No. 1

It was a normal day and I was walking home from school clad in black. It’s a beautiful cloudy day and all I could do is sulk. School is monotonous as always; day after day of dealing with teachers, doing the same work over and over. My “peers” are the worst. Always laughing, talking…existing. The worst of them, Jake.

Jake was the ideal student. Star of the basketball team, second in our class, and a smug know-it-all attitude. I guess he was what most would consider attractive. He bullied me incessantly. That is why he is number one on my list in my little black book. The book only had about thirteen or fourteen names, at this point

“Hey trailer trash!” the voice that has tormented me since freshman year, surrounded by his normal posse of fellow meat heads, Paul and Terry (also on my list at number six and seven).

“Are you heading back to the dump you call a house?” Jake asks in his comically condescending tone.

I try to ignore it, continuing to walk past him. A sudden pull at my collar, I jerk back and fall right on my hip. A small cry of pain shoots through me.

“What’s wrong cry baby? Need me to call your mommy? Oh wait, she died bringing your worthless ass into this world. Shame really, people say she was a good person.” Jake leans down and whispers, “but that was before she became a whore and got knocked up by your pathetic father.”

That pissed me off. Spouting curses at this teenage douche I try to stand, but the boot of Terry slams down in my face. Blood spurts from my mouth. I laugh, out loud. Of course, I would run into this inconvenient confrontation. With the taste of copper in my mouth, I look up to find all three boys with their backs turned just walking away like nothing happened.

I slowly get to my feet, looking down at my hand that instinctively grabbed a rock. It would be so easy to crush him.

Lost in my own thoughts when the clouds moved, and the sun peeked through. A flash of light caught my attention; I don’t know what possessed me to follow it. Looking back, it feels like destiny. A black briefcase with a silver buckle laying in between a trash bin and a park bench. Curious, I picked it up. It was a nice leather case with no signs of misuse. I decided in the moment to take it home.

The clouds form back together, it started to drizzle, by the time I walk through my front door it was beginning to pour. My father sprawled across the couch, passed out drunk. A few scattered beer bottles lay around the coffee table. Disgusted, I grab a blanket and put it on him. He grumbles lightly, rolls over, and doesn’t move again. I go to my bedroom, the smaller of the two. Unloading my backpack, I pull out the project I got back that day and chuck it in the trash. I then look at my new case. I set it on my twin sized bed and unbuckled the silver latch. I flung it open, and then I slam it back shut. “There is no way”, I say with disbelief. I slowly open it again. Stacks of crisp one-hundred-dollar bills. I pull out the money and start to count it. Two-hundred bills. Twenty. Thousand. Dollars. I take the money, shove it back into the suitcase and put it on the top rack of my closet. I lay on my bed, my mind going a thousand miles a minute, I think to myself, ‘where the hell did that money come from?’

I wake the next day not knowing why I felt so excited. The memory comes back as I glance towards my closet. I throw on my black jeans and a Metallica tee and head towards the door. Dad is already gone, probably to Shooters, his local bar. I grab a piece of toast and a cup of OJ, then make my way to school.

It’s another rainy day as I take my normal route behind the abandoned factory. I wouldn’t want another run in with Jake, Paul, or Terry. As I get to the side of the factory, I hear footsteps on the second-floor landing above me. I pause for a second and listen, hearing nothing but the rain, I look back down confused and continue my walk. The rain starts to fall harder. I still have another fifteen-minute walk. I decide to take shelter under an awning, waiting for the rain to subside enough to get to school. I stand there, slightly shivering from my soaked clothes when a voice rings out, “You found my briefcase.” I frantically look around but see nothing. My voice came out barely a whisper, “is someone there?”

“You have my briefcase.” The voice wasn’t nearly as loud but much closer. I turn around and there stood a man dressed in a beautiful suit. His dark black hair was the same color of his jacket. “I’d like it back please.” His voice was calm, but his eyes showed malice.

“I…I don’t have it with me,” I say regaining my composure.

“Well, where did you leave it?” his frustration showing.

I let out an exasperated sigh “I can go get it, but you’ll have to wait till after school.”I turn to walk off when he asks, “Who were those boys messing with you yesterday?”

My head slowly turns to him, “They’re just some of the guys from my school.”

“Well, it seems to me that they don’t like you very much, do they?” His tone was matter of fact rather than facetious.

“No, but no one really does.” I shrug my shoulders.

“Well kiddo,” he says with almost a jovial tune, “it’s your lucky day. My name is Zane. I’m an assassin for the Brothers of Command.”

I stood there in dumbfounded. He had to be lying.

“I have a proposal for you. I will gift you a freebee. One person whom I will kill and ask only you return my case with the entirety of its contents.”

“Are you insane?!” I almost scream, “Who in their right mind would ever take you up on that?!”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe a boy with an alcoholic father and no mother figure around, a child who’s been bullied his entire life, or maybe someone who carries a ‘little black book’ of people who have wronged him. Doesn’t that sounds like someone who would leap at this opportunity.” The cold look faded from his eyes and was replaced with something eerily familiar “Come on boy, give me a name.”

“…Jake Rodgers.” I say decidedly

“Ahh, good choice. It will be done before final bell.” He says and cuts me off before I can voice my question adding, “Don’t worry, you will have no connection.”

A loud bark made me jerk around, and I see a stray run towards the other side of the factory. When I look back for Zane, he is gone. My mind was blank. I say out loud, “This is a prank, probably one that was set up by Jake.”

I finally get to school. The first person I happen to come across is Jake. Irritated, I approached him. “Well, you got me!” I say with a fake chuckle.

“What the hell are you on about?” Jakes eyes look at me with confusion and disgust.

“HAHA, very funny. You really know how to play a prank.” I look at his confused face and it hits me; he has no idea what I’m talking about.

Instead of responding to me, Jake decides to grab his backpack and slam his shoulder into me. “Don’t bother me with your stupidity.” Jake then laughs and walks away.

Zane couldn’t be serious. As I think the name, I see across the street in the park, a man dressed in a beautiful black suit. A bus passes by and he is gone.

Slowly, a small grin creeps across my pale face, an excited anticipation fills my very soul.

School was normal. Teachers droned on. Lunch comes and I sit down at my usual table and nibble on my sandwich. A loud “Ahem” made me look behind me to find Paul and Terry.

“What the hell do you want?” I say while taking a bite. Paul’s hand slaps the sandwich out of my mine. “We saw you talking with Jake earlier.” Terry say to me like his friend didn’t just ruin my lunch.

I stand up to meet Terry in his eyes.

“So?” I say blanky, Paul tried to hide his worry.

Interesting. Has he been to any classes? Could it be…. My heart skipped a beat. Thoughts of guilt filled my head, then quickly turned to glee. A small smirk comes to my lips. Before Paul could react, six police officers entered the cafeteria.

Everyone was questioned, my name was brought up the most. When I was brought in by two officers, they explained Jake was found in the park behind the school, right where I know I saw Zane.

“When was the last time you saw Jake?’ the shorter of the two policemen asks.

“Right before school. Outside before first period.”

“Did you and Jake have issues?” He asks.

“I would say he is an entitled douche bag.” I say with a matter of fact attitude.

The officers look at each other. The taller one asks, “Where were you between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.?”

“Well, first was English, then Calculus, so I would have been in chemistry then you guys came in at lunch.” I say with the smug tone. “You can ask my teachers.”

“We will do that.” The shorter one looks me in the eye and asks, “Are you glad he’s dead?”

I let out a cackle, “Of course I am. He is-was a jackass who acted like I was beneath him. Well, I guess he’s right where he is supposed to be, the lowest of all.”

After about two hours of questioning I was let go. Teachers and other students could vouch for my presence at the time of death. My father picked me up from school and I could smell the booze on his clothes. He never asked why I was questioned or even why the police were there. We get back to our home, and I get out of the car. My father rolls the window and slurs, “I’m going out.”

“Yeah Dad, go get that much needed drink.” My sarcasm is dripping, but he either didn’t notice or didn’t care. Honestly, I didn’t care. My thoughts drifted to Jake. He’s dead. Zane followed through on his promise. I walk into the house and head straight to my room. I fling open the door and sitting on my bed is Zane.

“Well, wasn’t that interesting? I believe a deal is a deal.” Zane got to his feet and looked at me expectantly. After a few seconds of me staring at him he says, “The case.”

I turn to my closet, reach to the top shelf, and grab the case. Without a word, I hand it to him. He takes it and turns to the door, but he pauses and turns back toward me, “You know kid, we could use people like you." He then reaches into his pocket and pulls a card. I take the card. “Call that number when you’re ready.” He quickly turns and disappears out the door.

I sit there staring at the card, after a few minutes I grab my backpack; pulling out my little black book and open to the first page. I grab for a pen, look at my list, and as a smile grew, I cross out Jakes name. There’s the first one. I look at the card still in my hand. My smile widened as I think to myself, ‘onto number two.’