The Taking Of Credit
Prologue
Alex had two jobs. He was working as an editor at the press, and he noticed a strange ad in the newspaper. "Come to the Town's Square, should you pay attention", That's all there was. No name, no address, no nothing. To make this, what Alex thought, the scam even more clever, it was April Fools' Day. Even if it wasn't a scam, he had no time to find out. He was told by the CIA to delete this ad immediately before it came to print. He made a deal to work for the CIA, and in return, he'd be clear from all the criminal records from the past. He deleted the ad and turned off his computer. Ready to leave for the day.
That's when the phone rang.
"I know you've seen the ad Alex", unknown caller.
"You're not the CIA, are you?"
"..."
"Who's calling?"
"I suggest you go to Town's Square if you want to find out..."
"When?"
"..."
The Meeting
Alex had no intention of going. But he knew better. There would only be more phone calls, strange visits and then they would silence him. He walked out of the office and waved for the next cab to pull over.
"Take me to Town's Square", Alex said, trying to remain calm.
"Okay, Town's Square it is", the driver replied.
The driver looked at him suspiciously, trying to understand Alex's mood.
"Okay, so what brings a guy like you to Town's Square at this hour?" the driver asked.
"I'm going out for a date", Alex replied.
"Say no more, my friend. Say no more..."
If there was something Alex was good at, it was lying. The CIA had been looking for a guy like him. Always calm. Even if something stressed him out, he would use that mood as a lie. As they were getting closer, Alex noticed a woman in a black robe, standing all alone. Alex had never seen Town's Square this empty. Alex pointed at the woman and told the driver to pull over. As he walked out of the cab, the woman came to meet him.
"We have been waiting for you, Alex", The woman said, gazing intently at his eyes.
"We...?" Alex asked, looking around.
"Follow me, and I'll show you who we are"
"Look, I already know I have no choice. But can we please just cut the crap already? Could you at least explain to me what's happening, while we're walking?"
"No..."
"And I'm guessing you're not going to give me your name either?"
"No..."
"..."
Alex already knew that they were going to the docks. North was the only direction from Town's Square that would make sense. The docks were only a 10-minute walk from Town's Square, and it would take at least 30 minutes to the airport. That could not be it. He had a feeling that these people had more power and control than the CIA. The robe just seemed too telling of that.
The Last Resort
When they arrived at the docks, the woman turned towards him. Even Alex had to admit that it was scaring him. Her gaze would pierce through anything. It was as if he didn't need to look her in the eyes to feel things move.
"We don't have much time, Alex", she said urgently.
"Uh, I'm sorry, what?"
"You've been a part of our family without knowing it, so pay attention. That's the only credit you'll be needing. The CIA is paying people to take you out. But we've fixed this little problem", said the woman with a slight smile.
"I don't understand..."
"We control the world, Alex. People would not see us walking the streets, because that's what we make them. They're not walking this earth at the same time we do. Have you ever wondered why you're so good at playing games with the CIA? Why we never met a single soul on our way here?
"That was quite a curious thing, indeed", Alex replied thoughtfully
"We own everything they do, we always have. We can even change the karmic laws for ourselves. We're here to take you back to the house, and we won't be taking the boat..."
"Mum...?"
This is my entry for the #twentyfourhourshortstory by @mctiller =)
https://steemit.com/twentyfourhourshortstory/@mctiller/writers-win-5-steem-and-now-with-more-prizes-twenty-four-hour-short-story-contest-for-may-15-a-man-reads-a-newspaper-ad-if-you