#9 :: The Contract Killer

2. Courtney

My name is Karmen Cardenas or Courtney Knowles as everyone calls me. And if you wasn't sure... Yes. I am a contract killer.

No... I don't just go killing innocent people. I kill those who have taken lives and it wasn't theirs to take. To be quite frank, I only kill members from the many gangs in America.
Why? Because they need to go. They need to die. They are no good. All they do is bring unnecessary pain to people.

As I walked through the busy city I smiled knowing that the lives I just took will cause extreme problems. Not for me. Me... I'm Unknown. I'm never seen when I kill. I'm in and out before people can even realise someone was there. I'm what they call a silent assassin. People request for my service, I get the job done. They pay me through a wired account that is untraceable to me. Another reason I'm Unknown is, as far as those aware of me - The Contract Killer. I'm a male; and to be honest I want it to stay that way for as long as possible.

From the age of 15 I have been training to become one of the best assassins known to man. I want my name to go down in history. I want to be feared. I want them to fear the unknown.

Why? Because 15 years ago my parents were taken from me. Murdered. Right in front of me. My life was spared and I guess for that I should be grateful but to be quite honest... They should have killed me. Because had they done so, they would have got to live.

Who are they you ask? The oh so famous Pedro & Gabriella Santiago.

You're most probably thinking if I know who killed my parents why not just kill them? Why have I been killing others all this time?

Time. Time is everything. I could go and shoot them right now. Chances are I would end up dead too and my parents death would go in vain.

What I have to do is eliminate those around them until I get to the top. I have to have them blaming each other for the loss of their loved ones. They will turn on each other. They will become weak. It makes it easier for me to get to the Santiago family.

You see, the Santiago's are covered very well. They have many other gangs doing their dirty work for them. It's like a food chain. So I'm starting from the bottom and working my way to the top.

As well as that it took six years to train me to my best ability. By 20 I was a lean mean killing machine. However I was still very angry and wanted to just kill. Thanks to my Uncle, my Godfather, my advisor, my trainer, my best friend Hugo. He has helped me all the way.

In the beginning I knew he wasn't really up for it. But I pleaded. I even tried to show him I would be able to shoot. He took the gun away from me so quickly. It was then he started to take me seriously.

Once I was trained I needed to work on my temper. I needed to be at peace. That was the only way I could be the assassin I am today. I needed to know how to keep still during the roughest and toughest of times. I needed to be flexible, where I could fit in a box if need be.

I was trained in the mountains where there was nothing but tranquility. Once he saw that I had worked on my temper and was at peace with myself he said I was ready. Little did I know he was running his own test on me.

One day I came home and saw pictures of me and my parents. I flipped and lost it. I was ready to kill. I ran upstairs put on my clothes and went looking for the guns. When I went downstairs he was sitting waiting for me with several guns on the table.

"You're not ready." Hugo said to me.

"Yes.. Yes. I am."

"No. No you're not."

"How can you tell me I'm not?! I spent a whole year in the mountains! I'm READY!!"

"You're thinking with your heart, with your emotions. Not with your brain. If you go after them right now, you WILL die."

"You did this... Didn't you? The pictures. The videos."

"Yes Karmen... I did... To see if you was ready. And you are not."

That was just one of the many times Hugo tested me to prove I wasn't ready.

But.. Now... I am.

As I laid in my bed I smiled knowing that soon I would make those that killed my parents suffer. Just like I had.

The next morning I woke up got dressed and went downstairs to have breakfast. As soon as I entered the kitchen Hugo was hot on my heels.

"Karmen..." He started. I stopped him.

"Courtney." I corrected him.

"Your name is Karmen..."

"No! Mama and Papa used to call me Karmen. I told you that when I changed my name legally you had to call me Courtney! You need to listen Hugo. You may mess up one day! Courtney. Say it with me... Court...Ney."

"Karmen Cardenas... For as long as I live I shall call you Karmen..."

"For as long as you live?"

"You challenging that?"

"Maybe."

"I would take your gun from you quicker than you could pull the trigger. I'm old but I'm quick. Remember I taught you."

I laughed. He was right.

I loved Hugo. He just.. He worried about me too much. Hugo raised me. From the day he found me next to my parents body he has never left my side. It was okay when I was a teenager. I'm 29 now. I'm my own woman!

"So.. What's next?" I asked Hugo as we ate breakfast.

"Well... The Alfonzo's and the Pascal's have been beefing lately. Territory beef. The Alfonzo's believe they should have the Belmontez's territory over the Pascal's and the Pascal's think they should have it over the Alfonzo's. So now you have killed three from the Alfonzo's they will think the Pascal's were behind it. They will take out each other. In doing so that's another two families falling from the chain."

"So I've taken down 3..."

"You've taken down 1... You're in the process of taking down 2 more."

"Then that's 4 more before I can take down the Santiagos? This is all very tedious" I stated.

"Time... Karmen... Time."

I gave Hugo the death stare.

"Yeah, yeah. Time."

"Karmen we need to talk about yesterday. You need to act correctly. If I tell you you have 3 minutes you don't take 3 minutes and a second. That is what will get you caught, or even worse; killed."

"Yeah yeah yeah.. You tell me this all the time. I know."

"So stick to it dammit!"

"You know what, I'm leaving." I snapped.

"Where are you going?"

"OUT! I have a business to take care of remember!"

"Karmen..."

"ITS COURTNEY!!" I said as I slammed the door behind me.