Marionette

John sat in his cold, damp cell wondering how such an event could befall upon him. The explosion fresh in his mind, the fire, the screams, the terror all driving him to tears. He reflected upon that day…1

It started on Sunday and, as most days do, with a cup of coffee and a phone call. “219 on Friday at midnight, got it?”2

“Yea, how do you want me to do it?” he asked, the man started laughing.3

“Creatively,” he responded, “Surprise me.”4

John put on his suite and headed for the door when the phone rang again, “Hello?” 5

“JOHN WHERE ARE YOU?” It was Mr. Lycan.6

“I’m just heading out the door, sir.”7

“Well if you’re not here in five minutes DON’T BOTHER COMING AT ALL!”8

“Wait!” John tried to hold him on, but all he got was the dial tone. He got into his car and looked at the clock, “Noon? That can’t be right!” He started up his 98 Cavalier and headed down the highway. While arriving at his building something occurred to him. The words spoken by his boss; he banged his fists on the steering wheel and got out of his car, slammed the door behind him and smashed the glass in the window. He rushed into the building and tried to sneak past his boss. He saw Mr. Lycan having a conversation to another employee; he ducked down and lied against the wall. Slowly he inched his way across the wall until…9

“John! There you are,” Mr. Lycan didn’t seem at all upset which isn’t a good thing, “I want to talk to you in private, follow me to my office.” John began to follow him; he started to think up reasons for his tardiness. “The car wouldn’t start”, “The electricity went out”, “I had to bury your wife’s body where no one could find it” that was the one he wanted to say the most, but he knew he couldn’t. Mr. Lycan came to a sudden stop, “John, do have any clue what time it is?” he asked, “Time to kill over” John thought, he hesitated to answer, it was one of those questions that there is no right answer to, “Well?”10

“No, sir” he chocked out.11

“Well what good are you? You have absolutely NO sense of time!” he yelled, this is the point where John would usually drown him out, and this time was no different. His mind began to wonder, as did his eyes. He saw the many material possessions Mr. Lycan had. “And he tells me I have no sense of time” John thought, looking at the Medieval statue beside his desk. “What it amounts to is this,” Mr. Lycan began as John drifted back into reality, “YOU’RE FIRED”12

“All this talking just for you to tell me that?” John yelled, “You couldn’t tell me that out there and save me time?” John tried to turn the tide and make it sound as if Mr. Lycan was the bad guy, “You know what, I’m glad you fired me because unlike you and this self-destructing hemorrhoid on the ass of life you call a company, I don’t quit!” John stormed out of the room wondering if what he just said made sense or if it sounded like incoherent babbling.13

The streets he drove on seemed rather vacant for the time of day. He stopped at a bar called “The 13th step” He looked at his watch, “11:30?” he went in to the bar and asked the bartender the time.14

“It’s 2:30” he replied.15

“But that’s…impossible,”16

“Can I get you anything?” the bartender asked, seemingly interested in the mood John was in.17

“Just a coke,” he replied. The time wore on, day turned to night as John sat on the stool. A woman approached the stool next to him.18

“Get me a glass of tequila,” she said so enthusiastically. She turned to see John’s depressed look, “What’s your name?”19

“John.”20

“Hi, I’m Megan” There was an awkward pause, “Are you feeling all right?”21

“Well I could complain, but it probably won’t make a difference” he choked on these words. He could barely speak because of the questions that plagued his mind; Questions with out an answer.22

“Well, if you hold in all those emotions they’re going to come back to haunt you,” she pointed out.23

“Who are you, my psychiatrist?”24

“I AM a psychiatrist, but not yours, you should be thankful. People pay me a lot of money to point out the obvious,” she tried to get him to state his problem. After that statement they sat, silently.25

“I’m sorry, it’s just been a long day and-”26

“I understand, no need to apologize,” she stated, interrupting him, “Do you come here often?”27

“Yea, not that I’m an alcoholic, but I…uh” John tried correcting his statement, but found himself at a loss for words.28

“Don’t worry, I come here a lot too,” she lent in, “Their wine is extraordinary,” she whispered. John heaved out a sigh, “So what do you do?”29

“Nothing,” he replied with a laugh.30

“Nothing? That sounds like fun, how much does it pay?”31

“I WAS working for Lycan Inc., but they fired me today.” She pulled out a piece of paper and started writing.32

“Here is my cell phone number, call me sometime,” she got up, stumbling, tequila in hand.33

“She likes you,” the bartender whispered. John let out a forced laugh and gradually made his way to the door. He jumped in his car and took one last look at the hotel building. He let out a sigh and pulled out. The drive was long and the time was late.34

“Three different times… how could something mess up so quickly?” he wondered, “three hours behind?” He pulled into the driveway at his house and jumped onto his bed. “What now?” He picked up the phone and looked at the phone number for a while he sat there looking at the phone and the number, “No, maybe later,” he said hanging up the phone. He shut his eyes and tried to sleep, but his mind wondered around questions that he had about the one he had to kill…he picked up the phone and called Megan.35

“Hello?” she questioned. John’s hands began to shake and his nervous fingers hit the button and shut off the phone...it rang...36

“Hello?”37

“Who’s this?” the voice asked.38

“What do you mean who’s this, you called me!”39

“You called me first,” the voice said, laughing.40

“Megan? This is John,”41

“So what’d you want?”42

“I thought we could do something tomorrow,” his voice strained. Megan began to laugh, “She laughing as if she’s on drugs,” John thought.43

“Of course, I’ll meet you at the bar at...10:30?”44

“I’ll be there,” John turned off his phone and sprawled across the bed...drifting off to sleep...45

He arrived at the bar at 10:00 and saw her waiting for him, he whistled and waved her over, “Looks as if we’re early,” he yelled, but she couldn’t hear his exact words over the music.46

“I’m sorry, I got a call from a patient of mine and I have to go, but here’s my hotel number. Stop by sometime,” She left and John found himself alone in a crowded room. His cell phone rang…47

“Are you ready to do what you came here to do?”48

“What? I don’t know if the time-“49

“The timing is perfect, the hotel is empty you could sneak right in”50

“Fine,” he hung his phone up and headed out the door. He walked up to the teller in the hotel across the street, “What floor is 219 on?” 51

“Are you here on business?” he asked.52

“I’m here to meet an old friend,” 53

“Floor 3” he replied. John got into the elevator and pressed the 3rd floor button. His mind began to wonder: “Who is this person and what have they done wrong?” The door opened and he approached door 219…he took a deep breath and turned the knob. To his surprise it was open, he laughed at the simplicity of the break in. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out flint, gunpowder and a fuse. He loosened the doorframe and stuck the flint to the side so it would spark when opened. He led a fuse from the flint to the gunpowder and set down six sticks of dynamite. He planned to blow up his unknown adversary. Slowly he backed out of the room and in to the elevator. He went back to his house and lied in bed. Time flew passed and John found himself still awake. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the paper and looked at it, “No! It can’t be! 219!” he rushed to the car he pulled out. As he passed the red light a mile from the hotel the car began to sputter and then it stalled. He jumped out of the car and began to run towards the building, but he was too late. The building was a towering inferno… John fell to his knees, trembling, he collapsed onto his face. Unable to move, his shock had taken over. He looked at the front of the building and saw the teller talking to a police officer. He saw the teller point to him and the cop ran up to John and put him in cuffs. Now he sits in his cell. He started to plan his escape and his revenge.54

The guard came down the hall dragging his nightstick along the cells. John knew what he had to do; slowly he bent his breakfast tray until it snapped, the breaking point cut him. He broke it again to make it hand-sized; as the guard came down John’s heart started beating faster, his legs began to shake uncontrollably until the guard finally reached his cell. John pulled the guard in and slit his throat. The warm blood slithered over his hands; he reached down and grabbed the keys to unlock his cell. He pulled the guard into and took off his uniform, switching it with his. He walked out and slammed the cell shut and locked it. Then he walked down the halls sliding the nightstick along the cells.55

“See you tomorrow, Jim,” The guard at the entrance said. John turned back and waved. He reached into his pockets and found another set of keys; he pulled them out and pressed the button on the platform. He heard the car beeping in the back row. Slowly he approached it and opened the door.56

“Time for revenge, you will rue the day you called me” He started the car and pulled out onto the highway. The explosion was still in his mind; he slapped himself to try to stay alert and not let his mind stray. He pulled up to the building of “The Organization” and smashed the front window. When the guards came to see what the commotion was, he snuck in through the back; he went through the stairwell, the stairs creaked with every step he took. The door to revenge lies just down the hall. The intercom came on.57

“It’s John! Find him!” the voice said. 58

“How could he know?” John wondered as he heard a faint buzzing sound; he looked up to see a camera. Slowly he inched his way across the wall under the camera. The door swung open and a man went sprinting down the hall; this was his chance, he sprang into the room and hid. Now the predator awaits his prey, he stays in the shadows just waiting for the kill. He heard the steps echoing through the halls, he was on his way back.59

“Where is he?” the man asked60

“Right here,” John replied laughing, “Oh you thought you were so smart sending me to do all your dirty work didn’t you?” he paused anticipating the answer, “Well here’s a news flash I’m not your puppet anymore!” The man backed up into a corner and started to slide across the wall looking for something, anything to defend with. A broom lies up against to wall; the man reaches for it. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” John said pulling out his gun, “I tend to get a little trigger-happy when someone try’s to seize a weapon,” John slowly constricted the trigger of his gun, “It’s over,” John said, walking out of the room, “It’s all over,”.61