His face belied the inner confrontation of his thoughts. Behind the cool mask he had been placing the final pieces of the jigsaw into place. He had been planning this for many days now. This was not the time for planning; it was the time for action.

    Slowly, he allowed the fire in his eyes to resurface. He would need it. Leaning against the table he waited patiently for his prey to come to close. The waiting was the hardest part. It had to be done in the spur of the moment, while his adrenaline was flowing.

    Soft footsteps caught his attention. He watched intently as his best friend, Sam, entered the room. As Sam reached for the jar of coffee, James's hand grabbed his wrist.

    "We still haven't come to an agreement," he said.

    "I told you," Sam replied. "It's too soon. I don't make agreements with imbeciles."

    That insult had the effect that James had hoped for. As his face contorted with rage he reached into his pocket and slid out the knife. Sam's eyes were drawn to the weapon and widened in fear as he realised what was about to happen.

    Sam took a step back and wrenched his hand free from James's grip. James had planned his attack perfectly and Sam was pushed back into the corner.

    "Maybe we can come to an agreement after all," Sam cowered

    "Pah," James spat on the floor at Sam's feet. "This wasn't about an agreement, moron. This was about revenge,"

    "But I didn't kill anyone, James."

    James had had enough of the talking, and thrust the knife into Sam's throat. He laughed maniacally as Same choked on his own blood and replied; "No. What you did was much, much worse." Then he pulled the knife out, feeling the warm blood drip from his the blade onto his hands. H watched as the life in Sam's eyes was extinguished and he fell to his knees dropping the knife.

    Looking up to the ceiling he opened his arms wide and said; "You see what I have done? I have killed my best friend as revenge for what he has done to me. I hope I have proven myself a worthy colleague, Death. I have no fear and I will not be afraid to kill in your name!"

James walked crab-like in the shadows. Every step was cautiously planned meticulously. Should the floor not be perfectly flat where he placed his foot, he would move it until it was. His eyes constantly moved, never lingering in one place for more than a second. His brain analysed every object, searching for any signs of being watched.

    He winced as a floorboard creaked underneath his foot, pausing for a few seconds. No other sounds. He began moving once again, eyes now fixed on the nearest door, taking in every detail.

    Crouching down slightly, he took the rucksack off his back and placed it carefully onto the floor. Unzipping the bag slowly so as not to make a sound audible through the door, he reached inside and pulled out a small mirror. He slid the mirror halfway through the door, placing his head close enough to see the room on the other side reflected back. Tilting the mirror he could just make out a small sleeping figure in the bed.

    Placing the mirror back into the bag he took out a credit card and slowly started to rise. He put his eyes to the lock and slipped the card Into the space between the door and the doorframe. Millimetre by millimetre, inch by inch the card forced open the lock, giving an audible click.

     After a couple of minutes of waiting, James heard no disturbance, so opened the door wider and resumed his crab-like walk. Reaching out his hand for the drawer in the bedside table, a high-pitched ringing filled the room. He stared at the iPhone 9 on the table, then dropped like a stone. Rolling underneath the bed he took out his pistol and aimed at the phone.

    The figure stirred, and reached out a hand for the phone. James shot and the phone exploded in a shower of plastic and metal.