The bathroom door creaked.
I turned, thinking about the next course of action.
The woman came out, already dressed again, but her face looked anxious.
Her face was deathly pale.
She tightly clutched the edge of her coat, trying to conceal the uncontrollable tremors from the shock she had experienced.
Her gaze was fixed on the floor, avoiding eye contact with me.
I gave a small nod, a silent permission to move.
I stood up from the sofa and walked toward the room's exit, followed by the woman behind me.
I went down the stairs to the first floor with her.
'It seems no one heard the gunshot, or they're pretending not to hear.'
I passed the apartment caretaker.
The man remained silent, his features unreadable.
He stood near a small table, his arms folded across his chest.
His head turned as we passed him, and for a moment, our eyes met.
I stared at him without blinking, maintaining a cold gaze.
'It seems he knows, but he's staying quiet. Suspicious.'
I ignored him, then walked out of the apartment and headed southwest.
The sound of my footsteps scraped against the piles of snow on the sidewalk.
Behind me, the woman walked with a dragging, almost silent step, disrupting the rhythm of my own.
She didn't try to speak or run; she just followed, like a doll that forgot where its home was.
'Why is this woman still following me?'
I stopped, turning toward her.
Her eyes looked empty.
'Maybe I was too much.'
I walked closer to her, then patted her shoulder.
"Woman, why are you following me? Hurry up and go home. Are you lost?"
The woman just stayed silent.
I turned back and continued walking, but she kept trailing me.
I was slightly annoyed.
Her presence was an unnecessary risk, especially after I let her live.
Her footsteps were too slow, and her blank stare could easily attract attention.
I couldn't take any more risks.
I walked quickly, taking a shortcut toward the target's house.
There was a strange feeling that gave me the chills.
I ran away from her, occasionally glancing behind me.
Now she was a bit far away.
'Hah, I'm safe from that slut now. What's wrong with her? Strange.'
Finally, after walking for quite a while, I stood in front of that ordinary-looking house, which was located right on the side of the road.
"Hmm... Is this the bastard's house?"
I walked while observing the surroundings.
The snow was falling heavily.
The neighborhood seemed quiet; only the bright lights inside the house were on.
I saw the silhouettes of a family seemingly celebrating Christmas inside.
I approached, peeking through a gap in the window.
'Fuck, this is a bit difficult. He's with his family, it seems. What should I do?'
I thought hard, backed away, then walked to the side until I reached the back of the house, looking for a power source.
Before long, I found a thin iron cover—most likely the electricity meter box.
The cover was tightly locked.
I looked around, searching for an iron rod or a hard object to break it.
Near a pot, there was a medium-sized piece of iron pipe.
I picked it up, then walked back.
I slammed the iron pipe against the lock of the cover repeatedly until the lock broke.
I opened it.
Many electrical wires were neatly arranged.
I took out my pistol, stepped back three paces, and aimed at the current flow.
Then I shot it with one bullet. BANG!
I quickly ran to hide in the shadow of their shed.
The lights went completely out.
The electrical current broke and burned, and sparks collided.
I waited for them to come out of the back door, gripping my pistol tightly.
Now, only two bullets remained in my pistol magazine, as the illegal seller only gave a five-bullet bonus.
CREAK! The back door opened.
Someone was carrying a brightly shining flashlight, scanning the surroundings.
I immediately crouched down, holding my breath, my face pressed against the snow.
They averted the light beam, then walked over, illuminating the burned electricity meter.
The light beam shifted, highlighting the smoking meter box.
The man was fat and looked gray-haired.
I was sure it was his father.
I breathed slowly, enduring the cold bite of the snow, while observing them.
The man looked angry and puzzled.
He was arguing with his wife.
The man went back into the house without closing the door.
Because it was pitch dark, I had difficulty walking.
I crawled along the fence, feeling my way.
After reaching the door, I took off my shoes, hid them behind a pot, then tiptoed inside.
Inside, it was completely dark.
I couldn't see anything, only taking small steps while feeling the walls of the room.
There was a dim candlelight from the kitchen.
I peeked from behind a plastic plant pot, watching them.
"How could this happen? Which bastard ruined my electricity meter?!"
I saw the man holding his head, accompanied by his wife.
'Where is the child? Don't tell me he's still in the front room. Do they not have a pet dog? If so, my plan will fail. I have to get rid of them ALL, including the dog. A difficult choice. Moreover, I only have two bullets left. How can I kill three people plus the dog with two bullets?'
I stayed silent, thinking hard.
I tiptoed out of the room and glanced back one more time.
The faint candlelight from the kitchen briefly illuminated the figure of the man who was still holding his head, and his wife.
Both were too busy arguing and cursing about the total power outage.
'They didn't notice me.'
I knew if I stayed here, those two bullets would be wasted without maximum results.
The risk of getting caught was far greater than momentary satisfaction.
I put my shoes back on, then walked away from the house. I quickened my pace.
The darkness and heavy snow were now my shield.
When I reached the sidewalk, I quickened my steps.
My eyes kept sweeping the surroundings, looking for strange shadows or sounds.
My heart pounded fast, afraid that one of the neighbors had heard the gunshot that destroyed the meter earlier.
'The plan here failed. But next time it will succeed. Time to move on to the next target.'
I walked west, away from the house.
Not long after, I crossed paths with a police car.
I observed.
The car was driving straight toward my target's house.
I quickly ran as fast as I could before the police noticed and caught me.