Living the American Dream

by Frank Cereo

  “How the hell did you get in here?” Robbie asks.

  “Through the front door. Someone was thinking with the wrong head and left the front door unlocked.” I say with a smile.

  “I don’t know what beef you have with Robbie but I would like to get out of here.” Karen says.

  “Sorry honey, compromising positions has landed you here. So that makes you part of the problem.” I say.

  Karen starts to get off Robbie as she lifts her leg up.

  “I said stay put.” I say with a demanding voice.

  “Or what, you will kill me.” Karen says like she is in command.

  I look right at Karen and she disregards my request. I pull the trigger and put a bullet right through her head. Blood splatters against the wall and headboard. Karen slouches down and on top of Robbie. Robbie tries to push Karen off but the dead weight is too heavy for him.

  “You didn’t have to kill her.” Robbie says as he begins to cry.

  “Are you kidding me? You are crying over a dead hooker.” I say.

  “She was more than a hooker to me.” Robbie says as Karen’s blood starts to spill onto him.

  “More than a hooker, more than a hooker to me?” I start to sing from the Bee Gees song More Than a Woman.

  “You bastard, now get her off me.” Robbie pleas.

  “Are you kidding me? This is perfect.” I say as I pull a knife out of my bag of tricks.

  “What are you going to with that?” Robbie says as he starts to panic.

  “Let’s just say you’re going to leave a piece of you inside of her.” I say as I walk around to the foot of the bed.

  “No, no please don’t do that.” Robbie yells as he tries to struggle beneath the dead woman.

  When I reach the foot of the bed I can see Robbie’s member still inside Karen. She is slouched over enough that his tool is in a perfect position. I lean over on the bed and put the cold blade against his member.

  “Can you feel that?” I ask Robbie.

  “Please don’t, please I’m begging you.” Robbie says while he is crying like a baby.

  “Answer the fucking question. Can you feel the blade?” I yell.

  “Yes, yes I can feel it. Please don’t, please, please, please.” Robbie screams with tears streaming down his face.

  “I bet you can feel this!” I say as I put the serrated edge of the knife against his member.

  “No, oh no please don’t do it. I had nothing to do with the company moving.” Robbie says frantically as he tries to get out from underneath Karen.

  Robbie arches his hips to move Karen off him. In doing so he exposed his shaft and I take advantage of the situation and with one clean swipe, I cut his member off.

  “Ahh, you fucking cunt. When I get my hands on you, I’m going to strangle you.” Robbie yells and screams.

  “That’s if you don’t bleed to death first.” I say.

  Robbie fights frantically to get up. The sheet below him is turning red and the puddle is expanding outwards. Robbie is bleeding profusely on the bed as the linens are absorbing his blood. His member is still imbedded deep inside Karen as he struggles underneath her weight. I pull up a chair and relax as his blood spurts out of the remnants of his shaft. Robbie panics which increases his heart rate and pumps the blood out faster.

  “The suspense is killing me. How much longer are you going to last. The entire bottom half of the bed is colored red from your blood.” I say.

  “This is just wrong” Robbie says in low tone.

  “You made it wrong. I made it right” I reply.

  Soon his struggles stop and so does the blood flow. I leave the love birds together for everyone to see. I grab my bag and walk out the front door like nothing happened. I get into my car and start it up. The first thing I do is look at is the clock on the dash.

  “Its 10:49 and I am still on schedule.” I say as I start to drive away.

  I make my way out onto the main drag. I know the next two kills are going to be more difficult because they are both under protective custody. I get half way there and my cell phone rings and I pick it up and listen.

  “You need to come back to us now. I see the moves you are making.” The woman says like she is riding with me and watching me.

  “Whatever honey,” I say as I hang up the phone.

  I put the cell phone back in my pocket. I drive toward Jeb’s house but I need to park the car away from the house and walk in. I know he has at least three agents there protecting him and they will be expendable.

  “Half way home and if everything goes as planned, I will be on my way home in just over two hours.

  When I arrive in the vicinity of Jeb’s house, I park my car in the trailer park. I make sure it’s parked next to a trailer to make it look unsuspicious. I pull out my knife and handgun, along with my rifle. I quickly put the rifle together including the silencer. I exit the car and start to walk towards Jeb’s lodge. I make sure I keep a good pace at first but slow down when I get close to the house. I find a nice group of trees that I will use for cover. I lift my rifle up and take aim at one of the federal officers. Just before I pull the trigger a vehicle comes racing up the driveway. This startles me and I pull the rifle down and backup into the trees. I hope they are not onto me yet because they might have discovered the three dead bodies. I watch as the black SUV pulls up and three men get out.

  “Your shift is over guys.” The driver says as he gets out.

  “Any word on our man?” The man standing porch asks.

  “No it’s all quiet on the western front. You guys go back to the hotel and get some rest.” The driver says.

  I sit back and wait for the shift change to be completed. I lean back against a tree facing towards the road and listen to the men’s conversation.

  Chapter 18 – Jeb Throrughgood

  The six men are talking back and forth about their weekend plans. They really must think this is a hoax and the threat isn’t real because everything seems to be a joke to them. Just sitting here thinking the second shift feds just lucked out because the shift change just saved their lives. I sit and listen as their conversation tells me how good they are as agents.

  “Can you believe the government is wasting so much money for us to babysit these morons? This Fred character is hundreds or maybe thousands of miles from here.” A middle aged federal agent says.

  “That’s right, he wants nothing to do with us.” A black agents blabs out.

  “If you’re out there Freddy boy come on and meet the wrath of god. Me and my .45 caliber handgun are going to blow your head clean off.” A young fed says.

  “What are the assignments Ralph?” The middle age agent says.

  “Two of you are to walk the perimeter of the house. One remains in the front and other is in the rear of the house. Jonesy (the middle age agent) you are to remain in the house. If something happens call in for backup immediately. You guys can laugh and joke around but this man is for real. He has killed at least seven maybe eight people that we know of. Watch yourselves and don’t take anything for granted. Do you understand?” Ralph says as he gets into the SUV.

  I listen to the three vehicle doors close inside the SUV. The engine starts as the car turns around in the driveway. I watch as the headlights make the turn and then start down the driveway. I watch as the rear running lamps fade into the darkness.

  “Alright you guys. Stevie (the black agent) you’re in back and Eddie (the young punk agent) you’re in front.” Jonesy says.

  “Can you believe this shit? Do they really think this guy has the balls to go up against us?” Eddie says.

  “Just do what you’re paid to do. If this man arrives, I want him in a body bag and not the two of you. Now stay alert and use your radio if you see or hear anything.” Jonesy says as he walks inside the house.

  “I bet you $50, nothing happens here tonight.” Eddie says to Stevie.

  “You’re on, I need an extra $50. I think he will show up and he will die quick. How about ano
ther $50 if I kill him.” Stevie says as he starts to walk around the side of the house.

  “The two of you shut up and get to your assigned positions.” Jonesy says as I hear the front door open and close.

  I give the federal agents a chance to get in place. In the meantime I pull out my rifle. I start to load the gun while Eddie is walking around on front of the porch. I am sitting about thirty yards away from the house. There are many trees in between me and the house as I attach the scope to the gun. I am a little nervous because I haven’t used my rifle for three years. I only used the rifle when I use to hunt. My biggest concern is the accuracy of the scope because if it’s off just a hair, I may miss my target. After the scope is attached I look through it. Around the house is lit up like a baseball field. I watch Eddie though the scope as he paces with no concern. The last thing I attach is the silencer. When that is complete I roll over on my stomach and take aim at Eddie. He continues to walk in between the trees and I can’t get a good shot. Then I hear Jonesy come over the radio. I watch as Eddie walks off the porch and onto the driveway.

  “Eddie check in.” Jonesy asks.

  “All quiet here Jonesy.” Eddie replies into the radio.

  “Stevie check in.” Jonesy says.

  “All quiet here Jonesy.” Stevie replies.

  That tells me they have a radio check scheduled every fifteen minutes. I tell myself that gives me fifteen minutes to kill all three agents. I have to be quick and thorough. So I put the scope on Eddie one more time. I keep him in the crosshairs while he walks around kicking the dirt in the driveway. Then he stops and stands in an opening. He reaches in his pocket and pulls out a pack of Marlboros. He puts the cigarette in his mouth while he reaches for his lighter in his pocket. I have the crosshairs aimed at Eddie’s head because he is probably wearing a bullet proof vest. He lights the lighter and bends down to light the cigarette. He stands back up and takes a deep drag off his cigarette. As he exhales the smoke I squeeze the trigger. The bullet hits Eddie between the eyes as his body crashes to the ground about five feet from where he was standing. I get up and run towards Eddie because I want to make sure he is dead. When I get there the cigarette is smothering on the driveway and Eddie’s head is split in half. His eyes are wide open and he isn’t moving. I check for a pulse in his neck to be on the safe side. I pull my glove off and put my index and middle finger against his carotid artery and there is no pulse. I put my glove back on and crouch up against the porch.

  “Wow this rifle is more powerful than I thought. Guess what Eddie, you just lost $50.” I say to myself as I drag Eddie against the porch.

  From there I head around the garage towards the rear of the house. I look at my watch and see about seven minutes have expired since they had their initial check in. When I reach the side of the garage, I take a peek around the back. I see Stevie sitting on the patio furniture. He is spinning in circles on a chair. He is not paying attention to his surroundings. I guess he thinks if I do arrive, I won’t be looking in the backyard. So I go down on one knee and scope him. It’s hard to get a good shot because he is spinning like a little kid. I know I can’t wait all night because my element of surprise will be gone during the next radio check.

  “Be proactive here.” I say to myself as I aim ahead of the target.

  I stay calm and put the crosshairs just ahead of the target. I practice three times in my head of when to squeeze the trigger. On the forth turn I squeeze the trigger and Stevie flops out of the chair and onto the patio. I look through my scope and Stevie isn’t moving or breathing. There is a large hole in his left temple. I have to make sure he is dead so I run towards Stevie’s body. When I get there half of his head is missing and the patio is painted red with blood and brains. I don’t even have to check for a pulse here. I grab Stevie by the legs and drag him into the woods. I paint a deep red line into the concrete patio from his blood escaping the large opening in his skull.

  “I can’t believe you bet Eddie $50 that you would kill me first. I guess you lose too.” I say as I drop Stevie’s dead carcass.

  I grab my weapons and head towards the backdoor to the house. I check the door and sure enough it is locked. I look at my watch and the next radio check will be in three minutes or less. If Jonesy doesn’t get a reply from both agents he will call for backup. I quickly move towards the front of the house. I walk up on the front porch and move towards the door. I lift my head up and peek inside the window on the door. There I see Jonesy sitting in the living room having a smoke. The fireplace is lit and due to the time of night, the Throrughgood family is in bed. I slowly open the door and tip toe into the house. Jonesy is facing towards the foyer and he will see me when I come into view. I will need a diversion to preoccupy him so I can take a clean shot at him. I figure out that he is going to use the radio in less than a minute and that will be my opportunity. I figure I will have one clean shot at him. I want to use the rifle because of the silencer. I know by all rights inside the house I should use the handgun because of maneuverability. I know my silencer is not attached to the handgun and I don’t have time to put it on either. Most of all I want to be quiet because I don’t want to awaken the family. I may hate Jeb but my intention is not to kill his wife and kids. They are innocent from his wrong doings.

  “Eddie check in.” Jonesy says into the radio.

  “He is not going to answer.” I say as I pop out and fire a round into Jonesy’s forehead.

  The bullet passes through Jonesy’s head and paints the wall red behind him. Jonesy’s body flips over in the chair and comes to rest on the hardwood floors. The sound of the flipping chair has me standing still and listening for anyone scurrying upstairs. I stand there for a couple of minutes and there are no sounds. I walk over to Jonesy and check for a pulse. He is deader than a doornail. I stand up and move towards the stairway. I walk up one stair at a time just in case there is a squeaker. When I hit the landing I turn one hundred and eighty degrees and start up the second set of steps. Again my approach is slow as I take one step at a time. When I reach the top landing I follow the snoring. All the doors to the bedrooms are open. When I walk in to Jeb’s bedroom he and his beloved wife are sound asleep. I slowly creep to his side of the bed. Jeb is on his back snoring like a freight train. I guess he has no worries in the world with federal protection. I put the rifle barrel against his temple and push. The first push stops Jeb from snoring but he isn’t awake yet. So I hit him a little harder and this awakens him quickly.

  “Huh, what’s going on?” Jeb says aloud.

  “What’s wrong Jeb?” His wife says as she reaches towards the lamp.

  She doesn’t see the butt end of the rifle that slams against the back of her head knocking her out cold. This brings Jeb into reality. He tries to play hero and grab for me, but he gets the wooden butt of the rifle into his teeth.

  “Listen and listen carefully. I have no beef with your wife and children. I won’t hurt them if you follow my instructions. I want you and only you. Do you understand me? You make one false move and I will kill your wife and children without a second thought.” I say.

  Jeb shakes his head yes that he understands.

  “Get out of bed and go down the stairs and don’t say a word.” I say.

  Jeb gets up just wearing a pair of boxers. He tries to grab his robe but I tell him no. We walk down the stairs as I point him towards the front door. He looks over and sees Jonesy lying in a pool of his own blood.

  “They weren’t good enough to beat a man with determination. You fucked with the wrong man.” I say as I hit him in the back with the rifle stock.

  Jeb almost trips and falls flat on his face. I lead him to the door and push him outside.

  “Where are we going?” Jeb asks.

  “Into the woods.” I say.

  “I need a coat, just because were in the south doesn’t mean it’s warm.” Jeb says.

  “Don’t worry about a coat because we’re not going to be out here too long.” I say.

  I le
ad Jeb to the middle of the trees between his house and my car.

  “What do you want me to say, I’m sorry?” Jeb pleads.

  “Sorry doesn’t cut is asshole.” I says as I push Jeb to the ground.

  “What happened in Elmira was a business decision. I’m sorry if it left you without a job. Its life get used to it.” Jeb says with attitude.

  “Get used to it, are you fucking kidding me. I showed up for work on Monday morning and all the hourly employees used me as a punching bag and kicked the living shit out of me. So don’t tell me to get used to it.” I say as I use the rifle as shoot a bullet through Jeb’s right knee.

  “Ah you fucking bastard. Wait until I get my hands on you I’m going to rip you from limb to limb.” Jeb says as he grabs a hold of his knee.

  “I don’t think I am going to let you put your steroid built hands on me.” I say.

  “What is wrong with you? Are you some kind of psychopath?” Jeb says with attitude.

  “Let’s see what’s wrong with me. I lost my wife and children. They foreclosed on my house. I have no retirements to retire on. It’s people like you that are ruining this country. It’s all about stepping on the middle class working man and crushing all his dreams. You see I have nothing to go back to and neither will you when I get done with you.” I say.

  “You’re a pussy. Why don’t you lose the gun and I will kick your ass with only one leg.” Jeb says like the big strong man he is.

  “You see Jeb you’re not going to have that chance. I came here to do a job and that’s what I plan on accomplishing before the night is through. You see Robbie and James have already met their fate. They weren’t as lucky as you. You are so high on the totem pole they had federal agents protecting you. Ha, ha, ha.” I say as I bust out laughing.

  “You think it’s funny killing innocent men?” Jeb says.

  “You three are as innocent as all the rest of the corporate bureaucrats that think they are untouchable. I think it’s funny that you bastards think you’re invincible. Right here and right now shows me you’re not invincible. You are going to die here tonight without fail and without finding salvation.” I say as I hit Jeb in the mouth again with the rifle stock.