Drip… Drip… Drip… the mist of the morning dew is in the 5am air as AJ looks down. The dripping continues as his gloved right hand slightly shakes. The blade within said hand has a dark crimson color… as the blood is dripping off. Still shaking he remembers his training. “Focus son… you know what needed to be done… you know what to do next.

AJ shakes his head and wraps the knife in the cloth he takes out of his pocket, as he was taught. The lifeless body is on the ground, twenty paces from the man’s office within the History building. A professor at NYU. This man has spent the last 25 years as a professor of History and the last 21 year as a killer. AJ scans the area again, rule two – make sure your surroundings are clear… No witnesses, no cameras, no way of tracing. While this is AJ’s first kill, he knows it is his most important. His father trained him well. Locate your target, follow said target for 3 months to learn their patterns, find that one spot in their routine that is the hot zone to strike. This is the third most important rule. While not getting caught is obvious; becoming immune to every hesitation, becoming machine-like, striking, and getting out. That is the goal set forth. After years of training and learning from his father, AJ finally did what needed to be done. Following in the footsteps of his father he is ready to take over the family tradition… kill those that deserve… kill those that think they are above the law… make the hard choice to better society.

Lets take this back to the beginning… AJ and the family tradition he is about to become apart of. 16 years old. AJ’s just coming home from football practice. A manila envelope is pinned to his closet door in his bedroom… the outside reads “open at 7:21pm, follow the directions, find out what our family tradition is all about.” AJ takes a deep breath as he knew something was always off about his father. Never questioned it, just thought ever since his mom passed away he was just an eccentric, dark person that dove into his work.

7:20pm… 7:21pm… AJ, holding the envelope rips it quickly open. A letter is inside. “Good… you know how to be patient… you know how to follow the initial standards our traditions set forth… take a minute and understand that the moment you make the choice to go forward with learning our traditions there is no turning back. If you choose to ignore our traditions and want to live your life any way you see fit then burn this letter and heat up the dinner I left you on the stove. No hard feelings if that is your choice. You are my son and I will always be proud of anything you set your mind too. If you do decide to take part in our traditions then meet me in the study. I am behind my desk. The moment you open the door is the beginning of your path of learning our traditions.” AJ’s heart is racing… droplets of sweat form on his brow. He thinks long and hard…

In the study his father is sitting with his elbows on the desk, his hands perched under his chin, his glasses slightly swaying in his grasp… silence for what seems like an eternity, besides the crackling of the fire within the study. He picks up his cool glass of scotch. Brings it to his lips and sighs as the silence with the fire continues… he stares at the study’s door… the brass knob begins to turn…