107

CHAPTER TWO

107 unforgivable crimes committed.
107 lives I have taken.
107 holes in my humanity.
*******

It had been almost 3 weeks since I've gotten any missions. Don't get me wrong, I was glad I was not out killing people but it was just suspicious. It wasn't like their agenda was getting any smaller. In their eyes, there were a lot of people who were not worthy enough to live. Who were they to deem one worthy and another not? But that was a question to keep to myself. It was the kind of question that would be my last. So I kept my mouth shut and did as I'm told like a thoughtless, gutless machine. A killing machine.

A few days passed as slow as ever. I was punching a punching bag so hard I thought it might fall down. It had happened once that I lost control of the shadows that run deep within me and had let it seep through me as the adrenaline pumped through. I had to frantically run to the nearest storage room and try to shove it back down. Took a while, but I did it. And luckily no one saw me.

Now, I punched so hard my knuckles start to bleed. But I liked it. It's the only thing that helps release the anger inside me. I wanted so desperately to leave. To turn my back on the world who has turned me into something I was not born nor raised to be. But I didn't just want to leave. No. I wanted to shatter every prison cell they gave us as our quarters. I wanted to break every bone in every body that had anything to do with what I've become. I wanted to destroy every clock that once reminded me that time no longer mattered; it didn't matter what day it was, what time it was, or what year. It was either killing time or it wasn't.

I was snapped back to reality to my name being called in the speakers. The sound system was carefully designed so that the sound would bounce on every wall making sure that everyone could hear it. "Myra Ashburn, report to the briefing office."
Oh God, I'm getting a new mission.

Only it wasn't one of the missions I was used to. I normally went undercover and went solo. I worked best on my own and I've never tried testing the idea of paired assassinations. There is a first for everything, right?

A raid. That's what my mission was. A raid was an intelligently planned group attack on a relatively large group of people. I've never been on one of these before. I was one of the lone wolves; a category of solo assassins. Not this time. I was debriefed but it wasn't nearly as much information as I normally get. All I knew was that some traps have been set, no idea what kind of traps, and I have permission to kill anyone, who I didn't recognize as one of us, on sight.

The next morning I went to the weapons room and chose my weapons; a sword, a gun, and a few extra bullets. I didn't really need much weapons when I could strike them all down if I tried hard enough. Geared up and ready for killing, I went to the garage where the tanks normally were only to find no one there. I used the headset I have on to call the commander, Commander Lahey. "Sir, I am at the designated pick up point."
"Ashburn! We are using the helicopters this time. Be on the roof in 5  minutes or I will personally make sure that you get no food for the rest of your miserable life."
"Sir! yes, sir!"

I climbed up the stairs to the roof top. I could see the whole base site from up there. Inside the helicopter, I found 4 assassins and the commander glaring at me like I was stupid on a whole new level, not that I cared.

25 minutes later we were landing on a vast green spot surrounded by trees. I was guessing that's the only place clear enough for us to land. I lingered out of the helicopter and absorb my surroundings. The smell of grass and the fresh air would have given me comfort and relaxation if we were under other circumstances.
"Remember these people are not people. They are vicious. You kill them or they kill you. There is no way around it," said the commander quiet enough so that only us can hear.
"They're monsters, literally," I heard him mumble under his breath.