Short Story - The Assassin

The Assassin

Chapter 1

Waiting

He never liked the word "assassin". It gave the impression of a cold hearted, unemotional killer that was motivated by little more than the love of money. His motivation on the other hand was far removed from monetary gain. Love, devotion, belief. His motivations transcended mere physical gain and gave him the drive and clarity that few others in the world knew.

"Assassin". He found the word an insult to his very soul.

He found himself thinking of emotions. Looking deep inside himself to seek out the emotions he was feeling at that very moment. He sensed excitement and pride that only comes when one is nearing the completion of a great task. One that will surely please his master. Such an important task that was entrusted to him. He could not fail. He would not disappoint.

His thoughts were broken by a sharp pain in his calf. Cramp. An occupational hazard perhaps but one that he mostly avoided by the careful tensioning and relaxation of each of his muscles. His thoughts had distracted him from the task at hand but the sharp pain was a reminder of what lay ahead. Focus, he thought. Focus.

He shifted his thoughts to the rain. Cool drenching rain that ran through his short light brown hair, over his shoulders and down his back. Over his pale but heavily tattooed torso and collecting in each of his creases and folds as he hunched, motionless in the dark corner of the rooftop. He had been there for many hours but he knew patience. He knew that great reward only came with great sacrifice. And this reward was surely great.

His thoughts drifted back to three months ago. The time when he was given this responsibility by the man he served. "I can only rely on you, Jaks" his master had whispered. "You and you alone are capable of succeeding in this and so much now rests in your hands". Jaks couldn't make a sound but nodded slowly. He felt exhilarated, proud, loved. One of the most important tasks in centuries and it was entrusted to him. That was a proud moment.

From his dark recess amongst the flues and chimneys of the rooftops, he could see through her small bedroom window. He knew from all the previous nights he had spent there that the blind would not be closed. That she would leave it slightly open. At this angle he had a clear view of the bed through to the door. Most nights she left the lights on and he found himself praying that tonight the lights would allow him to see what he had waited so patiently for.

There was movement. The door had opened in her small apartment and he stiffened in anticipation as he waited to see the figure enter the room.

It was her.

Milky white skin, black flowing hair, slim, fit, beautiful. A natural beauty. "A Mary Magdalen beauty" he muttered quietly to himself.

Tonight she wore a short sheer dress that barely covered her small round breasts but managed to leave enough to the imagination to stimulate the senses. Long stiletto shoes that emphasised her toned leg muscles and gave her even more grace. She moved in front of the lamp and he saw what the dress hid. The sheer fabric allowed the light to penetrate and reveal what lay beneath. He tensed and relaxed, tensed and relaxed.

"Maybe tonight" he thought.

He scanned her entire body. Every inch. Her skin was as white and pure as he had ever seen and he imagined how soft that skin would be. He dared to think briefly that tonight he might possess it.

She turned to face the door and a man entered, his face obscured by shadow. He was too far away to hear voices through the closed windows but he could imagine what words were being exchanged. He had heard those conversations before. Those simple exchanges between the prostitute and her client designed to put the client at ease whilst formulating what type of carnal pleasure the client was seeking.

The man turned away. Jaks strained to try and catch a glimpse of his face but it was too dark. "Move" Jaks willed them. He needed to see his face. "Patience" Jaks whispered to himself as the couple moved out of view into the kitchen.

His cramp returned but he chose to ignore the pain. Ignore the rain, the cold, his hunger. This was too important. "You and you alone are capable of succeeding" he reminded himself. So much relies on this.

The couple returned to the room, both now holding wine glasses and Jaks forced himself to look away from his white skinned beauty and concentrate on the face of the man. "Step into the light" he whispered. "Come and reveal yourself to me". Slowly the man moved forward. With each step Jaks could see a little more of his features. "The right height, the right build. Now show me your face". Jaks' heart started pounding. The sound of his own heartbeat drowned out the rain on the rooftops and the wind whistling through the flues. He could feel the blood flowing through his veins and the cool air entering his lungs. He leaned forward in the hope that he could see more. And slowly he saw. The client's face was finally visible and Jaks let out an involuntary sound....."It is him at last!".

Chapter 2

The Meeting

"I much prefer the God of the Old Testament anyway", he said sheepishly.

"Surely not, Tobias" Lydia said playfully and moved closer. She gently touched his hand and said "God is God isn't he?".

"Not at all." Tobias gently pulled his hand away. "The God of the Old Testament was a vengeful, angry god that demanded so much of his followers and inflicted suffering on a regular basis." Tobias felt his muscles slowly relax as he settled into the conversation. She made him nervous. So much beauty. Skin so white. He always had trouble relaxing when he was with her and he was sure that she only spoke of God to settle him down.

"He was angry and vengeful and he was always killing people, or having them killed. Today's God is much more.....umm". Tobias struggled with the word.

"Nice?" offered Lydia.

"We'll I was going to say "insipid" but I think "nice"is.....well....nicer. I guess."

Lydia laughed. Her laugh was delicate. A fragile laugh that gave Tobias a warm feeling inside. He relaxed even more.

"Consider Adam for instance. Cast out of the garden for merely wanting to know more. For giving into temptation." Tobias took a long drink of red wine and settled back into the soft leather lounge.

"God destroyed entire cities like Sodom and Gomorra simply because he did not like their ways and turned Lot's wife into salt for simply looking back. He wiped out thousands with a flood, brought on plagues of locusts, left his people to wander the desert for years and asked them to conquer the Promised Land and put all those within it to death. Man, woman, child." Tobias looked to the ceiling, "Passages from Deut 20:16-18 for instance clearly shows an angry God when he orders the Israelites to 'not leave alive anything that breathes… completely destroy them'. This is the God of the Old Testament. Judge, jury and executioner."

Tobias held his glass of red wine up to the light. He stared at the light red liquid and continued, as if talking to the wine.

"In the Book of Deuteronomy, Yahweh, as the Hebrew God is called, speaks through Moses and says: 'See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. For I lift up my hand to heaven, and swear, as I live for ever, if I whet my glittering sword, and my hand takes hold on judgment. I will take vengeance on my adversaries, and will requite those who hate me.'

"Now isn't that a more interesting God than the one they teach about now?".

Tobias turned his attention away from his glass and looked carefully at Lydia. He wondered if she really was interested in his work or if that was just what made her so good at her profession. He didn't want to know the truth. He was happy enough looking at her beautiful smile and her wide green eyes. The fact that she didn't scoff or complain or look bored was enough for him. He was happy in the moment.

"And now", Lydia whispered, "perhaps we should get you out of that damp jacket and cosy by the fire."

Jaks had made his way to the window. Weaving through the flues and over the rooftops, he had carefully manoeuvred the slippery hazards of the rooftop world and he was now within metres of his beauty and her client. He carefully and silently pried open the window so he could hear them.

"....and the Book of Numbers tells how Yahweh ordered Moses to wage a campaign against Midian, and they put every man to death and took the women and children captive. They plundered all their cattle, all their flocks and all their goods and set fire to their towns. When they took the captives and loot to Moses, he went into a fit of rage and shouted 'why have you spared the life of all the women?

"Kill all the male children. Kill all the women who have slept with a man. Spare the lives of the young girls who have not slept with a man, and take them for yourselves". Tobias was starting to get animated. His passion for the subject matter shone through.

Lydia smiled and put her arm around Tobias. Gently she pushed her warm red lips against his forehead. Tobias could feel her soft breast press into his shoulder and he could now think of nothing else. "Let's stop all this violence talk for a little while", Lydia whispered in his ear.

"Well," said Tobias as he stared into his almost empty glass of red wine, "I could tell you about Constantine."

Jaks stiffened outside the window. Again his heart pounded and he could feel his chest thumping. The time for action was here. He started the process of stretching his muscles. Flexing and un flexing each muscle so they would be ready when he sprang into action. He slowed his breathing and calmed his heart. He checked his satchel again to make sure his blade was there. He felt amongst the tape, plastic ties and cotton wool then smiled when he felt his knife's hard sharp blade. "Soon we go to work my friend".

Chapter 3

The Tale

"Constantine?" Lydia asked. "Wouldn't you rather lay back and let me remove the stress of your day?"

Tobias thought for a second. But there would be plenty of time for that. He had after all paid for the entire night. "Why rush?" he thought.

"You may find this interesting though..." He whispered. "I have Constantine's journals".

"You have found someone's diary?". Lydia had that look she got when she knew she was about to find out a secret. "Whose diary did you find?"

"Constantine's. Flavius Constantinus. But it isn't a diary. It's his journals." Tobias started to look annoyed but one glance into Lydia's deep green eyes and her white milky skin and the annoyance disappeared. He looked down sheepishly and quietly explained, "Constantine became king of Briton, Gaul and Spain when his father died in 306."

"306?", Lydia asked, sounding genuinely interested.

"The year 306." Tobias noted quietly to himself that he would have to explain this as simply as he could. When it came to beauty and carnal pleasures she was an expert. Christian history though was an area she obviously had not studied.

"After he became King he waged war on Rome and eventually became Emperor. He is one of the most important people in Christian history and yet Christian Historians, for the most part, fail to explain fully his greatest achievement - the creation of the New Testament."

Jaks carefully pried the window open and silently slipped inside. He found a dark corner and crouched. He was close now. He must wait for the perfect time to strike so there can be no sound. No screams. He wanted time to complete his task and then hopefully spend some time with the fair skinned Lydia. "A reward I deserve" he thought. His lips curled upwards into a sinister smile as he thought of what he would do to her. "That skin will be mine" he thought. "Soon....."

The voices in the next room could now be heard clearly.

"It was a time of great unrest" Tobias continued. "The vast majority of the population was uneducated. Illiterate. Simple and poor.

"And there were a vast array of religions as well. While the Roman aristocracy primarily worshipped two Greek gods—Apollo and Zeus— most of the common people in Rome worshipped either Julius Caesar or Mithras."

But even I know that Julius Caesar was an actual person" Lydia said.

"Yes he was", he gave her a smile. "But Caesar was deified by the Roman Senate after his death in 44 BC and subsequently venerated as 'the Divine Julius'. He was hailed as 'God made manifest and universal Saviour of human life' and people worshipped him just like people now worship Christ or Buddah or one of the other deities." He paused and looked at Lydia to see if she followed him. He wasn't sure but decided to continue anyway.

"But in the East and West, people worshipped any number of the Gods at that time. Let me see..." Tobias tilted his head and looked at the ceiling as he reached back into his memory. "They included Jove, Jupiter, Salenus, Baal, Thor, Apollo, Juno, Aries, Taurus, Minerva, Mithra, Neptune, Vulcan, Pelides, Hermes," he glanced at Lydia and thought she may be getting bored, "and lots of others." He decided not to name them all, even if he now could recall many others.

"Just imagine how hard it would be to rule over people with many different religions and customs and beliefs. Different sacred days, different churches, different moral standpoints. In fact some called it the 'Time of Many Altars'".

"But why is this journal so important?" Lydia couldn't hide the disappointment in her voice. She had thought she was going to hear some juicy gossip about someone famous. Instead, she felt like she was back at school in one of her boring history lessons.

Tobias sensed her mood but decided he would continue anyway. He was sure that she would be as excited as he was if she knew a little more about his find. "I have his journal from Nicaea. The most important gathering in the history of Christianity."

Jaks clenched involuntarily. He now had the confirmation of his Master's worst fears. "The journals of Nicaea must never be revealed." Jaks thought. His Master would want them, but only a handful of people in the world would ever know of their existence.

"You see", Tobias continued, "Constantine issued a decree commanding all the various religious leaders and their subordinates to travel to the city of Nicaea in the Roman province of Bithynia and they were instructed to bring with them the testimonies they preached to their followers. These testimonies were to be bound in leather and surrendered to Constantine upon arrival in Nicaea", Tobias was excited. His passion was obvious. "And most of them did. According to historians, two thousand two hundred and thirty-one scrolls and legendary tales of gods and saviours, together with a record of the doctrines they preached, were presented to Constantine at Nicaea.

"According to God's Book of Eskra, he then instructed a small group of his most loyal to 'Search ye these books, and whatever is good in them, that retain; but whatsoever is evil, that cast away. What is good in one book, unite ye with that which is good in another book. And whatsoever is thus brought together shall be called The Book of Books. And it shall be the doctrine of my people, which I will recommend unto all nations, that there shall be no more war for religions' sake.'"

"What a grand plan that was." Tobias finished his glass of red wine with a gulp. He looked at the now empty glass and noticed the small black tannin specks in the bottom. Before he could say anything, Lydia gracefully took the bottle from the table and refilled his glass in one fluid motion. She looked into his eyes and smiled and Tobias felt the warmth of her touch on his thigh. He leaned forward to breath in her sweet scent then relaxed back into the leather lounge. Lydia nestled beside him with her hand still on his thigh. "A grand and noble plan indeed" Tobias whispered. "And for 17 months the group argued, debated, discussed and voted to come up with one God that encompassed all the good of all the Gods.

"How many Gods do you think they had to choose from?", he looked up from his glass and met Lydia's green eyes.

"I don't know" whispered Lydia and nestled even closer to Tobias.

"53 Gods were represented. 53! And Constantine had instructed them to choose only one deity from this list that would unite all the religious factions of the time." Tobias took a sip of his red wine. "But even after a year and 5 months they had only managed to reduce the list to 5.

"But Constantine could wait no longer. He needed to unite the factions and put a halt to the squabbles and unrest that comes with so many deities. And so he ultimately decided on the new God himself and put it to a democratic vote. It was finally agreed, by a very small margin, that the new God would be a combination of a God from Briton and a God from the East and he instructed his scribes to create new testimonies around this God. New testimonies that encompassed the good from all of the religions of the time. And he ordered that 50 copies of this new book of testimonies be produced. " Tobias looked deep into Lydia's eyes and whispered "and that, my dearest, is how the New Testament was born."

Tobias stood and stretched his back and shoulder muscles. He was now ready for the pleasures that Lydia offered and he felt his genitals tingle. The anticipation of what lay ahead in the next few hours with Lydia filled Tobias with warm comfort and he felt his heart start pounding. He started to make his way to the lavatory down the hall where he could wash and prepare for what lay ahead. "I will be back in half a minute" he smiled at Lydia, "don't go anywhere" he said playfully. Lydia smiled and undid another two buttons while Tobias stood transfixed at the doorway. He forced himself to look away and made his way down the hall.

"I'm not going anywhere" she said.

Chapter 4

The Interrogation

Jaks stood, stretched and silently reached into his bag. He found what he needed and moved into the next room. He stared at the back of Lydia's head, her jet black hair flowing over her slender shoulders. Now he could smell her. Sweet. Seductive. Sensual.

He crept behind her and took a moment to look down at her milky white breasts revealed beneath the red lace of her bra. Perfect breasts that moved in perfect harmony as she took long quiet breaths. He imagined what beauty lay beneath the red lace as he carefully injected the contents of his syringe into her soft delicate neck.

The effect was instantaneous and Lydia drifted into a deep sleep. She slumped forward but Jaks caught her before she slipped to the floor. Carefully he shifted her to the corner of the lounge and manoeuvred her head so it rested on the cushions. Her breasts were now clearly visible and one nipple protruded from the red lace bra. Jaks took another moment to drink in her beauty and to imagine the fun he would have with her later. Her soft white skin would soon be his. "Later", he whispered. "The man first, then the girl." He reminded himself.

Jaks moved to the side of the doorway and waited for the man to return.

As Tobias entered the room he looked at Lydia. Something not quite right about the way she was sitting. "Lydia?" There was a small amount of panic in his voice. Then he felt the sharp pain in his neck and he turned to see the small thin man standing with a needle in his hand. Tobias went to move but his body refused to react. Frozen, he was unable to look away from the small pale man that stood before him. Silver grey eyes looked back at Tobias as if he was examining him. "Cold eyes" Tobias found himself thinking.

Jaks pulled a chair across the room and placed it behind Tobias. He could feel himself being pushed and guided down onto the chair. His brain and his body felt completely unattached as he sat staring at the man. "It will wear off in a minute" he heard the man say as he felt his arms being pulled behind him and the plastic ties being fastened. He then watched as the man slipped more plastic ties around his feet and pulled them tight. "That should hurt" Tobias thought. But it didn't. Not yet at least. A gag was forced into his mouth.

"It would make the next part quite useless if it didn't wear off." Jaks stood up and looked at the man sitting there. "Pain", he said, "is a critical part of the next few minutes and the drug inside you now, would just slow things down." Jaks pulled out another syringe from his bag and injected the contents into Tobias. "Now this should counteract that drug and give you heightened senses. That way you will be sure to feel every cut. Every incision. Every movement of my blade."

Jaks had removed his favourite knife from his bag and held it close to Tobias' eyes. Slowly rotating it so the light danced on the shiny blade. He knew that pain by itself was sometimes not enough. His victims needed to anticipate the pain. Be frightened of it. Loathe it. Theatrics was an important part of his process.

With a lightening fast slash of his blade, Jaks sliced off Tobias' ear lobe. This was part of the theatrics. The pain was small but the ears were full of capillaries carrying life sustaining blood. The blood that was now pouring from his ear, down his face and onto his chest. It had always proved to be effective. The sight of their blood and the feel of it as it ran down their bodies and soaked into their clothes added to the effect.

With another quick flick of Jaks' wrist, the second of Tobias' ear lobes lay on the carpet and more warm blood flowed. Tobias heard his own muffled screams as if they were coming from someone else. Tears blurred his vision and panic shook his body. Jaks held the bloodied knife up for Tobias to see and Tobias felt his bladder empty, soaking his trousers with more warm liquid. Jaks looked at the puddle on the carpet and made a disapproving grunt. He took it as a sign of weakness but perhaps it meant his task would be over soon and he could move onto the girl. Jaks glanced over at Lydia and felt a tingle in his loins as he looked from her face, slowly down to her breasts, her tight torso and down to her white sheer panties that were now exposed as she slumped on the couch. Yes, he hoped he would have plenty of time with her.

Jaks turned back to Tobias and slowly moved the knife even closer to his face. Tobias could not concentrate on anything else. That knife. The long sharp blade getting closer and closer to his face. He felt the cold steel softly touch his cheek and then move slowly upwards. Up and up slowly until it rest beneath his eye. He felt searing hot pain as it penetrated the skin. Then darkness.

Tobias woke. The pain in his eye was intense as he tried to focus. Slowly he saw the picture forming like a photograph being developed. The face of the thin pale man. His thin arms. His slender, boney fingers clutching the hilt of the knife. The long blood soaked blade. The sharp tip protruding from the top of ......something. Something round. Something bloodied. Tobias felt his bowels empty as he realised it was his right eye.

Tobias felt the gag being removed. He was exhausted. Spent. Waiting to die. "So now it is time to talk". His voice sounded odd. Deep. Not suited to a thin pale man. "We will talk for a while and depending on your answers, we may again resume our little game". Jaks' voice was calm and soft. His eyes studied Tobias" face carefully as if trying to read his thoughts. "Nod if you understand."

Tobias felt himself nod slowly. He tried to think of why this could be happening. Why him? Why now? Why? why? why? "What have I done to deserve this?" He wanted to ask the thin pale man but couldn't. He was too afraid. Too exhausted. In too much pain.

"Have you read the journal?" Jaks asked.

"Constantine's?" Tobias muttered. His voice shakes. His speech slurred. Tobias thought to himself "is that my voice?"

Jaks tilted his head slightly. He was studying Tobias' face. Trying to work out if he really didn't know. He decided that Tobias was not capable of lying at this moment. "No" whispered Jaks. "The journals are not Constantine's. They are the journals of Eusebius. The man tasked to carry out Constantine's decree. Have you read them!"

Tobias shook his head. "Not all of it. No." The blood dripped from his empty eye socket, down his cheek and into his mouth. His voice was distorted through the liquid.

"And who have you shown the journals to?"

Again Tobias found himself shaking his head even though it made the pain worse. An almost involuntary action. "No one." He muttered.

"Good. Good. And now perhaps you can tell me where you have them."

Tobias thought for a second. Perhaps if he gave the thin pale man the journals he would be set free. The pain would stop. The blood would stop. "My apartment" he gurgled as blood dripped from the side of his mouth.

"Where!" Jaks held the knife up so Tobias could clearly see the blade, the blood, his right eye.

"Wooden trunk. Kitchen. False bottom." Every word hurt. Every word took effort. He wanted to sleep.

"At this address?" Jaks held up the drivers licence that he had removed from Tobias' wallet.

Tobias nodded slowly.

And so it was done. As he had hoped, it had not taken long to get the truth from the man. He knew he wasn't lying. He knew that it would be exactly where he said. Jaks flicked his wrist. The eyeball flew from the blade and bounced across the carpet like a marble. Eventually resting under a small table. He wiped the blade clean on Tobias' shirt. Or as clean as it could be wiped on a bloodied shirt.

"Why?" Tobias could barely be heard now.

Jaks looked at him with a puzzled grin. He was about to send him to be judged. About to despatch him to his God to answer for his sins. Perhaps he should address his question before he slit his arteries and left him to die.

Jaks glanced over at the girl. He was eager to begin but felt a strange obligation to the man man sitting in a pool of his own blood, urine........ "Send him to his Heaven with his question answered and a clear mind." thought Jaks.

"It is a dangerous time now." Jaks began. "The future of the Church hangs on a precipice and must be protected. For the sake of the people, the Christians, the priests and all of God's children. Controversy plagues us and child abuse haunts us. Science continues to erode away our miracles and our stories. The Holy See will do whatever needs to be done to protect itself. Not for itself you understand," Jaks pulled up a chair and sat opposite Tobias, "for its followers. The importance of the church can not be underestimated. It is a lifeblood. It is a salvation. It cannot be eroded any further!"

Jaks spoke quietly and coherently. "The creation of the New Testament 300 years after its events is not in question. The church itself has admitted that fact. History records Constantine's works and the destruction of all testaments prior to this time. Countless historians, authors and the like have produced works that clearly show that the New Testament was created over time with parts added as required by the times. But we have reached a limit. There are some secrets worth protecting for the good of humankind.

"You see, we have allowed the likes of Baigent, Leigh, Dan Brown, etc to produce their works because they actually support our Prime doctrine. We provided critical evidence and helped them connect the dots so their books could renew interest in the Church. How many people were inspired to follow the clues in Brown's works, visit churches, revisit their faith. These authors do not just have our blessings. They have our support."

Tobias was losing consciousness. The thin pale man's voice seemed distant.

"The one thing that these and many other authors have in common is that they all support the existence of the Saviour. They do not question his being but in fact support it with their 'facts'. Should actual evidence now come to light of Constantine merging the two gods - Hesus, the carpenter god of the Gauls and Krishna - the Hindu god, all the work of the last two millennia would be undone. What would the world become if there was proof of the invention of Jesus Christ 300 years after he was supposed to have lived.

"No!", Jaks shook his fists in the air, "the tales of Christ were carefully put together then and they were edited and added to over the next few hundred years to form a doctrine that is pure and all encompassing. Many popes and church leaders added important elements to these tales. They didn't even include the resurrection until the 12th Century. This is the secret that must be upheld, for without Christ and without a resurrection there can be no Christianity."

Jaks looked at Tobias and saw a lifeless figure slumped in the chair. "I wonder how much he heard", thought Jaks. He stood up and walked behind him. Lifting his head by a handful of his hair, he ran his blade across the exposed throat, cutting deeply through the flesh. "Go to be judged" whispered Jaks and bowed his head as if in silent prayer.

Slowly Jaks lifted his head and shifted his gaze towards Lydia. "And now to collect my prize." Jaks moved slowly towards Lydia with his knife raised and with a sinister smile whispered "That skin will soon be mine."

The End