In the Depths, We Found Each Other

Evan Thompson had spent his entire life running—from his past, his mistakes, petty crimes, and twisted childhood. But he wasn’t going to let any of it define him anymore.

Growing up as an orphan, never finding a family outside of the Agency, each day felt like a relentless drill preparing him for another disappointment. Being raised without the warmth of family, left him with a profound distrust of the world and everyone in it.

But this year, Evan had made a promise to himself: he would no longer wait for the world to accept him; he would carve out his own place in it. Determined to leave behind the shadows of his past, he was ready to step into the light of a new beginning. 

And that’s when he met Marie.

Before Marie, Evan’s relationships were brief and unsatisfying—encounters that ended nearly as quickly as they began. He genuinely tried to foster meaningful bonds with the women he met, but it always fizzled out. He often wondered if he was too damaged for this so-called normal life, and that perhaps a genuine true connection would forever be beyond his grasp. But Marie shattered those doubts effortlessly.

She was a captivating enigma, drawing him in with her radiant smile, infectious laugh, and eyes so deep they mirrored the serene stillness of a tranquil pool. He felt a giddy intoxication in her presence, like a schoolboy swept up in his first crush.

For the past three months, he had been battling his naturally suspicious nature. He forced himself to quiet the doubts when she seemed distant or acted oddly. He’d read enough relationship books to know that people afraid of true love sometimes pushed their partner away, as to fully love someone, one must first allow themselves to be truly vulnerable. He was certain that’s what he was doing when paranoia crept in. But just as quickly as the doubts surfaced, she would dissolve them away with a hearty laugh or a gentle smile. This felt different—she felt different. This was real. He just needed to work harder at setting aside the emotional baggage from his loveless childhood, especially now that he was preparing to meet her family.

As the evening approached, Evan found himself nervously fidgeting with his watch. He had been dressed and ready for over an hour, anxiety and anticipation swirling within him. Finally, he grabbed his keys, deciding impulsively, "To hell with waiting." He would arrive at her house early to help with the preparations. "That’s what a good boyfriend would do, right? Not that I’d know," he mused with a self-deprecating chuckle.

Marie’s home was a beautiful but modest townhouse nestled on the outskirts of the city. Though she came from money, she often spoke proudly of how she had built her own success independently. 

As he approached the house, a sudden wave of concern about ''first impressions'' came over him. Though Marie didn't mind his car, perhaps her parents would. He continued past the house for a few hundred meters, deciding it would be best to park his old, worn-out car at the end of the cul-de-sac, and walk the short distance back to the gate.

As he approached the house, a subtle sense of unease washed over him. Something was off. His instincts alerted him to the presence of two figures dressed in black, moving stealthily around opposite sides of the house. Reacting swiftly, Evan pressed his back against a nearby wall, his senses sharpening as adrenaline surged through his veins.

He focused on the man nearest to him, carefully stalking him as he made his way toward the back door. When the intruder paused momentarily, Evan seized the opportunity, lunging forward to wrap a strong arm around the man’s neck, applying pressure until the assailant’s body went limp. He dragged the unconscious figure behind a decorative fence, ensuring they both remained out of sight.

A quick search of his body revealed a bowie knife and a walkie-talkie. Evan deftly removed the batteries from the device, disabling any potential communication, and delivered a forceful stomp to the man’s ankle, eliciting a satisfying crunch. He reached into his pocket for his phone to warn Marie, but the sound of gravel crunching underfoot drew his attention sharply.

The second man had completed his circuit around the house and was approaching the side door, unaware of Evan’s presence behind the fence. Moving with calculated precision, Evan launched a surprise attack, replicating his earlier takedown with practiced efficiency. After ensuring this intruder was also incapacitated, he confiscated a switchblade knife, disabled the walkie-talkie, and delivered another crushing blow to the man’s ankle for good measure.

With both threats neutralized, Evan pressed himself against the side of the back door, his mind racing. He needed to reach Marie and ensure her safety, but a gnawing dread began to take hold. Were these men here because of him? The thought twisted in his gut, but he quickly pushed it aside. He couldn’t afford to dwell on that now. What mattered was Marie—he had to protect her, no matter what. He braced himself, every nerve on edge, as he prepared to enter the house and face whatever dangers lay ahead.

He peered carefully through the decorative glass panel, his heart pounding as he spotted Marie’s gently tanned figure in her favourite bright red dress. But what made his blood run cold was the dark-clad arm of an assailant wrapped tightly around her throat. Without hesitation, Evan threw open the door. The sudden sight of a gun barrel pressed against Marie’s temple made panic surge through him. The slightest move might cause the assailant to shoot.

"Let her go!" he demanded, his voice trembling with fear and rage.

Marie’s eyes widened in apparent shock at his sudden entrance. 

"Evan," she gasped, her voice filled with surprise. Evan’s heart sank as he stuttered, "I’m sorry… This is all my fault. I’m—"

But before he could finish, her expression shifted, hardening into something unrecognizable. With an exasperated sigh, she snapped at him. "What are you doing here?!" Her voice dripped with irritation as she glanced at the microwave to check the time.

The man released Marie from his loose embrace with a casual shrug, looking Evan up and down with mild annoyance. "Who’s this guy?" he asked, turning to Marie. "I thought it was just us. I’m not splitting my cut with him—"

Marie silenced him with a sharp wave of her hand. "Shut up, Charlie. Relax. He’s the patsy."

Evan’s heart raced, confusion mixing with panic. "What… what’s going on?" he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. Charlie chuckled to himself, setting his gun down on the table. He pulled out a chair, sat down, popped in his earbuds, and began playing on his phone.

Marie turned to Evan, her voice now dripping with saccharine sweetness. "Oh, Evan, my sweet, naive Evan… You’ve really messed up my plans." She closed over her eyes, rubbed her temple, and sighed deeply. After a brief moment, she took a deep breath, regaining her composure. She sauntered toward him, her movements slow and deliberate, like a predator closing in on its prey. 

"You see, my parents won’t release my trust fund until I ‘settle down,’" she said with exaggerated sarcasm, making air quotes with her fingers. ''I thought playing house with you would be enough to convince them I was serious. But I can't go on like this. I’m tired of waiting."

Evan’s face twisted in disbelief. "Wait… was everything we had… just a lie?"

Marie smirked, her condescension thick in the air. "Come on, Evan. I’m an heiress to a fortune beyond your imagination. Sure, our time together was fun… there were even fleeting moments when I almost considered the dreary family life with someone like you, even with your sad little backstory." She feigned wiping away tears, her tone mocking. "Poor Evan. Trapped in this pathetic town your whole life. The only time you got away from the adoption agency was when you managed to sneak out for a grand total of five hours before getting caught stealing and thrown right back in. You’ve never lived Evan! Don’t you get it? It’s pathetic." His eyes darted rapidly as he processed her words and he quickly reevaluated their entire relationship in his mind.

She leaned in closer, her voice colder. "Your desperation for love made you so easy to manipulate. The plan was flawless—fake a kidnapping, collect the ransom, and leave you to take the fall. But of course, you had to ruin everything by showing up two hours early, trying to be the hero."

She rolled her eyes and grabbed her walkie-talkie. "Alpha, Bravo, we've a situation, copy," she said into it, pausing as she waited for a response.

Evan’s initial panic gave way to a dark realization, and he let out a small, stifled laugh. A crooked smile crept across his face as he said, "All this time, I thought I was afraid to let myself believe we had something real. That my instincts were so buried in paranoia...This, us, you... it was so alien to anything I've experienced before. The connection... OUR connection… it was like nothing I’ve ever known... But now I see it for what it is." His laugh grew louder, more unhinged. 

Marie turned toward him, her expression shifting from annoyance to confusion. 

"Don’t you get it?" he chuckled. "Those moments when your facade slipped… when you snapped at me at the restaurant, the fight at your friend's party, even the repulsed micro expressions I wasn't sure I'd seen when that poor beggar asked for help... all of it. It was you! I'd seen the real you!

Marie shot him an irritated glance, and tried the walkie talkie again.

''But I convinced myself I was misinterpreting things'' he continued, ''that my past was coloring my emotions with mistrust. I told myself my intuition was off because I was scared of how much I loved you. I see now it wasn't love... but it’s all been real! That’s why this felt unlike anything I’ve ever experienced! We’re the same! Don’t you see? You’re just as messed up as I am! That’s what I saw in you… I saw myself! You’re a complete psycho!"

Marie turned to him and rolled her eyes again. "Oh please. My parents have been pushing that narrative for years. Luckily I've convinced every doctor this side of the equator that they’re just perfectionist parents who are disappointed their sweet little angel didn’t go into finance. Can you imagine anything more dull?"

Evan’s curiosity had been fully ignited, his excitement barely contained. "So, what made you like this? Tell me everything!"

She shrugged dismissively. "What do you mean?" She repeated the code into the walkie-talkie, still waiting for a response.

"For me, it was watching my parents get massacred," Evan said with undisguised excitement. "Something in me changed forever that day... maybe it had always been there, I can't know for sure...''. He realised he was beaming ear to ear. ''It’s so great to finally talk to someone about this!" he suddenly burst out excitedly.

Marie’s attention wavered, intrigued despite herself. 

"The Agency decided that even witness protection was too high risk," he continued as he slowly paced the room. "During the months they spent devising a plan for me, the agents quickly identified my psychopathic traits. I mean, they deal with enough whackos day to day to spot us a mile off, you know? Placing me with a family became a pipe dream after that. The agents were good to me, I've a few good friends there... but people tend not to want to bond with the psycho kid I guess" he chuckled.

Marie’s face paled, a look of terror creeping into her eyes. "What… what are you talking about? Wait… Agents... The Agency.. not an Adoption Agency? Witness protection?... wait, You mean the CIA?"

Her voice wavered as if she feared her own words as she spoke them. Marie, now trembling with fear, her eyes darting. "Wait… wait... You...you apologized when you came in... why did you apoligise... Who… who are you?"

Marie decided to try a last-ditch attempt at help and squeezed her walkie-talkie. "ALPHA BRAV-!" she shouted desperately, but Evan moved behind her quickly before she could finish, holding the bowie knife tightly to her throat. The man at the table jumped, suddenly scrambling to pick up his gun. Evan threw the the switchblade directly through his hand, lodging it deep in the table. He screamed out in agony.

"Oh, I’m afraid your little friends outside won’t be joining us for dinner," Evan said casually. "It’s amusing, really," he continued with a thoughtful tone. "I spent so much time watching TV shows about what 'normal' is... and I just wanted to see if I could experience that. I’ve been a top agent for CIA Black Ops for ten years. So they trusted my decision when I explained to them I wanted to give this 'normal life' a shot—the life that was stolen from me. In a way, the Agency wanted that for me too; after all, they’ve been the closest thing to family I’ve ever had. And let’s face it, I’ve kept a low profile long enough that no one’s been looking for the son of the infamous 'Dillgerin crime family' anymore."

Charlie stopped whimpering, and his eyes darted suddenly up to Evan’s, growing wide in terror. He suddenly tore his hand straight through the blade of the knife, in a violent last-ditch attempt to get away from the son of the most terrifying crime family in the country’s history.

Evan flung the bowie knife, effortlessly piercing the man through the eye. He fell slowly to his knees, then forward onto his face, the hilt of the knife making an ungodly crunch as it snapped through his ocular socket.

Evan chuckled to himself, returning the mocking voice she had used so cruelly. "Your friend seems to know who I am, Marie! Imagine that? How nice! We have even more in common now!"

Evan’s gaze suddenly became cold as he turned Marie’s petrified face towards his. His eyes locked onto Marie’s with a dark, terrifying intensity. Evan’s eyes narrowed as he reached for the gun on the table. "Thank you for this, Marie," he said gently. "You helped me see that I belong with my own kind... god knows you need to be unhinged to work in CIA Black Ops. You helped me see that this ''normal life'' was never for me... ironically it seems it was never for you either... what a pity we didn't discover our true natures earlier."

Marie began to speak as he squeezed the trigger. Marie’s body crumpled to the floor, lifeless, as blood pooled around her.

Calmly, he reached for Charlie’s phone, still flashing whatever shoot-'em-up game he’d been playing. He keyed in a large sequence of numbers and waited.

"It’s Bluefin," he said into the phone, his voice steady. "I know. You were right. But I had to try... Look, we can talk later. I’ll need a Clean-Up Crew ASAP. Protocol 24b... yeah, 24b... I know, right? I sure know how to pick ’em, I guess! Thanks. Over."

He pulled the switchblade from the table, pried open Charlie's phone, and proceeded to meticulously destroy it. He paused briefly to look around the sunroom before he left. It truly was the epitome of all he thought he wanted. Every room in the house wouldn't have been out of place on the cover of ''Home Keepers magazine''. He smirked to himself, realizing the absurdity of thinking he was in love... that this life could have been for him. 

He realized it was the thrill of encountering someone as twisted as himself that had drawn him in, and that the allure of their enigmatic connection was just Marie masking her true nature. He had been like a child on Christmas morning, obsessed with uncovering the mysterious gift concealed behind the wrapping paper. Evan finally understood that the profound connection between them lay in their shared darkness. The deep, captivating pools in Marie’s eyes were merely reflections of the emptiness he himself harbored.