R Assassination

We're back to short stories on Fridays. What a relief. The universe has finally restored its balance.

The target was in plain sight. The lapels of his coat were turned up around his face but I could still clearly identify him from this distance. I carefully aimed the rifle from my perch atop the roof of the building.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” said a voice behind me.

I jumped and whirled around. My hand was already reaching towards the handgun strapped to my belt.

The speaker was a boy my age. Young. He held up his hands to show that he had no weapon. “Relax,” he said,” I’m on your side.”

I didn’t relax. “How did you find me?”

He shrugged. “Easy. This is the only building that would give you a clear shot at him.” He gestured to my target, who was all ready almost out of the range of my rifle.

I narrowed my eyes. “What do you want?”

“Well, for one, I want you not to shoot who you were just about to shoot. I also want you to listen as to why.”

“I’m being paid good money for this,” I said, “You’re going to anger a lot of very important people.”

“The thing is,” the boy said, “that I am the very important people.”

“You’re R?” I asked, incredulous.

“In the flesh.”

“Then what’s the point of hiring me to kill someone and telling me not to?”

“It was a test. I wanted to see if you were capable, and you are, so now I want you to assassinate someone else.”

I didn’t believe him. He must have miscalculated who was to blame and hired me to kill the wrong person. “Then who am I supposed to assassinate?” I asked.

“Me.”