"A Job to be Done"

Marco's eyes remained fixed on Lexi's lifeless body, his mind reeling with a mix of emotions. Anger, sadness, grief, pain, and horror all warred for dominance, but he knew he couldn't let them consume him. Not now. Not when there was still work to be done. The job had to be completed, no matter the cost. He thought back to the conversation they had before the silence, the unresolved tension between them. He recalled the look in her eyes, the fear and uncertainty. And then, the machete. He took a deep breath, trying to clear his head, but the image of Lexi's body, slumped against the wall, the machete still lodged in her side, was etched into his brain. He couldn't shake off the feeling of revulsion and guilt that threatened to overwhelm him. He forced himself to look away, to focus on the task at hand. With a Herculean effort, Marco pulled himself together, his expression hardening into a mask. He knew that he had to get rid of the body, to make it look like a robbery gone wrong or a random act of violence. He couldn't let anyone suspect that he, Marco, was involved. The thought sent a shiver down his spine, but he steeled himself and began to work. He quickly surveyed the room, taking in the destruction he had wrought. The couch was overturned, the cushions scattered about, and the coffee table was now a pile of splintered wood. Marco nodded to himself, a plan forming in his mind. He started by carefully extracting the machete from Lexi's body, wincing as he saw the blood that flowed freely from the wound. He then began to ransack the apartment, making it look like a burglary had taken place. He smashed the TV, broke the vases, and scattered the contents of the drawers all over the floor. As he worked, Marco's mind kept wandering back to Lexi, to the look in her eyes as she fell, to the sound of her voice whispering "why". He couldn't shake off the feeling that he had just committed a heinous crime, and the weight of his actions threatened to crush him. But he pushed on, driven by a sense of duty and necessity. He had to complete the job, no matter how much it pained him. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Marco finished his task. He stepped back, surveying the room, and nodded in satisfaction. It looked like a crime scene, a random act of violence. No one would suspect a thing. But as he turned to leave, Marco caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His eyes were sunken, his face pale, and his eyes red-rimmed. He looked like a man who had lost his soul, and in that moment, Marco knew that he had. He took a deep breath, trying to steel himself for what was to come, but the image of Lexi's lifeless body haunted him, and he knew that he would never be the same again.