Jack Watson was a bitter man. Not bitter as in he hated everyone, because he didn't, but bitter as in sad, as throughout his life, he had experienced nothing but shit. Born into an abusive family, he was regularly abused by his father. His mother was a caring soul, but was often also abused. She was murdered when he was 5 years old, by his father, who was able to hide the evidence so well that he was never caught and her death was registered as suicide. That was something that Jack never forgot and never forgave. So much so, that when his father died, he denied him his wish to be cremated and only gave him a plain headstone that had only his name and the year that he died.

There was one even bigger grudge.

Jack had been married for 5 years to a woman called Sofia. She was the love of his life, and they had gone through shit together, having survived numerous attempts on their lives due to the fact that someone didn't like the 25-year age gap. That only made them stronger, until the day when Jack came home to find her dead with a stab wound to the neck that meant that parts of her spinal cord were visible.

"Who is this person?" Janet wanted to know.
"I cannot tell you his name. If I do, then I fear that I won't be the one to punish him." Jack looked up.

Janet was Jack's friend and confidante in the 2 years that it had been since the murder. All Jack dared to disclose was that Sofia's killer was only a year older than he was, and that it was a man. He had been arrested, but Jack ensured that he was let go so that he could punish him himself.

"Are you sure you don't want to tell me his name? He needs to be punished, whoever he is." Janet looked at Jack.
"As I said, I cannot tell you, because if I do, he will go back to jail." Jack replied.
"I need to know." Janet stood firm.
"Okay, but on one condition and ONE condition only." Jack gave in.
"What is that?" Janet wanted to know.
"That you tell nobody, because I want to punish this man myself." Jack ordered. "His name is Phil Brady."

This was the first time that Jack had ever done that. His hands started to shake, for he was getting upset. He did not like to show his tears in front of Janet, because he wanted to stay strong and cling onto the hope that he would get to punish Phil and also the hope that none of this was really happening, as to him, life without Sofia was nothing but a dream.

"Is there anything you need?" Janet then asked.
"I could do with a pen and some paper." Jack motioned.

Janet got up off the chair and walked over to the wooden table that had a pen and some paper on the top. She picked them up, and took them over to Jack.

"This is so I can come up with a way to punish the bastard." Jack noted.
"I'll help with the punishment, if you need me to." Janet offered.
"That will be a wise idea, because Phil is so big that it would take 2... there is the plan." Jack went wide-eyed.
"What plan?" Janet was confused.
"Isn't there a disused laboratory nearby?" Jack was trying to remember.
"There might be. Why?" Janet replied and asked.
"They often performed inhumane experiments on animals, and I know that Phil worked there because he was obsessed with all things inhumane." Jack then said. "Jack would tape everything, and at the scene of Sofia's murder, he left one such tape, and I brought it home and watched it."
"What was in the tape?" Janet wanted to know.
"Too grisly to say, but I will say that the animal was awake and could feel absolutely everything but was paralysed so it could not move." Jack replied. "As it happens to be, I still have that tape."
"When do you want to punish him?" Janet then asked.
"As soon as possible, although tomorroe night would be preferable and in the place where he ended many lives." Jack replied.

Without saying another word, Janet picked up the phone and dialled a number which turned out to be the number of the laboratory. Minutes later, she put the phone down, with a smile on her face.

"Who were you just on the phone to?" Jack wanted to know.
"The laboratory, as they are still open, and happen to be in use again. As it is, they have the same desire that you have, and I didn't even have to mention Phil's name." Janet smiled.
"Did they say whether or not he still works there?" Jack wanted to know.
"He's a supervisor there, and is on his way there as we speak." Janet winked.

Not even a nanosecond later...

"We're going there." Jack got up.
"Are you sure about this?" Janet became worried.
"It's confirmation that we will be the last faces that he ever sees." Jack put his coat on.

Ever since an accident 12 years earlier, Jack had had to use a walking cane. It didn't bother him much, and the accident was caused by weather and not someone who was drunk and driving. His hair was completely white, and he had scars on his face from the years of abuse that he had suffered at the hands of his father.

Getting into the car (a blue Hyundai), Jack felt a wave come over him. It was not one of sadness (although the pain of losing Sofia would never go away), but one of fulfillment, as he was going to punish the man responsible for taking Sofia's life. He gave Janet the keys, as she was the only one out of both of them that was fit to drive.