The Tally

Prologue

I run a tattoo parlor, I work every day doing the same thing. The same people walk in and all ask for the same thing. A tally mark among the other cluster of tally marks. I never ask why I just put a line next to the one I did the week before but after doing it for so long you start to wonder. I should have never put my nose in these people's business but I wouldn't be where I am today without doing so, but for you to understand I must start from the beginning.

"Tayla! Victor is here for the usual."

I roll my eyes and get up from the desk I work at all the time creating designs that will never be used but I still make new ones after new ones. I walk out seeing the tall, lean gentleman that has rows after rows of tallies covering him head to toe. I force a smile and gesture for him to take a seat at my station.

"Tayla, Tayla, Tayla... Been a while since I have seen you."

I roll my eyes grabbing my needle and prep the one clean spot on his wrist for the line.

"Yeah and Victor you said that last week and the week before and the one before that. It is starting to get a bit old."

I drew the line, This time in blood red due to his complaint of lack in color last week.

"And you know I will say the same thing next week."

I force a smile.

"And maybe I will tell Joe to do your tally mark next week."

"Oh but we all know you won't."

I chuckle and stand up grabbing the cloth behind me and wiping the extra ink away. He looked down giving me a small smile.

"You remembered to not use black."

"How could I forget? You whine about it like a toddler wanting something they couldn't have. Now get out of my shop before I charge you for the damn line."

He gave me an evil smile and walked away giving a small wave just to irritate me. Joe walked over leaning on the front desk just staring at Victor as he walked out the front door of the shop.

"I don't get it. Why do you let them come in here, all get the same thing then charge them nothing?"

"I do charge them. They just have a person that I don't know who pays for it in the end."

"Ok, but why do they just want a tally mark and not something that you created such as a skull or a demon?"

"I don't ask I don't care. I am getting paid and staying opened. I can't complain."

"Come on Tay you got to be a little bit curious."

I shrug.

"Of course I am. I don't think they are people I should be involved with. I mean take Victor for example. He comes in here with the same cold look and evil smile. That is someone I don't want to mess with."

Joe shrugs at me and walks over grabbing his long trench coat.

"Well It is time to get home, I will see you bright and early tomorrow."

I smile and give a small wave.

"See you Joe and Joe.... make sure you are not late again tomorrow. I would hate to fire a good employ such as yourself."

He smiles and just walks out. I lock the doors after him and walk to the back turning off the light on the way. I went through the black door to my living space and let out a sigh of relief once I sat back down at my desk. I looked down at the piece I was drawing which was a man with tallies all over him pointing a barrel of a gun out. I picked up the piece of paper and crumbled it throwing it away with the others I drew similar to this one. Weird things have been happening. After a year of not caring about giving the same tattoo over and over again something changed. Every time I gave one I wondered what it meant. So I started having weird visions in my sleep or in my case nightmares which make me draw pictured of my customers with a variety of weapons all pointing them out looking like they are going to kill someone. I can't sleep anymore and hiding my stress is getting harder to hide. I have a suspicion of which Talley means what. I have been staying night after night up and running on caffeine during the night. I stand feeling the tiredness wanting to take over but I don't want to face another dream. Not again. I have heard of similar situations off the internet but I haven't been able to connect them back to anything similar. I grab my laptop off the charger and walk to my sofa. I type in tally mark tattoos and see what comes up. I see people that have a single 5, nothing out of ordinary until I come up to an article that makes my heart stop. I click the link and read the full title Tally Mark Assassins Kills Another Tattoo Parlor Owner. I gulp and scroll down looking at the picture of a corpse cut up and hung to leave a shadow of five tallies. I scroll down and see people with hoods on and the skin that shows through has tallies covering them. I feel the sweat run down the back of my neck. I scroll down reading more. Please have your eyes open for individuals with Tally marks covering areas of skin. We have an estimate amount of 5 assassins. A team of very dangerous and deadly individuals. I slam my computer lid down and run grabbing my list of my tally mark costumers. Five of them. I stare at the names, reading them, counting them. I realize that I don't have their last names just their first names. I look at my other lists and they all have last names. These are the only group without last names. I go through the list and realize that each letter of their first names spell havoc. I gulped and read the names out loud.