Twenty minutes later, we pulled into the warehouse. Brian made sure to point out his sharpshooters, and I still did not spot any of them, so they would do. The abandoned warehouse was already falling apart at the seams, the structure itself was leaning slightly, and the walls and floors had more holes than solid walls. One strong breeze and the whole structure would collapse. The bulldozer was parked to the side in preparation for the demolition set for the next day. This place would be the perfect grave for Joseph and his people.
I sat on a chair Brian had conjured from nowhere and pulled out my phone while he hovered around me, eyes alert and trained on the exit. I dialed Joseph's number while clearing my throat and summoning my childhood memories, intending to give a convincing performance.
"Hello," I called into the phone as soon as the call connected, using my best imitation of a teary little girl voice, an easier task given Lisa's softer tone.
"I'm waiting for you. Where are you?" Joseph's arrogant voice filtered through the phone.
"I am at the old warehouse at the Region junction I replied, making it sound like I was holding back sobs. I don't trust you. This place seems safer. I don't want to die." I finished with a sob.
Brian's large, warm hands covered my shoulder, causing me to look up at his face, which had now curved with worry. I threw him a blinding smile, causing him to take a step back. Any other person would have been offended, but not me. I never experienced any form of happiness until the day I died, so I had a hard time imitating expressions of joy such as smiling, but that did not stop me from trying. I had often been told that my smile had the power to scare the dead back to life. Judging from Brian's face, I was willing to believe it. After his momentary shock, he patted my shoulder, probably hoping I would stop making the distorted smile on my face.
"I did not kill your father, and you should stop saying such things if you don't want something bad to happen to you."
Brian's hands tensed on my shoulder, but I quickly soothed him, placing my hand on top of his. I did not need a hot-headed man getting in the way of me and my easy revenge. I had dealt with men like Joseph more times than not. Most men dismissed me as a non-threat as soon as they saw me, given my laughable five-foot-five height. What none of them knew was that I was killing people long before I hit five feet, and my small stature had often served to my advantage.
"I have evidence, a video of you doing something to him. If you don't come here, I will send it to the police." I said and hung up
"What's wrong?" Brian asked as soon as the phone lowered
"Why would you think something is wrong?" I asked, my voice sounding delightful despite the morbid circumstances
"You...I...never mind. Why choose this location, and why pretend?" He finally managed
"I wanted him to lower his guard, and what says I am harmless, better than a crying, scared girl. He will underestimate me, and I am planning on using that to my advantage. As for why I chose this location, you and your men are going to help me dig up a mass grave. Getting rid of a lot of bodies requires a lot of time and planning that I don't have. Our guys will supervise the construction to make sure that nothing is disturbed."
"Are you planning on building an apartment on top of a mass grave?"
"No, this is where I am planning on planting a garden for Genia's."
"Genia's the protected flower?"
"Yes, the one that is illegal to transplant or even dig up, given how rare they are. Using scum as their fertilizer is a more worthy fate than they deserve."
"How sure are you they will come?"
"Let's give it an hour," I replied cryptically. They arrived in under thirty minutes.
The first man, located a good three hundred meters from the warehouse, issued his alert of approaching vehicles, which prompted Brian to give out a whistle, which was supposed to act as the signal. I still could not spot any of the men he was coordinating with, but I knew he would not let Lisa down. I watched the drone feed from my laptop and let out a small cheer when the first vehicle in line got a flat tire and skidded to a stop, but not before the second car rammed into the first. There was no big explosion, but they were now working with two fewer vehicles and six fewer men. I watched the rest of the team decide to proceed, leaving the two vehicles and the six men behind. The cars were barely out of sight before the six men were jumped and, less than a minute later, were killed. I clapped and gave Brian a thumbs-up. I did not need to worry about Joseph's backup.
When they finally made it to the front gate of the warehouse, they found the whole area barricaded with construction machinery, making it impossible to get in using vehicles. After around ten minutes, during which I assume they were deliberating, Joseph and his team finally decided to get out of their vehicles. If they knew what awaited them, they would have deliberated for much longer. As soon as the last man passed through the rotting door of the warehouse, the invisible men opened fire. Joseph, who had been pushed to the middle for his safety, was the last person to fall. Once the last shot had been fired, I walked over to the dying man.
"I bet you didn't even consider the possibility of an ambush, did you? I have all this money and all this influence, and yet you waltzed into this compound as if you were going shopping. Your arrogance and ignorance are what killed you. I hope you know that." I shot him using the gun I had grabbed from Brian. I had to personally make sure that my enemy was dead; it was the only rule I lived by.
I supervised the burying process and did not move an inch from my vantage point until the flowers that I had illegally acquired the night before were transplanted on top of the freshly covered ten-foot grave that an excavator had been used to dig and cover up. Brian assured me of the loyalty of his team, and their participation in murder ensured mutually assured destruction. I, however, had more to lose, and I made a mental note to familiarize myself with all six branches to prune any weak links. Unlike Lisa, I was determined to make the best of what had been handed to me. I had gotten a true second chance, and I was determined to fully use it.
"Are you okay?" Brian asked, his voice laced with worry
"Why wouldn't I be?" I was truly puzzled.
"You just killed someone," he replied, like it was the most obvious answer in the world.
I couldn't tell him I had been killing people for longer than he had been alive. That in another life I had killed enough people to earn myself a reputation, and I had been killed trying to escape a maximum security prison where I was serving three life sentences. Instead of answering, I gave him a cryptic shrug before walking into the blazing sun. I tried to catch a passing butterfly, but it fluttered out of reach. I couldn't help but laugh at Brian's expression as he looked at me, most likely wondering why I was playing with a butterfly after ordering the death of a total of twenty-one men.