“Helene told me you are on an undercover mission near here?” the kid asked excitedly.
“Yes.”
“That’s so cool. I want to do undercover missions too.”
Ilana held back a scoff, letting the moment pass without commenting on it.
“So, where are you stationed for this undercover mission? I know it's pretty far away from Knoxville.”
Knoxville was the small town where Helene had built their supposed headquarters. That's where Ilana had spent most of her childhood, either with Vincent perfecting her throws or with Nancy learning sleight of hand or with Lily learning history and art and geography.
“It is far,” she answered vaguely. “What are you doing all the way here anyway, kid?”
“Oh, I'm with Vincent. He said he had business here and Helene insisted for him to take me. And then this mission came…”
“Vincent is here? In West Creek?”
“Err… no. Not in West Creek. We're in the city. We’re in Nashville.”
Ilana frowned. She was also in Nashville for the mission.
“What's he doing in Nashville?” she asked.
Vincent knew she had moved to Nashville for the mission. He could have at least informed her he was coming.
“I don't know. He didn't tell anyone. I think Helene mostly sent me to keep an eye on him.”
“Keep an eye on Vincent?” She snorted. “Kiddo, Vincent is a thousand times better at this than the whole of the Helene's brood combined. You can't keep an eye on him.”
“Yes, well, I haven't been. He's home all the time.”
Ilana's frown deepened. Vincent wanted this boy to think he was doing nothing interesting but of course that wasn't the case.
If Vincent was in Nashville, he definitely wasn't there for pleasure. It must be something important. Important enough that Helene wanted to find out about it as well. Important enough for Vincent to hide it from her.
“How long has he been there?”
“One week.”
What were they playing at?
“How long do we have to walk now?” he asked, glancing fearfully towards the stretch of woods towards their left.
“We’ll get there when we get there. You should learn to tolerate long walks. People won’t be driving you around when you’re on missions.”
He huffed out a breath but didn’t say anything.
A wind blew, ruffling the bushes and disturbing the leaves on the ancient trees. The kid shivered, scooting closer to Ilana.
“It’s just the wind,” Ilana said, rolling her eyes.
“It could be a lot more than that.”
Ilana stared at him with a raised eyebrow.
“You don’t know the stories about Adams?” he asked.
“No. I don’t waste my time with stories.”
“Well, this one has a lot of truth to it. The local people have confirmed it. Why do you think it’s so quiet here?”
“Because it’s one in the morning,” Ilana said but her interest was piqued.
“That’s a bar there,” he said, pointing to a shabby looking place. “Look, it’s bolted shut.”
“I noticed,” she said. It wasn’t just bars and restaurants. The residential area was tightly locked as well with curtains covering every window or looking glass.
“Well, there’s a myth. The beast of Adams. Once the clock hits midnight, the town becomes his. He strolls the street and he steals and kills anyone that comes in his way. Kids and women and elderly. No one remains safe if they don’t barricade themselves in their homes. They say he has red, glowing eyes and he’s as tall as a giant.”
Ilana had heard whispers but she had never paid attention. Now, she pulled out her knife.
“Why the knife? You believe in the myth?” the kid asked with wide eyes.
“Weren’t you the one who was scared of the beast just now?” she asked, walking with extra caution now.
“Because I believe in the story. I didn’t think you would. Oh god, it’s so much worse if you believe in this. We’re doomed now.”
“Relax, kid. No beast is going to come attack you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Then why did you pull out your knife?”
“You should always be alert when you’re on a mission.”
She sighed. Her legs were starting to ache and she was itching for some action.
“There's no beast worse than us humans,” she replied as one of the flickering lights gave up and stopped altogether.
“So, you're saying it's just some human who’s roaming these streets and spreading fear?”
“There's always some truth to myths like these.”
“You think we'll be attacked?”
“By a beast as tall as a giant and red glowing eyes? No. By some psychopath running around the streets? Maybe.”
“So, is a psychopath more dangerous or less?”
“God, kid, do you ever stop talking?” She asked, taking an exasperated breath.
He looked at her with wide eyes, as if only just remembering who he was with.
“I'm sorry. I'll shut up now.”
“We're here,” she said, stopping in front of a quaint little house.
It was a double storey building with a small front porch and a gabled roof.
He breathed softly, staring at the house with a pale face.
“How do we enter, kid?” she asked, approaching the door.
“Err… spare key. If not, we pick the lock.”
“Good. Find the spare key.”
While the kid upturned rocks and doormats and felt around overhead in the rain gutter, Ilana had pulled out her lockpicks and was clicking away at the mechanics of the lock.
“There's no spare key,” he said a minute later, walking back towards her.
The lock gave way beneath her fingers.
“Of course, there isn't. These people are superstitious and terrified. They aren't going to leave house keys laying around.”
She turned the doorknob but the door didn't open. She wasn't surprised.
“The door's bolted shut?” He asked.
“Yep. Just like every other building here,” she said, walking towards the side of the house.
“So what now?” he asked and Ilana tried the window that opened into the living room. She was sure it wouldn’t give out but she tried anyway.
“You tell me.”
“Err.. windows?”
“Yes but windows are locked from the inside too. What next?”
“I have no idea,” he said, looking around as if some genius idea might struck him from that direction.
“Stay here. I’ll unlock the door for you and then you’ll hide, okay?”
He nodded, a crease between his eyes. “How will you unlock the door?”
They were at the back of the house now and Ilana pointed to another window on the upper floor.
“That way.”
“You don’t have a grappling hook. How will you climb?”
“I don’t need a grappling hook,” she said, pulling another knife out of her waist band. “Go wait near the front door and stay in the shadows.
for her. The words were a sham but they bought comfort. A candle in the dark.A candle with flickering, dying flames but a candle nonetheless. She sought the warmth from it greedily every single time. The flames had grown weaker and weaker with every life taken and she wasn’t sure how much she could give before the candle went out entirely. Until she was left in the dark with nothing to hold onto.She wasn’t sure what would happen when the flame did die. Maybe she would drown in that bleakness. Maybe that’ll be the end of Ilana Meyers.But she stroked the flame now, giving it air to breathe. She needed it to stay strong for a little longer. Ilana wasn’t done right now. She wanted her revenge. Once that was done, she would gladly allow the flame to go out.The darkness would be a welcome respite then. But she had to fight until she had her vengeance.She took in a sharp breath and looked around the room. It was messy enough to depict a crime scene but not enough to give any clues.The
Ilana felt around the wall for a soft edge before she pushed her knife in. She pulled herself up, hooking her left leg on the pipe clip attached to the drainage pipe that ran along the back wall.Once you built the momentum, climbing wasn’t hard. Just one foot after the other. It took a lot of strength but in the end, it was just like walking. Ilana pulled the dagger free and then hooked it into the next purchase she found. She pulled herself up, using the pipe clips to give her some sort of support.She wasn’t even out of breath by the time she reached the window but her palms were red and aching slightly. She put her body weight forward, leaning against the wall as she pulled the lockpicks from her pocket.Lockpicking needed both her hands. She pulled in a breath and tried to stay as still as possible, her chest pressed against the wall. She played with the lock, her fingers working delicately. The lock gave away and she hefted the small window in, pulling herself over the ledge an
“Helene told me you are on an undercover mission near here?” the kid asked excitedly.“Yes.”“That’s so cool. I want to do undercover missions too.”Ilana held back a scoff, letting the moment pass without commenting on it.“So, where are you stationed for this undercover mission? I know it's pretty far away from Knoxville.”Knoxville was the small town where Helene had built their supposed headquarters. That's where Ilana had spent most of her childhood, either with Vincent perfecting her throws or with Nancy learning sleight of hand or with Lily learning history and art and geography.“It is far,” she answered vaguely. “What are you doing all the way here anyway, kid?”“Oh, I'm with Vincent. He said he had business here and Helene insisted for him to take me. And then this mission came…”“Vincent is here? In West Creek?” “Err… no. Not in West Creek. We're in the city. We’re in Nashville.”Ilana frowned. She was also in Nashville for the mission.“What's he doing in Nashville?” she
Ilana got out of her car at least twelve blocks away from the apartment she was supposed to go to and began her walk along the dark street.She usually never drove to her missions. Cars were too risky and the chance of getting caught doubled whenever a car was involved. But today, she felt lazy and a little too confident. She’d been doing this for fifteen years now. She had earned the right for a little rest.The silence around her was thick, pressing onto her ears and she looked around, trying to spot the cause but she saw nothing. Extreme silence had never meant good.There was not a single soul roaming the street. It was only 1 in the morning but there was always someone. A drunk stumbling out of a pub or the whining of a child from an open window.West creek was devoid of life. Ilana bit the inside of her cheek, feeling the familiar rush of excitement wash through her. A fight was coming and she was so ready for it.She mentally counted through her daggers. Two in each arm band ar
Ilana felt unreal, an entity weaved with threads of hopelessness and regret as she walked through the halls of the twentieth floor.She wasn't sure where she was going but she knew she was supposed to meet Calix Meyer. Make him aware of her presence.Her secret was out and now it was time to exploit it.And she would do it without complaints because Helene had said it was important. She had repeated the interaction in her head so many times, the words had stopped making sense. Like whatever happened wasn't real. Just like Ilana herself was not real anymore.It was important. Calix was important to the plan, the mission. He was just a means to an end. Nothing more. Helene had said it was important.Ilana didn't have to pretend when she slammed into someone. At least that had been real.“I'm sorry. I wasn't looking,” she said, keeping her eyes on the ground as she bent down to pick up the papers that had fallen loose from the folder in her hands.She didn't want Calix to see her yet. S
Ilana slurped the greasy, most incredible tasting chowmein, an episode of criminal minds playing on the tv screen in front of her.She pulled the comforter around her - the fifth time in the last half hour - making sure it was tucked securely underneath her legs.Winter was barely there and Ilana was already a shivering, trembling mess.She grabbed the uncorked wine bottle from the table in front of her, taking a long swig. She sighed contentedly, the warmth from the wine and blanket seeping into her bones, even if it was only temporary.Ilana glanced at the clock. It was one hour till midnight.Her untimely cravings were to be the death of her. Now the show was on and there was food to be eaten and that meant one or two hours down the drain.Well, that was life, she thought with a mental shrug, leaning back into the couch.The episode ended and she grabbed the remote, skipping through the ending credits and onto the next episode but a voice made her stop.It was a door slamming shut.