The water rippled as the crocodiles moved in it, impatient for their food which hung just above them. Low enough to tempt them and high enough to not let them reach it.
The snaps of the crocodile's humongous jaws and the well polished sharp teeth were good enough for the man to piss in his pants, who hung upside down above the lethal river.
"Where is the stone Caleb?" someone asked.
Caleb's eyes moved at the person, the person who had hung him like this.
She leaned against the tree trunk, her feet steady on the wide tree branch, her hand wrapped around the thick rope. The rope which was the only life line of Caleb.
"Which stone? I don't know any stone? Who the hell are you?" Caleb cried, his eyes moving from the crocodiles to the person and back to the crocodiles.
"The stone which you stole from the tribe." She said.
"I don't know anything about the stone. I don't even know which stone you are talking about?" Caleb cried again.
The rope loosened a bit and Caleb descended down an inch, he screamed loudly.
"Wait!!" he screamed, the rope pulled back and the crocodiles snapped in annoyance, getting angry with each passing second.
"Yeah?" she asked, "anything you remember?"
"They don't know the worth of that stone. It is much more valuable than sitting in the temple collecting dust." Caleb said in a rush.
"You compare it with money," she said, "the wealth and fame it will bring to you, but none of them more worth then its actual value, value bound by ancestors, past and spiritual connection between the people who worship it."
"But they are not putting it to its right use; they don't understand what it can bring to them." Caleb said his face red from hanging upside down.
"The way they use it should not concern you." She replied, "What you should be concerned about is your life right now"
"I'll divide the money" he proposed, "between you, them and me"
"Nope boy, you tell me where it is or you're going down. I'm giving you five seconds to decide." She said. Her brown eyes moving down to her watch.
"One.....two.....three.....four......" and as soon as she said five, she loosened the rope.
"It's in the cave down the south river." Caleb cried, his handsome face streaked with tears.
"You could have said that earlier" the girl said as she threw a huge piece of dead meat in the river. The crocodiles snapped their awaited food as Caleb looked at them horrified.
"Who are you?" Caleb asked, his breathing labored as the person pulled him back to tree, away from danger.
"They call me Shadow Slay." She replied untying him. "And now you will go and take that stone out, give it back and apologize to them. And just to make sure you don't wander off, they will accompany you."
Four dark tall well build men stepped out from the huge bush. Shadow said something to them in the language Caleb didn't understand. Once Shadow was done talking, the tribsmen gestured Caleb to come with the.
"Umm....will they kill me later?" Caleb asked Shadow, sizing the people up.
"You guide them to the stone, apologize to them and they will themselves drop you to the zone from where you should go home" Shadow explained. "But the moment you try to be clever, you'll be in the crocodiles tummy."
Caleb nodded with wide eyes, and turned around to follow the men.
"Farewell" Shadow called out to them before turning to go back home.
Long finger like sunrays elongated from the trees and turned the forest in a color palate of golden and green. Shadow walked her way towards her house when the phone rang.
"Yeah?" She asked to the person on the line.
"There is someone who is asking for you." The person said.
"Who is it Marcus?" Shadow asked, annoyed that she had to move in another direction.
"Some old guy, he didn't tell his name but he does promise a huge fat amount of money" Marcus answered.
"Fine, I'm coming. Get the drinks ready." Shadow slipped her phone back in the pocket and turned to the direction of the town.
By the time she had reached the town the sun had settled and the town was lit up with lanterns and naked bulbs. She walked down the uneven road, some people greeted her while other didn't cross her path.
She reached the bar, which corrupted the silence of the night with its loud music and bright lights. Upon entering she was met with the stench of alcohol and huge amount of tropic heat. She liked the bar, no one here would give a flying fuck if she is an assassin or not and for once she would feel normal.
"Here" someone handed her a glass of beer and planted a kiss on her lips. Shadow turned around and kissed Marcus back.
"Where is he?" she asked taking a sip from the glass. It tasted delicious.
"The private table" Marcus answered, taking her glass from her and drinking from it. Shadow elbowed him in the stomach before taking her glass back and moving to the private table which was hiding behind a shimmery pink curtain.
"And who might you be?" Shadow asked as she slid in the seat across the man.
"I would prefer to keep my name in the dark." He answered with a smile, "you might be Shadow Slay."
Shadow nodded and took a sip of her drink. The man slid an envelope towards her.
"Three people plus one" he said. "All the important information is in the envelope"
"And what about the bills?" Shadow asked putting the envople away.
"Full payment shall be sent to you after the work is done." The man replied standing up.
The very next moment a dagger flung through the air, piercing the clean blue suit of the person and pinning in the wall.
"You do know that is not how it works" Shadow said gulping down the rest of the beer.
He signed. "No need to get violent" he said and handed out a cheque.
"No need to be an asshole." Shadow grabbed the cheque, pulling her dagger out she walked out from behind the curtain.
RE WRITTEN
