Two Birds

The day came to an end and Alex had made his way over to the address in the file he received from Marcel. Now that night had come, it was time to fulfill his 'role in the gang' and kill the person in the file.

'Do they just enjoy screwing me over by withholding information like this or are they actually just clueless about the targets?' Alex said as his expression turned sour.

He was currently viewing the house that his target apparently lived in from across the street, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. The house had 2 two floors and was situated in what you could consider the 'wealthy' part of the city, although to be considered wealthy in city 4 was the same as being poor in city 3.

The house had a large wall around it that was easily 3 meters in height (just under 10ft) and had barbed wire along the top. The only way into the property was through a motorized gate, unless you were brave enough to try climb over the barbed wire.

These were concerns to Alex, as they would make getting inside more difficult, but they were nowhere near being the most challenging obstacle. Standing in front of the gate, on the outside of the property, were 2 guards, one on each side of the gate.

They both wore suits and were carrying handguns in holsters around their waists that made it fairly obvious they were some kind of hired security. It was practically impossible for regular people, or even gangs for that matter, to get their hands on a gun.

'Only the private security companies from the higher cities are allowed to carry guns in city 4, even the police aren't allowed to use them! Who does Marcel have me targeting this time that they can afford to hire these guys?'

<sigh> 'Marcel's incompetence aside, I still need to get inside and kill the target. There's a decent chance there are more guards inside so I'll have to make sure I pick the right part of the wall to go over so the guards by the gate don't see or hear me. Although...' Alex's plan to sneak over the wall was put on hold as another idea came to mind.

'Is sneaking past them the right thing to do? It would be more lucrative to kill them quietly and head inside... that way there's no chance of them alerting anyone else to my presence if I make a mistake while climbing the wall and I can grow stronger by absorbing their life essence with [Devourer].'

'I made a joke about becoming a mass murderer a few days ago and my ability is perfectly suited to become one, but I still don't want that to become my reality. I won't go around killing people just because it benefits me but in situations like this I don't think there's any reason to hold back. Killing these guards will help me grow stronger and increase my chances of succeeding in killing their employer, it's just logical.'

With his mind made up, Alex crossed the street and started heading for the gate that the guards were standing by, acting like he was just a regular person out for a stroll. Thanks to money Alex received for killing Oscar, he was able to afford some new clothes, which he was wearing now.

He was now wearing a hoodie with a t-shirt underneath, long black pants that were made with a soft material and some brand new shoes. Everything he had on was black, specifically so he could sneak around at night, and it had cost him 450 credits, almost half of what he had earned.

'I should have brought a knife or something else that's sharp, these guys look like they can actually take a hit, unlike the guy from the alley that I killed.' Alex thought as he pulled a fist sized rock out of his jacket pocket and held it behind his back.

The wall around the house made it easy for Alex to hide once he got close since there was a gap between this houses wall and the one beside it that he could fit into comfortably. He peered around the corner and readied the rock, having it float just above is hand.

The closest guard was around 10 meters (33ft) away from Alex's hiding spot, then there was another 10 meters between that guard and the other, meaning he was roughly 20 meters away (65ft).

After making a rough estimate of the distance, Alex launched his attack. The rock flew through the air, flickering in an out of the shadows between the 2 terrible street lights that illuminated some of its path.

The rock struck the first guard in the side of the end with a loud thud, causing his head to fling to the side as his body collapsed to the floor. The other guard heard his companion hit the floor and quickly turned towards him while drawing his gun and preparing to call for backup.

Just as his gun left its holster, a rock slammed into the guards throat, instantly taking away his ability to breath. He instinctively lifted his hands to grab his throat, surprised by the sudden hit, and dropped his gun in the process.

The guard collapsed to the floor, gasping for air while clutching at his throat. Alex emerged from his hiding spot and walked up to the two guards. He noticed the first one was knocked out cold so he headed straight for the second.

Alex looked down at the man as he struggled to breath and let out a sigh of relief.

'It looks like his windpipe collapsed... he'll suffocate in a few minutes. Luckily, he's too focused on trying to breath to try call out for help, he even dropped his gun. I got lucky this time. As soon as the rock crossed the 15 meter mark I lost most of my control over it. It still had enough speed to hit this guy but it dropped lower than his head thanks to the distance. If it had hit him anywhere other than his throat then I would be screwed.'

Alex picked up the gun that the guard had dropped and walked over to the unconscious guard. He knelt down beside the man, placing the gun on the floor, and searched him.

'I didn't get a message about absorbing life force so this guy must still be alive. If I'm right then he will probably have... ah, found it.' Alex pulled a dagger out from the inside of the guards jacket, it was sitting inside a strap that seemed to be made especially for that purpose.

The blade of the dagger was around 15 centimeter long and had a cross guard separating it from the handle. The blade wasn't very wide, meaning it was better suited for stabbing than it was for cutting, though its edge was still very sharp.

Alex pressed the knife's point against the unconscious mans throat and used his other hand to hold the head still as he pressed the knife deep into his neck. Blood poured out of the mans throat and covered the pavement as Alex withdrew the blade and walked over to the other guard.

Although he wasn't able to do anything other than gasp for air, the guard was able to see what Alex had just done to his partner. Alex knelt down beside the guard and used his ability to pin the mans arms to the ground as his eyes begged Alex not to do it.

His pleas went unanswered as the blade slid into his neck, accelerating his already impending death. Alex watched as the two men bled/drowned to death and contemplated the feeling of stabbing someone and what he felt like as he watched this scene play out.

After some time, the system confirmed the death of both men as it's messages appeared in Alex's vision.