No Escape
Ch. 2
Snake lay there in the dark, unable to sleep, but too worn from the day to move much. He focused on his breathing and the sounds of the night. The crickets were singing their songs and the wind was whispering through the grass and trees branches. The creaking of an old oak outside the window was rhythmic and calming. The moon was in view through the glass and Snake gazed at it as the clouds scudded along, creating strange patterns of shadow dance across the fields.
It all reminded him of his past, when he roamed the world. Wandering from town to desolate town, trying to scrape a living. Always on the run from someone, and for the most part, staying one step ahead.
They almost caught me that night in Chicago. But he had managed to escape, time and time again. He remembered the times when he seemed to feel like he was free. Laying out under the stars, praying, to no one in particular, that he would wake up the next day, only to run again, or get involved where he had no business being.
But those days were gone. No one cared about the legendary Snake Plissken anymore. No one was hunting him. No one was using him for once in his life. For once, he had found someone who understood him; someone who accepted him, flaws and all; someone who looked past his gruff exterior, and offsetting disposition. He had found Molly.
Dodge City, Kansas, September 1, 2001. He was shacked up in a cheap motel, waiting. Making sure that no one was after him. It had been a year since he had last heard any news of a reward for his capture, but that didn't make him any less wary that someone wasn't still looking. He had only been there three days, when trouble found him, but it wasn't the trouble he had been expecting.
He was sitting in a small, shadowy bar when it reared its ugly face, and that face belonged to Dazzling Su. But the name did him no justice. The story goes that when Su was a young man, his father, being very drunk at the time, decided that he didn't like Su's face, and chose to do some remodeling. His instruments of choice were a razor and a red-hot poker, leaving Su with a face that resembled a Picasso painting. That night, Su slashed his father's throat with the same razor and sealed the wound with the poker. Needless to say, he was scarred for life.
He walked across the floor of the bar, up to Snake, and extended his hand. His bodyguards engulfed them in deeper shadow as they followed their charge.
"Good afternoon," Su said with a smile that creased his ruined face into strange shape. "You are new in town and I make it my business to know everyone here on a first name basis."
Snake looked down at the extended hand. He noticed that it was finely manicured, pale, and looked as delicate as a china plate. He then turned back to his drink. "Just passing through."
Su dropped his hand, and his smile remained on his lips, but slipped from the rest of his face. His eyes became hard and cold as ice. "Perhaps you do not understand the situation here. Perhaps you do not know who it is that you are speaking to. Perhaps you have not noticed the two very large gentlemen behind me, so I will give you another chance. Your name please."
Snake didn't respond. Instead, he downed his drink, tossed a handful of bills onto the counter, and, sidestepping Su and his men, headed for the door. Dazzling Su merely watched him go. As Snake crossed the threshold and proceeded out into the street, Su turned to one of the men behind him with a smile and whispered, "Get me his name, and if he puts up any more struggle… his tongue. Can you do that for me, Horatio?" The large man grunted his assent and headed out of the bar after Snake.
Snake headed back to the motel, fully aware of the man shadowing him, but giving no outward sign that he knew where his pursuer was at every step. He headed down the narrow alley between the motel and the next building, his dark clothes melting into the shadows. Horatio paused at the opening of the alley. He could see very little of what lay inside, and could only barely make out the back of his quarry standing near the ladder of the fire escape leading up the building. He moved slowly forward into the darkness advancing cautiously, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the gloom. As he moved farther into the alley and closer to his target, he drew a small switchblade and clicked it open. As he reached the ladder however, his eyes acclimated enough to see that the form he had thought to be his victim, was only his long duster coat caught in a light breeze.
"Oh sh-," but his words were cut short by the blade pressing against his throat. Snake stood, arm rigid and eye searching. He disarmed the man of several weapons: a switchblade, two small revolvers, three throwing knives, a longer hunting knife, a long piece of thin wire garrote, and a grenade. He tossed all but the guns and the throwing knives into a nearby trash can and focused his full attention back to his victim, as he tucked one of the guns and all the knives into various pockets in his shirt and pants.
"Turn around," Snake whispered hoarsely, the pistol, pointed at the man's head, "and keep your hands where I can see them." Horatio did so, hands raised and a strange grin on his face. "What's so funny?" The sneer on Horatio's face belying the fear he should have been feeling.
"My boss sent me to find you and get your name, either that or your tongue," the grin on his face widened, "but I just figured out who you are. You're the man who survived LA. You're the only man who could have pulled it off. You're the infamous Snake Plissken."
"Yeah," said Snake, smirking slightly, "so what's so damn funny?"
The man's grin widened into a full smile. He was missing several teeth. "I just find it amusing that after all this time on the run, after all you've been through, that I'm going to be the man that kills you in this stinking pit of a town."
"You sound pretty sure of your self," Snake lowered the gun from the man's face but still pointed in his direction as he took two steps back. "Maybe I should let you go, so you can give your boss a warning from me, or, maybe, I should bury a bullet into your gut." He cocked the hammer on the pistol and raised it level with the man's stomach.
The man sighed then gave a small chuckle. "You see, Snake, you think you have the upper hand here," he lowered his hands and cracked his knuckles. "I really expected better from a man like yourself." Horatio advanced a step and Snake pulled the trigger.
There was a hollow click as the hammer met with a hollow chamber. Snake pulled the trigger a few more times, but it was empty. Before he could pull his own gun, Horatio was on him, gripping him around the arms, locking them in place. He lifted Snake off the ground and started to squeeze.
"You see, Snake," he said, all warmth draining out of his eyes, "this is what I do for a living. It's what I enjoy. Inflicting pain on people is the only thing that keeps me going, day after day. That's why I signed on with Dazzling Su. He lets me hurt a lot of people. He lets me… express myself in my own special way."
Snake tried to wriggle free from the man's grip, but it was like a steel vice. "That guy's name was Dazzling Sue? He looked straight to me."
Horatio was caught a little off guard for a second, then, realization dawned, "No, not Sue, Su. S U." He turned and ran towards the wall of the building across from the motel. He slammed his body into Snake's, pushing the air out of his lungs and slamming his head hard into the brick.
"And that's supposed to help his case," Snake gasped to catch a breath. He kicked hard with his right foot and buried his knee into Horatio's groin. He dropped as Horatio released him, both men gasping for air. Snake recovered faster and pulled one of his guns. He trailed it on Horatio, but the man was faster than Snake anticipated. Horatio rushed again, and sent the gun sailing down towards the mouth of the alley.
Snake ducked under the man, before he was caught up into that crushing hold again. Horatio turned to follow after him, and grasped one of his legs in a metal grip. Snake lost his footing with one leg restrained, and tried to roll free, but the grip was too strong. As he rolled, he felt his knee pop out of its joint, and he screamed in agony.
A gleam of delight entered Horatio's face. "That sounded like it hurt," he said with a small giggle. He dropped the now unmoving leg, standing to his full height over his fallen victim. Snake seized the pause and pulled his other gun and fired off a single round into Horatio's kneecap. Horatio fell to the ground grasping his ruined knee.
"So did that," he said, sliding himself out of the fallen man's reach. He pulled himself against the motel's wall and using a crate for leverage, he pulled himself upright. He looked down at his leg as it moved at an unusual angle. He sat on the crate with his injured leg outstretched in front of him. He sat his gun at his side and gripped his lower leg with both hands. A shock of pain ran through him but he ignored it. He kept his eye on Horatio, who was now sobbing.
Snake tightened his grip and then slammed his leg downward. He felt the bones grind and the tendons stretch too far, and then his knee, with a loud, cracking pop, slid back into place. He let out the breath he had been holding, and rose, unsteadily, to his feet. He retrieved his gun form the crate, and limping slightly, he headed to the mouth of alley.
Horatio stopped his sniveling as he saw Snake head towards the street. He bellowed after him, "You can't just leave me here, you bastard! You coward, you can't even…" but his voice trailed off as he saw Snake lean down and retrieve his other gun.
Snake dusted it off and holstered the weapons. He then drew his knife again and headed back into the darkness of the alley towards the trashcan with all the weapons in it. He dug around and retrieved a few items. He then turned to Horatio, and a grin touched the corner of his mouth.
In the street outside the alley, several people passed and heard muffled cries from the darkness. They merely moved on at a faster pace, pretending not to hear a thing. It was the safest way to stay alive in this town.
Su sat behind a large mahogany desk. As he counted out the cash that lay in front of him, a small smile curved across his ruined lips. Soon, Horatio would return with another trophy to add to his collection. As the thought ran through his mind, his eyes slid to the shelf that sat to his left. On it sat dozens of jars. The jars were filled with formaldehyde, and in the center of each jar, floated a single human tongue. A small shudder ran through him. Every time he looked at the jars, he felt such joy and such pleasure, that it almost felt orgasmic to him.
His thoughts were drawn away, however by a tap at the door. He looked up and saw the shape of Horatio standing outside the frosted glass.
"Come," the command escaping his twisted mouth like a hiss. When Horatio didn't enter, he turned his gaze upon the occupant of the only other chair in the office other than his own. In it snored his other lackey. Su merely shook his head and hefted the letter opener that lay on his desk. He weighed it for a second, flipped it over in his hand and then sent it sailing across the room.
It landed with a hollow thud into the arm of the back of the chair, missing the man's ear by only a quarter of an inch. He sat bolt upright and raised fingers to his ear.
"Good morning, Brutus," Su said, a look of pure rage in his eyes. "If you would be so kind, would you please go to the door and see what is taking your friend so long? If it isn't too much trouble."
Brutus swallowed hard, "Yes, boss," and he rose like a shot and walked briskly to the door. When he opened it, he had only a second to think before Horatio fell into his arms. What he did think in that one second was, Jesus Christ! What the hell happened to him? He laid Horatio onto the floor and as he did, Su saw his henchman, or what was left of him.
As Brutus tried to undo the knot of wire wrapped around his partner's hands, Su came around his desk and tried to wake his fallen enforcer. He saw that under all the blood and gore, that the man's mouth had some kind of gag shoved in it with strong electrical tape holding it all in. He went to pull the tape, but a voice behind him said, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Su and Brutus froze. They turned to look at the figure standing in the door. Snake, with a gun trailing onto each of them took a step inside. He closed the door with his foot and then walked over to the shelves and quickly perused its contents. He then turned back to Su. "Nice collection you have there," he said with a disgusted smirk.
"And just why shouldn't I remove this from my associates mouth?" Su spoke as if the two were conversing over a nice cup of tea, but his insides were boiling at the audacity of the intruder. "It is obvious that he can't breath very well, as you have broken his nose into a million pieces."
"Well," Snake said settling against the desk, "if you would rather take that tape off and blow his entire head into a million pieces, be my guest."
Su's hand slowly withdrew from the tape. "And I don't suppose you would want to tell me how this is to come about, would you?" As he spoke he made a small motion of his hand to Brutus. Brutus saw the signal and slowly reached his right hand behind his back and felt the butt of his gun.
"I'm glad you asked." Snake fired a shot that grazed the henchman's right ear. Brutus reacted by covering it with his right hand flinging the gun he had just got a grip on across the room. "There is a live grenade in Horatio's mouth and the only thing holding the clip in place is the tape."
Su grinned. "Nice trick. I'll have to remember that. Brutus, don't be so rude. Why don't you go and get our guest a drink. What would you like, Mr…"
"Plissken." Snake lowered the guns slightly, "and I don't think you two are going anywhere for the moment." He walked to Su and, holding the gun in his left on Brutus, he placed the muzzle of the other under Su's shin and raised him from the floor. He cocked the hammer back, but Su didn't even flinch. "Now you listen here, Suzy. I don't take very well to being threatened, and I definitely don't like being followed, and so far you have done both. My business in this town is my business, no matter who you think you are here. So here is what we are going to do. Number one: I am going to walk out of this door without anyone following me. Number two: I am going to go about my business without you or your lackeys bothering me. If I see even one of them looking at me funny, I will shoot them on site and then come looking for you. Number three: You are going to go about your own business and pretend I don't even exist unless I need you to. Are we clear on the terms of this negotiation?"
Su merely grinned, "May I comment now? Good. Now for my terms." Snake pushed harder against the man's throat, making I harder for him to speak, but he went on, "Addendum one: Anyone who comes into this town pays me due respect, so I offer you this one chance to do so by lowering your weapon and treating me with the respect I have earned. Two: You have no idea who I am or what I am capable of. If you do leave this building alive, it is because I allow it. If you do walk around this town unmolested, it is because I wish it so. If you do see my men and they do look at you funny, then you had better get used to it, because I am the power in this town and you are merely a roaming piece of crap that happened to float through my sewer. And of course three: Do you really think I would have only two body guards?"
At this the door burst open and a large black man aimed and fired a pistol at Snake. Snake looked down in time to see a large dart with a red feather on it before comprehension took hold and the darkness pulled him under.