The warehouse had been abandoned for years. Had it been located in an area of Milwaukee that anyone cared about, the people who came and went during the late-night hours would have raised a red flag, but they didn’t. The city’s cream-colored brick building had seen better days, and the structure was an accident waiting to happen, yet the Condemned and No Trespassing signs at every point of entry went unheeded.
The working class who’d lived near the defunct manufacturing neighborhood twenty years earlier had long ago moved on to different jobs and greener pastures. Homeless and derelict people occupied the few blocks, along with some who were there for a private meeting.
Fires for light and warmth burned in fifty-gallon drums scattered throughout the lower level. The regulars arrived at the warehouse to introduce their recruits to Jacob and Evelyn, the leaders of the group. They’d chosen Milwaukee’s rebels, those who had committed crimes throughout the city in the name of the greater good. The recruits were the ones who’d vowed to help expose the city’s hypocrites, the worst offenders of them all, and they intended to make good on that promise.
Pallets had been stacked into a makeshift stage and stood several feet higher than the cracked concrete floor below.
Several recruits sat cross-legged three feet from the stage, and standing at their backs were the people who had convinced them to help expose the true criminals of society.
From the darkened rear of the building, a man and a woman entered the room and stepped up to the stage. They welcomed the recruits and thanked them for wanting to help right the wrongs they’d encountered.
The recruits would have to prove themselves worthy before joining the final and most important mission. Because no one was allowed to speak of the group—including where they congregated, who they were with, or why they were there—the final mission would be revealed at a later date.
The plan had been in the works for some time and was near completion. Once every i was dotted and every t crossed, the takedown would be implemented. Targets would be identified in several phases, and Jacob and Evelyn insisted they had undeniable proof that those people needed to die. The tasks would be difficult and dangerous to complete, and they needed extra help to ensure the mission’s success.
Each recruit drew an identical knife and envelope from a basket that was passed around. Inside the envelopes were instructions that they needed to complete as part of their initiation, a way to prove they were loyal to the cause. If successful, they would be given one more task—a daring one—and upon its completion, the final and most dangerous mission would take place.
Jacob spoke up. “I want every recruit to complete the instructions as written on the note inside the envelope they chose. Open your envelope and read the instructions now. This will be your one and only opportunity to leave the group without consequences. Speak up if you can’t complete the task laid out in the instructions. The task needs to take place tonight with photo proof of its completion presented to us tomorrow.” He nodded. “Go ahead. Read your task and tell me your decision.” He pointed at the person on his far left. “What’s your answer?”
The recruit nodded. “I’m on board.”
“Good. Next?” Jacob questioned the remaining recruits, and only one said he couldn’t go through with the instructions. Jacob tipped his head toward the door, giving the person standing at the recruit’s back the cue to remove him from the room.
The recruit stood and was led out of the building.
Evelyn folded her hands, whispered a prayer for success, and asked everyone to leave. It was time for the recruits to go out, prove themselves, then return the next day to share their stories with the others.