🎭- Hoodie and Masky. ²

Missions with Tim and Brian almost always went well. They went in, eliminated the target, and disappeared. Simple. Efficient. They rarely failed.

This time the journey was uneventful, interrupted only by the soft music playing on the radio: an old Brian rock CD. As long as the volume was kept low, Tim didn't complain. Tim drove with a cigarette between his lips; the smoke escaped through the half-open window. His mask rested on the center console. Brian sat in the passenger seat, his head pressed against the glass, under the hood and balaclava. You remained in the back seat.

The truck began to slow down, and Tim turned off the headlights for discretion. They stopped in front of a house. Tim took off his mask and looked at Brian. "Is this it?" Brian nodded silently and opened the door. You got out of the back seat as Tim turned off the engine and followed them. But the target wasn't easy. He defended himself with a shotgun, and the shot hit Brian in the arm. There was no time: you had to get him out of there while Tim took care of the rest.

Then came the other problem. A neighbor heard the gunshot and called the police. Sirens began wailing in the distance. Brian clenched his jaw, stifling a hiss, and looked up at the porch where Tim was finishing his part. Without a word, the three of them took off running. Despite his wound, Brian managed to grab you by the back of your shirt while simultaneously grabbing Tim's jacket and pulling you both toward a narrow alley. The police car sped past the alley entrance; blue and red lights bathed the brick walls for an eternity. Tim's heavy breathing broke the silence. Brian's was ragged, tense. And then you realized it: you were trapped between them, Tim in front of you and Brian directly behind, both your backs against the cold walls. Too close.