In the dark, a sconce flickered with faint golden light
Down a dim hallway where distant sconces lined the walls and red carpets covered the floor, two black boots moved with slow, precise steps
A man wore pale green clothes beneath a black bulletproof vest
A thick belt clung to his waist
He held a black flashlight in a muscular, scarred, and veiny arm
His dark blue eyes pierced the darkness
His face was sharp and cold, framed by a golden beard, a matching mustache, and short golden hair
Suddenly, he froze
His eyes sharpened, became colder, more dangerous
He looked left, then right, and without a warning, he turned behind him and cast his flashlight forward
Nothing
He stared at the empty hallway for a moment
Behind him, two arms sleeved in a black suit emerged from the darkness and locked around his neck
The man thrashed to break free, but the grip only tightened
Until a loud crack echoed through the hallway
The man's blue eyes widened, then slowly closed
The grip on his neck loosened
His corpse dropped to the floor, revealing the killer behind him
A man in an elegant black suit, with shiny black hair tied in a man bun
He grabbed the corpse and dragged him across the floor, placing it at the foot of a thick red curtain
He pulled the curtain over the body, then vanished in the darkness, running with silent precision
Elsewhere, in a dim room, with paintings of women framed in golden leaf on the walls, an old and exaggerated laughter could be heard
The place smelled like roses, and rot
A golden chandelier, resembling the roots of a grand tree, hung high in ceiling
Above a large bed, with red silk sheets that stood at the center of the room
At the edge, sat a seemingly fat man, wearing a crimson shower robe
He had grey hair and was half bald
The man held a phone in a hand, and the other one was nervously gripping the blanket
He kept chuckling, his shoulders bouncing, before he stood
His lips cracked a big grin, that revealed yellow and dirty teeth
His dark and wide open eyes shone
He said with a playful tone, "Don't worry, honey! you can come here anytime you want, and you can stay as long as you want too!"
A low feminine voice could be heard, saying, "I am not sure about it...maybe"
The man shouted, "OH! then i'm waiting for you!", before putting the phone down on a black nightstand, where stood a dark brown bottle and a glass full of a dark liquid
He jumped on his bed happily, then kept kicking his bare feet
The fat man stood and picked the glass from the nightstand, and drank it savagely
In an instant, the glass dropped from his hand and exploded on the ground
The man's eyes snapped open, he fiercly grabbed his neck, when a strangled scream barely tried to get out
Dark red blood mixed with foam escaped his mouth, when his neck and jaw melted into a pulpy mass of blood and flesh
His face twisted in agony, he stretched an arm toward the chandelier, and saw a golden light that almost blinded him
His arm fell, and he stopped moving, while his flesh kept slowly dissolving
Next to him, stood a man in a black suit, who calmly observed the corpse
After a moment, the man said, "Mission complete"
On a wooden desk, sat a cup full of pencils beside a vintage little clock that ticked softly
The room was spacious, lined with bookshelves full of ancient yet clean looking books
Sunlight poured through the tall windows, the air felt dry
On a leather chair sat a man in a brown suit and a black tie, wearing black sunglasses, his wrinkled face, framed by white hair, was twisted in worry and rage
His old and veiny hand gripped the receiver of an old black rotary phone, "WHAT?!", he shouted
He suddenly slammed the desk with his fist, and the cup of pencils fell on the floor
"THE BOSS GOT KILLED?!", he yelled
In a bright hallway, with white walls and a black carpet was a nice flower perfume
A young man that had dark brown hair, wearing a black shirt and grey pants, stood straight, holding a grey suitcase
He had a friendly smile as he said, "Excuse me, i would like to give you back the keys of my apartment, it's my final day here"
In front of him, behind a desk, stood a lady who had long wavy brown hair, pink cheeks, feminine lashes, and wore a brown dress
She said with a smirk, "I know!"
The man chuckled, then said, "Oh, then..", before he dived a hand in his pocket, and took out a chain of silver keys
He placed them on the desk, "here", he said
She took the keys, then said, "Thank you for trusting us! we hope you come back soon!"
As the young man turned and left, he revealed a person that was standing behind him
A man in a black suit, with black hair tied to a man bun
His face looked calm, his black eyes relaxed, his lips neutral
The lady glanced at him with curious eyes
The man made a few steps forward before standing still right in front of the lady
She said with an unsure voice, "how can i..help you, sir?", her cheeks slowly got redder
"I would like to stay here for two days, please", he spoke, with a calm and polite tone
In a faintly lit room, on a bed with white blankets, lay a man, his eyes covered by a black mask
His upper body was bare, revealing a solid and muscular build
A hand reached up to the mask, and his fingers pulled it off
His eyes were sharp, awake, ready
Two bare feet hit the floor
The man was jumping, holding a black rope and swinging it with rhythmic speed
He wore black shorts, his muscular body shone with sweat
Heat radiated from his skin, his breathing was fast, his eyes were calm
Then, on the ground, he lifted his entire body with only his arms, his legs aligned in the sky like a pillar
Then, he lowered himself to the ground, and brought his legs forward, keeping them straight
All the weight of his body was balanced solely on his arms
His abdominal muscles tensed, as if they were about to tear
But despite that pain, he held his shape
In a grey bathroom, the man leaned over the sink, his arms rested on the cold ceramic
He washed his flushed, red face
The water was cold against his hot skin
A hand reached behind his head, and undid his man bun, letting his long, wavy black hair fall to his shoulders
He looked at himself in the mirror, eye to eye
Calmly searching for a light in them, but found nothing
Then, the bathroom fogged
He stood beneath the shower, as water poured down like furious rain
He didn't move, he let it soak him, even if it burned
In a quiet room, he stood, his fingers buttoning up his crisp white shirt
Then, he looped a black tie, and tightened it just enough, before slipping on a black jacket over his shoulders
He stepped into polished black shoes, and stood straight
His hands reached behind his head, he gathered his long black hair, and tied it in a man bun
In front of him, a mirror made him face his reflection
His stare was composed, and focused
In the living room, he walked with a grey newspaper in hand
He sat on a crimson couch, and unfolded the paper, his eyes locking on the front page
A headline read, "WE WANT THE WAR TO END!"
Just below it, he read, "This Man Is Our Hero! He Will End All Conflict and Bring Peace to the World!"
There was an image of a man in a golden suit, surrounded by a cheering crowd, his arm raised, a genuine smile on his lips, and his eyes closed in joy
He stared at it, with calm eyes
A single word escaped his lips
"Pathetic"
The man dropped the paper on the couch
Then his eyes suddenly widened
On the table in front of him lay a black card
At its center, thin white lines traced the shape of a triangle, and within it, was a wide open eye
The man's head screamed, "THE SYSTEM?!"
He rushed forward and snatched the card from the table
He flipped it over, at the edge, were six thin golden stripes
"A MESSAGE?!", he screamed in his mind
He dove a hand in his black jacket, and pulled out a strange device
He slid the card into a narrow slot, when a bip echoed
The man's eyes widened
A robotic, calm, and charismatic voice spoke, "This message will only play once, so listen carefully"
He leaned in, the voice continued, "We are the system, and this, is an official message"
A shiver ran down his spine like thunder
"Salutations, Agent Two-Zero-Seven"
"You have been called, to join a game, that will take place somewhere appropriate"
"A game?!" the man thought
"There, expect to meet individuals as formidable as you"
His heart pounded
"If you have any plans, cancel them, and wait for us tonight"
"End of communication"
A final bip echoed
Silence struck, the man's eyes were wide open, his mind raced with thoughts
"The System?! a game?! what does it mean?!" his mind shouted
He stood, then took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled
His eyes sharpened
"It doesn't matter"
At night, in a hallway, a lady asked, "Really?! already leaving?"
She looked confused
Agent 207 stood, a chain of silver keys resting on his palm, "Yes, thank you for everything"
The lady with long brown hair hesitated
She reached forward, and took the keys from his hand, then stood behind her desk in silence
Her confused eyes followed the man as he walked away
Outside, it snowed
The air was cold, the streets silent, empty, covered in white
The man stood alone
Snowflakes on his shoulders
His eyes were calm
He waited patiently
A white limousine rolled toward him, slow and smooth
But it stopped beside him
The door opened
Inside, was an empty red couch
The man clenched his fist, his face still composed
It was time to go, somewhere unknown
But it wasn't scary, because that's what life had always been about