The Punisher: The Stages of Dying

"Happy 26th, Johnny!"

The blonde wearing the black garter belt and strapless bra walked up to Johnny Trumble, carrying a plate with two cupcakes, pink with a red cherry on each one, apparently they tried to make them look like breasts. Charlie places his hand on Johnny's shoulder and tells him "We rented her for the entire night, man. What do you wanna do now?"

Johnny smirks and says "What do you think?"

Johnny gets up, grabs the woman by the wrist, she yelps a little and drops the cupcakes, and drags her to the bedroom and closes the door.

Charlie grabs one of the cupcakes off the floor. "Shouldn't you be worryin' about germs and shit?" Dave asks.

"Naw, man. This is a 5-star joint. Relax, have a cupcake.", Charlie then tosses the other cupcake to Dave. Dave caught it and looks over at Lou.

"What do you think, Lou?" Dave asks. Lou, standing by the window, glances over at Dave, then continues looking out the window.

"Hey, Lou, c'mon join the party!", Charlie was so sick of trying to cheer this guy up.

"Settle down, Charlie. The dude's wife just left him. Maybe you should leave him alone for a little bit", Dave blew on the cupcake before taking a bite.

Just then, the bedroom doors flew open...

BANG, BANG, BANG

Stage 1: Denial

Johnny closes the bedroom door and throws the blonde on the bed. "Lady, your in for a hell of a night!", he starts to take off his shirt when he hears heavy footstep coming from behind him. A deep, husky voice told him "No, Johnny, your in for a hell of a night!".

Johnny turns around and manages a "What the f---" before being knocked unconscious. Before he blacked out, he saw muzzle flashes and heard 3 gunshots.

He wakes up, but all he can see is blackness. "Wha- What the hell is going on? Dave? Charlie? Lou?"

The voice told him "They're all dead"

"Oh yeah? Says who?"

"Me"

The blackness is lifted, and Johnny sees it.

That skull!

Johnny cries out "Oh shit!" and struggles to run away, only to find out he's tied to a chair. "What the fuck is going on here!"

The Punisher takes a chair and sits in front of him and pulls out a large knife from his belt. "Johnny Trumble, you can go two ways about this. You can tell me what your father is planning to do with the heads of the Abrucci and Valdez crime families and make this easier on yourself. Or, make it easier on me and not say anything."

Johnny chuckles, which erupts to laughter. "Your kidding, right? This has to be some kind of joke! Good job, Charlie! You got me, now come on outta here!"

The Punisher pulls a TV on a cart in front of Johnny, puts in a tape and presses play.

"This is Channel 6 Action News with a Breaking News Bulletin! This is Miranda Cardinale reporting live at the Hyatt on East Washington where it appears that Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, has struck again, killing 3 men and kidnapping a fourth. Miss? Miss?" The reporter runs over to the blonde who was supposed to be Johnny's sex toy, her name was Emma, "Miss? Can you tell us what happened?"

The blonde was rattled "Y-y-yeah, he was waiting behind the door, and when Johnny and me were alone, he hit him. T-then the Punisher told me to duck and h-he s-s-shot all those other guys in the other room."

The reporter then took the microphone back from the blonde "Did you see what happened to the man who was in the room with you?"

The blonde said "No. But, if your watching, Punny, go get him! Shoot that jerk in the head!" The reporter wrestles the microphone free from the blonde, who manages to yell out "Call me!" Before being escorted off camera by an EMT.

The reporter composes herself and continues "With the 3 men shot and killed tonight, and the fourth missing and possibly dead. That would add to the many, possibly numbered in the hundreds, or even thousands, killed, worldwide, by The Punisher, this Miranda Cardinale, Channel 6 Action News."

The Punisher turns the TV off, moves it out of the way, and sits on front of Johnny once again. He takes the knife out and holds it to Johnny's throat.

"What? Do you think you're scaring me? You won't do anything to me. I hold vital information! If you kill me, you won't get anything!"

The Punisher cooly replies "I have my ways of finding things out." The Punisher takes the knife and stabs Johnny in the shoulder

Stage 2: Anger

Johnny screams in agony and cries out "What are you doing!"

Punisher replies "I told you, if you won't tell me what I want to know, I'm going to have to take out my frustrations on you.", and he pulls the knife out of Johnny's shoulder.

Johnny starts frothing at the mouth, "Fuck you! I know who you are! Once I get outta here, I'm going to hunt you down and kill you!"

The Punisher wipes the blood off the blade "And how would you do that? Rise out of the grave? Because you are going to die here, unless you tell me what I want to know."

Johnny screams "That shit's not going to work on me! I know you! I know guys like you! Pieces of chickenshit! You have no idea what I'll do to you!"

Punisher then takes the knife and stabs Johnny in the other shoulder, and pulls the knife back out.

"You'll do nothing," Punisher replies "but bleed all over that chair, unless you tell me what your father is planning on doing."

Johnny laughs, "Your getting nothing from me, you fucking dumbass! Fucking Frank Castle! Oh, I've heard about you! Going psycho 'cause some guys wasted your family"

Punisher's face twists in anger.

"You know, they were just as stupid as you are. Should have put a bullet in your head.", Johnny screams from the top of his lungs, "Or, you know what? Do the entire world a favor and just kill yourself right now."

Punisher rushes to Johnny and stabs Johnny's hand, the knife goes through his hand and through the armrest of the chair. Johnny can only look in shock, and only silent scream came out.

Frank then unleashes a furious beating, almost caving in his face. He stops himself, and looks at Johnny's lump of a face, spitting out blood.

Frank goes and picks up a bottle of whiskey. He takes a swig before splashing some on Johnny's stab wounds on his shoulders, and on his hands.

Johnny, on the verge of unconciousness, winces at the sting of alcohol. "Wh-what are y-you doing?"

"Sanitizing the wounds", Punisher replies, picking up a blowtorch, "Before I cauterize them", and then he lights the torch.

Stage 3: Bargaining

"Okay, I'll talk." Johnny, still dazed, "Just put down the torch"

"Tonight, at midnight, my father's meeting with Mrs. Abrucci and Mr. Valdez, something about shipping."

Punisher puts down the torch and sits next to Johnny. "I already know that" Punsher takes out the knife, "Tell me something I don't know, tell me what's being shipped."

Johnny spits out the blood welling in his mouth "Cocaine, and women. The cocaine's going to the Abrucci's, and the women will be hookers for the Valdez'".

Punisher leans in "Stay awake. Now tell me where's the meeting."

Johnny replies, "Dock 13, can I go? Please, I have a wife. I have a son."

Punisher tells him "And with any luck, he won't turn out like you. One more thing, do you remember a Laura Heitmann and Lawrence Kim?"

Johnny can only cry...

Stage 4: Depression

A few weeks ago, Laura Heitmann was a banker who wasn't having a good day.

As she was driving to a McDonald's, she saw Johnny Trumble and his buddy Charlie beating on Mr. Kim.

Johnny kicked Mr. Kim in the stomach "See what happens when you don't pay us on time?", Johnny pulled out his gun and shot Mr. Kim in the kneecaps. Charlie looks up and sees Laura looking in the alley.

"Hey, Johnny!" Charlie shouts. Johnny looks up and sees her driving off. "Shit, Charlie get in the car."

Johnny and Charlie run towards their car, leaving Mr. Kim wounded in the middle of the alley. They jump in the car and head towards Laura's car, running over Mr. Kim in the process.

Laura frantically drives faster and faster, but Johnny and Charlie catches up and nudges Laura's car into a lamp post.

A couple of people look out their windows only to quickly shut the curtains. Johnny and Charlie step out the car, cock their guns, and approach Laura's window. She lifts her head, "P-please". Johnny shoots her in the face.

Now, Johnny is sobbing, bleeding, and pleading. "No. Please, don't."

Punisher pulls out a picture of a young boy. "Do you remember Adam Heitmann?" He tosses the picture on the floor.

Johnny now remembers...

The little brat wouldn't shut up. He shot him in the face, also.

Johnny cries for mercy, "Please, I beg of you, don't do this!"

Punisher grabs the back of Johnny's head and throws him face first to the floor.

Frank screams, "Please! Tell me this, did he cry? Did he beg? What was his last words before you shot him?" Frank flips Johnny's chair to it's back, slamming the back of his head on the floor.

"You should feel lucky, Johnny, I'm giving you the chance that he never had. If you survive tonight, consider yourself a free man." And with that, the Punisher kicks Johnny in the face, knocking him out one last time.

Stage 5: Acceptance

Johnny wakes up. He sees nothing but darkness, but something's different.

He feels a leather seat, instead of a hard, wooden chair. He hears the engine purring, and and the water crashing into the shore, and seagulls screeching. At least he's alive.

"Listen, Frank. I'm sorry"

"I'm sorry about what happened to your family. I'm sorry about killing those people. And once I make it through this, I'm turning a new leaf."

Frank shuts the door, "I'm sure you will".

The engine starts, and the car jumps forward.

"I want you to know, with your help, I've seen the light. I've made peace with myself. I'm ready, now!"

He only hears the car roaring, and the wind rushing past his head. He moves his head around and manages to shake the blindfold off his face. He looks at the seat next to him, and sees plastique explosives. He looks through the windshield and sees a rapidly approaching warehouse. It crashes into the side of the building launching Johnny through the windshield, and the through the window, landing on the table. Johnny is amazed he's still alive. He sees his father, who was knocked back to the floor when the car crashed into the building. Mr. Trumble stutters out a "Johnny?".

Johnny weakly smiles and mutters out "Dad?".

Punisher looks as the car crashes into the warehouse, and shortly after pulls out a remote. With a flip of the switch, he triggers the bomb in the car. The entire warehouse is soon engulfed in the fiery blast.

Frank puts the remote back in his leather coat, and walks away as debris from the car land to the ground.