Masquerade

1: Run, you can't hide.

The manor was an eerie silence at night. It was almost a different world once the sun fell across the horizon and the light of the day began to dim. It promised a breathtaking view of the stars beyond our galaxy and the many planets that we never get to visit...but in retrospect, it never promised safety.

I pull the gun from my waistband and empty the magazine, reloading with a new set of bullets from my pocket. I hold the gun up and step around the corner, my eyes searching for movement as the moon illuminated the empty room. I was in the living room, the portrait of the owner standing high against the tallest wall. It's eyes burned into mine as I took another step into the room, my heels clacking against the timber wood panels.

It was nearly midnight. Ten more minutes. The Master had set me up with task that I had to complete before the grandfather clock beside the staircase chimed to signal the end of my mission. It was getting difficult as my target was a very slippery rodent. Usually, I wouldn't be pulling the gun but my target had an unexpected trait of being feisty.

A movement in the corner of my eye made my head snap in the direction. I pulled the gun with me, the barrel pointed in front as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. It took me a while to realize they were shadows from the swaying trees outside, dancing across the pricy wallpaper as if they had no care in the world.

I scowled and lowered the gun slightly, the moonlight glinting off the barrel. The Master would be back by half past one. It gives be a good hour to clean the remaining blood and sort through the misplaced furniture. The last half hour would be used to dispose the body.

But before I can do anything, I had to get rid of the target first.

The sound of a door slamming caught my attention. The faint outline of a shadow dashed across the full length window beside me and my eyes flashed furiously as the realization hit me. I stomped towards the doors, the gun drawn up as I kicked open the same wooden panel doorway that the target had exited a few seconds ago. My eyes roved the courtyard frantically, my chest heaving heavily as the clock ticked closer to the time limit. But I had to remain calm. Getting frantic won't help but ruin my plan. I don't want to go clumsy with the shots since I only have a limited amount of bullets left.

Stepping forward, I made my way down the stone staircase. My heels clacked noisily against the steps as I walked through the courtyard. The silence drifted further then the eye could see and with every noise that was made, I turned in the direction attentively. The clock was ticking. I had to be quick.

The courtyard descended into a long grass hedge maze that seem to travel along forever. It was a misty night, the fog blanketing the maze with oblivion. With no doubt, I knew the target had hid beyond the hedges. It was the only good hiding place amongst this chilling manor. And the target itself wasn't as smart as it seemed.

The stone was replaced with small pebbles as I marched towards the maze. I stopped at the entrance, my eyes looking from left to right. The mist was floating amongst the hedges, fleeting towards me as if to invite me inside. I knew the place was sketchy from the start but it was ideally the best place to hide a body. If you really think about it.

I'd been inside the maze before. With better experience, I knew I could find the target before they had a chance to run away. I entered, the mist blinding my sight before it settled and I could see again. It went in two directions; left and right. I went left.

"Come out, come out wherever you are," I said, slurring the words purposely as I felt a smirk form on my lips. I wanted the target to have the perfect horror experience as the victim. As serious as I was, I always maintained a little humor for the moments like these.

A slight rustle of leaves came from my right, catching my attention. My grin widened as I approached it, the sound of whimpering filling my ears. It was obvious that the target was horrible at hiding. It had kept the game up for a while, keeping me entertained for the last hour but I knew they were growing exhausted already.