Overkill

by Dylan Rust

  The man tried to get up from the bed, but Jack smacked him in the head with his gun.

  He didn’t have a lot of time. They’d be coming into the room any second.

  There was a liquor cabinet on the ground.

  He opened it up.

  He searched the bottles inside.

  He pulled vodka. That wouldn’t do. He then pulled out some absinthe. It would work, but it wouldn’t burn that long. He found what he was looking for. Bacardi 151.

  He grabbed the bottle and opened it.

  The guards were outside the door.

  They were trying to push it open. The dresser was wedged at such an angle that it would take them time. It was only a matter of time before they got frustrated and just shot their way in.

  Jack emptied the Bacardi 151 on the floor and on the walls.

  He was setting a trap.

  “Do one of you have a lighter?” he asked the girls.

  They didn’t respond. They were too scared. They were under the window, in the corner of room, shaking. They were naked. Jack grabbed a blanket of bed. He threw it to them. Stay low. Its going to get smoky in here.

  He rummaged through the body of the fat man in a tux. He had a packet of matches on him.

  He had to time it perfectly.

  He would get one shot.

  The door burst open.

  Three guards pushed it. They walked into the room.

  Jack lit the match.

  The fire spread quick.

  The 151-proof drink was on of the most flammable alcohols you could drink.

  The fire spread quick.

  The guards screamed. They tried to stamp the fire out.

  Jack made their life more difficult.

  He threw the bottle at them. As the bottle shattered on the ground. It splashed up the hight flammable liquid. Tiny, liquid flaming splashes shot up and burned the skin of the guards.

  Jack put all three guards out of their misery.

  The room filmed with a black smoke.

  He put the two X-TACs in their holster and jumped through the flame.

  He grabbed the shotgun that was strapped on his back as he landed and left the room. There were two guards just outside the door. He hit one in the gut with the butt of his shotgun and fired a slug into the others chest. The force of the blast shot him back over the ledge of the balcony. He fell down into the main floor. His body landed on a poker table.

  Two more guards rushed up the stairwell.

  Jack fired his shotgun.

  They dropped.

  He was out of ammo.

  He dropped the shotgun and in swift motion kicked up the MP5 one of the fallen guards was carrying. He aimed down the sights of the MP5 and took down two more guards. Their heads snapped back after absorbing each bullet.

  Jack ran toward the third floor.

  He was close to Igor.

  He could feel it.

  74

  Jack dropped two more guards.

  They’d just popped out of central security.

  He was almost out of ammo in the MP5. To conserve bullets he’d switched the firing mode to semi-auto form fully-auto.

  It didn’t help that every security camera he saw, he put a bullet in. He wanted Igor to blind. He wanted Igor to be scared.

  He walked down the hallway, slowly. Igor’s office was just beyond the entrance to central security.

  The door to central security opened again a man tossed out something.

  It rolled on the ground.

  Jack jumped backward. He rolled onto his stomach and put his hands over his head.

  The grenade exploded.

  Tiny fragments from the wall exploded shooting wood and metal shot out in all directions. Jack took a piece of shrapnell from the grenade in his calf. He grimaced as he stood up. He could feel the blood ooze of his wound.

  A heavily armed guard walked out of central security. He was in a riot shield and and was holding a plastic, bullet proof shield in one hand and a pistol with the other.

  Jack fired two rounds.

  The rubber shield absorbed and deflected the fire.

  Jack walked backward. He fired two more shots.

  Again the shield, absorbed the fire.

  Jack pulled the trigger of the MP5 again.

  It was empty.

  He dropped the gun.

  The heavily armored guard continued his slow pursuit of Jack.

  Two guards were running up the stairwell from the second floor.

  Jack pulled out his X-TACs. He fired from both guns once. Both guards dropped.

  The heavily armored guard knelt down, placed the plastic shied on the ground so it covered most of his body and he peeked around the edge of the shield, firing from the pistol he was holding.

  The armor made him a bad shot.

  He missed twice.

  Jack lined up the top of the man’s helmet, which peaked just around the corner of the shield.

  He fired.

  The helmet popped off and disoriented the man.

  Jack fired once more.

  He missed.

  The heavily armored guard got up. He took his time. The gear was heavy.

  Jack rushed him.

  He jumped toward the man shoulder first and checked him onto the ground.

  The man rolled on the ground.

  Jack was now on the other side. The guard didn’t know where Jack was.

  Pop.

  The guard looked at his gloves. They were covered in blood. His world went black.

  His body fell to the ground.

  The bullet hole in his head leaked dark red blood onto the carpeted floor.

  Jack stood up.

  He walked to Igor’s office.

  He was twenty feet away.

  He heard screaming.

  It was Elaine.

  How?

  He’d just rescued her.

  She was in the car with… Agent Dunce.

  That fucking tool.

  What did he do?

  Igor walked out of his office with a gun to Elaine’s head.

  “Drop your weapons, Mr. Spade,” he said. “Or I end her life.”

  Jack lowered his weapons.

  “Put your hands up, behind your head.”

  Jack followed Igor’s instruction.

  Four guards rushed up behind Jack.

  “Don’t kill him,” Igor shouted. “I want him to watch this. I want to break him before he dies. I want him to want to death.”

  One of the men walked up behind Jack and hit him in the head with the butt of his gun.

  75

  Jack opened his eyes.

  He was back in Igor’s office.

  The bastard was laughing. He was behind his desk. He was lighting a cigar.

  To Igor’s right; his sister. Her mouth gagged. She was being held up by two of Igor’s guards.

  To Igor’s left: Claire. She looked gaunt, dirty. She was in dirty clothes. Like Elaine, her mouth was gagged.

  Jack shot back and forth between the two women. He tried to move. He couldn’t. His hands were tied behind his back. Leather straps were holding him down.

  He gritted his teeth.

  He tried to break free.

  The bonds were tied tight.

  Igor laughed.

  “I learned my lesson the first time, Mr. Spade,” he said. “It’s nice to see you again.”

  “You’re a coward.”

  “Coward?”

  “Yes.”

  Igor buckled over laughing. He almost fell out his chair. “Oh, please, stop,” he said. “I can’t take it anymore. You’re the funniest man in this city. You are rich.”

  “Do you feel strong tying up two innocent women? Do you feel powerful? Every one can see you for what you clearly are,” Jack said. “You are nothing more than a weak pathetic man who’d have nothing in this world without his father.”

  Igor’s smile disappeared. “I’m not falling into your trap,” Igor said. “You’re not going to piss me
off. You’re not going to make my blood boil. You’re not going to talk your way out of this.”

  Elaine moaned. She was in pain. She was hungry. There was a black bruise on her neck.

  Jack wanted to reach out and hold her. He wanted to assure her that everything would be alright. But even he knew that the chances of that happening now were close to zero. He couldn’t lie to her.

  Elaine looked into her eyes.

  He saw the tears forming.

  Igor pulled out Jack’s gun. He held it up. He pointed it at Claire and then at Elaine. “You stirred the hornet’s nest,” he said. “You awoke the beast within me. Who the fuck do you think you are?”

  “Let them go,” Jack said. “Kill me. Its me you want, anyway. They’re harmless. They won’t hurt you.”

  Igor laughed. “Is that what you think this is about? Do you honestly think I care about these women. You’re an idiot, Mr. Spade. I expected more from you. You took advantage of my vulnerabilities. You showed me where my weaknesses are. For that, I must thank you. But, please, Mr. Spade, don’t insult my intelligence.”

  “You’re right,” Jack said. “You’re right about it all.”

  “You’re an idiot,” Igor said.

  “You’re right,” Jack said. “I’m only now recognizing the mistakes I’ve made.”

  Igor scoffed. “Mistakes? Don’t make me laugh. You made your way into my club while working for the FBI, you escaped my club when I captured you, you then evaded the NYPD for two whole days while the streets of the city were crawling with cops whose only goal was capturing you, and you then escaped from Rikers prison and made your way back to my office. Mistakes? Mistakes? Mr. Spade, things couldn’t have gone any better for you.”

  “We’ll, when you put it like that,” Jack said. “Sounds like you’re jealous.”

  Igor walked up to Jack and smacked him the head with the GLOCK 17.

  “You have a knack for getting under people’s skin,” Igor said. “You find weaknesses, breaking points. Don’t act dumb. I’ve seen it. I know your tactics. Once you identify a weakness you keep putting pressure on it until the person breaks. Well, Mr. Spade, it’s time for me to break you.”

  “What are you going to do?” Jack said.

  “You have a choice, Mr. Spade.” Igor looked at Jack. He looked like a giddy schoolboy. “You’re going to choose who lives and who dies. We’re not leaving this room until you choose.”

  Jack eyes flared open. His heart pounded. He muscles tenses. He once again tried to pry himself out of the bonds strapping him down. He couldn’t. They were too strong.

  “You asshole,” Jack said. The rage that swelled inside him following Emma’s death took over. He screamed.

  Igor’s men laughed.

  “It looks like I’ve found your weakness,” Igor said. “It looks I’ve finally found a way to break you.”

  Jack’s voice turned guttural, like an bear growling. “If I get out of this I’m going to rip you apart with my bare hands.”

  “If?” Igor said. “You won’t.” He held up Jack’s gun. “Who lives, who dies.”

  There were fifteen men in Igor’s office. Aleksander, his righthand man, stood behind the young boss. He looked nervous. The rest of the men, the rest of what was left of his elite circle, were laughing, holding their Makarovs, Tokarevs, MP5s, and tactical shotguns.

  “I’m so glad the Ukrainians only want one women,” Igor said. “I was worried that they’d take both. But when they told me that they only wanted one, I thought of this great idea.”

  Jack continued to pull away at the bonds holding him down. The wooden armrests of the chair were loosening up he could feel it. But it didn’t matter if he escaped. It didn’t matter. He’d lost. He’d failed his family.

  He’d failed.

  “Who do you choose?” Igor said.

  Jack remained quiet.

  “Like I said, Igor, we’re not leaving until you choose. I can think of a few ways to help espedite the process. Maybe a few more toes from your sister?” he laughed. “Maybe a finger from the agent?”

  Jack stared into Igor’s eyes. He didn’t want to look at the women. He didn’t want to imply that he preferred one over the other.

  Truth was, he didn’t.

  He wanted them both alive.

  He’d expected hell.

  He’d expected Igor, as desperate as he was, to throw up every last hurdle in an attempt to stop him. He didn’t expect Igor to sink to this level.

  He should have.

  He should have.

  “Remove the gags,” Igor said. “I want these women to plead for their life.”

  The guards removed the gags from the mouths of each women.

  “Jack!” Elaine screamed. “Choose me. I’ve got nothing to live for. I’ve failed you. Please, Jack. End this terror. End my life.”

  Jack’s head felt like it was on fire. He couldn’t think straight. It felt like a nightmare. It felt like the dream he had in solitary. He felt like he was inside a coffin that was being burned. He felt like he was burning alive.”

  Igor sat back in his chair. He was finally getting his revenge. He worried that he was having too much fun, but he couldn’t contain himself. He just continued to giggle away.

  Claire spoke up. “Jack,” she said. “Jack, look at me.”

  He didn’t look at her.

  One of the guard’s grabbed Jack by the head and twisted it so it faced Claire. She looked at peace. She looked calm. She wasn’t crying. “Jack,” she said. “Save the women. Don’t give up. You know what you have to do?”

  Have to do? What was Claire talking about? She was the only person in the city who gave him the benefit of the doubt. She was the only woman he’d felt comfortable enough to open himself up in a very long time. He wanted to speak, but couldn’t.

  He pulled at the rubber bands once more.

  The chair snapped.

  The wooden arms were still attached to his wrists, but to the chair. Jack whacked the two guards standing beside him with the wooden arms. He hit one in the neck and other in gut.

  “Stop him,” Igor screamed.

  Three of the guards tackled Jack.

  They forced him onto the ground.

  One of them rested on his back. Two of them on his arms. They put the full weight of their body into it. He couldn’t move.

  “Jack,” Claire said. “I’m willing to sacrifice everything to save those women. I know you understand this. Look at me. If you get out of this alive. Save them. Don’t let me die in vain.”

  “Shut up,” Elaine interrupted. “Jack don’t listen to her.”

  Igor was growing nervous. He could feel the rage swelling inside Jack.

  “If you don’t choose, Mr. Spade, I’ll kill them both.”

  Jack lifted his head up. He stared into Igor’s eyes.

  “Jack,” Claire said.

  “Shut up,” Jack said. “Both of you.”

  “Choose!” Igor shouted. He pulled a gun into the chamber of the GLOCK 17. He pointed it at Claire.

  “Stop,” Jack said. He tried to push the men off his back. He couldn’t. “Stop!”

  “Find the women, protect them.”

  Igor couldn’t hold it back any longer. He fired.

  The bullet pierced through Claire’s dirty shirt and then her skin. He borrowed its hole in her chest. A thick, stream of blood poured from the wound, blotting her shirt red.

  Jack was silent.

  Elaine screamed.

  “We kill them both then,” Igor said. “Fuck the Ukrainians. Fuck. I don’t care. I just want you to suffer.”

  Elaine’s wrists and ankles were bound together.

  When she saw the agent take the bullet, she snapped. A ferocious animal awoke inside her. She bit the arms of the nearest man. She ducked and avoided the punch of the other. She grabbed the MP5 from him as she ducked.

  She lifted it up and fired.

  The gun was fully auto.

  She shot at anything that moved.<
br />
  Seven guards dropped in an instant. The others docked for cover.

  The guards who were on Jack’s back rolled to cover.

  Jack jumped from the ground. The shrapnel in his leg be damned. He couldn’t even feel his leg anymore anyway.

  He swung one of the wooden arms from the chair at the nearest guard. He knocked him out. He then grabbed the Tokarev pistol and fired. Dropping three guards in an instant.

  Elaine fired.

  Out of the fifteen guards in the room, ten were now dead. Three wounded.

  She ran out of ammo.

  Igor and Aleksander were using Igor’s rich, Russian oak desk for cover.

  Igor reached for his gas mask, but Aleksander grabbed it first.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “Forgive me for my sins.”

  He pushed the young gang leader down.

  Jack stood up.

  He shot got a guard who was about to shoot Elaine. The final four guards were behind the a large dresser at the far end of the room.

  He knelt down. Picked up an MP5.

  He fired.

  He heard the blood curdling sounds of exhausted breath come from their mouths. The bullets had gone clean through. The men were dead.

  Elaine collapsed onto the ground.

  She was weak.

  Jack jumped Igor’s desk.

  He knew what the crime lord was trying to do.

  He was trying to hit the button that would exhaust the gas from the air vents again.

  “Please,” Igor said. “Please.”

  Jack kicked Igor in the head.

  Igor fell backward. He was unconscious.

  Aleksander ran from the room. He was still trying to put the gasmask on his face. He scrambled out of the office. The big fucker had a talent for surviving bloody shootouts.

  Jack ran to Elaine.

  He untied her bonds. He held her in his lap.

  She breathed slow.

  She was still alive, but barely.

  “Stay with me,” he said. “Stay with me.”

  “Jack,” she said. Her eyes opened slowly. The doe shaped eyes were big and warm, but the light behind them was fading. Jack compressed the wound.

  “Don’t go,” he said. “Don’t go.”

  Claire couldn’t hold on. She could feel the light calling. She grabbed Jack’s shirt. “You promise me,” she said, blood dripped from her mouth as she said it. “You promise me that you’ll join the NYPD again.”