Of Life and Death

one

She walked down the white corridor, her heels striking the marble floor loudly. That was the only  sound and it was deafening. At the end of the hall there was a door and behind that door was her least favorite person.

She had no choice but to talk to them however. She reached the end of the corridor and pushed open the plain white door.

The room was filled with thriving plants and a large wooden desk. Behind that desk sat the most attractive man she had ever seen. His black hair was styled to match the times, a classic 50's hairstyle. His black eyes gleamed with joy. His black suit stood out boldly in comparison with the corridor and the white walls of the room.

  " What do you want from me?" She asked him harshly, her dislike for him clear. He smiled at her and folded his hands on top of his desk." I only wish to ensure that we do not work on bad terms." He told her in a charming voice. " We will always work on bad terms. It is just the way it will be." She  countered.

   The smile vanished from his face." Do not do this. I would hate to see you  be replaced as those before you have." He told her." Is that a threat?" She asked with a small smirk." No, it is just that others have not been able to handle your job. I have no doubt that you will grow tired of it as well. I just don't want you to be replaced before your time is up." He elaborated.

   She smiled at his words." You underestimate me. I will not fail as the others before me. I won't allow you to interfere with my work. You always have made this hard for us. The others say you make it pointless. I say I will do what will always need to be done, regardless of who does what."

   He smiled as a reply." You are free to go. May our paths cross often." She turned on her heel and left, not saying another word to the man.

    She walked back down the corridor, her white dress blending in with the walls. The sound of her heels echoed off the walls as she walked. She exited the building, frowning at the horrible state it was in.

   The windows were boarded and the plain beige paint was chipping and peeling. The wooden door frame was riddled with termites and on the verge of falling apart. The inside looked like it was in a different building.

   He liked that way though. It kept people from looking twice. A fancy building would have draw attention and that was the last thing he wanted.

   She walked down the street, ignoring the looks she gathered from men on the sidewalks. She knew she was attractive. She had grown used to the stares. Even being raised to do the job she got out in the world enough to know the result.

    Everybody was enthralled by her and she hated every second of it. As a child she was admired by many. She struggled to deal with it then. It was a blessing when it became apparent what she was meant to do for a living.

   She got to escape her parents and the admiration of the people in her neighborhood. She was taught what to do and how. Then she was released to do her job. Seven years of learning. Fourteen years of waiting for the blessing that everyone called a curse.

    Twenty one years of being told what to do, how to do it, and when. Now she was free. Her only obstacle, the man at the end of the white corridor.

    She was determined to be better than the rest. She wouldn't be weak like those before her. The Man in Black would not get under her skin and stop her from working.

    She turned down the road, smiling as rain started pouring down. The people around her groaned and pulled out umbrellas. She walked another block before climbing the stairs to her apartment building.

   She let her self in and climbed three flights of stairs. She unlocked her door and went inside, still dripping wet from the rain. The walls of her apartment were black and so was the floor and countertops and the furniture.

   She changed out of her dress into another, more comfortable, one. The she sat on her couch and buried her nose into a book. She waited until the clock struck midnight, for that was when she officially started her job.

    When midnight came she stood from the couch and calmly walked out of her apartment. She walked down the street, searching for her first case. She would be the best and she would never fail.