Aasim and I pull up our black masks so that we blend into the night as we walk towards the convenience store near the petrol station. Aasim grabs my shoulders to put me in front of him protectively, bruising my pride. Jiaying waits in the car whilst surveying the area. As we enter the convenience store, I immediately feel a sense of eeriness. The lights are on but are dimmed, the area is abandoned but I noticed the minor bins haven't been emptied so there must still be staff-or people have been scared away suddenly. The outline of a man stands at the counter in the dim light so we can barely see his face properly. He leans forward as if intrigued by us through the bad lighting. I feel like I see a devious smirk curling up on his face. Aasim takes the lead.

"Hi brother, we'd like to buy some... cigs."

"Can I see some ID?" A deep voice with an accent asks.

"Vamos hombre, solo queremos un paquete." Aaism replies.

"Muésrame la maldita identificación entonces." I don't know what the counter man said, but the tone tells me he can snap at any moment.

"Dude por favor, it's late and I walked here. I didn't bring any with me."

"Well it ain't my problem hombrecito. You the one that got a problem." The hidden man starts to tap his fingers on the counter impatiently, getting more aggravated by the second. I brush my hand firmly enough that Aasim would feel it and hurry this up but swiftly enough that it goes unnoticed by the man.

"So how do we solve this problem?" Aasim enquires.

"Well," the man folds his arms leaning more forward towards us. "A little exchange perhaps. One pack for one night." He licks his lips and glances my direction. Despite the mask and black hoodie, my slighter physique and eyelashes with coated mascara still give me away as a girl. I cringe internally when I immediately understand his meaning and inwardly shudder, repulsed by the thought. I don't run, knowing that Aasim is beside me and would never agree to this deal.

Aasim lets out a fake laugh as if he can't even fathom the thought of someone wanting me.

"Her? Hermano, cuando la lleves, te darás cuenta de que no hay nada que ver. Trust me."

The man chuckles darkly in response and though I'm disappointed to think it, I start to have a little doubt in Aasim. But I stay because I know that ultimately, we are a team and he knows what he's doing.

"I'll be the judge of th-" the man turns to check me out again and Aaism takes the opportunity when the man is distracted to grab a hold of the man's head and slam it on the counter, multitasking as he uses it as a surface to jump across the counter to end up behind him. He holds the man's head and arms down skilfully as I run behind the counter from the side and start tugging open the open drawers, scavenging for the cigarettes. 

Aaism and I have not become drug addicts nor do we smoke-far from it- we're just completing our job. Aaism, to get quick money for savings for University as well as raising Leyna. But also for dropping envelopes of cash at whatever new living arrangement his mum has that Zeth manages to track down through CCTV, photographs and incredibly thorough IT skills. Aasim doesn't think I know, but I do. He can't help but still love and take care of his mum, even if it's in secret. He's right for keeping it on the downlow since this would be seen as a weakness in the gang if anyone else was to find out- that is if nobody else already knows.

And me? Well... as long as we don't take a life, I'm fine with living mine like this. It feels almost natural somehow, like it's a part of my DNA. Unlike the others, I'm not just doing this for the money. I need this to learn about myself and why I feel like after eighteen years, I finally feel like I belong somewhere, even in this bizarre situation.

The cigarettes we're looking for aren't the usual type at all. They're filled with a newly manufactured addictive substance none of us know about except the one who assigned this job to us and our task is to retrieve it from those who bought it from our organisation in the first place. We're allowed to be as rough and violent as we want since they are profiting off the substance our organisation made rather than using them as they were supposed to, making our organisation lose the income that belonged to them.

Well, that's what we've been told, Aasim, Jiaying, Zeth and me. Orabelle doesn't come with us on jobs but we can usually depend on her to find and give us intel and information about anything we need her to; that's her role. It's the best outcome really because it means that someone Aasim knows closely can stay with Leyna at Headquarters rather than lethal strangers we've known for two years despite being acquainted with them on a deeper level than the start. In spite of our group only knowing each other a little while, us joining the organisation together made us closer in a way, creating an unspoken pact that we could and would trust each other, and only each other entirely.

I throw out everything worthless to me and rummage through the drawers to find loose cardboards at the back that hide the cigarettes and pull them out. It was a tactic for them to lock some drawers since thieves and criminals would spend most of their time trying to find a way to unlock the locked drawers or break them open. This would distract the thieves' focus until backup comes. I don't waste my time on that knowing the strategies businesses use. 

I begin stashing the packets of cigarettes rapidly into my rucksack when the man abruptly gains adrenalin when Aasim's grip slackens and elbows Aaism in the stomach then immediately punches his chest, making Aaism stumble back into the shelves, knocking over some liquor and other drinks. In Aasim's moment of unsteadiness, the man presses a button under the table, summoning another man to come running down the stairs from the other side of the shop. Aasim balances himself again but he shakes his head at himself for loosening his grasp on the man's arms in the first place. During the time that Aasim and the silhouetted man start throwing punches, I attempt to swing my rucksack onto my shoulder but feel the bag being tugged violently away and one strap is yanked off.

"You little bitch!" The other man who came running growls at me. Before the man can even decipher what I'm doing, I quickly use the long strap to wrap around his neck and squeeze tightly.

Aasim kicks the man at the counter's chest with force, swerving away from the closed fist that was flying towards him at the speed of light, grabs a liquor bottle and smashes it on the head of the man I strangled. He immediately drops down at the shock. Aaism expertly jumps across the counter towards me as the man behind the counter stands up again, with pieces of broken glass in the man's back making him grimace.

I throw a card on the countertop, "Spadille expects a call soon, but just to be clear he is most likely no longer doing business with you," I state as Aasim and I leave.

As soon as our bums are in the backseats of the car, Jiaying steps on the accelerator. I literally shut my door as we enter the main road. We won't get a speed ticket or fine since Spadille has connections, even in enforcement.

"Took you long enough. You didn't bring me an energy drink?" Jiaying jokes.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Aasim wince. Whilst I help out on the jobs minimally, I take on helping with injuries-;that's my main role within the group. I probably got the trait of naturally nursing others from my mum.

Before I can even get a word out or help, Jiaying brakes sharply. Aasim stretches his arm out to prevent my head hitting the seat headrest in front of me.

"Jiaying what the hell!" I scream.

"At least give us a warning next time!" Aasim adds. A mushed up face on the window on my right side suddenly occupies my vision and I scream for the second time, retracting back until I feel Aasim holding my waist firmly, instantly soothing me. I hear clicks and yell at Jiaying.

"Why the flip are you unlocking the doors?"

The door I was recently close to opens and I scooch backwards further which creates a wider field of view for me to finally notice Zeth.

"Zeth? Why are you holding a zombie?" Jiaying asks, voicing all of our confusion.

Zeth guffaws, "Zombie? What a night that would be! He's just passed out. This is the witness. Move over, he's heavy." Zeth carelessly shoves the witness onto me and slams the door shut as I stare blankly at the blanked out guy now lying on my lap. Jiaying steps on the gas again after Zeth sits beside her at the front.

Aasim pushes the witnesses' head off of my lap as Jiaying casually asks Zeth, "So how'd you manage to kidnap him?"

"Well I just charmed him with my smooth talking and good looks. The uniform helped. Everyone loves a man in uniform." Zeth turns around winking at us and I scoff, also seeing Aasim rolling his eyes.

"I'm kidding," Zeth sings.

"Obviously," Aasim retorts. Zeth sometimes annoys the crap out of Aasim. Their personalities could not be anymore different but Aasim, although he would never admit it and certaintly not to Zeth's face, has grown used to Zeth's energy and latently values Zeth's presence and light-hearted nature in contrast to his own serious one. Their bromance is like a mirror image of Jiaying and I's friendship and rapport.

"I scrapped some police officer when no one was looking. Then used his uniform to pose as one. Acted all sympathetic to the witness and blah blah blah. Gave some tea which had a special ingredient in it. Can one of you guess?"

"Honey?" Jiaying pipes up.

"A sleeping sedative," Aasim guesses.

"Correct!" Zeth claps. "This car appeared at the right timing. Had to pass through some creepy alleyway to avoid being seen whilst lugging this guy."

"You frickin drugged me?" An unfamiliar voice roars. We all jump up as the witness rubs his eyes, waking from the induced slumber.

Aasim swiftly pulls and carries me over to his left side so that he is positioned between me and the witness; never failing to think of the safety of others before himself, including me. He never considers that he might be the one in need of saving from me.

Zeth with his head leaning against his window and eyes closed mumbles, "Calm down dude, we just saved your life."

"Saved my life? You've abducted me!"

"Abducted is a strong word," Zeth remarks.

"Hey! Get me out of here!" He starts banging the windows and trying to open the door.

"Mate, you think we're that stupid that we wouldn't think of locking the doors?" Zeth scoffs. But then more silently he whispers loud enough for me to hear him ask Jiaying foolishly, "You've locked the doors right?"

"Yes!" Jiaying exclaims irritated. "Are you calling me an idiot?"

"Well technically I'd be calling you stupid..."

Jiaying swerves intensely to the left so that Zeth's body jolts in the same direction to punish him.

"... But I'd be stupid to call you stupid," Zeth finishes wisely. Jiaying nods her head satisfied as I chuckle. Meanwhile the witness groans, groggy from the sleep and gives up abusing the windows.

Putting his head in his heads, he sighs, "Why am I here?".

"Well when a woman and man fall in love..." Zeth begins.

"For fucks sake shut up man!" the witness cries. As his anger rises, the cheeks and tip of his ears noticeably become redder against his brown complexion. The shine from the streetlights hits his curled black eyelashes and wavy, deep brown, shoulder-length hair now glistening with either gel or sweat-possibly both. He looks around the same age as the rest of us, a young adult.

"You asked the question mate," Aasim defends Zeth.

"Can you just tell me straight up why I'm here?"

"Well my friend was trying to tell you before you rudely interrupted him," Jiaying also backs Zeth.

"I mean why I'm in a car with four weirdos who are taking me God knows where for God knows why!"

Before anyone else can reply to that, I cut in, "What's your name?" It goes silent because this is the first time I've spoken since the witness entered the car.

"Tell me what I'm doing here first then I'll tell you," he challenges.

"You were going to be killed because you were a witness to a crime you weren't supposed to see so we saved your ass. What's your name?" I demand. It's not factually the truth. Zeth was ordered to get the witness to squeeze information out of him before others heard it. Or perhaps to kill him to stop the information spreading. We're not sure really. We've learned to act and not question. It reduces our chance of getting hurt in situations to prevent hesitations and any emotional attachment.

"Oh," he pauses wearily. "My name is Rehan. And I... didn't see anything," he lies.

"Mmm we'll see about that," Jiaying comments.

"W-what are you going t-to do? T-torture it out of me?" Rehan stumbles on his words nervously.

"Well we're not going to torture you," I assure.

"Why did you say it like that? Does that mean others are going to torture me?" Rehan starts wringing his hands together timidly.

"Possibly," Aasim answers candidly.

"W-well can you at least tell me your names?"

"Nope," this time we all reply.

Rehan slaps the window in frustration. We all hear him when he murmurs, "Frickin weirdos."