Art of the Kill

PROLOGUE - Auld Lang Syne

[??? POV]

10...

I have become many people in life. An obedient son, a student, a desk-worker, a husband, and a father.

9...

One day, I will be none of these things. But there's always a part of me that I will never shake off.

8...

My one history that I'll never forget. That will haunt me for the rest of my life.

7...

An assassin. Trained and paid to do one thing. Kill your target, by any means necessary.

6...

This is the last contract I'll ever take. And I'm leaving. Gah! Who am I kidding, once I've dipped my feet into the bloody lake, it will stick with me for life.

5...

"Mom! Dad! Will there be fireworks?" the kid asked

4...

"Of course honey! And you'll be jumping too so you could be as tall as your Dad one day" her mother answered

3...

"I'm so excited!" the little girl was practically bouncing on the spot.

2...

Yet HE was utterly silent, smiling at his daughter, but silent. Does he know? I wonder to myself. I suppose it doesn't matter now that I have my sights aligned to his heart.

1!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Fireworks from around the area consecutively went off. The loud explosions masking the sound of my rifle as it fired a bullet heading straight to my target's heart. And the pretty display and colors contrasting the death I just caused down below.

MY TARGET. It's a disrespectful thing to call someone who was my brother in all but blood. My partner, an assassin just like I was. When we were completing contracts together, I never would have thought it would be one of us at the end of the others' gun in the end.

"Target is down." I typed on the cellphone in my hand.

"The money has been dropped to your account, and as promised, you no longer work for us." the reply text read.

"Good. now leave me and my family alone. Forever." I replied back before breaking the phone and throwing it into the depths of the river.

When I got home, the house was silent, I quickly entered, worried for the worst.

"BANG! I GOTCHU DADDY! HAHAHAHA" came a sound that I was all too relieved to hear.

"Aaaaah!" I fake fainted and played along to my daughter's "surprise attack"

"You got him, sweetie." came another voice that I've fallen for over and over through the years. What followed was a melodic laugh that I was all too happy to follow along.

"Daddy! You missed the fireworks!" my daughter exclaimed.

"Yes, I'm sorry sweetie. Office work is a busy one today in particular" I apologized.

"Boss demanded overtime again?" my wife asked smiling in understanding and I could only nod and look at them both.

"NOOOOOOOO!" the scream of HIS wife as he fell flashed in my head.

"Dad? Are you okay? Dad? Wake up, we have fireworks to see" the daughter's voice came as an echo.

"Daddy! Daddy are you okay" I was pulled back to reality by my daughter's voice. My wife looked on in concern.

"I'm fine, sweetie. Daddy is just tired." I replied

"Then let's have our New Year's dinner and then we could all go rest for the night" my wife suggested.

"Yes. Let's do that." I answered

"Yayyy! I want spring rolls!" my daughter exclaimed rushing into the dining room as my wife followed her, laughing.

She mustn't know. THEY should never know. All the things I've done, the blood I spilled, it would kill me if they knew. Especially my child. I looked into the night sky one last time.

"I'm sorry old friend" my voice whispered to the cold air. "I can't bear to lose them."