Changing Sides

Frank is a man who from a young age had dreamed of being a detective but when his hard work and scarifies do not pay off Frank makes a decision that change his life forever.

‘’I love caramel doughnuts’’.  Frank tells his partner as the two sit in his car on petrol. ‘’You know everyone thinks that police officers only eat jam doughnuts but in my mind caramel are the best’’.

 

‘’Yeah whatever Frank’’. Replies his uninterested partner Tom as he takes a sip of his takeaway coffee.

 

‘’So you watch the game last night?’’. Tom asks Frank as he quickly tries to change the topic of conversation.

 

‘’I caught the second half, boss man asked me to stay behind and help with all the paperwork for those refugees we picked up’’.

 

‘’They still staying silent?’’.

 

‘’Not a word’’.

 

‘’Well I hope you got time and half for that’’.

 

‘’No I did it as a favour’’.

 

‘’Frank what have I told you, don’t do anything for that a*****e you don’t have to and if you do make sure the pays good’’.

 

‘’Well anything that’ll help’’.

 

‘’Help, your going on about being detective again aren’t you’’.

 

‘’Well it is kind of my dream’’.

 

‘’The only way you can become detective is acing the exam not brownnosing the boss’’.

 

‘’Yeah I guess your right its just…… three times, three times I’ve failed the exam and its becoming a bit of a joke’’.

 

‘’Its it your dream like you always say it is don’t give up, keep going back until you make it’’.

 

‘’Yeah but you can only get knocked down so many times’’.

 

‘’As long as you can get back up you’ll be fine’’.

 

‘’do you think I could make detective?’’ Asks Frank.

 

‘’Yeah’’. Lies Tom who despite being one of Franks best friends feels he doesn’t have that steeliness in him to becomes an hardnosed detective.

 

‘’You know being a detective isn’t all its cracked up to be you know. Its nothing like you see on TV, heroes going around saving the world, getting the girl and solving the case in under an hour, it doesn’t happen like that in the real world’’.

 

‘’I know’’.

 

‘’Those guys have to have a steel stomach and lots of patience, they can be on a case for months and months on end hardly ever getting a sniff while us, were out there, were among the people, helping them everyday, taking in the bad guys, were out there Frank’’.

 

‘’But being detective is what I’ve always wanted’’.

 

‘’Well then go…..’’. And before Tom can finish a young girl comes stumbling out of a nightclub falling to the floor. The young girl looks more than a little worse for wear and staggers to her feet laughing and giggling as she pleads with the bouncers to let her back in but they stand arms folded shaking there heads.

 

‘’Come on I want to party!!!!!’’. She shouts at them.

 

‘’Go home you’ve had enough’’. The bouncer tells her.

 

‘’enough? No I haven’t, look I can still walk in a straight line’’. But as the young girl tries to prove her point she stumbles and falls again this time breaking the heal on her shoe.

 

‘’Now look what you’ve made me do’’. She tells the bouncers as she throws her broken shoe at him.

 

‘’Ok that’s it’’. Says Tom.

 

‘’No wait, I’ll handle it’’. Frank tells him and he then climbs out of there police car and heads over to the drunken girl.

 

‘’Okay miss that’s enough’’.  Tells her.

 

‘’Who are you?’’. She asks.

 

‘’Im a police officer and me and my partner are going to drop you off home’’.

 

‘’Your partner’’. Laughs the young women.

 

‘’My police partner miss, now come on, im taking you home’’. And Frank takes the young girl by the arm and helps her to her feet.

 

‘’Im not going home yet’’. She tells him.

 

‘’Come on, you can come back another time’’.

 

‘’No I want to dance now’’.

 

‘’Come on that’s enough’’.

 

‘’I need another drink’’. She pleads and then pulls away from Frank and turns back heading to the club.

 

‘’That’s another miss’’. Says Frank knowing if the girl resists again he has no option but to arrest her.

 

‘’Come on miss’’. And as Frank takes her by the arm once more the young women she begins to retch and is sick over Frank and onto the floor. Frank then looks down his uniform at what she had done and then looks down at the young girl to see her looking up at him and laughing as if it is all funny.

 

‘’Look at you’’. She laughs.

 

‘’Right that’s it’’. Says Frank as he grabs the girl by the arm this time a little firmer, young going to sober up in a cell’’. He tells the girl but again she simply laughs.

 

‘’One day miss you’ll look back at this and realise just how immature you were’’.

 

‘’And what will you look back on?’’. She snaps back at Frank and her words dig deep into him and he stops for a few seconds, taken back by her comments before he snaps himself out of it.

 

‘’Come on’’. And Frank then leads the girl to the police car.

 

Later that night after dropping the girl off at the cells and finishing his shift Frank is sat in his apartment in front of the TV with a microwave meal only wearing his white boxer shorts as his sick covered uniform spins in the washing machine and as Frank eats his stale dinner the words of the young women echo around in his head and refuse to go away. And Frank begins to think that maybe, maybe its because the girl was aright, a young girl he didn’t know and had never seen before in his life had summed him up in one throw away insult because as Frank looked around his one level apartment he realised that if his life as to end tomorrow what would he look back on? As a young teenager all Frank had ever wanted to do was become an detective.  Every Sunday afternoon after his mother had cooked dinner for the family he and his father would sit in front of the TV watching detective shows, from Colombo to ironside he just couldn’t get enough of them and when he was only ten and his pet cat went missing he went around the neighbourhood with a notebook and pencil knocking on hid neighbours doors taking notes asking if they had seen his cat and when they last saw him. He had always wanted to be a detective and when Frank left school he did everything he could to make that dream come true. While all his friends and his brother were out partying, getting drunk and seeing girls he was running the streets and hitting the gym desperately trying to lose all the puppy fat he had, had since he was a small child and it was never easy. After he had got himself into reasonable shape Frank had to work twice as hard as everyone else because he had never been the brightest kid at school and Frank found none of the mental or physical exams easy and it took him over a year to gain his driving licence he knew he needed to become an officer and during all that time of working hard Frank had missed out on all of his teenage life. There were many early mornings when he was just readying himself  to go out for a run while his brother was staggering in from another party and he was forced to listen to endless stories of his brothers conquests while he was reading up on another tough exam and now, now as an adult Frank had no wild stories to tell of his youth, he didn’t have a wife to come home to at night of children to learn and teach, he had nothing and the worst, the very worst part of it all was Frank hadn’t become the one thing he sacrificed it all for, Frank hadn’t become a detective and that just killed him….

 

The next morning Frank is woken early by his alarm clock and as he forces his eyes open he immediately spots the empty bottle of beer he drank last night to forget about his problems and knows he will pay for that today.

Frank then drags himself out of bed and makes himself an extra strong coffee before heading into work.

 

‘’Can you smell sick?’’. Jokes one of the fellow police officers as Frank heads into the station.

 

‘’Very funny’’.

 

‘’Yeah I heard you pulled a little corker last night Frank, a drunk corker but they all count’’.

 

‘’ So were you taking her for your second date’’. Adds another of the officers.

 

‘’Okay, okay enough’’.  Pleads Frank.

 

An hour later Frank is sat in his police car by a busy road watching for any speeders when he receives a text message and as he looks he sees it is from his brother.

 

‘Frank, dinner at mine tonight, come over, love to c u’ And as Frank reads his message he immediately dreads the night. Its wasn’t that him and his brother didn’t get on because they did. They had never really been close but they didn’t clash it probably had more to do with the fact while his brother was out partying Frank was at home studying when maybe he should have been tagging along. Franks brother would always try to get his brother to tag along but Frank was determined to make it as detective and it cost him many of nights out with his brother.

That night after his shift Frank heads home and takes a shower before heading out to his brothers house. On the way he stops at a convenience store to pick up a cheap bottle of wine.

 

‘’Give me ten of them as well’’. Says Frank to the clerk as he points to the cigarettes behind him. Frank wasn’t a smoker or at least a professional one but he did smoke the odd few when he was nervous or a little on edge and tonight he was both.

Frank pulls up outside his brothers house and stubs out his cigarette and tabs it out in the ashtray. Frank then looks up at his brothers beautiful house with its traditional American porch fully furnished with a swinging bench and the huge garage no doubt packed with a new car straight off the product line. Frank climbs out of the car with his cheap bottle of wine in his hand and heads up the drive and presses the doorbell.

 

‘’Hey just come straight in’’. Says his brother Paul as he answers the door and Frank walks in.

 

‘’Hey I brought this’’. Says Frank passing his brother the bottle of wine. Oh err…. Thanks, let me put it to chill for a while and I’ll get you s glass of wine’’.

 

‘’You got a beer?’’. Asks Frank.

 

‘’Err yes we have beer, I’ll be two minutes’’. And as Paul disappears into the kitchen Frank could tell his brother hadn’t been impressed with the cheap bottle of wine he had brought but Paul was never one to say anything and as Frank waits for his drink he turns around and looks at the huge amount of family photos hanging from the wall. Pictures of Paul, his wife Julie and there two children Kyle and Emily hang proudly form the wall. Some of them from a skiing holiday and another of the four of them playing together in a pool as the sun shine downs on them and in every picture they all look happy, they all look complete, they all look like a family.

 

‘’Here’s your beer’’. Says Paul.

 

‘’Oh yeah thanks’’.

 

‘’Looking at the pictures eh’’.

 

‘’Yes, the kids grow up so fast’’.

 

‘’don’t they. Sometimes no matter how busy you get, you just have to stop and look at them because I swear you blink and they’ve grown again’’.

 

‘’Well you certainly look happy’’.

 

‘’We are, we really are’’. And as Paul looks across at his brother he can see the sadness in his face.

 

‘’Hey it isn’t all picture perfect you know’’. He tells Frank as he tries to lighten the mood.

 

‘’There’s the sleepless nights, diaper changing, the constant bickering and the school runs’’.

 

‘’I bet its worth it all though’’.

 

‘’Oh yeah….. Its worth it’’. And the two brothers stand and stare up at the family photos.

 

‘’So Frank how’s work?’’. Asks his brothers wife Julie.

 

‘’Good, good, I stopped a few speeders today down at Pines grove’’.

 

‘’You did good, I was only telling Paul last week how fast people drive down there and its so close to the park’’.

 

‘’Yeah we’ve had a few complaints come into the station about it’’.

 

‘’I don’t let Emily walk down there I always insists on dropping her off’’.

 

‘’Which is totally embarrassing’’. Adds Emily.

 

‘’I’d rather you be embarrassed than hurt’’. She replies.

 

‘’So you still playing baseball?’’. Frank asks young Kyle.

 

‘’Yes im in the first team now’’.

 

‘’You are, well that’s great’’.

 

‘’Sure is, I told him all that practising down at the park would pay off’’. Adds Paul.

 

After an enjoyable evening Frank said his goodbyes and headed home and on the drive there he couldn’t help but think of his brother and his perfect family. He wasn’t jealous of his brother in fact he was happy for him and loved his nephew and niece it was just Frank felt cheated. He was going home to an empty one bedroom flat while his brother lived in a beautiful home with a beautiful wife and family. Memories hung from the wall like trophies and Paul had everything he wished for while Frank had nothing despite all his hard word and despite his brother partying and passing away his twenties he now was a top computer analysis for a leading firm and his weekly wage made Franks look laughable. Paul had a job he loved without any of the hard work to get there. He had the house, the money, the family and the memories but Frank despite all his hard work and his hours of dedication had nothing.

 

‘Stop feeling sorry for yourself’ Frank tells himself as he lightly slaps himself around the face as he pulls up outside his house. He had health, a roof over his head, a job, a brother that cared for him and Frank was never one to be ungrateful.

‘Ill go upstairs, grab a few beers, crack open a big bag of chips and play some mega drive. before going to bed and in the morning I’ll work hard to try and make detective again’ He tells himself with confidence before climbing out of the car.

 

The next morning Frank is woken by a knock on his front door and as he opens his eyes he finds himself laid out on the couch having never making it to bed

 

‘’Okay, okay im coming’’. Shouts Frank as he heads to the front door wearing just a white t-shirt and white boxers and as Frank opens the door he finds his partner Tom standing in the hallway clutching at to hot steaming cups of takeaway coffee.

 

‘’I bought your favourite’’. He tells Frank with a smile on his face.

 

‘’We aren’t on for another hour’’.

 

‘’Change of plan’’.

 

‘’Change of plan?’’. Asks Frank.

 

‘’Yeah the captain phoned last night and I was supposed to alert you but I’d already had a few so shoot me’’.

 

‘’So what we doing?’’.

 

‘’Security for an award ceremony’’.

 

‘’Award ceremony?’. Asks Frank as he lets Tom in and takes his coffee.

 

‘’Yeah you remember the cop Ryan Burrows?’’.

 

‘’Burrows?’’. Asks Frank as he racks his brain.

 

‘’Yeah he was called in on a drugs bust and took two bullet saving a little girl, lost loads of blood and s**t’’.

 

‘’Oh yeah I remember’’.

 

‘’Well there awarding him today and were on security patrol’’.

 

‘’I best get a new shirt out then’’. Says Frank as he climbs to his feet and as he does Tom looks down at the old mega drive console laid out on the table.

 

‘’Mega drive?’’. He asks eyebrow raised.

 

‘’Yeah mega drive’’.

 

‘’You do know they have this thing now called an Xbox with  much better graphics and online play, you don’t have to live in the past’’.

 

‘’Why would I want to play online and get my a*s kicked by a  twelve year old?

 

‘’Im going to buy you one for Christmas and you’ll see’’.

 

‘’don’t bother, you cant beat streets of rage  and a few beers’’.

 

‘’Streets of rage 2?’’.

 

‘’Yeah they really stepped it up after the first one’’.

 

‘’Oh man you like a caveman’’.

 

‘’Well im going to get dressed’’. And Frank heads to his bedroom.

 

An hour later Frank and Tom are both std on security petrol as the ceremony takes place and stood high on the stage in front of a large gathered crowd officer Ryan Burrows stands with a large smile on his face as a bravery medal is fastened to his suit jacket and Frank look out at the cheering crowd and the flashing of cameras from the press and all of the officers who stand in appreciation as they clap officer Burrows and Frank feels a hint of jealousy from inside him building up higher and higher and to him this wasn’t normal because Frank wasn’t a jealous man, he wasn’t someone who looked on at others achievements with envy and he was always pleased when his fellow officers received accolades but today was different, today he did feel jealous and bitterness towards officer Ryan Burrows.

 

‘’Some ceremony hey’’.  Says Tom later that day as the two sit in a quiet local bar drinking a beer after work.

 

‘’Yeah it was something’’.

 

‘’What’s wrong , you’ve had a face like that all day’’.

 

‘’Oh nothing’’.

 

‘’Come in Frank we’ve been partners for five years now and im always spilling my s**t on you, hell your probably sick and tired of hearing about mine and Jill’s problems’’.

 

‘’A little maybe’’.

 

‘’So what is it?’’.

 

‘’Is just…. Today seeing the ceremony and all the appreciation’’.

 

‘’What about it?’’.

 

‘’I just feel like im missing out, I worked so hard since I was a kid and im still on the outside looking in’’.

 

‘’You talking about not making detective again because like I said….’’.

 

‘’No its just I’ve worked so hard and sacrificed so much but just feels like I cant achieve what I want to in life and the harder I try the further I become away, im not saying I want an award ceremony in my name like the one today or all of the attention I just want to feel like my life means something and all the hard work I’ve done got me somewhere, somewhere I really want to be. I mean don’t get me wrong I love being a cop but….’’.

 

‘’You don’t want to spend the rest of your life patrolling other peoples award ceremonies’’.

 

‘’Something like that. Does that make me selfish?’’.

 

‘’No. I never had a dream of being a cop. Hell I never had a dream of being anything and I still don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing. When I met Jill and things began to become serious her father took me to one side and told me I wasn’t good enough for his daughter. He looked me right in the eyes and told me to let he go because I wasn’t good enough’’.

 

‘’Dam. What were you doing at the time’’.

 

‘’Painter and decorator and not a very good one I was really just helping out a friend’’.

 

‘’So what did you do?’’.

 

‘’At first I just thought screw him. Who’s this old man to judge me but the more I fell for Jill the more I realised she had spent most of her life looking for her fathers approval, you see her mother died giving birth to Jill and her father was all she had and he was little protective shall we say and I realised that if me and Jill were going to have a future I had to accept  him too warts and all’’.

 

‘’So you became I cop’’.

 

‘’I just thought there’s no better way to ram his words back down his throat that turning up on his door with a shiny police officers badge stuck to my chest so I went for it and luckily got in and the very first day I got my badge I went straight over to his house and stuck out my chest like a peacock sticks out his feathers’’.

 

‘’And what did he say?’’.

 

‘’He just smiled and shuck my hand, congratulated me and that was it I now had his approval to build a future with his daughter’’.

 

‘’And now you have Jill’’.

 

‘’Yeah and I still cant figure out if he did have the last laugh after all’’. And the two laugh.

 

‘’But you man, you were born for this, you didn’t set out to impress a girl or win the approval if an old man, you wanted it right from day one’’.

 

‘’Yeah but I cant get it’’.

 

‘’You will, I know it’’. And Tom picks up his beer bottle and clinks it against Franks before taking a drink.

 

A couple of weeks later Frank is sat at a desk filling out paper work when Tom approaches a places a file down in front of him.

 

‘’What’s this?’’.

 

‘’The forms, to go for your detective licence’’.

 

‘’I don’t know’’.

 

‘’Come on your ready I know it’’.

 

‘’When is it?’’.

 

‘’Next week so get ready and this time you aren’t failing’’.

 

‘’You think?’’.

 

‘’I know it and when you get all suited and booted don’t forget us little guys don here’’.

 

‘’How could I’’.

 

‘’Come on then , before you make detective you got some work to do with us mere cops’’. And Frank smiles before joining Tom and petrol.

The week flies by and on the morning of Franks detective exam he stands in his apartment looking at himself in the bathroom mirror as the nerves set in.

 

‘’Come on you can do this’’. He tells his reflection in the mirror before splashing water over his face and then finishes getting ready.

Half an hour later Frank is sat in an silent exam room as he takes his test with fellow hopefuls and as he looks down at his exam paper the nerves set in even more and Frank knows this is it and he wipes the gathered sweat from his forehead before beginning.

 

‘’So how do you think you did?’’. Asks Tom as he waits for Frank outside the exam room with a coffee.

 

‘’Okay I think’’.

 

‘’And the physical?’’.

 

‘’Tough but I kept up’’.

 

‘’Good, good so when do you get the results?’’.

 

‘’Couple of weeks I think’’.

 

‘’Well lets enjoy the last fourteen days of you being one of us before you join the immortals’’.

 

‘’Come on’’. Says Frank as the two of them head out.

For the next few weeks Frank is in a positive mood and even dreams of being detective. The badge, the importance the responsibility everything he couldn’t wait to live it all and as Frank cleans out his squad car his time finally comes.

 

‘’Frank can I have a word with you in my office’’. Asks his captain and Frank follows him in fully expecting to be told he had passed and as now officially a detective.

 

‘’Take a seat Frank’’. Says the captain.

 

‘’So, the detective exam, third time right’’.

 

‘’Third time luckily I hope captain’’.

 

‘’Well I got your results this morning’’. And in that split second Frank sees the expression on his captains face change.

 

‘’And?’’. Asks Frank even though he knows he already knows the answer.

 

‘’Im sorry Frank, you didn’t pass’’. And as the captain confirms his worst fears Frank feels sick down to the pit of his stomach and his whole body begins sweating.

‘’Im really Frank, I know how much this means to you’’. And as Frank tries to tell the Capitan its okay he cant because his words get jammed in his throat and the sickness in his stomach worsens.

 

‘’You only failed by two points and I fought for you I really did but you know what the examines are like sat up on there throne in there fancy suits and they wouldn’t budge’’. And still Frank cant reply and the captain can clearly see just how much it is affecting him.

 

‘’You’re a good cop Frank, one of the best and there’s no reason why you cant go for detective again. Two points is nothing and I know you can do it, if any of my men can its you’’. But as the captain tries his best to make him feel better all Frank can think about is how he had failed yet again and  that his dreams were once again over. He felt that everyone was laughing at him, failing the detective exam again and again not bring able to take the hint that he wasn’t good enough. The captain was singing his praises but Frank felt like a failure yet again.

 

‘’Take the rest of the day off’’. Says the captain, tomorrow’s a new day and if you need to talk my doors always open’’. And without saying a word Frank simply nods at his captain before getting up and heading out of the office and as he does he sees Tom heading his way with a big smile on his face shouting at Frank if he had got his results but his voice drowned out as if Frank is under water and he quickly heads to the front doors and out to the parking lot.

 

‘’Frank, did you pass?’’. Asks Tom as he follows Frank outside and Frank turns around with a look on his face that tells Tom the answer.

 

‘’You want to talk?’’. Asks Tom.

 

‘’No thanks’’.

 

‘’You heading home?’’. Asks Tom and Frank simply nods.

 

‘’Well I’ll call you later then’’. Says Tom and without replying Frank turns back around and heads to his car.

 

Back at home Frank is having a few beers as he plays on his mega drive and tries to take his mind off things but the hurt and frustration refuses to die down an it builds until it just gets too much for Frank and he slams his joy pad down onto the table before holding his head in his hands as the tears begins streaming down his cheeks and he cries with hurt and sadness wondering if his life will ever change.

 

That night while Frank is asleep he dreams, he dreams of the drunken girl he arrested……

 

‘’Come on im taking you home’’.

 

‘’Why don’t you go home!’’. She shouts at Frank as she hits him with her purse.

 

‘’Young lady if you continue to behave like this you are going to be in serous trouble’’.

 

‘’ At least im having fun, at least im having fun! What do you have Frank, you have nothing, you don’t have the career you wanted, you don’t have the memories you missed out on, you don’t have the nice house or the family with the doting wife. You have nothing absolutely nothing so why don’t you stop bitching about it and just wake up!!!!’’.

 

And Frank sits up straight in bed his whole body covered in sweat. He then climbs out of bed and heads to the bathroom to splash some water across his sweaty face but as he lifts his head from the sink he almost jumps out of his skin as in the reflection of his bathroom mirror he once again he sees the drunken young women this time stood against his bathroom door with a smile on her face.

 

‘’What you doing here?’’. He asks.

 

‘’What you doing here Frank or more importantly when you going to do something about it’’.

 

‘’What do you mean?’’.

 

‘’One life, that’s all we get and you don’t have the one you want and you can sit at home all alone crying about it becoming more bitter and bitter and turn up to work tomorrow morning doing a job you don’t want to do or you can do something about it’’.

 

‘’Like what?’’.

 

‘’You’ll think of something’’.

 

‘’Yeah im going to get my head down and work to towards the detective exam again’’.

 

‘’To fail again? You need to take more drastic action Frank, you need to force change because it isn’t happening on itself’’.

 

‘’What and be like those a*****e who trample over everyone else to get what they want’’.

 

‘’A******s they may be but they get what they want and you have one too many trample marks on you Frank and its about time you did something about it, its about tie Frank you made a change’’. And Frank once again wakes up in his bed and as he sits up and quickly scans the room the young girl is gone.

The next morning Frank heads into work much to the surprise of his partner Tom.

 

‘’Hey Frank good to see you’’.

 

‘’Tom’’. Relies Frank who has a look on his face that he is determined that his life failures will no longer get him down.

 

‘’You want a coffee?’’.

 

‘’Sure’’.  Replies Frank before heading to his desk and as he does he walks past the interview room and glances inside to see someone sat in there with a smug grin on his face. The man is medium built with a goatee and several tattoos of women on his forearms and his sits looking relaxed twiddling his thumbs.

 

‘’Who’s that?’’. Asks Frank as Tom returns.

 

‘’Hector Marcus’’.

 

‘’Who?’’.

 

‘’He raped a girl last night’’.

 

‘’Is she okay?’’.

 

‘’Yeah but she’s gone mute’’.

 

‘’Mute?’’.

 

‘’Without her statement we cant convict him’’.

 

‘’Let me talk to her?’’.

 

‘’The dicks are already with her’’.  Says Tom referring to a detective.

 

‘’The young girl turned up at the hospital doors last night covered in blood and crying telling the doctors how a bearded man had forced himself on her behind a bar she was drinking at so we brought this guy in because he was spotted by several witnesses talking to the victim and some even say he was pestering her’’.

 

‘’So why isn’t she talking?’’.

 

‘’I don’t know. Fear maybe. There going to send a physiatrist in but its not looking good, every time they’ve tried talking to her she just sits there shaking with her head down so it looks like this b*****d is going to get away with it’’. And Frank stares once more at Hector Marcus who still sits there with a smug look on is face.

 

A couple of hours later as Frank is on petrol all he can think about is that smug expression on Hector Marcus face The way he sat there knowing what he had done and with no look of remorse or regret on his face as a young women sat shaking her life possibly destroyed because of his hands.

 

‘’Hey Frank’’. Says Tom.

 

‘’You look miles away’’.

 

‘’Just thinking about that poor girl who as raped’’.

 

‘’Well it doesn’t sound good’’.

 

‘’It doesn’t?’’.

 

‘’I’ve just spoken to Neil at the station and the girl still isn’t talking and they cant old he guy forever without charging him.

 

‘’I just wish they’d let me speak to her and try and help’’.

 

‘’Me too buddy but its out of our hands’’. And the two of them get back to thee job of looking out on a neighbourhood that was very popular for carjacking.

 

The morning Frank arrives at work to find Hector Marcus has been freed.

 

‘’They let him go!’’. He gushes at Tom.

 

‘’The young girl finally spoke’’.

 

‘’And what did she say?’’.

 

‘’Just that she wanted to put it all behind her and end the nightmare’’.

 

‘’And let her attacker free to do it again!’’.

 

‘’They put pressure on her but what you going to do, she just said she’d had a lot to drink and the image of her attacker in her head was blurry so she went home’’.

 

‘’Just like that’’.

 

‘’Afraid so’’.

 

‘’This is bullshit’’.

 

‘’Im with you Frank but were powerless here’’. And Frank shakes his head is disgust.

Over the next few weeks Frank just doesn’t seem to manage to be able to shake the image of Hector Marcus out of his head. The smug grin the lack of remorse the female victim he just hated the fact that Hector had got away with such a crime and there was nothing he could do about it.

One night after work Frank is sat at home drinking a few beers with the face of Hector Marcus still burning an image in his head. He didn’t know why this particular case was still getting to him so much because Frank had crossed many bad men like Hector before but it was just that smug look on his face after what he had done that got to Frank so much and as he sits there picturing his smug grin Frank remember the dream he had. The dream of the drunken girl he arrested who told him to stop sitting around and to make things happen, to change his life instead of sitting and moaning about it so Frank finishes his beer and puts on a baseball cap and his jacket before heading out of the door.

Before he knows it Frank finds himself stood outside the bar were the incident took place between Hector Marcus and the young women. Frank remembered the name of the bar because it as called Jessie’s bar the same name as his beloved pet dog when he was a kid and Frank heads inside and straight to the bar before ordering a beer. For the next few hours Frank just sits there slowly drinking his beer followed by another as he waits to see if Hector Marcus makes an appearance. He knows the chances are slim and he doesn’t even know what he would do if Marcus did walk into the bar but still Frank sits there drinking his beer……

‘’Hey baby you look lonely’’. Says a women who sits beside Frank and as he looks up from his beer he can tell the women is obviously a prostitute because Frank had seen enough of them in his time on the job. She had bleached blonde hair with so much make up on it was a miracle she could hold her head up straight but all the prostitutes Frank had talked to over the years told him they did that to hide behind, to hide the little of themselves they have left away from there punters.

 

‘’So baby, you ant cheering up?’’.

 

‘’No thanks’’.

 

‘’Come on baby, I can make you feel things that warm beer in your hand never will’’.

 

‘But I cant catch anything from my warm beer’ Frank wanted to say but instead chose the more polite route. ‘’No thank you Miss, im okay on myself’’.

 

‘’Miss, I isn’t been called a Miss for a long, long time’’.

 

‘’So what are you called?’’.

 

‘’Anything you want baby’’.

 

‘’No thanks, im happy as I am’’. And just then out of the corner of his eye Frank spots Hector Marcus walk straight into the club with a big smile on his face looking very pleased with himself.

 

‘’So you we going to have fun baby?’’. She asks again.

 

‘’No thanks’’. Replies Frank who just wants the prostitute to go away so he can concentrate on what he came here for.

 

‘’Your loss’’.  And the prostitute finally leaves and Frank can get back to watching Hector Marcus.

For the next half an hour Frank keeps an eye over Hector who sits with several friends who all smoke and drink as they play cards and as more drinks are brought to there table Hector and his friends become merrier and a lot more louder and as Frank watches on hiding his face under his cap Hector finally heads to the rest room alone and Frank knows this is his chance so he jumps up off his bar stool and follows Hector in. Frank doesn’t know what he will do or say when he gets inside and he feels sick to the pit of his stomach but none of it stops him from following Hector into the toilets.

Frank slowly opens the door and peeps inside the restroom but there is no sign of Hector and just as Frank wonders if he walked straight past he hears whistling coming from one of the cubicles so Fran slowly steps inside sweat dripping from his forehead as he recognises the voice of Hector Marcus coming from one of the cubicles. Frank slowly walks over the cubicle as more sweat pours from his forehead and he lists one hand up to the cubicle door as Hector whistles away on the inside and Frank takes a deep breathe before slowly pushing the unlocked cubicle door open completely unaware to Hector who has his back to Frank as he sits on his knees lying out what looks like a line of coke on the toilet seat and in a flash Frank grabs Hector and smashes his head into the coke and the toilet seat before doing it again and again cutting his forehead wide open as he hears screaming women in his head all the victims of rape and finally Frank lets go of Hector who slumps down to the cubicle floor alive but his face covered in blood and Frank loos down at him shaking and sweat pouring form his body but before he leaves or maybe even faints Frank kneels down in front of Hector and whispers in his ear.

 

‘’You ever touch another women again and I’ll be back and next time I’ll kill you’’. He warns Hector in a quiet calm tone and Frank then exit’s the cubicle and leaves the club through a back door and when he is down a the back alley of the club Frank immediacy vomits don the club all as his whole body begins to shake.

 

‘’Its just the adrenaline’’. Frank tells himself before quickly heading home before the place becomes a crime scene.

When he reaches home Frank quickly heads to his bathroom and the sink where he splashes cold water across his face and then washes his hands before immediately heading over to his refrigerator and pulling out a vintage and very expensive bottle of whisky his brother bought him last Christmas. Because it was so expensive Frank always thought he should save it for a special occasion with him becoming a detective always in the back of his mind but right now he needed a strong drink and the vintage whisky was that drink and as Frank unscrews the lid he takes a huge swig and the whisky burns the back of his throat as it goes down and as Frank pulls the bottle away from his lips he wipes his mouth and then heads to sit down on his couch and immediate turns on the TV and switches to the news channel half expecting to see Hector Marcus bloodied face and a mugs shot of himself splashed across the screen even though he knows it wouldn’t be but that still doesn’t stop him from fearing the worse as the news women talks about poverty on the streets of LA.

 

The Next morning Frank is woken by the set alarm on his mobile phone and as he raises his very sore head he looks at the table in front of him to see the very strong bottle of vintage whisky is half empty and he is due at work in forty five minutes so Frank drags his body to the kitchen like a zombie extra from a Romero movie (ZOMBIES CANT RUN!) and grabs a bottle of aspirin before taking two and hen heading to the shower as he tries to wash some of his hangover away.

Half another later after a cold shower and two very strong cups of black coffee Frank heads into work to find Tom stood outside in the yard smoking a cigarette.

 

‘’Rough night?’’. Asks Tom as he sees his partner staggering into work.

 

‘’No I’ve been up all night spewing my guts up’’. Lies Frank.

 

‘’Really, you should have called in sick’’.

 

‘’No I think it was something I ate and it must be all out of me now the amount of times I’ve hurled’’.

 

‘’Well I know something that’ll make you feel better’’.

 

‘’Really, what is it?.

 

‘’You remember about a month ago a guy called Hector Marcus’’.

 

‘’Was he the rapist?’’.

 

‘’Yeah that’s the one, well last night he got busted up pretty bad’’.

 

‘’Really’’.

 

‘’Yep and the best part about it when the paramedics were called they found a bag of coke on him’’.

 

‘’So he’s been charged’’.

 

‘’Yep, guilty as rights’’.

 

‘’So what happened to him?’’.  Says Frank who is scared to ask.

 

‘’He doesn’t know, he was drunk and under the influence of coke, all he’s said was he was in the cubicle and someone attacked him from behind and busted his head open’’.

 

‘’Drug related?’’.

 

‘’Maybe but why didn’t they take his stash?’’.

 

‘’Maybe they did, maybe he had more on him and they left some to make sure he got busted’’.

 

‘’Yeah that’s a good point Frank, I’ll pass that on to the dicks’’. And as Tom marvels his theory for a second Frank feels like a detective giving out his words of advice and wisdom but as he looks down at his chest all he sees is his police officers badge.

 

All day as Frank sits in his squad car all he can think about is Hector Marcus, worried if he will be caught. Worried if Hector Marcus did see his face and will reveal all.

 

‘’Here its Black’’. Says Tom as he climbs in the car and passes Frank his cup of coffee.

 

‘’So how’s the stomach now?’’. He asks.

 

‘’Better’’. Lies Frank as his stomach does summersaults but not with sickness but with worry.

Later on in the day just as his shift had finished  Frank arrives back at the office hoping to hear any kind of news on Hector Marcus and when he sees the captain his mind is finally laid to rest.

 

‘’Any news on Marcus Sir?’’. He asks.

 

‘’Hector Marcus? Yeah we charged him’’.

 

‘’Really?’’.

 

‘’Yep, there were enough drugs found on him to charge him and when the dicks put enough pressure on him he cracked. Word is he cried like a baby and made a deal’’.

 

‘’A deal?’’.

 

‘’Yep, he gave up two local drug dealers, guys we’ve been after for a long, long time’’.

 

‘’So it all turned out well then’’.

 

‘’Hell I’d like to shake the hand of the guy who attacked Hector Marcus and buy him a drink’’. Laughs the captain before patting Frank on the arm and walking away and as Frank watches the captain leave suddenly the sick feeling in the put of his stomach begins to fade away…..

That night as Frank lays in bed he is woken by a noise and sit up to see the young girl he arrested stood at his bedroom door.

 

‘’Feel good don’t you’’. She says as she walks into his bedroom.

 

‘’Fell like you made a difference today don’t you Frank’’.

 

‘’What do you mean?’’. he asks as he sits up.

 

‘’You know what I mean. Hector Marcus, you feel like you made a difference in the world just like you’ve always wanted to’’.

 

‘’Hector Marcus deserves to be behind bars’’.

 

‘’Of course he does, just like the two drug dealers he gave up and its all because of you’’.

 

‘’Yeah but I didn’t do it the right way’’.

 

‘’So what, you got it done anyway and who says you need a detective badge hanging from your chest to make a difference’’.

 

‘’It was a one off, it cant happen again. I could go to jail, I could lose the career I have’’.

 

‘’Or gain the one you don’t have. Think about it Frank its all there for the taking you just have to have the balls to stand up and grab it’’. And Frank then wakes up in his bed with the words of the young girl ringing in his ears…….

 

The next morning after taking his shower Frank heads in to work early to find Tom hadn’t yet arrived and as he sits in the office Frank begins to think about his dream last night and how the young women told him to grab what he wanted in life and he then began to think about Ryan Burrows and all the accolades he received and how he wished he could be like that and then without thinking Frank gets up and heads out of the office and towards the computer data department. Frank feels the sweat gathering on his forehead and collecting in the palm of his hands as he heads over to the computer department and when there he takes a quick glance around to see if anyone is watching before turning on one of the computer screens and going through the files. Frank goes through Mike Sellers computer because he knows his password. Frank and Mike talk over doughnuts every now  and he is so obsessed with football Frank just knows his password will be that of his favourite team and funny enough it is. After gaining access Frank takes another quick glance around the office to see it is okay before quickly hacking into the criminal files. Frank is looking for unsolved cases, the kind of cases when they found the bad guy but just couldn’t  pin it on them and he also looks up the files of known local thugs and prostitutes and as he begins to print the data off feeling like a poor mans version of the punisher he spots Mike Sellers with doughnut in hand heading his way and Frank begins to panic. He wills the printer to hurry and quickly print the files before he is caught because there is no explanation. Hacking someone else’s computer, printing off confidential police files, he would be in a lot of hot water if caught and as Mike draws closer Frank looks down at the printer sweat pouring down is head hand waiting to grab the files as Mike draws in and finally the printer stops and Frank quickly shoves the pieces of paper behind his back and up his shirt just as Mike begins to talk to him with not a second to spare.

 

‘’What you doing?’’. Asks Mike as he takes a bite of his doughnut.

 

‘’Looking for you’’. Lies Frank who is getting a little too used to it.

 

‘’Me?’’.

 

‘’Yeah I was wondering if you fancied grabbing a doughnut but looks like you already have’’.

 

‘’Yep’’. And as Mike takes another bite of his doughnut he notices that Frank is covered in sweat.

 

‘’Hey your wet through man’’.

 

‘’Yeah I think am coming down with something, I had a stomach bug the other day’’.

 

‘’Maybe you should take a sick day man’’.

 

‘’Im saving them for when I am well’’. Jokes Frank as he tries to hide the guilt on his face.

 

‘’Don’t we all’’. Replies Mike as he pats Frank on the back and Frank then walks away and outside to his squad car. When he climbs inside Frank begin breathing very heavily knowing just how close his stupidity got him to being caught and possibly losing his job. He want no punisher or vigilantly He was a run of the mill guy who couldn’t make detective and hat he as doing right now was plain dangerous noting more and as Frank gets his breathe back and wipes the sweat from his forehead he see Tom approaching the car so quickly hides the sheet of papers under his seat stacking them tight so not to fall out and then sits up and casually waves at Tom who climbs in the car.

For the rest of the day at work Frank has a good feeling inside. He keeps imagining Hector Marcus deservedly sitting inside a cold, dark prison cell and he the drugs that will no longer be on the streets because he is behind bars, the families, the life’s all destroyed because of drugs and he had done something against that just like he had dreamt of so many times but the only difference from his dreams and this reality was that a detective badge wasn’t hanging from his chest.

As Frank arrived home he sat down on his couch and reached deep into his jacket pulling out the files he printed off from the police computers and as he looks through the names he knows what he did was wrong and he knows he could get into a lot of trouble if it was ever found out but Frank didn’t want that good feeling from the pit of his stomach to ever go away again and for the next few hours over a few cold beers Frank goes over the names again and again and the crimes they has so called committed until finally a name sticks out from the rest, Crystal Blue or Sarah Calling as she was really called and Frank had always despised hookers, he understood that people got desperate and when people are desperate they do desperate things but the things with hookers was the other people that got hurt because of it. Kids at home with no food and scraggy cloths hanging from there bodies, betrayed wife’s sat at home alone while there husbands paid a stranger for sex and when the hookers did make there money most of the time it didn’t go to putting food in there ids mouths but drugs in there own veins and that always angered Frank. He knew that most hookers took drugs to forget what they had done and to numb there pain but what takes away the pain for there kids? And for that he could never forgive them.

That night as Frank slept he is awoken by a noise in his room and sits up to find the young girl he arrested stood in his bedroom doorway with a large smile on her face.

 

‘’You finally did it’’.

 

‘’Did what?’’. Asks Frank as he sits up in bed.

 

‘’Forced change in your life, forced change in the world’’.

 

‘’I cant go any further’’.

 

‘’What! You cant stop now, not when were this far’’.

 

‘’I’ll get into trouble, it’ll be me behind bars not crooks or prostitutes’’.

 

‘’Stop being scared’’.

 

‘’Scared of going to jail!’’.

 

‘’Its not jail your scared of Frank, its life and change all the things you want in life your scared of’’.

 

‘’Its easy for you to say’’.

 

‘’Yes it is, because I do what I want when I want and that includes vomiting on officers’’.

 

‘’Very funny’’.

 

‘’Just find out what this women’s like, find out her story, find out who gets hurt because of what she does and if you still don’t want to act then don’t because there’s plenty more’’.

 

‘’I guess there’s no harm in looking her up, no one can get hurt from that’’.

 

‘’exactly, now wake up because I hate this song’’. And Frank then opens his eyes to the noise of his alarm radio playing an awful pop song.

After work Frank immediately heads over to the bar were Crystal Blue is said to pick up most of her customers. Frank with his baseball hat pulled firmly down heads inside and as soon as he does he can see just what a dive the place is. The floor is covered in split beer and bar nuts, the walls look like they hadn’t been painted in centuries and the place was littered with drinkers who stare down into there half empty glasses with unfulfilled dreams. It was a dead end of the a place and to make matters worse it stunk.

 

‘’Give me a beer’’. Asks Frank before taking his seat and as he takes a sip of his warm beer he sees several women hanging around the bar approaching drinkers no doubt looking for customers but Frank is unaware as to which one is Crystal so he stays sat head bowed down as he waits hoping to find out which one of the women in Crystal.

After sitting in the stinking bar for hours Frank is almost ready to call it a night when he hears one of the women say night to one of the women to which he replies ‘night Crystal’ so Frank immediately sits up and then casually follows her out of the bar to see were she heads. Frank follows Crystal down several streets trying his best to stay out of view until finally she climbs into a parked car were a customer was waiting and Frank then hides behind a huge dumpster as Crystal performs a sexual act on the no doubted married man and then climbs out of the car ten minutes later before lighting a cigarette and then heading on her way once more as Frank continues to follow. Five minutes later and Crystal reaches her home and heads straight inside. Frank approaches the one story home desperately not trying to be seen as he hides in the bushes and peeks through the window and as he looks inside he sees Crystal sit down on her couch and reach into her pocket pulling a small bag of what looks like coke and then begins to make lines of the drug on the table in front of her but before she can snort it a little girl and a slightly older looking little boy walk into the room both wearing dirty night cloths and scraggy hair.

 

‘’What did I tell you!’’. Shouts Crystal. ‘’Mommies tired after work’’. And the two small children both looking like there need a good bath and meal but more importantly love head off back to there rooms and when they had Crystal immediately snorts a line of the coke and then sits back as it kicks in and as it does Frank shakes his head in disgust before sneaking around the back of the house and peeping through the window at the two small children who share a single bed together and looks very, very miserable and as Frank heads back to his car he is filled with anger and disgust at the way Crystal Blue leads her life.

That night as Frank slept he was once again visited by the young girl he arrested.

 

‘’She’s no good’’. Says the young girl as she once again stands at his bedroom door.

 

‘’Those kids Frank, there suffering’’. She tells Frank as he sits up in bed.

 

‘’I can report her, get her place searched for drugs’’.

 

‘’So she can flush it down the toilet and get away with it. And what if she was caught, what about them kids, they’ll just be thrown into a care home and go form pillar to post’’.

 

‘’Better than were they are now’’.

 

‘’All kids want to be with there parents and are you trying to tell me those little kids don’t love there mom and wont miss there mom despite all the s**t she does’’.

 

‘’So what am I supposed to do?’’.

 

‘’Make her change, make her look after them kids and stop filling her veins with that s**t and screwing guys to pay for it’’.

 

‘’I don’t even know her, what am I supposed to say’’.

 

‘’Nothing, because actions speak louder than words’’.

 

‘’Actions?’’.

 

‘’I didn’t see much talking going off between you and Hector Marcus and that got results’’.

 

‘’That was different’’.

 

‘’Why, you did what you needed to do and it made a difference’’.

 

‘’ But I cant this time’’.

 

‘’Why, what’s stopping you?’’.

 

‘’Because I’ll get into trouble, I’ll lose my job hell I could lose my freedom’’.

 

‘’This time you’ll have to be more careful’’.

 

‘’How?’’.

 

‘’Wear a mask and don’t make it cheesy’’.

 

‘’Im a cop, im supposed to protect and serve, im not the one who judges people, im not someone who dishes out punishment for peoples sins, what gives me the right to do that’’.

 

‘’Because you see the bad in the world and you can do something about it Frank. If everyone just turned a blind eye were would we be’’. And the young girl then turns around and walks out of the room and hen she is out of sight Frank wakes up from his dream and immediately jumps out of bed and heads into his living room. He stands there for a few minutes as he goes over his dream in his head and he then begins going through his wardrobe until he comes across a plain black balaclava were you can only see the eyes. His brother bought him it as a joke one Christmas just encase he ever decided to switch sides and become a robber instead of a cop and Frank pulled the balaclava over his head before he stares at himself through the mirror.

The day at work all Frank can think about is the image of he saw of himself standing in the mirror with the balaclava on, he didn’t know if it was right or wrong if what he was doing was good or bad or if he just looked stupid like some jealous, bitter cop who couldn’t make the grade as a detective so was trying to grab a chunk of limelight because he had nothing else in his life but as the same time as all that was happening in his head Frank also kept remembering the feeling in the pit of his stomach when Hector Marcus was charged and how good he felt at the time and how he would love to feel that again.

 

‘’So what you up to tonight?’’. Asks Tom as he breaks Frank from his trance.

 

‘’Err….my brother invited me around again for dinner or something’’. Lies Frank and he didn’t really know why he did…..

 

When Frank arrives homes he places his jacket on the back of his chair and then stares down at the black balaclava mask he was worn the night before and immediately the image of Crystal Blue and those poor children race around in his head and Frank picks up the mask and stares at his as a battle enrages in his head. He knows it is wrong and he knows he cannot take the law into his own hands but what Crystal Blue was doing is wrong and he hated the fact that people like that got to live there life’s that way no matter who got hurt and he was sick of standing by and dong nothing and as Frank wrestles with his conscious of if to put the mask on or not he finally drops it back down on the table and then grabs a beer from the refrigerator before slumping himself in front of the TV.

A few hours and a few beers later Frank had dropped off in front of the TV and begins dreaming of Crystal blue’s children and in his dream the small walks into the living room and heads across to his mother ho has passed out having injected herself with  a needle and the little boy shakes his mother to try and wake her but there is no response so he then picks up the needle out of intrigue just like all small children do and the little boy then turns and begins to run to his room to show his sister what he had found but on the way there he trips and falls face first and the needle stick deep into the little boys chest and the last image Frank sees is the boy laid motionless face down on the floor as blood begins pouring from underneath him onto the floor around him and Frank then wakes up sweating and breathing heavily and he quickly jumps off the couch and heads to the refrigerator for another beer and as he does he once again glances down at the black balaclava…….

 

Frank then heads to his cupboard and reached inside pulling out a pair of black, leather glove which he put on followed by a black coat and he then grabs the balaclava and heads out to his car.

Frank drives over to the bar were he first saw Crystal Blue pulling her tricks but this time he didn’t go in, instead he sat outside in his car and waited to see if Crystal appeared.  Frank waited nervously for almost an hour and finally Crystal appeared. She was thrown out of the bar for bring drunk and causing a disturbance and after cursing many times at the owner Crystal finally begins staggering her way back to her home alone kids and frank reaches for his black balaclava on the passengers seat and stuffs it down his coat before climbing out of the car following Crystal Blue.

As Crystal Blue staggers her way down the street on the way home she stops for a second to light a cigarette and then sets off her way again but as she does someone reaches from the bushes beside her and drags her in and to the ground and before Crystal can scream her grabber holds his hand firmly over her mouth as she looks up she can she can see her attacker is wearing a black balaclava to hide his identity and the one doing it is Frank.

 

‘’Stop struggling!’’. Demands Frank in a very low, deep voice but Crystal panics.

 

‘’Im not going to hurt you’’.  He pleads but still Crystal panics and tries to wiggle free so Frank reaches into his coat and pulls out a knife, holding it to the cheek of Crystal.

 

‘’If you don’t stop moving im going to cut you’’. He warns and Crystal finally stops moving and just lies there Franks had still over her mouth and breathing very heavily.

 

‘’Im here to warn you’’. He tells her. ‘’I know who you are, I know your name, were you live, both your kids name and were you pull your tricks!  And im warning you Crystal stop selling your body to pay for your drug habit, stop injecting that poison into your veins and start taking care of your kids because ill be watching and if I see one more client, if I see one more needle and I see those kids neglected anymore I’ll be back and this time I wont be talking, I will cut your flesh and make sure you never see your kids again, DO YOU UNDERSTAND!’’. He demands and the now crying Crystal nods her head.

 

‘’Good, now go home, sober up and take care of those kids because if you don’t I’ll be back’’. And Frank then reaches into Crystals pocket and pulls out a small bag of pills and takes them before quickly standing up and disappearing into the darkness of the night and as he does Crystal wipes the tears from her face and then staggers to her feet looking all around her but there is no sign of Frank.

Frank arrives back home sweating from head to foot. He immediately races to his bathroom and is sick down the toilet. He then head across to the sink and splashes handfuls after handfuls of cold water over his face before heading to the refrigerator and grabbing a cold beer and Frank then sits there going over in his head what he had just done. He couldn’t believe he actually went through with it all and as he sits on the couch going through it again and again over his head.  

As Frank finally falls asleep on he couch and the half bottle of beer slips from his hands spilling to the floor he begins to dream once more. He dreams of federal agents busting through his door all carrying firearms shouting at him to get on the floor and then the look on his brothers face as he is strapped to the electric chair even though the chair isn’t used anymore and he wouldn’t receive a death sentence it still scares Fran enough to make him wake in a cold sweat.

 

The next morning Frank feels nervous like it was his first day on the job as he heads into the station and is met by Tom.

 

‘’Good night?’’. He asks.

 

‘’It was okay’’.

 

‘’So how’s the brother?’’.

 

‘’Good as always’’.

 

‘’Well you hungry because I am’’.

 

‘’I thought we were on petrol’’.

 

‘’We are but we can stop at little Joe’s’’. Says Tom as they head to there police car.   

 

‘’ Oh yeah the captain wants us to stop by Grove street this morning’’.

 

‘’Mrs Cross’’.

 

‘’Yeah those punk kids Tp’d  her back yard last night and she got a little scared and worked up’’.

 

‘’S**t those kids know she has a bad heart’’.

 

‘’That’s why some of them do it’’.

 

‘’I don’t know how kids work these days, when I was there age I just loved riding around on my bike and collecting baseball cards’’. 

 

‘’The worlds changed Frank and not al for the better’’.

 

‘’Too right’’ .And the pair climb into the squad car.

 

‘’That reminds me as well, Vanessa wanted to know if you fancied coming over for dinner one day this week’’.

 

‘’At your place’’.

 

‘’Yeah she’s cooking her famous lasagne’’.

 

‘’Yeah okay’’.

 

‘’Sunday good for your?’’.

 

‘’Yep’’.

 

‘’Good we can watch the game after’’. And Tom smiles before starting the car.

 

Five days had passed since Frank’s encounter with Crystal Blue and as he  sits at home he begins to wonder about her and what happened  after he grabbed her, he worries that she might have gone off the rails and taken even more drugs to try and forget her attack and he begins to picture he too kids sad and suffering so Frank climbs off the couch not able to settle until he knows and heads to his car. Frank pulls up outside the bar were Crystal pulled her tricks. His hands are sweaty and he is terrified someone will spot and recognise him and he will be ragged down to the station kicking and screaming but he has to know if Crystal has simply carried on with her old ways so he puts on his baseball cap and pulls down over his face and climbs out of the car and as he does a women who looks a lot like a hooker walks out of the club and stands outside smoking a cigarette so Frank takes the opportunity and approaches the girl.

 

‘’You looking for some fun honey?’’.  She asks with a smile on her face.

 

‘’Err…. I was looking for someone’’.

 

‘’Oh’’. And the girls smile instantly fades. ‘’So who you looking for?’’.

 

‘Crystal Blue’’.

 

‘’Why you aren’t no cop are you because Crystals a friend?’’.

 

‘’No’’.

 

‘’You swear to me’’.

 

‘’I swear’’.

 

‘’Okay but its going to cost you’’.

 

‘’How much?’’ .Asks Frank as he digs out his wallet.

 

‘’How much you got?’’. She asks and Frank looks up at her with a raised eyebrow.

 

‘’Twenty bucks’’. She asks and Frank hands over the money.

 

‘’Crystals….. Retired’’.

 

‘’Retired?’’.

 

‘’That’s what she said but we’ll see how long that lasts’’.

 

‘’So she’s not…..’’.

 

‘’Pulling tricks? Not this week she isn’t but I am’’. She tells Frank and the smile on her face makes an appearance once more.

 

‘’Im sorry, I best get back’’.

 

‘’You think your too good for me or something?’’.

‘

‘No, no im not looking for that’’.

 

‘’Yeah, yeah sure you isn’t standing in this part of town looking for Crystal’’.

 

‘’I was just…’’.

 

‘’Why don’t you go back to your wife and kids Mr!’’. She shouts and Frank quickly hurries back to his car and drives away and as he does the knots in his stomach begin to loosen and for the first time he begins to feel good about what he did and once more feels like maybe he made a change in the world and did something good.

 

The next day after work Tom is at home watching the TV while his wife prepares dinner.

 

‘’So what time is he coming? She asks.

 

‘’I told him to be here for around six’’. Replies Tom.

 

‘’I just thought it would be a good idea, you know he must get so lonely living on his own’’.

 

‘’Yeah I guess he must but he never says anything’’.

 

‘’Of course he doesn’t say anything, guys don’t open up, they just talk about football and girls they see on TV’’.

 

‘’You make us sound so shallow babes’’.

 

‘’Because you are’’. She replies with a smirk and just then the doorbell rings and Tom finds Frank standing there with a bottle of wine.

 

‘’Hey buddy’’. Says Tom. ‘’You brought wine?’’.

 

‘’Yeah I just thought with Vanessa and the meal….’’.

 

‘’Here give me that I’ll grab you a beer’’. And Tom takes the wine and lets Frank in.

 

‘’So Frank, you ever been close to marrying?’’.

 

‘’Come on Vanessa’’. Replies Tom.

 

‘’No its okay I don’t mind’’. Says a relaxed Frank. ‘’And to answer your question no, not marriage but I have been very close to a girl one’’.

 

‘’Really’’.

 

‘’Yes, her name was Nicole’’.

 

‘’Oh yeah I remember her’’. Adds Tom.

 

‘’So what happened?’’. Asks Vanessa.

 

‘’Things just…. Fell apart I guess, she always said I was already married to the force’’.

 

‘’Is that why you split?’’

 

‘’A part of it, plus she moved away, she got offered a great job closer to the city and she couldn’t turn it down’’.

 

‘’Could you have gone with her?’’.

 

‘Yeah it was discussed but I was settled here and….… and she left without me.

 

‘’You two still in touch?’’.

 

‘’No…… no were not. She wanted me to quit the force, she said it didn’t do me any good, that my peruse of detective wasn’t healthy and she wanted me to work in home security’’.

 

‘’But you didn’t want to’’.

 

‘’This is all I know and al I want. Detective or not I’ll die trying. And most times, most times I think it was for the best that we parted because we wanted different things and we were in different places but then other times I see something or hear something that reminds me of her and wonder what if’’.

 

‘’You’ll meet someone else who’ll accept you for who you are’’.

 

‘’ I hope so’’. Adds Frank with a smile on his face as he tires to lighten the mood and Tom joins in.

 

‘’Man your better off single trust me, my ball are in a jar at the back of one of the kitchen cupboards somewhere because women like to boss’’.

 

‘’No we don’t, its just were more mature than men are its physics’’.

 

‘’Yeah who wants another beer’’. Asks Tom as he stands up  from the table’’.

 

‘’You can fill my wine glass’’ Asks Vanessa and Tom then heads to the kitchen.

 

‘’Trust me Frank, you’ll meet someone there’s no rush’’.

 

‘’Oh don’t worry im not panicking’’.

 

‘’And were not all like Tom makes us out to be’’.

 

‘I know and I know how much he loves you’’.

 

‘’He better do’’. She replies and the both of them laugh.

 

‘’Okay who’s up for watching the game?’’. Asks Tom.

 

A few days later as Frank sits at his computer at work he still cant get Crystal Blue out of his head. He cant stop wondering if she had changed or not and if her kids were okay.

 

‘’You okay man’’. Asks Tom ‘’You looks miles away’’.

 

‘’Yeah I was just day dreaming’’.

 

‘’Someone good I hope’’. Replies Tom with a smile on his face as he walks away and Frank then looks back at his computer screen he realises he needs to know to settle his mind so he begins to look up local drug consoling groups near Crystals’ area. Frank once ha a cousin who was an alcoholic for years but as soon as he joined an AA group he was clean in months and Frank was hoping the same would happen to Crystal so as he looks up the information on his computer he sees the next meeting near Crystals area is tonight and Frank decides to go along even though it wasn’t a wise decision he just had to know.

That night after work Frank eats a takeaway pizza and then puts on his baseball cap pulling it down over his face and then sets off to the meeting.

As Frank drives to the meeting he still battles with his conscious as to if it is a good decision or not but he just feels he needs to know if it worked so as he pulls up outside were the meeting is taking place he forces himself out of the car and heads straight in. When inside Frank finds everyone sat in a circle of chairs.

 

‘’Please, take a seat’’. Says a women wearing thick glasses and a warm smile so a nervous looking Frank takes a seat at one of the chairs and as he glances around there is no sign of Crystal Blue but he knows he cant get up and leave now so he sits there listening to the drug addicts air there stories and there daily battles with there addiction.

As another member finishes there story an everyone claps in encouragement Frank glances up at the big clock on the wall to see he had been here for over forty minutes and there was still no sign of Crystal and ‘It didn’t work, she’s back on the game, them kids!’ all immediately begin to circle around in Franks head.

 

‘’Do you wish to share?’’. The thick glasses women then asked and as Frank looks down he sees she is looking straight at him and so is everyone else in the room which immediately begins to make Frank feel uncomfortable.

 

‘’Im err…..’’.

 

‘’don’t be nervous, no one here will judge’’.

 

‘’Yeah we all have our own problems’’.

 

‘’Adds one of the members’’.

 

‘’So what is it with you?’’ Asks the women and Frank begins to panic as the sweat drips from his forehead, he begins to worry they will all be able to tell he’s a fake and an impostor and that he was really here for other reasons.

 

‘’I err……’’.

 

‘’There’s no rush’’. She adds and as Frank begins to rack his brain he starts to think about all the drug abusers he come across through work and he tries grab hold of one of there stories.

 

‘’I err…… I hurt my back and the doctor subscribed pain killers’’.

 

‘’Go on’’.

 

‘’But when my back got better my body still hurt…. My body still craved the medication’’.

 

‘’Addiction takes over, it plays tricks on your mind’’.

 

‘’And I know, I just knew something was missing no matter how much I tried to ignore it, it just wouldn’t go away, it was like a small beating drum that got louder and louder until I simply couldn’t ignore it’’. And as Frank surprises himself a just how easy he has lied once more he also begins to wonder if the need of the painkiller was really something else.

 

‘’and you had to answer it’’.

 

‘’No, I just simply couldn’t ignore it anymore’’.  And as Frank finally looks up he sees Crystal Blue had finally arrived……

As the group take a break Frank watches Crystal head over to make herself a coffee and Frank headed over even though he had got everything he had come for.

Frank begins making himself a coffee as he stands beside Crystal and all the fears run through his head ‘hat if she recognises me? What if she recognises my voice? Why am I putting myself at risk when I have everything I came for? He worries but still he makes the coffee.

 

‘’Its stale’’. Crystal tells him as she chews her gum so hard it looks like her teeth ill clash and shatter.

 

‘’The coffee?’’.

 

‘’Yeah, its come cheap s**t’’.

‘

‘’Better than tap water I guess’’.

 

‘’I always smoke a pack of cigarettes before I come here so I cant taste this s**t’’.

 

‘’wouldn’t it be better for you just to bring your own coffee?’’.

 

‘’ I’d be smoking a pack of cigarettes if I wasn’t coming to this place’’.

 

‘’Okay’’. Replies Frank.

 

‘’So what you here for?’’. She asks.

 

‘’ I was addicted to painkillers’’.

 

‘’Really?’’.

 

‘’Yeah’’.

 

‘’So your not one of the hardcore ones then’’.

 

‘’No’’.

 

‘’I can tell’’.

 

‘’How?’’.

 

‘’Looks like you have all your own teeth and I cant see any marks on those arms’’.

 

‘’Yeah it was just painkillers’’.

 

‘’P***y’’. She forwardly replies.

 

‘’And you?’’.

 

‘’Addicted to? Probably better off telling you what im not addicted to’’.

 

‘’So…. What made you come here?’’ Nervously asks Frank who feels that at any second Crystal will recognise him and the cops will bust in and take him down.

 

‘’I crossed paths with someone who made me change’’.

 

‘’Really’’. Replies Frank who doesn’t ask anymore questions.

 

‘’Plus I have my kids and one more strike and the social will take them for good’’.

 

‘’Well I guess there your strength’’.

 

‘’Guess so’’. Replies Crystal.

 

After the meeting is over Frank heads out to his car and as he does he glances over to see Crystal who lights up yet another cigarette and then begins walking over.

 

‘’Hey err…….’’.

 

‘’The names Crystal’’. She replies.

 

‘’Do you want a lift home?’’. Asks Frank who is pleased that Crystal had done something to change and felt good that what he did had worked.

 

‘’You isn’t no pervert are you’’.

 

‘’No’’.

 

‘’Because I have a pepper spray and im stronger than I look’’.

 

‘’Im just offering’’.

 

‘’And I isn’t no hooker, not anymore’’.

 

‘’Good’’. Replies Frank and Crystal decides to take the offer and climbs in the passengers seat.

 

‘’So you gong next week?’’ Asks Frank who is hoping she keeps up the good work.

 

‘’Yeah I have to but it doesn’t matter either way’’. Replies Crystal who sounds downbeat for the first time.

 

‘’Why?’’.

 

‘’No, nothing its just hard beating addictions’’.

 

‘’Come on you meant something else’’. Asks Frank who had seen another lying faces in his life.

 

‘’Stop being so God dam nosey!’’. She snaps back.

 

‘’Okay, okay sorry I asked’’. Says Frank and the car then goes silent.

 

‘’Its my pimp and my drug dealer okay’’.

 

‘’Why what do they want?’’.

 

‘’He. There the same person’’.

 

‘’So what does he want?’’.

 

‘’Well when I stopped with the prostitution and the drugs he wasn’t happy. Not only was he losing one of his girls he was also losing one of his best customers and he keeps trying to tempt me’’.

 

‘’With drugs?’’.

 

‘’Yeah because he knows if I cant get off that s**t the only way I can pay for it is by selling my body so he wins all way round’’.

 

‘’What about moving away?’’.

 

‘’Were to? Plus I don’t have the money to just up sticks and move’’.

 

‘’Go to the cops’’.

 

‘’Cops cant do s**t and even if they did his boys would know who did it and they’d be around my house before he reached the station and I have to think about my kids ‘’.

 

‘’So what you going to do?’’. Asks Frank to which Crystal simply shrugs her shoulders…

 

That night as Frank laid in bed he could not stop thinking about Crystal’s pimp.  Just s Frank had come across many prostitute and drug abusers like Crystal in his life he had seen just as many pimps. Men who used and abused there women before throwing them to the curb like trash on collection day, they didn’t care about them or what happened to them just as long as the money was still rolling in and in Frank’s eyes pimps were much lower than prostitutes because sure it was the women selling there bodies but the pimps put them there and they take the money, supply the drugs and then thro them out when they had enough.

 

‘’Are you going to lie there all night’’. Frank then hears and as he sits up in bed h once again sees he young women stood at his bedroom door wearing his black balaclava he wore when he grabbed Crystal.

 

‘’What do you mean?’’. He asks.

 

‘’You, lying there going over it in your head again and again letting it all eat you up’’.

 

‘’don’t start this again’’.

 

‘’Crystal isn’t the problem it her pimp’’.

 

‘’Im not doing anything else off grid, I’ll do it the right way with my badge on my chest not that mask on my face’’.

 

‘’Really, your going to take care of it as an officer with all those rules and red tape to get through, all that paperwork and search permits’’.

 

‘’Yes’’.

 

‘’And by the time you get anywhere Crystal will be back on the game as well as shooting that s**t back in her veins’’.

 

‘’Well that’s not my fault’’.

 

‘’Frank, you cleaned her up, you changed Crystal and all you have to do now is make sure that piece of s**t pimp don’t corrupt her again’’.

 

‘’I’ll look into it I’ll see if I can get he place patrolled’’.

 

‘’Wow, a couple of fat rent a cops driving around in there squad car, he pimp will be quaking in his boots’’.

 

‘’So what should I do then seen as though you have all the answers’’.

 

‘’Take him out, take him out for Crystal and all the other girls who’s life’s he’s ruining’’.

 

‘’I cant do that’’.

 

‘’Yes you can’’.

 

‘’Not again, its too dangerous, and im not just talking about losing my badge, pimps have friends, loyal friends all jacked up on some s**t and carrying guns’’.

 

‘’I don’t mean go in there all Jack Bauer like’’.

 

‘’Than how’’.

 

‘’You’ll need to get on the computer again at work and look up who’s he pimp for Crystal’s area’’.

 

‘’What if we don’t know’’.

 

‘’Im sure its on there’’.

 

‘’And then what?’’.

 

‘Watch and wait, and when you see your chance strike’’.

 

‘’Im not killing anyone’’.

 

‘’Im not saying kill him but there’s nothing wrong with dangling him over the edge. Come on Frank its your turn and its time to step up’’. And Frank opens his eyes in bed and the women is gone.

The next day at work Frank sits with Mike for a whole half hour listening to his obsession with Star Wars all the time waiting until Mike has to leave.

 

‘’Well then I cant sit around here talking all day’’. Says Mike.

 

‘’Yeah I best be getting back, Tom’s going to be wondering were I am’’.

 

‘’I have to take these files to the captain’’.

 

‘’Ok then, we’ll have to catch up some other time’’.

 

‘’Yeah defiantly’’. Responds Mike with a smile on his face before grabbing his files and heading to the captains office and as he does Frank takes the opportunity to once again hack into his computer and looks up personal police files as he tries to find out who the main pimp is in Crystal’s neighbourhood and after five minutes of scrolling through pages of files Frank finally finds a name. Trent Bennning, late thirties, he had been dealing in drugs since his teens and had a very chequer past. He had been arrested for possession of drugs as ell as an unlicensed firearm and in total had served just over a year in jail.

 

‘’Its got to be him’. Frank says to himself as he scribbles the name and last known home address onto a sheet of paper and places it in his shirt pocket before heading back to his own desk.

That night after work Frank drives over to the neighbourhood were the address is and it was not a nice art of town. It was the kind of place that cars got jacked and homes got robbed  but luckily enough Frank had answered so many calls to this part of town he knew the place pretty well and it didn’t take him long to find Trent’s address. Frank pulls up across the street from the house and slouches down in his seat to help keep hided as he stares through the kitchen window and as he does he sees a man matching Trent’s description sat at a kitchen table with two other men as they play cards, drink beer and from the look of it smoke marijuana.

 

‘Don’t be stupid’’. Frank then hears and as he looks through his front mirror he sees the young girl once again wearing his black balaclava sat in the back seat of his car.

 

‘’Im not stupid’’.

 

‘’Good, because you know they’ll all be armed and your not exactly supposed to be here’’.

 

‘’Im not going in’’.

 

‘’I know, just sit and wait for his friends to leave’’.

 

‘’Oh and then go in all guns blazing!’’.

 

‘’No, grab one of those see though bags you have in the back of the car that you use for taking out the trash and while he sleeps place it over his head and don’t let go until he stops moving’’.

 

‘’No, im not a murderer’’.

 

‘’That’d the only way he’ll stop doing what he’s doing ’’.

 

‘’No, I wont kill him’’.

 

‘’Ok then you’ll have to find another way then’’. She replies as Frank turns his attention back to Trent’s house.

Almost three hours later and a full flask of coffee Trent’s buddies finaly begin to pack up and head out leaving Trent alone who sits drinking another beer and hen heads to the back of the house and turns off all the lights with Frank knowing that is is very likely he had gone to bed  So Frank took a deep breathe and then reached into the back seat grabbing the black balaclava and climbed out of the car but before he heads across to the house he takes a glimpse back at his car and out of the boo he grbbed a see though bag stuffing it into his coat pocket and then heading over to Trent’s house. 

Frank bens down in front of the back door and places the black balaclava over his head and he then takes a peek through the window and cannot see anyone so he begins quietly and slowly lock pick the back door and when he had he slowly opened the door ajar and sneaked in closing it behind him.  Frank takes in his surrounding before he begins to sneak to the back of the house keeping low to the ground at the same time so no one can se him through the windows and when he reaches the bedroom door he peeks inside to see Trent laid out on the bed snoring away so Frank sneaks into the room and to the head of Trent’s bed. Frank can feel his heart pounding in his chest and he takes a deep breathe before standing up straight looking over the sleeping boy of Trent from behind the foot of his bed and Frank then counts to three in his head before pulling the see through bag from his coat pocket and then quickly places it over the head of Trent and holding it tightly. Luckily with all the beer and the marijuana Trent wasn’t at his best and struggles to break Franks grip who held tightly as Trent gasped for air. Trent hit out at Frank and desperately tried to break free but Frank held firm and seconds later Trent began to feel weak and his fight began to lessen as he struggled for air. Fran could see Trent was going and as his eyes slowly began to close Frank looked down at him and realised he just couldn’t do it. He just couldn’t kill another man no matter what he had done and at the end of the day Trent wasn’t a murder, he didn’t murder anyone. Sure he gave them the tools to do it themselves and put many girls in dangerous situations were they could be murdered but he never actually killed someone with his bare hands or at least Frank didn’t think he had and he wasn’t a molester or rapist who didn’t deserve life he was  a drug dealing pimp who at best deserved to spend the rest of his life behind bars avoiding the showers but he didn’t deserve to die and Frank couldn’t do it…..

Trent gasped for air as Frank pulled the bag from his head and as Frank looked down at the gasping Trent he realised that Trent would be okay in a few minutes and very, very angry so Frank quickly headed around to the bottom of the bed and pulled a tie wrap from his pocket and fastened both of Trent’s feet to the bed posts and he then punched him hard in the stomach before doing the same with his hands and Frank then stood at the top of his bed looking down at Trent as the air filled back up in his lungs.

 

‘’Who…. Who are you!’’. Demands Trent. ‘’I don’t owe no one s**t!’’. Says Trent and as he looks up at Frank for answers he freezes at what to say. He had planned everything out right up to placing the bag over Trent’s head and even the possibility of fastening him up but this… this was all new and Frank wasn’t sure what to say.

 

‘’Im talking to you b***h! I said I don’t owe any money’’.

 

‘’Im not here for money’’. Replies Frank.

 

‘’You here for my stash?’’. Asks Trent. ‘’Take it man, take it all’’.

 

‘’Were is it?’’.

‘’Behind the living room picture’’. He replies and as Frank heads to the picture he pulls it off the wall and finds a hole in the wall stashed with drugs but Frank doesn’t touch it. Instead he pulls the picture down for it all to be seen  before heading Back to Trent.

 

‘’Who are you!’’. He demands again.

 

‘’Im here to make sure you pay’’. Replies Frank and Trent then spits up at him and across his black balaclava. ‘’F**k you man’’. Shouts Trent and Frank then grabs him by the face and pushes his face into Trent’s.

 

‘’If I ever find out you’ve even sold someone an aspirin I’ll be back or if  find out your still using weak women as prostitutes I’ll be back and next time I wont be so nice and I’ll take every ounce of s**t you have on you and make you eat it all before putting you in an unmarked grave were no one will ever find you do you understand!’’. Asks Frank and Trent simply stares at him with genuine fear in his eyes.

 

‘’ I found you once and I’ll find you again and again no matter were you go so if you don’t change your ways im going to take you out got it!’’.

 

‘’Yeah man, im like a chameleon always changing colours’’. Laughs Trent so Frank begins punching him across the face again and again busting all of his mouth wide open and Frank then begins smashing the place up before he stop and asks Trent again.

 

‘’Do you understand?’’.

 

‘’Not quite’’. He mocks so Frank begins punching him again hard across the face knocking one of Trent’s teeth out and he then grabs him by the neck and squeezes hard.

 

‘’One more time….. Do you understand?’’.

 

‘’Yes, yes I get you man’’.

 

‘’Good’’. And Frank then lets go of Trent before leaving and  then quickly rushes back to his car and drives away. Frank drives a few blocks from Trent’s house and then pulls over. His whole body is covered in sweat and is heart is beating faster than it ever had before but at the same time Frank felt alive and despite feeling sick he felt so, so good and as he sits there he spots  phone box across the street and quickly jumps out and makes an unanimous call to the police telling them about Trent and the drugs and he then hangs up and rushes back to his car and drives home. When home Frank quickly strips down to his white bakersheets and throws all of his cloths in the washer after all he was a cop and he had seen enough episodes of CSI to know have to be extra careful with things like hair fibre and DNA and even though he did a good thing with Trent it would still go down as breaking and entering and assault and after his cloths were in the wash Frank headed to take a shower and then sat on the couch with a glass of whisky to help calm his nerves which were still all over the place and as Frank sat drinking his whisky he was still unsure as to if he had done the right thing. Sure Trent is a bad person committing crimes and ruining lives all the time but he still took the law into his own hands and if it as ever found out Frank would lose his badge, career and if Trent and his boys found out maybe even his life but despite it all, despite the fear there was still a part of Frank that felt justice was done and that once again he was finally making a difference.

 

‘’Man were busy’’. Says Tom as Frank heads into work the next morning.

 

‘’Really?’’.

 

‘’Yeah we busted a major drug player last night’’.

‘’Who?’’.

 

‘’Trent Benning’’.

 

‘’Trent Benning’’.

 

‘’Yeah a major drug player, the cops got a tip off and when they got over to his pad there he was strapped to the bed with all his gear out on display like a dam Christmas gift!’’.

 

‘’Any idea who made the tip off?’’.

 

‘’No but guesses are it was one of his tramps who must have got all angry or bitter about something, I don’t know but who care we got the prick’’

 

‘’He’s a pimp?’’. Asks Frank who knows too well already’’.

 

‘’Yep, you get two for one with Trent’’.

 

‘’So were is he now?’’.

 

‘’He’s being questioned right now, when the cops raided the place they found all his stash of drugs as well as half a dozen firearms and best of all his little black book of contacts so he’s in there trying to stroke a deal’’.

 

‘’Sounds positive’’.

 

‘’Hell yeah it is, the boys are going for a few beers after work if your up for it’’.

 

‘’All because of this Trent?’’.

 

‘’Hell the captains been smiling form ear to ear since he was brought in and he’s promised the boys he’s buying the first round so who’s arguing’’. And as an excited Tom pats Frank on the back and heads over to a group of gathered officers Frank stands and looks around the station to see everyone is in a good mood and everyone is smiling. Al year round there’s people be it out on the streets or sat behind a computer screen do it to catch the bad guys and to make the streets better and when a big fish like Trent is caught on the hook it makes everyone feel like there job is worthwhile and there all making a difference and who wouldn’t want to feel like that.

After work all the officers head for a drink with the captain and everyone is in a good mood.

‘’Hey fancy a game of pool?’’. Tom asks Frank.

 

‘’Yeah sure’’. And as the two head to the table they spot a couple of detectives sat alone in one of the booths.

 

‘’Shall we ask the dicks for a game of doubles?’’. Asks Frank.

 

‘Nah they wont, Dicks always think there to good to hang out with us mere officers’’.

 

‘’There not all the same’’. Replies Frank who recognises one of the detectives. His name David Stevens, he was an officer that unlike Frank passed his detective exam a few years ago but before that when he was on petrol Frank did a few shifts with him and he seemed like a decent guy.

 

‘’Come on I’ll rack them up’’. Says Tom as Frank grabs the cues.

A week later with everyone, especially Frank still in a good mood it is Sunday and his day off so Frank decides to o for an early morning run to, something he had always had to do as a chid as he so easily gained weight. His mother would say Frank would put a pound on simply by looking at a chocolate bar while his brother would stay slim much to his annoyance.

As Frank continued with his run he passed a newspaper booth were an old man with scraggly grey hair sold all the daily newspapers and as Frank glanced at the newspapers as he jogged passed he suddenly came to a dramatic halt as he red one of the headline printed across the newspaper ’ Who is the masked Crime Fighter’ It red with a drawn picture of someone wearing a black balaclava under the headline and as Frank saw the headline his legs suddenly began to feel like jelly and his heart began beating faster and faster in his chest.

 

‘’You okay?’’ Asked the old man. ’’You look like your going to collapse mister’’. He asks and Frank then tries his best to gather himself and calm himself down.

 

‘’Yes im fine thank you, I’ve just been pushing the whole running a little bit too much I think’’.

 

‘’You want a drink of my water?’’. He asks as he holds out a see through bottle of water. ’’Its what I bring for my dog but its clean, straight out of the tap’’.

 

‘’No thanks, but I’ll take one of those’’. Replies Frank as he points to the newspaper and the old man passes him it to Frank who pays him.

 

‘’Ok Sir, take it easy now and have a good day’’.

 

‘’Yeah you too’’. And Frank walks the rest of the way home. When there Frank sits at his kitchen table and reads the newspaper to find Trent Benning had been released on bail no doubt after giving several of his contacts up and after losing all of his stash and guns to the police he had decided to make a quick buck by going to the press and telling them all about the masked man who broke into his home, tied him to the bed and left him there for the police to find him and his drugs. Trent had excaudate some of the story like how the masked man demeaned the names of his clients and how he told Trent he was going to clean the streets of all of its crimes but amongst the lies the truth were there and to see it in front of his own eyes in black and white suddenly made it feel a whole lot more real to Frank and a lot more scary.

Later that night as Frank sits with a half drunk bottle of whisky staring down at the newspaper headline he hears a noise behind him and turns around to see the young women stood wearing his black balaclava.

 

‘’Your getting scared aren’t you’’. She asks.

 

‘’Of course I am, its here in black and white’’.

 

‘’Yes it is but  don’t see your name there, in fact I don’t see your name mentioned anywhere in the article’’.

 

‘’Its still me and if they find out. Plus Trent lied that I as trying to find the names of other drug dealers so what if they come looking for me’’.

 

‘’And why would they come looking for officer Frank Burrows?’’.

 

‘’You know what I mean’’.

 

‘’No I don’t Frank because your getting scared again and your going to let that fear take over again’’.

 

‘’This fear is a reality’’.

 

‘’No its not Frank, there’s not one connection to you. Not one finger is being pointed in your direction and if you’ve red that article as you say you have you will see it calls you a crime fighter, it praises you for cleaning the streets and taking out the bad guys’’.

 

‘’Until I got caught or gunned down’’.

 

‘’You wont, not if your clever and careful like you have been so far’’.

 

‘’I cant do it again’’.

 

‘’Yes you can and you have to, you cant go back, you cant go back o how things were’’.

 

‘’But if I….’’.

 

‘’You wont get caught and remember, remember how good it made you feel, remember ho important you life felt putting that lowlife Trent behind bars and helping Crystal sort her s**t out for the sake of her kids. If it wasn’t for you none of that would have ever happened and your going to stop now? Your going to stop helping people and changing things for the better because your scared?’’.

 

‘’Im not’’.

 

‘’Prove it then’’. She baits Frank before slowly disappearing into the darkness and when she can longer been seen Frank once more wakes in his bed.

For the next week Frank keeps his head down as the newspaper continues to ask the question of who’s is the masked hero but the way Frank sees it is if he doesn’t do anything for a while the press will become board and move onto another story to help sell there papers allowing him to get on with what he wants and as another week passes the story begins to die down and more interesting stories begin to fill the front pages much to Frank’s pleasure.

 

‘’Hey didn’t we once work on the beat a few years back?’’. Frank hears as he sits at the bar waiting for Tom after work and as he looks up from his drink he sees detective David Stevens looking down at him.

 

‘’Yeah names Frank Burrows’’. He replies holding out a hand which Stevens shakes.

 

‘’Stevens’’.

 

‘’Yeah David I remember’’.

 

‘’You want one?’’. Asks Stevens as he sits down beside Frank and offers him a cigarette.

 

‘’No, I don’t smoke thanks’’.

 

‘’Wish I didn’t too, I swear my wife she can tell ho many I’ve had, what brand and what time of the day I last smoked’’.

 

‘’She always on your case’’.

 

‘’She never clocks off’’. Adds Stevens and the two smile.

 

‘’Back when we were on the beat didn’t we once answer a call for domestic violence?’’.

 

‘’Yeah but it was the man calling on his wife because she was doing the beating’’.

 

‘’Oh yeah I remember’’.

 

‘’You know we shouldn’t joke about it because the other way round and we all look in shock horror but when it’s a man’’.

 

‘’Yeah but the look on your face when the guy answered the door’’.

 

‘’Yeah wasn’t it his eye or something?’’.

 

‘’Yeah it was out here’’.

 

‘’She really did a number on him’’.

 

‘’He just kept saying ‘take her away, take her away’ ‘’.

 

‘’Yeah I remember’’. And the two of them laugh.

 

‘’So you ever thought about going for your detective badge?’’. Asks Stevens who is completely unaware of Franks failed attempts.

 

‘’I have but I didn’t make the cut’’.

 

‘’Well keep trying man’’.

 

‘’Maybe’’.

 

‘’I failed the first time’’.

 

‘’You did?’’.

 

‘’Yep’’.

 

‘’Mental or physical?’’.

 

‘’ Physical. I’ve never really struggled with the physical side. I mean take the shirt off me and you isn’t finding no six pack or anything like that but I played a lot of football in school so im okay with that’’.

 

‘’So it was the mental exam’’.

 

‘’Yep I just choked. I already knew I had passed the physical side of things so this was it. I had my girlfriend waiting at home with a celebratory bottle of champagne and I just chocked, hell I chucked up before I even got in there and when I sat down my mind just went blank’’.

 

‘’ Well sorry to say this but its good to know not all you detectives pass the exam with your eyes closed’’.

 

‘’Eyes closed, I’d barely pass now’’.

 

‘’So what got you through it?’’.

 

‘’I just… I just told myself I’d keep going back until I made it and luckily nought second time around I did it’’.

‘’That’s the kind of thing I tell myself, that I’ll keep going back and never giving up until I make it. Becoming a detective has been my dream from a kid, watching all those old detective shows with my dad’’.

 

‘’Yeah me too but I had to sit in the local barbers to watch them because my dad as never around’’.

 

‘’He left you?’’.

 

‘’Mind as well have. He pretty much lived in the bar down the street’’.

 

‘’Well me and my dad did and from back then its all I’ve ever wanted’’.

 

‘’Like I said just don’t give in’’.

 

‘’Yeah thanks’’. And the two pick up there drinks and knock there glasses together before taking a drink.

 

Late one night a young man exit’s a club and heads to his car. When there he throws he half smoked cigarette to the ground and then climbs in but as he puts his key in he ignition a shape appears from the back seat and wraps a tie wrap around his neck quickly fastening it to the head rest of his seat trapping the man there.

 

‘’What the…!’’.

 

‘’Try and break free and I’ll sink this into your side’’. Orders the shape from the back seat and as the dark image appears from the shadow it is Frank once again wearing the black balaclava.

 

‘’I’ll f*****g gut you man’’.

 

‘’Really’’. Asks Frank as he points the knife further into the young mans chest without penetrating the skin.

 

‘’What the f**k do you want?’’.

 

‘’I want you to stop’’.

 

‘’What I’ve been selling my gear on your patch? Fine just tell me were it is and I’ll back off’’.

 

‘’I want you to stop using kids’’.

 

‘’What do you mean?’’. And as the man pledges his innocence Frank pushes the knife.

 

‘’Argghhh man!’’.

 

‘’Lie again and I’ll pierce the flesh’’.

 

‘’Okay, okay which one’’.

 

‘’All of them! If you want to sell that s**t then you face the dangers that go with it!’’.

 

‘’Wait man, those dam Mexican immigrants cruise around in there pimped out cars shooting at any competition they see. I have to look after myself’’.

 

‘’You use!…’’.

 

‘’Wait, wait I’ll pay you, how much?’’.

 

‘’You looked so smug walking out of the police station knowing you’d got away with it again’’.

 

‘’Its not my fault those pigs cant do there jobs’’.

 

‘’The only reason they ‘cant do there jobs’ is because you fill those innocent kids with so much fear they would rather be locked up than give up your name because you don’t just put pressure on them you put pressure on there whole family!’’.

 

‘’Hey I provide the money they need to survive’’.

 

‘’No you use them, you us them all!’’.

 

‘’Okay, okay no more kids I swear’’.

 

‘’I know your name Chris. I know were you live, I know were you do your deals and who with and im watching an if I see one more kid stood on a street corner selling your s**t I’ll be back and next time ill fasten you to this chair again and drive this car straight into the river do you understand!’’.

 

‘’Im not sure’’. He mockingly replies so Frank grabs him by the hair and smashes his face into the dashboard of the car again and again busting his nose wide open.

 

‘’Do you understand now!’’.

 

‘’Yes, yes’’.

 

‘’Good!’’. And Frank then climbs out of the car and immediately heads over to the payphone across the street but before he does Frank opens the backseat of the car and carefully places down a bag of pills on the back seat along with a small handgun and then slams the door shut.

 

‘’Police please. Yes there’s a man tied up in a red car on Washington street and he has previous convictions of drug dealing and he has drugs on him right now so send someone out immediately’’. And Frank then hangs up.

 

                                   TWO DAYS EARLIER……

Frank and Tom stop for lunch and grab a hotdog and as they sit in there squad car eating them Frank sees that across the street a shrine has been set up for a young boy.

 

‘’What happened there, did a kid get run over?’’.

 

‘’S**t no one told you?’’.

 

‘’Told me what?’’.

 

‘’It happened yesterday’’.

 

‘’It was my day of yesterday’’.

 

‘’Yeah a kid overdosed’’.

 

‘’But on that picture he looks about twelve’’.

 

‘’Try ten’’.

 

‘’Ten!’’.

 

‘’Yep and he wasn’t taking it’’.

 

‘’What happened’’.

 

‘’it’s the way this fucked up world works now Frank. You know about dealers using kids on streets sides’’.

 

‘’Yeah’’.

 

‘’Well that kid was one of them. He would sit out there on his bike going up and down the street even though he should be at school selling that s**t to whoever was buying’’.

 

‘’And what happened?’’.

 

‘’A cop car pulled up beside him. They were only going to ask him why he wasn’t at school but he thought they were onto the drugs and he got spooked’’.

 

‘’And then what?’’.

 

‘’In a panic he swallowed everything he had on him’’.

 

‘’Swallowed it!’’.

 

‘’He was a kid, he didn’t know any better and thirty minutes later he was dead’’.

 

‘’God dam it’’.

 

‘’Those junky dealers get  paranoid and they just go around shooting one another so to save there own asses they pass it on to the kids. Plus kids are a whole lot easier to manipulate and you only have to pay them half what you would a normal guy’’.

 

‘’Plus they get scared easier’’.

 

‘’Hence less chance of them giving up your name and you know those low life junkies will keep telling them ‘don’t worry you can only be convicted as a minor you cant go to jail’

 

‘’It makes me sick’’.

 

‘’His mother was out there all night just crying down onto the pavement. His dad’s a lowlife but his mother, her only crime was burying her head in the sand’’.

 

‘’Any suspects?’’.

 

‘’Oh yeah he got brought in last night but they don’t have anything on him’’.

 

‘’Who?’.

 

‘’Chris Masters, a young kid, real a*****e, he drives around town in a fancy car and everyone knows were he got the money from’’.

 

‘’So why isn’t he behind bars already?’’.

 

‘’If only it was that easy Frank, its not knowing who did the crime but proving it. Chris will have hid the drugs somewhere only the kid knew of and he will have sold them and then left the money were the drugs were hidden only taking out his cut’’.

 

‘’So there’s little chance of being caught’’.

 

‘’Exactly. We’ll hold him for as long as we can and put pressure on him but he knows what to say and he can afford the best scumbag lawyer drug money can buy’’.

 

‘’So this time tomorrow he’ll be cruising around again in his fancy car’’.

 

‘’While that poor kid lies in the ground and his mother cries a river’’.  And as Frank begins to fill with rage he looks on to see to young men approaching were the shrine for the kid and neither look up to any good.

 

‘’Who are they?’’. Asks Frank.

 

‘’I don’t know, maybe there paying there resects’’.

 

‘’Well lets go and see’’. And frank climbs out of the car as Tom follows and the two of them head across the street.

 

‘’Can I help you gentlemen?’’. Asks Tom.

 

‘’Were just paying our respects officer’’. Replies one of the young men who places down a small football at the shrine.

 

‘’You know him?’’. Asks Frank.

 

‘’Everyone knows everyone from this part of town’’.

 

‘’You know what happened here?’’

 

‘’No man and I’ve already been questioned, you can check your records if you want’’.

 

‘’don’t worry we believe you’’. Adds Tom.

 

‘’When are you cops going to do something about it!’’. Then adds the second young man who doesn’t seem more like he is under the influence of something than upset.

 

‘’Calm down, were doing all we can right now’’. Tom tells him.

 

‘’Well it isn’t good enough’’.

 

‘’Hey Carl calm down’’. His friend tells him.

 

‘’No man, we pay there wages and I want something done’’.

 

‘’You pay?’’.

 

‘’Well…. My parents do with there taxes’’.

 

‘’Look young man this street has seen enough drama right now so lets quieten the tone’’.

 

‘’No man you just know im right!’’.

 

‘’Carl leave it!’’.

 

‘’No man!’’. And as Carl begins getting louder Frank spots someone taking his glance out of the house were the young boy lived and knows those people don’t need to see anymore trouble so Frank tries to defuse to situation and grabs Carl by the arm.

 

‘’I’ve got this’’. Frank then tells Tom as he takes Carl around the corner to have a quiet word.

 

‘’Are you going to calm down or am I going to take you in son’’.

 

‘’I isn’t your son!’’.

 

‘’Well then….’’. And Frank begins diving into Carl’s trousers pockets. ’’Hey man you cant do this!’’. And Frank then pulls out a small bag of what looks like pills.

 

‘’So what are these?’’. Frank asks.

 

‘’There medication’’.

 

‘’Really’’.

 

‘’Yeah for my allergies’’.

 

‘’And what allergies are they’’.

 

‘’Look man with all the s**t going off around here I just…’’.

 

‘’Listen!’’. Frank demands of Carl as he grabs him by the face and looks directly into his eyes.

 

‘’The family of the victim have been through enough and right now all there life is, is hell so they don’t need some jumped up kid causing a scene at the place were the little boy was taken from them do you understand!’’.

 

‘’Yeah man, im sorry’’.

 

‘’We will catch whoever did this but you need too back off and give us tie to do our job’’.

 

‘’Yeah I know’’.

 

‘’So here’s the deal. I’ll flush this s**t down the toilet and we’ll forget they ever existed if you agree to stop causing a scene, pay your respect and move on because if you don’t I’ll bust you on much worse charges then a bag of pills do you understand!’’.

 

‘’Yeah man and err….. Thanks’’.

 

‘’Now go back to your friend and you don’t tell anyone about this do you understand. If they ask you lost them, they must have dropped out of your pocket’’.

 

‘’Yeah it wouldn’t be the first time’’.

 

‘’Good, now go’’. And Frank allows Carl to leave and as he does Frank places the bag of pills into his pocket just before Tom walks around the corner.

 

‘’Hey what happened?’’. He asks Frank.

 

‘’Nothing I just had a word with the kid’’.

 

‘’He cause any trouble?’’.

 

‘’No I just explained to him what the families going through’’.

 

‘’Okay we best be getting back’’. And the two of them head back to there squad car.

Later that day after work  Frank is at home wondering how he can use the bag of pills to help frame Chris Masters to ensure he at least serves some time behind bars for hat he did but Frank knows he wouldn’t do time simply for a single bag of pills so he sits there thinking of what else he can do.

 

‘’I have an idea’’. Frank then hears and turns to see the young women stood behind him once again wearing his black balaclava.

 

‘’What?’’.

 

‘’A gun’’.

 

‘’A gun’’.

 

‘’Previous convictions, just been questioned on the killing of a kid, bag of pills and a unlicensed gun he has to do some time at least’’.

 

‘’And were am I going to get a gun?’’.

 

‘’Police station from the repossessed lockers’’.

 

‘’I cant, there all numbered, plus you have to sign in to look at that stuff so it’d come back to me’’.

 

‘’Then how?’’. And as Frank sits there thinking he finally has an idea.

 

‘’I could buy I gun, clean it down and scratch off the licence number’’.

 

‘’There you go, good idea’’.

 

‘’But I need to be careful, go somewhere out of town, somewhere were no one knows me’’.

 

‘’So lets go now then’’.

 

‘’Now?’’.

 

‘’What’s stopping you and remember all the time you delay that lowlife Chris Masters is out thee on the streets making more money off of the lives of little kids’’.

 

‘’Your right’’. And Frank climbs off the couch.

 

                          CURRENT DAY…..

 

And as Frank hangs up the phone he takes one more glance back at Masters before heading back to his car….

 

A few days later while Frank sits at his desk going through paperwork Tom approaches and throws down the daily newspaper on his desk.

 

‘’Seen this’’.  He asks and when Frank looks down he reads the headline ‘Masked vigilante strikes down his justice again’ with a picture beneath of a man wearing a black balaclava just like Franks.

 

‘’I thought we’d heard the last of this guy’’. Says Tom and Frank is just as surprised as he is to see the headline. Frank never expected Chris would have the chance to talk to anyone from the press about who tied him up till at least he was released which Frank was hoping would be quite some time and seen as though Chris was still being questioned on a count of drug and an unlicensed gun handling it means the story must have been leaked much to Franks disappointment as the masked vigilante story had just began to settle down with the press.

 

‘’But Chris is still being questioned right?’’. Asks Frank who knows too well he is.

 

‘’Yeah they’ve got him this time’’.

 

‘’So how has this got out?’’.

 

‘’Who knows, maybe one of the cops who were called out to the scene or someone from here but its no big deal’’. ‘No big deal for him’ Thinks Frank.

 

‘’Do you really think we have some kind of masked vigilante patrolling the streets?’’.

 

‘’Well it looks like it’’.

 

‘’ I just don’t know why someone would take the risk’’.

 

‘’Me neither but at least it looks like there on our side’’. And as Tom walks away Frank looks down at the newspaper once more.

On the way home from work Franks mind is still on the headline from today’s newspaper and he is terrified at being caught and ousted as the hero wannabe. Frank felt as if everything was beginning to become out of control and he had to stop now before it was too late. What if more people followed his lead? Men with children who were who were sick of crime and decided to do something about it and got hurt or maybe even worse. Citizens with no training walking the streets with guns hunting down people they perceive as bad guys without any trail or court, the streets would be mayhem and everyone would…. Just then Franks car hit’s the car in front of him that had stopped at the lights. Frank’s mind had been so distracted he had not seen the car in front of him had stopped and crashed straight into his bumper.

 

‘’S**t!’’. Says Frank as a very irate looking man in a fancy suit jumps out of his car and approaches Frank and bangs on his window which Frank rolls down.

 

‘’Look im so…’’. But before Frank can speak he is interrupted.

 

‘’ Look what you did!’’. He shouts. ‘’Are you blind? Do you even have a licence?’’.

 

‘’Look I was just….’’.

 

‘’Ask me’’.

 

‘’Ask you what?’’ Replies Frank.

 

‘’As me how much my car cost me’’.

 

‘’Why?’’.

 

‘’Because it cost ten times the amount this heap of junk cost you and you’ve ruined it!’’.

 

‘’Its just the bumper’’.

 

‘’Bumper, try bumper, paint work and two back wheels’’.

 

‘’We just bumped it wasn’t a crash’’.

 

‘’Try telling my insurance company’’. Replies The irritant man who then walks away from Franks car and pulls out his mobile phone and when he does Frank reaches into his glove box for his insurance papers when really he wants to reach into his boot and pull out his black balaclava and teach this uptight a*****e a lesson.

‘’Look I have my insurance details so..’’. But before Frank can finish again the irritant man holds his hand up to Frank signalling for him to stay silent while he speaks on the phone in such an ignorant manner and makes Frank wait until he had finished on the phone.

 

‘’Right insurance details’’. Demands the irritant man who holds out his hand.

 

‘’Look….’’.

 

‘’Mr Snyder’’.

 

‘’Snyder’’.

 

‘’Mr Snyder’’.

 

‘’Look this was an accident and watch your tone buddy because your talking to a cop’’.

 

‘’Really well where’s the badge?’’.

 

‘’Its in my car’’.

 

‘’Exactly not on your chest so that means your off the clock and right now me and you are just two civilians so don’t try the whole power trip on me’’.

 

‘’Im not im just saying….’’.

 

‘’Saying what? How you’re a cop for a living so it makes this all okay or how because you have a badge in your car I should back down or something?’’.

 

‘’No, I just want you to calm down and talk to me like a human being and not something on the bottom of your shoe’’.

 

‘’Oh well im so sorry your crashed into my car, im so sorry I was in your way’’.

 

‘’It wasn’t a crash Sir’’.

 

‘’Mr Snyder, I told you before. Are you stupid or something!’’.

 

‘’No Sir but….’’.

 

‘’But nothing! You’ve ruined my day with your reckless driving and to be honest it frightens me a little to think we have people as dumb as you protecting our streets and I have a good mind to….’’. Franks lashes out. He cannot bear to hear one more letter come out of Mr Snyders mouth so he punches him across the face sending him crashing to the floor and as Mr Snyder lies there holding his bloodied mouth Frank races to his car and reaches into his glove box grabbing his black balaclava but just before Frank places the balaclava over his head something stops him and he begins to think. He begins to think as to what exactly is he about to do? What actions would he take once he placed the balaclava over his head? Would he hurt Mr Snyder? Would he frame him with drugs or a gun that did not belong to him? Or would he just threaten the man with a gun? And at that point Frank realised that things had gone too far and his masked vigilante had to stop, the power, the secrecy, the pressure had all got too much and it was time to stop with the mask and do things another way so Frank places the mask back in the glove compartment and climbed out of the car and back to Mr Snyder holding out his hand as he does.

 

‘’Here let me help you up’’. He offers.

 

‘’I am so going to sue your a*s!’’.

 

Two hours later Frank is sat in his captains office sat opposite his desk and staring down at the floor as his captain walks in and sits down.

 

‘’I could have done without this today’’. Moans the captain.

 

‘’Im sorry’’.

 

‘’I just isn’t like you Frank, this isn’t you’’.

 

‘’I just snapped captain, im sorry’’.

 

‘’Anything I should know about? Any problems I can help you with because im here if you need me Frank, im here for all my officers’’. And as the captain offers his help Frank begins to see flashes in his head of his action as the masked vigilante.

 

‘’Well Frank?’’. Asks the captain as Frank seems miles away.

 

‘’No Sir, everything’s fine, he just….. He just caught me on a bad day im sorry captain it wont happen again’’.

 

‘’Something happened today?’’.

 

‘’No Sir I just feel a little frazzled, I haven’t been sleeping well, plus I’ve had this stomach bug and it all got on top of me a little  and then this guy was screaming and spitting and I just lost it’’.

 

‘’Okay then Frank, im giving you the rest of the week off’’.

 

‘’But captain….’’.

 

‘’don’t worry, your not suspended and your not bring punished I just want you to go home and rest and let all this blow over. Get some sleep and come back next week’’. And Frank knows the captain wont take no for an answer and it probably is for the best that he gets some rest and lets it all blow over.

 

‘’Okay captain and again im sorry’’.

 

‘’Well don’t worry, I’ll take care of Snyder and you get some rest’’.

 

‘’Okay captain’’. And Frank shakes his captain hand before leaving.

 

‘’Sounds like the a*****e deserved it’’. Says Tom as he passes a Frank a beer.

 

‘’Even so I shouldn’t have done it’’.

 

‘’Do you know how many times I’ve pulled guys over for speeding or drink driving and they’ve thrown so much abuse at me all I’ve wanted to do is shut them up’’.

 

‘’We’ve all been there’’.

 

‘’Yeah well don’t beat yourself up about it’’.

 

‘’I’ll try not to’’. And Frank hopes that in the coming week the talk of the masked vigilante will once again die down in he press and he can also put it behind him and get back to how things were before everything spirals out of control.

 

‘’So you’ve got the week off then’’.

 

‘’Yep’’.

 

‘’Lucky for some I guess’’ Says Tom as he pats Frank on the shoulder and then heads to the toilet.

 

‘’So you going to be okay?’’. Asks Vanessa, Tom’s wife.

 

‘’Yeah I’ll be fine’’.

 

‘’Well this doesn’t seem like you’’.

‘

‘It isn’t trust me, I just lost it for a second’’.

 

‘’ Well me and Tom are here if you ever need someone to talk to’’.

 

‘’I really appreciate that Vanessa’’. Adds Frank.

 

That night as Frank sleeps in bed he finds himself in the middle of a nightmare…..

Frank is in the police station looking through a huge one way plain of glass at Mr Snyder who is sat very impatiently in an interview room.

 

‘’What’s he doing here?’’. Frank asks Tom as he passes.

 

‘’Someone else bumped into his car and he flipped, the other guys beaten pretty badly’’.

 

‘’That a*****e’’. Responds a very angry Frank.

 

‘’Can you keep an eye on him while I grab some stuff?’’.

 

‘’Yeah sure’’. And as Tom leaves Frank watches Mr Snyder and as he does he finds himself becoming angrier and angrier until it all becomes too much and he reaches into his pocket pulling out his black balaclava and he pulls it over his head before entering the room.

 

‘’Who the hell….’’.

 

‘’Shut up!’’. Snaps back Frank who slams his hands down hard on the table.

 

‘’Go back to the justice league a*****e and get me a real cop!’’. Smirks Snyder and Frank grabs him by the collar of his shirt and pulls him to his feet.

 

‘’You think you can walk all over anyone you cross don’t you!’’. Shouts Frank. ‘’You treat everyone you ever cross like s**t on your shoe!’’.

 

‘’Yeah well what’s it to do with you a*****e!’’.

 

‘’Im here to make you pay! Im here to bring justice to a******s like you the cops might ask you a few questions and then send you on your way but I wont!’’. And Frank then slams Snyder into the table head first busting his nose wide open.

 

‘’Stop!’’. Shouts Snyder but Frank then punches him in the stomach and then slams him head first into the table again and again before finally Tom and the captain walk into the room both with looks of complete shock on there faces.

 

‘’Frank…..’’. They gasp and as Frank looks at his reflection he sees he is no longer wearing the black balaclava.

 

‘’Frank your out of control’. Says the captain.

 

‘’You have to stop now before its too late, before you boil over again’’. Adds Tom.

 

‘’Because next time you just might not stop’’. And as Frank drops Snyder to the floor he looks at his bloodied hands with great shame and then looks up ad can see the disappointment on the face of his captain and his best friend Tom he suddenly wakes in bed breathing heavily and sweating and he knows it is time to change and if he really wants his life to be better the way to do it is once more go for his detective badge so Frank jumps out of bed and heads into his living room grabbing his black balaclava and he then heads to his small backyard and tosses the balaclava into a steel bin and with a quick squirt of lighter fluid and a match the balaclava goes up in flames as Frank stands watching and as he stands there watching the balaclava burn to nothing through the fames he can see the young girl, she is still wearing the balaclava but is it smoking as if it had been on fire and is ragged and filled with holes so the young women pulls it of her head with a look of disappointment on her face and throws it to the floor before walking back and disappearing into the darkness and when she is fully out of sight Frank smiles before throwing more lighter fluid on the balaclava.

The next day as Frank wakes in bed he feels a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He wasn’t worried anymore of the police storming his house and finding the balaclava, he wasn’t worried about putting it on again and possibly getting hurt or  even worse or the press finding out he was the vigilante and unmasking him to the whole country. Now all he had to think about was having a weeks rest and allow everything to die down and then go back to work and once again work as hard as he can to achieve his detective badge.

A week later Frank arrives at work feeling refreshed and ready to start again. He climbs out of his car with a smile on his face and heads through the front doors but as he does he can see the whole station is busy, everyone is rushing around or on the phones and he knows something big must have happened so Frank heads to see Tom who is fling out paperwork.

 

‘’Hey Tom hats happening around here, have we found Bin Laden or something? I haven’t seen it this busy since the shootout at the mall’’.

 

‘’I was trying to ring you’’.

 

‘’My batteries dead’’.

 

‘’Yeah well so is Trent and all his boys’’. And Frank then feels a shudder down his spine.

 

‘’Trent’’. He asks of the drug dealer he crept into the house of and threatened.

 

‘’Yeah the drug dealer we busted, he’s dead, im and all his boys baring one’’.

 

‘’What happened?’’.

 

‘’Trent was on bail waiting trail and he was at home with his boys when suddenly a homemade bomb that had been planted at his house was detonated and killed everyone expect one guy who was in the bathroom but he’s burnt pretty badly’’.

 

‘’Any leads?’’.

 

‘’Yeah we know who did it’’.

 

‘’Who?’’.

 

‘’ At first we thought it would be one of to thing, either a whole drug turf war thing or revenge on Trent for ratting out clients to save his own a*s’’.

 

‘’But its neither?’’.

 

‘’No, its this guy’’. And Tom throws down an old newspaper in front of Frank and as he looks down at it he gasps with fear, he can feel his heartbeat racing and the sweat gathering on his forehead and the feeling of sic in his stomach as Frank stares don at the picture of the masked vigilante.

 

‘’Him…..’’. Gasps Frank who is terrified that Tom will see the fear all over him.

 

‘’Yeah, at first this guy was just shaking things up, helping us cops catch the bad guys but this murder and we need to bring him in’’.

 

‘’But how do you know?’’.

 

‘’The badly burnt guy, he saw him and the masked vigilante spoke to him’’.

 

‘’And what did he say?’’.

 

‘’Something about he was tired of playing and he was now ting more drastic action into his own hands and he wanted the guy to tell everyone he meant business, no more warnings. We need to bring this guy in before he kills again’’.

 

‘’So what now?’’. Asks Frank as he takes a seat because his legs are shaking and he is scared of collapsing.

 

‘’We checking all stores to see when they sold any black balaclava and if by some one in a million shot the guy used a credit card’’. Luckily Frank had owned the balaclava for some time and it was a Christmas present from his brother.

 

‘’And were going through hours of CTV from around the area to see if we can spot any faces and we need to try and talk more to the burnt guy and check were Trent’s house used to be for any more clues’’.

 

‘’I cant believe it’’.

 

‘’Me neither’’. And as Toms phone rings and he answers Frank gets up and heads out without saying a word and goes to the bathroom. He then splashes water across his face with his shaking hands and looks at his reflection in the mirror wondering just what was happening, who was doing this and why and what the hell was he going to do now?’’.

After composing himself in the bathroom Frank heads his desk and drinks two cups of black coffee as he tries his best to settle his nerves.

For the rest of the day all Frank feels sick to the pit of his stomach with worry, he feels so bad he cant face the fought of food and all he can consume right now is more cups of black coffee which isn’t exactly helping and as he arrives home from the worst day of work in his life he sits down on the couch with a beer and tries to figure it a out. Who killed Trent and his boys and why? Plus why did they wear a black balaclava like Frank? Did someone know what he had done and was trying to frame him or was someone else following his lead and taking the law into there own hands, had someone just been inspired by Frank ad were doing the same or did someone just know what he did and anted him to suffer before telling all to the cops and as Frank’s mind wrestled with all the possibilities he grabbed another beer as he tried to numb the fear from within.

 

‘’Frank……..Frank…….’’. He hears and as he opens his eyes Frank once more sees the young women stood in front of him and once more she was wearing the black balaclava and it was smoking form the flames and covered in burnt out holes making it look even more scarier.

 

‘’There’s no need to worry Frank’’. She tells him calmly.

 

‘’No need to worry, I could go to jail or even worse! And bad guy or not I didn’t want Trent and his boys dead’’.

 

‘’Trent was no good and neither were his boys, there were corrupting more and more people everyday and needed to be stopped for good’’.

 

‘’You cant go around murdering people because you disagree with what they do’’.

 

‘’This isn’t killing someone because the colour of there skin or were they like to go for a vacation, this is killing a known drug dealer, a man who sold drugs for a living, drugs that destroy lives, drugs that kill people every single day and put more children on the street hungry. He didn’t care about anyone bar apart from himself and the money lining his pockets’’.

 

‘’The worse he deserved was spending years behind bars’’.

 

‘’To only get out in a few years and start back up again, plus you know how people like Trent get along in prison. If they have the money they can be treated how they want, pick there cell, have there belongings smuggled in and choose what they eat for lunch, hell it sounds a lot better than were I live that’s for sure and they don’t pay any rent!’’.

 

‘’But death’.

 

‘’You created a wave of vigilantes Frank

 

, innocent people who were sick and tired

Of being walked all over from the likes of Trent and his boys and finally because of you they stood up and announced they’d had enough!‘’.

 

‘’You cant go around killing people’’.

 

‘’That was just to send out a message, a message that the average man on the street has had enough so you shouldn’t be worrying Frank you should be proud, proud you made a difference

So get up and get to work because those new found balls you have are going to help you become…. And as Frank wakes from his dream he knows he has to try his best to put all of this behind him the best he possibly can.

Over the nest few days at work the Trent killing is still the buzz of the office and the story had caught fire in the media, was it a gangland killing? Was it a deal that went wrong? The press asked and the officers declined to comment. Another few days passed and the police were still no further in the Trent killing and as every sun set the fear of Frank eased a little until one day at work it al rose back to the top again when he saw a familiar face walk through the stations doors.

 

‘’Hey what they doing here?’’ Frank asks Tom as Detective David Stevens and his partner walk through the doors.

 

‘’There here to investigate the Trent killing, something about us not getting results and Trent being a leading player in there drugs crackdown’’.

 

‘’So there here to find who killed Trent and his boys?’’.

 

‘’Yeah they want everything we’ve got so far’’.

 

‘So no major leads’’. Detective Stevens asks the captain.

 

‘’Not of yet, after the bombing we rounded in about a dozen known drug dealers and users but they all claimed to no nothing and didn’t know of any rivalry or war going off at the time’’.

 

‘’Im going to need there interview tapes’’.

 

‘’Yeah sure thing’’ .And the captain asks his receptionist to bring the tapes.

 

‘’Trent Benning had a reputation as a pimp as well as a drug dealer’’.

 

‘’Yes were aware of that’’. Responds the captain.

 

‘’Have you questioned any of his girls?’’.

 

‘’Most’’.

 

‘’Most?’’.

 

‘’Yeah all bar two’’.

 

‘’Why?’’.

 

‘’One a err…… Samantha she overdosed on some s**t and almost died about a month ago, she’s been in hospital every since and she’s in a pretty bad way’’.

 

‘’And the other?’’.

 

‘’The other goes by the name Crystal Blue but according to all the other girls she quit the game before all of this happened’’.

 

‘’Did they say why?’’.

 

‘’She wanted to better herself according to them which they didn’t take kind to’’.

 

‘’I bet they didn’t’’. Adds Stevens partner.

 

‘’Were going to need to talk to this Crystal’’.

 

‘’Yeah sure I’ll give you here address’’.

 

‘’No bring her in’’. Asks Detective Stevens.

 

‘’May I ask why?’’.

 

‘’Just bring her in’’. Politely asks Stevens.

 

‘’Can I smoke in here?’’. He then asks.

 

‘’Afraid not, building rules’’. So Stevens tells his partner and the captain he’ll be right back before leaving for a smoke.

 

‘’My partner likes them to sweat a while in the waiting room’’. Stevens partner then tells the captain. ‘’He likes to watch them on the monitor, he says he can read there body language and there face expressions to see if there nervous or trying to think of a way to get out of it’’.

 

‘’wouldn’t anyone be nervous sat in a police waiting room?’’.

 

‘Yeah captain but there’s different types of nerves’’. And Stevens captain then heads to join him for a smoke.

A few hours later Frank is still sat at his desk when the front doors open and as he sees who walks through the door he feels his heart sink into his stomach amongst the nerves and the dread, he felt sick when detective Stevens walked through the door but this…. This was much, much worse and as Crystal Blue is escorted through the station Frank quickly dashes to the bathroom before he is seen and as he storms in he locks himself in one of the cubicles and bring up all of his lunch as the nerves and the fear intensify and as Frank wipes his mouth he looks around the cubicle and can feel the walls closing in on him. Frank had gone to the AA meeting to check on Crystal and there’s a good possibility she will remember his face from the meeting and when she finds out he’s a cop questioned are going to be asked and the captain is going to want to know why Frank was at the meeting and why he never mentioned his talk with Crystal Blue when they were going through there investigation of the Trent killing. Frank didn’t know what he was going to do or say.

 

‘’Detective she’s ready’’. An officer tells detective Stevens as Crystal waits in an investigation room.

 

‘Yeah thanks I’ll be right there’’.

 

‘’Oh and she asked for a cup of coffee Sir’’.

 

‘’Give her one, we need her onside’’. Stevens tells officer Miles who grabs a coffee and then heads to the investigation room were he finds Frank staring through the one way glass at Crystal.

 

‘’Hey Frank’’.

 

‘’Miles’’. And Frank then looks down at the coffee in his hand.

 

‘’Is that for her?’’. He asks.

 

‘’Yeah’’. And Frank then sees his chance. He knows he’s not allowed in the investigation room without clearance and if he did sneak in the camera would catch him and questions would be asked and he knows he cannot avoid Crystal the whole day and has to get in there first before she starts asking questions herself so a very scared Frank makes his move.

 

‘’Here I’ll take it in’’.

 

‘’Err…….okay’’. Says Miles who passes Frank the coffee. ‘’Detective Stevens will be here in a minute’’.

 

‘’Ok thanks’’. And Frank then heads into the room and Crystal raises her head.

‘’I brought you a coffee’’. He nervously tells Crystal.

 

‘’Ok thanks’’. And Crystal takes the coffee from Frank and as she does Frank can see she is looking at him and trying to figure out if she recognises his face.

 

‘’Wait have you picked me up before?’’. She asked.

 

‘’Picked you up?’’.

 

‘’Not like that, I mean have you brought me in before’’.

 

‘’Oh, maybe’’. Replies Frank who preys that maybe he has got away with it.

 

‘’No, wait I remember you, im good with faces, your from AA, you were the guy I was talking to and….’’.

 

‘’Okay, okay’’. Says Frank who stops her there.

 

‘’ Yes I was the guy at AA’’.

 

‘’So were you spying on me? Are you the reason why im in here’’.

 

‘’No I swear’’.

 

‘’So why didn’t you say you were a cop?’’.

 

‘’Because….. Because I was ashamed, I was ashamed of my addiction’’.  Lies Frank.

 

‘’Wait this is weird’’.

 

‘’Please Crystal’’. Pleads Frank. ‘’You cant tell anyone, you cant tell anyone that we met at AA’’.

 

‘’Why?’’.

 

‘’Because im embarrassed and .……… and I could lose my job, I was drinking on the job and drinking when I as out on petrol and if the captain finds out im either fired or forced to attend six months of AA but I don’t need it now, I can do this on myself’’.

 

‘’You cant cure alcoholism’’.

 

‘’I know but I haven’t touched a drop in six month plus I still have a sponsor who I speak to every week’’.

 

‘’Err…..’’.

 

‘’You’d be helping me a lot Crystal’’.

 

‘’On one condition’’.

 

‘’Name it’.

 

‘’Go see my boss, tell him I wont be in work today because im helping with there investigations and make sure he knows you’re a cop, show him your badge’’.

 

‘’You got it’’.

 

‘’Good because I cant lose that job, I need that job’’.

 

‘’I’ll make sure he understands’’.

 

‘’Good because my kids…’’.

 

‘’I know and your really doing well turning your life around’’.

 

‘’Yeah well you scratch my back and I’ll make sure  your buddies don’t find out you’re a recovering alcoholic’’.

 

‘’Deal’’. And with that Crystal takes a sip of her coffee just as detective Stevens walks in the room.

 

‘’Detective’’.

 

‘’Frank’’.

 

‘’I was just bringing Miss….. Blue a cup of coffee’’.

 

‘’Thanks’’.

 

‘’No problem’’. And Frank then leaves the room so detective Stevens can question Crystal and as Frank reaches the corridor he feels a massive amount of relief at what Crystal said. Sure he isn’t in the clear and the horror of everything he had done could still come back to haunt him but at least he had done his best to keep things under wraps and if Crystal keeps her word he should be okay…..

Frank returns home a relieved man and as he sits down and cracks open a beer he knows he isn’t clear yet but having spoken to Crystal he feels a whole lot more at ease and as Frank kicks back and turns on the TV a leaflet is pushed under his door. Franks first thought is a takeaway menu for the new place and seen as though he is hungry he gets up to take a look but as Frank draws closer he sees it is not a takeaway menu but an envelope that reads ‘Frank’. Frank picks up the envelope and opens it and inside on a clear white piece of paper reads ‘I KNOW WHAT YOU DID’ in thick red marker and Frank quickly opens his door and looks down the corridor each ay but there is no sign of anyone. He then races down to the elevator and then to the steps but whoever pushed the envelope under his door was long gone and Frank then backs up against the corridor wall before slowly sliding down it and he then sits on the floor staring at the letter in his now sweaty palm which confirms his fears and nightmares that someone knows, someone saw him as the masked vigilante and they know were he lives and Frank had never felt this scared in his life………

That night Frank doesn’t sleep a wink as he lies with his baseball bat by his bed and for the odd half hour his eyes do close all he does is dream of the young girl in the now burnt black balaclava…

 

‘’You have to stop worrying’’. She assures a terrified Frank.

 

‘’Stop worrying, how!’’.

 

‘’Think about it, why haven’t they gone to the police’’.

 

‘’Because they want me to suffer’’.

 

‘’What with a little letter’’.

 

‘’it’s a start’’.

 

‘’Its because they don’t have any evidence, nothing to pin the masked vigilante on you, plus you never killed anyone so there’s nothing to fear’’.

 

‘’What if its all pinned on me’’.

 

‘’If they could have done that they would of by now’’.

 

‘’So what do I do? Live in fear until this wacko is either caught or gets bored… or maybe worse, maybe he’ll kill me!’’.

 

‘’He killed Trent and his boys because they were bad people, your not’’.

 

‘’Well sorry but the line between good and bad is a little fizzy right now’’.

 

‘’Just get up, go the work and act as normal as possible’’.

 

‘’Well that’s going to be a little hard’’.

 

‘’This person doesn’t want to hurt you, they just want to scare you’’.

 

‘’Well its working’’.

 

‘’Stop, don’t let it, remember you’ve got balls now so start using them’’. And Frank then wakes up in bed and quickly reaches down for his baseball bat but no one is there, the

room bar him is empty so he eases his grip on the bat and then turns over to see he’s due at work in a couple of hours so instead of lying there and catching the odd ten minute sleep for the next hour he decides to get up and take a shower. After good shower and two cups of coffee Frank heads to work hoping that it will take his mind off everything but things are about to get a whole lot more worse.

 

‘’Okay we need to step up  the masked balaclava investigation’’. Tom tells him.

 

‘’Why?’’.

 

‘’The prostitute, Crystal Blue’’.

 

‘’Ex prostitute’’.

 

‘’Yeah, she was found hung from her living room light last night’’.

 

‘’No’’.

 

‘’Yeah and it wasn’t suicide because he left behind his mask as some kind of sign sick b*****d’’. And Frank feels s nightmare getting darker and the feeling of dread and fear in his stomach is as bad as it has ever been before.

 

‘’Who….. Who found her’’. He asks.

 

‘’Her kids’’.

 

‘’Oh God’’. And Frank then sits down on a hair behind him and looks down at the floor with his head in his hands.

 

‘’Hey are you okay?’’. He asks.

 

‘’Yeah its just….. She was only here yesterday and her kids……’. Replies a very downbeat Frank in a low voice.

 

‘’There here now’’.

 

‘’For how long?’’.

 

‘’don’t know, we cant find  any other blood relative so it looks like they’ll have to go into care’’.

 

‘’How long they been here’’.

 

‘’Since last night’’.

 

‘’Ok thanks’’.  And Frank gets up off his chair and heads to the captains office.

 

‘’Captain’’.

 

‘’What is it Frank’’.

 

‘’I heard about Crystal Blue’’.

 

‘’Yeah I have detective Stevens breathing down my arse again, in fact he’s due any minute him and his cocky prick partner’’.

 

‘’Well is it okay if I take a couple of sodas and magazines  for the kids?’’.

 

‘’Yeah sure just don’t talk about anything with them, a counsellor was talking to them last night and she’s due back in half hour’’.

 

‘’Of course I’ll just give them the things’’. And Frank heads to the vending machine for two sodas and grabs an old film magazine from his locker before heading to the kids.

When Frank opens the door he can see it straight away, pain, loss, hurt and tears hidden behind young innocent eyes and it was all his fault.

 

‘’I err…… I brought you both some sodas and a magazine, im afraid its only one of my old film magazines but its pretty good’’.

 

‘’Thanks’’. Replies the young boy in a sad, sombre voice.

 

‘’What’s going to happen to us?’’. Asks the little girl’’.

 

‘’I err…… I don’t yet know but you’ll be okay I promise’’.

 

‘’We have no one now’’. Adds the little boy. ‘’We don’t know who our dad is and our mom is…..’’. And he stops as his eyes begins to fill with tears.

 

‘’She’s an angel now’’. Adds the little girl. And Frank then quickly places down the drinks and heads out of the room and marches the bathroom, he quickly glances to find it is empty and then bursts into tears that roll down his cheeks at pace, Frank holds onto a sink as he tears drip down the drain and he then begins hitting himself on the head with anger asking himself ‘Why, why, why!’ and he looks at himself in the mirror and is angry and disgusted with the person reflected back ’’This is all my fault’’ He tells himself as the sadness and pain builds up inside him.

An hour later Frank is sat in the squad car as Tom answers a 911 distress  call. Frank sits there with a blank expression on his face the world oblivious around him and even when Tom climbs back into the car there is still no response.

 

‘’You okay man’’. Asks Tom who finally snaps Frank out of his trance.

 

‘’Yeah im fine I just…… I just feel so sorry for those kids’’.

 

‘’Me too, it’s a really sick world sometimes’’.

 

‘’I know’’.

 

‘’Hey why don’t you come to mine tonight, Jill’s making her world famous lasagne tonight and I could do with some help polishing it off ‘’.

 

‘’Why isn’t it good?’’.

 

‘’A few beers will wash it down’’.

 

‘’So that means no then’’.

 

‘’Just come and try it’’.

 

‘’Yeah okay and thanks’’.

 

‘’don’t worry, it’ll be me thanking you’’ .And with a smile on his face Tom starts the car.

 

That night Frank is sat around the table with Tom and Jill eating dinner. Frank feels relieved that he isn’t at home right now after the letter he received and talking to Tom and his wife eases the pain and guilt of everything that had happened even if it is just for a couple of hours.

 

‘’So what do you think?’’ Asks Jill as Frank tucks into her lasagne.

 

‘’I like it’’. He tells her and for the first time in a few weeks Frank isn’t lying because despite the overload of garlic the lasagne is pretty good.

 

‘’Well at least someone appreciates my cooking’’. Responds Jill who glances at her husband with a smile on her face.

 

‘’Hey come on baby you know me’’.

 

‘’Yes I do and I swear Frank I Tom had his own way we’d live off takeaway pizzas and Chinese food’’.

 

‘’And what’ wrong with that’’.

 

‘’Nothing if you want to look like wrestler from the eighties’’.

 

‘’Hey Luigi makes the best pizza in town, I swear his meat feat pizza should win awards’’.

 

‘’I know, I know we share one every week’’.

 

‘’Every week?’’. Asks Frank.

 

‘’Yeah its kind of our thing’’. Tom tells him.

 

‘’Yes Tom made us a little ritual, every Wednesday its Luigi’s meat feat pizza, beer for him wine for me and the football game, very exciting’’.

 

‘’Yeah but I watch those middle aged women prancing around like teenagers’’.

 

‘’You mean sex and the city’’. She replies with a roll of the eyes.

 

‘’That’s what marriage is I guess, compromise’’. Asks Frank.

 

‘’Yep, do things he likes and hopefully you’ll get the same back’’.

 

‘’No, it’s the spending time together that counts’’. Adds Tom and Jill is a little surprised at his caring comment.

 

‘’I agree baby’’. She tells him as she raises her wine glass with a smile on her face.

 

‘’You see Frank, compromise’’. Says Tom with a smile on his face.

 

‘’Go and sit with Tom’’. Says Jill as she washes the dirty dishes and Frank grabs a towel to dry.

 

‘’No, I’ll feel rude if I don’t’’. He tells her as he picks up a dish to dry.

 

‘’So Tom told me you were pretty cut up about the women who was hanged’’.

 

‘’Err……yeah’’. He replies as Jill brings all the sadness and pain flooding back.

 

‘’Im sorry for bringing it up’’. She tells Frank as she can see the sadness in his eyes.

 

‘’No its fine it was just…. The kids, I felt so sorry for those kids’’.

 

‘’Wasn’t she a prostitute?’’.

 

‘’Ex prostitute and no matter what she did in her life or how she earned her money she was still mom to them’’.

 

‘’It must be hard for them’’.

 

‘’I just hope they find a family who will love and care for them’’.

 

‘’Im sure they will’’ Jill assures Frank before he is called over by Tom.

 

‘’Hey Frank, your beers getting warm’’.

 

‘’Go on its fine’’. Jill tells him so Frank heads over to sit with Tom.

 

A few hours later Frank returns home and takes off his jacket before planting himself on the couch. He then starts to think about those two kids again and the torture they have gone though and in his head he sees Crystal lifeless body swinging in the darkness and her little girl crying on the floor.

 

‘’Stop it!’’. Frank tells himself knowing that it wont help and he stands up and grabs a beer from the refrigerator before sitting back down. Frank then turns on the TV and begins drinking his beer but unaware to him someone is lurking in his house. Someone is lurking in the shadows wearing a black balaclava. Just like Franks before he burnt him. The masked man watches Frank from the shadows before finally disappearing into the darkness. A few minutes later Frank climbs back off the couch to head to the bathroom but as he takes a leak Frank clearly hears someone walk across his single creaky floorboard which is inside the house! So Frank quickly dashes from the bedroom just in time to find someone wearing a black balaclava sneaking out of his front door.

 

‘’Stop!’’ Shouts Frank who knows it must be the same person who snuck the photos under his door so Frank gives chase after him. The masked intruder dashed down the hall with Frank giving chase and jumps in the elevator. Frank desperately tries to catch the doors before they shut but he is too late and as the lift heads down to the parking lot Frank looks across at the staircase door and makes a run for stairs as he desperately tries to catch his intruder. Frank runs down the stairs as fast as he can, sweat pouring from his forehead as he tries to keep up with his intruder and when Frank reaches the bottom he bursts through the door to the parking lot sweating and panting but there is no sign of his masked intruder. Frank scans the parking lot and as he turns around he is hit over the head by the masked intruder with a fire extinguisher and Frank as Frank crashes to the floor his sight becomes hazy as the masked intruder stands over the helpless and dizzy Frank and he presses his foot on the face of Frank pinning him to the ground and he stands there for a minute twisting his head from side to side as he looks down at the helpless Frank who slowly loses consciousness.

 

‘’Frank….Frank’. Squeaks old misses Fisher as she finds a bloodied Frank unconscious in the parking lot.

 

‘’Mrs Fisher…’’. Groggily replies Frank.

 

‘’What happened?. She asks and as Frank feels the blood from the side of his aching head he knows he has to think fast.

 

‘’I was…… mugged’’.

 

‘’Mugged!’’.

 

‘’Yeah but im fine’’. He assures old Misses Fisher as he stagger to his feet still feeling the effect of the fire extinguisher to the side of the head.

 

‘’You don’t look fine Frank do you want me to call an ambulance?’’.

 

‘’No I’ll be fine Misses Fisher thank you’’.

 

‘’What about your brother?’’.

 

‘’No there’s no need worrying him but thank you anyway Misses Fisher’’.

 

‘’Well at least let me help you back to your apartment’’.

 

‘’Deal’’. And Misses Fisher grabs hold of Franks arm and helps him back home.

When they reach the apartment Frank thanks Misses Fisher for her help and then shuts the door behind him and heads to the bathroom to clean up the cut on his head. Frank  washes away the blood from around the cut and then sticks a bandied on and pops a couple of aspirins for the pain and as Frank stands leaning against his bathroom sink he knows that he can no longer simply wait and hope this al goes away. Someone was after him, someone knew and wanted him to pay for what he had done and Frank had no were to turn for help.

Frank then heads to the living room and as he glances across at his front door he notices thee is no sign of a break in. The lock to his front door was in on piece and he knew for a fact he locked the door when he entered the apartment just like he always did so that must have meant the intruder had a key! Someone had copied his key so it must be someone close to Frank or who had got close to Frank but who? And as Frank inspects his front door he then begins to think about something else. What exactly had the intruder broken in for? Was it simply to scare him, beat him or something else and the cop in Frank then kicks in and he begins inspecting the house for anything out of the ordinary or anything that had been moved since he left. Frank checks every room, every draw, everywhere he can think of and as he is on his hands and knees checking under the cupboards he spots something under his couch wedged under there. It looks like a small tin box Frank had never seen before so he reaches under the couch and pulls out the small tin box.

 

‘’What the hell’’. Mumbles Frank as he opens the tin box and he is shocked at what he finds inside because inside lies a folded black balaclava just like the one Frank wore and his masked intruder along with two photos. One of Frank talking to Crystal Blue’s manager when he promised her he would and told him about Crystal helping the police with there enquiries but if the law saw that picture it would take some explaining as to why Frank was there and why he was getting involved and the other picture is of Frank burning his black balaclava all evidence of Frank being the original Masked vigilante and all enough to get him arrested and ruin his life and as Frank collapses back onto the couch his whole body begins to shake and sweat with fear. Who was doing this? What did they want? Do they want him behind bars or simply to suffer? Either way Frank couldn’t keep living like this. After sitting on the couch for over half an hour racking his brain with worry and fear Frank climbs off the couch and heads to the bathroom were he rips the two photos into tiny little pieces and then flushes them down the toilet and Frank then grabs his car keys.

Frank finally finds a store open late and heads inside were he grabs a new lock for his front door and he heads to the counter to pay.

 

‘’Late night DIY?’’. Asks the young man on the counter who’s name tag reads ‘Brad’.

 

‘’Yeah, break in’’.

 

‘’Sucks for you dude’’.

 

‘’don’t it just’’. And as Brad rings up the lock Frank picks up a four pack of red bulls knowing its going to be a long nigh and he cant see himself sleeping much after the break in.

 

‘’Hey my friend Mike once drank a six pack of these and he went crazy dude, jumping around the house, acting like a dog and he even jumped into an empty pool and broke his arm’’

 

‘’Did he now’’.

 

‘’Yeah but im pretty sure there was a little vodka mixed in there as well’’.

 

‘’Probably’’. And Frank picks up his things before leaving the store and heading back to his car. When Frank arrives home he cracks open one of the cans of red bull and goes to work on changing the lock on his front door. Frank doesn’t know who is behind all of this and exactly what there plans are but at least he’ll feel a little safer tonight with a new lock on his door.  Twenty minutes later the new lock is in and as Frank finishes off his second can of red bull he tries to see if it works and when he does he shuts and locks the door before sitting up against it and cracking open another can as he sits there wondering just how this nightmare is going to end.

The next morning Frank arrive at work in the middle of his big come down of the red bull and he is feeling all of the effect.

 

‘’Man what happened to you?’’. Asks Tom as he looks at the bandied on Franks head and the bags under his eyes.

 

‘’Mugged’’. Lies Frank yet again.

 

‘’Man you are the unluckiest person I know’’.

 

‘’Tell me about it’’.

 

‘’So you okay?’’.

 

‘’Yeah just a scratch’’.

 

‘’What did they take?’’.

 

‘’Just some loose change and a pack of beers’’.

 

‘’Why didn’t you call it in?’’.

 

‘’Embarrassment, s**t like this always happens to me’’.

 

‘’Well here’’. And Tom passes Frank a pepper spray.

 

‘’Pepper spray?’’.

 

‘’Hey those things are only for women and there a lot safer than a gun’’.

 

‘’No its fine, really’’.

 

‘’Keep it, Jill gets them given all the time at work and she has spares’’.

 

‘’So you carry one of these around?’’.

 

‘’I don’t broadcast it but yeah, it keeps you safe and like I said it’s a lot safer than a gun’’.

 

‘’Okay then’’. Says Frank as he puts the pepper spray in his pocket knowing he needs all the help he can get right now.

 

‘’Just don’t tell any of the guys’’.

 

‘’Course not’’.

 

‘’Oh and that detective is here again’’’.

 

‘’Stevens?’’.

 

‘’Yeah, the captain looks like he’s going to explode’’.

 

‘’Best keep out of his way then’’.

 

‘’Would if I was you’’. And Tom heads back to his desk and as he does Frank spots detective Stevens making himself a coffee so he head on over hoping to see if he can get any kind of update on there investigation of the masked vigilante.

 

‘’ Stevens’’.

 

‘’Hey Frank’’. He replies. ‘’Hey what happened?’’. Asks Stevens pointing to the head.

 

‘’Mugging’’.

 

‘’Really’’.

 

‘’Yeah just kids nicking my pack of beers and I got knocked to the ground’’.

 

‘’You see any faces?’’.

 

‘’No’’.

 

‘’Dam kids, drag themselves up because there parents don’t give a s**t and then terrorise us on the streets’’.

 

‘’Way it is for some of them’’.

 

‘’We need more cops patrolling the streets but with all the cut backs’’.

 

‘’Politicians getting rich’’.

 

‘’While we get mugged’’. Replies Stevens as he takes a sip of his coffee.

 

‘’So you here on the masked vigilante case’’.

 

‘’Yeah. We cant afford another killing, the press are having a field day and its making all us look like amateurs’’.

 

‘’So any progress?’’.

 

‘’Not yet,  We have guys going through all the crime database so see if anyone matches these murders or if we’ve ever had any past vigilante like murders and I have officers watching the hookers and the bar were Crystal used to work and any guys I can spare patrolling the streets but so far nothing’’.

 

‘’At least there’s been nothing since Crystal’’.

 

‘’Yeah but this isn’t a end to it and if one more body turns up and we cant give any answers its going to cause panic and as of right now I have no answers, no suspects, no clues no nothing’’. And with his intruder last night Frank doesn’t know if to be relieved or fearful.

 

‘’So what now?’’.

 

‘’We keep doing what we are. Checking the database, patrolling the hookers and hoping this guy slips and believe me in cases like this it can look like you’ll never have a chance and then one little slip up will bring this scumbags plans falling like a stack a cards and I’ll be waiting’’. And with that Stevens heads back to his investigation and Frank heads to his desk.  Frank sits at his desk staring down at his new set of front door keys and as he does he wonders just how far his intruder will go and just how much he wants Frank to suffer. All this started off as Frank further himself and his career but now all it was, as a nightmare that he didn’t seem to waking up from.

 

‘’’Hey you cant do me a big favour can you’’. Then asks Stevens as he peers over Franks desk.

 

‘’Yeah sure’’.

 

‘’What you doing right now?’’.

 

‘’Paper work, you know speeding tickets and s**t’’.

 

‘’Well do you mind heading over to the fosters care centre’’.

 

‘’Sure but what for?’’.

 

‘’I asked one of the workers there to speak to the kids, you know see if they spotted anyone hanging around the house or if anyone visited that they hadn’t seen before and I need to see hat they said’’.

 

‘’Sure’’. And Frank stands up and heads out to his squad car.

 

Frank arrives at the foster centre and rings the bell were he is met by a female worker named Claire. Frank shows her his badge and is then let in.

 

‘’Officer Burrows maim’’.

 

‘’Can I help you officer?’’.

 

‘’Yes one of your colleges were asked to speak to Crystals Blue’s children’’.

 

‘’Oh yes, Shelly, I’ll just get her’’. And Claire leaves to find her work college Shelly.

 

‘’Shelly im detective Burrows’’.

 

‘’Shelly Summers’’.

 

‘’Miss Summers’’.

 

‘’I spoke to the two children’’.

 

‘’And?’’.

 

‘’They saw nothing and didn’t see anyone out of the norm’’. And Shelly then passes Frank two sheets of paper in a see through case.

 

‘’Here wrote down everything they said for your investigation’’.

 

‘’Thank you that’ll help’’.

 

‘’Anything we can do’’.

 

‘’So how are the kids’’.

 

‘’A little distant and quiet but that’s normal with the ordeal they’ve been through’’.

 

‘’And any ideas what happens to them?’’.

 

‘’They’ll have to be up for foster im afraid, they have no close family to speak of and there whereabouts of the father is unknown’’. And the guilt inside Franks starts to build up again.

 

‘’Well can I….give them these?’’ .Asks Frank as he pulls two magazines out of his coat, one for boys featuring fighting dragons and the other a girly magazines featuring singing stars.

 

‘’Yeah sure, come this way’’. And Shelly leads Frank to the two children. As Shelley opens the door Frank looks at the two children and can see the pain and hurt behind there youthful innocent eyes and it is all his fault.

 

‘’Are you okay?’’. Shelley asks Frank as she watches the colour drain from his face and the sweat gathering on he forehead.

 

‘’Yeah im fine, I’ve just been a little under the whether’’. And Frank then looks at the Crystals two young children who are sat watching the TV.

 

‘’ Im officer Burrows’’. He tells them.

 

‘’We can remember you’’. Replies the young girl in a low, soft voice that sound like it had had all the life ripped right out of it  at time when al you should be doing is having fun.

 

‘’I brought you both these’’. Says Frank as he passes them the magazines’’.

 

‘’Thank you’’. Says the young boy’’.

 

‘’ So how you two holding up, they treating you well in here’’.

 

‘’TV’s got all the channels’’. Says the young boy.

 

‘’But we miss….’’. And the little girl stops.

 

‘’Well if you need anything just ask okay’’. Frank tells them and he then stands up and heads for the door as he desperately fights back the tears.

 

‘’Sorry, I just had to get out of there’’. Frank tells Shelley as he joins him outside in the corridor.

 

‘’You really don’t look too good’’.

 

‘’Yeah dam stomach bug. I best get back to the station’’.

 

‘’Well if I as you I’d drop that file off and head straight home’’.

 

‘’Think I will’’. And Frank thanks Shelley before heading back to the station.

 

Frank gives the file to Stevens and then heads back to his desk were he stays until its clocking off time and he then grabs his jacket off the back of his chair and heads straight home.

Frank puts his keys in the new lock on his door and steps inside and as he turns on the light he looks around his apartment and gaps in terror as all around the living room of his apartment black balaclavas had been nailed to the wall, it looked like there were hundreds of them all staring at Frank with there deep, black eyes and Frank then grabs his gun and quickly scans the apartment but there is no intruder lurking in the shadows this time so Frank quickly locks the front door and stands staring at the balaclavas.

 

‘How the hell did someone get in?’ Wonders Frank. ‘I changed the locks, im the only one with a key’ He tells himself. ‘Wait….’ And Frank then begins to think and he remembers that when he went to the fosters care home he left his long coat on the back of his desk chair and inside were his keys but that meant someone from within the station is doing this and they took his keys and copied them while he was gone and add to that ho did they know he changed his locks last night?’ And as Frank begins tearing down the balaclavas he begins wondering who could be behind it. Stevens? Who could be using mind games to make him crack? His partner? Tom? Someone else? Or maybe the person doesn’t work in the station but simply sneaked in, after all anyone could get to his desk and get those keys. Some with a few questions or filing a report, or maybe someone reporting a disturbance anything to get inside and get to his keys it would be easy and Frank knows it and as Frank tears down the last balaclava and stuffs it into a black bag he knows he cant stay here anymore but first he grabs the black bag of balaclavas and begins heading outside to burn them but he then remembers that the last time he burnt evidence he was pictured doing it and he didn’t want to do that again and give his tormenter anymore power to play with so he throws the black bag over his shoulder and heads out to his car stuffing it into the boot and then climbing in.

Frank drives around for half an hour not knowing were to go or what to do. ‘Come on think Frank, think’ He tells himself before finally he pulls down a small back alley and climbs out of his car dumping the black bag of balaclavas into a huge dumpster and as he heads back to his car Frank sees a red light beam on his chest and as he loos up he sees it is the beam of a cross from the church across the street and something inside him tells himself that after all his wrongs and all his sins he needed to be there right now.

Frank heads inside the church and remembers it had been a long, long time since he last stepped in one.  Frank heads down the aisle ad looks at all the lighted candles and the huge glass portrait of Jesus that stares down at him and when he reaches the front Frank feels compelled to speak.

 

‘’Im sorry’’. He speaks quietly. ‘’Im sorry for what I have done’’. He says as tears begin to fill his eyes. ‘’Im sorry for the people I’ve hurt, im sorry for being selfish and only thinking of myself. I cant…….’ And Frank looks down at the floor as the words begins chocking in his throat before he wipes away the tears and looks back up. ‘I cant bring there mother back, I cant bring Crystal back but I’ll do whatever I can to make all this right and I’ll do whatever I can for those children I swear, I’ll make sure they go to a good home and there looked after, I’ll make sure he is stopped and the killings go no further and then…. Then do with me what you may because I have sinned……’ And as the tears fill Franks eyes more and more a priest approaches him.

 

‘’Are you okay?’’. He asks and Frank looks at the priest will tears filling his eyes.

 

‘’I…..I……’’.

 

‘’Do you want to talk about it?’’.

 

‘’In there’’. Asks Frank as he looks across at the confession boxes.

 

‘’We can do it out here face to face if you wish’’.

 

‘’When you find out what I’ve done you wont want to look into my eyes’’. Frank tells him before he begins heading across to the confession boxes and the priest follows him.

 

‘’I have sinned father’’. Frank tells him.

 

‘’Tell me of your sin’’.

 

‘’I….. I did something for self gain. Something to improve my life and people have got hurt because of this. I thought……I thought it would be okay but it isn’t and I don’t know how to make things right, I don’t know how this is al going to end and even when it does I cannot take away the pain ad loss I have caused’’.

 

‘’Did you hurt anyone?’’. Asks the priest.

 

‘’Physically, no’’.

 

‘’Did you intend to hurt anyone in any way?’’.

 

‘’Only people who deserved it’’.

 

‘’And you think you’re the person to judge them on there sins?’’.

 

‘’I thought I was but I know im not now but its too late’’.

 

‘’We all make mistakes in our life but its how we react to them that judges us humans. You can never learn from them and make mistakes again and again with more and more people getting hurt along the way or you can learn from your mistakes and make sure you never make those decisions again’’.

 

‘’But what about all the pain and loss I have caused?’’.

 

‘’What pain and loss have you caused?’’. Asks the priest and Frank is scared to go into details.

 

‘’Am mother has……. Left behind her children because of me’’.

 

‘’She didn’t take them with her?’’.

 

‘’No’’.

 

‘’Then you have to be there for the children for now there are your responsibility’’.

 

‘’But there not mine’’.

 

‘’ But you wronged them, and you have to take care of them because they need you. I always hear people say blood is thicker than water but when someone means something to you its much more than blood, its soul and mind and heart and when you have all those things involved blood doesn’t seem that important’’. And Frank can sense that the priest thinks that Frank is the step dead of the two young children and the mother must have left because they broke up.

 

‘’Those children need someone and if you truly want to cleanse your sins then this is the way to do it’’.

 

‘’What about the pain father, what about the pain’’.

 

‘’Like I said son, learn your mistakes and don’t do them again and for the damage already done you have to make sure it doesn’t get any worse, you have to make sure the destruction is stopped’’. And Frank hears the priest loud and well and he knows what he has to do. No more hiding, no more worrying about being caught and ousted. Frank ha to stop whoever is doing this because it is his fault.

 

‘’Thank you father, thank you for your time’’.

 

‘’I am always here’’. And Frank climbs out of the booth and quickly heads out of the church and throws some money in the collection jar on his way out.

When Frank climbs into his car he knows he cant go home so he drives around for a while until he comes across a motel and checks in for the night. When inside Frank locks the door behind him and peers through the curtain but there is no one to be seen and the motel car park is empty so Frank steps away and takes off his jacket as he heads to at a shower. After his shower Frank sits down on the edge of the bed and turns on the TV as he puts his shirt back on and as he fastens  up the buttons someone knocks on the door. Frank suddenly freezes and looks at the front door with fear until he remembers the guy at the desk told him the maid could come around with fresh towels.

 

‘’Who is it?’’ He shouts but there is no response. ‘’Hello’’. He shouts again but still nothing so Frank slowly reaches into his jacket and grabs his gun before heading to the spy hoe on the door and as he peeks through he sees no one so he slowly turns the door handle and opens the door peering right and left but there isn’t any sign of anyone so he quickly closes the door and locks it after him. Frank then stands there wondering what to do? Maybe it was the maid but he knows it probably wasn’t and whoever as terrorising him had followed him to the motel and as Franck stands there wondering what to do and just how he can escape his nightmare someone knocks on the door again and a very angry and frustrated Frank rushes over to the door and flings it open holding his gun held high.

 

‘’Ahhhhh!’’. Screams the maid as she drops her towels to the floor and cowers in fear. ‘’Please don’t kill me!’’. She cries and Frank then quickly grabs his badge and shows it to her.

 

‘’Its okay im a cop, im not going to hurt you’’. He assures her and the young lady then stands up but Frank can see she is still shaking.

‘’Im sorry, I thought you were…. I got mugged okay and I thought I was followed’’. He lies. ‘’don’t worry your not in any trouble and im not going to shoot anyone I was just going to grab the and take them into the station’’. He leis again.

 

‘’Will they come here and cause trouble?’’. She fears.

 

‘’No, no, they already took most of my money and the beer I as carrying, they’ll be long gone shooting up somewhere’’.

 

‘’Okay but put your gun away’’. She asks still shaking from the ordeal.

 

‘’Yes fine just keep this between us okay’’. He asks kindly not wanting to cause any panic or attention to himself.

 

‘’Err….okay’’. And the young maid heads to the next room as Frank closes his door.

 

Ten minutes later as Frank lies on his bed going through everything in his head there is yet another knock at his front door.  ‘ bet the dam maid told the manager of our incident’ Frank thinks to himself but as he opens the door no one is there. Frank looks to his left and right but still there is no one. ‘Hello’ He shouts but no one responds so Frank looked down towards the car park and stood next to his car he sees him. He sees his tormenter stood beside his car wearing a black balaclava and in a flash Frank runs back into his room and grabs his gun before running down after him. Frank runs down the steel steps as fast as he can but when he reaches his car he is gun, the masked tormenter is nowhere to be seen but he had left something behind. Another black balaclava tucked under Franks car windscreen wiper. Frank grabs the balaclava and throws it to the ground. ‘Enough is enough’ He then tells himself.

 

Tom answers the door his hair messy and just wearing a t-shirt and boxer shorts.

 

‘’Frank, what the hell do you want? Do you know what time it is’’.

 

‘’Im sorry but I had no were else to go’’.

 

‘’What is it?’’.

 

‘’There’s been a gas leak at the building and there moving a few people out while they clear it out but they say it should be okay in a few days and it only affected a section of the building’’. Lies Frank who desperately tries to keep his dark nightmare under cover.

 

‘’Well you can have the spare room for a few nights man’’.

 

‘’Really’’.

 

‘’Yeah sure, no problem’’. And Tom lets a relieved Frank in.

‘’So it’s a gas leak’’. Asks Tom as he shows Frank to the spare room.

 

‘’Yeah, nothing major it a was just to be on the safe side, should get the all clear in a couple of days’’.

 

‘’ell this is your room for the next few days’’. Says Tom as he opens the door to the spare room.

 

‘’Thanks man’.

 

‘’don’t mention it’’. And Tom pats Frank on the back before going back to bed…..

As Frank lies asleep in bed he is woken by a noise downstairs. He quickly sits up in bed and listens for anything else and minutes later he hears more noise from downstairs. ‘Has he followed me again’ Worries Frank as he quietly climbs out of bed and pulls on his trousers before grabbing his gun and Frank then slowly opens his bedroom door and peers down the corridor but there is no sign of anyone so he tip toes onto the landing and listens from the top of the stairs were once again he hears something as if someone is moving things around down there so Frank sneaks don the steps with his gun in his hand so scared he can barely keep his hand from shaking as he heads towards the noise which is coming from the kitchen and when he reaches the door Frank places his head against the door to try and hear who it is but as he does someone shoots through the kitchen door several times luckily not hitting him and as a shaking Frank pulls away from the door he fires back through the thick wood of the door into the kitchen and Frank then kicks the door open and continues to fire into the kitchen hitting pans that crash to the floor and smashing plates that are stacked on the wall and after firing several shots Frank finally stops and looks to see there is no sign of anyone but he still keeps his gun held high and as he does he begins to hear someone sniggering from behind he breakfast bar.

 

‘’Get up!’’. Demands Frank as the sniggering continues. ‘’Get from behind there!’’. He demands and finally the masked intruder stands up from behind the breakfast bar with his hands held high.

 

‘’You piece of……… you murdered Crystal, you left those kids as orphans!’’.

 

‘’I was only copying you’’. He replies in a calm almost boy like voice.

 

‘’I never murdered anyone!’’.

 

‘’But you set the ball rolling’’.

 

‘’No, I made bad people pay for there crimes but you!…… you’re a killer!’’. And Frank tightens his grip on the trigger.

 

‘’Take me in then, arrest me’’. Calmly asks the masked man. ‘’And then I can tell them all about the both of us, what you started and I continued’’.

 

‘’I never hurt anyone!’’.

 

‘’I don’t think detective Stevens will see it that way’’. And Frank tightens his grip on the trigger.

 

‘’Shoot him Frank’’. He then hears and Fran turns his head to see the young women with the burnt black balaclava stood behind him. ‘’Kill him or its over, he’ll tell the cops everything, you’ll lose your job, your career and your freedom, you’ll spend most of your life behind bars if you take him in’’.

 

‘’I cant kill him’’.

 

‘’He has evidence incriminating you, remember the photos. And he’ll use that to strike some kind of deal and you’ll end up taking most of the flak’’.

 

‘’I didn’t kill anyone’’.

 

‘’Sure but you’ll still go down for a long, long time’’.

 

‘’What will it be?’’. Calmly asks the masked vigilante.

 

‘’Kill him Frank, he’s a murderer, he killed Crystal, he took away those children’s mother’’.

 

‘’A crack addict w***e if I remember’’. Adds the masked intruder.

 

‘’She was recovering’’. Snaps back Frank and even if Trent and his boys were pieces of s**t you cant kill them!’’.

 

‘’I did what you wanted to do’’.

 

‘’Do what you want to do this time’’. Adds the young women to a confused Frank. ‘’If he pulls the trigger he is just the same as the masked intruder but if he takes him in he will go to jail for a long, long time and his life will be over.

 

‘’Do it Frank, pull the trigger’’.

 

‘’Come on Frank, what will your decision be’’.

 

‘’Do it Frank’’.

 

‘’Shut up!’’. He tells them both but the intruder and the young women continue to pull him both ways neither coming up for air as the young women rapidly asks Frank to pull the trigger and the intruder asks for a answer.

‘’Stop talking!!!!!’’. He shouts and finally the room goes silent when Frank pulls the trigger……. But his gun is empty and the intruder stands unarmed. The masked intruder then looks down at his bullet free chest before looking back up at Frank.

 

‘’Now its my turn’’. He tells him before pulling out a gun and shooting Frank n the chest.

 

‘’Arrghhhh!’’. Screams Frank as he wakes up in bed covered in sweat and as Frank sits up in bed recalling his nightmare there is a knock on his bedroom door.

 

‘’You okay Frank?’’. Asks Jill from the other side of the door.

 

‘’Fine thanks, I just had a nightmare’’.

 

‘’Well im making some coffee if you’d like one’’.

 

‘’Love one thanks’’.

 

‘’Okay’’. And as Jill leaves to make coffee Frank wipes the sweat from his forehead and heads to take a shower to try and wash some of the fear away.

After his shower Frank heads downstairs just in time to find Jill pouring him a fresh cup of coffee.

 

‘’Here, freshly made’’.

 

‘’Oh you don’t have to do that Jill’’.

 

‘’Its fine I was making a pot anyway’’.

 

‘’Where’s Tom?’’.

 

‘’He’s just nipped out to the store for the sports paper, the paperboy forgot to deliver ours this morning and he cant go a day without reading it, its kind of a breakfast ritual with him’’.

 

‘’I always wondered how he was so clued up on everything football’’.

 

‘’Well now you know’’. Smiles Jill as she sits opposite Frank at the breakfast bar.

 

‘’Sounded like some nightmare you were having’’.

 

‘’It was’’.

 

‘’I haven’t had a nightmare since I was a kid’’.

 

‘’Well your lucky’’.

 

‘’So Frank told me about your apartment’’.

 

‘’Its no big deal, they just cleared out a small part of the building to be safe but I should be back thee in a few days’’.

 

‘’Its fine I don’t mind you staying here’’.

 

‘’Thanks Jill’’.

 

‘’don’t mention it’’. And the two smile at one another.

 

‘’Hey do you mind covering for me for a while’’. Frank asks Tom as they pull up outside the station’’.

 

‘’Sure, what’s up’’.

 

‘’I have a ton of paperwork to catch up on’’.

 

‘’You getting behind on paperwork, that must be a first’’.

 

‘’Yeah well I just need to get through some of it’’.

 

‘’Sure you do it’’.

 

‘’Thanks man’’. And Frank heads to his desk but he isn’t going to catch up on paperwork but instead to go through the files of everything his masked tormenter had done so far of including the murders of Trent and Crystal as he desperately tries to find any type of clue as to who is behind this and were they might be. Frank sits at his desk going through the files word by word hoping something will stick out but so far there was nothing. There was no prints found at the deaths of Trent or Crystal and no witnesses.

 

‘Come on there must be something’ Frank tells himself just as detective Stevens approaches his desk and sits on the edge of it.

 

‘’Hey what you doing?’’. He friendly asks as he looks down at the files.

 

‘’Are those the files on our masked vigilante?’’. He asks.

 

‘’Yeah I was just trying to help, to see if I spotted anything that might else’’.

 

‘’You know you don’t have to do that’’. Stevens tells him.

 

‘’I know and I know some detectives see it as officers sticking there nose in were its not wanted’’.

 

‘’No its not that I just already have guys going over it’.

 

‘’I know I was just…. Playing detective even if it is for five minutes’’.

 

‘’Hey don’t worry, its going to happen’’

 

‘’Well I hope so’’.

 

‘’don’t hope know, there’s a big difference’’.

 

‘’Well have you guys got anywhere?’’. Asks Frank hoping for some information.

 

‘’Still going through files, still patrolling the streets, we’ve interviewed more prostitutes and wee looking at all store records to see were and when a black balaclava was bough, I know its pissing in the wind a little but if it helps’’.

 

‘’Well let me know if I can help’’.

 

‘’Well there is something’’.

 

‘’What is it?’’.

 

‘’How you fancy a little stakeout’’.

 

‘’Were?’’.

 

‘’My boss is up my a*s about all the officers I have on this case and he’s called some off the case and as of now I have no one watching a house near were Trent Benning lived’’.

 

‘’Who is it?’’.

 

‘’A known drug dealer, been arrested a few times, spent a few months here and there behind bars and I just think that if this masked vigilante is intent on taking out the trash this dealer could be on his list’’.

 

‘’When do you want me to go?’’.

 

‘’The guy clocks off at six and there’s no one to take over from him’’.

 

‘’Okay I’ll do it’’. Agrees Frank who is hoping he comes across his tormenter and he can put an end to this himself.

 

‘’But what about my captain?’’.

 

‘’Let me deal with him, trust me he’s a lot easier than my boss the stuck up prick’’.

 

‘’Okay, give me the address and ill be there for six’’.

 

‘’Thanks man’’. And Stevens rights down the address. ‘’And I’ll go and speak to your captain’’. He tells Frank.

 

For the rest of the day as Frank goes out on petrol all he can do is continue to glance at his watch again and again waiting for the hand to stroke six. it’s a long shot but if Frank does come across his intruder he can put an end to the nightmare he started before anyone else gets hurt.

 

Jill is on the way home from shopping when she spots an elderly man climb out of a taxi with several cases as if he had been away for a while and heading towards the building were Frank lives and is worried in case he hadn’t heard of the gas leak so she heads on over to warn the elderly man.

 

‘’Sir, Sir’’.

 

‘’Yes Miss’’. He asks.

 

‘’I don’t know if you can go in there’’. She warns him.

 

‘’But I live here’’.

 

‘’But there’s been a gas leak Sir’’.

 

‘’Gas leak!’’. She then hears to see stood at the door another elderly women.

 

‘’Yes maim do you live in this building?’’.

 

‘’For the last twenty five years yes, me and my cat’’.

 

‘’Well I was just warning the gentlemen here that there’s been a gas leak and a part of the building was evacuated for a few days’’.

 

‘’Gas leak, there hasn’t been a gas leak’’. She protests.

 

‘’My husbands work college Frank Burrows’’.

 

‘’Frank’’.

 

‘’Yes he lives here and he was evacuated from the building because of the leak’’.

 

‘’I know Frank dear but there hasn’t been any gas leak’’. Miss Fisher assures her.

‘’Believe me if there had been a gas leak I would know about it, I play bingo with the warden every other day’’.

 

‘’Are you sure?’’.

 

‘’Positive missy’’.

 

‘’Oh…..okay’’.

 

‘’Is Frank coming back?’’.  She asks.

 

‘’Yes, as far as I know’’.

 

‘’Good, I was a little worried when I didn’t see him this morning, especially after the attack’’.

 

‘’attack?’’.

 

‘’Yes he was attacked down in the car park, I had to help him back to his apartment but he wouldn’t let me phone the police, that man is just too nice’’.

 

‘’Guess so’’. And a slightly confused Jill then says her goodbye before heading on home a little confused.

 

As soon as the clock strikes six Frank is outside the known drug dealers house. He locks all his doors and keeps his eyes peeled for any sighting, wishing, preying he turns up so he can end it.

 

‘’And what you going to do if he does?’’. Frank hears and through the front mirror he can see the young women sat on the back seat wearing the burnt and still smoking mask.

 

‘’Bring him in’’. He tells her.

 

‘’Why so he can tell them all about you’’.

 

‘’If it means an end to the murders so be it’’.

 

‘’You talk like it as innocent people who died, children playing on the street or a priest on his way to church ‘’.

 

‘’Trent maybe, but Crystal was innocent’’.

 

‘’Come on Frank we both know when someone dies there bad points die with them and we only remember the good. Crystal didn’t give a s**t about those children’’.

 

‘’Yes she did’’.

 

‘’Yeah im sure just before she was shooting up she was thinking ‘ I hope the kids are tucked up tight’ or ‘ I really enjoyed it in the park with the kids today’ You saw them, you saw the state they were in when you went spying, they were dirty, hungry and alone and whichever foster parents they do end up with will give them the love and attention they never got from her’’.

 

‘’She had changed, she was getting better’’.

 

‘’Once a junkie always a junkie, she have relapsed  and gone back on the game to help feed her addiction, those kids had been through enough and her killing was a bless…’’.

 

‘’don’t say it, don’t even dare’’.

 

‘’That’s the guilt talking Frank not the logic’’.

 

‘’We cant go around killing people who do us wrong, if we did we’d be no different from the animals’’.

 

‘’Animals, that’s all we are. Do you know that we share 99.9 per cent DNA will a chimpanzee, in fact we are closer related to chimpanzee than they are to gorilla’’.

 

‘’Pretty impressive’’.

 

‘’Thanks I learned that at school and that’s all we are Frank, animals were just so far up the food chain we forget that’’.

 

‘’Well I see things different’’.

 

‘’Go ahead then but if you don’t kill him he’s going to kill you or prison will do it for him because those inmates will eat up a former pig and we both know it’’ And just then Frank sees someone approaching the house he is staking out and the young man knocks on the front door. Minutes later the known drug dealer who lives there answers the door and after the young man slips him some money the drug dealer passes him a small bag of pills.

 

‘’There you go’’. Says the young women. ‘’Supply and possession you can arrest them both’’.

 

‘’Not yet’’. Says Frank just in case his intruder appears.

 

Jill is sat watching TV with her husband Tom when she tells him about Franks apartment.

 

‘’Hey something weird happened today’’.

 

‘’You learnt ho to use the iron?’’. Smirks Tom to which he receives an elbow to the ribs.

 

‘’No I passed the building were Frank lives’’.

 

‘’And?’’. Asks Tom who is only half listening as he is engrossed in the game on TV.

 

‘’An old man was heading inside so I warned him about the gas leak’’.

 

‘’Really’’.

 

‘’Yes and some lady who lived there said there hasn’t been one’’.

 

‘’She the warden or something?’’.

 

‘’No but she knew the warden, Frank too’’.

 

‘’Probably doesn’t know about it’’.

 

‘’No she pays bingo with the warden and she was worried because she hadn’t seen Frank’’.

 

‘’don’t fret’’.

 

‘’Im not its just strange, why would Frank lie’’.

 

‘’yeah’’.

 

‘’Maybe its because he got mugged and he’s scared to be at home alone but doesn’t want people to know that’’. She wonders

 

‘’Okay’’

 

‘’Okay, are you even listening?’’. She asks.

 

‘’Yes, sure baby’’. Tom replies with a smile on his face to which Jill hits him over the head with a pillow.

 

Frank glances at his watch to see it is almost eleven o’clock and there was no sign of anyone so Frank calls it a night and heads back to Tom’s house.

 

‘’Were you been?’’. Asks Tom who is just of to bed.

 

‘’Been to see my brother’’.

 

‘’He okay?’’.

 

‘’Fine’’.

 

‘’Okay night man’’.

 

‘’Night Tom’’. And as Tom heads up to bed Frank takes off his jacket before heading to straight to bed himself.

 

The next morning Frank drops off more magazines for Crystals kids before heading into to work were he sees detective Stevens stood by the water cooler so heads over to tell him about the stakeout.

 

‘’Stevens’’.

 

‘’Hey Frank’’.

 

‘’So how’s things going?’’.

 

‘’Spent most of yesterday knee deep in hookers and not in a good way, I swear if I hear one more person tell me they know nothing I think I’ll scream’’.

 

‘’No luck then’’.

 

‘’I just wish they knew how much danger they could be in because if this guy strikes again and believe me he will it could be any of them’’.

 

‘’Well that’s why im here’’.

 

‘’What is it’’.

 

‘’The stakeout, I stopped while eleven but no sign of anyone’’.

 

‘’Well at least someone was there’’.

 

‘’I’ll go again tonight’’.

 

‘’What time you clock off today?’’.

 

‘’Five’’.

 

‘’Well are you sure because its your time’’.

 

‘’I know and I’ll do it’’.

 

‘’Well thanks man, I’ll let the guys who finish at six know your coming’’.

 

‘’Okay’’. And Stevens pats Frank on the shoulder before leaving.

 

‘’What was all that about?’’.

 

‘’Asks Tom’’. As he approaches Frank.

 

‘’Oh nothing’’.

 

‘’Come on man I heard him thank you an I know he was talking to the captain yesterday concerning you’’.

 

‘’Do you have cameras hidden around here or something?’’.

 

‘’Only in the ladies, now spill’’. And Frank knows he ha to say something.

 

‘’Okay im helping with the investigation’’.

 

‘’Helping how?’’.

 

‘’A little stakeout’’.

 

‘’Way to go Frank, that’s got to help with the whole detective thing’’.

 

‘’ That’s what I was thinking’’. Lies Frank.

 

‘’So were you staking out’’.

 

‘’A known drug dealer, small time but Stevens thinks he could be a possible target for the masked vigilante and he hasn’t got the man power to cover everywhere so I said I’d help’’.

 

‘’And that’s where you were last night’’.

 

‘’Yeah, im sorry’’.

 

‘’No man nothing to be sorry about I know how much becoming detective means to you’’.

 

‘’Well every little helps I guess’’.

 

‘’Yes it does and I’ll come with you tonight’’.

 

‘’No its fine’’. Protests Frank.

 

‘’Its okay Frank I want to help’’.

 

‘’What about Jill’’.

 

‘’She’s going to her friends tonight, they have this night were all the girls get together, drinking wine and talking about there husbands or whatever im all yours’’.

 

‘’Really Tom, thanks but I’ll be okay’’.

 

‘’No, no I’ll order a pizza, it’ll be fun but no doughnuts that’s so cliché’’. And Frank knows that f he protests too much Tom will wonder why but if the masked intruder does turn up he wont be able to do nothing with Tom there so Frank is stuck between a rock and a hard place.

 

‘’Well…. I guess’’. He tells Tom knowing he cant say no.

 

‘’Great’’. And Tom pats Frank on the shoulder before walking away and as he does Frank wonders just what he would do if the masked intruder does turn up tonight and Tom is right by his side.

That night after there shift both Frank and Tom arrive at the stakeout.

 

‘’So who’s house is that?’’. Asks Tom.

 

‘’A small time drug dealer, detective Stevens thinks he could be a possible target for the masked vigilante’’.

 

‘’So we just sit here and see if he turns up’’.

 

‘’Yep’’. Replies Frank and for the next four hours the two of them sit in the car but there is no sign of anyone.

 

‘’S**t no ones coming’’. Says Tom as the numbness of his a*s begins to spread down his legs. ‘’Come on Frank lets call it a night’’.

 

‘’Another hour’’.

 

‘’No ones been or gone form the house in the last four hours’’.

 

‘’But it’ll just be my luck that as soon as we leave something will happen’’.

 

‘’don’t forget this masked vigilante’s a killer and im sure he wont mind offing cops’’.

 

‘’We both have our weapons’’.

 

‘’Yeah but were not wearing our uniforms’’.

 

‘’Okay half an hour and then we’ll go get pizza’’.

 

‘’Okay half hour’’. And as Tom slumps back in his chair and the rain outside begins to fall hard he finally spots something across at the house and sits up straight in his chair.

 

‘’ Hey what is that?’’. He asks.

 

‘’What?’’. Asks Frank who struggles to see through the heavy falling rain.

 

‘’Look down the side of the house’’. And as Frank grabs the binoculars he sees what looks like his masked intruder slowly opening a window of the known drug dealers house.

 

‘’Its him’’.

 

‘’Come on then’’.  Says Tom who grabs his gun and climbs out of the car.

 

‘’Wait’’. Asks Frank who follows Tom across the street to the small open window and the two then peer inside.

 

‘’I cant see him’’. Whispers Tom and a frustrated Frank knows that if he was on his own he could have gone in after the masked intruder and finally ended this nightmare but with Tom by his side it was a completely different matter.

 

‘’Lets call for back up’’. Says Frank.

 

‘’What and wait for the dicks to arrive so they can take all the credit while we’ve been sat numb on our asses for the last four hours’’. Replies Tom as his dislike towards detectives plays on his decisions again.

 

‘’He could be armed’’.

 

‘’Like you said Frank we both have our weapons’’. And Tom slowly climbs through the window into the drug dealers house as he goes after the masked vigilante.

Frank follows Tom into the dark house as they search for the masked vigilante with there guns held high. Firstly the two of them head into the kitchen were only the left open door of the refrigerator gives them light but there is no sign of anyone so they head out into the living room were a bong pipe stands on a table surrounded by scattered cigarette papers but still no one to be seen so Tom points to the big wooden stairs and the two of them head up. The two of them slowly climb the creaking wooden steps Frank scared at what they will find. Will his masked intruder try to kill them both. Will the drug dealer be dead or will his secret be exposed. The two of them reach the top of the stairs and Frank follows Tom as he slowly heads across the long hall and when they reach the first room Tom stands aside the door ledge and then slowly peers inside with his gun held high closely followed by Frank and the two of them head into the room and search through the darkness but there is no sign of anyone so the two of them head back out to the hall and slowly head towards the next room. Frank wipes the sweat from his forehead and he tries to calm the shaking in his legs as the fear kicks in at just what they will find and what will happen.

 

‘’Lets call for backup’’. Whispers Frank.

 

‘’Not yet’. Replies Tom as they reach a closed door and a the two stand behind the closed door they can hear someone inside.

 

‘’He’s in there’’. Whispers Tom.

 

‘’So lets call backup’’. Pleads Frank who is sacred that if his masked tormenter sees him everything will be revealed.

 

‘’On the count of three’’. Whispers Tom.

 

‘’1.…,2.……’’. And as Tom counts down Franks legs shake with fear and sweat pours from his forehead as his nightmare lies in wait behind the thick wooden door.

 

‘’3’’…….. But before Tom can open the door it is kicked open from the inside and a huge man in a black vest fires from close range straight into the stomach of Tom who also gets a shot away into the chest of the huge man but the impact of the shotgun from close range  sends Tom flying down the hall.

 

‘’Tom……Tom!’’. Screams Frank who checks on his partner who lies in a puddle of blood on the hall.

 

‘’Tom I’ll get help just hold on!’’. He screams but when Frank kneels down by his friend he quickly sees that Tom is already dead and as he looks at his hand covered in his partners and best friends blood Frank breaks down in tears.

 

‘’Help me……..’’. Frank then hears and turns around to see the huge man who shot Tom isn’t dead. ‘’I need an ambulance’’. He struggles to say and Frank climbs to his feet with Toms blood dripping from his hand as he walks over to the huge man.

 

‘’Why did you shoot him!’’. Frank demands to know as he wipes the tears from his eyes.

 

‘’I…… I didn’t know you were cops. I though…….. I thought you were drug dealers raiding me for my stuff’’.  He tells Frank as blood drips from his gunshot wound and the huge man struggles for breathe.

 

‘’I need an ambulance… pleas im dying’’. He pleads to Frank who stands there looking down at the huge man with tears filling his eyes and Frank aims his gun down at the huge man as the tears gather more and more in his eyes.

 

‘’Please……’’. Pleads the huge man as the gun in Franks hand begins to shake as he contemplate killing him and Frank tightens his grip on the gun and pulls back the trigger but before he can do anything else Frank sees something downstairs and looks over the banister to see his masked tormenter just leaving through the front door.

 

‘’Stop!’. He shouts down but he masked tormenter looks up at him and then dashes through the front door out into the heavy falling rain so Frank dashes after him.

 

‘’Wait…… don’t leave me’’. Pleads the huge man and Frank glances back at him knowing he needs urgent medical care but if he calls for help the masked tormenter will be gone so Frank has to make a split decision and he quickly does chasing after his masked tormenter leaving the huge man to bleed on the hall and Frank rushes out to the rain to see his masked tormenter racing down the back alley so Frank chases after him with his gun held high determined to finally put an end to this terrible nightmare that was getting worse and worse by the second and as Frank sees his masked tormenter is getting away he chases faster and faster as fast as he can through the pouring down rain and as Frank splashes through the huge puddles he refuses to give up the chase and draws in closer and closer but as he races through the wet alley way he slips in the rain and Frank crashes to the floor twisting his ankle badly as he lands.

 

‘’Arrghhhh!’’ .Screams Frank as he hears a crack in his ankle and as he lies on the floor he desperately tries to get back to his feet but the pain is too bad and he cannot put any weight on his injured ankle so Frank immediately crashes back down to the ground in agony. Frank lies on the ground holding his injured ankle angry with himself that he fell land hurt himself and that his masked tormenter had got away and as Frank looks up he can se his gun on the ground so reaches over to grab it before just as he reaches for the gun it is kicked away out of his reach and as Frank rolls onto his back and looks up he sees his masked tormenter staring down at him and he can feel his smirk under the black balaclava and as Frank lies there helpless he looks on as his masked tormenter reaches down to the ground and grabs Franks gun before aiming it down at him and Frank knows there is nothing he can do but in a way Frank wants the trigger to be pulled. He wanted it to be pulled so his nightmare was over. Crystal, Trent, his boys and now his best friend Tom were all dead because of him. Those two children were parentless because of him. So much pain, so much hurt and guilt and selflessness because of him and Frank knew that with that trigger pulled all of his guilt and hurt and regret would be over in a flash.

 

‘’Go on…. Do it!’’. He screams at his masked tormenter who keeps the gun aimed at him.

 

‘’Go on, what are you waiting for! Pull the trigger, shoot me!’’. He screams again.

 

‘’Go on, what are you waiting for! Do it…. Do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1’’. He screams again and again but his masked tormenter simply stands there with the gun aimed down at him.

 

‘’Go on! Do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!’’. He screams but instead of shooting him the masked intruder throws the gun down into the rain out of Franks reach and then grabs the bottom of his balaclava and Frank is amazed, he is shocked. His masked tormenter is simply going to reveal all, reveal his identity to Frank but why? Why now? What does he gain by showing Frank who he is?  Does he simply want Frank to know who had been behind everything before he kills him or is it something more and as Frank looks on in amazement his masked tormenter pulls off his black balaclava and as Frank holds his breathe the balaclava is pulled off but Frank doesn’t see what he wished, he doesn’t see what he thought or what he wanted because underneath the black balaclava simply lies another as his masked tormenter was wearing two masks making Frank suffer more and more.

 

‘’Who…… who are you…..’’. Pleads Frank as the pain in his ankle kicks in and he slowly loses consciousness and his masked tormenter stares down at him……

 

Hours later Frank wakes to find himself laid in a hospital bed with his foot in plaster and as he tries to sit up in bed a nurse sees he is awake and heads on over to his bed.

 

‘’Mr Burrows your awake’’. Says the nurse as she helps Frank sit up in bed.

 

‘’How long have I been out?’’.

 

‘’A few hours. Your ankle was broken but the doctor says it’ll be fine and its only a minor break so you’ll be on your feet soon’’. And Frank then looks through the glass window to see detective Stevens stood out in the hall talking to Franks captain who looks less than happy as he waves his finger in Steven’s face.

 

‘’Looks like I have visitors’’.

 

‘’They’ve been here some time’’.

 

‘’Okay, send them in’’. Asks Frank and the nurse heads to the door and calls them in but detective Stevens waits in the hall on the instructions of the captain.

 

‘’Frank what the hell’’. Asks the captain.

 

‘’Im sorry captain, I really am’’.

 

‘’You should have told me what you were doing. Stevens shouldn’t be using my task force for stakeouts, he has his own men to do his dirty work and its not us’’.

 

‘’I offered captain, I offered to help’’.

 

‘’But you went there blind and without backup, hell you weren’t even in your squad car so you couldn’t have even called for backup’’.

 

‘It was off duty captain’’.

 

‘’No it was wrong and Stevens knows that. He cant us my men for situations like this, your not trained for it and its not your job’’.

 

‘’I thought I could help captain’’. And as the captain looks down he can see the tears gathering in Franks eyes as well as his bottom lip beginning to wobble so the Capitan sits down on the edge of the bed and looks up at the ceiling giving out a big sigh before looking back at Frank.

 

‘’Just rest for now son, I know you were trying to help and like I’ve told you before if there were more officers in my task force like you my job would be a lot easier’’.

 

‘’I got…… I got my partner killed.’’. Says Frank as he desperately tries to hold back the tears. ‘’Im not  good officer captain’’.

 

‘’Hey, stop that right now and I hear you talking like that again I’ll make your ankles match. You’re a good person Frank and a great officer and Tom being there was his decision not yours. He was there wanting to help just like you. He wasn’t simply picking up his pay check and pissing it all away at some bar, he wanted to make a difference just like you and I never want to hear you bring yourself down because of that o you hear me’’.

 

‘’ Yes captain’’.

 

‘’Good, now get some rest and I’ll go get you some real food’’.

 

‘’Thanks captain’’.

 

‘’Anytime’’. And the captain pats Frank on the shoulder and then passes him a tissue for his eyes before leaving and as Frank wipes the tears detective Stevens walks in the room and he too looks like he was taking it all pretty badly.

 

‘’Hey your captain told me not to come in so if you want me…..’’.

 

‘’No its fine’’. Frank tells him and detective Stevens sits in the chair beside Franks bed.

 

‘’If you want to talk about it later Frank I understand’’.

 

‘’No really, I need to tell someone’’.

 

‘’Okay’’. And Stevens takes out his notepad and pen.

 

‘’We were sat outside the house for  about four hours with nothing happening, no one going in the house and no one going out. And then we saw him’’.

 

‘’Saw who?’’.

 

‘’The masked vigilante’’.

 

‘’ So this will have been around 10 o’clock?’’.

 

‘’Yes’’.

 

‘’And what was he doing?’’.

 

‘’He didn’t see us, he was sneaking into the house through an unlocked window by the side of the house wearing his black balaclava and a long black rain coat’’.

 

‘’And what did you and officer Tom do?’’.

 

‘’Officer Tom wanted to follow the masked vigilante so we could arrest him so we did and we too sneaked in by the open window’’.

 

‘’And you entered the house?’’.

 

‘’Yes, we checked the downstairs first but there was no one so we headed upstairs and after checking one of the room we came across a shut door were we could hear someone on the other wide’’.

 

‘’The masked vigilante?’’.

 

‘’We didn’t know and we could tell’’.

 

‘’What did you hear?’’.

 

‘’Just someone moving around in the room and we assumed it was the masked vigilante’’.

 

‘’So you went in?’’.

 

‘’Tom counted to three but before he finished the door swung open and the owner of the house. A large man in a black vest who is also a known small time drug dealer opened fire on officer Bale shooting him in the stomach with a shotgun from close range’’.

 

‘’And how did Sully the known drug dealer get shot?’’.

 

‘’Officer Tom fired off a shot at the same time as being shot himself, you can check the bullet with the one in his gun’’.

 

‘’Okay and then?’’.

 

‘’I immediately ran across to officer Bale but he died on impact and there was nothing I could do’’.

 

‘’And Sully?’’. Asks Stevens and the image of Sully laid on the floor begging for help as he bled to death flashes through Franks head.

 

‘’He was dead too but I didn’t have time to give him a furore check’’.

 

‘’Why?’’.

 

‘’Because I saw the masked vigilante again’’.

 

‘’Were?’’.

 

‘’Downstairs, he must have been hiding somewhere and he as making a dash for the window so I gave chase’’.

 

‘’Where did he go?’’.

 

‘’Down a back alley so I chased him but with the floor covered in rain I slipped and broke my ankle’’.

 

‘’And what did the masked vigilante do?’’. Asks Stevens and this time the image of the masked tormenter stood over Frank with his gun in his hand and ripping off his mask only to reveal another flashes through his head but once again Frank keeps it to himself.

 

‘’He simply ran away and with the pain in my ankle I lost consciousness’’.

 

‘’And were there any distinctive marks or anything you could tell us about him, maybe something he said or did?’’.

 

‘’No, his mask was black and his long rain coat too, I didn’t se or hear anything else and he never spoke a word’’.

 

‘’Okay. If you remember anything else no matter how small please let me know’’.

 

‘’I will’’.

 

‘’And….. Im sorry Frank. Im sorry for putting you and Tom in that situation. I should have never have asked that of you and if there’s anything I can do just ask’’.

 

‘’I offered to help Stevens and Tom did too’’.

 

‘’Well im sorry for what happened’’.

 

‘’Me too’’. And Stevens climbs out of the chair and leaves Frank to rest.

 

Frank is laid in his hospital bed asleep and he is woken when someone shakes his bed and as he opens his eyes to see who is messing around he sees his masked tormenter is stood at the foot of his bed.

 

‘’You!!!!’’ . He screams but as Frank tries to jump out of bed he finds his hands and feet and tied to the posts of his bed and he is stuck there.

 

‘’Stop struggling’’. Calmly asks his masked tormenter.

 

‘’Im going to kill you!’’. Spits Frank.

 

‘’No you wont’’. And his masked tormenter  reaches for his mask once more and pulls it off only to reveal another mask like before. He then reaches again and pulls another masked off followed by another and another but under every mask simply lies another and the masked tormenter finally stops and grabs hold of Franks bed.

 

‘’You’ll never find out who I am’’. He calmly tells Frank.

 

‘’I’ll track you down and I’ll kill you. I swear I’ll kill you’’.

 

‘’Trent, his boys, Crystal, those poor children or should I call them orphans and now Tom and his widow Jill. Just how many more life’s are you going to wreck Frank?’’.

 

‘’You did this! You killed those people!’’.

 

‘’But you showed me the way. You gave me this mask’’.

 

‘’And im going to take it from you!’’. Spits Frank and the masked tormenter walks around o the side of the bed.

 

‘’No Frank, im going to take it all from you’’. And the masked tormenter then begins to back away from the bed.

 

‘’Get back here!’’. Demands Frank as he desperately struggles to break free. ‘Come back!!!!!!!!!’’. He screams until Frank suddenly wakes from his nightmare to once more find himself laid in his hospital bed.

 

‘’Are you okay?’’. Asks the nurse.

 

‘’Yes it was just a nightmare’’.

 

‘’Can I get you anything?’’.

 

‘’No thank you’’. Replies Frank and the nurse then goes on her way.

 

‘’Wait’’. He asks. ‘’Tom Bale, my partner who…. Is his wife still here?’’.

 

‘’I believe so, yes’’.

 

‘’Do you know were I can find her?’’.

 

Frank hobbles over to the room of the hospital were people go to prey and ask for miracles and as he slowly opens the door inside looks like a min version of a church with a huge cross stuck to the front of the wall followed by pictures of Jesus, candles, prey books and small pew aisles like the one in church and sat on the front pew with her hands held in preying position and her face facing down to the ground is Jill and as Frank slowly enters the room and immediately looks up at the large picture of Jesus on the wall and all of his guilt and hurt chargers through his body like electric knowing all of it is his fault. All the pain, all the loss, all the hurt is because of him and as he looks up at Jesus two small tears roll down his cheeks.

 

‘’Im sorry’’. He whispers before wiping the tears away and heading up to Jill who tears are falling from her eyes to the ground below her feet.

 

‘’Jill’’. Quietly speaks Frank and she looks up at him her eyes so red and sore for mall of the crying.

 

‘’Frank’’.

 

‘’Jill im sorry’’. And Jill then stands up and begins beating Frank on the chest and cries loudly at the same time.

 

‘’Why, why, why!’’ .She cries. ‘’Why did you take him with you!’’. She sobs until finally she collapses to a heap on the floor and cries even more and as Frank looks down at her he desperately tries his best to keep the tears back but he cannot stop a few getting through and he glances up at Jesus again his eyes full of tears and al he wants to do is collapse on the floor beside Jill and cry and cry but he knows he cant right now because right now he needs to be there for Jill so he kneels down and wraps his arms around Jill as she cries on the floor.

 

After sitting on the floor for over half an hour Jill  finally managers to halt the tears and sits up on the pew to talk to Frank.

 

‘’What happened Frank?’’. She asks as she wipes her red raw eyes.

‘’I was doing some stakeout work’’.

 

‘’For the masked vigilante?’’.

 

‘’Yes’’.

 

‘’But I thought the detectives were on the case?’’.

 

‘’They are but there short on man power so I offered to help’’.

 

‘’And Tom?’’. She asks and Frank can see the mere mention of his name almost sets the floodgates off again.

 

‘’ He offered to join me on the stakeout, I told him to stay at home but he insisted on coming and wouldn’t take no for an answer’’.

 

‘’So it was his decision to go’’.

 

‘’Yes, he knew I was going and he wanted to help….. Im sorry Jill, I really am’’.

 

‘’Did he…..’’ .And Frank can see her bottom lip begging to tremble.

 

‘’Did he…… suffer’’.

 

‘’No, there was no pain at all’’.

 

‘’So it wasn’t the masked vigilante who killed him’’.

 

‘’No it was a drug dealer who lived at the house we were staking out’’.

 

‘’Why did he shoot Tom?’’. And even though Frank talked to Toms killer he cant tell Jill because in his statement he said the man died on impact after he left him to die to chase the masked vigilante.

 

‘’Might of thought we were busting him or that we were drug lords after his drugs or trying to take out the competition but we cant know for sure’’.

 

‘’Was it Tom that killed him?’’.

 

‘’Yes’’.

 

‘’Good’’.

 

‘’Im……. Im really sorry Jill. Im sorry that I allowed Tom to come with me and im so sorry I couldn’t stop what happened to him and if there’s anything…. Anything I can do you only have to ask’’. And a very guilt ridden Frank puts a consoling arm around Jill who rests her head on Frank as the tears form in her eyes once more.

A few hours later the captain drives Frank and Jill back to Jill’s house.

 

‘’Im going to straight to bed’’. She tells Frank.

 

‘’Okay’’. He says and on the way to the stairs Jill grabs a half full bottle of Vodka from the freezer and heads to her room.

 

‘’Jill’’. Says Frank.

 

‘’I need to feel numb’’. She replies without even turning around to face Frank and she then heads up the stairs to bed. Frank then takes a seat on the kitchen table and reaches into his pocket for his painkillers the doctor gave him for his ankle. He takes one and then places the tub on the table before picking up a picture of Jill and Tom. It is a picture of the two of them on holiday stood on a beautiful beach both smiling and looking happy and Frank knows he as ruined that, he had destroyed everything they had. His selfishness, his nightmare had destroyed more life’s and it was all his fault and Frank didn’t know just how much more pain, how much more guilt he could take and as he places the photo back down he picks up the tub of painkillers and rips off the lid before pouring al of the tablets in front of him and Frank then looks down at the painkillers know that if he swallowed everyone they would do exactly what there supposed to do… take away all of his pain so Frank hobbles to the fridge ad grabs a beer and then sits back down and opens the beer and almost finishes it off in one drink before he looks back down at the tablet again. All the pain, all the hurt and loss he had caused.

 

‘’I deserve to die’ He told himself. ‘It is all my fault’. I hadn’t have started with the masked vigilante maybe the killer wouldn’t have started too’ And Frank wipes the sweat from his forehead before scooping up a handful of tablets and Frank stares at the tablets in his hand which shakes as he does and all of Franks fear, pain and guilt rises to the surface as his shaking hand hold the tablets and finally after minutes of staring at the tablets in his hand Frank finally shoves the tablets in his mouth and washes them all down with the rest of his beer……..

 

‘That’s it…… no more guilt…… no more fear…… no more pain’. He tells himself.

 

‘’No more pain’’. He then hears and Frank raises his head to see the young women wearing the burnt and still smoking mask stood in front of him.

 

‘’No more pain. What about Jill and Crystals kids. When does there pain end?’’.

 

‘’I cant stop heal that’’.

 

‘’Yes you can. You find the prick in the black balaclava and you cut his guts out!’’. She demands slamming her hands on the table.

‘’I cant…..’’.

 

‘’You have no choice Frank. You made him now you end him. You owe Crystals orphans and you owe Jill! So no more excuses Frank you have to get up and find this killer before he does it again and when you do find him you have to kill him. No brining him in, no jail time no lawyers. You kill him and make him suffer and then….… then you can do what the f**k you want but right now you have to make things right, right now you owe people and your not getting out of this!’’.

 

‘’But…’’.

 

‘’No excuses, this is your responsibility!’’. And Frank looks don at the table before getting up and hobbling over to the sink were he puts his fingers down his throat and makes himself sick until he has brought up all of the tablets and Frank then washes it all away and splashes water over his face again and again and takes a huge gulp of water and he then stands there head leant into sink as the water runs and slashes onto his face….

 

The next day Frank hobbles downstairs but there is no sign of Jill so he heads up to her bedroom and knocks on her door.

 

‘’Jill….. Are you okay’’. He quietly asks but there is no response so Frank quietly and slowly opens the bedroom door and peers his head round to see Jill simply sat on the edge of her bed with her head down facing the floor.

 

‘’I’ll be at work if you need me’’. He quietly tells her before closing the door and hobbling downstairs and Frank then orders a taxi to take him to work as he cannot drive because of his broken ankle.

Frank arrives at work and pays the taxi man before climbing out and heading in. He knows he cannot go out on petrol but at least he can sit at his desk and go through paperwork that might just help him take the edge off his nightmare in his head but as Frank open the front doors and heads into the station his nightmare and guilt inside increases even more as sees that Toms desk had been covered with flowers and cards from everyone at the station and Frank stands there frozen as he stares at the desk Frank can feel his fear and guilt and dread rising inside him higher and higher, more and more and he feels sick to the pit of his stomach.

 

‘’Hey Frank were raising money’’. He then hears and as Frank turns his head he sees a fellow officer holding a bucket in his hand half full with money.

 

‘’Its for Toms funeral, were going to give it to Jill’’. And just then Frank an feel his hear beating faster and faster as if it is going to burst through his rib cage. He desperately tries to calm himself down and control himself but he knows he has to get away from everyone quick.

 

‘’Sure’’. And Frank reaches into his wallet and throws all the money he has into the bucket before rushing to the bathroom as fast as he can.

 

‘’Man he looked bad’’. Comments a fellow officer.

 

‘’Not surprised. They were partners and best friends’’.  Says the fellow officer and as the collection continues Frank rushes into the bathroom but finds someone already in there so Frank heads into one of the cubicles and locks the door behind him before sitting down on the toilet seat and as Frank sits there he feels like he is having a panic attack.

‘’Calm down, just calm down’’ He tells himself in his head as he unfastens the top bottom of his shirt as he begins to burn up. ‘’Just calm yourself’ He tells himself again as the panic attack worsens and sweat cover his forehead and the palms of his hands and he breathes heavier and heavier And he struggles to control himself. ‘’Come on… just breathe’ He tells himself in his head and as Frank finally hears the fellow officer leave the bathroom he quickly opens his cubicle door and hobbles over to the sinks and begins splashing water over his face again and again and Frank is then sick into the sink as his emotions and guilt take over.

After calming himself down Frank heads out back into the office and to his desk and when there he begins to think about tom. He thinks about how Tom was always telling him not to be a walk over and not to let the captain take advantage of him. He remember how at first they didn’t really get along but through time became good friends. How they shared a love for football and when Tom introduced him to his lovely wife Jill and invited him around to his house many more times than his brother ever did and how over the years the two had become close friends but he ruined all that. He had ended it all with his stupidity, his selfishness and stupidity and now a good officer, a good friend and a good husband was dead and as Frank goes over it all in his head he can feel the anger  and guilt rising up inside him. ’This is all your fault’ He tells himself in his head. ’You’re the reason why Toms dead. You’re the reason why Jill’s a widow and Crystals children are orphans. You, all you!’ And as the anger and guilt rises higher and higher he suddenly flips and cannot take anymore and Frank begins smashing everything off his desk knocking the computer screen to the ground and tossing all of his paperwork to the floor in a mass rage until his desk is clear and everyone in the office looks on and when he had finished Frank bats his fist on his desk and then stands there with his head bowed down until the captain walks into the room.

 

‘’Okay everyone, back to your work’’. He orders before walking over to Frank.

 

‘’Come on Frank, come to my office’’. And with his head still facing the ground Frank follows the captain to his office and takes a seat.

 

‘’Im giving you the week off Frank’’.

 

‘’Im fine’’. Insists Frank.

 

‘’You shouldn’t be here. With the ankle and……Tom.  You to were partners and I know you were best of friends’’.

 

‘’Yes we were’’. Mutters Frank.

 

‘’I know it must be hard for you and your taking his death pretty badly. Hell we all are but you knew him the best so im giving you some time off to grief and to rest the ankle’’.

 

‘’Im okay captain’’. Lies Frank.

 

‘’That isn’t a request Frank’’. The captain tells him. ‘’Go home, rest and be there for Jill because she needs someone right now’’. And the captain places his hand on Franks shoulder.

 

‘’Come on, go home and if you need anything call me directly because im here for you’’. And Frank gets up off his seat and heads out of the station as everyone looks at him with concern on there faces.

When Frank reaches Jill’s house he immediately goes up to her room to check on her and as he peers around the half open door Frank finds Jill going through an old photo album with a box of tissues by her side so Frank leaves Jill to herself and hobbles downstairs were on the breakfast bar Frank finds Tom and Jill’s address book of all there friends and family. Jill was supposed to be phoning everyone today but he knows she’ll have not been able to face it and the address book is still unopened so to help Frank sits at the breakfast bar and begins ringing all of Tom and Jill’s friends and family.

An hour later after making all of the calls Frank decides to make Jill something to eat because she wont have had anything all day so Frank makes Jill a sandwich and takes it up to her room.

 

‘’Jill…… I made you a sandwich’’.

 

‘’Thank you’’. She replies and Frank places the sandwich on her side dresser.

 

‘’I saw your address book on the side and I hope you don’t mind but I rang some family members and friends for you’’.

 

‘’Thanks, I just couldn’t face dealing with it all right now’’.

 

‘Well is there anything else I can do, maybe help with any arrangements?’’.

 

‘’I cant deal with them too. The police station have taken care of some things but I cant face the rest’’.

 

‘’Well give me the numbers and I’ll do them’’.

 

‘’Are you sure?’’.

 

‘’Positive’’.

 

‘’Okay thanks’’.

 

‘’Well I’ll go and make some calls and you eat that sandwich’’.

 

‘’I will’’. And Frank leaves Jill alone while he goes to make some arrangements for the funeral.

For the next  week Frank stays at the house and helps Jill with any arrangements and with her grief. He makes sure everything is arranged and that Jill eats something because any help he can be at least calms the waves of guilt and pain building up in Frank for a little while.

On the day of Toms funeral Frank is stood in the bathroom mirror adjusting his tie when Jill walks in the room.

 

‘’Here let me do it’’. She tells him. ‘’Tom was hopeless at ties too’’. And Jill straightens his tie.

 

‘’How you feeling?’’. Frank then asks.

 

‘’Numb. The doctor gave me some pills and they seem to be helping a little’’.

 

‘’ Good and if you need anything I’ll be right there’’.

 

‘’I know’’. And Jill pats Frank on the shoulder and then finishes getting ready.

The cars arrive and everyone makes there way to the cemetery and the funeral takes place. Frank stands right behind Jill who has constantly wipe her tear stained eyes throughout the service and when Tom’s coffin is lowered into the ground Franks eyes fill up with tears as Jill cries louder.

After the funeral most of the guests head back to Jill’s house for a few drinks and a couple of hours later as the guests begin to trickle home Frank helps a little worse for wear Jill to bed and then sees everyone else out and locks the door but as Frank sits at the breakfast bar with a glass of whisky he cannot stop thinking of his good friend Tom and the mess he had caused so Frank hobbles up off his seat and heads out in the pouring to his car were he drives back out the cemetery.

When there Frank heads to Toms grave as the rain pours down hard on him and he kneels down in the wet mud beside Tom.

 

‘’Im sorry’’. He tells him as Franks eyes fill with tears that are masked by the rain.

 

‘’I never…… I never meant for this to happen’’.  He cries. ‘’I swear to you Tom….. I promise I’ll look after Jill, I’ll do anything I can because at least I owe you that’’. And just then as Frank sobs at Toms graveside he hears  something behind him and turns around to see his masked tormenter stood afar watching him in the pouring down rain.

 

‘’You!’’. Spits Frank as he hobbles to his feet and gives chase after his masked tormenter through the rain soaked cemetery as  fast as he possibly can.  As Frank begins to fall further behind his tormenter he takes out his gun and begins shooting at the masked tormenter who weaves through the headstones to avoid being hit and with his broken ankle not yet healed Frank cannot keep up with his tormenter and soon stops as his tormenter gets away. After regaining his breathe Frank heads out of the cemetery the same way his tormenter ran and as he does Frank spots something. He sees that stuck to the headstone of someone names Frank is a photo and as Frank draws closer he sees that it is a picture of a detective badge with the sentence ‘You did this to yourself’ written underneath the picture’ And the picture only confirms once again to Frank that whoever is behind this is someone who knows him and knows him well.

Frank climbs back his car and out of the pouring rain and as he sits there he stares down at the picture of the detective badge and what is written and he knows it is true. He knows that in his own head the plan all along was to create some masked vigilante who took out a few bad guys by taking the law into his own hands and then frame someone who deserved it and bring him in so Frank himself got all of the pundits and all of the attention and maybe help him get to detective but when the mask became too much and he thro it away he didn’t realise the damage that had already been done and now someone was following his lead and had raised the bar.

The next morning Frank is laid in bed when the ringing of his phone wakes him up.

 

‘’Hello’’.

 

‘’Frank its me’’. Says the captain.

 

‘’Im sorry for calling Frank, I know I told you to take the week off but we need you to come to the station’’.

 

‘’What is it captain?’’.

 

‘’We’ll talk when you get here’. The captain replies before hanging up and Frank sits up in bed wondering just it will be.

As Frank arrives at the station he in nervous as to exactly what the captain wants after insisting that he took the week off to rest and when he walks into the station his worries multiply when he sees sat waiting for him along with the captain in his office is detective Stevens and his partner.

 

‘’Captain’’.

 

‘’Shut the door Frank’’. He asks and Frank shuts the captains door and takes a seat.

 

‘’There’s been another murder’’. The captain tells him.

 

‘’Is it the vigilante killer?’’. He reluctantly asks.

 

‘’Yes, one of his masks was placed beside the body’’. Says detective Stevens.

‘’ So…. What do you want from me captain?’’. Asks Frank who then has a vision of Stevens, his partner and the captain all pulling out there guns at Frank and demanding he gets to the floor.

 

‘’The male victim had pictures of you stapled to his body’’.

 

‘’Pictures of me!’’. Asks a shocked and scared Frank who is terrified his secret is exposed.

 

‘’Yes’’.

 

‘’Pictures of when, were?’’.

 

‘’Pictures of you visiting Crystals kids at the children’s home’’. Adds Stevens partner.

 

‘’Visiting them, giving them comics or something. He must have followed you’’. Says Stevens.

 

‘’But why?’’.

 

‘’We think its because you and Tom got close to getting him and he’s trying to scare you. So far you’re the only one who’s even seen him’’. The captain tells him

 

‘’And because of this it is likely that he sees you has his main threat and he’s trying to scare you out off his chase’’ .Adds Stevens.

 

‘’And there’s a chance he may come after you’’.

 

‘’Were going to put an officer outside Jill’s house twenty four seven for the next few days’’. The captain assures him. ‘’We don’t want anything happening to either of you’’.

 

‘’Thanks captain’’.

 

‘’If you see anyone hanging around out of the ordinary or anything, call me straight away’’. Detective Stevens tells him.

 

‘’The victim….. Who was it?’’. He asks.

 

‘’Dale Chambers, thirty eight years old’’.

 

‘’Any previous convictions like the others?’’.

 

‘’Yes. His ex wife had a restraining order against him after he turned up at her house one night drunk and beat her because she didn’t want to get back together with him.

 

‘’He also had other convictions for bar brawls and driving over the limit plus he beat up his ex wife’s new boyfriend a few months back’’.

 

‘’So he wasn’t a great sounding guy but he never murdered anyone. He never touched any kids or broke any major laws and he didn’t deserve to die’’. Says Stevens. ‘’This masked vigilante is going around judging everyone but who’s judging him?’’.

 

‘’I will when I stick my boot up his a*s’’.  Promises the captain.

 

‘’Oh don’t worry, he’ll answer for what he’s done I promise you’’. Says Stevens. ‘’And Frank if there’s anything please don’t hesitate to call’’.

 

‘’I wont, thanks’’.

 

‘’Frank I don’t want you back at work until I call you, right now I want you at home looking after Jill and wait for me to call you’’.

 

‘’But captain I want to help’’.

 

‘’I know you do Frank but I want you and Jill to be safe’’.

 

‘’Okay’’. So Frank heads back to Jill’s house but on the way out he grabs his work laptop so he can use his password to access files and hopefully find out who is behind this before detective Steven does and then Frank can take him out himself because even though Frank was not a killer the only way this was going to end without Frank dead or in jail was if he took out his masked tormenter himself.

That night Frank cannot sleep. He has too much on his mind and too many worries and fears to sleep so he makes himself  big pot of coffee and sits at the breakfast bar with his police gun and his laptop as he goes through all of the masked vigilante files trying to see if he can spot anything that will help as a police officer sits outside in his squad car making sure nothing happens to Frank and Jill. After hours of searching Frank finds nothing that can help and his frustrations grow and as Frank sits with his head in his hands the front door bell suddenly rings and Frank immediately lifts his head and grabs hold of his gun. Frank waits to see if the doorbell rings again and minutes later it does so Frank rushes to the front door and looks through the spy hole to see no one there. He then opens the door and searches around the back yard but still there is no one to be seen so Frank heads back into the house to protect Jill and after checking on her to se she is still asleep Frank rings the officer sat outside knowing that despite the fact he desperately ants to be the one who catches the masked vigilante he cannot take any risks with Jill’s safety.

 

‘’Stokes, Its Frank’’.

 

‘’What is it?’’.

 

‘’Someone just rang the doorbell and there’s no one there’’.

 

‘’Okay Frank, stay inside and keep the door locked and I’ll check around the house’’.

 

‘’Okay’’. And as Frank hangs up the police officer climbs out if his squad car and takes out his gun as he searches the area around the house and Frank stands in the kitchen with his gun in his hand. ’Maybe I should go out there and take him out first’ He tells himself in his head. ’But what about Jill, what if he gets inside’ He then thinks knowing he has to make Jill’s safety his priority.

 

‘’Go out there, shoot him dead before the officer finds him’’. He then hears and as Frank turns around the young women wearing the burnt and still smoking mask is stood there.

 

‘’You know what happens if he’s brought in and questioned’’.

 

‘’I cant, I have to think of Jill’’. He protests.

 

‘’Lock the door after you’’.

 

‘’I cant take that risk, I have to protect Jill’’.

 

‘’Stop letting your guilt get in the way of logic, if you want to rot in some jail then fine stay here. But if you want to end all this and at least gain some justice for the ones you’ve hurt then get out there!’’.

 

‘’I cant!’’.

 

‘’Yes you can’’.

 

‘’ No, I cant think of myself again, I have to think of Jill’’.

 

‘’Jill is fine!’’.

 

‘’I wont leave her’’.

 

‘’You have to’’.

 

‘’No I don’t!’’. And just then there is a huge explosion and as Frank rushes over to the window he sees the police officers squad car was up in flames and Frank races to the door to go and see if he can find his masked tormenter once and for all but as he opens the door he sees something laid on the doorstep. A white envelope with ‘Frank’ written on it in thick black pen and Frank quickly grabs the envelope and stuffs it into his jacket pocket.

 

‘’Frank!….. Frank!’’. Screams Jill from upstairs.

 

‘’Its okay’’. He assures her before Frank almost jumps out of his skin when suddenly the police officer appears at the door breathing heavily.

 

‘’My car……’’. He gasps.

 

Half an hour later Frank and Jill are sat in the kitchen with the captain, detective Stevens and his partner as the burnt out squad car is cleaned up outside.

 

‘’Captain, the press want a statement’’. Says an officer as he pops his head around the kitchen door.

 

‘’Not right now…. They’ll have to wait and I don’t want any disturbance for the next fifteen minutes’’.

 

‘’Yes captain’’. And the officer closes the door.

 

‘’Right, im going to put the two of you in a safe house’’. The captain tells them.

 

‘’No, I want to stay here’’. Protests Jill.

 

‘’Me too’’. Adds Frank who doesn’t want to go into hiding from his masked tormenter.

 

‘’You’d both be safer’’. He insists.

 

‘’No, I want to stay home’’. Jill protests.

 

‘’Okay then, but I ant you to have these’’. And the captain reaches into his pocket and pulls two items out.

 

‘’Here Jill’’. He says passing Jill the items.

 

‘’A pepper spray and a emergency button. If you ever feel in danger in any way press this button and you’ll have officers with you in minutes I promise’’.

 

‘’Thank you’’.

 

‘’And if anyone does confront you use the pepper spray and it’ll disable them immediately’’.

 

‘’I will’’.

 

‘’Right, im going to put another squad car outside right away and im going to leave an officer here’’.

 

‘’No captain, I wont sleep tonight anyway so I’ll keep guard’’. Says Frank who doesn’t want anyone else getting hurt.

 

‘’Okay then, but anything Frank and you call it in’’.

 

‘’I will’’.

 

‘’Frank the officer says someone rang the doorbell’’. Asks Stevens.

 

‘’Yes, that’s right’’. He replies and Stevens immediately instructs his partner to check the whole door for prints.

 

‘’Did you see or hear anyone?’’.

 

‘’No’’.

 

‘’Is there anything you could tell us that could be useful?’’. Asks Stevens and Frank immediately thinks of the envelope but fears what could be inside.

 

‘’No nothing’’.

 

‘’Okay then but if there is anything’’.

 

‘’I have your card’’.

 

‘’Okay then’’. And the captain along with detective Stevens and his partner all leave so Frank and Jill can rest.

 

‘’Want a coffee because I know im not sleeping’’. Frank asks Jill.

 

‘’No I need something stronger’’. And Jill grabs a bottle of wine from the refrigerator.

 

‘’It still hasn’t sunk in’’. Jill tells Frank as the two of them sit at the breakfast bar.

 

‘’Still expect to hear him singing in the shower on a morning or watching the game every Tuesday night… I wake up in the middle of the night and wonder were he is for a few seconds until I remember and….. And I wish I didn’t have to’’.

 

‘’I still expect to see him at work, when I saw his office desk with all the cards and flowers I flipped, I just lost it and smashed my desk up’’.

 

‘’You did?’’. Asks Jill after she takes another sip of her wine.

 

‘’Yes it just hit me that…..’’.

 

‘’That he’s not coming back’’.

 

‘’That he’s not around’’.

 

‘’I he could hear us now I know what he’d be saying’’.

 

‘’Yeah, put some music on. Dance, sing have a party’’.

 

‘’He always did want everyone to be happy’’.

 

‘’Yes he did’’. And as the two continue to talk Frank finishes off his coffee and is so on the wine with Jill as they go through a bottle and half.

 

‘’Im tired’’. Jill finally concedes.

 

‘’Come on then’’. And Frank helps her up the stairs and to her room were Jill collapses on the bed and is quickly asleep ad as Frank stands up to leave to room he looks across at Jill’s beside table were  picture of her and Tom and Frank stares at the picture for a minute with regret and guilt before leaving the Jill to sleep.

Frank heads downstairs and makes himself a strong coffee to try and soak up some of the wine before he sits at the breakfast bar thinking and after sitting there for ten minutes he reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out the white envelope with his name written on it. Frank stares at the envelope for a few minutes simply wondering what it contains. Is it more pictures of him with Crystals children? Or was it simply more pictures that make Frank looks guilty? Maybe it was a letter asking for money in exchange for silence or just something else to torture Frank even more so whatever it was Frank couldn’t wait and he ripped the envelope open to find inside was a letter……

‘Frank, what a ride we have been on but all good things must come to an end so turn up alone at the old mine building 8.00 tomorrow night alone and all will be revealed, I will reveal to you who I am and why I have done what I have and if you bring or tell anyone I will know and I will kill again meaning more blood will be on your hands. I know everything about you Frank, I know your birthday is March 7^th, I know you’re a cop and you like your coffee and as you know I know were you live and more importantly I know were Jill lives so if you don’t come alone I will kill again, I promise! So be there at 8.00 and we both can take part in the last dance. And the letter then ends and Frank knows what he has to do. He has to face his demon alone. He has to face whoever is behind this even if it is dangerous because Frank knows this is his fault and he has to be the one who faces this not anyone else so Frank screws up the letter and stuffs it into his pocket.

That night Frank cannot sleep and the few hours he does manage to get are filled with nightmare. Filled with nightmares of what might be waiting for him an the old mill building. Will his tormenter simply be waiting with a gun? Or maybe the police or another victim? Frank just didn’t know and his mind ran away with possibilities as the time grew closer.

 

‘’You okay?’’.  Asked Jill as she walked into the kitchen the next morning to find Frank sat at the breakfast bar looking like he hadn’t had a single minutes sleep.

 

‘’Your head banging as much as mine?’’. She asks.

 

‘’No, I almost drunk a full pot of coffee before I called it a night’’.

 

‘’Pot of coffee, no wonder you look rough I bet you didn’t sleep a wink’’.

 

‘’No I didn’t, its my own fault though’’.

 

‘’Yes it is’’. And Jill then sits opposite Frank at the breakfast bar.

 

‘’I going to go through some of Toms things today’’.

 

‘’You are’’.

 

‘’Yeah, mostly cloths and shoes give them to charity and hopefully someone ho really needs them will get them’’.

 

‘’You don’t ant to hold onto anything?’’.

 

‘’I’ve got his wedding ring and the suit he got married in and his favourite shirt so I’ll be okay’’.

 

‘’Well if you need any help’’.

 

‘’No I’ll be fine, plus I need to do this on my own’’.

 

‘’Okay then’’. And Frank takes a sip of his water.

 

A few hours later as Jill leaves to take the first lot of goodwill to the shop Frank sits there watching the clock as the hours tick down and the nerves grow worse and worse. There is no sense of relief that it is coming to an end only dread and nerves are what he feels right now. ‘Come on, get yourself together’ Frank then tells himself because he knows that after tonight he might not be back and everything that has happened may be out in the open so Frank begins to prepare. First he rings his brother just to talk to him and ask him how he is. As normal Franks brother is happy and everything in his life is going well and Frank feels better for talking to him and after the phone call Frank writes out his will leaving the little money he has saved and his belongings to Crystals children with his brother receiving a few personal items, after all Franks brother didn’t need any help in life but those kids did and after placing his will in his bedside draw Frank takes a shower and then heads over to his apartment to sort a few things out and when he is done there he glances at his watch to see it is seven twenty five and it was almost time.

 

‘’This is it’. He then hears and as Frank glances over his shoulder he sees the young girl in the burnt and as always smoking black balaclava.

 

‘’This is it Frank, its time to meet your maker’’.

 

‘’don’t joke about that’’.

 

‘’Well it will be unless you go prepared’’.

 

‘’The letter said if I tell anyone….’’.

 

‘’Yes, yes I know but that doesn’t mean you cant be prepared’’.

 

‘’How do you mean?’’.

 

‘’Take your gun’’.

 

‘’What if he finds it on me?’’.

 

‘’What if he don’t’’.

 

‘’I cant risk it’’.

 

‘’Look if you go in there unarmed your dead guilty or not and that a*****e will walk out Scott free so he can kill again or do whatever fucked up hit he wants but you, you can stop him, you can stop him for good by putting a hole in his f*****g head’’.

 

‘’I wont kill anyone’’.

 

‘’He’ll kill you’’.

 

‘’’Im not like him, im not a murderer’’.

 

‘’Lets not do a stop and compare right now okay, he’s killed people and next on his list is you’’.

 

‘’You don’t know that’’.

 

‘’Really, so he’s going to turn up, reveal his identity to you and simply walk away waiting for the cops to knock his door down’’.

 

‘’He might think im too scared to go to the cops because of my involvement’’.

 

‘’So why’s he telling you Frank? What’s his gain?’’.

 

‘’To torment me even more’’.

 

‘’No Frank. He’s covering his own back, he’s going to tell you who he is and then he’s going to kill you and he wont stop killing because you know what they say, one you get a taste for it’’.

 

‘’I wont kill him’’.

 

‘’Well if you take him to the cops your going down too’’.

 

‘’So be it’’.

 

‘’So you’ll spend the rest of your life behind bars’’.

 

‘If that’s what they decide yes.  Like it or not I broke the law and if it helps take away an inch of the guilt and regret I feel it’ll be worth it’’.

 

‘’Well its your life Frank, but remember he’ll be ready’’.

 

‘’I will’’. And Frank leaves his apartment.

 

Frank pulls up outside the old mill building and just sits there as the nerves and dread kick into overtime. Frank reaches over the passengers seat and picks up his officers badge. ‘To protect and serve’ it reads and those words echo in Franks head. All his life all he had anted to do was get rid of that badge and replace it with a detectives one but never in his life until now had he ever actually appreciated what he had.  He had never appreciated becoming an officer, he had never looked at his badge with real pride until now because detective or not Frank had achieved what he always set out to do, to help people and as he places his badge in the glove box he spots his officers gun and takes it out. Frank stares at the gun not knowing if to take it or not. What if his mask tormenter finds it? What if his masked tormenter tries to use it! All the worse possibilities run through Franks head but in the end he decides that if he needs Frank wants to know he has it so he hides the gun in his sock and climbs out of the car. AS Frank Heads over to the old Mill he can feel his legs shaking and the sweat gathering on his forehead. The nerves and dread in his stomach is racing around and around so much he feels like he will be sick at any minute but there is no turning back now so Frank heads through the big double barn doors and then stands there as if he is waiting for something to happen.

 

‘’Hello’’. Shouted Frank  but there was no one to be seen.

 

‘’Hello!’’. He shouts again and finally he appears. His masked tormenter full with black balaclava steps from the shadows with a gun aimed straight at Frank.

 

‘’Hands in the air’’.  He demands in a low gravel voice and as Frank raises his hands in the air the masked tormenter approaches him and searches Franks body were he quickly comes across his gun. The masked tormenter then stands up straight and looks Frank dead in the eyes.

 

‘’What’s this?’’. He asks.

 

‘’I could ask you the same replies Frank before his masked tormenter hits Frank on the side of the head with his own gun and Frank drops to his knees as blood rips from the resulted cut.

 

‘’I warned you’’. The masked tormenter tells him before he pours the bullets from Franks gun onto the floor and then throws the gun out of sight.

 

‘’Now get up’’ .He demands and Frank wipes the blood from the side of his head before getting to his feet.

 

‘’You going to shoot me’’. Asks a terrified Frank.

 

‘You don’t get out of it that easy’’. He warns Frank before he orders im to start walking.

 

‘’Were are we going?’’. Asks Frank as he is led further into the abandoned building.

 

‘’You’ll see’’. And as Frank is led further into the building he is eventually told to stop in front of something that hangs from the wall and covered in a big dirty green cover.

 

‘’Oh no’’. Worries Frank. ‘It looks like another body’ He tells himself. ‘He’s killed someone else but who!’.

 

‘’All this time….. All this time you must have wondered Frank why I was doing this to you and what was my motivation’’.

 

‘’Because your sick?’’.

 

‘’Indeed Frank but not sick in the mental capacity but sic of the world I live in. Sick of all the greed and injustice that surrounds us and then you cam along, you came along and finally made people pay for there sins while the authorities had there hands tied behind there  backs’’.

 

‘’I never…..’’.

 

‘’don’t play that game!’’. Demands the masked tormenter as he rams the gun deep into Franks cheek. ‘’We both know who you are’’. He says and the room then goes silent for a minute  until Frank finally speaks.

 

‘’Okay, I did it, I took the law into my on hands but I never killed anyone! I helped Crystal, I helped her better herself so those kids had a mom but you…. you just killed her and left those poor kids as orphans’’.

 

‘’Do you know how many couples are unable to conceive children in this country Frank? Couples who are married and happy with jobs that don’t involve them selling there bodies for sex. So many couples have so much love and care to give and Crystal didn’t deserve that privilege, she didn’t deserve children, she didn’t take care of them and she certainly didn’t love them because if she did she wouldn’t have injected that poison into her veins time and time again, those children, hungry and without love or care finding here mother in a state no child should ever see and when she was awake all she cared about was selling her body so she could pay for her next fix. Not putting food on the table or cloths on there back, all she cared about was her drug money and herself!’’.

 

‘’I got off that s**t, I got her into a rehab group, she was getting better’’.

 

‘’Once a junkie w***e always a junkie w***e. It was only a matter of time until she relapsed.’’.

 

‘’You don’t know that’’.

 

‘’Oh yes I do’’. And The masked tormenter then throws Frank a small, black tape recorder which he listens to……..

 

Crystal is sat in a coffee shop staring down at a black coffee when a man comes and sit beside her.

 

‘’You look lost in thought’’. He tells her.

 

‘’I am’’.

 

‘’You had one of those days?’’.

 

‘’None of your business’’. Replies Crystal.

 

‘’Im sorry its just…..’’.

 

‘’Just what’’.

 

‘’I saw you coming out of the Morgan’s church earlier’’.

 

‘’You stalking me’’.

 

‘No, I work across the street’’.

 

‘’Okay so what about it’’.

 

‘’I know why you were there, its for the addictions groups’’.

 

‘’So what if it is’’.

 

‘’I was there six months back’’.

 

‘’What’s your poison?’’. Asks Crystal.

 

‘’Alcohol’’.

 

‘’S**t my ex was a slave to that stuff’’.

 

‘’So was I, but Morgan’s really helped me and I’ve been clean for six weeks now’’.

 

‘’Well good for you’’.

 

‘’I did for my boy, he gave me the power to quit’’. And the masked tormenter can see the topic of children softens Crystal a little.

 

‘’Same for me too, im doing it for my kids’’.

 

‘’No better motivation’’.

 

‘’Nothing else would make me stop’’.

 

‘’Can I buy you a fresh coffee?’’. He asks.

 

‘’Why not’’. And the masked tormenter orders two fresh coffees……

 

An hour later as the to continue to talk the masked tormenter notices Crystals hand begins to twitch and she holds it still with the other.

 

‘’Is that withdrawal symptoms’’. He asks.

 

‘’None of your business’’. And Crystal quickly stands up and heads to the bathroom but when she steps back out the masked tormenter is waiting for her.

 

‘’Hey you sure your not a stalker’’. She asks again.

 

‘’No look, take one of these’’. He asks and the masked tormenter pulls out a small tub of pills.

 

‘’What are they roofies?’’

 

‘’No, they’ll help with the shakes and the headaches and the stomach cramps and all the other symptoms’’.

 

‘’The doctors gave me something for that’’.

 

‘’They’ll not work like these’’.

 

‘’Well what are they’’.

 

‘’Lets just say there a little similar to vikanin but a little stronger’’.

 

‘’I isn’t taking no drugs’’.

 

‘’Look there not addictive, you start with one a day and slowly wean yourself off, its nothing like crack or anything like that it just helps with the symptoms. My sister was a crack addict and she took these for a month and after she was as clean as a whistle’’.

 

‘’Yeah right’’.

 

‘’Honestly, in fact take the tub there’s about a months worth there’’.

 

‘’I guess there not legal right’’.

 

‘’Not exactly but I wont tell if you don’t’’.

 

‘’And you expect me to start popping pills from a guy I only met an hour ago’’.

 

‘’Okay look’’ .And the masked tormenter takes a tablet and swallows it.

 

‘’See, I’ll be chilled out and mellow for the rest of the night but at least im not injecting s**t into my arm’’. And Crystal looks at the tub of tablets.

 

‘’I don’t know’’.

 

‘’Here, take my cell number, you can call me whenever if you need anything’’.

 

‘’Why you doing this?’’.

 

‘’I suffered with my demons and so did my sister, we blamed our parents for many years until we finally realised this was our doing and we both got clean and I know how tough it is, I saw my sister laid on the floor crying in pain and if I can help someone else who’s going through this I will. You don’t trust me then give me the tablets back or if you ant flush them down the toilet but all I want to do is help’’. And when he is finished Crystal looks at the tub again and then stuffs them into her pocket.

 

‘’If anything happens to me!’’.

 

‘’You have my number’’.

 

‘’Yeah and I’ll be phoning the cops’’.

 

‘’Trust me you’ll be fine’’.

 

‘’Okay’’. And Crystal then heads back into the diner and as she des the masked tormenter quickly rushes into the men’s bathroom and forces his fingers down his throat until he is sick in the sink and he brings up the tablet he swallowed……..

 

‘’You tricked her!’’. Spits Frank.

 

‘’I didn’t trick her or even force her Frank, it was all her own decision’’.

 

‘’You played on her volubility you a*****e, if you hadn’t interfered she would have got clean’’.

 

‘’No Fran because three days later she called me up asking for more tablets after going through her months supply. I must admit they may have been a little more addictive than I mentioned but nerveless she failed. An opportunity was put in front of her and she grabbed it with both hands!’’.

 

‘’No, she was weak and you played on it’’.

 

‘’ Exactly Frank, I exposed her weakness. A weakness that would have given in to her addiction time and time again!’’.

 

‘’You a*****e’’.

 

‘’And then there was Trent and before you start wondering I never gave him the opportunity to re-sin because he had already sinned enough’’.

 

‘’I made Trent pay’’.

 

‘’No you got him a slap on the knuckles. I made him and his boys pay’’.

 

‘’You killed them’’.

 

‘’Let me ask you Frank did a man who hurt people, stole, used, bought and sold drugs really deserve to live?’’.

 

‘’More than he deserved to die’’.

 

‘’Trent hurt people Frank. He ruined life’s. His drugs had directly resulted in people dying!’’.

 

‘’And I made him pay, I got him arrested’’.

 

‘’No Frank! People like Trent don’t deserve help!. In jail you are helped with your addictions, you given a roof over your head and food in your stomach. Trent was treated with respect inside. By fellow prisoners and wardens and I couldn’t see that happen! Hell you can even get a degree if you want one but Trent didn’t deserve anything! He had ruined too many people life’s he had done too much wrong to be given a second chance so I put him down and all of his low life followers as well and now because I did this less drugs will be on the streets and less people will have there life’s destroyed by Trent and his drugs and evil ways!’’.

 

‘And what about Dale Chambers, a few drink driving tickets results in deserving to die!’’.

 

‘’Drink driving, drink driving! Do you really think I killed him for drink driving!  Dale Chambers may not have been dealing drugs on the streets but what he was doing  was much worse. He would trail bars looking for fights, putting people in hospital who were only out looking for a good time. He raised his fists to is wife putting her in hospital! The man was a low life, as scum and believe me Frank very few tears were shed at his funeral’’.

 

‘’You’ve gone too far,  you’re a murderer and there’s no excuse for that. No matter what someone does because if we all went around killing people who did  wring we would all deserve a death warrant at some time’’.

 

‘’No Frank, I have rid the world of scum, we now live in a cleaner place because of me and I went to places you only dare look at’’.

 

‘’I know what I did was wrong but I didn’t kill anyone’’.

 

‘’You were the one who showed me what this mask could do! You were the one who showed me how you can make things better! How when the law fails we can step in! You were the first to pull on this mask Frank’’.

 

‘’And I was wrong but you were the one who killed those people not me’’. And just then the masked tormenter pulls down the big dirty, green cover to reveal hanging from the room by a thick steel chain around her wrists is Jill who’s mouth is gagged but she is awake and he heard everything.

 

‘’Jill……’’. Gasps Frank in shock but how’’.

 

‘’How indeed’’. Adds the masked tormenter…………

 

                                     HOURS LATER……

 

Jill arrives back home having dropped off the latest batch of Toms cloths to charity. She climbs out of the car and heads inside dropping the car keys on the kitchen table before pouring herself a glass of water but as Jill stands drinking her water she hears something in the living room.

 

‘’Hello’’. She shouts but there is no answer. ’’Frank is that you?’’. She then asks as she heads towards the living room but there is no one there so Jill finishes off her water and heads upstairs to grab more of her late husbands belonging to take to charity and as she reaches he bedroom the box for goodwill are packed on the bed waiting for her. Jill looks into one of the boxes and picks out a tie of Toms and stands there looking at it for a few minutes before placing it back in the box and as Jill begins to lift the box up the masked tormenter suddenly bursts out of her wardrobe and jumps on her. The two fly back onto the bed and the momentum flips the masked tormenter up over Jill and onto the floor allowing Jill to quickly jump to her feet and escape and she dives into the bathroom were she locks the door behind her. Jill then stands behind the door her hands and feet shaking with fear as on the other side of the door the masked tormenter rises to his feet and heads towards the bathroom door. Jill stands there shaking when suddenly the masked tormenter begins banging on the door with his fists as hard as he can making Jill scream with fear until finally the loud banging stop and Jill then stands there frozen in fear wondering just what is coming next and Jill’s fear is multiplied when all the electricity is cut from the house and plunges Jill into complete darkness…..

Jill stands in the darkness for a few seconds with only her heavy breathing as a source of noise and while the banging on the door had stopped Jill desperately searches through the darkness for something to defend herself with and soon enough she comes across a pair of scissors just before the bathroom door is kicked open and the masked tormenter lunges towards her but Jill manages to stab though the darkness and into the shoulder of the masked tormenter who quickly drops to the floor in pain but as Jill tries to climb over him and get away the masked tormenter kicks up his foot and trips Jill over ho crashes to the floor and hits her head hard.

A groggy Jill then quickly gets to her feet and feels the warm blood on the side of her head before she quickly heads to the stairs but the masked tormenter is close behind and the to tussle at the top of the stairs. The masked tormenter throws Jill against the wall banging the back of her head but she retaliates by kicking the masked tormenter between the legs and then pushes him down the stairs and he then lies there at the bottom lifeless as Jill stands at the top crying and shaking.

After staring at his lifeless body for a few seconds Jill suddenly snaps into action and heads for the telephone in the bedroom to call for help but when she picks I up the phone is dead and the masked intruder must have cut the wire but Jill remembers that she has her cell phone in her bag on the kitchen table so she can grab her bag and then run out of the door as she calls for help but to do so she must walk pass the lifeless body of her masked tormenter.

A frightened and shaking Jill begins slowly heading down the stairs as slowly and quietly as she can holding her hand over her mouth as she does to hold in the scream and the crying and as she takes every step and draws closer to her masked tormenter the fear grows and the panic worsens until finally she reaches the bottom step and then slowly steps over the lifeless body of her tormenter. Jill takes one step over him and then another all the time scared that he will suddenly wake and grab her ankle but he doesn’t and Jill quickly heads to the kitchen and grabs her bag. She then takes out her phone and rings 911.

 

‘’Hello, how may I help you?’’.

 

‘’Please there’s someone…’’. But Jill is then grabbed from behind by the masked tormenter……….

 

‘’And that’s how we find ourselves here’’. The masked tormenter tells a shocked Frank who then looks up at Jill who stares straight back at him and she now knows everything. She knows everything Frank had done and that he had a role to play in the events that led to her husbands death.

 

‘’My lovely Jill, meet the man responsible for your husbands death’’. Mocks the masked tormenter.

 

‘’I didn’t kill Tom’’.

 

‘’But if it wasn’t for you I would have never pulled this mask on and Tom would still be alive now. You gave me the inspiration Frank’’.

 

‘’No, you’re the crazy one, not me!’’.

 

‘’Oh come on Frank we all go a little crazy sometimes’’.  Replies the masked tormenter as Frank rubs his head and then looks t the gagged Jill who stares right back at him and Frank could see the fear and the complete shock in her eyes.

 

‘’So what do you do now Frank?’’.

 

‘’What do you mean,?’’.

 

‘’Well here you are protesting how you have never killed anyone but if you don’t kill Jill she will go to the police and all will be revealed of your secret past as the original masked vigilante’’.

 

‘’I wont hurt Jill’’.

 

‘’So you will go to jail for the rest of your life?’’.

 

‘’I would rather rot in cell before I become a murderer’’.

 

‘’You look down at me Frank for what I have done but I have never hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it. A thug drug dealer, a w***e heroin addict, a drunk wife beater they all deserved to pay but now, now you must kill someone who is innocent of any crime if you are to get out of all this nightmare’’.

 

‘’I wont hurt Jill!’’.  Shouts Frank before his masked tormenter suddenly throws Frank his gun which he catches and Frank then stands there looking in amazement at what the masked tormenter had just done and had now put Frank himself in control.

 

‘’I was forced to step in when you went astray Frank but because you are the one who made me see anyone could make a change I will give you a chance. A chance to get out of all this. To save yourself from a life behind bars. A life were your badge and career is taken away. A life were your brother and your family will look at you with great shame and embarrassment for the rest of there life’s. A life that will forever be plunged into darkness unless you kill Jill!!’’.

 

‘’I wont do it!’’.

 

‘’Do it Frank, kill her, make all of this go away!’’.

 

‘’No!!!’’.

 

‘’Shoot her Frank, she is the only person apart from me who knows what you have done and I will never reveal you secrets but she will, her hurt and thirst for revenge will lead her straight to the police and you to jail!’’.

 

‘’I wont kill anyone!’’.

 

‘’Sacrifice Jill for the good Frank!’’.

 

‘’No!’’. And Frank forces his eyes shut and begins to think about the consequences. The police charging down his door and putting him in handcuffs while his whole apartment is ripped to shreds for clues and he lies face down on the ground watching it all unfold and then being led to the courtroom as angry and vengeful members of the public spit and throw things at him as there anger pours from there very bodies and when the judge brings down the hammer Frank looking across at his sad and angry brother who bows his head in embarrassment while at the other side of the courtroom his captain throws Franks badge down to the ground and stands on it while detective Stevens looks at him in disgust and Frank then opens his eyes and looks across at the gagged Jill and he slowly begins raising his gun towards her.

 

‘’Kill her Frank, kill her and set yourself free!’’. Protests the masked tormenter as Jill groans from under her mouth gag and tears begins to fill her eyes.

 

‘’Do it Frank, it’s the only way to save yourself’’. He says as the gun aims straight at Jill.

 

‘’Kill her Frank, save your own life!’’. He protests as Frank stands there with sweat pouring down his head and his legs shaking so hard he feels like he will fall at any minute.

 

‘’Do it…… do it!!!!!!’’. And suddenly the gun goes off with a loud bang that is instantly followed by complete silence and as the smoke clears Franks stands with a smoking gun in his shaking hand but the gun is not aimed at Jill but at the now fallen masked tormenter who lies on the ground in a pool of his own blood and Frank then drops the gun to the floor and then himself drops to his knees his whole body shaking before he finally staggers back up and heads across to Jill who he helps to get down and takes out the gag from her mouth.

 

‘’Jill I…..’’. But before he can say anything else Jill spits in his face with anger and Frank wipes the spit from his face as his eyes fill with tears and his bottom lip begins to shake.

 

‘’I never……. I never……’’’. But Franks words are cut short when he hears something behind him and as he turns around he sees  lying on the floor is a pool of blood and a black balaclava but not the body of his masked tormenter! So Frank quickly jumps to his feet and rushes over to pick the gun back up and Frank can see a trail of blood leading further into the abandoned building in the direction the shot tormenter had gone so Frank begin to follow the trail of blood with full intent to kill his tormenter!

Frank continues to follow the blood but as he reaches the back of the building the trail of blood suddenly stops and there is no sign of his tormenter.

 

‘’Were are you!’’. Shouts Frank.

 

‘’I never thought it would end this way’’. He then hears as Frank aims the gun and looks all around himself at the shelves filled with old cardboard boxes but he cannot see were the voice is coming from.

 

‘’Come out!’’.

 

‘’I thought you would kill her Frank, I thought you would save yourself’’.

 

‘’I wont kill anyone but you!’’.

 

‘’I never killed the innocent Frank, never even hurt them’’.

 

‘’What about Jill!’’.

 

‘’I never hurt Jill, she is only here as a test for you’’.

 

‘’And you don’t think you hurt her when you killed her husband!’’.

 

‘’I didn’t kill her husband Frank. A drug dealer killed Tom.  A drug dealer I intended to make pay for his sins but you disturbed me and allowed him to kill Tom, if you had never showed up he would have paid for his sins and Tom would still be alive. His death was a terrible accident but if the finger of blame must be pointed then it must be pointed at you Frank’’.

 

‘’I know what I have done! I know my sins but you, you cannot judge anyone! You cannot go around killing the bad and wrecking life’s!’’.

 

‘’Only of those who deserve to pay Frank just like you were doing’’. And then from one of the shelves the tormenter lunges down and lands on top of Frank and the gun goes skittering across the ground as the tormenter smashes Frank across the face with a steel pipe busting his mouth wide open and dazing him and when Frank finally opens his eyes he sees stood over him with one hand held against a gun wound on his shoulder and another holding a steel pipe is a familiar face.

 

‘’Mike Sellers…….’’. He gasps of his college form work. The computer dork who worked the computers.

 

‘’Yes Frank me Mike, the guy no one sees or takes any kind of notice of ‘’.

 

‘’But…..’’.

 

‘’Why? Well let me see first I caught you, you see that day when I saw you stood at my computer I knew something was wrong I mean you were sweating like a w***e in church so when you went away I checked my computer I saw you had looked t the criminal files while I was gone. No my first reaction was why didn’t he just ask e but then I began to wonder why was he looking at them and as I racked my brains it started. The masked vigilante was born and the people being brought to justice just happened to match names on the sheets you printed out’’.

 

‘’So that’s how you know?’’.

 

‘’Oh I couldn’t be a hundred per cent sure just on that basis so I followed you and I saw you at work’’.

 

‘’So why didn’t you rat me out and take the credit’’.

 

‘’Well because I agreed in what you were doing. You see my grandmother too a knife one night to a  burglar and caught a artery on his leg and you know what that burglar did? He sued my dear grandmother and took everything she had. All of the money by dead grandfather had worked his whole life to earn he took just like that and because of all the stress and sadness my dear grandmother died from a heart attack before the year was out and now that a*****e is walking the streets with my grandfathers money lining his pockets and my grandmother lying in the ground all because he broke into there house so you tell me Frank were is the justice in that!’’. A very irate Mike shouts and spits.

 

‘’There is no none Mike’’.

 

‘’Exactly so when I saw what you were doing and how you were making people pay who had escaped the law I applauded you for that but then things changed’’.

 

‘’Changed how?’’.

 

‘’You weren’t doing it to make a difference in the world you were doing it for you’’.

 

‘’That’s not true’’.

 

‘’Really officer Burrows or should that be detective wannabe Burrows? You see I saw why you were doing this. You were doing this to better your career, you were doing this so you could take the credit and gain the promotion and the new badge and everything that went with it so it was all about you. You, you ,you and what you could get out of it and I realised you were just like that burglar who stole from my grandmother. A low life worm who was only out for self gain and that made me feel sick to the pit of my stomach’’.

 

‘’that’s not true’’.

 

‘’don’t lie to me Frank. I have followed you everywhere and I have bugged your house so I have heard all of the weird conversations you’ve had with yourself so don’t make out this is anything different because its not’’.

 

‘’That still doesn’t give you an excise to kill Mike’’.

 

‘’No because someone had to step in. Someone had to step in and show you how it should be done and then scare the s**t out of you for what you did’’. And Mike then begins to laugh. ‘’ And man did I scare the s**t out of you’’.

 

‘’You also hurt a lot of people Mike. You orphaned Crystals kid. You killed Trent and his boys when he should have been in jail something I would have done and tried to do’’.

 

‘’Like I aid he didn’t deserve to sit in no cushy jail for six months and then be let out to continue what he was doing.  Trent and his boys was like some mangy dog that needed putting out of its misery and I did it’’.

 

‘’He wasn’t the man who broke into your grandmother house Mike, none of them were’’.

 

‘’I know that’’.

 

‘’So stop making them pay for it’’.

 

‘’No they deserved to pay for there ins just like my grandmother burglar did and I made sure they did  unlike you Mr what do I get out of it’’.

 

‘’So what now Mike, you kill me?’’.

 

‘’Well you  sure as hell deserve it after what you’ve done and the people you’ve hurt’’.

 

‘’But your not the one to judge me’’.

 

‘’Oh yes I am Frank because no one will know what you’ve done like I do’’.

 

‘’So what about Jill, what is her crime?’’.

 

‘’Oh I wont kill her but you on the other hand’’. And Mike aims the steel pipe down at Frank. ‘’I will kill you and then frame you for all the killings’’.

 

‘’They wont believe that’’.

 

‘’Oh I’ll make sure they do’’.

 

‘’And you think Jill ill go along with that?’’.

 

‘’Well if she don’t I’ll kill her. Hell I keep protesting I don’t hurt the innocent but if she doesn’t want the man responsible for her husbands death the pay the for it then she isn’t so innocent herself and I gets me thinking maybe there was something between the two of you which would defiantly make her a sinner’’. and Mike then steps closer to Frank and grips the steep pipe with both hands.

 

‘’Say hello to Tom for me’’. Smirks Mike as he raises the steel pipe at the defenceless Frank but before he can strike a gun hot goes off from behind them and Mike drops to his knees to reveal stood behind him is Jill who had freed herself and grabbed the gun that Frank dropped and as Mike gasps for air Jill shoots him again and he then drops face down to the ground dead. ………

Frank then looks up at Jill who is stood looking down at what she had done before she quickly snaps out of it and then aims the gun again, this time at Frank.

 

‘’Jill I…. but Frank had, had enough, he had , had enough of the excuses and he knew he deserved to be punished. Killer or not he had more than played his part and Jill’s pain was because of him as well not just the masked tormenter.

 

‘’I deserve it’’.  He tells a shaking and crying Jill. ‘’I deserve to die. I never meant….. I never meant for Tom to get hurt but I played my part. I never killed anyone but I was the first to pull on that mask and I cant escape from that. Murderer or not I am responsible’’. He tells Jill before lowering his head and Frank then waits for the sound of the gun to go off. He closes his eyes and as he does everything begins flashing through his mind. The black balaclava, Crystal, Trent, Mike, Tom and everything else that had happened flashes through Franks head so fast again and again until finally he gun goes off and the images in his head turn to blackness……

Frank opens his eyes and looks down at his leg which Jill had shot but as he looks up at her expecting her to finish the job Jill drops the gun to the ground and then drops to her knees.

AS Frank Lies on the floor holding his bleeding and very painful gunshot wound Jill sits on her knees staring at him until finally she begins to talk.

 

‘’I know you didn’t kill Tom’’. She says in a very low voice that has a hint of crack in it as if she could burst into tears at any moment. ‘’So I wont rat you out but you played a big part in his death and what you did…. Was wrong’’.

 

‘’Jill im…’’.

 

‘’Wait!’’. She demands loudly before returning to her low, calm voice. ‘’I really, really hope you rot in hell for what you did Frank and even though I don’t have the urge to see you behind bars I still want to see you pay. So when the REAL COPS arrive we’ll I’ll tell then how you saved me from Mike and how he shot you in the leg but your not getting any promotion of the detective badge you crave form this. Instead when all this has died down you’ll hand your badge in and quit your job for good. I also never want to see you at my house again and im going to give all of your belongings to charity just like I did with Toms. I also never want to see you again and I never want to see you at Toms grave….ever. And if you go back on any of these ill run out into the street and scream what you did from the top of my lungs and everyone including your family will know just what you are’’. She tells him calmly.

 

‘’Jill…..’’.

 

‘’Not Frank, I don’t want to hear it. Your dead to me now’’. And Jill then climbs to her feet and walks away from the bleeding Frank who rolls onto his back and stares up at the ceiling as his eyes fill with tears and his heart fills with sadness and regret.

 

Five minutes later the police arrive along with detective Stevens and his partner who take statements from Jill and Frank. Jill sticks to the story of Frank saving her which he backs up and Frank is then wheeled into the back of a ambulance on a stretcher and just before he is lifted in Frank takes one more glance at Jill who stares back at him with such hate and venom in her eyes before she quickly looks away and Frank is then lifted into the ambulance and taken to hospital……………

 

 

   2 MONTHS LATER…..

 

Frank was sat in his apartment with a half drunk bottle of whisky and a bottle of pills for depression. Since the incident Frank had not been the same. Guilt, shame, regret and pain swirled around in his head again and again and nothing would help shift the pain and as he sat there drinking more and more on top of the pill he was taking the state of Franks mind was worsening by the minute…..

 

Jill was sat at home on the phone to her friend when suddenly her front door bell rings.

 

‘’Oh, two seconds the door bells just rang’’. She tells her friend on the other side of the phone.

 

‘’Bit late isn’t it?’’.

 

‘’No I ordered a takeout’’. Replies Jill before heading to the front door and opening it and as she does a knife plunges hard across her chest and as the screaming Jill falls to the ground the knife is plunged into her stomach again and again until the screams are no more and Jill is dead.

 

‘’Jill…. Jill….. What’s happened? What’s wrong Jill?’’. Asks her friend through the phone which lies in a pool of Jill’s blood on the floor and staring down at her with the bloodied knife in there hand is Jill’s killer who wears a black balaclava and as the killer pulls the balaclava off it is Frank who lies under it and he stares down at the what he had done with a blank expression on his face before he looks up and sees stood in Jill’s house the young girl who is wearing the smoking black balaclava and nodding at Frank as a sign of approval……..