Stranded [ 8 ]

>That night was something special.
>You and Jennette had laid out in a field, just talking.
>Not even things relating to the situation at hand, but average stuff.
>Jennette apparently liked indie rock and pop.
>You promised to show her some good bands.
>Though you didn`t really listen to much music, so it would be a bit difficult to match her tastes.
>Soon, the conversation shifted to video games.
>She really liked the pokemon game you had given her.
>According to her, video games weren`t very advanced in her world, only being around Nintendo 64 levels.

>As time went on, there were more pauses in the conversation.
>During one of these lapses, you got a good look at her.
>She... well, she was stunning.
>Exotic and out of the ordinary, but still a beautiful woman.
>The way the moonlight was casted upon her face, as she gently smiled at you, as you took her hand in your own.
>She had let you forgive yourself.
>You had let her have a friend in this world.
>And that was all either of you wanted for.

"So, what now?"
>"Let`s go inside. I`m cold."
"Good idea."
>You helped her to her feet and both of you walked to your house.
>There was a brisk wind coming in.
>The trees and grass swayed in the breeze.
>There was not but a single cloud in the sky.
>But the stars, they were amazing.
>Jennette seemed to share your opinion.
>"The sky sure is pretty. I wonder... what it`s like out there."

"That`s a question that I`ve thought about for a long time."
>You looked at her.
"Though I finally think I have an answer."
>She turned her attention back to you.
>"Well... what do you think it`s like?"
"A lot of it is empty. There are a lot of places without life or anything at all."
>You looked up at the moon.
>A mat of fallen leaves crunched underneath your feet as you both walked.
"Though there are things worth going out there to find. Extraordinary things."
>You could hear the gradually fading calls of insects along the path.
>The call of an occasional owl echoed through the trees.
"Just like you."

>She seemed to avoid meeting your eyes as you said this.
>Though she was smiling... and blushing.
>"I... well... I`m tired of this!"
>She reached up, put her arms over your shoulders, and kissed you.
>It only lasted a second, but the surprise took your breath away.
>"Come on, let`s get inside. I`m really cold out here."
"R-right. Yeah."
>You were sure your cheeks were beet red.
>Goddamnit you weren`t prepared for that.
>The both of you continued down the path and arrived at the front door.
>You fumbled with the keys for a moment, then unlocked the door.
>It creaked as you held it open for Jennette.
>"Thanks. I`m gonna go bundle up on the couch."
>You closed the door behind you and deposited your jacket on a hook on the wall.

>Jennette had already kicked her shoes off and was curled up in that quilt.
>She always slept with that.
>Even though it was warm in the house, she was still shivering.
>You had the perfect fix for this.
>You walked into the kitchen and made sure you had what you needed.
>Yep, everything was there.
>You made some hot cocoa for you and her.

>You walked into the living room holding two plates with mugs of cocoa balanced atop.
>"That smells good..."
>You handed her a plate and sat down next to her.
"Drink up. But let it cool f-"
>She lifted the mug to her face and took a sip.
>"This is chocolate? Why haven`t you made this before? It`s literally the best thing I`ve ever had!"
>Though the milk you had used was almost boiling not a minute ago, Jennette drunk down a large amount of it in a few seconds.
>"Ah, that`s good..."

>She downed the rest of it in over the course of a few more seconds.
"You good? Want some more?"
>You offered your mug.
>"Thanks. I needed this."
>She took the mug from your hand.
>You felt her other arm go around your back.
>She pulled you closer and wrapped the blanket around you as well.
>"Sorry. I`m really cold."

"It`s okay."
>You put your arms around her and held her close.
>She finished off the rest of her cocoa and set the mug down.
>Then she nestled up against you and sighed.
>"Thanks... For everything."
"Hey, I`ve got you to thank for... well, a new outlook on life. Everything`s changed for the better."
>"It has, hasn`t it? I never thought I`d meet a human. No less... fall in love with one."
"You were so afraid though."
>She laughed for a moment.
>"Yeah, and you shot me! I mean, my fears were valid for a little bit, you know."
"Mhmm. You did attack me though. But hey, we`re all okay now."
>"Yeah... we are. And we will be, as long as we`ve got each other."

>She leaned on your shoulder.
>"I`m not sure what to feel right now. So much has happened..."
>You saw her solemnly looking down.
>"I`m sorry, but I`m thankful. I feel safe but I`m still afraid. I... I want to go home."
>She looked up at you.
>"But I want to be with you."
"I can come with you, you know.  There`s nothing here for me."
>"Wait... you`d do that? Just leave everything behind?"
"There`s nothing here to leave behind except broken hopes and bloody memories. I`d be grateful for a change of pace."

>You wondered if this was true.
>Well, the only thing keeping you going was the hollow pursuit of revenge, trying to find the man that killed your family.
>You remember the night after your third job.
>The first and last time you took a contract against a normal person.

>You picked the lock of the target`s front door and headed inside.
>They were supposed to be home alone today.
>This should be easy.
>You proceeded around the corner of the vividly painted hallway.
>Gun raised, ready to fire.
>Nobody in the living room.
>Dining room was empty.
>The entire downstairs contained a stunning lack of people.
>So you headed up to the second floor.

>You heard someone talking.
>"This isn`t good. I think he`s here."
>Muffled voices followed.
>Who was he speaking with?
>Well, you would find out in about three seconds.
>You silently cracked the door open and peeked inside.
>Your target was just sitting there on the side of a bed.
>Waiting completely unarmed.
>"I see you. Come on in."

>Well, your cover was blown.
>No big deal; there shouldn`t be anyone else here anyways.
>"You`re here to kill me, right?"
>You nodded.
>"Can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
>The man looked oddly content as he stared into your eyes.
>"Are you here to hurt my family?"
"No. I`m just after you."
>There was a brief period of silence.
>"Good. Then go ahead. It`s fine."
>This... this wasn`t right.
>He was way too calm about this.

>"Don`t hurt daddy!"
>A child came running out of the closet.
>She must have been at most four years old.
>The man yelled out at the little girl.
>"Tina! Please go...  you don`t need to see this."
>Yet the girl ran up and began to hit your leg with her fists.
>"Go away! Don`t hurt my daddy!"
>You... you couldn`t do this.
>The child was sobbing loudly while imploring you to leave them alone.
>You leaned down and patted the girl on the head.
"Don`t worry. I`m not going to hurt him."

>You stood back up and looked at the father.
"I can`t do this. I`ll find some way to get them off of your back. I`m sorry about all of this."
>The man stood up and pulled his daughter into a hug.
>"So... you`re not going to shoot me..."
>He looked towards the ceiling and said something, likely thanking whatever deity they prayed to.
"I`m going to head out and leave you to your business. But first, I`ve got to ask. Why was there a mark on your head?"

>The man put his hand on his daughter`s shoulder.
>"Hey Laura, go play. Everything will be okay.
>The girl hugged her father`s leg.
>"You`ll be okay, right dad?"
>"Everything will be fine, don`t worry."
>He hugged her then she walked out of the room.
>The sight of that left a hollow ache throughout your body.
>You still missed them.

>"My son was in one of those gangs."
>He looked down.
>"And he was killed by them over some dumbass mistake or something."
>Oh.
>"So I went and got them back. Took them all out. The other gangs didn`t like that, so they`ve been sending you guys after me for a while."
>This guy didn`t look like much, being at least fifty years old.
>Wait, 'for a while'?
"Have you been-"
>"Yeah. Every hitman that`s come after me is now buried six feet under. You didn`t try anything though. That was never your intent, was it?"
>The guy stood before you, staring into your eyes.
>"I could tell that you didn`t want to do this the moment you walked in. It`s not hard to see that on your face."
>He held out his hand, probably wanting you to shake it.
>So you did.
>"You`ve been given a chance to do more good than bad here. Just take out the ones that deserve it."
>Then the guy brought you into a hug.
>"I think you`re a good man. Prove me right."

>You didn`t complete the contract, of course.
>Your employers didn`t pay you, but you remained unpunished for your refusal to kill the guy.
>It all worked out in the end, it seemed.

>And this had all led to this somehow.
>You and Jennette curled up on a couch, underneath a quilt.
>She was asleep now.
>You tried to get up to turn out the light, but she held on to you.
>"What are you doing?"
"I`m going to turn the light off."
>"Okay..."
>You flipped the switch and walked back to the couch, once again curling up with Jennette under the quilt.
>"Are you done?"
"Yeah."
>"Good."
>You felt her lean up and kiss your cheek.
>"Goodnight."
"Goodnight."