The Devil's Syndicate

by Chris Draper

  “That could work.” Said Hawk. “The signal should be strong enough to cut through the storm. Where is it?”

  “At the end of the hallway.”

  “Okay, let's go.”

  Hawk followed her down the hall to a large unmarked door and tried the handle: Locked.

  “Shit. Looks like we're going to have to think of something else.”

  “We're not out of luck yet.” Dottie said. “Byron should have the key on him, he keeps all of his keys on a chain in his back pocket. I remember him having them there whenever he came to my cell.”

  “Alright, we better go have a look.”

  They raced back down the hall and Hawk threw open the front door to the compound, a rush of rain and a ferocious wind slammed into them from the outside, and Hawk was almost thrown back inwards. With an arm around Dottie, he forced his way through to the side of the building where Byron had fell, scanned the ground there as he got closer.

  Something wasn't right. Etaro's body was where it should be, laying facedown on the grass a few feet ahead, and to the left of that was the river's edge where Travis had fallen in.

  But Byron – where was Byron?

  Panicking Hawk looked around in all directions, but didn't see his body anywhere. The area on the ground where Byron should have been was empty, replaced by flattened grass.

  Slowly, Hawk and Dottie came to the same dreadful realization and both turned to each other in shock. Byron wasn't there because he was alive. Byron was still alive.

  24

  Hurricane Hector was in full swing, whipping the Everglades into complete chaos, pounding the forest with such fury it was as if mother nature herself had been saving this one saying, I've been working on this one for a while, hope you like it.

  Byron had made it to the cover of the forest. Somehow Hawk's bullet had only hit him in the ribs and hadn't caused any major damage – or even if it had he wouldn't have known anyway. His mind, his entire being, was surging with a hatred that poured out of his eyes like molten lava. He was blocking everything else out now and the storm, the rain, the crushing winds became immaterial, almost non-existent, just background noise in his existence like fate had been waiting to unleash this scenario upon him all his life.

  But he didn't believe in fate, or eternity either – he believed in getting even. Killing. It was what he was good at. Justice would have to be served; and his brand of justice would be swift and unrelenting. A bullet to the brain for each of them would do the trick.

  There was no way he was going to let some bitch stripper and her rat hero come onto his turf and mess around with what he'd built from the ground up. He wasn't so much upset about losing Randall, or even his cousin Larry really, that was all part of being in this line of business which he understood. The thing that got to him the most was that now he'd have to find more members, members he could actually trust to do his work. Which wouldn't be a problem either he realized. There was always fresh meat coming out of the prison system who needed guidance, needed a place to belong after society had shunned them for so long and locked them away like animals. And they would learn to pledge allegiance to the Syndicate in time just like anyone else, that or be finished off. Men could always be trained liked dogs if the right tactics were used.

  He couldn't worry about those things though. It could all be figured out in due time. Right now it was time for a hunt. Byron moved swiftly through the forest, his heart racing like a panther until he got to within 50 yards from the compound. Here. Here was a small hill by the river with a great vantage point of the building in his rifle scope with enough cover from the trees above to blot out most of the rain. Yes, this was going to be fun. He always enjoyed the hunt, made him feel that powerful feeling again like he was the messenger of death sent to wipe out all of those who had done him wrong.

  There was only one door to the compound and eventually his prey would have to step right out of it into the wide open, right into the crosshairs of his rifle's aim, and then all he'd have to do was simply pick them both off like cattle. All he had to do now was wait. And he didn't have to wait long either. No sooner had he fixed his aim on the door of the building that he saw them both peek out of the front door, probably to take one of the vehicles in the garage he thought. But then they did a curious thing – instead of moving towards the garage on the other side they stepped right out into the clearing where Byron had been. Byron saw in his rifle scope the shock register on both of their faces when they saw his body was gone and it made him laugh out loud. He had Hawk's head in his sights now, the centre crosshair fixed right over his left ear. He steadied the gun, held his breath, and took the shot.

  ≈

  Hawk was flabbergasted. Byron was still alive. But how? He couldn't figure it out, he was sure that the shot he'd fired was lethal. He looked at the ground for a trail of blood but if there had been one the rain would have washed it away anyway. If Byron was alive that meant he was out there somewhere. Hawk cupped a hand over his brow, looked out into the turmoil of the Everglades for any sign of movement but couldn't see a thing.

  “He's out there somewhere.” He said to Dottie turning back around. “We have to get back inside. If we don't we'll be toast before long out here exposed like this.”

  “But what about Byron? We can't just go in knowing he's out there, he'll come back for us.”

  No sooner had Dottie finished her sentence than a loud crack was heard from somewhere in the distance. Hawk's brain knew what it was right away. The crack of a high powered rifle. Etaro's rifle. Byron had it. And in less than a second his brain had sent the message to his body to react.

  “Get down!” Hawk cried pulling them both to the ground as a bullet hissed passed and smacked into the old brick wall of the building, sending shards of plaster in all directions.

  “Stay low and let’s get inside!” Hawk pulled them up and rushed back to the safe haven of the building. “We need to get back before he has time to reload.”

  They were inside the compound a minute later, and Hawk slammed the door shut behind them and locked the deadbolt. They stood there for a second, backs against the wall, panting hard, until Dottie broke the silence: “What do we do now?”

  “I'm going to have to go out there and find him.”

  “Are you crazy? He could be anywhere!” Dottie snapped. “And Byron knows this area a lot better than you do. You said yourself we're safe in here. So why don't we wait until the storm clears out?”

  “That could be another day or two.” Hawk said. “I have to end this now. If we don't get rid of Byron today, you'll have to look over your shoulder for the rest of your life. Is that what you want?”

  “Why can't we let the police deal with him? My father only hired you to find me.”

  “Well things have changed now.” Hawk said looking down at the symbol carved into his arm. “Don't forget he has me marked now too, and he has thousands of miles of forest to disappear from the police. If we don't get him now we never will.” Hawk was quiet for a second, then added. “I'm going to have to go back out there.”

  “I'll go with you.”

  “Like hell you will, you're staying here and locking yourself inside until I come back.”

  Dottie crossed her arms over her chest, gave Hawk a defiant stare. “I know Byron better than most people Simon. If you don't let me go along with you I'll find a way out and follow anyway. I'm not letting you go out there alone after all you've done for me.”

  “Dottie...”

  “I'm a grown girl. I can make my own decisions.”

  Hawk sighed, shaking his head. She was a stubborn woman but he knew he'd have to acquiesce this time or they'd never get anywhere. “Are you that anxious to get yourself killed? You saw what it was like out there.”

  “We won't get killed...I have faith that you'll get him.”

  He was quiet another moment, thinking, then said, “Okay but we'll need to get ready then. We'll both need to change into warm clothes.” He gestured at the stack
of clothes still on the couch beside Clyde's body. “Put a few layers on and try to find something water resistant. Also, guns – where does Byron store his guns? He might have placed mine with them.”

  “He must keep them in his room, I can show you where it is.”

  “Fine. Let's get ready and get out there before it gets any darker.”

  They were ready 5 minutes later. Hawk had found a gun cabinet in Byron's room and luckily enough it was unlocked. He found his rifle in there but not his other weapons and assumed they must have been lost somewhere. He did however find a new hunting knife that he placed in his ankle sheath since his other one had been lost killing the crocodile that had attacked Clyde. Then they both changed into dry clothes, and each put on extra shirts underneath their jackets. Hawk had found his parka, had given it to Dottie, and also removed Clyde's parka and pulled it over himself. It was large but would be better than nothing.

  They stepped back outside cautiously, Hawk leading the way, keeping his hand in front of Dottie to hold her back a little. The day had grown much darker and what little light left was fading fast as black menacing clouds shifted overhead, pouring out buckets of ice cold rain.

  Hawk was watching, listening, expecting another rifle crack to come from that darkened forest but none came. It felt like a thousand invisible eyes were upon them, almost like the forest itself was a spectator in some sort of dreadful play. And Byron, he was out there somewhere too. Maybe watching them right now like the rest of the forest.

  ≈

  Byron had missed the shot, but it didn't matter. His prey was in an area they didn't know, in the middle of the largest storm he'd ever seen – he'd have another chance. He hadn't expected Hawk to jump at the last second when he fired the shot. He'd reloaded a second time but when he'd looked again in the rifle scope his quarry had disappeared back into the building. They'd know he was out here now, know he was waiting for them somewhere in this jungle. But they wouldn't know where. They'd be sitting ducks in that compound. They wouldn't be able to drive any of the trucks through this and Byron had the only key for the communications deck. Perhaps that was what they had come outside to look for, to search his body for the key.

  They'd have no choice now but to wait in there for the storm to pass - or come out and try to find him. That was another possibility Byron hadn't considered. He wiped some water away from his face, then looked back through the rifle's scope and watched the area near the door to the compound. He'd wait here all night if he had too – his body was so flushed with adrenaline that sleep was out of the question. Sooner or later they'd have to leave the building. Being out here like this reminded him of a long lost childhood memory of him being out in the Catskills wilderness with his uncle hunting for ducks in the forest. Right before he was first sent off to juvie for trying to burn down a liquor store when he was 16. That was where it all had started – his spiral into criminality. Not that he regretted any of it though, the best memories of his life had been spent as a criminal. His uncle had taken him in after both his parents skipped out and he would take them both out to hunt on weekends. How long ago all that seemed now. He could have thought more about it, but he wasn't a sentimental person anyhow and his mind quickly went back to the current task at hand.

  Hawk and Dottie had traipsed out the front door again, this time a little more cautious. Byron edged his index finger back towards the trigger on the rifle. He watched them shuffle a little away from the door, both ready to spring at the slightest sound.

  Hawk was a smart man. It was a shame he'd gone astray like so many others. Byron had the crosshair rested on Hawk's skull again, slowly brought his finger to the trigger. But then he stopped. His mind was saying, pull the damn thing already but still he hesitated. He scratched a little on the trigger, bit his lip – what was the problem? He realized at that moment that if he did it this way, it would be too easy. A bullet to the brain, from this distance - he wanted more. He wanted to see them both suffer, wanted to see the expressions on their faces when he squeezed the life out of them. Wanted to hear their final breath before it all went black. Taking them out with a bullet wouldn't provide him with this satisfaction. If it was anyone else, he would have shot them down already. But these two – the ones who'd caused him so much strife – they had to die suffering.

  He thought about it a minute further, watching them both move towards the back of the compound, then resolutely jerked his hand away from the trigger and stood up. With the rifle in his hand, he jumped over a fallen tree and began moving stealthily between the trees in the direction of the compound.

  If they wanted a hunt they'd get one. Only it wouldn't be the one they'd expect. They were in his game now, pawns on his playing board, and he knew the rules better than anyone else. He'd rolled the dice one last time and the result was death for both of them. Now it was time to sweep the board for good.

  ≈

  Hawk and Dottie had made their way around the side of the compound, keeping low and moving slowly to the rear of the building. Several times Hawk thought he saw movement in the trees only to look again and see nothing there. He wanted to get under the cover of the forest as soon as possible. The rain was coming down like it was being shot out of a giant firehose in the sky and the wind pummelled them from all sides. The hood on his parka also kept getting blown off so he left it that way. He wished he was back in San Francisco on his houseboat instead of freezing his ass off in this monsoon – already the warm weather of Miami he'd experienced only last week seemed like a distant memory.

  They both winced their eyes to slits against the driving rain and made one last push for the forest behind the building. Once they were inside the trees the wind and rain became less severe and Hawk wiped the water away from his eyes. His hair was soaked already and he felt a shiver all over. He looked at Dottie drawing the wet hair away from her eyes. She looked like a drowned sewer rat.

  “You alright?” Hawk asked.

  “Never felt better!” She hugged herself shivering. “I half thought the wind was going to whisk me away.”

  Hawk smiled. “Probably better for the both of us it didn't.” He looked down, made sure the water hadn't penetrated the magazine of his rifle. It hadn't. “We need to move slow and methodically – but most importantly stick together. Byron's out there somewhere...he could be watching us right now. Stay behind me but stay close, and keep low. Also keep a look out and listen for anything that sounds out of place.”

  “Do you think there are poisonous snakes in here?” She asked. “Byron always warned me that if I tried to run away I'd get bit by one.”

  “No, I don't think there are right now.” Hawk said looking around. “They've probably gone into hiding which is what we should be doing.”

  Hawk led the way and they moved laboriously through the forest, their progress impeded slightly by the heavy mud that weighed down their boots as well as the thick entanglements of underbrush. Hawk didn't have an idea where he was going, he just knew that somewhere out there he'd find Byron. Whether Byron found them first was another question.

  It was getting quite dark now so he switched on the water resistant flashlight he'd brought with him. They were making their way up a hill and on the left somewhere out of sight Hawk could hear the river flashing by in a maniacal roar. He couldn't shake the feeling that Byron knew where they were, and that he was waiting for the right moment to strike. Like they were his prey and he would swoop down suddenly out of nowhere and take them. It was an eerie feeling that he couldn't let go. Was he watching them right now? They marched uphill a little further until Dottie said she was out of breath and stopped to lean against a large mangrove with some roots submerged in dirty swamp water.

  “How much further?” She asked. “My feet are sore from walking in this stuff.”

  “I can't say for sure.” Hawk said. “I don't even know what I'm waiting for. Just...something.”

  “Do you think he knows where we are?”

  “It's possible he does. But if
that's the case he sure is taking his sweet time.” Hawk said. “Are you able to go a little longer?”

  “I can try.” Dottie said, although she felt uncertain.

  At that moment they both looked up through the trees as a giant streak of lighting cleaved the sky and lit up the forest around them in a brilliant flash of light. Immediately afterwards a whooping thunder rang out that shook the ground beneath them which was followed by an unearthly crack nearby that sounded like an old wooden ship being torn apart at the hull. Hawk looked over just in time to see the tree Dottie had been leaning against coming apart in the middle, with the entire top of the tree breaking away from the body and plunging earthbound with deadly speed. In another second they would both be crushed.

  Hawk yelled, “Look out!” and Dottie let out a shrill cry, then he grabbed her arm and plunged them both to the ground a foot away from what he hoped was the trees trajectory. A second later the massive hulk crashed down to earth with such force that it sounded like the entire ground itself was being torn wide open. Finally the tree lay still, and Hawk looked up slowly, then gradually pulled them both back to their feet.

  They stared in disbelief at the juggernaut of a tree that now lay where they had stood only moments before.

  “Wow!” Dottie exclaimed with an open mouth. “If we had been standing there--”

  “We'd both be crushed like bugs.” Hawk said. “No, that would make things too easy for Byron.”

  Dottie looked back at him, confused. “What do you mean? Do you think he's enjoying this?”

  “I know he is.” Hawk said. “He could have finished us both off back there.”

  “But he missed...”

  “He could have reloaded. It doesn't take that much time. And if I'm right about this,” Hawk said looking back into the forest. “He could be playing us like pawns in some sort of twisted game. Maybe he wants to make us suffer.”