The Last Job He Took

“You know what?” He shouted. “I quit! I can’t fucking do this, Echo. Not anymore.” Brunaulf threw up his hands and sighed angrily. Echo backed up a few paces and crossed his arms.

“You can’t take it anymore? Yea, what about me, Brun? Huh? I’m in the same boat you are.” Brunaulf shook his head and ran a hand through his long auburn and blonde hair.

“No, you’re not, Echo. You don’t have people relying on you constantly for survival. If I fail this…” He couldn’t allow himself to finish the thought of what would happen.

Echo nodded, leaning on the desk. “I understand that,but I need to finish this job. If you quit, I could get killed.”

“And I’ll be killed if I do this job, Echo. I'm sorry, I can't complete this one. I’ve got too many at home to do this right now.” Brunaulf backed away and headed for the door. Echo darted after him, but Brunaulf shook him off. “Stop it Echo.” He said, winding down the corridors and out into the main room of The Stowaway. Echo didn’t stop, he followed Brunaulf until he unexpectedly turned around, using his bigger body to pin Echo to a wall. He had his forearm pressed to his ex-associate’s neck. His head smacked the wall hard. Echo struggled to remove his muscled arm. “I’m going to remove my arm, Echo and I swear to the Eleven Celestials, if you follow me again, I will kill you. I don’t want any part of your business or your jobs or your money. I want you out of my life and away from my kids. You got that?” Brunaulf let go and backed up. Echo cleared his throat and shook his head, feeling the small cut on the back of his head.

Brunaulf started to walk away when Echo said- “This would be the last job you’d ever need, Brun. Then you wouldn’t hafta put yourself on the line and risk your children. You could walk away after this one.”

That got Brunaulf’s attention. One more? This would be the last one? He turned his head to look at his associate. “What’s the catch?”

Echo smiled grimly, a creepy look in his dull blue eyes. The moon shone down on the alley they were in, covering him in an otherworldly glow. Brunaulf ignored the look. “You’d hafta… murder someone.”

Brunaulf’s huge library was a sort of refuge for his three children. Emauryn Lega needed silence most of all and only found it in the recesses of books, Hessforess Tessfira wanted knowledge and ideas that would grant her peace from her restless soul, and Jazwyn Cleo valued the calmness of the library to soothe his racing mind.

But a refuge it was no longer to the three. Brunaulf had told them to stay away while he and Echo worked. The three had seen Echo around more times then they would care to count. They knew that when he was around, their father wasn’t happy and loud and friendly- he became a shut-in and lonely, quiet and easily angered. They didn’t understand why and it pained them to see their father in this way, so much so that Emauryn Lega took to using Brunaulf’s sleep medicine to block it all out.

Echo and Brunaulf took months to plan this last job, making everything perfect and polishing it over and over until it gleamed like a diamond. The two took over the library, using that space to work on their plans and refine everything. Brunaulf wanted this job to go well for one reason only- to get the pay and to finally get away from the group he was working for. And when he could finally get away, he could be there for his three children like how they needed him to be.

Hessforess Tessfira crept quietly into the library, hands shaking as she approached her dad. She cleared her throat and tugged on his big brown and blue sweater. Brunaulf stopped talking to Echo for one second and looked at his only daughter. “What?” he snapped. Hessforess looked down, holding her hands together tightly to make them stop shaking.

“When can you… stop working? We were supposed to go out as a fam-”

“I can’t. Go away. I am trying to work.” Hessforess glanced at Echo, who had a scowl across his face. “Go play or read. I cannot be bothered right now.”

“But Dad-”

“Go. Away.” Brunaulf’s deep warm voice was cold and harsh. Hessforess backed away, her hands shaking still.

“But it’s our family day, I thought you would’ve wanted to go out…” She whispered sadly. Brunaulf cast her glance, his bright fiery hazel eyes almost looked sorry. He jerked his chin towards the library entrance, telling her to leave. She nodded and took a deep shaky breath, backing out of the huge library. She rejoined her siblings in the living room, shutting the door behind her and wiping tears from her emerald eyes. Jazwyn stood and went over to her, reading her to the couch and sitting beside her. Emauryn cast his little sister a glance, his grey and brown eyes glassy but intense. It was a look he had a lot recently, normally accompanied by the smell of sweet flowers and hazy intoxicating sun. “He said no, he said we wouldn’t go out,” Hessforess’s voice was teary and sad. Jazwyn rubbed her upper arms and hugged his sister. Emauryn rolled his head to face the window, the golden sunlight shining on his raven black hair. “I want dad to stop meeting with Mr. Sudarshan, Jaz and Maury. He is different when he has work, different when he is with his friend.” Jaz agreed and hugged his little sister again.

“He’ll be done soon…” Emauryn drawled, voice slow and lazy. Hessforess noted the eye bags and the sallow skin. “And then we… then we can all…go out…” Hessforess looked at Jaz. They had both noted the changes in their older sibling, from the slowness to the insomnia. But Brunaulf never did, and the two siblings knew it. Maybe that would jolt him awake from his work with Echo Sudarshan.

The plan was completed, finally. Brunaulf and Echo had it polished and ready, knowing every line there was to say and knew exactly where to go.

Their plan was foolproof.

Until it wasn’t.

Echo Sudarshan had made sure to know the layout of the manor that he and Brunaulf would sneak into. That was fairly easy, all Echo needed to do was forge some invitations and then they’d get into the elite party of Lord and Lady Tyruga. First, they had to steal any and everything of value and then for the final addition, the murder. The two had planned to kill the couple as they addressed their friends and family, which would get them an added bonus. From the Guildmaster. And while everyone was panicking, Echo Sudarshan and Brunaulf Hadwyn would escape with all the luxuries of the dead Lord and Lady. Together, they would take everything back to The Stowaway and fence it there, splitting the money 50-50. It would be more than enough gold to move Brunaulf and his children to another city and start again, this time, working honestly. As for Echo, it was just enough. It was enough to walk away from the guild he was a part and melt out of existence, which is what he wanted. He had no family and no one to care for, so he would live alone, surrounded by golden and gilded beauty.

Getting into the party was easy and went by without a hitch. The second part was to steal any and everything of value. Pretty easy- Smooth and seamless, no one suspected anything. And then the third part: the murder.

Perched on a tall and out of sight staircase, Echo and Bruanulf had a nice view of the targets. Echo loaded up the gun and handed it to Brunaulf.

“You kill them. The guildmaster wanted you to.” Brunaulf’s hands shook. He never wanted to kill anyone. “She knows that I always kill them when we’re on missions. She wants you to man the fuck up and get some blood on your hands,” Brunaulf shook his head.

“No, I can't kill them. I’m not a killer.”

Echo scoffed. “I thought you wanted the job, Brun.”

He did. He wanted it so he would have enough money to move him and his children to a new town, and get a fresh start. He needed the money to start a new and honest life. One where he wouldn’t have to leave or be secretive. A life where he could be honest.

“Yes, I want the job, Echo.” He raised the gun to his left eye and aimed.

BANG! BANG!

The gun was loud and shocking, sending all of the guests into panic. And in that panic, Echo and Brunaulf made their way outside and into the gardens. There was a back passage where the gate was low enough to escape over but they were stopped. Three guards called to the two associates and shined torches at them. Brunaulf froze and Echo didn’t dare to turn around. He leaned close to Brunualf and whispered, “Whatever you do, run. Don’t stop till you reach The Stowaway.”

Brunaulf shook his head and asked “What about you?”

“I’ll see you on the other side, Brun,” Echo took the gun from Brunaulf’s hands and turned around, aimed then shot three times. He hit two of the guards then shoved at Brunaulf. “Go!” Brunaulf tugged on Echo’s arm and pulled along with him. One shot echoed out in the gardens. One of the two fell.

Echo skidded to a stop and turned back.

Brunaulf was face first on the ground, red pooling around him. Echo cursed. He ran back to his fallen associate and lifted his arms up. “Come on, Brun! Brunaulf lifted his head and stared at Echo with glassy hazel eyes. The guard was coming closer and Brunaulf still wasn’t really moving. Echo rolled his friend over and laid his head on his lap. With his free, yet bloody hands, he hefted the gun and shot again. The third guard fell, blood leaking from his gut. Echo dropped his gun and brushed Brunaulf’s blonde and auburn hair from his glassy eyes. “Hey, hey, Brunaulf, look at me…” He raised his shaking hand to Echo’s jaw.

“E-echo…”

“Hey, I’m here. We’re going to finish this job, right? This was our last job and then we could retire and live lavishly and honestly, yea?”

“Y-you can, o-okay?” His warm and rumbly voice was shaky as was his hands. Echo held his hands, ignoring the panic of the party. “I…I want y-you to keep m-my family s-safe, go-ot i-it? All th-three of th-them: Em-Emau-”

“Emauryn Lega, Hessforess Tessfira and Jazwyn Cleo, right, Brunaulf?”

“Y-yea, you were al-always b-bad with names…” Brunaulf’s body was growing colder by the second. Coughed wracked his body. “Could…could you t-take care of them? Make s-sure that th-they sur-survive?”

“No, no, you can do that, I’ll help you up,” Echo shifted to try and get a grip underneath his friend. “I was never good with kids, Brun, you know this,” Brunaulf coughed and coughed but all that came up was blood. A few guards came running over to them.

Brunaulf gripped Echo’s hands and smiled weakly. “I tr-trust you, Sudarshan. I trust y-you…”

“I promise, Brunualf,”

“Go…” Echo shook his head. “I said go, Sudarshan!” He coughed again. Holding his head in his hands, he pressed his forehead to Brunaulf’s and then stood. The guards shined torches over and caught a glance of Echo. “Run, Go!” Echo did the one thing he never wanted to do.

Echo ran.

There was blood all over his clothes and his hands. He had made it to The Stowaway and had gotten Brunaulf’s reward for killing the lord and lady. He fenced as many items as he could carry and then took all the money from that and shoved it deep into his pockets.

Echo felt awful. Worse then he had ever been.

But the worse had yet to come.

Echo called the three children down, not bothering to clean himself and wash away Brunaulf’s blood. He knew he should have, to spare the children the grisly sight but he couldn’t. It was the last remnants of Brunaulf, and as nasty as it sounded, he wanted to remember his friend.

The three children came down slowly, not knowing why their father hadn’t called them down and why it was his bloodstained friend. Jazwyn Cleo came down first, followed shortly by Hessforess Tessfira and then lastly, and rather sluggishly, Emauryn Lega.

Echo spoke to them in a hollow tone, one much devoid of anything. Hessforess curled into Jazwyn, who held her tightly. Emauryn’s face fell and he buried his face in his hands. His cries were the loudest. Echo dropped the bag of riches and said, “This was Brunaulf’s. It’s yours now.” Brunaulf’s words echoed in his mind.

Could you take care of them? Make sure they survive? I trust you, I trust you…

“I suppose it’s ours…” Jazwyn looked up when Echo spoke. “Your father wanted me to care for you. Make sure you survive. He trusted me and I hope you will too…” Echo’s voice was low and hollow.

Emauryn Lega Looked up and walked towards Echo. “Our dad is dead… because of you. We are alone...because of you. Get. Out. Of. Our. House. Now.”

Echo held up his hands. “I promised you father. Let me keep that promise.”

Brunaulf wanted Echo to retire and live with honesty. Echo, for the sake of his friend, did so. Echo helped his friend’s children as often as they would allow and even moved them to a better city. It was hard, but slowly they trusted Echo and Echo even came to love them in a way. He hoped Brunualf would be happy. He did it for him.

He lived honestly and lavishly and lonely.

Echo lived as well as he could, and that was enough for Brunaulf.