As the night went by, Cindy found herself in quite the predicament. Inside the old and decrepit apartment building, she found a young boy, bruised and battered, in front of her eyes. Purplish marks enveloped his body from head to toe. The smell of his room was rancid, as if he hadn't bathed in months. Just a dim, flickering lamp and a ragged blanket were the only things present in the boy's room. Cindy's target was nowhere to be found as she approached the young boy. The half-elf made a decision to get the boy away as quickly as possible; and forget about her assignment.

I have to focus on helping this child. Damn this stupid assignment! Whoever did this to him....they're awful, but... nobody has to die tonight. I'll just take the boy back to headquarters with me. Amy and Ben will surely help him out!

"It's going to be okay now, kid. My name is Cindy, what's yours?" Cindy said quietly as she entered the young boy's room.

"Jon! Y-you're going to take care of her, right?" The young boy said rather loudly.

"Please keep your voice down," Cindy said, while shushing the boy with a finger over her mouth. "Tell me...who did this to you?"

"M-my foster mother. She hits me and stuff. Ever since I got here a month ago, she just hits me whenever she feels like it. I couldn't take it anymore, so I called you guys. I can't believe you actually came! You're gonna kill that bitch, right?!"

"You shouldn't speak like that....and I'm not killing anyone! Why didn't you call the police? They could've taken you into custody and threw this bitch in jail! Oh....," Cindy said as she covered her mouth in shame.

"The cops? They wouldn't do anything. That whore would just flash her tits at them and walk off scot-free. It's just the way it is in some parts."

Are kids usually so vulgar these days?

"And besides," the boy continued. "Some people would just be better off dead, right?"

"How old are you, kid?" Cindy asked.

"Twelve, why?" John replied.

"Kid... all life is precious. Even if they're evil, no one deserves to be murdered!"

"A-aren't you an assassin?" Jon asked with a puzzled look.

"Don't worry about me. Let's just get out of here. I'll take you someplace saf-"

Before Cindy could finish her sentence, she was met with a sharp pain in the back of her head, before being rendered unconscious.

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

Huh? What happened to me? My head is killing me! The kid, is he alright? Who's that woman? She must be....

Cindy was slowly regaining consciousness as she gathered information on her surroundings. She saw a middle-aged woman with a short dress, high heels, and an excessive amount of makeup on her face. The air smelled of cigarettes and perfume. Cindy also realized that she had been tied up with duct tape across her body as she lightly squirmed, trying to move.

Not good...not good at all. That woman probably knocked me out with something... I can hardly move even without this tape on me.

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The young boy Jon was tied up as well. He was sitting on a ragged couch next to the woman, who reeked of cigarettes. The woman, with a lit cigarette in her left hand, was using the boy as an ashtray, consistently burning the boy's hand as he winced in pain. As Cindy fully regained consciousness, the woman started to speak.

"Finally awake there, sleeping fucking beauty? You came here to kill me? Huh?! What a shitty assassin you turned out to be, ahahaha!" The woman said as she laughed crookedly. Cindy noticed a few of the woman's teeth were missing, while she continued to laugh. "Well, there's no use in hiding it now, is there? This little shit stain of a kid already snitched on the both of ya... after all I've done for you!" The woman exclaimed, as she smacked the boy across his face. The sound of the slap produced a slight echo throughout the ragged apartment.

"I... I was just here to save this boy," Cindy proclaimed, still dizzy and light-headed from the impact. "I'm no assassin. I was just...trying to save him, so please just let us go," Cindy pleaded.

"Horse shit," The woman said angrily, as she stood up to walk towards Cindy. "Lies, lies, lies! Everyone always lies to me! This snot-nosed brat and the ones before him, men, women... I break my back trying to provide for everyone, and this is the thanks I get!" The woman screamed, as she gripped a handful of Cindy's hair, squeezing on her scalp.

"S-stop!" Cindy yelled out in pain, still trying to recover from her recent head wound. "Please, just let us go and I promise to never come here again!"

I have to do something fast. This woman...she's dangerous after all.

"So, ya ain't trying to kill me, huh? Then what's this thing I found on ya, huh?!" The woman screamed again, as she revealed Cindy's Luger from her jacket's pocket. "Liars! All of you are liars! I should kill the both of ya right here and now!" The woman screamed as she pointed the gun towards Cindy.

Fuck!

The woman sounded as if she was deranged as she rambled on about injustices done to her. Cindy quickly realized that there was no reasoning with her. She had to act quickly, or else she and the boy would surely meet their end.

Ok, got it!

"Well, say something!" The deranged woman screamed, while unlocking the safety on the Luger. "Who the fuck sent you and why?!"

"The Fam," Cindy said quietly, glaring straight at the woman with a blank expression.

A look of dread struck the woman for an instant, wondering if Cindy was just bluffing.

"L-l-l-lies! More lies! Why in the hell would those guys waste their time on me! They're the richest business in town. There's no way Someone like you is with them!" The woman screamed in a panicked voice. She was beginning to slightly shake, rattling the shiny black pistol in her hands uncontrollably.

"Well, believe me or not. I personally wouldn't risk it, though. If they found out you hurt me, I doubt it would end well for you. I'm serious. Let us go and leave town tonight. Get some help....start a new life. It's not too late for you, despite what you've done," Cindy said calmly, keeping the same blank expression on her face.

"After what I've done?! You come into my home, try to steal my boy, try to murder me for no reason, and I'm in the wrong?? I should blow your fuckin' head off right now, skank!" The woman yelled, becoming increasingly more rattled.

"Go ahead. Do it, whore," Cindy said, smiling with a blank face.

"Fuck you!" The woman yelled with her finger on the trigger.

"Just hurry up and shoot, whore," Cindy said again, with a slight sweat building up on her head.

"Burn in Hell!" The woman screamed, pulling the trigger on the pistol.

-Clank Clank Clank

"I-It's empty...." The woman said softly after pulling the trigger several times.

As the woman was dumbfounded for a few more seconds, Cindy had bought enough time to free herself from the stiff tape. Inside of her mechanical right arm, there was a small blade concealed on her hand. While she was rousing up the woman, Cindy was slowly cutting her way free.

"Fuck it, I'll just bash your brains in with it!" The woman yelled, swinging the pistol wildly towards Cindy in a fit of rage, until it was stopped by the right hand of the half-elf.

"Y-you, how?" The woman asked, as she struggled to grab the pistol back from the half-elf. It was to no avail, however. The strength of Cindy's mechanical arm was too overwhelming.

"Leave, now!" Cindy said, with a stern tone.

In a frantic state, the deranged woman ran towards Jon, placing the child in a choke hold and holding a knife to his throat.

"Y-you wanna hurt me?? I'll kill this fucking kid you seem to love so much! Leave now, or I'll do it!"

"I'm....tired. I just want this to be over with," Cindy thought to herself as she loaded a bullet into her pistol.

"What are you doing?! Y-you're gonna shoot me? I knew you were just full of shit after a-" The woman screamed, until a bullet silently entered her skull.