Assassination 2136

Chapter 12: Aftermath

You never truly know what you are capable of until you lose everything. To have severed all earthly ties, and be finished with the bonds holding us down and stopping us from reaching beyond into the abyss. For when we have connections, when we have things holding us down, we have something to lose. Money, property, pride, love, these things hold us back because we are afraid to lose them. But when you take them away, you are left with nothing. Nothing to lose, and therefore nothing to fear.

You don't know what you are capable of until your whole world comes crashing down in an instant. There is no need to try to conform, to try and fit in, because you have nothing to be afraid of. The worst thing that could happen to you already has. And therefore, why should you care? Why should you give a fuck? What more could the universe do to me?

You don't know what you're capable of.

Turns out I'm capable of a whole lot of illegal shit. More so than usual.

I stormed down the alleyway, my feet making waves in the puddles around me. Small tsunamis cascading away from my feet, splashing the pavement. I didn't flinch as the rain hit my skin, didn't blink or falter in my walk. He had done this. He had to pay.

It rarely rained in Les Australis. The dome was tall enough for an atmosphere, but without proper condensation it was definately about as common as gold. However, the pollution would waft up, form clouds, and occasionally rain down on the miserable populus below. It was only fitting it was happening right here and right now.

I had lain with Dovima's body the rest of the night. I dared not sleep, because I knew in the morning they would be there to take her body. So I savoured every moment I could, the last time I would see her face. Committing it to memory, every bumps every wrinkle and every freckle. Tracing the outline in my mind, so I would never forget what she looks like. Never.

Pop looked up at me, his smile fading as he glanced at the look in my eyes. I didn't acknowledge him, not now. I couldn't, I couldn't let him bear the brunt of my rage, of my fury. I stalked past him, heels still smacking the pavement hard. My hair plastered on my face in a damp mess.

I finally reached Xyle's bin, fitting place for a piece of shit like him. I wrenched open the lid, he had forgotten to lock it as usual. He was squatting in his bed, crack pipe lit as per fucking usual. He looked up at me, a mixture of shock, awe, and anger flashing across his face in a split second.

"Sagi what the fuck you're letting the rain in-" he began before I grabbed him by the cuff of his collar and threw him from his bin. He landed on the damp paving with a thud, looking up at me.

"Dovima's dead," I said flatly. The rain continued around us, freezing us in place. Xyle looking up at me, one hand outstretched to protect himself. The other bracing himself against the concrete. He seemed shocked at this revelation.

"Sagi... I'm sorry.... What happened?" He asked. He was bluffing. He knew what happened. I rushed towards him, grabbing his collar in both hands. I then raised him off the floor and threw him against the wall, pinning him there. He was a tiny man, a pathetic man, a man I could crush easily. Oh so easily.

"Don't lie," I hissed through gritted teeth, "she was assassinated. Throat slit. Remind you of someone?" His eyes widened at this, yet he said nothing. Offered no explanation.

While I had been lying with Dovima, I had come to the realisation that her death was no accident. Just as me getting caught in a Deathmatch was no accident. The cogs were turning, a plan in motion that I was only a pawn in. And I had played right into their trap.

Yet, who is the main assassin contract dealer nearby? Xyle. And which assassin had killed Dovima? One of his best and brightest. I had heard of him through the grapevine, an assassin who likes to get up personal with his prey. Slashing their throat, leaving only blood and ruin behind. Xyle's top dog.

Xyle paled at my accusations, stuttering as the meth in his system brought his heart racing.

"Sagi it wasn't-" I interrupted his rambling with a swift headbutt, releasing him as I then clutched my head in my hands. That fucking hurt. He crumpled to the floor, rubbing his own forehead and cursing just as much as I was.

I turned around, swiftly pacing away from Xyle. Tilting my head up towards to sky, I screamed. A long and sorrowful scream, my throat feeling as if it had been scraped raw. I then spun around rapidly, pulling out a small pistol from my trenchcoat. I aimed the gun at Xyle, at someone I used to call friend.

"Goodbye Xyle," I said, my expression now deadpan.

"Wait wait wait it wasn't me!" He cried out, flinching away from the cool metal pointed at his forehead. I cocked a brow, storming up to him. I thrust the gun in his face, pressing it against his oily skin and causing him to whimper.

"The fuck you mean it wasn't you?" I spat, pushing the gun further against his wet cheek. The rain wasn't helping any, continuing to drizzle down like the last dregs of a bottle of booze.

"They tried to give me the contract!" He raced through his sentence, the meth in his system causing his speech to be rapid. Yet I understood him. I'd spoken to the meth head that many times.

"They tried to give it to me but I refused! I knew it was Dovima's tracker so I turned it down," he sighed, his body relaxing in my grip. I snarled, throwing him down and taking three steps back. Xyle was too dazed to move as I held the pistol up, aiming at his head.

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!

I emptied the clip. But I hadn't shot Xyle, instead directly next to his head were five neat holes where the bullets had struck. Throwing down the gun, I screamed again. The agony was overwhelming me. A darkness swallowing my mind, the cold bitter taste of grief stabbing my insides.

When they came for her body, I didn't want to let her go. There were still so many things we had left to do together. We were going to get married. Buy a better apartment. Maybe even adopt kids. Yet now, we were robbed of that future. Forever.

I watched as they loaded her into that car. My knees failed to work, buckling under the emotional weight. All I could do was kneel there, grabing onto the rail as they dumped her lifeless body in the car. A body that would never laugh again, would never lose her glasses again, would never look at me with wild excitement over cracking a code. It would never be her again.

As the car drove off, I just stared after it as they took away the love of my life. My Dovima. And as long as I live, I will remember that licence plate. I will remember it as the vessel that stole her from me, that made me accept the reality that she was gone.

The sobs overtook my body, my entire being shaking as I fell to the floor in a mess. Tears mixed with the rain, trailing down my face and adding to the puddles around me. Grief ripped through my essence through my soul, and in that moment there was nothing left.

I soon felt a rough, course hand on my shoulder. I looked up through my hands to see Xyle, sitting on the cement in the puddles with me. He wore a perplexed expression on his face, a mixture of sadness, empathy, and discomfort.

"I didn't know they'd give the contract directly to him," Xyle mumbled glumly. We both gazed off into the distance, watching the sun starting to rise. We would both have to go to work soon. Bills wait for no man.

The rain continued as we sat there, the smell of wet garbage invading my nostrils as Xyle's bin started to fill. He didn't care, we didn't care. Xyle rested his head on my shoulder, and I tried desperately to dry my eyes. I could already feel they were red and puffy.

"What now?" He asked. I furrowed my brows, looking up to the sky.

"Now we get revenge."

***
I came here to kick ass and eat MASH. And I'm all outta MASH.

Things are in motion now. Xyle may even get a little redemption arc (he is a bit of a prick, but a lovable one in the end I promise)

Stay tuned for the next update. Thank you again for reading, love ya!