Redemption(102)

As I neared the last turn, I noticed the spray can laying next to a tree and knew this must be the final destination. I left the car parked in as much of a secluded spot as possible, and made the rest of the way on foot. I was fucking pissed that I didn’t have a weapon, but I was trained to fight without them, so I could hardly complain about it now.

I ran as quickly and as quietly as possible alongside the path that led towards some lights in the distance. I had no clue if the police were following me now, but I couldn’t stop to find out. I had come this far and I wouldn’t back down now.

I ran a little further until I could see the house in the distance. I saw a man with a gun scanning the perimeter, so I ducked behind a tree and looked around for any other signs of life.

Nothing.

Getting as low as possible, I ran up behind the man. I knew I couldn’t kill him—that would get me into a whole heap of trouble with the police right behind me—so I was happy I knew certain pressure points that would render a man unconscious. It was up the police to handle him after that.

I tapped him on the shoulder. He spun round just in time for me to give him a bright smile and strike his neck. He went down in a fraction of a second. Smiling, I took his gun from him and made my way closer to the house. Looking around, I could see four other guys outside, all with guns and all patrolling their surroundings.

I sighed, knowing that getting to Dean was going to take longer than I thought. I had to do it, though, and I had to be careful.

One by one, I went up to each guy and did the same thing, collecting their guns as I went. By the time I did the same to the fifth guy, Officer Shaw had reached me, a stunned expression on his face.

“Are you special forces or something?”

I smiled at him. “Used to be.” I looked down at the guns and handed them to him. “Here. You take these. I need to go inside. You can cover my back.”

Shaw, still stunned, took the guns from me and just stared. By the time I was on my way, I noticed that several other officers were surrounding the house. That was a good thing. At least I had someone watching my back now.

I ran towards the edge of the house and scooted down near to the front window. I raised up a little to look in the window and saw two men inside, both with guns. I signaled to the officer that there were two men in that room, both packing. I crawled my way along to the other window and looked in to find the kitchen. No one was in there. I motioned that all was clear. One other officer gestured to me that they were going around the back of the house. I nodded and crawled along until I got to the front door.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and spun around. “We’ll take it from here,” the officer whispered. “There’s no need for you to go any further. It’s too dangerous.”

I sighed, knowing I had pushed it as far as I could. I kind of knew they wouldn’t let a civilian run the show, but I thought it was worth a try.

I nodded and motioned for them to pass me. I held back and let them all run past into the house. I kind of had an inkling where Dean would be, so I moved around the back of the house to see if I could find another way in.

Shots soon rang out. “Fuck!” I frantically looked around and spotted a rope laying beneath the undergrowth. Not wasting any time, I pulled the rope back, finding a trap door, a ladder leading down. I took each step as quickly as I could, leaving the door wide open so that the police could see it. The first thing I noticed was how much cooler it was down there than above ground. Then there was the smell. It was a musty, old smell that I would imagine got worse when the winter months hit. I saw a faint light coming through a door in the distance, muffled sounds coming from behind it. I heard grunting and the minute that sound hit me, I was off. If there was a chance Dean was alive, I had to move quickly.

I got to the door and noticed it was ajar. I moved it as slowly and quietly as possible. My heart was beating out of my chest, adrenaline coursing through me. I had no idea what I would find, but I had to look. Death could come quickly to me, but I had to make an attempt at saving Dean.

What I saw once I opened that door shocked me. I didn’t know why because I was used to this kind of thing day in and day out, but it was someone I cared about getting the brunt force of the torture this time.

Dean barely looked alive. His arms were above his head, his wrists tied with rope. It was the only thing keeping him upright. There was blood everywhere, seeping out multiple cuts in his body. He had burn marks, three of which formed the letters “A”, “P”, and “J” on his chest. No doubt this was an attempt on Pinzano’s part to be funny.

I certainly wasn’t laughing.