Toys

Rick Dubois, American Boss, champion of justice is trapped by toys. The man who could talk his way out of any situation is stuck in a rut. Toys don’t listen to reason. He knows he’s been given something. Someone pulled his eyelid open and dropped in some bitter, stinging substance and now he’s trapped by toys! Brilliant.

He’s thinking. Oh, looking for a way out. Looking won’t help. Nothing you see is real. Such charm in your voice, Rick. Toys won’t listen to you and neither will I. Look at you. You can barely mumble. Such a sad man without his phone. So helpless without his pals. Where are your pals, Rick? Where are your pals, Rick? No pals.

I’ll tell you what. We can be pals. I’ve always wanted to be your pal. Fink will be done with you soon and I’ll be your pal again. You could run them all down, back in the day. Now, you’re a freak in some costume. Well, I’ll save you some embarrassment. I’ll make you whole. Hiyo! Remember the good ole days? Rick my buddy. My pal. I’ll put on a sexy cape for you and play doctor. I’ll buy a skull mask if that’s what it takes.

Look at the toys Rick. You are my toy now. But I want to be friends. Here. Here’s a toy phone. Smile and dial Rick. Call for help. Call for help. Call your pals so Fink will let me have you again. Call them. I want to see them. I want to watch them die so we can be all alone just you and me without anybody to bother us. We can make millions, Rick.

You shouldn’t swear at me. I’m sorry I hit you but you shouldn’t swear. It’s the least you can do. You know, that day I went back home with my last paycheck, I thought about you. You were my inspiration. I fell apart. They sent me home. News and toys, toys and news. Thirty six strange hours.

Do you like action figures? RC cars? Trains? I love trains. So beautiful. Remember being a kid, Rick? It was nice before all the hassles. It’s kinda dumb for a grown man to play with toys. But look who I’m talking to! You look like one of those cheap costume people at the movies. Shame shame, buddy. At least my toys have a purpose. Man, I am sweating. Are you sweating? Awesome.

Predictably thudding along. I hear them coming. Careful, Rick! The toys are sharp. A few are rigged. No. No. Not yet. Man, I’m freaking out here. Whoo. Thud thud thud. Is that tear gas I smell? It smells like clean brain o wow ow. Huh. Cahuh.

Oooof. Ha ha. Hit me again. Bang. Door is open. Bang. Guns and smoke. Fist fist skull fist fist boot ow. Ready Rick? Button time. Button time. Button time. Ha………………

Swimming.

I like swimming.


Rescue

The Ambulance rammed through the aluminum door of the warehouse. Its driver and its passenger stumbled out. Guise wasn’t sure if he’d get a chance to fix this. She’d asked him to fix something that first night. It seemed he’d been fixing stuff ever since. This might be the last thing he fixed, this situation.

Neither one of them could fight. Mercy’s best cuts were on the operating table. They would stand side by side and pull bullets, stitch bleeders, reroute intestines. They did cosmetics for those who needed to disappear. This wasn’t their finest hour. The van was smurfed. It was dark. He was bleeding.

They’d dragged a police cruiser here by running a red on Fifth and Main. The cruiser had called backup. They’d rammed the door. Dead Horde bodies were all around. Live Horde bodies were filing in. Gunfire erupted. They were crossed up in it. Mercy shouted to get down. He pulled the revolver.

She was hot, but it was more than that. To him, it was important to show her how he was. He was brave and dedicated. He worked hard. He did what he was told with a smile. He wasn’t sure. Maybe. He shot holes in the wall. He hit one or two. The police opened fire again.

They ran. She jumped and did that double kick he liked, knocking a Horde Zombie back and through a door. She punched another one. He popped a few that blocked their way. They were rolling. They were getting down now.

It made sense. Buzz and Skully made sense now. He got it. Point, click, dead. Punch with the heel of your palm. Keep your thumb tight to the curled index finger, but not inside it. Now it all made sense. Yes, he loved her. He loved all of them. He loved being powerful. This was out of control, but slow and easy somehow.

They swept room to room until they found them. He didn’t bother reading the scene. They were here to grab them and go. They’d make sense later. She injected Skull with something and he woke up.

“Help me,” she said, lifting Bossman as best she could. Harmless grabbed Buzz. Guise grabbed Buzz’s gun, the AK 47.

“Don’t worry,” Guise said, “I’ll cut us a hole.” He loaded a clip and they were off. They stormed out of the front of the warehouse. Forget the vanbulance. She’d get a new one. She had the money. Bullets hummed like angry bees as they stomped down the street backwards, returning fire to The Horde and the cops alike. This was no ordinary raid. The news cameras rolled as they got down right on Broadway.

But what surprises did they take with them, Fink wondered. He watched the scene from a nearby high rise. Harmless. That’s your name, eh? You’re not Harmless anymore.

Chapter Six | Chapter 8