The Assassin's Tree

( 1 )

I inhaled sharply, the wind battering my back as I slunk across the rooftops. Time seemed to stand still in the hushed city, the windows were pitch black, the street lamps flickered, and nobody was in sight for miles. But I knew better than to let my guard down. Anybody could be watching, listening, waiting.

This was customary for somebody like me. For an assassin. Hunting in the dead of night, lurking in the shadows... executing common folk and billionaires alike. My target tonight was a 32-year-old man located in New York City, which was my 'home base' for work. He was a well-known drug trafficker, and my job was to take him out.

I was infamous for more than just my title. I never missed a shot. One poison arrow, and the target was guaranteed to drop in a matter of seconds. I was the best, no doubt about that. But even the most skilled slip up sometimes. That time was today.

I could see the warehouse well ahead of me, quite possibly three roads down from where I was standing. I jumped slightly as the wind suddenly kicked up, causing me to blunder forward. The wind had undeniably made my task harder than it should have been, and I was regretting waiting until the last minute.

That's when I pinpointed him, my target, a blurred shape running away from the shadowed warehouse. A light wavered on inside, then another. Soon the whole building was lit up. If I didn't move now, I knew I would miss my chance.

I made a break for the edge of the roof, taking a flying leap off and barely landing on the fire escape of the next building. It shuddered under the force of my landing, but I ignored this as I scampered up to the top of the second building.

I spotted him once more, moving towards a Mustang parked in the middle of the next street over. I could shoot from here and risk missing, (though I doubted I would), or jump the next building and guarantee eliminating him. I decided I would get in closer before acting, adjusting the metal device clamped around my lower left arm. It was loaded with a single poison arrow, all I had to do now was aim and shoot. Much better than carrying around a noisy gun. Those were a pain in the ass.

Just as I was about to take the plunge off the second building, I felt a hand clamp onto my shoulder, forcibly pulling me backwards, my shoulders smacking into a hard chest. I felt their breath near my ear, a thick arm sneaking around my waist. "Lower your weapon. I don' wanna do this the hard way, ya hear me? It'd be a shame to ruin a handsome face like yours." The accent was thick and southern. An older man's voice.

"Vous imbécile!" I spat, jerking my left elbow backwards and ramming it into his stomach as hard as I could. He gasped, loosening his grip long enough for me to haul myself away from him. I swiveled my body to face the mystery man, fists raised. His face was sunken in and dark, partially covered by the hood he wore. There was a brooch on his chest with a symbol that I recognized well. A Raven. He was taller than I, but not by much, as I barely had to look up at him. He didn't pose a severe threat, for I saw no weapon on him. Though it could be concealed. And with the Ravens, you never know.

He growled, lunging towards me again. I reacted too late, wrongly estimating how much solid surface I had behind me. My right foot slipped off the edge, and his body knocking into me was enough to send us both hurtling off the side of the building. The scream that ripped out of my throat did not sound like my own. I braced myself for impact, as my body plummeted forcefully to the ground. There was no way I could stop this, and the sooner I realized that, the better. Hopefully this would be as painless as possible.

This all passed through my mind in a span of seconds, but... the impact of the ground never came. Instead, I felt two strong arms wrapped around me, cradling my body, almost as if they were handling a child. I opened my eyes, not even aware that I had closed them. When I did this, I saw the face of a stranger peering down at me. He wore a white mask, so only half of his face was visible. I could clearly see the smirk on his face, which angered me slightly. What had he seen? More importantly, who was he?

"Ah, just the man I was looking for! Mister Salvatore... Who knew one shove off a building would send you right into my arms?" The man laughed heartily, rocking on his heels, the smirk growing wider. I wanted to wipe the smug look right off his face. "So honored to know you've heard of me. Now, if you don't mind, I have better places to be." I snapped, shoving slightly at his chest so he knew I meant business.

"Calm yourself, kid." He spoke coolly, as if we had known each other for a lifetime. In response to my shove, he gripped me tighter in his arms, pulling my face into his chest. "I'm gonna give you two options, slick... Come with me peacefully, or I'll give you five minutes to run so I can get a little more exercise in for the night. What will it be?"

I scowled, deciding straight away that I hated this man for everything he was worth. Tucking my head back, I studied what parts of his face I could see. A sharp jawline, with deep dimples that showed whenever his pale lips turned upwards. From what I could see, his eyes were a chocolate brown, but his hair was a lighter brown. It was messy, fluffy, and pulled together his appearance well. I shook my head, a harsh tone in my voice as I spoke again, "Let me down, or I swear to God you'll regret it." Something of a growl rose from my throat, as I once again knocked on his chest. He was underestimating me, and I was going to make him regret it.

"I don't think so, tiny. I gave you your options. Now you need to pick." He continued to insist this, slightly tightening his grip on me. I glowered at him, struggling ineffectively in his arms. "Give me five minutes, then. And we'll never have to see each other again." I retorted, impatiently waiting for him to do as I asked, and to my pleasure, he set me down on the cracked pavement. I immediately stood up, brushing off my black jeans. They were scuffed with gray streaks from the ground. A couple feet away, I could see the body of the man who had knocked me off the building in the first place. A shudder ran down my spine. That could've been me.

"Your five minutes start now. Go." He spoke quietly, closing his eyes and starting to count softly out loud. He sounded ridiculous. I shrugged, darting into a nearby alleyway and just running, planning it all out in my head, but my thoughts were a lot more jumbled than I would've liked. I headed East, away from home, but closer to headquarters. I wasn't sure which place was safer at this point.

1 minute down, 4 to go.

I glanced down at my arm, noticing it had begun to throb with a soft pain. I slowed down to a walk, turning my arm over. What the hell? There was a glowing red device stuck onto my skin. A tracker? "What a bitch..." I murmured, prying my fingers underneath the tracker and simply popping it off. It didn't hurt. I dropped it to the ground, pressing my heel into the device and crushing it.

2 minutes down, 3 to go.

He really thought he could get me with a tracker like that. Whoever he was, I vaguely remember seeing his face, or at least his mask, in a newspaper. For what, though? Something bad, good? I just couldn't remember. I began to jog again, wanting to put as much distance between us as possible.

3 minutes down, 2 to go.

I continued East, slowing my pace to a walk. I felt safe, from him at least. My boss, however, would be pissed for two reasons. The first being that I didn't complete my mission. The second being that I don't have what she calls a "valid reason for failure". But for now, I was safe, and that was all that mattered to me.

5 minutes down.