Chapter 4

I knelt on the floor of my dark hollow apartment the glowing hand settled on my shoulder,

"Wow, you really gave my body away I'm hurt.

Hahaha

I'm glad my death could help your brother. One hundred more to go."

"What? How!?!?! Shaun?? I thought I killed you!"

"Oh classic Sam, you didn't read the appraisal of your knife. When you kill a human its spirit stays with you dummy. God what would you do without me. Seriously though, I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me. I never had the skills to lead like you so I started looking only at numbers and stats, I started taking opportunities to make money without hesitation for human life, we really are a team huh? Without you I fall apart and um clearly so do you." his glowing body looked around the room.

"Wait so you're not mad?"

"No I'll never be angry with you although others might not be so forgiving. I know why you did what you did and I know I'd do the same if anyone treated my brother like that."

"You don't have a brother."

"Course I do, it's you."

"Just shut up."

I looked away, my head racing full of thoughts.

How could this happen?

Why isn't he mad at me? What do I do now? Do I keep killing people?

A few days passed and there was still no contact from the strange masked man until one day when I got back from my job and opened the door, setting my drinks down by the side of the room.

"I assume you don't know who we are?"

"Jesus! Do you ever knock?"

"I'll take that as a no. I see he's still with you. I should have known you'd be dumb enough to stab him with a soul saving weapon. He's mad?"

"No, a soul saving weapon?"

"A weapon that saves the souls of the ones it kills and either retains their being or their power. It choses from your will so obviously you didn't want to kill this one. understandable but slightly disappointing I must say."

"How did you know he was here?"

"Oh you don't know who we are. Right on to the explanation,

I am the leader of the dark guild Grim reaper. We are a murder guild. We take out influential or bad people for a nominal fee. We also kill monsters that are attacking smaller towns and cities. Don't get me wrong we're evil but we don't just kill anybody. And a few weeks ago I picked up on a situation that could get us a very important asset and before you ask, yes that is you. So I have decided to make you the newest scythe as we call our assassins. So I will give you a name and an address and you will kill. Obviously you can opt out but considering your brother's condition I'm not sure you can afford that. And don't worry it won't be 100 assassinations depending on the risk the pay is higher. We gave you a small cut since you were already a guild member and a close friend it was easy. Understand?"

"Yeah I guess."

"Oh and one more thing before I give you the next name you may have been the best in your old world, the unbeatable king or something but this is our world now kid, your kill with that guy was sloppy at best but I gave you the benefit of the doubt for your first time, leave that much evidence again and I'll kill you faster than you can blink."

The shadow disappeared and reappeared with a knife pressed against my throat, the cold blade pressed against my skin as his red eyes stared at mine with a shallow unfeeling look. This power was overwhelming. Something I'd never felt before. I was totally helpless against this man.

"Yeah I understand and I'm in."

"Good" he stepped back, the knife disappearing into his cloak. He gave me a small card with a different address. "The mayor of Triniton. You have seventy two hours. Transport has been arranged, get on the train to the city, don't buy a ticket and sit on seat 34."

The shadow disappeared into the blackness, his red eyes sinking back to the wall as the gleamed for a final time he vanished leaving me alkaline in that dark room with a card. The address was on one side and on the other was a number. '£5,000,000'

The next day I stopped by the hospital and headed for the train station. I placed my headphones over my ears and sat in the right seat. With a hiss and a splutter the train moved to a symphony of whistles and shouts. I stared out the window, my head resting on my right hand, the other stuffed into my pocket, my knife pressed against my skin, the blade was burning, not the same angry flame it had been before but a jumpy exiting flame and a nervous flame that darted up and down the blade.

I stepped off the train and into the small town of Triniton, it was covered in smoke and the streets were narrow and dotted with people all sleeping on the cold stone. I jumped up to the roof of a small building and stared across the grey city pipes waving along the dystopia until my eyes met a grand palace, a golden hall with the words town hall emblazoned on the pillars.

"Bastard!"

The spirit popped up behind me as Shaun rested his ghostly head on my shoulder.

"You know him?"

"You don't he's the sleaziest son of a gun out there. He made it so mayoral votes can only be made by landowners and bought up every house in the city so he was the only one who could vote. It's genius I'll admit but then he used all the money the town made on that golden monstrosity and bankrupted the city creating what you see here.''

I walked along the tiled houses and onto the house a street away from the town hall my blade gripped in my hand as I jumped to the roof of the giant palace, my hands slamming into the edge of the roof. I pulled my body up to the top and crawled over to a skylight that was over the bathroom. My plan was in place.

"Sam I can't believe this is all you could think of."

"Shhh it'll work, don't worry."

The door swung open as a plump man entered the polished, tiled room he sat down on the golden toilet and started t o open a newspaper when I dropped down my feet silently hitting the clean floor. He jumped up his trousers dropping to the floor with his newspaper. I ran forward and covered his mouth, bashing his head into the toilet. I cut the man's throat, wincing as the blood poured into the toilet bowl turning the water red. I waited for minutes until the man was drained, the bowl practically full of blood at this point. I flushed and pulled up his trousers trying not to throw up as I did. Then picking the heavy man up I chucked him out of the same window and followed dragging him again to the address given, I hugged the roofs and kept out of sight. I dropped down to meet the masked man again.

"Much better kid bravo. Now take the train home and the money will be waiting for you." I handed the body to the same men and walked back to the train with my knife stowed safely in my pocket.

£6,000,150