𝑩𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒍 //𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒚 𝑲𝒊𝒅𝒔 𝑭𝑭//

~𝟭𝟯~

I pulled my fingers through my hair, pacing the length of the living room nervously. It was midnight, but I knew I couldn't sleep. Five of the eight boys had fallen asleep already, the other three looking pretty close to it as well. I turned to a very sleepy-looking Chan.

"You guys should get to bed. I won't be falling asleep any time soon, so I'll just figure this out on my own. You guys should go."

Chan shook his head, assuring me that he could stay awake. He chased the other two boys upstairs, leaving the other five to sleep for a while. I started pacing again.

"I could always just not go. That way, he won't be able to force me to do this."

"But you're the reason for the function. You have to be there."

"Maybe I can just come for the final decision and then leave?"

"Look, I know you don't want to do this, but technically he can't force you to do anything after the final decision. Then you'll fall under the rule of our commander. If he tries anything after that, you have the full right to get him kicked off the force."

"I already have someone coming after me, I don't need another man on my tail."

"Okay, what is it that he told you to do exactly?"

"He said that I had to wait at the door at a certain time. He would give me a gun that I had to strap to my thigh. Then about an hour later, he would come to me with a picture of the target. I was instructed to kill the guy and escape out the bathroom window."

"But that doesn't make sense. For one, strapping a gun to your thigh underneath a dress is hardly practical. And secondly, the function is on the fifteenth floor. You'll have a hard time escaping out the bathroom window."

"Why would he give me the mission if he knew it wouldn't work? Unless..."

I ran up to my room, careful not to wake the sleeping boys. I rummaged through my drawers. Finally, I found the file I was looking for. After I left for my probationary period, I thought it would be a good idea to keep all my previous documents from the firm, in case someone tried to steal them. I paged through the papers until I got to the original contract I signed with my firm, my eyes scanning over the letters. I turned back to the door as I read. When my brain had a chance to process what I had just read, my hands went numb, the papers tumbling out of my fingers and onto the ground, scattering over the carpet. I grabbed the edge of the chest of drawers I had just grabbed the file out of, trying to steady my legs. I looked up at the doorway, where Chan stood with worry in his eyes.

"I never read the terms of the contract," I started explaining. "My father got me the job, I just had to go in and sign the documents. He said that he had read the terms beforehand..."

When I didn't finish, Chan came closer, taking me over to my bed and making me sit. He patiently waited as I gathered my racing thoughts.

"The contract... If I do anything that my commander doesn't agree to... He has full permission to stage a mission to get me killed... He wants me dead."

I felt him get up off the bed and heard the rustling of papers. He was probably looking for the contract. I just couldn't bear to watch. I heard him stand again and it went silent, as if he was reading. Then he came over to me again.

"This contract isn't valid. He didn't sign it. You could get him arrested for attempted murder."

"But I don't have proof besides that document. How can I get him arrested if I don't have anything to prove my case?"

There was a silence. We both knew what had to happen. Neither of us wanted to say it aloud. I took in a shaky breath.

"I'll-"