Chirrrrrrr… chirp, chirp…
Crickets filled the calm night air, the moon's soothing, bright rays breaking through the large tree canopy above the road, illuminating small patches unlit by the street lamps, Desmond could be seen strolling leisurely down the middle of the empty road, his long strides perfectly in rhythm with his humming which mimicked the chirping of the crickets.
Zoom!!
A red SUV sped by, its tires screeching as it narrowly missed him.
"Are you out of your mind?! Get the fuck out of the road, you dimwit!!" the driver shouted, swerving angrily empty bottles rattling in the car as he slowed to a halt still in the middle of the road.
Desmond barely flinched from the near accident; instead, he simply looked up at the sky in a daze, continuing with his strange song of crickets even though they had stopped their songs after the ruckus.
"Hmm… I feel like I'm forgetting something," he thought to himself as he tapped his pointing finger to his lips thoughtfully.
"Jack?" he called softly, his eyes lighting up as realisation hit him.
"Jack!!" he exclaimed, amused by his sudden recollection, a grin spread across his face as he tapped the comms device in his ear.
Beep…
"You mother-fucking asshole! Why the fuck did you put me on hold?!" Jack roared the moment the connection returned, the bitterness laced in his voice leaking out of the device.
"Hm? When was that?" Desmond asked in a playful tone, a contrast to Jack's furious tone, his grin still pulsing, pausing again as if deep in thought. Then his grin widened.
"Oh—Kenny boy!" he exclaimed.
"Haaaaaaaaa…" Jack sighed heavily.
"Who the fuck is Kenny boy? You know what, forget that. Were you able to trace the documents?" he asked, frustrated at even having to talk to the walking piece of garbage. He tried to shift the focus of their discussion.
"Oh, those? They're currently with the DVH," Desmond replied, his tone nonchalant as ever, trying to provoke a reaction.
"Which district?"Jack's voice tightened more seriously than it was a moment ago, ignoring Desmond's attempt at provoking him.
"New Metro District," Desmond answered, smiling to himself as he acknowledged Jack's patience and his failed attempt to provoke a tantrum.
"Ugh! Now you see why I was so adamant that you intercept the delivery of the documents. Now look at all this extra work," Jack grumbled in protest at Desmond's incompetence and all the new work he now had to do.
"Okay then, your mission's changed from locate and intercept to retrieve. Get the documents and report back to HQ," Jack ordered, pausing to receive confirmation of Desmond accepting the job.
Desmond paused. The wind whistled softly through the comms. "Yeah, that's quite the hassle. I'll need a full rundown. But first…"
"…I need to handle a situation here."
"Don't you dare put me on hold! Don't you dare Desmond, you know I can get rid of your hunting license, right? Like this," he snapped his fingers into the device
"Just like that and it's gone", he threatened, his voice rife with anger, tired of dealing with Desmond as a whole, all his threats falling on deaf ears as Desmond carried on with what he had in mind to do.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
The SUV's security system blared as the driver stumbled out of the car.
"Who the hell are you?!" the driver shouted in a slur as Desmond slowly approached.
"Do you kno—know… that you'reee on th– the road? Al—almost damaged my caarrrr you bastard!" he continued to stutter, some bottles falling and shattering as he finally stumbled out of the car.
"He–hey im talking to yo–u how– dare you ignore me?" the eyes on his dishevelled face narrowing to focus on Desmond as he drew nearer.
"Do you want to fight?" the first sentence to come out of his mouth without a stutter since his encounter with Desmond.
"Hey, don't come any closer! Stop—stop right there!"
The man's voice slurred again; he had clearly been drinking, evident by just how many bottles could be seen on the driver's seat alone.
Desmond reached the driver's side, his hand gripping him by the neck and lifting him a few inches in the air, effortlessly lifting the man's chubby frame
"Do you–you know who I am?" the man grumbled, his speech stumped as Desmond's grip tightened.
"No, I don't, but I do hope you have insurance, though I doubt you'll be able to use it", he said mockingly, his smile darkening as he threw the man against the open car door, his spine cracking as it hit the edges of the door frame.
The metal creaked under his weight as the door's hinges squeaked painfully, succumbing to the weight of the man and the force he was thrown with causing it to buckle in on itself. The man slowly slid off it, his back a bloodied mess.
The man wet himself. Beer cans and bottles spilt out of the vehicle. How he had managed to consume that many bottles of alcohol was a mystery, but the stink of rotting food emanating from the car told the tale very well.
"Please, let—" he began to beg, clutching his back with his hands, pain pulsing through his being.
Squash!!
Desmond's foot came down with brutal finality, not even letting the man complete his words.
"Ugh. So dirty," he muttered, lifting his now blood-splattered sneaker. His devilish grin vanished, replaced by disgust. He shook off some of the brain matter as the SUV's security system continued to blare in the background. Jack's ranting had gone silent a long time ago. Even the crickets went silent.
"Sick freak," Jack said through the comms, a tinge of disgust in his voice.
"Oh, you heard that?" Desmond replied playfully, his smile returning.
"He made it easy, kneeling like that. I forget how fragile they are sometimes," he added as he resumed walking, hands in his pockets, leaving behind a trail of bloody footprints.
"So! About that mission rundown—hit me," he said, brushing his hair back.
Jack cleared his throat, shaken at just how quickly his tone had shifted.
"Right. The DVH—Justin Kindle—owns a mansion in New Metro Estate. Building number 541. He lives there with a family of three: Justin, Mary, and Ken Kindle. Security is—" he listed only to be cut off by an intrigued Desmond
"Ken?" Desmond repeated.
Desmond suddenly halted, dropping into a runner's stance. His smile stretched unnaturally wide.