Tick Tok Tick Tok—brrring, the irritating sound from the dynamic clock woke him up as he removed his bed sheet from his body and put on his morning slippers; he sluggishly crawled towards the bathroom with his white bathrobe wrapped around his body to fend off his body against the harsh snowfall in this uncaring winter. Even with the heavy insulation and high-quality heater, the winter still pierced his skin as if invited back into the harsh conditions of Xerxes. As he arrived at the bathroom door, he blinked to remove the dry, layered crust under his eyes; he fetched himself some water, and as he brushed, he thought to himself.

"Yesterday was wild; I think I got a message in my sleep; I'm sure she is out in my message, bragging about how effortless the mission was; by the way, that funny and charismatic boy I saw as part of her squad. Yeah, Kaelin was his name; he reminds me of myself; if possible, I will ask Anna to lend the boy over to me; he will make a fine apprentice.

Whimsically, Charlie thought as he rinsed his mouth with water in a glass. Holding the glass, he removed his intergram from his robe and scrolled through the message until he saw Anastasia's contact. Red spots slowly formed on the white tile, and his hand could be seen dyed red as his blood flowed across his hand and dripped downwards, glass shards embedded only in his skin. However, instead of expressing pain, his fist tightly clenched the glass jar while his brows furrowed, with his jaw and lips tensed; as he continued reading, the rage within him subsided, yet a sorry look lingered on his expression.

"Bad luck as always, so he's dead. But. Why?" Charlie mournfully thought as he washed the bloodstains from his hands. Tears did not flow down his face. "Even now, I do not cry; the lives I have taken, it's no longer a surprise; maybe I have been stripped of the right to feel," feeling disgusted in himself. Charlie took out his streamlined double-breasted black suit and wore it. Upon it, he added a heavy jacket, and with that, he wore a black leather glove to mask the scars.

He quickly descended the stairway instead of the escalator to drown the sorrow he felt towards the boy's death; the only thought that consoled him on his way to the ATM was the thought of Anastasia being alive; even this could not be guaranteed; he thought of what to tell his loved ones, his boss and all those to whom he brought a change in their lives. He remained confused as he reached the final step. He opened the door only to be met with a man with an appearance that branched between hardship and casual, yet even with all these social and economic baggage that could be inferred from the man, Charlie was still met with a smile and a greeting.

"Good morning, Charles; how have you been?" the kind elderly man questioned as he widened his arms to hug Charlie, to which Charlie reciprocated." I have been doing great lately, Joseph. I would ask the same for you, but you don't look great, "Charlie jokingly remarked.

"Kiddo, well, I would not say bad; it's a repetition of a past event. I could say the same for you. I know a person who is mourning internally when I see one. Why don't we take a seat on the bench across the street and understand what is making a cheerful person like you so sad?" old man Joseph said as he and Charlie walked across the street to discuss their situation on the bench.

Joseph sat across Charlie as he inquired."What is on your mind?"

"This morning, I found out that a junior of mine that I was planning under my wing just died on work travel; I feel guilty for asking him to go on the work travel. I am on my way to break the news of his tragic end. He had so many dreams, aspirations, and goals he wouldn't have the opportunity to achieve now," Charlie recounted his experience while changing the scenario yet maintaining the context to hear out what the man had to say without exposing himself. Joseph quietly pondered upon what Charlie had said to him before finally breaking the silence,

"Charlie, all I can say is that I have experienced loss so many times; even now, I am experiencing it. However, with all that said, I can't say I know your loss because that is only unique to you, but what I can say is allow yourself to mourn, cry, and weep."

"Let your tears testify that such a beautiful child has left this world; after you are done, I will ask you to smile and mark the positive impact. It is well, Charlie. I know that child would not want this burden to eat you inside. He's in a better place. You can weep, my child; it's alright, my child, you can weep and mourn him," Joseph softly muttered.

The answer to that soft, comforting speech was the sound of sobbing; Charlie's hands covered his face as tears ran down. The only thing Joseph did was pat him on the back as he patiently waited until he had finished mourning.

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After sobbing, Charlie wiped his tears with his handkerchief. He looked at Joseph with a smile that reminded him of his youth.

"Thank you so much, Joseph; why don't I get you a new job and a better place to live," Charlie said in appreciation of Joseph's goodwill. Joseph rejected the offer, simply saying,

"I just told you what I would have told you myself. I am grateful for the job, but regardless of how good life has been to me, eventually, I bring ruin to it. I am a broken man, Charlie. I know the right thing to do, but I am scared of change; the life I have liked is not one I am proud of, but I have come to find solace in it."

"Joseph, I can help-, "Charlie nearly uttered before being interrupted.

"I am old Charlie. I have come to accept it," Joseph gently said. Charlie came to the realization that some things could not be changed, and he felt sad that this was one of the things he could not change regardless of anything.

He felt powerless that, he could not return the favor.

"Charlie, you coming to terms with emotions is enough compensation. I will see you later," Joseph smiled as he continued his day.

"Thank you, old man," Charlie gently smiled as he waited for the bus.

The bus arrived, and he departed, taking the bus to the residence of Kaelin's relatives. He abandoned the idea of presenting physical currency, as he decided it would be best to offer any compensation and any other monetary fee digitally to avoid being disrespectful. In this situation, they might presume he was throwing cash in exchange for their son's or brother's life. As he walked the path to his home, he remembered seeing how much the neighborhood had changed. He thought to himself how much the environment had changed.

"The rowdy boy was indeed a prodigal son; he remembered when Kaelin first got accepted into the syndicate, the street was riddled with drugs, homelessness, shooting, and indecency, but the street was now suburban, the quality and quantity of homes had increased, and he had built orphanages, jobs and done charity. He reminds me of myself."

"When he joined Anastasia's private squad, he kept eating at the cafeteria; I sat by him, flabbergasted. He nearly made a run to get food for him, but I stopped him, asking him why he was eating here."

"He responded that the lunch man cooked the best dishes." Charlie could not help but giggle at his experience with Kaelin. Later that evening, he remembered how he had scouted where he transferred his money; seeing how he funneled and managed his paycheque to improve his community became his guilty pleasure. Improvement ceaselessly occurred until it became what we see now.

Upon reaching their front door, he remembered how he first came to visit on a day of festivity, but now he was the bearer of bad news.

Thud Thud Thud

Within the confines of their home, the Eldris family was having turkey and mac and cheese for dinner when the doorbell was heard. A fair young lady rose from her seat to meet the visitor. Opening the door, she was happy to see Uncle Charlie. However, she looked around him to see if Kaelin had also come. Still, seeing Charlie had come to their humble abode alone, she appreciated and saw it as an opportunity to get closer to him. Instinctively, she had a gut feeling that something was wrong but discarded those feelings since she didn't want them to interfere with the joyful atmosphere.

"Good Morning, Simona; how are you doing?" Charlie said while looking downward. Seeing that Charlie looked sad, she made an effort to make him feel happy, remarking.

"I am doing well, Uncle Charles. Don't stand out in this cold weather. Come in and have dinner with us. We are having turkey, one of your favorite meals with Mum's infamous cheese; hurry on before the food turns cold," she replied as she winked, rushing inwards to announce her uncle's arrival.

"Mom, Dad. It's Uncle Charles," Simona said excitedly. Charlie entered the house and hung his jacket on the rack. Seeing their cheerful and carefree attitude during this season made it all the harder to present the news of Kaelin's death. He gathered courage and muttered the phrase.

"I'm sorry, Simona, Kaelin is—"quickly Simona interrupted Charlie, assuring him, remarking.

"I know he's busy with work and won't have time for Ikro's festivities. Don't feel bad, Unc," cheekily Simona intersected, but Charlie made sure to end his statement.

"Kaelin is dead."

At that exact moment, the bright peach color and the blue sky color turned grey, and the sound of silence resided as the ice snow pierced their hearts. Upon their face was the look of confusion; their brain simply failed to process and accept the truth.

Denial.

"Uncle Charlie, don't make such a joke; Kaelin can't be dead. He was strong and healthy when we last. Met. Where is he? Call him. Call him now. Please tell me he is alive. He is too young to die. It can't be; he's not married yet; I did not get to see his children; he can't die; he is strong; why are you lying," Simona pleaded and pleaded, yet Charlie repeated his initial statement.

"I am sorry, Simona, Kaelin is dead

Anger.

Simona screamed as she fell to her knees. Charlie caught her fall, but Simona's mother quickly pushed him aside, saying to him.

"Don't touch my daughter before you kill her, just like how you killed my boy. I know you killed him. You murderer, leave this house. If he hadn't gotten this job, we might still have been poor, but he would have been alive. Get out!" Simona's mother screamed at Charles while her eyes looked red from rage and tears. She lashed out at Charlie, hitting him several times, but he did not react. He simply let her hit him until she could no longer muster the strength to continue.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Eldris," Charlie muttered again in a grief-stricken state.

Bargaining.

Simona started bargaining with Charlie, asking him to bring back their brother; she begged and begged, saying she would do anything he demanded, yet Charlie remained silent. He knew that it was nearly impossible to bring someone back to life. Simona pleaded and pleaded, yet no answer came.

Acceptance.

"It's enough, Simona. He's gone and won't come back," Simona's father said firmly as his dress wetted from the tears that flowed from his reddened eye. He carried himself and supported his wife and daughter from the ground. He gently lifted them and slowly laid them down on the mattress in the bedroom. After comforting them, he looked at Charlie and hugged him.

"Let's talk on the porch," Simona's father said before wiping his tears as they exited the house.