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"We were supposed to be off the rest of the year," AJ complained. "You said the last job we'd do was at the end of September."
Barkley popped open a can of beer. "It landed in our laps, and look at the price tag! 'Sides, if you don't want in, that's a bigger cut for me."
AJ opened his mouth, but Clover cut him off. "Let us tell you about the job, first. Then, whoever wants out stays out we only need 3 or 4 people anyway. Pay is $5 million."
At that, Jim perked up and stopped sharpening his knife. "Ma'am, I'm in."
She scratched his name on the list. "Done. Hit is for Vlad Masters- he pissed off our client with a shady business deal, and we're getting paid to make sure that's the last thing he does. He lives alone- no family, no dependents. He's in the middle of nowhere in Wisconsin this time of year, 45 minutes by car to the nearest town."
"Count me in, too," Barkley added. "Security?"
"No people or guards, automatic security consists of an alarm, so we've got a 45-minute window to make him have an accident. I had Kyber hack the company, and it's a simple system to hack or override."
AJ shrugged. "Ah, what hell? A $5 million walk in the park makes a pretty good Christmas gift."
Clover scratched his name, then her own. "We've got Jim, Berkley, AJ, Kyber, me- nobody else showed, so it looks like a clean million each. Let's go kill a billionaire."
Berkley grinned, showing yellowed teeth. "Hey, can we walk off with shit?"
Clover consulted the notes. "Cash, any jewels not set in jewelry yet, and anything else easy to liquidate are fine. Anything that looks custom stays behind."
"Fuck yeah, man!" AJ cheered.
"When are we going?" Jim asked. He was her favorite of the bunch, an ex-special ops soldier who seemed to be able to handle anything with a level head.
"He's having a Halloween party on the grounds, so it'll be easy to sneak in as catering staff."
They planned the (almost insultingly easy) hit for another two weeks. Then, as a group, they headed to Wisconsin.
-
"Target is still at the party, but guests are leaving. Sound off with positions," came Jim's quiet voice to Clover's ear.
"One, Jackal in position. Garage, west side," AJ said quietly.
"Two, Bear in position. 2nd floor guest room, left of the master bedroom," said Berkley.
"Three, Snake on the roof, east side," she said, keeping Masters firmly in the sights of her sniper rifle.
"Four, Fox in the rafters, main hall," Kyber said.
"Five, Lion in kitchen. Caterers have just left. Snake, do you have eyes?"
"Confirmed. Last staff just left, target is walking up the drive."
The staff that came tomorrow morning to take down the decorations would have a very nasty surprise inside, Clover thought in amusement.
"No additional guests?"
"Negative. He's alone," she confirmed. Just then, Masters turned his face towards her. She didn't give into the urge to duck, a common rookie mistake. The thick fog and pitch-black moonless night would hide her, just as the shadow of the gargoyle perched on the roof did.
Besides, without night vision goggles like hers, there was no way for him to pick her out, all the way on the roof of the third floor.
She eased her finger off the trigger. It was hard to make a hole from a sniper rifle look accidental. Any of the slips or overdoses the boys had planned would be far easier to excuse. The front door opened, emitting a long rectangle of light, then closed again.
"Target has entered the building."
Two taps, confirmation they'd heard, echoed four times.
"Target is going upstairs," Kyber hissed softly. They all tapped in response.
Silence. Then the sound of surprise and a quick struggle. AJ's voice rang out. "Target is down, no pulse. Unfortunately, Mr. Masters has just OD'd on his sleeping medication," he said smugly.
"Good job. Bear, Jackal, Fox, you're free to take any cash. Remember, nothing easy to trace," Jim said. "Snake, stay on lookout. I'll bring you a souvenir."
"Sounds good," she agreed with a smile. Then she heard the crew beginning to enjoy themselves- dead body in the bedroom notwithstanding.
"Hey, I'm going to check out the wine cellar," Berkley said, "rich bastards always have the best booze."
"Don't drink any until we get back," Jim ordered, "and let me know if you find a good scotch."
"Will do, boss," he said cheerfully.
-
Bear hummed cheerfully as he climbed down the cellar steps, gloves leaving no fingerprints behind. He whistled, impressed at the sight of rows and rows of bottles and barrels in the temperature-controlled basement.
"We happy?" Kyber asked.
"Oh, we're very happy, kid," he confirmed. Barkley slowly moved through the rows, picking out promising looking bottles and stuffing them into a bag.
He winced as his headset suddenly hit feedback and ripped it out of his ear with a curse. "The fuck?"
"Language," came a low voice to his left. He dripped the bag with a crash and pulled out his gun.
"Where are you?" He demanded and started to back towards the stairs.
"Right here," said the voice, this time to his right. He spun and saw nothing but long rows. His foot hit the step.
"Not quite." The voice said with a chuckle, right behind him.
Barkley spun, but nothing was there.
"Look up," it instructed, but he started climbing the stairs, two at a time. A demon appeared before him- or something. Big, blue, glowing red eyes, too many teeth.
"Fuck!"
"You don't listen to instructions well, do you?" It asked, as suddenly he was no longer in control of his body. "I asked you to watch the language."
"Get out!" He screamed, but no noise came out.
"You're mine now," his body said, and Barkley tried desperately to move, scream, anything. He heard his own voice chuckle. "Let's play a little, shall we? It's a shame the party ended so soon."
-
Clover did another slow scan and moved to other vantage points. No movement, no change. "Hey Bear, can you grab me a really good red wine? I've always wanted to try one of those freaking old ones, and my birthday's coming up," she asked.
Silence.
"Bear?" AJ asked.
"Bear, come in," Jim ordered.
Silence.
"Sound off, now!" The man snapped.
"One, Jackal, in the study," said AJ.
Bear was silent.
"Three, snake on the roof, north side," Clover added, mouth going dry.
"Four, fox in the media room," Kyber whispered.
"Fuck. Five, Lion in the kitchen. I'm closest to the cellar, I'll check on Bear. Fox, find out if there are any alarms. Jackal, get outside and get the car running. Snake, we still good?"
"Clear and quiet," she confirmed.
-
"God, Bear, we panicked, man! Let us know next time," Kyber complained when his spin at a sudden noise behind him revealed Barkley.
"I'm sorry," he said, "my headset broke."
Kyber groaned. "Why do you break my stuff every time?" He tapped the headset. "I found Bear, guys, his set broke," he called.
There were immediate sounds of relief- followed by AJ's voice. "That's great, but we've got a problem! Our tires are slashed. Somebody knows we're here."
Jim cursed. "Get into the garage, get another car running. Fox, take Bear with you and join Jackal. Snakes, climb down. I'll meet you halfway."
"Understood," he confirmed. "Hey man, we gotta go," he said to Bear. "Did you get anything?"
Barkley smiled, and something about it put him on edge. It was...off, somehow. The warm, comforting smile was completely alien to his face. "Nothing we can't live without. Shall we go?"
"Lead the way," he replied. "I'm going to try to get into his bank accounts while we're walking."
There it was again- he almost seemed angry, which made no sense. Why would his securing them a little bonus upset him?
"Sure," Bear said and turned. Fox unlocked his phone and opened his messenger, intent on warning the others when his hand froze. He couldn't move so much as a finger for several minutes. His attempts to scream, speak, or even grunt into his headset were for nothing.
And then, against his every attempt to fight it, he asked, "Who moved the body?"
"Please repeat?" Came Jim's response.
He wanted to warn them that this wasn't him, he was being possessed or something, but the voice answered, "Vlad Master's body is downstairs. Who moved it? Ask Bear if you don't believe me."
Bear's cell phone rang and he picked up. Kyber hoped desperately for the man to snap out of it, but instead, he replied, "yeah, it's down here. First floor stairwell."
Just then, a car alarm went off. It was a momentary distraction, but it bought time to snap out a message, then delete it from his sent file.
-
To: Jim, Clover, AJ
From: Kyber
Message: Trap get out dont look for us
-
A chill ran down Clover's spine. She was the one to speak first. "Jackal, Lion, Fox, Snake coming down. I'll check out the body when I get there. Estimated time, 15 minutes."
At the same time, she sent a text to AJ and Jim. Message: climbing down. Is the car ready?
To: Jim, Clover
From: AJ
Message: Yes. Parked inside the garage.
To: AJ, Clover
From: Jim
Message: Be safe. I'll be there in 10.
Over the headset, Jim confirmed. "Understood, Snake. Jackal, are you still scoping out the second house for valuables?"
"Confirmed," AJ said, and Clover carefully packed her gear, prioritizing silence over speed.
"We'll meet you there and head out on foot. The garage is too risky right now. Fox, Bear, you two head out too."
"Of course," Fox agreed.
Clover swallowed painfully. That was the hacker's voice- but not his accent. Even now, he was trying to throw off whoever had him- and presumably Bear- hostage. And now they were leaving them both behind.
-
Kyber wanted to scream, but couldn't, as Barkley jerked once or twice and collapsed in front of him. His hand removed his knife from his sheath, and the blade sunk into the man's spine. When his fingers moved toward the other man's neck, there was no pulse.
"There you go," laughed a voice in his head, "now there really is a body by the stairs."
Kyber wanted to cry. He couldn't- his own body wouldn't allow him even that small freedom. His body moved, calm and careful, towards a small alcove that led to a warren of passages. Kyber memorized each one in the hopes of somehow getting away, but he...they, maybe? They were out of the mansion and heading toward the side house before he had a chance.
He stopped, felt his head tilt one way and then the other as if listening, and they changed direction, walking into the pitch-black soupy fog. Kyber couldn't see a thing. That didn't stop whatever was piloting his body from ducking under tree branches or stepping over tree roots at a fast jog.
"I've got a surprise for your friends at the garage," his voice said, "do you like surprises?"
He attempted to struggle once more, which resulted in nothing more than a low struggle. "Don't worry young man, you're not the one I'm interested in."
That didn't settle him at all.
-
AJ typed in another message to Jim and Clover, trying to fight rising panic. There was a giant pink glowing barrier that had just appeared inside the garage. He'd hit it, shot it, even rammed a car into it, and nothing had changed.
His messages, all 12 of them, still said unsent. His headset had beeped loudly when the barrier came up, and then died. He was alone, with no way to warn his coworkers.
Fuck, this was supposed to be an easy 5 million dollars before Christmas, not a damn horror show!
"Fuck, I wish I at least wasn't alone right now," he grumbled, then slid under a car. If someone came, he'd at least know it and have a chance to defend himself.
"Don't worry," a familiar voice said, "you're not."
AJ swallowed and his blood ran cold. He quietly aimed and swept his eyes over the ground, looking for feet. He muffled a shout when the car across from him started and slowly edged backward. He needed to get out before it rammed him- but what if the driver had only heard him? He might reveal his position unnecessarily.
The car across rumbled steadily and AJ bit back a curse when the garage door opened. Two pairs of footsteps thudded quietly, and AJ took the risk to signal them with his headset.
It sent sharp feedback noises and he grunted involuntarily. "There you are," said Kyber. "Are you ok?"
"Dude, did you slip whoever it was?"
Kyber grinned. "Let's just say I left a body on the stairs, too. Let's go before something else goes wrong."
"Yeah. But I heard someone in the garage, they said-"
AJ shouted as the car lurched forward at an angle, backed up, and he lived just long enough to see the tires come at him again.
-
"What was that?!"
"Run!"
"Fox! Bear! Jackal! Sound off!"
Clover hauled Jim by his shoulder holster. "Run, the op is screwed!"
"You don't leave a man behind, especially not three," he snarled, and gun raised, ran back towards the garage.
Clover spared a moment to call him back. He kept going, so she ran towards the nearest town. It was a pity, what might happen to Jim, but she had number one to look after. How the hell had a quick, clean op like thiers gone so very wrong?
Gunshots echoed, followed by a scream, and Clover picked up the pace.
Light! There was green light through the trees, breaking through the thick fog, and she aimed for it desperately; light meant civilization, and a story she could spin about how a camping trip had gone horribly wrong.
She finally burst through the thick foliage, only to find a glowing bird with a fez. It was improbable, ridiculous, and yet it stretched out sharp talons and cackled.
"Oh, the boss is going to love you. Such pretty red hair."
Clover choked a scream back and ran back to the relative safety of the foliage, only to run into Jim. "Thank god, we've got to get out of here!"
The vulture cackled again. "Every time," it shrieked, "never gets old!"
Jim smiled, too wide, and too late she caught the dull red glow at the edges of his eyes. "You're right, Sal," Jim said, and his Bronx accent had been replaced by a local Wisconsin one. "I do like this one. All that pretty red hair."
She jerked out of his grip, and he let her, an amused smile playing on his face. "Happy Halloween to me, hmm?"
"Who- what- are you?" She demanded, backing slowly towards the deer trail she'd caught in the corner of her eye.
"You should know. After all, you came to my home," he said with a chuckle. "Hmmm...tell me your name. Or, no- I think I'll call you Maddie."
She stumbled backward and took off running on the trail. The bird shrieked in laughter again, joined by two others. "Come now, Maddie, dear! Haven't we played this little game long enough? I'll keep this body 'till it rots, and you get to live in the lap of luxury until I get the real Maddie," the thing in Jim's body called.
She sped up, but not fast enough- another glowing vulture swept out of the sky and caught her by the jacket. Not slowing, she used her knife to cut the straps.
"You're going the wrong way," it warned, and to her horror, Jim was floating, the red in his eyes bright in the black night.
It was over quickly. A wrong step had her falling down a creek, and something painful impacted her head and chest. She reached to free herself only to find a wooden branch in her gut.
It followed her over, allowing Jim to hit the stones with a sickening crack, and something glowing came out of him. In her blurry vision, she was able to make out red eyes, blue skin, and too many teeth. She coughed, and felt no pain - a bad sign, she knew, considering her wounds.
"What a shame," it said, "you were so very pretty. Ah well, you weren't the real thing anyway."
-
Two days later, somewhere in Montana:
"I didn't see any funerals or death notices come out in the news," a man said, face blurred by the light of three computer screens.
"No. The team we sent in is either dead or missing. The cops visited Master's place last night, but their system says there's no evidence of violence or even a break-in. He says nothing strange happened either."
"Damn. That makes what- the ninth group?"
"Tenth, actually. Want me to hire another?"
"Of course. Make it an offer they can't refuse, as always, and make sure it's not connected to me."
"Of course, sir. There is one thing, though- the tech specialist from their group sent out a message we were tagged in. There was some sort of trap that confused all the tech there, and must have even copied voices or appearances."
The man considered carefully. "Scarecrow still owes me a favor or two, doesn't he?"
"Yes, sir."
"Send a message- it's time to collect. Either he wins and I don't lose any more assets to Dalv Co, or that prick Masters does, and that idiot doesn't borrow any more money from me."