i hired a hitman on myself // joshler [✓]

XXVI

after what seemed like an eternity drive later, though in reality it wasn't that long, we made it to sarah who was casually standing on the side of the road while playing on her phone.

we picked her up and she hopped in the back seat, then afterwards tyler started the apparently really long drive to 'somewhere'.

the start to car ride was rather silent, though i would catch tyler occasionally glancing over to look at me. it was like this for about ten minutes until sarah randomly spoke up.

"so josh," she grabbed my shoulders simultaneously while speaking, which did startle me, "tell us about yourself." she then suggested.

she let go of my shoulders and i scoffed a bit, "what can i say that you guys don't already know?" i sarcastically asked the two. sarah shrugged which was then followed by tyler shaking his head slightly while chucking softly.

"well," sarah was still giggling, but soon stopped, "what are your hobbies?" she asked me, this caused tyler to look over at me again for a few seconds.

"um," i really thought about the question, it really did feel like forever ago since i've even thought about what i liked to do, but one thing still came to mind, "well i like to play the drums."

"really?" sarah was intrigued, "that's so cool! tyler plays the piano and i think the ukulele, and he's pretty good at it too." she explained, tyler shook her his head.

"i'm not that good, sare," he contradicted, "i just play them for fun, it's nothing special, really." he looked at me when he said this.

i halved my smile, "i'm sure you're great at it." this made tyler shake his head again, but he smiled out of flattery. seeing him smile really did make him seem human.

"so," i sighed, relieving tension, "what do you guys do, bedsides ya know... tyler being a hitman 'n all." i wondered, sarah perked up from her seat.

"i used to work for the drug industry for the deep web," she educated me, "but i ended up quitting, so now i just work as a guide."

"why'd you quit?" i was curious. sarah sighed, which was followed her shrugging, "i just... didn't feel so safe working there. i had to deal with a lot of gangs and drug cartels always harassing me for better deals... so i just got tired of it." she heavily sighed after explaining.

i remained silent after that, not wanting to trigger anything with her. the deep web wasn't the nicest place, that much i knew, but it was still unsettling to know that even the people working for it aren't safe.

no one is ever never safe on the deep web.

the silence was eerie after that conversation, the tension in the air was clear as day. that up until tyler broke the awkward silence,
"well," he sighed, "i just get hired to kill... i've been doing it for a few years now." he vaguely expressed.

"how old are you?" i asked him, he didn't look at me, but did answer with, "i'm 24." there was a lot of regret in his tone, as if he didn't like his age or something else about it. tyler was still fairly young, my age to be exact, but really thinking about the situation gave me a sinking feeling in my stomach.

i don't think anyone with a stable mind would just put in an application to be a hitman. though i didn't want to assume anything, but i felt as it tyler didn't like his job, i mean, what sane person would actually like to kill possibly innocent people?

the conversations really did make the vibe in the car grow dark and grim. these aren't just ordinary conversations that people have everyday, but then again this isn't exactly an ordinary situation.

i was heavily debating on whether or not to ask tyler about why he sounded so melancholy, as i was afraid to elicit anything from him. though the curiosity was practically eating away at me, i decided not to provoke him.

maybe it was better to save it for another time.

"you should probably get some sleep, josh, it's gonna be a long ride." tyler informed me, his voice still downcasted, maybe he was right.

i silently agreed with a nod, shutting my eyes and laying back in the seat with a sigh. for some reason, crossing my arms made the whole 'sleeping in the front seat' thing just a little more comfortable.

and just like that, i was out like a light. though it wasn't the most plausible way to sleep, it was all i had. despite that, it really was a win-win situation really did need sleep,

since i already knew i was in for a wild ride when i woke up.