5 Merry Slaughter

CHAPTER 5

The two of them were standing in front of a building. Lucy was the one who suggested that place. Kiara looked up and fixed her eyes on the signboard above her head. She squinted as she read the words written on the board. Stars Café. Kiara sighed.

"I can't believe you choose this place".

Lucy turned her head towards Kiara.

"Why not? Their food is freaking good," she tried to convince her.

They stepped inside the cafe and sat at a table. A waiter came to them and took their orders.

"Right, since we both can't do any missions–"

"I'm the one who's being restrained here, not you".

Lucy's words were cut short by Kiara.

"Well, Madam did tell me to make sure you don't do anything stupid," Lucy put her arms on the table, "so, in a way, I'm also kinda restrained from work".

Kiara gritted her teeth. She did not need someone to babysit her as if she was some kind of a child.

"Laura and Tasha took over the mission. Let's follow them," Lucy leaned closer towards Kiara, "besides, we haven't seen them in action for a long time".

"Madam said that we can't join any missions," Kiara crossed her arms and let out a small sigh. She tried to remind Lucy.

"Who said that we'll be joining them? We're just going to watch them from afar," said Lucy. Kiara frowned with doubt.

"You don't trust them? They can get the job done without us. Maybe your mood will change after you see them complete a mission? That's only my suggestion," she continued.

"I just need to calm myself down, but if you're really that worried then sure, I'll come with you," Kiara sighed. Lucy was secretly relieved with Kiara's answer.

A few moments later, another waiter approached their table to serve the food they ordered. Both of them sat in silence while eating their food quietly. Suddenly, Lucy's phone rang.

"Who is that?"

Lucy looked at her phone's screen.

"Unknown number," replied Lucy. Kiara raised her eyebrow. Lucy answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Shawn,"

"Shawn?"

"Yes, your car is done. Where do you want me to send it?"

Lucy remembered yesterday's incident. Shawn was the person who crashed her car. Lucy can't believe that she had forgotten that.

"Meet me at Stars Café," Lucy replied to him.

"Alright...Umm..." Shawn stuttered.

"What?"

"I...wanted to ask you something..."

Lucy waited for Shawn to finish his sentence.

"What's your name? Sorry, I didn't get to ask it when we met yesterday,"

"Lucy," Lucy smiled in amusement with Shawn's hesitant question.

"OK, Lucy. See you later".

Lucy hung up. Kiara sipped the tea from her cup while waiting for Lucy to tell her what just happened.

"It's Shawn. That guy who crashed my car yesterday. He said my car is repaired," explained Lucy.

"Oh," Kiara replied with a single word. Lucy raised her eyebrow. She didn't even know why she even bothered to tell that to the disinterested Kiara.

"I told him to come here," Lucy continued.

At that moment, the cafe door's rang. Lucy and Kiara looked up. They saw two girls walking towards them. It's Laura and Tasha.

"Lucy, Kiara," Tasha greeted them.

"Hi," Lucy greeted them back. Laura and Tasha took their seats next to them.

"You guys don't have training?" Lucy asked them.

"No, the power is still out," Laura shook her head.

"Someone broke into the file room but they don't have any evidence on who did it," Tasha butted in, "also, they couldn't find any CCTV footage". Kiara was silently grateful that Lucy didn't gave off any obvious signs.

"So how did you guys know someone broke in?" Kiara asked.

Lucy caught a glimpse of Kiara's face from the corner of her eye. She seemed pretty calm.

"Everyone assumed someone broke in because they found Rezza's keycard in front of the file room. Soon after that, Rezza was called so they could interrogate him," explained Laura.

Laura and Tasha looked through the menu and ordered some food. Kiara and Lucy are almost done with theirs. They waited for a few minutes or so and the food finally arrived at their table.

And just in time, four men entered the cafe. All eyes were on them. They were like angels who graced everyone with their presence. Obviously, the girls weren't going to admit that the guys were dashing.

"Hey, aren't that the guy who–" Tasha was cut off by Lucy's fake cough. Kiara glared at Lucy.

"I thought Shawn was coming all by himself," Kiara folded her arms across her chest. The guys were walking towards them. Shawn approached their table.

"Hi," Shawn tried to greet them. His eyes were on Lucy.

"Hey. Yeah, I thought you were coming alone...?" Lucy gave him a puzzled look. Silently telling Kiara that she was innocent and had nothing to do with Shawn bringing his gang.

"We haven't had breakfast yet. What about you guys? What are you doing here?" Shawn asked a rather stupid question. The girls did not answer Shawn's question. They just stared at him—directly at his dumb face.

"Can I sit here?" Ryan did not even wait for the girls' permission. He simply grabbed the chair next to him and sat on it. Soon, all of the guys were sitting in front of them; face to face. Deep furrows started to form on Kiara's forehead.

"Your car is outside. I've already paid for it," Shawn pointed his finger at the cafe's window. Lucy's Mercedes was parked in front of the cafe.

"Ok," Lucy replied shortly.

"Not even a thank you?" Shawn gave her a charming smile.

Lucy looked sharply into his eyes. An assassin saying thank you to her enemy? Hell no. She took a deep breath; she couldn't believe that she's about to do this.

"Fine. T-Thank you," Lucy spat out the words painfully from her mouth. Her voice sounded very harsh. She swore she could throw up at any moment.

"No problem," Shawn smirked.

He paused for a moment.

"Oh right, we haven't introduced ourselves properly," he said while looking at his friends.

"We don't have time to be your 'friends' so there's no need to tell us your names," Laura abruptly made her cold comment.

"Ouch, why are you being mean, my dear princesses?" Ryan made his tone sound annoyingly dramatic on purpose.

"Yes, yes we are," Tasha smiled sarcastically.

"Is it wrong for us to know each other? Maybe it's some kind of fate and you're my soulmates" Ryan went on with his flirtatious demeanour. "In your dream. Those sweet words of yours won't work on us," Tasha scoffed. Ryan's lip formed a little smile.

Shawn suddenly interrupted, "Who knows? Maybe your car needs to be fixed again or perhaps you guys get caught up in a problem. Either way, you guys can always ask us for help".

Kiara looked at her friends. She was watching their every move. She hadn't made any eye contact with Evan, who was sitting right in front of her. Kiara wanted to leave the place real bad but all she could do was wait for this whole 'introduction' thing to end.

"OK, so I'm Shawn, this is Ryan, that's Airyn and lastly we got Evan there," he introduced himself and then his friends. "We work for Soleil," he added.

The girls couldn't help but cringe inside when they heard the name Soleil. That took them off guard. They didn't realise that Soleil's employees proudly announce themselves that they're working with the famous Benjamin Altair.

"What are the names of the angels that are sitting in front of us?" Ryan inched forward while resting his chin on his hand. This bastard sure has a way with his words. There was no response. Laura and Lucy didn't give any reaction.

"Pft–" Tasha laughed at Ryan's failed attempt.

"OK, stop that. You need to pipe it down, Ryan," Lucy dissed him. Tasha wiped the tear away from her eyes.

"Alright alright, I'm Tasha. She is Laura, this is Lucy and that's Kiara. We work at an academy that teaches adolescents how to fight," Tasha made her move and did the introduction.

"Nice to meet you," Laura said in a flat tone.

Kiara got up from her place. "There, you got your introduction," she looked at those guys who were still sitting at the table.

"We're leaving. I got more important stuff to do other than 'hanging out' with you weird-ass people". Kiara walked away from the table.

"Are you still mad at me because of what happened that day? I've already apologised and yet you still gave me the cold shoulder. Do you have a problem with me?" Evan finally spoke up. He was confused about her attitude towards him.

Kiara freezed on her tracks. She glanced over her shoulder. It's clear that Evan was offended with Kiara's gestures.

"No, not at all," replied Kiara. It's true. She had already brushed off that small matter from her mind. Evan was just being irrational. Kiara exited the cafe. Her friends also got up.

"Thanks for fixing Lucy's car," Tasha thanked them.

"Oh, just so you know, we don't plan on seeing your faces ever again," she warned them. There was a slight threat in her voice.

She stood there facing all four men. She was the only one who hasn't left the cafe yet. Her words sent some chills down their spines.

"OK, bye~" her voice suddenly turned soft. She made her way to the front door.

The men looked at each other.

"Scary," Airyn muttered under his breath.

"How can her personality change that fast?" Ryan was in disbelief.

"Not gonna lie, those girls are kinda hot," Shawn commented. All four of them stood in silence. Yeah, they did agree with what Shawn just said.

***

It's midnight. Kiara was lying in her bed while Laura was getting ready for a mission.

"Hey, don't worry, Tasha and I will be back soon," Laura said with a reassuring tone. She put some weapons in her black backpack.

Kiara clenched her fist. She felt utter contempt. Was Laura seriously treating her like a pet? She closed her eyes and remained silent. Kiara didn't feel like arguing about it right now.

"You and Lucy didn't plan to go out? I thought you guys like hanging out at night," Tasha closed her backpack.

"I don't know. I'll ask Lucy later," Kiara replied. Laura wore a dark grey hoodie. She put on some gloves and slipped on some ankle-high boots. She held out a gun and loaded it up.

"See ya. If we're late, tell Lucy to come pick us up," Laura said while putting on a black face mask over her mouth.

"OK," Kiara responded.

Laura left the dorm and headed to the lobby. Tasha was standing there, waiting for her.

"Didn't expect you to be here first," Laura teased. She was smiling behind her mask.

"I'm kinda excited this time," Tasha shoved her hands inside her leather jacket's pockets.

"Let's use the roof. We can get there faster," she suggested.

Tasha wore black leggings and black boots. A maroon scarf was wrapped around her neck. The two went up to the roof. They gazed upon the scenery from the rooftop. The cold breeze gently hit their face. It felt calm and soothing. Laura covered her short hair with a hood. Tasha put her long hair into a braid.

"Now I know why they love to do this," Tasha sneered. She was referring to Kiara and Lucy.

"Let's go," said Laura.

They charged forward and ran from roof to roof. Once they're near the location, they slow down their pace. A tall building stood in front of them. Judging from the huge logo, it seems to be a fashion academy.

"Crystal, who's our target this time?" Laura called Tasha using her alias.

"Lilian. Somehow she made an enemy. A woman named Zara held a deep grudge towards her. She wanted her dead," Tasha explained the client's motive.

"Oh, by the way, they're BFFs," she said with a grin.

"I can't believe you invested yourself in their stupid little story. I wouldn't even be surprised if my best friend does that to me. Life is cruel," Laura rolled her eyes.

"Envy. Jealousy. Tch, so cliché," Tasha laughed.

Laura took out her weapon. She slipped a knife into her boots. Tasha kept some bullets inside her pockets.

"Don't forget the silencer," Laura reminded Tasha.

"I know, I know," she gave an annoyed look at Laura.

They installed silencers on both of their guns. They entered through the main entrance. Laura had already observed the building for the past few days. This was their nearest way in. Four bodyguards stood at the door.

"What are you guys doing here?" asked one of the bodyguards in a low, stern voice.

"We came here to have some fun. Obviously," Tasha smiled maliciously.

They both pulled out their guns.

Bang!

Bullet pierced through the bodyguard's forehead and entered their skull. Bodies collapsed on the puddle of blood. All four of them were taken out. Laura glanced at the CCTV camera. She ignored it. It wasn't working anyway. She already cut off the circuit. Both of them stepped inside the academy.

"Let's see, where could the girl's dorms be" Tasha's eyes searched for directions.

"Huh? You're saying it like there are also guy's dorms? I thought only girls are into fashion?" Laura scratched her head. She had always assumed that fashion was considered girly.

"That's a pretty close-minded thing to say, Dark," Tasha facepalmed herself.

"Hmph! I have no idea! I know nothing about fashion," Laura scowled. Laura shook her head and proceeded to read the building's floor plan. It was put up next to the elevator.

"Located to the east from the academy. Must be that block over there," Laura pointed to their right.

The block was painted purple. They looked for the dormitory that their client specified. After wandering around inside the block, they finally found the room that they were looking for.

Laura twisted the knob.

"Damn it. It's locked," she groaned.

"Chill, Dark. Watch and learn," Tasha gestured her hand as a sign for Laura to move out of her way.

She pulled a hairpin from her hair and inserted it inside the knob's lock. She meticulously twisted the pin up and down.

Click!

"Ah–"

Tasha pulled off a smug attitude.

"After you, Dark," her smirk was concealed by the mask.

"Show off," Laura pushed her off to the side. She opened the door slowly. They barely can see anything inside the pitch-black room. The street light coming from outside managed to make their way through the small crack in the curtains. It was their only source of lighting.

The only thing they could make out in the dark was two single beds placed next to each other. Two girls were sleeping peacefully, completely unaware of their surroundings.

"Which one is Lilian?" Tasha whispered.

Laura examined both of the girls. She looked at the bed with the blue sheet and then turned her head to Tasha.

Tasha nodded and took out her knife. She raised the blade above her head and thrust it in between Lilian's ribs. Straight into her heart. Blood sprayed out and hit the bedsheet.

"Too easy," Tasha said to herself.

They heard a creaking sound. A long-haired girl from the other bed was looking at them. She glanced at the knife that was lodged into her friend's chest and then faced the two dark figures standing in front of her. She could feel her heart dropped.

Tasha immediately jumped on the girl's bed and covered her mouth.

"Shh, darling. If you really value your life you should keep quiet," Tasha put her mouth close to the girl's ear.

Suddenly, a loud ear-splitting siren went off. All lights inside the building were switched on. The doors were all opened.

Damn it!

Laura shot the girl in the head. Her body collapsed onto the bed. Staining the bedsheets with crimson. Tasha reached out for the light switch.

They need to get out quickly.

"Tasha, you got the wrong person!" Laura looked at their victim who was lying on the bed lifeless. Her black hair was covering her bloody face.

"Lilian has blonde hair! How can you get the wrong person?" Laura gritted her teeth.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" Tasha almost shouted.

They both sighed in frustration. They couldn't believe the managed to make a stupid mistake after years of 'practice'. Laura silently cussed herself for not being able to keep her mind clear.

"Are you sure you cut all the camera circuits? How does the alarm go off?" Tasha asked.

"Maybe they got some kind of censor near the door that doesn't involve the cameras" Laura replied.

All of a sudden, several bodyguards rushed into the room.

"Oh, hi!" Tasha waved at them.

Laura grabbed Tasha's hand and launched herself through the window. She covered her face from the shattered glass. They landed on the ground and ran as fast as they could. Both of them climbed the adjacent building and reached the rooftop.

"Shit. Now everyone knows we're here!" Laura yelled at Tasha.

"Oh, so this is my fault? I have no idea she was blonde. You're the one who's holding the picture!" Tasha said in pure rage. Laura tried to think of a plan. Kiara and Lucy are not with them to help them escape.

"OK, I have a plan B".

"What is it?" Tasha huffed.

"You put on a disguise as one of the students. Find that woman. I'll take care of the bodyguard," Laura cracked her knuckles.

"And why me exactly?" Tasha knitted her brow.

"You got a scarf and it seems fashionable. Besides, my hair is too short," Laura pointed to the maroon scarf wrapped around Tasha's neck.

"Seriously? Just because I have long hair? That's not a good reason," Tasha put her hands on her hips.

"Well, you're good at acting,"

"I don't see what that got to do with this,"

"Do you want to finish off this job or not?" Laura ruffled her hair harshly. She's annoyed with Tasha delaying their plan. Tasha glared at Laura before answering.

"Tch, fine," Tasha exhaled loudly from her nose.

She took off her jacket and gave it to Laura. She was wearing a maroon T-shirt underneath her jacket. She removed the mask and put her hair down. The scarf was draped around her shoulders.

"Act like you just woke up or something," Laura instructed her. Tasha nodded.

They saw a lot of people coming out of their room. Laura ran in the opposite direction from Tasha. Tasha scurried along the corridor. The light from the dormitory shone brightly. Student's voice filled the air with chaos. Tasha hid her gun. She went down and headed to the block. She made a tired face and walked towards a group of girls.

"What happened?" Tasha asked one of the students there.

"Riana and Jasz were murdered," replied a curly-haired girl.

"Huh? Have they found the murderer? I'm scared," Tasha said in a worried tone. Biting her lips in despair.

"This might come off as rude but who are you?" the girl asked.

"Sweetie, you don't know me?" Tasha looked into the girl's eyes. She crossed her arms arrogantly.

"Are you one of the new students? From the academy in Paris?"

"Yeah. The name's Syasya," Tasha replied confidently.

"I'm Qaira," the girl introduced herself.

"Mmm, do you know Lilian?" Tasha pretended to be looking for someone.

"Lilian? Zara's BFF?"

"Yes, her. I'm worried about her. She's my cousin,"

"Ohh I just saw her. She went to the bathroom. The warden told us to gather outside the dorms. Please bring Lilian too, OK?" Qaira pointed to the corridor on the left.

"Got it. Thank you, sweetheart," Tasha walked towards the corridor. There was a red door with the bathroom sign. The door opened to reveal a girl with straight blonde hair standing in front of her.

"Oh, hi. Are you Lilian?" Tasha asked.

"Yes, I'm Lilian,"

"The warden asked me to find you. A homicide happened just now,"

"W-What? Where?" Lilian's expression turned into shock and fear. Tasha patted her shoulder in an assuring manner.

"Don't worry, everyone else has gathered inside the meeting room," said Tasha. She's lucky that she saw the meeting room on her way here.

"A-Alright. Let's go then," her face started to turn pale.

Tasha followed Lilian from behind. She reached out for her gun. Lilian pushed the door open. Her hand was already on the light switch when Tasha attacked her. Tasha put her knees on Lilian's back to hold her off from standing up. Lilian was face down on the floor. She squirmed around, trying to break free.

"What are you doing?" Lilian shrieked. Tasha tied her hair into a bun to make it easier for her to move.

"I feel bad for you but I guess today is the last day you'll sew a skirt," Tasha's tone went dark and intimidating.

"Who are you?"

"Honey, I'm your worst nightmare" Tasha said as she tied Lilian's hands and feet using her scarf.

"P-Please, don't hurt me!" Lilian's voice trembled.

"Aww, don't be scared," Tasha pulled out her gun.

"This will only hurt ... a LOT!" said Tasha, attempting to calm the girl down.

Tasha paused for a moment.

"Heh, this is no fun. Since I'm gonna kill you soon wouldn't it be fun to break your heart too?" Tasha tilted her head and smiled softly. She sat down on a chair. Lilian was kneeling on the floor with her hands and feet tied.

"Do you want to hear a story?" Tasha asked.

"W-What story?" Lilian quavered through her shaky breath.

"There was once a woman who dreamed of being a fashion designer. She has a good friend named Zara. They work together, help each other out and make a lot of wonderful memories".

Tasha spoke with her soft voice.

"One day, Zara realized that she has something blocking her way to success. That something was you"

Lilian lifted her face. It was full of shock. Tasha's eyes gleamed with glee.

"Yes, Lilian. That poor girl is you," Tasha applauded with joy.

"Aren't you happy? You're the main character of this story!" Tasha looked at Lilian with a wide grin on her face.

She continued her tale, "And then, Zara hired a woman with a maroon scarf to remove her obstacle once and for all," Tasha laughs filled the room. Streams of tears began falling down Lilian's cheek.

"No, Zara wouldn't do that!"

"Aww sweetie, does it hurt? It's no surprise. Who knew even your best friend is willing to do this?"

"N-No! You're lying! None of this is true!" Lilian's voice broke. She sniffled loudly, trying to hold back her tears.

"It's up to you if you want to believe me or not. I'm just telling you the bitter truth," Tasha got up from the chair. She pointed the gun at Lilian's chest. Lillian freezed when the weapon was pressed to her chest.

"Did you feel that? Did you feel something inside there shattered into million pieces? It's painful, isn't it?" Tasha smiled cynically.

"That is the pain of being betrayed, alone, scared and angry. Now, you'll watch all your hopes and dreams turn into ashes..." Tasha wiped the dust off her gun. Lilian stared at the ground. She was choking up with her tears.

"Dreams don't come true, sweetheart. It only happens while you're asleep," Tasha held Lilian's chin and raised her head. She looked right into her eyes.

"Why are you sad? Aren't you happy that you can finally be stress-free from studying? Just smile a bit". Tasha removed the knife from her boots and slitted both ends of Lilian's lips up to her cheeks. Cutting the flesh clean with the knife.

"There, much better. You can finally smile!"

The blood trickled from Lilian's mouth. She could feel the warm and bitter blood mixing with her own salty tears.

"I know how to make you stop crying," Tasha dragged Lilian to the window. The moon was glimmering magnificently in the night sky.

"Do you know that moon in Latin is Luna?" Tasha smiled.

"Beautiful, isn't it ?" she let out a long sigh.

Tasha pressed the gun against Lilian's head.

"Goodnight Lilian,"

She pulled the trigger. The bullet blasted through the girl's brain. Staining the glass window with blood. The corpse slumped down on the floor as Tasha loosen her grip on its shoulder. The room filled with the unpleasant metallic smell.

"Sweet dreams".