Kill the Lights

“Hey. There are some footprints outside. Dusts are still fresh.”

Someone called him from outside. The man hesitated little bit in front of the curtain and went out the room. There was a sound of those guys talking from outside. They probably concluded that Mason had already left the house. They left the house making rustling sound.

“…..”

Mason checked the sound of the door closing and footsteps going away and exhale the breath that he was holding. Ahh fuck, Aaron that bastard until the end…..

It would have been a big trouble if he was careless thinking they already took care his death. This time he was really lucky. If he was little late to hide or if those guys were little more detailed, he probably couldn’t pass it like this.

Since his body is already dead, it’s none of his business if Aaron and Zii does something. Whether Zii and his superior Beretta go through a shitty situation or not able to catch Aaron, it became totally different world business to Mason.

Of course, Aaron is detestable, and he felt bad at his colleagues who are barking up the wrong tree. And he felt little uncomfortable that he became an idiot who ran away because of the money to those guys who were pretty close with him.

But because of this situation and Haley’s weak body, he can’t just jump to do revenge, and it’s a stupid thing to do telling Zii that the person who’s alive is Aaron not Mason.

It’s like throwing away one and only chance of living peaceful life in a mud puddle.

Why would I do that kind of stupid thing? This is the chance that he earned by dying once. The only thing that Mason has to do is leave this house and go straight to the bank and get the money and never come close to this place.

While he was calmly organizing his thought, Noah stood up. Mason noticed him and turned his head to him. Noah went out the veranda and picked up the bag with a cold face. He took a glance at Mason with relaxed eyes and flipped over the bag.

“Uh… No!”

Bundles of money, gold, passports, guns, explicit porns, and frames poured on the floor

“Ah damn it, what are you….”

Mason stood up right away and bent his back to pick up the picture among the broken frames and behind his back Noah’s hand grabbed back of his neck. No, he couldn’t grab it this time. In front of the door once, on the bed once, and this attack. He wasn’t naïve enough to get attacked three times.

Mason avoided Noah’s attack, and with his repulsive force, he strongly pulled Noah’s arm and made him fall on the floor.

“-!”

He held the floor, and Mason stood up in that time. Mason tried to ask why are you attacking me, but he startled.

“……”

It was because Noah’s white hand was bleeding from the broken glass.

“I’m sorry.”

Mason unconsciously apologized seeing dripping blood. When he had an eye contact with frowning Noah, he felt more complicated. His kind looking eyes looked little surprised, and he was little pale. He felt like he’s bullying a weak person looking at his soft hand without any callouses bleeding. Actually the weak person would be himself who has Haley’s poor and weak body…. No, but he was a pro who hurts people for more than 10 years. Although it wasn’t on purpose, still… Mason panicked unlike his usual self and kneeled his one knee down.

“No, so why did you attack… Are you okay? There must be a first aid kit. Hurry and your wound…”

Where did I put it? Was it in the living room drawer? Mason was thinking about his dusty first aid kit and tried to look at Noah’s injury, but he fell backward.

-Bang!

Noah who had a weak face like he’s going to collapse any second strongly pushed Mason like he wasn’t hurt at all and sat on top of Haley's body pressing on his shoulders.

“-ugh,”

Mason swallowed his painful moan and bit his lips. A sharp pain came through his back because of those broken glasses.

Soon his sight was sparkling. (Slap!) Noah slapped his face coldly looking at him like he’s looking at a file paper. Once, twice, he got slapped so many times that he lost count.

When Noah’s hand stopped, Mason tasted some salty taste of his blood and cursed inside, and Noah was panting like he got beat up. He has some hand. To think of it as just letting a fragile young master from the past memory slap me, it was pretty painful.

“….Excuse me, Mr. Haley Lusk.”

Mason opened his eyes and looked at him hearing his calling with his deafen ears. Noah’s beautiful face was right in front of his face. His eyes were slightly opened and had a strange face, and he was breathing heavily to hold his anger.

“You probably have to answer my question well. If you lie or babble something I can’t understand…. I’m not sure what I’m gonna do? With your stupid head, you probably can’t imagine what I’m gonna do.”

I’m an amateur in this, so I can’t control it. –Noah slight smiled, and Mason nodded thinking, ‘Beating someone up first and then asking a question, you are totally a pro…..’

Noah thought what to say with his cold eyes. He had the face that he doesn’t know what to ask first.

“This house… How do you know Mason?”

Noah asked with a little slow tone.

He came to this house to check if Mason is actually dead. If it was Mason he knew, he must be dead for sure, but by any chance, if he’s alive, he thought one item from this house would be gone.

A picture of his wife and his child. If he actually took off with the safe that has 50 million dollar in it, either that action was impulsive or calculated, that picture wouldn’t be at home. He never really gets obsessed with physical things, but that picture was different. He is the man who if it was calculated, he probably took it along with him before the mission, or even if it was impulsive, he probably came back home to take that with him.

Actually when Noah arrived at New York and stood in front of the Mason’s door, he was little dozed off. He thought Mason was dead, and it was time for him to check that. It was a simple task if the picture was at home or not. He knew that in his head, but Noah stood still for a while looking at the door.

Did Mason really die? …He’s probably dead. What happens after I check that? Will I be crying? Or just like usual, ‘See. Of course, the world never works like in a movie’ and nod my head and live like usual? Or…. –Noah was keep thinking about stupid things with his head keep getting blank.

A cold wind blew to his chest. His breath was getting tighter little by little like someone’s choking him. Blankly he thought he’s going to die. He thought he wanted somebody to save him, but now, really, no one can save him anymore. It was the time that again he realized that.

The door opened from the inside, and a face he didn’t even think of popped out. Noah forgot about the thought about he’s going to die and opened his mouth like an idiot. Rather if Mason’s spirit popped out, he’ll be less surprised.

Haley Lusk. Noah thoroughly looked at the man who came out from Mason’s house.

“How are you, in this house?”

At first, Noah thought Haley knew that he was going to come to Mason’s house beforehand and came here first. That was an obvious thought. Haley is the type of person who would do those, and other than that reason, no other reason came up. But when Noah saw him hiding in the veranda from those Zii agents, he thought coldly.

How did this son of a bitch know information about Mason? If he followed him, he couldn’t be already in the house, or if he heard the information from somewhere else, the only informant can Phil, but there’s no way he would do that.

Besides Haley wasn’t standing in front of the door, he came out from the inside. That means either he had the key, or he knew where the key was. Along with that, when he saw the items he packed in the bag, he thought he had to know what’s going on.

Noah pressed down Haley’s shoulder and sat on top of him. He tilted his head and looked at him. Behind his shoulder, it was a small amount, but he was bleeding. And his lips were cracked and had blood on them. If it was Haley he knew, he would definitely start screaming or crying acting all crazy, but he had a calm face with his mouth closed.

Noah was the one who felt shaken. Very little. –It wasn’t much that he’s expression would change, but his eyes shook a little.

What is this feeling of déjà vu. Something bothered him inside of his chest. Noah half opened his eyes and raised his hand slowly. When he was about to hit this bothering man once more, he who had his mouth closed with indifferent face asked him.

“Then how about you?”

Haley asked with his eyes properly opened.

“Why are you in this house? What’s your business?”

Noah frowned. He strongly grabbed and pulled Haley’s collar and smiled saying, “I never told you to ask a question.” Haley twitched his cheek like it’s tickled and sighed.

“Mm… But I can’t tell you anything until you tell me why you came here.”

He said it calmly, and Noah picked up a gun on the floor because of his impertinent words. Glock 17. Noah put that on the man’s finger and said.

“It’s not good to get too comfortable that you have ten fingers.”

Noah unlocked the safety guard and loaded the gun. He pulled the trigger half way and observed Haley’s expression. Haley just had a little perplexed face not the reaction he was expecting. What is this bad feeling of disharmony.

“…..”

Noah bit his lips and pulled the trigger. Bang! The bullet went in between Haley’s index and middle fingers. Haley didn’t even flinch that a bullet went in between his fingers. He wasn’t moving not because he was scared. Composed blue eyes were directly staring at him.

The eyes that staring directly at him. Noah felt his heart was pumping really fast.

“What are you.”

Click. Noah loaded the gun again and pointed at Haley’s head.

“What the hell are you.”

Noah actually don’t know about Haley very well. It was obvious because he didn’t care or didn’t want to care about him. But even still, he knew this man is different from the time when he got drunk and caused ruckus. This man is Haley Lusk? That slut junkie? Noah felt goosebump on his cheek and stared back at him. He didn’t know himself why he’s keep thinking of Mason from this moron, but Noah was already feeling several déjà vu.

Noah bit his lips. He put the gun point closer and placed his finger on the trigger. He didn’t know himself what he was doing, but he didn’t care. Pulling the trigger felt very natural.

“Excuse me.”

He was slightly frowning because he was bothered by the gun on his forehead.

“…By the way, you can’t kill a person in this kind of a place.”

A voice that went through Noah’s ear made him stop breathing.

He felt dizzy like he went back to the someday in the past.