOUR WEAPONS!¡± ¨C Said an officer aiming at her with his service pistol, he got a clear look on her so it¡¯d be a matter of time for everyone else to know what they were dealing with, it was their choice if they believed it or not.

    Regardless of that, being seen was no reason to stop.

    She still rushed forward, closing the distance between her and the cop, the cop opened fire and she zigzagged evading the bullets, once she was close enough, she jumped over the car and planted a powerful kick on the side of the cop¡¯s head, knocking him out. Then she took that chance to take his dotation gun and continue running.

    ¡°We have a man down!¡± ¨C Said another officer coming out of the alleyway and checking on his partner. ¨C ¡°He¡¯s been knocked unconscious; the suspect stole his gun!¡±

    The helicopter shed light on her position, they certainly knew where she was now and were surrounding her. They were determined, they were going all-out, they¡¯d catch her or kill her no matter what.

    Her ears heard cars coming from the east and west, at the front there was a barricade, officers were following behind her on foot. They had pinned her down, closed the entire block.

    Something she thought completely impossible had happened, she was surrounded, she had no more options left, what could she do? What were her options? Did she have any options? Was there a way out of this?

    Everything was about to end in Filbert Street, what an unceremonious place to see it all end for her, but it was as good as any other location.

    Everything faded to black as she got closer to the barricade, her ears were deaf to the commands of the policemen aiming their pistols at her, not like they mattered anyway.

    Soon everything was darkness, but then it wasn¡¯t.

    She woke up once again in a different location. Alicia found herself standing in the middle of an empty apartment, and judging by the lack of pain, she had managed to overcome the blockade without a single scratch.

    She could still hear sirens and helicopters flying at the distance, whatever she did back there had them searching around relentlessly, but she couldn¡¯t remember for some reason. She could only assume this was the work of Crimson or Ten, or maybe both, given the fact that they all were one and the same at the moment.

    Looking behind her she saw the kitchen, and on the wall next to it a broken window, she had broken into the apartment through there. The more she thought about it the stranger it seemed, how did she come so far? How did she lose the cops? Was there any way to remember?

    Alicia kept pondering these questions, but then she remembered two important things: If she didn¡¯t hurry up and finished her job she¡¯d lose her mind, and that she hadn¡¯t made it to the place she was looking for yet.

    She searched her pockets and pulled out the card she snatched from Clara''s corpse. Looking at the back she noticed there was a date. The date was that very same day, at 9 PM.

    Alicia scratched the back of her head, trying to think how long had it been since she started this murder spree, she was sure that only a couple of hours had passed, meaning she was still on time to make it there.

    Taking a deep breath, she stretched up, loosening up her muscles once again.

    The red cloth that guided her appeared once again, and there was nothing else to do but to follow it.

    Before long Alicia found herself standing in front of a building that resembled a church, far from the noise of the sirens and patrols roaming about, almost as if they didn¡¯t want to approach that place, or weren¡¯t allowed to. The people in the nearby buildings turned off the lights and closed the windows, listening to the warnings of the police. Alicia couldn¡¯t smell anything coming from the apartments, so that was a good sign: the buffet was fully gathered in that church-like structure. She had eaten so much in the last couple of hours, yet for some reason she still felt far from satisfied.

    If they were separated, she¡¯d take a moment to ask Crimson what its problem was and call it a fiend, but she recognized that without it she wouldn¡¯t be doing as much damage as she was doing right there and then, despite the difficulties and drawbacks that came with it, the incessant hunger being one of them.

    Still, there was no time to complain.

    Alicia approached the front door, a very sturdy one made out of metal in case someone dared come and interrupt their activities, it wouldn¡¯t stop her though.

    She was more than capable of bringing it down on her own, but it was best not to announce herself too early.

    After knocking on the door three times, someone spoke on the other side:

    ¡°Why do we offer our souls¡­?¡± ¨C Said the voice.

    ¡°[¡­To wash ourselves in the glory of the bright one.]¡±

    ¡°Come on in, initiate.¡±

    The door opened, and Alicia walked inside, meeting a man wearing red robes and sunglasses.

    ¡°You must be new, did Cla-¡± ¨C It took a moment but he finally noticed everything that was wrong about her, including the eyes and the guns. ¨C ¡°What the fuck!?¡±

    Alicia shoved the pistol into his mouth to shut him up, she was going to interrogate him, but then¡­

    ¡°Brad, what¡¯s going on? What happened?¡± ¨C Someone asked from the other room.

    ¡°[Tch¡­]¡± ¨C Alicia punched Brad in the gut so hard he ended up on the ground puking his dinner. Right after, Alicia stood next to the door from where the voice came from, and waited.

    ¡°Brad, you ok?¡± ¨C The door opened, another robed man walked in. ¨C ¡°Oh shit! Brad, what¡¯s wrong? Did you eat something bad?¡± ¨C The man approached Brad while he tried to warn him about the monster behind him but there was no air in his lungs to be able to utter a single word. Alicia approached him and snapped his neck. His corpse plummeted right next to Brad, who had already accepted his fate.

    Alicia held him by collar and pointed the gun at him. ¨C ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±

    Brad managed to regain his breath, even if it was just to speak.

    ¡°Why¡­why are you doing this? haven¡¯t we done enough? Haven¡¯t we sacrificed enough for you and your master!?¡± ¨C He asked, with tears in his eyes.

    ¡°[What are you talking about?]¡±

    ¡°You are one of them, aren¡¯t you!? You come from hell; we called you here!¡± ¨C He said.  ¨C¡°We bathed our souls in darkness, we tarnished innocence, we sacrificed the blood of many innocents, only so we could meet you, only so we could meet your master!¡±

    Alicia didn¡¯t know what to say, all she knew is that whoever they were, they couldn¡¯t be any better than all the scum that she had been killing all night.

    The man before her smelled like an excellent appetizer.

    ¡°[Where are the others?]¡± ¨C She asked.

    ¡°They are downstairs, they are preparing for tonight¡¯s ritual. We thought¡­we thought you¡¯d like it.¡±

    She looked at the space beyond the door, there was a staircase descending to a place abandoned by the hand of God.

    ¡°[You thought I¡¯d like it, huh?]¡±

    ¡°Of course! but, then why did you kill one of my brothers?¡±

    ¡°[My way of saying thank you.]¡±

    Alicia grabbed him by the throat and pulled him up as hard as she could, hearing a dozen things in his neck snapping and breaking at once. He turned his eyes backwards and died; this is what some people call an inner decapitation.

    Afterwards, Alicia descended through the stair case, walking into an ever-blacker darkness, but her red glow scared it away.

    Once at the bottom of the staircase she stood before another door. She reached for the knob, but she stopped. There was an energy coming from the other side, Alicia couldn¡¯t quite describe it, this was something she had never felt before. By simply standing before this door, she felt a rush of dread and fear coursing through her spine and way up to her head. She could hear a thousand whispers spitting curses and blasphemies against all creation, against everything that was good in this world. Without even searching for it, Alicia had stumbled upon a den of primordial evil, a congregation of depravity and calamity that threatened to corrupt everything around them.

    Alicia took a deep breath, and then she understood everything. All fear that had invaded her disappeared right there and then, and instead she drooled and her stomach growled as if she hadn¡¯t fed herself for five days.

    The scent located right behind that door was a gourmet meal, no, even better than that, it was a plate you wouldn¡¯t find anywhere else in this world, the most fine and exquisite of meals ever prepared by a chef. So good it was, that no human hands could¡¯ve prepared it.

    That scent, she had smelled it before. Alicia gasped, the people behind this door, they all smelled like him, like him and all the others that were there with him, supporting and working on his little project that brought about their ultimate end.

    Finally, after so many years, she had found it. She had found the feeling again! She knew that man wasn¡¯t the only one that had it, there had to be more, and they were right there, ripe for the taking.

    Alicia couldn¡¯t hold herself back anymore.

    She destroyed the door with a single kick, finding yet another dark corridor at the other side, it seemed like she was about to enter some sort of crypt. It was so dark, but now she could see clearly. She rushed through the corridor, her boots echoing throughout the space like a pair of anvils.

    Suddenly she saw a light at the end of the corridor, a cultist holding a flashlight to check on what the source of that noise was.

    ¡°What the fuck is that!?¡± ¨C Yelled the cultist, he tried to move away but it was already too late.

    Alicia dashed by him and twisted his neck, his head ended up looking in a way it shouldn¡¯t and his body fell to the ground.

    She looked to the left and saw two cultists rushing at her screaming their lungs out and holding daggers. Alicia intercepted the first one and nailed a roundhouse kick on the side of his face, strong enough to splatter his head¡¯s contents on the nearby wall.

    Then, she grabbed the arms of the second cultist and squeezed them, pulverizing the bones within. That poor cultist screamed in agony. She sent a kick up his chin, destroying his neck, an instant kill.

    The corridor still went deeper, but she took a moment to see what those three were doing there. In front of her lied some sort of altar, on top of it there was a figurine of a man with a goat¡¯s head holding a candle in one hand and pointing up with the other. In front of it there was a piece of cloth and a mangled heart, and she was pretty sure it was from a human.

    It was the first time she had to deal with something like that, the only place where she had seen similar stuff was in a couple of movies she had seen back with the rangers, but regardless, she wasn¡¯t surprised in the least, it¡¯d take more than that to freak her out.

    She heard echoes coming from the corridor making her realize that there was still a lot to see down there.

    Alicia charged forward, holding the pistols in both hands, rushing through the darkness that faltered in her presence.

    Soon she stumbled upon a wall of cultists, they probably were running there to find out why their brothers were screaming. They occupied the entire corridor, there was no room for maneuver, but that was no problem for her.

    Alicia aimed forward and fired, bringing down the three leading the crowd, then she jumped and kicked the one right behind them, destroying his lungs and heart, and pushing the ones behind down to the ground. She bounced back on her feet and unloaded on the ones that had fallen, massacring them until the mags were empty, then she put the pistols back in their holsters. One of the survivors got up from the ground and his zealotry gave him courage, he charged forward holding daggers in both hands, hoping that he¡¯d  be blessed by ¡°the bright one¡± and allow him to stab her and kill her, becoming the hero of his people.

    But reality would provide a different result. Alicia kicked his leading leg, right on the shinbone, snapping his knee out of its place. Then she grabbed his head and smashed it into the wall, cracking the area around it and getting his face stuck in the concrete.

    Then came another wielding an axe, yelling while charging like some faux satanic viking.

    He swung it around with reckless abandon, and Alicia evaded its sharp edge by mere millimeters, she couldn¡¯t move much because of the corpses at their feet, but she figured something out after evading four times.

    In the next swing, Alicia stood next to the wall, and since the enemy didn¡¯t know what he was doing he swung once again, she evaded it and now the axe was stuck in the wall. He tried to pull it out but it was already too late.

    Alicia pulled out the shotgun and blasted his face with it, sending him away a meter and a half.

    With no more obstacles she charged forward reaching the end of the corridor.

    She entered a big dark room. The area was adorned with candles and torches on the walls, and the space was occupied by three rows of six stone tables with men and women shackled on top of them, they seemed to be drugged and had no idea what was happening. The dry blood they were lying on gave Alicia a fair idea of what was going to happen there.

    At the center of the room there was another table, this one smaller than the rest, made for the size of a newborn. There was blood on it too, but it wasn¡¯t recent, tonight¡¯s sacrifice hadn¡¯t been performed yet it seemed. This gave Alicia some relief, but it wouldn¡¯t do anything to appease the bloodthirst that was propelling her forward.

    Her muscles vibrated with the raw power she was gathering, feeding from the lives of the monsters that there gathered to please their god.

    She put the shotgun back in the bag and pulled out the M4, having the feeling that she was going to need it for this situation.

    Alicia walked through the room, intending to make it to the bottom, but then a voice reached to her from the dark.

    ¡°Those eyes¡­that fire! Finally, I thought an agent of our lord would come to give us our eternal reward! But why¡­why are you killing your loyal servants!? Our time wasn¡¯t supposed to come yet! Haven¡¯t we sacrificed enough to make sure of it!?¡± ¨C Said a voice somewhere in the room, right behind his troopers who probably thought that she couldn¡¯t see them, but their presence was clear to her, she could smell them after all. ¨C ¡°¡­Wait, no! you can¡¯t be one of his servants! You are something else! What are you!? What are you doing here!?¡±

    ¡°[¡­A little girl pointed in this direction.]¡± ¨C She said.

    ¡°What!? What does that even mean!? No one knows about this place!¡± ¨C The man groaned. ¨C¡°¡­Well, no matter¡­ all of this means is that we¡¯ve gotten a new sacrifice, a sacrifice that¡¯s worth more than every single other we have in this very room. We¡¯ll show you the strength of our conviction¡­BROTHERS! SISTERS! CLEANSE THIS INFIDEL!¡±

    Some of the cultists in the room set themselves on fire and charged forward while their brothers, armed with knives and clubs followed suit.

    They charged with a war cry closing in on the intruder from all directions.

    Alicia experimented another change that pushed her closer to complete assimilation. Unexpectedly, Alicia experimented a high she had never felt before.

    Suddenly she shed tears of happiness.

 Not one of them

    Alicia had no idea when or how did her reflexes evolve in the way they did. It probably started when she was training with Logan, the so called Australian womanizer that taught her how to use a pistol like no one else in this world, and it further developed when she kept training under the care of all those assassins the commander brought her to, or maybe she was just born with them and didn¡¯t learn how to use them until she grew old enough, all that mattered is that she could now control her reflexes at will, and whenever she needed it, the world would become just as slow as she needed it to be, and so she could always find the best outcome to every situation she found herself in.

    This was one of those situations where she¡¯d need her reflexes. Surrounded by drugged up hostages in sacrificial altars, being rushed at by more than a dozen violent zealots that wanted to make her yet another sacrifice to their object of worship. She was thankful for her reflexes, she wasn¡¯t sure to who to be thankful to, but she was nonetheless.

    In a way, Alicia had asked to be in a situation like this, surrounded by the worst humanity has to offer, a bunch of guns on her back, and two promises to keep. However, at this stage she wasn¡¯t really thinking about those things anymore.

    She raised up the M4, aimed at the cultist that ran the fastest out of the bunch -unsurprisingly it was one of the group that had set themselves on fire- and pulled the trigger.

    While the bullets punched holes into the human torch, she kept pulling the trigger and sprayed lead on the ones right behind, they had no protection or armor under those robes, which made things easier.

    While shooting she took steps backwards, approaching to the other group running towards her, she could feel them getting closer and closer.

    A cultist swung his dagger down, aiming at her neck, but she sidestepped and put a round in his leading knee, forcing him to kneel and then kicked him in the face, sending him flying and crashing with three of his allies. Then, she turned her attention to the ones coming from her left, gunning down six of them while the ones behind took cover behind the tables.

    She eliminated another two that were getting too close for comfort with controlled bursts, and then she heard that dreaded click. She let the empty mag fall to the ground while she reached for the spare on her hip. Meanwhile, four enemies managed to close the distance between them and her.

    Alicia kicked the first one in the stomach making him fall, then she jumped over the three that tried to tackle her. She landed right behind them, but there was a man on fire right there about to catch her in his blazing hands.

    Having reloaded the rifle she shot a burst straight on his face and stepped back to not let the corpse fall on her, she then turned around and gunned down the three that tried to tackle her.

    She turned once again and sprayed lead over another bunch that was coming to get her, some of the bodies fell over the hostages tied to the tables, which was unfortunate, but at least the corpses would cover them in case a stray flied their way. Another enemy ran up to her from behind and tried to smack her over the head with a brick, but right before the impact, Alicia turned as she fell to the ground, landing on her back and shooting a burst into his chest, punching 4 holes into his lungs.

    The others tried to catch her on the ground but she bounced back up and landed on top of a cultist wielding a hammer.

    She stood back up and sprayed lead once again, she kept pressing the trigger until she heard the click, and worst yet, that was her last mag.

    Alicia made a grave mistake in that instant, she got caught up in that click for too long, allowing a cultist to get close enough and stab her right on her shoulder. The sharp pain of a piece of metal being plunged into her shoulder broke her focus, and time flowed at its intended speed, and the next thing she knew, the remaining cultists were rushing on her and were about to kill her. She had killed so many but somehow there were still a lot of them left.

    She gathered all her strength in her legs and jumped, managing to propel herself ten meters in the air, surprising many of the enemies present.

    Out of bullets she let go of the assault rifle and pulled out two Uzis from inside the bag. She opened fire as she descended back to the ground, raining lead on the enemies. Once she landed, she opened fire on the ones that had stepped back from the rain of bullets before it was too late.

    The Uzis were empty now and the enemies weren¡¯t about to give up, and there was no time to take out anything else from the bag, so it was time to improvise once again.

    She turned around and threw the Uzis at the faces of two that were approaching and rushed towards them, grabbing the hammer that had been left on the ground. With the strength she currently had, that hammer had no weight whatsoever, so she could swing it around like a sword.

    Using the hammer she smashed the face of one, and then the other right behind, a burner approached right behind them, she hit his face thrusting the hammer at him and then swinging it from under his chin, throwing him away.

    Four got close enough and she pushed them away kicking them in the chest and stomach, then she had to deal with another that had gotten ahold of a sword somewhere, kicking him in the groin and then swinging the hammer down on his skull.

    She noticed a man centering his attention on one of the people tied to the tables instead of her. He intended to use his dagger to kill the hostage.

    The reason for why he¡¯d do that in a situation such as this was anyone¡¯s guess, but at least he managed to get her attention for a small moment.

    Alicia grabbed the hammer and threw it at him, hitting him right on the head. But while she did that, another one got close enough and hit her on the back of the head with a baseball bat. The force of the impact was such that she ended up banging her forehead over the table right in front of her, then she fell to the ground.

    The cultist swung the bat down once again intending to deal the killing blow, but Alicia, stunned as she was, acted by pure instinct and supported herself on the ground using her arms and kicked upwards, destroying the bat on the way, and landing both her boots on his face with the force of a raging bull.

    Alicia stood back up, she didn¡¯t know what was happening anymore, blood was coming down from her head and obstructing her vision, but she didn¡¯t care, as long as she could stand back up, she knew she could keep fighting.

    All she had to do now was listen to her body. She closed her eyes in order to feel and hear the world around her.

    She dropped the bag to the ground, thinking it was mere deadweight, and entered a fighting stance, ready for another round with the monsters that were rushing at her.

    A cultist tried to slash her face, but she stepped to the side, grabbed his hand and crushed it, then she grabbed his face and smashed it against the edge of the table three times. Then she kicked backwards, nailing a destructive kick into an enemy¡¯s stomach, rupturing it, followed by a kick to his face.

    Another one with an axe coming up. She sidestepped twice with unforeseen celerity, faster than what the enemy¡¯s eyes could register, then he swung it again and she crouched, killing an ally right behind her by accident, startling the cultist, she took this chance to dash at him and break his neck.

    She took the axe, getting it unstuck from that corpse¡¯s skull, then she swung it upwards, slicing another cultist open like a fish.

    Another burner came up trying to tackle her while holding a molotov in both hands to immolate her with him. But she swung the axe down on his head, making him fall and die instantly on his knees. The molotovs hit the ground and set it on fire, burning two that were coming right behind him, and unlike him, they weren¡¯t fanatic enough to resist the heat and focus on attacking her. they panicked as they tried to put off the fire, but it was useless.

    The last two cultists reached for her bag and took out the shotgun and an MP5 and shot at her, she took cover behind a table, and assumed the worst about the one lying on top of it.

    They weren¡¯t soldiers, and worst yet, they were impatient, so they ran at her from both sides to surround her and gun her down.

    She wiped the blood off her face with her hand and used her reflexes again.

    Once she saw the barrel of the shotgun peek out from the corner of the table she jumped forward, grabbing it while headbutting the guy, destroying his face, then she sidestepped to stand on his back to use him as a human shield while his partner didn¡¯t think about it twice and unloaded the mag on him. His body was sturdy enough to take all the bullets.

    Finally, she brought up the shotgun and shot him in the head, destroying it. Once done with that, she let go of the human shield next to her and it fell to her feet.

    She stood there for half a minute, listening, waiting for the rest to come out of the shadows and attack. But that was the thing, there was no one else in the shadows anymore; there was but a single one left, other than that, Alicia had singlehandedly destroyed a satanic cult hidden in the entrails of the town that had given her so much in exchange for nothing.

    Alicia looked at the hostages. The one she thought was killed evaded death by pure luck, only getting grazed by a couple of bullets while the others hit on the table. The other hostages seemed to be relatively unscathed, though some blood and gore had spilled over a couple of them. She had somehow managed to spray those guns around and not hit a single hostage, maybe it was due to the cultists being excellent living walls.

    Then she remembered the knife stuck in her shoulder and pulled it out with a wince. Right after, she heard the sound of pistol¡¯s safe being pulled.

    Alicia turned around and saw the leader of the cult aiming a gun on a baby wrapped up in a towel. The man himself was visibly trembling out of panic.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°You are not one of Lucifer¡¯s servants, that I¡¯m sure of!¡± ¨C He said. ¨C ¡°We were promised power and eternal youth, and you came and brought us death instead. My people, my flock¡­they should be enough of a sacrifice! I¡¯ll walk out of here, and you won¡¯t follow me, otherwise this child will become Baphomet¡¯s supper, you hear me!?¡±

    But Alicia just stretched, feeling her neck rather stiff after all that fighting.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you listening to me!? you let me go! Or this newborn dies!¡±

    He took his eyes off of her to look at the baby for a single second and then turned back to her, and before he realized, Alicias was standing right in front of him. Then his arm with the pistol went up flying in the air.

    The man screamed and let go of the newborn, which Alicia received in her arms gladly. The cultist stared at his bleeding half arm as it leaked all over the floor. He ended up on his knees, shocked, his mind was completely blank. Not like there was nothing else to think about anyway, his life was completely over.

    Alicia rammed the knife into his skull, putting an end to his complaints.

    Seeing her work finally done, Alicia walked away with the baby in her arms, leaving a pool of blood and corpses behind her. The people on the tables would wake up soon and see the mess around them, then they¡¯d run out looking for help and the existence of that cult would finally reach the townsfolk¡¯s ears.

    But before she could leave the room, Alicia felt another presence hidden in the darkness. This one was bigger and imposing than all the puny humans she had killed a few minutes before. It had no smell, but yet she felt it was certainly a very dark soul that lurked in the dark.

    She looked back and saw something that had been there the entire time, but she didn¡¯t care enough to notice its presence.

    At the bottom of the room there was a big statue overlooking the slaughter that had just ensued in there. It was once again that mysterious figure of a man with a goat¡¯s head.

    It was supposed to be a mere symbol, an idol for these cultists to worship. Yet Alicia could feel it stare at her, and Alicia stared at it back.

    The baby cried, learning what fear is at the beginning of its life, the light of the torches around them became dimmer and were about to fade away. The shadow of the statue grew bigger, longer and thicker, reaching towards Alicia and the baby, almost as if it was claiming the newborn as its property.

    The shadow was about to catch them both, but Alicia¡¯s scars glowed brighter and brighter, the brightest they had ever glowed. In a few seconds, Alicia had become a crimson sun, eradicating all the darkness around them and destroying the shadow that intended to take the baby away.

    Suddenly, the statue saw itself powerless. Alicia had now lost complete control of her body; she was in a trance-like state while something else took control of her actions. And this thing that controller her, whatever it was, seemed to understand the nature of her power better than herself.

    Alicia reached towards the statue, pointed at it, and drew a line across its neck, condemning it to a swift and effective death.

    The statue then was cut in a thousand pieces by invisible blades, becoming a harmless pile of rubble, unworthy of any form of worship.

    Everything went back to normal slowly, the fire of the torches regained their strength and the light around Alicia crawled back into her scars. She snapped out of her trance unaware of what had just happened.

    At least the baby had stopped crying and went back to sleep peacefully. Without giving it a second thought, Alicia walked away and abandoned that godless crypt, feeling like there was one last thing to take care of.

    Kirsten had to be careful now, the town was essentially under lockdown and the police were all over the place. No one was supposed to be out on the streets anymore, and the chief had already asked for help from the nearby towns.

    He had made his way to the park. He lurked near a path that went across the entire zone to not get lost in the darkness. That place was pretty exposed, if anyone looked his way with a flashlight he¡¯d be caught in an instant.

    ¡°Charlie, I¡¯m at the park, where are you?¡± ¨C He asked through the walkie talkie.

    ¡°Sitting on a bench¡­¡± ¨C She said. ¨C ¡°I don¡¯t think I can move any further, way too tired.¡±

    Kirsten took a look around. Right there, near a small playground she spotted a girl covering herself with a black cape, sitting on a bench. Kirsten approached carefully, for he didn¡¯t know who else was around there.

    ¡°Charlie?¡± ¨C He took a look at her face. Her nose and left eye were swollen and purple, she had received a very serious beating.

    ¡°Hey, boss¡­I¡­I think my nose is bent the wrong way. Can you help me with that?¡±

    ¡°How can you speak normally if your nose is dislocated?¡±

    ¡°Tricks of the trade boss. You learn to manipulate every single fiber of your body in unsuspected and subtle ways. Now, can you try and pull it to the right?¡±

    At a lack of better options, he concluded that this rustic method was the only way to help her.

    ¡°Fine¡­I sure hope you know what you are asking for.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not the first time I receive damage boss¡­ even if you don¡¯t believe it.¡±

    ¡°Seriously now? Ok, prepare yourself¡­¡±

    Charlie gripped at the edges of the bench as Kirsten took a hold of her nose.

    ¡°Ok¡­1¡­2¡­3!¡± ¨C Kirsten pulled as hard as he could and with a loud crack, she put her nose back in its original position.

    ¡°Aaaaahhh¡­! Damnation¡­!¡± ¨C She blew her nose as hard as she could, releasing a bunch of residual blood that had gotten stuck inside her nose, then she inhaled to see if her nostrils were finally clean. ¨C ¡°¡­That¡¯s better. Damn¡­this is humiliating.¡±

    ¡°Who the hell did this to you?¡±

    ¡°Some big dude, lots of muscle, he asked for Butcher, thought I was her. We fought, I cut his arms, he must be bleeding out by now if no one helps him.¡±

    ¡°You think Fritz sent him?¡±

    ¡°Maybe? Most likely.¡± ¨C She took a mirror out of inside her cape to take a look at the damage on her face. ¨C ¡°Fuck¡­¡± ¨C That eye would take some time to heal. ¨C ¡°He hit hard, he was a brute¡­seen many like that, but he¡¯s the first to give me so much trouble.¡± ¨C She looked back at Kirsten. ¨C ¡°I get the feeling that he was not alone but they are also just as lost as we are.¡±

    ¡°Take off that cape.¡± ¨C Said Kirsten. Charlie obeyed so he could see what was under her T-shirt. As expected, her torso was covered by big black spots product of the beatdown she had received from Igor. ¨C ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stop Alicia when you saw her?¡±

    ¡°I froze in place, you know what I mean?¡± ¨C She laughed. ¨C ¡°Damn¡­to say she¡¯s frightening is an understatement, she¡¯s a monster¡­her scars¡­they were glowing like fire¡­¡±

    Kirsten remembered when he was giving Alicia her first assignment, the one that started this fiasco. The feeling he got when he saw her scars glow in an unnatural red. This could only mean that whatever was inside Alicia had finally come out to the surface.

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think she even noticed I was there¡­¡± ¨C Said Charlie. ¨C ¡°I could¡¯ve¡­used my strings, but I got the feeling that¡¯d be the last idea I¡¯d ever have.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s done is done.¡± ¨C Said Kirsten, sitting next to her. ¨C ¡°We¡¯ve still got to find her.¡±

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s still worth it boss?¡± ¨C she asked. ¨C ¡°I mean¡­she¡¯s already done a pretty big mess; I don¡¯t think she can listen to reason anymore. And I figure she still thinks you are in on the betrayal so¡­what do you think she¡¯ll do if she sees you?¡±

    In that moment they spotted two officers patrolling through the park in the darkness, using flashlights to see where they were going. They were far away enough, so Kirsten and Charlie took the risk and concealed their presence as much as possible so the officers wouldn¡¯t think of looking their way.

    They seemed to be listening to a radio call.

    ¡°Holy shit! What is he, a fucking monster? How can a person singlehandedly destroy a police blockade? Shouldn¡¯t we be calling the national guard!?¡±

    Kirsten got a little tense at hearing this.

    ¡°I think the chief will do it soon, in the meantime we have to survive the night. It seems that whoever it is, he doesn¡¯t want to kill cops, so he¡¯s just getting us out of his way, broken bones be damned.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s super strong, he¡¯s gotta be some kind of monster¡­like a mutant, a vampire or something like that.¡±

    ¡°I heard that the others haven¡¯t found a single drained corpse yet, so a vampire he cannot be.¡±

    ¡°Well, whatever he is, he clearly doesn¡¯t want to make friends. He¡¯s taking out the trash, leaving a huge bloody mess behind. I don¡¯t know if to feel terrified or glad someone¡¯s doing our job.¡±

    ¡°That asshole could take an innocent down with the others, he¡¯s going too far, he needs to be stopped.¡±

    ¡°Come on man. This is why police departments all over the country are as unpopular as they are.¡±

    ¡°Why? Just because we don¡¯t shoot at the suspects on sight?¡±

    ¡°I mean, some of us doubt too much.¡±

    ¡°And clearly you are not in that group¡­ keep talking like that and the boss will put you on leave.¡±

    ¡°Oh shit, would you actually rat me out to the chief?¡±

    ¡°Nah¡­all I¡¯m saying is watch your mouth.¡±

    That conversation was very revealing for both Kirsten and Charlie.

    ¡°Damn¡­so she has no shame about showing her strength¡­How bold.¡± ¨C Said Charlie, leaning her head backwards.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you too¡­¡±

    ¡°When we put our mind on it, we assassins can be pretty¡­destructive let¡¯s say. Yeah, destructive.¡± ¨C She touched her swollen eye and winced at the feeling. ¨C ¡°At least the top-class ones like Butcher, Arthur and me.¡±

    Charlie said that, but even then, under the standards of the organization, the three of them, and including Spectre, Silencer and Jules, they were all considered to be fit for the A-rank, right under the S-rank.

    He could only wonder what kind of monsters served Darius, and why he had never seen them, but now another doubt was clouding his thoughts.

    Alicia, she had exposed herself while going on her relentless rampage, and there was no reason in this world that could justify her murdering dozens of people just because she felt like it, at least none that he knew of.

    Back in the headquarters it was very obvious at a glance because of the way she carried herself, her choice of words, her overwhelming presence and bloodthirst; Kirsten had to accept the fact that she wasn¡¯t stable from the beginning, and that she¡¯s probably too far gone now, and it¡¯s a matter of time she becomes a mere monster that yearns for the blood of the innocents.

    He thought of the gun hidden under his coat, then he tried to envision himself placing a bullet in between Alicia¡¯s eyes.

    He ran this simulation in his mind ten times, and nine out ten of those times he lost. The tenth time was different because he shot at her while standing right behind her.

    A single bullet through the back of her head, that was the only thing he needed. It was all just a matter of approaching quietly, aiming and pulling the trigger, then the infamous and lethal Butcher would cease to exist for good.

    Even so, nothing guaranteed him they¡¯d meet under such perfect circumstances, so he still was at a loss of what to do.

    That¡¯s when his phone chirped and he answered.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Hello again Eyler, it seems that you got yourself in a very hairy situation.¡± ¨C It was Conrad, Kirsten couldn¡¯t pretend to be surprised knowing that he had a man following his every movement.

    ¡°What do you want, commander?¡± ¨C He asked, not feeling like listening to another war story from the mercenary.

    ¡°Relax Kirsten, I¡¯m just calling because I thought you could use some help finding Alicia. See, Colin has been busier following her steps rather than following you, and has finally got her on his sights.

    Kirsten jolted. ¨C ¡°Where!? Where is she!?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s in the suburbs right now, broke into someone¡¯s house and seems to be tormenting whoever is inside. Damn, never took her for a sadist, I guess you can¡¯t ever truly know someone. Anyway, she seems to be taking her time, so it¡¯s your chance to go and fetch her, she must be getting tired by now, so it¡¯s a good time as any, don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll get there immediately!¡± ¨C Kirsten was about to hang up, but the commander wasn¡¯t done talking yet.

    ¡°Hold up, I haven¡¯t gotten to the best part. Colin also told me that there¡¯s someone out on a radio tower overlooking the area, seems to be another professional, and he too has her in his sights. I doubt he¡¯s a friend of yours.¡±

    ¡°A sniper!?¡±

    ¡°Seems so. He saw her coming in and has been waiting for her ever since, waiting for the right moment to blow her brains out. See, Butcher might be good, but we are all defenseless against what we don¡¯t expect, so unless you want to hope that guy misses his shot, I suggest you hurry up.¡±

    Conrad gave him the exact address and ended the call. Kirsten¡¯s heart beat faster than before.

    ¡°It seems we got another lead, boss¡­¡± ¨C Said Charlie. ¨C ¡°Want me to tag along?¡±

    ¡°No need, you are in no condition to fight anymore. Go back to the hotel and try and get some rest.¡±

    ¡°If you say so¡­I¡¯ll go¡­after taking a little nap.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll finish this once and for all, afterwards we are leaving the town as soon as¡­¡± ¨C He turned back and saw that Charlie was already asleep, curling into a ball over the bench. ¨C¡°¡­Right¡­on it.¡± ¨C He stood up and marched towards the suburbs. He wasn¡¯t running because he still didn¡¯t know if he wanted to catch Butcher alive or to put her down.

    Why not let the sniper do whatever he was there to do? Why not just forget about this and let the cops take care of her? why did he need to do it himself? He couldn¡¯t say for sure, but in a way, he felt responsible for having brought this beast into civilization.

 Enough for now

    The town¡¯s clinic was working overtime tending to the wounded during this night of onslaught. Their wounds weren¡¯t lethal, but they had received a serious beating that¡¯d put them on leave for a little while. Whoever attacked them hit pretty hard.

    They also received some survivors of the massacres that spree killer was performing all around town through the Emergency Room. The nurses and surgeons did the best they could, but most of these people were already too far gone, fatally wounded, and so they could only ease their pain as they passed away.

    Some of the hospital¡¯s staff felt overwhelmed by the cruelty that they were witnessing that night. They simply couldn¡¯t believe there was someone out there so strong, so lethal and so depraved that they actually sought to kill as many people as possible in whatever way he could, a couple of them had the feeling that they were drafted into a movie and the entire script was based on improvisation, and if that was the case, they expected to receive a hefty payment for being put through all of this.

    One of the nurses, a woman named Lisa, walked out of the Emergency Room, her uniform covered in the blood of a man whose innards had been twisted and mangled somehow. She couldn¡¯t believe what she had seen, and she preferred to pretend that it was all a nightmare and that none of this was happening, so when she finished her shift she would go back home, sleep and get up in the morning expecting to find the beds clean, the morgue empty and every single police officer with a broken bone out in the streets doing their patrols since, of course, all of that was a dream.

    She walked out to the streets and was suddenly snapped back to reality by the sound of a baby crying.

    Lisa looked down to the ground and saw a box right in front of her, inside was a newborn. Her instincts kicked in immediately and she took the baby out of the box and into her arms. There was a piece of paper on the baby¡¯s chest with something written on it, it said: ¡°Give this baby a life worth living.¡± Right under these words there was an address, and next to it there was written ¡°Cult massacre¡± written in the most dispassionate way possible.

    Lisa had no doubts that whoever wrote this letter was that mass murderer that was ravaging their town. She felt happy to know that, at the very least, this killer drew the line at killing babies, she¡¯d seen too many in true crime documentaries that weren¡¯t so kind.

    She took the baby into the hospital and made sure he¡¯d receive a good care, and of course, inform the policemen keeping watch over their wounded comrades about the massacre at the location specified in that address, maybe they could do something about it.

    Carl hadn¡¯t moved from his position at the top of the tower overlooking the suburbs, and wouldn¡¯t want to do it now that he had his target on his sight.

    He wouldn¡¯t have made his career as a sniper if he didn¡¯t have the patience to wait for his prey to make a single mistake and then take the killing shot, so he was willing to wait for her to come out or peek out a window.

    It wasn¡¯t hard to notice Alicia down at the ground level, her scars glow in an intense red that gives up her position, he had never seen anything like it, but he wasn¡¯t being paid to witness a paranormal phenomenon and call it a day, so he was getting ready to take the shot, but then she changed her course and broke into a house, seems it was premeditated, at least from the position he was in.

    From what he could appreciate while being there, there was a family of four in the house; a father, a mother and two children, both girls. The girls didn¡¯t look quite alright, as if they¡¯d prefer to be somewhere else than there. He figured that their parents were scum, probably prostituted them to some depraved fuckers around the block, he had done a job like that a couple of years back, blowing the brains out of a man that allowed his son to be raped in exchange for cash; he sniped him right in front of the courtroom the moment he was declared innocent, so he still felt quite alright with himself for having delivered justice, something he seldom got to do in this line of work.

    He knew that the people inside that house were like that, and maybe Butcher knew too, and that¡¯s why she was there.

    Luis told him that Igor had been defeated by someone that they believed was one of her allies. Now, she had to be very big and strong to defeat Igor, or she had to be a freak just like Butcher; Personally, Carl was betting on the latter scenario.

    With a simple look he knew that whatever Butcher was, a human she was not. Suddenly he saw himself changing professions from an assassin to a monster hunter, but he didn¡¯t oppose the idea at all.

    And to debut in the world of monster hunting, he¡¯d kill Butcher at all cost, and if somehow she managed to resist a bullet to the chest or even her head, he¡¯d do the only thing he knew: he¡¯d keep shooting until the target stopped moving.

    He and Luis were the last ones left who could fight, and he¡¯d damn his own guts if he wasn¡¯t the one to take the kill.

    Meanwhile, inside the house, Butcher had already claimed a victim.

    Right after breaking into the house through the kitchen¡¯s window, a man with a goatee walked in to search for something in the fridge.

    He smelled like a BBQ burger, so Alicia¡¯s decision on what to do with him was already made. By the time he noticed her glowing red eyes in the dark it was already too late. The next thing he knew, he was lying on the ground with a crater in his chest.

    There were more people at the dinner table, they asked the man if he was ok. Alicia recognized them almost instantly because of their smell, they were the couple that was being all lovey-dovey at the shooting range.

    Right before stepping out of the shadows to make her acquaintance with them, Alicia was assaulted by a vision. She saw what this couple did for a living, together with the man she had just killed.

    In the basement of the house they had a collection of videos they had made filming men abusing children for over a decade all across America, and some of those videos were of themselves as they did similar stuff to their own children; One of them had already died because of this, the only boy that was born in the family, and only the two girls remained, but there was no way to know how much humanity was still left inside those girls¡¯ hearts.

    Alicia would¡¯ve been angry at this point, but she realized she wasn¡¯t; yet another sign of the change she was experiencing by staying in this state. She had already prolonged it enough, this is the closest she was of losing her identity, the closest she ever was to oblivion. But even then, she didn¡¯t care, she was starting to like this state and the power it offered her.

    She wanted to keep this up for at least half an hour, that¡¯s all she needed to torment the monsters that inhabited that house.

    Alicia stepped out of the shadows and the woman drowned a scream in her throat. The man stared her down and looked in awe at her bloodstained self.

    ¡°Who the fuck are you!?¡± ¨C He said. ¨C ¡°What are you doing in our¡­!?¡±

    He fell mute as a vision passed through his mind, a vision of his own death as this strange girl tore up his chest and devoured his organs raw with big, strong bites.

    A cold sweat ran down his spine as he sat back down. He looked down to his feet to try and avert his gaze from the eminence that had just made her way into his sinful home.

    Alicia looked at the table, they were having some fried chicken that night. There were three dishes on the table, the one in the middle was for the corpse in the kitchen; in that condition, it was very unlikely he¡¯d want to eat it now.

    In that order of ideas, she sat down and took raw bites from the portions of chicken on the plate, savoring its flavor, it was some of the best fried chicken she had ever eaten in her life, though in that state of euphoria she could say the same thing just about anything that was eatable.

    The parents looked at their host in silence, knowing unconsciously that if they made a single move, for any reason, they¡¯d die on the spot.

    Alicia kept chewing and chewing until the piece of chicken in her hand was reduced to bare bone, then she dropped it back on the plate. She gasped surprised when she noticed that she still had two more pieces left.

    The chicken was tasty and all, but it did little to distract her from what was going through her mind at that moment.

    She sighed and rubbed her temple as frustration bubbled back up to the surface again.

    ¡°You people are probably thinking¡­why is this happening? Did we mess up? Didn¡¯t we cover our tracks well enough? Yeah, you did¡­you did perfectly even, I¡¯m sure the cops don¡¯t know you people exist¡­¡± ¨C She said, her own essence and Crimson¡¯s had already become one and the same. ¨C ¡°¡­You just had bad luck.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know what you are talking about!¡± ¨C Said the woman.

    ¡°Relax, Karen.¡± ¨C Said Alicia, shocking the woman. How did she know her name? ¨C ¡°You know exactly what I mean¡­¡± ¨C She looked at the man. ¨C ¡°Clancy¡­are the girls asleep yet?¡±

    ¡°How do you¡­?¡± ¨C He asked, but a force pushed his words back down his throat.

    ¡°I¡¯ll assume they are.¡± ¨C She pulled out a pistol, the two of them panicked in their seats, they didn¡¯t dare move any further. ¨C ¡°You are shocked alright; I was surprised myself. I didn¡¯t know anything about you two until I stepped into this house, it all suddenly came to me¡­before that¡­I could just smell you, and let me tell you, you people smell incredible.¡±

    ¡°What the fuck are you saying!?¡± ¨C Said the woman.

    ¡°You¡¯ll see what I mean soon.¡± ¨C She raised up the gun. ¨C ¡°Now¡­keep eating.¡± ¨C She aimed at Clancy. ¨C ¡°Come on, eat your dinner before it gets cold.¡±

    The couple hesitated at first, but then they felt as if a dozen hands were crawling up their legs, intending to pull them down to hell, that¡¯s when they decided to obey and kept eating with trembling hands.

    ¡°w-w-w-w-w-w-What the fuck are you¡­?¡± ¨C Asked Clancy.

    ¡°I wish I knew.¡±- Said Alicia. ¨C ¡°But it seems that my purpose is pretty clear.¡± ¨C She looked down to the plate in front of her. ¨C ¡°Ever since I can remember, I¡¯ve been doing the same thing, over and over again. After the first kill, it all became a matter of routine. Whether I like it or not, I can¡¯t get enough of this, even when I think that I¡¯ve had my fill, a moment of quietness is all that¡¯s needed to make me put the boots back on, load up my guns and go out and kill the first piece of meat I stumble upon¡­and now it¡¯s worst, I can literally smell you¡­ For the longest time I wondered why I had such an abhorrent and strange itch, why do I have this¡­hunger, thirst; it¡¯s both thirst and hunger. Now I¡¯ve realized that it¡¯s because of many things, but the most important of all, is that this is the way I nourish myself.¡±

    As she kept speaking, Alicia¡¯s frustration kept rising. ¨C ¡°Ah, I wish things were different, I wish I was different¡­ I wish I could just be someone that can go her merry way while ignoring the depravity of this world¡­ but I can¡¯t help myself, I can¡¯t help being this way.¡± ¨C Clancy and Helena watched as tears slid down her face. ¨C ¡°As long as monsters like you keep breathing¡­I¡¯ll keep forcing myself to do all of this again¡­¡±

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Through Alicia¡¯s mind rushed the images of some of her most brutal murders, like the time she grabbed a jihadist and pressed his eyes into his sockets with her thumbs, relishing in his anguished screams as Allah was powerless to stop her, or the time she gutted an imam and strangled him with his own intestines.

    She yearned to return to the desert to finish what she started. For some reason Crimson wished to end all life in the middle east, and now Alicia was willing to correspond to its wishes, even if that meant that she¡¯d take the final step to lose herself and her identity while giving up control to a supernatural monster.

    ¡°I can¡¯t just leave this world behind¡­¡± ¨C She said. ¨C ¡°I must see the end of this war. I must fulfill my promises.¡±

    She stood up and looked at Helena. ¨C ¡°Now that I think about it, there¡¯s another reason why I do this.¡±

    ¡°P-p-p-Please don¡¯t hurt us! We¡¯ll turn ourselves in to the police! We¡¯ll pay for what we¡¯ve done! But please, don¡¯t kill us!¡±

    ¡°Helena¡­¡± ¨C Whispered Alicia after walking up to her and placing a hand over her shoulder. ¨C ¡°Even if you were sent to a max security prison, I¡¯d still find my way inside, and do all of this all over again.¡±

    Alicia aimed at Clancy¡¯s throat and pulled the trigger, then a 9mm bullet punched a hole into his throat.

    Clancy collapsed to the ground holding onto his neck, trying to keep all the blood inside in vain. Helena panicked and screamed, trying to get up from her seat and go and help the love of her life, but this monster in the room was keeping her there effortlessly by pressing on her shoulder.

    ¡°Clancy! NO! Clancy! Let me go you fucking whore! He¡¯s dying!¡±

    ¡°Have you ever felt this before, Helena?¡± ¨C Asked Alicia as both of them watched Clancy on the ground, dying slowly. ¨C ¡°This is a gut-wrenching feeling that¡¯ll stay with you, believe me. The feeling you get when you watch a loved one die¡­I¡¯m sure that even a parasite like you can feel it and understand its meaning.¡± ¨C Alicia gritted her teeth and gripped at her shoulder harder, making her scream as she wailed because of the pain. ¨C ¡°Your daughters know this feeling all too well¡­I¡¯m sure your dead son did too. This is the other reason why I do this, to teach everyone like you, and this entire world, what true pain is.¡±

    After a few seconds, Clancy finally drowned in his own blood, Helena cried harder, getting lost in desperation and grief. However, even if she was suffering a lot by then, Alicia wasn¡¯t done just yet.

    She placed the pistol above her head. ¨C ¡°Do you want to go after him?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Yes I do!¡± ¨C Said Helena.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that.¡± ¨C Alicia smiled right before splattering her blood all over the table.

    Finally, after what felt like an eternal night, there were no more scents in the air, and her belly felt full. Alicia finally felt satisfied after painting the town red with her relentless massacre.

    She finally allowed herself to feel the power cruising through every fiber of her being. It was imposing, intoxicating and massive, completely out of this world. She felt like she could stay in this state forever, but she knew this was a delusion, it was time to wake up.

    Alicia held onto a chair and focused. ¨C ¡°Let me go¡­¡± ¨C She said out loud. ¨C ¡°The job is done¡­let me go, now¡­¡±

    Crimson refused to leave this state, it was very close to achieve what it sought to do, but Alicia kept pushing it back, forcing it to comply.

    ¡°Let us go, you stupid bastard¡­¡± ¨C She demanded. ¨C ¡°Let me go or I¡¯ll exterminate you. I own this body; you won¡¯t take it from me.¡±

    In that instant she was assaulted by the memories of everything she did that night, all the people she slashed and gunned down like dogs, the rivers of blood she had created, the destruction she left at her wake. She could see all of them, damned souls, reach from the depths of hell to drag her down with them, and even then, her predatorial nature still yearned for more.

    But that part of Alicia that was still human was simply tired and wanted to rest no matter what.

    She turned her left hand into a fist. ¨C ¡°Let me go!¡±

    Alicia punched her forehead. Her scars stopped glowing red, her eyes recovered their natural color, her muscles relaxed and adopted their normal volume. Slowly but surely, Alicia felt like herself again.

    The numbness settled over her shoulders; she had strained her body to its absolute limits. However, that mattered little, because she finally felt satisfied with her work. Alicia couldn¡¯t believe there was so much rot to be found in that little town that seemed so peaceful on the surface.

    She took a moment to rest and sat back down and continued eating the chicken, ignoring the two corpses in the room with her, she didn¡¯t mind the gore and the smell in the slightest, her nose had lost those sensibilities.

    Ten didn¡¯t take long to wake up.

    ¡°*Yawn, damn¡­that was a nice nap! Inexistence sure is relaxing. So, how did it-¡± ¨C She noticed the two corpses in the room. ¨C ¡°You don¡¯t waste time at all, do you Ali?¡±

    ¡°(These two are merely the end of it.)¡± ¨C She said. ¨C ¡°(I did a lot tonight.)¡±

    ¡°Hmph¡­it¡¯s sad I can¡¯t stay awake for it; I¡¯d have liked to take pictures you know? Anyway, now that you are done and all, you think we can leave now?¡±

    Alicia finished her chicken, now it didn¡¯t seem as impressive as it was before, but at the very least it was still tasty. ¨C ¡°(Yeah¡­let¡¯s.)¡±

    Now came the most annoying part of coming out of the full sync mode, and that was the overbearing feeling of melancholy that washed over her after settling down. Her emotions were amplified to an all-time high while in that state, so it was natural that they would fall straight to the bottom upon calming down. It would summon a shadow of doubt in her mind, questioning if it was worth it to keep moving at all, why not die and just leave all the bullshit behind? Why not end it all so she didn¡¯t have to deal with this anymore?

    This sudden depression told her she didn¡¯t do this out of enjoyment of it, she did it purely out of hatred, hatred for the entire world around her, and if she was completely honest with herself, hatred wasn¡¯t a good enough reason to keep waking up every morning.

    But she knew this was the sadness talking, she tried her best to not pay attention to it.

    There was a mirror nearby, Alicia looked at her reflection. She had spilled some blood over her shirt and brand-new jacket, which was a shame, but it was par for the course, the same could be said about her face. She was also surprised to see that her scars hadn¡¯t burst open like they usually did while working. She took a long look at her eyes to see if they were of a normal color, and indeed they were, so now she was sure that she was completely off synchronization.

    But the truth is that something in her had already changed.

    ¡°Have you come to save us?¡± ¨C Said a little girl¡¯s voice right behind her.

    Alicia turned around to meet Lily and Violet, the two little daughters and slaves of the couple that lied dead in that room.

    ¡°Are you¡­an angel?¡± ¨C Asked Lily, glaring at her with eyes full of reborn hope. By being in Alicia¡¯s presence, both of them had recovered that innocence and hope that their parents had robbed them, or maybe it was because by killing them those things returned to them naturally.

    Before she was able to respond, another child appeared right behind them, a little boy, but this one was different to them, his throat was open but no blood was coming out. Then another child appeared, he too had a fatal wound, then another, and then another.

    Suddenly, Alicia was surrounded by the victims of that wretched couple, at least those that had already died. This was the change that would stay with her, now her soul was in touch with the world the dead inhabit.

    Ten was speechless, assimilating the fact that a bunch of ghost children had appeared before Alicia.

    ¡°¡­I really don¡¯t know.¡± ¨C She said, and upon turning around towards the window she discovered that she was surrounded by hundreds of these ghosts, gathering there to show their gratitude to their avenger.

    Alicia walked up to the window to see them. Men, women and children, of all the roles and occupations to be found in that town, they all had perished at the hands of the evil that lurked there, and maybe far beyond it, and where the police had failed to put a stop to the darkness, in a single night, she had come and butchered it.

    Thankful wouldn¡¯t even begin to describe the feeling these people felt for her, and she knew it. Alicia, on the other hand, felt overwhelmed, she didn¡¯t think she was worthy of praise, not even from the dead. She couldn¡¯t grasp what was it that she did that was so good.

    ¡°¡­Am I really?¡± ¨C She asked, hoping someone would respond, but it wasn¡¯t up to them to give her that answer.

    Carl heard the sound of a pistol firing off inside the house and knew that was his cue to prepare.

    He supported his rifle over the safety bars and looked down at the house where Butcher was. With any luck, she¡¯d peek her head out from one of the windows and God would bless him with a lucky shot.

    He was sure that his AWM would be able to destroy her head like a watermelon, and even if that shot wasn¡¯t certain, he just needed to aim to the center of mass, there was not a single creature in this world that could tough out a .300 magnum bullet punching a hole into its body, and he was sure this one wouldn¡¯t be an exception.

    Carl took aim and focused, waiting for the right moment. He had done this for so long that staying put, completely still and waiting for the right moment against the elements and circumstances themselves became a second nature to him. He was certain to be one of the few real elite snipers out there, and he wanted to live up to this standard and go down a legend in history, and killing the infamous Butcher would be one of the best chapters in his biography, of that he was certain.

    He looked through the scope and saw the target walking up to a window, she looked dumbfounded for some reason, she was looking at something that Carl couldn¡¯t see from that position, if there was anything there at all.

    But he wasn¡¯t the kind of person to stop everything he was doing and ask questions; he was determined to take her down right there and then.

    He took a deep breath, stabilized his grip, aimed straight at her head; from that distance, wind and gravity were no problem at all.

    Carl took the safety off and placed his index over the trigger. At times like this he wished that sniping wasn¡¯t a job that required so much precision and patience, he would¡¯ve killed her a long time ago if he was at ground level and within pistol range.

    The time was right, but before he could pull the trigger, he felt the weight of a gun above his head.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that if I were you.¡± ¨C Said a voice right behind him.

    ¡°(How!?)¡± ¨C Carl was startled. ¨C¡°(How the hell did he get up here!? I didn¡¯t hear him come up the stairs! Hell, I didn¡¯t even feel him!)¡±

    ¡°No one¡¯s gonna take Butcher down, except me.¡± ¨C Said the man.

    ¡°Who the fuck are you!?¡± ¨C Asked Carl, looking back to see a middle-aged man pointing at him with a Glock.

    ¡°I¡¯m Butcher¡¯s handler.¡± ¨C He said.

    ¡°Handler!?¡± ¨C Carl laughed. ¨C ¡°So you are the handler of that fucking fiend down there, really!? I can¡¯t see you being able to control that monster¡­¡±

    ¡°You are right¡­she has certainly slipped out of my hands.¡± ¨C Said Kirsten. ¨C ¡°But I intend to fix that. Now, drop your weapon.¡±

    Carl accepted that this was how it was gonna go and dropped the rifle, throwing it out of the tower.

    ¡°So what now, you gonna kill me?¡± ¨C He asked.

    ¡°Not yet, I¡¯ve got a few questions for you.¡± ¨C Said Kirsten. ¨C ¡°Who hired you for this job.¡±

    ¡°Like I fucking care.¡± ¨C Said Carl. ¨C ¡°Our source passes the files and contract specifics to us, we don¡¯t hear nor read any names. Your girl has made a lot of important folks angry and we took the job, it¡¯s nothing personal. The report said that she was stranded and wounded in this side of the US so we thought it would be an easy job, turns out it was our unmaking.¡±

    It had to be Lionel who called the hit, he knew the details about the crash. Though, even if it wasn¡¯t him who hired them, it mattered little, Kirsten¡¯s goal was still the same.

    ¡°I assume it was you who took down Igor.¡± ¨C Said Carl. ¨C ¡°You don¡¯t look strong enough to take on a big man such as him.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me.¡± ¨C Said Kirsten, to which Carl laughed in response.

    ¡°Well, damn¡­this has to be the weirdest job I¡¯ve ever taken.¡± ¨C Carl leaned over the safety bars. ¨C ¡°That thing down there is not human, and I¡¯m sure you know it. That bitch has spent the last six hours running around and killing whatever prick she came across. No matter how you look at it, you can¡¯t control someone like that. Once a person becomes a mass murderer there¡¯s little they¡¯ll respond to, so I hope that what you mean with fixing it, you mean killing her.¡±

    ¡°¡­I haven¡¯t decided yet.¡± ¨C He responded.

    Carl chuckled. ¨C ¡°You better decide real quick man, otherwise she¡¯s gonna slip out of your grasp, and then who knows what¡¯s gonna happen to the places she goes to.¡±

    ¡°Whatever, just turn around.¡± ¨C Ordered Kirsten, and Carl didn¡¯t see any other option but to obey.

    ¡°This was supposed to be my biggest hit, you know?¡± ¨C Said Carl. ¨C ¡°Killing a monster like that earns you fame, reputation, and heaven!¡±

    Fed up, Kirsten smacked him in the back of the head with his pistol, knocking him up.

    Just to make sure he wouldn¡¯t try anything funny; Kirsten tied him up by the hands to the tower¡¯s safety bar and left him there.

    Once down on the ground, he picked up the rifle that had fallen nearby and used his phone to give an anonymous tip to the police about a suspicious man up a radio tower in the suburbs and hung up before the agent could ask any questions.

    With that done, he looked back at the house and realized that Alicia was already out and walking down the street.

    Walking by the house Kirsten noticed two little girls sitting on the porch, eating chicken. They looked bad to say the least, but they also seemed like all their worries had been washed away. There was a phone next to them, he could only assume that they had just called the cops.

    Finally, Kirsten was close enough to Butcher, and better yet, it seemed like she hadn¡¯t noticed his presence yet.

    He thought about using the rifle to shoot at her, he also considered rushing at her with the pistol and mag dump on her. He kept doubting himself as she walked away with confidence. After a few seconds, Kirsten decided to follow her and see where she would end up.

    She walked down the street enjoying the sound of the distant sirens and helicopters, validating her opinions on the law and order, or rather, the inexistence of these. Kirsten noticed that as she walked down the sidewalk, she left a trace of bloody footsteps.

    Kirsten just accepted that this is the way things usually went with her; Wherever she went, carnage awaited, and it was just a matter of time before insanity finally got a grip of her, and then she¡¯d be the problem of the entire world.

    He was still on time to make sure that doesn¡¯t happen.; It would be like putting down a rabid dog, or at least that¡¯s what he wanted to think.

    Kirsten would never know this, but right next to them as they walked by the sidewalk, there was a line of spirits watching them, wondering what Kirsten would do to their avenger.

 Now youve done it

    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?)¡± ¨C 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¡­¡± ¨C 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. ¨C ¡°¡­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. ¨C ¡°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.¡± ¨C 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.¡± ¨C 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. ¨C ¡°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.¡± ¨C He responded. ¨C ¡°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.¡± ¨C 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. ¨C¡°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.¡± ¨C She said. ¨C ¡°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.¡± ¨C She said, staring out the window. ¨C ¡°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?¡± ¨C He asked, completely tired of this mystery and yearning to know the answer once and for all. ¨C ¡°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.¡± ¨C She said. ¨C ¡°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¡­¡± ¨C Kirsten hadn¡¯t thought about what had happened in a while, of course she was still angry about it. ¨C ¡°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.¡± ¨C 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¡­¡± ¨C Kirsten averted his gaze, still conflicted. ¨C ¡°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. ¨C ¡°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.¡± ¨C She said. ¨C ¡°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. ¨C ¡°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. ¨C ¡°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.¡± ¨C Alicia looked at Kirsten dead in the eyes. ¨C ¡°Ever since then, I¡¯ve been unable to ignore it, evil. I just feel this urge.¡± ¨C Alicia clutched at her chest. ¨C ¡°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¡­¡± ¨C He said. ¨C ¡°¡­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?¡± ¨C Silence was his answer. ¨C ¡°¡­Right.¡±

    ¡°If you are not here to kill me, then why did you come?¡± ¨C 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.¡± ¨C She looked back out the window. ¨C ¡°¡­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. ¨C ¡°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¡­¡± ¨C He continued. ¨C ¡°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. ¨C ¡°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.¡± ¨C He said. ¨C ¡°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.¡± ¨C She said. ¨C ¡°I need to rest.¡± ¨C While she closed her eyes she pointed at Kirsten. ¨C ¡°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!¡± ¨C 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.¡± ¨C Said Luis. ¨C ¡°That¡¯s gotta do it alright.¡±

    He centered his attention on Kirsten. ¨C ¡°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. ¨C ¡°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?¡± ¨C 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.¡± ¨C He stretched his neck. ¨C ¡°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.¡± ¨C 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!¡± ¨C She said. ¨C ¡°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?¡± ¨C 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.¡±

 The gig is up

    Kirsten couldn¡¯t understand what just happened. Alicia had gone flying out the window, probably knocked unconscious even if Luis said that kick was strong enough to kill her.

    And now there was someone standing on the window that looked uncannily like Alicia, but the stark difference between each other due to the lack of scars on her skin instantly stood out.

    She affirmed to know Alicia, and implied that she was even more dangerous than her.

    Suffice to say, he was intrigued to see what this imposter was going to do.

    ¡°Who the fuck do you think you are brat!?¡± ¨C Said Luis. ¨C ¡°Out of our fucking sight!¡±

    Igor rushed at her intending to blow her away with a single punch, but right before he was close enough, she clapped.

    Igor felt his fist connect with her chest, he saw her open her mouth as blood came out from it like when you smash a fruit, he saw her fly back out. He had punched her, hell, maybe he had killed her with that single punch, everyone saw it.

    But then, why is it that after he blinked, there was nothing in front of him? Worse yet, why was he the one flying out the window and down to the ground. Why had he defenestrated himself? Why was his target standing right behind him inside the house so nonchalantly?

    Igor fell down to the ground and bruised his already wounded arms; the impact would put him out of commission for a little while.

    ¡°Pff, fucking amateurs.¡± ¨C She said. ¨C ¡°As if that would be enough.¡±

    ¡°What the fuck did you do to Igor!?¡± ¨C He said raising up his pistol.

    ¡°Now now, a mage shouldn¡¯t reveal her tricks!¡± ¨C She said, showing Luis her teeth. They were sharp, like a shark¡¯s, Kirsten was sure her teeth weren¡¯t like that before. ¨C ¡°He may be a big guy, but his mind is vulnerable, most little brains are. I wonder if yours is similar.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t get to do shit with me!¡±

    Luis prepared to open fire, but before his finger could pull the trigger, she snapped her fingers, and he realized that suddenly his index finger couldn¡¯t move anymore.

    ¡°What the fuck!?¡± ¨C Luis couldn¡¯t process what was happening before she kicked him out of the room. He bounced on the wall and fell down the stairs.

    ¡°Alicia!¡± ¨C Called out Kirsten, and she turned around. ¨C ¡°¡­You are not her, are you?¡±

    Ten scratched the back of her head. ¨C ¡°Well damn, I guess the gig is up.¡±  - She shrugged. ¨C ¡°She¡¯s gonna kill me for this later. For now, let¡¯s focus on sending these guys packing.¡±

    Ten walked down the stairs to meet Luis who was standing back up. The veins in his forehead were pulsing.

    He had lost his gun, but that wasn¡¯t the only weapon he had brought. He took out from the back of his pants a couple of Karambit knives and adopted his combat pose.

    Ten stretched her arms and legs. ¨C ¡°Now, with the fluff out of the way.¡± ¨C She cracked her fingers. ¨C ¡°Let¡¯s rumble!¡±

    Luis let out his war cry and rushed forward, but his hype was cut short when he got smacked in the face with a belt¡¯s buckle.

    ¡°Are you fucking with me!?¡± ¨C He said staring at her holding that belt in her hand.

    ¡°There ain¡¯t no way I can win a knife fight unarmed!¡±

    Luis rushed forward again but Ten kept him at a distance by attacking him with the belt as if it was a whip. Luis did his best to protect his face using his arms, but this prevented him from shortening the distance between the two, but he kept pushing forward, cornering her.

    Once she had her back against a wall, Luis evaded the belt by crouching and throwing himself forward, aiming to slash both of her legs. His charge was cut short by Ten moving her knee forward, planting a strike right on his face.

    Luis fell to the ground and rolled to the left to avoid being stomped on.

    He tried to slash her chest with the knife in her right hand, but Ten sidestep and snared the arm with the belt and pulled backwards, forcing him to fall to the ground.

    Luis couldn¡¯t believe what he was experiencing. He couldn¡¯t believe it back at the diner and he couldn¡¯t believe it then, he was being beaten by a teenager.

    He didn¡¯t care if some teenagers were prodigies or talented in any shape of form, a man of his experience would always beat them without breaking a sweat, that was his prerogative as an adult and professional. But she wasn¡¯t a normal teenager, was she? he had seen how she worked, he read her file; now he knew what it said was true.

    Ten stomped his stomach, making spit come out of his mouth as he groaned with pain.

    She intended to deal another blow but Igor stormed through the front door like a raging bull and hit her as hard as he could, sending her flying through the glass door to the backyard.

    Ten rolled on the ground to ease her fall and stood back up staring at her two opponents. Luis threw the belt away, Igor¡¯s bandages were bloody, it was quite obvious she had gotten on their nerves.

    ¡°Come on people, you can¡¯t blame me for trying to ensure my own survival! That¡¯s what self-defense is all about.¡± ¨C She said showing them her empty hands, like trying to appease them.

    ¡°Where is Butcher!?¡± ¨C Asked Luis.

    ¡°She¡¯s closer than you think lil¡¯ fella. Like I said, you hit her so hard that I had to come out of the bushes to deal with you. How are you liking me so far? I do classes on Thursdays; I don¡¯t charge much¡­¡±

    Igor charged once again intending to make this one the killing blow, but this time Ten charged forward too.

    Once she was within range, Igor tried to trap her with his arms but she slid between his legs, catching his right leg and pulling it backwards, forcing him to fall to the ground. He couldn¡¯t get it, how did she do that when he was supposed to weight over one hundred kilograms? Someone like shouldn¡¯t be alive to just sweep his foot as if it was nothing.

    He became aware of the state of his arms once again, he remembered how his arms were mutilated by what he assumed was magic.

    Igor remembered what he was actually dealing with, but it was already too late as a roundhouse kick landed on the left side of his face, sending him to the ground once again.

    Next up was Luis determined to slice her throat with his knives, but as he ran forward Ten chose the right moment to kick the leading leg, coming close to shattering it, but not quite, though it was still quite painful.

    That kick threw him off balance, Ten took that chance to grab his right arm and bend it, forcing to him to drop the knife. She grabbed it before it could touch the ground and used it to slash the back of his knee.

    She was about to stab him in the back now that she was in that position, but Igor had managed to get himself together and stand back up, just in time to strike her in the stomach with a powerful punch, and this time he was sure he had hit her and not some weird hallucination.

    Effectively that hit bashed her away a couple of meters, and he could tell it smarted. Ten held onto her stomach while groaning. Igor thought that he had her on the ropes, so he charged once again, intending to punch her in the face this time.

    When he got two steps away from getting in range, Ten clapped, and for some reason Igor found himself unable to make another step or to make a move at all.

    He had a hard time remembering what he was doing and had lost control of his own body. Igor found himself disturbed at the realization that he was unable to think.

    But then he was spared of this suffering by a powerful hook punch to the point of his chin, a lightning fast strike not even Luis managed to perceive its movement from where he was.

    Luis witnessed as Igor blacked out entirely and dropped to the ground like a ragdoll.

    Afterwards, Ten raised up her leg in perfect form, intending to drop an axe kick right on top of Igor¡¯s neck, ensuring a quick and painless kill. Seeing this, Luis was possessed by a strength he didn¡¯t know he had in him, a rush of energy that allowed him to ignore the pain of walking with a slashed leg, to focus on a single thing and provide a desperate attack.

    Luis stood up and jumped forward, Ten noticed him just in time and put her arms in between him and her neck.

    He made a long and swift cut through both of her arms. Ten jumped backwards to escape the man¡¯s slashes, evading them just barely, then she took the first chance she could get to clash her knife with his, confronting him to try and determine who was better at knife fighting.

    Their blood mixed together on the grass as they engaged in this lethal dance of knives, Luis used his good leg to support himself as he took short jumps forward and slashing desperately with a knife that wasn¡¯t meant to be used like a cleaver. He had a mix of contradicting emotions rushing through his rumbling heart. The fear he thought he had managed to kill after slaying dozens of humanity¡¯s finest and worst returned reborn and choleric, only obfuscated by a powerful drive brought to the surface by the rush of adrenaline, and this too was being toppled by the urge to protect his own life, comradery be damned. All of these emotions were product of putting his life on the line when he never intended to do so. This was supposed to be a simple assassination, but he had lost so much in the process that the bounty wouldn¡¯t be able to repay it all.

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    Now he had no other choice but to survive, and in order to survive he had to kill Butcher, no matter the cost.

    Luis released a cry full of rage and determination as he dealt a powerful slash that destroyed Ten¡¯s blade, then he took advantage of this motion to stab her on her right shoulder.

    He pushed her to get the knife out and continue attacking. ¨C ¡°Just die!¡± ¨C He yelled, but his charge was cut short by Kirsten, arriving just in time to intervene and tackle him away from her.

    Kirsten pummeled Luis, dropping a flurry of punches on his face that more than shaking his resolve and consciousness, it further aggravated Luis¡¯ blinding wrath.

    Luis pushed Kirsten away to give him a window of movement big enough to sit upright and headbutt him, getting him off of him entirely. Luis proceeded to return the favor by unleashing a flurry of fists on Kirsten¡¯s face before remembering he was holding a knife.

    He was about to cut Kirsten¡¯s throat open, but he was interrupted by his target¡¯s powerful kick, bashing him away from Kirsten.

    Luis used every ounce of strength he still had in the lower part of his body to recompose himself and stand as upright as he could.

    Once he faced his enemy once again, he bore witness to yet another unexplainable event. The girl standing in front of him changed right in front of his very eyes.

    The arms of the girl he concluded was an imposter were suddenly covered in scars that just faded into existence, followed by her face being covered by the scars that were so characteristic of his target. Now he was in the presence of the real Butcher.

    ¡°What in the hell are you!?¡± ¨C He asked, gripping at the knife harder.

    Alicia stretched her neck, feeling numb after that nasty kick he landed on her after she had lowered her guard. ¨C ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¨C She said.

    Kirsten was in awe witnessing such a bizarre event, how many secrets did that assassin have? However, aside from being surprised by this enigmatic display, he also noticed something that in the near future he realized was very important.

    Butcher was fighting for her life, she was wounded, bleeding. In this moment that beast that usually lurks behind her eyes should be wide awake and raving at her opponent, up and ready to take him down with extreme prejudice. But, with a single look at her he could see that it was quite the opposite.

    There was no fire, there was no emotion, just a cold indifferent tundra.

    Kirsten had seen this many times before, the fatigue that was so characteristic of soldiers and assassins alike.

    He had a feeling about what he had to do next, and he was convinced it was the right thing to do.

    There was now enough adrenaline flowing through Luis¡¯ stream, allowing him to ignore the pain of severed muscles. He charged forward, letting out a war cry, decided to take her down with only one strike.

    Once he was close enough, Alicia took a step forward, and fast like a shadow, she used her index finger to reach into Luis¡¯ mouth and grab the inner part of his left cheek, then she pulled to the right as hard as she could, bringing him to the ground and almost tearing his mouth apart.

    She then bent his wrist until breaking it, forcing him to drop the knife. Alicia grabbed the knife and blindly stabbed him over the shoulder, then the arm.

    Once she was focused enough, she raised her arm high to penetrate the side of his torso to reach his lungs and then bend the knife once the steel was inside to secure a lethal wound.

    But once she had raised it up in the air, she noticed she was unable to bring it back down. She looked up to see Kirsten holding her arm back.

    ¡°Look at you.¡± ¨C He said. ¨C ¡°You are so tired even I can hold you back.¡±

    She stared at him, then she looked back at Luis who was panting violently, blood was escaping through his mouth and was about to fall into unconsciousness.

    ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± ¨C Said Kirsten. ¨C ¡°You defeated them. You can stop now.¡±

    ¡°*wheeze ¡­what? Kill me now, you fucking animal! Kill me¡­¡± ¨C Said Luis using what remained of his will to talk. ¨C ¡°¡­Kill me, you assholes¡­kill me¡­¡±

    ¡°Butcher has already killed enough for a week.¡± ¨C Said Kirsten.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s never enough¡­¡± ¨C She said. One would think she¡¯d plunge the knife into Luis after saying something like that, but instead she allowed her arm to rest and stay idle. ¨C ¡°¡­It never ends.¡±

    ¡°I say it ends now.¡± ¨C Retorted Kirsten. ¨C ¡°You are done, now. You painted a whole town red, and defeated three dangerous assassins coming after you, and who knows how many people you have killed this week. It¡¯s over.¡± ¨C Kirsten wiped the dirt off his shirt and adjusted his coat. ¨C ¡°Besides, it¡¯s obvious at a glance, you are tired of killing.¡±

    Alicia stood back up and walked towards the house. ¨C ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say tired¡­maybe full.¡±

    ¡°Maybe so, but believe me, you are tired.¡± ¨C He responded. ¨C ¡°You might think you are not human, but I can assure you, you feel and react the same way as anyone else, and those are very human things.¡±

    Alicia felt like flipping him off, but it was ultimately pointless so she held back. She walked into the house and found Adler hanging from the roof as it was usual at this point.

    ¡°So the rave¡¯s over. You gave them a good one tonight, good job.¡±

    ¡°(Glad you enjoyed the show.)¡±

    ¡°You did everyone around here a favor, and they won¡¯t forget it. Maybe one day you¡¯ll be in trouble, and the dead will be the only ones to answer the call.¡±

    ¡°(As if they could do anything for me.)¡± ¨C Said Alicia. ¨C ¡°(I just want to be left alone.)¡±

    ¡°Now now, don¡¯t say that. You are never alone where spirits lurk.¡± ¨C She puffed cold air through her mouth.  ¨C ¡°You helped a lot of people, and you might not care, but you also helped me. I honestly want to see what else you do, so I¡¯ll keep an eye on you, but I¡¯ll try to not bother you as much, I don¡¯t think you need my input anymore.¡±

    ¡°(Whatever you say¡­)¡±

    ¡°I might not be the last ghost that¡¯d like to have a chat with you. Everyone is so happy to see one of your kind in the flesh¡­¡±

    ¡°(What do you mean one of my¡­?)¡± ¨C But when Alicia looked back, Nyx was already gone.

    She could only think she had finally snapped, but she couldn¡¯t care less, she was already too tired to worry about her sanity.

    ¡°I think now is a good time to depart, Butcher.¡± ¨C Said Kirsten. ¨C ¡°I¡¯ll take care of these guys, patch your wounds and¡­¡±

    He looked at Alicia and discovered she had passed out standing. There were only a few people in the world who could do something like that, special people who had a determination beyond what their body could endure, finding out that Butcher was one of these people was no surprise to him, but in that situation, it was rather saddening.

    Even knowing who she was, seeing a battered and wounded girl falling asleep standing up was a sight that managed to move Kirsten¡¯s heart, even if a little.

    Just then he saw Alicia¡¯s scars fade away until only the fresh wounds remained, and suddenly Alicia was full with energy once again.

    Oh, but whoever she was, she wasn¡¯t Alicia, was she?

    ¡°Aahhh¡­man, she and I must have a conversation.¡±  - She said placing her hand on her hips, moving her shoulder as if she didn¡¯t have a bad wound there. ¨C ¡°She doesn¡¯t know when to stop, even for her own sake, she always ends like this after an important fight. I worry that one day she might go to sleep and never wake up.¡± ¨C She looked back at Kirsten. ¨C ¡°I¡¯d be all alone in here if that happens.¡±

    ¡°If you are not Alicia, who are you?¡± ¨C He asked, ready for anything.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know my name, big man.¡± ¨C Said Ten. She placed her fist over her chest. ¨C ¡°All you need to know is that I¡¯m Alicia¡¯s sister, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s mentioned me before. We take care of each other, so watch your mouth when you are near her, because I hear everything.¡±

    ¡°A split personality?¡± ¨C He wondered. ¨C ¡°That¡¯s quite rare.¡±

    ¡°A split what? Pff¡­¡± ¨C Ten laughed. ¨C ¡°I know what you mean, but I bet I¡¯m not exactly born from her. We just share the same body, mate, trying to comprehend it any further is useless, believe me I¡¯ve tried. Besides, she¡¯d hate herself for being so mentally weak to resort to pushing all her issues on a separate identity.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s quite rude, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¨C He said. This whole situation was overly bizarre to him, but on retrospective that entire month had been weird, so to cope with this situation he lit up a cigarette. ¨C ¡°I saw you fight. Can I assume that you too are an assassin?¡±

    ¡°Hmmm¡­I like to think I¡¯m more of a fighter¡­¡± ¨C She said touching her chin. ¨C ¡°But yeah, when the task requires it, I can kill just as effectively as my sister, I just like to find the enjoyment in it, unlike her who¡¯s so¡­militaristic about it.¡±

    ¡°And how about that thing you did back there, when you snapped your fingers?¡±

    Ten laughed again. ¨C ¡°Everyone¡¯s mind is susceptible.¡±

    That¡¯s all Kirsten needed to hear to know it was hypnosis.

    ¡°She was very pissed when she thought you guys had crossed her. She has issues trusting others, you were the first person she trusted in a long while.¡± ¨C Ten sighed. ¨C ¡°Now I think that trust has been vindicated, so don¡¯t waste this second chance, she doesn¡¯t usually hand them out, so you should feel honored.¡±

    ¡°And what about you?¡±

    ¡°I still don¡¯t know about you man, but if she sees you with good eyes, I might as well do the same.¡± ¨C Ten swayed from right to left. Kirsten thought she had passed out. ¨C ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m running out of time¡­Now I must take my leave. Last thing: Don¡¯t hold all of this against her¡­she just does things the only way she knows. I¡¯m being serious when I say¡­that she wants to fix this world just as much as you¡­¡±

    Ten leaned forward, and before she could fall to the ground Kirsten held her with his arms. Upon looking at her again the scars had returned.

    Kirsten had learned Alicia¡¯s greatest secret, and a big secret it was indeed. No matter how much he thought about it, Kirsten could never think of what to do with this knowledge.

    Maybe it would¡¯ve been for the best to kill Luis and Igor to make sure they wouldn¡¯t return later to finish the job, but Kirsten could think of many reasons to spare them instead.

    For one, enough blood had been shed that single night, and even if this was his trade, this time it just didn¡¯t feel right.

    On the other hand, killing them might cause as a consequence that a bigger and bad group would come after them next.

    Finally, he held no ill will against these people, and in a way, he felt pity for them because they were way over their heads since they thought they could come after Butcher and come out unscathed.

    He patched them up with little to no resistance, Igor was completely knocked out and Luis didn¡¯t have enough blood in his system to struggle against Kirsten¡¯s good intentions. Knowing they weren¡¯t close to dying now, Kirsten left them there to deal with their own shame and carry themselves away to where they felt they were safe.

    As for Alicia he performed the same procedure, only more carefully this time, even if she was out cold; she didn¡¯t even react when he used alcohol to make sure that the wounds over her forehead and shoulder didn¡¯t get infected.

    He put new bandages on her and carried her away from the house in her arms, only to put distance between them and the assassins if they tried to get up just for the sake of a round two, or if someone had heard all the racket and decided to call the police, and those guys were already on edge as it was.

    Whenever she walked Alicia¡¯s footsteps sounded heavy and potent, as if she weighted more than 200 pounds. But now that he was carrying her, Kirsten realized just how light she actually was.

    It made no sense to return to the hotel with all that heat, so he walked into the forest, and once he was far away enough from the noise, he placed Alicia on the ground and he sat next to her on a fallen tree. He needed to tell Charlie what he was doing.

    ¡°Charlie, I¡¯ve got Butcher.¡± ¨C He said through the radio. ¨C ¡°We are hiding in the forest for now. I¡¯m going to get away from the town as far as possible and find a place to rest, can you try and catch up to me? should I tell you where I am once I get there?¡±

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that boss¡­I know exactly where you are, I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡±

    Charlie ended the transmission. Kirsten was puzzled as to how could she know with so much confidence where he was. Then, thanks to the moonlight, he saw the sparkle of a string hoovering and extending itself in between the trees all the way to his coat.

    He was not surprised; Charlie had her own tricks up her sleeve.

    In any case, there was a long road ahead of them, so Kirsten carried Alicia on his back and continued walking.

    Overall, he was glad he was glad this mission was complete, now it was a matter of making it home safe.