It was starting to get dark. The city’s more reputable citizens were settling down for the night while others were getting ready for work. The claustrophobic alleys started to see more traffic as thieves and criminals start moving. They would travel under the cloak of darkness. It would take minutes for a career thief to get from safe house to mark in these criminal highways. Jon Fuller was not a career thief. He was dropped it to the  business after his parents were died. The kingdom claimed his property and left him on the street with the rest of the garbage. The second night on the street, as he sat in an alley, hungry and cold, a man came up to him and offered him a choice.
“Stay on the street and die, or you can come with me and learn my trade” the man stated. His voice was as hard as the stone beneath the boy. Jon didn’t know which was the better choice, but the voice in his stomach refused to let him turn away the offer of food. He stood up and followed the man out of the alley.
A month after the the meeting Jon still knew very little about the man that pulled him off the street. The man's name was Alan Clause and that he ran a business that was less than legitimate. The kept him in a small room with barely enough room for a bed. A small window over looking the compound in the courtyard. He was given two meals a day and told to stay in his room. A maid of him. She was a nice old lady named Bethany and would come when ever he called. He had not seen Alan since the day he meant him in the alley. This led Jon to be very surprised when the door opened to Alan. He stood in the door and becken Jon to follow. As they walked down the hallway Jon realized how quiet the building was. They enter an office with two men standing in it. Alan placed his hands on Jon’s shoulders to hold him in place. Then he started talking.
“This boy was put on the street after his family died. The kingdom took his home, life, and family from him and then left him on the street to die” he said in a mournful tone. The two men stood their appraising him. The short one on the left took a step forward and said.
“That is a very sad story and I’m sure I speak for both myself and the kingdom in offering our condolences but that does not give you the right to break the law. The law is unforgiving and is based on justice not personal gain.”
Alan stood very still and quietly asked
“When has the law ever been based on justice. Where was the law when my family was killed. The law only protects the wealthy.”
The hands disappered from Jon’s shoulders and he started to fall from the sudden lack of resistance. A heart beat passed and then the hands were back steadying him again. He look up and saw the two bodies lying on the floor. Each one had a thin blade throwing knife in it’s neck. Aln made sure Jon was not going to fall the went to retrieve his knifes. He wiped them off on the dead men’s clothes and went out the door. Jon followed him numbly out the door. They walked down the hallway back to Jon’s room. Alan opened the door and lead Jon in. Jon sat on the bed thinking. Alan simple left after Jon had sat down. A few minutes later Beth came into the room and conforted him. She held him and rocked him back and forth. She left an hour later and Jon when to sleep. His sleep was filled with unmoving bodies staring at him.
The morning came with breakfast. Beth came in to check on him and gave him some porridge before leaving. He ate a little then lost his appetite.  Then came the sound of a pot breaking down stairs. The door was still locked so he couldn’t see what happened. He sat waiting till he smelled the smoke. Smoke in the city is always a bad sign. He got up and tried to force the door open. He keep trying but the door wouldn’t budge. The smoke was coming in quicker now. The air was getting darker. He was having trouble breathing. He slowly slumped to the ground. Then the lights when out.