Amalia bursts into tears hearing those words.
"Best friend? You're crazy, you're definitely a well trained assesign, that's for sure."
"Am I really,Why don't you ask him? He should be up by now."
"A-amalia, stop. Don't shoot him,please. It's true, he's Landon."
Alex pleaded to Amalia, who after a short pause lowered her gun.
"You know I hate it when you get like that...fine. He lives, but I am curious as to who you are."
She asked Landon, with a creepy smile forming from her lips.
"I've told you, haven't I? I'm Landon Asher, multi award winning artist."
He said sarcastically at her.
"Alex. We're leaving,let's go."
Landon said, turning his back. But his movements were stopped by a fired bullet just inches from where he stood.
"Oi, am I a joke to you? Just because I let you live doesn't mean your off the hook. You killed my most trusted puppet, and guess what. You're gonna replace him."
She said, with rage burning through her eyes.
(Man,this is bad. This bitch is the still insane as she gets. I gotta quicky think of a way out of this...wait...there's just a few days before 'that' happens. I can use this to my advantage."
He thoughtvto himself, before finally turning to face Amalia yet again.
"Sqy...Amalia, I got a proposal for you."
He said confidently, catching her attention.
"Ohh, and what might that be?"
"It's simple, but before I tell you let me ask you something. How many high ranking men have you lost this year...no in a space of the last 4 months to be specific? Around seven...right? Well,I guess it's eight counting him now. I can kill them for you."
"..."
"Judging by your silence it means I'm right. I'll get to the chase, I know who is doing this and I know when he will strike again."
"Oh, you can?Interesting. You talk like you already know who he is."
"I do."
"And who might he be? A rival family? A new family trying to gain merit?
"Neither... He is a much more bigger fish. Have you ever heard of the 'Ghost'?"
Just saying those words were enough to strike the fear into Amalia's eyes. The 'Ghost' the only special Rated Assesion in the underworld, he is said to have killed 5 men with a single pencil,and a brick. He is the ultimate taboo in the criminal underworld, some say he I'd t even human,but a demon incarnate.
Amalia's hands started shaking with fear, it all started to make sense as to why all her men died like they've already accepted death. They came face to face with the Grim reaper himself.
"S-stop talking nonsense. Are you saying that it's that monster that's attacking my men, and that you can kill him? That's a bald thing to say. Besides, why would he attack me? I've always made sure to never get involved with him"
"Oh? And how sure are you? You're always distributing white magic to people, or trafficking women. Who is to say that one of them wasn't someone he held dear to him?"
Amelia stood there frozen in fear. Although what Landon just said was only seen as assumptions to her, it was indeed true. Landon,or rather 'Ghost' had a friend, a female by the name of Junita. Junita was someone who he had a strong bond with and he viewed her as a little sister, she was a young street orphan who he found one day trying to steal the tiers off of his car. He didn't know whether she was stupid or brave...of simply insane, but after hearing her story about her wanting to buy food and warm clothing to save her little brother,another street kid who was sick at the time he decided to help. Little did he know by breaking the first rule "Never get attached to people" he would change his life.
He had gotten them an apartment and sent monthly spipends to keep them afloat and wound drop by occasionally once in a while. Although he tried by all means to save them both,the brother died not long after. That drove Junita into a deep depression, and her only escape was white magic. But,one day while Ghost was away she od'd and died. When he returned he found her lifeless body in bed and from that day he became something far darker than the rumors.
Although he was an assesign he had one rule, he only takes on hired jobs and nothing personal. For the next half a year he went on a killing spree and started making it personal. And now, it just so happens he is finally on his way to Amalia to settle this. For years there's been a hit on her and no one took it, but now due to the guilt for Junita he now felt the pain that those who lost someone close to them the same way felt and he now decided to end it all.
"I-impossible...there's no way he...no you're right. Ha-haha I'm screwed aren't I?"
She said,after accepting her fate. No one who had cane across Ghost had survived so it's only right to accept her demise.
"Tell me...how much do you know about him...about Ghost?"
Landon let the silence hang just long enough to be cruel.
He stepped forward, slow, hands in his pockets like he was talking about the weather.
"How much do I know about him?" Landon repeated, and then he smiled. Not his artist smile. The other one. "Amalia, sweetheart... I know what his favorite pencil brand is."
Amalia flinched.
Alex was staring at Landon now, his mouth slightly open. He'd never seen Landon like this. This wasn't his best friend. This was someone wearing his best friend's face.
"You're lying," Amalia whispered, but her voice cracked. "You're bluffing. Everyone knows about the pencil story."
"Well, I I know him personally, Amalia. I trained with him. I bled with him. For three years in the Red Rooms of Krakow," Landon lied effortlessly. The details just poured out of him, like he was reading from a book only he could see. "Ghost doesn't take contracts anymore. Not since Junita. He only kills what he hates. And right now? He hates you more than anyone else on this continent."
He was right in front of her now. He gently, almost tenderly, pushed the barrel of her gun down with one finger.
"So here's my proposal. You don't need a puppet. You need a shield."
Amalia's creepy smile was gone. Her lips were trembling. "A shield..."
"I will kill the Ghost for you," Landon said, loud and clear for Alex to hear too. "You only got a few days at best. And Since i knkw him so well, i can tell you he'll make his move in 3 days after your shipment at cuba."
Amalia's eyes widened. No one knew about the pier shipment. NO ONE. Except her inner circle.
"You see? I know everything he knows. Because he told me. He wants you to suffer, to know he's coming. It's his ritual."
He leaned in, his breath ghosting over her ear.
"So, hire me. Let me replace your puppet for one day, after that me and Alex walk and you forget about us. I'll be at the pier. I'll be your right hand. And when he shows up to kill you... I'll kill him first. One monster to kill another. That's fair, right?"
Amalia stared at him. Tears still on her cheeks, but now mixed with something else. Awe. Madness. Obsession.
"You... you can really do it? You can kill Ghost?"
Landon finally let his mask slip completely. His eyes went dead cold. The multi award winning artist was gone. What was left was something hollow and far, far older.
(God, she bought it. Hook, line, and sinker. But it is going to be weird dealing with my old self... But fighting isn'tan option, I'lltry my best to talk it out and work together with my other self to kill her.)
He looked her dead in the eye and said the one thing she needed to hear.
"I am the only man alive who can."
Amalia was silent for a full ten seconds. Then, she started to laugh. A high, unhinged, broken laugh that echoed in the warehouse.
"HA! HAHAHAHA!"
She grabbed Landon's collar and yanked him close, her face inches from his, her creepy smile back and ten times wider.
"You're hired, Landon Asher. You are now my most trusted puppet. My right hand. My... Ghost-killer."
She turned to Alex, who looked like he was going to faint.
"If he betrays me... you both die. Okay? Okay!"
She let go of Landon, skipped backwards, and twirled her gun like a baton.
"So! Tell me more, my new puppet. What does Ghost like to drink? I want to have it ready for when you bring me his head on a platter!"
Landon looked at Alex, winked, and whispered.
"Water. He only drinks water. He's very boring like that."
And just like that, the Devil had walked right into her own trap.
Good people, I've been thinking of ways to futher the story and so far this is one of the ways in which I decided. Like I said prior that by the end of the First Season Landon had a good rookie year and technically achieved his dream...but due to y'all loving this story I can't end it too short...but I feel like I've lost the plot here...so let me know if I did and I'll look for another way to futher it.