Minus

by Jack Davenport

  “So, how about you tell me where the book and the girl are right now?”

  I was glad Cricket wasn’t here when this guy showed up, but where the fuck was she? Hopefully, she was hiding someplace safe with Duke and Pearl.

  “Gofuckyerssselfff,” I said.

  “I’ll do you a favor and ask one more time, then you and I are going to get serious.”

  “Sorryman, I jusss gotintah somthin’ seeriuuuuss with someone elsssse.” My tongue was swelling, and my speech was getting worse.

  “Fine, have it your way, but just remember that I gave you the chance for you and your girlfriend to die quickly.”

  With that, he picked me up, and carried me out over his shoulder, military style. This guy had either served, or had military training at some point, but was clearly currently living life as a mercenary. He was Hispanic, but I didn’t detect a hint of an accent of any kind. The fact that Los Psychos were hiring mercs, further bolstered my thoughts that they didn’t have enough muscle of their own for a full-scale war, but who knows, maybe this guy’s just an old summer camp buddy that owes Viper a favor. None of that shit mattered right now. I had to figure out a way out of this, and somehow find Cricket and the others, and get them to safety.

  With some effort, crater-face managed to get me out to his car, popped the trunk, and stuffed me in. Although I was still unable to move, he bound my wrists and ankles with cable ties and duct taped my mouth.

  “I’ve already taken care of the old geezers, so I’m gonna go back to the house and look for that girlfriend of yours,” he said, smiling.

  My blood boiled in my veins as I lay there, trapped in a car trunk; trapped in my own body.

  “I’m glad I brought plenty of cocktail with me, because I’m gonna take my time with her. I’ll be sure to take lots of video, so I can show you when I get back. I’d bring her back here for a private show, but I think the lighting will be better inside, don’t you?”

  The blood vessels in my eyes began to burst as I fought against my bonds.

  “Alright, you just wait here, then, and I’ll be back for you once I’m done having my fun. Maybe she can tell me where the book is, or maybe you’ll be ready to talk once you’ve seen what I’ve done to her.”

  He slammed the trunk closed, and I laid in the darkness unable to move.

  * * *

  Cricket

  “Christina, where are you?” the creepy voice echoed through the house.

  I turned the gun’s safety switch to off.

  “I’m sorry,” he continued. “Your friends call you Cricket, don’t they? Well then, I’m gonna call you that, because you and I are gonna be really good friends.”

  Where the fuck is Minus?

  Pearl and Duke were both out cold. Whatever this sonofabitch injected them with was serious. I had to get them, and myself, somewhere safe. Whoever was in the house had come back for a reason, and I wasn’t about to rely on my aim alone if he should make his way back here. Emergency services were on their way, but who knew when they’d reach us all the way out here.

  I closed the bedroom door and locked it. The door looked solid, but it surely wouldn’t keep him out for very long. I looked around the large master suite for a place to hide, trying to quickly choose between the master bath, and one of the two walk-in closets. I don’t really like any of those options but didn’t seem to have much of a choice. Considering how “low key / high tech” the rest of the house was, I was surprised Duke hadn’t built a panic room in here.

  Just because he didn’t mention it to you, doesn’t mean he didn’t.

  I sized up the closets and couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary, like reinforced doors, that would suggest they were designed to keep intruders out.

  Scooby Doo.

  There had to be a hidden door somewhere that lead to some sort of safe room. I felt around the closet’s back panel but couldn’t find a latch or knob.

  There must be a hidden release mechanism somewhere.

  I looked around the room for anything that might serve as a lever or switch until something caught my eye. A decorative brass robe hook, in the shape of an elephant, with its trunk in the air, fastened to the wall right next to where Duke lay flat on his back.

  Baby elephant.

  I ran over, pulled on the elephant’s trunk, and the wall back panel next to it immediately slid open, triggering lights, which illuminated a state-of-the-art safe room. Inside, there were four bunk beds and shelves stocked with food, water, and supplies. There was also a gun cabinet, and a wall of closed circuit TV monitors, which displayed live feeds from cameras all around the property.

  Thump, thump, thump!

  The creep was at the bedroom door. “Cricket are you in there?” he called out. “You in that room with those sweet old folks?

  “I have a gun and I’ve called 911!” I called back, as I grabbed Duke’s ankles and began sliding him into the panic room. Fortunately for both us, he was wearing a silk robe, which helped him slide along the carpet a bit easier, and by that, I mean, I had to use every muscle in my entire body to move him.

  “Guns, ooooh, I don’t like guns,” he replied. “I prefer to do my work with knives, needles and ropes, but you’ll see soon enough.”

  Once Duke was inside, I went over to Pearl’s side of the bed.

  Thump, thump, thump! “Cricket why don’t you let me in now and we can talk about the book?”

  “Fuck you! Did you hear me? The cops are on their way!”

  “Oh, I doubt they’ll be here any time soon, given how far we are from the highway. That is... if you even called them.”

  “Believe me, I did, plus when Minus finds you, he’s—”

  The sound of the creep’s laughter through the door made me feel sick. “I don’t think Minus is going to give me any trouble. Viper said he wanted him awake when I worked him over, so I only gave him a half dose. I’ve got him on a time-out someplace safe.”

  He’s lying, don’t listen to him.

  “What did you do to Duke and Pearl?” I asked while rolling Pearl over to the edge of the bed.

  “I had to give them a full dose, so they’d go to sleep, and stay that way. I couldn’t have them making a fuss while I looked around for the book.”

  “You fucker. You’re gonna pay for all this.”

  “Wrong!” he shouted. “I’m getting paid for this. Now, let me in right now, or I’m going to break down the door. And if you make me do that, when I get in there, I’m going to cut the old lady’s throat. Cricket. I like that old lady. She reminds me of my granny, but I swear to God, I’ll do it.”

  I saw no other way of getting Pearl to the ground other than to roll her off the edge of the bed, so I gathered up all the pillows I could find, and threw on a sheet, laid out on the floor. I gave her a push and hoped for the best. She hit ground with a thud and I said a silent prayer to St. Calcium, patron saint of broken hips.

  “Cricket, I’m going to count down from five, and you’d better open this door, or our date is going to start out on a very unpleasant note. Five...”

  I grabbed ahold of the sheet and pulled with all my might.

  “Four...”

  My muscles burned, as I struggled to get the makeshift bedding sled inside the safe room.

  “Three...,” he continued and began throwing his weight into the door.

  “Come... on... Pearl,” I grunted as I pulled with all my might. My muscles were already spent from dragging Duke in, and he’d started out closer to the door.

  “Two. You’re gonna be sorry you made me do this Cricket.”

  With one final groan, I pulled Pearl’s limp body into the safe room, just as the bedroom door splintered with a crack.

  “One!” he yelled, as he crashed through the door into the bedroom.

  I scrambled to my knees and pulled on the matching robe hook, located on the inside of the closet, and the door slammed shut just as the creep lunged at my feet, causing him to run straight into it with a dull thud.


  I checked the TV monitors and could see him through a camera positioned directly above the panic room door, pounding away at it, until he suddenly stopped, turned, and ran out of the room. I watched him on the various screens as he made his way out of the house, and out through the front door. He must have been heading for his car, but I had no idea why. He still didn’t have the book, and he obviously hadn’t found a way in here. Perhaps the police were on the way and he heard sirens in the distance. Whatever the reason, I was glad he was gone. I had to get medical attention for Duke and Pearl right away, and I had to find Minus.

  Minus

  I felt the driver’s door slam and the car change directions before hauling ass down the road. Wherever we were headed, we were headed there in a hurry. I was foggy as hell from the injection and my perception of time was “fluid” to say the least. Still, it didn’t feel like I’d been in the trunk for very long, and I hoped that meant that Cricket had hidden or gotten away. Until I knew she was okay, I didn’t give a shit about the ledger, or the club for that matter. It could all burn, along with this sick fucker for all I cared.

  I heard sirens in the distance and felt a sliver of hope.

  Maybe Cricket called the cops before he got to her.

  I felt the car take a sharp right turn off the road and stop momentarily as what sounded like a convoy of emergency service vehicles sped past us. After a minute or so, he slowly pulled back onto the main road, and continued to drive for another twenty or thirty minutes, before once again exiting the main road. After a series of twists and turns we slowed to a stop and he parked. I heard his footsteps in the gravel moving away from the direction of the car, and then return after a few minutes.

  “I’m gonna open up this trunk,” my kidnapper called out. “If you can move, and try anything funny, I’ll make you pay,” he said, before popping the trunk. Unfortunately for me, he had little to worry about. I could barely move, let alone get my hands around his neck.

  “I found a place where we can be alone, but you’re gonna have to walk.” He was covered in sweat and didn’t look happy.

  He threw my bound legs over the bumper, grabbed me by the shoulders, and sat me up in the trunk. “I’m gonna cut the ties on your feet, so you can walk, and I swear if you try to run, I’ll cut your Achilles tendons next. You understand?”

  I nodded as best I could, and he pulled me to my feet. He supported most of my weight as he walked towards a small, rustic cabin. From what I could ascertain, we were somewhere in the woods to the northeast of the Double H, which was littered with remote hunting lodges that sat empty for most of the year. If this guy was looking for a private place to fuck me up, he likely couldn’t have found a better spot.

  “You’re a big fucker,” he grunted as we finally reached the front door of the cabin. He propped me up against the wall and delivered a heavy boot to the door’s lock which failed immediately upon impact. He walked me into the cabin and sat me down on what appeared to be the only piece of furniture in the place.

  “Home, sweet home,” he said, producing more zip ties from his pocket. “Now, let’s get you tucked in and I’ll tell you a bedtime story.” He bound my ankles to the chair’s legs and each of my wrists to its arms, before yanking the duct tape covering my mouth. Hair and skin were ripped from my face, and I winced involuntarily from the stinging pain.

  “Oh, good. You’re waking up. This is even better,” he said excitedly. Now, you can tell me a story. My favorite is the one about Cutter’s magic book. You know that one, don’t you?”

  “Can’t sssay I do,” I said, still slurring a bit.

  “Awe, come on Minus, you know it. It’s the one where the dumbass hero biker tells the scary guy with the big knife where Cutter’s book is,” he said, pulling a giant Bowie knife from a sheath on his belt. It was exactly the same as the one Cutter used on Lorro, from its size to the style of the handle.

  “You and your b... boyfriend Viiiper get those as a mmmatching set or something?”

  “You have a good eye for knives Minus,” he said, taking a theatrical step backward. “I’m impressed, I really am. Viper’s knife is, in fact, an exact match to mine. It was a gift from me to him. From teacher, to student,” he smiled proudly.

  “Yoga?” I asked. “You teachin’ him how to sssuck his own dick?”

  He dropped his smile.

  “Getting back to story time. Let’s recap; the one I want to hear involves the whereabouts of a book, and a blonde.”

  A blonde? He doesn’t know where Cricket is. That means she’s alive, and if that’s the case, this prick has got no leverage on me. Bring it on.

  “She give you the slip?” I asked, starting to feel my strength return, and my speech become easier.

  “Only momentarily, because you’re gonna tell me where she’s gonna be next; her and the book.”

  “Book?” I asked, continuing to play dumb.

  “I’m betting she had it with her in that panic room. Is that right Minus?”

  Fuck. He knows about the panic room. What the hell went down in the house?

  “I figure with the cops on the way, she’s gonna want to get that book to a second location before they find it, right? So where’s she gonna take it?”

  “I’m embarrassed to say,” I said sheepishly. “We still hadn’t decided if we were gonna meet up at your mom’s place, or your sister’s.”

  He grabbed my hair and snapped my head back, coming within inches of my face.

  “You’re gonna run out of jokes soon enough. The laughs are gonna dry up quickly around here unless you tell me where I can find Cutter’s book.”

  “Sorry, still doesn’t ring a bell.” I smiled.

  I saw something catch his attention from inside the kitchen. He sheathed his knife, walked away, and then returned with a dusty phonebook.

  “Maybe this will help ring a few bells.” He grinned, before blowing the layer of dust into my face.

  * * *

  Cricket

  Once the creep was gone, I opened the door and began dragging Duke and Pearl back out to the bedroom. If the police were on the way, the last thing I needed was for them to find me with two old people knocked out in a safe room, next to an actual safe, which contained super top-secret biker club information. In fact, the less the authorities knew about the nature of this break in, or my involvement in it, the better. The ledger would remain secure so long as the cops didn’t know about the safe. I didn’t know the safe’s combination, so it’s not like I could have removed it anyway.

  I went to close the panic room door, and something caught my eye through the glass door of the gun case. I opened the case, removed one of the rifles and slung it over my shoulder. I also found some ammunition and filled my short pockets. I exited the room and closed the hidden door. Once again, concealing its location from the naked eye. I felt horrible about leaving Duke and Pearl laying there on the floor, but I knew that help was on the way. I also knew that before anything else, I needed to find Minus.

  I quickly made my way downstairs and back to Minus’s room. There was still no sign of him, and his phone was still on his nightstand. There’s no way he would have left without his phone and his gun. That sicko must have drugged him and had him in the car when he drove off.

  The tracker.

  I picked up Minus’ phone and punched in his security code. He’d used the same four-digit code for everything for as long as I’d known him 1903: the year Harley Davidson was founded. I clicked on the Gunnach Technologies Tracker app, and bingo; the GPS signal was pinging away. They were currently heading North on Highway 95. I found my pants and quickly dressed. I put Minus’s pistol in my pocket, grabbed the keys and the rifle, and ran to the barn where minus had parked our rental car. I started it, turned on the running lights, and pulled out of the barn. I drove onto an access road that lead all the way from the trailhead to the main highway. Minus had showed it to me on our ride. Via this route, I was pretty sure I could find my way to Minus’ signal
without running into the cops, who were now pulling into the drive. Once I was out of their line of sight, I turned on the headlights and floored it.

  I had no idea what I was going to do if I caught up with this psycho or if I had the ability to stop him, but I prayed for a chance to try.

  * * *

  Minus

  “Let’s try this thing out. Testing... 1... 2... 3,” my rent-a-torturer said, speaking into the phonebook as if it were a microphone, while moving behind me. “Where is Cutter’s book?”

  “Try looking up your ass,” was clearly not the answer he was looking for.

  Whack.

  The crushing blow of the phonebook made the back of my head feel like it was on fire and my ears rang at maddening levels.

  “That got his attentionm folks!” he said, addressing an invisible audience. “Now, let’s see if our contestant wants to try again. Where will I find the girl and the book?” He raised my chin and got right up in my face. “I strongly advise you to think hard about your answer because the points double in this round.”

  “Then... go fuck yourself twice.”

  Whack. Whack.

  He delivered two shots to the right side of my head. This was the moment I knew I’d never make it out of this room alive.

  “Okay, anything... just stop,” I said, causing him to pause and lean in. “Stop... stop fucking around and start the interrogation already.”

  Whack.

  * * *

  Cricket

  According to the GPS tracker, and the rental car’s navigation system, I was at the spot where the creep’s car had stopped. I killed the headlights lights and coasted to a roadside clearing about fifty yards from where the signal was coming from. I grabbed the rifle from the car, and slowly made my way to a trail which led to a dilapidated old shack.

  Nothing creepy about this place at all.

  I continued, thankful for the clear night sky and full moon. At least I wasn’t stumbling around in complete darkness. As I got closer, I could hear voices coming from inside the dwelling. I recognized one as the creep’s right away. I couldn’t make out what he was saying but could hear his sing-songy taunts.