RTK: Guns and Stilettos

1 - Guilt

It was a dark night and Lucas and I were wondering through the low-lit streets in search of our next assignment.

Profile:

-Peter Lockhart  -32 years old  -Criminal bank raider  -Attempted murder  -Never been charged  -Address....

That's him. Blending into the night wearing my black outfit , I slowly slipped into the next exit and onto 36th Street. There was one house fully lit and deafening music blasting out of it and all of the other houses' lights were off. Lucas, who was too slow to catch up with me, finally caught up with my speedy running. The house with loud music was having a party- obviously not Mr Lockhart's because he liked to keep a low-profile. So I got out the profile that was folded up in my pocket and it said 115th 36th Street.

113

114

115

Bingo.

I slowly picked the lock in the huge chestnut door and slipped in; Lucas slowly took his blade out of his sock and slipped it into his sweaty hands. This was it. There were stairs right in front of us and we cautiously crept up, minding the squeaky floorboards. Upstairs, there were three doors. Why would a man like Mr Lockhart have 3 bedrooms? I thought. It's only him, no kids, no family, no wife. Slowly I opened the first door and peered in, still on my tip-toes.

I could see a man's head. I got out the profile again and stared at the image. Under the bed cover lay the same guy. Tall, light brown hair and slight grays. Lucas was being ever so quiet. I looked back to see him tearing.

"I told you I didn't want to do this anymore," he sniffed. Wiping his sweaty forhead. We had had this chat before; about him quitting this assassin job. He felt like he was being forced to do it. That there was no reason for the assassinations anymore. Almost as if we had gone rogue.

"Lucas!" I whispered ferociously. "We have no time for this! Let's finish the assignment, then we'll talk!"

He whimpered in reply and he strengthened up his blade-containing hand. Something moved under the covers, so I shuffled back, ducking to the floor, wanting to remain unseen. The moving stopped. Creeping, Lucas and I got closer to Mr Lockhart's face. 

I carried out the deed as Lucas was rebelling against it. I pulled a blade to his snoring face as dribble leaked out of his mouth. I jabbed the blade into his neck and he gasped in reply, knowing his fate. Blood oozed out of his stabbed neck and onto the covers, dripping onto my shoe. I checked Mr Lockhart's pulse after I'd taken him out to see if he'd died. Yup. 100% dead. Suddenly, something moved again under the covers. I slowly lifted up the blood-drenched covers and nearly fainted over the sight. A baby.

A baby! What?!

I looked at Lucas and he glared at me in return. I'd killed a father of a precious little baby. I lifted up the baby dressed in blue and embraced it. Judging by the cover of its clothes, I presumed it was a boy. His soft and small little thumb slipped into his mouth as his delicate little head rested on my shoulders. Lucas outstretched his arm to touch the baby's bundle of hair. Such a softie! I still couldn't overcome my guilt. I'd killed a father!

 You see, I never before killed a parent. All the criminals I'd assassinated were too busy to have kids. Then it came to me. Three doors. Maybe more children. Suddenly, I flew out of the room with the baby still sucking his thumb on my shoulder and opened the door to the next room. An office. Phew. One more left. I peered into the room and lilac was painted on the walls. There was one double bed with a young girl in it. Probably 10, I guessed. Slowly, I sat down and fell into a cry. Lucas came in behind me and took the little boy from me.

Lucas realized what I had discovered and he began running around the house, looking for information about the newly found kids. The kids that now had no father, thanks to me.

Lucas had papers in his free hand an started whispering out the news: "Seth & Aqua Lockhart are their names. I got some documents, we gotta show Esme and Leo. I wander what they gotta say about this. But this baby... I feel connected to him."

"Oh no. What've I done?" I wailed in guilt. Maybe Lucas is right. Maybe this has gone too far. I mean, is this guy really a criminal or was all the information in the files fake? What the hell am I doing? I don't want to be this person! I thought to myself.

What had I done? More importantly, what would I do? To answer my questions and took out my cell phone to call Mum (or Esme as she prefers to be called).

"Aha, hey Esme. I've done it," I called into the phone after she picked up. My voice was calm and quiet, like the words were being forced out of me or being pulled out of my throat with a string. 

"Oh, that's my girl! Well done! We'll have a celebration once you guys get home! Wow, I knew you'd-" before she could praise me anymore I interrupted. I couldn't bear it, being praised for killing a father with two kids. I felt like a killer. A killer who killed for absolutely no reason.

"-No, Esme. I don't sound happy like I normally do after every assassination. The thing is... Mr Lockhart had 2 kids. One not even ageing a year yet, and the other, a girl of 10! You never told me he had children!" my voice started to rise. I was shaking in utter remorse, my bones feeling like they were shattering in my skin.

"We never told you because the guy is Lucas' uncle. He was his dad's brother..."

The new hit me like a punch in the face. I turned off the phone and threw it down the stairs. I stared at Lucas who was kissing the baby boy on the forehead. No wonder he felt a connection! I thought. Esme was too much. She always hid stuff from us but this news... This news was a whole other story. It was utterly inhumane. Why did she not tell us before the goddamn assassination!

"Hello? Mommy? Have you come back?" came a girls voice, coming closer and closer to me, rubbing her eyes, awaking from her short sleep. She saw me and froze. "You're not Mommy? Where's Dad?"

Oh boy. How was I gonna explain that question?

The little girl scratched her head and rubbed he eyes continuously. Her amber orange hair sticking up in all different directions and her greeny eyes twinkling in the light of the bedside lamp. I forced a small smile on my face.

"Well, Daddy's sleeping. He's very tired and he's gonna take a long time to wake up, baby," I whispered to the girl, sounding as soft and kind as possible. She nodded and went to Lucas and embraced him and her baby brother. They were family. But Lucas didn't know. Neither did the now father-less kids.

"Lucas... I've got something to tell you..."