“ Not now, not now!” Klecko mumbled to himself as he slowly walked through the Naval yard.
He was once called a hero and the shining example of what a true officer was, tonight that could be lost, whatever shred of light that was in him would be cleansed for good, his mind would fall deeper into the pit, lost in the darkness, he could feel it. He wonder if these were the same steps all serial killers took before they needed to be put down like a wild animal, would his face be posted on every paper with the headline Master Serial Killer Infiltrates NYPD, with another young detective holding the gun, and him begging like a helpless fool for one last kill, just like Alan Smith? He cringed at that thought.
He grasp onto his hunters knife that he used to kill Denise, still kept after that night, still tainted with her blood. He knew he should have gotten rid of it, but he couldn’t, he wanted something to remind him of that night, a small trophy to call his own . He carried the knife concealed under his right hip by his trench coat, trying to forge the memories of the blood that had been spilled, hoping to strengthen his soul and will, but he couldn’t find that same lust and passion he had once been able to.
Klecko cursed at himself, he wanted to know where his darkness had vanished to. Did I ever have that darkness to begin with? He couldn’t figure out why he was questioning himself at this crucial moment. “ Keep moving.” He whispered silently.
He finally reached the doorsteps of Warehouse Twenty-eight. He pulled open the rusty door, took a good view before going in. The entire place seemed like the perfect kill zone, no one around but a black cat that went running into the darkness to hide. The entire room was almost pitch black, hanging bulbs of light were the only thing illumining the path where he should go, the rest was a black abyss, no possible way to make out what was there, without squinting your eyes and taking a few minutes to figure things out.
Klecko undid the button on his holster, in case if his Guardian wanted to play any tricks, a gun was always faster than a knife. With his first echoing foot step his Guardian began to phone Klecko, the sound bounced through the warehouse which caught Klecko off guard, he flinched and almost reached for his weapon. He cursed at himself once more for showing fear, there was something about the darkness that scared him. “ I’m here.”
“ Follow the path of light, it’ll lead you where you need to go.” Klecko wonder if his Guardian was hiding somewhere in the darkness watching him, as he did in the church. “ Don‘t be afraid, Detective, embrace the darkness.”
Klecko shifted his gaze to the shadows, he was certain his Guardian was out there, studying him once more for what reason was beyond him. “ I’m not scared.” Klecko muttered to him.
“ Are you sure about that, Detective?” He asked once more.
“ Yes, I’ve made friends with it.” Klecko’s tone of voice was far from convincing.
“ You frightened too easy, Detective. It makes me question your reason for doing what you do.”
“ What the hell do you mean?” Klecko stop in his footsteps.
“ I really did want to be gentle with you Brian. Scrape the layers, until you came to terms with everything, but time is not kind with me. This is why I had to take a very strong approach with you. Keep moving forward.” His voice demanded and Klecko did as he was told. “ All your life, you were the hero, the man that could never fail. You walked and talked with the worst of the worst, you got inside their minds, you could be just like them, but you could never do what they did. Because you were the hero. Of course, that changed didn’t it. One screw up, one lost, broke your spirit, you wanted to start new, so you come to New York and what falls in your lap, Casey Miller.”
“ We’ve been through this.” Klecko spoke, stopping once more.
“ You needed to find her, because she was your angel, she was the embodiment of goodness. But something smell to high hell, you knew it, you tracked down everything she ever did. You even found her secret little apartment… don’t you remember?”
Why would Casey rent something so far from home, it makes no sense.
Klecko could see himself walking into that worn out apartment, rummaging through her things. There’s a loose floor board . “ Stop it, don’t, just stop.” Klecko pleaded to his Guardian.
“What did you find under the floor board of her bedroom, I’ll tell you what you found, you discovered her private collection, the two murders all on tape, all of them with her sweet gentle face, pulling the teeth, and flesh off them.”
This pain you feel is not real, you can not feel pain, you are one of the lord’s angels, you do not feel pain.
“That’s not true.” Klecko took a tumble to the floor, dropping on his hands, trying to catch his breath as the images shattered into his mind faster than he could keep track of.
I didn’t murder these people, I free them from the sin and flesh that held them back. I’ve done the lords work and I can feel him releasing my soul from this curse that was shoulder on me.
Klecko could see it all now. “ I couldn’t take it anymore, she was the one I was suppose to protect, but she was the devil himself. I lost…faith…hope….I lost my soul.”
“ Yes, you did, detective.” His guardian voice sounded as gentle as could be, trying to ease Klecko back to the task at hand. “ Now back on your feet.” Klecko could see in the distant a steel table with a long white sheet covering his next victim, he continued listening to his guardian speak. “ But do you remember that last missing piece to that faithful day,” Klecko began to pick up his pace, he began to focus his sights at the table and nothing more. “ do you remember who you ran into as you left the apartment that night?”
Klecko could feel the images pouring back into his mind like a rushing Tsunami, he wanted to fight them back but there was no use. He could see himself stumbling out of that bedroom, his eyes widen with fear, the tapes in his hands, his mind screaming for him to call for backup, let someone else deal with this. Only to have a young man, with dark hair come walking into the apartment, staring at Klecko like a deer caught in the headlights. “ I know who you are.” Klecko says to him, pulling his gun out and aiming it right in his chest. “ Casey told me everything about you, what you’re doing in that studio complex.” The voice in the back of his head shouts at him to pull the trigger, to end another monster to stop the blood, instead Klecko breaks in tears, asking one question. “ What is it all for?” Klecko lowers down his weapon and walks past him as though he was just a figment of his imagination.
Klecko dropped his weight on to the table, heaving for air. “ I saw your face, I know what you look like, I know where you live.” He tried to catch his breath.
“ You couldn’t take it, everything was so black and white with you. Demons needed to look like demons, not like angels. That sent you into despair, that haunted you to know the truth, the job was getting to you detective well before all this, but that was the nudge that sent you into madness. So you did what any other person would, you blocked it out, you made it a lie. You burned everything, you destroyed it all, anything to keep your grip with reality.” Klecko slowly arose back to his feet, regaining his composure. “ You needed to convince yourself that people like Casey could never exist, that they were the ones that needed protection, you needed to have balance, something to keep you safe at night.”
“ Why are you doing this? ” Klecko hovered over the table, wanting to see what was underneath. “ did you use me, did you make me into a monster just to laugh at me!” Klecko screamed at him
“ I protected you Detective, because I cared about your fate. If I wanted you dead I would have done it long ago. Even when you complicated things, I still stood by you. I’m not one to abandon those in need of answers. You questioned why you had a lust for blood, it’s because you want something to grasp onto. You need to fit in, because if you couldn’t be a hero, then you wanted to be a villain. But life isn’t that simple, Detective. There are no heroes and villains, just humans trying to find solace in this turbulent world.
/> Know this Brian, you can be a killer if you so choose to or you can be the hero you always wanted to be, or you can simply start a new life, your future is in your hands.” Klecko pulled the sheet off the table to see the victim, only to discover a life size dummy. “ It always has been, as it is tonight.”
Klecko could hear the pulling of the trigger in the darkness, he dropped the phone and reached for his gun, only to be warned not to. “ Don’t even think about it! ” Screamed Rita Vazquez from the shadows. “ Turn around and face me.” She ordered him, slowly inching closer into the light.
“ Alright, take it easy.” Klecko yelled back, he turned to meet Rita’s gaze. They both locked eyes for a minute never saying a word. “ What now ? ” He asked her.
Rita shrug her shoulders at him. “ I knew it was you, but at the same time I wish it wasn’t. I mean fucking sweet Jesus, you out of all people, I looked up to you, the whole God damn force looks up to you.” She waved her weapon at him. “ Did you do it, I need to hear the words come out of your mouth, Brian, I just need to hear it?” Her eyes watered up.
He stared at the floor sighing heavily before looking back at her. “ It wasn’t personal.” He said to her, only to have Rita respond back with a shot that skinned his cheek. Klecko screamed in pain grasping on to his bloody face. “ Fuck, mother fucker.” He bit down on his lip.
“ So you're Pardo’s personal killer.” She pulled the trigger back setting up for another shot.
“ What the hell are you talking about, I’m not Pardo’s bitch.” Klecko shouted back at her.
“ Don’t fucking lie to me! “ She fired off one more shot over his head. “ Your fucking buddy sold you out, he told me everything.”
Klecko kept his gaze at her gun, he knew Rita was a loose cannon, one wrong look at her , she’d pop one shot right between his eyes. “ I’m sorry, I really am.” Klecko pleaded with her.
“ She was everything to me.” Rita smiled in tears. “ She wasn’t perfect, but she didn’t have to end up like she did!” Rita aimed the weapon squarely at his chest. “ I loved her.”
For the first time, Klecko was willing to accept his fate. No matter what the outcome. “ I’m sorry, Rita, I really am.” He held his arms in the air. “ Just take me in, call back up and just take me in.”
“ No, why should I?” She yelled at him once more.
“ You don’t wanna do this, you’re a good a cop, you don’t have to walk down this path.” His words only set her off, she fired another run that almost grazed his head. “ Just take me in!” He yelled at her.
“No, your just going to get off free, people like you always find a way around the system.” Her aim was set right to his head. “ I’m tired of letting scum bags like you and.”
“ Pardo?” Klecko cocked his head as he laid eyes on the four men walking into the warehouse.
“ What the fuck!” Pardo shouted as he saw the hold up in front of his eyes. “ You’re the fuckers that took my money?” He screamed at them, grabbing his Magnum from the back of his pants.
The moment Rita laid eyes on the man who was standing at the front door, she wasted no time in raining down vengeance on him. She pulled her gun off Klecko and fired off the first shot that caught everyone off guard, the loud thundering round screeched as it was sent right into the skull of Pardo himself, his head snapped back discharging his weapon into the air, deafening one of his associates in the process that was to close to the barrel. Pardo’s other two associates let loose a volley of shots at Rita’s direction, four rounds pounded into her chest, sending burst of blood flying into all directions, she was able to squeeze off one more round that struck dead center at the skull of one Pardo’s men killing him instantly, before toppling onto the floor.
Klecko ran into the cover of darkness in the mist of confusion, just managing to get out of sight as the last two remaining men began to fire at his direction. He quickly reached for side arm. as they shot blindly at all directions hoping to nail him, he crouched on the floor steadying his aim, he took one deep breath before firing off two quick rounds, the first caught Pardo’s associate in the eye socket, the second was drilled at the last remaining man’s neck, the moment the bullet connected, blood gushed out like a busted soda can, causing the man to drop his weapon and cover the liter of blood draining out of him. Both suspects dropped simultaneous to the ground. All that was left was the dead air of silence.
“ Fuck me,” Klecko whispered in utter disbelief, he never imagined a shootout like that in his life. He could see the man that was shot in the neck was still kicking his feet, he cried out in agony, Klecko aimed his weapon once more and put the man out of his misery. “ Consider that my good deed.” He got back on his feet, dusting himself off. He stared in awe at the dead king pin Hector Pardo, the most untouchable man was left with a smoking bullet in his skull, if he could have he would a frame of poster of it. Luckily the rats would be able to feed off his dead body for a few days.
Rita Vazquez laid on the floor bleeding to death with her sidearm still in her cold grasp. He walked over to see if there was anything he could do to stop the bleeding, but as he began to inch closer Rita brought her weaken hand up, she hissed out of breath, her eyes still fuming with vengeance , aiming her weapon at him with her final minutes of life.
“ You’re not.” She began to cough up blood. “ Getting away.” Klecko held his breath as she pulled back the chamber, knowing his road ended here. But what came next was unexpected, no one saw it coming, it was the sight of a six inch blade impaling right into Rita's chest, the one responsible for it was a pink hair devil who stood over her, grinning as she slammed the weapon into her. “ Who are you?” Rita whispered with her dying breath, before dropping the weapon from her hand and letting her eyes stare into the unknown.
Klecko tumbled backwards from fright, firing off one shot into the air. He scattered to stand up and aim his weapon at the girl that stared at him with her bloody smiling face, showing her bright white teeth that were stained with droplets of blood. “ Are you ok, baby?”
Klecko swallowed dryly. “ Who are you?” He trembled to get his aim.
“ It’s me silly, don’t you remember?” She giggled.
It took a moment for Klecko to remember that voice. “ Mistress?” He spoke like a boy still in puberty.
“ My name is Jasmine.” She said pulling the blade off Rita’s chest. “ I came as fast as I could when I heard the gun shots, I just had to take care of business outside. I hope your not mad?” Her eyes shined at him.
“ No, no, it‘s ok.” He stammered. “ My name is Klecko.” They both smiled at each other, like teenagers in love. But the sound of police sirens ended their paradise, they were a good five minutes off a perfect time to escape if one choose to. Rita was dead, Pardo was dead, there was nothing to trace him back to the murder, no one to raise questions, he could be a cop or a serial killer again if he wanted to.
“ What do we do now ?” Jasmine asked wiping the blood from her blade with her skirt.
There was so many possibilities as where he could go, all up to him, just as his guardian told him, The future is in your hands
Chapter 87
Last Piece
Karen looked out the window at the sudden gusting wind that blew the trash into the air and swayed the trees violently, she sighed heavily as she stared at her alarm clock, it was 9:35 PM and still no word from Peewee, she wonder if he got caught up with something else. The thought popped into her head whether to call him or not, there was no rush after all, If they couldn’t go tonight, they could go tomorrow when sunset broke.
“ In other news,” The t.v was blasting loudly in her living room, just something to play in the background to keep the echoing silence away and to keep her mind from wandering. Her attention was focused outside the window hoping to get a glimpse of Peewee's old mustang for the last hour or so, but no luck thus far. “ There was chaos in the Naval Yard in Brooklyn, police arrive on the scene to discover.”
&n
bsp; Karen pressed her head to the cold window. “ Where are you Peewee.” She said to herself glancing at her phone with his number ready to dial. “ Just call me.” She was a second away from pushing in the number when she heard that roar of the car driving up, a second later his old vehicle came into view. She ran quickly to the living room to turn off the T.V, She grabbed her leather coat and keys and began to lock up.
She passed her tenants waving goodbye to them as she raced to meet up with her dear friend as they were about to investigate the serial killer’s apartment.
She walked outside into the chilling air, but found no trace of Peewee’s car. “ Where the hell did he go? “ She asked herself scanning the street. Her cell phone began to ring, it was Peewee’s I.D. “ Dude, where the hell are you.” She asked him, but she got no response, the only thing she could hear was the Blue Oyster Cult playing in the back, she called out to him repeatedly but got no answer. The roaring of the mustang was thundering in the alley way. “ Idiot, you butt dialed me..” She hung up on him and made her way toward the alley where his car was parked in full view, the interior lights were turned on but there was no one in the car. “ Peewee?” She called out to him as she approached.
“ Just me.” Karen heard the whisper of a familiar voice call out to her from behind, before she had anytime to react she felt his arm wrap around her throat and begin to squeeze down on her carotid arteries, to cut off blood to her head. She thrashed and jabbed her elbow into his rib cage, she could hear him grunting with each strike that slammed into him , but with each second that passed her body began to weaken and her vision went blurred, she tried to throw her attacker's balance off but it was no use. “ You’re the last piece to everything.” She heard those words echo through the night as she slowly faded into a deep slumber.
Chapter 88
An End To The Madness
The Perfect Woman Page 29