The fog swirled thick and eerie through the cobblestone streets of London town. A lone figure darted from the shadows, his footsteps echoing in the night. He pulled up the collar of his dark coat and hurried on. Soon, he reached a nondescript door and rapped sharply thrice. It swung open, and he slipped inside. "It's done," he said to the cloaked person waiting there. "The deed is done." "What of the body?" the cloaked figure asked. "Is it hidden well? We cannot risk discovery now." "Aye, 'tis stashed good and proper. No one shall find 'er." The man reached into his coat and produced a bloodied dagger. "This be the instrument of her demise. I'm thinkin' it best to dispose of it, eh?" "Indeed," the cloaked one nodded grimly. "Take it to the docks and hurl it in the Thames. Let the fish feast upon the blade that ended a life this night." The dagger disappeared back into the man's coat as he turned to leave. But before he exited, the cloaked figure called out: "And what of the gold I promised? For services rendered?" A sly grin split the man's face beneath the brim of his hat. "I'll collect me due come morn, don't you fret none. Ye pay well for yer secrets to remain buried, as do I for me work." With a parting wink, the hired killer slipped back out into the London fog. And so the deed was done and the dark pact sealed between them, cloaked in shadow and blood, as the city slumbered on blissfully unaware of the wickedness that lurked within her ancient walls on that fateful eve. The cloaked figure lingered by the window, gazing out at the swirling mists, pondering the night's grim events. A wicked deed had been done, a hated rival eliminated... and yet the deed still left an unsettling feeling, an ominous sense that this was only the beginning of something far more sinister to come. The cloaked figure shuddered, then drew the heavy curtains closed with a snap. Let the fog conceal the blood that stained the cobblestones, as it concealed the truth of what had transpired this night. Some secrets were simply too vile to be laid bare. And some crimes, it seemed, would not stay buried no matter how deep they were dug