The Order

07

I nodded to Jayce as he eyed a guard turning the corner. He twirled a knife in his hand before quickly standing up and cocking his arm back. I watched as Jayce quickly stabbed the guard in the side of the neck while covering the man's mouth with his hand. Jayce quickly pulled the body out of the hallway before letting it collapse next to him behind the wall.

He gave us a playful wink before crouching down and quietly walking down the hallway while I pressed the button for the elevator. Almost immediately, the sleek metal doors slid open, revealing a guard dressed in a black suit. He quickly raised his guns, but before he could even make a sound, I quickly ducked while grabbing the knife strapped to my upper thigh. I quickly stepped behind him before reaching up and slitting his throat.

Red and Gio walked into the elevator as his lifeless body fell to the floor. I stepped over the body and clicked the button for the second floor, third, and fourth floor. The soft sound of jazz filled the air as we stood there in silence. Red began swaying, dancing playfully to the elevator music as the elevator came to a stop on the second floor, and we waited in awkward silence as the elevator settled.

The doors opened, and two guards walking next to the elevator immediately stopped and reached for their weapons. Red moved like a blur, and quickly stepped forward before throwing a roundhouse kick at one of the guards, knocking his gun out of his hand. She then quickly rotated her hips and turned to face the woman behind her. She then quickly grabbed the woman's hand before throwing a punch at her stomach, making her drop the gun. She crossed her hands, reaching for her knives before spinning as she extended her arms out. The blades in her hands slit both guard's throats simultaneously before she faced Gio and I.

Red's face was sprinkled with blood as she gave us a wide, crazed looking smile. She gave us a small wave, and giggled as she turned around and began walking down the corridor. I watched as she approached a guard down the hallway who had his back turned to her. As the door began to close, I watched how Red kicked the back on his knee, causing it to buckle before she lifted her hand and continuously stabbed the man in the neck until the doors closed. It was extreme overkill, and I could tell instantly that Red wasn't stable.

I have to keep my eye on that one.

I looked over at Gio before giving him a nod as the elevator stopped. He looked at me for a moment with an emotionless expression before looking at the sleek doors. His hands were already placed on his knife as the doors opened, and in the blink of an eye he immediately grabbed the guard in front of the door by the hair. He quickly stabbed his blade into the man's windpipe before looking over his shoulder at me. I couldn't tell why he looked back, nor could I read his expressionless face. Maybe he was reassuring me about the mission, just as the others did before him. Or maybe he was watching his own back, making sure I wasn't going to attack him while his back was turned to me. The man's body fell to the floor as the doors began closing once more, and I continued to make eye contact with Gio until the doors slid shut, I was left alone in the elevator.

I grabbed the knives strapped to my thighs, twirling them in my hand as I prepared myself as the elevator slowed down to a stop. My hands clenched around the handle of my blades in anticipation and my body tensed as the sleek doors slid open.

I was expecting a guard or two waiting for me, for a patrol of men and women to be walking the open floor plan, just as they were on the previous floors. I was expecting guns aimed directly at me, a small unit of men and women ready to end my life, but instead all I saw were... bodies.

I stepped over the corpse that was in front of the elevator door, looking down for a moment to examine what happened. His throat was slit, and judging by the full clip in his gun, he didn't even get the chance to defend himself. I cautiously knelt down and touched his cheek with the back of my palm, his skin and blood were still warm, and the wound was fresh.