I’m back, and with me I bring a few more of my assignments. I’m not sure how much time I have, so I’ll jump right in to it. First up, Codename: Dahlia.
Dahlia is well, a doll, a ventriloquist doll to be exact. Despite her simple looks, she’s quite dangerous. Probably not in the way that most of you would expect though. She can’t move on her own, well she can speak, but that’s it, so she won’t be running around your home in the middle of the night stabbing people.
No, instead Dahlia has an incredibly strong power of influence. One look in to her eyes, and she’ll have complete control of you. It’s a bit ironic really, a ventriloquist doll making humans her puppets. In my briefing I was told Dahlia is essentially the definition of sadistic, she enjoys making her victims inflict as much pain as possible, before eventually disposing of them. I’m not sure if demons are real, but if they are, I’m sure that’s what is trapped in that doll.
Dahlia was believed to be staying with a family of four, she had been taken there by a scientist who had fallen under her control. She had only been gone about a week, but there’s no telling what she could have gotten up to in that time. The scientist who had taken her had returned to her workplace a day later and attempted to murder her co-workers, but was quickly taken care of.
I made my way to the family’s home, hoping to be surprised by what I saw. Let’s just say I got my wish, but not in the way I’d hoped.
I knocked on the front door, after a few minutes of no response I turned the handle to find the door was unlocked. I wish I hadn’t.
The moment I stepped in to the home I was hit with a putrid smell, one that I know means death. The walls were coated in blood, some of it was dried, some was fresh and still slowly dripping down.
I found the family together in the living room. The mother and two children were sat in a small triangle, they were already dead and rotting. Their stomachs had been cut open, with their entrails hanging out, they had been posed in a way to make it look as if they were eating their own organs.
In the center of that triangle was the father, hanging from the ceiling. He had scratches and cuts all across him, but that was nothing compared to what had happened to his family. Just before I was about to spill my lunch all over the floor, I heard a voice from the opposite corner of the room.
“You’re just in time! What do you think of my art, it’s a little sloppy, but I’m sure it will get better in time.” The voice said.
“Dahlia?” I questioned.
“Awwww, have you come to get me already? I was having such a fun time too. Well, I’m done here anyway, I guess you can take me back for now, I’ll be out again soon.”
I made my way over to the voice, making sure to keep my head down, I had no intention of ending up like that family. When I got close I closed my eyes, I managed to pick her up and flip her over, and made my way back out to my vehicle.
“Let me sit up front, I like to have conversations during my car rides. Plus, you can’t get much action from women in this line of work, so it will be fun for both of us.” Dahlia said mockingly.
As much as I wanted to chunk her in the back and throw a blanket or something over her, I also didn’t want her to be out of my line of sight. So, I granted her wish. I carefully sat her up front, turning her head towards the window. I’d be lying if I said part of me wasn’t curious about her, I wanted to know more about what makes a monster a monster.
“You should just take me home with you, tell your boss I wasn’t here. I’m sure we could have lots of fun together.” Dahlia said.
“Yes, I’m sure you would make great kindling for a fire.” I responded.
“Hehehehehe, you’re funny, I like you. I was thinking I’d have someone kill you eventually, but maybe I’ll keep you.”
“Oh, you don’t just kill everyone?” I asked.
“Of course not, I like to let the really bad ones live, it’s more fun that way.” Dahlia said.
“What do you mean by that, are you saying I’m a bad person?” That had made me a bit angry. I had almost turned to look at Dahlia, but I thought better of it. Was she just trying to provoke me?
“You aren’t quite on my level yet, but I see potential in you. You didn’t even scream when you saw my work, maybe you even enjoyed seeing it. You may think we are different, but we really aren’t.” Dahlia retorted.
She was partly right, I hadn’t reacted when I saw the bodies, I had felt a little sick, but if I had seen that a few months ago I would have probably passed out. Whether I like it or not, I am definitely changing, and I don’t think it is for the good.
“What are you?” I finally asked after a few minutes of silence.
“Look in to my eyes and I’ll tell you.”
“Nice try, I may be stupid, but I’m not that stupid.” I responded almost bursting out in to laughter.
“What are you afraid of? Do you think you would see yourself if you looked in to my eyes?”
“That’s enough, one more word and I’m googling where the nearest wood chipper is.” Those were the last words I spoke on our little road trip together.
I dropped off Dahlia and informed them about the mess at the house, they said they would send someone to clean it up. I was hoping they would give me a break after what I’d seen, but I wouldn’t be so lucky, as soon as I turned in Dahlia they told me they already had a new assignment ready for me.
That would be Codename: Jack.
Grandiose name, I know. This was probably the oddest assignment I had received yet though. Jack was from what I could tell, entirely human. I had no clue why I had been tasked with finding a human, perhaps he was a runaway scientist, or someone who knew too much, but he certainly wasn’t what I had gotten used to hunting.
I was told Jack was incredibly dangerous though, and that I shouldn’t take any risks in trying to capture him alive. In other words, they wanted him dead. This only made me more curious as to what secrets that Jack must have held.
Jack was constantly on the move, so it wasn’t easy to find him, but my training had paid off, and I was eventually able to track him down. I watched him for a few, he didn’t seem dangerous to me. Suspicious and cautious yes, but not dangerous.
One night he stepped out of his hotel room to go get food, so I decided to let myself in, Jack and I needed to have a talk.
Jack didn’t seem too surprised when he returned to his room to find me sitting on the couch. He simply held out his arms.
“So they did send someone for me after all, well go ahead and do what you have to, I won’t fight it.” He said.
“Sit down Jack, I just want to talk.”
Jack raised an eyebrow at this, “A curious one huh, you know what they say about curiosity right?”
I rolled my eyes, and once again motioned for Jack to sit down.
“Who are you Jack, and why did they send me after you?”
“You don’t know? I’m you, or at least I used to be. They tell us where to go, who to kill, who to bring back alive, and we do it, no questions asked. I couldn’t handle it anymore though, so here I am, and here you are.” Jack explained.
This took me back for a second, I had known he had to have some connection to my agency, but I had never considered he had been in the same position as me. So, there really was no way out, other than death that is.
I walked across the room, pulled out my gun, and I killed Jack. I had the answers I came here for. Perhaps Dahlia was right, we aren’t so different after all.
I returned with Jack’s body. I wasn’t asked to give my usual debriefing, instead I was just given a simple nod, and told to go home and wait for my next assignment. I wonder if this was another test, if it had been, I’m sure I passed with flying colors.
I understand if you all think less of me for the choices I’ve made, but if it wasn’t me, it would be someone else. This was the life I had chosen, or perhaps the life that was chosen for me. Regardless, I can’t back down now. I’m simply one discard-able person in the whole scheme of things.
Don’t mistake my actions for blind loyalty though, I know the people I work for aren’t good people. I simply know my place in this world, and the minute I stop being useful I will end up like Jack.
How does the saying go “Better the Devil you know, than the Devil you don’t.”
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Credits
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