(2013) Shooter

by Jack Parker

  "Uh-huh. So what is it?" I crossed my right arm over my stiff left one. "Hm?"

  "It would seem that Daisuke's fallen for you," Her grin was a little too wide for my comfort. "And by the looks of it, he's fallen pretty hard."

  "'From the looks of it'? He's only just now said a word." I scoffed, slightly incredulous.

  She rolled her eyes. "While you've remained blissfully unaware of the fact, I've seen the way he sneaks glances at you when he's sure you're not looking." She explained, crossing one leg over the other. "Plus; how many of those in our line of work would risk our lives to protect another? Unless…"

  She prompted me to finish.

  "Unless they loved that person."

  "Exactly."

  "So why have you not said a word to me?" I sort-of-demanded.

  "Well, I haven't even known for sure for very long… though I've had my suspicions for a couple of years now…" She looked thoughtful, ignoring my scandalized expression. "But I wanted him to get around to it in his own time."

  My eyes narrowed as I glared at Julia. She shrugged again. It made good sense, though, as unwilling as I was to admit it.

  "So… what about you?" She looked solemn.

  "I don't know." I frowned. Did I love him back? Had I ever even thought about him as anything more than a friend?

  I mean, after all, I was pretty relationship dysfunctional.

  I really didn't have much experience, aside from a few little flings in high school and when I should have been in college. They'd never been very serious, and the last one had ended badly.

  Badly, meaning that he'd wound up with several broken bones in one hand after trying to feel me up in the dark of a movie theater on our second date. Needless to say, that effectively ended it. And cancelled most of my desire to have any sort of romantic relationship in the future.

  Then, there was the little issue of exactly what I do for a living. He would wonder where I went on my long trips, and what I was doing. You can't build a long term 'thing' on lies.

  Although, I think that was part of what had attracted them to me in the first place; that air of mystery. But once you know the person better, that either gets really annoying or disappears entirely. And, well, I wasn't completely ugly. Julia had once told me I was really pretty, and 'it would be a shame for that hot self to be wasted…' when she was trying to convince me that I should go clubbing.

  I'm fairly certain that she just wanted someone to go with.

  Basically, being a hitman kind puts a (huge) cramp in any romantic ventures. This was something I'd made peace with a long time ago, and since high school I'd been pure as the driven snow. That was bound to make a girl long for that sort of thing after a while.

  It certainly did with Julia, as she went out every so often, all dolled up and… seeking male company. It was part of an unspoken friendship clause that we never discussed her… outings.

  I'll admit, a tiny part of me really wanted that kind of connection with someone, and who else, really, other than Dai? He was pretty hot, I remember thinking, when I first met him, and the dating pool on my end was rather shallow.

  I could do a whole lot worse. I have done a whole lot worse.

  "What about you?" I asked Julie. It would be a pretty big problem if she fancied Daisuke. I found that unlikely, but you never really know.

  "That's your choice." She shrugged her slender shoulders. "I don't have those sort of feelings for him, if that's what you're really asking."

  "It was… so… that's good…?"

  She laughed. "Yeah, don't worry about it… you want my friendly advice, though?"

  "Duh." How could I not appreciate Julia's advice? "Bring it, sister."

  She leaned in and whispered in my ear, as though confiding in me some great secret. "Go for it."

  I grinned. That was the best advice I'd heard in a long while.

  CHAPTER 8

  As uplifted as I happened to be with the whole new revelation of the situation with Daisuke, there was still one little problem: people were still trying to off me, and any… romantic endeavors would need to wait.

  Why does this shit always happen to me?

  I sat there, disgruntled, for the next few hours, and Julia and Daisuke popped in on occasion to ask me if I needed anything or if I was comfortable or to check and see if my bandages needed changing.

  I absently wished they'd quit.

  Not that I wasn't grateful that they seemed determined not to let me die, but the constant attention still annoyed me. It wasn't even them that grated on my nerves; it was the whole sense of helplessness that the situation imposed. I'd already tried to get up, and failed, finding myself facedown on the thick carpet of my floor with no memory of having gotten there. Dai found me and gently put me back in my place.

  He'd given me a pained smile and muttered, "Please don't try that again."

  I gave a resigned huff and settled back in. "Sorry."

  "It's not your fault. I know how hard it must be to sit still."

  "You have no idea." I groaned.

  "Well, if you rest now, and if we can get some fluids in you, you might be walking around a little bit by tomorrow."

  That had cheered me up slightly, and the thought kept me occupied through the night, as I couldn't sleep with the persistent biting pains in my mutilated arm.

  At least with the unwilling wakefulness, I got to watch a little bit of the dawn, or what peeked through my window, left open at my request because of some hint of precognition on my part.

  And I contemplated a few things as the pink morning sky peered through the panes of glass. Chief among them what I would do next, and after that, what I would do if I survived this whole thing.

  I had all the fine details hammered out. I just needed to not die.

  That cheery prospect was looking less and less likely as more people had their go at me.

  Julia snapped me out of my morbid thoughts as she came striding in, fully awake and dressed, though it was only six-thirty. Up early, today, Julie?

  "Uh, good morning?" I muttered, watching her storm over to the large TV along one wall, found the not-so-cleverly-hidden remote, and flipped it on, finding her desired program quickly. All while not saying a word to me.

  "Didn't know you watched the morning news…" I chortled to myself, trying to figure out what she was looking so grave for. But my good humor disappeared quickly when I caught sight of the headline behind an obnoxiously grinning news anchor.

  Sniper In Our Midst?

  "News channel 33 has the inside story and exclusive footage of yesterday's non-lethal sniper shooting on West Trivisidero street in central Johnson."

  Ah. That could be bad.

  "Thought you might be interested." Julia crossed her arms over her chest, glancing at me once before glaring back at the screen. I couldn't read her expression.

  "Mph…" I muttered, pondering. "There wasn't a camera crew around."

  "Cell phone?" Julia offered. "Were there many people on the street?"

  I considered that for a moment. "Yeah… but once the action started, everyone scuttled off pretty quick."

  "Well… not everyone."

  The reporter picked back up in our silence. "-residents were shocked when gunshots rang out at eleven-o-clock yesterday evening, causing a panic with the commuters along Trivisidero Street."

  "Sounds about right," I muttered crossly, holding my arm closer to my body.

  Julia shushed me, her attention centered on the screen.

  "Here, we have the footage of the incident."

  At the right cue, the reporter was exchanged with a full-screen, very grainy video. I was slightly less than surprised to find Daisuke in it, not that I could even recognize his face. But I saw the utilitarian dark jeans, rough brown canvas coat, and the purposeful way he punched out a man in black.

  It could only be Dai.

  The camera shook violently when another shot was fired, barely heard in the background over the operator's heavy breathing
and an occasional shrill scream from someone out-of-frame.

  When the camera stilled, I could see well enough that Daisuke could be made out again, throwing a dark figure to the asphalt. He leaped behind a car with shattered windows, and didn't reappear for a few seconds.

  Bang. That last gunshot was much more easily heard, as the person holding the camera had shifted an estimated five feet to the right. The focus was still on the car that Daisuke had disappeared behind, and one that I suddenly recognized.

  He reappeared, running full-tilt with me in tow. I must say, the camera does add ten pounds.

  I watched in strange fascination as Daisuke dragged me seven yards, only to be taken out by that one guy in black, who I now saw had rushed from the narrow space in-between two buildings. I watched me stagger, regain my balance, and stare the attacker down. He kicked to knock my gun from my hands, drew his knife, and slashed at me. I dodged it.

  Kick to the knees, I glance down, distracted, giving him enough breathing room to come at me with the blade again. I throw up my arm to protect myself and my blood ran cold as I barely heard myself scream. I didn't remember screaming.

  I glanced away, unsettled, and caught Julia's cringe.

  Neither of us could speak as we watched on in horror, the rest of the video clip. I seemed to be having an out of body experience at the moment, and Julia was looking pointedly past the screen and into the distance.

  Thankfully, my face had been concealed by hair and terrible image quality, so police or people might not accost me on the street. Hopefully.

  The news anchor picked up the slack again, wearing an appropriately solemn expression. "Police reports say that the incident was not a random act of violence. Rather, it was a focused attack on two people. Reasons for this can only be guessed at, as neither of the victims could be located…"

  Phew.

  "I don't think you've got much to worry about with Daisuke looking after you." Julia said, after a few moments of silence hung between us.

  I sighed, leaned back on my pillows. "That's the problem. I don't want him looking after me."

  "Why's that?" Julie cocked her head to one side and turned to me, curious.

  "Because I don't want him to become collateral damage."

  "Ah. So tell him that."

  I fixed her with a quizzical look. "You think he'd listen?"

  "No," she shrugged. "I don't."

  "Well, then, there's exactly no good to be done by telling him to fuck off."

  "Good point."

  "I'll just have to make sure I keep him out of trouble…" I was talking more to myself than Julia at this point.

  She snorted.

  "What?"

  "Nothing, Gracie."

  "Julia." I growled.

  Julia walked over and perched on the edge of my bed, chuckling to herself all the while. "Well, I find it funny that you think you're going anywhere, for one. Two, it's rather amusing that you're going to keep him out of trouble."

  I narrowed my eyes, but couldn't keep the sardonic smile off of my face. "You're a bitch, you know that?"

  Pretending to think about it for a second, she nodded. "Yeah. I am."

  "At least you admit it." I sounded sour, even to myself.

  A shrug. "Eh,"

  "Eh." I agreed.

  "So hey, do you need anything, Grace? I need to go run some errands." She stood up, adjusting her jacket.

  "Nah," I shrugged. "Don't worry about me, Julie. If I need something that badly, I'll get up and get it."

  That earned me a grimace. "That's what I'm worried about. You're sure?"

  "Yeah. I'm fine." A nod.

  Julia smiled at me and started toward the door. She turned and left, shutting my door with a soft click behind her and leaving me to wallow in the murk of my thoughts once again.

  I reached over to my beside table and picked up my stereo remote, placed there graciously by someone while I was sleeping.

  Flipping on my Bose, surround-sound pulsed through my room. It added a nice backdrop for the uproar in my mind.

  One of my favorite songs happened to be the first up to bat.

  We are young, but we have heart;

  Born in this world as it all falls apart

  We are strong, but we don't belong;

  Born in this world as it all falls apart

  I see the children in the rain like the parade before the pain

  I see the love, I see the hate, I see this world that we can make

  For some reason that I couldn't quite decipher; for just a little while, I could push my fucked up life to the back of my mind. Maybe it was because I was so exhausted, but a sense of peace stole over me. It felt like a mountain was lifted off of my shoulders…

  I see the life; I see the sky; I'd give it all to see you fly

  Yes, we wave this flag of hatred, but you're the ones who made it

  Watch the beauty of all our lives passing right before my eyes

  I hear the hate in all your words, all the words to make us hurt

  We get so sick, oh so sick; we never wanted all this

  Medication for the kids with no reason to live

  For a little while, there weren't people out to kill me.

  For a little while, Daisuke wasn't in danger, and it wasn't my fault.

  For a little while, the undercurrent of self-hatred for what I am that beat at my mind wasn't screaming at me to pick up a pistol and end it myself.

  As we walk among these shadows, in these streets, these fields of battle

  Take it up; we wear the metal, raise your hands with burning candles

  Hear his whisper in the dark; in the rain you see the spark

  Feel the beating of our hearts, fleeting hope as we depart

  All together; walk alone, against all we've ever known

  All we've ever wanted was a place to call our own

  For this little, little while, I was happy.

  But you take all we are; the innocence of our hearts

  Made to kneel before the altar as you tear us apart

  So we march to the drums of the damned as we call…

  My eyelids drooped open and closed, things went hazy, and little made any sense anymore.

  We will fight; or we will fall; until the angels sing our songs…

  Eventually, I crashed out from sheer exhaustion and drifted into dreamless, painless, merciful sleep.

  It felt like the blood on my hands had been washed away. As though nothing mattered anymore.

  For that time, I was little Graecia Pryor again, innocent and free.

  CHAPTER 9

  Three monotonous, uneventful days passed, before it was deemed safe for me to leave the confines of my bed. But when I finally got to stretch my legs, it was like heaven. Praise Jesus.

  Even after I was up and wandering around the house, though, Julia and Daisuke hovered.

  Eventually, I thought I was going to have to beat someone with my bum limb.

  He was currently shadowing me while I tidied the main room, just for something to do. My patience finally gave out as I was straightening a vase.

  "I'm not going to collapse at a second's notice, Daisuke. You can stop, now." I snapped. I hadn't meant to growl at him, but I didn't take it back, either. He stepped away; there was venom in my tone.

  "You never know, Grace. Sorry." But he hung his head a little and went to take up a post several feet farther from me. "I just want to make sure you're okay…"

  He was like a sad puppy, and I immediately felt horrible. Damn. "I'm sorry, Dai. I just like my space. You know that."

  He nodded, but still looked for the entire world like a scolded child. Why do I have to be so mean?

  But I said my apology, and my stubborn streak wouldn't allow me to give another under any circumstances. So, in typical Grace behavior, I changed the subject. "So… where've you been going lately?"

  Daisuke had made it a pattern to disappear for entire days while I was in bed. Julia wouldn't tell me where he was g
oing, if she did know. The issue was; it was really none of my business. However, there had never been any secrecy in the house before, and the very fact that there was some now was rubbing me the wrong way. Even though I knew I was most likely being paranoid, and it was most likely nothing, there was still this little part of me that just had to know.

  "Nowhere important, really. Just trying to figure out who's… with us, and who's against us."

  I sighed, fell into the squishy armchair next to me, and buried my face in my good hand. My other one was wrapped up in a cocoon and thrown in a sling.

  So Daisuke was throwing himself into the bull's pen, likely canvassing the most frequented spots where contracts are sealed. He would have re-checked with Sinclaire and then maybe even with Holland, the third… boss.

  I watched him through my fingers. "Did you speak with this Lucky guy yet?" I was hoping he hadn't.

  Dai shook his head. "Nope. I figured you'd have wanted a word with him."

  Well, that was good for me, but bad in the sense that our first informant might already have squealed, and Lucky might have had time to split before we'd have time to show up. Rodney might have kept quiet, but I doubted it.

  Informants talk. That's why they're informants.

  "Alright." Despite myself, fatigue crept into my voice. "We'll go have a little chat with him. Today."

  After quite a bit of protest on Daisuke's part, I finally made him give up on trying to dissuade me. We were going, and that was final.

  I think my bullheadedness was due mostly to my desire to actually get up and help myself, rather than just sit and lick my wounds and bitch. Call it a personality trait of mine.

  It still got on Julie's nerves, though. In fact, I'm sure that she was thoroughly pissed with me by the time Daisuke and I were pulling away, off on our merry little errand.

  Roughly an hour later, we found Lucky sitting at the bar of a tiny dive called 'Dead Ends'. We'd first checked his… residence, if you might call a rat hole a residence, then his… office… and were pointed in this direction by a hopelessly green new thug. I could tell he was green because I hadn't even had to pull out a gun to get him to tell me what I wanted to know. He sang like a lark.