With a tight grip around her gun, Mayari eyed Ricardo Tomas from a distance as she grit her teeth. She felt pure rage shoot through her as she watched him go about his day without a care in the world, laughing with his young daughter on their weekly stroll. Seeing him happy made her sick; she couldn’t wait to finish this job and exact revenge 14 years later.

When his name came landed on her desk as a target, the memories came flooding back: 9-year-old Mayari walking hand-in-hand with her mother, Delilah, on a slow Tuesday afternoon. She remembered looking up at Delilah with awe in her eyes… by no means did they live an ideal life but they made ends meet; more importantly, they were happy. Just the two of them.

That all changed when Ricardo, a mere teenage boy back then, shot Delilah in broad daylight as part of a gang initiation. Mayari saw everything: how people screamed and ran in a flurry, Delilah pushing Mayari roughly to the side as the bullet made contact with her chest. She was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital, her killer was identified but never caught.

As far as origin stories went, that was Mayari’s. She entered the life of crime to track down Ricardo but soon found that it was harder than she thought it would be. Years passed and the anger in her heart seem to have dissipated, memories of that day getting hazier and hazier.

However, everything came back crystal clear when she heard his name come out of her boss’ lips. “Track down this Ricardo Tomas of the Cobras. Their group roughed up our associate last week. Send them a message by ‘roughing up’ their leader.’

Which brings us to present day: broad daylight on a Tuesday afternoon, Ricardo and his daughter walking together, a gun in Mayari’s hands. Somehow, her pistol felt heavier than it usually did… but she pressed on. It was convenient catching Ricardo today, as he never brought bodyguards when he met with his daughter because they scared her… so why has Mayari been following them for four blocks now? Why can’t she just finish the job?

Balling her fists, she took a deep breath as they turned into a relatively empty street. She aimed her gun at the back of Ricardo’s neck, causing everyone around them to run away, alerting Ricardo. He turned around with absolute terror in his eyes as he stepped in front of his daughter. This must have been exactly how her mother looked in her final moments...

“What, are you going to mug me? Here…” He moved to get something, presumably his wallet, out of his pocket when Mayari screamed. “Keep your hands where I can see them!” He didn’t even recognise her. How could he? It has been over a decade after all.

He stood there motionlessly as Mayari looked him in the eye, an internal conflict brewing within her. She had replayed this moment over and over in her head, so why couldn’t see it through? Could it be the little girl peering from behind him, fear and tears in her eyes? Mayari felt like she was looking into a mirror, seeing a reflection of herself all those years ago.

Hearing the police sirens, she knew it was now or never. “Fuck…” she muttered, holstering her gun before gunning it. She looked back once, seeing Ricardo’s confusion as he knelt down to check if his daughter was okay. She knew she made the right decision, but boy, was her boss gonna be mad…