I struggled with my tied hands as the man got closer. He was tall, brawny, and evil from the inside out. A smile spread across his face as he pulled a knife out from behind his back. With a quick chuckle he began to twirl it around. I struggled, trying to keep my face away from the spinning blade. It was so close, right up against my cheek. I began to yell for Quinn but he was unconscious beside me. I was screaming bloody murder as the blade cut into my cheek.

The shaking finally awoke me. My eyes shot open to the almost pitch black surroundings. I could see the outline of the tree branches and the faint glint of the moon through the undergrowth. It took me a moment to realize that Quinn was shaking me.

“Caprice?” He whispered into my ear. My head slowly turned to him. I was breathing hard and my eyes must have been opened really wide. Quinn stopped shaking me once I looked at him. I could just see his concerned face from the light of the moon. He looked over me for a second before speaking again.

“What the heck happened?” He asked quietly, “Your screaming woke me up and then I looked over to see you thrashing your head back and forth just screaming my name.”

“Just a bad dream, I guess,” I panted.

“About what?” He asked. I didn’t really want to explain. It was complicated. This whole thing was complicated, but I could tell that he wasn’t going to fall back asleep without knowing. I wasn’t sure if I was going to either.

“Well, there was a man that had tied us up and who was interrogating us. I was told not to say anything but he wasn’t asking me the questions. He was asking you all these questions about what I did and you had no idea. You just kept telling him that you didn’t know. Eventually he got really frustrated with you and knocked you out with the butt of his gun. Then he started to come at me with a knife that he was swinging back and forth. I was thrashing my head to try to escape it but he just kept coming. I was screaming your name but you were unconscious. You woke me up just as the knife was right up against my cheek,” I told him. He stared at me in confusion. What didn’t he get? It was just a bad dream.

“You know that that dream is right,” He said.

“How so?” I asked.

“I don’t know anything about you,” He said.

“You know enough,” I hissed.

“I only know that you did something bad and these nicely dressed men are after you,” Quinn pointed out. I nodded, “I don’t even know what you did or who they are.”

“That’s classified information,” I replied curtly, “Only my company can know of that and the people who work there.”

“But I am your partner now,” He shifted against the tree trunk we were propped up against. I thought about this for a second. No, he wasn’t officially my partner, but he has saved my butt. Without him I would have been caught by them by now and mostly likely be in death row. I guess I could call him my partner… for now.

“I guess so,” I whispered.

“So, are you going to tell me what is going on?” He asked impatiently.

“You can’t speak of it to anyone but me and swear that no matter what situation you’re in you will not spill the beans,” I copied what my boss had told me before I knew all this information. Well, not word by word but it went something like that. I am sure he used much more sophisticated phrases than ‘spill the beans’.

“I swear,” Quinn replied.

“I’ll start with what I was told to do,” I rested my head against the hard tree trunk and stared at the branches. My mind was racing, where should I start?

“My mission was simple,” I started, “I was told I had to exterminate this fellow who has been bothering our company for quite a while now.”

His name was Robert Mills, the CEO of a large company that at the time I knew nothing about. I was told that I was supposed to exterminate Mr.Mills because he had been harassing us since he started. I am not sure why my boss chose me to do this job but I was thrilled to do it. After equipping me with a jacket, a poison dart that I was supposed to use on Robert, and a knife, my boss dropped me off three blocks away from the building Robert was working in.

Assassin work has to be secretive. My motto is get it done quick and be done with it. I just needed to break into the building, find Mills, deal with him, and disappear. I couldn’t leave any hint that I was there. It had to be swift and effortless. These things ran throughout my head as I strolled down the street headed to the building. I blended in with the passing crowd fairly well. Well, it might seem that way to a normal civilian but to me I stuck out like a sore thumb. I just quickened my pace and lowered my head.

Once I reached the building I tried to make my entrance seem as innocent as I could make it. Not many people entered this building so it might seem strange for a random teenage girl to go inside. In fact, just as I placed my hands on the handle I heard a voice from behind me.

“Why are you going in there?” My heart began to race. I spun around a saw a man with a long shaggy beard and tattered clothing. He was old, about 60 or so and he was holding up a cardboard sign with some writing on it.

“Uh…” I hesitated. He began to shift back and forth of his feet.

“The people that work there are no good,” He pointed out.

“I know that!” I spat a bit too soon, “I am just supposed to find a man to give him a letter.”

“I don’t see a letter,” He sounded suspicious.

“Listen sir, I am here on orders. The letter is classified and you have no need to see it,” I finally found my confidence.

“Sorry, I didn’t know that it was that serious,” He backed up.

“Now, if you will excuse me,” I turned back around and strode into the building. After the man turned back to the street I darted out of sight behind a stair case. Carefully I found the dart in my jacket and looked it over. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to get it in his arm; I couldn’t just walk up to him and stick it in. I guess I would have to toss it at him.

Before continuing on I scanned the area for security cameras. Sure enough there were three hanging quite lowly in three corners of the lobby. I didn’t have anything to take them out with so I would have to get through them somehow. There was on directly above the staircase I was under. Thinking quick I grabbed onto the bottom of the stairs and began to climb up the stairs upside down. Once I was at the top I slipped though the gap in the stairs and laid down just below the top.

Slowly I raised my head to see above the stairs. There was nothing but a walkway with light cream colored walls and one simple framed painting on one of the walls. The walkway turned around a corner just a few feet away. I slowly got to my feet but instantly realized that I was going to make too much noise. My boots clomped on the first step I took. I grimaced and stood there for a while to be sure nothing was coming my way. Then I untied my boots a slipped them off.

Walking in my socks made a much quieter sound. I left my boots at the top of the stairs a silently sprinted to the turn. Once I was flat up against the wall I peeped around the corner. To my dismay there were two guards standing in front of a door. Before looking away I took some time to read the writing on the door. It said: TO JANITOR CLOSET, SUPPLY ROOM, AND CEO OFFICE. I had to get through that door no matter what. My eyes fled upwards where I saw a light hanging over the doorway. It was small but enough to knock out one of the guards.

I returned back to the wall and searched my jeans for the knife I was given. Once I found it I flicked it open and looked over at the guards again. It was perfect; both guards were unarmed except for their ear pieces. They wore fancy suits just like the agents that intercepted us at Quinn’s house. The light hung directly over one of the men’s heads. I waited until both of them were looking away then I raised the knife in my hand and threw it at the light.

I returned with my back against the wall right after. I heard the sound of something ripping; my knife had hit the cable holding the light up. Then I heard wail, a thump, and then the shattering of glass. The other guard began to panic. He yelled the other agent’s name, but I was too busy to listen. I tried to figure out another plan to get rid of the other guard.

“Who’s there?!” I heard the guard’s raspy voice echo through the hall, “Show yourself!” I stood completely still. The thumping of boots started to get closer and closer. I looked around but this hall was so empty. Suddenly the man was just about to turn the corner. Without thinking I stuck my foot out from behind the corner. Thankfully the man tripped over my foot and landed smack dab on his face. I jumped over him to the painting. I tugged it off the wall and spun around again.

He had just lifted his head up before I smashed the painted onto it. It went all the way though the painting, even the hard back was broken. Now that both of the guards were dealt with I could get through the door. I took a deep breath and jogged around the corner, and over the guard that had been smashed with the light.

Fortunately the door was unlocked. I pushed on the handle and the door swung open with a heavy sigh. I slipped into the new hall way silently. It was much darker in here and incomplete. Pipes and poles still stuck out of the walls. I found a small stair case in the back and climbed it swiftly. I needed to work quickly; if anyone heard the guards then I am dead meat.

Just up the stairs and to the right was a dark purple door with a single window and gold plate screwed onto it. I tip toed over to it and read what it said: CEO OFFICE. A little smirk spread across my face. Carefully I looked up into the window. Inside was a typical office, desk, chair, lamp and everything else that’s in an office. But, there was no one inside. I creased my forehead but I didn’t have to think long. Abruptly a man and a woman walked out from behind a wall.

I pulled my head down but to only lift it back up a second later. I saw the man sitting on the desk, talking to the woman. I couldn’t quite hear what they were saying through the door but it must have been important. The woman had short red hair and wore a professional looking dress. In her hand was a clipboard. I squinted my eyes to try and get a better look but she turned around and started walking towards the door.

I darted to the left of the door just as she opened it. A few last words were said then she closed the door behind her. She stood there for a moment, her back to me. It seemed like she was writing something on her clip board. Once she was done she let out a heavy sigh. My plan was set.

I stepped forward at tapped her on the shoulder. When she turned around to face me I punched her in the face. The impact surprised her and she stepped backwards, right into the stair railing. I walked towards her again. She gave me a confused look as she rubbed her chin.

“Buh Bye,” I said before pushing her right off the railing. Luckily she didn’t scream on the way down to the floor. Once I heard the smack I was listening for I returned to the door. I looked in the window once again to find that the man was gone once again. I reached for the knob and opened the door. The man must have heard the door creak open because he came speeding out from behind a wall.

“Meredith, I told you that-“ he started to say before he saw who it was. He stopped and gave me a concerned look, “Who might you be?”

“That doesn’t matter. I have something to give you,” I replied in a monotone voice. I was staring daggers into his green eyes. He was just like the company described him, tall, stocky, with a plump face and glasses.

“Well come over here then! It must be my new order form,” He chuckled and walked over to his chair behind the desk. I followed him taking a mental note, order form? I waited until he sat down comfortably in his chair.

“Well it isn’t exactly an order form,” I confessed slyly as I slid beside him.

“Oh? What is it then?” He asked.

“A message, from my company,” I replied.

“Righty, hand it over then,” He began to grow impatient.

“Hope you enjoy it,” I said then slipped the poison dart out from under my sleeve and stabbed it into Mr. Mill’s bicep. I suppose I could just walk over and stick it on him, I thought. At the impact Mr. Mills looked up at me with a face full of grief and distress. That face quickly diminished and was replaced with a face full of anger.

“You!” He stood up and loomed over me with the dart still injected into his arm. Hopefully the poison wouldn’t take long to kill him. But, he was a very large man and it would take quite a lot of poison to take him down. I dodged the first punch he threw at me.

“You come from-“ He began to say but I interrupted him. I didn’t want him to say where I was from because a security camera or voice recorder could easily pick it up and I would be exposed.

“Yes, I was sent to exterminate you,” I cut him off.

“Well, you’re going to have to do better,” He said and staggered to throw another punch at me. The poison was working. He obviously noticed and pulled the dart painfully from his arm. He looked back at me with clenched teeth. With the last of his energy he lunged at me. I just took two steps backwards and he stumbled onto his face. The poison was working quickly.

“Looks to me like that poison will do the job,” I said then turned around to leave the room.

“Curse you,” He spat at me on the way out. I closed the door behind me without any further comment, now just to get out of here. I began to jog down the stairs and into the gloomy room. Once I pushed open the doors that lead to the hall way where the unconscious guards laid.

I hopped over the first guard that was under the light and found my knife that was sitting on the floor. I snatched it up and jumped over the second guard and ran around the corner and to the stairs. My boots still stood on the edge of the first step. I leaned down and picked them up then began to run down the stairs. I didn’t care about the security camera anymore; I was most likely already recorded.

To my horror, when I made it halfway down the stair case I saw a whole army of nicely dresses men flood into the building. I started to panic and dove through the stairs. I hung onto the bottom of the stairs as the men thundered up them. Once they had disappeared I jumped down and landed on my feet on the floor below.

I raced to the front doors but skidded to an abrupt halt once I saw what was outside. More men in nice clothing were blocking the streets and the sidewalks. The citizens were scrambling about and asking them questions. I saw the old man that questioned me when I first got here. He noticed me as well and gave me an awkward look.

I started to run the opposite way, deeper into the building. I ran straight through another door without stopping to read what it said. Fortunately, there was no one in there but there was something else in there that took me completely by surprise. There were shelves, cases, and tables full of weapons. I stopped on my heels and looked over the room. There were all sorts of guns and missiles. Some I could name in a heartbeat and others I’ve never seen before.

This is why I was sent to exterminate him, I thought. His company made weapons that were a threat to the population. I took another mental note. Suddenly I remembered the clip board that the lady, Meredith, was carrying. Why didn’t I pick it up? Stupid me…

Suddenly I heard the door behind me begin to creak open. Gruff voice could be heard behind it. I dove behind a shelf just in time. Six more men entered the room. They began barking orders at each other. I crawled along the shelf to more shelves, always keeping an eye on the guards. I could see a door that hopefully led outdoors on the far side of the room. I inched towards it whenever the guards were looking away.

“She’s not here!” One of the guards shouted. The others nodded then walked back to the door they entered. I finally let out a breath when the door closed behind them. I scampered across the room and pushed open the door. It did lead outside behind the building. I slipped my boots on and began to sprint across the alley way to base.

“But when I got there they had another thing in mind for me,” I looked over at Quinn. He was listening to me intently.

“What?” He asked.

“They told me to go away, they couldn’t risk me being there. They said that the guards would follow me back. I needed to get out of there. So I ran away to the country and I found myself in your creek,” I explained.

“Why didn’t they try to help you,” He asked. I was confused. I never really thought of that, they kinda just told me to get out and disappear. Why didn’t they help me?

“I’m not sure,” I answered.