Here Come the Owls

Part 1 – Sudden Change in Life

One day after coming back from my parents and I taking care of my nonna, we find the writing, “We know where you live. We know your habits. The Owls were here” with the drawing of an owl all in red on the wall of our house. We searched the house to see if anything was stolen or broken. Nothing was touched in any way as far as we could tell. We called the police and they couldn’t find any point of entry, so they just assumed the “Owls” who did this were pulling a prank and wanted to scare us. Well, they succeeded.

It’s been a week after and similar writing is on the wall now, but this time the writing says, “We’re here. We’re coming for you. Your lives are over. Here come the Owls” with a drawing of an attacking owl in red. My parents scramble to secure the house and call the police while I go downstairs to check it. Is that a person laying down on the couch? What the? I almost slipped on a double-barreled shotgun that was on the steps. There was a person on the couch! He’s up and his running towards me. I pick up the double-barrel shotgun and try to fire it, but it’s empty, so I use it as a weapon and hit the man over the head again and again. He’s trying to take the shotgun away from me, but I don’t allow him as I kick him down the stairs and keep beating him. All this commotion attracts my parents to the scene.

“Hey, stop! Stop!” the man says as he takes what looks to be a detonator out of his pocket. I stop beating him with the shotgun and my parents and I back off from him as the man gets up from the floor. “Hey, mom, dad, leave the house for now or I’ll blow us all up. Kid, you stay here with me.”

“Don’t you-”

“Now!”

My dad tries to do something, but my mom holds him back. They then leave us alone staring at each other.

“You got a sharp reaction kid. I was hoping that you would slip on the shotgun, so I could’ve killed you and your family easily.”

“Why? Why do you want to kill us?!”

“No real reason. You each just happen to get a bounty of a hundred thousand dollars on your heads.”

“Why?!”

“Like I said. No real reason.”

“So, what happens now?”

“You’ll never get rid of the bounties on your head. You’ll have to run away from people like me for the rest of your life.”

“This can’t be happening…”

“Oh it is, kid, and you better be ready for it because there’s another Owl like me out of you and your parents close by. Thankfully for you, I can help you now.”

“Why?”

“I’m not doing this out of the kindness of my heart. It’s part of my contract and the rules we play by. You beat me at my game, so you have my help. I’ll explain more. When you stepped on the shotgun, I was allowed to kill you and your family according to the conditions I set. The authorities wouldn’t be able to do anything if they were here and your deaths would’ve been forgotten about, but when you beat me down until I gave up, you enlisted me in your service. You can only have one Owl like me, so don’t be thinking that you can get rid of me and trade up as if you could get anyone better than me.”

“What are you going to do for me?”

“I’m going to give you hints about the Owl coming after you and when to watch out. Take this earpiece, so we can stay in touch. If you beat the next Owl, I get paid for us so we can pay for clothes, food, shelter, whatever we need.”

“Can you give me anything to beat the next Owl?”

“Besides, hints, nothing yet. That has to come from what I get with the money you get from beating them.”

“Them?!”

“That’s right. This game keeps on going as long as you have a bounty on your head and there are Owls to claim it and there are too many to count.”

“How do I get rid of my bounty?”

“I’ll tell you later. The next Owl is already on the move. Get to the front door.”

I hurry to the front door and let them in. They hurry back to find that the man is gone.

“Where did he go?”

“I don’t know. He was just there!”

My mom and dad start checking the house while I look outside for the next Owl.

I hear in my earpiece, “I already disappeared, kid. I’m like a shadow.”

“Where’s the Owl?”

“She’s out there. You have to find out for yourself.”

Is that…a crowd of turkeys coming this way?

“Do you see the turkeys?”

“Yeah…”

“That’s the trigger. Walking near that group will allow her to kill you without consequence. You should know that it’s set for both your parents and you, so if you go out by yourself, then you can take away their bounties, but you’ll have a three hundred thousand dollar bounty on your head, which will give her a better reason to off you quicker.”

Without thinking about it, I walk to the group of turkeys while looking around for the Owl, but don’t see anything, so I quickly head back inside to be hidden.

“You’re a stupid, but good kid. I’ll give you that.”

Hmm. Since the other guy was close by in a place where he could see me step on the trigger, then the other Owl should be close by. Maybe the bush across the street?

“Thanks, I guess. I think I know where she might be.”

“Go for it then. The longer you wait, the more aggressive Owls typically get.”

I head to the back of my house and go through the backyards of the other houses until I’m on the other side of the street. Going near the bush that’s across the street, I find someone with a sniper rifle peering out of the bush, so I take the empty shotgun that I still have and hit her over the head with it.

“Hahaha! Good job kid!” I hear in my earpiece.

“How did you know that I got her? Did you know where she was?”

“I kind of already know her, so I had an idea of where to find her. You’re lucky cars were passing by in the streets otherwise she would’ve got you. If she shot anyone else, then she would’ve been disqualified from taking the bounty and have to pay the clean-up costs.”

“What now? Are there more Owls coming?”

“Not now, but they will soon. I’ll be close by and tell you when someone does.”

I get back home in time for my parents to not notice I was gone. They tell me that they couldn’t reach the police for some mysterious reason. For now, we’ll hold out in our house and tell our families what happened. Later in the day, after being unable to get any help from the authorities or anyone else, three electricians, who were already scheduled to come over, arrive. The last guy who enters the house looks strange. He has green hair and his skin looks like it’s been through more a few cramped crawlspaces. He seems to be happier to be here than the other two with his eyes trained on me in particular.

 Is this guy another Owl? I haven’t heard anything from the guy who’s supposed to be assisting me. After shaking the hands of the first two electricians, I go around to shake the strange man’s hand and his smile starts to widen. He’s one of them! Before he can do anything, I punch him in the throat then knee him in the gut. He’s taken the hits better than I thought and is fighting back against me.

“Help! Help me!” I call out to my parents and the other electricians who restrain the Owl for me.

Once we’re separated, I go outside for some fresh air.

“Good job, kid. You didn’t even need my help with that one,” I hear a voice in my earpiece say.

“Where were you?”

“I was sitting and watching. That guy was after you and your family. Since you were the only one who shook his hand then attacked him, you took the bounty of your family again. Your total bounty is five hundred thousand dollars. That’s quite a sum that will definitely attract more owls to you.”

“What should I do?”

“Since you’re so keen on putting the attention on yourself, then you should run away from home. The Owls will try to take advantage of your kindness and make you increase your bounty by taking your parents, which leads to more dangerous and aggressive Owls coming after you like the one you just encountered.”

“…is that really how it’s going to be?”

“That’s how it always happens. I’ve done it before, so the same is going to happen to you.”

“Okay…fine. I’m going to run away, but where should I go?”

“Run away to the pizzeria not too far from here. I’ll be waiting around the side. Get rid of your phone and whatever kinds of cards in your wallet that connect you to your original name. You’re going to be dead or at least missing, so to speak.”

“Okay.”

I do what he says and go to the pizzeria. It’s started to rain. I wanted to go to say goodbye to my family before leaving them, but I’m afraid that another Owl might be close, so I quickly run away before they see me. I’m sorry mom and dad.

“Hey, kid. Don’t start crying. It’s not going to help you,” the man says as he’s next to me.

“Shut up.”

“I know you must be feeling pissed at the world, but there’s nothing you can do about it. Your life has just radically changed and the only thing you can do is adapt to it.”

“I don’t want to hear it. I know what’s going on.”

“Hey, I’ve been through this before. Besides letting someone else activate your trigger like how you activated the trigger for your parents’ bounties, you can also become an Owl to get rid of your bounty.”

“I’m not going to do that. I refuse to kill random people for money.”

“Then you’re just going to be playing their game for the rest of your life day in and day out.”

“I’d rather do that than become a soulless killer.”

“Ouch. That kind of hurt, kid, though it really doesn’t bother me. I get paid either way.”

“Of course it doesn’t bother you. All you care about is money.”

“Yup. I’m not going to deny it.”

“Can you tell me why the Owls put large bounties on the heads of random people, at least?”

“We don’t put the bounties on people. The people behind the scenes do if you could call them people. They’re more demon than human and that should mean a lot coming from me.”

“But why do they do it?”

“I don’t know. Your guess is better than mine. I just take orders. I’m no different than a soldier of my country.”

“Some soldier you are killing civilians.”

“Hey, to my credit, I do kill a few politicians, businessmen and women, and criminals when I can. Those have the higher bounties.”

“Who are the Owls anyway? Mercenaries or soldiers?”

“We’re all kinds of people. Mercenaries, soldiers, secret service, police, and people who played in this game. We just want a good paycheck.”

“I can’t believe I have to rely on you.”

“It’s not so bad. Since I have to help you, do you want to grab a bite to eat before I help you create your new identity?”

“I guess so. What’s your name anyway?”

“I can’t tell you that, so just call me J for now.”

“Okay, Mr. Jackas-”

“Be nice to me and I’ll be nice to you.”

“Sure, whatever.”

“Aw come on, cheer up! You’ve left whatever boring life you were living and are now living a more adventurous and profitable life!”

“Let’s just eat already.”

“Fine with me. I’m starving!”

This is really the end of my normal life and the start of an endless struggle. I can’t believe it. I can only hope that things might get better as time goes on.

Part 2 – The Price of a Life

I take a seat at the table of a fancy restaurant in the city. Both myself and the woman sitting across from me are well-dressed to match up with the upper-class setting. This woman contacted me anonymously and told me about working together in some secret organization to take down the Owls.

She leans forward and tells me, “I’m so glad that we’re meeting. We can work together to beat our common foe.”

I smile and put my lips on the tea we are served. She smiles back and I already know what’s going on. Without showing that I know, I calmly put down the cup of tea and get up from the table.

“Thank you, miss, but…” I walk to her then slam her face into the table and her cup of tea, “I don’t work with the enemy.”

Some people in the restaurant look at me, while others take quick glances.

“Good job, kid. You saw right through that one. The tea was most likely poisoned,” I hear J say in my earpiece.

“I’m used to it their tricks by now,” I say as I exit the restaurant, “This game is getting stale.”

“Stale, but profitable. That outfit isn’t cheap, and neither are the hotels we stay in nor the phone you have. Good phones without tracking devices are hard to come by.”

“The expensive stuff was your idea. I was fine living plainly.”

“Okay, hermit. You need this expensive stuff for protection. Your outfit has a layer in it that can protect you from bullets and the hotels we go to are safe zones where the Owls can’t set up any triggers for you.”

“Right.”

“I think you meant to say thank you.”

“Yeah, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

It’s been a while since this whole game started. It feels like it’s been a year, but I think it’s really been a month or so. I’m such an expert at recognizing triggers and Owls that I’m not as afraid as I once was. J helps me out a lot and is one of the reasons why I haven’t lost all hope because I at least have him keeping me company even though he really doesn’t care if I die or not. I’ve been going from town to town, city to city across the country as I try to avoid making myself an easy target for the Owls. It was exhausting at first, but like everything else, I’m used to it now. The only good thing about it is that I get to travel and not worry about bills or working.

“I don’t think you want to head in that direction, kid. There’s a trigger ahead of you,” J says.

“When isn’t there?”

“True, but this one is a little hard to see. It’s a small piece of blue gum on the floor.”

“Got it.”

It isn’t surprising that the Owls would make something that a trigger. I’ve seen lots of people activate them unknowingly. Not sure if any of them survived though. Ah, I see the piece of gum now. It’s in the middle of the floor, so all I have to do is stick to the side to avoid it and-hey! There’s a baby crawling to it! I’m too slow to try to stop her from touching it.

“Damn it,” I hear J saying in my ear, “Well, at least you didn’t add anything to your bounty.”

“I’m not going to let this baby get killed for money!”

“What are you going to do? Take the kid from her parents to protect her?”

“Yes.”

Before her parents get to her, I quickly run to her pick her up and run away.

“What the hell are you doing, kid?! You can’t just interfere with another bounty like this.”

“Why not?”

“You’re not the Owl’s target and not allowing them a good shot at their target.”

“Good.”

“According to the rules, I’ll have to stop being your help because you aren’t making it easy for my fellow Owl.”

“That’s fine.”

“More Owls are coming for the big combined cash prize that’s on your heads!”

“Leave if you aren’t willing to protect this innocent child.”

I hear the noise cut out in my earpiece. Dang it, I knew J would do this, but I hoped he wouldn’t, not to help me, but to show that there might’ve been something good in him. I don’t know where the Owl who left this trigger is at. He or she could be anywhere. I’m trying to use as much of the city crowd as cover as I can, which sounds bad, but I know Owls don’t take big risks.

Speaking about the crowd, it seems to be getting really crowded as I get deeper into the city. I know that I grew up in the suburbs and that I don’t spend much time in the city, but this is getting ridiculous. Right now, I’m stuck in a crowd at a crosswalk. This is good cover, but I really don’t know if any Owls will make a move. One of the people in the crowd looks up at me. There’s nothing around me of interest, so he’s definitely looking at me. He’s probably someone I have to avoid. The light finally turns green and I walk with the crowd through it. Wait, a lot more people are looking at me. Me walking into the green light might’ve been a trigger. I also stepped in a crack in the road and stepped on a colored line. Dang it. I’m activating all the triggers. That’s three Owls after me.

Three Owls usually mean death as J told me once. I’ll find a way to beat them all. I have to. The sewers seem like a good place to lose the Owls. They don’t really have a time limit to kill us in since it’s a day, but if we can escape the city via the sewers, we might have a chance of living. I enter the sewers via a manhole in the alleyway and enters a mazelike series of tunnels. It’s dark and smelly back here and the baby doesn’t like it. She’s been calm for the most part, but now she’s really getting nervous and starts to cry.

“Shhh. Calm down,” I saw as I caress her head.

Covering her nose a bit helps her to calm down-ah! Someone almost landed on, but they missed so that allows me to push them into the running sewer water. Come on, that’s one down! Two more to go! When I go further into the sewers, I find a series of tripwires. I carefully go through them and manage to go through without touching them. In the distance appears to be an exit. Yes, we’re almost there! Ah! Someone shot me from behind. I’m fine, but I need to keep going. Turning around to see who shot me, I see that it’s…J.

“Give up the kid, kid,” J says as he points a gun at the baby.

“Not a chance.”

“I’m giving you another chance to take the easy way out. I’m sure you put two and two together and figured out that I was the one who made the trigger that piece of gum on the floor. I’ve been placing triggers and claiming bounties while I was traveling with you.”

“I don’t believe that you killed other people while you were with me.”

“I can’t believe that you didn’t notice the dead bodies you walked past. Of course I was going to do a little side work while helping you. I wasn’t just quiet for long periods of time just because I trusted you to take care of yourself. I’ll say it one last time. Give her up.”

I kick J in the nuts as he walks over to stand over me then kick him in the face. Since he won’t stay down long, I quickly take the gun from his hand and run towards the exit.

“Kid! You’re not going to make it out there. You’ve activated more triggers than you think and the bounty on your head will attract more Owls than you can handle. Give the kid and you can get off easy or join the Owls.”

“I may be an idiot for sticking to virtue, but I’m going to keep fighting against the Owls. It doesn’t matter if it’s useless. I’m going to die one day, so I’d rather die doing what’s right than living to survive. I’ll see you later, J.”

With determination, I climb up the ladder to face my fate. No matter how bitter it may be, at least I know it’s the right decision to make.

The End