Redwood Nine: Season 03 Ch. 10

Chapter 10: King of Pain

JT couldn't believe what Unser had said, none of them could. They stood there in disbelief, hearing about the shooting at the farm.

"We gotta go, now!"

That was all JT said and headed for his bike. The others made their way to theirs, Otto, Lenny and Keith all scrambling down the ladder and getting on their bikes. The heavy rumble of engines warming up was short-lived, as they rode past Wayne and sped off to Calaveras. Wayne jumped in his cruiser and even with the lights and siren going, he was hard-pressed to keep up to the club. Stop lights and stop signs were ignored, as the club blasted through town and out into the country.

Faces were long and held in suspense, as they wondered who had been hurt, or possibly killed in the shooting. By the time they got to 10th line, they could see the line of cars and other vehicles at the side of the road. They roared past the sheriff at the beginning of the lane and headed for the house. The gate had been broken off its hinges and lay on the ground, dozens of enforcement personnel were everywhere, scouring the ground and picking up any kind of evidence they could find.

The sheriffs saw the club and immediately stopped them as they got off their bikes and made for the house. Shock grew on every face, as they saw the bullet holes riddling the sides of the house everywhere. Bodies were coming out in bags and the club pushed part the sheriffs to see who they were. Unser finally pulled in and ran up to the sheriffs, who were starting to use force to subdue the club.

"Hey, hey, leave them alone. These are the guys I went and got. They live here and know these people."

The sheriffs eased up, but still prevented them from seeing who was in the body bags. The club strained to get past and once they were cleared, the sheriffs let them get to the coroner's van. The back of it was piled with body bags, one on top of the other. JT pushed the coroner's workers aside and looked at the bag hesitantly before opening it. The face came into view and it was Cindy lying there. Otto pushed his way in and saw her and screamed out his agony.

JT looked around, searching for any signs of Suzy and then began calling her name in vain. One sheriff came to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"If you're looking for a girl, the only one left alive is in hospital. I don't know her name, but she's in critical condition and probably in surgery right now."

"What does she look like?"

JT was hoping the description would match Suzy's, but it wasn't. It sounded like Spirit from the description and JT's hopes sank at seeing her alive again. He became emotionally distraught, trying to come to grips with what was. The thought of Suzy being dead was unacceptable to him, denying it to himself that it could be so. He looked at Otto, completely lost in grief, as they loaded Cindy into the back of the van.

Wayne stood there helplessly, knowing he couldn't do anything to stop the bleeding of the club's hearts over their loss. He looked at the house, casting his eyes upward to the bedroom he was just in hours before, enjoying himself with several of the girls. He himself was in shock and disbelief that the bikers had come after innocent people like this.

JT grabbed a sheriff and asked him where the bodies were going. He told them they were going to the high school in Calaveras, where they had room being set up to handle autopsies on the dead. His face cringed at the thought they would be cutting his constant, his soul mate apart, opening her up and destroying all that she was.

"We gotta get to that high school before they do anything to our girls."

The sheriff understood and told his superior on site what he had to do and he led the club to the small hamlet southwest of them, about twenty five miles away. The club parked and ran inside, getting stopped once again by sheriffs overseeing the situation. The sheriff told them who they were and needed to identify the victims. They let them in and cautioned them on how to proceed. The guys walked up slowly to the line of body bags laying on the floor, as people hastily set up folding tables to serve as autopsy tables.

One of the assistants from the coroners office knelt down and opened the first bag. He peeled it back to expose who was inside and Lenny screamed loudly, seeing Lorraine inside, bloodied to the point she almost wasn't recognizable. He identified her and knelt with her, placing his hand on the bag.

The assistant moved to the next one and Wally saw Azure's white hair. Her face was almost gone from the bullet's exit out her face. Tears came fast and he too wailed out in misery. One by one, the bags were opened and they knew the truth of what had happened. The bag with Suzy was opened and JT fell to his knees and wept like the rest, looking at the love of his life lying there. The large bore bullet had entered cleanly through her head, but little was left at the back. The echoing refrain of misery was all that could be heard, as the guys looked at their loved ones.

"Where did they take the ones who lived?"

"They're over in Charming at St. Thomas. They're the only ones equipped to deal with this kind of thing."

Wayne thanked the attendant and knelt with JT.

"We need to let these guys do what they need to do, JT. There's people still alive and they're in Charming, I think it would be best to go there and do what we can for them."

JT's face was torn by emotion, his ability to think, or reason was gone. He looked at Wayne and felt him lifting him up. He turned his head to look at what remained of Suzy and watched them zip the bag closed again. Wayne gently tugged at him to move and eventually, JT took the first steps away from Suzy. When he got JT outside and sat him down, he went in and one by one, brought each member out to join JT.

"I'm real sorry for the loss, I am. This ain't right and it's going to bring the heavies out to deal with it."

"What heavies?"

"The National Guard, JT. The chiefs said if innocents got hurt or killed, they were bringing them in."

"No way. These guys are not going down that easy. These fuckers are dying by our hands only."

The news was enough to stall the grief in them, for the power of revenge. Guys wiped away tears and steeled themselves from thinking any more on what they saw. It was over and nothing could bring them back. They got on their bikes and Wayne went to JT.

"I take it you ain't going to St Thomas, are you?"

"No, we're going to get what we need to finish these fuckers off once and for all. They don't deserve to live, not after this."

Wayne was at a loss to argue the point, feeling much the same way and rushed to his cruiser. He was going as fast as he could drive, trying to lead the club, but they passed him doing close to a hundred MPH, disobeying every rule of the road. Cars pulled to the sides and let them fly past them, Unser in close pursuit behind them. To the people seeing it, it looked like they were being chased, as every bit of roadway was used to get to Charming. Wayne followed them to the Holiday Inn and went to go inside with them, but JT told him to stay outside.

Wayne knew they were going to talk to the guys that had done the hits and their identity was to be kept a secret. He waited by the bikes and ten minutes passed before they came out again and got on their bikes.

"Wayne, stay here. You can't be a part of this."

"Where you going?"

"To finish this and make sure it doesn't happen again. You better call your friends in Stockton and let them know some more bodies are going to drop and leave us alone to do it."

Wayne understood and despite knowing how criminal their actions were, he couldn't bring himself to try and stop them. He saw two Cadillacs come from the parking lot with two guys in each one and knew they had to be who was doing the hits. He went to his cruiser and asked to be patched through to the sheriffs in Stockton.

"You guys have some visitors coming your way. Let them do what they need to do and this shit will finally be over."

"We called the National Guard already."

"Call them back and say it's being handled."

"I can't just call them off now."

Wayne quickly explained the recent events and the deaths, getting silence on the other end.

"Okay, we'll call them off, but this better not spill out onto the streets, or we'll take down whoever we have to to end this."

"Trust me. These guys are going to be quick and thorough about it. They don't want to waste anymore time on this."

"You better be right, D.C. Unser."

"I am. Just leave them be, like the chiefs said to."

Unser signed off and headed over to St Thomas. He wanted to know who was still alive and who could talk to him.

The club rolled into the same parking lot they had used before, when they first met Jimmy. They parked the bikes and the trunks of the cars were opened. The bazooka and shells were taken out, along with the assault rifles. The mobsters sat up front, while JT and Lenny sat in the back, preparing the M60. In the other one, Otto and Chico readied the bazooka for firing and once ready, the cars pulled out with the rest of the club riding behind them.

They drove down the street the Disciples clubhouse was on and saw all the bikes outside and knew they were inside celebrating the hit. They drove down in the cars and turned around, stopping several businesses down from it. The club was waiting at the top of the street and would race in once the action started. Sheriff's cruisers appeared on the scene, but held back and just observed what was in progress, stopping anyone from going down the street.

Once all civilians were out of the area. JT motioned to go up slowly. Chico shouldered the bazooka and lined up the smashed window of the clubhouse in his sights. He pulled the trigger and the whoosh of the projectile went straight out the back window on the other side. The shell took only a second to pass through the window and explode inside into a fireball. JT pulled the bolt action and squeezed the trigger, sending a torrent of bullets screaming inside after it. Disciple members who ran out of the burning building, their clothes ablaze, were cut down almost in half, as JT kept firing at the door. The guys raced down and used the assault rifles to storm the building, taking out anyone left alive. Shots were fired from every window and door, leaving no means of escape from their wrath.

Five minutes of attack passed and the guns stopped firing, leaving an eerie deadness in the air. The smell of cordite and gunpowder wafted about the scene, as the guys drew pistols and went inside, shooting any of them in the head, if they were still alive. They tucked their guns inside their cuts and headed back to the cars and bikes. They slowly drove away from the scene, passing the sheriffs and received nods from them, acknowledging their thanks in dealing with it and not causing any collateral damage. A distinct look of fear was on every one of their faces, seeing the ruthless killing done by them.

The drive back to Charming seemed unreal, knowing what they had back there was more or less over. What they had established themselves as, would no longer thought of by people. The cars pulled around back and the mobsters wasted no time in packing up and checking out. They knew their stay in Charming was over and so was their mission. The four expressed their own sadness and condolences to the club, doing what they could before leaving. The club thanked them for all they did and said they'd be in touch with Gianni and let him know about Marlene.

Luigi assured JT that they would still be mentioned in the highest regard to Gianni, for all that they did for them. The club and the mobsters hugged and said their goodbyes, as they got in their cars and pulled away, ending a brutal chapter in their lives.

The call came to head to the hospital and deal with the living, so they did a slow cruise through town, getting looks of disbelief from people. They couldn't understand what had happened in their town and wondered what the Sons of Anarchy had to do with it. JT and Lenny stopped and looked at the spot in the parking lot, where days before, they were looking at death in the face. Walking into emergency, they asked about the people who were brought in from Calaveras. The nurse looked at the sign in chart and read off the names. Moon and Spirit had survived and were in recovery, while Star was still in surgery and the outcome wasn't positive from the initial assessment. Walter was in a ward, with severe head wounds and was resting comfortably.

They headed in to see Walter, hoping he could shed some light on what had happened. They let JT and Piney go in only, while the rest waited in the waiting area. They opened the door slowly, peeking their heads in and saw he was awake, his turned and looking out the window. They went in and Walter turned to look at them. His face crumbled instantly into despair, the pain of his loss still consuming him.

"Walter, how are you? We heard you were whacked in the head, or something."

Walter fought back the tears and the hitching in his breath, as the guys came in and stood on either side of him.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, boys."

"I know Walter, so are we. This should never have happened."

"I know, it's all my fault. Should have been paying more attention."

"What do you mean, Walter?"

"I told Moon I would stand watch and make sure no one came on the property. I dozed off or something and then before I knew it, I had my lights turned off by a gun butt. They shot them all, JT, every one of them. My little girl is gone, she's gone and this time I'll never see her again."

Walter's face squeezed tightly, as he began sobbing hard, remembering the loss all over again. The guys laid a hand on him and let him get past it. Walter steadied himself again and got his emotions in check.

"I heard it was you that took out the four shooters, then went in and began rescuing who was inside. Walter, you saved lives and that's a great thing you did. If it wasn't for you, no one would have survived."

"I couldn't do a thing for her, boys, not a thing. She looked to me for safety and security and I let her down. Shit, they even killed old Chase, smashed his head in, they did. I lost everything I truly loved and cared for, I got nothing now."

"You still have us, Walter. We're still your friends."

Walter looked at them both and held their hands tightly, securing a bit of peace to his troubled heart.

"You boys lost your girls too, didn't you?"

"Mary's okay. She was staying with my folks in Charming when it happened. Christ, she doesn't know yet."

Piney's realization had him thinking on how to tell her the news, while JT stood looking at Walter, sharing in the grief.

"I did lose her, Walter. I lost the best girl I ever knew. We lost the best people we ever knew."

Tears came to them all, the vivid memories of times just past, coming at them hard. Acceptance was difficult, coming to terms with such a horrific loss of life.

"What about the rest of those guys? They still after you?"

"No, it's done, Walter. We finished them off, every single last one. We wiped the name Satan's Disciples off the map."

The news gave Walter a modicum of satisfaction, that some sort of justice was done. He stiffened his lips against the sorrow and looked at both guys squarely.

"I need to get out of here and take care of Christi. Got to see she gets a proper burial and such."

"Don't worry, Walter, she will. We have to make arrangements for all of them. The cops are calling all their families and we're going to see the folks at Dubrowski's and have it done right. Christi will have a good ceremony, all of them will."

"Thanks. Thanks for coming boys. You best get going and deal with what you got to. I'll be here a while yet I'm told."

"We'll be in to see you soon, Walter. You just get better and we'll help you take care of things."

"You boys could do me a big favour."

"What is it, Walter?"

"Find out what they did with Chase and take him home and give a good place to rest at my place."

"For sure. I'll get on that right away."

"It would ease my heart a might better, knowing he was where he's supposed to be."

"We'll make him a nice resting spot. Anywhere you think would be good?"

"There's a big oak tree beside the house, I'd like it if he was there someplace."

"We'll make it happen, promise."

"Thank you boys, thank you and bless you all."

Walter squeezed their hands as he spoke, confirming to himself that respect would be paid on his behalf.

"You just get better soon, okay Walter."

He nodded, but they could see there was little commitment to it and worried about him. Walter turned his head away and looked out the window again, looking just as he had when they came in. The guys left and told the others what they had heard and the request. No one denied the importance of the request and it became a priority to accomplish. Piney pulled JT aside and told him he had to go to his parents.

"Shit, Piney. You want us to come with you?"

"No, I'll be okay, just going to be hard telling them."

"Yeah, not something you can just say in passing. Look, you hang back with your folks and be with them. They'll want you there, just to know you're safe."

"Yeah, mom won't let go of me and will want to tie my ass to the bed or something."

That made them both chuckle a bit and lessened the heaviness of their hearts some.

"Okay, we'll come by after we take care of Chase. We'll come back here and see how Moon and Spirit are doing later."

"Okay, take care riding."

"We will, brother, we will."

JT and the club started to leave and Piney called to JT. He came back and looked at Piney's face, struggling with something to say.

"What is it, Piney?"

"I think you should be the one to write to Clay and let him know about Poppy. You have a way with words and all and he's closer to you than the rest of us."

"Shit."

JT realized he had completely forgotten about Clay and nodded his head.

"Thanks Piney, yeah, I'll see what I can come up with."

Piney patted his shoulder, comforting him as he turned and walked outside again. The guys sat on their bikes and before they started, Lenny asked JT what it was Piney had said.

"Reminded me that I have to tell Clay about Poppy."

"Oh shit. The poor guy. He loses his grandad, Jake and now he's lost the one person in his life that meant something to him."

"Yeah. How do I write and break that news to him gently?"

"We'll think of something. He's a brother and we stick by our brothers, always."

"Yeah. We do. Let's go see about helping Walter now and put one thing to rest, out of this whole fucking mess."

The bikes roared to life and pulled out of the parking lot. Faces showed the knowledge of loss, as they rode through town. News travelled fast and they had heard of the tragic loss of life and the ones no longer with them. They pulled into Charming P.D. and JT asked for Wayne to come and see them. The desk sergeant rang Unser's office and he came out, seeing the club and hurried down.

"Heard about what went down in Stockton, you guys okay?"

"Yeah, we're whole, Wayne. Look, I need to ask a bit of a favour. Can you get a hold of the sheriffs in Calaveras and find out what they did with Walter's dog, Chase? He wants us to take him to his farm and bury him there, lay him to rest in a nice spot."

"Yeah, sure, I can do that."

Unser went to the sergeant and told him to get a hold of the Calaveras sheriffs, then came back.

"Anything else I can do? You guys are going to need a lot of help and the chief says we should do what we can. I don't need him telling me that, but just so's you know."

"Thanks, Wayne. Right now, I don't know shit about what to do. This is just the first step."