The Death Of An Unlucky One

For as long as Xeric could remember, he had always been unlucky, but the last incident was different, so different that it led him to lose his life.

***********

"Hello,"

A thick hoarse voice sounded from the other end of the line.

"Hi, I'm the client,"

The man who was on the phone call said. He wore a purple suit and stood beside an office desk with a stack of files atop it, he was feeling impatient.

"I've sent the details of the old fart, including his schedules. Assassinate him today." He walked back and sat down in his seat.

"What about the payment?" the hoarse voice said.

"I will send it now. Expect a bonus upon the completion of the job"

The eyes of the man in the suit glinted.

"I can't wait to see that miserly old man dead and claim all his property."

"That old geezer. I have been waiting for him to collapse, but he wouldn't. I can't wait anymore. As the firstborn, I will inherit all his property when he dies" he gritted his teeth, and his face contorted in fury.

"No problem. Consider the work done," the hoarse voice assured.

The man in the suit cut off the call and grinned darkly.

***********

It was a sunny afternoon. Xeric Woods, a skinny Eighteen-year-old, had left school and was heading to his part-time job.

"Ah, this weather is something. So hot, I can't wait for summer to end,"

Kelvin brushed off the sweat forming on his brow. He didn't have enough money to take public transport, so he had to walk about two kilometers every day to his workplace. He was an orphan living alone in an inconspicuous apartment.

"Tsk! When will they introduce summer uniform?" Xeric kept sweating profusely under the hot sun.

After walking for about thirty minutes under the scorching sun, Xeric stopped by a vending machine and bought a cold drink.

"Ah..., I'm refreshed" he slurped down the cold drink and wiped sweat off his brow.

"Let me rest for a moment" he checked his watch. "I'm not late"

Xeric stood beside the machine for a while before he noticed a slick black car pulling up in front of him.

"Who is this? This car is familiar"

He muttered to himself while looking at the car with narrowed scrutiny.

The tinted glass rolled down, and Xeric peered inside to see who it was.

"Oh... Mr. Eric!" Xeric beamed as he recognised the man inside the car. It was the old man living in the same neighborhood as him.

"Where are you going, lad?" the old man asked, his voice shaky, his hair all grey, he looked like he would collapse any moment.

"Uh... To my workplace," Xeric replied, pointing afar and using his left hand to wipe the sweat from his brow. The sun was hot.

The man looked at Xeric pitifully. "Mind if I give you a ride?"

Xeric felt elated and nodded quickly. "No, Mr. Eric, I'm very grateful."

He opened the door and was on the verge of entering when an idea came to his mind. He looked at the man pitifully.

'This man is very old, perhaps I should offer to drive, he is rich, I wonder why he doesn't have a personal driver.'

"Mind if I drive?" Xeric took out his driver's license from his pocket and beamed at the man.

"As energetic as always? No problem, I would appreciate it," the old man accepted, and they changed seats.

"Thank you very much, my son."

"Don't mention it," Xeric replied. 'Actually, I feel like we are even,' he reasoned.

He sat in the driver's seat and beamed, with the air-conditioner on, the inside was cool, and the sweat forming on his brow was evaporating by the second.

"I didn't know you have a driving license," the old man who was seated beside Xeric said.

"I do, I got it recently, actually I am thinking of finding a driving job after school hours"

"I see..." The man nodded, "Maybe I will take you up on that, I need someone to drive me from work to anywhere I want to go later in the evening"

"Really? I'm ready Sir" he beamed.

"Just after school, I don't want it to hinder your studies, of course, I'm just trying to help you" the old man explained.

"Drive off, we will talk about it when you come back from work in the evening"

"Ok Sir"

Xeric started the car and drove off.

***********

A man lay prone on the roof of a tall building, his sniper rifle aimed at a slick black car moving with a steady speed below, he wore a headphone.

His scope was equipped with thermal imaging, allowing him to see the heat signatures inside the car. The tinted windows obscured the view, but the heat signatures were clear.

Upon seeing two heat signatures, he wore a puzzled expression, and then he spoke into the headphone.

"Two targets seen, one is driving, which one is the real target" his voice hoarse.

"What?! Kill the one driving, the old fart is so frugal that he does not have a driver, fuck his head off" an impatient voice spoke from the other end of the line.

"Tsk!"

The man on the rooftop muttered frustratedly, he then pressed a button in the headphone, cutting off the line.

With a slow, deliberate squeeze of the trigger, the sniper fired.

"BANG!!"

The bullet pierced the tinted glass, striking Xeric in the head. Blood spurted out, staining his hands and the steering wheel, Xeric slumped forward, his hands slipping from the steering wheel.

"What the hell!"

Mr. Eric, screamed in horror as the car swerved to a stop.

The sniper quickly packed up his gear, he pressed a button on the headphone.

"Target neutralised"

He disappeared from the rooftop, leaving no trace of his presence.

Xeric felt his vision swimming.

'How?, I was shot? Why? Who did I offend?'

'Damn, so this is how far I can go, I hope I'm fortunate in my next life'

'No! I don't want to die, I don't want to die!'

Xeric's heart stopped and his consciousness faded.