by Evans, Mike
He looked at her wild-eyed. “For the last damn time, Regina, I am in no way going to jeopardize my reputation at the bank.”
Now she had eyes filled with hatred, but she wasn’t looking at me, she was looking at him. “Oh for God’s sakes, just do what he wants! What are your morals going to matter when you’re dead you arrogant idiot! You don’t have morals, you have a job, and you don’t think you’ll exist without it. It isn’t like the stockholders wouldn’t understand Gerald.” She practically spat out his name.
I clapped my hands towards her, doing a little jump in the air. “Oh, Regina baby, I didn’t know you had that kind of fire in you.”
She covered her eyes and began to cry loudly. “If you can’t do it for me, then maybe you could do it for your children who shouldn’t have to suffer for what your career choices have led you to.”
Now Gerald was insane with fury; not only had I broken into his house, held him and his family hostage, but now I had also turned his wife against him. The same wife who just a few hours ago was standing beside her husband laughing at me because in her perfect bubble-world this type of thing didn’t happen. Therefore, if this wasn’t allowed in her world, then I couldn’t do anything to hurt her or her family. I had her at the point now where I needed her because her “knight in shining armor” of a husband wouldn’t break some fake code of ethics. She was crying uncontrollably and screaming that he needed to do what I said.
“Can you imagine what would happen if I went through with it? It’s not even an option! You don’t get to this place in life without dealing with a few bullies.”
I was shocked this cocky moron was more worried about his job than his family. “Do I look like a bully to you Gerald!?” I was now just short of blind rage. I was threatening his wife, his family, and now his life, and he was worried about his fucking job. This guy was only one of about fifty obstacles keeping me from my son. It was in no way this guy’s fault and he didn’t deserve to have me here doing this, but at the same time, I was here for circumstances that I didn’t deserve either. His problems and my problems were on two different playing fields and mine were taking priority. I looked around and grabbed a phone book, the closest object I could reach, and threw it like a softball pitch at warp speed in to his gut. You could hear the book cut through air and feel Gerald’s air forced from his lungs, not for the last time tonight.
He started coughing, and coughing hard, saying, “You son of a bitch.”
“How about survival instincts Gerald, let me ask you just one more time, are you going to do what I ask?”
Gerald was fighting back puking, but he actually laughed, which made me laugh. I laid my hand on his shoulder and he cringed. I smiled thinking, maybe he isn’t quite as tough as he thinks he is.
“Do you have your breath back yet Gerald?”
He shook his head no, panting heavily. “Why? What the hell are you going to do you sick son of a bi….”
I got right down to eye level with him and stared at Regina. “I really wish he would have listened to you Regina.” I looked him straight in the eyes unblinking. “This is your last chance, will you do what I asked or not? It’s a simple yes or no answer, but I am giving you a final warning that if you say no, the next four minutes of your life will be the most absolutely horrific and painful of your entire pathetic life.”
Just as I thought he was about to finally give in, he looked at me and smiled. “Go to hell.”
I whipped out an oversized plastic zip lock bag and shoved it over his head. I let it sit there for a minute letting him get that hot humid feeling on his skin from his own breathing. His eyes went large, but they got even bigger when I pulled the zip tie cuff from my pocket and slid it over his head making it tight around his neck, making sure no air was getting in or out. I sat nonchalantly on his lap, trying to keep my cool. I rested my elbow on his shoulder and my head in my hand as if I was bored. He was wiggling and trying to jump with his chair. I sat there as calm as could be for twenty-five seconds then pulled out a watch and held it up for his eyes to see.
Loudly I yelled. “Gerald, we’re at about thirty seconds right now. How are we doing old chap, any change of heart yet?”
Gerald was absolutely losing his mind, bucking and rocking the chair. Shaking his head as hard and fast as he could. I checked again… it was forty seconds… fifty seconds, I was sure his lungs felt like acid had been poured down them. I pulled out my knife, showed it to him, and gently cut a 1-inch hole through the bag. The bag was filled with steam from the lack of air and spittle all across the front. I held the hole open for a moment, letting Gerald catch his breath. The bag went in and out as he sucked the sweet, fresh, cool air into his lungs; I don’t think he had been to the club for racquetball in a few weeks. I looked at the wife whose tears were flowing freely, she had snot running from her nose, and she was physically shaking. This might not make the best time to do that family Christmas card, especially with the kids tied up and their ears and eyes covered. I was unsure if she was worried for him, or for her and her children. I didn’t believe she was as strong as her husband, or maybe they had just been together so long she knew he wouldn’t give in, and I didn’t have a clue where to get a dead man’s hand to scare the VP with at this time of the night. I cut a second hole next to his ear. “Gerald do you think maybe we can see eye to eye now?”
Gerald looked at me with fire in his eyes. “Kill me… you will go to hell if you do. You know and I know you can’t kill me, there’s nobody else who can do what I can do for you. What do you have to say about that, you piece of shit?”
“Well Gerald, to be honest I am more than a little hurt; I am a little sad, but I am also a little impressed because apparently you are one ballsy dude, Mr. President.” I clapped my hands and even put a little bounce in my step. “So I can’t kill you, ok, I’ll give you that, but what indication did you get that everyone else is safe in your family, starting with your lovely wife?” I looked at Regina sitting there sobbing uncontrollably, she was only five feet away from her children. I pulled my 9mm from the small of my back and screwed the silencer onto the tip of the barrel waiting, till I heard the click.
I got back in Gerald’s face, “So Gerald, how are we thinking things will go now?”
“You wouldn’t.”
I turned around quickly, pointing the gun from four feet away and aimed it a few inches from her head. I fired off three shots. The silencer muffled the noise, and the smoke floated through the air. The bullets buried themselves into the elegant wood to the left and right of her, splinters landed in hair, she was screaming at the top of her lungs. I looked at him. “Next one is going into her fucking brain Gerald.”
He shook his head no, and he closed his eyes taking long deep breaths. “Do you know what will happen if I do this, I mean really do you know what can happen to me?” I slapped him across the face hard until he opened his eyes.
I looked back at him in shock. “I am holding a gun, I just shot at your wife, I am going to suffocate you, and cut your damn hands off, and I’m holding your children hostage. At what point tonight did you get the idea that I give a damn about your career Gerald?”
I showed him some duct tape. “What are you going to do with that?”
“Take a guess dip-shit… now take a big deep breath Gerald, it might be your last.” I pulled the tape and put it over his ear first, and then slid the second piece back over the mouth hole I’d cut.
He sat there for ten seconds before he started bucking. Once you know the horror of suffocation you will generally suffocate even faster. The anticipation, and knowing what is happening, causes the person to begin gasping for air that doesn’t come. I think the fact he knew I was prepared to kill him was what clinched it. I waved goodbye and started to walk up stairs. He started stamping his feet and rocking his chair as hard as he could. I walked back to him, sat down next to him, and watched his eyes. I could read the words from his eyes as if he was the next great American author. Tears and snot flo
wed freely from his and his wife’s eyes and noses; they were a sight, and I thought of a few witty comments but figured playing the tough guy might be the better call here. “Something you would like to discuss, Mr. President?”
He immediately began screaming something very loudly. I started rolling up his pressed and starched sleeve which was damp with perspiration and laid my knife next to his wrist, looking at my watch. I waited a thirty count, then forty-five, and then a minute. I removed his watch and just stared at him, watching his eyes start to roll into the back of his head. The wife was screaming to take it off, that it had been too long. I cut the zip tie with the fish hook part of my blade and ripped it off of his sweat-covered head.
He screamed, “I’ll do it, I’ll do anything, just don’t put the bag back on.”
I grabbed a handful of his sweaty hair and yanked his head back; I put my knife in as far as I could against his Adam’s apple. “If you do anything, and I mean anything stupid until this process is completed, you and everyone you have ever known are fucking dead, do you understand? All of this will become a happily ever after story. I’ll put the bag back on, tie it shut and walk away, never to come back.”
Gerald was breathing heavily; his overweight mid-section was peeking out of his gaped-open shirt. “What… what do you want me to do, I mean until the bank officially opens?”
“Why don’t you get some rest Gerald, you aren’t looking so good. I will get you bright and early, let’s say 8:00. You had a dental appointment today and that’s why you’re running late.”
“What about my family? What are you going to do with them all day? People might worry.”
“People don’t really worry till you’re missing for an entire day, but here is the deal. You do what I want, and at the end of the day, you can come home and cut your family free and hug and kiss them and apologize to your wife.”
“But what if something goes wrong.”
“Well if any problems come up I’ll come back here after I stick my gun in your mouth and pull the trigger. I’ll leave you on your bathroom floor where you “did the deed” with a letter taped to your shirt explaining why you embezzled money from your bank, cheated on your wife, killed your entire family, and explaining why you wanted to take your own life.” “You wouldn’t do that!”
“Right Gerald, and what part of our lovely evening together gave you the first clue towards that conclusion? Besides it wouldn’t be me doing it, it’d be you.”
Without another word, I walked over to Regina and placed a strip of tape over her mouth, checked her wrists, and went to Gerald. “Sweet dreams, see you soon.” I placed a piece over his mouth and walked up the stairs. I could feel the sweat running down my stomach. The misery of doing this to innocent people was too much to handle. In war having to do this is a part of the job; these were everyday Americans.
I opened the heavy oak door to the basement, walked through it, and slammed it shut. I leaned back, almost falling against it, and slid down to my ass and laid my head in my arms, shaking my head. This was getting out of control. I wasn’t a monster, but I wasn’t going to lose another member of my family. I let myself lose it for a few minutes … then pushed myself up, thinking of what my Sniper instructor might say if he saw me sitting here crying.
