Adam. Doing his thing. 479 words.--- A cold breeze ruffled the weeds Adam hid in. A shiver ran down his spine. Standing in water up to his waist, he was cold enough. The wind didn't help. Thankfully, the additional rustling caused seemed to be from the wind. He'd lost feeling in his toes. But he wasn't moving. David Allegeri was close. Just on the other side of the lake, Mr. Allegari's entourage walked in a small cluster along the path through the little park. Five more minutes. He shifted into position, squeezing his toes in the waterlogged boots, trying to regain some feeling. Nothing yet. Soon enough. Adam's eyes scanned the area around him. The path, the trees, the weeds, the water. Just a few minutes left. No surprises. it seemed clear. Another breeze drifted across the water, only this time, Adam suppressed his shiver. He didn't have the luxury of being cold. Only vigilant. Seconds later, he heard the crunch of polished loafers on gravel. Softer treading of military boots on the grass on either side of the path. They would pass within inches of him. While the group was still ten feet away, Adam carefully pulled a long pipe up to his lips. With a couple puffs, he managed to hit both guards with tiny darts. Laced with a sedative, the darts would put them out of commission. Only a drop in the blood, and any human would drop in a few seconds. Four more darts and the rest of the group was drugged too. Everyone walked on for a few steps, but soon enough they all started to stumble and fall, right in front of Adam. Allegeri stood alone staring at everyone collapsed around him, his last words stilled by his shock. Adam placed his hands on the shore and pushed himself from the weeds. He slid up to Allegeri, barely unsteady on frozen feet. Allegeri was still too stunned to move. "What did you do?" he whispered. "Are they dead?" "They're fine," Adam replied. Quiet. Calm. "They'll wake up in a few minutes." "Why?" Adam studied him, a calm, unreadable expression on his face. "But why? Did you want to talk privately, or-" Whatever blood was left in Allegeri's face quickly vanished. "Shit. You're here for her, aren't you?" Adam nodded. "Oh, shit!" Allegeri turned to run. Before he could take a single step, Adam's arm snaked around his neck. Adam kept him in a stranglehold, crushing his larynx just tightly enough to prevent breath slipping into his lungs. Allegeri's arms flailed, his nails scratching at Adam's sleeve. Slowly, his body went limp with only the occasional spasm until he stopped moving. Adam held him for an extra minute after his last twitch and then dropped him on the path in the middle of his entourage. One of the guards was already raising his head as Adam disappeared into the trees.
