“I’m headed out mom.” Nixin called out from the red sports car he was leaning on. His red hair seemed unruly with the fall wind blowing. The orange and brown hue of the area was majestic, as the leaves fell slowly. Terri walked out with a mini-laptop in hand. Her mind preoccupied with something else.

“Make sure you buy duck or else David will kill you.” She said with a hint of malice. Her once gray hair was now dyed brown. Her eyes never leaving the screen as she made her way back into the house. David ran by, dodging his mother with ease. He leaned on the balcony railing.

“And don’t forget the cooking chocolate!!” He was now taller and stronger looking. His childish feature remained, but a more teenage appearance was showing through.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s on the list” Nixin complained, as he sat heavily in the car. He was a little annoyed that David wasn’t old enough or tall enough yet to drive. Nixin felt a little uneasy at that thought, David driving. If the boy hadn’t been dead before, he was sure he would have been dead learning to drive.

Nixin went for his blutooth in the car and raised the music before heading out to the freeway. His gray eyes eyed the speed gauge, wanting to go faster then he was allowed. He sighed in defeat, knowing there was a snake in the grass hiding out a mile ahead. He had to play it safe, at least this time around. A wicked smile fell on his face. Next time he could block the signals video and radio’s of the police car but for the moment, food was the main objective. Nixin liked food, among other things.

ERROR FIXED

Nixin waited in the long line, board out of his mind. Thanksgiving weekend, it was a pain but nothing compared to Christmas. He swore that he would never again walk into a store for that month. Seeing parents beat each other up over toys that would end up discarded later on by their children. Nixin’s expression turned sour when he recalled Will frantically trying to buy the latest kid’s toy that people deemed “must have ‘’ of the year. A small smile fell on his face though, knowing the gift Will gave his daughter was a special one. Even if Clare told him not to buy it, he did. Their daughter, Mia, was ridiculously cute. Large wide eye, curly hair, basically a mini-girl version of Will, with Clare’s attitude.

The line moved, causing his thoughts to change. More random and normal thoughts most people would have with no worries. It didn’t take long before Nixin noticed he was being watched. Yes, it had been almost six years since he moved into normal life, but his old days as 88, stayed with him. He acted cool, trying to find out who was watching him without being caught. His gray eyes found a mirror above him, he glanced up, not moving his head in the process. The person’s image reflected back to him, with a kind smile. Nixin blinked not really knowing who she was but in a why, knew who she was. The woman had known he spotted her, she was waiting for him to do so. He made his way to the cashier and paid for his items. He then turned his way to the woman.

With paper bags in hand, he stopped short. The woman was very familiar, her flat blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. The white of her skin.

“Well? Are you going to stand there like an idiot staring at me all day or are you going to say something?” 

“I’m sorry?”

She said, rather annoyed he couldn’t place her. The woman crossed her arms as she started to walk outside. She gestured to him to follow her. Nixin wasn’t uneasy around her, so he followed without fear. The woman made her way to a coffee shop, taking a seat at an outside table. Nixin took his bags, setting them down at the side. He took a seat across from her.

“So, you don’t recall me then? Its me, 85.” She pointed to herself. “Well, it’s Ashley now.” She said with a big grin. 

Nixin’s face fell to shock. “I remember you now. The last time I saw you, Clare was taking you away. It seems you’re doing well.” 

Ashley smiled. Resting her face in her left hand. Her cerulean blue eyes gazed at a diamond ring around her wedding finger. “I am, living somewhat of a normal life. Considering my conception…” Nixin nodded in agreement and a common understanding. He was about to say something when a waitress came by. The two ordered their drinks and lunch before talking away like old friends.

Ashley glanced back over to the red headed man. “So I take it, you’re no longer called 88?” 

“No, it’s Nixin now. But to others like banks and what not, I’m still Justice.” 

“Oh, how so? Why I mean?” She was rather curious. 

Nixin smiled like a rich nut, pointing over to his car. “Well, Justice had a lot of money saved up. Along with Rod’s money. Those two combined have set me off rather well. I don’t have to work a day in my life and then some.” 

Ashley frowned over jealousy, even if the names “Justice and Rod” didn’t mean anything to her. “Lucky! I have to work to pay the rent where my fiance and I live.” Nixin glanced over at the ring. 

Making a mental note she was taken. “Well, congrats. When’s the wedding?” 

“Next year, he’s going to pay for that.” The drinks came, as did the food. The waitress left as just a passing memory.

Nixin looked over at the gold colored park. He wanted to ask something of Ashley, but he didn’t want to sound cruel, not to another ex-Model like himself. He had to ask in the end either way.

“Ashley. When did you become aware of your own existence?”

Silence was between the two. Only the wind and the sound of birds passed between them. The woman took a deep soft breath.

“I don’t really remember. I do know that I am not the real Ashley.” She put her hands in her lap. Her expression grew sad. “Her family even knew that I wasn’t “their” Ashley. But they treated me as if I was their daughter.”

Nixin felt guilty bringing up the subject. He took a sip of some sweet drink, a small memory of white chocolate flashed in his mind.

“How did you know that you weren’t the real Ashley?” He had wondered if her time of being 85, if she too, met her former self.

Ashley looked up at the ever changing sky. She rested her hands on her heart and closed her eyes to recall. “The real Ashley was right here, protecting me from what was done to me. She was a very kind soul and would hide me away when I got scared.”

“Hide you away?”

“Yes. She took me into her memories. Where her mother and father loved her dearly. It was a lake house that was most special to her, so it was there where I was safe.” She opened her eyes. “But mother and father had to sell it. After all, a daughter who died came back to them. Many people would find that strange, so they sold everything and left within a week of my return.”

Nixin smiled. “Well, I’m glad they took you back. More glad that you are adapting well.”

“Well, you yourself seem to have adapted well. Then again, I am not too sure how we adapted in the first place.” She was a little confused about that, Nixin busted up laughing.

“Yeah, about that, it was me. I was programmed with a virus to somehow override the original programs given to us. I’m still not sure about how it works, because my programmer is long dead. But whatever he did, we are here now.”

Ashley looked deadpanned. “You’re a virus huh? That would explain some things.” A ringing sound disturbed the two. Ashley’s face lit into a smile. She opened her cell phone up, striking a conversation rather quickly. “Nathan, sorry sweetie, I ran into an old friend. I’ll be home soon. Love you too.” She gave a kissing sound and hung up. Nixin looked at her and smiled.

“How cute.” 

Ashley blushed. “Oh, shut it will you.” She went for her purse to pay the bill, but Nixin offered to pay for it. There was no protest on the other end but a quick thank you followed. 

“I’ll also pay for your wedding as well.” He said rather normally. Ashley stopped short, before breaking into a big grin, grabbing the ex-model in a death hug. 

“You made my Day!! Thank you.” She pulled away returning to her purse for some paper.

The two exchanged phone numbers before Ashley started sprinting off. Nixin smiled as he stayed sitting at the table. It was turning out to be an eventful day. He looked over at Ashley’s discarded food, it was calling out to him. Waste not, want not, so he helped himself. It amazed him on how fat he didn’t become with all the junk food he ate.

He took a lovingly bite as he hummed to himself. His eyes closed for a quick moment, before narrowing down onto a target. In the distance was a man. He looked rather clean shaven, age near sixties. It was the way that he stood, gave off as a shady character. One that set signals off in Nixin. He knew that face, it was a face he saw while investigating Sarah’s unsolved murder. The man’s name, Michael Brown. He had been in jail for raping a child. One that “they” knew of but because of the fucked up justice system he was let go. To prey once again on young children and women.

Nixin was sure of it. That he was one of the men that killed Sarah. Starting a chain of events that lead him to be who he was now.

He ate his food slowly, keeping a steady view on the man. When the man started to move away from his eyesight, did Nixin get up to follow. He left a $100, telling the waitress to keep the change. He made his way in the almost empty food court. So close, yet far away. Nixin so wanted to take action right there but there were still too many people.

Nixin stopped when he heard the man’s cell ring. The man picked it up, calling out an even more familiar name. Ricky, he called him. So it was Rick Santos, he had been arrested for drug dealing. He was talking to the other man who helped kill Sarah. The man started walking again, this time away from the lingering people around him. Nixin followed soon after.

Nixin leaned on the brick wall, seeing the man go down the alleyway. He laughed at how such a fitting end was coming to this man. Michael was still talking to the man on the other side of the phone before he started to lose connection.

“Rick, can you hear me? Hello?” The older man hissed when he heard static on the other end. The line was dead. The man looked at his cell phone, angered. He gave up calling after a few time and placed the cell back into his pocket. He resumed his walk deeper into the alleyway, cutting his way deeper into the world in which he thought he was safe.

The darkening sky hit the automatic lights to flicker on, bathing the black way in orange. Michael seemingly knew his way around. He also assumed he was alone, that was until he heard footsteps echoing behind him.

Michael pulled out a butterfly knife he had hidden in the cuff of his pants. The blade swung out with ease. The old man looked around him, ready for a fight. The lone light that shone on him, didn’t give away the intruder around him.

“Who’s there? If you don’t come out, I’ll find and kill you.” He called out in the dark. The knife reflecting back at the world around him.

Silence came in return. Michael’s ears strained to hear any receding or advancing footsteps. Nothing. A loud crashing noise behind him made him jump backwards, ready to thrash if needed. The sound of a cat hissing and running away threw his guard off. The sound of a lone trash can lid, echoed off the wall.

“Fucking cat.”

Michael was starting to wonder if it was just his own footsteps he was hearing. He sling the blade back but didn’t return the knife back to his cuff. He sighed a breath of relief, before laughing to himself a bit. He started to walk back to the way he was going, when his pace abruptly stopped. The man stayed standing in one spot, not moving. Then, in slow motion, he fell to his knees. Once the heavy thud of knee hitting concrete, Michael’s head came off, rolling into the darkness. The body slumped forward, with blood pooling around the only source of an exit.

Nixin walked out of the darkness. A bloody blade extended from his arm. A red vertical line, where the blade had been retracted from marked his skin. He stopped at Michael’s twitching body, kneeling down to grab the cell out of his back pocket. He smiled a bit as he spoke to the dead corpse.

“It took me awhile to find you. But it was worth it.” He hummed to himself. Nixin retracted the blade back into his arm. The once red line, faded away back to normal skin color. He flexed his hand, feeling the blood rush back to his arm.

Nixin flicked the cell phone open, seeing a list of names and numbers on the tiny machine. A new hit list for him to play with. If anything, Nixin wanted to go for Rick next, then after that he could go after the others or turn them in. He sighed at the decisions in life. He snapped the cell shut before looking up at the street light that shone down. His gray eyes reflected back.

“One down, one to go.” He put the cell in his own back pocket, vanishing as quickly as he arrived.

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