The Sick Joke

When a man find his wife and daughter murdered he searches for the criminal responsible to kill him.

Jim Brody was a hard working man in the construction business. He went on three tours to Irak and was a member of the special forces. He said violence good bye and made an honest living for himself, his wife Elena and daughter Chelsea.

One day he found them on the kitchen floor, murdered, their throats slit over.
The police came to investigate.
‘Where were you, sir?’ a detective asked
‘At my job on the construction site.’ he said emotionally wrecked
‘Did you have any enemies? Any one at all?’
‘I went on three tours in Irak, but I can’t imagine those have followed me here.’
The detective took note of that. ‘Well, I am afraid we are looking at a serial killer here. There were to more victims on several locations, and this we founded there to, he bend over and took a card. There was a smiley printed on it with the words ‘Joke!’.

When they left the crime scène Jim stood up, drank a halve bottle of Scotch and looked at a picture of Helena pushing Chelsea on a swing. She had blond golden hair, a smile that could melt a heart and was full of life and joy. She was the only one that could make him laugh. Chelsea was the same in that way. Always up to mischief, but when she was about to get punished she looked sad with pouty lips and got away with it.
The b*****d who did this wouldn’t get away with this. He called Peter. ‘It’s time.’ he said ‘my wife and daughter were murdered, I come to collect my supplies.’
‘Don’t do anything hasty.’
‘You say that to de b*****d that killed them.’

At Peter’s he armored up, Kevlar vest, M-16 machinegun, with grenade launcher and sniper scope, lots of ammunition and his combat knife to wish him luck. In a backpack he carried more ammo. He wore a belt full of grenades. ‘They will arrest you.’ I’ll be wearing this. He put on a long dust jacket. it concealed his weapons
‘Were will you start looking, this guy isn’t part of a gang. He is a serial killer.’ Peter said
‘He will kill again soon and then I’ll be ready.

He lighted a cigarette and walked the streets. He saw a perfect venture for an ambush. A narrow deserted street, he clinched on to a small roof and pulled himself up. He waited, it became dark, two youngsters passed. And then was there that sick giggling voice. My next joke. ‘Hey, mister how find your missing screw and let  us pass.
He pulled a knife, the teens ran to the otherside, the man wearing a clowns mask followed them. But Jim jumped of the roof and was ready to shoot. The clown pressed the flower of his clowns costume. Pepper spray came out of it. Jim couldn’t see, his eyes burned. He managed to pull his knife and stab the killer in the leg. The killer turned and wanted to use his knife. Jim pointed his weapon at him. ‘Put the knife down.’

The killer did it and escaped.

Jim followed the blood trail after he could see again, the weapon was an ordinary kitchen knife, nothing special, the blood trail ended were an oil spill began. His weapon was leaking oil. He travelled following the stain they stopped at the garage of an apartment building. He went inside and looked at the names on the bells. Kurt Cassidy was the only male person who lived alone. He couldn’t imagine that loon had a wife. He pressed the doorknob, locked, he pushed a doorbell. ‘Yes a voice said.’
‘I am sorry, mam, I seem to have forgotten my key.’
‘No problem, here you go.’
The buzzer went and Jim entered. Het went to the fourth stage and slammed the door in. Cassidy was just putting his mask on, he pulled a gun. You are getting to be an annoyance, he said.
Jim fired his M-16, Cassidy threw himself after a closet, Jim threw a grenade, the b*****d kicked it back. Jim was caught in the blast and lost consciousness.

He woke up tied to a chair. ‘It seems you went to great lengths to find me so it’s only suited I make a masterpiece of you.’ said Cassidy ‘he took Brody’s knife and start cutting a smiley face into his chest. Jim pressed his teeth together. He felt the ropes around him, he maneuvered to the knob and started untangling them. And now the face, would I cut you a smile, no you are the grim type, a scar over the eye, poor little eye, to the end of your face.’ he said
Jim was in agony when his eye was cut, the knob was lose, he waited until the mad man was ready cutting his face and jumped up while punching his mask that cracked. He didn’t stop one after another punch he let loose on the murderer. He wanted to rise, Jim kicked him in the face. The man laughed, ‘You idiot. I am not the one you seek, only a copycat. And see that package over there, that’s a time bomb. You have one minute to get away. Brody hit him unconscious and took a scissor, looked at the wiring and cut one. The timer stopped.

Cassidy founded himself bounded to the chair. ‘Were is he?’
‘I don’t know I only know him from the news.’ he said desperately
Let’s cut the crap, and he made a deep carve in the man’s belly, he put his hand in there and reached for his intestines. ‘Tell me where I can find this clown, our I rip everything outside.
‘Alright we met on a forum. We planned to commit murders and leave that card.’

‘Send him a message that you want to meet, you kidnapped a schoolgirl and hold her hostage as a special treat.
He went on the forum and typed it.
After half an hour he got response.
‘Were do we meet?’
‘Hudsonstreet 4D’ said Jim, ‘write it now.’
The man did what was ordered.
‘I will be there at 8 o’ clock.’ the man answered’
‘Ok, till this evening.’ the copycat typed 
Brody shot him dead. He waited till the mad man came. Drinking s****y scotch and smoking cigarette after cigarette. At 8 the bell went. Brody pressed the button. He heard somebody climbing the stairs.
He got his M-16, there was a knock on the door, he opened fire on the door riddling it with bullets, he ended with firing a grenade. He opened the door, a masked man lay there thorn to pieces, in his hand he held a cart Almost got me. A smiley. Jim rushed the streets and saw a beetle with colorful circles drive by. He kicked somebody of his motorbike and went in pursuit. The beetle must have been augmented because it drove like crazy, insane speed. The motorcycle managed to follow him, a hand with a gun appeared out of the window that started shooting.
Jim zigzagged right and left. He took a grenade and threw it, the explosion made the car go upside down. He took his M-16. A clown with a knife pulled himself out of the wreckage. He said:’ you may kill, me, I am a mere imposter. Brady rattled him with bullets, reloaded and stepped towards the death man.’
‘Jim looked at the contacts and found boss, he called him.’
‘Yes.’ giggled someone
‘Boss, I have this character who hunted us here unconscious in my trunk, where do you want me to take him?’
‘The abandoned factory at the river, 2B. I’ll be there in an hour.’

He waited for the sicko to appear, he was startled he held a gun to the head of a scared kid.
‘So, you thought you could fool me, but I am the one playing tricks my friend, put that bag down, your grenades and your machine gun. Or she dies.
Brody did what was told.
Now let’s gave a seat. He took a revolver. He opened it and put one magnum 45. caliber bullet in it. ‘Serious ammo for a serious game. Now she and you and me will be playing, but remember I’ll still hold my other gun pointed at her. So don’t think you can just should me with it, let faith decide. I go first he said. A click. Nothing happened, he gave the gun to the screaming girl. ‘Pull it to your head and pull the trigger, sweetie.’ the madman said, a click, Brody’s turn, again a click. The clown tried, nothing, the girl pulled the trigger nothing happened. ‘Well we know who gets finished now, don’t we pal.’
‘You should have checked for my knife, he slit the criminal his carotid artery. He took the revolver and shot the bullet in the dying clowns head. ‘Come on kid. It’s over, your save now, where is your school?’

At night,  a mob meeting turned into a heated discussion. A gunshot scattered the glass ceiling. Brody jumped on the table and took out all the gangsters before they could draw their pistols. One sleazebag tried running for it. He stepped in the elevator, right before the doors closed Brody threw a grenade in there. The elevator exploded. ‘It takes you below to hell.’ he said

A drug deal went down at the harbor, the drugs were checked, and the money counted, a grenade blew up the car, a deadly spreading fire killed all the people inside the pack house.

A gang of rapists looked up surprised when they saw the armed man. ‘Don’t, said there leader or I slash this b***h her pretty little face. Jim fired the knife out of the man his shot-off hand. Than he shot them all in the groin, he waited till the girl came to him. ‘Your call, lady, let them live like eunuchs or kill them on the spot?’
‘Option 2 please.’
‘That’s my kind of girl. ’Jim shot the four guys dead

The police was baffled. A day and a night and the city laid full with dead criminals. From the killer no trace.

Jim Brody looked outside his balcony, smoking a cigarette, drinking his scotch. what will tomorrow bring. More vengeance  mostly. Because there is a hole in my heart that never can be filled or mended. And crime will pay dearly for what happened to my family. Now there is only: The Vigilante.