Chasing Thoughts.

Rick was sitting on the roof of the building and looking at the sky, people were swarming down like ants, and he did not care about them at all. Just like about everything else in this world. He had no desires, no aspirations, no emotions. Practically nothing.

All he knew was that he should execute the orders of his Master, no matter what he thought of them.

Rick looked at the flowerbeds around the perimeter of the roof. Whoever designed this artificial garden, did a very good job. If he had his own apartment, he would like to have the same spacious terrace there, he would put there large pots with trees and small pots with flowers. It would be great if there was still a swimming pool, and the apartment itself was on the highest floor of the building so that in the evening you could enjoy the beauty of the setting sun, and at night admire the lights of the big city.

'What the hell?!' Rick flinched, shocked by his own thoughts. Where did he get such ideas from? The man closed his eyes and sighed, lately he has increasingly become absorbed in thoughts that are not peculiar to him. A hand in his pocket found a small bag; he took it out and looked at the contents. The last one.

Yes, it all started from the evening he met that strange girl. Since that evening, her image often popped up in his head when he closed his eyes. Maybe this was the reason for such strange thoughts?

He took a cookie from the bag that she gave him that evening. The last cookie. He wondered if he ate it, would those strange thoughts stop chasing him?

Rick brought the last cookie to his mouth, but the voice in his head interrupted what he was going to do,

"Richard."

Rick closed his eyes and replied mentally, "Yes, Master." The voice of his master was full of anger and discontent. Apparently, something happened that threw him off balance, completely.

"Burn it all to hell. I want you to wipe these damn pictures out. All of them," Marcus ordered.

"Yes, sir. Will be done," Rick felt that after his answer their mental connection was broken. So Master has already left this place.

The man looked at the cookie in his hand. He will probably have to eat it later. He put it back in his pocket and moved into the guard room. To his surprise, there was no one on the spot, most likely everyone was keeping order on the first floor where the exhibition was taking place at that time. Well, it was even more convenient for him. Not that it was a problem for him to get rid of two or three extra witnesses, but once again he did not want to bother with the murder.

He went to the fire safety panel and turned off the warning system, smoke detectors and automatic sprinklers. Everything that could prevent him from fulfilling his task with 100% accuracy.

Having left the guard room, the man went down the corridor towards the exhibition hall. An incomprehensible sound caught his attention, he stopped and noticed how the handle on the door opposite him twitched. Rick immediately took out a gun and aimed it at the door, waiting for the man to get out of it, but to his surprise, the door remained closed. He waited a few seconds and continued on his way. Whoever it was, it did not concern him as long as this person did not interfere with his task.

When he got down the stairs, he stopped at the entrance to the hall. The guests were talking to one another with happy smiles on their faces, light music was playing, everyone was focused on the event. He looked around the crowd, there were about fifty people. Hmmm, well, if someone dies, it's not his problem.

Rick opened his hand; a small fireball began to form in the center of his palm, gradually expanding in size. It was the ability of his Master, which he shared with Rick, along with a mental connection, but he used it only in extreme cases because the resource of this force was Marcus's body, not his own.

Rick waved his hand, and a gust of wind with the speed of a hurricane swept through the exhibition hall, leaving a trail of fire behind. The guests closed their eyes, and when they opened them, they were already surrounded by the flames. The yelling and screaming filled the hall, the commotion began and everyone rushed to the exit, pushing and knocking one another down. The peaceful event in the blink of an eye turned into chaos, causing the heart to cool in horror. Rick appreciated his work, slammed the emergency exit door and headed back.

. . .

"Baby, did you finish your business?" Corey asked her daughter, hearing her fumble in the toilet.

"Yes, mom! I'm, coming!" Ashley came out of the booth with a solemn smile on her face, as if screaming, 'Look, what an adult I am! I already know so much!'

Corey bent her head and smiled, "Come here, you big person, you need to wash your hands." She raised her daughter higher to the sink and began to wash her hands.

"Cleanliness is next to godliness" Ashley added with a serious look.

"Yes, dear, that's right," Corey laughed. Oh, these children, you never expect what is to come to their mind in the next minute.

"Mom, what is that smell?"

"What smell, baby? What are you talking about?" Only Corey asked the girl how she herself felt the growing smell of burning that was filling the room. She looked around and saw how the acrid gray smoke began to seep into the toilet.

Corey immediately lowered her daughter to the floor and rushed to the door. The woman twisted the handle as best she could, but the door did not open.

"Somebody! Anybody! Please help!" Corey began to knock on the door, as strongly as she could, the smoke had already risen to the ceiling itself, and the room became like a fog.

"M-mom, I'm... I'm scared," Ashley began to sob and cough at the same time. Corey felt that the smoke began to penetrate deeper into the lungs, and it became harder to breathe every second.

"Shhh, shhh, don't be afraid, everything will be fine." The woman smiled and hugged her daughter, then took off the scarf from her neck and soaked it with water from the sink, "You're a brave pirate, right? This shawl will be your brand dressing, we will now cover your face with it, and you will be able to escape. Got it?"

"Mom, I don't understand," Ashley burst into tears of fear.

Corey gently stroked her cheek, the woman's fingers were trembling a little, "My girl, remember, I told you that you can't teleport if you're not at home. So, now I allow you to do this. Can you try opening the door outside? Will you help mom?"

"And if I fail?"

"Everything will be all right, do not worry. Are you ready?" Ashley nodded her head and closed her eyes, after a moment the girl was already outside the room.

"Mom! It's not working! The door isn't opening!" The girl was twisting the handle with all her might, but the door remained shut.

Corey's heart sank with fear and pain, hearing her child crying on the side of the door, "Daughter, listen to me. You need to quickly get away from the smoke. If the smoke comes from below, find the stairs and go upstairs on the roof where there is an open garden. Remember, we were there with you once, did you like it there? It will be safer there. Do you understand me?"

"What about you?" Ashley moved back to the room, "I won't go without you! I'm scared!" Corey pressed her daughter to her chest and began to stroke her on the back, "Listen to your mom, everything will be fine. Now firefighters will come and help me. But you have to get out of here, you got it?"

"But mom!"

"No 'but'!" Corey yelled and immediately regretted it, she did not want to scare her daughter even more. The woman pressed the girl's face to her lips and gently kissed her, "I love you. I've always loved you and always will. Now go."

Tears were flowing down the cheeks of the baby girl, she nodded her head and evaporated in the air.

Corey got the phone out of her bag, but not one of the calls went through, even the call to 911 remained unanswered as if the universe did not want her to call for help. The smoke filled almost the entire room, the woman began to knock on the door again, but the pungent smell of burning already filled her lungs, she felt that she was beginning to choke.

"Anyone! Please, help! There is ... my child," the woman whispered of her last strength, slowly slipped to the floor and lost consciousness.

. . .

Ashley ran down the hall, but the smoke filled everything around, she didn't know where to turn and was ready to cry in fear, but knowing that her mother was there, the girl gathered her little courage into a fist and ran on.

Ahead, she saw the shadow of a man and rushed toward him, "Help! Help, there is my mom! Save my mom!" The man froze on the spot when this little girl appeared out of nowhere and grabbed his leg.

"You... what are you doing here?!" Rick looked at the girl with dumbfounded eyes, he was about to leave this place, as the child's cry stopped him at the last second.

"Nin-ninja-san!" Ashley was delighted to see her friend, "Ninja-san, hurry, hurry! Save my mom, please!"

Rick's legs went off by themselves, quickening their pace when the girl dragged him into the depths of the corridor. His heart was pounding with incredible speed. What is wrong with this child? Why does she appear for the second time during his assignment?! Where does she even come from?

"Mom, save my mom!" Ashley screamed, almost choking, the thick smoke was an ordeal for the lungs of a small child. She stopped in front of the door and began to knock on it, "Mom! Mom!" But there was no answer.

Rick jerked the handle and realized that the door was locked. "Get away," he ordered the girl and with all his strength pulled the door, the lock broke and the door flew open.

At that moment the man froze in place, a beautiful woman was lying on the floor in front of him. The one that once captured his attention and made him experience unknown feelings. The one he thought he would never see again.