The gruesome tableau of four lifeless bodies turned the room into a nightmare. The man had been the easiest kill�his head lolled back, eyes fixed on the ceiling as if in quiet repose. But the deep, jagged gash running from ear to ear and the thick rivulets of blood pooling on the wooden floor betrayed the violence of his end. He never saw the knife coming.
Nearby, a six-year-old girl lay curled beside him, her tiny frame frozen in a defensive crouch. The terror in her posture made it clear she had faced her attacker before the blade found its mark beneath her left armpit. Her blood seeped across the floor, mingling with the rich red-tan polish, staining it darker.
A few feet away, her eleven-year-old sister sprawled motionless, her wide, unblinking eyes still holding a trace of their youthful beauty despite the gruesome wound across her throat. She had rushed into the room at the sound of commotion, only to meet the assassin�s knife mid-stride. There had been no time to scream�just the swift, brutal slash that silenced her forever.
Their mother had walked in unaware. The moment her eyes locked onto the carnage, the killer saw defiance ignite within her. Adrenaline surged as she lunged for the nearest weapon�an empty bottle on the floor�but he was faster. They crashed to the ground in a violent struggle, limbs tangled, breaths ragged. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if he might become the victim instead. But then the knife found its mark, plunging deep between her ribs.
Exhausted, he staggered back, his right hand slick with dark, cooling blood. The knife�s handle, now crimson, protruded from her side as her final breath escaped. This kill had been different�messier than intended. The job was supposed to be clean: one target, no complications. But the family had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sentiment was a luxury he couldn�t afford. He had a wage to earn.
Silent as a shadow, he crept toward the door, easing it open just enough to peer through the gap. His eyes scanned the hallway�empty. No witnesses, no stirrings of