Chain of Darkness
Chapter Thirteen--
**********
Sully settled against the backseat of the taxi, his eyes closing slowly as the even vibrations lulled him, entreating him to sleep. His head was already beginning to pound; an admonition of the hangover he had to look forward to.
Remembering the last time he fell asleep in a taxi and the seventy dollars stolen out of his wallet, he forced his eyes open and focused on the dashboard clock, its green numbers reading 1:05, illuminating the cab with their soft hue.
Davis had tried to pick him up, bring him home like he was an irresponsible child. Davis was the child. He was the responsible adult…Davis should treat him with more respect…Yeah, that's right…He'd have to have a talk with him…
His eyelids drooped and his breathing became heavy as he slumped into a drunken slumber.
**********
He waited until the officer had walked past him and up the street a good hundred yards. Reaching up with his gloved hands he buckled the seatbelt across his chest. 'Safety first…' he thought with an evil smile.
He slowly pressed his foot against the gas petal and released the brake. The car jumped ahead and was remarkably quiet as it quickly gained speed on the straight, empty road. Closer and closer he sped towards the lone figure, the speedometer reading 20…30…45 MPH.
Finally, he was within a few yards of his target and he rotated the wheel slightly to insure a solid hit. He braced himself for the impact and at the last second, his victim turned to look.
It was too late. He hit the young man with a loud, resonating thud and watched gleefully as he was thrown up and over the car, smashing the windshield, and then rolling and crashing against the hard metal as his body thumped over the roof.
The speeding car didn't stop and slammed forcefully into the corner of a building, crushing the front bumper and hood. He sat back against the seat, breathing hard, relishing the emotions rushing through his body. None of the other killings had been so satisfying. Nothing he had ever felt before could ever compare to the feeling of absolute control and the immense pleasure that flooded his being.
**********
Ty didn't notice the humming of the car's engine until it was close. Too close and too fast. His brain had barely registered the sounds before his reflexes took over and his head snapped around to look.
A small sedan was racing towards him, headlights off, way too close. 'He's going to hit me!' His thoughts were faster then his body and he didn't have time to react before he felt the car hit him from behind, shoving his legs out from underneath him.
The next few seconds were a blur as he rolled up and over the hood, knocking and banging against the roof of the car, desperately trying to stop himself as everything went into slow motion. He could hear the sickening crunch of breaking bones, the roaring of his heartbeat, and the loud pop as the air rushed out of his lungs.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he finally came to a stop, lying on his back in the snow. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move, every part of his body screamed in pain as he felt his world growing darker and darker. He knew he was going to die…
He struggled to keep his eyes open, still unable to breath and beginning to panic. He could hear the car door open, then slam shut and footsteps crunch in the snow, louder and louder as they came near.
**********
Bosco aimed up and shot the cue ball across the green pool table, sending the black eight-ball flying into the corner pocket.
"Ha! I nailed you, Doherty!"
Jimmy Doherty shook his head, smiling and showing his dimples. "Yeah, whatever, Bosco. That's like the first time you've beaten me in weeks."
"So? I still beat you—you owe me a beer."
Jimmy fished around in his wallet and pulled out a wrinkled five-dollar bill. "Here. That's the last time you're ever gonna win, so you'd better savor that beer."
With a wicked smile, Bosco grabbed the cash and stuffed it in his pocket. "Won't need too. You want to try again right now?"
Jimmy sighed and glanced at his watch. It was after 3am. "Nah, not tonight. I have to get home and get some shut-eye." He put his pool stick back on the rack and turned to leave. "See you later."
"Yeah, okay—I think you're just chicken. I'm on a winning streak and you know it." Bosco called after him.
***********
He walked behind the car, his breathing ragged with exhilaration. The sight of the crumpled heap lying in the snow only exaggerated the feelings of power and elation he felt. He stood over the body, trying to contain his emotions, but finding himself grinning madly as he stared at the face of his latest kill. Poor, young, despicable Ty Davis. Oh, this was so great.
But wait, Davis wasn't dead—his eyelids flickered slightly, and he let out a small, wheezing gasp. Damn it. The impact of the car should have killed him instantly—this wasn't how the plan was supposed to go. He felt himself starting to get angry but had another idea. Davis was supposed to die when he was hit…but a slow death was better, right? This time the plan would change; he would make an exception. He would leave him to die a deliberate, painful death.
Looking around hastily, he looked for an appropriate place to dump the body. Somewhere where nobody would find it for hours, even days. His eyes fell on a tall, metal dumpster settled back at the end of a dark alley. Perfect.
**********
Jimmy jumped into his truck and revved the engine, prompting it to warm up. He switched on the radio, turning the tuning knob to his favorite station and shifted into 'drive'. The tires squealed slightly, slipping in the icy snow for a second before getting a solid grip. Pulling out of the parking lot, he took a left, deciding to take his usual shortcut home. The shortcut wove through a not-so-nice part of town, but it usually shaved a good five minutes off his driving time.
His mind wandered, taking him back to that afternoon and the fight he'd had with his ex-wife Kim. She had wanted to keep their son, Joey, again for the third straight weekend. She said she wanted to take him somewhere before he had lashed out, reminding her that, he too was Joey's parent. He needed to spend time with his son. Besides, he really didn't want her to have Joey a whole lot, not after her 'accident'. He still didn't really believe that Kim, a skilled paramedic, could have inadvertently mixed drugs and alcohol, overdosing herself. No, he couldn't believe that.
Kim must have picked up on Jimmy's indifference because she'd screamed at him about how it was only an accident and how she could handle her own child. She'd nearly killed herself and she wanted him to trust her with his son?
He shook his head incredulously, and raked his fingers through his dark hair. Trying to drown out his thoughts, he cranked the radio up a few notches.
Humming to the music, Jimmy took a right after he'd passed an old bar, a familiar landmark, turning his truck onto a long, straight road. No streetlights lit this street; rock-throwing teenagers had vandalized them all, most likely. He switched his high beams on, cutting into the darkness with two, bright shafts of light. Noticing the thick ice and snow covering the street he slowed down considerably, trying to avoid getting stuck in the mess.
He scanned the road for ice slicks and noticed something up ahead, jutting out from the sidewalk, blocking off a good quarter of the street. Jimmy leaned forward, trying to get a better look, and made out the silhouette of a small sedan crushed against a building. A gray Geo Metro…The car looked so familiar…He frowned; trying to remember whom he knew that had one. He pulled his truck up behind the car, trying to see if there were any people inside, but it was too dark too tell. The car's hood had been crushed up, almost touching the shattered windshield—It had to have been going awfully fast to do that much damage.
His fireman's training kicked in automatically and he pushed the stick shift into park and jumped out of the truck to go check out the damage, half out of intuition, half out of curiosity. Jimmy ignored the fierce cold and treaded quickly up to the small compact, recognizing the long scratch down the passenger side. He was right; he did know that car—Davis' car. Ty had been so mad last summer when his car had gotten keyed but Jimmy had just laughed; the car was a piece of junk.
He walked hastily over to the other side, not sure of what he was expecting to see, but was surprised to see the driver's door ajar, the seat empty. Ty loved that car, only God knows why, and he wouldn't have left it there with the door wide open. He frowned again, confused. Maybe Ty had gone to look for a phone.
Just to make sure there wasn't anyone in the car Jimmy stuck his head inside, looking over to the empty back seats. His eyes traveled up to the vacant passenger seat and the small silver object settled down in the cushion—A cell phone.
"What? Why didn't he just use the cell?" he thought aloud, feeling uneasy and disquieted.
Something wasn't right.
Straightening up, his eyes suspiciously roamed the street then turned to the dark alleyway next to the crushed car. It was too dark to see anything, so he jogged back to his truck, pulled out a blue flashlight and switched it on. The bright ray lit up the street, helping to ease his alarm a bit.
He waved it across the alley, hoping he wouldn't find anything as the light hit boxes, trash cans, dirty snow and an old dumpster. His flashlight paused, something was hanging out of the dumpster. Jimmy squinted and took a few steps forward, trying to make out what it was.
His breath caught in his throat. A dark hand was dangling out over the side, unmoving.
"Oh no…Oh God, no!" Jimmy sprinted up to the dumpster and stood under it, staring at that hand and willing himself to climb up and into the tall, metal…coffin. The thought made him nauseous as he grabbed a hold of the side and hoisted himself up, struggling not to vomit.
He straddled the dumpster's cold, steel side and pointed the flashlight at the motionless body, praying he was wrong.
Jimmy gasped, unprepared for the sight in front of him. He was right....it was Ty.
**********
TBC... Sorry about that lil cliffhanger :) I'll have the next part up shortly. Thanks for all your support, you guys are so great!
Chapter Thirteen--
**********
Sully settled against the backseat of the taxi, his eyes closing slowly as the even vibrations lulled him, entreating him to sleep. His head was already beginning to pound; an admonition of the hangover he had to look forward to.
Remembering the last time he fell asleep in a taxi and the seventy dollars stolen out of his wallet, he forced his eyes open and focused on the dashboard clock, its green numbers reading 1:05, illuminating the cab with their soft hue.
Davis had tried to pick him up, bring him home like he was an irresponsible child. Davis was the child. He was the responsible adult…Davis should treat him with more respect…Yeah, that's right…He'd have to have a talk with him…
His eyelids drooped and his breathing became heavy as he slumped into a drunken slumber.
**********
He waited until the officer had walked past him and up the street a good hundred yards. Reaching up with his gloved hands he buckled the seatbelt across his chest. 'Safety first…' he thought with an evil smile.
He slowly pressed his foot against the gas petal and released the brake. The car jumped ahead and was remarkably quiet as it quickly gained speed on the straight, empty road. Closer and closer he sped towards the lone figure, the speedometer reading 20…30…45 MPH.
Finally, he was within a few yards of his target and he rotated the wheel slightly to insure a solid hit. He braced himself for the impact and at the last second, his victim turned to look.
It was too late. He hit the young man with a loud, resonating thud and watched gleefully as he was thrown up and over the car, smashing the windshield, and then rolling and crashing against the hard metal as his body thumped over the roof.
The speeding car didn't stop and slammed forcefully into the corner of a building, crushing the front bumper and hood. He sat back against the seat, breathing hard, relishing the emotions rushing through his body. None of the other killings had been so satisfying. Nothing he had ever felt before could ever compare to the feeling of absolute control and the immense pleasure that flooded his being.
**********
Ty didn't notice the humming of the car's engine until it was close. Too close and too fast. His brain had barely registered the sounds before his reflexes took over and his head snapped around to look.
A small sedan was racing towards him, headlights off, way too close. 'He's going to hit me!' His thoughts were faster then his body and he didn't have time to react before he felt the car hit him from behind, shoving his legs out from underneath him.
The next few seconds were a blur as he rolled up and over the hood, knocking and banging against the roof of the car, desperately trying to stop himself as everything went into slow motion. He could hear the sickening crunch of breaking bones, the roaring of his heartbeat, and the loud pop as the air rushed out of his lungs.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he finally came to a stop, lying on his back in the snow. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move, every part of his body screamed in pain as he felt his world growing darker and darker. He knew he was going to die…
He struggled to keep his eyes open, still unable to breath and beginning to panic. He could hear the car door open, then slam shut and footsteps crunch in the snow, louder and louder as they came near.
**********
Bosco aimed up and shot the cue ball across the green pool table, sending the black eight-ball flying into the corner pocket.
"Ha! I nailed you, Doherty!"
Jimmy Doherty shook his head, smiling and showing his dimples. "Yeah, whatever, Bosco. That's like the first time you've beaten me in weeks."
"So? I still beat you—you owe me a beer."
Jimmy fished around in his wallet and pulled out a wrinkled five-dollar bill. "Here. That's the last time you're ever gonna win, so you'd better savor that beer."
With a wicked smile, Bosco grabbed the cash and stuffed it in his pocket. "Won't need too. You want to try again right now?"
Jimmy sighed and glanced at his watch. It was after 3am. "Nah, not tonight. I have to get home and get some shut-eye." He put his pool stick back on the rack and turned to leave. "See you later."
"Yeah, okay—I think you're just chicken. I'm on a winning streak and you know it." Bosco called after him.
***********
He walked behind the car, his breathing ragged with exhilaration. The sight of the crumpled heap lying in the snow only exaggerated the feelings of power and elation he felt. He stood over the body, trying to contain his emotions, but finding himself grinning madly as he stared at the face of his latest kill. Poor, young, despicable Ty Davis. Oh, this was so great.
But wait, Davis wasn't dead—his eyelids flickered slightly, and he let out a small, wheezing gasp. Damn it. The impact of the car should have killed him instantly—this wasn't how the plan was supposed to go. He felt himself starting to get angry but had another idea. Davis was supposed to die when he was hit…but a slow death was better, right? This time the plan would change; he would make an exception. He would leave him to die a deliberate, painful death.
Looking around hastily, he looked for an appropriate place to dump the body. Somewhere where nobody would find it for hours, even days. His eyes fell on a tall, metal dumpster settled back at the end of a dark alley. Perfect.
**********
Jimmy jumped into his truck and revved the engine, prompting it to warm up. He switched on the radio, turning the tuning knob to his favorite station and shifted into 'drive'. The tires squealed slightly, slipping in the icy snow for a second before getting a solid grip. Pulling out of the parking lot, he took a left, deciding to take his usual shortcut home. The shortcut wove through a not-so-nice part of town, but it usually shaved a good five minutes off his driving time.
His mind wandered, taking him back to that afternoon and the fight he'd had with his ex-wife Kim. She had wanted to keep their son, Joey, again for the third straight weekend. She said she wanted to take him somewhere before he had lashed out, reminding her that, he too was Joey's parent. He needed to spend time with his son. Besides, he really didn't want her to have Joey a whole lot, not after her 'accident'. He still didn't really believe that Kim, a skilled paramedic, could have inadvertently mixed drugs and alcohol, overdosing herself. No, he couldn't believe that.
Kim must have picked up on Jimmy's indifference because she'd screamed at him about how it was only an accident and how she could handle her own child. She'd nearly killed herself and she wanted him to trust her with his son?
He shook his head incredulously, and raked his fingers through his dark hair. Trying to drown out his thoughts, he cranked the radio up a few notches.
Humming to the music, Jimmy took a right after he'd passed an old bar, a familiar landmark, turning his truck onto a long, straight road. No streetlights lit this street; rock-throwing teenagers had vandalized them all, most likely. He switched his high beams on, cutting into the darkness with two, bright shafts of light. Noticing the thick ice and snow covering the street he slowed down considerably, trying to avoid getting stuck in the mess.
He scanned the road for ice slicks and noticed something up ahead, jutting out from the sidewalk, blocking off a good quarter of the street. Jimmy leaned forward, trying to get a better look, and made out the silhouette of a small sedan crushed against a building. A gray Geo Metro…The car looked so familiar…He frowned; trying to remember whom he knew that had one. He pulled his truck up behind the car, trying to see if there were any people inside, but it was too dark too tell. The car's hood had been crushed up, almost touching the shattered windshield—It had to have been going awfully fast to do that much damage.
His fireman's training kicked in automatically and he pushed the stick shift into park and jumped out of the truck to go check out the damage, half out of intuition, half out of curiosity. Jimmy ignored the fierce cold and treaded quickly up to the small compact, recognizing the long scratch down the passenger side. He was right; he did know that car—Davis' car. Ty had been so mad last summer when his car had gotten keyed but Jimmy had just laughed; the car was a piece of junk.
He walked hastily over to the other side, not sure of what he was expecting to see, but was surprised to see the driver's door ajar, the seat empty. Ty loved that car, only God knows why, and he wouldn't have left it there with the door wide open. He frowned again, confused. Maybe Ty had gone to look for a phone.
Just to make sure there wasn't anyone in the car Jimmy stuck his head inside, looking over to the empty back seats. His eyes traveled up to the vacant passenger seat and the small silver object settled down in the cushion—A cell phone.
"What? Why didn't he just use the cell?" he thought aloud, feeling uneasy and disquieted.
Something wasn't right.
Straightening up, his eyes suspiciously roamed the street then turned to the dark alleyway next to the crushed car. It was too dark to see anything, so he jogged back to his truck, pulled out a blue flashlight and switched it on. The bright ray lit up the street, helping to ease his alarm a bit.
He waved it across the alley, hoping he wouldn't find anything as the light hit boxes, trash cans, dirty snow and an old dumpster. His flashlight paused, something was hanging out of the dumpster. Jimmy squinted and took a few steps forward, trying to make out what it was.
His breath caught in his throat. A dark hand was dangling out over the side, unmoving.
"Oh no…Oh God, no!" Jimmy sprinted up to the dumpster and stood under it, staring at that hand and willing himself to climb up and into the tall, metal…coffin. The thought made him nauseous as he grabbed a hold of the side and hoisted himself up, struggling not to vomit.
He straddled the dumpster's cold, steel side and pointed the flashlight at the motionless body, praying he was wrong.
Jimmy gasped, unprepared for the sight in front of him. He was right....it was Ty.
**********
TBC... Sorry about that lil cliffhanger :) I'll have the next part up shortly. Thanks for all your support, you guys are so great!