Dangerously Fallen

“Your next target is Elijah Madden, owner of Ardor.”

“Ardor as in that bar we visited last month in Baltimore?”

“Yes. Madden has key intel on the Versanas and refuses to negotiate with us on it.”

“And you want me to get that information for you.”

“Exactly, sweetheart. He also has crucial information on us that he plans on selling to another syndicate organization, and we can’t let that happen. It would be a major risk to our corporation, even more so to our status in the black market. He's a danger to us.”

“Dead or alive?”

“He’ll be at Ardor this Friday because there’s an event going on that night with a lot of other people who are from our line of work. First get the flash drive and then kill him. And make sure you don’t leave any traces behind.”

“You don’t have to worry about that, master. Have I ever left evidence behind?“, I smirked, cocking my head to the side.

“Of course not, everyone knows you as my best assassin for a reason.“, Merrick said with pride in his voice. “Now go, you have the next three days to yourself. After that, it’s showtime.”

I walked away, grinning at the thought of attaining my target. Elijah Madden, huh? Let’s see if you can resist or if you’ll fall into the charms of seduction as well.

Deciding to get a bit of training in before the day ends, I called up Brennon, the second best assassin working under Merrick, and told him to meet me at the boxing ring in the basement of the headquarters building.

From the outside, the building looked like any other medical research institute, which I guess it was in a way. But anyone who worked closely with Merrick knew that it was anything but that.

I may be twenty years old, but that doesn’t mean everyone else here was. There were kids as young as six, who were secretly working under Merrick. Why?

Because people almost never get suspicious of little kids. Also, the more experience you get from a young age, the better. It’s hard to survive in this world otherwise. You either kill or you die, it’s an instinct that should be engraved in you the second you step into this part of the world, whether it be by choice or by force.

“You’re lucky I was still awake when you called me.“, Brennon spoke up from behind me while I was putting on my boxing gloves. “It’s practically midnight, who wants to do boxing at this time of night?”

“I do.”

“Well clearly I can see that.“, he sighed.

“If you can see, then why’d you ask?”

“Just shut the fuck up and punch me.“, he rolled his eyes, stepping into the boxing ring with me following behind him.

“Don’t have to tell me twice.”

We got into our stances in front of each other and before I could attack, he threw a punch to the right side of my face, but my reflexes kicked in and I dodged it, knocking his hand away with my right elbow and kicking him back with my left leg.

He stumbled back a little, looking a bit irritated at the fact that I got the first hit.

“Come on, hit me Bren.“, I taunted.

Brennon then came at me, pretending to kick me in my left side, but last minute he changed his positioning and threw a right hook at my jaw, causing my face to jerk to the side.

It stung a little, but something like that doesn’t phase me, nor does it phase him. You have to learn to take hits here, to be so immune to pain that it almost becomes your second identity.

Without pain, you’re nothing in this world.

Although I can’t feel emotions, I can still feel physical pain and other physical sensations. It’s what got me to where I am right now.

We continued throwing attacks at each other, both of us getting hits in at different points, but then he had me pinned onto the floor with both of his knees on either side of my waist. He was throwing repeated punches at both sides of my midriff, but I used it as an opportunity to punch the right side of his head and then follow it up with an uppercut to his jaw.

I pushed him off of me and stood up. He stood up as well, and before he could do anything I threw another uppercut and then did a turning kick, knocking him down to the ground and doing a 180 to stabilize myself.

Brennon attempted to get up but then let out a groan, clutching at his left rib cage.

“Looks like that’s gonna leave a bruise, Bren.“, I teased, crouching down so I could look him in the eyes.

“Don’t get so overconfident towards your opponent, Sera.“, he threatened as I helped him stand up. “It’ll bite you back in the ass one day.”

"Yeah? Then don’t give me reasons to.“, I said with my back facing him, heading towards the exit. “Goodnight, Brennon.”

Entering my apartment, the first thing I did is walk straight into the bathroom, stripping of my workout clothes and getting into the shower.

The water was ice cold and I closed my eyes as it ran down my body, feeling just like the rain from that day. I shivered, feeling the chills in my spine while I got a glimpse of a hidden part of my memories.

“I n-need to get away...need to find mommy and daddy.“, I murmured to myself, running as fast as my little legs would let me.

My legs were burning so bad, feeling like they were on fire, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. This was my only chance and I’d probably never get another one like this. They’d make sure I never do.

I ran wherever my feet took me, not daring to look back out of the fear that if I did I’d see them right behind me, reaching out their arms to grab me and pull me back to the place I tried so hard to escape from for the last two and a half years.

I don’t want to be #87 anymore, I just want to be me.

“Keep running, you have to keep running.“, I kept telling myself repeatedly.

Eventually, my legs gave out on me and I looked up to intake my current surroundings.

I was amidst a crowded city, full of people -some with umbrellas- trying to take shelter from the rain. The road was filled with cars and there were little shops everywhere, all filled with people.

I haven’t seen the city in such a long time that it almost seemed foreign to my eyes now.

My eyes darted around, looking for a place to hide until they landed on a dark, messy alleyway.

They won’t find me if I hide here, right?

I looked around making sure no one was watching me before I snuck into the alleyway and crouched down to make room for myself behind one of the trash bins. I sat down and pulled my knees up to my chest, shaking from the cold. My clothes were soaked and I was barefoot, because we weren't allowed to wear shoes in that place.

The exhaustion finally hit me and I dozed off while shivering, my body’s need for rest taking over my mind’s fight or flight mode.

I don’t know exactly how long I was there for, but soon it was day time, and then it was dark again. The sun was slowly starting to peek through the clouds, the darkness steadily fading away.

I dug through the trash bin to find something edible the day before, but it wasn’t enough to fully get rid of my hunger. My stomach was screaming at me for food, but there was no way for me to get any without risking being found.

Is this the way my death was written for me? Behind a trash bin in the middle of an alleyway?

I wanted to cry so badly. To scream and let the world know that I existed, that I was here and needed help. But no sound came out besides a few shaky whimpers, the rest being muffled into the back of my hand that started bleeding at one point from how hard I was biting down on it so as to not make any sound.

“Why hello sweetheart, what is such a pretty little thing like you doing in a place like this?“, I heard someone’s voice call out to me, making me freeze on the spot.

I hesitantly looked up, my eyes bulging out and my mouth agape at the sight of him in front of me.

Why was he of all people, here? And how’d he even find me?

“Come with me, sweetheart.“, he coaxed, extending his hand for me to take.

"No, you're lying. You're gonna bring me back to them, I know you are."

“I’ll help you. I’ll give you a real life, away from that place. I’ll give you an identity and you will be normal again.”

His words sounded so inviting, like a light amidst all the darkness. I wanted to get away from that place and be safe more than anything else.

“Y-you promise?”

“Yes, I promise.“, he grinned. It didn’t quite meet his eyes, but I was too young and scared to notice that.

My need to survive was greater than anything at that point, so I took his hand and followed him.

What I didn’t know is that was the day I sold my soul to the devil.

My eyes abruptly opened, my breathing heavier than before.

“Why the fuck can’t I remember anything else?“, I cursed at myself, hitting the wall in front of me as the water continued flowing down my body.

My memories were only up to that point. I couldn’t remember anything from before that. What I was running from, my parents’ locations and what they looked like, who I was, nothing. I only remember running away and then him finding me.

I hated that this was my mind's way of dealing with what Merrick told me was considered "trauma". I sometimes wonder why the human brain does that. It just erases everything it considers too painful. Locks those memories away so you don't have to think about it and feel hurt again. Not like I'd be able to feel "hurt" anyways.

Who was I before I was Seraphina Rei? What does #87 mean?

Those were questions I stopped looking for the answers of a long time ago, not only because they led me to dead ends, but because looking for the answers would always get me punished.

I didn’t like it when he was upset with me.

All I know is that I must make him proud of me so he doesn’t regret giving me a life. I live to serve Merrick and my life belongs to him.