Part 20- Carry Me Home by SOHN
I left the body of the man whom I knew to be Bodie slumped over the steering wheel of Billy's car. Thankfully, his head came to rest on top of the wheel instead of in the middle of it, saving the quiet serenity of the night. I made my way through the junk yard I had sent Todd in only a few nights ago. It felt strangely conventional like it was any other professional business. It had a cordial atmosphere except in the uncultivated kind of way. I knew it was only a façade.
The plan was still set in place. Act on instinct, don't let my guard down for a second, and kill Billy Darley whether or not I made it out alive myself. Being so close now, I felt adrenaline surging through my veins. I felt more awake, lighter on my feet and stronger than I had ever felt before. I took this as a good feeling and only hesitated briefly in front of the shabby front door where a sign read: "Sorry, we're closed."
I shot off the lock and kicked in the door, not bothering to see if it was really bolted or not. They already knew I was here and I didn't want to waste time by politely knocking. As soon as I stepped inside, the lights went out.
Uh oh, I thought. If not being on unfamiliar territory was bad enough, I would have to learn how to navigate it in the dark. Billy's advantage had just doubled, giving him the upper hand. He was the big boss now; my final mission in the fucked up ending of this game. I never thought this would be easy. I had readied myself for whatever may come, yet apprehension was present inside of me.
"Ya know, it's not polite to shoot someone's door off its hinges," a deep, rough voice came from somewhere in the darkness in front of me. Heavy and slow footsteps echoed in the small lobby and I pinpointed the source of the noise coming from my front left.
The darkness was not so deep that objects could not be made out. The full moon helped to illuminate what little it could and as my eyes adjusted to the obscurity of the room I saw a large silhouette standing just before the threshold of an open doorway. He knew I had spotted him, and he stepped forward, lessening the space between us. I put my hand behind my back, taking hold of my RZ-10.
"Is that my gun you got behind your back?" he asked, looking down at my waist and then back up. When I didn't answer, he gave a slight smile and took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes. He put them back on, "You got a lot of fuckin' guts comin' in here…breakin' my shit…and usin' my guns," he exclaimed, "to do the job."
"They aren't your guns anymore," I said.
"No, that's right. You got some druggy twerp to come in here and buy them for ya. My guns to kill my boy…But you gave him the ol' boot, the stick in the gut and he was out of your hair. Just like you wanna do to Billy, hmm?"
I was slightly shocked. How did he know that I killed Todd? I didn't show the wonderment on my face, but continued to act nonchalant. Don't let your guard down, that was part of the plan. Billy's father, Bones, started to pace in front of me. He stopped briefly in front of the hazy window, moonlight glowing on his plump features.
"So, how come you managed to cause more trouble than any asshole, gang lord, drug dealer in this city? There are a lot of 'em out there, yet you are the only one who keeps courage under fire."
"I'm not after petty things like drugs or a sense of higher respect. I-" I was cut off by Bones' booming voice.
"Ya only want what ya can't have back. So, takin' the life of others is supposed to fix that… I fail to see the difference between your right and Billy's wrong," he chuckled.
"No one ever said I was right, but the all scumbags that I just killed deserved what I gave to them. Billy's getting his next," I said ardently.
"Oh, I doubt that," he spoke softly. He pulled out a gun, aiming directly at me. I threw myself to the right as he fired, firing rounds back at him. His bullet grazed my arm, tearing a hole through my jacket and cutting me deeply. He fell back against the counter as mine took a direct hit. He wasn't dead, but he was down and seriously wounded. Before I could fire another round, strong arms wrapped themselves around me, bringing my raised hand crashing into my side. I accidentally released another bullet from my gun, nearly hitting my own foot, and I jumped back from the closeness of the hit. My bodyweight falling back into Billy's chest, we stumbled across the threshold of an open door before collapsing to the ground.
His crushing grip loosened as I landed on his elbow, and he yelled out at the pain. I pushed myself away from him and forward into the room. I spotted my dropped gun as well as a shotgun nearby. I lunged for my own, but Billy caught my foot and pulled me out of reach. I turned onto my back and looked up at him hovering over me. I tried to kick him anywhere I could find vulnerable, but he caught my foot again and gave my leg a painful twist. Horrible burning swelled in my thigh and I screamed at the agony of it.
He bent down, grabbing the front of my jacket and dragging me up so that I dangled helplessly in front of him. He spun me around and slammed me against the wall, causing my breath to dissipate from my lungs. Spinning me again, he hurled me down onto a table and I landed on several things there were hard and puncturing. Incapacitated, he took the opportunity to strike me in the face several times. Blow after blow felt like I was being pelted by rocks.
"Not so fuckin' powerful now, are ya?" He yelled, grabbing my jacket and shaking me.
Do something! I commanded myself, but my arms and head felt heavy. I started to kick; hitting my foot in his side, trying to push him away from me, but he hold was too strong.I put my hand out, reaching for his face and clawing, but he grabbed my wrist and fended me off.
The revolver! My free hand searched for the handgun hidden in my pocket. When I felt the cool metal I pulled it out and tried to fire, but forgot to cock it in my haste. Billy grabbed the barrel, twisting it out of my hand and hitting me in the head with the butt of it.
Groaning, I fell on my side, my legs dangling off the end of the table and Billy stepped back, breathing raggedly. As he was catching his breath, I was catching mine as well as trying to regain my senses. It didn't take him long to recover and he pushed my shoulder, causing me to fall against the table onto my back again. With one hand he grabbed the collar of my shirt, lifting me up so that I sat at the edge of the table and he moved my legs out of his way. He grabbed my face with his hands, squeezing and eliciting a groan of pain from me much to his pleasure.
"I guess I underestimated you, huh? Never thought a sweet, young girl like you could take on so much at once," his fingers starting to dig into my scalp, tangling my loose hair. "I'm glad it came down to this, just me and you. We've reached each other way beyond a personal level," he laughed.
I attempted to struggle against him, thrashing my legs and digging my fingers into the sleeves of his leather jacket. This only seemed to piss off further as he took hold of my revolver, depressing the hammer and the cylinder clicked into place. He shoved the gun under my chin, bringing my head back by my hair.
"It's a shame I have to blow your fuckin' brains out. You're a tough girl. Could use you as part of my gang, but wait…I don't have a gang anymore, what's the fuckin' point?!"
"Such a lost cause, I almost feel bad about the whole thing," I bitingly replied through the pain.
His grip tightened as he jerked my head violently back and then forward; he edged closer and his face was right above mine. His gaze was so piercingly fierce that even in the shadows of the body shop his internal intentions we pertinently clear. He didn't need to speak.
"Well, why don't you allow yourself to make me feel better about it," he said as he drug the gun from my chin to the collar of my shirt.
"Fuck you!" I screamed, struggling against him again.
"Come on! Why're you playin' so hard to get?" He asked and hit me upside the head again. "You wanted me so much before!"
He slammed me back down on the table, sending another shock of pain up my spine. Yanking me back up again, I thought he was going to hit me, slam me back down on the table or worse yet, shoot me in the head. Instead he did something completely out of my notion that I froze with total confusion. As he pulled me back up from the table he thrust his lips against mine in a hard, rough kiss.
If I could have, I would have fought against him, but the abrupt randomness of it left me astounded and paralyzed. I knew that Billy Darley wasn't a sane person, but this act seemed out of character from how I thought he felt about me before. Reaching for any sense that I could, I broke through my immobilization and starting pushing against his shoulders. This only encouraged him as he pulled my head back further and slipped his tongue into my mouth. I screamed against him.
As unexpected as he had kissed me, he pulled himself away looking slightly accomplished and significantly more dangerous. He put the gun back to my head again, panting.
"Just a little goodbye kiss," he rasped, and I felt the smooth coolness of the revolver against my skin.
This is the end, I thought. I had already fought so hard against him, but he had me cornered. I was so tired and all the training I had endured the past year felt like it was all for nothing. I thought I'd walk out of this winning, or die winning at least, but he outmaneuvered me. I only had one more thing to act on. Before he could pull the trigger, I pushed my face against his, our lips meeting once more. At first he froze and I thought my attempt at reclaiming control was in vain, but he quickly recovered himself and kissed me back.
This was not the direction I wanted to take. I didn't even know this direction was a possibility, but I was using it to my full advantage. I wasn't sure what my next move would be and then I remembered the guardian in my boot. He deepened the kiss, pressing my face closer to his with a desperate moan.
Great distraction…for him, I thought. I brought my left hand up his shoulder and to the nape of his tattooed neck while at the same time sliding my leg up his thigh, reaching for the handle of the gun concealed inside my boot. I didn't quite make it as his hand that held the revolver dropped to the small of my back, pushing me forward against him. My eyes flying open, I repressed the urge to push him away and reached into my boot again.
Gun in hand, I let go of the nape of his neck and reaching behind me I pinned his wrist and the revolver. I pulled away from his lips and pressed the guardian into his stomach.
"Was it good for you?" I breathed and pulled the trigger.