by Dave Hazel
Pepe was dead, but Skipper’s head continued rolling back and forth. Skipper made gurgling sounds as if he was trying to speak. The older man was much tougher than Mykal thought. He knew he had to hurry. If any of the guests used the stairwell he would have to leave before finishing the task at hand.
Mykal took out his newly acquired Glock 17, pulled the slide back to chamber a round. He looked for a safety selector, but couldn’t find one. He remembered Boris saying something about the Glock not having a regular safety switch though there were three types of safeties tied to the weapon. Mykal pointed the weapon at Skipper’s head but hesitated. On T.V. silencers always worked great, but he had never used one himself so he wasn’t sure how loud it would actually be. “Hell with it,” he whispered and fired two shots into Skipper’s head. He barely heard it, but he distinctly heard the two empty casings hit the wall and bounce onto metal stairs. Skipper ceased moving.
Looking at the two men beside each other, Skipper was the one who he wanted to kill the least because he seemed like a nice older grandfatherly like person. But Mykal recognized that while he attacked the older man he actually enjoyed killing him and sensed a cold blooded thrill. His eyes were drawn down to the gold band around his finger. On the other hand he knew Skipper would kill him if the chance presented itself.
He looked in Skipper’s jacket and saw he had a .22 caliber Ruger. The handle was black but the barrel was stainless steel. “No, I’m not gonna carry extra weapons.” He pulled Pepe’s jacket open and saw that he was armed with a Glock 17. He checked Pepe’s pockets and found three seventeen round clips. Mykal pulled out Pepe’s Glock using the material of his jacket, so as to not leave any finger prints. He released the clip so he would have a total of seven magazines.
Mykal was sure there were two men roaming the area. He deduced they had to be on the basement floor and they could be a problem if not dealt with. He didn’t think they would be on the first floor since that was the floor where the front desk was located in front of the elevator. Mykal knew there were two staff personnel that he saw. Possibly another, but he wasn’t clear where the other staff personnel would be at this time of the night. He desperately needed to take out two more teams before going to Jill and his assistant.
“Hey Stan, this is Dogstar One,” Jill’s voice spoke into Mykal’s ear piece. “I need you to come to my room before the target arrives.”
“Damn it,” Mykal nearly panicked. He knew if there wasn’t a response, Jill would send someone to investigate.
“Stan, this is Dogstar One. Do you read me?” Jill called into Mykal’s ear piece again. “Dogstar One to Stan, can you hear me?”
Mykal rushed down to the first floor and looked through the window of the door just to confirm the two other hit men weren’t patrolling the floor near the front desk. He rushed down to the basement floor and through the window he saw the two men standing together on the far side of the elevator near the break room area. The door was shut so he had to be sly in getting through. He pulled the door open slowly but only as far as he needed it to squeeze through and hoped it wouldn’t get the attention of the two who would kill him.
“Jesse, this is Dogstar One, Stan must be having radio problems. Could you ensure he comes to my location? Over.”
“Neither one are answering,” Louis, the second bald man, said to the Hispanic looking man. They both stood in the doorway of the break room where more vending machines were located. The ice machine dropped a new load of ice into the holding bin which helped cover the noise of the door Mykal entered through
“Do you think both their radios are down? Or off?” Jorge said with a quiet laugh.
“Not Stan, he would never leave his radio off,” Louis said. “I’ll go take a look. They’re only over at this stairwell,” Louis said and pointed away from Mykal’s silent approach. ”You stay here and watch the elevator. I’ll be back shortly.”
“This is Dogstar One, I need someone to check on Post three in the south stairwell,” Jill requested.
Someone, it looked like Louis, replied by double clicking the radio. Mykal knew he had to act fast because it wouldn’t take Louis long to find the bodies. Mykal rushed down the hall and got to the door way of the break room. Jorge did not see him though Mykal was less than two feet in front of him.
As soon as Louis hit the door to the stairwell Mykal squeezed off two shots into the forehead of Jorge. He hoped the noise of the door being opened would cover the slight sound of the silencer going off. Jorge never knew he was in danger and Jorge never saw the barrel pointed right in his face. Jorge’s head snapped backward and his body sailed back into the break room. Mykal knew he didn’t have time to make sure the body was out of sight.
He rushed to the stairwell just as he heard Louis’s voice speak into his earpiece. “We have a problem. I know I’m breaking protocol but Stan and Jesse have been X’d out. We have hostiles in the area. Be on the watch.”
“Louie, are you sure?” Jill asked and he sounded desperate.
“There is no doubt about it. I’m looking at them. Jorge is here with me.”
Mykal heard him say that as he pushed open the door. Louis must have assumed he was Jorge. Mykal rushed up the stairwell as quickly and quietly as he could.
“Jorge, are you there?” Louis called out holding his radio in one hand and his handgun in the other. “Jorge, where are you at?”
Mykal got to the top of the landing and Louis was still looking down the stairs for Jorge. Louis turned his head as far as he could to see as much of the stairwell as possible. Louis didn’t know it, but Mykal stood directly to the side of him. With a snarling smirk Mykal fired twice in the side of Louis’s head. The sound of the man falling was louder than the sound of the Glock 17 shooting through the silencer.
“Louie, what’s your status?” Jill asked into Mykal’s earpiece. Mykal heard the tension in Jill’s voice. He quickly slipped through the door into the hallway of the 2nd floor again and waited right beside the door. “Louie, what’s your status?” Mykal listened to the silence. “Jorge, are you with Louie?” Each question saw a rise in the tension of Jill’s voice.
“No, seen-yor,” Mykal whispered trying his best to sound like a Mexican cartoon character.
“Who is this?” Jill asked. It was obvious Jill knew it wasn’t Jorge. “Who just spoke on my radio?”
“Dom and Randy, you two are closer to the stairwell, check it out and use caution. Skipper and Pepe, it sounds like we have a problem. Stay alert. You may have to respond.”
“We’re on it,” Randy whispered into his microphone while he and Dominick rushed out of the utility room. Randy carried his handgun before him. He crouched as he ran to the stairwell, zigzagging across the hall going from door to door.
Mykal stood beside the stairwell door with the Glock 17 in hand waiting for Randy to open the stairwell exit. He saw Dominick crouching as well, but he moved cautiously, turning and looking in all directions with every couple of steps. They didn’t approach the stairwell together.
Mykal stood by the door and thought of several different ways he could take their lives and enjoyed the idea of doing it. He suddenly became concerned at his own thoughts and wondered if the ring’s awesome powers were affecting his brain and turning him into a psychopathic killer. ‘No! These friggin scumbags were going to kill me after all I’ve done for them,’ he thought with teeth clenching, blinding hatred.
Randy made his way to the door using his stealth techniques but Mykal saw him the entire time. Randy just couldn’t see Mykal. Mykal watched as Randy peaked in the stairwell through the little window. He turned back to Dominick and held up three fingers and the turned his thumb downward indicating there were three dead in the stairwell.
Randy cautiously opened the door and peaked through the opening with his handgun before him. He looked up as far as he could see toward the 3rd floor. His view to the lower portion of the stairs was partially blocked by the guard rails.
Mykal saw Dominick turn to
go the other direction. This was Mykal’s opportunity. He fired two shots into the back of Randy’s head from just inches away. Randy collapsed in the door way and his body lay in both the hallway and the stairwell. Mykal watched Dominick freeze when he turned back around to see his friend lie motionless on the ground.
“Randy’s down. I say again, Randy is down,” Dominick whispered frantically into the radio. “But he just signaled there are three down in the stairwell.” Dominick dropped to one knee. “Dogstar One, have you heard from the others?”
“There have been no responses from anyone, other than Louie and he was in that stairwell.”
“I think we need to leave,” Dominick suggested. “I don’t know how many we’re up against, but I haven’t heard a single sound. We’re dealing with professionals.”
“You don’t see anyone at all?” Jill asked and sounded as if his anger was directed at Dominick.
“No! That’s what I said,” Dominick replied and his tone was harsh. “I’m coming to your room. Let me in.” Dominick slowly made his way back to Jill’s room. He used utmost caution and stealth and watched for the army of professionals he was sure they were up against.
Mykal rushed to stand beside Dominick as he reached the door of room 214 and crept closer while he watched as Dominick gently knocked on the door. “It’s me, let me in,” he whispered into the radio. Mykal nearly drooled with foaming blood lust
“Is it clear out there?” Jill asked from behind the door.
“Yeah, it’s all clear,” Dominick replied after looking both ways several times.
Mykal looked at the floor and saw shadow movement under the door. He couldn’t determine how many were at the entrance, but he felt confident there were at least two in the room, both Jill or Percy and his assistant.
Mykal tucked the Glock 17 into his waistband and took his stance at the plate, so to speak, with the bloodied aluminum bat firmly in both hands. The hatred that surged through him wasn’t human and he felt it was more than just his emotions. An unseen force was trying to control him but right now he didn’t care. ‘It’s payback bitch. You friggin scumbags wanna kill me, and you wanna torture me,’ his mind growled while he waited for the pitch that would ensure a grand slam home run.
Just as the door opened, he saw Ronny cock his head out the door to look down the hallway. Ronny held a handgun with a long silencer sticking out before him. Mykal knew Jill stood behind the door controlling the opening, but he couldn’t see if Jill was armed. They couldn’t see him so Mykal’s only fear was if they started to shoot blindly they could strike him out of pure luck. It didn’t matter, the intensity of rage got the best of him. He would gladly take his chances going after these back stabbers.
Dominick looked at Ronny while Ronny stuck his head out to ensure the way was safe. Dominick joined Ronny and looked down both corridors one more time. Just as he started to step forward Mykal let loose with a mighty home run swing. The metal club connected to the back of Dominick’s head with a solid whack. It had been set up to be the perfect hit from a perfect pitch. Dominick didn’t suspect anyone from behind which made it that much easier for Mykal. Mykal struck harder with his swing than anything he had ever hit before. The bone of Dominick’s skull crushed and caved in as if Mykal was striking a melon. Dominick’s brain was mutilated before he fell forward onto Ronny. Dominick flew forward with such a force that it looked as if he dove at Ronny.
“Ahhh,” Ronny yelled and stumbled back and fought to hold Dominick up out of pure reflex. He quickly recovered and dropped the dead weight and he pointed the pistol into the empty passage, but couldn’t see anyone or anything. He pointed the weapon in both directions.
After clubbing Dominick, Mykal pulled his blood splattered bat back and swung downward hitting Ronny’s hand. He heard and felt bones crush. He quickly struck again hitting the same hand just as Ronny fell backward and dropped his weapon.
Ronny yelled out and tried to step back, but Mykal pushed Ronny and the door which slammed Jill against the wall. Mykal jumped into the room amid the yelling of both Ronny and Jill. During the chaos and cries of frightful pain Mykal jumped to the side of the nearest bed and remained silent.
Jill slammed the door to close it but he was stopped by the body in the doorway. Mykal saw Ronny fall backward crying out like a woman in a horror movie that had been attacked by an unseen ghost. Ronny cradled his damaged hand while Jill pulled the dead body of Dominick into the room so he could shut and lock the door.
“Shut up,” Jill roared above Ronny’s terror filled cries.
“Help me here,” Jill demanded in a panic as he raced to lock the door from the horrors outside the room.
“I couldn’t see anything,” Ronny sniveled and moaned as he tried to comfort the pain in his limb. “Oh damn it, oh damn it, it hurts. It really, really, really stinking hurts.”
“Shut the hell up. You’re gonna wake up everyone else on this floor you asshole,” Jill demanded as he pressed himself against the wall and stared at the door as if he expected the unseen beast to burst through the door. Jill held his pistol at the ready but his hand revealed he shuddered. Jill’s black eyes appeared menacing but his face show true fear as revealed in the trembling of his hand.
“What the hell was that?” Ronny blubbered out quietly. “Percy, I couldn’t see a damn thing.”
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like that before,” Jill answered while looking downward.
Mykal saw Jill stare at the ghastly gutter that was planted into Dominick’s head. Blood from the back of Dominick’s head quickly saturated the carpet of the room. Mykal debated how to reveal himself or if he should just kill them both and leave quickly, but that would take away all the fun.
“You didn’t see anything? Nothing at all?” Jill asked while his trembling handgun continued to point at the door handle. He seemed to be angry at Ronny for not being able to give good information to go on.
“Oh damn it, my hand is all busted up,” Ronny groaned and pulled his swelled hand out before his face. His fingers were twisted, his thumb bent backward which exposed bone through the skin toward the palm of his hand. His index finger pointed down but the knuckle was crushed and the bone pushed the skin so that it almost bore through. “I gotta get to the hospital.”
“You can’t, you dumb ass. We have to wait until we get back to DC,” Jill said and scowled. “We were never here. We never stepped foot in North Dakota. Follow protocol. Do you have any ID on you?”
“Of course not,” Ronny answered. He rocked back and forth in an attempt to hold the pain in.
“I had to make sure, because you’re talking like a stupid person. Now man up, and stop your damn whining or I’ll stop it,” Jill threatened and glanced down at Dominick.
Mykal took the threat to mean that Jill would kill his own assistant Ronny.
“I’m sorry Percy. You’re right,” Ronny bowed his head. “I never experienced pain like this. Look at my hand,” he groaned as he held out his deformed meat-hook. “My thumb, index finger and middle finger are all broken. It’s swelling fast.”
“Do I have to play nurse maid? Get some ice on it you stupid bastard. Our mission is a bust. I have to assume all the others are dead. The Untouchables have been decimated and you want me to wipe your damn nose for you because your fingers hurt?”
“I’m sorry.”
“What the hell were we hit with?” Jill asked. “I was behind the door and I didn’t see a damn thing. I need to know because I have to call this in. We’re going to have to get a cleanup crew in here, and let’s hope no one finds the bodies before they get here.”
“I understand,” Ronny replied while gently touching his broken mitt.
“Answer my damn question asshole,” Jill snarled his fury between clenched teeth. “What the hell were we hit with?”
“I didn’t see anything,” Ronny moaned and shrugged with his hands held out. “I didn’t see one person.”
“It can’t be. It just can’t
be,” Jill argued forcefully. “Mykal had to have a small army with him. He had to. There is just no way Mykal could have taken out the Untouchables single handedly without being seen,” Jill/Percy demanded. “It just doesn’t make any sense.”
“I didn’t see anyone or anything. You heard Dominick on the radio. He didn’t see anything either, even just before he was attacked.”
“Watch the door you simple son-of-a-bitch,” Jill fumed and moved to the bed closest to the window. He stuck his weapon in his waistband and then picked up a suitcase. The suitcase seemed very heavy as he lifted it to the bed.
Since Ronny was on the same side of the room as Jill, Mykal crouched down to the floor and gently set the aluminum head crusher down. It was out of their sight so they could not see it if it became visible. Mykal pulled out the Glock 17 and though he had fired eight shots, he knew he had nine more rounds left, more than enough to kill these two.
Mykal watched to see what Jill was going to do and couldn’t decide if he should stop him or allow him to continue. If the situation wasn’t so deadly and so serious he would love to throw the bat across the room just to scare the piss out of them, but then they might be able to determine where he threw it from. Too much risk, though it would be a great laugh.
Jill opened the suitcase, unzipped a thick covering to expose some mechanical device that Mykal couldn’t see from his angle to determine its use. There were several dials, and once Jill reached into the side and withdrew a telephone handset with a long thick cable. Mykal knew Jill had a strong radio device of some kind. He debated whether he should shoot the special radio up thus destroying it, but he feared they would be able to pinpoint him and retaliate blindly.
Jill pressed two buttons, turned a dial and then held the phone set to his ear. “Dogstar One to Bullpen,” he said while pressing the button on the handgrip and then he paused. “Dogstar One to relay message of great importance, please be prepared to copy.”
“Percy, do you want me to call the local authorities?”
Jill pulled the handset from his ear and glared hellfire at Ronny as he huffed his incredulity. “Are you that damn stupid today? Are you drinking again? Because if you’re drinking again, I will terminate your position right now.” He threatened and pointed to the weapon in his waistband.