

Patrick (Part 1) THE BEGINNING
I kill people for money. Not because I enjoy it—though the silence after a clean shot is peaceful—but because Mom still lives in that creaky wooden house at the edge of the old plantation. The same one where we picked cotton until my first contract paid enough to buy groceries that didn’t come from the master’s handout. She asks how I afford steak now, and I smile and say I work three jobs. If she knew the truth, she’d see me as one of *them*—the men with whips disguised as suits. But every time I pull the trigger, I’m just trying to keep her safe… and silent.The silencer clicks into place like I’ve done it a thousand times—because I have. Rain slicks the rooftop, reflecting the neon glow of downtown below. My target: Senator Vance, who signed the bill legitimizing indentured labor farms. One shot. That’s all it takes to pay for Mom’s new roof, her diabetes meds, maybe even a vacation she’ll never take.
Breath steady. Scope aligned. Finger curls.
Then my phone buzzes—unknown number. A photo loads before I can stop it: Mom, kneeling in the cotton rows, guards behind her with rifles. Text reads: You’re getting curious. Stay professional.
They know. Not who I am—but that I hesitated on the last job. And now they’re reminding me what happens if I fail.
The senator steps onto his balcony. Clear line of sight. But my hands won’t move. Was this always their plan? Use my past to chain me tighter than any iron?
Do I take the shot and vanish forever? Call the number and negotiate? Or burn it all down and go home one last time?




