Part 5: Overwhelmed
Five red cars, filled with Chainland Devils drove to the swamp. Jacob and Mack were the second one in the line.
"Anxious?" Mack asked.
"Kind of. What if the Clockers are already there?"
"If they're there, we won't fight 'em head on. We'll try to surround them and destroy them that way. They'll have nowhere to run."
"From how I remember them, the Clockers were pretty strong. Aren't you sure we are outgunned?"
"You're thinking about the Clockers from the 70s. They used to have some military grade weapons but after inumerous raids from the police and other gangs, they lost most if not all of their shit. By the way, some of members back in the 70s couldn't even handle the recoil from an assault rifle."
"What about us? Are we better armed than before?"
"Fuck yeah. The car just in front of us has 4 of us carrying shotguns and submachine guns. Don't worry, brother, you're invincible with us."
"Hmph."
...
The little convoy stopped once they reached the swamp, with the dock house just in front of them. The whole area was dark and grimmy, there wasn't much visibility in here. Everyone stepped out of their cars with guns in hands.
"Are there Clockers here?" A member asked.
"Fuck, I didn't see any Clockers on the way here and I don't see any of their cars." Another one commented.
"Keep your eyes open, everyone. To the dock house!"
Everyone started walking towards it, keeping an eye on everything, not afraid to shoot anything that isn't one of theirs.
"Who's leading this operation?" Jacob asked to Mack. Jacob had a pistol on his hand along with Mack.
"No one. We're just here to grab the stuff, shoot anyone who isn't one of us and get out. If this was a longer and a bigger 'operation' as you say, then we would have a leader."
"Oh..."
"...Of all words, why did you choose 'operation'?"
"I used to watch a lot of war movies as a child."
A Devil kicked the dock house's door down. They went in, aiming at all corners.
"Jacob, where's the thing?" A member asked.
"All the guy said was that it's here, somewhere. We gotta look."
"Okay. Some people should go outside and guard while we look."
Some members ran out, leaving only four inside, including Jacob and Mack. All four started searching around the dock house, looking in crates and searching for any possible holes or any signs of where the thing could be hidden. After full 15 minutes of searching, Jacob who was looking in a crate, was pinned against the wall by an angry fox.
"WHERE'S THE THING?!"
"F-Fuck, I don't know, the guy said it'd be here!"
"THEN IT ISN'T!" The fox slammed Jacob against the wall, "WE SEARCHED THE WHOLE FREAKIN' THING!"
Suddenly, gunshots were heard outside, along with screaming. A gang member entered the dock house running, shouting "THEY'RE HERE!" only to be shot in the back. It was the Clockers.
"Oh fuck..." Mack said as he walked to Jacob and the fox. The other member who was with them, a zebra, swallowed nervously.
"We gotta get out of here!" The fox shouted as he let go of Jacob, "Someone take a peek outside and see what's happening!"
Mack walked towards the entrance of the house and peeked his head outside. A horrible organic impact noise was heard not shortly after he peeked out, as blood, cranium and brains flew out of his head, painting the ground behind him as his lifeless body fell on the floor.
"Oh my god!" Jacob shouted.
"...Those motherfuckers are going to the grave!" The fox yelled and ran outside guns blazing. Multiple gunfire was heard, and then, silence.
Everyone outside was dead.
The zebra looked at Jacob, nervous.
"...Ready to die?" Jacob asked.
The zebra shook his head. At the same moment, a Clocker wielding a shotgun walked in and his quick reflexes made him aim at the zebra and blasted him meters backwards. The zebra fell on the ground with his stomach blew open, with his entrails falling out of it. He gasped, panted and choked in pain.
The Clocker pumped his gun. But not fast enough to shoot Jacob. Jacob shot him three times in the chest before he fell dead.
The zebra behind Jacob took one last breath before succumbing. Jacob turned around, looked at the zebra, and wiped the blood that had splurted on his face and arm. Another Clocker walked in, Jacob turned around and was hit on the stomach and the leg. Jacob fell down, screaming and shooting on instinct at where the bullet came from. The Clocker was hit multiple times on his body and fell over dead.
Jacob's pistol ran dry. Jacob quickly crawled backwards, towards the zebra and grabbed the assault rifle that was by his legs. Two more Clockers ran in, Jacob fired without thinking twice. They fell dead.
Jacob picked himself up and walked with a limp towards the same entrance. Outside, he could hear Clockers shouting at each other to not go into the house and wait for "that motherfucker" to come out.
Jacob took cover against the wall, just by the big doorframe, looked up and sighed in pain. His stomach and leg ached but his adrenaline and will to survive kept him going.
Jacob had a lot of people outside waiting for him to pop out to fill him with lead. Jacob had a feeling his time had come, but he would not go down without a fight.
...
(Travis)
Travis knocked on Julia's door. Julia answered it, her left hand's wrist was bandaged.
"Hi Julia...Oh god, what happened to your hand?"
"I accidentally cut myself while cutting carrots..."
"...Accidentally?"
"Yes, accidentally, why?"
"Nothing, nothing...Can I come in?"
"Sure..." She stepped out of the way. Travis walked in as she closed the door.
"...Is there anything you and I can talk about?"
"Yes...Yes..." Julia sighed, "I...I just want my boyfriend back...We had so much fun together and he was so nice...I mean, there was no way one could hate him, he helped the poor, did charity work and helped people with special needs, I mean, he was the perfect man! Also, the way he was with me was so...I just felt so happy when around him, he made funny jokes, he treated me well and wasn't like those boyfriends who want to get into pants every single night!"
"I see..."
"I just want him back! BACK!" He shouted as she punched the door, "Why do the good die and the scum live?!" She started to cry, "WHY?!"
"Okay, calm down now..." Travis hugged her and massaged her shoulders.
"...I...I can't...Most of my life was deposited on that man and now...it's just gone..."
"You're still breathing, Julia...You're still living a life..."
"No I'm not...I'm just...I'm a walking carcass...One that forgot to die...My soul just isn't here anymore..."
"It is, Julia. It's inside you. You're not a walking carcass, Julia, you're just an eagle who is still thankfully alive. Julia, I'm here because of you. You're the only friend I have nowadays."
"Don't you have Matt?"
"Fuck Matt."
...
(Jacob)
Jacob got in the car. Bullets were penetrating the metal and the windows were breaking all over him. Jacob stepped on the gas pedal and the car speeded off as what remained of the Clockers tried to run after it guns blazing.
Jacob, however, got away, but not easily. Jacob had four bullets in him, one in the leg, the other on the stomach, one in the waist and the last one on his shoulder. Jacob was losing blood really fast and the amount of pain he was in could not be described.
Yet, Jacob kept on driving at full speed, groaning in pain as he tried to keep himself awake and on the path. Jacob managed to return to the city, but, after driving down three blocks, Jacob felt his consciousness fading away as the car steered off into the other lane and crashed into a house.
...
(Three days later)
Jacob blinked. He woke up to find himself in a hospital bed in a hospital room. A nurse stood by him.
"You took four bullets, crashed your car and you still lived..." She nodded, "You're a lucky bastard alright."
Jacob felt bandages on his body, where the bullet holes should be, "Whaaat happened..."
"The anesthesia is still in effect, I see...Don't worry, sir, you'll be okay. You went through two surgeries to get those bullets out of you plus the broken nose on the crash. You even had two cardiac arrests but, you're still alive, and I have to say, I've never met someone as lucky as you. What's your name?"
"Jacooooob...."
"Pleased to meet you, I'm Sarah."
Jacob's eyes closed again. Jacob drifted into sleep.
...
(An hour later)
Jacob woke up with the nurse tapping on his chest, "Jacob, someone here wants to see you."
Jacob looked towards the open door. It was Johnny, "It's the boss..."
"Oh..."
"Let him in..."
The nurse nodded to Johnny who walked in holding his hat on his chest. Johnny walked to Jacob and suggested to the nurse he'd like some private time with him.
The nurse nodded and walked out.
"...You're here to kill me?" Jacob asked.
"Why would I? You're all that remains now...Almost."
"What do you mean?"
"The Chainland Devils..." He sighed, "...Are over. That operation not only killed a fucking lot of us but in the past three days, Clockers have been going around murdering anyone wearing the chains."
"The gang's dead?"
"...Well, in this city, there is no more of us. There are more Devils in NY, LA and some other cities though. But, we're all separated and barely care about each other. If I call the Devils from NY, they'll just say 'that's your problem' and hang up. Activity here is over, boy."
"Well, my gang life was short lived..."
"Now, I have nothing to do, really. I'll probably just turn myself in..."
"That ain't happening, bud." Someone said from the door. A Clocker, a rabbit wearing a brown fedora and sunglasses walked in holding a gun and aimed it at Johnny. Johnny didn't have time to pull his gun and was shot in the neck.
Jacob's eyes opened wide as Johnny kneeled on the floor with blood squirting out of his neck before the Clocker kicked him onto his back. The Clocker then eyeballed Jacob, smiled and aimed. Jacob acted fast, he grabbed his pillow and threw it at the Clocker, distracting him as he jumped out of bed and ran to the Clocker, tackling him. The Clocker, pinned by Jacob, aimed his gun at him, but Jacob grabbed his hands and forced the gun's barrel away from him and to the Clocker's head. The Clocker's expression went from anger to desperation shortly as his own gun was aiming at him and Jacob's pinky made his way to the trigger. Jacob managed to push the Clocker's ring finger against the trigger and soon enough, the gun fired and blood smeared on Jacob's face and on the ground as the Clocker's arms simply hit the floor. Jacob grabbed the pistol and wiped the blood off him.
Jacob got up and walked towards the door. Jacob saw the nurse on the floor outside, dizzy. Once she saw Jacob carrying a gun, she freaked out and ran away. Jacob, who was wearing nothing but a gown went back in and closed the door. Then, he stripped the Clocker from his clothes quickly and took of his gown, being naked for a short while before putting on the Clocker's clothes. It had blood on them, so Jacob had to be careful to not let anyone see it.
Jacob put the pistol under his forearm, inside the jacket, hiding it. Then, he walked out and made sure to get away as fast as he could from his room.
Jacob went in an elevator and headed down. Then, he walked towards the entrance, hiding the blood stains and left through the doors.
"Wasn't that guy a rabbit...?" A hospital worker said as he watched Jacob leave.
...
Jacob's apartment's door was locked. He kicked the door open. Jacob walked in to see the whole place destroyed, with the couch completely cut and ripped, chairs tipped over, broken glasses, bottles, windows and all other sorts of carnage.
On the table lied a letter. Jacob picked it up.
"We suspect that the police is reading this. By the time you finish reading this letter, the Chainland Devils are already nothing but dust. The only survivor of the ambush was probably already killed this morning along with the boss. We fucked up the apartment just to get you guys' attention here. Signed, the Clockers. Don't mess with us."
Jacob let the letter fall back onto the table. Jacob heard sirens outside. Jacob ran out of the apartment and downstairs taking off the Clockers' jacket and leaving on the floor. Jacob hid the pistol in his waist and put his shirt over it. He leaned on a wall and looked down as the cops came in, asked about a call coming from the hotel about weird noises coming from some room. The woman on the reception desk reported Clockers showing up a few minutes earlier and leaving. The police thanked the woman and headed upstairs. Jacob walked out right after that.
The woman stared at Jacob. She didn't recognize him due to the hat and glasses but could've sworn he saw that coyote enter with a Clockers' jacket. The woman left the reception desk and ran to the cops.
Meanwhile, Jacob was running away as fast as he could from that place taking off the glasses and the hat and dropping them. Rain fell upon him as he kept running until he entered an alley to take a breather.
Someone put a hand on his shoulder. A bum.
"Spare sum' change for a poor fool?"
Jacob searched for a coin in the jeans' pocket. He found the dead Clocker's wallet. He took it out and grabbed a dollar, "Take this dollar."
"W-Wow...Thanks, fella!" The bum skipped away laughing.
Jacob put the wallet back in his pocket and sat on the ground, moist from the rain.
...
(Travis)
Travis looked out the window of his apartment, drinking scotch. Rain drops hit the window and the water slid down making curves and absorbing other water drops, giving the impression that they had life in them.
On the other side of the street, Travis could see a coyote, sitting down with his knees pulled to this chest.
Travis tried to get a good look of his face but the rain wouldn't let him. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
Travis opened it, it was his psychologist, "Travis, why didn't you show up Saturday and why haven't you answered my calls?"
"I'm sorry, I just wasn't feeling well the past few days. I have a friend who is going through a hard loss and I...I'm having an awful headache. I must have caught a fever or something."
"Oh...Well, I have time for a very quick session right now, do you mind if we do it here in your apartment?"
"Of course not. Take a seat on my couch, I'll grab a chair for myself."
"No, no, no, I'll sit on the chair and you sit on the couch."
"...If you say so."
Travis put a chair in front of the couch. The psychologist sat on the chair as he laid down on the couch.
"How are you feeling, Mr. Jackson?"
"Awful. Have you heard about that explosion that happened in the middle of a car meet? Me and a friend of mine were caught in the middle of it. She lost her boyfriend in it. If there is someone who needs therapy, it's her."
"...Are you having suicidal thoughts?"
"What makes you think that?"
"Just say yes or no."
"Yes or no."
The psychologist facepawed, "I'm not joking, Travis."
"...No, I'm not having any suicidal thoughts."
"Good." She pulled out a notebook and wrote it down.
"For a fox, you're pretty serious."
"Next question. How is your social life?"
"I only have Julia and Matt for friends."
"I believe Julia is the one who was caught in the explosion along with you?"
"Yes. And Matt...I don't even know if I should even consider Matt a friend, that douche is more of a stalker than a friend."
The psychologist wrote more things down, "Alright, last question before I go. Any sexual thoughts, Mr. Jackson?"
"What kind of question is that?"
"I mean, are you feeling attracted to someone?"
"Not at all."
"...Are you speaking the truth?"
"Wasn't this supposed to be a quick session?"
"...Right, then." She wrote more things down and got up, "Hopefully, I'll see you next Saturday where we could have a longer session. Thanks for the attention, Mr. Jackson."
"Yeah, yeah, sure." The psychologist left the apartment, closing the door behind her, "Fucking nuisance..."
...
(Jacob)
The same bum that Jacob gave money too tapped on his shoulder.
"Hey, brotha!"
"I'm not going to give you another fucking dollar."
"I ain't thinkin' about anotha dollar, just come with me."
Jacob sighed and got up, following the drunk, stinky bum. He followed him to a quite large dumpster.
"Fuck is this?"
"My old house, but you can have it cuz' I'm gonna buy me a house with this money!"
The bum skipped away laughing.
"Yeah, you're gonna buy a big house with that money..." Jacob said. Then, he looked at the dumpster. Thinking that it would be better than staying in the rain and catching pneumonia, he leapt inside it, closing both lids. To his surprise, the dumpster was completely clean and had no trash inside, apart from two beer bottles next to Jacob's feet,
There was also a pillow inside it. Jacob opened a bit of the lid over his feet so he wouldn't suffocate inside the dumpster and then, went into a fetal position to avoid getting his legs wet.
End of Part 5.
This is part of the Vita Series