"I didn't finish too late today." I said, as I stretched.
It was a night like any other.
I had just wrapped up one of the many jobs they trusted me with, cleaning up, as we say in the business. No witnesses, no noise, no mess. Quick and clean.
I got back in my car, the city lights flickering against the windshield the streets were mostly empty.
I was just heading home.
To kill time on the drive, I put on some music. Just noise to fill the silence.
'What the hell have I done with my life?' I thought, eyes fixed on the road, city lights streaking past like ghosts. 'This life's boring as hell...'
I reached back with one hand, grabbed a can of soda from the back seat, cracked it open, and took a long drink.
'Maybe i should get a cat or a dog. Nah, forget it, I'm not here often enough.'
A few minutes later, I pulled into my driveway.
Same house. Same quiet neighborhood. I parked and stepped out, grabbing my bag from the passenger seat.
I walked up the steps, unlocked the door, and pushed it open.
I went straight to clean my gear. Standard routine. Tools of the trade needed to be spotless, fingerprints wiped, traces erased. I wasn't new to this.
While drying a silencer, my phone buzzed on the counter.
I checked it.
A notification. Transfer received: 500,000$
For a job done well, I guess. I locked the screen and tossed it aside.
After finishing up, I headed into the kitchen. Figured I'd eat something before the night got long. As I opened the fridge, I slipped my personal phone out of my pocket and tapped a contact I knew too well.
The line rang once.
"Yeah, Selina, you free tonight?" I asked, leaning against the counter.
"Marco… for you? Always. Come by in an hour." she said, voice soft but suggestive.
"Alright. See you soon." I hung up, letting a small smirk pull at the corner of my mouth. 'I'll be able to relax a little'
But just as my thumb left the screen—
click.
Cold steel pressed against the back of my neck. A revolver.
I slowly raised my hands.
Didn't turn around. Didn't move. Just kept my voice calm.
"Who sent you?" I asked. "And why?"
A short silence.
Then a voice I knew far too well answered behind me.
"No one sent me. You liked the payment I sent you, Marco?"
I recognized that voice instantly.
Gabriel.
One of my direct superiors.
"…Why, Gabriel?" I asked.
"Because the rumors say they're giving you my seat at the table." he replied, almost casually. "And I can't let that happen. Hope you understand."
Before I could say another word, he pulled the trigger.
That was the end.
At least, that's what I thought.
But fate had other plans.
I was trapped in endless darkness.
No matter how hard I swam, I couldn't move. No light, no sound, just that crushing, silent void. Time lost all meaning. Seconds, minutes, hours… or years? I couldn't tell. It felt eternal.
I had time to think about the life I had, without any real meaning in my eyes.
The rage I felt at first diminished the more time I spent in that place, even though I tried to keep it bottled up inside.
And then, something changed.
A flicker. A feeling. A pull.
My eyes snapped open.
Light, blinding, warm.
The light blinded me for a moment, the air smelled of salt and wind. Sounds filled my ears. I blinked against the brightness, heart pounding.
"Is this… heaven? It's too beautiful here to be hell."
But it didn't feel like peace. It felt real. Too real.
And I was no longer in my body.
My arms were black.
I mean literally black, dark, sleek, and not at all human. My skin felt strange, thick and tough. And I was tall, way taller than I used to be.
"What the hell is happening to me?"
I started walking. I needed answers. I needed to see myself, anything reflective, water, glass, I didn't care.
I had to know what I'd become.
Eventually, I came across a pool of water, a still surface, clear enough to see my reflection.
I leaned in slowly.
What stared back at me was… a monster. Or at least, that's what I would've called it before.
A tall, broad-shouldered figure with jet-black skin broken up by patches of white. My mouth lined with sharp, predatory teeth.
And I was jacked, muscles thick like I'd been sculpted from stone. I had the unmistakable traits of an orca… but in a humanoid form.
Where… am I?
Around me, there was nothing but dense vegetation, towering trees with thick canopies, vines hanging like curtains, and strange animal sounds echoing through the air. The kind of jungle you only see in adventure films.
I sat up slowly, my head pounding, heart racing.
That's when I realized—
I was in nothing but my boxers.
Seriously?
Of all the things to bring with me to whatever afterlife this was… they left me with my damn underwear?
Great.
My mind couldn't stay still. Moving from one subject to another.
'I can't believe he actually killed me... And for what?'
"Bastard." I muttered under my breath, my voice deeper now, almost growling without meaning to.
I shook the thought off. Dwelling on it wouldn't change what happened. I was dead. At least, back there.
This is my new life now...
Maybe dying wasn't the worst thing that could've happened to me.
Honestly, It wasn't all bad. I was stronger, way stronger. I could feel it. My senses were sharper. My body felt like a weapon.
I mean, sure, the timing sucked. But, we don't get to choose these things, right?
Whatever this place was, I was here now.
I got back on my feet and started walking. No direction. No plan.
One thing was certain—I needed to find someone. Anyone.
A local. A village. Even a wandering lunatic would do.