I decided to post one of my short stories. It just kinda came to me out of nowhere one night on family vacation a few years ago; springing from the pre-existing storyline this entirely new episode poured out of my finger tips creating a new character and situations during what was pretty much just a free-writing exercise. I was enormously happy with the result of that fit of scribbling and after typing it up I have slowly edited it sporadically over the three years since to help with flow, feel, and cohesion to the over arcing storyline.
It may not make a lot of sense to most of you because it's really more of an episode in a series than a stand alone short story. I have a several other episodes in this same story line that I am currently working on but, unlike this one, they aren't really finished yet and do to some not so great reactions and misunderstandings that arose the last time I show people incomplete works that won't be happening again. I will probably post things in the future that will receive further editing but unless the entire episode/story is written out, nobody gets to see it.
Suicide
A Short Story
By
Andrew J. Goggans
It wasn’t cold rain, even if it was he wouldn’t have cared, he liked the rain. It was an old building on the edge of town. It had once been a school or something. He stepped in out of the rain. Florescent light glinted off his sunglasses as he walked to the elevator.
Ding. The doors slid open and he stepped out. As he stepped out of the anteroom and into the hallway he could sense the guards stepping around the corner to follow him, but he was gone.
The rain dripped from his long hair onto the upturned collar of his trench coat as he stood behind a pillar on the balcony. There were fifteen men with every type of gun imaginable placed around the room, one was pointing an Uzi in the general direction of a girl who was obviously scared witless. The two guards stumbled into the room panic stricken. “Where did he go?” one shouted. The others all cursed and scanned the room.
“You’ll never find me that way. Let her go and I’m all yours Jacob.” he said leaning with his back to the pillar, arms crossed, his head bowed. The words bounced around the old auditorium.
“Jand don’t! They’ll kill you! It’s not worth it! Just Go!” the young woman screamed.
“Tiff, do me a favor and make this easier for me; just shut up and run.” he said almost too quiet to be heard but the whisper echoed around the room hauntingly.
“Just do as he says.” Jacob said coldly as a guard shoved her out a side door.
“And please run like hell till you’re far, far from here.” Jand whispered after her. Spinning around the pillar and placing a hand on the rail he leapt from the balcony and landed in the center aisle in a crouch, cracking the cement floor under his feet. One hand was on the floor, his head raised to stare at the terrified men in front of him. Every gun in the place was trained on him. Standing he reached up and slid his fingers back through his hair, then spread his arms. Two men with .45s stepped forward to pat him down. “Those are loaded with Raon cartridges, aren’t they?” he asked. They ignored him.
“He’s clean.” one grunted as they backed away.
“Good. You can put your guns away boys.” Jacob said, “I kept my end of the bargain he will keep his. Jand never breaks his word.”
“And yet you still had then frisk me.” Jand said with a smirk that quickly disappeared. “Tell your cronies to leave, you don’t need them, its my life for hers just like we agreed.” Jand’s smirk returned as he continued. “Even if you did need them they wouldn’t do you any good. You know that you could put me in front of a military firing squad naked and they’d all be dead before the shots stopped ringing.” The guards all shifted nervously and Jand’s smirk grew to a grin at seeing the henchmen so easily unnerved. “This is between you and me, if you want to kill me do it yourself. You know I can’t hurt you when you’re wearing that suit I gave you.”
“You never cease to amaze me Jand.” Jacob said with an odd smile. “Get in the van and leave.” he barked at the men. “That’s what I never understood about you. You were always so stuck on honor and saving the insignificant little guys, like me, just think if you hadn’t saved me I wouldn’t be such a pain in your ass right now.”
Jand took his sunglasses and moved them so they sat atop his head. “It was the right thing to do.” he said staring Jacob in the eye; his piercing eyes seeing deep inside him.
“The right thing to do.” Jacob mocked him with a sneer. “See that’s what always got you into trouble, like now,” he said spreading his arms and looking around, “here you are, without a single weapon, to give your life for a stupid little girl. You are completely in my power all because of your stupid honor.”
“Yes. Ironic, isn’t it, that you find such pleasure in the fact that I willingly submit myself to your power? You can kill me however you wish, I won’t fight back.” He said it simply, meekly.
“I know you won’t. You’re such a fool. I could blow your brains out or rip your limbs off.”
“So do it. Why do you wait? It’s because you’re scared. You always talked big but you hate the blood and guts. You always were a coward. That’s why you left us and that’s why you haven’t killed me yet.”
“Fine I will, nice and slowly.” Jacob swung up with a hook and caught him in the stomach. He flew up off the floor and hit the ceiling of the auditorium. He dropped to the floor and landed in a crouch. Grabbing Jand by the collar Jacob threw him headfirst into the rows of chairs, the seats scattered like blowing pins as their bolts were ripped from the floor.
Jand stood blood trickling down his forehead, “That’s not the best you can do. Stop putzing around and really hit me! Don’t you want to kill me?!”
“What’s the matter with you? Do you want to die?” Jacob practically screamed as he lunged forward.
“For me to die is gain, for me to live is Christ.”
“Then Die!” Jacob roared and punched Jand in the face with such force that he would have flown half across the auditorium but Jacob reached and grabbed his ankle, swung him around through another row of chairs and slammed him to the ground cracking the concrete.
“That’s right,” Jand whispered as he stood, his jaw crooked, “use every move I ever taught you.”
Jacob grasped him by the wrist and twisted, it broke with a sickly crack as Jand’s feet lifted of the ground. He landed in a heap in the aisle. Running forward Jacob kicked him in the chest bringing him up in the air and punched him so he landed on the stage.
“You should have never saved me and prolonged my miserable existence, then I wouldn’t be here to kill you now. I’m sorry Andrew but I have to.”
In a flash he was on the stage and kicked Andrew into the air again. He kept him in the air, savagely kicking again and again until he was upright in the air. Suddenly a poison-green nimbus of flame blossomed from the center of Jacob’s hand as he palm heeled Andrew to the chest. The micro-transmitter in Andrew’s coat pocket short-circuited as he slammed through the wall of the building and fell toward the asphalt below. Every thing moved in overhead as they swirled together and with a blinding flash hurtled a white-blue beam to the earth, striking through the mountain of falling rubble. “So we die together.” Andrew thought. Everything went hazy, then black as he slipped from consciousness. The shock wave traveled outward enveloping Andrew and the white comet rushing through the air toward him.
He could see Jacob standing in front of him, his tortured face pale in the blue light of the moon, he laughed but it was a cold and bitter laugh. “No Andrew it will never be like that, not for me, things will always be this way. That’s why I’m leaving.”
Flash.
Training, sparring, he leaned in for a punch, his face lit with a fierce enjoyment of the moment, Andrew went into a back handspring catching Jacob’s wrist between his feet and throwing him forward.
Flash.
They were all in the dining hall eating and laughing, Jacob was trying not to choke on his food while laughing so hard he shook.
Flash.
Jacob did what he always did, he got in the way, he took a Raon charge in the vest and tumbled backward off the roof. He was calling, “Help me! Help me! Andrew Please help me!” but this time there was no pavement below only darkness, this time no matter how fast Andrew flew downward he couldn’t catch Jacob before he disappeared into the blackness and that was somewhere Andrew couldn’t follow, not now and perhaps not ever. He pulled up, fighting the massive amount of momentum he had gathered, he forced every last bit of energy into his suit until he stopped in midair. With one last look down into the darkness he lifted his head and slowly flew upward toward the white light that grew to envelop him.
His eyes fluttered open as reality slid into a hazy focus. A pretty young woman leaned over him, her brown hair hanging down almost touching him, the light her head obscured streaming through her hair making it glow a warm amber-gold.
“Seth said you two bounced around like a ping pong ball in that mess you made.” She poked a finger at him, “You almost got yourself killed Buster. What were you thinking?”
“Hi Dannie.” he mumbled, “You look exhausted. You should get some sleep.”
“Well maybe I could if I wasn’t on a death watch.” She said shaking the finger at him. “You scared us sick. If your ribs weren’t broken I think I’d hit you.” She acted if she were angry, but she was so happy to see him awake she couldn’t help but smile as she poked his shoulder once again.
“Glad to know I’m cared for.” He whispered as he drifted into a peaceful sleep, a smile on his cut and swollen lips.
© Andrew J. Goggans 2007
It may not make a lot of sense to most of you because it's really more of an episode in a series than a stand alone short story. I have a several other episodes in this same story line that I am currently working on but, unlike this one, they aren't really finished yet and do to some not so great reactions and misunderstandings that arose the last time I show people incomplete works that won't be happening again. I will probably post things in the future that will receive further editing but unless the entire episode/story is written out, nobody gets to see it.
Suicide
A Short Story
By
Andrew J. Goggans
It wasn’t cold rain, even if it was he wouldn’t have cared, he liked the rain. It was an old building on the edge of town. It had once been a school or something. He stepped in out of the rain. Florescent light glinted off his sunglasses as he walked to the elevator.
Ding. The doors slid open and he stepped out. As he stepped out of the anteroom and into the hallway he could sense the guards stepping around the corner to follow him, but he was gone.
The rain dripped from his long hair onto the upturned collar of his trench coat as he stood behind a pillar on the balcony. There were fifteen men with every type of gun imaginable placed around the room, one was pointing an Uzi in the general direction of a girl who was obviously scared witless. The two guards stumbled into the room panic stricken. “Where did he go?” one shouted. The others all cursed and scanned the room.
“You’ll never find me that way. Let her go and I’m all yours Jacob.” he said leaning with his back to the pillar, arms crossed, his head bowed. The words bounced around the old auditorium.
“Jand don’t! They’ll kill you! It’s not worth it! Just Go!” the young woman screamed.
“Tiff, do me a favor and make this easier for me; just shut up and run.” he said almost too quiet to be heard but the whisper echoed around the room hauntingly.
“Just do as he says.” Jacob said coldly as a guard shoved her out a side door.
“And please run like hell till you’re far, far from here.” Jand whispered after her. Spinning around the pillar and placing a hand on the rail he leapt from the balcony and landed in the center aisle in a crouch, cracking the cement floor under his feet. One hand was on the floor, his head raised to stare at the terrified men in front of him. Every gun in the place was trained on him. Standing he reached up and slid his fingers back through his hair, then spread his arms. Two men with .45s stepped forward to pat him down. “Those are loaded with Raon cartridges, aren’t they?” he asked. They ignored him.
“He’s clean.” one grunted as they backed away.
“Good. You can put your guns away boys.” Jacob said, “I kept my end of the bargain he will keep his. Jand never breaks his word.”
“And yet you still had then frisk me.” Jand said with a smirk that quickly disappeared. “Tell your cronies to leave, you don’t need them, its my life for hers just like we agreed.” Jand’s smirk returned as he continued. “Even if you did need them they wouldn’t do you any good. You know that you could put me in front of a military firing squad naked and they’d all be dead before the shots stopped ringing.” The guards all shifted nervously and Jand’s smirk grew to a grin at seeing the henchmen so easily unnerved. “This is between you and me, if you want to kill me do it yourself. You know I can’t hurt you when you’re wearing that suit I gave you.”
“You never cease to amaze me Jand.” Jacob said with an odd smile. “Get in the van and leave.” he barked at the men. “That’s what I never understood about you. You were always so stuck on honor and saving the insignificant little guys, like me, just think if you hadn’t saved me I wouldn’t be such a pain in your ass right now.”
Jand took his sunglasses and moved them so they sat atop his head. “It was the right thing to do.” he said staring Jacob in the eye; his piercing eyes seeing deep inside him.
“The right thing to do.” Jacob mocked him with a sneer. “See that’s what always got you into trouble, like now,” he said spreading his arms and looking around, “here you are, without a single weapon, to give your life for a stupid little girl. You are completely in my power all because of your stupid honor.”
“Yes. Ironic, isn’t it, that you find such pleasure in the fact that I willingly submit myself to your power? You can kill me however you wish, I won’t fight back.” He said it simply, meekly.
“I know you won’t. You’re such a fool. I could blow your brains out or rip your limbs off.”
“So do it. Why do you wait? It’s because you’re scared. You always talked big but you hate the blood and guts. You always were a coward. That’s why you left us and that’s why you haven’t killed me yet.”
“Fine I will, nice and slowly.” Jacob swung up with a hook and caught him in the stomach. He flew up off the floor and hit the ceiling of the auditorium. He dropped to the floor and landed in a crouch. Grabbing Jand by the collar Jacob threw him headfirst into the rows of chairs, the seats scattered like blowing pins as their bolts were ripped from the floor.
Jand stood blood trickling down his forehead, “That’s not the best you can do. Stop putzing around and really hit me! Don’t you want to kill me?!”
“What’s the matter with you? Do you want to die?” Jacob practically screamed as he lunged forward.
“For me to die is gain, for me to live is Christ.”
“Then Die!” Jacob roared and punched Jand in the face with such force that he would have flown half across the auditorium but Jacob reached and grabbed his ankle, swung him around through another row of chairs and slammed him to the ground cracking the concrete.
“That’s right,” Jand whispered as he stood, his jaw crooked, “use every move I ever taught you.”
Jacob grasped him by the wrist and twisted, it broke with a sickly crack as Jand’s feet lifted of the ground. He landed in a heap in the aisle. Running forward Jacob kicked him in the chest bringing him up in the air and punched him so he landed on the stage.
“You should have never saved me and prolonged my miserable existence, then I wouldn’t be here to kill you now. I’m sorry Andrew but I have to.”
In a flash he was on the stage and kicked Andrew into the air again. He kept him in the air, savagely kicking again and again until he was upright in the air. Suddenly a poison-green nimbus of flame blossomed from the center of Jacob’s hand as he palm heeled Andrew to the chest. The micro-transmitter in Andrew’s coat pocket short-circuited as he slammed through the wall of the building and fell toward the asphalt below. Every thing moved in overhead as they swirled together and with a blinding flash hurtled a white-blue beam to the earth, striking through the mountain of falling rubble. “So we die together.” Andrew thought. Everything went hazy, then black as he slipped from consciousness. The shock wave traveled outward enveloping Andrew and the white comet rushing through the air toward him.
He could see Jacob standing in front of him, his tortured face pale in the blue light of the moon, he laughed but it was a cold and bitter laugh. “No Andrew it will never be like that, not for me, things will always be this way. That’s why I’m leaving.”
Flash.
Training, sparring, he leaned in for a punch, his face lit with a fierce enjoyment of the moment, Andrew went into a back handspring catching Jacob’s wrist between his feet and throwing him forward.
Flash.
They were all in the dining hall eating and laughing, Jacob was trying not to choke on his food while laughing so hard he shook.
Flash.
Jacob did what he always did, he got in the way, he took a Raon charge in the vest and tumbled backward off the roof. He was calling, “Help me! Help me! Andrew Please help me!” but this time there was no pavement below only darkness, this time no matter how fast Andrew flew downward he couldn’t catch Jacob before he disappeared into the blackness and that was somewhere Andrew couldn’t follow, not now and perhaps not ever. He pulled up, fighting the massive amount of momentum he had gathered, he forced every last bit of energy into his suit until he stopped in midair. With one last look down into the darkness he lifted his head and slowly flew upward toward the white light that grew to envelop him.
His eyes fluttered open as reality slid into a hazy focus. A pretty young woman leaned over him, her brown hair hanging down almost touching him, the light her head obscured streaming through her hair making it glow a warm amber-gold.
“Seth said you two bounced around like a ping pong ball in that mess you made.” She poked a finger at him, “You almost got yourself killed Buster. What were you thinking?”
“Hi Dannie.” he mumbled, “You look exhausted. You should get some sleep.”
“Well maybe I could if I wasn’t on a death watch.” She said shaking the finger at him. “You scared us sick. If your ribs weren’t broken I think I’d hit you.” She acted if she were angry, but she was so happy to see him awake she couldn’t help but smile as she poked his shoulder once again.
“Glad to know I’m cared for.” He whispered as he drifted into a peaceful sleep, a smile on his cut and swollen lips.
© Andrew J. Goggans 2007
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