𝔸 ℂ𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝔽𝕝𝕒𝕞𝕖 (ACOTAR FANFIC)

One

THEIR SCREAMS never stop.

          Sometimes they were quiet, and others I felt as though my mind might shatter into pieces. A never ending sequence of unapologetic pain where there were no winners. No loosers even. Just a simple mindless existence.

The screams were my damnation. My punishment. Always waiting for a moment to break free from that wall I'd tried and failed to build between myself and my victims. But they were always there. Waiting for the moment I shattered completely; waiting to deliver that killing blow.

           I had never been able to tell if the screams of people I'd killed just chose to taunt my very existence, or if I was so guilt-ridden about the crimes I'd committed that I wouldn't allow myself a second of silence.

        It didn't truly matter in my reality.

         I was bound in chains, however invisible they might be. My hands were tied behind my back as someone else used me as a puppet. Controlled me as though I were a doll to be played with.

     We needed the money. We needed it more than anything and there was no limit to what I would do to get it. Maybe it was some kind of sick blessing that I'd become who I had. A dark miracle.

        The stars shone in the sky as the moon lit a path for me. The darkness between the stars casting a sweet shadow over the Mortal Lands as my swift feet led the way. A soft whisper following my every step as my boots glided against the cobblestone rooftop like a shadow. My eyes never left the man walking the lamp-lit street below me.

      Rhodney Ferris. A 5"9 man. Strawberry blonde hair and brown eyes. Favored his liquor, whiskey mostly. I'd read over his file at least a dozen times, and each and every one had made my stomach churn to the point I was nearly sick.

       I knew my victims as though they were my own kin. Their darkest secrets imprinted on my mind forever like a brand. It was the only way I kept myself in check. Knowing that the people I stole life from were not innocent. That they deserved the fate I bestowed upon them.

      Rhodney looked as though he were a dapper young man walking through the streets with a smile on his face. Likely the light of his family. But it was a mask. Hiding himself behind flashy smiles and expensive suits. How wrong they all were.

        I wouldn't underestimate him. I'd never made that mistake with anyone. Mistakes got you killed in this line of work.

    The blonde man turned a street corner, leading himself into a small alleyway littered with empty bottles and cigarette butts. It looked like a common hangout for the village riffraff, places where people came to do things they couldn't do in the light.

     A quick sweep from above told me it was vacant. No more than a second did my eyes drift away before I looked back to the man I'd been following for 7 blocks. He was one of the most wanted criminals in the land, you'd think he'd be smarter.

        My steps were silent as I sped up my pace, as though my boots were carried on the wind itself. The roofs had lowered enough that I could jump down and not be injured by the fall. I wouldn't miss the opportunity.

  Bending my knees just slightly as I kept a steady pace, I inhaled deeply, pushing away every ounce of emotion that had dug itself up from the depths of my mind as I unsheathed my dagger from my hip.

    I wasted no time as I dropped down onto the dark ground. My legs absorbing the impact. But my focus was elsewhere. Rhodney stood in front of me, his steps still leisurely, like he had all the time in the world.

          I positioned my hand on the dagger, swiftly getting within reaching distance of his back.

     I didn't hesitate as I struck.