IN THE MIDNIGHT HOURS

Prologue: Puffs Of Smoke

Prologue: Puffs Of Smoke

Seedy Roadside Motel, Unknown Location, Unknown State...

         The lingering haze of midday was swiftly fading into the early aspects of twilight as a lone man of considerable height and something of an athletic build stood outside his parked dark-colored four-door sedan leaning against the driver's side, there had been relative silence all around as he took a moment to flick a silver skull lighter to produce a rather intriguing bright orange-yellow flame before he turned his attention to the thin white stick that protruded from the harsh pursed lips that seemed to go rather nicely with his movie star quality handsome rugged yet nearly bearded face, as he ignited the end watching as the white smoke turned gray and lifted into the open air.

Up close he'd been quite tan, a lingering reminder of the many long and beneficial hours he'd spent lounging at his personal luxury condo's pool and soaking up the sun in more ways than one. Amid the dancing flame hazel eyes seemed to flicker with anticipation and a hint of malice as the lone man stood in a very expensive black tailored suit with a crisp white button-down shirt freshly pressed and still holding starch even as the gentle breeze moved about. A small cloud of white smoke rushed from his flaring nostrils and out of his mouth once he pulled out the newly lit cigarette seemingly basking in the much-needed hit of nicotine and the onset of the cool breeze that had made his suit swell and his unkempt yet neatly combed hair sway amid the slickness of the stylish mousse he'd put on beforehand.

He had been more or less enjoying the moment and his cigarette despite what penalties it would bring in terms of his lungs, He'd been filled with an uneasy anxiousness beforehand and the sensation seemed to mellow with the sight of the puff of smoke. Closing his eyes for a brief few moments the lone man had recalled his most recent assignment in terms of his gainful employment.

He could feel the exhilaration in his body with each smooth and careful step he had taken before coming to this exact moment as he traveled down memory lane down long and dark corridors, his sleek black dress shoes moving against hardwood, white marble, and thick carpet. Each step got him closer and closer to the sweet anticipation as his mind's eye took him back to those blissful moments as his right hand had become heavy with the weight of cold hard steel encased in black in the form of his most precious handgun.

He had known every click and clank when it came to his beloved weapon of choice and the new silencer had fit like a glove as he moved through the corridors and short halls of the establishments that had been the last known residences and locations of those who had the unfortunate luck of having their names come across his desk.

The lone man took another drag from his cigarette as he found himself given over more and more to the memories of his latest most successful assignment. He had been at a rather large estate and skillfully dispatched ten of the party guests who had all been intoxicated by the drugs and the booze they had spent days upon days ingesting.

It was a simple enough assignment, not unlike anything he had ever done before, get in quick and clean, take out the targets, and get out before anyone ever knew he'd been there.

The lone man once more exhaled the cloud of white smoke from his nose and mouth as he opened his eyes to the memory of the numerous bodies with shocked and terror-filled expressions falling to the floor one by one as the music continued to play over the loudspeaker further muffling any possible cries for assistance or alert throughout the vast mansion that had been inhabited by tasteless fools with way too much time and money on their grubby hands.

He had recalled the faces of rich elite snobs all gathered together for one hell of a party, and how each one went out with something of a bang between the drugs, booze, and sex that the place reeked of. He moved with a kind of flow-like grace and striking accuracy as the bodies of his targets who had been attendees to the big party, dropped with no one the wiser as he continued to sweep through the house.

He'd been like an artist carving new works into the bullet-riddled bodies and coloring the hard floors with the brightest shade of crimson due to the blood splatters and pools as he moved further and managed to get deeper into the house until his main target, the biggest fish, a rather unsavory tycoon had been left for last.

He had managed to shoot the rather rotund naked man multiple times in the back face and head before he collapsed onto his back and rolled toward a walk-in closet. It had only been when the rather keen and focused killer had watched him take his last gasp that he looked up from his work to find the body of a pale slender young woman looking no older than sixteen with her long blonde locks draped down her back, which had been covered in scars and bleeding as the crimson soaked into the locks of yellow hair and the formerly crisp white bedsheets.

The room reeked of smoke, stale booze, sex, and sweat from the rotund oger who had been busy pumping his rather inferior cock in and out of the helpless and visibly bruised and beaten young woman who had been semi-conscious along the bed, her wrists and ankles bound at all four posts and the looks of struggle in the form of the rope cutting into her flesh at all angles.

Upon closer inspection, her face was busted and her eyes shut tight from trauma the tattered scraps of a red dress that she might have been wearing beforehand littered the floor as she whimpered in fear and agony while still tied to the bed belly first with her legs spread wide, her swollen and formerly used sex wide open and gushing from the act forced upon her along with the stench of urine from her fear and torment.

The lone man had aimed his gun at her, disgusted by her predicament and all manner of what had seemed to occur in this place, his first instinct was to put the poor kid out of her misery. They had been in Pennsylvania and having sex with a sixteen-year-old had been consensual but it was clear she wasn't there of her own free will nor had she been participating for fun. She opened her mouth which had reeked as much as the rest of her, swollen and bloodied with traces of what had truly been an eventful night as far as the lone man in black could tell as he stood silent as the stars with ice water in his veins and his favorite pistol aimed at her pretty little head.

"Don't..." she pleaded as best she could with her jaw broken and more blood dripping from it as she attempted to speak. "Please..."

He noted the tears and although they had not moved him in the least, he simply rolled his eyes. She had seen his face and in his line of work, that was a no-go no matter how tragic her situation had been.

The lone man once more took a drag from his cigarette as he recalled how he had been soft enough to untie her and wrap her in a bed sheet before carrying her out of that twisted manner littered with bodies and the remnants of the party that had taken place. He had not known who she was nor what her story had been to have it with her ending up bound gagged and brutalized until he had ended the lives of her apparent captive tormentors but he had enough integrity to take her away from the place if only to give her a better death with dignity elsewhere.

At the present moment, the lone man had finished off his cigarette and turned his attention to the door to his roadside motel room. He had been well aware that she'd been inside and the rather discrete doctor he'd called to see to her welfare had been examining her while he stepped out to give them privacy.

He had not known why he'd done it, bothered to get her out and get her help when she'd only been a hindrance to his professionalism, he simply had. He supposed it was her age that did him in. She'd been far too young to have been left at the mercy of those filthy elite bastards and there had been a chance that she'd been somebody's daughter at least once in her life.

The lone man sighed as he found himself standing in front of his motel room door, his hand on the silver knob and his eyes moving as if he'd been seeking out mentally the true nature of the reason why he had bothered to care for this girl if he had ever cared at all.

He had concluded that perhaps it was due to him knowing exactly what it felt like to be alone in the world and victimized at such a young and vulnerable age, and perhaps she'd been something of a pet project for a man bored with life. Either way, he had somehow known that whatever happened to make him spare her life at that moment, would have far-reaching consequences for the both of them in the long run, whether it would be good or bad remained to be seen. 

Several Weeks Earlier.....