Dream City Ch. 14

We laid low at Sadie's place, figuring out our next move; at least I thought we were going to do. The happy reunion between the two women changed hands in a hurry. One minute they were celebrating and the next they're at each other's throats. Sadie continued to surprise me even more, going from the concerned big sister to a parent scolding their own child.

"I can't believe you," said Sadie, "of all the shit you could have done."

"Well, I'm sorry," said Prudence, "how was I supposed to know he would stab me in the back?"

"I warned you. I warned you time and time again to stay away from him, and still you continued to ignore me."

"He was my friend."

"He was never your friend. Never. All that miserable cunt ever did was use you for his own needs. You can't be this stupid."

"What was that?"

"I believe you heard me."

"No, I didn't, so kindly repeat what you just said."

"Stupid is what I said."

"Then maybe I should leave. You want me to go? I'll walk right out of here if you like."

It got so heated that they wanted to just kill each other and call it a night. It was odd seeing all this unfold after the love they showed to one another some time ago. The thought of me not having a sibling turned out to be a good thing.

"You're not going anywhere," said Sadie.

"You don't tell me what to do," said Prudence, nearly raising her voice. "I am not a child."

"No, you're still a child and you need some more growing up to do."

"I've grown enough if you haven't noticed."

"I don't think you have. All you do is make poor decisions that nearly got you killed. For fuck's sake what were you thinking?"

"Piss off, Sadie, all right? You're not dad and you never will."

"I'm not trying to be. Maybe I should have left your ass on Jupiter Avenue. Better yet why don't I take you back there myself?"

"Don't bother, I'll go there on my own and shag whoever the bloody fuck I want."

"Still acting like a child. A miserable little twat at best."

"A miserable little twat? Really? Well, why don't you do me a favor, Sadie? Come over here, get down on your knees, pull my knickers down, and suck the little twat right out of my sweet pussy."

In my lifetime I've never known that many women who can talk as dirty as they have. These two could give sailors a run for their money.

"I'm so glad," said Sadie, "so fucking glad that Otto didn't put his cock inside you, otherwise, I would have cut it off and fed it to the maggots."

"Hey," said Prudence, "whoever I shag is my business, not yours."

"As long as I'm still fucking breathing, it is my fucking business."

"Do us all a favor and keep your cock sucking trap shut."

"Don't talk to me like some fucking cunt on the street, or I'll take your ass in public and embarrass you in front of the entire city."

"What are you going to do, put me on your knee and spank my ass? I bet Johnny there would enjoy that. Perhaps you should be more concerned with his cock inside you, rather than Otto's in mine or anyone else for that matter."

"You leave him out of this."

"Speaking of cocks, how many have you had while I was away, Sadie? I'm sure Johnny's wasn't the only one you had inside you these past few days. Have you shagged the band by any chance? Do they take turns in the dressing room before you get on stage?"

The arguing was getting on my nerves and I needed to end it now; I didn't care if this was some family issue or none of my business.

"I have had enough of your rubbish," said Sadie.

"All right," I said, "all right, that's enough! Stand down and go to your neutral corners. We don't have time for this shit and you know it. You wanna kill each other, you do it on your own time. We still have matters to discuss and you, young lady, are connected to all of it."

"Me?" Prudence said, acting puzzled. "What have I done?"

"Otto told us you have something, something of value that these people want."

"People?"

"Focus. These people who took you want something you have. You need to tell us what it is."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Did you take something, or did someone hand you something? A box? A package?"

"A box?" Prudence started to think back until it finally clicked. "Wait. A bag. A woman came to me and handed me a paper bag."

"What woman?"

"I don't know. She came through the doors while I waited in the lobby, telling me to hide it because it was something important that the public needed to know. Before I had a chance to ask, she ran off. I never saw her again after that."

"That's another thing," said Sadie, "what the bloody hell were you doing at Medusa Manor?"

"I was waiting on Otto, that's all."

"Oh, isn't that wonderful? She was waiting for Otto while he was upstairs shagging his love bot."

"Sadie, please," I said. "What was inside the bag?"

"Some recording machine," Prudence continued.

"What was on it?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Sadie asked.

"Exactly what I said. I didn't play it because it was none of my business."

"And yet you accepted it from a total stranger."

"I didn't accepted it. All she did was drop it on my lap and took off. Is that so hard to believe?"

All this for a recording device? Secret plans? Someone got caught with their pants down? Perhaps a bit of both, and certain people are willing to kill for it.

"Do you still have it?" I asked.

"I hid it," said Prudence.

"Where?"

"I buried it in Memorial Park."

"You told anyone else about it?"

"Absolutely not. Not even Otto knew what I did with it."

"We need to go and pick it up."

"Wait," said Sadie, feeling hesitant over the idea. "If this is what they want then why don't we give it to them?"

"You're thinking problem solved?" I said. "Even if we did hand it over they'll kill us on the spot. We need to retrieve it and use it for leverage. Prude, do you know where exactly you buried the damn thing?"

"Yes. I'll show you the way if you like."

"Then lead the way."

"Johnny," said Sadie, "I don't like this."

"No, we need to end this right now. I'm tired of running and being chased around, how about you?"

Sadie took her time before finally giving me the O.K.. Deep inside she was getting tired of saving my ass; it was never part of her job description.

"Right," I said, "let's move out."

When we arrived at Memorial Park it was quiet, nearly pitched black from the lack of functioning lamp posts. I looked over my shoulder from time to time for any more surprises while Prudence led us to the tree where she buried the item. Quickly, she got down on her knees and started digging with her hands. We were soon entertained by the roaring sound of thunder, followed by a little flash of lightning striking down the west river.

"Of all the places," said Sadie, "you chose here. Why is that?"

"It's quiet," said Prudence, "hardly any people around at night. So, this is the one place I could think of."

The intensity between them was still there; might be another eruption on the horizon. With me playing referee I had to keep it together for all our sake.

"Ah, here we are," said Prudence, finally gathering up the paper bag and handing it to me.

What I pulled out was some type of disc player, about seven years old and still functional. The disc was already inside, waiting to be played as I was anxious to do.

"Well," I said, "it's showtime."

"Let's get this over with," said Sadie.

I turned the switch; a holographic screen lit up, showing us a face of a woman; nervous and deeply disturbed.

"That's her," said Prudence, "that's the one who handed me the bag."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"I never forget a face."

"Who is she?" Sadie asked. Soon her question would receive an answer as we all paid close attention.

"My name," the woman spoke, "is Karen Styles, and if anyone is watching this then I am no longer among the living."

I've heard of her; a reporter with a bad rep, always sticking her nose further deep just for a good story. Last I heard she disappeared without a trace.

"What am I about to tell you is of grave importance. I gathered footage from an unknown source, which shows us what really happened to mayoral candidate, Tom Nichols."

Tom Nichols was next in line to be the new mayor of Dream City. They said he had a chance in winning by a landslide, until one night he suffered a massive heart attack during a Hockey game. The footage Karen mentioned was shot from someone's camera phone, showing the man watching the game in the skybox; he happened to be friends with the owner of the home team. In the background, a maitre'd poured some champagne for Nichols, but not before pouring some type of liquid in his drink.

"What you are seeing," said Karen, "was an assassination."

Before our very eyes Tom drank his beverage and suddenly the pains took over, dying right in front of everybody. The maitre'd, whoever he was, ran off without anyone noticing. Tom was DOA on the way to the hospital. The autopsy clearly stated it was a heart attack, but to the public it was kind of odd since he had no medical history and was in top shape. No one was able to figure out how could this have happened.

"Tom Nichols was murdered," said Karen, "a murder orchestrated by our mayor, Fredrick Cole. The man who delivered the poison was one of his aides. It's no surprise that Fredrick Cole is a corrupt politician, buying his way to the top by any means necessary. Lately, he's been doing some business dealings upstate. What kind of business, I have no knowledge of. He has to be stopped or this city will not survive any longer under his rule. My advice to you is be on alert at all times. The man has spies you wouldn't dream of so please take extra precautions. I wish you luck, and please...give my love to my family. Mom. Dad. I love you so much. I'm...sorry for putting you through this."

The video came to an end, leaving nothing but a blank screen before us. This was a wake up call for me, learning the main reasons why these fuckers wanted me out of the way. Over a fucking disc. At least I now know who the top man is, and the face to go with it so I could smash it.

"My God," said Sadie, "the mayor is responsible for Prude's abduction this whole time?"

"By any means necessary," I said. "We need to get out of here."

"Wait," said Prudence, "what about the video? What do we do with it?"

"For starters we're not giving it to the police."

"To who then? Who do we trust?"

"Trust me," said a mysterious voice from behind us.

Blue bolts of electricity were fired upon me; every nerve felt like they were being sliced and diced and my muscles froze up. It was a powerful new taser you can get on the internet, and it's something no human being should endure. I dropped to my knees, feeling the excruciating pain taking over my entire body.

"Johnny!" Sadie shouted.

"Not another step," said that same mystery voice, but once he came in the light we should have known who it belonged to.

The mayor himself, all decked out in his dark suit and mirrored polished loafers. He had two guys with him; one being the aide who killed Tom Nichols and fired that taser at me. He put a boot to my shoulder, shoving me to the ground, grabbing and tossing aside my weapon. I was willing to bet these were the same two assholes who chased me during the start of my assignment.

"I'll take that," said mayor Cole, sending his boy to pick up the machine and handing it to him. "You ladies have been royal pains in my ass for the last time. But you, Mister Octane, you never cease to amaze me; I've underestimated you. You stopped my men cold. You damaged two choppers and four drones. Then I arranged the release of four individuals who wanted your head on a pike, and yet you took them all down. I must say you are quite the warrior. I could use a man like you in my stable."

"Sorry," I said, "I'm not into men."

"Pity. You would have enjoyed working for me, but I guess a cell suited you even better."

I should have known he had something to do with all that. While still reeling from the shock I said, "it was you. You were the anonymous tip."

"Exactly," said Cole, with a smug look on his face I wanted to break, not to mention those fake porcelain teeth he loved to show off in public. "Unfortunately, Mr. Johnson made a mess of things once he found out your location."

"Found out my ass. You told him yourself. Was killing all those cops part of your plan?"

"That was an unfortunate incident that couldn't have been prevented. Call it collateral damage."

"Collateral damage? You think this is a fucking war?"

"It is a war; a war against me. Tom Nichols was a pencil necked punk who wouldn't play ball. I gave him offers to step down and still he refused. He was standing in the way of my operation and he needed to go."

"Your operation? In Creakton, right? That's what you were doing all that time. Instead of vacationing you were conducting business."

"Vacationing was just a cover story, and yes I was in fact conducting business. Creakton may be a shitty town, but it was the perfect locale for the valuable cargo coming my way."

I could only guess what that cargo was.

"And just like that," I said, "you poisoned Nichols. What happened, he got too close to exposing you? Did he know about your operation?"

"He knew enough," said Cole, "enough to cross my path. The poison that killed him was perfect; completely untraceable and no autopsy in the world would have made a difference."

"You bloody bastard," said Sadie, "were you planning on killing my sister, too? All because she knew too much?"

"Not my intention at first," said Cole. "Mr. Mays cooperated fully on where to hold her and was rewarded for his services."

"You took advantage of him because he was easy prey."

"The boy was weak. He was no threat to my plans, though I made the mistake of having him kill Mr. Octane. I should have known he didn't have it in him."

I could have told you that, asshole.

"Your sister," he continued, "was to be held until I came back and have her ready for interrogation, and I can assure you my guy here would have made her talk. Unlike that bitch reporter who put up a fight while she was being peeled like an onion. You ever see a human being get skinned alive? Not very pretty, which was more than I could say for her."

Sadie was about to charge at him, but his aide stepped in pointing the taser at her. She had the right idea, and so did I. Unfortunately, I was waiting for the effects of the taser to wear off. Little by little my muscles weren't feeling like icebergs as before.

"I know what you're thinking," said Cole, "you want to kill me. Everyone does, but that's not happening any time soon. You people are unbelievable. You all really thought I wanted to clean up this shit hole full of toxic waste of a city? In twenty years this city will burn to the ground and no one will care. You're all fools for still living here."

"Better to be a fool," I said, "than filthy scum like you."

"As much as I enjoy all the threats thrown at me, I really must be going. Ladies, it's been a pleasure. Mr. Octane, you were a worthy adversary and I hope we never meet again."

We'll meet again all right, asshole. The burning sensation in my nerves was starting to wear down. A few more seconds and I may just flex my muscles in a way I know how.

"Gentleman," said Cole, taking his leave, "you know what to do." Meaning his two pet gorillas were going to whack us.

Both men pulled out their guns with sound suppressors already attached to each. The asshole who zapped me actually got me up, putting my body up against the tree with someone's initials carved on it.

"You take care of the ladies," he told the other guy. "I want him for myself. You know you've been a pain in everyone's ass since day one."

"Yeah," I said, "I have that effect on people."

"Not anymore. No drones or choppers this time."

"That sucks."

"You know what sucks? That I won't have the pleasure of fighting you myself. I would have enjoyed beating you into a coma."

"Get in line."

I started getting better and I waited for my chance to strike. The plan was already set in the palm of my hand.

"I'm already at the head of the line," said the asshole.

"No argument there," i said.

Down on my knees I grabbed a handful of dried dirt, saving it for just the right occasion. I threw it right in his eyes, blinding him and grabbing his wrist, where he mistakenly shot his partner in the thigh. The moment he cried out in pain, he fought back shooting right at me, only to miss every shot after I used his partner as a shield. Once his partner laid on the ground face down, I went right after him, delivering a couple of elbow shots to the face and disarming him before he had a chance to reload. I kicked his firearm aside and zapped him with his partner's taser. A swift kick to the chin put his lights out. I picked up my weapon and tossed Sadie the taser just to be on the safe side.

"Push that button if you have to," I said.

"Where you going?" She asked.

"I'm going after that fucker. Both of you stay put."

"Johnny, don't let him get away."

He won't get away, not after what he put me through. I hopped on Jake's cycle, leaving that park like a man possessed. From the moment he saw me heading his way, Cole rushed back into the limo he rode in, ordering his chauffeur to hit the gas. It was going to be difficult like my life hasn't already.

Cole stuck his head out the window, firing his own taser right at me. I steered hard, far enough away from those agonizing bolts of energy. I'll be damned if I was going to be zapped again by that shit. Cole moved his ass towards the left window, firing another shot. It got a bit more fun when Cole decided to use the sunroof to fire at me.

"You fucking kidding me?" I complained.

Left and right I steered clear from those blue bolts of electricity; one shot almost took my head off. I pulled out my shotgun, firing two shots towards the back window, forcing Cole to sit back down. I flew the cycle straight down, right towards the passenger window, where I was immediately greeted by Cole.

After his failed attempt, Cole took another shot through the sunroof. I was right on top of him; landing the cycle near the sunroof, forcing Cole back down once again. I hung on for dear life right after the cycle fell over from the speed bump we hit. Cole tried another shot, only this time he used a real gun. The first shot nearly took my head off. Soon the rooftop filled up with holes, forcing me to slip off and hang onto the door handle.

Cole opened the window to get a closer shot at me, once again nearly taking my head off. Once he got close enough, I grabbed his wrist, slamming it against the windowsill until he released his firearm. For good measure I slammed a fist towards his pretty face, knocking him back inside.

He was going for the taser; I proceeded to climb inside to stop him from using it. Half my body got inside, close enough to prevent him from firing. He held on tight, refusing to part with it like his firearm. Cole was ready to push that button and I was going to stop him from nailing me. Getting zapped by a cattle prod was all I could take.

He fired, but not before I got him to aim at his driver by mistake and it was a costly one. The limo was out of control and I slid right off, landing my ass hard on the pavement. Another bruise added to my already growing collection.

The limo flipped over, slid across the street, straight into Gus' gasoline station. One gas pump was struck down, spraying fuel all over the limo; most of it spilled through the sunroof. Then the fire broke out, and the thundering roar of an engine exploding rocked the neighborhood. Those nearby screamed and ran for cover, making demands to contact emergency.