Phoenix

Chapter Fifteen - Payment

Phoebe's Narrative

The list.

It contained a number of related family names and independent recruits of a top secret movement called the Hunters. Alexia has specifically forbidden us to have anything to do with them except that we kill them. Anyone of us caught tampering information concerning their nature will be punished severely. It is Code One. Now, we are carrying out orders to annihilate them – each and every one of them mercilessly –- one by one. I've never thought we're going to reach this point – and I mean, negatively – but we're going to mass kill them and we need to avoid the public's attention. Keep it clean, we say, otherwise, Alexia will be disappointed.

Guilt crept into my hands again like a venomous spider crawling for weaknesses on my mentality. It is one of the common enemies. It weakens us and when it weakens us, it slows us to reaching our goal towards attaining a level of evolution and change among the society. Lessening resistance and rebellion to stabilize the freedom and peace we are enjoying. This resistance are threats to us – to the community. That is my say.

Catseye did the lead, without DK, while we followed her as she strode to the door of an abandoned building. We chose this as our first subject since it was the area with the greatest population of persons of interest allied with the Hunters.

It's been too fast and too planned. We were quick and vigilant as we headed inside. We are expecting to cross out almost twenty of our targets solely in this area. They are hiding, obviously.

The place was old and deserted. I never actually expected this to be the first subject but I had rather have killing them in an ugly place like this than having them killed in their own house. The guilt crept again into both of my hands as I held up my gun.

The four of us were on our toes ready to aim as we infiltrate the length of the floor. Our dark suits blend in with the color of the night and the sky reflected by a glass ceiling window. Nexus referred to the stairs ahead of us when we suddenly caught a motion and then, it started running.

"They knew we're here." Kilo shouted at once as he suspected. Nexus gave a malicious look at us then he told me and Catseye to head south but it was too late. Men were already guarding our entrance.

"I didn't trust this mission." Catseye hissed at us.

"Surprise." Someone from the exit said.

"It's an ambush." Nexus said. "Kilo, contact DK at once."

Catseye and I did what we had to do. We instantly moved towards the exit as we looked for possible hideouts but we're not trying to evade. I looked at Catseye and we knew we're doing a close encounter. With one whip of both hands, I took my spears on and Catseye her knives and we took the Hunters one by one.

Nexus was already behind us and hitting on targets before they even reach us. Kilo however was trapped before us since he ran last of us.

"Kilo! Get in here!" I shouted at him. Kilo was not that good at close combat compared to us. He still needs to work on his reflexes. The Hunters were aimed and ready. Nexus took care of gunned men while the pair of us put them down on knees face to face.

I am becoming more concerned with Kilo as we consumed every Hunter. "The Scorpion betrayed us." Catseye said to me. "That little bitch. I'm gonna kill her."

I pondered on the name Scorpion and I realized it was rather appropriate. The Scorpion really betrayed us and preferred to backlash us from behind. We hated and despised her and her own clan. They could have done this for money . . . or in the name of allegiance.