The Assignment

Alex gazed up at the upscale apartment building, analyzing it. Darkness had already fallen. Getting in would be no problem, he’s worked with these enough to know. He had no idea why he had rushed into this so hastily, but there was no turning back now. He crept up the stairs to her door, then stopped dead in his tracks. The door opened and out stepped her boyfriend. Alex turned quickly as the man walked past him and down the stairs. It was too close.

He waited a few more minutes to be sure she wasn’t coming out as well, then made short work of slipping in her home. It was very stylish, with a modern decorating scheme. He looked around, it appeared no one was home. Then he heard her voice, just down the hallway. He followed it cautiously and came to a stop in front of the room it came from. The door was cracked, and Alex could barely see her silhouette, crouched beside a bed. She was tucking a child in. “Okay, Caleb. You ready to sleep now?”
“Yeah. Thanks for reading to me, Jordan. You’re the best aunt ever.” She kissed his cheek. “No problem, little man.” She stood up, and prepared to leave the room. Alex got ready. She opened the door and shut it quietly, then turned to face him. Her breath caught in her throat, and her multi-colored eyes were wide with a mixture of fear and puzzlement. Jordan backed against the door, and for a moment Alex was unsure of himself. This would have been finished by now, what the hell was taking him so long? Finally the girl spoke, after a moment of staring at each other. “In the kitchen, please.” Her eyes pleaded him, and he followed her into the dining area, his gun still drawn. She looked him in the eye. “I know why you’re here. I just don’t want this to happen near Caleb.” She sat down, and Alex remained standing. “Who sent you?” Alex glared, silently. “Not much of a talker are you? I wouldn’t expect a murderer to be anyway.” Alex got angry at this, and raised the gun again. “I’m not a murderer.” She stood up as well, and Alex couldn’t help but marvel at the girl’s courage. “They are the murderers, the ones that tell me who they want gone.”
“So someone told you they wanted you to kill me, huh? I'm not sure I have a good idea of who might have wanted that.” Alex shrugged, and was then alarmed at himself. This should be over, it shouldn’t have gotten this far. He never interacted with an assignment, why was this different? “What’s your name?” Alex refused to answer. “Come on, I’m sure you know mine, and everything else about me. At least give the benefit of knowing my killer’s name.” He begrudgingly agreed. “Alex.”

“Well, Alex, I’m going to tell you right now I don’t want to die. I’ve never done anything to harm anyone, and my sole purpose in life has always been to help people. You, however, your sole purpose is to harm them. And for what? Money?” Damn this girl, she kept stalling him, talking like she knew him. He detested that. “I have to kill you, Jordan. I’m sorry.” He raised the gun again. She looked at him sadly. “No you’re not.” He clenched his teeth together. “What is killing me going to do, Alex? Buy you a car, a nice little vacation house? Why can’t you turn back now, no one says you have to do this.” Alex thought about it, everything in his life leading up to this moment. He couldn’t say he was proud of it, he just always felt like he had no other choice- no escape. He thought about past assignments, for the first time. People that were always faceless to him weren’t really faceless at all now. They had families, they were needed. By taking one life he could have ended so many more. This girl, how many people would he hurt by ending her life right now? That little boy in the next room, her boyfriend, her family. And for what? In ten years, what would he be doing? Still getting a pretty penny to shoot some poor person in their own home? He put the gun down, his head aching with the onslaught of reality. Jordan tilted her head. “Do you want a drink?”

The pair sat at the table, glasses in hand. She propped her head up on her hand, studying him from across the table. “I’ve seen you before. At a club. You were following me then, weren’t you?” He nodded. “The whole day.” She closed her eyes. “Jesus, this is too surreal.” He looked at her, her blonde hair pulled up in a ponytail, her smooth face and jaw line. “So tell me about yourself, Alex. How long have you been killing people for a living?” He snorted. “Since I was 18.” He told her truthfully. “You could say it runs in the family, my father started up the agency, and now my brother owns it. How I got the short end of the deal I don’t know.” He couldn’t believe he was telling her all this, but something about her led him to feel comforted in her presence. They sat silently for a moment, then her phone rang. They both jumped at the noise, then Jordan laughed. Alex had to smile. She let it keep ringing, then it stopped. “So what are you going to do now?” That was the question. It wouldn’t feel right killing her, he never wanted to. Not from the moment he looked at her file. “I don’t know.”
“I’m sorry.” He looked up at her, curious. “What are you sorry for?”
“For putting you in this position.” He shook his head. “I did this. I’m not going to kill you, Jordan. I just hope my boss understands that.”
“Your brother? Something tells me he’s not the sympathetic type. And what about your client?”
“I’m going to have to take care of that on my own.” She nodded, understanding. He got up, ready to leave. She got up to, and opened the door for him. “Good night, Jordan.” He walked out in the night air, thinking about how he would have felt had he gone through with it. “Alex?” He turned around to see her standing in the doorway. “Thank you.” Then she shut the door. It would be a long night for him, and he doubted he would sleep at all.