Vessa blinked as she was surrounded by darkness; her nose assaulted by the smell of death and waste. Stunned by the smell, her eyes still used to a lit dining hall.

Vessa fumbled for the bracelet on her wrist, fingers finding the correct ruin and Vessa could see again. Not that she wanted to. She almost considered going back to darkness, but that would too badly affect her assignment.

There were rows of cages with people in them. Men, women, children they were all missing body parts. A child with both eyes taken out. A woman who had no arms or legs. A man who Vessa only knew to be a man through the numbers.

She looked away. Breathed. She was a professional.

Even so, she was relieved to exit the door and wind her way upwards, seeking one number.

Female 12: 18%, Male 541: 13%, Male 17: 6%, Female 58: 24%, Female 18: 3%, Female 791: 14% Male 5: 2%

Each floor was filled with cages, though their quality improved; the sounds of despair increased. As Vessa traveled upwards the halls were filled with screaming, crying, begging, and most disturbing of them all: laughing. She bore through it as she walked searching for the correct number, avoiding the guards that seemed deaf to it all.

Female 362: 37%, Female 16: 31%, Male 9: 47%, Male 26: 53%, Male 3: 27%, Female 6: 17%, Female: 0.7: 4%

Still, Vessa preferred this to the rooms filled with quiet or the ones with singing or praying. Not that she could fully say why. The contrast was too stark. They were too happy for the condition they were in. And Samilla back at the homes, how she’d smile despite everything. Maybe that was it. Vessa saw Samilla in each of their faces and couldn’t bare it. The thought of Samilla in pain, alone, in the dark. Knowing it was only going to get worse.

As Vessa walked away from those rooms she fought not to kill the guards as she imagined them dragging Samilla away to be mutilated. Vessa shook her body and made herself focus despite every inhale bringing the smell of rot.

The rooms changed to cells then dorms and Vessa figured she was close to where her package was being held.

Male 25: 47%, Male 0.5: 3%, Male 547: 1%, Male 16: 53%, Female 45: 27% , Male 3: 89%

There Vessa latched onto the number.

Male 3: 89%

She began turning around in the hall until it felt right. Vessa walked up two more flights of stairs, turned right twice and walked down a long hallway. Where she reached a door with many locks.

“It’s alright. There’s no way there aren’t people coming for you. It’s okay. Shhh, shhhh.” A woman’s voice said, and then she began singing a lullaby.

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Female 978: 76%

Vessa pressed her bracelet on the door and all the locks clicked open. The singing stopped as Vessa stepped into the dark room and the door clicked behind her.

The woman rushed towards the wall opposite from the door and thudded into it.

“Where are you? You stupid bastards!” She said, tilting her right ear upwards. The child began rocking as his hands tore at the gag in his mouth. It tightened, and he stopped.

The woman threw herself towards Vessa but missed hitting to other side of the door.

“You can’t have him. You can’t.” She said as she tilted her ear upwards again.

Vessa should keep the gag on until she delivered him to his parents. Wisher children were mini balls of chaos.

“Please spare him. He’s a Wisher boy, and you know they’ll come for him. You have no soul, but surely you still want to live.” She said and then crawled back to the boy, holding him tight.

Vessa felt numbers swarm into the building as she debated with herself. Pulled out her assignment book as the woman began singing, rocking the boy back and forth. Vessa flipped through the book to find the child’s page.

Find and obtain the package: kill all others that are in the buillding.

In the building.

“Is there a teleporter somewhere in here?” Vessa asked, and the woman jerked still and became silent. Vessa waited for several moments.

“What?” The woman asked, her voice sounding lighter.

“Is there a teleporter in the building?” Vessa asked again as she felt numbers coming closer to them.

Male 1003: 87%, Male 689: 91%, Male 1056: 73%, Male 731: 74%, Male 547: 95%, Male 890: 93%

“If I tell you, will you spare the boy?” The woman asked, and Vessa shrugged.

“Yes.”

“It’s up on the first floor.” The woman said and stood with the boy in her arms.

“Do you know how to operate it?” Vessa asked as she continued to track the numbers charging their way to her.

“Yes.”

“And how to open the cages?”

“Yes. But we’ll need a guard. I’m Ensald by the way.”

“If I kill all the guards, can you get all the people out?” Vessa asked and silence fell in the room. As Vessa waited for a response, she felt more numbers enter her mind.

Male 687: 53%, Male 928: 70%, Male 1032: 62%, Male 583: 92%, Male 697: 84% Male 732: 76%, Male 684: 83%

“Who are you?” The woman asked, finally breaking the silence.

“A Number Assassin.” Vessa said.

“And you didn’t think to lead with that!” The woman yelled.

“Can you?” Vessa asked, trying to speed up the interaction.

“Yes, Yes I can,” Ensald said and Vessa realized her second problem. Maybe she should put just them out their misery, grab the boy and go. It would be easier and be more faithful to the assignment.

“Can you see in the dark?

“No, but I can turn the lights on.”

“And where are those?”

“In the warden’s room, which is two floors up and to the right.” Ensald said and Vessa sighed. She heard the pounding of feet; she should have just followed the assignment as written. Vessa took stock of the numbers coming in one last time.

Male 517: 81%, Male 792: 95%, Male 643: 87%, Male 1223: 83%, Male 574: 91%

“Give me the boy and grab my arm.” Vessa said as she realized she was likely to kill the prisoners on accident if she just started pulling numbers. She could look for high ones, but as Ensald proved that wasn’t foolproof. Plus, her intentions towards everyone else would lower their numbers. Which meant Vessa was going to have to do this the hard way.

“This is going to get messy.” Vessa said, pulling the numbers right outside as she waited for the door to open.

Male 1003: 87% - 1%,

Male 689: 92% - 1%

Male 1056: 73% – 1%

Male 731: 74% – 1%

Male 547: 95% – 1%,

Male 890: 93% – 1%

She should have gone with what was written.