Third Saturday Fiction

Chapter 2. A High Price to Pay, from the novel The Killer

By Jackie Sims

[Sequel to “A killer is born”]

The thing about taking out a high-profile target on your first kill is you now have a reputation to uphold. Each kill has to be equal or higher. Sarah’s services were in demand and she and Afshan lived up to the rep they had started. Unfortunately, most of her targets had been middle-management types—the ones who carried out the orders. However, with her fourteen clean kills, she had earned the respect of the rebel commanders.
    That was why she was happy to take on the job of killing a cabinet minister.
    They were the ones who pass the orders down but never get their hands dirty. Those orders had taken a heavy toll on the rebel forces and she was being paid $5,000 to put a stop to at least one of them.

Fifth Monday Fiction

Rwandan refugee camp in east Zaire

Chapter 1. A Killer Is Born, from the novel The Killer

By Jackie Sims

Sarah Goodly of Northern California came to Africa in order to help those that could not help themselves. The year was 1994, the country was Rwanda. The Hutu President had been murdered, and she and her friends were making plans to leave the country. They had got word at 9:00 pm the 6th of April that the plane carrying President Juvénal Habyarimana had been shot down by a surface-to-air missile over Rwanda's capital city of Kigali. The next day they heard reports of killings, which had began in the capital, and they knew it was time to leave the country.
    They were packed and ready to go by April 8th. There was a van, with driver, rented and on the way to pick them up at daybreak. At last they felt safe The five Peace Corp Volunteers gathered around the table on the porch one last time to share a bottle of wine and discuss the upcoming trip. The night had been calm, there was no breeze, and even the birds were quiet. The five felt comfortable and relaxed sitting around the porch drinking wine with old friends. They had even managed a laugh or two.