The purple and gray train came to a screeching stop when it arrived at the lonely rectangular train station near the dead of night. Its door opened as a woman with books in her hands walked down the stairs from its metallic stomach. From where I was, it was hard to hear what she was saying to the conductor, but it seemed they were saying their goodbyes and good nights. The train whistled, whined, and finally roared as it went away. Through my scope, I had a better view of her.

Her hair was long and blonde, kind of feathered and choppy; it reminded me of that new rising superstar every girl at my high school fawned over, David Bowie. She wore a dark green sweater, a plaid green and blue skirt, and Mary Janes. My knees began to burn from resting against the gravel ever since I'd gotten up on the rooftop of a building. Thank God, it was flat.

Three weeks ago, I'd been tasked to kill the Midnight Killer. He terrorized the town for months, feeding off the fear and helplessness of the innocent. I cursed at myself for not finding him and dealing with him sooner. During those months, he had proven himself to be an intelligent monster that the FBI and the police practically gave up. A growl escaped from my clenched teeth while I focused on the woman as she was walking past the graffiti-covered wall of a corner store. I still had my scope on her—if you wondered why I had my scope on her, it was for two reasons.

The Midnight Killer targeted women her age; he used the dark to his advantage to attack his victims, cutting them up good. Speaking of age, the killer was after females who were in their twenties. Young. In college. He probably found them attractive, and if I had guessed, he got a hard-on for them. The frosty wind blew on my face, tickling me like a bunch of ant legs. It made my eyes watery, so I'd moved from my scope, wiping them away.

From the flat rooftop, the woman was at the town center, walking away from the green post clock. Behind it, there stood a giant courthouse. That place had white pillars that were the size of a woolly mammoth's leg, and thanks to the green glow from the post clock, I saw little curly designs on its big door and pillars. If you were to go beyond the courthouse, the road split into two. On the left, there was a big brick bank that had its own post clock, except it was black. On the right, a gas station, with other smaller businesses and houses further down. The smoke from the smaller buildings before the gas station went up into the air, disappearing into the cloudless night.

The woman made a right turn, going in the direction where the fire department was. The light post flickered as she continued to walk on the sidewalk, but what she didn't know that I knew was something horrible was about to happen. Through my scope, a shadow on the department's side wall started to shift. At a snail's pace, it took its time moving before going at a full sprint. I was ready.

The light from the post helped me get a good look at the Midnight Killer. Medium-length brown hair, big-nosed, fat guy with a mustache. The woman turned her head. My finger was on the trigger. He was getting closer.

I took a deep breath.

The gun boomed across this sleepy town as the woman let out a scream that was as loud as a car horn. She ran off, dropping her books on the sidewalk. Though I couldn't see the other houses that well, the lights came on quickly. I had to get out there fast; I couldn't let the police catch me. Dismantling my sniper rifle, I placed it in my black backpack and headed over to this building's ladder.

###

Making my way to the town center to use the payphone, my eyes were assaulted by the flashing lights of the police and ambulance. Looking over my shoulder, the woman I saved was being comforted by a man and a woman—probably her parents. The police and ambulance lights reflected the post clock and the courthouse. I forgot to mention there were some naked trees around here; some red and orange leaves were on the ground on the road while most of them were on the small patches of grass and on other sidewalks around here.

After putting the coins in the phone and dialing the number, the phone rang as I checked my fingers. I checked my black pants; they were dusty and had some tiny rocks on them around the knees. The long-sleeved black shirt I was wearing was clean... surprisingly.

"Hello?" A gruff male voice answered.

"It's me," I said.

"Is it done?"

"Yes, I got him."

"Excellent work. Yet again, you prove yourself to be a valuable asset. I will give you further instruction on what to do. Have a good night."

I exited the booth after putting the phone away; the police cars and ambulance left the area, their flashing lights brightening other buildings as they went south, passing them. People went back to their houses; as for me, and how I felt about what I did, I felt nothing. I took out the trash and put it in the dumpster, nothing more, nothing less.

(Hi, so this is the prologue of the novel. The rest will come in the year 2025. What's your thoughts?)