Heartless- Divulgence
Episode 1- The Permission to Speak
Just before the crack of dawn, the tension in Cell Block D begins to gradually rise. The sounds of keys rattling every other step as an overweight prison guard approach a dark cell and begin to fill the prison cell halls like a dramatic symphony. The prison guard bangs his baton on the prison cell and yells "Rogers, gather your things your going home." A malnourished inmate slowly starts to come to life. The inmate begins to roll over and he slowly gathers himself from his extremely uncomfortable slumber only to suddenly remember his name is Jay Rogers and he is now a free man. Jay was on his last year of a 7 year bid but was released early for good behavior. Being released on good behavior in most prisons is something fairly easy to obtain. But this was no ordinary prison. If you were sent to Camp 8 you were sent to die in Camp 8. Thoughts of previous prison brawls and molestation quickly flashes through his mind as he walks through the steel doors to his long awaited freedom.
As he walks outside the prison gates he is greeted by no one. No party, no family, no friends eagerly ready to celebrate the day of his freedom. Sad and alone he looks to the sounds of nature to bring him peace and serenity. His soul begins to come alive as he watches the birds fly from tree to tree singing their own personal melody as they happily enjoy a fulfilling life. Suddenly, a car approaches. Breaking his concentration on nature. It's a older car. Black, glossy paint with tinted windows so dark they had to be illegal. Still, Jay could make out two occupants thanks to the brightness and angle of the sun. This unfamiliar car slowly approaches and stops right in front of Jay. Staring into this ominous mysterious vehicle he can only see his own baffled reflection.
The passenger side window slowly rolls down enough for Jay to make out a middle aged white male wearing a black hat with a white stripe circling the hat just above the brim. Instantly and unexpectedly a unidentifiable object is thrown in the air and lands at Jay's feet. He slowly tilts his head down to see what struck his foot. It's the little black notebook. His body begins to shake. Fear and disbelief boils in his stomach and makes its way up his spine. A rush of emotions fill his head with anxiety and doubt. Jay stares at his feet in total skepticism. He thinks to himself, "how? I burned it. I watched it burn." He thinks back a little over 6 years ago to the moment he remembered burning this little black notebook. It was just before sundown in an abandoned parking lot. No cars, no people, no distractions. Nothing to deter him from the task of burning the little black notebook. Just Jay, a box of matches in his left hand, the little black notebook drenched in lighter fluid and a black duffle bag filled with $20,000 cash sitting next to him waiting to be spent. Returning back to reality, Jay lifts his head to speak and the car speeds away just as incognito and swiftly as it arrived. Bewildered and confused Jay looks back at his foot hoping he fantasized the black notebook but to somehow beyond his comprehension the little black notebook is still there.
Heartless- Divulgence
Episode 2- Anatomy of a Lie
A little after midnight, the sounds of thunder shake the room and suddenly Jay is launched from his terrifying nightmare back into his lonely sweat filled bed. Sweating and shaking he crawls out of his drenched sheets leaving behind the damp remains of the after effects of a troublesome nightmare. Stumbling over the many duffle bags filled with money cluttered across his one bedroom apartment floor he fights to get to his bathroom. He finally manages to reach the sink to splash cold water on his face trying to force himself back to reality. But what was reality? He continues to have similar dreams of him being caught red handed in one of his various heinous acts. Although he didn't fear death he was absolutely terrified of being tortured. The thought of being forced to endure an unknown or unforseen amount of pain sent a shrivel up his spine so intense goosebumps would start to form, his palms would get clammy and his heart would beat through his chest. He would begin to sweat refusely with a growing tremble in his gut forged from fear and distress. Jays thoughts now channel to his new found situation or the life he lived before the arrival of the black notebook.
Its only been about 1 month of having the book in his possession and Jay has amassed a small fortune. Upon receiving each payment for each mission and to witness the after effects of his original decision he would continously loose another piece of his sanity. Staring himself in the mirror he is disgusted and nauseous at himself but at the same time excited about his newly found riches. He hasn't slept more than two hours in 23 days and his actions have turned him into two different people. He thinks to himself "yea, 23 days ago, that's when my life changed." He shakes his head with a slight grin and
splashes more cold water on his face and begins to think back to the exact moment that changed his perception of life and death. Now again staring at himself in the mirror he doesn't see a way out of this precalculated predicament. "Why is my freedom more important then another's? Did my life mean more then another's? Who decides ones worth?" As he ponders these questions for the 10th night in a row he thinks of his role in this unreal circumstance. He establishes that he might be stuck at the crossroads of depression and exploitation with no way to change his incurable occurrence. Initially he didn't start this alternative lifestyle to be an informant nor an assassin. He was offered a choice and he simply made a decision. A decision based on the cards he was already dealt, the pile of bills collecting dust on his kitchen counter and the answer machine full of messages from collection agencies that he has continued to ignore. His thoughts now wonder to the bane of his existence. The little black notebook. The pages change and each name is always different but the payment is always the same. $20,000 in unmarked cash stuffed in a black duffle bag usually burried about 3 feet in the ground at specific coordinates. Along with the names the little black notebook often brings further instructions.
The next few pages after each name are filled with random yet important information about the specific target. Information such as likes and dislikes, location, friends, family, place of employment, pictures, fears and various other information for Jay to completely understand this radomly chosen prey. Flipping through the pages he used to try to find correlation between each victim. But to his frantic obsession he always fell short. He would sit for hours dissecting each page searching for some connection between the victims but again with no success. The book gives a specific time frame to carry out each assignment. Usually a 72 hour window then 8 hours later he his notified by text with coordinates always from a different number and always at a different location. Still staring at himself in the mirror he now sees three different people. He sees the person he was before, and the two very different people these contracts make him become. Depending on the name in the book and the information given after the name he would either become a ruthless lone assassin or a insidious informant. He thinks back to 23 days ago which was his first assignment. He remembers the face almost more vivid then his own. The name. He'll never forget because of the predetermined death sentence. Isaac Franklin. Isaac Franklin was an oil importer from Tennessee and was living with his brother named John Armfield. They were enjoying life in Virginia at the time when Jay was sent to infiltrate the brothers comfortable but simple existence. The task so heinous and so dark was to kill John Armfield and make it look like Isaac pulled the trigger. Only no guns were to be used.
