The Assassins

Prologue

Maybe you have heard of the world’s most famous assassins? I am not talking about all of those fakes that got caught after they had killed a president or another important person. I am talking about the famous ones that didn’t get caught; the assassinations that can’t be explained, but for a piece of paper with a signature, a small figurine, or a certain way that a person was killed that is consistent with another murder.
So you haven’t heard of them? Well, I am not surprised. The governments of the world have opted to keep quiet about these mysteries. Well, here is the story of these assassins; unabridged and uncensored. Before I begin, I must ask you: are you sure you really want to know who they are, or rather what they are, and all they have done? If you answer yes, know that what you will learn here may not be what you expect, and that it is understood that you will guard this information and speak of it to no one. You have been warned.  

A brick mansion loomed over a small valley. The only thing that keeps it company are giant boulders and trees set around the hill top and valley, silent sentries guarding against an unnamed threat. No lights shine in the house. The moon, full and glowing bright, casts long shadows on the ground. A small road meanders away from the house and disappears into the dense forest of the edge of the valley.
Two hooded figures step in unison from shadow to shadow, moving with extreme ease; their cloaks melding with the shadows causing an illusion of someone being there at all. They followed the road, one on each side. They reached the mansion, both meeting in the shadow of the building. Leaning against the wall, one of the figures motioned to the other figure. In response, the other figure gave a slight nod, then jumped ten feet onto the wall and climbed it like a spider to a window eighteen feet over the ground. It opened the window and climbed silently in to a small hallway on the second floor.
At this the first figure ran around the building, onto the porch, and to the door. Finding it locked, the figure pulled two tools from his cloak. He inserted them into the lock and with a flick of his wrist opened the door. As soon as there was enough room to fit in, the figure slid through the doorway and to the side. Crouching in a shadow it listened. Thump thump. Thump thump. A heart beat, up and to the right. It turned and saw a man with a hand gun on a balcony above a marble staircase. The man looked down on the room, flicking his eyes from shadow to shadow, searching for any intruders; obviously a veteran body guard or hired gun. With a swift motion the figure pulled a curved knife from his robes and threw it at the man on the balcony. With a thud the knife hit the man in the heart and with a slight groan the man keeled over onto the floor.
The second figure crouched in a shadow to the left of the window; it just came in through, and waited. Listening, it heard a slight groan. It continued to wait then reached into its robe, and pulled out a pin, dropping it onto the smooth, wooden floor. It heard the same sound a second later and the other figure came in through a side passageway. It nodded at the approaching figure and hurried stealthily down the hall. At the end of the hall it came to an immense door. Outside of the door stood five heavily armed men. The men were holding handguns, machine guns, automatic rifles, and shotguns. The men were all heavily built and had army style haircuts.
The men didn’t notice the figures lurking in the shadows as they spoke to each other in sign language; planning their attack. One of the figures nodded, stood, and walked toward the men. Through the men’s eyes a hooded figure appeared that the figure walked right out of the wall. The men raised their guns, but it was too late. The figure disappeared and only one of the men had sharp enough eyes to follow their movement. The figure appeared behind the men and pulled two kamas out of its robes. It put the curved blades around two of the men’s necks, pulled back and out, slitting their throats in one fluid motion. The second figure leaped out of the shadow with incredible speed, grabbing a man's head and twisting. With a crack the man fell, his head in at a strange angle, as the figure turned and side kicked another man through a stone wall to the left of the door. The last man raised his gun to fire. In the blink of an eye, both of the figures were behind him. One of the figures reached back and then thrust his hand, palm up and fingers out, through his back, behind his heart, and out the other side.
The figure pulled his hood of his head off with his free hand. He was a handsome teenager around the age of fifteen. He had dark brown eyes and black hair was worn down over his ears and with bangs cut just above his eyes. His face was slim and pale, but something about it was unnervingly appealing. He pulled his hand out of the man and smiled, revealing abnormally large canines, as the man fell to the ground. He licked the blood off of his hand, making sure not to miss a drop. In a rather deep and ancient sounding voice he said, “Shall we finish our mission, Master?”  
“Yes we shall,” answered the other figure in a serious tone. He walked towards the door while his companion the hood over his head once more. The first figure listened at the door. After a second he made multiple quick hand gestures, motioning into the do to the right and left. After another second he stepped back and kicked the door down. There was the sound of machinegun fire, smoke, and then yelling.
“Where did they go?”
“I can’t see anything!”
“Sound off!”
“One.”
“Two.”
Three didn’t come. The figures jumped onto the ceiling and dropped down into the mayhem, following the sounds of the men yelling, breathing, and moving
“Four.”
Nothing again.
“Where the hell are they?”
The smoke cleared and only one was left. There were ten bloody corpses lying on the floor. A dagger flew from the shadow next to a desk in the back of the room . With a soft thud it embedded into his head.
   Before leaving, the two figures went through the corpses, but apparently didn’t find what they were looking for. They searched the room, which was full of bullet holes and a small fire had started in the corner adjacent to the desk. The room seemed to be a command center and fortress.
“Hey Master! Is this him?” The other figure walked over and nodded. A stray bullet had killed him. The man looked to be in his 40’s he was balding and he had a slight pot belly underneath a very expensive black suit.
“Our mission is over. Take his ring to prove we’ve completed it,” said the second figure. The first figured pried a very big titanium wring off the man’s thumb and inserted it into a hidden pocket in his robes. After this they left the house the way they had come.

End Prologue