The Mayor's entourage, once intimidating, now appeared like deer caught in headlights. The glint of my blade had stripped away their bravado, leaving only a raw, exposed fear. The Mayor, standing at the center of it all, looked like a rat caught in a trap—A trap I'd set.
"Now, let's talk about your future… or lack thereof," I said, my tone icy, though a smirk played on my lips.
The Mayor's fear was almost tangible. His fingers twitched toward the concealed weapon in his blazer—a handgun. In a panicked gesture, he fired off a shot, desperate of a quick turnaround. I deflected the bullet with ease using the the tip of my blade redirecting it to the poor soul that was adjacent to me. The bullet pierced his chest, and he crumbled to the floor like a felled tree. The Mayor's failed offensive solidified the threat I posed to everyone present. I turned my glare back at the Mayor, whose face was now a ghastly shade of blue.
"Something wrong, Mr. Mayor?" I asked, leaning in with a mockingly concerned expression. "It looks like you're having a bit of trouble breathing."
The Mayor's eyes bulged in disbelief as he gasped for air, quickly tossing the gun away. The room was suddenly filled with dead silence as I stood there, grinning like a cat that got the cream.
"The Blade or the Bullet?" I inquired with a dead whisper that sent chills down the spine of every being in the room. My blade gleamed in my right hand, while the Mayor's gun rested in my left. His once-cocky demeanor was replaced by an expression of sheer terror as he swallowed my words. The room's atmosphere was thick with an eerie silence, punctuated only by the Mayor's final, spluttering breaths.
"Then again, its only fair to return a bullet for a bullet. So, Any Last Words?" I asked, while pointing my gun to his forehead. The mission was now seconds away from completion marking my first takedown of a big figure in the city.
The Mayor locked eyes with me, mustering the last shreds of his courage , "Today I fall, but tomorrow they rise" he croacked.
"Who is 'they'?" I asked, curiosity piqued as my finger teased the trigger.
With a chilling chuckle he responded, "Them that Shall paint this town red.."
I pulled the trigger mid-sentence, cutting off his maniacal laughter. It might have been just a ruse, last kick of a dying horse, but something about his final words didn't settle right with me.
"Ladies and gentlemen," I said loudly, addressing the remaining few who had been frozen in their panic. "The show is over. The Mayor's curtain has fallen, and now you're all left to deal with the aftermath." I glanced at the Mayor's lifeless body with an exaggerated sigh.
The room's occupants looked at each other, their fear morphing into a collective realization of their precarious situation. The bodyguards were immobilized by fear, their once-impregnable demeanor crumbling faster than the Mayor's dignity.
"Oh, and by the way," I continued, casually twirling my blade, "I hope you all enjoyed the Mayor's final act. It was brought to you by yours truly, The Boogeyman. Spread the word—I am the blade that cut those that the hands of justice can not reach."
One of the surviving sycophants, a particularly gaunt man with an air of desperation, stepped forward. "W-What do you want?" he stammered, his voice shaking.
I raised an eyebrow. "What do I want? That's a good question." I tapped my chin thoughtfully. Although the mission was complete, leaving this place without a little souvenir would be a waste. I snapped my fingers. " I'm Sure someone here knows where the Mayor kept his dirty little secrets, so in exchange for your lives, someone better start talking..."
A nervous murmur swept through the remaining guests. "But how do we even know you'll let us live?" a heavily made-up woman asked, her voice trembling.
"If you follow my instructions, I'm sure you'll find that your chances of living through this encounter will improve significantly."
The room's atmosphere shifted from sheer panic to a more controlled kind of dread. They were all at my mercy now, and they knew it.
"I'll make it simple for you," I continued, pulling out a small, sleek device from my coat pocket. It was a sophisticated piece of technology—a data extractor capable of retrieving and erasing all types of digital information. "You see this? This will ensure that I get what I need. Your cooperation means everything. Otherwise, well… let's just say the Mayor's fate might look like a walk in the park compared to yours."
The bodyguards and sycophants nodded vigorously, their fear more palpable than ever. The gaunt man spoke up again, his voice barely above a whisper. "What do you want us to do?"
"First," I said, setting the device on a nearby table, " Bring me all your devices and those that belonged to the Mayor—anything that holds information on his dealings. I'm sure you all know where they are kept. And don't try to hide anything—I'm very good at finding things people don't want me to see."
The room fell into a hurried frenzy as the remaining guests scrambled to gather what they thought I would need. As they worked, I took a moment to inspect the Mayor's opulent suite. The excess was overwhelming—gold-plated fixtures, priceless art, and an array of expensive liquors. It was a stark contrast to the grim scene unfolding within its walls.
The guests brought the devices, which I inspected with a practiced eye and I extracted all the data from their devices onto mine. "Good. Now, let's see if we can find any juicy tidbits," I said, scrolling through the Files with casual interest. "Ah, here we go. A list of bribes, illegal deals, and, oh, a lovely little note about the Mayor's plans to… well, let's just say it involves a lot of shady dealings."
"Alright, I think that's enough for now," I said, tucking the device into my jacket. "Remember this Mask—it is the face you will be seeing at the gates of hell."
With that, I made my exit, leaving the stunned group behind. As I stepped out of the suite and into the corridors of the ship, I couldn't help but chuckle to myself.
"Ah, another day, another job well done," I muttered, heading towards the window where my jetpack awaited. As I ascended back into the night sky, I glanced back at the ship, a satisfied grin on my face.
The Mayor was dead, and his dirty secrets were now mine to handle. The rest of the city's corruption would be revealed in due time, and with this feat the shadows of the underworld would tremble at the mention of my name.
After all, in my line of work, there's nothing more satisfying than a job well done and a few surprised faces left in my wake.
However, despite the triumph of the moment, a nagging unease crept into the back of my mind, refusing to be silenced. The Mayor's last, cryptic words echoed in my thoughts, an unsettling riddle that hinted at something far darker on the horizon.
I couldn't shake the feeling that the true game was only just beginning—one where I might not be the only hunter lurking in the shadows. Something was about to unfold, something far beyond the death of a single man. The city held its breath, and so did I.
And as the night closed in around me, I realized that the Mayor's final act might not have been his last after all.