It was quite an aesthetically pleasing firm, but to the calm young man, its beauty was just a fooling cover for all the corruption done within the building.
That was why he made his final decision that instant. With a determined look in his gaze, he confidently walked in, calmly clasping his fingers tightly on the briefcase handle. The doorman took one look at his face and then his ID and smiled brightly.
"Good morning, Elias," the man said with a smile. It was obvious why he was being so open. The young, calm man simply responded to the greeting by dipping his hand into his pocket and handing the doorman a small wad of dollar notes, "Ah, well-done boss."
Elias only smiled in response,
'Boss?', far from it. He was next to the most worthless person in this particular firm, in simpler terms, an underpaid intern. He knew most of his classmates were in much better places due to their connections, but Elias…
Elias, however, drew the short end of the straw. Still, it didn't matter. Cause after today, nothing will matter anyway.
He continued walking into the inner parts of the firm, ignored the receptionist, who, in turn, didn't even bother batting him an eyelid. It could have been due to the Air Pods blasting into her eardrums, to the extent that even as he stood several meters away from her, he could still hear the booming song. He turned his gaze away and briefly glanced at the dazzling overhead light bulb. Surprisingly, the electricity was running well today. It might have been because of the festivities, but that didn't matter as well in the end.
With a stoic expression, he walked into the elevator, gently swinging his briefcase, just as an old woman hurried after him, holding a mop inside a bucket, and a broom in one hand. She entered just in time before the mechanical doors could close.
"Aww, I really appreciate honey. How have you been?" she asked with a smile.
"I'm alright ma'am" Elias responded with a kind smile of his own.
Of everyone in this firm, she was the only one who treated him like an actual human being.
That was why he wanted her to live.
So he had to say it.
"Mrs Orede, I'd advise you not to stay long today". The elderly woman turned to him with a confused frown.
"Is this about the weather? Ah yes, I need to take my granddaughter as well to school once I'm done here. You don't have to worry about it sweetheart", she then gave a soft motherly smile as a brief thought came back to her,
"And, there's no one to clean up your office if I don't do it myself, I still need to celebrate the new year as well you know."
It wasn't that there was no one to clean up, it was just that the other cleaners preferred to ignore the undergraduate, especially one of my origin, whether out of jealousy or pride, that Elias didn't know.
"Don't worry, ma. Just finish up with the other things and I'll clean up my office myself, or better still go home right now and have fun with your family."
Thankfully the ridiculously slow elevator hadn't even moved yet, so Elias just pressed a button, reopened the mechanical doors and smiled at the old woman.
"Happy new year"
"Thank you very much, sweetie, I'll come back early before lunch and I'll bring something along", she said with that sweet and kind smile of hers. Then she took off with her equipment, the mechanical doors soon closed back after her, and Elias sighed in relief.
'You shouldn't even return', he sighed as his gaze went to the briefcase in his hand. He chose the top floor where the real professionals were and then readied himself as the elevator finally started moving up with a slow hum.
There was supposed to be a meeting for all the important staff today. Of course, he wasn't among them, but today he had a nice surprise for all of them; it was perfect as they would all be gathered on one floor, making his job much simpler.
He dipped his hands in his left coat pockets and pulled out some black gloves, which he wore calmly. Then turned to open the briefcase.
It slowly clicked open with a light metallic snap as Elias's fingers traced the cold steel of the disassembled assault rifle. Each part meticulously arranged within the foam-lined case.
It definitely wasn't easy getting this custom-made light weapon, but it would serve its purpose regardless. With the precision of a man who had done this a hundred times before, he began the process of assembling death itself.
First, the receiver. He locked it in place with a firm twist. With a sharp, mechanical clink, the gas tube was then attached to the barrel. The bolt quickly entered the weapon and moved through its chamber with ease, reshaping its blade like a guillotine.
Feeling the weight of the ammunition nestled firmly inside the curved magazine, he reached methodically for it. He then raised the completed weapon and chambered the first round by smoothly drawing back the charging handle.
*Clack-Chak*
He calmly inspected the rifle before lightly pulling the trigger to make sure everything was in working order.
"It's done."
He grinned contentedly and looked at his watch.
'10:00 AM.' Right on time.
Elias calmly closed the briefcase, stood straight, and mildly adjusted his tie.
With a brief glance he saw the numbers above the door as they continued to blink one by one as the small cabin ascended.
Fifth floor...
Sixth...
Seventh.
A soft chime soon announced his arrival and the doors finally slid open.
The floor receptionist barely looked up from her phone, a smirk creeping across her face at the sight of the rifle pointed directly at her.
"Is this a joke?" she scoffed, rolling her eyes before returning to her screen.
Elias answered with a pull of the trigger.
The first shot rang out as it immediately shattered the air, and in a split second the bullet tore through her skull, completely splitting it apart like a ripe melon.
It would have been beautiful if it wasn't so violent.
Elias just watched as her small, lifeless body sagged over and blood spattered onto the immaculate marble counter in an untidy arc.
She continued to twitch her manicured fingers on her phone screen.
The silence that soon followed was nearly deafening but Elias with his dismissively calm gaze, simply walked forward apathetically, his sleek black boots making loud clicking sounds on the bloody floor as he walked across.
A security guard rounded the corner too late.
"Hey! Stop—" the guard barked, but a burst of automatic fire ripped into his chest, cutting off the words in a wet gasp as he slammed backwards.
Doors slammed as executives scrambled for cover. "Someone stop him!" one man screamed. Another bolted for the balcony, his tie flapping wildly.
"Hey! Elias let's talk about this!No! NO!!—" his pupils dilated as his hair stood on end, but Elias callously aimed and squeezed the trigger once more without remorse.
The single round instantly punched through the man's back, immediately sending him hurtling over the railing. His scream continued for a while and ended in a sickening crunch seven stories below.
Then Elias turned his gaze…
The woman in a red blazer yanked open a side office door, dragging a female colleague inside.
"Get in, get in, shut the fucking door!" she hissed in both fear and frustration. Unfortunately for her though, the door had barely latched before Elias's rifle barked once more, directly shredding through the wood.
The woman shrieked shortly as multiple rounds of bullets tore through her, and forcefully slammed her down onto an office desk in a wide spray of blood. Her terrified colleague stumbled away with widening eyes.
"Wait, please, don't—" he sobbed as Elias' next shot pierced him in the spine. The man fell mid-run like a collapsing mannequin.
Elias hadn't even walked for long when he heard a sudden muffled muffled moan coming from one of the side rooms. Those rooms had strong noise cancelling walls so Elias guessed the occupants musn't have heard his rampage. He violently kicked open the locked door, unconcerned about the two fools having a quicky.
Two half-dressed office workers inside stayed motionless as they took note of his arrival. Elias gripped his weapon tighter because he knew both of them. Seeing that, the man started pleading right away, pushing the woman away and trying to hide himself as he said, "Oh God, oh God, please—" Elias raised his weapon, stared blankly, and opened fire, his apathy colder than any threat. The lovers convulsed as their final screams were immediately muffled by a sudden barrage of rapid gunfire. Elias didn't hold back and nearly emptied the entire clip on this couple.
He hated stupid people the most.
Behind the completely wrecked corpses, the translucent wall was covered in splattered blood and tissues, Elias was seeing so many parts he didn't even know existed in the human body.
Another moment of silence later. Elias drew a deep breath and breathed steadily. The sharp odor of burning gunpowder and novel murder lingered in the room. He proceeded casually amid the wreckage, stepping over many dead and pools of blood that reflected the overhead fluorescent lights.
He disassembled the weapon with accuracy,
"hmmm," he looked around, smiled, and bent down to remove one of the worker's clothes and polish the parts. Then he calmly returned each item to the case.He sterilized his gloved hands on another discarded suit jacket as he approached the security officer he had slain earlier, reaching for a small, sleek revolver.
His work here was done.
He headed back into the elevator, pushing the 'Lobby' button. He straightened out his tie.
The faint buzz of the sinking cabin was the only sound remaining. Elias crossed the reception area as soon as the elevator slid open, his polished shoes clicking across the tile floor.
The air was thick with the stink of gunpowder and death that all somehow reached down here, Elias inhaled deeply and turned to the only survivor in the building…the trembling receptionist.
'why did she not run?', she wasn't as corrupt as the others but even though she knew of this firm's corrupt deeds, yet she still stayed silent.
She sat frozen at her desk, her entire body trembling, eyes wide as if staring at Death itself.
'She must have heard the gunshots, ' Elias sighed, thankfully, he wouldn't have to kill the old woman as well. Being the only cleaner in this firm she was overworked to oblivion, even today when she was meant to be with fer family, this corrupted organization still decided to overwork their underpaid workers.
It was a wise thing for them to call for a meeting for only the professionals, leaving all innocent people at home.
Elias tilted his head and studied her in serene silence... or it would have been so if her fingers weren't gripping the desk tighter than a knot, he could visibly see her knuckles slowly turning white.
The woman wanted to scream as loudly as she could, run as far as her legs could carry her, and beg as long as her voice could hold, but she was already trapped by cold fear.
And who was Elias, he had promised an utter annihilation of everyone in this company, so why should he hold back now.
With a cold smile, he slowly raised the weapon and leveled it at her face.
"You were never innocent as well", he said apathetically.
She gasped out instantly, her lips trembling, "Please, no! I'll do anything—
*BANG!*
Before exiting through the back of her skull, the bullet tore into her left eye, breaking the socket. She sagged forward and draped her lifeless body over the marble counter, causing a warm mist of blood to fly over it.
She was dead.
Elias suddenly heard distant sounds of police sirens wailing on the downtown streets, indicating that they were approaching in quickly. The entire building had become a graveyard, with corpses littering the highest story, and he just had a few more moments before the streets were invaded by the authorities.
Nonetheless, Elias remained absolutely calm.
He exited through the exit doors, gazing calmly out onto the sidewalk as the cool morning air poured over him.
In the shade of a streetlamp, his black Camry sat still. Elias climbed into the driver's seat and threw the revolver covered in blood onto the passenger side.
Then he exhaled slowly as he pulled onto the road.
He whistled, the sound having a peculiar, somber quality. He did not want it to come to this. But the world needed to change, and if no one else was willing to make the initial move, he would do so himself. Even if it cost him everything in the end.
He pulled down a calmer side of the street to avoid the main route for a while. His grip on the steering wheel was secure and comfortable. The city continued to function normally, fully unaware of the massacre he had just committed.
His phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen and smiled sadly. 'The news must have finally gotten to her'.
His elder sister.
He sighed before answering.
"Elias! What did you do?! Why are the police looking for you?!" Her voice was shrill, panicked.
That fast? He hadn't even been on the road for thirty minutes. He barely had time to process her words when—
*BANG!*
*CRASH!*
The world seemed to have flipped over. Two police vehicles slammed into his Camry from opposite sides, the impact crushing metal and glass into an unrecognisable heap. A third vehicle rammed into the back, sending the car skidding violently across the pavement.
Elias hardly had time to register what was happening previously—
*SMASH!*
His lean body crashed violently through the car's windshield, the glass shards completely tore into his flesh as he slid unto the cold tarmac. His fractured bones screamed in so much agonizing pain as he laid on the ground.
He could vaguely hear the doors slamming around him and boots hurriedly hitting the floor as they enclosed him. There were armored trucks all around him. The events were happening so quickly that his senses could not keep up.
Dozens of policemen hurried out with raised weapons. There were much too many loud voices and Elias was struggling to follow them, he was already barely moving.
His breathing had long gotten erratic, not out of fear but out of pain. His vision was already blurry and all he could see was silhouettes of black and blue. He laid on the road, as warm red blood pooled beneath him. The agony was overwhelming, but he knew, somewhere deep inside….
This was the end. But at least he had taken a step. At least this corrupt empire will never rise again. He'd made sure of that.
'I have avenged you, mother'
His fingers twitched, his body growing colder. His vision darkened, and the silhouettes of officers towering over him like specters.
Yes… Nothing mattered in the end.
He let his heavy eyelids close and gladly accepted death.
But then. He vanished.
The officers gasped; their guns still trained on the empty, bloodstained pavement where his body had just been.
There was no trace of Elias.