A Mind To Kill The Average Joe

Holistic/ Things We Do

"Hello Joe." the man said, "You are a Joe right? It's too bad they don't make you wear a stamp or something.  Everyone's just...blank. I mean, don't even know what level I am."

Joe sat silent. He was bounded to a chair with fuzzy cuffs and hidden under the beach house, surrounded by stilts. One guard was stationed behind him and the other was scoping the area. The man was sitting on the cooler with an optomistic expression on his face.

"So, what are you here for Joe?" the man asked. "Are you here to update the plan or what?"

"So. Are you the one who wears them or your wife?" Joe diverted. "I have nothing against it. It's just a little too extra for me."

"Okay. Now that's bad." the man said pointing at Joe. "That means you're waiting for someone. Which also means, there's more of you." The man was impatient and a bit jittery. "Look, I'm calm about it. It's just that I don't know why you're here."

"I don't know what's so off about it." Joe said referring to the cuffs. "Maybe it's the feather-thing or the colour pink."

"You tried to be sneaky." the man said. "If you just walked right in without a snitch, it would be a different story." He got up and looked down on the cooler. "To be honest, I'm a little afraid to look inside."

"Do they make it in gray?" Joe asked. "Does it come with a matching fuzzy keychain?"

"All I'm asking is, if you're here to kill me Joe." the man told him. "Can you at least tell me that?"

"I need a keychain." Joe said. "I might lose it with my life. But I need it"

"You're making it very difficult for me to understand you Joe." the man said sitting back down on the cooler. "Let's make a deal. If you tell me why you're here, Shawn over there won't kill you."

"I'm not here to kill you, Christopher." Joe said. "And 'Shawn's' not going to murder me."

"Are you stu-" Christopher said before feeling a cold blade press against his throat. He saw that it was a local. A petite girl who had no business being here. "Who are you? Where did you come from?"

"She's my back up." Joe said as Shawn uncuffed him."And I'm the delivery boy." He made himself comfortable. "I'm a bit sloppy. I'll admit that. Or... maybe you should give your body guard's a raise. Oh well. We've got plenty of time to talk now."

Christopher was shocked. Shawn had worked for him for years. He was his personal bodyguard since he was making four digits a month.

                                  *

They took the cooler into the beach house. Shawn called off the rest of the guards, "Night-shift's over boys. Head home. I got this handled. Oh, the little girl's in on it too Larry, and...the couple's passed out in the shrubbery."
A man's boy was laying on the floor of the living room. "Awe man! I really liked Jorel!... He's dead isn't he?"

"Dead." Carnelian answered.

"We'll have to cover this up. He had a daughter. He was her only family." Shawn spoke. "Send a request in on my behalf to recruit her. I'll even take her in myself if they don't want her."

"Getting soft Frankie!?" said Beverly. She had let herself in.

"We're all allowed to be a little human, Jane." he replied. "You have yours and I'll have mine...as long as it doesn't cost us."

"Are you trying to tell me something Frank?" she asked. "Because 'it', hasn't 'cost' me anything yet."

"Well then, you're sellin' yourself too cheap." he answered her.

"You just wait your turn buddy." she stated.

"Okay.", Joe interrupted, "Why don't you and Samantha go dispose of his body?"

"You go." Beverly stated. "This is nothing but talk between friends."

                                *

Joe and Carnelian had left with one of Christopher's car with the body in the back seat. Carnelian was trailing Joe in their car. They had gone to a local grocery store to play it off as a heart attack on a morning snack-run. There were no cameras and the store had just opened like most of the businesses there. She had changed into her clothes and gone inside. After Joe staged the body, Carnelian drew the cashier's attention to Jorel with a loud, "Oh my God! That guy just passed out on the lot over there!" She acted panicked and rushed to Jorel's body. When the cashier approached them she said, "He eh have ah pulse. Call an ambulance!" While the cashier was occupied on the phone Carnelian slipped out and went back to the car. Joe was waiting for her in the driver's seat. He wanted to have a conversation of his own.

"Are you going to ask me about the sadative?" she started, "I read that, 'Frankie' had been undercover for five years since Christopher started his company. He had requested for minimal casualties on our mission. I was only respecting the request of a superior. Were they needed for a special reason? There seemed to be a lot. More than for the average abduction."

"Don't ask too many questions." he said jokingly with some doubt in her answer. "I'm not worried about it."

Carnelian sat silent. She was looking at the markings on her right arm, it didn't mean anything to her. Then she blanked out.

Joe caught her staring at her scars. He thought nothing of it. But then she glanced back at him. She was looking around the car. And breathing deeply.

    
                                 *

Back at the house, Beverly and Frank were talking. She was helping him set up the equipment from the cooler.

"How long do you think you can 'contain the situation' before the very special 'someone' settles it for you?" said Frank, "Do you think you can handle a mistake like this again?"

"What mistake?" said Beverly, "There's 'minimal casualties', better than most." She pointed out, "You're head of security, why didn't you make everyone leave early?"

"Early? Do you know where we are?" Frank said, "They can't just leave and go home."

"Yeah, I know where we are." she said, "And I'm going sightseeing today."

"Jane, get a real job." he said, "And when you do, look me in the eye. Say exactly what you just said to me."

"I just did." she replied, "Quit five days ago to be here."

"You're not suppose to let it affect your real life Jane." he responded, "Don't jump at every call. Unless you're off grid." he continued looking her directly in the eye with a stone-faced expression, "Unless you want your self-destructive behavior to force me to kill you."

She was silent for a moment to think it through. "Stop trying to freak me out."

"You almost believed me there for a second, didn't you?" Frank said smiling. "It gets everyone, everytime. And that's why it won't ever stop being funny."

"Hey! One day you'll feel bad. And that joke will make you feel... soulless."  she responded. Beverly got nervous in the awkward silence that engulfed the room. "So, do you like him?"

"I don't want to fuck him, if that's what you're saying." Frank replied. He paused for a moment. "You didn't...you don't like the 'Joe', do you?" Frank stared at her. She wasn't looking at him directly in the eye, except for the small glances she gave him to read his expression on the matter. "You don't get to act shy about it." Frank said perplexed, "You know why you shouldn't...you know what, you can screw around with each other. Just don't commit. Don't elope and make freaks of nature. Do that, and you're good."

"I knew you'd understand!" Beverly said cheerfully.

"Understand? Don't jump to conclusions Bev." he stated. "But seriously, what is with us and being attracted to the damaged?" he genuinely asked her.

"And we're not damaged?" she rhetorically asked him. Frank rolled his eyes at her.

Joe walked in a few minutes later, bloodied and breathless. "There's,.. there's a problem."