The last thing I had seen were they, leaving me. I sworn right then, with all the will power that I had left that I would destroy they who did this. Torn apart, the sound of police sirens filled the air. With whatever strength I had left I picked up their bodies and left there. I ran and ran until my legs finally gave out. The impact filling my mouth with dirt and scraping my skin. I lay there, unable to move and just thought of what it was I would do with their bodies. Maybe I should just burn them, or sink them into the ocean, I thought. What respect would have come from that?
Run, just keep running. Just get up, and RUN! I thought. That was all that I could think. Nothing else would pass through out my thoughts other than just to get away from it all. But I knew that at some point, I would have to return to my home. More rather, what was left of my home. Without my family, that "home" was now just an empty house. All of sudden, everything went white again, then black. I felt nothing, not even my heart beating.

I woke up from what seemed like hours inside a room that was completely unfamiliar to me. The meeting of a strange owner seemed almost inevitable, but if I was lucky, it could be avoided.
I began to move my body, that ached with every move of a limb. My shirt was off, and and Ace Band Air wrap was around my mid section. Allowing only a light shade of red to be seen, what seemed a lot like blood.
The room I was in looked more like a study then a recovery room. Three bookshelves lined the right wall, and a table with open books laid about and a chair on the opposite side, and an open door beckoned me closer. The flood creaked as I set my feet down and began to stand up. The pain from my wound began to emerge through out my torso. "S***!" I exclaimed, in pain, through my teeth. I blocked out the rest of the pain that came with each step I took.
I finally reached the door. An elderly man sitting in a recliner that faced a large stained glass window. He looked to be about fifty or fifty five. His head was amerced with long white and gray hair that extended down back. His skin was a dark brown, making it hard to recognize his background. He sat with a black book in his hands.
"Uh, excuse me." I said warily.
"Oh, you're finally up." he said closing his book and getting up to greet me. "My name is Antonio Manishawa. I found you lying about near my land, so I put you and the others on my wagon and brought you back to my bureau."
"Bodies?" I exclaimed, "What did you do with them? That's my family!" I came closer to him, demanding answers.
"They are out back, still on the wagon. I knew they were dead, and you were the last living. I wanted to wait till you woke before I did anything with them. I'm sorry for your loss." He placed his hand on my shoulder in empathy.
"Thank you. Will you help me burn them and assure that they may rest peacefully?"
"Yes. It is the least that I can do."
We walked out back, and there was the old rigid wagon. Mainly constructed of wood, and barley any piece of metal used. In the back lay Liana and Dakota still bloody.
"Do you have anything to burn?"
"I have straw that we can place them on. But no stand so that the ashes may fall."
"It's fine. I know that they will be with me anyway." I said with a look of sorrow and anger. Still with the thought of them who did this.

We burned the bodies and watched the smoke to see if we seen any sign of their spirit. This old man, Antonio, seemed to be very in touch with the nature of spirits and the afterlife.
"Antonio, what is your background?" I asked, still watching the smoke.

"I am native to this land, so to speak. My blood line is mainly Native American. That is why I have so many books and little technology. I prefer to keep things simple. But it is only when I speak to a foe, do I confuse them."
I got up and let out a sigh of pain and relief. "You said that this was a bureau. A bureau for what, exactly?"
He gave me a look of anger, and shock. "Assassination." he said, getting to his feet. "This is one of many bureaus that hold organization to assassins that keep this world in its order."
"Can you train me to be an assassin?" I said.
Antonio looked at me in curiosity and hesitated. "Do you have time to spare?"
"I have all the time in the world."
"What's the cause that wants you to train? I only train men who have good standards."

"I'm going to kill the men who took my life away from me, and forced me to start a new one."
"That's good enough." he said with a laugh. "We have many assassins who have been through what you have. You should be able to fit in well in our organization. But just remember this: we are not murderers. We are Assassins." He looked deeply into my eyes, then started to walk inside the bureau. "Your training begins at seven. Be ready."
I followed him back inside, and was given the room I woke in as my own room to stay. I climbed up onto the cot that began to creek as I lay back down. The only thoughts that ran through my mind where what training I might undergo and how harsh it might get.
I was finally able to be fall asleep after having so many thoughts inside my head; I began to dream of tomorrow.

I dreamed. I wondered off into my wishes, my hopes.
There they were. With me, we were as if nothing had happened. We were still living out a life of happiness. It felt so real. I could feel the warmth of Liana's flesh, the silkiness of her hair, and the love that she always had for me. I could hear Dakota's laughter, see his smile, and hold him as I always have before. That all ended once I woke.

"Get up." Antonio said pushing me on the cot. "It's time to start your training."

"Alright, alright. I'm up." I pushed myself to an upright position, and began to wake myself up from the deep sleep I was in. I followed Antonio to the rest room where he gave me a bucket of water, wash cloth, and hair tie.

"Wash your face with these, then tie up your hair so it's not in your face. When you're done, pour the water into the sink, and then place the bucket and cloth underneath," Antonio instructed, "this is what you'll do every morning, for the duration of your training."

I did just as he told me. I washed, tied my hair, emptied the water, and put up the bucket. I met with Antonio outside. There he had the old wooden cart straddled to a horse. "Get in. We're going to town for a few. I've some supplies needed to be picked up."

"Supplies?" I asked.

"Yes. You thought I was awaiting you're arrival, and had all things necessary for your training?"
"No, sir." I said, now using more manors then what I had been the day before.
I got into the cart that let out a catastrophic creek, almost as if it was going to collapse on the spot. Antonio didn't seem to mind it. Supposedly he knew that it was going to last. Antonio got up onto the horse and exclaimed, "Ya!". We started moving.

"Mind telling me what exactly it is where getting?" I asked.

"We are going to fetch some rope, more straw, a few side arms, and your introduction to the bureau." replied Antonio.

It wasn't long until we reached town. An old timey town, where the streets were laid out by bricks, the buildings reached only two stories high, and everyone knew one-another. The folk dressed in a relatively modern attire, spoke in an accent more North-Eastern during the time of the Revolutionary War. Such a beautiful sight it was. Signs above stores were old and rotten, but still readable. One store in particular caught my eye. An old general store. "Is that where we're going?" I asked. Antonio hummed his answer back to me as he hopped off the horse.

We walked only half way up to the store until Antonio had us stop. "Here, this is the list of supplies that we need. Go in there and give this to the clerk. Tell them where our cart is and they'll bring it right out." I took the small leathery list from him. "Oh, you'll also need some of this, of course." He pulled out a medium sized, red bag full of coins. "This town has yet to upgrade to paper dollars, unlike other cities around the area. The mayor likes to keep things... Old Timey, as you can see." He said with a laugh. He handed me the cash and gave my back a slight push to get me moving.

I opened the door to the general store and the smell of old pine filled my head, as such a miraculous smell would only do. As I look around I see two men playing chess on a small table, with money placed on the side.

"Can I help ye lad?" said a man behind a counter, where a register and rather large book sit. He wore a blue shirt that was slightly torn at the color, and had a short red beard.

"Uh..." I hesitated, "I need the items on this list delivered to my cart, just outside." I handed him the list. He looked at it for a second and asked if I would be paying in coin or trade. i handed him the bag of coins and he counted out the amount needed to pay for the supplies; he put the rest back into the bag and gave it to me.

"Your things will be out in a few moments." he said handing the list to a younger man that ran off into the back. "Is there anything else I could help ye with? Directions? Bidding's? Anything at all."

"No, thank you." I said, and then left.

As I stepped outside, I seen a woman struggling to keep her purse from a thief who was urging her to let go. I quickly turned to Antonio who nodded his head for me to stop the thief. Managing to free the woman's grip, the thief made way with what goods linger inside. I quickly ran up to him and tackled the thief to the ground. He began to reach for a knife that was strapped to his belt, and before he could, an officer pushed me off of him and placed a gun to his head.

"I'll be having that knife now, boy-o." said the officer as he took the knife and stood the thief up. "I'll also be needing you to put your hands behind your back, and come along with me."
As the officer took the thief away, I picked up the woman's purse and brushed the dirt off of it. "Here," I said, "Sorry, it got kind of dirty."

"It's nothing you need worry of. Thank you. It was bold of you to step up and do what was right. My name's Dianna." She said extending her hand out to shake.

"Connor." I said accepting her gesture. "Pleasure."

"Well... Connor, if you would like for us to meet sometime, here's my number." She wrote down her telephone number on the back of a small business card.

"Thank you, I just might have to take you up on that offer." I said with a smile. She giggled and smiled back, then walked on passed me.

I walked back to Antonio, who looked no little less then displeased. "You know that with what you are to become, you can not endanger the lives of others in such a manor."

"I know, but what was I supposed to do? Turn her down?"

"Yes!" He exclaimed then sighed, "Let's go now, the supplies are in the cart, and we best get moving." he said hopping back on the horse. I hopped into the back of the cart holding the supplies in place so they don't move about too much.

Before long we reached the bureau, "I want you to gather the supplies and bring them around back to the old shed. I'll be waiting for you there."

"So you're not going to help?!"

"Does it look like I can?"

I neglected answering him, and began to gather up the supplies. One by one, sometimes two at a time, I brought every last bit of tool that was on the list to the shed. An old rigid wood made building, about two stories high, twelve feet wide.

"Good," said Antonio. He turned and opened the door to the shed and inside I seen a rather large ring of bricks dipped into the ground, and in the center was a straw dummy.

"Let's start with the rope dart. It's a weapon originated by the Chinese. It's useful in many situations - mostly to hang or pull someone, or something close to you. Just swing and let go." Explained Antonio.

"I see, but.... Where is it?" I said looking around aimlessly.

"You have to make it. You think that they sell such a thing in your common store?"

"Well, I suppose not. I take it you're going to show me how to make one?"

"No." Antonio replied bluntly.

"No? What do you mean 'no'?"

"All the knowledge that you'll gain from here-on-out, beside the literacy arts, will be from experience only. You make the weapons. You do the training. You provide a helping hand. It's only that by which you'll grow not only in strength, but it will and as a person. That's how everyone learned. Me, the others, our ancestors... Everyone. But to my background, it’s what is known as 'The Indian Way.'" He said, and then left with no further instructions.

On this day, my training had finally began. My first challenge: find the equipment needed to create a rope dart. I looked around the shed aimlessly. Looking high, looking low, and every now and then I looked inside myself for an answer.

After thirty minutes of searching, I came across a hollow thump before the ring. I brushed off the hay that covered the ground and there, now clear as day, was a door. I weighed the options and opened the door. Stairs led to an underground room. A yellow glow spur from the room. As I descend down the glow shown its source. A lantern sat on the ground and above were three candles, each about three feet apart. I picked up the lantern and lit each one. Little by little, the rest of the room began to show itself. Tables and bolted shelves lined the walls. More arms then one person would need hung from the walls, and sat on the shelves. Opened books with the looks of Bibles lines the tables from edge to edge.

"Well done Connor. You learned how to search and find the unexpected. I'd say that you're training is done for today. Come back up and you can get some rest for tonight."

Once I was entered my room, a bowl of butter bread and water lay idle on a table about the height of the cot. "Supper time," I said, and started to eat and drink. Eventually, but not before long, I passed out. No dreams came to me that night, but when I woke, I felt as if I was in my place in life.

Years had passed. The days blurred into months; the months into years. As my mind grew of understanding the true essence of life, or what understanding I could make of it, as did my body. Covered with scares and bruises, my body became partially immune to pain and the shock that it delivered. Hundreds of books I had read over and over again lay scattered across the table. I lay on my cot, eyes closed and confused.
“Are you okay Connor?” Antonia asked passing by my room, dressed in his usual wardrobe of an old hat and coat.
Yes. I only wish to rid myself of this pain.” I said to him holding tightly my pillow and squinting my eyes.
“What is it? What bothers you?”
It is that I lack the understanding of when I will go against he who orders the ones who killed them.” I said sitting up on the cot.
“You still think about them, don’t you?” asked Antonio. “You haven’t forgotten of your family.”
“No. Nor do I want to. They are what motivate me to continue throughout these painful days that I must undergo.”
Antonio sighed. “Put a shirt on, and come with me. I think it’s time you finished what you came to us for.” He said as he turned and began to walk away.
I jumped and reached for a long-sleeved white shirt to cover my scared pecks and hammered abs. Following Antonio to his closed office, that he rarely granted easement to, I seen the family by which murdered my family. “You will be sent to kill him tomorrow, Connor. Your time is near at your grasp.”

“Who will I be with? I am sure that with my recent successes - killing the other twelve members of the family would surely cause this to be extremely harsh.”

“You know that much, but as to who will be joining you,” he opens a red folder, “Their names are: Roberto Quince, Angelica Smith, Timothy Robertson, and Devon McAlister. They are the top best assassins in the area. You can find them at the old tavern in town. Show them this paper and they’ll know where to meet you.”
“Where will I be meeting them?” I said taking the paper.
“It’s on the paper.” He said walking out of the office, “Be sure to get enough rest and fuel in, you’re going to need to for tomorrow’s mission.”
“Yes sir…”
A few hours later I arrived in town. It wasn’t easy finding the tavern. Well hidden, as an assassin would be. It was a burnt amber color building with white vertices and cloudy windows. A sign in the outside wall stated, “Old Tavern and Inn.” I walked inside where I immediately seen the four assassins all sitting at one table playing “Six Men’s Morris” with money at the side of each player. It was clear that gambling was hardly a habit to many people, but more of a commodity. I walked up to one of them and showed him the paper. He took it and said, “Okay. Tell Antonio we got the message. We’ll meet on the hill. It’s about one hundred-twenty meters north of this Tavern.
“Okay.” I responded.
I went back to the bureau when it was almost ten at night. Antonio was already asleep in his recliner, still holding his book. I quietly walked up to him and placed the book face-down on the table, then proceeded to my room to rest for the journey tomorrow would provide.


I dreamt.


I fought.


Then… I died.

The next morning I woke drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. I grabbed what water was left on my table from the night before to drink and wash my face. I got dressed with the usual blue jeans and a white shirt, and then threw on my jacket. I walked into the room where Antonio sat asleep the night before. I called to him, “Old man.” He didn’t respond. I shook him and called to him once more, “Antonio…” His hat fell off his head and onto the floor. A frown formed on my face, and my heart sunk. My eyes began to water as I picked up his hat and placed it on the arm of the chair. “Rest in peace… Old man…” I walked away from him as a tear rolled down my cheek. “I will make you proud.” I said as I threw my hood over my head and left.
I arrived at the hill where the other four were waiting for me.
“Are you ready?” I asked.
“Yes.” Replied Devon, “What’s wrong with you? Your eyes are red.”
I sighed. “Antonio has passed. He passed peacefully and with honor.”
“Let us a moment of silence to give respect for the old man who treated us as if we were his own.” Said Angelica. Everyone bowed their heads for about five seconds before Devon spoke up.
“Let’s do this. After we finish this mission, we will conduct a proper burial.” Everyone agreed.
We set out to the warehouse which held the God-Father. The final target to be killed. It all comes down to him. I made it my goal to take him down whether or not it meant taking my own life.
We came close to the warehouse. No security bordered the perimeters, more than likely to ovoid suspicions. Roberto began to access the security mainframe. “It’s done. The security is disabled. I’ll shut the lights, but it will only be about a minute.” He said.
“That’s fine. A minute is all that we’ll need.” Said Timothy.
“You okay Connor? You haven’t said much all this time.” Asked Angelica.
“I’m fine… I just want this guy dead.”
Devon glanced at me for a second and then turned to Roberto. “Wait five minutes and then kill the lights. We’ll come through the window above and take out the security silently. Once they’re out, all that will be left are the ones in the shack room. That’s where are target is located.
Everyone nodded in understanding. We began to climb the walls of the warehouse to the roof. The five minutes passed and the warehouse became a black box with scorpions entering the open top hatch. We dropped onto the stairs and became invisible, waiting for the lights.
It was almost like every three seconds another guard fell to a silent assassination. I came close to the room where my target resides. I hesitated. The thought of being the one to take the life of the demon that ruined mine sent my body abuzz. I tossed a small pebble that was in my pants pocket onto the metal floor loud enough to create a clank. The guard walked right passed the boxes I hid behind. I quietly came up behind him, and stabbed him in the heart. Covering his mouth, his last yelp was muffled. I slowly placed his body on the ground and covered his eyes. I searched his person for any other weapons that might be of some use to me. To my surprise, he had a smoke bomb and a loaded 9mm Pistol with two magazines ready for firing.
I replayed the situation in my head. There were six guards. Four on the right, one in the upper right corner, and one on the left. If I used the smoke bomb it would blind them long enough for me to stealth assassinate the one closest and on the left. I’ll use the gun on the four remaining guards. As for the primary target, I want to watch die. I want him to suffer for what he had done.
“Connor! Where are you? All the guards are down.” Called Devon from the radio.
I replied, “I’m near the target. Let me take care of the ones inside. I know how to do it.”
“You better not get yourself killed.” He replied.
“No promises.”
I moved from my position to in front of the door. I broke the glass and thrown the smoke bomb inside. Once I was in, I stuck my knife into throat of the first guard. Blood rushed out as he fell to the ground. Smoke continued to pour out of the cartridge as I took the life of the second guard. I pulled out the pistol as the smoke began to die down and placed led in the skulls of the four men who sought to protect the man I was to kill. I pointed the gun at him and asked, “Do you remember me?”
“No…” he said in shock and shaking.
“I’m the man of whose family you took from him… And now…” I looked into his eyes, “I’m here to claim my pay back.” I placed the barrel to his forehead and slowly drawn my blade close to his throat. I began to cut him, slowly, as blood began to spill. I moved my way down his collar bone, taking in every second. I reached the very center of his collar and pulled my knife away, turned it around in my hand, and stabbed him in the heart. Blood spewed from his mouth, and his head fell back. Eyes wide open I stood up, and took a deep breath to realize that my work was done. I had understood now why I joined the assassins. What it was that I needed to fill the hole in my chest.
My mind was clear.
All of a sudden I hear a bang. Silence after. I touched the very center of my torso. Blood leaked from it. I turned to the shooter and seen that it was Devon. “Why?” I asked. I fell to my knees, and then the rest of my body thumped as it hit the ground.
“I never liked being in the assassins. The others are dead. And now…” he walked close to me, “So are you.”
I swiped his leg with what strength I had left and as he hit the ground, pulled my gun. I fired. A bullet traveled up his body from the groin, out his head. I knew that what I had done what right. I turned over and began to breathe heavily. A white light appeared, and my breathing began to slow. My body grew cold and soon I couldn’t feel my hands.
I had seen my wife, my son, and Antonio. All of them, off in the distance. They reached out to me. I couldn’t move, but I heard my foot steps as they grew closer. My body began to grow warm, and I could feel my movements once more. I knew that I was dead. I turned to see my body. I was at rest. I was happy. I was able to see the time that passed in my life, from birth to death, as I left the world of hate, and death; now to roam in a new world, one unfamiliar to me. I was able to be with the ones I love. For all the sins that I commenced, I was forgiven, and granted access to be with my loved ones once again.