Hit List

Fate.

"Right on time."

"Is this it?"

"Yup. Just shut up and get in."

"Smells like shit in here, for real."

The stench filled our lungs. It's as if some raccoon had crawled up in here, looking for scraps, and died with the lid shut above it. Trapping it, scared, but definitely with its belly satisfied, I hope.

"Give it some time and we probably won't even notice it," I snorted in a half-giggly half-assuring tone. It is currently 18:53 on my watch. Everyone will be eating dinner right about now, or at least mostly, if I don't assume.

The girl I'm with, Sunny, is a freshman in my school that just enrolled a couple months back. (Her real name is Sunday, but I call her otherwise so to not get confused. I'm helping you too.)

Of all places, we are crammed up inside one of those green trash bins that is shared amongst, I would say, about 3 households. Now don't get me wrong. I didn't bring her here to play around. Even if I did, it would be somewhere like someone else's house or some shit. No. Our aim here is different.

We are going to catch, what we think, is a murderer.

Now I said "what", which may confuse you. The thing is, we don't even know if there even is a killer on the loose. No one knows. About 2 short months ago, unexplainable events have been taking place around this small little neighborhood. Freak accidents. Accidents, which don't involve any second or third parties. Accidents, which were just written off as pure coincidence. But it had been going on far too often, which left many to speculate. And it always happens around the generalized time for dinner.

Looking at me with skepticism, Sunny took a deep painful breath due to the undying stench. "Are you sure he'll be here?"

"Yeah, I think? I've been tracing a few families for now. Most of them still died in some horrible way and I have yet to see who is responsible."

"Jack, you better make this worth the time. And the effort I have to make to wash this stin-"

"Shh!" I whispered. "The mum is in the kitchen now. Lights just went on."

We stood in silence, peeking through a long crack along the side of the bin. Shadows were moving in and out through that dim lit curtain. I can tell those were her children, aged about 5 to 6 years old, based on their height and the kiddish chatter escaping the slight opening in the window frame. It seemed like forever. Seconds slowed to minutes. And just when we thought nothing would happen...

My phone's alarm rang. Full volume. Someone must have seen the bin shake around for a solid 0.3 seconds as we panicked and jerked inside. "SHUT THAT THING UP" Sunny hissed. "For god's sake they would think we're the ones after them!"

Well I did forget to turn off my usual 7pm alarm, so I apologized without a hint of wanting to argue with her. She really is a scary one after all. I went ahead and silenced my phone, all at the same time getting distracted by my missed messages. I didn't get far though, as a felt a sharp grip around my left shoulder. Sharp nails digging deep into my skin. I looked up, about to lash at Sunny, and that's when I saw what secondhand fear looks like in person. Her eyes wide open, mouth gripped by her other hand, preventing her from screaming in shock. Tears rolled down her face as I inched closer to peek through the crack.

Flames engulfed the entire first floor of the home we were observing. Screams of the children were barely audible as the roar of burning wood drowned out the sounds of everything in the vicinity. A woman ran out of the front door, still lit up like a human candle, crying as she held a fully charred toddler in her arms. Flesh and skin were falling off both their bodies, and before we knew it, they lay silent on the ground.