The sale

Delilah casually strolled along the street. Or at least, she tried to appear carefree. However, in reality, she was dreading the moment when she will arrive at the neighborhood park. She whispered an apology under her breath.

"I'm sorry. But I need the money. I'm going to break the promise. Please forgive me." Delilah's conscience tugged at her, telling her to stop, that she should keep trying to find more work, not become a traitor. She pushed those thoughts away, cramming them into the depths of her mind. No. I need to do this.

She took a deep breath, smacked a fake smile on her face, and then grimaced. Her grin slipping, she sighed and trudged along. In her jacket pocket, she played with a folded piece of paper, rubbing it between her fingers, creasing the edges, until she felt as if the paper will rip. Like her. Her heart ached, and her conscience screamed. Indecision tore at her, splitting her in two. I should turn around and head back. Before it's to late. But, against her better judgement, she continued toward her destination.

A man stood by a sign which read : Impett Park. Delilah briefly surveyed her surroundings, trying to take everything in. It was a pretty big park, with a baseball field (the small dirt type), a swimming pool, two tennis courts, and a playground. At the far edge, there was a small forest. The parking lot was mostly empty. I think this is the place. And that man by the sign must be him.

Delilah heaved a sigh and straightened her shirt collar. Forcing a wobbly smile onto her face, she walked up to the man.

"Hello," she said as politely as she could. Her voice was obviously strained, but the man took no notice. Making sure the sheet of paper stayed in her pocket, Delilah forced her hand out to give a shaky wave. It felt like there was a stampede of elephants in her stomach. "Are you, by any chance, Allan Howard O'Lenski?"

The man stared at her. He blinked a few times, looking slightly confused. Delilah's heart lifted. Maybe this wasn't the man. Maybe Allan forgot their appointment! Then she won't have to give any information away!

"Yes I am," replied the man. Her hopes plummeted. "Is it safe to assume that you are Ms. Cai?" He stressed "safe" in a way that chilled Delilah to the bones. She cleared her throat nervously.

"Yes. I believe you wanted some information?" The man gave a curt nod. He placed a firm hand on her wrist and dragged her to the small forest. Delilah almost expected her thumping heart to burst out of her chest as they crossed the parking lot.

When they were completely surrounded by trees, Allan turned and said in a no-nonsense voice, "you give me the paper with everything you know on it and I'll give you the money."

"How much?"

"20,000 dollars."

Delilah thought for a second. That was a lot of money. "Alright."

She slipped her hand into her pocket, and pulled out the wrinkled paper. The man took his time reading everything on it. Though impatient, Delilah forced herself to wait. When Allan looked up, she asked,

"The money?"

Smirking, he replied, "non-existent." With a quick jerk of his arm, he pulled out a pistol.

BAM. For Delilah, everything became blurry. The world spun, then went dark.