Chapter 28:
Tree Hill, North Carolina
1430 Hours
Henry arrived back in Tree Hill by late afternoon, Thomas had dropped Henry back off in Tree Hill, he had to get to the '54 Dodge that was in Nathan's current possession.
The weapons that Henry had taken from the footlocker in Los Angeles were returned and Hank got on a quick flight to Tree Hill.
All Henry had left was his M1911, there was 2 other weapons that he kept in his car in Tree Hill, they were securely wrapped in blankets, wearing a 2-piece suit and a fedora hat, Henry still had more to do, he wanted the Diablos and the Pulpo cartels gone, he wanted Chief Riddle dead for his crimes against the people of New York City.
This little war that Henry raged, he only did for himself. Everybody in his family understood and knew what he would do, they knew what kind of war he'd wage, the kind of war that he would win and only win, violence was in his heart, it was a dangerous sight, but what everyone knew was that they saw the red and amber in his eyes they knew what would happen, they constantly flashed between those two colors and his natural blue eyes.
Nobody wanted to exactly poke the wolf, not in its natural habitat, especially if that wolf was Henry O'Malley.
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Arriving at his old apartment that Nathan would live in rent-free, after having paid for the next 14 months of rent. Henry found his car in the parking zone, walking over to it, he could see everything was there, his possessions at which he brought with him to Brooklyn, the remainder of Louise Hogan's stuff as well as a bag of weapons that the Hogan Family had kept over the years.
Seeing Nathan walking towards the apartment he had then said, "Hello Nate."
"Hey, I heard you left, sorry to hear man." Nathan said. Henry nodded, "I'm sorry to leave you, even though I want to stay because you need people."
Nathan smiled and said, "You don't have to apologize, you're a great friend, Henry."
Henry's smile fell, he didn't think he was a good friend at all. But looking back at Nathan he had nodded and said, "You're a great friend too, Nate. I've gotta go now, I'll see you soon, my friend."
Nathan nodded with a smile and bro-hugged his friend who returned it, he then said, "Who'd had thought, when you turned up at Tree Hill High all those months ago that you'd actually be one of my best friends?"
"Who'd have thought it?" Henry had said. Nathan then said, "Thank you, for the train ticket to New York, why did you buy it?"
"Take time away, at least come out of the comfort zone, trust me… New York has plenty to offer." Henry replied.
Nathan nodded as he saw Kyle head to the Convertible. He backed up before roaring out of the parking area, onto the main road leading out of Tree Hill.
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Tuesday 26th April 2005
0230 Hours
After driving all the way to New York, Henry didn't stop, he wanted to get there before the new day dawned.
Running purely on instinct, Henry didn't slow down, nor did he want to stop, only it was inevitable because of the need for gasoline, maybe a black coffee to keep him going for a little while longer.
The born to be soldier DNA within Henry fueled his resolve, but it fueled his focus, his commitment and unstoppable sheer will. Nothing stopped him from going through New Jersey, before crossing the George Washington Bridge into Manhattan.
By the time he was on New York soil, he heard sirens behind him as he smirked to himself, "Well, well… what a welcome home to New York."
Pulling into a sideline, Henry prepped his license and registration, soon enough a pretty brunette with short brown hair and brown eyes stepped out of the car, she was in plain clothes but she had a NYPD Detective's badge around her neck.
She then spoke, "License and registration."
"Well hello Detective… one moment." Henry then said. He passed the paperwork to the detective as he saw her jaw drop in recognition as she said, "Tell me you're not him…"
"By that I assume you mean, I'm Henry Kyle O'Malley, the son of the deceased Lieutenant Frank O'Malley? The sister of Officer Kathleen O'Malley, and the prodigal son of the O'Malley family?" Henry asked.
The detective nodded, "Very much along the lines."
"Well, you're staring at him, Detective Beckett." Henry drawled out in his Brooklyn accent.
Detective Kate Beckett's jaw dropped as he said, "One of the youngest NYPD members to make detective, beating the esteemed Victoria Gates."
Beckett blushed at the recognition as she said, "I'm flattered at the praise. It's good to have the prodigal son home." "Back home in the city that I love." Henry replied.
"That charity event is tomorrow, isn't it?" Beckett asked. Henry nodded, "NYPD members, FDNY and the mayor are invited, it's a yearly tradition."
"I'll see you there, Henry." Beckett had said. Henry nodded, "See you there, Detective."
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Beckett let him off the hook and allowed Henry to go on through. Driving through Manhattan, he let out a smile for the first time, he was in the city that never sleeps, he was home in his first love.
Driving back to Bay Ridge, he drove along until he reached the sidewalk outside his home, he pulled in parking next to Kathleen's '68 Dark Highland Green Mustang, walking to the front door for the first time, he put his key in the door.
Stepping inside the house, Henry turned on the light as he saw his sister Kathleen holding a gun at him, Johnny Ramirez was with her holding his gun as he said, "Jesus. What a welcome I get, first Detective Beckett and then you two holdin' a gun on me."
"Wondered who it was, if you actually thought to knock, you wouldn't be having a gun in your face." Kathleen replied putting her gun away, she then walked over and embraced her little brother as Henry said, "Glad you're okay, Kathy."
"You too, Baby Brother." Kathleen replied, she then said, "The Diablos and the Pulpo Cartels?"
Henry signaled to the kitchen and he pulled out a bottle of Scotch, he took a swig of the bottle as he said, "200 men from each cartel dead, 50 survivors of each cartel survived, they're formin' a pact that won't last long. I need to know where they are."
Johnny then spoke up, "They're in New York, they're with Riddle." "Find me the 2 senior members of both cartels, I wanna know where Riddle is too. Tell the Chief to let me know, I'll deal with 'em."
"Not alone, you're not dealin' with them alone." Kathleen said. Henry held up a hand as he said, "Kathy, this isn't up for discussion, I will fight alone. I've lived in fear long enough, I'll fight, because this is my fight, my war. They made it personal, they'll fear me."
"Everyone will fear me, me and me alone." Henry said with anger flashing in his blue eyes.
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Kathleen felt chills up her spine because of Henry's declaration that everyone would fear him. She could tell that the Nicaraguans made this entirely personal and she couldn't wait to see the horror on their faces at what they unleashed.
Nodding at Henry and hearing the voice he used, she knew she couldn't say anything or tell him not to do this, if Henry did this, he wanted to do this alone, without involving the O'Malley family or what was left of it.
She bid her brother a good night as he stayed in the kitchen, Johnny had headed on home at Kathleen's request.
Meanwhile, Henry pulled the car into the Garage, he had pulled out every weapon from the car as well as his M1 Carbine, taking it all to the O'Malley family weapons locker.
Opening it up, there was a wide variety of weapons in front of him.
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Handguns:
Walther PPK: 7.65 mm
C96 Mauser: 7.63×25mm Mauser
Colt New Service Revolver: .38-40
Tokarev TT: 9mm Parabellum
Rifles:
M1 Garand: 30.06
M1A1 Carbine: .30 Carbine
M1903 Springfield Rifle: 30.06 Springfield
M14 Battle Rifle: 7.62x51 mm
Assault Rifles:
M16 Assault Rifle: 5.56 mm
M4 Carbine: 5.56 mm
AK-47 Assault Rifle: 7.65 mm
Sub-Machine Guns:
M1928A1 Thompson SMG (30-round): .45 ACP
MP5 Sub-Machine Gun: 9x19 mm
Shotguns:
Ithaca Model 37: 12 Gauge
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Henry looked at the weapons, wondering which would be best, he spotted the M1903 Springfield with the rifle scope attached, he smiled as he thought to himself, "Perfect."
Picking up the M1 Garand and the M1903 Springfield, he grinned to himself as he began arranging all the weapons, he took the Garand and the Springfield to the inner sanctum.
Henry took off his suit jacket and rolled his sleeves up, he disassembled the rifles as he began to assemble them together.
Thoughts filled his head as he remembered back to when he spent the first night in the O'Malley household alone. The fear of that day haunted him, but it made him feel no fear, the man he was today was the reason for that night his life changed forever.
It lifted himself a bit, but it didn't do enough.
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Flashback Scene
October 2002
Bay Ridge
Brooklyn, New York City
2300 Hours
It was cold, rainy and stormy night in Brooklyn, Henry O'Malley was back in the household after a week away.
The thunder and lightning made Henry's blue eyes pop wide open at the constant flashes and booms. Sleeping in his room didn't feel like a room, it was merely 4 walls and a door.
It wasn't home without his parents, it wasn't home without his grandparents, his brother was over in the Middle East fighting in the Army.
Henry couldn't lose any more family, he couldn't lose his older brother, he couldn't lose Mark.
Hearing the clatter of the tree branches against the window, he walked towards them and drew the curtains back, he suddenly heard glass breaking downstairs. Picking up the bat that laid on his bedside, he went to investigate it.
He constantly looked around him, fear crept into his body and gripped it tightly, it was like a vice in a workshop, fear tightened around him and he couldn't shake the feeling no matter how much he wanted to do so.
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Seeing the front door was open, the glass was broken on the side. Henry's fear began to strangle him, he then whispered to himself, "I fear no evil, I fear no evil. Hail Mary, full of grace, hail Mary, full of grace, I fear no evil, I fear no evil…"
Walking to the door, he shut it all the way and triple-bolted it. Unbeknown to him, a shadow lurked in the background.
Hearing something, Henry turned around, he couldn't see much, keeping a weary blue eye open, he turned to the kitchen and poured a jug of hot water, from behind the figure stood behind Henry who saw him, but was too late to escape.
The figure grabbed him as he laughed manically, he then whispered, "You know who I am?"
Henry's eyes widened at the sound of the voice, it was Richard Reed who was a sexual predator, he raped and killed women, he tortured and assaulted young boys before murdering them in horrifying ways that had even deemed him too insane to stand trial.
People petitioned for him to be given the death penalty, but the mayor who was Reed's brother worked on saving his brother from the death penalty.
Reed was sentenced to life imprisonment with no chance of parole, it should have been a trip to asylum but the court overruled on that. Ever since, Henry had felt the odd feeling that Reed was out and watching him but he was wrong.
Now he was starting to regret not acting on his gut, looking for a way to escape, he then looked to the jug of hot water and smirked, he then stamped down heavy onto Reed's leg before right-hooking him back.
Grabbing the jug of water, he then tossed the contents towards Reed which started to burn him, making a run for it, Henry ran out the kitchen heading for the inner sanctum, he was tripped up, but Henry kicked at Reed who was disoriented.
Getting back up, he ran to the inner sanctum, he unlocked it as he ran inside and shut it, he looked around as he saw his father's revolver, hearing the door knob rattle, he dashed to it and picked it up, he pushed the cylinder as he saw there was no bullets, he groaned in annoyance.
Then he heard a crash, the door had a crack in it, soon enough, Reed would be inside. The adrenaline within Henry was sky high, he needed to find something, he needed something, he needed a bullet.
Then he remembered the very poem that had helped him to remain calm, one that he spoke every day.
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"Soldier, keep marching on, head down into the gateways of hell, into the valley of the shadow of death. I will fear no evil. Persistence is the key to survival, resistance instills that promise for survival, no matter what, we'll always survive.
Fight for what you think is right, no matter where you fight, no matter where the war is, it's never over. Hold the line, keep fighting, no matter what it takes. You're never alone. You'll never walk alone.
You're born to be a soldier, it's in your blood, no matter how much training you've got or how strong you are. You've always got 1 minute.
The soldier's minute, in a battle, it's all you get in combat. The minute you see a bullet go past your head, you get on your feet soldier, you go to war.
The moment you kill a man, it changes you forever, you can't dwell on what you face, you can't dwell on the mistakes you make, you can't dwell on the lives you take.
Soldier keep on marchin' on, fear no evil, see the evil in front of you. Rise up and fight back like I know you can.
In the bleakest of winters…"
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Pulling open a drawer, Henry began to focus, he pulled out a box of ammo for his father's service revolver, loading 6 bullets into the cylinder, he spun the revolver before he locked it into place, pulling the hammer back he then aimed it at the door as Reed broke in.
Henry levelled the gun against Reed holding it in one hand, Reed held his hands up and said, "Better be careful, little boy, that's a heavy cannon."
"I know how to use it, this should be what should've been done to you, Reed. All those victims you tortured and murdered, all those families that lost out on justice, this is their revenge for the ones that you took from 'em." Henry said in a tone of voice that he never knew he had.
Reed laughed manically as he said, "You don't have the guts to shoot me, you're not strong enough." "You have no idea what I'm capable off. Your own brother isn't gonna stop me from doing this." Henry snarled.
Remembering what he taught when using a gun, he then murmured to himself, "Gentle on the trigger, don't pull, just squeeze it."
What happened next was the turning point, Henry wasn't going to scared anymore. He was fearless, tough, he was his father's son. He was a soldier.
Squeezing the trigger, he fired a shot that had killed Reed with a bullet in between his eyes. Henry pushed the hammer in and looked at the body of Reed, his blue eyes were haunted.
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Henry O'Malley had killed someone. He felt like he was going to throw up, but he felt a hand on his shoulder, he looked up to see his father and his grandfather who had said, "Henry."
"Dad… I'm so sorry…" Henry replied.
Frank took a knee and embraced his son, even though it wasn't real, Henry still felt home in his father's embrace, his grandfather hugged him as well who had said, "You did what any of us woulda done."
"Taking a life isn't easy, but you saved countless others from a fate worse than death. I'm proud of you, kiddo." Frank had said. Henry sadly smiled as he said, "I miss you."
Frank smiled, Henry O'Malley Sr also smiled as he said, "We miss you too, my boy. Remember what we taught you, you're a survivor, one of us."
Turning serious, Frank and Henry Sr stood up as Frank began, "This… this war, it's not over, son. There's still a fight to be won."
"Hold the line, wait until the time is right. Then you hunt these bastards down, you show 'em who they took from you, make me proud, bud." Henry replied.
"Yes sir." Henry said with a tear down his cheek. Raising his right hand to salute, Henry smiled before his father and grandfather faded away.
Holding the revolver in his hand, Henry heard the sirens, he stayed still, his feet planted in the same spot, he looked down at the floor and pushed the hammer in.
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Present Day
0530 Hours
Sitting in the room where he had killed Reed, he thought about all he had done and who he had killed.
Looking at his shaking hands, he felt his anger settle, he walked to the balcony, he looked out the window as he breathed in the New York City air. His heart was once again full, his smile returned to a full grin as he said, "I'm home once more. In the greatest city in the world, my home, my true love."
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Heading back down the stairs, he prepared a cup of coffee, he put the stove on and prepared 3 eggs. Standing to watch over them, he was later impressed when they were done.
Eating the three eggs as well as the toast he prepared, he settled back into the old routine before he left Brooklyn.
Boxing in the morning early, lifting weights and sit-ups and push-ups, pushing his body to the limit.
By 0730 Hours, Henry was dressed in his St. Brendan's Catholic High uniform, he wore a white dress shirt with suspenders, his standard issue tie, black slacks and a pair of black shoes that were freshly polished. He was freshly shaven once more, wearing a bit of cologne.
His dog-tags around his neck once more with the pendant of St. Michael's that had served him well, keeping it with his dog-tags.
Heading out to his Dodge Convertible, he pulled out of the driveway and headed to St. Brendan's Catholic High.
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Pulling into a parking space, he could see his friends waiting for him particularly, Elizabeth Jameson, Rachel Gatina and his girlfriend Millicent was waiting for him too.
The three high school cheerleaders were Henry's best friends. Elizabeth would be soon enough graduating alongside Henry because they would enlist in the US Army once graduation was finished with.
Millicent, Rachel and Maria would still stay in Brooklyn where they'd be still attending school.
Elizabeth walked over as she embraced her friend in Henry O'Malley who said, "Hey, Elizabeth."
"Hey Henry, good to have you back." Elizabeth replied. Henry nodded as he ran a hand through her blonde hair, just like he did when they were dating each other, "I could never leave you or anybody else behind."
Elizabeth smiled as she said, "Just like old times, right?" "Just like old times."
They walked towards Rachel as she was given a great hug by Henry who had said, "Hey guys, it's good to see you." "You too, hotshot." Rachel had said.
Millicent went to hug him as she kissed him passionately before she then asked, "No more running outta town?" "Not until I enlist. You ain't gettin' rid of me that easily." Henry replied.
"Love you too, handsome." Millicent said as the pair noticed Rachel linked her arm with Elizabeth's. Henry had smiled as he said, "'Bout damn time, you guys."
Rachel linked her arm with Henry as she said, "Can I fulfill my fantasy of being on your arm?" "Welcome to do so." Henry replied.
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Walking into the Catholic High, everybody saw Henry walk in, they all dropped their jaws in obvious surprise, that he was back in Brooklyn.
The cheerleaders and the jocks had warm smiles on their faces. The cheerleaders all fantasied about Henry taking on dates or going dancing, they fantasied that he kissed each one of them, they obviously fantasied about his body which was in their eyes, 'The sexiest thing alive.'
As he went on by, everybody liked Henry. Every boy wanted to be Henry; every girl wanted to date Henry. The teachers all adored Henry for his hard-work ethic, his kindness and the love he held for everyone.
Father Kelly saw everyone staring as he saw the man he loved as a son. A man he adored for his kindness, putting others before himself, he was unselfish, knew no greed. But most of all, Father Kelly saw in him a kindred spirit, patriotism, an unbeatable, stubborn and fierce will.
Father Kelly's emerald eyes lit up as he smiled at his friend who had said, "Henry O'Malley, it's good to see you, my old friend."
"Father Kelly, it's good to see you, my friend." Henry replied with much emotion in his voice. His blue eyes showed nothing but sparkling joy at being back home with his friends, his family and being home in the City of New York.
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If you haven't guessed who Rachel is, it's very obvious she's our very own Rachel Gatina. She makes a surprise appearance in the next chapters. If you haven't guessed, I wanted to keep part of her playgirl appearance whilst adding an element.
Hope you liked this story. Hope, you're not disappointed, so sorry for disappointing you all with how it's gone.