Cat and mouse

by Honey Badger 98

this is my debut entry and isn't really about the Alex Cross Series, its just that I was inspired by the books for this novel.

Hey guys this is Chinamaniio and this story isn't strictly fan fiction but it is however a taste of what I am capable of, so here is my 13 chapter opening of Cat and Mouse

Chapter 1

Jerry

I gazed through the bars at him. He did not look like the stone, cold blooded killer who kidnapped and probably killed two children from a relatively high securityschool. He wore a neutral expressionless face which showed no sign of emotion, like a blank cold slate. I remembered taking the kids to the zoo once on a Sunday afternoon, we saw the snakes there. All of them with the same, cold expressionless face. With this poker face it was impossible to get a read on what this little bastard was thinking.

He was of a medium height, with dark brown hair which he had let grow long. His eyes were closed and were still. I could tell he was sitting rather smugly and was notasleep. What worried me was the fact that he seemed to be in control. Like this was a game of cat and mouse and he was only there because he wanted to be.

I flashed my badge at the guard stationed outside the cell. He opened the cell doorusing a small silver key. I walked in and heard a voice say, "Hello, Detective Chang." I turned around as I thought I heard it was from behind me. I turned again at him and could see a smile develop on his face. How did he know who I was and how could he pitch his voice like that. "So officer," I heard him say, "What are you here to question me about?" As he said that his eyes opened. Piercing blue eyes, I had only seen eyes this blue twice in my life before. I just realised who this son of a bitch was.

Chapter 2

Alex

In the first week in prison I was put in solitary, so I was away from all other inmates. Every prisoner in solitary had to have a guard outside the door. My guard was a pretty young guy around 30 or so, give or take a few years. He was very talkative and oftenmoaned about the job, the superintendent (his boss) or his life in general. I listened attentively as well I had nothing else to pass the time. I began one day to talk to him, to let him share his problems with me. It was pretty low key but at least it was better than staring at a wall for 24 hours. Gradually I learnt some information about the prison. After a week, I began to know the layout and the amount of guards on duty as well as at night. I learnt about the cell bars and the problems that the guards had to deal with. Slowly, and subtly I wheeled out all this information out of him for my plan to escape.

Today was the night of my escape. It was dark, around midnight and two cell block officers were patrolling the block with a menacing riot baton and a canister of pepper spray designed to contain bears in hand. I shuddered at the sight of the can. On the first day I got sprayed with it when I got in a fight with an inmate. This reminded me of a cat fight where the owner would splash water to break up the fight.

One officer passed my cell and peered inside half-heartedly to make sure I was asleep and not tunnelling an escape hole. The little sucker. The staff inside the prison were underpaid and to be honest didn't give a damn about the inmates. The patrolling officers on the night shift usually resented their jobs and wished they were at home. The guards not doing their jobs properly could be twisted to my advantage

I lay still on the bed with my face turned away from the guards. I counted to ten in my head then got back up and grabbed my toothbrush and began sharpening the end of it against the floor making it into a crude makeshift weapon. I would need it for what came next.

The cell bars were sensitive so if they would send an alert to the control room if they were being tampered with. I put one of the spare pillows in the bed and made it look like I was there. In my four weeks in a Mexican prison, making this was one of the skills I picked up. A simple trick to know how to do, but the art was in making it look convincing. For example, a snake can feign death and trick you but how convincingly I can do so increases the effectiveness of the ploy.

I retrieved one of the spare bed-sheets and using the toothbrush, I cut the sheet up into long strips. I twined them together into a rope. In the cell next to me, I knew the inmate was doing exactly the same. I put the rope around the bars and tugged it slightly. I then threw the rope underneath the bed; the rope had more than one purpose. The rope being pulled on the bars would set off the alarm which would bring a guard to investigate. The inmate next door must have had done the same as I heard two separate sets of footsteps coming towards our cells.

I positioned myself against the wall next to the door with toothbrush in hand with a pair of rolled up socks in the other. I watched the guard peer inside to check I was asleep. The little sucker. He opened the door and began checking it for signs of beingtinkered with. I sprung out the shadows and thrust the sock in his mouth and used the toothbrush to slit his throat. I watched his eyeballs widen and fix onto me as I killed him, then he fell to the floor with his eyes fixed in the same position right at me. I noticed it was the guard who I talked to in solitary. Oh well, that's what you get if you talk too much.

I grabbed the keys from the dead man's jacket along with the pepper spray and torch. I stepped out of the cell and looked to my right. The other inmate was busy releasingthe other inmates, "perfect," I said smiling. I tossed the keys to another freed inmate and they all started to free each other.

Meanwhile I went back in my cell and moved the bed. Underneath the bed was a holewhich I crafted at night which leads to the sewage system, big enough for a special someone. I removed the tarp and glanced down into darkness.

By now, most of the inmates in our block were free and the number was increasing by the minute. I jumped down the hole and moved the bed back into place using the rope I attached to the underside of the bed. I began to hear screams from the guards as they were attacked by the inmates. I smiled to myself, as I had no sympathy whatsoever for these guards. I had a diversion, from the riot and an escape route. All I needed to do now was escape. Chuckling to myself as I ascended into the sewerage, I switched on the torch and made my way out of the sewer.

Chapter 3

Jerry

I woke up to the sound of my mobile phone ringing. Still in bed and quite groggy I answered the call. The call was from my partner in crime at the NYPD (New York Police Department), Chris. "Hey Chris, what's up" I spoke into the phone quietly as my wife was still sleeping. "Why are you calling me at this hour?"

The voice at the other end was a bit new to me as I never heard Chris speak in thatway. Slow, grave with a hint of fear, so different to his usual upbeat, comical tone."He escaped, Jerry. He escaped." I suddenly felt the room temperature drop by 10 degrees. "What do you mean he escaped?" I said panicking as I climbed out of bed and walked out of the bedroom. "He escaped alright, the little bastard, he knows these prisons inside out. He's out now and I think he is going to finish the job he started." The last words Chris said struck me like a hammer blow, fear rippled through me like a shockwave as I struggled to regain my composure. I went silent for two wholeminutes as the realisation overcame me. "Meet me at the office Chris, I'll, I'll be there in 10,"I stuttered. I ended the call and slumped down against the wall struggling to comprehend what I just learnt.

Chapter 4

Alex

A rush of exhilaration went through me as I sped through the highway in darkness. I had escaped from the prison and now needed to get out of the country. I didn't have that many contacts in Mexico, well none which I could rely on, not with the price on my head. I turned on the car radio and tuned in to the news station. Thankfully it was in English not Spanish and was right now reporting on my escape. The escape was 2 hours ago, but the cops think it was one hour ago. I needed to get to the border quickly before they started road blocks there.

The reporter then added," The suspect is in a yellow Nissan micra and be well advised as he is armed and dangerous." The little suckers. "Armed and dangerous alright," I said to myself as I pulled out my 911 Colt Government Issue hand gun. I was now in a 1971 dodge challenger, again stolen. "The police are setting up roadblocks in Torreon where we believe the suspect is heading". I smiled, I had ditched the Nissan a few miles south of Torreon and was now 100 or so miles north of that.

I felt a sudden need to get a drink of some sort. A craving for an ice cold beer, but a soft drink would suffice. I looked up and saw a service station up ahead. Perfect, I thought to myself. I turned into the service station and parked the car. I tucked the colt into my jacket and walked out briskly.

I went into the service station and began to survey my surroundings. At this time of night, the place was deserted with no customers, only an old man, half asleep at the counter. I went to the drinks and picked up a couple of vodkas while still looking around for any other people. Satisfied that there was only one man there, I went to the counter. The man began to wake and realised he had a customer. The man was short and plump with an overgrown beard and messy hair. "How can I help…" the man began to say as and his speech was cut off by two gunshots to his chest. He let off a low moan and crumpled to the ground. I jumped over the counter and pocketed some cash. I went through the man's pockets and found a pair of car keys and a cigarette lighter. I pocketed those also and went out of the store and walked back to the dodge.

I opened one bottle of vodka and took and couple of swigs of it before pouring it over the car. I gave a short sigh before taking the lighter and set fire to the car. I was just beginning to like that car, but it was just too flash and would attract attention. I lobbed the car keys into the fire and went to find the car that the man from the service station owned. A battered old Audi, probably second hand, judging by the state of it. Inside, the car was a mess and had cigarettes scattered all over the back seat. It was messy and unpleasant but it was necessary. I put in the car keys and drove off while swigging the vodka.

Chapter 5

Pedro

Silence. Silence eclipsed the remains from the explosion. My mouth feels dry, palms sweaty, knees and arms getting heavy. I struggle to rise up to my feet. An ear piercing ringing noise penetrates the insides of my ears. Rubble the only thing visible against the remains of the house. Fire swallowing the place like huge monster gobbling up its prey. I had to get out of here before it blew again.

I rose up and tasted the warm night air. The smell of smoke overwhelmed my senses and as a result left me coughing. I saw the charred remains of a dodge challenger and an empty vodka bottle next to it. I turned again and looked at the service station. A mirage against the path of destruction the explosion had caused.

I began to run towards the station, to seek shelter. What worried me the most was that I couldn't find papa. Was he killed in the explosion, is he alive and suffering? The thoughts plagued me as I struggled to fight it off. I shook my head and entered the building. I looked around and saw nothing; it was the service station I knew. I allowed myself a sigh of relief. Then I saw something I didn't know, a pool of blood next tothe counter. I sprinted towards the counter, adrenaline pumping through my veins as I discovered my father's dead body. My heart began to sink as panic surged through me. I let out a soft moan of desperation as I saw the two bullet holes in his chest. I felt his neck trying to get a pulse. Cold, like ice, he was long dead.

I opened his shirt and gently took off the silver chain and cross he always wore. My father was always a passionate Christian. I never believed in Christianity or any religion. My father always prayed at night, at times I don't know what for but I always watched him do so. He prayed through all times of hardship and goodness, like when my mother left me for another man or when I achieved a scholarship to an American college. I raised the cross to my chest and with my left hand, I touched my left shoulder, forehead then right shoulder then whispered "rest in peace Papa. I will avenge you," in Spanish.

Chapter 6

Alex

Today was a special day, it was my birthday. I didn't celebrate my birthday in a happy manner like one would usually do, but my birthday was just a reminder of what happened 30 years ago. I was around 7 years old when my mother had a second child, another boy. She had drug problems and was sentenced for two years in jail, with my brother and I given up to the social services. We were put into a foster home with many other children of our ages. A scary place, nobody really cared or loved us. We resented that place and every night long for our mother to take us home. My brother got so scared and at the middle of the night he would cry out for our mother. I was the one to cuddle him and to comfort him for two whole years.

On my 9th birthday we and received news that our mother was out of jail and coming to get us. It was the happiest moment of my life, the chance to live a normal life again and to get out of this hellhole. At least the day was good I thought, as she only came to get one of us, my brother. I remember seeing them leave from the window with a pain in my heart, no wonder it's called a window pane. After that day, I steeled myself and swore I would get revenge one day. I chuckled to myself as I drove on though the morning.

Chapter 7

Patrick

2 months ago

Ever since she said was able to remember, Natasha had always been watched by people. With the parents she had, there seemed to be no place where they wouldn't attract special attention. This special attention varied from drunken blokes gawkingand pointing at her mother with gapping wide mouths, to over hyped pre-teen girls swarming her dad. Even alone, Natasha had been used to have been watched. In class I noticed all the boys would just eye her legs longingly.

However this morning she was being watched, but she didn't know it. She had learned to grow a second skin to the attention and didn't really care about it. This one time she would have cared, because this one time, it mattered a lot.

Natasha studied at a posh, fee paying secondary school in the better-off parts of New York, I worked a day job there as a science teacher for around 10 years. Many of the students were also used to special attention up to some extent as this was a school where many famous people sent their children to study. From politicians to more recognised household names such as kids of a pop star or government minister. Everybody was trying to blend in one way or another.

Blending in was something Natasha desperately wanted to be able to do. She was quiet and yet emitted some aura that invited attention. People asking for autographs in the hallways from her father, to strangers going up to her and saying, "You're NatashaBlackman aren't you?"

Natasha was tall and slim with an athletic build. She was 14 years old and was at the stage where her hips had widened and her 'lady curves' were more protruded. She had soft cheekbones of a model and long, silky strawberry-blond hair with some light brown highlights. Her eyes were big and the pupils were an electric blue. A colour so startling, it seemed to pierce anyone who saw it. Due to this appearance she found her herself very popular and a subject to looks of jealously from other girls who would have done anything to be her.

Right now I had a free period and was sitting in the teachers' lounge marking a piece of homework. There was one other member staff there, the school secretary. She was on a phone call with someone, and I could hear she say, "Yes sir; Yes, I will be right on it; will do." It seemed pretty urgent and when she put the phone down she turned to me and said "Patrick, can you go and collect Natasha Blackman and Jason Chang from E06?" "Sure," I replied, "What for and where should I take them?" "Natasha's father has received a few death threats and as protocol we should take them bothhome." "Ok," I said, "but why the Chang boy too?" I asked. "His father, detective Chang is the one supervising the protection and his child is also a target," she replied briskly.

I then made my way to classroom E06, where English was currently taught there. I knocked on the door and opened it. Inside was a class being taught by Miss Lee, a Viennese intern. She stopped talking abruptly and said "Hello Mr Warren, what are you doing here?" I made my way across the classroom and started explaining the situation to her. As I started a few students started talking, "I know the lesson is being interrupted but we have standards here and we do not talk in class." I finished explaining the situation to her and she said to the class, "Natasha, Jason, get yourthings, you are going back home with Mr Warren here." A murmur went around the classroom as they collected their things and joined me.

Once they had joined me, we made our way out of the classroom and started walking to the staff car park. As we walked, Natasha asked if it was something to do with her father. I was impressed by the way she said it, she said it a mature, calm, composed tone with a hint of anxiety. These children probably knew what was going on; I needed to get up to speed if I was to catch up with them.

I had a van parked in the car park, a white Volvo. I opened the back door to put the bags in the back. As I opened it, I felt something hit me in the chest. As I crumbled to the ground I saw the Taser. I tried to cry for help or to warn the children to run but nothing came out. I watched as the children were also tasered by this man in all dragged the children's' limp bodies into the back before pointing to me. He drew a gun and shot me from point blank range in the leg. He picked up my car keys as I began to drift away. My last sight was the van driving off as I blacked out.

Chapter 8

Alex

The kidnapping had been a nice touch, it sent a message actually. I had the cops on my back for almost a year now and I needed something to relieve the pressure and buy me some time to plan for the next step. Kidnapping detective Chang's kid was a bit of a risk, as it would incentivise him even more in this foxhunt. Just a coincidence the kid was best friends of another of my targets, the Mcelderly girl. I smiled as I drove off towards the coast. I needed to take them somewhere they wouldn't find them. Someplace where detective Chang had no jurisdiction, some place I could bribe the police to protect me, some place I was safe. Russia and Eastern Europe were all possibilities as well as Africa, but I had a place in mind. North Korea.

I had a few contacts there and could smuggle them in to work as child slaves or something. I wasn't interested in a ransom and making a few million cash, I had money already, and I wasn't interested. Besides I had never done a ransom before and from watching American television, standoffs didn't work out for my kind of I was interested in was revenge, seeing the terror and fear on their faces as they searched for their children. This stuff somehow gave me thrills, I don't really know why. I was going to take the children down to my safe house near the coast and fly them out early the next morning.

Chapter 9

Jerry

At around 10 o clock I was doing the dishes when I got a phone call from work telling me to go to the school immediately as there was a kidnapping. As soon as I heard the word kidnapping I stopped washing the dishes, grabbed my keys and badge and ranfor my car. As my tyres screeched in the driveway I got another phone call, this time from Chris. I answered the call and put it on speaker as I shifted through the gears of the bmw.

"Talk to me man, what's going on at the school?" I spoke, "Bad news man, its Jason that bastard nicked along with Natasha." I swore out loud, it was bad enough Jason was being nicked, my own son but the girl who was also taken was a daughter of a guy who controls the media. A lot of negative stories about the NYPD would bepublished if we didn't catch him quick. Bad enough dealing with a kidnapping case involving my own kid, but the pressure from the press would make this a hell of a case to work on. I ended the call and floored the accelerator.

Once I got to the school, I was greeted by an officer who had some information. The kidnapper was Alex Blackman and was seen taking the kids east towards the coast. They believe he had a house there, but it was unconfirmed as it hadn't been visited in years. It was the only lead we had and the faster we found the kids, the less likely the chance that he could put enough distance between us so that we can't get him.

Chapter 10

Alex

Cops were swarming the place, a few of them in each room with sniper rifles and M16 rifles. I was in the woods around 100 metres away scouting the area with my binoculars. They were setting up a trap of some sort for me. The little bastards in my house, I would have to burn it down to get the smell out of it. They were setting a trap for me but maybe I could set a trap for them too. I walked away from the woods towards the van where the children were asleep. I opened the door and whispered to the boy, "We are going home to see daddy," I said in rather a childlike tone.

Chapter 11

Jerry

I was in my car driving down to the coast house when for what seemed like the billionth time today my phone rang. The call was from an unknown number but I answered it regardless and put it on speaker. The voice I heard was Jason's. "Daddy please come home, he's got us there, but come alone and do not call any other cop or he will kill us." Fear, radiated through me as I heard this, then I heard another voice. "Jerry." The voice was low and husky with a calm tone. "The kids will be fine but only if daddy comes home. If I see any cop within a mile from the house, the kids are dead. You try and set a trap for me, the kids are dead. Just come home daddy, come home and it will be alright." He seemed to emphasise the word 'daddy' as if he wanted to mock me. Before I could say anything he hung up the phone. I was left staring at a blank phone screen.

I immediately turned the car around, and accelerated hard. I had no doubt that this guy would kill the kids without hesitating and would keep to his word, yet he seemed like an amateur like he hadn't done this before. I could use his inexperience to my advantage, yet the risk could be that he would be unpredictable. I could be wrong about him not have done a kidnapping before. A shudder went up my back as I struggled to imagine if he had done this before and what happened to the children. Therefore I decided with this guy, I would take no chances and to not underestimate my adversary. With this guy I couldn't afford to mess up, this time my son's life was on the line.

Chapter 12

Jason

I opened my eyes and saw the familiar surroundings of my room. I remembered the strange man, the dark stuff van and the constant feeling that I was about to die. Was it all a dream? I tried to move forward and to get up but then I realised I was bound by ropes. That brought me back to earth to reality. I was still very much alive yet held captive by this someone. It was all real, the pain from the Taser, the fear and the sleepless night. I glanced down at my bare chest and noticed a scar, presumably from the Taser.

I realised I was shaking and felt cold, maybe because all my adrenaline had worn off and mixed with my lack of sleep had caused that. I had a headache, one very similar to the after effects of general anaesthetic. Had I been given a sleep inducing pill? I then remembered Natasha. Where was she? My panic subsided when I saw her next to me, asleep also bound. Then I noticed the trail of blood near my door leading to the hallway. I craned my neck and could make out a hand, then an arm. I focused on the hand. I noticed a ring, a big ring with an emerald on it. Realisation struck me like a bullet as I realised I was staring at the dead body of my mother. I began to scream but only muffled sounds came out. When I escaped I was going to kill whoever did this.

Chapter 13

Jerry

Fear raced through my system as I pulled up to my driveway and sprinted out of the car. I fumbled with the door handle while cursing myself for the time lost. I opened the door and looked inside. It looked exactly like my home, the way I left it this morning. I walked inside and went into the kitchen and noted the dishes I was washing this morning were still there. A sense of uneasiness went through me as I struggled to comprehend what was going on. I went up the stairs slowly and cautiously as if I was walking in a minefield. A pulse of anger went through me, this was my house, and I shouldn't have to go about like this if it was my house.

I crept into the landing a noticed blood. A small pool of dark red blood just there on the floor. I followed the trail until I came across a body. The body was drenched in blood and for a second I hesitated and didn't know who it was. Later did I realise I was holding the dead body of my wife.