Inside the room, Ocean sat on his reading table with a glass of wine while his rifle and sunglasses lay beside him, his face void of any emotions as he stared at nothing in particular. He swirled the glass of wine in his hand as if in deep thought. When his eyes fell on the cloak that lay on his bed, a dark smile formed on his lips.
In the cool hours of the night, a man hides in the shadows when the street is littered with just a few people going about their businesses. His eyes frantically searched his surroundings, looking for anything or someone suspicious but when he saw nothing he adjusted his coat and cap to hide his face from the people passing by. In order not to look suspicious, he put his hands inside his coat pocket while he hastened his footsteps.
He turned around every now and then to check if he was being followed before he took a sharp turn into a dark isolated alley, his footsteps sharp and fast. When he walked to the end of the alley he stood and had his hands spread out to his sides as he started enchanting incoherent words but nothing happened, making him frown
"Why isn't it working?" He asked himself in confusion.
"Probably because you are chanting nonsense" George was fast to spin around only to see who he is trying to run away from. He hasn't been himself since he heard the operation failed. He decided what was best for him, knowing the man would come after him.
"Mr Ocean, what are you doing here?" George asked in utter surprise. Ocean was the last person he had expected to see.
"Mr George?" Ocean imitated his tone, "What a pleasant surprise to see you after you tried to kill me." Ocean leaned against the wall with his legs crossed as he watched George struggle with his words.
"I am so sorry. Mr Ocean, I didn't know what came over me that I had to act in such a malicious way,"
"Drop the act, George. You think I don't know that you had it all planned out the moment I employed you. I wonder what would have happened if I were to be dead. I am quite sure you would have thrown a grand party by now.
I knew your intentions from day one when you sat in front of me during the interview. You were too happy that you couldn't control your wild thoughts. Do you know people I see as stupid? Those who think they can mess with me or those around me. Let us take your case as an instance, I am the one you are having problems with but you also wanted to kill Stone, what for? That I die doesn't mean the boy should die too. what do you think?"
"Mr Ocean, I know I have sinned against humanity and I know you won't believe me but I am happy nothing happened to you or your brother. You are happy, and he is happy let's forget everything and move on" Ocean stared at the man with an eerie smile.
"You are right, I will forget everything that happened, but after I have gotten rid of you. I can smell the evil in you, how can such a promising man like you be so unfortunate? Do you even know the history behind that company? I bet you don't but you want to build on the foundation. What a pity" Ocean ran his fingers through his hair as the soft wind blew. He watched as George's expression changed.
"What do you want from me? All my life I have always craved the money and the power you have. I worked day and night for people but no one noticed me except you. I even tried opening my own company but it crashed in two weeks and when I met you, you made me the managing director, I got a taste of what it feels like to have power...I wanted more but not anymore," George smiled at him, hoping it would work.
"You are foolish because I don't understand which part of 'I can read mind' you don't understand. Right in front of me, you are already planning another assassination in case I forgive you. Let me clear you a bit, I am not leaving this place if I don't rip your dark heart apart. I know you want to go back to the other side and continue your evil deeds but if by chance I decide to go there, I don't want to deal with people like you. To cut the story short, I am asking your permission to kill you, I didn't have dinner with my rabbit-teeth neighbour because of you, please let's make it a quick one.
How would you like your death, I can kill you in a grand style by sucking your blood first, drill a hole in your empty skull then I would butcher you and send your body parts around the world or do you want me to make it a quick one by just shooting you, umm, one bullet should be enough for your shapeless body or no— I would do the one I love most which is crushing people's bones one by one. I think I have given you enough options to choose from, I don't normally do things this way, but it is a reward for reuniting me and my old friend Zack, I really appreciate it."
"If you appreciate, why are you killing me?" He asked in order to buy himself more time, but Ocean was smarter,
"I am going to count to two," Ocean's sinister smile broadened as he patted the rifle.
"Mr Ocean, is there no other way— "
"One." Ocean aimed at nobody as if practising how to use the rifle. George saw this and sneakily put his hand into the pocket of his coat and brought out a stake ready to attack the younger man.
"Stake doesn't work on me, didn't Zack tell you? Once again you are foolish" Ocean ran his tongue over his lips and smiled before aiming directly at George's heart.
"What are you doing?"
"I am too kind. As if I knew that choosing from my varieties of options would be difficult, I loaded the rifle with one bullet."
"Just one?"
"Yes. George, are you sure you want a second chance?"
"Yes, Mr Ocean,"
"I only have one bullet in this rifle. If I shoot and miss, you are a lucky man."
"Really?"
"Yes, what do you say? Are you ready to play the game of life and death? It is fifty-fifty [50:50]"
George thought for a while before nodding his head and positioning his body. When he closed his eyes Ocean's sinister smile disappeared. His face became blank as he looked at the foolish man standing with trembling legs. Without thinking much about it, Ocean released the bullet that immediately hit George's heart and the dead man fell face flat on the floor.
"Sorry, I forgot to tell you that I never miss a target." Ocean stared at the man's figure that started to split up until there were no parts, just a pool of black blood. He took a few steps in the dark alley and then suddenly his body began to morph as it became smaller and smaller until it changed into a small black cat.
Reappearing in the middle of his room as a human, he kept the rifle back to its previous position and then folded the cloak that suddenly disappeared into thin air. Without bothering to change his clothes, he walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water for himself after which he came back to the living room and sat on the couch. He placed the glass on the side table before his eyes lingered on the curtain.
"I wonder what she is doing now," He checked the wall clock and his mouth set into a thin line. "No, no, no, I can't see her at this hour. There is no harm in trying, right? But what am I going to say?" He racked his brain while his fingers were in between his teeth.
"I can't believe I am doing this. She is never going to forgive me. This is not happening."
"Okay, at the count of three, I will stand up and walk into my room." Ocean took a deep breath before standing from the couch, hoping his brain would comply.
"At the count of one...two...three!" The next seconds pass in a blur as Ocean finds himself in front of his neighbour's door. What have you done, he scolded himself while rubbing the back of his neck.
"Okay, here is the thing, we will knock once, and that is it. Not more than once. If she doesn't open, we go back inside" Knowing his eyes must have turned red, he wore the sunglasses he hooked in the middle of his shirt earlier. without even thinking properly, his hand formed a fist and collided with the door. He waited for a few seconds before his ear picked up the soft paddling of footsteps and heartbeat. Thank goodness she is awake, probably thinking about me, he thought to himself with a cheeky smile. He knocked again when the footsteps stopped a few metres away from the door.
"Rabbit-teeth neighbour, open the door!"
"Mr neighbour?"
"You have great ears." He joked once the door opened to reveal an angry and confused Moon.
"Has it gotten to this? God, what sin did I commit that you have decided to punish me gravely," Moon complained while rubbing her temple
"May I come in? It's cold out here," He lied confidently while rubbing his hands together.
"No, you cannot come in. Tell me what urgent matter that brought you to my apartment by 1:30 am?"
"I....am hungry?" Ocean twisted his mouth to the side while rubbing the back of his neck, waiting for her reply
"Sorry?"
"I said I am hungry—"
"I think I heard you. Where on earth did this appetite suddenly come from?"
"I don't know," He shrugged
"Your appetite has wonderful timing just like the owner." came her sarcastic reply as she is holding herself back from strangling him
"Thanks. You know I didn't eat anything earlier—"
"COME IN!"