Operation Error

The black hummer hugged the tight curves of the New York streets. Dez sat in the back, holding his silver desert eagle with both hands. Well, studying it was more like it. A little ritual he found himself doing before every job. But he couldn't do that forever. He zipped up his black hoodie and started searching the seats for the silencer. His two friends remained silent in the front, not having the stones to make any comments. When Dez was revved up it was best to keep your mouth shut. Everyone that met Dez knew it.

The driver was his right hand man, Isaiah who had a headful of raven black hair and dark brown eyes. Gunner (his second in command) was the man in the passenger seat with dark brown hair and a nice big beard that apparently the ladies loved.

But Dez wasn't worried about who was in the vehicle. He was concentrating on what needed to be done for a nice bit of cash. His steel grey eyes searched the floorboards and he even leaned forwards. Running his big hands over the carpet. Nothing there.

“Son of a nut whore!” He cursed.

Isaiah looked up at him through the rearview mirror and Gunner turned around to look at him. “What's wrong?” Gunner asked.

“I left my fucking silencer at the house!” Dez snapped.

The hummer pulled to an immediate stop and Dez shot his hand out to catch himself on the seat. Isaiah kept his dark brown eyes on the rearview mirror. It was risky enough to take a job in the city but to do it without a silencer? Mine as well hold up a big blinking sign saying “right here guys”.

“Are we going back to get it?” Isaiah asked.

“No just keep driving! I'll get creative.” Dez managed to keep his voice quiet even though he was angry enough to blow up a building.

Isaiah and Gunner exchanged a look but went back looking forward and the hummer was getting back on the road. Dez leaned his back in the seats and closed his eyes. On the outside he had painted himself a picture of an average relaxed man but on the inside he was the complete opposite. His heart was pounding, pumping raw adrenaline through his system. He managed to get rid of the trembling after the first few jobs but the adrenaline never went away. It was the one thing he couldn't kick. Sometimes that was the only thing that could convince him that he was still human. For the most part.

His hand gripped the gun and he drew in a deep breath. It wouldn't be long until the job was done and he would be getting paid. Then possibly a party, some drinks, a good lay, then sleep. Sounded amazing but Dez had to do the job first.

When he opened his eyes he saw buildings side by side, some street lights and a couple of gas stations. The vehicle was pulled into a dark alley and the headlights clicked off. The three of them sat in the dark shadows and waited. It had to be at the right moment when everyone was likely to be asleep.

They waited for quiet and when it was close Dez slithered out of the hummer and didn't even close the door all the way. He didn't have to. It would only take a second.

He pulled his hoodie over his head and put on his black leather gloves. His desert eagle returned to the back of his jeans where it belonged. Before he reached for the emergency exit he looked both ways and when no one was detected he began to climb it. When he came to the first balcony he gave the small square window a tug. When the window opened with ease Dez grew an urge to clap his hands and have a drink to celebrate how easy the job become.

His boots quietly stepped over the yellow stained linoleum floor. It was a small apartment with a very simple kitchen. The fridge was to his left along with a sink full of dirty dishes and a counter decorated with crumbs where a colony of roaches enjoyed their dinner. Dez scrunched his face up and went to the right where he found the threshold to the living room. It was dark. Not a single light on.

Maybe dark rooms still disturbed some adults, especially ones who were breaking and entering. But Dez didn't have any trouble with the dark. He had plenty of jobs done in darkness and after a while he found his eyes had adjusted well. It only taken him a second to find the dark silhouette of a couch and small end table.

Once he passed them he noticed a quiet snore coming straight ahead. He reached out and let the wall guide him until his hand came to a door that opened with a creak.

The room was as bad as the kitchen. Clothes and miscellaneous items covered the whole floor and surrounded the full size bed. A dim yellow light came from the far left of the room which was plugged into the wall.

Awe. He needs a night light. How cute.

Dez kept the commentary to himself and climbed over the clothes to get closer to the target. He grabbed the wallet off the little table and pulled out the target’s driver's license. First rule of the job. Always make sure you have the right person before pulling the plug. He studied the pictured then turned his eyes to the man sleeping on the bed. Long greasy blonde hair was smashed into the pillow. He had a five o'clock shadow on his fat round face.

Darrell Fayton. Target locked.

He put the wallet on the end table and reached for his desert eagle. A loud thud came from beneath him. Apparently the target had his shoes close to the bed and Dez made the mistake of kicking one. Dez froze and watched as the man began to stir. As soon as his eyes opened Dez jumped on him, using his knees to pin the target down while he grabbed the pillow out from under his head.

The target tried swinging at him and even managed to hit Dez right in the chest.

“Ah, you fucker!” Dez growled as he pressed the pillow into his face

The target thrashed and tried screaming but the pillow muffled him. Dez took the second to reach behind him and grab his gun. He placed the tip of the gun into the pillow and squeezed the trigger. Blood sprayed the sheets and on the wall and the target beneath finally stopped moving. It was over. Another job done, another paycheck.

Dez climbed off the body and removed the pillow. There was a dark hole in the man's forehead with a river of blood leaking down his face. His target’s eyes were wide but empty, drained of life with brain matter literally leaking out the back of his cranium.

He pulled out his phone and clicked a picture of the dead man along with the driver's license. He sent the pictures to a mysterious number on his phone and waited. With in a second his screen went completely black and words “kill confirmed” flashed in green. His eyes stayed on the screen and watched as his bank account appeared. Two million dollars was working its way to his account.

He then clicked out of the page and dialed Isaiah's number. After death came clean up and no one was a better cleaning service than Isaiah and Gunner.

“Yo?” Isaiah answered quietly.

“It's finished. Time to clean up.” He alerted.

[Ava]

24 hours later. . .

Ava kneeled beside her mother with worry in her eyes. Her mom may not have seemed that old but if anyone was to try and talk to her they would see the big flaw immediately. They would see passed her long dirty blonde hair, beyond they dark brown eyes that held a bit of fire in them, and beyond the face that barely held any wrinkles. They would see that Ava’s mother (who went by the name of Judy Thomas) had Alzheimer's.

Some days she thought she was Ava’s age and would try to look for Ava’s father. Other days she would think Ava was just a kid and needed to be in school. It was a rare occasion that Ava would be lucky enough for her mother to remember her and that her father had been missing since she was a little girl.

Watching her mother with Alzheimer's was like watching her slowly fade without a trace. It hurt alot. It was a big weight on her shoulders but Ava didn't give up on her mother.

Ava held up a picture of herself and her mom at a zoo. Judy's brown eyes searched the picture.

“Look Mom. This was last year. We went to that zoo and saw all the animals. I took the day off of work and we spent that whole day there.” Ava explained in her gentle smooth voice.

Her mother's eyes turned to her. “Don't be ridiculous, I'm too busy Megan. Richard still isn't anywhere to be found and Ava is around here somewhere probably crying her eyes out. Go take care of her.”

“Mom, I'm your daughter. I am Ava.” She argued.

“Yeah. Sure you are.” Her mother spoke sarcastically.

It didn't surprise Ava. Since her mother had gotten Alzheimer's she became often confused. But she couldn't fight back the frustrated sigh that escaped her mouth. Ava didn't drink often but on nights like this drinking went to the top of the to do list.

She moved away from her mother and grabbed the dark red coat that was hanging on the back of the wooden chair. “I'm running to the store real quick. Just stay here. I'll be right back.”

“Be sure to take Ava with you. She likes the store. She just loves those candy isles.”

Ava paused. “Yeah, candy isles.” She whispered before opening the door and leaving.

It was raining out, the streets weren't as crowded as they usually would be at 10 pm, but there would be a car that would pass her occasionally. She passed a few stores until she managed to get to the liquor store. Only when she got closer she realized that the lights were dim and the store was closed.

“What? No! No! No!” She pulled on the locked doors and growled.

“It's Saturday. They close early.” A voice of a man made her jump and press her hand to her chest.

She turned and took in the man's form with her brown eyes. He was in a rusty colored zip-up hoodie and some faded blue jeans. His steele grey eyes were very over-powering and it made Ava freeze. The man was leaning against the building, one foot on the ground and the other pressing into the building. It was hard to make his face because he was in a dark spot but she noticed something on his face. It could have been a tattoo but she wasn't sure.

“Well that sucks.” Ava commented as she walked by him.

She didn't feel comfortable around him and she didn't like the feeling he gave her. She knew trouble when she saw it and she didn't have time to get caught up in it. Her mother was a ticking time bomb with her Alzheimer's.

“Well, hey if your looking to get wasted I practically have a little liquor store of my own at my place. Drinks will be free.”

Great. Now he was hitting on her.

Ava turned to him and began walking backwards while shaking her head. “No thanks.”

“Are you sure?” The stranger stood straight and stepped towards her.
Ava moved to take another step backwards but crashed into something hard. Her world became dark and she suddenly felt a pair of hands grip her arms. She tried jumping and kicking her feet but whoever had her was blessed with a tight grip.

“Right here and now?” A different voice asked.

“No. By the woods. Let's go.” She heard the stranger reply.

Then she heard a trunk pop open and she immediately screamed and tried thrashing but it ended in the same result. She still ended up in a tight small trunk with her hands tied and some kid of sack over her head. Loud rock music began blaring so she didn't bother screaming again.

When most people get kidnapped they panic, they scream, and they secretly think that they are going to die. But not Ava. All she could think about was her mother. Who was going to take care of her mom? Who was going to make sure she had her medicine every day or pay her bills? Even worse, she left her mother on a bad note. She was frustrated as hell with her and the confusion. Now she wasn't sure if she would ever see her again.

It was almost funny how about 5 minutes ago she wanted to run as far as she could away from her mother but now she was just silently begging to be able to see her again. So she closed her eyes and thought about all the happy moments she had with her mother.

When the car came to a complete stop she shifted and listened. The car shifted around her and she heard the doors closing. The trunk popped open and she felt cool air hit her. Little rain drops splattered her but she ignored them.

“Hello Princess. Did you enjoy your ride?” The Stranger’s voice made her gut twist.

“Fuck you!” She spat.

“Would if I could, trust me.” He replied.

She felt hands dig into her pockets and she squealed.

“Easy Princess just making sure your the right one.”

The right one? What was that supposed to mean? She squirmed even more and kicked her feet into the side of the trunk.

“The right one for what? I didn't do anything to anyone!” She reached up and managed to remove the burlap sack that was covering her head.

The stranger was going through her wallet. “Not my place to say Mrs. Tibelt.”

Ava cocked an eyebrow at the stranger. “Mrs. Tibelt? My name's Ava Thomas.”

The stranger pulled out her license and then looked back at her with widened eyes. “Shit!” He cursed.

“What's wrong now?” Another voice came from the side of the car but Ava couldn't see who it was.

“It's not her! It's the wrong fucking girl.” The Stranger sneered.

As soon as he turned and handed the other man her wallet she slowly climbed one foot at a time. When she had her feet inches from the ground she jumped and took off in a sprint.

“Hey stop!” The Stranger ordered.

Ava didn't listen. Over her dead fucking body. She ran as fast as she could towards the woods but then there was a loud gunshot. Maybe it wouldn't be over her dead body.