One look in my eyes,
and you're running cause
I'm coming, going to eat you alive
— Monsters, Ruelle
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The single fluorescent bulb in the room flickered as Bishop put down a sealed yellow folder on the metal table. In large red letters on the top it read: CONFIDENTIAL.
"This contains all the information you need," he said.
The address on the card he had given Ari earlier had led them—her and Finn—to a room in an abandoned building, where a single rickety metal table stood amidst a thick layer of dust, surrounded by two equally rickety chairs, one which was currently occupied by Bishop. It was a peculiar place for a man like him to meet with two assassins, considering he was without an entourage of bodyguards or security. He seemed strangely comfortable though, unafraid, as if he thought there was absolutely no way any harm would come to him here.
Finn picked up the folder and opened it, while Ari looked over his shoulder. There were pictures, maps, documents, and a whole lot of other information Ari deemed unnecessary for a simple assassination.
"Are you a professional stalker, Mr. Bishop?" Ari mused as she flipped through the pictures. They were mostly of a young girl, possibly Ari's age, maybe younger, with dark bangs framing her eyes.
Bishop chuckled. "I wouldn't put it that way."
Finn examined the pictures. "Is she the target?"
"Yes." Bishop nodded, his face twisting in contempt as he looked at the picture.
Ari raised her eyebrows, looking at the girl in the pictures. She looked innocent, not someone who'd do something worthy enough to warrant death. Though Ari knew better than anyone that appearances were misleading. "Why is it exactly you want her killed?"
He pursed his lips. "I would like my privacy on that matter, if you don't mind."
She exchanged a look with Finn, but didn't bother pushing the issue. She put the pictures back in the folder and picked up a different document with information about the girl. "Phoebe Chen," she read out loud, looking up to see Bishop's lip curl at the name. "Seventeen years old, Chinese descent, was an orphan at Brighter Days Orphanage until the age of seventeen, lived in various different foster homes."
Finn looked at Bishop in surprise. "She doesn't still live at that orphanage, does she?"
He shook his head. "Not anymore. She lives alone now. You'll find her current address in the files."
Ari nodded. "If that's all," she said, returning the document to the folder and picking it up. "We'll be leaving."
Bishop held up a finger, the sleeve of his suit sliding down his arm to reveal a watch that glinted in the low light. "A few more things. If you need to contact me, you can leave a message here." He paused. "Also, I would like proof. Physical proof, of the girl's death."
"What kind of physical proof?" asked Finn.
"Her body."
Ari laughed coldly beneath her mask.
Finn, with unmasked disgust in his voice, said, "Look, Mr. Bishop. We may be killers, but we don't dabble in those kind of affairs. Our job is to kill, and only to kill. Lugging around dead bodies are a whole other matter."
"Then how am I supposed to make sure you kept your end of the deal?" he asked.
"Our word alone isn't enough?" Ari asked sarcastically.
Finn shook his head. "That's not our problem. You believe us or you don't. Either way we still get payed."
Bishop grimaced, then nodded, tugging at his tie. "Fine, then. That's all. Let me know as soon as it's done."
*
The next day, Ari crouched on the rooftop across from the building that according to the files, was where Phoebe Chen lived. She'd spent the whole day there, waiting and watching as a few people occasionally went in and out of the building. There didn't seem to be many people living there, but so far, she'd seen no sign of the girl. Soon, it would start to get dark—the sun had begun setting in the horizon, casting fiery shades of red and orange across the sky—and by then it'd be hard to distinguish any faces.
Ari yawned and stretched, trying to relieve the stiffness from her legs after sitting down for so long. She was starting to get impatient and had begun contemplating leaving for today and coming back tomorrow, when Finn climbed over the ledge of the rooftop. She made a noise of contempt.
Finn rolled his eyes. "Good to see you too. Anything new?"
She shook her head with a sigh. "No sign of her. This is starting to feel pointless."
He looked down at the street below. "Maybe she wasn't planning on coming out today."
"But Bishop's files say she leaves her apartment at seven-thirty every Wednesday," Ari said.
"Today's Wednesday," Finn said, sitting down beside her on the ledge of the rooftop, legs hanging over the edge. "And the time is around eight. Maybe you weren't paying attention and missed her."
Ari glared at him. "You try sitting on a rooftop for literally hours then, doing nothing but staring at a building."
"It was just a suggestion, Ari," he said, sighing.
"Well, it was a stupid suggestion, Finn. And this was a stupid plan."
"It was better than yours," he argued. "Which, might I add, involved sneaking into her apartment in broad daylight without even knowing which one was hers."
"At least we'd be doing something," Ari said with a scowl. "Making actual progress. What does this even accomplish?"
He gave her an irritated look. "It's better than jumping blindly into the situation."
"That's how I've always done it. And it's worked for me."
"Yeah, well, maybe you need to learn to stop being so reckless."
"Maybe you need to stop telling me what to do."
"I wasn't—that's not—God," he said, running a hand over his face and tugging at his hair. "You're hopeless."
She glowered at him, then turned away, fuming. They sat in silence for awhile. She clenched her hands into fists, rage building with all the things she wanted to say to him. Finn chanced a glance at her and sighed, running another hand through his already messy hair and breaking the silence.
"Ari," he said.
"What?" she snapped.
"Look. I need to talk to you, okay? About the thing with Omega." He paused, waiting for her reaction.
The scowl on her face deepened. "That is the last thing I want to talk about right now."
Finn fidgeted nervously. "I know. But I just need to explain to you why I said I'd consider it. I need you to know—"
"I don't need an explanation, Finn."
"I just want you to understand—"
"I said, I don't care!" she burst out, gritting her teeth. "Why do you want to tell me so badly, anyway, huh?"
He looked away from her, and she saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. "I just, you know, don't want you to hate me."
She sneered cruelly. "Too late for that."
A look of hurt flashed across his face, which surprised her, but it quickly disappeared. "Why?" he asked. "What have I done to you to make you hate me so much?"
"Would you like me to make a list?" she asked. "Because I think it'd take me a few years to make sure I cover everything, so I better start now."
"I saved your life," he said.
She looked away. "I never asked you to." She regretted the words as soon as she said them, but there was no way to take them back. He was right, of course. He had saved her life, multiple times, and she'd probably be dead right now had it not been for him. The thing was—and though she'd never admit it out loud—she felt indebted to him, even though she knew he expected absolutely nothing from her, which only made her feel worse.
Finn was silent on his end, though she sort of wished he'd start arguing with her again. It'd be better than this silence between them that made her feel as if she'd broken something that she hadn't even known was there.
Instead of looking at him, she turned away. The sun was almost completely gone; she'd been too distracted to notice, and all the remained was a tiny sliver of light along the horizon that was rapidly disappearing.
She felt distracted now, scanning the street below but not really taking anything in. So distracted, in fact, that she almost missed the flash of dark hair ducking into the building. Grabbing her bow, she jumped into action.
"I saw her," she said to Finn, who'd gotten up at her sudden movements. "I saw the girl. Come on."
He followed her as she leaped over the side of the building, landing on a wide windowsill and jumping down to the ground. As soon as she regained balance, she took off running across the street, Finn right behind her. There was no reason to worry about too many people seeing them or causing a commotion, as it had already gotten dark and there was barely anyone left outside.
When they got to the building, Ari circled around to the back entrance, which she knew existed thanks to studying one of the maps in Bishop's folder. They were less likely to run into anyone if they went in this way. Inside, it was dark, and eerily quiet. The lighting was dim, and the bulbs flickered uncertainly every few seconds. She heard sudden footsteps and barely had time to think before Finn pulled her behind a wall.
It was the girl. Though she hadn't gotten a direct glimpse at her face, Ari could just make out some recognizable features—the dark fringe above her eyes, and the long beige overcoat that covered the length of her body. They watched as she passed by them and disappeared up a flight of stairs behind a door. Ari waited a few more seconds before nodding at Finn and heading to the staircase, after the girl.
They followed behind her silently, footsteps light on the stairs. She led them to the third floor, where she headed down the hallway to her apartment. She stopped suddenly and looked around, as if sensing something. Ari and Finn stilled, blending with the shadows in the darkness, until the girl shook her head and kept going. She stopped in front of her door, entering the key, rattling it until she finally got the door open. Before she could step inside, Finn had already sidled up behind, as quiet as death, one hand around her mouth and the other holding a knife to her neck.
A nice, clean slice would have done it right there. But it was more complicated than that. They were still at risk of being caught, and if they killed her right here they'd have a body to deal with. Better for someone to just find her dead inside her apartment. So Finn nudged the door back with his heel, dragging the struggling girl inside as Ari followed, closing the door shut behind her.
There were no lights on, but it didn't matter. Ari loaded her bow and pointed the arrow at the girl's chest. She thrashed in Finn's hold, but he held her still.
Just another victim, Ari thought to herself, exhaling. She ignored the raw fear in the girl's eyes and aimed the arrow. Just another victim, she told herself and was about to let go of the arrow when Finn suddenly shouted.
"Stop, stop!" He yelled. "Ari, stop. Don't shoot."
"What?" she asked.
"Don't shoot," he replied again. "Trust me. Find the lights."
"What are you talking about?"
"Just—" he sighed and let go of the girl, who slid to the floor, whimpering.
"Finn. What are you—"
He pushed past her, fumbling until he found a lamp and switched it on. Light flooded the room. Ari turned to Finn, shocked.
"Finn, what the hell—" she started.
He shook his head. "Look," he said, making his way back the girl. He helped her up. "Look, Ari."
And Ari looked, watching as the girl slumped against Finn, putting a hand on her stomach and oh. Ari felt bile rising to her throat. She exchanged a look of horror with Finn.
"She's pregnant," Ari said, and as soon as the words came out of her mouth the girl fainted in Finn's arms.
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