I am such a crybaby. I lie awake, staring out the window. Emily is asleep in the front seat, her head leaning against the window. The realization that Emily and Phil had formed a group to target me hits me hard. I can't stop feeling like everyone in this car hates me. I understand their anger and pain; I can't deny the suffering I caused. It was wrong, and I can't escape the guilt of what I did.
The car engine stops behind a tree. I can see a light source in front of us. Could it be the new warehouse? Phil stretches and turns to the others "Alright, everyone, wake up. We're here"
Emily rubs her eyes while yawning. April yawns and stretches "What's the plan again?"
Veronica answers "We need to split in a group. One group distracts, and the other goes after Charlotte"
Priscilla nods "I'm confident," she says "Can you guys get out the car now? I need to stretch," she asks. She's sitting in the back seat in front of the trunk.
Phil opens the trunk to reveal all their firearms. Shotguns, rifles, snipers, pistols, submachine guns, and more. Why do they have so many guns for? All for me? Phil picks up a pistol and hands it to me "Beretta 92" he says. I gently grab the gun from his hands and turn to everyone "Look, you guys really don't have to do this. I can do it on my own. I don't want anything happening to you guys"
Phil smiles at me "Stop, Vick. It's okay, we're a team now. We're gonna take down Haney's crew together and save Charlotte. We're with you" he pats my shoulder and picks up more guns, handing them to the others. "Colt 1911" he continues naming the guns as he passes them out like candy.
Emily gently grabs my shoulder from behind "Vick, don't worry about us" she smiles. This feels weird. They were all against me, why change? I'm happy they're here to help me, but it feels wrong. "Vick" April notices me "It's okay"
It takes me a moment to say something "Okay" I slightly smiled. After getting prepared; wear vests, pants with pockets filled with guns, and a backpack with rifles and ammo. It felt like we were a SWAT team about to barge into Haney's warehouse. We stop in front of the warehouse "We're finally here" Emily says.
I pull out the Beretta 92 "Let's Save Charlotte"
TRAUMA OF '89
VOLUME 1, CHAPTER 12, DISMANTLE
Charlotte gets thrown into an empty room in the basement as the men laugh while standing next to the doorway. "Enjoy your stay here, sweetheart. We're gonna get Haney in here, soon" the man smiled.
Charlotte's heart races as she lies on the cold floor, thinking about Vick and the others. Fear consumes her mind as she begins to panic. She looks down at her wrists and realizes she has a bracelet that Vick had told her to wear. "This better be a tracker" she whispered.
"Aaaaah!!" Veronica screams outside the warehouse. "Help!!! Help!!!" She screams even louder. We split the group: Phil, Emily, and Veronica are the distraction team, while April, Priscilla, and I are to save Charlotte. We're hiding behind a dumpster at the corner of the building, watching as Veronica stands by the entrance, calling for help.
"Who is that?" Chris asks, hearing Veronica's cries. He opens the doors, and Veronica takes a quick look inside, noticing many people in the building. As Chris approaches, she snaps out of the act and swings a Glock to his face. He falls to the ground in pain as she aims the pistol at the others and fires. Shots fly in the warehouse, hitting multiple criminals.
The sounds of screaming and footsteps come from within the building, getting louder as they reach the door. Veronica steps back and ducks behind a few parked cars. About fifteen men rush outside to check on Chris. Phil crouches behind a car to the right of the warehouse and throws a homemade explosive into the middle of the group.
The men realizes and gasps in horror as the explosive detonates. Shrapnel flies through the air, and the front entrance erupts in an explosion, creating a large opening.
"Now!" Phil shouts as he reveals himself, running into the building with Emily, wounding every criminal on the spot. They both duck behind crates and aim back to fire more shots. Around twenty men were present in that room, ducking behind covers while shooting at the same time. Phil searches for where Charlotte is, but she is nowhere to be found. Veronica reaches them as she jumps to the floor behind a crate "Where's Charlotte!?" She shouts.
"I don't know! She could be anywhere in those rooms!" Phil shouts back. "I think we messed up!" Emily realizes. "What!?" Phil asks. "We're supposed to distract them outside the building, not inside!" She says. "Too late for that!" Phil says.
Chris slowly gets up from behind as I notice just in time. I grunt and sprint to Chris "Change of plans, help Phil and Emily!" I shout. How the fuck is Chris still alive after all that? Chris starts crawling away from me as I kick him in the stomach "Ah!"
I get on him and grab his shirt, pulling it towards me "Where is she!!? Where is she!!? Where is Charlotte!!?" I punch him in the face as he screams in pain, the shrapnel is scattered around his cheeks and neck, not deep enough to be deadly. He smiles and places his hands on my cheeks "Hahah, you'll never find her, punk"
He gently slaps my cheeks as I hit harder, striking his nose. "Where the fuck is she!!?" I slam him to the ground and grab a shard of shattered glass "Tell me or else I'll fucking cut you" I whisper in his ears. "She's-" he pauses with a cough "She's in the warehouse somewhere. Just go find her" he smiles, revealing his bloody teeth.
I slam him back to the ground and shove the shattered glass down on his stomach as he screams. I get up and pull out the rifle until I spot something. Car keys. I pick it up from the ground and press a random button, hearing a parked car sound alarm while its headlights blink. I rush to the car and hop inside, starting the engine and looking around the warehouse. I'm gonna look for a place to crash the car through. I drop the rifle on the passenger seat and drive off to the back of the warehouse. Once I find a far enough distance for me to fully accelerate the car, I hold the gas pedal as the car launches itself towards the warehouse. "Holy God!!!" I screamed as the car crashed through the warehouse. "What the-!!?" Emily and the others shout. "Aaah!" the criminals screamed as I crushed them with the car. I run over more and drift around the room "Find Charlotte!!" I shout out the window as they do what I say.
I grab my rifle and aim at the criminals, firing. "Go!! Go!!" Phil shouts as they get to a random door to the right. "I'll go with Emily! You guys stay behind with Vick!" Phil opens the door to find a bloody room with a bloody chair in the middle; dismembered bodies stacked at each corner. He quickly shuts the door with a disgusted face "Wrong room!"
April and Veronica enter a dimly lit empty hallway with their pistols drawn, aiming in front of themselves. "Uhm, I'm scared, Veronica," April said. "Me too, but we have to work with Vick for now" Veronica replied. "For now?" April asked. "Yeah, for now. Why should we still leave Vick alive for what he did to us? Emily is being so stupid for forgiving Vick. Doesn't she remember what he did to us?" Veronica seems irritated by the fact that Emily changed her plans.
"But we know Vick didn't mean to do those things, Veronica. We all know that. That's why me, Phil, Priscilla, and Emily are on his side" April tried to convince her "Forgive Vick, it wasn't his fault"
Veronica stops in the middle of the hallway in front of April and points the gun at her. "Veronica!" April jumps and quickly raises her hands in the air. "Move!" Veronica shouts, She quickly moves out of the way, revealing a man with a knife. Veronica pulls the trigger, penetrating his head as he falls to the ground. "T- thank you" April stuttered. "Come on, let's go," Veronica says.
I drop the rifle back and duck as the criminals shoot at me. I turn the car around and speed towards the men, crashing into them. The room goes quiet as I get out of the car and grab a wounded man "Where is she!!? Where is Charlotte!!?" I shout while striking his face with a punch. "She's…over there" he points at a hallway at the far corner of the warehouse.
"Back up, we need backup," a criminal says on the walkie-talkie. I drop the man's body and rush to the hallway "Go start the car! I'll bring her to us!!" I shout at Emily and the others. "We're not leaving without you!" Emily shouted. "Emily, come on!" Phil grabbed onto her until getting shot in the shoulder "Aaaah!" he screamed. I continue sprinting through the hallways despite hearing his screams. I'm sorry, guys, but I need to save Charlotte. She is the number one priority.
What if they die though? If they die, it's gonna be my fault. Should I help them? I quickly stop and turn around, hearing multiple guns blaring. It sounds almost like no-man's-land. I bite my lip in frustration and continue hurrying to Charlotte. She's the priority in this mission, and if Charlotte dies, then Emily and the others also die for nothing.
A room appears at the end of the hallway. Charlotte has to be in there. Please be there, Charlotte. I reach for the door handle and push through to find no one. A man appears behind me and hits me in the head with a bat. I fall to the ground as dizziness drives me to crawl on the floor. I look up to find Haney smiling creepily into my soul. I black out.
Outside the warehouse, Emily holds Phil's wounded shoulder as they rush to the car "Come on, Phil!"
Priscilla trails behind them, noticing that the criminals are gone "Guys, I don't think we have to run anymore" she says. "Keep going!" Emily shouted. Priscilla focuses on her breathing, trying to calm down from the running. "April and Veronica are still in there!" she realizes. "What!?" Emily shouts. "Oh God," Phil says.
Back at the warehouse, I wake up in a room with human body parts scattered around the floor "Aaaah!!" I scream. I'm tied up to a chair as I look around for a sharp object. There was only a door in front and behind me and a light above my head. "Emily!!! Emily!!!" I scream, trying to call out for help. No, I have to save my energy for later. Right now, I have to think of what to do to free myself. I continue examining the room for anything that could untie me.
I find nothing, just dead bodies and human remains. Suddenly, the door opens and Haney walks into the room with a man. "Hello, Vick" he smiles.
"Charlotte!!?" I gasp as Haney's men hold her by the arms, throwing her in the room. "Vick!!" She shouted, running towards me and hugging me. "Charlotte! Are you okay? Look at me" I say. "Yes, I'm okay," she says. Haney suddenly smacks her, she falls to the ground "Hey!" I shout "Don't touch her!" I jolt in anger, trying to free myself from the chair "Don't fucking touch her!! You scumbag!!"
Haney strikes me in the face with a knuckle duster. It hurts. I could feel blisters forming inside my mouth from the impact colliding with my teeth. I spit out the blood on Haney's clothes "Don't fucking touch her"
"Vick stop before they hurt you more," Charlotte says. "Good girl," Haney says "I'll give you a special treat later" he smiled. I jolt again, but I'm stuck on this chair. "What I want to do is have some fun, okay? Since you disobeyed me and ratted out my warehouse!!!" He shouted.
He stares down at me with a face of anger. A man walks into the room with a chair and tools. He grabs Charlotte by the neck and sits her down. "I'm gonna break you, Vick, and I'm gonna make you want to die," he said.
He grabs a knife from the tray and pushes it through my thighs "Aaaah!!!" I scream in pain. I could hear Charlotte crying beside me "Please!! Stop!! Stop it!!" She cried out, begging Haney. Haney pulls the knife out of my legs and grabs a burning hot metal rod handed by the man. He lifts my suit and forces it into my skin as I scream out loud.
I could feel my tears falling from my eyes as my heart began to pound faster. He lets go and swings the rod, hitting my head as I fall to the ground with the chair. I could still feel the burn; feeling it attach to me and creating a scar on my body.
He lifts me back up and puts me in place. I'm thinking of what to do to avoid getting tortured and killed. I need to also get Charlotte out of here. "Haney!" I quickly act fast "Please, you can kill me. You can kill me!! Do whatever you want to me, but free Charlotte!!!"
"No, no!" Charlotte cried "I'm not leaving without you!!"
Haney smiles "Oh, you really think I would take that offer? I don't care about you or that offer. I'm gonna torture you, and then I'm gonna torture Charlotte. Then, me and Charlotte will go in bed, and-"
"Don't fucking touch her!! Haney!! I'll kill you!! I'll fucking kill you!!!" I scream, trying to escape from the ropes and kill Haney.
"Hahah, I'm gonna do whatever I want," Haney said. "Hey, Charlotte," Haney says.
Haney picks up a hammer from the tray and faces me. I know what he's about to do, but how can I stop it? He walks over to me "Charlotte, check this out" he lifts the hammer in the air and swings it down, striking my left hand and crushing my bones "Aaaah!!" I scream louder as he laughs hysterically. He continues slamming the hammer on my left hand multiple times as I try to curl it, trying to stop the impact from being painful. My hands become bloody and bruised. He stops and drops the hammer on the ground.
"Haney!" I scream his name. "What, Vick? Isn't this fun? What did you think would happen if you came back? I give you treats? Huh?" he said.
The feeling of giving up begins to take over my head. I can't think of anything to do in this situation. I'm all covered in blood and sweat; tied to a chair. He picks up the knife again and walks to Charlotte, about to rip her shirt off. "Haney!" I cried out "Haney!!"
Suddenly, both the doors bust open from the front and behind as Emily takes the three men down with her pistol. Phil rushes in, runs his knife into Haney's stomach, and throws him to the ground. Emily finishes him off with a bullet to the chest.
"Hurry! Hurry!! Get Charlotte!!" Phil shouts "I'll get Vick!!"
April and Veronica were at the door behind us as Emily and Priscilla exited with Charlotte.
Phil begins to untie the ropes around my neck first and then reaches to untie the ropes around my chest. "We'll meet you at the car!" April shouts. "Okay!" Phil says. I feel relief in my chest finally being saved. Phil frees me entirely as I stand up while slouching due to the pain of my thighs being stabbed "Thank you, Phil! Let's go!" I say, fighting the pain. Phil punches me in the face and I fall to the ground in pain. I look up to Phil as he steps closer to me with a knife. He jumps onto me as he swings the knife down to my eyes. I quickly block it by holding onto his forearm "Phil!! What the fuck are you doing!!?"
I punch his face as he rolls to the side. I quickly get up "Phil! What's wrong with you!? It's me, Vick!!"
"I know. And you hurt Emily!!" he runs toward me. I'm too weak for a fight right now as I try to move aside, but he tackles me to the ground "You did the crime! You did it!! I don't give a fuck about your backstory! How you were forced into crime!! You still hurt them!! You can't run away from the past, it will always haunt you back, just like me!! I'm gonna haunt you until the day I die!!"
He stabs me in the chest, nearly missing my lungs as I scream. I kick him off of me and crawl to the door as he grabs my foot and elbows my knees. "I'm gonna kill you!!" Phil points the gun at my head "I'll avenge your victims!!"
Charlotte strikes Phil in the head with the chair. "Come on, Vick, let's go!" she reaches for me. I grab her hands and she holds onto me as we walk. I'm about to pull out the knife "No! Keep it in, it's keeping you from losing blood!" she says. I listen as we continue rushing down the woods.
"Where are we going!?" I shout. "Away from the warehouse! We need to find a town! We can't trust Emily anymore! Phil literally just tried to kill you!!" Charlotte explains. So, we're on our own. Maybe they were still against me the whole time but were trying to build my trust. I'm so stupid, how could I have trusted them?
Suddenly time has paused. The sound of a gunshot is heard from behind us as I quickly turn around. I see Haney at the doorway with a sniper, aiming at both of us. The bullet travels to my left where Charlotte is standing. I turn my head to Charlotte, watching as the bullet penetrates through her head. Blood splatters into my face and out the back of her head. She falls flat on the ground as I scream "Charlotte!!!!!"
"Aaaah!!!" I continue as I fall to the ground and pick up her body on my knees. "Charlotte!! Charlotte!! No!!!! Charlotte!!!"
Her forehead was widely opened, revealing flesh, blood, and a bony structure. The blood gushes out, flowing down to her neck and body. No response. "Charlotte!!" I cry "Charlotte!!!!"
As I cry, I pull her body towards my head and I lean on her chest "Charlotte!!"
I look back at the warehouse while laying on her as my face tenses with anger. I gently put her down and screamed while rushing back to the warehouse. I fall to the ground but quickly get back up to continue. I don't give a fuck what pain is doing to me. I need to see him. I need to see Haney. I need to fucking kill him.
I grab a pistol on the ground and enter the warehouse, aiming it at no one. I scream and cry "Haney!!!! Haney!!!!"
He's nowhere to be found. I rush and run around the warehouse with him nowhere to be found. No one is here. "Haney!!!" I continue to cry out. I fall to the ground as I begin to lose hope. "Haney..." I say "Haney!!!"
I lay on the floor while shedding tears. Tears cover my entire face as snot runs down my nose. I sniff and get back up, quickly getting back to Charlotte.
I make it to her body and collapse next to her. My eyes close as I lay next to Charlotte's body.
HOURS LATER, MORNING
It's morning. I opened my eyes and lifted myself, noticing that everything was reality. The sun shines through the tree leaves, blinding me. I look to my left to find Charlotte's body. Flies land on her open wound as I wave my hands over to get them away.
I use all my strength to carry her body with me to the inside of the warehouse. I put her in the car I drove into the warehouse earlier today and put her body in the back seat. I shut the door and walk over to the changing room where all the different suits and outfits are.
I wash my hands, and face, and grab hair gel from one of the cabinets. I place it down and walk towards the suits on the hangers, picking out an outfit for myself. I take off my clothes and jump in the new suit.
After changing into fresh new clothes, I walk back to the sink to slick my hair back with the gel and a comb. I wash my face one more time and stare at myself in the mirror. I continue to stare as I begin to think to myself what is the meaning of life? Why are we all living just to suffer? Life hasn't been easy on me ever since March of 1989. I contemplate what to do next and quickly find a plan.
The plan to kill Haney; the plan to dismantle his entire organization and shut it down for good; the plan to avenge my pain and suffering; the plan to end the nightmare he created; the plan to make him feel every weight of suffering he brought to me; the plan to free me.
As I stand here, continuously staring at myself in the mirror, I'm going to avenge everyone that I've killed and hurt because I'm a changed person. I'm a new person; a better person. Haney will suffer. Haney will suffer for what he did to Charlotte. The new plan for me was not to get back to reality; get back to my civilian life after prison; to redeem myself. It's now to avenge Charlotte.
TO BE CONTINUED IN VOLUME 2...