Today is the day. We've collected all the produced supplies together, Antonio already on his way there with the bombs we were given while I remain here at the warehouse, watching everyone's movements, noting their patterns over the past two months. This should be easy, I just have to kill what? Thirty people without any witnesses escaping and making sure they all look like a suicide? The motivation behind the suicide should be easy, their product was stolen, two of their bosses overdosed and the other two disappeared, now they no longer have anyone leading, no reliable source of food, water, protection. These people were stripped of their rights to think for themselves, I could tell them to kill themselves and they'll follow the crowd.
I'll start with the lesbian couple, give her a quick death so she won't have to suffer while witnessing her entire life falling apart.
I ready my knives, the one Antonio had given me months ago, and another one I'd found on a body Shushi had killed, the steel hunting blade poisoned and freshly sharpened, laced with our newest drug to help simulate an overdose. Just need the slightest scratch on each of them and they'll go mad on their own.
The pair begin laughing just outside the window of the office, and I move, swiftly making my way down the stairs without noise or being spotted. The sun is bright and humidity high, I begin sweating within seconds, but that doesn't stop me.
I find them with their faces locked together, hands all over one another, reaching underneath each other's clothes. They notice nothing and let out no noise as I slit the backs of their necks, covered in hickeys. They plummet from the hill of sand, bodies tumbled and wrapped together. A light thud and nothing else. I wait for the foaming, they turn blue within minutes.
Good.
Time for the herbalists.
Slipping back upstairs, I climb my way back up the stairs, remaining casual as I watch them work, arms crossed, weapons concealed. They pretend I'm not there, deeply invested in their own work, rushing to meet deadlines despite being short a person. Eight herbalists, all with their heads down, all with their guards down.
The knives feel light in my hands, like these next few deaths will weigh nothing on my conscience. They don't notice each other as they begin dropping, not until I've reached the fourth guy, who turns, opens his mouth, and tumbles silently to the ground. The rest also don't react, one moment they're experimenting, the next they inspect a cut on their hand, shoulder, neck, and then they're on the ground, convulsing and blue.
Someone makes their way upstairs, Shushi's girl, she freezes instantly, no fight or flight in her. I pull her away from the stairs and slip her throat with ease. Leon's girl soon follows, she attempts to run, but the ringing of her footsteps reach me before she figures out the situation, and the blade is flung straight for her skull. I leap forward and pull her up before she loses balance.
Just a few more lower-level psychos remaining.
The stairs now creak below my weight, rusted from the humidity and years of blood soaking its worn steel. The mechanics are currently working on a new car, supposedly a super hybrid between all their best vehicles, fast, steady, unbreakable, with all the bells and whistles any psycho would ever dream of. But it also does something far more selfish, it releases the fumes of the newest drug, meaning, anyone driving or existing around this car will become heavily addicted and, shortly later, lose their mind.
It won't be long before they finish the car, so they need to be taken out right now.
There's twelve of them, and they're far more aware of their surroundings than the herbalists, especially after the last time their engines were destroyed and batteries removed. No, they spot me instantly, and keep me in their peripherals at all times as I march up to them, scanning through their progress; at this rate, they'd be done by either tonight or tomorrow. Best to take them out now and destroy all proof of what they were creating here. It's going to be more work, after all, there's twelve of them and they are all far more observant, I'm sure that at least one of them is stronger than me as well.
However, I do have a crutch—my position.
"I need five guys to help me with something really quick." They glance away from their work, staring at me, then each other, and back to me. After a few moments of buzzing silence, five men finally step up, clearly not wanting to be pulled away from their work for some menial heavy lifting.
I lead them upstairs, keeping track of the amount of space in between each person. I hadn't cleaned up the blue and gray bodies of the herbalists but they should at least be enough out of the way that I can take them out one by one without word reaching the others first.
"So to start, I want to move a few tables over in the office, so you three can start-" I spin and slit the throat of the first man, he drops without protest, the second and third are mere steps behind. I kick him out of the way, grab the hair of the two other men just as they reach the top steps, bash them into each other then carefully slit their wrists, piling them atop each other like it's possible they just fell. The fourth guy appears, laughing and stepping over them, perfect. I grab him by the chest and yank him to the ground, slicing just below his ear. The fifth guy appears, standing still at the second to top step and staring at the three fallen men with judgement in his eyes, it takes him far too long to comprehend what's going on, he's cut and dead amongst the others before he even realizes it. "And then you last two I need help over here!" I yell out, ensuring nobody questions the thudding.
Seven more guys downstairs. Eight more out in the open.
When I reach downstairs, there are actually four more guys down here, the other three standing outside for a smoke break. Even better.
When I reach them once more, they are heavily engrossed in their work, mumbling to one another about the gas system and ensuring proper airflow for those inside the vehicle in case they wish to do 'donuts.'
I tap one of them on the shoulder, a short, stalky man, and he exhales deeply before turning to me and asking with a disgruntled tone, "What?"
"The others are having difficulty moving the table, can you and him-" I point to a tall, lanky man on the other side of the vehicle. "-Please follow me?"
"Listen woman, I don't care who you're fucking, but boss man ain't here right now and I don't give a shit about whatever task you require assistance with."
The blade slips in and out of his throat without hesitation, his body dead and bleeding on the ground before any of the men realize what had just occurred. They stand frozen in place, holding screwdrivers, ratchets, and a muffler.
"Now," I resume, keeping my voice steady as I wipe the engineer's blood off my knife, his life staining his clothing. "Who would like to help me?"
All three of the men drop their equipment and make their way upstairs, I remain close by as they do so, slitting various parts of their bodies before they have the chance to turn around and realize what I am doing. When I return downstairs, the three have returned from their smoke break and are staring at the dead man on the floor, not speaking as their eyes slowly meet me. I explain casually, "He refused to obey orders, so he was no longer of use to me. Understand?"
They all nod in silence and resume their work, stepping around his body like he's no more than a pile of trash they're too lazy to take out.
I head outside, leaving these men to their work while I focus on dwindling the numbers of those walking around. I find three women, not much older than I, but much smaller than myself. Grunt workers, sex objects for the herbalists and engineers. Waving them over, I explain to them that I need help disposing of a traitor's body. They comply without speaking.
When the girls see the man I've killed, one of them weeps. It appears they were lovers. Good. They will meet again soon.
They follow me outback, grunting and heaving as I lead them to where I've recently disposed of the lesbians, their bodies since covered over with sand. After ordering them to throw the body, I slit the backs of their necks, watching as they all tumble down, landing atop each other. Lifeless.
The sandy winds begin to pick up, forcing me to turn my back towards it to avoid the harsh cuts. Five outside, three inside. I should finish off the engineers soon, otherwise they might go upstairs while my back is turned.
A lowly man pokes at a fire outside his tent, movement occurring from within. No signs of anyone else present. Easy.
"Excuse me." I speak, marching up to him. He jumps, shoulders hunched, head low, attempting to hide himself like a feeble coward. "I've been told that today we're doing obligatory tent inspections, there have been rumours going around that a few grunts have been stealing products."
He doesn't put up a fight, doesn't hide away nor run, just immediately gives in and opens the entryway to his tent for me, his entire body shaking. Within is another man, wearing barely any clothing. He covers himself with haste, expression turning pale. Mumbling, "Shit."
I click my tongue and shake my head, immediately unsheathing the knife once again. They're bodies don't fall together when they die, they make no form of connection, yet one's body is still barren. Good. Witnesses will view it as a good reason to end their lives.
I return to the warehouse, finding the engineers still hard at work, now refusing to look away from their project. They're aware of my presence, but they're unaware of their blind spots.
The first one bangs his head on the hood after being cut along his rib, the second goes to inspect and immediately drops after receiving a massive scratch across his chest, the third doesn't run, doesn't inspect, doesn't fight back; he just stands there, staring at me, and raises both his wrists.
The remaining three are easy pickings, alone in their tents, avoiding their work, making no sound as they die. By the time I manage to finish carrying them all to the back of the warehouse, dropping the herbalists out a window cause I'm not carrying them all downstairs, the sun has already begun to set. I set up the bomb, trusting that Antonio should be at the point of setting his up as well. We won't have much time to get away, any vehicle we take would likely get destroyed during the pulse. But any distance is good distance from what is about to be unleashed.