WHEN IT RAINS [an eruri mafia au]

i. chapter one

"Fuck!" Levi cursed through gritted teeth as he squeezed his arm to prevent more blood loss. The good news was, he was shot in his left arm, which wasn't his shooting arm. The bad news was, he was shot in the arm. He ducked behind the pillar of the desolate parking garage as he pulled a clip from his belt and reloaded his glock. He jammed the magazine in the handgun with apparent aggression- he had expected to be done with his target exactly fourteen seconds ago. He kept a stopwatch to record his time so that he could minimize the chance that help would come to support the enemy. This time around, he estimated the job would take three minutes on the dot to complete, with the time starting as soon as he hopped off of his motorcycle. It'd take him about half the time to sneak up the floors of the dark and empty parking garage, and then another forty-five seconds or so to locate the targets. The remaining forty-five seconds would be spent eliminating the targets and securing their contraband. In order to do the job well, he had to be in and out, and leave no trace of him being the killer.

It wasn't until eighteen seconds had passed his goal time that his first bullet in the magazine had struck the head of his last victim.

Going over his time wasn't the only thing he hadn't planned on doing. He hadn't planned on being shot, either. Before he tended his wounds he carefully ran over to where the three men were sprawled out and patted down their pockets looking for car keys. After finding them in the front pocket of one of them, he unlocked the truck and found the small cases, which, upon inspection, were cases of enhanced methamphetamine samples that were being transferred. Levi didn't know a ton about the details, but knew well the job he was tasked to do. He was hired in places from Mexico to New York, dealing with contractors from drug cartels to politicians. If people needed to be taken out, or a package needed to be secured with a hundred percent chance of success and no way to track down the motive, Levi Ackerman was the man to call.

Levi loaded the small boxes into his backpack, and set off to his motorcycle, taking another glance at his surroundings to ensure that there were no prying eyes or security cameras.

Levi reached the exit and pulled up the black mask that was around his neck to protect his identity. He turned down the alley where his bike was parked, and noticed a figure standing next to it.

It was quite dark, and he couldn't make out any features on the person's face, but he drew his gun and creeped behind a nearby dumpster before he came too close.

"Hands up." Levi said, aggravation growing in his voice. He hadn't yet stopped to tend to his gunshot wound properly, as he wasn't trying to waste any time at the scene of the crime. He stood behind the dumpster with his gun aimed at the shadowy figure.

The person took another drag of their cigarette, and raised their hands, blowing smoke as they did it.

"Levi Ackerman, well known hit man in the underground, though few have lived to remember your face."

"None, and if you keep talking, I'll keep it that way."

"Oh, I'm already quite familiar with you." The person walked closer, tossing their cigarette as they did. "See I have a boss- or a friend, rather, who is in need of some help."

"Then I'd be glad to give you my business card." The dry sarcasm was clearly apparent in Levi's tone.

"I was hoping we could settle things here." Levi kept the gun aimed at the figure as they continued to approach. Now they were close enough to see the features of their face in the shadow-filled alleyway.

"My name is Hange Zoe. Pleasure to meet you."

Levi lowered his gun a bit and stepped out from behind the dumpster.

"I'm familiar with the name. The consigliere to Erwin Smith of Eldia."

"Yessir," Hange had a suave tone, "and long story short, a position has opened, and we're hiring. If you're familiar with Eldia, you'll know well that we don't take no for an answer. We need a head hit man, and the boss was adamant about you being the one to fill the role."

"What happened to the previous one?"

"The boss strangled him to death. Tried to steal from our assets and thought we wouldn't notice. That's why we need a reliable person who can get the job done."

"What's in it for me?"

"Oh, a shit ton of cash, a luxurious place to live, savory food three times a day, doctors to bandage you up, and, as an added bonus, you can keep your life! That is, unless you fuck up, because Erwin won't hesitate to rid this Earth of you." Hange smirked like the devil personified. "That cool with you?"

Truthfully, Levi was tired of going from job to job, with only contractors but no real boss. The money was good, but he knew that if he worked for the esteemed Erwin Smith, it'd be better. He also didn't want to risk getting on Eldia's bad side. If he refused, he may be able to escape Hange now, but he wouldn't be able to fight the troops of mobsters that would come after him alone. Levi finally tucked his gun in its holster and met Hange's gaze again.

"Tomorrow morning, ten a.m. at the Grande café. If you don't show, I'm sure our gunners can show you a good time with their rifles." Hange pulled a pack of Marlboros out of the pocket of their trench coat and skillfully slid out a single cigarette, put it between their lips, and lit it with a lighter in the other hand.

"Alright." Levi said curtly, and strode past Hange and to his motorcycle.

"Sleep tight!" Hange threw up a peace sign as they continued to walk down to the opposite side of the alley.

Levi quickly pulled a roll of bandages out of his backpack. Taking off the sleeve of jacket on his left side, he wrapped the bandages tightly around his bloodied arm and ripped off the end with his teeth. After throwing the roll back in his backpack, he hastily slung it over his shoulder, turned the key in the ignition, and sped off into the light of the city streets. As it always was, the only thing that could bear witness to Levi's mission was the moon above him.

WHEN IT RAINS
©blckfang