“You good Cali?” A familiar voice tore me from my thoughts, and I found my gaze falling towards the glass of rum in my hand. The deep brown liquid scintillated in the soft lighting of the bar I was sitting in.
“Yeah, I was just having the strangest of dreams.” My eyes flashed over to the man sitting next to me. His deep brown eyes gazed at me with interest. Yet, he seemed to be mentally elsewhere at the moment, too.
“Again? Was it your princess charming?” A smirk crossed his well chiseled face as he reached out for the glass of jack that sat on the freshly polished granite of the bar.
I rolled my eyes as I brought the glass to my lips. The quick burn was followed by the smooth feeling of rum rushing down my throat. For the briefest of seconds, I found the pain lurking in my chest dulled ever so slightly.
“Is it so bad?” I asked as I swirled the glass once more and relished the after taste. Pungent, burning, but overall, comforting.
“No, we all dream of something, after all.” John paused for a second before swirling his glass and bringing it up to his lips.
“This time it wasn’t, but let me tell you, It’s frustrating John. All my life, when I close my eyes, I can see her face. Eyes that are like molten gold, hair the color of moonlight. She’s standing there waiting for me in front of a large gate. Her eyebrows raised, and a mischievous grin plastered on her face as she reached out to me. It drives me nuts cause it feels like the first time I ever saw her, yet I feel love blossom in my chest. But it falls away before I can even catch her name.” Another sigh escaped from my lips as I gripped the glass and poured another shot down my throat.
“Have you considered that maybe it was you in another life? Maybe it’s a memory. You have told me of a large kingdom before as well, so perhaps it’s related. Besides, with the way you move, I’m not even sure you are fully human.” John shrugged again as he swirled his glass and stared at the liquid within.
“Perhaps, but that doesnt matter at the moment. We came here for a job, no?” I pushed the thoughts away and downed the last few sips.
“We did. The target is across the street. Fourth floor. There is no easy way to do this, sadly.” John sighed as he set his glass down and glanced around the bar. The ambient sound of dozens of quiet conversations reached my ears.
I relished the comfort that it brought for a few fleeting seconds. This was why I worked in restaurants. The sheer amount of ambiance was beyond relaxing. But tonight, unfortunately, I couldn’t enjoy it any longer. A sigh pushed its way past my lips, as I pulled my hand away from the bar and reached into the pocket of my shirt and pulled out a small bundle of cash. With a quick motion, I tucked it under the coaster of the glass, and nodded my head. “Let's get the show started, shall we?”
“Jesus Cali, why are we going in blind? Are you trying to get yourself killed?” John sputtered as he threw his drink onto the countertop. The clattering of glass onto stone assaulted my ears for a split second.
“No? I’m just doing a job. Nothing more, nothing less.” I shrugged as I pulled my jacket off of the seat and quickly slid my arms into the sleeves. The comforting weight of the various weapons contained within pressed against my body. It was almost like a memory. I couldn’t seem to put my finger on. Yet, fighting seemed to stir something within me, and by god did I live for it.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Every time Cali, you just rush in. Take a second to figure out a plan. If you keep leaving a trail of bodies in your wake, you are going to get caught, or end up dead.” His voice came out in a huff, and I heard a heavy rustling behind me as he rushed to catch up.
“I’m not really worried about it. Either I live, or I die. It doesn’t matter in the end.” I quickly adjusted the lapels of my jacket and adjusted the sleeves. Truly, I didn’t care about it. I didn’t feel like I belonged here. It was like I was drifting through a sea of nothingness, with small splashes of meaning. I knew I was something more, yet the memory and thoughts eluded me. It felt like a piece of me was missing, and I was half of a person.
“Jesus. Whatever then. Next time, just promise me we do this the right way, yeah? I’m still too young to die.” The annoyance in his voice faded and was replaced by his usual lighthearted and carefree demeanor.
“Yeah, sure.” I shrugged, not really caring about it. At the moment, I felt my soul crying out for blood, and I wanted nothing more than to satiate it. I whipped out my phone and a set of wireless headphones and quickly connected the two.
“Ah, you are in one of those moods. I’ll move on ahead then and get prepped. Good luck, and happy hunting then.” John gave me a quick nod, before quickly pushing through the small crowd of people, before vanishing into the darkness of the night outside.
I nodded my head, thankful that he understood. I couldn’t voice what I was feeling all that well, but he seemed to understand. What a good friend he was. I paused for a few minutes to give him a chance to get ahead of me and get adjusted. I turned my phone on for a second, and quickly checked my face to make sure my make up was still in place.
A radiant set of emerald colored eyes gazed back at me as I quickly glanced over my face. My lips were still the color of blood. My eyeliner looked alright, though it’s sole purpose was to just make my eyes pop even more. But that was really it, I had no use for other makeup. After all, who was I trying to impress? I shrugged, and ran my fingers through my hair to make sure that my braid was still good to go. I pursed my lips, and blew a soft kiss at the phone before turning the camera off.
I slid my two earphones in, and shifted it to ambience mode, so I could hear around me. With a flick, I quickly cycled through YouTube, and settled onto my vampire rave mix. This one was a guilty pleasure of mine, as I did enjoy the wave of twisted emotion that danced through me in tandem to the beat. It was sexy, yet it was elegantly deadly.
My heart slid into the same beat as the music that assailed my ears, and the bloodlust roared in my chest like a caged dragon. Fighting was my calling, and killing was my art. Yet, it still felt lacking, like there was something more within that was hidden from me.
I rolled my neck and took a single deep breath to quell the excitement that was thrashing within my veins. Oh, I was excited about this. I felt an enormous grin cross my face as I pushed through the lobby and into the cool night air. The full moon hung in the night sky, and was so bright it outshone all the street lamps.
The roads were empty, with the occasional pedestrian moving in small groups. The ambient sound of the nightlife meshed with the rolling beats of the music that slammed into my ears. I took a deep breath and the stench of the city cut into my nose. The smell of cigarettes, alcohol, and car fumes mixed into a strange medley that made me sick to my stomach. It felt repulsive, and I wouldn’t stand for it. I could do so much better than these fools who call themselves leaders.
I took the first step, and my heart lurched. My eyes quickly settled onto a large building that seemed to stretch far into the sky. My target was somewhere in that building. Oh, I would find him, and I will kill him. It was a shame that everyone else will have to suffer in the meantime. Oh well, what is a girl to do when she requires the thrill of combat to feel alive?