Joseph Grey

 

            I awoke to darkness. Complete and utter darkness. As I laid there waiting for something to happen I heard nothing. I reached out for something near me and still I grasped nothing. I listened closer, but I could only barely hear a slight buzzing noise.  Possibly coming from a speaker, from what it sounded like.  I focused on the sound trying to think about what recently happened.

            How did I get here?  I know I was walking around town last I remembered.  Oh, God. Not him again.  Please don’t have me in this place.  All of a sudden a screen turned on in front of me. It was a picture of my wife and two sons. I stood up and stared at it. Crap.

            “Joseph, we need one more favor from you.” A deep voice boomed in the room. I looked around and from what I could see from the light of the screen was that it was a completely empty room with no door or windows to occupy the walls.

            “No! No more favors! You told me that was the one and only time. I want my family to remain safe!”

            “They will be. I promise.”

            “Yeah, well you promised that last time you evil, corrupted scoundrel.”

            “I’m a man to my word. Just one more favor, and you’ll be safe with your happy little family.”

            "It's been a year!  Why are you still looming over me?"

            "I am also a man who stays in contact with all I pass by."

           “What’s the favor?” I asked, gritting my teeth.  As soon as I did, a picture of a woman showed up on the screen.  It was one of those types of portrait pictures that you took of yourself with a solid color wall behind you. She had brown hair, auburn eyes, and a perfect composition in the picture.  This pict woman was the same kind as the last one, just another victim.  Another person I have to kill to keep my family alive.  Will this be the second and last time, or will it continue?  Who is this mysterious man anyways?  I truly must know!

            “This is Sarah. She works for…us.  She betrayed us though.  She didn’t keep our secrets so she must be ridden of, however, she doesn’t know we know and I intend for her to not find out about this until she goes to her grave. You will be given her address when you wake up, and remember-“

            “Don’t let anyone see you.” I said monotonically with the man. 

“Good.”  He said.  The screen turned off.  I then ducked down as low as I could.  My distant memory served me this time as I remember someone hitting me last time.  This time I intended not to be hit again.  As I came to realization of where I was, I figured they’d probably use night vision goggles, so I stood up and listened. Nothing… but I then heard a slight rustle. Then I heard a fast whooshing sound that was coming towards me, so I ducked down right then, and judging by the fact I was still awake, they missed.  I then hit in the direction of the sound.

            “Ugh!” A direct hit. I then swung my leg towards him and heard a thud as he hit the ground.  I was determined to find out where I was.  I stood up and hit him in his face so as to attempt to knock him out and then removed his goggles.  With luck I succeeded and I put on the goggles that was once on his face and saw another person coming through a door that was hidden before.  It was a door obviously only accessed by the other side.  I looked back down at the man’s body and grabbed the badge of his chest.  I then stuck it in my left pocket with the hole and returned my attention to the other person.  I quickly grabbed a gun and holster off his body and put it on just in case. I opened the gun to see only two bullets were left; so I was going to have to save them in case I got out of this room.

            I grabbed the bar on the ground for a weapon instead and started to beat the other person as he came towards me, failing to jump out of the way in time. He too landed hard on the ground. I was even more determined to get out of there and find out where I was since I had succeeded again in taking out another guard. I had hope.  I had a chance.

            I pressed myself as close to the wall as possible, right next to the one-sided door. As soon as it opened again, another guard walked in and I hit him on the back of the head, feeling the hit recoil in my hands. I ran into the hallway the door led me out to and ran to the right. The next hallway that intersected the one I was running in had lights on, so I had an easier time seeing when I took the night vision goggles off my head. I darted down the left hallway this time, and there were a set of stairs in this hallway. I saw the shadow of at least three guards coming towards me around the corner, so I looked around and slid into a room. I closed the door behind me and as I looked out the tinted window, I saw around four guards pass me by.

            As I turned around I found myself in a security control room. There were electric boards and switches that jutted out from the wall and above them were multiple televisions that showed each hallway and the outside entrances. I could see the guards who were patrolling the area, unsuccessfully searching for me. I went back to lock the door before I examined the cameras any further. I looked at the doors on the screens and found my due to as soon as one guard passed my door, he did the same on the top, third screen that was labeled ‘Hallway 2’.

            I followed this guard as he traveled down hallway 3, hallway 5, hallway 6 and then the south entrance hallway. As I surveyed these again I figured out then which directions I was to go to reach the entrance. Something caught my eye however. A man in an Italian cut suit came out of a door in hallway 4. This time, though, it was on the second row of screens, indicating the second level. I watched him yell at two guards, and as they were leaving I noticed one with a limp.

            I once again followed his path and he finally passed the stairwell, which was close to this very room. I found the second stairwell, placed on the other side near the exit I planned on going to. I decided I was going to have to kill this man who was obviously the leader. One more death wouldn’t be too bad if it was the one who caused this mess in the first place. This death I would not have a guilty conscience for.

            I rechecked to see if the coast was clear in the areas I was going to,. And surprisingly there were not too many guards patrolling a huge building such as this. I ran out at that moment and went towards the stairs. I ran up them and took a right to hallway 5, the second level hallway 5. At the end of the long hallway I took a left as I reached the intersection. As I took this turn, my heart started pulsing inside of me. My adrenaline began to slowly rise into a final boil as I got closer to the room he was in.

            As soon as I pulled out my gun, I was ready to bust down this man’s door and shoot him square in the head. I’ve used a gun before, since I used to go shotgun shooting as I grew up and my father taught me how to use a pistol in case I would ever need to defend myself. Who knew that I actually would in any moment of my life? As I ran down the hall frantically searching for the door, I heard a yell from behind me. I looked back fearing the worst, and saw the guard running after me. I began to sprint quicker than before, looking for the door and not wanting to waste my bullets yet on the guard behind me. I tried to jump into a room in the hallway, but the ones I tried were locked. A guard at the end of the hall that was getting closer to me had turned into the hallway I was in and saw me.

            All I had was the gun with two bullets so I decided I had to use it. I could always beat the leader to his death if forced to. I shot down one guard at the end of the hallway and hit him with an almost perfect accuracy. He fell to the ground quickly and I began to turn to the other guard who was pulling out his own gun. Before I pulled the trigger, a door to my side opened. As I turned my head slightly in that direction, I saw the man I had been looking for the whole time in my sight. I ignored the guard and pointed the gun at the leader instead.

            “Back off or he dies.” I warned the guard. The leader nodded, but before I realized it, he didn’t nod to the guard about to attempt to shoot me. He nodded to a guard that quietly opened a door behind me. He threw a gas bomb between my legs and it landed at my feet, which was when I realized he was there in my existence. I began to grow woozy, losing the grip on the trigger of the gun I held. Before I lost my sight and focus, I saw their leader bend down to pick up the gun and smile in satisfaction…

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

 

I woke up in the same alley as I had last time. As my eyes cleared from sleep, my anger rose again. I had failed, and now another human life will suffer for three, no, four lives. On my lap was a letter written on elegant parchment. It read:

 

Joseph,

First off, I congratulate you on your courage and intelligence. No one has ever gotten that close to me before. Luckily I am a nice man who doesn’t mind a challenge once in awhile. I do not plan on harming your family for that little… stunt. I believe now would be an appropriate time to pray in thankfulness in the luck you were granted all of yesterday night. Even though I do like challenges, I do not like them to come my way very often. If one happens to, and you attempt another hit towards me, you will find your family to be punished, along with you.

You can’t imagine what I can come up with just a little bit of creativity… I was thinking maybe killing them for you and then when you beg for your own death to cut you up slowly and then eventually feed you to our dogs. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind a new type of meat in their diet; I know they get bored of steak every time. I do hope that will provoke you to think about your actions before you act on them.

There is a bit of good news to this. If you don’t screw this objective up, there may be hope for you yet. Sarah’s address is posted on the back with the same information you were given last time. Her departures and arrivals at home, her bio, and things like that which would be necessary for you to learn. We covered for you so she is not too suspicious of what is bound to happen to tonight, as far as we know. I wish you luck.

The Slicer

P.S. Screwing up would be getting seen. If you do get some witnesses into this, fix it, or you know where your fates will lie. I put faith in you to do a splendid job and just to answer any possible wonderment; my nickname truly is not to be taken lightly.

As I read his letter it became clear that I would have no choice but to kill Sarah. I wouldn’t have to if I wanted to give up my family… No! I couldn’t believe the mere thought had crossed my mind, even in those few seconds! I couldn’t lose the people I loved, even if it meant the loss of a life. It would be easier this time anyways, I promised myself. It would be easier to find out who this man was. I have a duty, though, so I will complete it to gain his trust again. It was already decided for me since my thoughts kept leading back to the fact I was going to kill her…

Suddenly I remembered the badge I placed in the hole that led to the inside of my gym shorts. It was still there! I quickly pulled it out. There was a picture of a man named Bradley Rapold, which listed his address, and the emblem of L.R.S. The “Loitering Reducing Society.” Obviously it wasn’t to reduce litter; it was to reduce certain people. The emblem had three stars with vines wrapped around the top of the left star, the left and right corner of the middle star and the bottom of the right star.

            Now was the time to decide whether or not I was positive on killing Sarah. Now that I had something to link me to this man, should I follow this link? As if right on cue a man emerged from the shadows.

            “Joseph,” I stuffed the badge in my pocket as I turned to see this man was armed. He wore the same dark clothing as all the other guards except the emblem he had on his suit where his heart was had gold stars instead of the bronze stars Bradley had on his I.D.

            “Here’s your assignment’s address.” I looked onto the back of the sheet I already had and noticed the address was not placed there as promised. It was probably a tiny screw-up that someone would end up paying for severely. He handed me an envelope not responding to my movements, but instead continuing. “Before you do another crazy thing, he will be watching closely now. Also your pay from your bank will be docked for what damage you caused in our buildings. Once again, to get it stuck into your head, anything stupid and you’re dead meat.” He disappeared in the shadows, most likely not realizing his last sentence was more literal than planned. I opened the envelope ready for the horror to end. It gave me all I needed to know:

 

Sarah Davis      * Normally home around 10 each night.

New York, NY  * Has a boyfriend, Kyle, whose arrival times vary.

231 Apt. 302     * Her boyfriend works at the Dulce Café.

West 15^th Street                                     * 3^rd Floor apartment makes this operation risky; be

10011                 cautious of neighbors.

            I had decided to go to the coffee shop in which Kyle worked at, so as to observe him. Also, it would probably be a good place to find the address on a computer. I arrived there very quickly for walking and as soon as I went to order something I was confronted by him. He had short brown hair and slightly boyish features. He smiled politely and asked for my order and I randomly choose something off the menu. I watched him for a while as I searched online for where he lived. It felt weird, though, watching this man before I was to kill his girlfriend. However, it was a job I was to do and I observed him as best as I could.

            He talked to one of the employees, whose name I found was Ryan as he bused my table. Another obvious fact was that that were friends, and since I was somewhat close to the registers I over heard them talking about their plans tonight. That solved one of my problems for tonight, and it was a plus to have caught that information. He left by six and I left fifteen minutes after. As he headed the opposite the direction I was going to, I felt a small wave of relief. I almost began to grow cocky as I thought this may be too easy.

            I went around the back of his building and realized I was extremely early. I sat in the grass and staked out their complex. I took out the sharpened pocket knife and cleaned off the dried blood onto my shirt. This pocket knife looks so small and insignificant, but it was anything but that. It played a big role in the last crime and since it was a popular brand, the cops could not pin point me the last time. I had done well, but had a hard time figuring out why I was set out to do it again…

 

            “Don’t worry, it’ll only hurt for a second,” I whispered in the redhead’s ear. “Then it’ll all be over.”

            “Why me?” she shrieked, surprising me with the high pitch of her voice. “How did I do anything to you?”

            “Boss’s orders,” I simply stated in a cool voice and showed no emotion as she gasped from realization.  So far I’ve shown no fear in what I was to do which surprised me still for I was in total shock when I found out I was suppose to do this. “The more you relax, the less pain you’ll suffer.”

            I ran the knife quickly across her neck. I felt the blood run through the fabric of my jacket as it sprung onto me. Soon the wetness of my jacket began to stick to my skin, causing my nausea to began, but somehow I held it back.. She fell to the floor and I stood over her. When she fell on her back and I had the chance to see her face I stood in shocked pose that would impress even a statue. I couldn’t move and I didn’t want to. My nausea rapidly increased as I wanted to change the action I just committed.

            As I stared into the wide eyes of my wife that was on the cold concrete, I saw my two sons reflected in the pool of her blood. I turned to see their own faces and faced both of them. As I walked towards them they seemed to be walking, almost drifting away from me. As they ran in a masked person from not looking behind them, the man grabbed each of their shoulders. He pulled out a knife out of each of his pockets and I saw his smile flickered, even in the darkness that came over me.

            I reached for my children, but it was impossible for me to stop what was going to happen. My children stood silently, dull like figures as the masked figure cut both of their jugulars. The man then came closer to me and I stood firm without any choice. As he was only a few feet away from me he removed the black mask he wore. I couldn’t help but scream as he revealed his face. The clone of me simply mimicked the scream I released, smiling wickedly towards me.

I awoke, sweating, with my eyes glazed over. When I finally calmed down I noticed it was night time and I took a glance at my watch. 10:25, meaning she was probably already home. Great I’m late, I thought, yelling at myself silently. As I headed towards the door of the back I had to jump into the bushes next to me since she began coming out with a trash bag. I quietly waited behind the thick bushes to hear the noise of the trash bag hitting the inside of the dumpster. As soon as I heard it, I ran up behind her and grabbed her neck into a head lock, with the knife in the other hand.

            “Hey Sarah,” I said in a voice that I couldn’t recognize. I was fighting her to keep her in my presence. “You are going to tell me what I need to know for the L.R.S.”

            “I don’t know anything.” She let out while trying to gasp for breath. I had to provoke her to say what I wanted to hear. I looked around us and saw only a dumpster and a building behind the dumpster. I went towards the wall and commanded, “Tell me who they are!”

            “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Thrust #1 into the wall began nervously since I didn’t plan on doing it..

            “I really don’t know anything.” As I thrust her face into the brick wall again, I heard her groan and I began to unconsciously ease up on my force. It didn’t take long to notice and tried hard to stay strong, so I grabbed her tighter than before.

            “Okay, they’re this secret agency whose sole purpose is essentially to make people’s lives miserable. They’re like the mafia, I guess, but they surpassed that point now. They’re starting to weave itself into the government.”

            “And who runs this… agency?”

            “Some man.”

            “I know that!” I said screaming and almost spitting into her ear. “Who is he? Why is he after you?” She stayed quiet, only her breathing was heard. :”Hello?!’ She shook her head know what was coming next. “Here you go traitor.” I banged her head against the wall again, this time hearing he bone scratch against the wall. The scraping sound stabbed itself into my ears and my teeth clenched down automatically in response. I didn’t want to feel the slight pain on my face again so I switched sides of her face and scraped the other side against the rough, uneven bricks.

            “Sarah!” I heard the scream from behind me. I had no choice but to kill her then. I was seen and she could no longer be questioned.   I cut her throat shortly after the scream and dropped her, leaving her to die in her blood. I finally looked up to see the shadow of a figure in the window. I checked to see where it was and as my eyes followed it to find it on level three, I realized who it was. “S**t!” I muttered. It was Sarah’s fiancé, already home. I sprinted to the back door, and when I reached the stairs I skipped two at a time. When I reached the door I found it to be, of course, locked. I banged on it with my shoulder, and after I gave it a running start the third time, the lock shattered out of the wall. After one more budge, I broke the chain as well and rushed into the room.

            I held tightly to the knife in hand and really wanted to find this man, kill him, and get this mission over with. As I realized I having a hard time breathing, I became surprised that I got tired out from the door so easily. I had done a lot of workouts before, but I guess I couldn’t fully prepare for this. As I briefly scanned the living room I didn’t see him or any place for him to hide. I went down the hall and checked the two closets there before going into the bedroom. I looked under the bed, still finding a vacant space everywhere I look. There was nothing else in the room except a dresser, closet, and fireplace. I ignored my doubts and checked both the fireplace anyway. I’m sure I would try to find any spot I could find in this situation. Once again there was no other place to look after I checked my doubts.

            In aggravation I knocked down the light dresser and swiftly searched the office on the way to the living room. When I returned to where I started, I looked under the table that the phone sat on top of. I easily cut the phone line, just in case he still remained in this apartment. As the couch was right next to the phone I looked behind it and gave up. After I damned it all to hell for letting him get out of my grasp, I went back towards the stairs. This time I had gone down every five steps, practically jumping down half a flight each time.

            I came back out into the blackness of night and observed the area around me very carefully. I had found what I was looking for, the fire escape. I had noticed it as I looked around the couch and ran towards it before he would have a chance to leave. I had to climb onto the dumpster’s edges to reach the ladder and climbed up both the ladders to reach him. I heard a noise as I got closer to his window and since my eyes caught a shadow from peering in, I went up one more level.

            As I stood, waiting for him to come out I finally got a chance to think to myself. To get to breathe and to feel a bit of grief over this, something I didn’t really want to do but always felt it was a priority. Once I began the grieving I couldn’t stop feeling bad for this man. Maybe, I should let him go. He would not have had a clear look at me anyways and I could live my normal life again since I did what I came here in the first place to do. No one would have to know of a witness.

            No! Don’t feel sorry for him now! Just quickly get it over with. Besides, do you really think he didn’t get a glimpse of you as you searched over his own personal living space?

Well, I don’t know what he saw. It’s bad enough I had to kill…. Sarah, though. Now he’s next? Wait!  Why would I have the urge to fight with the voice inside my mind that nagged me to murder Kyle? Had I truly gone crazy?

            Kyle was just simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. He’d be more miserable if he was alive than dead. He’ll be with her soon enough, it continued blocking my last thoughts.

            I guess that’s true…

            You know he didn’t mean to. He simply wanted to see the person he loved again. That isn’t a fault, that’s a gift.

            Shut up, I’m in control here. He didn’t listen to you last time, why would he now?!

            Maybe he’s finally grown a liking to his conscious.

            As if he would!

            Stop! Stop it now!

            As I constantly yelled at the voices in my head that seemed to be bickering, I finally heard what I was waiting for. As I heard the window open I leaned towards the choice of killing him and decided not to turn back now. My overpowering beast had won, and due to my current distraction the annoying sounds stopped. I could finally focus again…

            Soon enough the man I had seen from the coffee shop quietly and slowly stepped out onto the escape’s metal balcony. As he stood up he quickly froze. Puzzled, I watched him pat his head, until I realized why. I stared down at the knife I never let go of, and then my eyes averted to his as he looked up to find me. I then started to jump down the ladder right next to me so I could grab him before he continued any further down.

            I failed to get to him because as soon as I started descending, he had already been down a level below me. However, I did begin to catch up and when I was jumping off from the last ladder he had fallen onto the concrete…into the woman’s pool of blood. Poor, poor man. I had almost chucked as I heard the groans that were probably unknowingly coming from him. As I was in the same state I had been forced in, I couldn’t help but think this man wouldn’t last if he was to kill someone on his own.

            He jumped up and I attempted to throw my knife, missing his back that I aimed for.   I chased after him up to where the darkness ended along the road he had crossed. Before I could cross, cars had sped past me, barely missing me by a hair as I paused my movements. I couldn’t lose him, though, so I ran on my side of the road and followed him. He must have only gone half a mile, without looking back I might add, before he reached another complex. I watched him climb up the stairs through the complex’s lobbies’ glass wall. He was soaked with blood and I saw it dripping onto the stairs he had climbed.

            As I looked around me, I pulled out a paper in the trashcan and pulled out a pen I kept in my pocket from earlier today. On the paper I wrote: 195 15^th street 2^nd door – left side. I looked up and watched him walk in as the door was answered. I sighed, giving up and heading back to his apartment to find my knife. It didn’t take long and I had decided to look for a hotel for the night. Remembering my clothing, I went back to his apartment and changed into some of his clothes which fit me quite well. I packed more of his clothing, but not too many so that he’ll miss them, and then headed to the hotel. I made sure too keep my clothes in a plastic bag so I could toss it later in a less conspicuous area, than this soon to be one.

            I went to a hotel I had found not too far from here, and planned my next move there. I decided not to call the man whose orders I was following yet until I was certain I could take care of it. Now that at least two other people knew, this was getting even more complicated than planned. “Tomorrow I’ll go there in the morning and clean up the mess if there still is one. I doubt anyone cares except Kyle that there was a murder there anyways. This is bloody New York! Why would-” I stopped for two reasons. The first was that I realized I was talking to myself in the mirror across from the bed, probably another symptom of going crazy. The second was that I got a good look at myself.

            I was a mess, but not just in a physical view. I could tell just from looking at myself that on the inside I was messed up. Maybe no one else can since they don’t know who I am, but the feeling of remorse brings out my tired eyes, my grave eyes and the limp smile I give away. It’s disgraceful on what I’ve been doing and just for me.

            I got up and went into the shower, tired of the guilt that I could feel was about to crash upon me like a wave. I didn’t have time, or the energy to brace myself for the next one. The shower didn’t last too long however, for the guilt wouldn’t stop at the senses of my vision, it was going to intrude into my thoughts until my thoughts itself shattered from the weight. I quickly got out, dressed into new clothes and went to bed to quickly fall asleep.