by Jeff Olah
“I have no idea, are you sending someone to find him?” April asked.
“No, I do not have time for his childlike games. I’m sure he’s fine.”
“My son is out there somewhere in this building with those monsters running loose and you think that’s fine?”
“April, the building is completely secure and there are none of those things loose in the entire facility.”
“But, your men said…”
“They told you what you needed to hear so you’d stay in your rooms. I couldn’t have eight new strangers running around this place doing who knows what. I wanted to be sure of your intentions.”
Her patience had just about run out. They’d been cooperative for far too long with these people holding them captive. Karen wasn’t afraid of this woman and had dealt with her type many times while negotiating in heated boardroom discussions. “Our intentions? The only plan we have is to stay alive. That shouldn’t threaten you or whatever it is you have going on in this stadium.”
They could all sense that this woman wouldn’t respond to anything less than the same confident demeanor she so boldly displayed. “So,” Karen asked. “Where are the rest of our friends and family? Where are Savannah and Adam?”
“You heard me ask to have the rest of your group brought here, so if they don’t cause any trouble along the way, they’ll be here any moment. As for the two lovebirds, you’ll also see them in just a few minutes. So just relax. Can I offer you a glass of water?”
. . .
Upon reaching the door, Stumpy asked Mason and Randy to stop, stand to the side and stay quiet. He moved around in front of them with his back to the door and slid the gun back into his waistband. “Gentlemen, DO NOT mistake my sudden kindness for weakness. If you pull anything while we are in here I will not hesitate to…”
His words were broken by sudden laughter coming from both men which was obviously condescending. Randy reached around the little man grabbing the door handle, half surprised it was unlocked and looking back shook his head. “Nice speech, we completely believed you, but let’s get on with this. We don’t need you anymore. I want to speak to whoever is giving you your marching orders.”
Leaning in, Randy pushed the door open and walked across the threshold.
8
The cherry wine lockers and light blue carpeting made him feel as though he entered an amusement park and was caught in the fun house. The other parts of the stadium were a much toned down version of what was happening here and Justin finally realized everything in this vicinity of the building had a very specific color for a reason.
He picked up a football jersey from a pile of waste in the center of room and knew that other than a few members of the press, he was the only one that had ever seen these new uniforms up close and that no one else ever would. With baseball season next, he tried to imagine how the team might attempt to shove these hideous colors into uniforms of their own. He didn’t think it could get much worse than the one he was holding and tossed it back on the pile before turning his attention to the equipment room.
He had his mind on something very specific and with a quick scan of the room he knew it wasn’t here. “They have to have one, where is it?” Justin quickly moved from one room to the next within the enormous player area checking closets, offices and film rooms, with no luck. Just when he was about to give up while leaning against the door outside the General Manager’s office, he spotted his treasure. It hung on the wall next to the fire extinguisher like a trophy he had just won and now needed to come forward and make the obligatory acceptance speech. “Perfect… Absolutely PERFECT!”
The bright red handle and stainless steel blade had him mesmerized. Plucking it from the bracket, the axe felt much lighter in his hand than he anticipated. A smile slid across his face as he took a few two-handed swings at the drywall, now not so new. “Here we go,” he said as he rested the axe on his shoulder and headed back to the gate that housed what looked to him like hundreds of Feeders. He didn’t care what happened to the rest of them; he only wanted the big one. Justin wanted to let him loose.
“UP ON THE FIELD NOW!”
Stopping instantly, the voice was coming from a good distance away. Justin turned back and made his way around the overturned equipment cart, helmets and shoulder pads showcased for high level investors, now just a mess no one would ever clean up. The voice was familiar and getting louder or closer, he couldn’t tell which.
“I SAID MOVE, NOW!”
Pushing past the remaining debris, Justin came to the steps leading to the dugout. He paused for a moment, set the axe against the wall, crouched down and proceeded up to the benches. In the shadows granted ever so ideally by the recessed player area, Justin peered out over the grass and saw his friends.
Lurch had Adam by the neck, dragging more so than guiding him out toward the center of the field, while holding Savannah at bay with the gun he had trained on her head. She followed close behind and wasn’t saying a word. Adam’s blood-speckled and bruised face showed he’d been on the opposite end of Lurch’s less than even temper more than once. Still thrashing about and attempting to break free from the vice-like grip Lurch had on his neck, it was fairly obvious Adam was just about out of gas.
“STOP ADAM, JUST STOP ALREADY. YOU GOT WHAT YOU WANTED, NOW JUST STOP!” Savannah screamed.
Lurch slowed, releasing his victim and tossed him to the ground. He bent over, raised his burly hand and brought it down once again making contact with Adam’s disfigured face. “You may want to listen to her; there isn’t anyone that can stop me. If you hadn’t noticed, the police are all on vacation… permanently.”
Adam quickly rolled to his side and pushed up to a standing position, noticing that Lurch had walked back over to Savannah. Wiping the mixture of blood and sweat from his eyes, his left ear continued to buzz. He took two steps forward just as the big man turned and took Lurch’s boot to the stomach as the two collided.
Rolling to a stop just shy of the fifty yard line, Adam clutched the back of his opponents head and pulled back a handful of damp hair he’d torn out by the roots. His entire body convulsed as the beast he was now doing battle with pushed him to the ground and knelt on top of him, pinning both arms to the grass with his knees. Adam struggled in vain to free himself. Lurch was twice his size and couldn’t be moved, not even an inch.
Sitting in the dry grass only yards away, Savannah held her head in her hands. She couldn’t understand what had gotten into this kid she spent the last two weeks locked up with. He was never this aggressive; hell he hardly ever even initiated a conversation. Now he was the aggressor in a fight there was no chance of winning. Was he doing this for her, to prove something they both knew he wasn’t capable of? Every time she gave him the slightest bit of attention, his confidence shot through the ceiling. This appeared to be responsible for his current predicament.
The sun began to hide behind the towering walls on the opposite side of the stadium and cast its evening shadows across most of the field as Lurch withdrew the walkie from his cargo pocket and turned it on. “We’re in position,” he said before he laid it on the grass next to Adam’s right ear.
Not more than thirty yards away, Justin only half understood what was happening at midfield. The words were muted, although their body language told the story. He slid back down to the stairwell and retrieved the axe he had been saving for his special project back in the corridor behind the locked gate. That had to wait for now. Somehow he had to help his friends first. Climbing the steps of the dugout, Justin reached the top and hid behind one of the banners draped across the wall, meant for opening day.
Adam stopped struggling. He was completely spent. The five minutes of battle had left him with little strength and even less willpower. “Please sir, let him go. I will make sure he does exactly what you ask. I promise.”
“Savannah, don’t waste your breath on this piece of garbage. He’s only acting on orders from someone else. He can’t do anything without
asking for permission. Whoever is on the other end of that walkie is who runs the show around here. We don’t have anything to worry about from this second rate GI Joe. Trust me.” Adam snorted together the mucus and blood he had stored up in the back of his throat, lifted his head and shot it out all over Lurch’s face and shirt. “Let your boss know I’m not afraid of you… any of you.”
Rustling his hair back and forth the way you would a little boy or family pet, Lurch smiled and looked him straight in the eyes. “Son, you’re about to find out who I am… for real. Is there anything you’d like to say to your pretty little girlfriend here before I turn my attention to her?”
9
The three women were caught off guard as Randy and Stumpy came through the door together. Mason crinkled his forehead and looked around the room in confusion as the calmness of the group seemed a tad out of place. Had they worked out some sort of an agreement, were they all now friends? It certainly wasn’t what he was expecting.
He approached April. “Where’s Justin?”
“We don’t know, he ran off when they were bringing us here. She won’t let me go find him.”
Mason brushed back his hair in frustration. “April, he’ll be fine. This place is like Fort Knox. He can’t get out and NOTHING is getting in. Let’s see what this woman has to say, then I’ll go get him and bring him back, I promise.”
As the men made their way into the room and exchanged greetings with the others, Marie slid in behind the bar area once more, retrieved the walkie, depressed the button and spoke. “We’re fine here, give us a few minutes.” As the group engaged in small talk, she slid the small caliber pistol from one of the shelves and placed it in the band at her lower back, covering it with the folds of her blouse.
Stepping to the middle of the group, her quick and powerful stride demanded attention and the group went silent, as Stumpy took a seat at the bar trying to look unimpressed. Marie spoke evenly and with authority. “Hello, as some of you are already aware, my name is Marie. The story of how I ended up here is unimportant and we have many more important things to discuss.” She paused for a moment before going into more detail. “I’m sure you are all wondering why I never showed my face and why we kept you in such suspense all this time with no answers.”
Randy stepped forward ready to interrupt and let this woman know what was going through his mind, although Mason sensing this spoke first. “Marie, we would all like to thank you and your people for the hospitality that has been shown us over the past few weeks. We realize that we came to you for help and are eternally grateful for all you have done.”
Once again wanting to speak, Randy cut in this time using a more direct approach, “Although…”
Again Mason, knowing where the conversation would go if Randy led the way, finished his sentence. “Although we haven’t completely been the most appreciative guests, we would ALL like to assure you that those things are in the past and we are looking forward to pitching in around here and becoming part of YOUR team.”
Chuckling slightly under her breath, Marie smiled. “Mason… you’re Mason correct?”
“Yes?”
Looking back toward Stumpy, she said, “I was under the impression that you were a personal trainer in your former life?”
Stumpy confirmed by a nod of the head as Mason answer, “Yes, that’s correct.”
“Oh… that’s funny, for a minute you sounded just like a politician. I don’t care too much for politics or the people who promote them, so you can save the prepared speech for someone else.”
His face felt as warm as an August afternoon under the midday sun. Embarrassed, Mason apologized, “I’m sorry for trying…”
“Enough… you don’t need to apologize. None of this is going to matter an hour from now anyway.”
“One last thing before I let you know where we stand.” Marie removed the pistol from the small of her back and held it at her side as a not-so-subtle precursor to her next statement, which not one person in the room missed. Walking over and standing face to face with Randy, she said, “I don’t much care for you or your antics.” Raising her left arm and placing the barrel squarely against his still painful head, she continued as the others gasped. “The ONLY reason you’re still here with us today is because I wasn’t in the room when you pulled that stunt. You need to consider the fact that I may not be as tolerant as you think I am, although you’re about to find out.” Marie smiled, lowering the gun to her side as she moved back to continue.
The air-conditioning fan turned back on as a whisper of coolness fell over the group. No one spoke for a few moments, letting the callousness of her last comment settle in. William dropped Karen’s hand and stood next to Marie. “Marie has been watching our group very closely and other than a few slip ups, it appears we have passed the test. It’s not going to be easy, although our groups are going to have to find a way to get along. Marie and I have had a few discussions, and as of this afternoon she has agreed to let us stay.”
The muscles in her face twitched as she let William finish addressing his friends. Not being in control of the conversation and letting someone else make decisions was something she promised herself would be a thing of the past once the world went to hell. William’s comments irritated her like castor oil running slowly down her throat. “Excuse me, William,” motioning for him to rejoin his wife and the others. “I so wish you’d have let me make the announcements to your friends. I will say that you are correct in that we have been keeping very close tabs on you and your friends and have gained lots of valuable information.”
Randy chuckled; this time Marie didn’t even look over at him as she continued. “William is correct; I have agreed to let him stay here. He and Karen WILL be joining our family; although that’s the only thing he got right... I am only going to say this once. The rest of you are all going to be leaving us tonight.”
“WHAT?” William asked. “You said…”
“I said you could stay; I never said your friends were welcome.”
“If they’re leaving so are we. We’re not staying here without our friends,” Karen said.
Marie now had to shout as the room began to quickly fill with shouts of defiance and calls of injustice. “EVERYONE… LISTEN… NOW! While I appreciate your loyalty to one another, this is not up for debate. William and Karen have a special skill set that makes them valuable to my family here. I realize he is just as valuable to you all as well, although we are making the rules around here, not you. You’ll need to gather up your things and be out of here by nightfall. AND don’t come back. We have no need for any of you. Our resources are limited here and we need to keep only those who can contribute something useful. I’m sure your group will find a way to make do without them.”
Mason paced back and forth until he could take no more. Every fiber running through his body began throbbing with anger. “We’re not going anywhere! You’ve got what, two guys, maybe three guns? There’s no way you or any of your men are shooting us here in cold blood. You’re not animals.”
“Mason, you’re a decent enough guy. The politician comment earlier was merely a joke, although my stand on this is not. I am very serious and will do anything to insure the safety of those close to me. I already have.”
Turning her attention to the front of the sky box and the luxury chairs that lined the windows overlooking the field, Marie pointed out onto the field. “Please everyone, join me. There is one other thing that we’re going to need from you before your departure.”
10
The more he tried to break free, the more Lurch pushed his massive body down onto him, the final slivers of daylight tapping at his back as he awaited instructions from the skybox. Amid the pleading from Savannah, he was unable to make out any of the sounds coming from the walkie. Pressing it closer to his ear, Lurch shot her a look before trying to set her mind at ease, knowing full well the most likely eventual outcome. His breath ran short as his heart began to race with anticipation. “Little lady, I�
�m going to need you to keep quiet. Your friends are trying to talk to us and we’re not going to be able to hear them if you keep crying. Work with me.”
Just as Savannah’s pleading began to taper off, the first call came through, following the very recognizable squawk. “Christian, you know how this goes, thumbs up if you can hear us,” came the voice on the other end. “Leave your line open. These people are being very cooperative, although I do want them to realize how serious we are. Put one into the seats just below the box.”
The scene playing out down on the field appeared more like a movie than something actually happening to one of their own. Marie and the others watched as Christian, the man they had been referring to as Lurch for the past two weeks, raised his left arm to meet his right. He gripped the pistol, took aim and fired off a single round.
In an instant, the bright muzzle flash lit up the end of the black nine millimeter handgun as the crackling sound moved toward them. The wall just below the windows exploded, sending shards of concrete and dust into the air. Everyone in the room, with the exception of Marie, hit the ground and covered their heads. She remained at the window and waited for them to regain their composure and take their seats. No one said a word as Marie depressed the talk button, addressing Christian once again. “Too close my friend, I said the seats.”