Memoirs of an Assassin #2 – Score a Point for Dear Old Dad

Last week I posted my submission for Fiction Friday, created by Write AnythingOpens in a new tab., to follow a prompt of a knock at the door. The piece turned into the tale of an assassin on his first assignment from a new employer. I enjoyed writing it and thought forward as to how it could be expanded in the future. That expansion is what I have below and continues the story. If you would like to read the first part of this serial, please see The First of Many.


Memoirs of an Assassin

Score A Point For Dear Old Dad”

In my line of work, some describe murder as a form of art. There are many ways to end a life but a true professional can work magic on his victims. Some die slowly in agonizing pain while others have their last breath snatched away before their bodies fall to the ground.

I think the people that describe our work in that manner are too involved. When any sort of bond is created between victim and assassin, a line is crossed. The slightest hesitation can be the difference between a clean kill and one that will haunt your dreams.

Some men spend their lives scraping their knuckles under the hood of a car. I spend my own by stilling the hearts of men and woman that my employer deems unworthy of life. In the early days of my career, keeping a separation between myself and my victim was simple. It is difficult to create a bond from a distance while staring down the scope of a rifle. A sudden change in life placed me under the scrutiny of a new employer, one that preferred the up close and personal approach to killing.

My first job was deemed a success but came with a rebuke. The objective was to kill a single game piece, not kill one and maim another. In my haste to exit the building, I failed to notice thin trickle of blood running down the left ear of my witness. I took my shot too close and now Jillian would spend the rest of her days deaf in one ear.

Six weeks passed before I was called upon for my second assignment. It was made clear to me that if any mistakes were made this time then I would be the next game piece requiring action. It was the first time in my adult life that I can recall fearing death. I did not want to become a part of the twisted game. Playing the part of enforcer was just fine by me.

**********

“Ah, Mr. Peters, you are awake. My apologies for the rap on the head, I didn’t intend for you to be out so long”. Truth be told, bludgeoning my target on the back of the head was one of my favorite aspects of the job. Somehow apologizing for how hard I had struck them comforted them, so I thought to make a habit of it.

His eyes bulged at the realization of the situation. His cries for help were muffled by the thick burlap gag stuffed into his mouth. “I’ll be blunt Mr. Peters, I don’t have a lot of time and I just hate being interrupted when I speak. The situation is simple, you have entered into a game that holds your life in the balance. My employer has informed me that you are terribly behind on your child support payments. We seek to resolve that situation.”

“Please, shake your head if you understand.” He shook his head wildly, indicating that he did not understand. With each thrash of his head a droplet of saliva was flung from the saturated burlap gag. “Sir, are you telling me that you are unaware of your child support payments?’

Tears welled up in his eyes and in an instant I saw his spirit break. His tightly bound wrists slacked, his shoulders slumped, and he slowly shook his head . “Fine then, if you are aware of your payments then you are aware that the lack of those payments has become a problem.”

“The rules of the game are very simple. You and I will sit here and listen to the radio. Your son’s basketball game will be broadcast on the local am station. Since you have a fondness for heroin, you will be rewarded for each point he scores for his team. Fortunate for the both of us, your skipping his game this evening has allowed us to play one of our own. Had you attended, my employers other suggestion would have been much messier.”

“With each point scored you will receive a fifty-milligram injection. If the game ends and you live, your debt will be considered fulfilled and you can go back to your life as if I never set foot in it. If you die of an overdose, your being bound will clearly not appear as an accident and your son will receive your life insurance. Now that the rules have been announced, lets listen to the game. Would you mind if I helped myself to a beer from the fridge? Sports always put me in the mood for a frosty brew.”

In all my years as an assassin, killing never felt so dirty. Heating the poison over a kitchen spoon and injecting it into a human body was deeply disturbing. More disturbing was watching the man spasm and spew froth from his eyes, nose, and mouth. In fear of angering my employer, I continued to inject the man with the drug long after he was dead. The boy, he was playing the game of his life. If I hadn’t of known better I would have suspected him of playing his heart out to get back at dear old dad for all the wrongs he had committed in his life.

Walt

Hi There, My name is Walt White and as the name of this blog suggests, I am a Pennsylvania resident. In addition to having numerous hobbies that I discuss on my blog - I’m also the father of three little girls and a pitbull.

5 thoughts on “Memoirs of an Assassin #2 – Score a Point for Dear Old Dad

  1. You are getting too good at this. Are you living a double life? This could really be a great novel. Keep writing and keep me informed. I want to read the next chapter.

    1. Terry,
      I must admit, this is inspired by Robin Hobb. If you aren’t familiar with her, she is an Epic Fantasy author with six books (two trilogies) that are presented as a memoir, of sorts, for a royal bastard (in the literal sense) which is trained to be an assassin.

      I’m very fond of her writing and love the first person perspective. I suppose because I enjoy reading it so much, writing it is easier for me. It presents its own set of challenges but it is easier for me to run through some inner dialog and then pour it onto the page.

      The assassin in her novels and in my short story was coincidental. When I saw the prompt for Fiction Friday I wanted to do something dark and it sculpted itself into a murder story.

      I’m glad you enjoy it. Coming up with ways to kill people off is harder than it seems. I’m still trying to come up with a method for the next installment.

      Thanks for the comment

  2. The assassin’s mind is an interesting place to explore. There seems to be such a quandary between the ethics of the job and the humanity of the killer. You have created an interesting character who seems self assured of his occupation, but has a flaw yet to be openly revealed. The two episodes have been focused on the ethical dilemmas of the victim, but you can see the impact it is having already on the protagonist. I would like to see more.

  3. Wow, this is good. I think you’ve really found your forte. Personally I think your writing in 1st person is much stronger than in 3rd person – but then I’m a big fan of 1st person. It does worry me how well you get into the head of this guy. You HAVE to carry on with this series – or turn it into a novel.
    I’m not a Epic Fantasy person, but I may well check out Robin Hobb if that’s where you’re getting your inspiration from.

    1. NewToWritingGirl,
      While you may not get wrapped up in the story itself, I think you will enjoy the way Robin Hobb writes her characters. Its amazing how much emotion she pours into Fitz (the protagonist). There is also a love interest in the novel that carries throughout the series. Having read your creative writing, I think you might enjoy the story that Hobb creates in the Farseer Trilogy.

      The first novel is entitles Assassin’s Apprentice and runs 435 pages, so it isn’t too long. If you decide to give it a try, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.

      http://www.waltinpa.com/2010/03/03/book-review-farseer-%E2%80%93-assassins-apprentice/

      I really enjoyed writing this piece and can;t wait to get back into it. Since my daughter was born, finding free time to write has been a little tough. I’ve got some of the third installment written and I have a basic plot to follow. With any luck I’ll be able to wrap it up and post it sometime next week.

      Thanks for the comment.

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