AFFLICTION

4 ~ [Before It's Late]

The end wasn't the end,
Rather it was a new beginning.
What can possibly be left for
the worst to happen,
When you'll be exhaustedly grieving?
Because, You'll come back to me again,
But I'll let you fall to your knees, begging.

AZEZAL

The phone lying on the desk buzzes up and captivates my attention. My eyes veer in the direction of it from the laptop screen. I take the phone after closing the laptop as I straighten up, walk towards the curtain wall, taking in the view of New York City. The light of this city never seems to dim even when the night falls.

I attach the phone to my ear after receiving the call and meet an uneven voice- "Boss, everything went as per your plan."  My eyebrows scrunch together discerning the nervousness which is clearly reflecting in his voice. "Is it so? But your voice doesn't concede what you're saying," I utter stiffly.

I can picture sweat dripping off his forehead for how highly strung he is. He knows very well that I'm not someone who can be lied to quite easily, beguile so effortlessly.

He remains silent for a moment and then he tries to clarify, "Boss, it's not like that-"
"Why is your voice fucking terror-stricken then?" I don't need to pull up an act to sound calm although I'm mentally conspiring how would I like to kill him after knowing what he did wrong.

"Boss, we did what we were told to. The bus and then the taxi- but we didn't know whether the goons that were harassing her were sent by you or not. We weren't informed about that." My fist clenches into a solid grip before I realize that it's an upshot of proprietorial this time.

"What did you do to them?" I query, my jaw tenses with fury. "W-We shot them. They were trying to drug her-" He is involuntarily stuttering, thinking he did a sin by acting without my order. Hearing that, my boiling rage simmers down and I make a sound of approval. Only then he eases himself and lets out a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden has been lifted off his shoulder, almost inaudible.

"Did she reach home after?" I shouldn't be asking this but I'm. This isn't any sort of caring or tenderness for her, this is because I need to know the condition of the person, who's only for me to ruin, to punish, to afflict. I rationalize my mind as if I got explanations to do.

"Yes boss, we followed her until she went inside the building. And we cleared up the bodies too. There is no hint of a single drop of blood in that street. No hint of what happened there." His tone loud and proud this time.
"Good. You will be remunerated thrice more than what you were entitled to," Saying that with an impassive face I cut the call and shove the phone inside my pocket.

* * * * *

"Words." I demand imperturbably one last time, tracing the sharp blade of a knife.

He is still shivering with both cold and fear after I made his bruised, bloody body take an icey bath until he was blue. He even pissed his wet pants two times, that's how much scared he is. His teeth chattering like he's freezing, his mouth unable to form a word.

I roll my eyes bored, uninterested dealing with this halfwit dickhead. "Do you even consider yourself a man?" I mock hysterically.

"P-Please- I'm b-begging you-" the grownup, unworthy to be called a man cries up all over again perceiving what the show of my emotionless laughter meant. I'm totally stulified playing these games with him. He knows the sereneness before the tornado won't prevail long.