Lost

The Last Job

I could feel my legs burning under the extra weight of the bags, but dropping even one would mean failure. My DNA was no doubt on them and, when your entire livelihood is built on crime, getting caught by the authorities isn't a pleasant thought, so I kept running. The door wasn't far and I could hear my partner's heavy steps close behind. Slowing to a halt as we approached the aircraft's door, I set down a particularly bulky duffel bag and adjusted the straps on my parachute before gathering the loot in my arms once again. Jax did the same before unlatching the door. The air whipped past, attempting to drag me with it due to the sudden decompression. I was steadying myself, preparing to jump when a bang rang out and I felt Jax's hand in the center of my back as he shoved me out of the plane. I looked back to see him preparing to jump and waved for him to hurry. He glanced over his shoulder and a look of horror passed over his face as he was yanked back into the plane and the door sealed from the inside. I just watched the aircraft for a moment, allowing the situation to sink in. For a long time, I just fell, hot tears were running down my face and I could hear myself screaming, the sound echoing off of the distant mountains. Shuaishuai was all I'd had left, and now even he was gone.

You'd think being alone for the entirety of my childhood would make it okay to lose everyone. You'd think being abandoned by your parents and left to fend for yourself would've taught me not to get so close to someone. I should have learned my lesson. When I was growing up, I was alone. I stole, I lied, and I cheated plenty of people out of money. I don't regret any of it- if I did, I'd be dead. ShangHai isn't what it used to be- Earth, as a whole, isn't. Pollution clouds the sky and the planet is nearly covered in skyscrapers. The only direction to go is up and as people build up, the lower levels are left to rot. I was unfortunate enough to grow up on ground level, surrounded by the most lovely murderers, rapists, and thieves. The hostile environment would be enough to scare off most, but with nowhere else to go, I learned to fend for myself fairly quickly. By age six, I was stealing food and pickpocketing unsuspecting adults. At ten, I'd begun working for a local syndicate- spying and reporting back to the leaders. They treated me decently and I was getting paid, but as I got older, I knew I'd have to find something more sustainable. By the time I was sixteen, people had begun suspecting me and watching their conversations much more carefully than they had when I was younger and it wasn't long before my bosses noticed. Worried I'd be fired, I begged them for another chance to prove myself and they agreed.

Later the same day, they had introduced me to my mentor. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and a trim, yet muscular physique. His facial features were clearly defined with a short scar over his right cheekbone. His dark hair was a bit shaggy at the time and he ran a hand through it, pushing the stray pieces away from his eyes. It was hard to ignore the fact that he was attractive, but, I silently scolded myself, getting attached would only get me hurt. His name was Jax.

Jax and I grew closer and closer until we were nearly inseparable. We did anything from steal to spy for the Syndicate and were, in all honesty, incredible. We were put on the riskiest jobs and my pay jumped up a not insignificant amount. I could've gotten an apartment in the upper levels and surrounded myself with luxurious items by the time I was 18. I didn't, though. Instead I stored the money away and stayed in the syndicate bunks. I ate in the mess hall and showered in the communal bathroom. My clothes, while not ratty, were inexpensive and unlikely to get even a second glance and my collection of personal items was so small, most didn't realize I had anything at all. Jax and I were in high demand for jobs and had little free time, but I didn't really mind. Keeping busy was good. Keeping busy didn't let me think about how I felt about any of this, specifically Jax. He was, as I mentioned, undeniably beautiful and I had been finding it increasingly hard not to fall for him. I was fighting against myself in a battle that, no matter how it ended, I knew I'd lose. It was because of this need to be busy that I was so eager to jump into our next mission and, as I know now, possibly our last.

The briefing was short and the job itself simple: a rival group was transporting a large sum of money via plane. Jax and I were sent to get the money back. We were to infiltrate their military and, as guards, gain access to the flight and the vault. Once we got the money, we would have to jump from the plane into the mountains and activate our homing beacons so that we could be recovered. It was fairly straightforward, but even simple things can go wrong. We were discovered early and chased to our escape route where I was able to get out, but Jax wasn't.

Now I'm on the ground. I made it away. My beacon is softly chiming every four seconds, but I don't have anything left. Jax- the only person to ever care about me- the only one to treat me as more than something to be used, is gone.

A/N: Hey everyone! Thank you for reading! I just wanted to let you know that as the English story comes out, I'm going to try to post in Chinese as well. This is actually a project for class and I know the translation won't be great, but I'm gonna try! Also if you liked this, don't be afraid to let me know! 😘