Suki looked as Max sat down and slid a newspaper in front of her. The paper was folded to a certain page that made her look. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw herself looking back at her.
Her school photo looked up at her from the page. This time it wasn't just a Missing poster plastered on the bulletin board inside the foyer of a department store. Here it was in black and white and distributed amongst the city.
Missing.
The feeling hit her hard and she was indeed shocked to see it. She didn't feel like crying, but a wave of nostalgia washed over her like a hurricane approaching shore.
Mags folded the paper over so the photo was hidden. With the slight hum of the air conditioner, it seemed it was the only noise in the diner for several long seconds.
"What do you want to do?" Max asked Suki.
"Nothing," Suki replied. "That's another lifetime ago."
20131107
Say Goodbye, Major MoFo
Max poured on the speed; he heard someone hit the ground behind him. One of his pursuers had gotten his feet tangled up and mother nature brought him down.
He ran until he felt a stitch in his side, and that's when he stopped. Max jumped over a fallen log and rolled close to it for cover.
He only had a few moments to wait until three men hurdled past. Max waited momentarily, waiting for his breath to catch up to him before deciding what next to do.
"Where'd he go?" he heard one man shout.
"He's around here someplace," another replied. "Fan out."
Max knew his options weren't too good and he was calculating his odds of success, when his eyes spotted something on the ground.
It was green and round. A grenade. One of the men had lost it when they hurdled the fallen log. Max smiled.
Eat This!
An automatic fired, the bullets chewing away at the concret slab. It seemed that the concrete might outlast them.
"Don't let them get to Tatter," Max said.
Mags looked at her wound; she didn't need a doctor to tell her that it was pretty bad.
"Well," she said as she finished wrapping a makeshift bandage around her torso, "We're between the proverbial rock and a hard place."
"It seems to be that way a lot, hasn't it?" Max joked. He shot Mags a wink. "I guess it's always better than the alternative of not doing a thing about it."
The Vinyl Effect
The ticking of the clock made him nervous, each tick seemed to be
harping away at him telling his senses what his brain failed to
acknowledged.
His cellphone rested on his lap as he puffed away at another cigarette; it was his fourth in a row and this one was down to near the filter. He was thinking of lighting up another one when his cellphone came alive.
"Yes," he said as he brought it up to his ear.
"We're in some serious shit," the voice on the other end told him. "We need Pretty and we need him bad."
"I will find him," he replied. "Is there anything in particular you need him to get?"
"Vinyl," the voice on the other end said.
"Vinyl?" he repeated the word.
"Pretty knows what it's all about," the voice said.
His cellphone rested on his lap as he puffed away at another cigarette; it was his fourth in a row and this one was down to near the filter. He was thinking of lighting up another one when his cellphone came alive.
"Yes," he said as he brought it up to his ear.
"We're in some serious shit," the voice on the other end told him. "We need Pretty and we need him bad."
"I will find him," he replied. "Is there anything in particular you need him to get?"
"Vinyl," the voice on the other end said.
"Vinyl?" he repeated the word.
"Pretty knows what it's all about," the voice said.
The Egress Action
"It's raining," Frank said. "Damn, why does it have to be rain today."
"Maybe mother nature is at war?" Goner replied. He had his gun sitting on the dash as if it were a coffee cup cooling down. He was getting tired from all this waiting.
"You might have a point there," Frank noted. He rolled down the window and threw out the butt of a cigarette. Then rolled it back up again.
"So, all we have to do is wait for the signal?" Goner asked.
"Anytime soon," Frank answered after checking his watch. "He's running a little behind schedule."
They heard the sound of glass breaking and looked to see that Max had vacated the building through the easiest egress he could find. He was firing blindly behind him as well.
"That's our cue," Frank said as he switched from neutral to drive.
"Maybe mother nature is at war?" Goner replied. He had his gun sitting on the dash as if it were a coffee cup cooling down. He was getting tired from all this waiting.
"You might have a point there," Frank noted. He rolled down the window and threw out the butt of a cigarette. Then rolled it back up again.
"So, all we have to do is wait for the signal?" Goner asked.
"Anytime soon," Frank answered after checking his watch. "He's running a little behind schedule."
They heard the sound of glass breaking and looked to see that Max had vacated the building through the easiest egress he could find. He was firing blindly behind him as well.
"That's our cue," Frank said as he switched from neutral to drive.
The Sound of Bullets Dancing
Bullet casings fell to the cement floor making metallic notes to the
ears. A symphony of metal, sweet to some but sour to others. The
conductor of this particular song was sweating and tired, but he kept
the music going.
Max kept pulling the trigger on the guns until the last bullet left. Then he ducked down to reload. He glanced over at Mags who had torn a strip of her shirt.
"No matter how many fall there seems to be two more that spring up," he told her.
"Crap," Mags said. She was bandaging up Frank's leg.
"Well," Frank said. "Talk about being between a rock and a hard place."
"You giving up already?" Mags asked him with a wink.
"If you guys want to chat on your own time that's fine by me," Max said after sliding the reload clip into one of his guns. "But there's another pressing matter going on here."
Max kept pulling the trigger on the guns until the last bullet left. Then he ducked down to reload. He glanced over at Mags who had torn a strip of her shirt.
"No matter how many fall there seems to be two more that spring up," he told her.
"Crap," Mags said. She was bandaging up Frank's leg.
"Well," Frank said. "Talk about being between a rock and a hard place."
"You giving up already?" Mags asked him with a wink.
"If you guys want to chat on your own time that's fine by me," Max said after sliding the reload clip into one of his guns. "But there's another pressing matter going on here."
The Gates of Door to Doors Ritual
Prison, somewhere in Central America.
"We're screwed," Tasso said. He was hot and tired and pretty sore from the beating. His fingers felt like they were splitting apart.
"Not yet," Max replied; he glanced around the room as if he was studying it.
"What do you mean?" Tasso questioned. He sat on the edge of the bunk and put his head in his hands. "When they get back here they are going to drag us out and put several bullets into us."
"They might," Max replied. He felt along the edge of the south wall, and he put his head to it and closed his eyes.
Tasso looked at him as if Max was going crazy and shook his head slowly; he knew he shouldn't of trusted the man in the first place. But no, he had to follow his gut instinct.
Max's eyes opened and he cracked a smile. He dug through his pockets and picked out a match and lit it and then blew it out, as the smoke was still burning he blew it towards the wall.
"Tasso, get me some water," he said.
"You get it yourself," Tasso shot back.
"There's not much time, Tass. Just get me the fucking water now."
"We're screwed," Tasso said. He was hot and tired and pretty sore from the beating. His fingers felt like they were splitting apart.
"Not yet," Max replied; he glanced around the room as if he was studying it.
"What do you mean?" Tasso questioned. He sat on the edge of the bunk and put his head in his hands. "When they get back here they are going to drag us out and put several bullets into us."
"They might," Max replied. He felt along the edge of the south wall, and he put his head to it and closed his eyes.
Tasso looked at him as if Max was going crazy and shook his head slowly; he knew he shouldn't of trusted the man in the first place. But no, he had to follow his gut instinct.
Max's eyes opened and he cracked a smile. He dug through his pockets and picked out a match and lit it and then blew it out, as the smoke was still burning he blew it towards the wall.
"Tasso, get me some water," he said.
"You get it yourself," Tasso shot back.
"There's not much time, Tass. Just get me the fucking water now."
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