Nightlife in some peoples' ways was partying and drinks, nightclubs and dirty romance. Nightlife in my way? Oh, no way.
My nightlife? Blood. Death. Killing. Truthfully, I didn't completely enjoy it. Truthfully, I also didn't completely hate it either. So you could consider me evil, in a way. It was my job, okay? Nothing personal. All of my murders were just business.
I smiled as I walked down the street to my job. Right now it was ten-thirty, and I was still just any average citizen. My bloodthirsty personality only came when I put that outfit on; then, it was all set to kill.
The brick walls of buildings towered over me, casting shadows down. Shadows. Shadows were my life. They were such good friends. They had never given me away – how trustworthy they were compared to fellow humans. Like my good-for-nothing sister. I was just waiting for her to get on my death list. But Boss hadn't asked, so I didn't interfere. You didn't want to interfere with him.
Shadows...The more I thought about it, the more they seemed like me. They were dark and hateful, condemned to be a sign of death and night. They hid from light, clinging to the backs of buildings. Or they could silently stalk a person without their realizing it. I guess that was how I got my name.
I made my way down the dark alleys. Dogs barked a long way away; their loud woofing echoed through the empty streets. Most everyone here were in their early twenties and out partying, enjoying their right to drink alcohol. There was nobody out to spot me. This was too easy. The dog continued barking. I heard a man slam a door and yell, "Get over here, you stupid…”
I ignored the yelping of the dog as it was beaten by the man. Animal cruelty. So what? They were animals, weren't they? There was a reason the human race was in charge. And now that we were in charge, couldn't we do what we wanted? The dogs will get their revenge when they rule the world.
I turned down another alley, this time the last one, unfortunately also the worst. It smelled like rotten garbage because of the nearby dumpster. Rats squeaked and chattered underfoot. Spiders skittered up and down walls, spinning their intricate silvery white webs. A feral black cat hissed as I passed. I ignored it. When it tried to bite me, I just kicked it. The cats can get their revenge on me when they rule the world. Who cared? This cat looked like....a dropout, you could say, or a fugitive, as if the rest of its kind had shunned it, left it behind. If cats ruled the world, maybe it would just leave that one alone, for whatever it did. I was reminded of myself, and felt bad for a second – but then shook it out. As an assassin, there was no time to feel emotion.
I finally got out. I looked around quickly. I was in front of a vacant store. The owners had moved out ages ago, and Boss had used it as our home base. Nobody was there. I raced to the door, opened it, and went in.
Inside the store, there was a large black curtain, going around and covering any window, so nobody would see us. I lifted the curtain and went under. Behind the curtain, there was a light – sort of dim, but you could still see everything just fine. There was a couch, where my colleague of sorts, Burning Flame, laid. He must have just finished a mission. Then there was a spinning chair, like in an office, next to a wooden table. Boss sat in the chair. He had pitch-black hair and unnaturally blue eyes. His name wasn't Boss, really, but everyone called him that.
"Hey, Boss. What's up?" I asked, leaning on the table.
"You just start to sound more and more like Burning Flame there," he chuckled, and sat back. "I got a mission for you. Normal killing. No, it's not Moon Shine."
I sighed. "Aww. Darn it. But…fire away."
He handed me a few papers. It had a picture of some rich-looking middle-aged guy. I memorized the name and address quickly, then handed back the paper. "Don't worry, Boss. It'll be done quickly."
He smiled. "And don't worry. We'll go to war with your sister soon enough. Good luck on your mission, Moonlit Shadow."
I grinned. "Whatever." I went through another door, which led to an enormous closet. I took out a standard uniform, and changed into it – a black long-sleeved shirt with my symbol on the back, and long pants, also black, with a belt for guns and knives.
I left the store out the back door, ready to kill.