by Harper W.
Dave dropped down, but the table behind him caught him. The old man was looking at him with strange eyes. “Please don’t hurt us.” he said, recovering from his pain.
“Ron! hey.. ronny!” Dave called for him through the phone, but Ron disconnected the phone and sat down straight.
“What happened?” the man asked with fearful eyes. Ron looked at him and his eyes were red. He could not say anything for a few seconds, but then the words came out from his mouth —
“They killed my brother.”
Chapter 5 : The Departed
Just before daybreak, Sam was running with Pepper on the road outside his home when he noticed a black sedan following him from a distance. After checking the car out, Sam deliberately made a turn that he usually didn’t make. And confirming his doubt, the car turned behind him, but this time, he was staring at it.
Two men of their late thirties were sitting inside who looked almost the same. As they saw Sam staring at them, they didn’t stop, but kept on driving until they passed him. But as they did, they exchange glances, cold ones. Sam knew something was about to happen, but still he decide not to get scared and completed his run.
“Alright Pepper!” he said to the dog after a few more rounds, I think its time to go back home and wake up that old man of ours. Pepper let out a small woof, “Yup he is getting old.” Sam laughed and they both returned home.
“Dad, time to get out of the bed.” Sam said entering the house. “You are losing your touch, Dad.” he looked at the clock, it was 6:60 AM, “Hey guess what .. its 8 O clock and you are still in bed. Haha!” Sam waited for sometime but no reply came out. This was odd because he knew his dad always fell for this trick, but today there was no response. Did Chris grow wiser overnight?
Sam opened the door to Chris’ room and saw his bed and sheets, soaked in blood. Pepper entered the room and started barking at the dead body of her owner.
“Dad!” was the only thing Sam could say as he stood at the door, frozen in shock. Suddenly he heard a footstep from behind and turned around in lightning speed. One of the men from the car earlier had a gun pulled at him. Sam grabbed his hand and deflected his shot. A loud bang rocked the small house. Pepper saw Sam being attacked and she came running out of the room. As she lunges at the attacker to grab him by his arm, another gun shot rocked the house. “Pepper!” Sam cried as the god crashed into the wall sideways. Her guts were coming out and blood started to flow from her stomach like an overflowing sink.
Sam turned around to see another man from the car holding a shotgun. Sting in a deadlock with the first one, he turned himself around, making his assassin to have his back towards his partner.
“You assholes!” Sam cried with anger and pain as he elbowed the guy in his guts. The first one took a few steps back and was stopped by his partner. Sam’s eyes ran like a scanner and saw his dumbbell set by the wall. Quickly Sam started picking and throwing all the dumbbells at his assailants. As the twins saved themselves from the weight, Sam ran into the bathroom and locked himself up.
The door started banging loudly and soon another gunshot was heard. The door flung open and both men entered the bathroom. Suddenly, a whole lot of deodorant was sprayed in their faces. Both of them cried in pain while covering their eyes. Sam used this opportunity to grab one of their guns and aimed it at the head of the one nearest to him. But their painful movement, made them bump into each other and Sam, making him lose his balance. Sam fell into the bathtub, trying to grab the shower curtain as a support. But the curtain gave in and fell all over Sam covering him completely. One of the twins saw this and decided to act fast. He bent down as Sam tried to get out of the curtain cover and delivered several punches all over the bathtub with a blind eyes. The knuckle duster in his hand made sure that the curtain had several blood spots.
“Ugh!” Sam cried in pain lying in the bathtub, covered or rather trapped under his shower curtain.
The second one was able to see and so he pulled his shotgun at Sam who one more time tried to get up. — SLAM! The second one delivered the butt of his shotgun to Sam’s curtain covered head.
With a whimper, Sam laid down in his bathtub, still covered in the curtain. The first one got up and gave way to his twin who aimed his shotgun at Sam’s hidden face.
With the gunshot, a small cloud of smoke was released in the bathroom. The flash of the shots, reflected in the bathroom tiles and with the third shot, the twins made sure that their job was done.
Sam lied in his bathtub with his head almost in tiny pieces, still covered all over with the curtain.
The two men relaxed and opened the tap. After cleaning their eyes, they used one of the towels to dry their faces and left.
On their way out, the second one shot Pepper one more time.
The Sun came out of the horizon, as the twins drove away in their car.
Payback
Chapter 1 : The Best
“Punch harder, kid!” Ron yelled trying to imitate Mr Black. “I am!” Sam yelled back, but his punches were barely being felt by Ron. After a few more useless punches, Ron pulled away the makeshift pad, “This is hopeless. You punch like a girl.”
“Hey!” Sam got offended and jumped at Ron, punching him in the torso, “here, do these feel like punches of a girl?” Sam was trying to be menacing, but all he was doing was making Ron laugh. “I can barely feel you, silly. Now stop, you are making me tickle.” Ron laughed as Sam grew angrier.
But Ron’s laughter didn’t last long as he saw his little brother sitting aloof in one corner, tired and disappointed. “Hey!” he tried to cheer him up, “You don’t need to fight. You have me.” Sam was still not pleased, “Like you will be everywhere to save me.”
“Absolutely! We are brothers.” Ron said putting his arm around Sam, “aren’t we? And we will always be together.” Sam didn’t argue on this point, but he put forth another question, “But what is my strength? You can fight, that is why Mr Black likes you. What can I do?”
Ron looked at Sam for some time and then exclaimed, “You are good looking. I am sure girls will love you.” — “I don’t like girls. They annoy me.” Sam said making a face.
“Well, now maybe. But few years later, I am sure they will be running after you. Trust me.” Ron explained, and then he remembered something, “And what did you mean Mr Black likes me? That guy..” Ron looked up, “hates me!”
“You are an idiot!” Sam replied, as Ron stared right in his eyes. “Ma says this. Ma does.” Sam defended himself, “Ma told me all this.” Ron grabbed Sam’s neck in a lock, “What did she tell you? Tell me!” he tickled him with the other hand.
“Okay, stop..!” Sam cried laughing, “But promise you wont tell her that I told you all this.” Ron released Sam off his grip as a promise of not telling anybody. Sam adjusted his clothes and started telling on his Ma, “Remember the day you won that fight and came home crying?”
“I wasn’t crying.” Ron declared looking away. “Yeah, right. Anyways..” Sam knew he was lying, “Ma went to see Mr Black the next day.” Ron was shocked, “What! Why??”
“She told her all what you said about Mr Black that night. Remember?? Most of it was not nice.” Sam reminded Ron who turned red with fear and shame. “Shit!”
Seeing Ron holding his head, Sam continued, “Well Ma came back and told me what Mr Black said to her.” — “What did he say?” Ron was eager to know.
“No way I am telling you. You keep telling me I hit like a girl.” Sam was trying to gain some leverage, but Ron again held him in an armlock, “That is because you do hit like a girl. Here, prove me wrong.”
Sam tried to resist, but he realized his brother was right. “Okay, I will tell you. Stop.” Ron released him again.
“She said that Mr Black was surprised you said all those things. He told Ma that you were his best student and he did not want you to turn like other boys who come to the gym only to learn the fight to beat other people.” Sam stopped for a moment and looked into Ron’s eyes who w
as sitting like a statue, “he wanted you to be the best fighter he had ever trained.”
“The Best!” Ron whispered, lost in his own thought.
“See? This is why I wanted to learn from you. Cause you are the best.” Ron found Sam looking at him with a smile.
Ron smiled back and held Sam’s face in his hands, “You know what Sammy..” Sam nodded with curiosity, “.. you hit like a girl!”
“You and I, are done.” angry, Sam got up and left. “Hey stop. I was kidding, Sammy.” he said.
“Mr Black was wrong.” Sam said turning back, “you are going to be just like the other kids, learning to fight only to beat other people.” Ron stood up and Sam started running seeing him, “You better find a job where they hire you to beat people.”
“Well then I am going to start with you, you little monkey!” Ron ran after Sam.
“Aaaahhh!” Sam ran away laughing hysterically as his brother chased him through the alley. “Stop running and let me beat you up.”
The boys ran through the alley.
Chapter 2 : You Killed My Brother
The two identical men left Sam’s house and got into their car. The Sun just came up and shone warmly on the windshield as they drove away. The duo then stopped outside the ‘Hotel Shangri La’ a multi-storied hotel with rich looks and expensive ambience.
The valet parked their car for them as they moved inside. Taking the elevator, they both reached the 8th floor and went inside their room. One by one, they took shower and changed the clothes. The ones they were wearing were then packed in a trash bag.
After getting changed, the brothers laid down in their beds and fell asleep.
Around 4:30, the black sedan stopped outside the Fersko Safe House and the guard saw the brothers sitting inside their car, staring at him. He knocked the window by the door, and another man from the window on the floor above looked outside. He disappeared for some seconds before Luca appeared at the window waving at the twins.
The brothers got out of their car and the guard opened the door for them. As they entered Luca’s room, Dave saw them and stood right where he was. While the second brother closed the door behind them, his eyes met with Dave, who stood in the other end of the corridor. The brother closed the door and Dave took out his cellphone.
Moments later, the brothers left the safe house, leaving a joyous Luca behind. As the black sedan drove away, Dave followed it quietly in his car.
Around 9:30, the brothers were getting ready to leave. They were packing their suitcases when there was a knock on their door. The two brothers exchanged a curious look and stopped what they were doing right there. Quickly, they armed themselves and one of them took position behind the bathroom door. The other one went to open the door, “Who is it?” he asked in a deep voice.
“Mr Fersko sent me. He wanted me to give you this envelope asking if you would be interested in another job.”
Both the brothers looked at each other and talked without saying a word. Getting a little relaxed the first one opened the door and saw Ron standing outside. He stretched an envelope to him, which the brother took. But then his eyes noticed Ron’s other hand that was holding a gun. The gun, that Ron in a swift motion placed before his mouth, “You killed my brother!” he said just before pulling the trigger.
The brother fell on his back, spurting blood out of the back of his head and mouth. The other brother fired from the cover of the bathroom door and Ron hid behind the wall in the corridor.
“Dave,” Ron yelled, “Cover me.” From the other wall, Dave peeked out and started firing one shot after another. Ron used this window to enter the room and hid behind the bed. As Dave ran out of the ammo, the brother peeked out of the bathroom and fired at Ron who was squatting behind the bed.
“Dave, a little help.” Ron cried.
“Coming!” Dave yelled while loading his revolver as quickly he could. The brother then moved towards the door while shooting at Ron, to pin him down. “He is coming for you.” Ron warned Dave, who was still loading. “Shit!” Dave cried.
He grabbed the door knob to close the door, but receive a kick in his hand instead. With his bullets spilling on the floor, Dave tried to close the chamber of his revolver as the brother pulled his gun at him.
But the he was pulled back inside the room with a jerk. Ron threw him on the floor and landed his strongest punches on his face. After Ron stopped, the man was red with his own blood.
“As I told your brother,” Ron pulled his face near him, “You killed my brother!”
The man tried to grab his gun, but Ron saw it and picked it up before him. By now, Dave had filled his revolver and locked the room after coming in.
“And now,” Ron hammered his face with the butt of his gun repeatedly “I am going to kill you.” Ron pulled the man’s gun on him, “just like your brother.”
The man looked at his brother who laid with his eyes and mouth wide open.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Ron fired three bullets in his face within 4 inches. The man’s face was unrecognizable.
Breathing heavily for sometime, Ron stayed over his chest for almost a minute. Dave sat down on the bed and lit a cigarette.
Ron got up and sat on the other bed, across Dave. “Now what?” asked Dave.
Ron laughed thinking of how stupid his answer will sound, “Now,” he said stopping his laughter, “I am going to kill that asshole.”
Dave just stared at him.
“Killing these guys was a different thing. But going after Luca..” Dave tried to analyse the risk, “we won’t have a place to hide. You know they will come after us with everything they have got.”
“Dave,” Ron asked, “what did I tell you that day in the car?”
“Anybody who touches Sam..” Dave said. — “I will kill that motherfucker!” Ron finished the sentence while Dave took a pause.
“Sam is not coming back no matter what you do.” Dave asked hoping to have a different answer this time, “are you sure you want to do this?”
“More than anything.” Ron said getting up.
“Alright then.” Dave also got up, but the warmth was suddenly missing from his face. “Consider me, out of this game.”
Ron looked at Dave with bewilderment. He was not expecting Ron to quit on him in the middle of the war. Dave could read Ron’s eyes and so he explained himself without letting Ron ask any questions, “I like you Ron. I really do. But I often ask myself a question — would you do this same thing for me too?” Dave looked at Ron who was still not reacting. “Tell me, had it been me instead of Sam, would you still be sitting in here covered in my killer’s blood .. with Sam by your side?” Dave looked at Ron for an answer — Nothing.
“And would Sam.. had agreed to take on the whole gang with you? Just the two of you, against the whole Fersko Crew?”
Ron started thinking and it turned his head towards the window. He looked outside — the whole city covered under the blanket of darkness. He still haven’t said anything to him, but Dave had got his answer.
“Goodbye Ron!” Dave got up and walked to the door, “and best of luck.”
Ron could hear Dave walking out of the room as he looked outside the window.
Chapter 3 : The Bad Apple
“What the fuck are you doing there, Luca?” Alfeo’s voice roared from the other end of the phone. Luca didn’t want to have this conversation, but he had no choice. “Dad, this was not my fault.” he was trying to be firm, but sounded rather wimpy. Like a little boy trying to plead his case before his father.
“You called two of the finest hitmen of our business from all the way to Kansas and somebody murdered them after they finished your job.” Alfeo rained hell upon Luca’ ears over the phone, “How do you suppose I explain it to the other families who are looking at me suspiciously now?”
“Dad, it was that asshole Ron .. who went crazy after the brothers killed that cop.” Luca put forth an argument, which Alfeo destroyed, “Who the fuck asked you to call a hit on tha
t cop? Didn’t we kill just one a few weeks ago?” Luca’s ear was burning up.
“What do you think the police will do now?” Alfeo continued “That’s it, you are coming back here.”
“No Dad!” Luca cried, “I am not coming back. This is my territory and I am going to fix everything.” he expected resistance from his father, but there was silence instead. “Please!” he begged after getting angry, “give me some more time, and I promise I will fix all this up.”
Luca waited for his father’s voice to come from the other end, and after a few seconds, he heard, “Alright, you have a week.”
Luca wanted to thank his father, but the the call was disconnected from the other end. Still, he thanked his stars and turned to his boys, “Round everybody up. Now!”
The boys nodded and left.
The whole crew was gathered in the hall. Most of them knew what was going on but nobody wanted to the wise guy and hence kept their thoughts to themselves.
“Listen up, assholes!” Luca appeared by the railing on the first floor. The whole crew looked at him as he stood with the boys.
“There has been a complication!” Luca shouted, “one of us has broken the family code and needs to pay for this.”
The guys knew whom Luca was talking about, but they waited for him to finish, “We all know Ron, right? The righteous Ron who would never do any wrong.” Luca was mocking now. “Well, he has been a very bad boy and I need him to be punished. My father, wants him to be punished.” he added his father to add credibility, “and so, its upto all of you” he said while moving his finger over everyone down, “to bring him to me.”
The crowd remained silent. Luca noticed it and tried to motivate them, “Whoever brings him to me first, gets 100 grand.”
A few gasps were heard in the crowd. Luca knew the trick worked on some, and so he raised the stakes, “Plus, my personal glowing recommendation to my father. And you all know what that means.”