Three
1328 Words
Kevin brought out his phone and typed 911 with trembling fingers, terrified bout what might happen to him since he was somehow not dead.
He heard a voice coming from the staircase, and a group of well-armed men storming the room. He dropped the phone and raised his hands, not even knowing why he was doing so.
"Hands where I can see em! Raise them, now!"
Kevin did so with fear in his eyes. Who were these people? Were they the police?
"Are you with the cops?"
He heard a sound coming from the stairs and the men parted, letting a middle-aged man step in. He looked like someone of authority, and the men in suits all seemed to take orders from him.
"I am not. But this whole building is my property. And last night everyone in it died. Why are you still alive?"
"I... I have no idea, si... sir." Kevin struggled to get the words out of his mouth.
"What's your name?"
"Ke... Kevin Bells. Please, I can't rem..."
"It's okay, Mr. Bells. You don't have to remember what happened. We will."
"Who are you? What are you talking about?"
"My name is L. You can call me that."
"Why should I? What do you want?"
"We have a proposition for you, Mr. Bells."
"What kind of a proposition?"
"One that you can't say no to."
"I have to hear the proposition before I say yes, don't I?"
L smiled and sat down. "Have a seat, Mr. Bells."
Kevin sat down, flinching a bit when he saw a nozzle aimed directly at his head.
"Do you believe in the divine?"
"I believe everyone is entitled to a view on religion, and I think it is subjective."
"That's not an answer to my question, Mr, Bells. Do you believe in the divine?"
"I think there has to be something up there. It's too perfect to happen."
"Alright. Everyone in here was supposed to die yesterday, but you didn't Do you think it's because you are... special?"
"No. I just got lucky."
"Or maybe the universe didn't want you dead, and it chose you for a greater purpose."
"And that is?"
"To help us kill people."
Kevin's eyes widened as if on impulse and his mouth parted a bit.
"Kill? Why do you kill people?"
"You see, I believe in karma. You know, justice for the wicked, all of that s**t. And I believe I am an instrument for rewarding those who are deserving. And you have two choices, Mr. Bells. You can either join me or test your luck a second time, this time face to face with a silenced sub-machine gun that has no friends."
As if on cue, one of the men behind him c****d his gun and stepped forward. Kevin looked back and forth between the two men and realized the hopelessness of the situation.
"Okay. What do I have to do?"
"Nothing yet, Mr. Bells. You just have to come with me, and I will introduce you to your new colleagues. Welcome to the Institute." He got up and motioned for Kevin to follow him out of the room.
Kevin looked around one last time and walked towards the exit.
"Mr. Bells."
Kevin turned back around.
"I have a feeling we are going to get along very well."
They both went outside the building, and Kevin stopped in front of one of six blacked out Range Rovers. He got inside, and was taken back to the institute, a place that was to serve as his home from now on.
A place where his life would begin and end./
***
When Kevin arrived at the Institute, it was night-time and everything was silent. It was almost as if he was the only one alive.
He got out of the car and headed inside, the men not uttering a word as he disappeared from their view.
The interior was beautiful. The floors were white marble, the walls were painted a soothing yellow, and the ceiling was a work of art.
He could feel himself being watched from above.
Kevin walked on until he came across an intersection, where he was met by an elderly lady dressed in a uniform that was similar to his own.
"Greetings, Six."
He was confused. "Who's six?"
"That is your code name, and will be used to identify you for the remainder of your stay."
"Oh, I didn't know that. Why did they choose that name?"
"They didn't. Your predecessor did."
"What happened to him?"
"She. She left."
"Left? You mean..."
"Yes, Mr. Six. She passed on."
"Oh. Okay, where do I sleep?"
"You'll find your room on the third floor. Follow the numbers and you'll arrive at your destination."
Kevin sighed and headed upstairs, wondering what the hell he was thinking when he decided to join the Institute.
A few minutes later, he was in his room. It had a huge king-size bed in the center and a bathroom on the left side, with a door that led to a balcony.
Kevin sat on the bed and sighed. At least I get to sleep properly when I'm done killing, right?
He was about to lie down when he heard the door open, and a guy walked in. He had a sinister look in his eyes, and a devilish smile plastered on his face.
"Hey, newbie."
"Yeah. Who are you?"
"I'm Four, your partner."
"Okay. When do we start?"
"Right now. Grab your s**t and follow me."
"Where are we going?"
"Just follow me."
He did as instructed, and was shown to a room where the rest of the gang was waiting. He walked in to see two boys and a girl sitting around a conference table, looking really relaxed in sharp contrast to him.
"Hello, Six."
"Hi."
"Let's start with some introductions. I am Two."
Kevin nodded and looked around.
"You already met Four."
Four smiled at him.
"That's Three," Two said while gesturing to a guy in a hoodie munching on some chips. He looked liked he was currently on a workout regimen, and his stubble was evidence he shaved pretty regularly.
"Yo, dude."
"And the girl over there is Five."
Kevin was shocked. She had a killer physique, and was incredibly good-looking.
"Hey, Five."
She smiled at him.
"One isn't currently in the middle of a mission, but she sends her greetings."
"Well then, that is it for the introductions. Now let's talk business."
He walked towards the centre and the screen behind him came alive.
"Six, as your predecessor probably told you, we are the ones that keep the balance between the good and evil of the world by eliminating the evil whenever it gets too powerful."
Kevin was confused. "Predecessor? The lady downstairs told me she passed away-"
"Oh, you never met her? Well, I'm telling you who we are and what we do now, so it doesn't matter either way."
"Okay. So what do we do exactly?"
"We hunt."
"Hunt? What, like animals or some s**t?"
"No. Humans."
Kevin was shocked. "Are you kidding me?"
"No, I'm not. I'm keeping it real with you, because you're in already, Six. The truth is some terrible people do terrible things, okay? And no matter what your personal feelings are on the subject, someone has to take on the responsibility of rewarding them for what they do."
Kevin was speechless. "This... this is crazy. There's no way this is legit."
Two smiled. "I knew you were going to react this way, which is why I'm going to show you exactly what we do, and how it's done."
"I... I don't understand."
"What you need to understand is that this is what you're going to do from now on. Whether you like it or not, it's what you signed up for."
"But I didn't sign up for this!"
"You didn't sign up for this," Five said sarcastically.
Kevin sighed. "Fine, whatever. Show me what I'm here for."
- Writer
