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 whole interaction barely lasted a few minutes but she could feel the house stirring around her. She pulled her mask up and stepped out the door.
The hallway was too dark for it to be natural. She was good but even she could not fight blind. She felt for the wall and walked towards the stairs but a voice made her stop.
She held her breath and listened. It sounded like footsteps. And they were right behind her.
She whirled around and attacked blindly, missing the target. She blinked, adjusting her eyes to the darkness.
She heard the attack but she was too disoriented to react and she fell on her back, a pain blooming across her chest.
He pointed a gun at her head and she rolled around at the last second, the sound echoing against the walls.
She stood up and attacked. He defended, his arms moving rhythmically against every attack, like he could predict her moves.
He grabbed an end of her scarf - which was now wound around her neck instead of her head - and pulled tightly, choking her.
She gasped, whirling around so the scarf unwounded and she grabbed onto the other end.
She yanked harshly on her end and he stumbled forward, just within her reach. She slashed his arm. He hissed, letting the scarf go and it fell to the ground.
He fired and the bullet brushed past the shell of her ear. She gritted her teeth and attacked but he was good at this game.
Ilana slashed at the already injured hand once again and he groaned, the blood dripping down on the floor.
Someone shot from behind her and it hit her on the shoulder. She bit hard on the inside of her cheek and whirled around, throwing the knife. It hit him in the stomach and he fell down, whimpering.
The one she had been previously fighting, the one with the bloodied arm, grabbed her around the waist and held the gun to her head.
“Drop your knife, little lady,” he said, a slight hitch in his breath.
Ilana almost smirked. She let go of the knife and it clattered to the floor.
“You're surrounded by cowards,” she said, seeing the guy she'd stabbed in the stomach whimpering on the ground pathetically.
Her captor sighed. “I know. Now, tell me who sent you.”
“It has been fun but it's time for me to leave,” she replied instead and before he could respond, she brought her elbow back and hit him in the crotch.
He let her go, his hands on his knees as he doubled over with pain. She pulled the dagger in her sleeve and drove it through his heart.
Great men often fell by the most common of tricks.
She grabbed her scarf from the ground and wrapped it around her neck once again.
She put the other one out of his misery and then ran down the stairs. She had been here for barely half an hour but neighbors would have heard the commotion by now.
The police would surround the place in a matter of moments.
Maybe their superstition would buy her a few extra seconds byt Ilana always prepared for the worst scenarios.
“Kid?” She called and he came out from behind the couch, right where she'd left him.
“It's done?” He asked, looking pale and ghostly.
“Yes. Let's go.”
They left through the front door and circled to the back of the house before disappearing in the forests.
“I didn't get to see any action,” he said.
“You heard it and the way you're looking, I'd say that was enough for you.”
He turned red but didn't reply. They walked further into the woods until the vegetation was thick, even moonlight was unable to filter in.
“Where am I supposed to drop you off?” She asked, her fist around the collar of his shirt as to not lose him in the darkness.
“Vincent said he'll pick me.”
“He's picking me too, then,” she said, telling him to call Vincent.
She removed her scarf and pressed it onto her bleeding shoulder.
She tried to tie a knot but lifting the injured hand proved difficult and she winched.
“Let me help you,” the boy offered but Ilana shrugged him away.
She'd done this a thousand times before. She didn't need help.
She finally managed to get the knot tight enough to subdue the bleeding, feeling s little light headed now.
They continued to walk in the darkness until the boy announced Vincent's arrival.
Ilana felt whosy and the kid noticed that, leading the way and holding onto Ilana.
She tripped over roots and rocks and the branches scratched her face but the kid somehow managed to bring her out of the forest.
Vincent ran towards them, supporting Ilana's weight as he took her towards the car.
“Where's your supply bag?” He asked, strapping her onto the backseat.
“Didn't bring it,” she replied, still a little mad at him for not telling her he was in the city.
“And what part of your stupid brain made you do that?”
She shrugged even though he couldn't see her.
“Guess I was feeling a little extra suicidal today,” she managed to force the words out before she fainted.
Ilana stared at the messenger for a lot longer than was acceptable.“Miss?” She blinked, her mind drifting back to the present.“Sorry. I… I completely zoned out. What were you saying?”He looked offended but quickly shrugged it off.“Mr. Meyer has asked for you.”“Mr. Adam?” she asked even though she already knew the answer, biting on her lower lip to stop the smile from spreading.“Mr. Calix Meyer.”She wondered why she wasn;t paying attention the first time. This was the kind of thing she’d been waiting for.She nodded, getting up from her desk and following the messenger towards Calix’s office.He dropped her off at the door before disappearing into the crowd. She pulled in a breath and knocked. She had to be careful of her words in front of Calix. The sooner the job got done, the better.She wasn't here to enjoy his company.“Come in,” his gruff voice replied.She walked in and he looked up, that breathtaking smile on his face. She felt her heartbeat pick up the pace. “You call
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