5 Years Later

She ambled down the dark sidewalk, her long trench coat billowing like a flag on a pole. It was cold. But not too cold. Too cold, contrary to popular belief, isn’t productive weather. No one worked nearly as they should. If there was something that Nunya hated more than anything, it was a lazy man with no goals and no drive. They were particularly useless in the cold weather. She hoped her associates weren’t like that. Nunya didn’t just have goals. She had fantasies.A goal is something small, a hopeful achievement that holds no meaning in the grand scheme of things. Nunya didn’t have goals. Her fantasies were a domino effect of her dreams, piece after piece going down one by one. And once they had all come into place, Nunya would build her fantasies up again. And then repeat the cycle.

This was precisely what was going through Nunya’s mind as she walked down the street. She hid in plain sight, the dark facades of the store masking her dusky features. No one would find her. No one ever would. This was exactly what she wanted. For a mission like this, she would remain hidden. 

She skulked in the alleyways like a cat prowling in the nighttime, slowly searching for a mouse to prey on. She anticipated nothing. But anything could happen. She found that the less she expected, the more satisfied she would be. Usually, things didn’t surprise her until she forced herself to be surprised. Anticipating something was just a fancy way of waiting for something shocking to happen. Like the countdown to a bomb. 

Speaking of bombs, it had been a while since one dropped on her. Metaphorically, that is. When Nunya opened the wrong suitcase that one fateful day, she didn’t know what would happen 5 years later. She didn’t know that she would be the leader of a drug smuggling operation, let alone one that controlled the entire city of New York in its entirety. She didn’t know that she wouldn’t be able to trust anyone for the rest of her life. Least of all, she didn’t know that she would enjoy it as much as she did. Sure, not being able to trust anyone wasn’t ideal. But it didn’t really matter to her. It was spectacular. For once in her life, Nunya didn’t feel as though she needed anything or anyone. She was just content to be alive, in moments like these, wandering the world she loved by herself. Because being alone was different from being lonely. And Nunya was never alone. Her past always followed close behind, reminding her of who she was and who she didn’t want to be. 

But she wasn’t running away from her past. In fact, she was heading towards it right now. She darted along taller buildings now, dingy storefronts that received little business in the day, but even less in the night. She saw a candy store.The name of the store was now long gone, its once bright exterior faded with age and lack of maintenance. They were practically closed now, a metal grate covering the door and bars on the window to prevent an intruder from breaking in. Nunya knew that these “protective” measures wouldn’t do anything. They never did. The store owners might as well just give their money away right now. No one in their right mind would actually not steal it. Nunya knew that after her appointment, she would be back to take what was rightfully hers from that store. Well, maybe not rightfully. But it would be hers. 

She continued on. She was in a park now, her soft footsteps the only noise amongst the trees. The small section of land was the only thing separating her from the warehouse where she was meeting her associates. It was a pain to cross, but it made it harder for cops to find her. Nunya was careful. But never careful enough. She had only a small circle that knew her plans, but even the smallest glass can leak. She could hear the ambulance now, its siren growing louder slowly but surely. This was annoying. She didn’t care much for the police. They were imbeciles, and could never catch her. Most of the time this was good, but sometimes Nunya wanted to be caught. For the recognition, at least. Contrary to popular belief, being a criminal mastermind wasn’t easy. Nunya worked hard, not only to make a better life for herself, but for the people around her. They relied on her, and she relied on them, to a certain extent. She didn’t need them, they were replaceable. But still. 

At this moment, she relied on her associates to keep her guest ready. As she finally cleared the forest and the shrubbery, she looked upon a giant factory. It looked like a movie set, as if it was frozen in time forever, but the world kept moving around it. Nunya felt sorry for the factory. At one point in her life, she could’ve related to the feeling. But not anymore.

She walked up to the dilapidated door frame, careful when opening the rough, sandpaper - textured door. She hated splinters. Nunya was scared of tweezers. They filled her with an icky feeling of disgust just thinking about them. She didn’t even like the word tweezer. It sounded funny. Like the name of a dentist. 

As she walked into the factory, Nunya could taste the blood in the air. It was choking the rest of her senses, like her aunt’s perfume at a dinner party. Nunya didn’t care. Good that she focused on the blood and not what she was about to do. She didn’t feel like thinking about it too much. If she thought about anything in her line of work, someone would kill her while she was distracted - thinking, of all things. 

Her associates had left shortly before she came. Nunya had warned them in advance - she wanted to be alone for this. She saw him the second she entered the room. He was tied to the chair, beaten and bloody. Good. That made less work for her. She was starting to get hungry now. For what, she didn’t know. Maybe it was for Thai food, maybe it was for vengeance. She would figure it out now. She felt his pulse, his skin still warm and sticky with his own blood. He was barely conscious now, his beady eyes fluttering open with her words. “Do you remember me? ” Nunya asked, her whisper echoing throughout the factory like a curse. The man only looked at Nunya with utmost fear, the realization of who she was dawning on him all too fast. Nunya wasn’t hungry for Thai food now. “ I’m here to say thank you, ” Nunya smiled, her dark eyes glittering with malice and pleasure. “ If it wasn’t for you being hired to kill me 5 years ago, I might not have taken your suitcase by mistake - you know, the one with the payment in it? ” The man was crying silent tears, pleading for his life with the words that he couldn’t find. “ I still have the bullet wound,” Nunya said matter - of-factly. “ It doesn’t hurt much anymore, in case you were wondering ”. The man managed to find his voice, mere croaks sapping his very life force. “ Who are- What happened to you?” the man asked, shock and awe painted across his face. This was not the same girl that he tried to kill all those years ago. That girl was soft, and weak. This was a new woman, forged from the ashes of the person she used to be.  She  pulled a revolver out of her trench coat and shot it all in one fluid motion.“ It’s Nunya Business.”