Epithet for Perfidy

A hit man dealing with betrayal.

As I sit behind this vent duct on top of a warehouse ducking a sniper I am mad because I knew this was all a set up. My phone keeps ringing and I see it’s my partner but my focus is who is out there watching for me.

I used to be a hit man for my uncle who was also the boss of his own crime syndicate. I had retired from that until tragedy plagued my life and the sick, twisted, guilty wastes of life became a blood lust of torturing, pain and death just for my pleasure. My uncle had always suspected it but waited until my fifth kill to bring it to me. Blackmail was his trap for getting me back plus I had a couple of detectives watching my every move. I managed to slip them with the help of a friend sat at a table with him, his buddy and a guy I had never trusted plotting on how this whole thing would play out. It was a solid plan but I didn’t have a fortune teller so I didn’t see this coming. I’m used to improvising when things get hectic and in the past I’ve snaked my way out of some of the most fucked up situations but now I’m almost at a lost on my next move. If I run for the door to go back inside the warehouse the sniper will without a doubt take me out. If by some chance I do make it back in there the gun wielding workers will be waiting on me and with four bullets left I won’t even make it to the exit door.

My orders were simple; go collect money from the fat man and walk out. Sounds simple doesn’t it? Well when my uncle gave me this job what he negated to tell me was that he already had another plot to have me killed for bringing too much attention his way, but I already knew it. I had two inside on the ground level watching and waiting for any kind of drama to start while I stood in front of the crooked owner with two of his own to protect him as he sat at his desk and my uncle’s dirty lawyer standing behind him. I had a knife and two guns on me; my nine millimeter and a forty five that ironically my uncle gave me as a birthday gift. I could feel the tension in the office as I kept eyeing them all with mistrust in my heart and they could feel it too. They knew how unpredictable I was and if I even felt that even one of them was going for a gun I would have sent the whole room to meet their makers. The fat man at the desk was nervous and I could see it in his eyes. The two watching over him were amateurs but those are the ones you got watch because they’ll be the first ones to panic drawing their guns especially if they knew I wasn’t to walk out of here alive. And the lawyer standing behind him; we had a past and I hated him as much as he hated me. The only reason he was still alive was because he was my uncle’s go to guy whenever anybody in the syndicate got into any legal trouble; I envisioned wrapping a garret around his neck on many occasions. He’s the first one I asked about.

 

“What the f**k is he doing here?”

“He’s here for some business between us.” The fat man responded.

“Well he has nothing to do with this so I think he should take a walk.”

“It’s okay he knows what’s going on. This shouldn’t take long.”

“So you know why I’m here?” I asked.

“You need a job?”

 

The fat man cracked the joke and lawyer found it funny because he started laughing but it was entertaining to me.

 

“What the f**k are you laughing at?” I asked him.

“Calm down, you’re always so serious. I know why you’re here. But I have to tell you, I don’t have it all right now I need a little more…”

I stopped him with a raised finger. I reached inside my jacket for the phone and I could sense the wonderment in their minds as they all tensed up from just that action. I pulled it out and they relaxed a little seeing what I was doing. I called my uncle like I was instructed to do and handed the fat man my phone so they could talk. I looked at the two cronies on each side of me as they stared at me; I looked at the lawyer leering at me with a smug smile on his face wanting to witness my demise, then I looked at the man on my phone shooting me looks as a bead of sweat forms on his balding head. I could read his facial expressions and saw how unsure he was about the whole thing but he knew to go against my uncle would mean he would end up dead anyway. I had been through this scenario before and for someone that didn’t have the whole sum of money that had been agreed upon he was unusually calm as they talked. He handed me back the phone.

 

“That f****r doesn’t have it all, so collect what you can then get rid of his a*s.”

 

I hung up the phone and put it back in my pocket.

 

“Where’s the money?” I asked.

“I have to call my guy; he’ll bring it up here.”

“Make it quick.”

 

He picked up the phone and dialed.

“Bring me the bag.” He said and hung up.

 

I took a step back just so I could get all of them in my vision; two in front and the other two in my peripheral being cautious of everyone now.

 

“I thought you were retired,” The lawyer said.

“Looks like what you think doesn’t mean s**t.” I respond.

“How have you been?” The fat man asks trying to calm the situation.

 

I wasn’t buying into the whole thing and I began to get more annoyed as every second passed.

 

“Let’s cut the small talk and stay silent while we wait on your guy show up.” I demand.

 

Within a couple of minutes two more men walked in with one carrying a duffle bag putting it on his desk. The fat man unzipped it and the two men walked to the door but didn’t exit.

 

“Like I said, it’s not all here and it’s all small bills. I know Jake doesn’t like it but…”

 

He was trying to stall and keep my attention on him.

 

“Back up, I’ll check it.” I said walking to the desk.

 

As I looked in it I eyed a picture behind him that gave me a good reflection on what was going on with the ones behind me. My situational awareness always got me through many of tough times and as I looked inside the bag I felt someone grab me in a choke hold from behind and without thinking I threw my hands back and instantly jammed my thumbs into his eye sockets it didn’t take long his grasp to loosen and I turned around and hit him in his throat bringing him down. Another pulled out a knife and charged at me, he sliced at me but I dodged feeling with wind from the attempt. I punched him quick in his pelvis structural center and he dropped fast then I reached for my nine but got stopped by a punch to my back by another guy. I saw him back up quickly after and I looked over at the fat man that now had a revolver in his hands. He took two shots but they missed and I knew then that everybody else in the warehouse had heard it and was now on high alert but my back up was out there too and they would buy me a little time by keeping more from coming in here. I pulled out my gun and took a couple of shots at him but he ducked behind the desk and I missed. One of the men rushed me but I put a bullet in his face and he fell to the ground dead. Another rushed up and bending down I took out the knife at my ankle and with a fluid motion brought the blade upward stabbing him in the chin stopping his intentions. He grabbed frantically at the wound but it was futile as I put three bullets in his chest to stop his twitching. His two cronies got scared and ran out of the office and I took that time to look for the fat coward hiding behind the desk but as I got to him someone came in holding a gun. I thought quickly looking at a baseball sized globe on his desk, I picked it up and threw it swiftly striking him in the face breaking his nose on contact. His eyes were blurry and full of tears with blood squirting from the hit and he hysterically went for his gun firing off twice but the first one hit the floor and the other struck the desk right by my leg. He paused to see if he got me and I took that moment to send two bullets to his chest and one to his neck. He fell and the fat man rushed from behind the desk running for the door, I fired my last two bullets but they missed as he slipped in a puddle of blood and scurried to his hands and knees squeezing out of the door. I grabbed the duffle back and saw the lawyer cowering in the corner. My rehearsed speech I often thought about giving him was cut short as I knew my real target was getting away. I reloaded and shot him twice in the forehead and gave him one in the heart just for my satisfaction before exiting the office. As I got to the door a bullet missed my face and shredded the wood on the door where I stood. I grew angrier as my vision went blurry with rage and I pulled out my other gun. I had to gather my composure quickly because I had to multi-task keeping my emotions in check, watching everyone around me, and now keeping a bullet count with a gun in my left holding ten and the forty five in my right holding seven with one in the chamber.  I saw someone coming up the stairs in the distance but I spotted his gun first so when I saw he wasn’t one of my friends I immediately shot him in head as it was the best target he presented. Two more took his place and I ducked into a nearby office when they started shooting at me. I waited until they paused reloading and I stepped out using both guns to send them both to the afterlife. A barrage of bullets came from below me as someone shot up trying to taking me out making me step quickly out of the way. I couldn’t see them so I started running while looking for the fat man that got away. I stopped at a corner where I saw the foot of someone waiting on me to get him. I shot his foot and he grabbed it hopping forward yelling but I silenced him with a bullet right in his open mouth. I went around the corner and more began to shoot at me so I ducked behind a steel beam as bullets ricocheted off of it. Suddenly I heard semi- automatic fire from a distance and ran from my spot going around another corner for more action but paused seeing one of the guys I had helping me standing there with four dead behind him. Both of my guns pointed at his face as I stared at him thinking he was one of them, but he was the one I didn’t have much trust in so part of me waited on him to make a suspect move so I could leave him lying dead with the rest of the corpses. He smiled dropping the magazine from the gun and reloading.

 

“Whoa it’s me.” He said enjoying the moment.

“Where’s Grim?” I asked looking around quickly for any others.

 

I heard three thunderous blasts from a shotgun and pointed my guns at the stairs in the distance seeing the back of head as he backed up walking up the stairs still firing buck shots. He reached our level and turned around looking at us with an angry face. He was out of ammo and began to reload as quickly as he could feeling safe to do it seeing us. I lost count of mine taking a couple of blind shots and I knew I was low too in both but as more bullets came our way we all hit the metal floor being guarded by just sheet metal on the rail at our heads.

 

“I saw your mark running upstairs! He went out of the door that led to the roof!”

“I want you both to get the f**k out of here!”

“We’re not going to leave you here; it wasn’t part of the plan!” Grim yells.

“The plan was that we all made it out of here alive, you both have enough to make it out of here.” I respond.

“You don’t though!” Grim yelled upset by the change.

“I can get out of here a lot easier by myself; my job is not done yet and yours is, all I needed you two to do is watch my back and you’ve done that. Get the f**k out and I’ll see you when I’m done here!” I said loudly.

 

He looked around and gave me a look like he was mad that I told them to leave.  They both stood up and began to shoot running for exit we originally had planned and I rushed in the opposite direction reloaded and praying that they made it out alright. I shot my way through some more gunmen and made it out of the exit door that led to the roof where that fat b*****d ran nervously from corner to corner looking back at me knowing his time had come. He still had that revolver in his hand, but he knew if he would’ve even lifted it I would’ve darkened his vision so quick that he wouldn’t have even got the thought completely to his brain. I was livid and he saw it in my eyes; not many have ever seen that part of me and he was so afraid that his whole body began to tremble.

 

“Chance it wasn’t on me!” He said dropping to his knees and tossing the gun.

“Was it Jake?”

“He said our debt would be settled! Please don’t kill me, I only wanted to live!”

I thought about it, but, I have to admit it was only briefly.

 

“Looks like you can’t win either way.” I said pointing my gun head his head.

 

Suddenly the left side of his head shifts and I flinch as his skull projects pieces of his brain out of the other side. I instantly know a sniper is out there and look for cover. A couple of shots chip away at the gravel beneath my feet making me high step and jumping behind the air duct that I currently sit behind. My phone keeps ringing coming from my partner but I know I’m running out of time. The sniper isn’t shooting because he’s waiting on me to do something. There are no police sirens in the distance yet so I know he’ll wait patiently. Damn phone ringing again and I get annoyed with everything now answering.

 

“This is not the f*****g time.” I say sternly.

“Well if you don’t get from behind that air duct you won’t have any time at all. Police are about five minutes away; there is a ladder on the left side that’ll take you down to the ground.”

“I bet you think this s**t is funny?” I responded and hung up.

 

I knew who was behind the scope and I later learned that even though I tried to keep him out of my troubles with the syndicate but he had always been hard headed and sometimes I thought I taught him too well. But the fact still remained just like he had always promised; he’d always have my back. I got off the building and met up with him so I could give the duffle bag to deliver to my uncle. When I got back to Grimm’s place he had had his arm in a sling from a bullet that went in and exited but was alive like the other guy that helped. I paid them for their help and they snuck me back into my house without the law even knowing that I had ever left. My uncle would have to pay for this betrayal.   

Author's Note

This is a chapter from Beyond the Sight my novel that I put in first person.

Reviews

[Warrior]

Great story telling. This did justice in the realm of getting the message across. Great message. There's lot of times where a story can have a great message to aim for, and have a lot of under lining things but then no one gets it, and if no one gets it, then the point has failed. But in my opinion this did well to get the message across. You made it clear, which is why I think it's good. Keep up the good work. What was also great was that I could imagine the story as I read it, and that is also a strong point of stories. The ability to have the reader imagine it because after all we're reading not watching it, but it was as if I was there as I read this, and that is great. Good job once again.

[Dez H.]

Thank you man I got you.

[Dez H.]

I'm at 420 views!!!!!!!! thank you all once again for reading this piece, I love this one. Beyond the Sight will be coming out shortly so if you like this you'll definitely love my novel. Holla at me anytime and if any other writers want to collab I'm down. Thanks again
007

[Fréyjä Helv..]

Brilliant writing... A good read indeed... Nice work...

[Dez H.]

Right on ms lady.

[Dez H.]

I love this chapter because it brings back his mind state of analyzing his surrounding.

[Arun Paul Kapur]

I have no words other than WOW.

[Dez H.]

Right on dog i really appreciate that. Read some more you might like the others too. Ima check some of your works out. Thanks again pimpin.