all for one -chapter 4
This is the first chapter of the second ark. Thanks everyone who read the first three chapters, oh and if you haven't, you should go do that now.
Addiction
Saturday night in September
The Harkenow Residence
Richard sat restless on his bed. His eyes fixated on something that wasn't even there. It was growing late, but sleep wouldn't come; and the troubled wolf knew why. He couldn't shake the feeling of killing from his mind: the control and the release. As he sat on the edge of his unmade bed, Richard began to come to terms with a monster. There was a need burning inside of him. As though he were a junkie without any heroin. Somewhere out in the city, a man was being mugged or a woman was being raped. Would the world miss a mugger or a rapist? Surely it wouldn't. Richard couldn't help trying to justify his thoughts. All the while his eyes began to wander to an old baseball bat in the corner of his room. It wouldn't be hard; he might be doing the world some good. One less criminal would be crawling in the shadows.
Before he could convince himself otherwise, Richard had his coat on and was holding the bat. He walked over to his closet and managed to dig up an old bandanna. None of the doors in his house had alarms on them, so sneaking out wasn't a problem. His family didn't live in a great part of the city. It wasn't a matter of crime, but the neighborhood was beginning to crumble. Most of the paint was chipping and much of the metal was rusting. Richard walked calmly through the weeds that forced their way through the pavement. Nothing crossed his mind. After a while, the bat felt like his arm.
He crossed the train tracks into a much harder part of town. It was the kind of place where it wasn't smart to walk alone. The bat clinked as it ran along the chain link fence. It had to be somewhere near midnight. Somewhere, someone was preying on another. Richard knew it; he could feel it. The air was still and bleak. There was not moon out tonight and the clouds covered up the stars. The night was like a black veil. Suddenly, a noise found its way through the darkness. Richard's ears perked up. A yelp of pain called out then stopped. Richard stood stock-still. After a moment, another cry sounded. Knowing what was happening, Richard took off in the direction. He drew up the bandanna over his mouth and drew his hood over his head. Another cry trailed off into a whimper. The wolf picked up his pace to a run. The sound couldn't be far away.
It was like he was in a maze. Richard looked down every alley he passed by. The cries of help grew louder and he knew he was drawing near. Actually, he almost ran past it. Richard was so focused on his pace he nearly passed by the scene. Though out of the corner of his eye he saw it: A young rabbit, no older than 14, was backing away from a deranged looking hyena. The girl's shirt was torn and tears were rolling down her face. The rapist held a knife in his teeth and was making her way towards the girl. The rabbit felt the wall behind her. She prayed that the man would just kill her, or at least be gentle. The crazed man was drooling over her. His teeth were yellow or rotting. He took heavy, brutal breaths as he thought of what he would do to the girl.
Richard snuck through the shadows of the alley; his grip tightened around the grip of the wooden bat. The hyena was completely unaware of his presence. Suddenly the man pounced on the girl. He dropped the knife to the ground and licked the girls face. In one last attempt, the girl reached for the blade lying on the ground; but the hyena pinned her arm to the ground.
Richard drew back the bat; he swung and struck the rapist in the ribs. The force of the blow threw him into the brick wall. He laid stunned and coughing up blood. His eyes were naïve and lost as all men who faced death. For a moment, Richard questioned what he was doing. The hyena's eyes looked like a child's. Then the wolf's eyes rested on the girl and he knew what he had to do.
"Go on home." Richard said to the girl. Silently, the rabbit got to her feet and ran off into the night.
Richard stood over the Hyena, his grip on the bat tighter than ever. The bastard did not deserve a final goodbye from the world of the living. The wolf swung hard, then walked away. The hyena was unrecognizable. As he walked back home, Richard felt like he was floating high above the city. Reality seemed to melt away into a monochromatic blur. It was only when he threw up that the world came back to him. Richard found himself on one knee staring at a small pool of vomit. His throat burned like hell.
For along time he sat on an old park bench. Though it was only late September, the late night air was cold and the wind stung. It was probably going to rain tomorrow. Winter would be hard; he could feel it. Then something crossed his mind. It was nameless but he knew what it was. Richard pulled out his phone and called Sall. As the number dialed up, Richard sat feeling alone.
"Hello?" A sleepy voice asked. "Sall?" Richard asked timidly.
"Jesus Richard do you know what time it is?"
"I just killed a man." The words spilled out uncontrollably.
There was a dead silence on the wall. "Where are you?"
"Do you know the park a few blocks from the train track on Silverbrook?"
"I'll be right there." Sall's voice had changed since the beginning of the call.
Richard sat alone. The only light came from the solemn lamppost. For around fifteen minutes, Richard stared at his old torn-up shoes. He heard a car pull up at the edge of the park. When he looked up, Sall was ten feet away. He was wearing pajamas and a sweatshirt. There were no shoes on his feet, which were moving uncomfortably from the harsh cold.
"Who was it?" he asked with a distanced voice.
"He was a hyena and he was about to rape a girl at least two years younger than you." Richard said looking back down. "I smashed his head in with a fucking baseball bat."
"I guess you did right." Sall said with a sigh.
"He looked so scared," Richard protested. "It was like I was killing a child."
"He was about to rape a child," argued Sall.
Richard let out a long breath. The cloud fell into pieces before his eyes. "It felt good. The moment of impact felt like every drug you could imagine. Same with the two guys from yesterday."
"You need to see someone about this,' Sall said walking towards his car. "My life's fucked enough without you."
"Don't you get it?" Richard said standing up. "I did it for Kriss."
The words froze Sall in his tracks. Richard saw the fox's hands clench into fists. "Kriss died last year, you're a little fucking late."
"Well I guess I did it for that girl," Richard said. "You read comics don't you?"
"So what," Sall said looking at Richard, "You're batman now?"
The wolf shrugged. "I am dressed in all black. Can you really say you're life is so great?"
"There's a tire iron in the back of my car," Sall said. "How tired are you."
"Not at all," Richard said grabbing his bat. The fox walked over to his car. He opened up the trunk. The prodigal iron was in a hidden compartment. Sall held it for a moment; then they walked off into the night.
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