Havoc and Mayhem

by Derrick A. Bonner

  “That, she wasn’t after his money?” Havoc said.

  Autopsy sighed and shook her head, “Not only wasn’t she after his money. She came from wealth and had her own. In fact, she loved my brother as much as I did. So, you can imagine my concern when he told me he was going to propose. I was at my wits end. What would happen to me? So even though it was not an easy decision, I had to end it between them. I hired an escort from an agency to pose as Tide’s scorned lover and provided her with information that only the woman who was having an affair with my brother would know. Then I sent her to the restaurant that he planned on proposing to Lisa at to throw a monkey wrench in his plans. It worked perfectly. Too perfectly. Heartbroken, Lisa left him and ran back to her ex Nathan. But I never imagined that Tide would react the way he did. Do the things he did. Then Lisa hired you and things were too far gone to fix. After you caused him to fall through the window. Doctor’s said it would take years of plastic surgery just to make him look semi normal again. Upon hearing this he checked himself out of the hospital and ironically the roles in our relationship had reversed. Now I was the nursemaid taking care of him. At first things were fine. I sold my business to the competition and we had plenty of money. But all Tide would do was whine and complain about Lisa and how she would never want him now that he looked like he did. Eventually he fell into a deep dark depression and one morning I woke up to find he had committed suicide by overdosing with every bottle of pills in the medicine cabinet. I lost my best friend and wanted to get even. Make the ones responsible pay! So yes, I did kill that bitch Lisa. Even helped myself to a couple of pricey masks from her fancy art collection as you can see. I laid low and a year later I tracked down and killed her idiot boyfriend as well.”

  “Why-” Havoc began.

  “Why you ask? Because, hurt people, hurt-people!”

  “No….Why didn’t you kill yourself?” He asked causing Autopsy to recoil as if the words stung. “After all it’s your fault your he’s dead.”

  “Careful, you’re treading into dangerous waters!” Autopsy warned.

  “Because I’m telling the truth? It was your selfishness that killed your brother!”

  “No, don’t you dare say that! I cared about my brother!”

  “No. Lisa cared about your brother. You only cared about yourself.” Havoc said.

  “Shut up.” Autopsy dropped her head in shame sounding less demanding and more like pleading.

  “Instead of realizing with everything terrible that happened to you, you were still blessed. That there are folks who have to deal with conditions like yours and worse but they have to go it alone. And here your kid brother goes and puts his life on hold, endures his own life changing tragedy for you but when an opportunity for him to have a little bit of happiness comes along what do you go and do? Take it away. That’s what’s unbelievable.”

  “I said shut up!” Autopsy shouted and shoved Donnie aside then grabbed Havoc up by his jacket and viciously beat him in his face. “I could easily kill you right now. But then you’d never feel my pain. You need to suffer like I have and that can only come from losing somebody you love! Like her!” She said pulling a gun from her pocket and aiming at Donnie.

  “Donnie, run!” Havoc yelled struggling with Autopsy.

  Donnie turned to bolt and her jaw dropped in total shock to find another gun drawn on her.

  “Well, well look who finally decided to join the party,” Autopsy said salaciously.

  Havoc’s eyes stretched wide. He thought he was dreaming from the beating he just received as he observed his ex-wife walk towards Donnie with a gun drawn and a wicked look on her face.

  “Nicky? What the hell are you doing here?” Havoc asked as Autopsy pushed him to the ground.

  “Oh I can answer that. See after you so nobly left your ex-wife behind with her little weasel boyfriend’s corpse to face the police alone, I rolled on the scene. I’ve got to be honest, I’ve been following you around for a long time putting all of this together. Studying you. Learning your darkest secrets, paying off informants, approaching your enemies and making back-alley deals. Seems you’ve given a lot of people plenty of reasons to hate your guts who’d gladly accept a small fortune to hunt you down and kill you. But to my surprise the only one who didn’t care about money was your ex-wife. As soon as I asked if she wanted redemption, she was on her feet and in the back seat of my car. Guess it’s true what they say about a scorned woman.” Autopsy said gesturing towards Donnie.

  “Nicky, I know you didn’t let this Crypt Keeper looking bitch brainwash you!” he said refusing to believe she could betray him like this.

  Nicky ice grilled Donnie hard from head to toe with her lips twisted in disgust. Donnie was frozen not sure whether she was about to die. Then Nicky dropped the act and pointed her weapon at Autopsy. “Of course not!”

  “What? But why?” Autopsy demanded.

  “I just let you think I was down with the program so I could hitch a ride.” Nicky said and turned to Havoc. “In case you needed help. And from the look of things, I can see you do.”

  “Why you double-crossing bitch!” the She-monster snarled and pointed her gun at Nicky and fired.

  Nicky fired back. Autopsy caught the blast square in the left shoulder. The force of the bullet knocked her back a few steps but had no real effect aside from a grunt. Nicky was hit in the arm and her weapon landed at Donnie’s feet. Autopsy advanced forward sending Nicky and Donnie to the floor with flashy martial arts moves. The ugly woman then kicked Nicky’s gun over the pier and pointed her own weapon at the ladies. She looked back in time to see Havoc give his injured dog a consoling pat then climb wearily to his feet and limp forward.

  “Good you’re just in time. I was standing here trying to determine which one of these lovely young ladies to kill but I’m not sure which one. So, I’ll let you decide.” Havoc stopped in his tracks, taken aback by the macabre request. “Come on I don’t have all day. Who means the most to you? I mean if you can’t decide I could just as easily kill them both!” Autopsy threatened pushing her gun forward and causing the horrified women to react.

  “No don’t! Please! Take me instead,” The Trouble Consultant said valiantly.

  “How noble. If my tear ducts still worked I might shed one. But as I said earlier, you need to feel my pain. And I can’t think of a better way than by making you choose!”

  Havoc turned to the terrified women huddled together looking at him. “I can’t!” He pleaded.

  “You can and you will!” Autopsy insisted. Havoc shook his head. Both women meant the world to him. There was no way he could make a decision. He sighed and dropped his head bewildered as Autopsy taunted. “Your past or your present? Choose! Past or present?! Choose! Past! Or! Pre!-”

  “Ok-ok! You sick evil bitch!” Havoc shouted feeling light headed. He turned to Nicky and Donnie trembling with a look of dismay. His old love and his current love. So many memories between both ladies ran through his mind. So many emotions. So many feelings with love being at the center of them all. The women were horrified, unsure of who he’d pick. His lips parted and he began to speak with shaky words, “Fine…I choose…” Autopsy leaned forward with anticipation. “Mayhem!” he yelled.

  “No! Choose a different bitch! Not your-” Autopsy paused upon hearing the distinct sound of galloping on the wooden planks of the pier approaching and turned to Havoc confused.

  Havoc winked then shouted the command, “UP AND AT ‘EM!” as he dropped to one knee and bent forward. That’s when she saw the ferocious beast, teeth bared, saliva flailing, eyes piercing, sprint her way full speed. Before she could react, Mayhem charged up the ramp of Havoc’s back and launched herself at Autopsy catching her arm in her powerful jaws, clamping shut like a bear trap and pulling her down.

  Autopsy screamed as she lost her gun and was viciously shaken in Mayhem’s powerful grip. The dog ferociously chewed and tugged as determined teeth eventually pierced through Autopsy’s
hardened skin causing the deformed woman to let out a horrific blood curdling sound of pain and terror as she struggled with Mayhem. Quick thinking, she brandished a long knife from her jacket to which Mayhem let out a painful yelp releasing her. A glum silence infected the boardwalk as Autopsy noticed her arm. It was shredded like lobster meat, red and slick below the bicep. It was then she noticed Havoc and turned her attention to him. She looked like a horror movie that leaped off the screen as she maniacally approached bleeding with murder in her lifeless dead eyes and a knife in her hand. The Trouble Consultant frantically stumbled backwards and fell then crab walked until his back was against the railing with nowhere to go.

  Nicky spotted Autopsy’s gun but was out of commission and motioned a shock-faced Donnie to grab it. Donnie frantically stood pointing the weapon amateurish, “Bitch back away from him!” she heard herself shout. Autopsy saw her coming and immediately placed the knife to Havoc’s throat freezing Donnie in place.

  “On your feet! Havoc! Get up dammit!” Autopsy commanded yanking and pulling on him. With the tip of the knife dangerously close to opening his jugular vein, he reluctantly stood grimacing in pain. She cowered behind him completely blocked by his frame, pulled him back then placed the knife to his Adams apple. Feeling painted into a corner and fearing everything would soon be coming to a tragic end, there was something she had to know, “Why? Didn’t you save him?” she asked Havoc. “He told me how you could have saved him, but instead you let him fall-why?”

  “I had no choice,” the Trouble Consultant replied.

  “Bullshit! You could have saved my brother but instead you saved your damn dog!” Autopsy screamed pressing the blade hard against his skin and slightly cutting him. Havoc nervously gritted his teeth and glanced over at Donnie and Nicky then averted their inquisitive stares. “What don’t your women know what kind of man you are?”

  Havoc sighed as he played back the consulting job that haunted him for years. It all came back to him as if it were yesterday. After a brief scuffle he and Mayhem were hot on Tide’s ass as he scampered up the staircase of his ex-girlfriend Lisa’s apartment building and to the roof. When he bolted out the door he saw all the buildings were connected like an open field. He spotted Tide sprint to the far edge of the roof and dive to the next lower rooftop. Mayhem took off as Havoc ran parallel trying to keep up.

  Overweight and out of breath Tide reached the edge and discovered a void waiting there where the buildings stopped connecting. He looked back and saw Mayhem’s fangs about to reach him then looked back at the second building, took a step back and launched himself through the air landing on the other side. Landing perfectly, so he thought, until he heard Havoc’s voice yell at Mayhem not to follow but it was too late, the dog was on the roof with him. He turned to run and his foot slipped. He looked down and through the snow he could see light below and realized he was standing on a huge sheet of glass.

  Mayhem was about to pounce but Havoc called out to her to be still. That’s when Tide heard something crack. And that’s when things went from bad to worse!

  Time was of the essence and Havoc knew if he was to save them he’d have to act quickly. Through the scattered breaks in the otherwise smooth layer of snow he could see just how dizzyingly high they were as well as how far the drop was. Looking all around he spotted a painter’s ladder on a tarp and some overturned empty paint cans set before a freshly-painted white wall. In a flash he effortlessly lifted and lowered the ladder over the edge to the stranded dog and man.

  “No wait!” he called out to Tide making his way over. “Let my dog go first.”

  “Your dog?” He repeated astounded.

  “You heard me Fat-Boy. Besides she’s closer and your weight might break the glass if you rush.”

  Tide looked at Havoc like he was speaking a foreign language. “Are you insane? I’m not going after no damn dog!” he said and continued forward then immediately stopped in his tracks when the Trouble Consultant pointed a gun at him.

  “This isn’t up for negotiations. I said my dog goes first!” Havoc repeated defiantly. “Mayhem. Come!” Tide who could not believe he was second in line after a dog cursed Havoc and Mayhem under his breath as he watched the dog obey its master and climb the ladder like a circus act. Once she was safely on the higher ground Havoc lowered his weapon. “Ok now you. And take your time. Slowly.”

  Tide nodded nervously and began to make his way towards the ladder when the unthinkable happened. Glass began to crack around him like ice on a frozen pond. With fear painted on his face Tide looked to Havoc for help. But it was too late and all Havoc could do was watch on as the sky light gave way under Tide’s feet and swallowed him whole.

  “So you don’t feel responsible for what happened to my brother huh?” Autopsy’s gnarled voice snatched Havoc abruptly from his thoughts.

  “Look I made a judgment call! My road-dog who’s had my back for as long as I can remember or the guy I was hired to stop terrorizing his ex-girlfriend.” Havoc reasoned, “Now perhaps my decision to choose my dog was not the one that you and your brother would have liked for me to make but it’s the choice I made and I can live with that decision. The question is can you live with the decision you made that caused your brother’s death?”

  Havoc’s words penetrated Autopsy’s resilient skin and impermeable demeanor when she discovered that her tear ducts did in fact still work. She was taken out of the moment and allowed the blade to slightly drop from his throat. Seizing the opportunity, Havoc brought his hands up and pulled with both arms at her wrists, cocked up his shoulder getting the knife away from his neck for a split second. Then keeping her forearm nice and close to his collarbone, he pulled it towards himself and twisted himself under her arm then plunged the blade deeply into her rib cage. It all happened so fast she didn’t realize what happened to her at first. Then she felt a new pain in addition to the constant one brought on by her condition and looked down. With a hard tug and loud screech, she pulled the blade out of her side dousing the boardwalk with dark blood.

  Autopsy stood there holding the bloody knife. All she could think about was what Havoc just asked her. Could she live with her decision? Could she live with what she had done to her brother? She’d been so preoccupied with plotting and scheming her revenge that it never occurred to her to ask herself that question. But now she had. And as the tears ran down her face she realized she couldn’t. She looked at Donnie holding a shaky gun then at Havoc. The last thing on her ‘to-do’ list.

  “If there’s a hell I’ll gladly go. But you’re coming with me!” she announced then raised her knife high and screamed charging at him.

  Remembering the brief lesson Havoc gave her when firing a gun, Donnie exhaled so she wouldn’t jump and miss her target. Then she pointed the end with the hole at the bad guy and pulled the trigger. The bullet halted Autopsy in her tracks and she was thrown in reverse but she shrugged it off and advanced forward determined to get to him. Donnie began firing repeatedly forcing her back against the railing. Struggling to hang on, Autopsy flipped over screaming bloody murder down into a hell of her own making and disappearing into blackness below.

  After she was gone Donnie dropped the gun and collapsed into Havoc’s arms. Nicky came over and offered her hand, “Thank you.” Donnie looked at her hand, smiled and embraced her.

  Havoc helped Mayhem to her feet and she licked his face. He then cautiously crept over to the railing and peered over the edge at the long drop below and spotted a motionless Autopsy lying on jagged rocks in a twisted position. A huge wave crashed against the rocks and when it disappeared, so did she.

  “Saved by my ex-wife, my girlfriend and my dog. Who would’a thunk it?” Havoc grunted hobbling over to the women. “Are you gonna be okay?” he asked Nicky.

  “It’s just a flesh wound. I’ll be fine.” She said as Donnie tied a torn piece of material over it.

  He looked at his ex-wife and nodded. “Come on we still need to find Tee-Tee.”
Upon hearing her name Mayhem pulled on Havoc’s jacket and whined like she wanted him to follow. After leading him through Luna Park, she locked steadfast and offered a weak bark staring straight ahead.

  “What is it girl?” Havoc asked then looked up and realized what she was excited over. They were standing before the Himalaya, Tee-Tee’s favorite ride in Coney Island.

  Havoc went over to the ride and discovered his sister fast asleep in the first car. He looked back at the ladies, “She’s been trying to lead us to Tee-Tee the entire time. Before I sent her over to your place Nicky, I put a sleeping pill in her Hot Chocolate. My original plan was to drive you all somewhere safe. I figured with her sleeping it’d make things easier. I guess in a way it did.” he explained grateful she didn’t have to witness the worst parts of the night’s tragic events. He then nudged his sister. “Hey sleepy head. Up and at em.’”

  Tee-Tee opened her eyes stretching and looked at everyone. “Hey big brother! Where’d you go?”

  “Where’d I go? Where’d you go brat?” he smiled hugging her.

  “I wanted to ride the Himalaya. But I couldn’t anyway, cause it’s broken.” She frowned oblivious to the anxiety and stress she put her brother through.

  “Tee-Tee the ride’s not broken. It’s shut off because the park’s closed.”