Auxiliadora Smiles

Perhaps what made this job so hard was the fact that, as a Harvester, you had to be ruthless.

If you didn't have that, you were screwed.

Auxiliadora had that trait, and that's what made her so valuable to the company.

Me? I could barely even sleep at night now because of all the harvests I've had to do in the last few months.

It haunted me, worse than you could ever imagine. It was like the devil let loose a demon inside me, gnawing away at my insides. It wasn't putting in the effort to escape, it was only there to inflict torment and immeasurable guilt.

But the task we were given tonight would prove one thing.

How loyal I was to Auxiliadora and Daniel, and how much of my humanity still remains.

I leaned against the side of a house, checking the time far more often than I should, the anticipation killing me. I truly didn't want to do this, I really didn't. But I swore my loyalty to Daniel, the head of the company, and Auxiliadora, who was my partner and boss, in a sense. This was a sacrifice I had to make.

Then, I heard the doorbell.

I could hear Jane's footsteps as she walked towards her front door, and I slowly reached for my pocket knife and handgun, each action making it increasingly difficult to carry out this task.

I really didn't want to do it.

My Ex Girlfriend, Jane Miguel, lived in suburban community in central Wisconsin, just outside of the town me and Auxiliadora lived. We dated for a couple months, but we broke up because of multiple reasons that I didn't want to think about. Layers upon layers of disloyalty and horrid treatment that, unsurprisingly, resulted in a break up on bad terms. I've refused to speak to her since, and I don't think she really cared either.

I opened the guest bedroom window, allowing both me and Auxiliadora to sneak in and we both crept towards Jane's room, hiding behind the door and in the closet, awaiting her return.

Within a few seconds, I could hear her curse as she walked clumsily back to her room, probably thinking that she just got pranked by a bunch of annoying middle school students.

But the very moment she closed the door, I had her wrists in one hand and the gun pressed against her temple.

"Do. Not. Make. A. Sound." I gravely whispered into her ear from behind, as she trembled and shook in fear and panic.

If she was barely awake before, she most certainly was completely awake now.

Auxiliadora left her hiding place, a smile as sweet as fresh honey on her lips as she stared at Jane, watching her tremble as if it was the best movie she had ever seen.

"Tie up her hands and take her to the car. Make sure you have George's hair." Auxiliadora ordered, which I immediately got to doing so.

Auxiliadora had some latex gloves on and her hair contained under a shower cap and a winter hat, almost her entire body concealed under clothing as she looked around the room, likely looking for Jane's phone to take with us.

I almost had to drag Jane to the car, she was putting up one hell of a fight, especially since she knew who I was. I had to gag her and almost literally throw her into the backseat. I sat down beside her, making sure that she couldn't even attempt to escape. I then quickly put a small glass vile that contained some hair in the cup-holder by the driver's seat.

Within moments, Auxiliadora also ran into the car, and started up the engine and pulled the car out of the garage and into the deserted street lined with forest. In her eyes, this is almost too easy. There was no neighbors around, this harvest would be easy to cover up.

We drove down the boulevard, Jane in disarray and extremely hysteric, unsure of what was happening. To be honest, I wished I was in her shoes. At least I wouldn't know what would happen.

Because unfortunately, I do.

We reached a particularly deserted portion of the road, near where an unusual community lives. According to word of mouth and articles that I found online, this area is known for druggies and citizens with a criminal record of some sort. In Auxiliadora's mind, she was trying to have this arranged perfectly.

This was just some unfortunate accident on the way to town. She got attacked, and kidnapped from her car.

"Untie her." Auxiliadora ordered, parking on the side of the road.

"But-"

"Xander." She firmly said, looking at me with a frustrated look hidden behind an unhinged smile. "We're operating in a business where mistakes aren't tolerated. I'm the boss, you're my dog. Do what I say."

I nervously did what she said, taking off Jane's bonds.

And, she lunged at me.

I wielded my knife and resorted to instinct and training, trying to fight her off. Auxiliadora watched what unfolded, and within seconds blood was splattering all over my face as gashes in Jane's shoulders and arms drenched the car seat. I fought her and pushed her around, knocking over objects in her car and smearing the seats and floor in her blood. As I fought her off, I could hear her every curse word and insult directed at me, everything and anything you could think of, even words that I never knew existed. But the fight didn't conclude until I landed a firm kick to her chest and she was launched backwards and out of the car, gasping for air.

"Perfect." Auxiliadora said, smirking as she crawled out of the car.

I noticed that the small vile in her hands was now empty, and I realized that during the fight she was scattering hair throughout the vehicle. And, not only that, but the hair of George Switzler, a Harvester that worked for one of our competitors. She was doing this both in a way to deceive the police that would soon investigate this crime in the morning, and to hopefully put one of our competitors out of business. She figured if one of the employees were caught, then the rest of the organization could be dug up as well.

And, if we did this right, her company would be safe.

We hopped out of the car and stood before Jane, who was weak from the fighting, and was still trying to catch her breath from the whole ordeal.

Then, my stomach dropped as Auxiliadora turned to me.

She held a long and fine blade, offering it to me as if it was a large amount of cash or a filled wine glass.

"Prove your loyalty to me." She said, her voice sounding almost casual, normal, despite the situation that we were in right now.

I took the weapon in one hand, firmly holding the hilt, and then staring down at Jane.

Did I really need to do this?

I remembered when I swore my loyalty. I had found out Auxiliadora's horrid secret, the second life she had at night. She was a smart high school student during the day, and at night she was involved in illegal activities that went against any moral imaginable.

She was a cold-blooded animal.

And, she was willing to do anything to hide the organization that she worked for so faithfully for as if she was a nun working for God. And more importantly, hiding the organization also kept her lover safe, her beloved Olivier. She protected him, thought of him so often and held him in such high regard. Compared to him, I was a lowly pig.

I bit my lip, and gripped the knife more firmly as I approached Jane, prepared to complete another harvest when I stopped.

If I did this, I knew that I couldn't consider myself human anymore.

I was committing a crime that deserved the worst, more tortuous punishment. I would rot in Hell for this.

But, could it be justified for who I was protecting? And... exactly who I was harvesting?

When I swore my loyalty, Auxiliadora allowed me to list people whom we could not harvest under any circumstances. I was protecting my friends, our friends, and my parents. The only reason we were killing Jane was...

I mean, she was a criminal, and a horrible person. I've watched her make other people's lives hell, she's beaten me up and doesn't treat anyone like a human being. She takes drugs, she takes advantage of men, she is the definition of scum.

But I knew it wasn't entirely her fault.

She grew up in an unsafe home, she endured unlawful acts I didn't dare imagine, and she's had to bear that trauma all her life.

Thinking about it now made it harder to finish the deed.

I was hoping that, if I killed a horrible person, completing the harvest would be easier.

But only by a microscopic amount.

And regardless, I was ending a human life.

...

As I stared at the massacre before me and the very heavy garbage bag, Auxiliadora pat my shoulder.

"Good job, dog."

She stepped on Jane's phone, severely cracking the screen, and tossed it into the brush, and then began walking down the street. Despite her petite form and her short stature, she was carrying the bag as if it weighed nothing. But I remained planted where I was.

I couldn't process what just happened.

My body was in the present, but my mind was scrambling to keep up. It was stuck back when Jane was still staring up at me, with a terrified look on her face.

¨´"Hey," Auxiliadora said, disturbing me from my trance. "Think of it like this: You cleansed the world of some dirt. You did everyone a favor. Now, doesn't that make you feel better?"

I bit my lip, and solemnly nodded.

Was that really how I felt? I didn't know anymore. That gnawing feeling I had felt not too long ago was gone. All I could feel was the corner of my lips raise, exposing my pearly white teeth.

What made this job so euphoric was the fact that, as a Harvester, you had to be ruthless.

And as if she could read my mind, Auxiliadora smiled.