by Sam Wilson
“I think there is someone else in the room with you” he knows she heard him. Took a gulp, his throat was dry
He received no reply; he knew better than to try again. If she was in trouble she would have called for help already, besides, she can handle herself and if there is anything he has learned from working with Susan in the past months, is that she is well able and a very determined woman. He thought about going in but changed his mind knowing he could hinder her plans, he’s better off being an eye to her blind spot. The dark figure came out of the shadows in full view of the camera, walked towards the door, stopped, and pressed on the 2-way light switch illuminating the room. Justice sat back holding his breath but he couldn’t see Susan anywhere in the room, a smile flashed across his face and disappeared almost immediately as he searched the other screens for a sign of her. The thought immediately occurred to him that she might have slipped out through the same hidden door the other person used coming in, the hallway camera showed a figure swiftly and stealthily moving from room to room. Justice watched in awe as the figure displayed evasion skills he in all of his life had thought impossible then the dark figure started killing the guards, one at a time. The first came as a shock to Justice, who expected another evasive maneuver. As the guard stopped, wondering why a door to his right was open and was about to step through, the figure without hesitation came out and planted a Stanly knife in his throat severing a major artery and cutting off his ability to call for help. Then the knife ended in his heart, this is nothing new to Justice taking his past in account but to see it done in seconds by a woman with such cold precision, made him sit back and shiver. The second happened in the kitchen, he was injected with powerful animal tranquilizer and shoved in the walk-in deep freeze which not to Susan’s surprise already had someone frozen stiff inside it. After the disappearance of the forth guard, the head of security became suspicious, ordered the missing men found and tightened the security around Jonas.
Jonas was in his office flicking from scene to scene on the computer monitor in realization that the images he’s looking at, isn’t life. Someone hacked in and sawed through his firewall to take total control of his security cameras, he is being watched right now, no doubt by Susan or her accomplice. His instinct led him to believe that someone other than his chief of security and maybe guards had been in his office and the scent lingering in the office reinforces that hunch. He managed to get the feeds back without alerting the hackers, it also dawned on him that they might have miniature listening devices hidden somewhere in the office. He couldn’t retrieve the recorded video of the past hours but he can see his newly appointed head of security about to enter his office.
“Edward I’ve been expecting you,” he announced
“Sir, four of our men are missing and I think there is someone in the house”
“Is that right?” Jonas murmured attentively and sarcastically
“Yes sir, I’m having two men stand outside the door and three in here with you”
“Have them all stand outside… I think it’s safer that way,” he said curtly
“Sir if I…”
Jonas waved his hand dismissively cutting Edward off and said
“Do as I tell you and…”
The lights went off and the emergency lights took over but then they too died down and the emergency lock came into effect, windows and doors were sealed with custom made shutters to ether save the heads of the mechanics or trap the intruders, now it seems they are trapped in darkness with the intruder. Jonas then finished his sentence
“Well I think it is better for you all to stay in here, how many of your men are out there?”
“Three sir” he replied nervously
“Call them”
Edward raised the walky talky to his mouth
“Tommy, this is Ed come in”
There was no reply; he tried calling the rest of them
“David, Alex, where are you guys”
Nothing came back in reply then he heard something fall making a grunting sound, he called out to Jonas but he didn’t reply
“Who is still here, Patrick, Sunday, Stan, William, Johnny?”
They all answered accordingly except for Johnny; he called out to him again “Johnny!” but to no avail, where is Jonas Edward’s mind raced, then a flash of light revealed their position, an explosion of 9mm bullets blasted towards that direction providing the much-needed light the room lacked. The sound still lingered in their ears after they stopped shooting then a grunt and a shot. They fired in that position killing Patrick, Edward saw from the flash of gunfire that Patrick is the victim and screamed for them to stop, “ you just shot Patrick, you f—king idiots” There was silence for what seemed a minute then another grunt and an object that gave off light, he reacted immediately saying
“Don’t shoot!”
No one fell and they listened for movement, tension grew rapidly into fear. Edward moved sharply to a shuffling sound moving towards him and light shone from a flashlight revealed a head with a metal object stock on it, in shock he fire and heard the body drop, he thought a million things at once and one of that thought is, did he fire twice? He could not have, he fired straight and the person shot side ways in the direction of the door and was it his imagination or did he see a dark figure with big red eyes move to the side when he fired and did two bodies drop. He wanted to call out to his men, but stopped in fear of giving away his position and theirs. He crunched down, shaking in trepidation, his fear increased when he felt and heard something that sounded faintly like someone breathing through a tube behind him. Frozen in horror, a strong sedative was injected into his body through his neck, it had an immediate effect and Edward went into deep sleep, he might just be the only person to survive this night.
Justice watched with intense concentration at the bright red, black and blue images on the screen, his concern for Susan increased at what was unfolding in front of his eyes, she went there to finish it tonight and not to continue surveilling. He informed Susan via the talky about the men’s positions and how to avoid them, not that she needed that info cause she can see them through the custom made infrared goggles she had had made and sent to her by a company in London that specializes in making that kind of products for a selected group of clientele. He saw Jonas standing quietly flat against a wall looking directly at Susan injecting Edward, he thought Jonas was searching for a sign that will pin point Susan’s position in the room then he saw a smile flash across Jonas’s face and realized that the dark glasses he’s wearing is infrared as well and he can see her. He quickly divulged that information to Susan.
Jonas took pleasure in seeing Susan work, at the expense of his guards. She is good and he thought of what they could have done and accomplished together, if only he didn’t have to kill her. She will never trust him enough to agree to be a team and he didn’t expect the fight brought to him at his home and so soon, but she continued to surprise him. His friends and predecessors ended with their asses down their throats because they underestimated her but he will not do the same, watching her inject poor frightful Ed, the useless head of security made him Savor the moment he will kiss the last breath out of her mouth. He took out a jagged edged knife and threw it at Susan meaning to only wound her.
Susan dodged, caught the knife, and immediately returned it back to sender followed by gunfire; they fired back and forth until they ran out of bullets. She slowly took out the trusted close combat Tom Brown tracker knife and emerged from her hiding place after Justice advised her about his actions. She met him half way and they fought like hungry lions. She received the first cuts to the side and right thigh, his height, and strength proved to be an advantage for him but compared to Susan’s quickness, technique, and experience in close combat fights. He was soon out matched and knifed down on the floor bleeding from deep cuts to all major arteries. He stretched out his lift hand to Susan for comfort while gasping for air; she grabbed it and plunged Tom Brown into his heart to end his torment. She rose
up from the pool of blood and walked out of the room in need of hospitalization, minutes later the lights came back on and the security shutters retracted back.
Justice helped her get out of the compound, cleaned, and bandaged her wounds. She slept for more than twelve hours waking up the next day at 5:00 pm to a familiar face, her good friend Karen Zuma. Four weeks later she left the mansion to Karen watch over and divided a large sum of money between her and Justice, A broken hearted Justice wasn’t planning to stay in Johannesburg anymore and promised to look her up when he got to America. The Johannesburg homicide department lunched a massive manhunt to what they referred to as the Teahouse massacre and they are linking the deaths of known associate of the tea mechanic to struggle for power in the Johannesburg’s underworld. “They cleaned out the competition.” Susan and Justice almost laughed out loud when the police commissioner said that on television “We will find those responsible and bring them to justice!” was his final statement before Susan got up from the waiting area and carried her bags to board the Queen Mary ocean liner to New York, with a Dutch passport as Elizabeth Debutts. Obviously her last name brought moments of laughter. She hugged the both of them and climbed on board. Four weeks later, the Queen Mary came to a final rest at New York Harbor. Susan went straight to her friend Belinda’s house, who almost fainted at the sight of her, she couldn’t tell her the truth but did the best she could twisting it. Belinda escorted her to the embassy to ask for a new passport, she told her how she thought something horrible had happened to maybe a member of her family that caused her to leave so abruptly and tried reaching her in London, she was worried sick and prayed daily for her safety. They spent everyday together. Belinda wouldn’t let her out of her sight. Two weeks later when she went to collect her passport she noticed a man she had forgettable little conversations with on the Queen Mary, She became wary of men after her last experience and it’s going to take time before she could find it in her heart to trust again. After a quick thought, she realized the Queen Mary wasn’t the first time she had seen him around her vicinity. If her memory serves her right, he first appeared in her radar a week after she received the mask, Tea mechanics occupied her every thought at the time therefore paid him no notice. The aura about this man awoke awareness deep within her on the Queen Mary, she instinctively stayed away from him; that conscious state of vigilance acquired from the world and work she had left for another existence she thought will give her the normal life she graved. That dream didn’t work out as she had hoped and her skills lead her in a different direction. That instinct tells her there is a different kind of trouble heading her way.
BONUS
SPECIAL EXTRA STORIES
GLUTTED WITH DISHONOR AT THE SIXTEEN
THE LAW IN MY HANDS
GHOST IN THE PARK
DEAD GHOST
ZIZA-LAND
SPECIAL SHORTS
AETERNITAS
ETERNAL SLEEP
THE NECKLACE
THE THREE STOOGES
FUNNY LIFE
FIVE PART SHORT STORIES ABOUT
POWER
PAIN
LOSE
LUST
LOVE
DESIRE
&
BLOODY MURDER
1
THE LAW IN MY HANDS
The family Geraldo’s happy days are about to be brought to a screeching halt. A family of five, father and mother, Charles and Helen, Gerald the first born, Michelle the second and frank the youngest. Frank who celebrated his twenty eighth birthday two months ago on the sixteenth of April has something new to celebrate because he has been chosen to be the next district attorney of the great state of New York. He is possibly the youngest district attorney ever to be elected.
On the day Frank Geraldo was announced as the D.A, a lavish party at Tribeca Grand Hotel was thrown in his honor. His family and friends joined the elite of the city to celebrate a wonderful day in frank’s young life, his parents and siblings were proud of him. Joseph O. Riley is frank’s best friend and brother in-law, he and Michelle have three months old baby boy named after frank’s father. At the party he received a phone call about a business emergency and needed to travel as soon as possible to New Jersey where he has a second mechanic workshop, the acting manager wasn’t forth coming with enough information about the situation and Joe as he is known by his friends sensed fear in his voice as he spoke. He said his good byes to frank and promised to call his wife, though worried about her husband, she escorted him to the Lincoln Town car; Jersey is just a short drive away. She wanted to follow him but he insisted she stay and enjoy the rest of the party. He called that Thursday night at eleven and explained what the trouble was, the Jersey manager owned the wrong people money and couldn’t pay back. In desperation he tried a get rich scheme with the little money he had saved, needless to say he fell victim to the fraudsters and lost all off his savings. The patients of the people he owned money ran out and they came to the workshop and forcefully took three second handcars they have on sale and five client’s cars on repair. The client’s cars in question happen to be two Rolls Royse Phantoms, a 1955 Gull wing 300sl, and two Murcielago convertibles. Obviously those cars have to be returned to the rightful owners and that means paying the money Peter Riley his younger brother owns, he promised to be back by dinnertime on Friday. They air kissed through the phone and hanged up.
Friday afternoon the cars where back at the shop, the money was paid and Joe is at the office scolding his brother, he need someone serious and reliable. His brother promised to clean up his act, Joe knew it was time to replace Peter and he started making the necessary arrangements for a suitable replacement. It has come to this; he has to make the hard decision. Bringing someone that is not family into the business is something he dreads but Peter’s incompetence has left him no choice, the phone rang.
“Hello”
“Hello, can I speak to Joe please”
“This is Joe, how can I help you”
“Joe it’s me, Charles”
“Good afternoon Charles, is everything ok?”
“Something has happened”
“What are you talking about?”
Charles was quite for a little while, hesitating to say what has happened, and that made Joe very worried, he asked again
“Charles what happened?”
“There was an accident and you have to come home”
“Who has been in an accident?” he demanded panicking “Who?” he screamed into the phone receiver
“Michelle and the baby”
“Oh my God” he retorted
He dropped the phone and rushed out to the car park, Peter went after him but caught up with him a little too late. Two and half hours later, he entered the reception area of New York Presbyterian hospital. A nurse guarded him to a waiting area, where he met the rest of the family; Helen immediately wrapped her hands around him sobbing. He held her and said he was sorry for not been there when his family needed him, Frank pulled him aside and told him Michelle died on the scene and that it’s Charles the baby that is in intensive care. He suppressed the urge to scream and stayed calm, he will stay strong for the baby sake. The doctor came out of the intensive care looking flushed; they all practically ran to meet him. He hesitated a little then came out with the news they have all been scared off, baby Charles did not make it, an instant headache knocked Joe unconscious. Six hours later he woke up to find Frank sitting beside his hospital bed, he remembered, closed his face with the palm of his hands and wept as a child of four, Frank felt his pain and no one deserves this, he thought to himself. He tried in vain to calm him and to reassure him the perpetrators will not go unpunished, Joe at last stop crying and laid in bed as if in a catatonic state. Though frank do not know how it feels to lose a wife and child but he does know how it feels to lose a sister, to do his job properly he can’t be seen losing himself the way Joe has.
At break of dawn, he was already in the office before anyone shifting through t
he file on the accident. According to the police reports four people have come forward as witnesses and they all stated a blond white male was seen driving the dark blue 1998 Volvo 740 that hit and killed his sister and baby Charles. The driver came out of the car after the accident and ran off without making the effort to check on the victims. It could be any Caucasian male with blond hair, Frank thought out loud, closing the case file; they needed a better description to find the man responsible. The phone beeped and he picked it up, His assistance Stacy is at the other end.
“The Major is on the line,” she announced
“Put him through please”
The conversation ended with him been invited to the Major’s office the following day at nine. He knew what was about to happen and he wasn’t going to let that happen.
An hour later he was informed about the Volvo 740 been found abandoned and the arrest of the owner, he does have blond hair and they found out he had reported his vehicle missing the day the accident happened, as he had stated. But it was an hour and a half after the incident had happened. By the time Frank reach the police station, Michael Cardoza was been interrogated, he was at a family barbecue and has witnesses, pictures, and videos to prove it, he said over and over again. His alibi cleared and he was released from custody hours later, Frank watched him embrace his family and disappear in a Lincoln 4x4. He knew he wasn’t the one they are after when in the interrogation room and so did the head detective, as much as he wants someone to pay, he didn’t wants to put the wrong person behind bars. Joseph checked himself out of the hospital, he went to his house but met his father in-law waiting for him, and he persuaded Joseph to come home with him.
