"Callin' the Shots" Chapter 1

Chapter 1
“Red Eyes”

“So I can get a day off?”

“I’ll see to it.”

“Thank you.”

I hang up the cell phone and sigh to the dirt-white mist that blanketed the city. The voicemail from the other day stays in my mind. I look at the clock at the bedside table, already half past nine. ‘The Dawn’ is only a few minutes’ walk away. I go on ahead and clean myself up for the day. As I head on out, I wear the long dark-gray trench coat that I threw to the floor the other day.
The sickly smell of ash and nicotine filled the air as I approach ‘The Dawn’. The yells and hollers of the wild crowd inside made me not want to come in. I checked my watch, 9:57 AM.

“Anytime now…”

There was an empty table nearby on the outside. I made my way towards it and sat down on one of the two chairs.

10:04 AM. I thought the man wouldn’t come, so I got up but stopped as someone had their hand on my shoulder.

“Sorry for the wait,” says the other,” that was quite some traffic along the way.”
I sat myself back down and watched the gentlemanly stranger. The old man wore a fur coat with a brown golf cap. He sits across from me, settling comfortably.

“So… how did you know my name old man?”

“Quite rude… just as they say, Red-Eyed Lucifer. There are quite a lot of rumors about you lately,” he says enthusiastically.

“What kind of rumors?”

“You know, like the assassination of President Collins, and the whatnot.”

“And how did people know all this?”

“The ‘Organization’ does have its faults, such as the ‘Lurkers’ and the ‘Ears’. There are those who just love to blabber about.”

“…I will have to report this…”

“Yes, you should, but nothing will change.”

“Why?”

“There are just some things that you shouldn’t know,” his tone was more serious than before.

The old man gets up first and stretches himself to relax.

“I must be going now. I’ll call you when I’ll see you next,” he says. The old man leaves for good into the crowd on the sidewalk.

I left the pub too. I strode all the way to Monreil’s Park to view the lifeless, empty nature. I would always come here to be at ease. The tranquility of the park keeps me calm and lets me forget things that I wish to be forgotten. The only thing I couldn’t get out of my head was that man from earlier. No one is supposed to know of my missions, no one is to know I existed, nor do they know my codename, and yet some random stranger knows more than anybody outside the ‘Organization’.

“Red-Eyed Lucifer, huh?”

The phone rings loudly a playful tune. It only rings for certain people. I thought it would be Jennie or Hyuka, but as I looked on the cell phone’s screen, there was no name or anything. It read “Restricted Number”. Once again, I become curious of it and decided to pick up the call.

“Hello?” said the person. The tone and voice was female.

“Hi, how did-“

“Sorry, but can you meet me at Rishal’s restaurant? It’s urgent!” she interrupted abruptly.

I was disconnected right after that. The restaurant was quite some ways from this park. I thought for a moment, thinking she must’ve called the wrong number. I still made my way over to Rishal’s anyway.

The train was crowded as usual. Only another five minutes until I reach to the east side of the city. I began to reminisce about one of my earlier missions…



“Here you go.”

I was given a black sports bag. The target was inside the Marianna Bullet Train. I made way for a nearby hotel and entered it. I quickly went towards the elevator and pushed for the top floor. Luckily for me, the elevator didn’t stop until I reached the rooftop. I looked about and found no one, also a good sign. I opened the sports bag and assembled the rifle inside. After the assembly, I fine-tuned it and looked for the train. It wasn’t too far away, about another few minutes. I steadied the rifle into position and had the train in my sights.

“I guess that is top level, car three,” I said to remind myself.

I had the rifle ready and in the next instant, I pulled the trigger. The bullet went through a window on the third car of the train.

“That’s it… I’m done.”

I disassembled the rifle and left.

The next day, the news reported the death of President Collins and his wife. I didn’t think I would hit them both but I did. I received many calls from the
‘Organization’ that day…



“We have now arrived at East Belka District.”

I walked out of the train and into the crowded station. In all my life, I would always hate how crowded the city can be. I pushed my way through the crowd and ran up the steps to the outside. The meeting place is another few blocks away, so I started walking immediately.

“Damn red light.”

The traffic light hasn’t changed for minutes. I couldn’t stand waiting. Before I was going to smash the crosswalk button, the lights changed and the crosswalk lights flicker its usual thirty-second timer. I quickly made my way over the intersection and stopped in front of Rishal’s Diner.

The diner stood out in all the junk of this district. It was well kept and cleaned, even the waiters and waitresses were well and ready. The diner wasn’t as crowded as the pubs, but I guessed they will have to deal with a cheap bastard like me.

“May I help you sir?” said a waiter at the door.

“Table for one?” I replied, not wanting to be accused of soliciting.

“Right this way,” and he gave a formal bow with his left arm pointing into the fancy place.

And so I went on in, not knowing what the hell I was doing. I took a seat by the window and watched the ‘ants’ outside with their briefcases running into the taxis for their day shift.

“There should be someone who asked a table for one…”

“I think that fellow is by the window over there.”

I turned to see the waiter from before, pointing at me. Beside him stood a woman in a full-dull purple from hat-to-skirt.

“Thank you,” she says to him.

She heads on over to my table and sits across from me.

“Good morning,” she says in a pleasant greeting tone.

I didn’t reply immediately, just puzzled at strangers who knew me recently.

“Good morning to you as well,” came the late reply.

“Sorry if this was sudden, but one of my sources finally got a hold of you.”

“The old man at ‘The Dawn’?”

“Yes.”

“What is it you want with me then?” my voice becomes more heavy and harsh.

“It’s your day off today right?” she replied normally.

“Stop evading the question.”

“Very well, we may need to go to a more…private place,” she finally looks at me in the eyes as she talks.

The waiter finally comes. I ordered a coffee, and she, a glass of water. The man is discouraged at our wants and leaves.

“So how is it that you know me so well?” I said first.

“This isn’t a matter of how to get a hold of you, but how is it that your ‘Organization’ works.”

“It works the way it is; there is nothing more to it.”

“But there is! You! You are one of their greatest achievements!” she talked as though she was admiring me.

“How so?” I said, trying to break her dreamy trance.

“I’ll show you.”

She pulls out a knife from her purse and throws it straight at me. For a moment, everything moved slow and gradually became slower and slower. The knife was a few inches in front of my face. I grabbed it and everything was at its normal pace again.

“You see?” she says.

“See what?” I replied, “You tried to kill me!”

“But you grabbed it at the very last instance. During that very instance, your eyes were bright red, and thus you are named ‘Red-Eyed Lucifer’. Am I right?”

I couldn’t say anything afterwards. She knew about my secret and my nickname. “Just who are these bastards?” I thought. Nothing comes to mind.

The waiter returns with our drinks and places them in front of us. This woman takes her cup and checks it carefully.

“There is no dust or dirt in it if that is what you’re looking for,” I said to her.
She turns to me and gives a frown. I guess I was right. She started drinking after that. I took my coffee and sipped it a bit myself.

“So you see… you are a great product of those people of yours.”

“Don’t treat me as a thing!” without knowing it, I slammed my cup onto the table.

People nearby don’t notice and think it’s nothing.

“You have some anger issues too,” she said, smiling, “just as they say, Lucifer.”
Some of the coffee was burning my hand. I quickly grabbed the napkin and wiped it off. I wanted to leave as soon as possible. I hated dealing with these kinds of people. She goes to open her purse again.

“I still haven’t gotten your name, the old man’s, and whom you work for,” I said as politely as I can.

“The name is Cecilia Gibbins, my acquaintance doesn’t need to be named, and as for who we are with has nothing to do with you,” she replies, still searching for something.

When she finally found what she was looking for, she stops and takes out her wallet.
“It will be on me,” she says, placing the money on the table, “it’s for… intruding on your day off.”

She leaves the diner with her high-heels going ‘clack, clack’ out the door. I sat there by myself for a while.

“What a day…”