WELCOME TO OUTLIVE

I was just that good I guess

A red Ferrari pulled up in front of the gate of a metal barred fenced mansion located in the middle of nowhere. The gate opened at the push of a button and the car drove in; all the way down the long driveway to the house where the car parked and out of it walked a woman thirty-five years old. Her name was Bella Knight and she had her thick dark hair braided into a pony tail that went down to her round bum and a body that turned heads; plump breasts and skin like butter milk.

Wearing a black loose cat suit Bella made her way to the door where the one of the two guards standing there opened it for her and she walked in.

Inside she walked through the fancy house to the glass door at the far end that led out onto the back patio. She walked out and sitting by the table having a cup of tea poured for him by one of the maids was a man named Mr. Henderson. He was about sixty years old and was large bodied like a wrestler.

“Uh if it isn’t my beautiful darling,” Mr. Henderson said, with his face lighting up at the sight of her.

“Henderson,” Bella said and just stood there with her hands in her pockets.

“That’ll do love thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” the maid said and walked away as Mr. Henderson began preparing his cup of tea to his liking.

“Lovely morning isn’t it?”

“It is quite lovely," Bella responded.

“And you look gorgeous as always.”

“Thank you."

“Please sit.”

“No it’s alright, I’m not staying long.”

“Come on, this could be the last time we’re seeing each other, sit with me please,” Mr. Henderson said and Bella pulled out a chair and sat down. “Tea?”

“No thanks I’m good.”

“You look like you’re packed up and ready to go.”

“I am,” she answered.

“So you’re really going through with this?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?” Mr. Henderson asked.

“I’m sure.”

“I can’t believe you just want to leave me dry like this. Especially after everything we’ve been through.”

“That’s exactly why I’m doing this because of everything we’ve been through,” Bella said.

“You make it sound like it was all bad.”

“It wasn’t, it’s just that some nights were a little harder than others.”

“And I get that,” he said. “Sometimes the job comes home with you and it takes a good while for the memories to go away.”

“Yeah.”

“And that’s if they do go away, some of them stay with you for the rest of your life.”

“Yeah the really good ones, such fun,” she said and they chuckled.

“Is that why you want out? Because you want to start clearing the memories out?”

“Something like that.”

“You’re not a bad person Bella,” Mr. Henderson said.

“No but I do do bad things so that kind of makes me a bad person.”

“You shouldn’t do that to yourself, your skill has done plenty good.”

“Yeah and it has done plenty bad too,” Bella said.

“It’s just business darling.”

“It’s more than just business Henderson it’s people’s lives. People’s lives that I have taken.”

“Because you had to,” he said.

“For a price.”

“Not just for that, for maintaining the order of things. There was a certain way that things needed to run and your skill ensured it.”

“By taking your competitors out,” she said.

“Like I said . . . Business.”

“Well I’m done doing business. I just want to leave and try out this quiet life people are always talking so greatly about.”

“Quiet life?” Mr. Henderson went. “That is not you.”

“It could be.”

“No it’s not. I know your life. It is nowhere near quiet.”

“Of course it’s nowhere near quiet, I’ve been moving from country to another killing people the whole time,” Bella said. “And I don’t know if I have it in me to do it anymore.”

“So you’re quitting?”

“Yeah.”

“But you’re so good Bella, you’re by far the best and cleanest I have ever seen,” he said.

“Great keep going, you’re doing great.”

“It’s a compliment.”

“Is it?” she asked. “The best at killing people.” She shook her head. “That doesn’t sound like a compliment to me.”

“I remember the days when it was.”

“Yeah well those days are long gone. I’m a different Bella now.”

“I can see that,” Mr. Henderson said.

“Yeah so I did my last job for you and I just came here to say goodbye.”

“I never thought I’d see the day.”

“I did. I had actually been thinking about this day for a while, I just didn’t tell you sooner because I didn’t want you to go through whatever it is you’re going through right now,” she said.

“Sadness?”

“Yeah that,” she said and they chuckled.

“Am I ever going to see you again?”

“I think it would be best if we didn’t.”

“Thought as much,” he said. “Goodness Bella, you’re like the daughter I never had and now you just want to walk right out of my life?”

“I have to. I'm tired and I've made far too many enemies.”

“There are enemies everywhere.”

“Not like this,” Bella said. “There are just certain kinds of lives that won’t allow you to walk away from them easy and this is one of them. Certain walks of life you can’t just turn off like a switch because too much has been done to pretend none of it ever happened. There have been too many triggers pulled, too much blood shed and too many tears cried and I just want it to end. With what I’ve done I probably don’t deserve it because I have taken away from so many the very thing I want and I’m not proud of any of it. I have millions in my account, I live in a presidential apartment and I drive fancy cars but at what cost? I have lost so much of myself that when I look in the mirror I have no idea who’s staring back at me. But what’s done is done, I can’t take back what I’ve done, all I can do is live with it because at the end of the day I pulled that trigger and I took that money. But even still, I’m willing to give it a shot because I just want to be normal again.”

“But normal is boring. Who wants to be normal when they can be extraordinary?”

“That is not me.”

“Damn right that’s you,” Mr. Henderson said. “You’re the most extraordinary asset I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.”

“Well this asset has come to the end of its service.”

“It doesn’t have to.”

“Yes it does,” she said.

“If people hear that you’re out of the game, they’re going to come for you.”

“I know.”

“Being my right hand woman, you were protected. But if you leave . . . Baby I’m sorry but I won’t be able to protect you anymore,” Mr. Henderson said.

“I know.”

“How are you going to make it? I mean you’re the toughest asset I know but there are a lot of people out there who can bring some good heat.”

“I’m going to stay below the radar and make sure to keep moving,” she said.

“There are always those ones that always find what they’re looking for.”

“Then they will find me and I will fight them.”

“And if that goes on and on, that could mean you fighting people off for the rest of your life,” Mr. Henderson said.

“To be normal again . . . Then so be it.”

“Man, I remember the first time I saw you fight. I thought you were magnificent. How you moved was like poetry. I knew that if I had someone like you on my team I would be unstoppable. And look, I have been. WE have been. You and I we’re so powerful we’re this close to owning the world.”

“Yeah only the world is not ours to own,” Bella said.

“I think it is and you and I would have owned the heck out of it.”

“Maybe in the next life time.”

“I hold you to that,” Mr. Henderson said and they chuckled. “Well these past 12 years have been a pleasure and I wish you nothing but the best.”

“Thank you Henderson.”

“I’m going to miss you kid.”

“You too old man,” she said and stood up and started heading to the door.

“Question?”

“Yeah.” She stopped and turned back to him.

“How have you been doing this for so long and have never missed a single target or even broken a sweat?” he asked.

“I was just that good I guess.”

“Good doesn’t even begin to cut it. And I don’t care how you take that, that is a compliment.” They shared a warm smile, with the both of them tearing up a little. He then saluted to her and she saluted back and left, with Mr. Henderson just sitting there and sighing softly to himself. Never seeing her again, that was going to be quite the large pill to swallow. She really was like a daughter to him and watching her walk right out of his life brought an ache to his heart he couldn’t even put into words. It was her and him for so long, a dynamic duo and just like the duo was down to just one and it cut him up. It was just business but with her it was so much more, she was like family and seeing her go knowing that he was most likely never going to see her again left him feeling empty and hollow.

Bella’s car drove out of the yard and just like that she was gone. She drove to a garage where she switched cars to a white Range Rover and then for hours drove down the road that led out of town; to a cabin in the middle of the forest where she was going to begin the first day of the rest of her quiet life.

She parked out front and after removing a suitcase from the back seat, took it with her inside and began settling into what was going to be her home for the next few months; a two story modernly furnished cabin.

Weeks passed and in those weeks life was calm and quiet with Bella opening herself up to the great outdoors and allowing herself to freely be a part of it. Going for runs through the trees, a swim in the lake, bird watching and even sun basking on the roof to soak in the lovely sun.

One night, as Bella was in bed sleeping, she heard twigs snapping outside and her eyes popped open. She then slid her hands underneath her pillow and when she pulled them out there were guns in them; identical black desert eagles.

Turning her head to get a better listen just then the entire cabin was shot up, her car too that even blew up into a huge explosion.

She took cover as walking through the trees towards the cabin were men dressed in black all equipped with assault rifles that tore through the cabin; shattering the windows, the walls, the ornaments on the tables and shelves, the cupboards and the glasses inside and even the appliances, the whole entire cabin was shot up with the men reloading and going at it some more, and when it looked like it couldn’t be shot up anymore, the men held their fire.

They began to approach the cabin and in teams of five entered through the front door and started looking around for her.

“Ground level clear, let’s check upstairs,” one of them said and they started heading up stairs to where the bedroom was.

They walked in and it was on. Bella burst out from the shot up closet and fought them whilst taking them out with head shots one after the other until all of them were down.

“Inside! Team 2 inside now!” a command came in on their radios and team 2 headed in. They walked across the floor and were about to head upstairs when just then Bella ran up the walls of the staircase and flipped in the air taking them all out with head shots and landed on the floor.

Just then team 3 came in.

“There she is,” one of them said and they all opened fire at her as she dove behind the kitchen island. They shot the entire kitchen up, drenching it in bullets, and when they seized two of them moved forward to check if they had gotten her.

BANG! BANG! Bella shot them and down they went and the others re-opened their fire, shooting the kitchen up even more. Again they seized fire and just as the one in the middle was signaling the two to go forward and check, Bella flipped from behind the island and onto the top of it where she took them down.

Team 4 came in and shot at her. Still on the counter she flipped into the air and took three of them out and then fell to the floor; rolling onto her knees and taking out the remaining two.

Team 5 came in guns hot and Bella threw herself through the window onto the back patio.

“After her quick! She’s getting away!” one of them shouted and they ran out after her.

Outside, they looked around the patio for her but it was clear. Out of nowhere Bella dropped from the roof and shot them. Down they went and just like that she had survived her first threat, or had she.

Suddenly SHOOP! Something hit her at the back of her neck and when she pulled it out it was a dart. She had just been sedated and she began to get woozy almost immediately.

Bella staggered one two three steps and then fell onto the patio floor. And in two seconds flat, her world went black.