Full Circle

Berlin

Berlin. Everything comes back to Berlin. My mission could start in China. Or Mississippi. Or the Arctic. That was a cold one. But every damn mission ends up in Berlin. You'd think that after World War 2, we would have stopped using it as a meeting place but no. Here I am. Berlin.

A bit of context may be helpful here. I am part of an organisation of people who's sole purpose in life is to cause chaos. Well, for me it is anyway. Some like the violence, some like the thrill and some just want to make ends meet. I feel sorry for those people. They didn't choose this life. On the run, constantly paranoid about who saw you and flinching at every siren isn't for everyone. I did choose this though. I live for the chaos.

Anyway, back to Berlin. I don't have time to think about the past. I've come to what looks like an abandoned building in Friedrichshain. I know better, but for a moment I stop and look at the graffiti art that plasters the walls. I'm a lot of things but an artist isn't one of them and it always amazes me what a can of paint can do.

Focus. Breathe.

In this building, I believe the coward known to the criminal underworld as Midas is hiding here. He use to be a part of our organisation. The best part some might say. He gets his name from the Greek king Midas who could allegedly turn anything to gold. Bullshit obviously, but still, Midas is the richest of us all. I wouldn't be surprised if he could turn stuff to gold.

I was sent here to kill Midas. He is a traitor to us. I can't stand traitors. So when asked who would like to do him in, I volunteered wholeheartedly. It gives me great pleasure to be here now. Gun in my hand. Itching to pull the trigger.

The building is 4 stories high. If I'm correct, Midas is on the 3rd floor. Silently, I open the door, careful to stay hidden in case he knew I was here. No sign of him. I can see the staircase from here. As I make my way up, one step gives a painfully loud creak. Frozen still, I wait. Nothing. I keep going.

As I round the third floor banister, there's a funny smell in the air. It's awful and I can't quite place it, but my thoughts are interrupted when I hear him talking on the phone.

"She will find me! I know it and so do you" he says, "and when she does, I'm dead. There's a reason she's called The Wolf! She hunts you down and rips you apart!" Aww he's talking about me, how quaint, I think. If I could just get a name...

"All I'm saying is when she finds me, she'll ransack everything that's left and find out exactly what you and your little friends know". With that, Midas hung up and smashed the phone to pieces. No name and no way to trace it. Damn. Now to make my grand entrance.

I burst through the door, gun loaded and ready to kill. The room is a mess. Papers are astray, crates as furniture, and a bed made of straw. The smell is ten times worse in here and when I see the shine on the floor, I realise what it is.

Gasoline.

"Stay back Wolf! I have matches in my pocket and I'm not afraid to die here with you! It will happen soon enough anyway" Midas yells. He is frantic and he looks slightly blue. All his clothes hang of him, many sizes too big. I remember the jacket he's wearing and it fit fine a month ago. What happened to him? I wonder.

I don't move. I can't shoot him or the bullet might make the place explode. While he may be careless with his life, I am certainly not.

"What the fuck happened to you Midas? Did your boss stop paying for your beauty treatment?" I taunt. Time is what I need to think of something, anything, to make sure that this place stayed in one piece.

"Oh please! Can't you recognise a dead man walking? You've seen enough of them". At this remark, I understand. He's got some illness that's terminal. He will die anyway. So why not take me and all the information with him?

Clever and chaos, I think. Brilliant.

Midas takes the matches out of his pocket and prepares to light one. I estimate that he will drop it and make matches out of us in about 15 seconds.

Focus. Think.

I can't stop the place exploding. There isn't enough time. I have to get us both out of here.

10 seconds.

The stairs will take too long. He must have another escape route just in case. Midas lets go of the match.

5 seconds.

All I do is sprint at him. If I am going to die, I'll die having given him one decent punch in his ribs. Unfortunately, I misjudge the amount of gasoline on the floor and start to slip. I collide with Midas and we both crash through a window behind him.

0 seconds.

As we fall over the window sill, I am deafened by the explosion.

Boom.

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A/N

Hey, just started this book. No idea where it's going or if I'll write more. Hope you enjoyed!