The Phoenix Blade: Project Justice

by Andrew Hess

  “Can I help you sir,” the maid said as she answered the door. She was young; maybe mid-twenties but gave the impression she had been working tirelessly all day. Her white blouse was buttoned to the very top as if she was forced to keep it that way until she was off the clock.

  “My girlfriend called me and said her truck broke down. She gave me this address to come pick her up.”

  “I believe she is in the sitting room with Mr. Mason. Please, come in while I go get them.” Sue moved aside; giving me room to enter the house before closing the door and walking around the corner.

  The house looked immaculate. The glossy beige tiled floors seemed like they were recently washed and waxed. There were photos of the families resting on the walls with crystal chandelier hanging over my head.

  Normally I would have given anything to be in a house like that. Instead, I just wanted to get Lilly out of there. The thought of her being next to one of the Masons made my skin crawl and my blood boil. I knew what they were capable of and didn’t want them anywhere near her. But as much as I wanted to rip the house apart to search for her, I knew the only way to pull off this mission was to wait patiently.

  Sue returned a few minutes later with Lilly and a tall man with a thick black beard. He was wearing a white dress shirt with a tie loosened around his neck; letting me know this was one of the Masons from the oil company.

  Lilly saw me as she rounded the corner. Her eyes lit up and hurried to throw her arms around my neck. “Get me out of here,” she whispered with panic in her voice.

  I broke the embrace and stared at the man that accompanied Lilly into the foyer. I extended my hand, but not out of respect or thanks. We needed him to believe every lie we told him and being nice was the only way to do it.

  “Thanks for keeping my girl safe. Mr. Mason is it?”

  He grasped my hand with a firm shake. “Please, call me Mark and it was no problem.” He stepped aside to look at Lilly. “Did they say when the truck would be here?”

  Lilly stuttered as she spoke; afraid to say anything that would screw up our mission or make Mark Mason suspicious. “T-they said it’ll be about a half I mean hour before they can get someone out here.”

  Mark looked at his gold watch impatiently. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I have to be up early. Sue will wait with you for the tow.”

  I knew Mark didn’t like that we were in his house. The tone in his voice told me he thought we were beneath him. But worse than that, I could tell he knew we were up to something.

  “Thank you,” I said abruptly. “I hope we didn’t intrude.”

  “It was no intrusion at all,” Mark replied slyly.

  “Well, I’d like to take a look at the truck; maybe I can get it started and there won’t be a need for the tow truck.”

  Mark stood there staring us down; trying to suppress his annoyance. He rolled up his sleeves and opened a drawer from a small table next to the front door; pulling out a red flashlight.

  “I’ll give you a hand. After all, cars are a hobby of mine.”

  Sue opened the door and waited for me to exit. She bowed as Mark stood on the front doorstep. He leaned back and whispered to Sue.

  “Keep an eye on her.”

  Chapter 48

  Mark Mason had become suspicious of me the moment he laid eyes on Lilly and even more when he met me. The plan we executed was falling apart right in front of one of our targets. There wasn’t much time before he checked out the truck and found nothing wrong with it.

  I continued checking my phone as we walked up the dirt path to the main road; hoping Mike messaged me with the good news.

  “Everything all right,” Mark asked.

  “Yeah, I forgot to call my friend to let him know I found the place okay.” My lies were getting sloppy. We hadn’t planned for this to happen.

  “You two don’t seem like you’re from around here. Where are you guys from?”

  “New York,” I replied. I was sure he finally pieced it all together after he found out where we lived. He was a smart man with well-placed connections. We were as good as busted.

  Finally, my cell started buzzing; telling me I had a message from Mike which told me he was in the room; ready to execute.

  I bit my lip in trying to hide my excitement. We were a few feet from the road and I had the green light to kill.

  “Where did you park,” Mark asked as he saw the red pickup truck by itself on the empty road.

  “I stopped about a half mile down. I thought I was lost and started looking around for the house number.”

  The wheels were turning in his head. He knew I was there to take him out. He could smell the setup the moment we walked out the door.

  He raised his arm with the flashlight; knowing I was ready to strike, but I was quicker. My hand ripped the twenty two caliber from my waistband and smashed the butt of the gun into the back of Mark Mason’s head. His limp body fell to the ground with a thud cutting open his chin.

  I knew I couldn’t kill him; not on the side of the road. We were out in the open where anyone could see us. His moans turned my head as I watched him rub the back of his head; feeling the large lump my gun left. I had no choice. I began kicking him in the side; trying desperately to knock him down the dirt path back towards the house. By the fourth kick, his body tumbled several feet down the slope.

  Mark caught himself halfway down; knowing I was coming for him. He regained his balance as I charged him; throwing the gun down and tackling him back to the ground. His hands seized control of my neck; pinning it against his body. With every punch I threw, he synched the hold tighter; rendering me defenseless. But I had one thing left that could help.

  My hand reached into my pants pocket; pulling out a small knife I placed there earlier and used it to stab Mark Mason in the side; causing him to release me. He howled as his blood seeped onto the dirt. I dropped the knife and began choking him; trying to silence his cries for help.

  His hands flew up; reaching for my eyes. I used my face to push them aside while striking him with my right hand. His head smacked the ground as I continued to throttle his throat. I could see the life draining from him, but his eyes focused on the bloody object to my left. He groped the ground; finding the knife inches from his hand. It was his last chance for survival.

  I pinned his arm with my knee and grabbed the knife. “Nice try.” I gripped the knife tightly and made a quick slice across his throat; letting a river of blood spill out onto the path.

  Mark Mason frantically clutched the wound; trying to stop the bleeding. But it was too late; the damage was done. He slid to the ground and became motionless. Mark Mason was dead.

  “One down; nine to go.”

  Chapter 49

  Lilly watched from the bay window as I ran back to the house. She could see the panic in my eyes and rushed to the door.

  Sue met her with a look of concern. “What’s wrong? Where’s Mr. Mason?” Sue’s eyes dropped to the crimson smears on my jeans. Her mouth opened and was about to blow our cover with a single scream.

  Lilly reached for her pant leg; pulling a small silver revolver from a hidden holster. She jammed the barrel of the gun into the back of Sue’s head; muffling her scream with a silencing hand.

  “Do what we say and I won’t have to put a hole through your skull.” Lilly’s eyes filled with tears while her hand was steadily pointing the gun.

  I was pleasantly surprised by the way Lilly took control of the situation. Maybe it was the fear of getting caught, or maybe it came from her wanting to prove she could handle herself during the missions. Either way, I was impressed.

  Lilly slowly removed her hand from Sue’s mouth; letting her talk for a moment. “What do you want from me? What did you do to Mr. Mason?”

  “He had an unfortunate accident and won’t be rejoining the party.” I could tell she wanted to yell. If she did, her scream would alert everyone in the house. “All we want is to get the kids out of the house without disturbing the others.
Can you do that?”

  Sue nodded her head in compliance. “Please don’t hurt the kids. They’re innocent children.”

  “They’ll be fine. We just want them out of harm’s way.”

  “Then what do you want?”

  “Justice,” I replied. “Now no more questions.” I waived Lilly over; watching her keep the gun locked on Sue while walking around her. “Don’t let her out of your sight. Keep the gun ready, but don’t let the kids see it.”

  “Where are you going,” Lilly asked.

  “Downstairs. I need to see what Mike found.”

  I searched the house for the kitchen; knowing it contained the cellar entrance. The room was at the back of the house and looked as if it was never used. It was spotless with marble counter tops and tiled floors. I searched the room and found an old wooden door slightly ajar.

  I knew someone had found him and raced down the stairs; finding the door open with a shadow of an arm stretched out.

  “Mike, it’s me; everything okay down there?”

  “Yeah, I just had an unexpected visitor.”

  I climbed down the last few steps and saw a petrified woman pressed against the wall with her hands raised in surrender. Mike stood a few feet away; pointing a gun in her face.

  “Who’s the chick,” I asked.

  “I’m not a chick. I’m a Mason damn it. Just wait until my husband gets a hold of you. You’ll be sorry.”

  “Oh you mean Mark?”

  The confident smirk Lisa Mason once had was replaced with a look of concern and worry. “H-how do you know Mark?”

  “We bumped into each other earlier.”

  “W-what do you want from us?”

  “From you; nothing, but I’m sure your children will find good homes somewhere. As for your husband, he shared the same fate you’re about to.” I nodded to Mike. There was a small high pitched pop as the bullet passed the silencer and splattered blood across the wall. “Let’s move; we need to get the rest of our gear.”

  Chapter 50

  We entered the Mason estate carrying an extra clip, silenced guns and our swords. Mike stared at his; remembering how he used it to kill his former friends and his ex.

  “Are you okay,” I asked.

  Mike’s eyes were bloodshot and filled with remorse. “I just don’t know if I want to use this right now.” He met my gaze and quickly slung the sword over his shoulder. “Never mind; let’s go.”

  We entered the Mason house and followed the white staircase to the second floor; finding royal blue carpets lining the ground.

  “How do you wanna do this,” Mike whispered.

  “Take the left side of the hall; I’ll take the right.”

  I entered the first room on the right; slipping through a small crack in the door and found a pair of Masons sleeping soundly in their king sized bed. They were motionless; not even the small sliver of light fazed them. I didn’t want to use the gun or the sword in fear of waking the other. Instead I crept towards the bed; slipping the bloody knife from my pocket and silently swiped the blade across their throats. A stream of blood poured onto the expensive silk sheets; dripping onto the floor. It was quick and virtually painless which was the least I could do.

  “That’s four down,” I whispered. I exited the room; finding Mike closing the door across the hall.

  “You find anything,” Mike asked in a hushed tone.

  “Yeah, another couple down. What about you?”

  “I checked two rooms so far, but both were kid’s rooms.”

  “Keep looking; the others should be here somewhere.”

  I entered the next room; finding another pair of Masons sleeping peacefully in their bed. The plan was working perfectly; a little too perfectly.

  I walked to the side of the bed; coming face to face with another of the Mason brothers. I reached for the knife in my pocket, but was cut off by the sound of a loud shattering noise down the hall followed by a woman’s screeching yell. I had to move quickly or my victims would wake. In one swift movement, I removed the sword from its sheath and plunged the tip of the blade into Mr. Mason’s chest.

  “Honey…honey, wake up,” the woman next to him cried while shaking him vigorously until he rolled onto his back.

  I could see the look of terror in her face as a glimmer of light reflected off the sword; catching her attention. I knew she was ready to scream. It’s why I put the silencer on my gun and took aim the moment I stabbed her husband. The barrel of the gun rested a foot from her head; silencing her cry with a pull of a trigger.

  Chapter 51

  I found Mike hunched over in the hallway. He was panting; sweat was pouring down the side of his face and he was worried.

  “What the hell happened,” I demanded to know. Whatever went down in that room almost woke up the Masons which could have ruined the whole mission or worse.

  “The damn wife woke up as I was killing her husband. She grabbed a lamp and broke it over my back.” Mike straightened himself up against the wall and took a deep breath; wiping the sweat from his forehead.

  I shoved him against the wall. “You almost got me killed because of that mistake.

  “I can’t help it if the bitch woke up. I was quiet.”

  “Just tell me she’s dead.”

  “She put up a bit of a fight, but I got the job done.”

  “Not quite; there are two…”

  I was cut off by a loud piercing scream down the hall that alerted us. The final two targets stood at the end of the hall; staring at the blood dripping from my sword and the guns in our hands.

  “Shit, they saw us. Get them,” I called to Mike as I led the charge down the hall.

  They took off down the stairs. We were right behind them, but saw they were near the bottom of the stairs. We didn’t have much time before they reached the front door. Mike aimed the gun over my head and pulled the trigger. The bullet whizzed over my head; striking the door as the wife pulled it open.

  “I got him. Go after here,” I shouted. I dropped my sword and tackled the husband as Mike ran past us and out the front door.

  I watched Mike raise his gun, line up his shot and pulled the trigger. His aim was precise as the last of the Mason wives dropped to the ground.

  I took my eyes away from my target a moment too long as the final Mason connected with a fist to my jaw. The searing pain forced me onto back. His hand remained clenched as he climbed to his feet. I turned to my side in time to see Mason measuring me up for a punt to my stomach.

  My instincts took over. It was the first time I’d been in a real fight since middle school, and this time the stakes were life and death. I grabbed his right foot and kicked out the left. I jumped on top of him; pummeling him with punches. Each strike felt like a release of anger and frustration. The crimson river that flowed from his nose was a sight I was used to seeing after the last couple of weeks.

  I couldn’t stop. My fist continued to drop forcefully on his face. But he wasn’t content with lying there; taking each hit. Mason threw his hands up in defiance and pushed my body away; putting enough room between us to get his foot in between. In one last desperate attempt, he kicked my chest; pushing me away.

  I reached for the top of my pants; expecting to find my gun, but nothing was there. I scanned the area around my body and stumbled to my feet. After turning around, I saw where my gun was. It was pointed at my chest. I knew my time was up. There was no time to run; nowhere to hide. Every member of his family was dead and he had one of the killers in his crosshairs.

  Everything happened in slow motion. The trigger was pulled. I could hear the bullet leave the chamber. I did the only thing I could. I dove to the side; hoping to escape my impending death. As I landed, I checked to see if I’d been hit. I didn’t feel any pain; couldn’t find any wounds. Instead I found a body lying several feet from mine in a pool of its own blood.

  “Do I have to do all the shooting around here,” Mike said sarcastically as I stared at the body. He looked at me; see
ing my face was pale and clammy. “You’re okay. It’s over.”

  “But I almost…”

  “Got shot,” he finished. “But you weren’t.”

  “Thanks to you.”

  “You can thank me later. Let’s get out of here before someone finds the bodies.

  I checked the body for a pulse and found nothing. I walked back to the drawer Mark opened earlier and jotted down a brief note for the Feds to find. But nothing could express the fear I felt; knowing I was seconds from losing my life.

  Chapter 52

  “They’ve struck again. Ten bodies found at a ranch house in Texas along with another note. Those were the words Agent Peterson kept replaying in his head as he flew to Austin Texas. His worst fears came true. Not only did the group known as the Revolution evade his pursuit in Florida, they struck again; this time with a higher body count.

  Peterson wondered if there was more than just the one crime scene. After all, the Phoenix left two in Florida and one of them took three days to uncover. He knew there wasn’t any time to waste. The group was most likely on the move and he didn’t have a chance to process the crime scene yet.

  The rental car was waiting for him the second he stepped off the plane and took off towards the address he was forwarded to by a friend at the local Sheriff’s Department.

  Peterson pulled up to the Ranch house; finding Federal Agents, police and sheriffs swarming the scene. Every inch of the property was covered by someone wearing a badge; combing the area for a shred of evidence they could use against the Revolution.

  Peterson approached a nearby agent and flashed his credentials. “What do we have?”

  “This is a massacre. Five families lived in that house. All of them were found dead this morning.”

  “COD?”

  “Everyone was either shot, stabbed or had their throats sliced.”

  “How were the bodies discovered?”

  The agent walked Agent Peterson towards the house and stopped midway down the dirt path. “A neighbor was on his morning run and thought he saw a body on the ground just outside the house.” The agent pointed to the body with a white sheet covering it. “He found Erica Mason face down with a bullet wound in the back of her head. He ran back to the road to call police and found another body hidden in the trees.”