"YOU NEED A HERO" latest chapter

Oh boy this last month wasn't a good one.
i'm late with everything blog-related, and wrote barely nothing.
still here is the LATEst chapter.

0005#

Another two weeks have past, and the number of deaths blamed on the “One Hit Killer” skyrocket. In matter of days, dozens of new horrific murders parade on the news – al cops. The total numbers, some of which were clearly copycats went over one hundred, and the city in panic, was about to burst in flames and riots.  The cops got the bad part of it, the front line: Thanks to the mayor lack of common sense and need of quick results, the police were diverted in tens of squads and task forces after the maniac, each one under absurd pressure from the midia and from the city politicians, who fought like jackals over the publicity that came with the panic.

Thanks to that, each task force, each little investigation group, was segregated of the others accordingly with the political bonds of the officers in charge. In the end, criminality exploded, as the killer become more legend than man.

Josh and Sammy weren’t the kind of cop who kiss politicians asses, so they were quickly brushed away from the main investigation. Not that they give a damn about it.

Using (and abusing) the chaos in their favor, they kept track of a single suspect, a strange young man, who lived alone in a old warehouse that belong to a facade company. A import and export facade company. True be told, the one who gave the tip to them was Marcy, apparently she had a affair with the mayor’s assistant, and managed to get some hot leads that no one look over, because they were busy fighting for publicity.

-Vincent works with the mayor, and lately we didn’t talk much. He is always busy with his boss, who apparently is going nuts… For real, but please, you didn’t heard that from me, right? Anyway, all the info on this case are a mess, and Vince was trying to put pieces together, but no one knows what to look for. He asked me to give a look after work, and well, a couple Louis Vitton’s later I said yes. Damn, was a bunch of crap, but then, I found this company…trading high quality carbon blades for medical purposes… And it caught my attention… I checked and it was a façade…

Sammy looked at the computer screen and scratched the back of her neck. The company made only one shipment ever. High quality carbon blades and it arrived one week before the dog and homeless killings started. But still…

-Marcy, sorry to ask, but why you give it to us? I’m sure you have plenty other friends in the force who could reward you for this information…

-True. I do have a couple “friends” that would love to have this info. “Friends” who always made me favors…in exchange of something else. I know what everyone say about me behind my back, and its true. But I am the best investigator this lab ever had. No one have more degrees, no one solved more cases, no one wrote more scientific papers. But at the end of the day I am still the department whore.

Marcy was looking deeply sad, and angry, like never before. Sammy and Josh just waited.

-This is big. Big enough to end it. My opportunity to get someone to recognize my work, and above all, my chance to dump those “friends” for good. And for it work properly, I need help. I am just a lab investigator, I barely pass my firing tests… and be honest, Sammy, Josh, we aren’t best buddies, but I made a background check on you two, just like I know you two did a background check on me, so I know you two are my best chance to do some real, REAL cop job here, without feeding up those politicians…

Sammy scratched her head again.

-Fair, we have a deal Marcy.

That was a day before the riots.

The city exploded in violence, mostly toward police, who responded with brutality, once all higher ups closed their eyes and pretend to be deaf, as long order was restored. But it didn’t: It become worst, looters, arsonists, rapists, bank robbers, political terrorists and simple honest people who just had enough shit during all their lives decided that was a good opportunity to see the world burn, and to settle scores, of course. What have started with a single serial killer had inexplicably evolved to mass hysteria.

But Sammy and Josh had a lead and wouldn’t let it slip no matter what: they went under the radar, literally disappearing of the face of the world – something rather easy during the riots- and start tracking the movements made by the facade company.

When they found a large, old warehouse/factory, half of it built with bricks and wood infested with termites, they couldn’t shake the feeling it was too easy to be right place.

With no back up and with weapons in hands, they sneaked in while the city burned around them, unaware that violent eyes hidden in the shadows watched them, rather amused.

new chapter of "YOU NEED A HERO"

Weekly chapter of "YOU NEED A HERO". enjoy!

0004#

Less than a month after the murders, the city was close to hysteria, fearing the “One hit killer”: He was in all papers, most of times stories of people who allegedly meet and survived to tell the tale. Police had to investigate all possible witness but all were attention whoring nut jobs. Radio and TV also had a poor record of people who pretend to know the killer, but the real problem was the internet: Leaked photos and record, and even official reports flooded the net, in blogs, spam, chain mail and dozen of web sites claiming to belong to the killer, or to his spokesman, the Hammer head. Soon it become a political scandal, once “Hammer Head” exposed the posture of the city authorities to ignore all the previous attack. Accused of negligence, the mayor put all police force on the fire, and some heads were cut, but only of  sacrificial lambs.

Josh and Sammy were on the first line of heads to be cut, but the reports exposed how they were forced to let go of the case, what made them untouchable before the public eyes, but even keeping their jobs, they didn’t escaped unharmed: Several accusations of misconduct and selling information were made and internal affairs rained over them.

After they proved to be innocent, the harassment begun to stop, but they still were deemed un-reliable, and once more they got swapped off the investigation. On the paper they were part of a “task force”, but reality was different, they were sent in pointless missions, to investigate obviously false evidences and testimonies. Josh, a practical man, kept below the radar, but Sammy had a whole different understanding of the situation, and frequently would enter verbal fights with the higher ups, as usual.

That afternoon a meeting on city hall between law officers, the mayor and city’s representatives begun at close doors.

The mayor was under heavy fire from everyone but the police, to which he delegated all responsibility on the “errors” and “misunderstandings” on the investigations, but was clear to all that his position was more and more threatened. After the meeting, he returned to his office, dodging reporters, and spoke with his secretary, a man called Vincent.

-Those jackals are eating me alive! Damn, I won’t make to the elections next month if it stay like that! Fucking police, make them work harder! A man who kill at least two persons every night can’t be this hard to find!

-Sir, we already put any available resource in this task. To increase the man hunt, we would have to reassign police officers from other areas, like narcotics and …

-I don’t give a fuck! Do you hear me? Not a single fuck! Put those lazy fuckers on it too, my career is on the line, and I wont let a maniac with a knife bury my political future! Now go and make it happen!

Furious, the mayor throws the stapler against Vincent, hitting him on the arm. He apologized and left, the mayor was always like that, when dealing with his subordinates at close doors. Son Vincent was on his car heading to police headquarters to address in person to the chief of police.

-What? The mayor want us to drop any other case and focus only on the “one hit killer”?! Are you nuts!?!

-Please chief, it’s not me. It’s a direct order from the mayor, he thinks the “one hit killer” is a serious threat to people’s safety and that justify extraordinary measures…

-I’m not a moron, I know he is doing it to save his face in time for the next elections, but damn, crime raised 46% in the last year as our force shrunk almost 20%. We are already working at 200% of our capacity here! If I do it…

-Chief, you will do it or you will be kicked of the force. The mayor don’t want your excuses, he want results. There is no excuse to letting a murderer escaping with two kills every night, in the middle of town.

Vincent soon leave the chief and the police head quarters, but he don’t return directly to the mayor’s office first he stop at a medical office. The installation is an old mansion, beautifully kept, with pure white walls and golden details in all doors and windows, dark windows. Inside, only a couple of rich patients wait on a luxurious waiting room, Vincent go straight to the receptionist, who is already waiting for him. She open a door marked as “STAFF ONLY” and he enter with naturality. Soon he is sitting in front of a huge man dressed with a unspoiled white coat.

-Doctor Krane, things are going swiftly. I think we can inform our associates that police will be completely unstructured in the next weeks…

-They are not our associates; they are just pawns, PAWNS, with their wicked schemes and ignorance… Dover is keeping the flood of news on OHT-D, but he will need more reports.

-Ahead of you doctor, here, and an extra:

The fat man smiled.

-What it is?

-A pen drive with audio recordings from today’s meeting in city hall. The mayor sound completely lost and incompetent on it.

-It won’t compromise your cover?

-No. The room was crowded, anyone could have it recorded.

-Well done. Soon we will start phase three.

-Already?

The fat man laughed:

-Are you scared Vince?

-Not at all doctor. But after all this time waiting, it is… dazzling how fast things are moving.

-Indeed, but this speed work in our favor. The bait we served with the “Hammer Head” signature already brought the right players on the court.

-I see, Doctor… Aren’t you afraid they found you?

-To them I am dead. All they see is that some of my work survived. The only ones who know about what Hammer Head was really about were the Israeli, and the Mossad will never ever admit to reveal it to anyone. Now, son, enough talking: Go to the mayor, take this new dose of hormones and drugs, and make sure to increase the dose in mayor’s food in the following weeks.

-Yes father, I will.

The medic watches Vincent leave though the CCTV monitor and smile. He remembers with satisfaction how he managed to fool all his persecutors.

-Ah Vincent, my most reliable son. I should have manufactured two of you when I had the opportunity…Well; one is good enough for now.

Away from there, a man lifted weights. Over 140 kg on supine position, almost effortlessly. He didn’t count it, just did it as many times he could. A smile on his face reveled satisfaction and tranquility. He decided to stop, was getting late, and he need to take a bath and sleep before leaving for his night activities. He was very satisfied with the public response to his actions; people were already looking at him as a supernatural killer. The TV, turned on news channel, spoke about him all the time, suddenly, something grasp his attention on the screen:

-… Extra! We managed to acquire a video of the serial murder, as you can see, he seems to use a mask, or even holds some deformity…

An enhanced image of his face, well it truly didn’t made justice to his looks, but “deformity”? Ruffians, he would visit them tonight, and teach them some manners…

He was about to turn off the TV, when a cell phone ringed.

-Yes-He answered at same time he muted the news about some leaked mayor’s meeting.

-It’s hammer head.

He felt dizzy, as usual.

-What can I do for you tonight hammer head?

-Your fans are very excited with the developments, but they feel like it’s getting repetitive…

The killer froze, with his hands shacking and voice failing, almost bursting in tears, he asked again, despaired:

-No… NO..what thye want me to do? I will do! I can do more, I can do BETTER!!

-That’s the spirit! See, I see some suggestions from your fan pages… what they really want to see is see you killing some…Pigs! Those cops are unbearable and incompetent… I’m sure if you start killing cops they will love you again!

Calmer, with his eyes shinning, he just repeated:

-if I kill cops… they will love me again… I have to kill the PIGS and they will love me again!

On the other side of the line, a man called Dover turn off his disposable phone.

-Well, phase three, just like good doctor prescribed. Now let’s see how long this one can survive until they blow his brains off…

TO BE CONTINUED.

YOU NEED A HERO part 3.

 "YOU NEED A HERO" PART 3, Also "I BELIVE IN" will be updated later today, thanx!

0003#

Crime labs, a week later:

-Hey! Sammy! Josh! My darlings! – A young blonde girl with glasses and a white coat warmly welcome both investigators on her evidence lab.

-Sup Marcy. Got news to us?

-Well, I do. Like you expected, it the same type of blade: the same shape, composition and length.

-Are you sure? It’s the same used on the dogs and the homeless?

-Hard to miss it, a thin 25 centimeters, high quality carbon steel blade. See not the kind of knife you see much around here; or there, or anywhere. Damn, this shit is so expensive no one uses it to actually chop and stab people, its something you see in heavy industries. I asked the boys to run a search with military manufactors and specialized black-smiths. None actually in this country, but they all mail shit like this world wide.

-And?

-Most of them told us to fuck off, so we will need a judge to issue a warrant to be sent by mail to another judge on another country, who will consider the evidences, and if he feel like it, issue a new warrant to make those guys send us piles of sales files. Will take probably three to eight months.

-Great. Local traders?

-As stated before, shit is expensive as fuck. So a deal like that would appear on the records, even if made through importation law’s holes. Most guys are afraid of an investigation, so they are helping us in anyway they can. Obviously they are hiding lots of shit from us, but none involving a master-crafted blade.

-Fine, society helping fight crime once more.

-Yep, also our guy is 1,80 to 1,85 tall. Very strong, precise as hell and with a outstanding knowledge of human, and canine anatomy.

-Why so sure it’s a guy?

-Sweat. DNA still running, but we found enough testosterone to say is a guy. Also this guy is insanely strong. The hilt of the knife crushed a couple of the victim’s vertebras, not that it would matter.

-You say insanely strong?

-Yep, even with a knife that good, stabbing  through someone’s bones, and swiftly taking the blade off the body causing minimal damages to skin and muscle isn’t something a normal med student would manage to do. Also we had plenty of sawdust, extremely thin sawdust.

-So he is a medic who pulls weigh and work making wooden chairs. It sure helps!

-Shut up Sammy. Sawdust this thin is probably from everyone’s favorite home infestation, termites. As usual lab is checking to be sure.

-I heard you guys enhanced a video?

-Yesh, if you call a miracle “enhance”, we “enhanced” a video. Sick shit, guy is creepy and fast. Come and check it!

The girl open a tab on her computer and click on a video file. Even from a distance, the crime is visible.

-Now the fun part. Look at his face… Here!

-Goddamn!

-Shit! What in God’s name?!?

-A guy this “pretty” must be easy to find.

-If its not a mask.

Soon the investigators leave.

-Not very productive, but if we have DNA, things get easier as hell. But why you didn’t told Marcy about the “spiral pattern”?

-Why didn’t you, Josh?

-Hmm, Marcy is a nice girl, but she report anything and everything to her bosses. That’s how things work when you sleep half of your way up in the hierarchy.

-That’s sexist Josh. Only because we saw she blowing a couple of higher ups you think she only got her position due to sex?

-We? You are the paranoid one who tagged her for months.

-So true. But back to our case…

-Well Sammy, things got narrowed: Guy live in someplace filled with termites, is highly intelligent, male, very strong, have medical and veterinary back ground and… have that unique face.

-God, I told you, this city is fucked up. I should move to some small town where people don’t look like that, even if they are serial murderers.

-Guy love Jason and Leather face, work in our benefit if he isn’t using a mask, what I hope isn’t the case.

*

On the office of one the major city’s journals and intern knock on the editor’s door:

-Boss, I think you have some mail.

-brad, I know you are the intern, but you don have to bring me no damn coffe, no damn tea, no fucking lunch, nor mail. I have people to do that. What I need you to do is to help me to edit this journal. For the rest I could use even a trained chimp, here I need a real journalism professional and…

-But boss, you HAVE to look this…

He hands over the brown, unidentified envelope to his boss. Inside, several dozens of pictures. Murders. Very close and personal pictures, many pictures took during the murders, and not just after.

-Fuck. Call Fred. And jack. Fuck, call Everyone, including that wench, Kelly, do it now, say to them to be here in an hour or to find a new job. And damn, call our Lawyers too. And while you are at it, bring me some fucking coffee. Black, no sugar.

Inside a sheat of paper, a hand write letter:

“This is the One Hit Killer. His deeds are bounded to become legendary. Those pictures were sent to you, once we believe you will not bend to political pressure.

Signed

Hammer Head.”

*TO BE CONTINUED.

"YOU NEED A HERO"-Part 0002#

Here is "YOU NEED A HERO" part 2; later today i will post last part of "ZOMBIES" & Monday comes second part of "CHANCES".
Please enjoy!.

0002#

She got there an hour ago, two hours since the first patrol car arrived and two and a half hours after the first call reporting a murder was made. Lets round it up, she thinks, and the killer got three hours to escape.

Three whole hours, He could be anywhere now, even in another country.

She looks at the bodies for one last time as they are finally removed. Forensics will most probably confirm that the killer is the same guy who has been butchering dogs and homeless people in the last four years. But this time he killed someone with a girl with name and a job, and a guy who was a real prick, to be kind for those who passed away.

The girl was secretary in a multinational bank, well dressed, but in a conservative way. Soon they will call the Bank and most probably they will say she used to stay late, working extra time, really working, once her underwear was the type women only use when its absolutely sure no men will see them. In her finger a beautiful but simply engagement ring. She was still in her twenties; maybe she was making some overtime to afford a new house, or a little more elegant wedding party. She could be saving some money to a nicer wedding dress. Soon her fiancé will receive a call that his future wife was almost raped and then murdered, and he will blame himself for letting her left work so late.

The second victim was a well know son of a bitch who made a reputation stealing from pregnant girls, old ladies and kids. Last year he raped a fourteen year old girl, a mistake on his paperwork, a cop who punches him in the face in front of the press and a girl too scared and ashamed to go to court let him walk away. He was suspect of five other rapes in that area, always old ladies or teenagers. But ten rapists like him wouldn’t pay the life of one single girl who worked hard to have a less ordinary wedding.

The woman looked around. How come no one see something like that? Simple: the close curtains, turn the TV, pretend that no one is getting raped or murdered in their doorsteps.

-Fuck, this city is getting worst on daily basis.

A black man, very tall and thin come closer, and smile paternally:

-Hey partner, what’s the problem?

-Josh, the problem is that I’m getting tired of finding a new corpse on the sidewalk every five minutes and no one sees anything.

-Sammy, that’s how life in a big city is, everyone pretend to be blind and deaf, at least until someone stab them in the guts.

-It’s the same guy Josh. The same guy and we could have prevented this.

-I know, but was not our fault. Our bosses thought it was a nice social engineering, all those homeless murders, and they fucked with us until we had no choice but move along. Shit Sammy, if I recall you even got suspended over it.

-Yeah, but I got back. This girl won’t have the same luck. Now the guy now has twelve deaths on his body count.

-So what we do? Cry a little?

She looks at Josh and thanks for having such pragmatic and reliable detective as partner and friend.

-Can you guess what I’ve been doing on my free time?

-Oh! Can you guess what I have been doing on mine, Sammy?

She grins a little more.

-This guy never attacks in the same place, but he has a pattern: if you put all attacks together, animals included, this guy is making a spiral, coming from outskirts to downtown, slowly reducing his area of action, very slowly.

-Exactly Sammy, but the center of the spiral is the commercial and political center of the city, no one actually live there.

-But he could work there, Josh.

-Yes, rushy one, but thousands work there, actually I run some numbers and we got over six thousand people working there. And we don’t have anything on this guy. He could be anyone of them. I know you would, literally, investigate everyone on this list, but damn if any judge would give us a warrant on such basis. You know, from what we have in this exactly moment, we can’t do much, Sammy.

-Fair. Lets cross our fingers and hope his time forensics will do their job without the higher ups telling them to “lost” and “postpone” papers.

-And until we got it we can move accordingly with his pattern, and try to catch him up red handed.

-Or a little before. Too much red to my tastes…

Josh raises his head and smile like the man who know a secret.

-Oh, if you don’t like red, maybe you like what I just found for you, in black, white and our favorite, shades of gray.

*

I watch the sun rise; I am in peace with an overwhelming feeling of fulfillment and pure unspoiled joy. Soon they will found my first official victims; then they will try to cover my existence, but I am prepared: I put my plan in movement, and their actions will only work to make me more famous.

I am bounded to become immortal; no one can deny my fate.

I remove my uniform: black is a wonderful color. The little blood spatter is almost invisible under the faint street lights. Still, I will be cleaning it afterwards, not for fear of identification, but because I don’t want to remembered as a sloppy, untidy man.

I am now naked, my flesh exposed. I look at the mirror and for maybe the first time in my life I truly love the man I see. No shames, no despise, no second guessing or doubt, only power and beauty. My hands slide over my arms and chest, my finger tips feel the muscles and scars, my beauty marks from this day on.

I feel my hands and I remember the feeling of the knife diving on soft helpless flesh, and I realize how much I want to have this feeling again.

I look at the face of the man in the mirror.

-You are truly beautiful!

*

In an elegant medical clinic, a man dressed in immaculate keep his attention on his monitor. The fat fingers are adorned by two gold rings, one with a black opal on it, type fast. His round face, red, is covered in sweat. He only stops typing to scratch his white beard and clean his bald head with a expensive Egyptian silk handkerchief. His phone rings and he almost jump of his chair.

- Hello? Who is it?

-It’s Dover, doctor. I have news for you.

Anxious the man grab his phone with both hands.

-Spit it out!

-He started again, this time is for real. Two last night, no hobos or puppies.

-I was starting to wonder for how long he would train.

-This time no way the badges will pretend they saw nothing.

-Not of your concern. You know what to do next. Call me again tonight.

And the fat doctor turns off his phone. He lay back on his chair for a minute and look at the screen: A report with the picture of a young boy, no more than six years old.

-Project Hammer-Head. Test subject 0912 AKA “One Hit Killer-D”.

'you need a hero" is the first chapter of a weekly series i will keep from now on

000#

YOU NEED A HERO.

Every man has a dream of becoming a legend, immortal, remembered forever for his actions and his accomplishments. It’s an egoistic goal, but at least is an honest one, some people even try to hide such goal behind excuses, justifications, but that is pointless.

I will achieve this goal with truth and honesty, and I will be remembered for ages to come.

The night fall over this city, where I born and lived in anonymity until now, a life full of disappointment and frustration: The life of a stallion who cant run, a eagle that cannot fly, despite all the wonders I could see, I was paralyzed by fear and my own mediocrity.

But tonight I will spread my wings and conquer the skies, tomorrow the world will know what I am, what I will be, through hard work, dedication and courage.

I look down and see cars and people, so tiny. I was tiny before, but not anymore.

At first I thought about using a mask of some kind, to be easily recognized after my actions, but that would be dishonest, it would be merely a false modesty.

I will go with this face I born with.

I check my uniform, an act of vanity, I confess; it’s black, functional, and has everything I need.

I pull the hood over my head, not to hide my face, but because I love how it look at night, so powerful.

The streets are now mine. I know many dreamed to live what I live now, and I am sure, after they see my actions, they will rise too.

Took me only one hour to see my opportunity, a man attacking a girl, from a distance I hear her calls for help, and I see him ripping of her clothes.

We are in the middle of the city, and in the buildings hundreds, no, thousands may hear her screaming but they do nothing. I would do nothing, but that was before.

I dash on him, my elbow hit hard on his kidney. He falls on the ground, but the battle isn’t over, he pulls a gun to me.

I feel no fear, just a feeling of freedom, as I kick it away from his hand.

I smile and lay punch after punch on his face, until he falls unconscious.

The girl cry and thank me for saving her, I remove my hood and smile with true satisfaction…

 As I feel my knife sliding offs its sheath.

She looks confused as I stab her in the heart, with a perfect movement. Oh all the training on dogs and homeless people really was worth the effort.

She falls on the ground dead, one hit kill. It’s so beautiful I feel like crying, but I can’t, my work isn’t done yet! The filthy rapist is awake and saw everything, excellent! I would feel horrible to kill him unconscious.

He tries to run, but is too late: My blade go deep on the back of his neck, I go until the hilt touch his skin. His death is slower, but not more painful, once I carefully severed his spine, just below skull. For those who know blades, this is an extremely difficult task to do, even in a still target, but mine was moving. And once again, I was perfect.

One hit kill.

Tonight I reborn, to be forever remembered as the One Hit Kill “maniac”, and my deeds and skills will soon be know for all! Soon I will be a legend.

I clean my blade carefully in his clothes, before leaving. The night is still young and I have much work to do, after all, fame and glory are hard to get, in this crazy world.

To be continued.