The smell of cigar smoke was found throughout the air of the small shack. Three silhouetted men were seen sitting around a small, round wooden table that was illuminated very faintly by a lone light bulb, which dangled precariously over the table and swayed back and forth… The occasional red glare of oxygen flowing through the Cuban cigars lit up the faces of the men as they took their puffs…
“We should strike now when we have the element of surprise on our hands!” Vindog exclaimed, “What better time than now?”
“Tell me, Vindog, what makes now such an opportune time?” Mickie refuted, “What makes now better than before?”
“Now he thinks you’re retired…” James said quietly as he reached for his cigarette, “Why not strike when he thinks the dragon has fallen asleep?”
“I understand this, but, as you both know, my wife is now pregnant with our first son…” Mickie said calmly as he sat back into his rickety chair, “I cannot bear to leave my son without a father and my wife without a husband.”
Vindog was growing impatient; he had lost many friends and family soldiers and capos by the hands of Stan Smith.
“What about the fathers who lost their sons already? What about the fathers who will lose their sons in the future or sons who’ve lost their fathers?” Vindog yelled as he banged his hands onto the table and turned towards the wall… He sat quiet for a moment and let his thoughts flow again, “What about Viod and Gandalf? Where is their justice, Mickie?”
Mickie sat quiet at the table. He felt the weight of the world fall onto his shoulders.
“What can I do? I’ve tried to kill him before; his defenses are too strong.” Mickie stood and walked towards a lone window placed over his right shoulder, “What will change?”
Mickie stared out of the window; he listened as rain fell and hit the metal roof above his head. He watched a current of rainwater flow down the glass and fall onto the flooded grass.
“I am going for a walk,” Mickie said, “I need to collect my thoughts…”
Mickie rushed out of the door before either man could oppose his decision…
As he stepped outside he listened to the rain beat on the top of his hat like a native drumline… He turned down his street and saw a man pull onto the curb in front of a house across the street. The man rushed out of the driver seat and reached into the back seat of his car. Mickie was startled and feared for his life. He reached down and drew his pistol and pointed in the direction of the man as he stood up out of his car… The two men’s eyes met and they both stood there for moments… Mickie noticed what the man was reaching into his back seat for: a child. A small newborn baby was being cradled in its father’s hands. At the sight of the small child, Mickie immediately holstered his gun. He turned and ran back around the corner of the street…
“If I were Stan, that small infant and it’s father would’ve been killed…” Mickie mumbled to himself, “I can’t let the reign of Stan’s ill will continue.”
Mickie busted into the door of the small shed and was greeted by a startled Vindog and a drunk James…
“Gentlemen, we have a plan to create…”
“Mickie, from my last reports, Stan was last seen in Delaware at one his favorite diners.” Vindog couldn’t help but explain with a huge grin on his face, “He seems to favor this diner and visits every Sunday after mass…”
“Okay, James!” Mickie yelled for his attention.
“Hmm?” James responded.
“You’re drunk.”
“Will do…” James responded not knowing what Mickie said.
“Okay boys, we leave on the first plane to Delaware.”
Mickie, James, and Vindog arrived in Delaware safely and wasted no time getting to the diner. They entered the diner and got a table in a side room where lower class citizens often ate. They sat and waited for hours…
“This was a bust,” Vindog said as he stood up and put his jacket on, “we are lucky we aren’t being shot up right now…” He turned and walked out of the room.
Mickie and James exchanged glances and both stood to their feet. As they were putting their jackets and hats on Vindog walked back into the room…
“He’s here.” He said under his breath, “He just finished his meal and is about to leave… But he has four bodyguards with him…”
Mickie and James started reaching for their guns.
“What are they armed with?” Mickie asked.
“Two men on both sides of the front door, one on each side has a shotgun and the others have desert eagles…”
“This was a mistake.” Mickie said remorsefully as James strutted past him
“C’mon boys. Fool needs to go…” James said as he walked towards the door.
Mickie and Vindog looked at each other. Mickie nodded at Vin.
As they walked through the door Vindog and James were shoulder to shoulder… Stan looked up at them and smiled as he turned over his shoulder and nodded at the bodyguards. James began walking towards the two over Stan’s right shoulder and Vindog went to the two over his left. As James and Vindog split up, the look in Stan’s eyes went from excitement to horror at the sight of Mickie taking long strides towards him… Mickie pulled his pistol from his trench coat and cocked it.
James pointed his pistol at the bodyguard who held a shotgun and pulled the trigger. James’ bullet penetrated the man’s stomach and exited into the wall behind him. As he continued walking towards the wounded man, another shot rang out and pierced James’ left shoulder. He peered over to the man holding a smoking desert eagle and said, “You’re next…” James’ kicked the lights out of the wounded bodyguard and threw his pistol at the other man who had shot him… The gun flew through the air and made contact with the jaw of the bodyguard and the man flew backwards onto his back… James looked down at the wounded bodyguard and kneed him in the face and sent the man flying backwards onto the floor. James bent and grabbed the shotgun that lay at his feet. He looked into the eyes of the man that lay before him… James pulled the trigger and the man’s head disappeared…
James then heard the sound of a loaded pistol pointed at his head… “Don’t move.” James looked over his shoulder at the bodyguard who was now bleeding from his mouth. “Never thought I’d kill myself a Capi di Capi Re…” the man said. In a quick motion, James turned and threw a knee to the side of the man. As he bent over in pain, James kicked the desert eagle from his grasp…
“I’m your huckleberry.” James said as he pointed his pistol at the back his head and pulled his trigger…
Vindog, simultaneously, began charging at his two enemies… He leaped onto the shoulders of the man holding a desert eagle and began beating him with the butt of his pistol on his head. Blood was everywhere and it was splattering onto Vindogs face. Blood covered his pistol as Vindog smiled. He then turned on his knees and saw the barrel of a shotgun looking him in the eyes… Vindog smacked the shotgun towards the roof and a shot rang out and penetrated the roof of the building. Vindog then turned his attention to the knees of the last bodyguard… He kicked one of the bodyguard’s knees and broke it like a twig. Both men were now on the ground wrestling… The bodyguard managed to fall onto Vindog and began strangling him with the shotgun. Vindog began desperately feeling for his pistol that was on the ground. He found it and grabbed it but all the blood on the handle made it slip from his hands…
Vindog was falling out of consciousness… Then he heard a shot ring out. The body that laid on top of him had fallen off… As he sat up he saw James pointing a smoking gun towards him.
“He’s ALL yours…” James said.
Vindog looked towards the man who was now bleeding from his back. Vindog stood to his feet and shot four bullets into the back of his skull…
Next was Stan Smith… As James and Vindog turned their attention to Stan and Mickie, Mickie had Stan pinned up against the wall off of the floor. Mickie kept saying, “Try not to piss yourself!”
“Not here.” James told Mickie, “Somewhere that’ll leave a message.”
Vindog ran up to Stan and began beating him to within an inch of his life… Then Vin began searching through his pockets for whatever money he had… After Vin stepped away from the body, James grabbed Stan and began dragging him out of the diner… “Come on!” James yelled…
The three men got into a sedan with Stan in the trunk and drove to the tallest skyscraper.
Police found Stans body hanging off the side of the skyscraper by his ankles with bullet wounds in both elbows, both knees, in the palms of both hands, and in his feet… Stan’s body was also missing both of his ears, eyes, and his tongue…
A note was found on his body that stated, “Let this be a warning to all who try to mess with Mickie Fratesi… I AM THE DEVIL”
Police have yet to find Mickie.
Courtesy of The Dubliner