Even Stars Die - 14. Chapter 14

Alex stood in the doorway with a look of abject horror on his face. Broken windows, tables, chairs and picture frames met him as he entered. The TV and hifi system, thrown against the far wall, lay shattered on the floor. In the bedroom, his clothes had been ripped to shreds and strewn across the floor. The cupboards flipped over in both bedrooms, and in the kitchen, every cup, dinner plate and saucer had deliberately been broken. The note he'd found on the car's windscreen had been copied in huge red letters on the wall, with one word added, "QUEER". His heart had been ripped out. His home had been violated. He clenched his fists and dropped to his knees and opened his mouth to scream.

He heard a sound behind him and he swung around.

The man wore black jeans, a black long sleeved t-shirt, and a black balaclava.

A .38 revolver aimed directly at Alex's head.

He felt the forces all around him coming together from the shadows; closed his eyes and welcomed the streams of energy that invaded his body like surges of lightening lighting up the sky. Standing up, he gazed directly into the eyes of the stranger.

His eyes turned black.

His cheeks filled with blood.

He heard the squeeze of the trigger. Heard the bullet exit the silenced weapon. Felt the projectile come to a sudden stop between his fingers.

Another shot rang out.

He summersaulted over the stranger's head and landed in the doorway as the projectile hit a hole in the far wall.

The stranger swung around in time to see Alex's fist meet his jaw. He landed on the sofa, gun tight in his hand.

Another shot.

Alex bent backwards as it skimmed through air above his face and appeared suddenly at the kitchen door while the stranger oriented himself and aimed at his left knee.

Before the bullet exited the weapon, Alex swiftly disappeared from the kitchen doorway and appeared directly in front of the stranger.

Heavy breathing.

He concentrated all of his power on the gun in the stranger's hand. Slowly the weapon lifted out of his hands and, suspended a metre away, turned to face the stranger's left shoulder.

The trigger clicked back.

Squeezed.

Blood and bone hit the wall behind the stranger and he screamed in agony. In the blink of an eye, the gun pointed at his right shoulder.

More blood and bone as the weapon dropped to the floor and the stranger screamed again and again.

Sweat collected on Alex's brow as he lifted the stranger off the floor.

'Who sent you?'

The stranger cried. His tears collected on the edge of his balaclava.

'Who the fuck sent you?'

The stranger sailed upward, turning into a horizontal position, his head facing the picture window of the lounge.

'For the last time, who sent you? I will kill you. Tell me.'

'For Christ's sake, put me down! Put me down and I'll tell you.'

Alex squatted and the stranger came down to the ground.

'I need to get to a hospital man!'

Alex ignored his request. The gun lifted off the floor and aimed at the stranger's knees. 'Who sent you?'

'Fuck you!'

'Fuck me? No my friend, fuck you.'

A bullet crushed the stranger's kneecap. He screamed in agony and fell to the floor.

'Now, tell me. Who fucked up my car and who sent you?'

The stranger's voice trembled, his eyes laced with fear. 'Please! No more! Please! Marx fucking sent me. I take my orders from Marx!'

Alex grinned. The weapon dropped to the floor.

'Where is he now?'

'At the Green and Gold Sports Club. He...he's waiting for me there. I...I need to get to a hospital. Please....'

Alex turned and strolled towards the door. He faced the injured stranger. Pity, anger, revenge. No guilt.

Then he disappeared into thin air.