Karlo

Out of bullets, I dropped my gun and picked up a pistol from one of the dead guards and put his spare mag in my pocket. I walked over to the other guard, taking off his pistol holster, placing it around my waist. I also took one of his flashbangs to replace the one I used in the stairwell.

There has to be more to this company. These guards have received very thorough training for a messaging app. I should start gathering intel about this place. They could be up to something nefarious.

“The intruder has made it to the second level. Stop him before he gets to the next stairwell.” The man over the intercom said. Maybe I’ll get some information if I find him.

I pulled out my map and found the surveillance room was close to the next stairwell. There was an army of footsteps approaching. I quickly put the map away to get ready for the fight.

Two men came around the corner. I threw a flashbang in their direction. “Quick, cover your eyes!” the guard wearing a hat screamed. Both the guards covered their eyes, but I never pulled the pin. With them off guard, I conjured an illusion.

“What are you doing? The intruder is right next to you!” I screamed, casting a spell to mimic the guards’ voice.

The guard without a hat looked up, confused to see his partner was standing where the intruder once was. Then he looked next to him, and he saw me. Without hesitation, he pointed his gun at what he thought was the intruder and shot him multiple times.

I removed the illusion to reveal that the guard had shot his comrade. As the trauma of friendly fire settled in, I shot him in the head, relieving him from costly therapy sessions.

Walking over, I picked up my unused flashbang, continuing down the hallway.

After a few more encounters with guards, I reached the surveillance room. I pulled the mag out of my pistol, only one bullet left. Dropping it on the ground and reloading the pistol with the magazine in my pocket. I took out a flashbang, pulled the pin and threw it in the room.

After the explosion, I went in and shot the two guards standing in the middle of the room and then pointed my gun at the man in the chair.

“Wait, wait, wait! Don’t shoot me!” The man in the chair pleaded.

“Don’t worry. If you don’t try anything, I'll let you go. I just want some information.” I said, with my gun still pointed at him. “What’s your name, sir?”

“It’s Tayyem. Wait, you’re not here for the servers?” Tayyem said.

“No, I am, but I'm also curious why a free messaging app has such top security.” I said.

“Because you’re not the first person to try to destroy our servers, granted, you’re the most skilled.”

“Thanks. That means a lot.” I said, lowering my pistol but still keeping my guard up.

“I wasn’t giving you a compliment.”

“Ah, well then, carry on.”

“It’s always the same story. Some dude doesn’t want to confront his girl and end things. So, he goes out of his way to destroy the company servers so he can blame it on the company going down,” Tayyem said, relaxing in his chair.

“How many times have people broke in?”

“Since I’ve started working here, at least 3 times a month. The company used to have its main office in the city, but it was happening so often they moved headquarters to the woods and specially built the basement to be intruder proof.”

“You should have your guards carry more firepower than pistols. It would probably ward off more people. Also, get those guns that have a fingerprint reader to fire.” I said, then showed him the other pistol I stole off the guards. “Right now, it’s too easy to steal guns off your guards.”

“Thanks, I will forward your feedback to my manager.”

“Oh, in that case, another thing you coul…”

“I’m not actually going to tell him, you idiot,” Tayyem said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Look, man, why do you have to do this? The police and the swat team are on their way. You could just leave now and put all this behind you. Do you really want to throw your life away over some dumb girl?”

“I wish it were that easy, Tayyem, but the only way to sever my ties with this girl is to break our streak. It’s the last link we have and since you guys added the feature that lets you pay to keep your streak alive, I can’t escape her.” I said, sitting on the counter behind me, folding my hands over one another.

“That doesn’t make sense. Grow some balls and tell her you don’t want to do it anymore.” Tayyem said, throwing his hands in the air.

“Do you believe in magic, Tayyem?” I said.

Tayyem raised an eyebrow. “Like the one in a young girl’s heart? No, I wasn’t much of a fan of The Lovin' Spoonful.”

“No, this is more than just a song from the 60s. My ex, Luana, worships this guy named Kevin. He’s not the actual devil, but if you do your research on him, he's pretty damn close. If you become one of his patrons, you can receive magical powers. He really doesn’t care who you are as long as your payment clears.”

“You’re bullshitting me. What does he make you do to be a patron? Commit sacrifices in his name or something to get the powers?”

“No, it’s more of a subscription model. The monthly plan is $1,000 and you get a discount if you go to the annual plan, which is $10,000.”

“Wait, so you’re telling me for a $1,000 I can just become a god?” Tayyem said, pulling out his phone. “What’s the name of the site?”

“Oh no, it’s nothing that grand. Let me clarify, you get powers that align with traits of your inner person. I signed up and got some powers that help with combat, like threat detection, or automatic reflexes, so it helps with my day job as an international spy and trained soilder.” I said, extending my hand. “Here, give me your phone. I’ll take you to the site.”

“Thanks. If I’m still alive after this, I will check it out. I’m curious. What powers did this Luana get?” Tayyem said, scrolling through the site.

“I’ve known Luana since we were kids and she’s always been an aggressive control freak. If she has some form of a bond with a person, then she has power over them. If you eat the food she makes, she can take control over you for a period of time. She’ll then use that as an opportunity to connect with you and create a link between you and her. If she establishes a link with you, Luana can teleport directly to you after she completes a lengthy incantation. She can also watch you by going to any reflective surface, and she can do so many other things to keep you in her grasp. But if you can somehow break the link, then you're free.” I said.

I let out a deep sigh. “I made the biggest mistake of dating her. Launa has already put a hex on 3 of my three girlfriends, which lead to their deaths. That’s why I need to end our streak so she can stop using her powers to invade my life.”

“Sheesh, I've had my fair share of bad exes, but you take the cake.” Tayyem said.

“Tell me about it. I tried to warn the guy she is currently dating, but this dude thinks she’s a catch. Oh, I just remembered for some odd reason her powers give her the ability to throw fireballs. Not really sure how that fits in her power scheme. Maybe it’s because she’s a Leo.”

Tayyem rubbed his chin, and he sat for a little as if he was contemplating what he was about to do next. Tayyem sighed and then said, “What’s your name, man?”

“It’s Karlo,”

“Look Karlo, I didn’t believe you at first, but this site looks pretty legit, and your story seems to check out with what I’ve seen on the cameras. You killed 50 of our well-trained ex veterans like they were just recruits.” Tayyem turned around and punched a few things on his keyboard. On the screen in front of him, it read Server Room Doors Unlocked. “I unlocked the server room; you can get in without a key card. Since I did you this solid, you need to make it look like there was a struggle, so I don’t lose my job.”

“Thanks, Tayyem you’re a real-life saver. I’ll pistol whip you, so it looks like I knocked you out.” I said, flipping my gun and grabbing the muzzle.

“Yeah, but like, can you do it softly? I don’t want it to hurt.” Tayyem said, tensing up in his chair.

“You can’t knock someone out softly, so make sure to get checked for a concussion later.” I said, hitting him on the head with the back of my pistol. Tayyem’s head slammed on the desk and fell out of his chair with blood coming from the side of his head. Damn, I could have done that a little more softly. Looking at the screen, I found my destination, then I left to finish my mission.