Death Maiden

Chapter 01

Two nights before

"Beg."

"N..ne...ver...*cough**cough*"

"Hmm."

She looked at her latest target with a look of neither pity nor amusement. Nakahiga ang lalaki sa sahig with his blood all over the place.

She watched him as he crippled in pain that she inflicted on him. Two daggers ang nakabaon sa kanya, one on each leg. A big cut on his forehead at isang tama ng bala on his right shoulder and arm plus mga bugbog pa na inabot niya. That's because he put up a fight with her instead of just giving up.

He didn't cry for help though. He didn't even ask for fogiveness kahit wala pa siyang kasalanan sa kanya. Hindi din siya nagmakaawa.

'Ano nga ba ang pangalan niya?' She didn't bother to memorize. She just didn't care. As far as she knew, he just needed to die with her own hands this very day.

Umupo siya sa sahig malapit sa kanyang biktima at isinandal niya ang kayang likod sa pader. 'Nakakapagod.' All she had done this day is work work work. Ang lalakling ito na nga ang huli niyang target sa linggong 'to. Bumuntong hininga na lang siya at pumikit for a moment nang may narining siyang nagsalita.

"Are..you..hap..py?" Nauutol pang sabi ng lalaki. Nakatingin lang siya sa kisame.

'Buhay pa pala siya?' Pero nagsalita ulit ito. "Are you..." huminga muna siya ng malalim bago nagpatuloy sa pagsasalita, "....satisfied?"

Nakatingin lang siya ng diretsyo hindi inalintana ang mga tanong ng lalaki sa kanya.

"Please...I need to know." Now he turned his face sideward to look at her.

She looked at him with an expressionless face and said, "I don't know. I just don't really care." Hindi niya alam kung bakit niya siya sinagot. Wala naman sigurong masama diba? Mamatay din naman siya.

Tumingin ulit ang lalaki sa kisame. "'You just don't care, huh?"

"Yeah."

"It sounds like..you're saying that you don't have any reason for living. Is...that correct?" She wondered what's with all the sudden questions? It doesn't matter really, he's gonna die any minute now.

"Tell..me...what exactly is the...reason..*cough* why you're doing this s**t?" He gasped for air and then continued saying, "What exactly is the reason... why you still keep on living?"

"I don't need any reason to live. If I live, I live. If I die, then I die. Ganun lang kasimple yun." It's just that she doesn't have anymore a reason to live.

"Hmm. Ganun ba..I just don't understand. You're just a teenager," he sighed. He felt sorry for her really. He knows what's it's like to be in that situation. He sadly smiled. "Living this..kind of life is like living in hell, right?"

"Not exactly. I'm used to it." True. This life is nothing but ordinary to her.

"Yun din ang sabi ko sa sarili ko noon but it changed. I changed. Now I can finally say that I'm happy....dying." He paused for a while grasping for another volume of air. "Dahil natikman ko ang kasiyahan bago man lang ako mamatay. I found and met the ones whom I can call my family," he added.

Nawala na ang ngiti sa mukha niya. And his breathing started to get slower and uneven.

He's.......dying.

Napagtanto niyang wala na siyang kailangan sa lugar na 'to. She done already done her job. Tumayo siya at tumalikod para kunin ang satchel bag niya sa sofa.

"One advice, Death Maiden," he suddenly said for she thought he was already dead.

She stopped, her back facing her victim.

"Open you're eyes, look within yourself. Are you satisfied with the life.......you're living? If not, then take this advice from a changed man like me......only a life lived for others is a life........worth living." He breathed his one last breath.

He's dead.

She sighed. She looked back at him. She took out the daggers na nakabaon sa mga binti niya and left out a mark on his wrist, a small dot, using an ink that can never be erased. Pumunta agad siya sa pintuan at pinihit niya ang door knob at lumabas na siya sa kwartong iyon.

She called a cab when she was out of the building. Her thoughts pondered to what he had just said. Well, that's a surprise especially for someone like her. Most of the time, people's opinions do not get through her at all.

"A life worth living, huh?" She smirked. What was his name again? Now, she remembered! David Jamisson, the great Shadow Stalker. Killed almost over two hundred people. Started to 'change' his life for over two years now and he died by her own hands. The very first person to advise her something before he actually died and the very first person to actually made her think about her choices in life.

'What an asshole.'

Several days have passed, the death of Mr. David Jamisson was all over the news. David Jamisson, an ordinary man. Living a simple life as a worker. Died. Murdered. But no clues or whatsoever.

That's just it.

Of course. She does her job without fail, making sure no clues will be found that will lead them to her. She marked their wrists with a dot indicating the they were killed by her--or anyone from the org. It's like taking ownership or making their victims their 'possessions'. This mark looks just like a very small mole. It's like a natural mark in a human body.

Clearly, the police still doesn't know and doesn't give any meaning to it.

They usually make that mark to them days before or very rarely on the night they kill them.

She worked clean and fast. Except for that night. Dahil siya lang ang natatanging target niya na kinausap niya. Lucky for him. Little do they know that he was an assassin. Just like her.

Kinuha niya ang remote and turned the TV off. Nandito siya sa condo niya ngayon in a some 5 star hotel she didn't bother to put her attention into. She stood by the glass window and looked at the busy street below her. 'Ordinary people doing their ordinary mundane life,' she thought.

Tumunog ang Iphone niya, 'yung latest model. Yeah. They might be killers or assassins pero malaki naman ang bayad sa kanila ng organization. Mas mayaman pa nga siguro sila kaysa sa nagmamay-ari ng hotel nato. She can buy this whole building if she wanted to.

She picked up her phone when she heard it buzzing. One message recieved.

"Make sure to come to the party tomorrow." - Whisper Walker

'Yeah. Yeah. Sure. Sure.' Tinapon niya yung phone niya sa sofa. 'I hate parties. Ayokong may kumakausap sa akin like what the hell? They don't know even know me personally. Why would I bother talking to them?'

She hated the glamorous and flambouyant setting, the clothes they're wearing, the place, the music, and most especially, the people. 'Why should I be there? Tsk.' From the outside, ang alam lang nila ay isang engrandeng event lang ito ng mga mayayaman or those people who belong to the higher level of the society. Of course, a whole bunch of socialites will be there like the sons and daughters of some well-known owner of such companies or corporations or whatsoever. This party is anually held inorder to strengthen the partnership of the Corporation with its partners. The guests and attendees are the children of it's business partners.

And she doesn't give a damn about them.

The event will be managed by the Valhalla Corporation- the name of their organization from the outside. Unbeknownst to them, it's actually a gathering for all the members of our organization- The Dark Society, and its partners.

Sa labas, the Corporation is one of the most famous, successful and highly respected companies in the country, owning several department stores, malls, oil companies and refining industries, foods, drugs and clothing industries. Hindi nila alam that they have this organization known as The Dark Society - a secret organization of the best assassins, spies, killers, agents, scientists, fighters, researchers doing various criminal activities for the good of the org. They are the real people behind the Corporation.

The organization makes and sells various types of drugs, do advance researches in the field of medicine and creates dangerous weapons, guns, gadgets, tools and machinery. Their customers are located in different parts of Asia, Europe, Russia and America.

Dahil na din dito, they made enemies who are willing to bring them down to the ground, to kill them and to expose the deepest secrets of the Corp. Pero bago paman sila maunahan, uunahan nila ang kanilang mga kalaban. With that, the organization formed the "Angels of Death" consisting of the Top 10 best fighters/assassins/killers/agents in the organization. Needless to say, they are the most important people in the organization. They kill any person who threatens the organization. Any person who will defy the organization will be brought to death by their hands. 

This is the type of job that she has.

Although, all of them knew the existence of each other, hindi pa talaga nila nakita o nakilala ang isa't-isa meaning hindi niya pa nakikita sila even their faces except of course for Sweet Venom and Scarlet Temptress. Nevertheless, she is very much well aware of their abilities and skills with the exception of one.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard her phone ringing again. 'What is it now?' She read the first message on her Inbox.

"Don't be late." - WW

"Whisper Walker." Bulong niya sa sarili. Isa din ito sa 'Angels of Death' kasama niya.

Although they belong to the same organization, the ten of them, rarely and hardly or never ever talk. They don't have this kind of relationship wherein they help one another nor stand on each other's side, like that will ever happen.

She went to the bathroom para magshower muna bago siya humiga at matulog. The warm water splashed all over her body. She suddenly touched the skin on her right shoulder. She turned to the side to see her whole self in the mirror. She saw a girl in a mirror with a tattoo from her right side of her back up to her right shoulder. An image of what known as the Phoenix. She rubbed it gently.

"A mark signifying the life I had for the past 5 years." She gave out a sigh. Naala niya ang mga sinabi ni Shadow nung gabing yun. Will she ever find a reason to live?

But...it's too late. It's no turning back now. Nagbihis na siya para matulog. A girl needs her rest right? Besides, tomorrow will be a "great day" for her.