Disturb

by Jack Kilborn

  “He has a gun.”

  Bill hustled back to the security guard’s body. Sure enough, there was a gun in a leather holster on his waist. Bill knelt down, fumbling to unbutton the clasp.

  Another ding. The elevator doors parted like a stage curtain.

  David smiled at them. There was a splash of blood on his face, matting one side of his hair. His shirt and pants were streaked with gore. He was leaning on his ax like a walking cane.

  “Are you guys trying to get away from me?”

  Bill tugged at the gun, pulling it free. He’d never held one before, and was surprised by its weight. This was a different kind of gun that Carlos had, not a revolver, but the other kind where you loaded the bullets in the bottom. He pointed it at David with shaking hands.

  “Don’t come any closer!”

  David stepped out of the elevator, swinging his ax.

  “Are you sure you know how to fire that gun, Doc?”

  Bill closed one eye, aiming at David’s chest. This whole scene was surreal. Bill didn’t want to kill him. The thought of killing someone scared Bill almost as much as getting hit with that ax.

  “David, please.” Theena was on her knees alongside Barry. “We want to help you.”

  “Sorry, Theena. I don’t have a choice.”

  He raised the ax up over his head.

  Bill closed his eyes. This was not what it was supposed to feel like. All of those movies and books, where the hero nonchalantly blew people away by the dozens. That was garbage. This was real, and frightening, and so very final.

  Worst of all, Bill knew what it felt like to kill somebody. Horrible, beyond words. He wasn’t anxious to relive the feeling.

  “Bill.” Theena gripped him, trembling. “You have to.”

  He bit his lip and pulled the trigger.

  Nothing happened.

  “That’s a semiautomatic, Doc. You have the safety on. It’s that lever in the back.”

  Bill’s fingers pushed at the little lever to unlock it. His resolve was slipping away. David seemed to know it, too, and found it humorous. He’d begun to swagger.

  Bill forced courage. He pointed the gun again and fired.

  Click.

  “Nothing in the chamber, Doc. You have to work the slide. Don’t you watch TV?”

  David continued towards them, grinning. He was less than five yards away, twirling the ax like a baton. Theena crouched behind Bill, her hands on his shoulders.

  Bill pulled the top half of the gun back, and the mechanism loaded the round.

  He fired.

  The shot was wild, way over David’s head, and the gun bucked so hard it almost flew out of Bill’s hands. There was a jingling sound when the spent cartridge hit the terrazzo.

  “Keep both eyes open, Doc. Squeeze the trigger, don’t jerk it. And you have to lean into it a little. Want me to show you?”

  This was too much, having make the same horrible decision over and over. Bill took a deep breath and tried to keep his hands steady. David was less than ten feet away. He couldn’t afford to miss.

  The ax cocked back. Theena screamed at Bill to shoot. He pulled the trigger.

  The shot hit David high in the chest. He fell over, the ax skittering across the floor.

  Theena cried out in relief, burying her face in Bill’s neck and holding him tight. Bill let out the breath he was holding and pulled her close. He felt a wave of sickness wash over him. The implications of what he’d done began to gnaw at him. He’d taken a life.

  “Look at Manny!”

  Bill spun around, half expecting to see the man back on his feet, like some unkillable Halloween monster. Instead he saw Manny cough, his chest rising and falling.

  Bill’s hope soared. “He’s still alive.”

  “Help him.”

  Bill wasn’t sure that was such a hot idea. He was happy Manny wasn’t dead, but if he suddenly recovered Bill didn’t think he could shoot him again.

  “Theena…”

  “Bill, please. It’s not his fault.”

  She was right. If ever there was a textbook case of insanity, it was Manny.

  Bill went to him, felt the carotid. Pulse was weak but steady. He tore open Manny’s shirt and used it to wipe away the excess blood. There were three bullet holes, one in the sternum, one just above the belly button, and one through the right nipple. Incredibly, they were no longer bleeding.

  “We need to get him to a hospital. Call 911. Get the police here, too.”

  Theena nodded. Bill gently lifted Manny into a sitting position and examined his back. One exit wound, under the shoulder blade. The other two bullets were still in his body somewhere. Manny’s breathing was raspy, shallow. He laid him back down and put an ear to his chest. Collapsed lung.

  “Get something to put under his feet.”

  Theena finished the phone call and brought the chrome garbage can over. They placed Manny’s legs on top to help improve blood flow to the brain and stave off shock. All at once, Manny started to twitch and tremble.

  Bill listened to his chest again. The arrhythmia was obvious. He guessed it was ventricular tachycardia-Manny’s heart had to be up near two hundred beats per minute.

  “What’s happening?”

  “He’s having a heart attack. A clot probably dislodged.”

  “What can we do?”

  Bill didn’t have an answer. In a fully stocked ER there was plenty he could do. But without drugs, all he could manage was keep CPR going until the paramedics arrived. Manny’s heartbeat, though fast, wasn’t effectively pumping blood through his body, and if Bill couldn’t get the blood to circulate, the man would be dead within minutes.

  He raised Manny’s neck, opening the airway.

  “Bill, there are drugs in the lab downstairs.”

  “What kind of drugs?”

  “Everything. We’re stocked for World War III.”

  “Heparin? TPA? Streptokinase?”

  Theena nodded.

  “How about epinephrine and beryllium?”

  “I’ll be right back.” Theena ran for the elevator.

  “Hold on. You shouldn’t go down there alone. We don’t know if those two mob guys are dead.”

  Theena’s face was frantic. “I can’t just let him die, Bill. It’s my fault this is happening.”

  Bill thought it over, then handed her the gun. “Don’t take any chances. And don’t forget the syringe.”

  Theena took off. Bill stared down at Manny, watching his face contort in pain. His legs thrashed, kicking the garbage can across the lobby. He’d gone from V-Tach to V-Fib, his heart playing an erratic game of stop and go, beating without coordination. He’d also stopped breathing.

  Bill raised both hands over his head and brought them down hard, giving Manny a precordial thump on the chest. The object was to restart the heart’s electrical current and override the arrhythmia. A defibrillator would work better, but he doubted even Theena’s well stocked lab had one handy.

  He checked Manny’s heartbeat and hit him again. Then he did a quick mouth sweep and tilted Manny’s head up, giving him the breath of life. Bill fell into the familiar rhythm of CPR, putting one hand over the other and pressing on Manny’s ribcage, feeling the heart spasm under his palms.

  A sound, from outside. Bill turned to look through the doors, continuing his chest compressions.

  A helicopter was landing in the parking lot.

  Before Bill had a chance to laud the incredible speed of Schaumburg paramedics, Albert Rothchilde climbed out of the bird and ran to the front doors.

  Bill gave Manny another breath, wondering what to do. Why was Rothchilde here? To see if his goons finished the job?

  Rothchilde unlocked the front door and entered the lobby. He held a glistening black garbage bag. He approached Bill with an expression of quiet amusement.

  “Dr. May. So good to see you. Is Theena still with us?”

  Bill punched Manny’s chest again.

  “We need to get this man to a hospit
al. Help me with his legs, we’ll use your chopper.”

  “Sorry, but I don’t think so. In fact, why don’t you just stop trying to help him.” Rothchilde produced a gun from his pocket. “Now, please.”

  Bill continued the CPR. Rothchilde might hire guys to do his dirty work, but Bill didn’t think him the type to do it himself.

  Rothchilde aimed and fired, putting another bullet into Manny’s gut.

  Bill jumped back, raising his hands. So much for his character assessment. He looked down at Manny.

  Manny twitched twice, and then was still.

  Rothchilde was all smiles. “Much better. Now where’s Theena?”

  Bill felt anger clogging his throat, making speech difficult. “You bastard.”

  “Dr. May, I have no time for games. Don’t make me ask you again.”

  “You’re going to kill me if I help you or not.”

  “True. But if you don’t help me, I’m going to shoot you in the kneecap. It’s supposed to be excruciating. Shall we see?”

  Bill mulled it over. Theena was one of the reasons he was in this ridiculous mess. Why should he suffer, especially since Rothchilde would inevitably find her anyway?

  But he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t let this megalomaniac find her, even if it meant pain. Bill was confused about his feelings for Theena, but if he could protect her he would.

  “Those thugs you hired shot Manny and took her away.”

  Rothchilde squinted at him. “That doesn’t make sense.”

  “They said they wanted to find out what she knew. That it was worth a lot of money.”

  A flash of panic swept over Rothchilde’s face.

  “Do you know where they took her?”

  “Back to her apartment.”

  “And why aren’t you playing hero and trying to save her?”

  Bill tried to sound cold. “I don’t owe that bitch anything.”

  Rothchilde smiled. “She is quite the little charmer, isn’t she? Did you find out about her and daddy yet? And he’s the one that sent her to me. There’s enough in that relationship for a lifetime of therapy.”

  Bill had to get him out of here. Theena could be coming back any second.

  “You’d better go. The police are on their way.”

  “No, they aren’t. I’ve taken care of that.”

  Rothchilde moved closer, his focus intense.

  “Move your arm, please. I want a clear shot at your heart.”

  Bill knew with absolute certainty that he was going to die. This was more than Rothchilde simply needing him out of the way. The bloodthirsty bastard actually wanted to shoot him. He was practically drooling.

  Bill grasped at a straw.

  “I’ll take money.”

  “What money?” Rothchilde laughed.

  “Half a million.”

  Rothchilde rolled his eyes, obviously enjoying himself. “And why would I give you half a million?”

  “For the FDA to approve N-Som.”

  The smile faded and Rothchilde raised an eyebrow.

  “An interesting proposal. But I don’t think you’ll do it. You’re too honest.”

  “You could keep men with me until it’s finished. We could have all the paperwork done by the end of the week.”

  Bill watched him think it over. He could almost see the little balance scale in Rothchilde’s head, weighing the pros and cons.

  “You’d do it for a measly half a million?”

  “Half a million, plus my life.”

  Rothchilde pondered for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, he grinned.

  “Deal.”

  Ding.

  They both looked off to the side.

  The elevator was coming up.

  Bill fought panic. As soon as Theena stepped out, Rothchilde was going to catch the lie and kill him.

  “Ready to go?” Bill took two casual steps towards him. Rothchilde bayed him with the gun.

  “Hold on. I want to see who’s in the elevator.”

  “It’s probably Dr. Myrnowski. I asked her to bring me some medicine for Manny.”

  “We’ll see in a moment, won’t we?”

  Ding.

  The doors opened. Bill tensed.

  There was no one in the lift.

  No… there was something crouching down. Something unbelievably bloody.

  Rothchilde cocked his head, looking like a confused dog. “Carlos?”

  The lump raised his arm. It ended in a gun.

  Bill dove to the side when the shooting began.

  Rothchilde danced back and forth, firing with insane glee, the muzzle flashes lighting up his eyes.

  Carlos was a ruin, not even recognizable as human. He was barely able to hold up the weapon, let alone aim.

  Bill took off. The front door was unlocked, the portal to freedom open. But Theena was still in the basement.

  He headed for the emergency exit.

  Bill threw a glance over his shoulder and watched Rothchilde stand over Carlos and pump round after round into his extremities, the mobster wiggling like a worm on a pin. The look on Rothchilde’s face was rapturous.

  Bill ducked through the doorway and took the stairs down two at a time. When he reached the lower level he screamed out Theena’s name.

  “Bill?”

  She ducked out of the lab, her arms filled with drugs.

  “The gun! Quick!”

  “What about Manny?”

  Bill grabbed her arm, bottles toppling to the floor. “Your boss showed up, he just killed Manny.”

  “Albert? I don’t believe…”

  There was a distant bell. The elevator was coming down.

  Bill pivoted back towards the staircase, then hit the brakes.

  Was Rothchilde really in the elevator? Or did he just send the elevator down to force them up the stairs, where he was waiting?

  “Dammit. We have to hide. The gun.”

  Theena handed it over. Bill ushered Theena back into the lab. He needed a vantage point, a place where he’d have a clear shot. There were three large counters, lined up in rows, each running half the length of the room. Bill pulled Theena behind the corner of the farthest one, crouching behind the built-in sink.

  “Albert really shot Manny?”

  “While I was giving him CPR. Then that mob guy came up in the elevator, and Rothchilde shot him in the arms and legs.”

  “Why would he do that? I thought they worked for Albert.”

  “To be honest, I think he did it because he liked it.”

  Bill fumbled with the gun. He found the button that released the clip, and was shocked to see there was only one bullet left. That plus one in the chamber. Two bullets didn’t seem like a whole lot.

  “Should I use the intercom, try to talk to him?”

  “I don’t think it will help.”

  “So we should just wait here and shoot him when he comes in?”

  Bill jammed the clip back in. “That’s the idea.”

  He rested on one knee and kept a bead on the doorway. The adrenaline was wearing off, and Bill tried to come to grips with their situation. He was planning on killing someone. It went against everything he knew, everything he was. His education, his sheltered upbringing, his lofty morals, his profession; none of it mattered any more.

  After Kristen’s death, he’d made an oath to never hurt a person again.

  I don’t have a choice, he told himself. Rothchilde was going to kill them both. If it didn’t happen today, it would happen soon enough. The man had too much to hide, and murder was his only out. Plus, the son of a bitch enjoyed it.

  Self-defense, self-defense, self-defense. It echoed in Bill’s head, his mantra. But he kept seeing Manny after he shot him, falling to the ground, gasping for air. Then he saw Kristen, her vitals slipping away moments after he gave her the injection that was supposed to heal her.

  There was a noise in the hallway. Footsteps.

  Bill no longer wanted to hold the gun. He wanted to drop it and run away.


  The door opened.

  Theena nudged him. Rothchilde stuck his head in the door and took a cautious look around.

  Bill knew he couldn’t do it. Maybe his morals were too strong. Maybe he was afraid of the guilt. Rothchilde was only ten feet away, a sitting duck, and Bill’s hands shook with effort but he couldn’t kill the man like this.

  He fired a bullet into the ceiling instead.

  Rothchilde dropped to the ground and rolled behind the opposite counter.

  “We’ve both got guns.” Bill’s voice was wavering as much as his hands. “There’s no way to get out of this cleanly.”

  “Exciting, isn’t it?”

  So exciting that Bill wanted to retch.

  “Theena? Are you with Dr. May?”

  Bill put his finger to his lips, but Theena was too angry to hold back. “You’re a killer, Albert.”

  “I know. It’s very empowering. Listen, darling, I need your help. I have a… specimen, and I need you to make some N-Som out of his brain. If you do that, I’ll let you both go.”

  “It’s over, Rothchilde!” Bill tried to sound confidant. “Just walk out of here. You have time to get out of the country before this story breaks.”

  “Theena, honey. Listen to me. This can’t end peacefully, but I promise you’ll survive. You have my word. Take Bill’s gun away from him. Just take it away, sweetie. He won’t fight you.”

  Theena grabbed the gun and pulled. Bill had been gripping the weapon loosely, and she pried it away before he could react.

  He looked into her eyes, unable to speak. The depth of her betrayal left him devastated.

  Theena raised the gun. Her face was so sad, the saddest thing he’d ever seen.

  “Bye, Bill.”

  Then she sprung up over the counter and launched herself at Rothchilde’s hiding place.

  Bill reached out, realizing her intent too late, trying to stop her. He watched her disappear behind the next counter.

  The gunshot was deafening.

  Jack Kilborn

  Disturb

  Albert Rothchilde felt incredible.

  He thought he knew power. Rothchilde grew up ordering servants around. He was a corporate hot shot who planned hostile takeovers for the thrill of it. A wall street maverick, with long term investors from around the world following his lead time and again. A man to be feared, by his competitors, his employees, the prostitutes he beat up.