This is Fan Fiction based on the Max Payne Computer game series. It is based on a fictional (yet looks to follow the original) time line of events set years before the first Max Payne game, in particular the years before Max enrols into the NYPD academy.
Chapter 8 - Subtle as a Sledgehammer
When I opened the door, it was clear that my actions down in the cellar had not gone unnoticed, as there was no-one in the booths or even behind the bar. I could hear a conversation going on near where the restroom was, and as I headed towards it the barman and the Major appeared. There was a pause, then the barman shouted, "That's the guy! That's the punk that killed Mitch!". The Major then pulled out a gun from behind him, pointed it straight at me. At that point, as I did down in the cellar earlier - I could feel my heartbeat slow down to an absolute crawl. The two stooges in front of me slowed down too, and I could see the barman move towards behind the bar on his left. Everything was happening at a snails pace, and then I heard a slow click from the Major's gun, followed by a large flash and then I could see the shining bullet moving ever so slowly towards my chest. Without thinking, I dived to my right over the bar and landing behind it. As quick as things had slowed down, they cam back to speed and I could hear numerous shots being fired above the bar counter. Spotting the barman nearby, I grabbed a bottle of liquor from the shelf nearby and quickly smashed it over the barman's head. He slumped over and was out cold.
The shots stopped and the Major shouted out, "Who are you and what the fuck do you want!"
"You raped my friend and I've come to make you pay for what you did!"
"What exactly do you think you are going to do boy? You ain't got a piece and nowhere to go! Your going to die!"
In my mind I fully agreed with the Major as I had no idea what to do next – I was in was in way over my head. I looked behind the bar and noticed that there was a sledgehammer on one of the shelves. I guessed it was the barkeep's "security measure".
Thinking on nothing but adrenaline, I shouted back at the Major, "Your right, your right. I've made a mistake coming here".
"Your fucking right boy!" the Major replied confidently. "Now come out from behind there with your hands up!"
I slowly got to my feet, but kept the hammer in my right hand. "Hey man, I'm sorry please don't kill me!"
"Too late for that you piece of shit! You killed Mitch, then you come back here looking for me. You ain't leaving here alive!"
"I'm unarmed and I ain't gonna cause you any more hassle."
"Both hands up. Now!" The Major started to walk towards me. "I'm thinking I will make you suffer before I blow your head off!"
The Major tucked his gun into his belt behind his back and pulled out a switchblade from the inside pocket of his coat, and as he got to the other side of the bar, I tightened my grip on the handle of the sledgehammer and with one almighty swing I brought the hammer up an over the bar and crashed it into the Major's right shoulder. He let out a scream as I heard his shoulder shatter like glass. As he fell in a heap his gun slid along the wooden floor. I jumped over the bar and grabbed the large silver gun. It was the first piece that I had ever held and as I picked it up I noticed the stamped writing on the side of the barrel – "Smith & Wesson". It was a good weight in my hand. I cocked the hammer and pointed it at the Major's head as he lay on the floor.
"Yo...you don't have the ba..balls punk!"
"You shouldn't have any for what you have done!"
"Oh so some bit..bitch gets what's co..coming to her and you think yo..your her hero?"
"Her name is Jen, and you don't deserve to use the air that she breathes."
"Fuck Yo..."
The loud single shot directly between the Major's eyes ended his last words abruptly.
It felt good. The smoking barrel of the gun made me feel justified that I had made this bastard pay for what he had done, in particular for the physical and mental torment that he inflicted on Jen. She had nothing to offer him yet he decided for some reason that she would always remember him. I wasn't having that, and I had no intention of letting him or anyone he associated with do it again. Ever.
Epilogue
I wiped the gun's black handle grip and placed it down next to the Major's corpse. The barman was still unconscious and no-one had appeared after the shot had been fired. I moved quickly but carefully out the bar and headed down the street - thinking only about Jen and the fact that for all I felt that I had done the right thing, I knew that I had gone to a place that I would more than likely never return from. I also knew that the world would be better off with two less scumbags living in it – and that was something I could happily live with.