Animal

by Paul Jones

  ‘OK, OK, what do you want?’ he cried.

  The descent stopped for a moment, silence, then… ‘the people on your estate, the ones you have terrorised and in some cases almost driven to suicide because of the hell you have put them through, all want you dead.’

  Hoodie grimaced as icy sea-spray lashed at his face, and he could taste pure salt on his lips. ‘I’ve never killed anyone, why do they want me dead?’

  ‘Because they can’t go on living like that anymore. They won’t go on living like that anymore. Most of them have now reached the point that it’s either you or them. Now the way we look at it is which is the best solution? Should we let all these innocent hard working people end up broken or commit suicide all because of you? Or do we rub out some irritating little parasite like you who not many people would miss anyhow? In fact we think getting rid of you would probably improve the quality of life all around.’

  Hoodie squealed. ‘You won’t get away with killing me. My friends are witnesses.’

  ‘Oh yeah? Judging by the way they just stood there before, I think they’d be more concerned about keeping schtum to save their own little yellow skins. Don’t you?’

  ‘You still won’t get away with it.’

  ‘I think we will! You see when everyone on your estate hears about what has happened to you, and it comes down to witness statements, I don’t think any of them will be doing you any favours. Do you?’

  Slowly the descent continued, and panic seized young Hoodie by the throat.

  ‘Shit!’ He quivered, trying desperately to think of something that may save him. ‘Wait, wait!’ He cried out.

  He stopped again.

  ‘OK, you win, I’ll do anything you want, I’ll even move away if you tell me to.’

  Beneath him the monstrous sea was licking its lips in anticipation for this tasty little morsel. Yet the anticipation was all it was going to get for now, as Hoodie began to rise back up. He breathed a sigh of utter relief as the tug on his ankles grew stronger and stronger, and the inky black waters drifted further and further away. Finally, he made it back up to the top, and was lifted on to his back on the chilly rock edge. Looming over him were three dark silhouettes. Hoodie held his breath with apprehension, wondering what they were going to do next. One of the men squatted down beside him.

  ‘Listen, we know who you are, Kevin Webber, and we also know where you live. Tonight, this was just a warning. If we hear even a murmur of trouble from you or any of your mates anywhere, we’re coming back and we’ll drop you in with just your legs tied. And if we have to come back a third time, we’ll drop you in with your arms and legs tied, and you’ll be blindfolded too. Now do we understand one another?’

  Kevin nodded vigorously. ‘Yeah, yeah, sure.’

  ‘Good boy,’ he was told, and his limbs were duly untied.

  The man stood back up with the others.

  ‘Don’t forget, we’ll be watching you and your mates from now on. If there’s anything in the papers about this you’ll be going for a swim. Oh, and that doesn’t necessarily mean that we’ll be bringing you back here either. It could be anywhere.’

  Kevin nodded in reply.

  The three men turned away and began their steep climb back up Pigeon’s Cove, Kevin sat up to watch them.

  One of the men stopped. ‘By the way … town is on your left.’

  *

  Back in Tom’s ‘L’ shaped kitchen all three of them Tom, Charlie and Nigel stood, hair flattened by their balaclavas, gazing down in awe at the transparent parcel lying on the worktop as if it was the baby Jesus. Nigel, was the third member of their secret vigilante group, a six-foot-four, good-looking former rugby player and also fellow doorman. Their first planned mission to start clearing-up their town of the worst thugs had proved to be a success.

  ‘So what are we going to do with the drugs then?’ Charlie sighed.

  ‘Well,’ Tom paused, ‘we can flush it down the toilet, or we can sell it off and make a killing.’

  ‘Yeah, but, do we really want to get involved in that kind of business?’ Nigel asked.

  Tom licked his lips at the prospect. ‘There’s about twenty grand lying on the table here.

  Twenty grand.’

  ‘But is it worth the risk?’ Charlie gave a thin smile. ‘I mean, whoever owns these drugs, especially if they’re worth what you say, they’re gonna find us in the end for that amount of money, aren’t they?’

  ‘How are they going to know? We were in disguise, remember.’ Tom almost chastised him for being a bit timid. ‘Besides, once we’ve sold it off who’s going to know?’

  ‘OK, then, who are we going to sell it to?’ Charlie again.

  Still gazing down at his wondrous bundle, Tom uttered shrewdly, ‘Snoopy will know. That walking cokehead knows everybody.’

  CHAPTER 8

  Early evening, Geoff lumbered into the kitchen where his wife Jan was busy making a salad sandwich for supper. With his back to the sink, he fidgeted awkwardly while working up the courage to tell his wife about his involvements with the team. Jan threw him a glance and chewed on a slice of cucumber. ‘Alright, hun?’

  Geoff smiled blandly. ‘Yeah, just need a bit of a chat about something, that’s all.’

  ‘Why, what’s up?’ she asked, wiping her hands on the tea towel ready to slice up the next vegetable for her sandwich.

  ‘Well, you know how dangerous things are becoming out there on the streets at the moment?

  ‘Yeah.’ Jan listened while she sliced some onion ringlets.

  ‘A handful of us chaps have got together to form a sort of neighbourhood watch team. You know? So we can protect our loved ones and any of our friends.’

  Jan looked up solemnly from the bread board. ‘So how exactly is that supposed to work then?’

  Geoff folded his arms uneasily. ‘Basically if any of our family or friends are getting any hassle from anyone out there, yobs, thugs or whatever. We’re there to help them out.’

  Jan turned to face him. ‘Help them out – you mean beat them up?’ she said with a note of reproach.

  ‘Listen, Jan, who else have we got to protect us out there now, the police? Dixon of Dock Green? You’ve seen the news, you’ve read the papers. Everyday now there’s a new mugging, stabbing, beating. Those degenerates out there need teaching a lesson. There’s no discipline anymore, no deterrent, someone has got to make a stand.’

  ‘Yeah and what happens if you get caught, Geoff? You’ll be the one going to prison not them.’

  ‘I think we’d all prefer to be judged by twelve than carried by six, if you know what I mean?’

  Jan didn’t seem impressed by his sarcasm and continued making her supper in a bit of a huff. ‘And what happens if the thugs find out who you are and they come looking for you? Or even worse they get me?’

  ‘Believe me, Jan, it’d never come to anything like that. I would never put you in any kind of danger. I’m doing it to protect you. Besides, it’s not as if we’re going out on the streets at night looking for trouble. Anyway, you heard what they did to Phil, and all he did to deserve all that was brush by some little shit with an attitude problem. And the police still haven’t done anything about it.’

  ‘Yeah, and what does Phil think about all this then? Being a policeman I bet he doesn’t agree with it does he?’

  ‘He’s eh… part of the team.’

  Jan turned aghast. “What? He’s in on it too? I don’t believe it.’

  ‘It’s true, luv. Phil’s just as disillusioned with the justice system as the rest of us. Even he says the heads of the Metropolitan Police are now run by bloody politically-correct-hand-wringers who are now more concerned about the criminal’s human rights than they are about the victim’s. And that’s coming from a bloody policeman. What kind of message is that sending out to all those law-breakers? They’ll all be rubbing their hands with glee, thinking they’re all untouchable, and they’ll be right.’

&
nbsp; ‘Geoff it’s still too risky. These thugs out there now have guns – how the hell are you supposed to defend anyone against them?’

  ‘Jan, we can’t just stand by and do nothing. Besides guns are mainly used in burglaries, they’re much harder to conceal than knives.’

  ‘Yeah, for now maybe, but what happens when things get so bad that guns on the street become the norm like America? How will the team handle that?’

  ‘Jan, we’re not trying to take on the world, all we’re trying to do is stand up for ourselves, try to make our community a safe place for ourselves, our families and our friends. What’s wrong with that?’

  ‘I bet all this is that bloody Will’s idea, isn’t it? This had never occurred to you lot before he came along.’

  ‘Will’s got nothing to do with this, luv. He doesn’t even know about it yet, in fact I was going to ask him if he would like to join us, but I haven’t got around to asking him. So don’t try and blame him.’

  ‘Well what about all the wives and girlfriends, what do they say about it?’

  Geoff shrugged. ‘Don’t know yet, but judging by your reaction I’ll be interested to find out. But apart from wives and girlfriends, nobody else must know. Anonymity is essential if it is to work at all.’

  Jan turned around with a doleful look. ‘Geoff, do you really have to do this?’

  ‘Yes, Jan, I’m afraid we do,’ he said walking over to her and taking her in his arms. There’s an old saying that goes… the Devil triumphs when good men do nothing. And it’s time a few of us good men stood up and did something.’

  *

  At dusk on the west shore prom, Will’s early evening run came to end. Almost spent, he leant on his knees for support, and tried to catch his breath. Getting his fitness back to what it used to be wasn’t easy. Sliding off his beanie hat, he stood up and sat on the sea wall to enjoy the rest of the winter sunset.

  At this time of day, it was such a beautiful and serene place to be. Will was convinced that the winter dusks here could easily rival any of the famous Caribbean or Mediterranean sunsets. The whole western horizon was gorged in a romantic lemon and rouge. The glorious splendour splashed over the tips and the flanks of the Penmaenmawr mountains, making them stand out like giant red icebergs. For a moment, Will felt relieved of the everyday stress and tensions of the real world, and he quite lost himself in this heavenly glow.

  Fifty yards away, Geoff drove up and parked beside the beach. He locked his car, and wandered over.

  ‘Thought I’d find you here.’

  ‘Lovely, isn’t it?’ Will replied, without even turning.

  ‘You never could resist a good sunset,’ Geoff said, hopping up on the wall beside him with a grunt. ‘Just been to your flat and thought I might try here next, and lo and behold.’

  ‘Well, I mean, how can you not like a beautiful sky like that, It’s like losing yourself in an exquisite painting.’

  Not being quite as much the connoisseur, Geoff had to spoil the atmosphere by getting serious. ‘So are you going to stay on to tell Stacey everything about your past?’

  Will’s eyes dropped from the horizon, as if a hypnotist had snapped his fingers and woke him up from the spell. ‘I’m thinking about it.’

  ‘Listen Will, half a dozen of us chaps have decided to put together a team of fighters.’

  Will turned his ear towards Geoff.

  ‘The main reason for this is to have a back up crew ready in case we get any trouble from this Colwyn Bay gang that are supposedly after us. And the other reason we’re getting together is because, well, we’re all so sick of this depraved society we now live in. We just want to try and make a difference to our community as a kind of neighbourhood watch.’

  Geoff waited impatiently for Will’s reaction.

  Will sighed heavily, ‘I suppose in these desperate times you need desperate measures. But can you handle the consequences, the pressures you’ll be putting yourselves under? And can you handle all the risks and the dangers that come with it?’

  ‘Yes, I think we’re all aware of what we’re up against, but the safety of our family and friends far out-weigh all those risks.’

  ‘And what about your team, Geoff? In a crisis can you really count on them as much as they will count on you?’

  Geoff nodded with conviction. ‘Definitely!’

  ‘I really hope so, Geoff, because for a commitment of that magnitude you have to be one hundred percent sure of yourself before you even consider your mates. Trust me, it’s not so much the thought of going into battle that gets you, it’s the threat of the consequences, the outcome, the revenge attacks, the comebacks. And it’s for that reason, most people lose their bottle before they even get on to the battlefield. Remember that.’

  Geoff nodded as if he was agreeing to some kind of warrior’s code.

  Will began to fiddle with his Seiko watch. ‘So have you told your wife about all this then?’

  ‘Yeah, I thought I’d take advantage of your mistakes. Of course she’s not happy about it, but deep down I think she can see the sense in it.’

  ‘Perhaps if things had been as bad five years or so ago, Stacey might have been in a position to understand my situation.’

  ‘She still might,’ Geoff replied, watching him tinkering with the dial of his watch.

  ‘Well, Geoff, if there’s any advice I can give you, don’t hesitate to ask. Just remember, always be on your guard now. Always stay switched on. Never take anything for granted, always be prepared for the worst case scenario.’

  Geoff grinned awkwardly. ‘Actually, Will, the other reason I’ve mentioned all this is because I was wondering if you were interested in joining us. The team?’

  Will gave him a wry look. ‘Me? I really don’t think so, Geoff. I’ve been there, bought the T- shirt blah, blah. I think I’ve done my time as a soldier of the peace. Besides, it’s taken me nearly four years to tear myself away from all that, and I don’t really want to dive straight back in again, do I? Anyhow, what about Stacey? It wouldn’t actually enhance my chances with her after confessing all about my past, and then telling her, by the way I’m thinking of joining the local vigilante group.’

  Geoff appeared disheartened then suddenly chirped-up. ‘Hey, what about you giving us the benefit of your experience then? Maybe you can coach us in certain aspects of our training. What about that?’

  ‘Dunno about that, Geoff. I mean I can’t expect you all to pick up in a couple of sessions what took me years to learn.’

  ‘Anything is better than nothing, Will. A crumb is a banquet to a starving person.’

  Will struggled to find a suitable reply.

  ‘Just taking a few sessions isn’t going to hurt, is it? I mean, God forbid if anything should happen, you wouldn’t want to feel guilty if any of us got hurt because of our lack of experience?’

  Will gave him a look, but Geoff winked at him.

  ‘No, seriously, anything you could teach us, anything at all would be much appreciated, and you did say not to hesitate asking you for help.’

  ‘Yeah, but I didn’t actually mean training you.’

  ‘You know, Guy’s agreed to be a part of the team. He’s gonna be teaching us some judo.’

  Will’s head spun around. ‘Guy’s involved as well?’

  ‘Yeah. Didn’t have to ask a second time, he was straight in there. And as well as judo, we also have Karate, a bit of boxing and maybe some Ninjitsu to throw in the mix. And if we had the benefit of your experience too, that would wrap it up very nicely.’

  Will gazed back at the horizon.

  ‘So what do you say, Will, just supervise a few sessions, meet the guys?’

  Will sighed. ‘I’ll think about it, OK?’

  Geoff seemed happy with that. He leaped off the sea wall, and tapped his keys with a sense of accomplishment. ‘Come on, I’ll give you a lift home.’

  CHAPTER 9

  The front doors to the Llandudno mag
istrate’s court swished open. A smartly dressed young man, hands in his pockets and chewing gum wandered out on to the pavement. He spotted two of his mates standing over by the railings, and swaggered off to meet them. As he approached them, they waited anxiously to find out how it all went inside the court. The young man gave them a cheeky little wink as if to say sorted, and, relieved, they all dived into a waiting sky-blue car and boomed off down Conway road.

  Behind them, close on their trail, was another car, a banged-up Toyota estate, with three occupants sitting inside.

  The young man from the court was James Dobson, a nineteen year old thug with a history of convictions ranging from robbery to G.B.H. His most recent court appearance was a charge of assault and battery upon a seventy-five-year-old man.

  One night, a couple of months ago, James and his mates, were staggering down a street, all blind drunk, when one of them suddenly possessed the brainy idea to hurl one of their empty lager bottles at someone’s front door.

  Up until that point, the elderly occupant inside, one Fred Ward, a widower of two years was getting ready to retire to bed. Earlier that evening, Fred was warmed by the long distance phone call from his daughter in New Zealand telling him she was pregnant again. Afterwards, Fred sat in his living room chuffed at the thought of his beloved Laura becoming a mum once again. And how he wished his dearly departed wife Joan had been alive to share the wonderful news with him. Yet deep down he suspected that up there in heaven, or wherever you might end up, she probably knew. However, the thought of Joan on this emotional occasion brought a lump to his throat, and he had to swallow it to pull himself together.

  The last couple of years had been very difficult for him, and trying to adjust to being a single person again after living with someone for so long was tough. Especially at night, that was when old Fred would miss his wife the most. Fred’s whole body heaved with one mighty sigh, and he jabbed the remote control button to turn off the TV. It was time to turn in. Hauling his old, creaky body out of the armchair, he grunted at the stab of pain from his waking sciatica. That was when he heard the sound of smashing glass at his front door.