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jromanoff · 3 years ago

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Strip That Down For Me - Chapter 1

Summary: Bang, bang, and bye

Warnings: Graphic descriptions of blood, violence and death. Mentions of guns and a dead body. Language

Author’s note: So, the first chapter is out! Somebody here doesn’t play around and you’ll be able to see it in a quick moment. We hope this chapter will make you interested and leave you all wanting more.

Word count: 3.1k

The sound of rain hitting the ground was the only sound that could be heard on this late night. Occasionally joined by the sound of thunder.

Sometimes a blink could be seen in the sky through all the rain. Probably a daring pilot flying an aeroplane over the skyline in this terrible weather. Ross was glad he would be inside his warm home soon, unlike the pilots and their passengers.

Shutting the door to his car, he locked it before moving a hand inside his coat and putting the keys in his pocket. He took the suitcase in his other hand as he slowly started walking away from the vehicle and towards his house.

The whole neighborhood was engulfed by the darkness of the night, the only thing that could be seen was a dim light peeking out from behind his bedroom window. The man smiled a little to himself at the thought of his wife who probably fell asleep waiting for him, being in the company of those he loves was what he needed after a stressful day at work.

Images of his wife and newborn daughter filled his mind as he continued to walk home. The gray-haired man took a quick look over the streets and slightly clenched his jaw, there were no lights on in every house except for his, meaning every man was already back home with their family before him. This made Ross a little jealous.

With closed eyes and a small shake of his head, he sighed to himself. Working till late hours provided him money, a fancy car, a luxurious house in an expensive neighborhood, status, but it took away something that money would never be able to buy: time.

Going up on the low porch stairs, a calloused hand reached for the keys inside his pocket. He briefly looked down at the bunch of keys, moving one away from another with his fingers before grabbing the one he needed.

A faint rustling sound caused him to slow down his movements. Still keeping his eyes ahead of him and on the front door, he brushed it off after a couple of seconds. Walking up to the door, he dropped his gaze to the item in his hand before moving it up and aiming for the keyhole.

“Secretary Ross, fancy seeing you here” the sound of a familiar voice made the man stop in tracks. His hand froze in place and the only thing he could hear was his own breathing.

Not tearing his eyes from the keyhole, he slowly lowered the hand while only one thought was running through his mind; Fuck.

Sighing to himself, he moved his head to the side before fully turning around and facing the person. A mysterious figure was standing on the sidewalk, their hat soaked with water as its droplets were falling on the concrete.

“Well- I- yeah, fancy seeing you here too...” the figure smiled to themselves before letting a chuckle pass their lips.

Ross should be feeling relieved right now, but he knew better. As he kept his gaze on the person, the gray-haired man responded with a faint and nervous laugh. “How did- what are you doing in this part of the city?” he asked as his lips started going dry, making him lick them.

The person’s chuckle died down as their eyes were focused on the ground. A big open-mouthed smile was plastered on their face. Ross’s gaze darted all over the figure’s face as they sighed heavily.

“Decided to take a walk.” The response made Ross smile anxiously before he felt shivers run down his spine when the figure started slowly moving in his direction.

Gulping, the man took a small step back, discreetly reaching for the doorknob behind him.

The sound of stairs screeching under the heavy steps spread on the porch. The figure stood in front of the man before reaching for his coat.

“You’ve been avoiding me, Thaddeus.” the figure spoke. The words made Ross‘s forehead start covering in sweat.

“Any particular reason?” the person asked with squinting eyes, raising their head and tilted it to the side.

His mouth was slightly opening and closing while he tried to find the right words. But the only thing he could do was look at the person’s face.

“Uh- what- no, I-” He started stammering, his anxiety rising along with fear filling up his body. “I wasn’t- no, I would never avoid you.” He finally managed to say.

He swallowed thickly when he noticed a ghost of a smirk on the figure’s lips. He wasn’t sure what kind of a sign it was for him, he never knew.

“Are you sure?” The question was followed by a small smile before the figure added. “I could swear it was like you got bored of our friendship, it deeply hurt me.”

Ross’s chin started to tremble, he was aware of the situation he found himself in and that he was making it worse with every word that left his mouth.

The person’s hands went up to the collar of his coat and started fixing it. “A little bird told me you were throwing my name in different places.” Ross could feel the blood draining from his face at these words, eyes widening while his body completely stiffened up as the person’s hands moved along his collar and closer to his neck. “I’m already famous, no need to promote me more.” The figure said with what could be called an amused smirk.

But Thaddeus wasn’t amused at all. “Wait- no, it’s not true, I- I could never-” He tried to form any normal sentence but only one thought was running through his mind.

He took a shaky breath when one hand left his clothes, not knowing what to expect. “Also, you got yourself a nice house.” The figure said, gesturing with their hand to the building. “Kind of big. But it’s what is needed when you have a family, right?” The person smiled at the gray-haired man at the end of their sentence. “It would be quite unfortunate if you couldn't spend more time with them here. Leaving your daughters so soon doesn’t seem like something nice, am I right?”

Ross’s lips went dry as all words died in his mouth. Not thinking much and being scared for his life, he grabbed the figure’s upper arms as he stared at them with wide eyes and opened mouth.

“Please, I’ll get the money, every cent, everything, just, please, leave my family.” Pleads were flooding out of his mouth like a river, trying to do anything to make the situation better. “I will get them, I’ll give it all back, just not my family, please.”

The figure slowly reached for Ross’s forearms and calmly pushed his arms away from them.

Ross’s mouth was open, his eyes were wide and entirely focused on the other pair which seemed to be paying him almost no mind at all. Instead, they focused their attention on the man’s arms, moving from one to the other while smoothing out his garments.

Ross’s chin began to tremble as a small sigh left the person’s mouth. “You see, we’ve been friends for a long time, and it would be a shame if something ruined our friendship.” With pursed lips and a soft look in their eyes, the figure moved their gaze to the man’s face. He didn’t know what to think anymore, but he couldn’t help the fear bubbling up in his stomach.

A frown appeared on the figure’s features. “When I found out, I was honestly disappointed and surprised.” Ross could feel his whole body start sweating, his jaw slightly moved up and down, and his arms slumped defeatedly, being scared of the worst.

The person’s hand landed on his shoulder and patted it with a bright smile on their face. “But you are a good man, Thaddeus.” Both his arms were patted by the figure. “As well as a good friend.” After these words, they turned around and started walking away, heading to their car.

The gray-haired man was frozen in place, his gaze fixated on one random spot before he broke out of the trance. “A- a good man?” He stuttered out, watching the figure getting farther away.

They slowly turned around and smiled at Ross once again. “Everybody makes mistakes.” They said while opening their arms wide and stepping backwards before making their back face the man.

Thaddeus stared in shock as everything slowly started to sink in. He finally let out a breath he’d been holding while closing his eyes and tilting his head down slightly. The relief washed over his body and the corners of his mouth curled up as he realized what had just happened.

“Oh.” He looked up again when he heard the voice. “There’s one last thing.” The person said as they reached for the car’s handle with one hand while their back was turned to Ross. “I almost forgot to mention-” The Secretary cocked his head slightly, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the figure’s statement. A loud sound echoed throughout the streets of the neighborhood before he could even open his mouth to let out a small ‘yes?’.

Ross’s body immediately stiffened, his eyes wide and his mouth gaping. He was staring at the person as tears blurred his vision while he raised his palm to his chest and pressed it lightly. He slowly lowered his gaze, the sight causing his jaw to tremble and more tears to well up in his eyes.

At that moment, everything seemed to move slowly, seconds felt like hours as Ross raised his hand to confirm what he already knew. His fingers were covered in a red fluid which put him in a trance and caused his mind to go blank. The shock on his face was obvious when he lifted his head. “Wh-” Another shot rang, reverberating through the neighborhood and disturbing the peace of the night as the bullet settled in the gray-haired man’s forehead.

A sharp intake of breath was the last thing that Ross let out. He wobbled forward on his legs before his body collapsed to the ground with a loud thud, his head tilted to the side and wide eyes. His blood was slowly staining the sidewalk in a crimson hue.

“Good night.” The figure said, hiding the gun back inside their coat before fixing the cuffs.

They opened the door and climbed into the car before getting comfortable in their seat. “Well, that was quite interesting.” A voice from the front reached the person’s ears. “I almost thought you’d leave him alone.”

A small chuckle passed the figure’s lips as they sighed loudly. “Don’t worry, I won’t go out of my way to be nicer than I have to be. Just wanted to give you a show.” They smiled in response.

“And that you did.” With a smile of their own, the driver turned their head back and faced the road before driving away.

The gunshot reverberated across the neighborhood, causing babies to cry and their parents to wake up. Ross' wife and their 3 children among them.

She looked out the window, curious as to what had woken up her children, only to see a car speeding away from the street. Her heart rate accelerated. Was it really possible that her biggest nightmare had come true? No. In a few minutes, her husband would be home. She was certain about it.

That didn't stop her from heading downstairs to investigate what the car might have left behind.

She froze when she opened the front door. Her husband's body was there, blood dripping from his head. Her mouth dried up as the smell of gunpowder from the shot that murdered Ross entered her nose. In the distance, the sound of sirens could be heard, indicating that they were on their way to the site.

She clung to her husband's corpse. Screaming and crying. Her children stood behind her, confused by what had just happened. They had no idea that they would never see their father again.

It took four agents to pry her away from Ross' still warm body.

The next morning

A rustling sound of a newspaper being dropped on the table could be heard throughout the apartment. An older woman pulled out a chair and sat down comfortably before taking the bundle of paper in her hands and starting to read.

“Has anybody seen my phone?” A woman’s voice was heard from the other room as the older one flipped the page of the newspaper. “I looked everywhere and I can’t find it.” She added, walking through the door and into the kitchen.

“Look harder.” Another voice spoke up, causing the redhead to glare at the owner of it. As she took a bite of her apple, the young girl’s face lit up with a pleased grin. “You love my advice.”

The woman raised her eyebrow and jutted out her hip. “I wouldn’t exactly say ‘love’, more like ‘I’ll hit you in the head if you give me any more of your wisdom’.” She bit back with an annoyed look on her face.

The blonde’s smirk became even wider as a result of it. Lowering her apple, she put the elbow on the table and looked at her sister. “So, you think my advice is smart. I knew you liked it.”

The tilt of the redhead’s head and squint of her eyes were clear indicators that she was already losing her patience. “No, it was just as dumb as you are.”

The blonde opened her mouth in the offense. “Wha-”

“Girls, girls, please, just stop this.” The woman in her early fifties spoke up, raising her hand with closed eyes.

The girl looked at her mother before sitting up and tilting her body in her direction while gesturing to her sister. “She said it was smart.” The defensive tone could be heard in her voice. “And it’s not like I wasn’t helpful or anything-”

“Please, just let me have one peaceful morning.” The brunette said, opening her eyes and meeting the gaze of her younger daughter.

The girl’s face changed to a neutral one before she turned on her chair and slumped down on it with crossed arms. “This is stupid.” The blonde mumbled under her breath.

The redhead only rolled eyes at her sister’s words. She moved farther into the kitchen as she continued to look for her phone. In the meantime, the brunette went from one page to the other, skipping every other word and trying to find something of her interest.

Finally stopping, she slightly tilted her head to the side and moved a bit on her chair. “Looks like nobody can be sure of their safety now.” She muttered, fixing the newspaper in her hands.

The blonde girl didn’t seem to be bothered by what her mother said while the redhead furrowed her eyebrows in slight confusion. “What do you mean?” She asked the brunette, still searching the place.

“Apparently, the Secretary of State was killed on his doorstep.” The brunette informed her daughter of the article.

The older daughter stopped her movements and turned to her mother. “The Secretary of State?” She asked before starting walking up to the table and standing behind the brunette, putting her hands on the top of the chair. “Ross?” She mumbled to herself, recognizing the man’s face.

Her mother nodded her head and glanced up at the redhead. “Yes, and he had a wife and children. The poor man and his family.” The redhead wasn’t particularly sorry for the Secretary, but she could only imagine how hard it had to be for his family. “His wife found him after she heard gunshots, and he was shot twice. I don’t know what kind of monster could do something like this.”

The room fell silent as the two women became engrossed in the article, wanting to find out more about the sudden murder. Although it didn’t take long before the silence was disturbed by the blonde who started imitating shooting with her mouth. “Bang, bang, and bye.” Her lowered voice reached both women’s ears, making them look at the young girl with raised eyebrows.

She puckered her lips as she didn’t seem to notice the looks until she faced them. Her eyes were darting between two gazes that were directed right at her, making her frown. “What?” The question caused her sister to blink at her while her mouth opened in slight disbelief.

Only when her mother tilted head at her did she raise her hands in surrender while looking slightly down. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry, my mistake. Poor man indeed.” She said looking back at the two women with a small smile.

The only response she received was two loud and heavy sighs. The redhead shook her head and clapped the top of the chair. “Okay, well, we have to get going. And I think I left my phone at work.” She informed her younger sister and mother as she moved to the door, grabbing her jacket. “Move your ass, I don’t have the whole day.” She told her younger sister over her shoulder while giving her an annoyed look.

The blonde rolled her eyes, stood up from her spot on the table, and started heading to the door as well. “Jesus, you’re a lot more irritating than usual. Are you on your period or something?” The young girl asked, scrunching up her eyebrows with her gaze focused on the other’s face.

A small yelp came out of her mouth when the redhead opened the door and pushed her out of the apartment. “We will be back late, we love you.” The older of the two said loudly to their mother as she smiled innocently at her glaring sister.

“Okay, be safe and have fun, girls.” Their mother replied, waving at them before turning her head back to the newspaper. Not even two seconds after the doors closed she heard grumbling and a faint ‘I hate you’. “Yeah, they’ll have fun.” She said to herself before focusing back on reading.

She took one last look at the picture of a black body bag. Shaking her head, she flipped the page and stopped on a nicer article that would make her forget about the cruel reality.

Because as bad as it sounds, she knew one thing:

Murder was everywhere

Taglist:

@diaryoflife @smileyromanoff @inluvwithfictionalwomen @catasha @when-wolves-howl

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