A story about William Hobbs, a ruthless killer who wouldn't hesitate to dirty his hands for his master's sake. He never allows his victims to escape from him no matter what the cost, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to kill someone that he should've kill. As the result, he left with some doubts, punishment, and also regret, until he realizes that being alive is something he should've appreciate.
This story is inspired by a song titled Greensleeves (Alive) and also canon :) Link to the song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN9Q3wcbAUE
[William Hobbs' POV]
I sigh to myself, looking at all of the people around me. Another day, another kill, I can hear those words are repeating inside of my mind. Godfather Giles has told me to assassinate a journalist who has been investigating us and to expose all of us to the outside world. They probably thinking they can escape intact or even alive easily after dare to do it? I can't allow it to happen.
In the private room of him, he shows me the photo of the journalist. The picture shows a woman around her fourties with black hair which is tied up into a ponytail, her eyes are emerald green similar to mine. Honestly, even she knows the risk of trying to find the truth, her eyes are brimming with such courage, it really disgusts me.
"She is the one who must be assassinated, her name is Johanna Parris," Godfather Giles says to me.
"I'll do it, I have memorized her face. She will be exterminated at all cost," I say nonchalantly. The white haired man chuckles as he pets my head. He always been doing this everytime I obey his words, I proceed to leave the room. Even though I can't feel any kind of emotion normal human can, my lips forming a dark smirk as I think of what I can do with this journalist. I can torture her with my new method before ultimately killing her, oh how it'll really exciting just by imagining it.
"Does the Godfather give you another task, William?" A voice asks me, it belongs to a male with orange hair and reddish chestnut eyes. Edward Bishop, the Mafia member who never kills anyone despite being with us for longer than I am. My smirk immediately changed into a frown as I look at him.
"Yes, and I'll do it no matter what the cost," I say to him without looking at him. Edward approaches me and grabs my shoulder with his right hand.
"What you have done are very wrong William! Don't you know each person that you have killed have families like us?! You really think that these are the right thing?!" He yells at me, anger can be seen on his eyes.
"All of Godfather's words aren't wrong, I'm doing the right thing," I say to him, slapping his hand away. He holds his right hand with his left hand to reduce the pain I've made into him.
"William, you are very aware that he's only manipulating you, right? Can you please.. Just stop doing these?" He says to me, I can clearly hear his voice is too broken, too broken to be functioned. Out of all people in these dark world, Edward is truly the person who really knows about my well being. But what can I do? My common sense, emotions, and thoughts have died, I lost all of them, I even can't tell what is right and what is wrong.
"I can't do that, Edward. His words are the only thing that makes me exist," I say coldly to him as I leave him alone in the hallway. Glancing to my partner for a bit, his shaking shoulders are the only thing I see from him.
What kind of weapon shall I use to torture Johanna, anyway? Needles? Scissors? Or even... Guns? I'll make sure to see the frightened face of her, it really enjoyable. Someone else's despair is the thing that makes me feel alive, and I really want to see them feeling the greatest despair before they are dead. It'll be interesting, right? Right. I take a long, sharp needle from the desk and licks my lips, feeling excited to find and torture Johanna.
"I can't wait for this," I say to myself.
[Johanna Parris' POV]
"Are you crazy, Johanna?! Trying to finding the truth of Mafia might as well mean that you'll be killed, right?!" My boss, Bartholomew Gedney exclaims loudly. I can only smiles at him as I clean my trusty camera, which is already old enough, but it contains all of the memories of my life ever since I was a little girl. For me, the camera is like my best friend who will always accompany me everywhere I go.
"I know the risk, Bart. But if I can find the truth from the Mafia, who knows that I can meet my already-missing son, right?" I says happily to him. It's been about four years ever since my son's disappearance, and I know what the Mafia did to him. As a mother, I can't just simply sit back and wondering what happened to him, I must seek the truth myself. No matter what happened, I'll find Samuel.
Bartholomew only let out a sigh and sits himself. He never wants me to investigating on the Mafia, but my determination can't be held anymore. As a journalist, it is only my duty to serve the best truth and news that I found, even if it means that a Mafia member will soon call for my head.
"Just be careful, okay? You still have your husband and daughter waiting for you at home," he opens the drawer of his desk and hands me a taser. I take the taser and puts them in my bag, smiling at him.
"Of course I will! Who will serve a coffee for you if I never manage to come back?" I say as I playfully messes up his fading mauve hair. He only laughs, and I immediately go to the door.
"I'll see you later, Bartholomew," he only waves at me and I walk away from the building, driving into the seaside. From my last journal, I manage to track down someone who is associated with the Mafia, without his knowledge of course.
The salt breeze from the seaside is very refreshing, filling my nose as I get out of the car. The sounds of the rolling waves like calling me to take a dip on the, but that's not the reason why I am here. Some people are walking around on the coast, however one person catches my attention the most, he is sitting all alone under the sun with all black suit? Hmm, I think he has some problems, so I decided to approach me, blocking the sunlight using a folded umbrella.
"What are you doing all alone here?" I ask to him, he is a youngster around nineteen years old with messy black hair and bandages covering his left cheek and right eye. He only looking down, so I tap his shoulder, gaining his attention. The young male looks at me, he has emerald green eyes much like me.
"I'm sorry for not paying attention, lady. I only looking for some tranquility," the male says to me. His tone sounds emotionless, or nonchalant to my ears, but I don't mind it.
Just when I look at him more and more, I feel his face looks familiar. He looks a lot like my only son, not a lot, but too similar to him. I want to call his name, but I don't think he'll be happy if I do it, so I ask him with a smile on my face.
"What's your name, I am Johanna Parris-"
He leans to me closer as if he is embracing me. I am surprised by this youngster's action, he doesn't know me and we only just meet, yet he leans closer to me. Is he recognises me as his mother?
"Found you," he says to me as I can feel something sharp pierced my nape. Much to my shock, I can see a dark smile forming on his lips, his emerald green eyes stares at me blankly, no shine or glisten reflected on his eyes.
He stands up and pulls the needle out of my nape with a rough force. My blood splatters from the long sharp needle he used to stab me, I fall from the bench we're sitting on. He swings the needle to clean it off my blood, splattering like falling rose petals before dissapear to the air.
"Why did you do this..." I only think to myself, regretting my decision to approach him. Do you hate your mother that much for leaving you? Do you hate me for not being able to save you four years ago, Samuel? Please tell it to your mother, for only one last time. If only I am much stronger, you wouldn't have to suffer like this... You wouldn't have to stain your hands with so much blood from the people you have killed...
"Don't leave, Samuel," I said to the youngster who proceeds to leave me, he can hear my voice and stands in front of me. His eyes shows no glisten, but beads of tears are falling from his eyes. Is he subconsciously cries for me? But I reach my hand to grab the tail of his coat, clutching it tightly. Slowly but surely, breathing becomes a challenge for me. My eyes are flooding with tears as I look at him.
"Forgive me, my son... How I really want to hold you close one more time... I love you," I say to him using the last strength, before everything goes black.
(Timeskip)
When I open my eyes, I find myself laying down on a hospital's bed. Bandages are wrapped around my nape, but honestly, each time I move it makes my wound really hurt! As my eyes are observing the room, I see the youngster is sitting next to me. Obviously, my eyes are crying again seeing him.
"You are assigned to assassinate me, right? Why you don't just kill me back then?" I ask him, he only looking down. This youngster might look the same as Samuel, but his personality really similar to a doll, completely emotionless and can only obeying his master's orders
"Indeed. My Godfather tell me to assassinate you, since you are trying to expose the Mafia," he answers my question, letting out a sigh escape his lips.
"But I can't bring myself to kill you."
"You should've killed me. Or else your Godfather will punish you if you fail this mission," I say to him. He shakes his head, I only smile at him and take a photo of myself and Samuel. The youngster sees the photo.
"Who are they?"
"This is a photo of myself and my only son, he has been missing for four years. If he doesn't get missing, I can see him growing up. I really miss him, when I find out that he is kidnapped, I can only cry for days," I reply his question with a broken voice.
"I'm not one to talk this with you, but is this mean that you also have a family, right? You must've really care a lot about them."
"Of course I am! If not, why would I risk my life just to find him!?" I clutch the white blanket which is covering my body. His cold hand touches my shaking shoulder.
"Forgive me, Miss Johanna. I never know you're really missing him, what Edward says are not wrong at all: each person I killed have a family." He says to me.
"I forgive you, my son. Please forgive this mother of yours," I say that as I pet his head. He only smiles a little.
"Keep on living, Samuel."
"It's William Hobbs, not Samuel," he glances away. He doesn't seem to be pleased with that name, honestly, it kinda shocks me. Have the Mafia done so many bad things on him? I only smiles at him as he stands up from the seat.
"I have to go now. See you later, Mother."
Mother? Is he realise that I'm his mother? Before I can respond to him, however, William already left. I feel some kind of happiness inside my heart, despite his attempt to assassinate me, he doesn't seem to hold a grudge against me. It makes me let out a sigh of relief.
I lay myself down again, and feel my eyelids are too heavy to keep open. As I slowly close them, I hear a melody that I used to play on piano echoing inside my mind acts as a lullaby, which guides me towards my dreamworld.
No more critters come to play with me
I can no longer hear the birdies' melodies
Well then, Snowball, let's go back inside
I am happy just to be alive!
[William Hobbs' POV]
I dash away from the hospital towards the Mafia's headquarter, trying to forget everything I talked with Johanna. Why I couldn't bring myself to kill her?! She is the target needed to be exterminated! But she is so kind towards me, even if I have tried to assassinate her! Her smile is so bright, so bright it touches my soul, which is already tainted with pitch black darkness.
I can feel tears streaming from my lifeless eyes, and I wipe them away angrily. Her kindness is too much for me to handle, it is already too much. My steps slowly dies away in the headquarter's hallway, I just lower my head so I don't lose my face in front of everyone else there. I knock the door of Godfather's private room, I don't hear someone else is there.
"Took you long enough than usual, my child," I hear a man's voice and turn away, seeing Godfather there.
"She was a very persistent target. I failed to assassinate her, but managed to injure her-"
The moment I say that, I can feel his right palm meets my left cheek, slapping it hard. His dark red eyes glare at me with burning hatred, I don't even have time to react his action, nor able to continue my words.
"You useless child... You don't know how much trouble you will cause if she expose the truth, do you?! If the outside world found this, all of us will be doomed! You think you can fix this thing easily?! Be responsible for this! If you make another mistake, I won't hesitate to finish you!"
"But, I couldn't bring myself to kill her-"
"I don't want to hear any excuses! Shut your mouth!"
His last words ring inside my mind, shocking me. My eyes are sealed shut, while my left hand cups my cheek which he slapped. Slowly, I open my eyes and look at him, Godfather pants heavily, seems so satisfied to yell at me.
"I- my apologies," I say to him, who in return just looks at me blankly. I clench my fist, feeling very guilty for disappointing my Godfather. I do very aware that what I have done will endanger the Mafia, but I can't do it! I can't pierce Johanna's nape deeper! She should've been exterminated, but why couldn't I bring myself into pierced the needle deeper down on her nape?!
For a minute, I think to myself. I don't know what should I do, I feel another feeling of terror inside me. I bite my lip, trying to distract myself from them. It doesn't work at all, I fake my usual face in front of him.
"Sorry, I- I got to go."
To Be Continued...