Twinning Stories

Kaylo Ren

{PG—  slightly disturbing scenes}

My mission was simple. It was always simple. "You see that man down the street, rob him of his valuables," the chief had said, before I had departed, following closely behind my superiors.

I was not happy with my job. But what could I do, no one in the right mind would hire a lunatic guy who was known to start slashing passers-by with a chopper. Several times I found myself thinking that I could have committed a crime more gruesome, more unforgivable than the one I had done. That way, I could be ascending the steps of a bank now.

The man down the street was not in any way remarkable. He wore a fedora and a large overcoat, not an ideal attire for anything suspicious. This was going to be an easy picking. I took a step forward, averting my eyes from my victim. Just then, I got an idea so powerful I was almost knocked off my feet due to my own elation.

This was the chance to prove the chief wrong.

"Sir, I have not eaten for weeks. Oh kind sir, please spare me some shillings, for good deeds shall be rewarded," I went ahead with the plan as usual.

The man lowered his glare on me. "Vermin. Pests," he was muttering. 

Rage started to boil in me, and I took a deep breath to control my emotions. This was my weakest point. Once my anger got over me, my chopper would become a cause of death.

"Do that elementary thing, Stewart. Count to ten and take deep breaths," the chief had told me, smiling slightly as though he was humouring the idea, which he probably was.

"What do you want," the man called to me in an impatient voice. The voice was familiar, but with this idea in my mind, I could not care any less. 

"I just want...," I mumbled, keeping my eyes trained on the floor and my fingers clasped around my weapon. "...my pride," I snarled, before extracting my chopper and bringing it down upon the man. Like a rag doll, the man fell in a heap on the floor.

"Chief would be delighted," I smirked, aware that two burly figures were barrelling towards me like a couple of escaped  rhinos. With another satisfied grin, I took off down the street and around the bend, laughing wildly the whole time.

I will never be left out again.

"You! Over there!" a voice called out.

"Stop, Stewart!" a second voice yelled.

I was ignorant. I was curious.

I was stupid.

I stopped running, wanting to find out who knew my name. I turned, only to be slammed into by a wall of fat and meat. It all happened in a second, but the next thing I knew, I was pinned on the ground by one of the men following me just now. 

"Stewart, we trusted you. Yet you betrayed us, and turned against one of your own! You are not part of our clan!" It was a different voice now.

I immediately recognised it.

John.

John, my own friend.

"Stewart, how could  you. Out chief treated you like a son..." John was moaning.

"Who was that man?" I was dreading the answer.

"Stewart, you killed our chief."

I knew what the consequence was. I was ready to face it. I had to. I was done with my miserable life, and all the people I had disappointed.

"Sorry," the word slipped out of my mouth just as John brought a knife down onto my stomach.