King woke to the sounds of horns honking in the streets. The same daily sounds that woke him every morning. Rolling out of bed King walked over to the window and thrust open the curtains. Squinting his eyes to adjust to the brightness that now flooded the room, he looked down to the streets to watch the people walking along blissfully ignorant to the world that lived beneath their noses. A world that his family had been a part of for many generations. King started to reflect on his own time in this thing of ours, he was getting old, getting tired. 

Snapping out of his momentary day dreaming, King made his way across the studio apartment to the kitchen area. Opening the cooler he reached for some fresh eggs he had picked up the day before in one hand and a pack of ham in the other. Kicking the door to the cooler closed he placed the food on the counter and fired up the gas stove top and placed a pan down to get hot. A few minutes later with the food prepared King sat down at his small table with one chair and began to eat his breakfast. After a few bites and a couple pulls from his coffee mug the phone hanging on the wall began to ring. His head dropping a little with a slight sigh, King put down his utensils, stood up from the table and walked to the phone knowing this could only mean one thing. Grabbing the phone off the hook he put it to his ear without saying a word.

"You are needed again my old friend, the plane is ready." the voice said, followed by an audible click signaling this was the end of the conversation.

King place the phone back on the hook and opened the closet beside him. Hanging on a hook in the closet was his shoulder harness that contained his favorite .38 pistol, putting it on he grabbed his coat and hat and walked out the apartment door, leaving the food he had prepared on the table, that would not be fun to come home to. 

As soon as King got outside his apartment and onto the sidewalk a car pulled up, he opened the door and got in and the car sped off. Half an hour later with no words being said, the driver pulled up to an airstrip and parked the car. King got out and went through the main building. After leaving the building through the back he could see the familiar DC-2 airplane that he had flown in many times for this same reason. Climbing on board he made his way halfway back through the plane and took a seat. The pilot closed the door and hopped into his seat in the cockpit and the journey began. Once in the air King drifted into a sleep knowing he would need the rest for the events to come. 

A slight change in the sound from the sound in the diesel engines of the airplane caused King to open his eyes and look out the window. The plane had begun its decent into a small airfield outside the city. After the plane had come to a stop the pilot opened the door and released the stairs. King climbed down and headed towards the small Model Y Ford that was waiting for him. After getting in the car he noticed an envelope on the seat beside him, opening it he pulled out the contents. A picture of a man, a name and an address written on a piece of paper was all that was inside. This was the target. This was what had brought him here. Jamming the car into gear he sped off towards the city.

Arriving in the city King parked a few blocks from the address he was given and began walking down the street. While walking he noticed some familiar faces, many people he had done jobs with, but when they noticed him coming they quickly crossed the street. This had been happening more and more to King as he had climbed the ranks within the family, clearly a certain reputation had been built over the years. Even those he had become close with rarely visited anymore, this fact had been weighing on him for some time. Always he would just think to himself that if they just spent more time together these people would see he wasn't just an emotionless killer, there was so much more to him than that. Those thoughts began to fade as he would come to the conclusion these people were being naive, if he was there for them they would not see him coming. 

King stopped walking and looked up at a building that was across the street, this was where he needed to be. He crossed the street and went down the alley beside the building till he came across the fire escape. Reaching up he pulled down the ladder and climbed up to the first platform, from there he continued up the metal stairs passing each floor until he got to the roof. There was a door leading from the roof into the building, King checked it and it was unlocked, he had his way in. Now just to wait, he walked over to the edge of the roof where he could see the people coming and going around the building entrance below and waited.

An hour later a car pulled up outside the building, a man got out followed by a couple of others that could only be his bodyguards. After the man walked through the front doors the bodyguards took up positions outside the building to keep anyone from entering. The man would be alone as he went up to his office. King made his way to the roof access door and went inside quickly going down the couple flights he needed to. Waiting on the floor above he heard the man slowly climbing the stairs from below. King pulled out his .38 from his shoulder holster and hid around a corner. The man seemed out of shape, breathing loudly and heavily as he fumbled with his keys to unlock his office door. He did not hear King creeping down the stairs but he did hear as the hammer on the .38 was cocked back. The man spun around and a look of terror came across his face. The last look he would ever have. The shot was loud, Kings ears were ringing but the job was done. He hurried back to the rooftop and made his way down the fire escape. Running down the alley he slowed his pace as he got back to the street and turned walking away from the building heading to his car, never looking back. 

The job complete, King flew back home and began cleaning his food from the table he previously left behind. After a hot shower that seemed to lift his spirits from the days events he climbed into bed and easily fell asleep.

A week had gone by, aside from a few stops in the family HQ to see how things were going, life was its usual quietness. Day after day the same routine. Wake, eat, visit the HQ, roll a over a bank, steal a purse and move some drugs. Return home, eat, shower and sleep. Over and over. Quiet and lonely. 

Another week went by with all the same routines. that deep feeling of loneliness sinking in further and further. Sitting at his table reading the days newspaper he was just turning to the sports section when the phone rang again.........

A smile crept across his face......