Morning begins with silence.
Silence is necessary.
I wake before the city stirs. Coffee. Black. No sugar. No softness. A cold shower after. The sting reminds me I'm still alive. Then I walk to the garage.
Grease under my nails, iron in my hands, sweat on my skin—that is the mask. A mechanic earns less suspicion than a drifter with no work. So I fix engines by day, and kill men by night. The balance keeps me untouchable.
Machines are honest. If they break, they show you where. If they stop, you know why.Unlike us.
At noon, my phone shook once in my pocket. Not a call. Not a message. The vibration was shorter. Colder. Familiar.
I knew what it meant before I looked.
I always know.
The screen glowed:
——————————————————————————————————————
-You have been rolled. Tap to inspect your order!-
——————————————————————————————————————
My lips did not move. My heart did not stir. A roll meant work. That was all. I slid the phone back into my jacket and finished tightening the last bolt on the Civic's engine. A contract could wait. An engine demanded precision now.
***
The garage emptied at dusk. The others went home. I stayed. Always.
In the cracked mirror above the sink, I saw myself as I was: light skin dusted with oil, hair cut in a wolfish fall, muscle carved from discipline and violence. Strangers sometimes called me heroic. Heroes don't leave bodies behind.
I sat down on the workbench, pulled the phone back out, and opened the app.
[Sicario Roulette]
It is not public. It is not for the desperate. It belongs to those high enough in the underground to pay for blood on demand. They roll like gamblers, the wheel spinning as a golden ball clatters around numbered slots. The colour where it falls marks the assassin's grade.
A message window blinked below.
I sent the first word.
————————————————————————————————————————————
Arash: You rolled me.Is this certain?
The reply came fast.
Mr.Err0r: For a former white branded.Questioning a client?
Arash: Mr.Err0r.Ending a life is profession.Everyday hitman within this app come and go due to clash in forced engage.Making targets on solely them is a first for me.I keep various precautions in mind.All contract received is a one time deal.Thus,your wish may be granted but trail will be left.Worse,omen might follow.
Mr.Err0r: I'll fill you in with an energizer.
-(Tap to view)-
-(Opened)-
Mr.Err0r: Is it enough?
Arash: Who,are you.
Mr.Err0r: Concern of your end.Worry not we will work again.I need you as you need me.
————————————————————————————————————————————
Mr.Error no longer give a reply.And that's the call.I closed the screen. Slipped the phone into my jacket. Leaned back against the bench.
The garage hummed faintly, the lightbulbs buzzing like insects caught in a jar.
By day, I wear grease.By night, I wear blood.
And now, the wheel has spoken.Tomorrow, someone dies.One of my own.
-END OF CHAPTER-