The Phoenix Blade: Project Justice

by Andrew Hess

  I wanted to say yes. I wanted to tell Steven everything I learned about mom’s death. That Mona and my dad were responsible. But I couldn’t. He was innocent and I wanted to keep him that way. Instead I shook Steven’s hand and said my goodbyes before exiting the house.

  The Jeep sat idly by on the corner under a big oak tree. Lilly sat in the passenger seat; her eyes beamed a hole through the windshield as she bit her nails nervously.

  “Are we set,” I asked as I climbed into the back seat.”

  Mike watched me from the rear view mirror. “Last chance. Are you sure you wanna go through with this?”

  “More than ready.”

  “Okay then.” Mike turned the ignition; hearing the Jeep come to life and drove off. “I did the test run last night. It’ll take us an hour to get the car and get back.”

  “Good, what kind of car is it?”

  “Black Malibu.”

  We pulled onto my block; passing houses brightly lit by Christmas lights and blowup Santa Clauses. Everything seemed quiet.

  “I’ll see you in an hour.” I reached for the door, but Lilly grabbed my hand. Her eyes were glassy; filling fast with tears.

  “Be careful,” she whimpered.

  “I’ll be fine.” I patted her hand gently before exiting the Jeep.

  I watched them speed off as I retrieved my sword from the trunk of my car and ran to the back of the house. My heartbeat slowed as I entered the house. Each beat was a loud hard thump in my chest as I hurried to my room to pack one final bag.

  My room was dark; allowing a little light shine through the curtains from the street. The light entered the room; bouncing off the red rosary beads that hung on the wall next to the bed. It was the one thing I still had that my mother gave me from when I was a kid.

  My hand brushed the sheets on the bed. There were many nights I spent sitting in the dark; thinking about the life I wanted. I wanted a peaceful normal life; filled with being married to a wonderful woman and having a house full of children. But that dream was about to die along with Kenneth and Mona Lancaster.

  My hands balled into fists; slamming them down on the bed; sending a notebook flying into the air.

  “The note,” I exclaimed. “I almost forgot.” I quickly grabbed the one subject notebook and jotted down the note for police to find.

  Lights flashed the house from the street. They were pulling into the driveway and I was running out of time.

  “Time to spring the trap.”

  I walked down the hall and entered a small office; turning on a light inside the closet. I watched them from a nearby window. They stumbled up the driveway. The tall husky man in a business suit walked arm and arm with his tall blond wife.

  “Your days of playing house are over.”

  I walked across the hall, grabbed my sword and hid in the small closet; peering through the wooden planked door. My heart was beating faster by the minute. Every sound seemed to be amplified; making me jump.

  The back door unlocked and slammed shut. I was seconds from killing Kenneth and Mona or chickening out; facing the wrath of the Benefactor. My hand gripped the sword tighter as I waited for them to pass.

  Kenneth’s voice carried through the house. “It was great to have the family back together again. It’s been too quiet without the boys here.”

  I know what you mean,” the shrill sound of Mona’s voice could be heard throughout the house. “The boys have really grown up. With Andrew in college and Steven working at the bank, they’re well on their way to starting their own families soon. I mean Steven already has his own house. I’m so proud.”

  “And the little ones are growing up too fast. They’re almost teenagers. How old are they now; eleven; twelve?”

  “They’re eight and ten dear.” I could see Mona’s blond hair sway in front of the closet. “Sweetheart, did you forget to turn off the light in the office?”

  “No, I don’t think so.” Kenneth walked down the hall and stood inches from my face.

  This was it; now or never. I threw open the door; knocking Mona to the floor. He turned to look at her, but I was too quick. He thought it was an intruder, but the moment my sword pierced his chest his eyes flashed wide with surprise. His eyes told me everything I needed to know. He was dying and I achieved vengeance; justice for my mother.

  I stood there; staring at his lifeless body as it fell to the floor. A sick creeping smile spread over my face as I put my foot on his shoulder and retracted the sword from his bleeding body.

  “What have you done?” Mona watched in horror as her husband died in front of her. “You son of a bitch. You killed him.”

  “I know.” I clenched the sword tightly and rested the blood soaked blade underneath her chin. “Now, I’m going to ask you one question. Do you have anything to confess?”

  Her eyes filled with tears. There was something she was holding back; a secret she didn’t want to tell.

  “Why are you doing this to us?”

  “I’ll ask the questions.”

  “Please don’t kill me. I love you.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “But I’m your mother.”

  “Wrong you killed my mother,” I shouted as my rage took over. There was no stopping me.

  Mona tried to scream for help, but I expected it. The tip of the blade slid straight into her throat; spurting blood all over the hardwood floor. A small puddle grew larger the moment I pulled the sword from her and wiped it clean with my father’s handkerchief.

  I washed my hands in the bathroom sink and called Mike immediately. “Where are you?”

  “Down the block.”

  “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  “Is it done? Did you kill them?”

  “It’s done.” It was the only words I could say without breaking into hysterics. I knew what I needed to do and wasting time on the phone with Mike wasn’t going to help.

  I hung up with Mike and hit the speed dial; hearing a cold voice whispering. “Did you complete your mission?”

  “Yes, now what do I do?”

  “Good to see you took me seriously. I suggest you get out of town and head towards your next target.”

  “Where is that?”

  “Your itinerary is in that briefcase. My men will be there shortly to help you escape. But for now, drive to Florida.”

  The call cut off. I knew it was time to move. I tore the note from the book on my bed and jumped out the window. There was one more thing I needed to do. The Lancaster house would always be a constant reminder of what they did. I couldn’t let it stand.

  I opened the shed, took out two gas cans and threw one inside the house. I used the second to spray the side yard with a trail leading to my bedroom window.

  I grabbed the large duffle bag that sat in the bushes outside my window, picked up my sword, lit a match and watched every childhood memory burn in the flames of justice while I rose from the ashes of my former life.

  Chapter 15

  “What the hell did you do,” Mike asked as I flung myself into the backseat of a brand new Malibu.

  I wanted to shout; what the hell do you think I did, but the words wouldn’t come out. Instead I sat with my head facing the floor mats.

  “Never mind,” Lilly shrieked. “We need to go; now.”

  As my door closed, two black SUVs pulled up on the driver’s side. The window of the passenger side rolled down; revealing men in black fatigues.

  “Follow us,” one of the men shouted.

  Mike rolled inched his window down. “Who the hell are you?”

  “The Benefactor sent us. We won’t tell you again.” Their windows rolled up and their SUVs sped off.

  Mike hit the gas. “Where are we going Drew?”

  I could barely reply as the weight of what I did sank in. I killed my father. I killed Mona. I burned my house down. There was no coming back from that.

  I felt a hand smack my leg. “We’re leaving New York,” I muttered softly. “Head towards Flor
ida.”

  “What’s in Florida,” Lilly asked.

  “Our next mission.”

  “Florida is a pretty big state. You mind narrowing it down for us so I don’t drive us to the Gulf of Mexico.”

  “I don’t know. The Benefactor said it was in the briefcase.”

  “Pull over,” Lilly said with a stern voice as if she decided to take control of the group. “I’ll get it out of the trunk.”

  “There’s no time. If I pull over, we’ll lose the SUVs. Besides, in a little while we’ll be named the prime suspects. We can’t hang around here anymore.”

  “Mike’s right. The faster we get out of New York the harder it’ll be for them to find us.”

  “Well, we need to know what’s in that briefcase.”

  “I know a place we can stop in Virginia. We’ll be safe there.”

  Mike slammed on the breaks; stopping just before a red light on Route 109. “Hell no! You better not call her. She can’t be trusted with this.”

  “We need to stop somewhere and she’s the only other person we can trust. We won’t stay long; I promise.”

  Lilly frantically checked the glove compartment for a map or GPS device. “Who are you talking about?”

  Mike ignored her and continued driving. “I’m not going and we’re not stopping there. I’ll drive straight to Florida if I have to.”

  “We need you at a hundred percent. There’s no telling what the next mission is or how fast we have to complete it. We have to make that stop.”

  Lilly slammed the glove compartment shut. It was loud enough to stop us from arguing so she could finally be heard. “Who are you talking about?”

  “His ex,” Mike finally said.

  “The one he dated for two years.”

  “Yeah, we have a mutual hatred for each other.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I flipped out on her when she cheated on Andrew. I told her she was lucky to be with him in the first place.”

  “And you cursed her out and call her a bitch,” I replied.

  “She deserved it. No one should treat you the way she did.”

  “Look I know she screwed up, but that was a couple years ago and she’s still a friend. You need to put your differences aside. We need her help.”

  Mike remained quiet as he turned onto the Meadowbrook Parkway. He thought about what I said and broke his silence. “Fine, make the call.”

  As I reached into my pocket for my cell, I looked down and saw the blood soaking into my boots. My eyes glanced up; seeing Mike lean over and whisper to Lilly; most likely telling her more about my ex and what he thought of her. I didn’t want to listen. There was no point in rehashing the past. In the end, we needed a favor and there was only one person I could reply on.

  A groggy woman’s voice answered the phone. “Hello.”

  “Hey Faith, did I wake you?”

  “Who the hell is this?”

  “It’s Andrew.”

  “Why are you calling me so late?”

  “I need a favor.” I knew it was a stretch, but she was our best shot at stopping before Florida.

  “You have one hell of a way of asking. You realize it’s midnight and now Christmas Day?”

  “I know but it’s important. I have a few friends I’m traveling with and are heading towards Virginia.”

  “And let me guess, you wanna crash at my house?”

  “Just for a bit.”

  She paused before responding. “Who’s with you?”

  “Mike and my friend Lilly.”

  Faith laughed in a mocking tone. “Yeah okay.”

  “Please, I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”

  “How important?”

  “Enough for me to owe you for life.” I knew involving her in this would put her in danger too, but it was my only choice. “I can’t get into it over the phone. Can we meet tomorrow at your house?”

  “Fine, but you owe me a story. Call me a glutton for punishment, but I’m curious to see what trouble you got yourself into this time.”

  Truth be told, I was just as curious.

  Chapter 16

  The fire spread quickly; hitting the gas can and causing an alarming explosion. The once green grass surrounding the house was burning in the shape of a bird. The blaze could be seen from a half mile away.

  Sirens blared throughout the neighborhood; waking the town of Lindenhurst and dragging them out of their warm comfy beds as the Lancaster house burned to the ground.

  The firefighters pushed their way in; spraying jets of water all over the house and yard. They cleared enough room for them to enter the house and tackle the fire at its worst area.

  “I got two bodies,” one of firefighters yelled as they pushed forward. He checked them and shook his head.

  Chapter 17

  It took nearly an hour to put out the blaze and another three before police were allowed to enter the house.

  “You need to see this,” one of the firefighters told Officer Schmidt. He brought the officer down the hall and showed him the two charred bodies of Kenneth and Mona Lancaster. “We found these two bodies while putting out the fire.”

  “Did anyone touch the bodies?”

  “No sir. We checked for a pulse. They didn’t have any, so we left them there until we were able to give you guys the okay.”

  The officer put a pair of white gloves on and checked the bodies. He found the puncture wounds in Mr. Lancaster’s chest and Mona’s throat.

  “I need the M.E. in here and an analyst team,” the officer shouted. He took a big sniff; finding a distinct odor nearby. “What’s that smell?”

  The firefighter shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. “I don’t smell anything.”

  Officer Schmidt entered a bedroom on his left and found pieces of a burnt red gas can thrown around the room; imbedded in the floor and walls.

  “Whoever did this used an accelerant. Smells like gasoline. My guess, they wanted to burn any evidence including the bodies. I think we have a murder here. Officer Schmidt folded his arms and looked out the window. “What do we have out there?”

  A husky officer had a small plastic bag with a white piece of paper inside. “We found this on the far side of the gate.”

  “Bring it over here.” He opened the bag and took out the note.

  To whoever finds this; be warned. This will not be the one and only time you’ll hear from us. This was not the doing of one person. Consider this the first strike in our revolution; a warning if you will. Our message is simple. We want the death of corruption and greed; seeking justice for those who cannot claim it themselves. Only the innocent shall be spared, and by no means were these two pieces of burnt flesh innocent. They committed murder and covered it up for the last six years. Our mission to uncover the truth and seek out justice has begun. You have bared witness to the first execution in our revolution.

  The Phoenix

  Chapter 18

  I tossed and turned all night on the backseat; thinking about what Kenneth and Mona did and how I finally exacted revenge. A part of me was thrilled they were gone, but a part of me was filled with remorse; disgusted with myself for taking it to this extreme.

  “Andrew….Andrew wake up,” Lilly said gently as she shook my legs as if a mother trying to wake her children.

  “Yo, get up,” Mike shouted; violently pulling me off the seat.

  I opened my eyes to the bright blinding sun. “Where are we?”

  “We’re a few blocks away from your ex’s house,” Mike snapped. “We should be there in a couple of minutes.”

  I looked around; still in a daze and realizing I was still trapped in a nightmare. “How did you find it?”

  “Lilly found a map last night and figured out the route.”

  Lilly blushed as she tucked the map into the pocket of her bag.

  As we pulled up, I could see the white picket fence that separated Faith’s house from the sidewalk; the petite beige house that seemed like a warm cot
tage and the white love seat glider that sat next to the front door overlooking a small flower garden.

  Mike refused to exit the car. His eyes were fixated on the windshield; burning a hole through it wishing it was Faith he was burning a hole through instead. I knew he didn’t want to be there. He’d rather spend a lifetime in jail than owe Faith any favors, but this was our only option.

  But it was Lilly’s expression that worried me. She wouldn’t look at any of us. Her eyes looked towards the sky with a mixture of confusion, sadness and concern.

  “You guys coming or what,” I asked as I exited the car.

  No one moved. They sat like wax statues in the car; only moving around if they needed to cough or blink.

  I threw my hands in the air as if surrendering to the enemy. That’s what it felt like to owe Faith. As I walked up to the porch, a short red headed woman opened the door; staring me down with an intense glare. Faith’s hair was pushed back into a ponytail and was wearing a pair of green sweatpants with an old black hoodie zipped up to her chin.

  I looked her over. It was the first time I saw her in nearly two years. We hardly talked since the breakup, but decided to stay long distance friends.

  “You finally pierced your nose,” I laughed; trying to break the tension. “Always said you would look good with one.”

  “Don’t start. You’re lucky I’m letting you and your friends in here to begin with. How long are you staying?”

  “Just a couple of hours. We just need to rest for a bit.”

  Her suspicion was growing by the minute. “You said over the phone this was important. You mind telling me why?”

  “It’s complicated. I can’t get into it right now.”

  Her left eyebrow raised in annoyance. “You tell me or no one steps foot in my house.”

  I grabbed Faith by the arm and brought her in closer. “Let them get settled in first. Then you can ask me anything you want.”

  The wheels were turning in her head. She didn’t know how much trouble we were in or how much she was in by letting us stay there, but her curiosity got the better of her. She stepped aside and signaled to the car as if waiving the white flag; letting them know it was okay to come in.

  Mike and Lilly exited the car and made headed towards the house; toting their duffle bags and the black briefcase.

  Lilly stuck out her hand. “Thanks for letting us crash here for a while. We could really use the rest.”

  “No problem. You must be Lilly.” Faith grinned and shook her hand. “You can setup in the living room. The couch is pretty comfortable. You should be fine there.”