The beginner Assassins

chapter one The beginning

In a dimly lit alley of a gritty, urban sprawl, 12-year-old Alex stood alone, his youthful face smeared with grime, his eyes wide with a mixture of fear and determination. The night air was cold, a biting reminder of the harsh world he was now a part of. His parents, abusive and neglectful, had pushed him to the brink, and their deaths were a turning point he barely understood.Alex had found his way into the underground world of crime, wandering aimlessly until he encountered Jack "The Reaper" Harlow. Jack, a seasoned killer with a reputation for ruthlessness, had been surveying the alley for a new recruit. The sight of the small, dirty boy with a haunted gaze intrigued him. The opportunity to mold a new apprentice, one who showed potential and rawness, was too tempting to ignore.Jack approached Alex with a cold, calculating demeanor. The boy, clutching his worn-out backpack, was visibly trembling but met Jack's piercing blue eyes with a strange mix of defiance and desperation."You want to survive out here?" Jack's voice was gruff, devoid of sympathy. "Then you need to learn how to fight and how to think. I can teach you."Alex, barely grasping the gravity of Jack's offer, nodded. The idea of belonging somewhere, of having a purpose, outweighed the fear of what Jack might ask of him.