I lead the most boring life, until one day I found myself under attack from assassins
This sudden fiction piece originated from a writing exercise I did a while back. The exercise was to write a story using six words. Back in the 1920s, Ernest Hemingway was challenged to write a story using only six words. His story? He wrote, "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." Some claim that Hemmingway started six-word fiction and there are web sites available now to read such. In my exercise, I wrote several six-word stories. Once I finished part one of the exercise, part two was to expand the six words by writing for 15 minutes on the same subject. What was my six-word story? The one I chose to expand was, "The assassin said, 'Farewell, my friend.'" I expanded it for the exercise and my friends told me it was an exciting story. This brings us to this revision of Death Spiral. I hope you enjoy it.
The story follows Alex, an ordinary man living in a bustling city, who harbors a burning desire for revenge against someone who deeply hurt him. Despite initially feeling lost and clueless, Alex educates himself on surveillance and reconnaissance, utilizing tools and techniques to gather information about his target. Through practice and perseverance, he hones his skills in physical surveillance, eventually leading to a successful mission where he transforms into a calculated assassin. However, the weight of his actions begins to burden Alex as he grapples with the aftermath of his revenge. Despite achieving his goal, he is plagued by uncertainty and guilt, questioning the morality of his choices. As he struggles to come to terms with his transformation, a sense of relief and emptiness washes over him, prompting him to seek redemption through acts of kindness and using his skills to help others in need. In the end, Alex finds solace in using his abilities for good, realizing that true strength lies in compassion and forgiveness rather than vengeance. Through his journey, he discovers that even the most unlikely individuals can find redemption and become heroes in their own right
