Amok: An Anthology of Asia-Pacific Speculative Fiction by Dominica Malcolm Page B

it, stared at the target, and smiled. That was the signal.

    The pebble tracked its trajectory. A streak of red light crossed the street. Sunet made sure no one else saw it except members of the agency.

    The ray of light struck the target’s chest, never to leave his body again. The target held on to the streetlight to regain his balance. Shock filled his face, and his chest glowed bright red. The glow accumulated in the man’s heart. It formed a silhouette of his heart, blinking in unison with its beating. The light dimmed as it penetrated his heart. Damian saw the heart resisting the flame of emotion engulfing it. The client swayed her hips when she approached the target. Her smile caught the man’s attention.

    Damian stood up when he saw the two talking and laughing. Mission accomplished. The target fell in love with the client, forever.

    §

    “So how are you, Sir?” Sunet asked.

    “I’m fine.” Damian replied.

    “I’d say that’s a lie by the way you look, Sir.”

    “Just couldn’t get any proper sleep.”

    “Really? And Carmelo calls you Sandman for all the sleep you’ve been doing.”

    “I don’t care what Carmelo says.”

    “Of course you don’t, Sir,” Sunet fixed the eyeglasses on the bridge of his nose, licked his hands, and turned some leaves of the record book. “But keep in my mind that he’s your senior.”

    “For as long as I am in probation. I’ll be a full Cupid after this.”

    “You think so? I see you’re very confident, Sir.”

    “Why shouldn’t I? I deserve it.”

    “Too cocky, Sir, but we’ll see.” Sunet skimmed through the log of Damian’s missions, from those two elementary students to the old woman who paid a lot of money to secure the young businessman’s love. Misses, failures, and delays gave him demerits and harsh criticisms. Perfect missions earned him nothing except the chance for immortality.

    “Overall, you’ve done a good job, Sir,” Sunet said. “We can forgive all of your previous mistakes and for staying stubborn about using a slingshot instead of the customary bow and arrow. But before you graduate, we have one more mission for you, just to make sure you deserve Cupidity and immortality.”

    “The big bosses won’t make it any easier for me?”

    “Never mind the big bosses, Sir. It’s all for the agency’s benefit.” Sunet handed a sealed brown envelop to Damian.

    The contents were the same for any mission envelope: a piece of paper and a 4R picture. On the paper were the target’s basic information (name, age, height, complexion, occupation and present residence), additional details, and instructions for the hit. Information about the client was missing. He asked for anonymity, either for safety concerns or, most likely, for unbearable shame in dealing with Cupids.

    “Is this the agency’s idea of a joke.” Once Damian saw his target’s name, he did not need to see any other personal detail. Only the picture would do for she had changed after four years, a shorter hair, dyed reddish brown, and a more slender body. She maintained the beautiful face he had fallen in love with.

    “Based on your reaction, Sir, I’d say it proves the agency is doing the right thing.” Sunet smiled and waited for Damian to answer.

    The silence turned to a high pitch whistle that almost made Damian’s ear drums explode. One punch could split open Sunet’s lips and destroy his devious smile. Damian kept his cool. Hitting an innocent messenger was useless.

    “Your last mission is to make Sarah Cortez fall in love. Do it and the big bosses will raise you to a full Cupid. And, as we have agreed, you will be immortal,” Sunet said.

    “Part of our agreement was to take Sarah out of my life. I didn’t want to remember her. But you failed.” Damian slapped Sarah’s photo on the table. The sound reverberated in the room and made Sunet jerk.

    “Interesting. The dreams went not only to your head but also to your heart,” Sunet