‘My name is Jason and I’ll be your entertainment for the evening’
Jason pulls out a small radio like device.
‘You see this? This is a triggering system. When I hit this red button, the train goes boom, any questions?’
The passengers are quiet; Jason grabs one of the nearby teenage boys. He forces him down on his knees, pushing his heavy boot into the back of his knees.
‘In case you doubt my seriousness I will demonstrate it right now’
Jason places the gun to the temple of the boy, who is squirming in fear. He pulls the trigger, the shot rings loud in the tin like cabin. A puff of red mist appears where the boy was kneeling; it clears to reveal him lying on his front, blood pouring out of his head.
‘That’s how serious I am. I don’t want any shit from anybody. There will be no second chances. The journey will continue as usual and you will arrive at your destination. Play your cards right and you will leave unharmed. Play them wrong, your head will spin on this trains decking, I shit you not. I hope we have an understanding people. All cell phones will be put in the receptacle bins near you. Make sure you remember where you put them so when we arrive you can retrieve them in an orderly fashion. Oh I almost forgot, if you have any complaints please send them to my suggestion box, it’s marked with the words CW at the back.’
Sixty Six
Eddie and Frank pull into the down town incident room’s car park. Eddie parks the car effortlessly as Frank stares at the car parks mortar wall. The head lights beam onto the cracks and sends a shiver down Franks back. Frank opens the stiff door to the car; he starches his legs out and shifts his body, gracefully getting out of the car. Eddie follows suit and both men make their way through the dark parking structure. They walk silently, both staring at the floor as their feet tap on the tarmac in unison. They walk up to the lift on the far side of the car park. Frank hits the button, sending the lift down. Eddie looks at Frank momentarily. Both men say nothing as the door clangs open and both walk in. The doors shut in front of them. Eddie looks at Frank once more.
‘What?’ Asks Frank
Eddie shakes his head
‘No, what are you looking at? You haven’t said anything to me since the warehouse.’ Asks Frank once more
‘Nothing Frank, let’s just say I’m pretty tired of all this bureaucratic bullshit that seems to be sweeping the offices.’
‘The FBI is taking over the case then?’
‘No, I’m seeing to it that they don’t get their dirty hands on this case. It has nothing to do with them. This isn’t pirate DVD’s or drug cartels. This is some guy in my city causing a fuss. I am going to use what the city has at its disposal. Not what Washington thinks I should be using. The FBI is only good for one thing, protecting the president!’
‘I think the secret service protects the President Sir.’ Says Frank
‘How many times have I got to tell you? You have known me long enough to call me by my name Frank, not to mention me and you are good friends, so cut the sir shit’
Frank smiles as Eddie’s composure is clearly broken. Eddie cracks his finger between his tie, loosening it as they reach the incident rooms first floor. The lift door clangs open once again as Frank and Eddie walk on through to the central hub. Just as they reach the bustling hub they are met by Chief Shaw.
‘Ah Frank how nice to see you’ Says Shaw
Frank shakes the Chiefs hand.
‘So where have you been McKenzie?’
‘Nowhere special Chief’
‘Is that so? I heard that you may have been engaging in some rather illegal activities down the industrial complex.’
Frank smiles at the Chief and turns his head slightly to catch a stern look from Eddie. The smile quickly disappears on Frank’s face.
‘You know how it is Chief, people talk’
‘That may be so, but they seem to be talking a lot about you.’
‘Look sir, by my understanding you wanted me to come back. You did fire me after all and what I do with my own personal time is my business, so if you want to give me a ribbing then I’d appreciate it if you hurried up because I have a case to crack.’
‘A case to crack, you have some cheek boy, you aren’t cracking shit around here. The only cracking you will be witnessing is me cracking the whip on your sorry ass.’
Frank leaps forward and grabs Shaw by the tie. He pulls hard on the it, forcing Shaw’s face down to a highly impactful thud on his desk. His nose explodes in a haze of blood as Shaw hits the ground holding his broken nose while staring up at Frank with a surprised look on his face.
‘Looks like cases aren’t the only thing I can crack around here’ says Frank
Sixty Seven
Jason stands at the front of the busted door overlooking the petrified passengers on the train. He is holding his AK47 much like a militia soldier would hold his on all those CNN specials on regimes in unfortunate countries. He paces the width of the train nonstop as he surveys the fear in the eyes of his hostages. He finally stops and points at a man kneeling on the ground with his hands on his head.
‘You, what’s your name?’ Says Jason manoeuvring his way closer to the kneeling man
The man looks up at Jason with a taught look of anxiety
‘Speak up’ Shouts Jason who is now pointing the foreboding AK47 at the man’s chest
‘My name’s Jason’ says the petrified man
Jason’s eyes lights up as he excitedly shakes the gun in an upwards direction signalling the man to his feet.
‘That’s quite a coincidence; my name is Jason as well’
The man looks on nervously at Jason, not shaking his line of sight off the weapon.
‘Would you say Jason is a common name?’ Asks Jason
‘Pretty common’ says the man
‘So you think I’m a common killer then?’
The man’s eyes tighten with fear as watches Jason’s eyes intrude his psyche.
‘No sir’
‘Did I tell you to speak Jason?’
‘No’ says the man
‘So not only do you think I’m a common killer but you also don’t respect me, the man with a gun.’
‘I did not say that’
‘It’s too late for apologies Jason, the damage is done. My feelings are already hurt.’
The man bows his head in fear
‘Look at me’ Shouts Jason while wheeling his AK47.
The man looks at Jason, tight eyed and reeling with sweat.
‘Theirs only room for one Jason on this trip to Boston’
Jason unloads a full clip into the man’s torso, the impact of the bullets contort his body in an unnatural fall to the ground. The man’s clothes are riddled with reddened holes, trickling out with blood. The barrel of Jason’s Ak47 is a blaze with smoke as it bellows out and hangs in the air. Jason smiles as he changes the clip. The heavy mag hits the floor with a frightening echo as the passengers on the train gasp in horror at the mangled body of the man on the floor. Jason looks up and smiles at his hostages.
‘I take it there aren’t any more Jason’s on this train?’