The Zodiac Assassins

Chapter 11

8 days until DdM

I hiss at the message. I've ignored them for the past couple of days but I'm feeling tight and cooped up today so all it does is irritate me. None of us woke up well. Aquarius is muttering to herself next to me and Cancer just isn't keeping still. She keeps on folding her dress over her knees, turning a little, keeping still for a second and then doing the exact same thing. Taurus keeps on flicking his gun around his finger, looking like it's about to go off and Scorpio looks like he's seriously considering swallowing the venom in his hand. Aries looks like she could happily slap everyone right now, including the person driving the van who was employed by Mayhew. We've not seen him since we first met in the conference room. It seems like years ago now, when we all had no idea what was going on, or that our first attempt would be a failure, or that there was actually two companies working on the same idea.

"We're nearly there" Taurus says, spinning his gun and peering out of the window. "I think"

"We'd better be" Aries mutters. "I'm getting to the point where I'm wondering how good a shot you are with that gun of yours."

"You what?" Taurus glances at her, crinkling his nose in disgust. "You wanna bet?"

"Yeah sure" Aries says, giving him a challenging look. "How about... I be the target?"

"I can kill you" Scorpio shakes the vial. "I need some practise at this again anyway."

"No one is killing anyone yet" Cancer says, shuffling again. "After we've actually sorted ourselves out and killed the guy we're supposed to be killing, you may kill each other."

"What's up with you today?" I say. "What happened to the happy-go-lucky mood?"

"It's hard to be like that when you're with people are miserable as you lot are at the moment" Cancer sighs and slumps backwards, sliding down in her seat. "Are we nearly there yet?"

"No, no, no, no" Aries shouts, pressing her hands to her head. "No you are not starting with that whilst I'm still alive. Quick Scorpio, or I may just go insane."

"You already are" Scorpio mutters, removing the cork in his vial.

The van grinds to a stop as he's handing it over and Aries gives a huge sigh of relief. "Thank God. I wanted to kill someone happily before I died."

Scorpio puts away the vial and doesn't get up, neither does Aquarius, but Cancer wanders to the door to see us out.

"Don't fuck it up" she says, grinning and closes the door.

"That's the first time I've heard her swear" Aries says, stretching. "Oh, it already feels better being outside right?"

Neither of us answer but she doesn't comment. We slip inside easily. After the last attempt, you'd have thought that they would've had more security but there's even less at the back than there was last time. The building is long and flat with a small rise in the middle which is where, I'm guessing, his office is. Taurus nods and we wander down a corridor. There's a bang, a shout and someone screams. A window appears to the side and we look down into what has to be a manufacturing room. There is a box on the floor, open, spilling out the contents which is thick and metal. Someone in a long white coat is hopping round, hugging there foot and being yelled at by another white coated person, this one bald and with a thick pair of black glasses.

"Damn that looks painful" Taurus mutters.

There are footsteps, lots of them, charging from the opposite direction. A number of people in black coat turn the corner and stop. One of them walks forwards and stands right in front of us.

"Who are you?" he demands. "Do you have i.d.?"

"I... err... um..." Taurus stutters and sighs. "Give me a minute, let me find it." He rummages around in his pocket grabs his gun and shoots him through the head. Brains and bits of flesh fly out, colouring the wall and the person slumps, a perfectly shaped 'o' in the centre of their forehead.

One of the other people screams and covers her mouth whilst another gets out his own gun. Taurus grins and get out a second, pointing both at the people. "You guys go. I've got this." A loud stream of bangs sound, Taurus laughing loudly in the midst of it all, and the black coated people dropping like huge flies everywhere.

"Okay" Aries mutters, turning round and starting to run. "That is a new side I haven't seen before."

"Neither" I grunt, running along side her. We turn a corner, carry on. Along the way, she starts muttering like Aquarius was, but more demanding.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up I'm not listening." It's so quiet that I have to strain to hear it. "I'm never listening to you again because last time... last time..."

"Who're you talking to?" I ask as we turn yet another corner.

She stares at me like I'm insane. "The voices of course. They tell me many things. Like how to dismantle people, where the vital organs are and the perfect places to cut the tender flesh. How to escape justice, how to shoot if I really need to, how to hide and handle a knife, an axe, a sword a chainsaw." She laughs. "I've used one of those things before and wow are they brilliant. They're so fun to use and cut through people real quick."

"Okay" I say, focusing on front.

Aries frowns and glances up "They also tell me that the office we need to get to is directly above us... now."