Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020 | Page 62
Fiction – Group 4
Zhong’s Last Mission
Carmel School – Elsa High School, McGaughy, Kai – 15
The Greater Bay Area. A place where steel behemoths clattered down tracks long into
the night, where concrete giants reached up to touch the sky, where hordes of people pushed
and shoved their way across cities. It was a place where the needs of the many were ignored
for the wants of the few. But that was about to change. Months of civil unrest had rocked the
region, and in some cities, it had turned into a revolution.
Zhong was not on the side of the revolutionaries. After all, he was a hired gun, most
would say the best in the region. Often, his employers were the shadowy authoritarian
figures that ran the Greater Bay Area, and this was no exception. The Chancellor knew that
taking out the leader would result in a collapse of the movement. In order to ensure their
plan succeeded, they assigned Zhong to the mission. Luckily for these authoritarians that ran
the Greater Bay Area, Zhong had just found the headquarters for this civil unrest campaign.
This is why he was perched on a roof, with a precision rifle in front of him, a finger on the
trigger. He was waiting for the leader to step into Zhong’s view, to take his last step.
Then Zhong saw it. The edge of a body in sight. His finger pressed the trigger and,
strangely, he didn’t hear a shot. He tried to tighten his grip but he couldn’t. His moral
compass, for the first time in decades, pointed towards true North. Zhong attempted to force
himself to finish the job, thinking about the major reward he would be given. It was useless.
Deep down, he knew that what this movement was fighting for was right, and emotionally,
he couldn’t bear to be the one responsible for ending it.
He took his rifle and slung it over his back. He walked up to where the leaders of the
movement were staked out, and full of unease, and knocked on it’s door. Someone responded
with a, “Who’s there.” Zhong told him, “It’s Zhong. I’m someone that can help you” The
door swung open, and Zhong was immediately confronted with a pistol in his face. The man
holding said pistol said in an inquisitorial voice, “Why do you have a rifle?’” Zhong thought
fast, and came back with, “I was hired to take out your leader, but I’ve had a change of
heart.” He was relieved of his rifle, and escorted up a set of stairs to a small room.
He was met by a fairly average looking man. The man said, “My name is Chen. As you
can probably guess, I am the leader of this movement. By the fact that my assistant is holding
a rifle, I take it you were here to kill me.” Zhong informed him, “I was, but I couldn’t go
through with it. It didn’t feel right.” Chen pried, “Why do you think that is? Do you feel
that what I am leading is the right way forward?” Zhong took some time to think about
it, even though he knew the answer. “Yes”, Zhong finally answered, “I do.” Chen smiled,
“Good. I was hoping so.” He continued, “You know, if you really think that what we are
fighting for is right, we could offer you employment. Unfortunately though, you would not
be able to receive the payoff for some time.” Zhong told him, “I’d have to think about that.
I’ll let you know when I’ve decided.” He then took Chen’s encrypted contact details and left.
Late into the night, Zhong was still awake, thinking about what he had done. By now,
his employers would certainly know that he had not completed the mission. He didn’t
know how severe the consequences would be, although he had heard stories. He looked
out of his window to check if any security force were there, just in case. To his horror, he
saw a group of black vans just outside the building’s entrance, with dark shapes emerging
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