15 October 2016

The Hunting Wolf - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 


Wolf woke up with a start. He still had dreams of the bombings and killings at times. No matter how many times one had pulled the trigger, it was always mentally taxing on the mind. Every shot taken was more money in the bank but also more blood on his hands. Wolf  got dressed and finished his morning routine off with a black coffee and buttered toast. It was the early hours on a clear cold September morning. The early-risers were dressed in their typical fall clothing, heading out to work. 

Wolf stepped out wearing a grey tracksuit and a beanie to cover his ears. He breathed in the chill air and felt his lungs fill up giving him a refreshing feeling. He started to jog down the side of the road making his way to the central park. He ran a few laps around the park until he felt out of breath and stopped at a large open space where a group of old Asian ladies in track suits were doing Tai Chi. Wolf watched them calmly and began to stretch himself. A few moments later he was off again this time heading towards the subway station and got on the train going towards the Expo. The train was relatively empty at this time in the morning with the majority of the commuters going the other way towards the business district. Wolf got off at the station and went up to ground level. The exit led to an empty carpark with the Expo building about a few hundred metres away. The building seemed abandoned except for the security and maintenance personnel moving within. Wolf turned away from the carpark and saw apartment buildings west of the Expo. He pulled his hood over his head and began jogging towards them. 

He came to an old building painted reddish-brown with cracks running through the cement structure. He walked up to the front door and to his delight there was no security system installed - no key car, nothing required to get in. He opened the door and came to a carpeted landing with post boxes that covered the walls with all the apartment numbers inscribed on them. That would explain the lack of a security system; since the post boxes were inside the building itself, the postman would need to have free access in and out. To his left was a staircase and to the right was a lift door. Wolf walked up to the lift door and pressed the button. Wolf grew slightly impatient as the old lift took ages to come down from the 11th floor. An old lady had now joined him in waiting for the lift to come down. 

The lift doors finally opened and Wolf held the door open and gestured to the old lady to enter first with a seemingly genuine smile. The old lady went in and Wolf followed. She reached up from her hunched back to press the number 6 and smiled at Wolf. Wolf smiled back and pressed the largest number on the panel - 11. Wolf got out at the 11th floor and was greeted by the scream of a cat startled by his footstep on the carpeted floor. Wolf turned towards the only natural light that came from corridor. He walked towards the open window along the corridor slowly and quietly. He heard a the clang of a metal pan followed by the crash of ceramic. Wolf checked to make sure he was not being watched as he looked around for a staircase that could give him access to the roof but to his dismay there was none.

He came to the window and grabbed the ledge tightly while he poked his head out. He squinted under the shining sun high up in the sky and looked up towards the roof. The window head jutted out slightly and the ledge of the room seemed to be just over a foot in height from there. Wolf carefully put his feet up on the window sill while grabbing the head of the window with one hand. His feet now fully on the sill, he turned around to face back into the building. He breathed in deeply and out through his mouth. With a quick movement, Wolf grabbed the ledge and pulled himself up to the roof. The roof was completely flat and barren; the cement discoloured by the weather and the elements. Wolf turned to face the Expo in the distance. 

He lay down on the hot cemented roof on his front while facing the Expo. The glass panels of the building glinted in the sunlight. This would be a problem which meant he could only take the shot at noon with the sun directly above him so that the reflections of the glass panels in the building did not affect the shot. He unzipped his trouser pocket and pulled out a small black spy glass. He looked down the spy glass at the Expo building and slowly adjusted the sight until he could clearly see the inside. His breathing became slower and quieter as a guard walked past the place he was staring at. Wolf knew. He looked around the surrounding buildings before getting back down the and into the window. 

He made his way back to the subway and headed home. On the walk back to his apartment, Wolf's phone rang in his trouser pocket. He pulled it out and answered. 

"There were deposits in some of your accounts this morning. Just wanted to let you know..." a female voice said. 

"Thanks Leah" Wolf replied. 

"Wolf... You sure about this yeah?" Leah asked hesitantly. 

Wolf sighed. "Yes... just stick to what I told you. It'll be fine" said Wolf as he cut the call. 

Wolf unlocked the apartment door and took off his tracksuit jacket. He undressed everything but his trousers and opened his closet. He knelt down and felt around the bottom of the wooden closet until his fingers came to a notch. He pulled the bottom board of the closet which revealed a secret compartment with a rectangular black suitcase within. He pulled the suitcase out and walked back to the living room. He switched on the TV and unlocked the suitcase. The black metal glinted under the light. 

"President Damian is set to make history with the signing of the treaty of solidarity. The first such President to sign such a treaty with any country says it is a step forward for all the countries involved as it seeks to ignore each one's differences and stand together against a common threat." the lady news reporter read out.

Wolf pulled out the barrel from the foam cushioning and the cloth that was within the case. He looked at the barrel and studied it carefully and began to wipe it with the cloth deliberately.

"The leaders of 10 countries will be meeting at the Summit to discuss strategies and to sign the treaty which will be held in a week's time at the Expo." 

Wolf stared at the screen and continued wiping...

8 October 2016

The Hunting Wolf - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The rain poured down from the dark gloomy sky. A jet black sedan too posh to be in the suburbs pulled into the narrow and lonely alleyway. The driver got out with an umbrella held in his hand, hurried round to the passenger side and opened the door. Todd Cassidy stepped out onto the cold wet gravel road and buttoned his suit. He walked to a rusted metal door decorated with graffiti under the umbrella held by the driver. The sound of a latch being slid came from the other side of the door and the door opened with its hinges creaking. Todd walked in and turned around to face the driver.

“Come back in 2 hours’ time. Your son was sick and I gave you permission to visit and that’s what you were doing”. The driver nodded and went back to the car.

The corridor was dimly lit with writings scrawled all over the wall. A man dressed in a black suit shut the metal door close and bolted it as Todd walked down the corridor. At the end of the corridor to the right was a cemented staircase with cracks running all over it. Todd went up two floors. The smell of boiled cabbage and alcohol seemed to burn the hairs in his nostrils. Todd came to a carpeted floor which had lost its colour and looked dull – stains blotted parts of it. He looked at it in disgust as he walked on down to a door being guarded by another man dressed similar to the one guarding the door on the ground floor. The man nodded and opened the door for Todd.

He was greeted by the strong smell of cigar and a cloud of smoke. The room was rather small with just a small round table with two wooden chairs and a couch with a side table with a lone file on it. The table was set up near the French windows which were open to let the smoke out of the room. A cheaply framed painting of the civil war hung above the tiny fireplace with charcoal and ashes from a fire that died long ago. Major Dima was sat on one of the wooden chairs facing the window and puffed out smoke rings from his cigar. Commissioner Guillam was admiring the painting of the civil war while the Central Bank Governor Chamberlain sat across Dima at the table.

Dima turned around as the door shut behind Cassidy. “About time…” said Dima as he got up from his chair and walked over to the window. The other two men looked at Todd and greeted him with a nod.

“Gentlemen, apologies for the tardiness. Our guest should be arriving shortly; before that I would like to discuss a few things. By now it has been established that all four of us in this room will be the successors, granted everything goes as planned. Each of you will retain your positions in your respective fields with greater power and reward of course. This operation stays within the 4 of us and our guest. I hope that is clear.” Todd explained to the men who agreed with a nod. A long silence followed.

Major Dima took a long drag from his cigar and spoke “Say it all goes to hell… what then?”.
“I have the same question…” the Commissioner intervened with concern.

“Let’s not pretend here shall we? All of us here have something to gain from this. We are all motivated by our own gain ultimately. I have a gun pointed to each of your heads and so do each of you. If it does go to hell, then it’s every man for himself. The plan never happened and we continue on. If anyone plans on ratting out anyone then you know what is coming for you.” Cassidy replied sternly.

There was a knock on the door; the four men looked at the door. “That would be him.” Cassidy announced. Chamberlain got up and went over to the empty couch. The door was opened by the guard outside with one hand on the door knob and the other pressed against his hip holster. A tall man with wide shoulders walked in behind the guard. The wooden floor creaked under his powerful footsteps. He was wearing a khaki trench coat with a fedora which cast a shadow over his bearded face. 
“Ah Mr. Wolf! We have been expecting you!” exclaimed Todd as he walked over and gave him a firm handshake. The guard went back out and closed the door behind him. Wolf looked over the room and the other 3 men without saying a word.

“Please have a seat.” Todd offered the chair left vacant by Chamberlain. Wolf unbuttoned his trench coat and removed his hat which revealed a line running across from his left eyebrow down to his cheek. He walked over and took his seat. Major Dima turned his chair to face the room while putting out his cigar in the ash tray on the table. 

“Commissioner, if you would. Please” Todd gestured to Guillam who walked over to the side table and handed Todd the file which was on it. Todd opened it and laid it out in front of Wolf. His eyes seemed to deceive him as he stared at the picture laid out in front of him. He was astonished at the man these people wanted him to kill. Wolf quickly regained his composure before anyone in the room could see it and looked up at Cassidy.

“I’m sure you recognize the man.” Todd said to a calm Wolf.

“Of course…”

“Do we have a problem?” asked Dima with a scowl on his face trying to measure up Wolf.

“I’m not motivated politically nor patriotically. A high profile target, all I’m expecting is a high monetary reward. I do have some concerns however…” replied Wolf steel-faced.

“He will be at the Summit in two weeks’ time. They’re signing the treaty of solidarity at the Expo. We reckon that’s when it needs to be done.” Todd explained

 “Security will be taken care of by the Commissioner. He will make the necessary arrangements to cause a fault in the security surveillance system. The west wing of the Expo Hall has a wide glass exterior. I’ll leave you to pick the place and so on. Anything you need you go through me.” Todd now had a more assertive tone.

Wolf nodded “The money...?” he questioned.

Todd gestured to Chamberlain who spoke “Half of it before and half after the job is done, as agreed. The money should be there within the week through multiple deposits to your 
offshore accounts. The final pay will be at a safe deposit box at the bank of your choice.”

“Fair enough. If that is all; I shall be leaving now.” said Wolf as he stood up and grabbed the file. 

“Everything else you might need is in the file. You understand the gravity of the task set before you. It needs to be clean.” Todd reiterated.

“I understand” Wolf replied as he folded the file and tucked it away in his trench coat before buttoning it. He shook the hand of each of the men and knocked on the door. The door opened and Wolf proceeded out while wearing his fedora making sure it tilted slightly downwards to cover his face ever so slightly.

Major Dima got up and buttoned his army jacket. “I better get going. Long drive back”

“Very well then gentlemen. I expect your absolute co-ordination in the next few days. Chamberlain I trust you to make the payments as necessary. Commissioner and Major, the security detail and surveillance teams you will personally oversee and make the necessary adjustments. We will take this country by the throat and make it ours!” exclaimed Todd.

Outside, the rain had thinned to a slight drizzle as the clouds started to part leaving a massive hole in the sky. Pedestrians walked the streets with umbrellas of all colours and sizes. Wolf put up his collars to cover his neck from the cold. He passed his fingers over the coat where the file was tucked away and began walking along with the flow of pedestrians. He pulled out his flip phone from his upper coat pocket and dialed a number. 
“Wolf?” the voice of a woman answered the phone. Wolf had walked to a bridge that ran across the river. The water glimmered under the sun. The streets were now packed with people rushing to wherever they had to go.

“I need you to do something for me…” Wolf spoke into the phone as he blended into the crowd.


In the narrow alleyway, a jet black sedan pulled up as the rusted metal door swung open.