assassin's gate

by nick nelson

why are you sitting here in the dark? because my life is not worth living. and so you decided to save on electricity? that was thoughtful of you. how can you mock me so, you fiend? i don’t suppose you started dinner? start your own dinner, you monster! what have you been drinking? i hope it’s not that good scotch uncle walter gave us. i can drink my own scotch, thank you very much. and my own vodka too. i think i hear a knock on the door. excuse me. may i help you? yes, it thought i heard a bit of a row going on in here, and i wondered if i might be of some assistance. nothing major, my friend here is tired of his miserable existence and insists on imposing his angst on my weary carcass. oh i say, i am sorry to hear that. is there anything i can do? maybe you could recommend a good assassin to put him out of his misery. an assassin? why i just happen to be an assassin myself. you do not say so? and do you charge reasonable rates? i like to think so. for so unresisting looking a specimen as this, i think i can do the job for - how does thirty-five dollars sound? sold! take him away. come on, my good fellow. i am here to solve all your problems. did you hear that, clarence? go along, now, with this nice gentleman. don’t make a fuss. this elevator is so damned slow. look here, you aren’t really some sort of hired killer, are you? of course not. who ever heard of such nonsense? i think your friend reads too many james patterson novels, or watches too many v o d movies. i suspected as much. where are we going, then? to get a breath of fresh air, and then a drink, if you like. or a sandwich and a cup of coffee, if you prefer. * this is very kind of you, i am sure. but now i am afraid i am at a bit of a loose end. i am not looking forward to going back to the apartment. i understand. look here, i have to confess my motives were not entirely disinterested. oh? no. take this card. i represent a group called the golden resurgence. you probably have not heard of it. i have to confess i have not. but then, i do not keep up much with the modern world and its tedious and endless conflicts we are a small but ambitious group, dedicated to ending those very tedious and endless conflicts you speak of. go to the address on this card. you can get a good night’s sleep there, and in the morning, i , or some other member of the group can give you an account of our mission. how does that sound? wonderful, quite wonderful. it’s so very kind of you. do you need cab fare? * clarence stood in front of an old brick apartment building on a side street. it was clearly the address on the card. there were no lights visible in the building. he climbed the three steps to the front door. there were no mailboxes or buzzers on the outside wall. he opened the door and entered a small dark hall. * back in the apartment, celia wondered what had happened to clarence. her euphoria had quickly worn off. could that fellow really have been what he said? at least she had not given him the thirty-five dollars in advance. she was starting to have a bad feeling about the whole affair.