Letter 22 - David Stone

This is the twenty-second story of the book.

Inspired by the 2003 anime Gungrave

            My name is David Stone. I am a forty-nine-year-old Caucasian man from The Bronx, New York. I lived in a white ten-bedroom house I owned with my wife Clara in East Bronx on Pierce Avenue. At the beginning of every day, I looked out my window holding a glass of vodka believing that I was in control of the city.
           My childhood was not always a joyful memory. My father, Caucasian Ronald Stone, ran out on me when I was at the tender age of six. Living alone with my mother Jane Stone was the crossroad of positive and negative. Days for me may have been fun but deep down in my heart there were emptiness inside due to my father being absent from my life. That never meant that I was not curious about seeing him again. Every time I asked my mother about when my father would come home, she would always tell me, “Soon. He will come home soon.” The desperation of wanting to see my father again stayed in my mind. As I got older, the grimyness of my life became even worse when my mother died from cancer when I was only fifteen years old. The loss of my mother made me feel completely lost now without the support of either of my parents. With no parents, I needed someone to raise me to take care of me. Unfortunately, not a single close family member would take me in. Each time I got pushed away from the people who I thought loved me, I asked why and every time those relatives would say, “We don't want to take care of the son of a scourge.” The sound of doors slamming in my face filled my empty heart with an even greater cup of sorrow. The disowning of the people I loved was no different than being stabbed in the back. That led me not to trust a single person ever again.
          Now with no chance of having a domain to have as a home, the only option for me was to be signed into a group home at East Tremont Street by an aunt. So, there I was, in a place flooded with dozens of other kids who had no parents. I stood at the group home’s main gate staring at the other kids. I hoped that I would have a piece of life there. Because I could not find it in me to trust anyone, I could not approach the other kids. And with that, I walked over to a swing and sat down on it to watch the other kids run around.
          One month has passed since I was placed into the group home. Life me at the group home steadily declined. Every day I would find myself eating alone as well as sitting at his usual spot by the swing. One Autumn Day, I found myself sitting on the swing staring at the gate. I noticed that there was a Caucasian girl with dark red hair about the same age as me. The girl was wearing an autumn dress with pictures of multicolored leaves. She stood at a height a few inches smaller than me. For that entire day, I kept my focus on the girl out of curiosity. Later, that day, I noticed that a group of boys had the same girl standing by a fence beside the basketball court. I did not like the fact that they kept pushing the girl back onto the hard metal fence over and over. The perilous look on the girl's face led me to say, “Hey!!” One of the boys turned around and said, “What do you want?” “I do not think that girl likes what you doing to her. So, it be best that you leave her alone.” “Ha! What you going to do to stop us?” said another one of the boys. The sight of seeing another innocent person suffer made me run towards the boys fighting them all by myself. That drive to protect another while in peril led me to successfully scare those boys away. When everything died down, I looked at the girl and said, “Are you alright?” The girl gently nodded her head and say, “Yeah.” “Anytime. No one deserves to be picked on. I could not allow it to happen to you.” I spoke. “You're right. My name is Danielle Nolan. What is your name?” the girl said. “David Stone.” I spoke. “It's nice to meet you, David.” Danielle said as she shook hands with me. I smiled as I made a new friend in my life. From that moment on, I took that introduction as a filling in the void I so desperately wanted to fill.
            One year has passed since I became friends with Danielle. In that timeline, the group home accepted even more new kids into the community. Every day seemed like an adventure for us. We fought hard to protect other kids from bullying. It was as like we were saviors to those in grave peril. It led to the point where the bullied kids confided in us to learn what it means to protect oneself. One day, as the sun shone brightly over the group home’s yard, I noticed that another kid stood at the main gate. He was an African American boy who stood at a height very close to me. He wore dark blue jeans that matched the shirt on his body. His head was covered with thick curly black hair. I kept my look at the boy due to my quick eagerness to respond to the sight of peril. And again, the other boys went to attack the new kid on the block. Danielle and I moved to stop them. Danielle guarded the new boy while I fought them off. When everything finally subsided, I walked over to the victimized boy and said, “Hey, are you alright?” The boy looked me in the eye and said, “Yes. I am fine.” “Those bullies just like going after the new one. They cannot seem to stop it. They feel like that just because they are going through rough times, they want to make others miserable will make them feel a whole lot better.” I spoke. “Well, that is not right. They should talk about their problems with someone instead of taking it out on people who do not have anything to do with it.” the boy said. “You're right.” David said. “Say. I want to learn how to fight. Can you teach me?” the boy said. “Why would you want to learn to fight?” David said. “I want to know how to defend myself.” the boy said. “Okay sure. Anyway, what is your name?” I spoke. “John Armstrong.” John said. “It is nice to meet you, John. My name is David Stone.” I spoke. “And my name is Danielle Nolan.” Danielle said. And with that, I welcomed John into my group of friends.
           Two years have passed since I met John. Every day I lived up to my word and taught John how to fight. The training consisted of having pillows duct taped onto a tree beside the gate to use as a punching bag. There were also times I sparred with John with the means of making the opponent able to fight. I felt very impressed with John as I noticed how his fighting has improved over the years. That fascination led me to feel like I gained not only a friend but a younger brother to protect. One cloudy day, as John and I were doing our daily training, it all came to a halt when we were approached by one of the group home’s staff. “David Stone.” said the group home staff. I turned around and said, “Yes. What is it?” “You got a visitor.” said the group home staff. “Thank you. I will be right there.” I spoke. I wondered who would even bother to come see me due to being disowned by every single person who I called family. I headed to the office to see my visitor with complete curiosity. My curious look remained on my face as I noticed the visitor was a lone tall Caucasian man wearing a dark black suit. His head was clean cut, and his right hand was covered with rings. As the man walked closer to me, my curiosity turned to nervousness. “Hello there. Are you David?” the man said. “Yes, I am. Who are you?” I spoke. “My name is Ronald Stone. I am your father.” Robert said. The moment I heard that my nervousness turned to anger. “If you are my father then I want you to prove it to me.” I spoke. “Ok you want my proof. Here it is.” Ronald said as he pulled out a picture of himself, me as a newborn and mom holding me in her arms. Seeing the sight of my mother again led me to a feeling of belief and confirmation. The remembrance of my father running out on mom, and I brought rage to my heart. “Ok...I believe you. But I want to ask you another question. Why did you leave me and my mother?” I said with a resentful expression.  “I left because I had a mission I needed to fulfill.” Ronald said as he got to his knees. “If you had to do some mission then why come back for me.” I spoke. “Because if I am ever going to continue on with this, I need to reconcile this relationship with you because that's what I want.” Ronald said. “Well, I am very angry with you. Forgiving you is not going to be easy, but a mission sounds very good. I would like to join you in that. Do not ever make me worry about where you are ever again.” I spoke. “Of course.” Ronald said as he got back to his feet. “May I say goodbye to my friends before I go?” I spoke. “Sure thing.” Ronald said. So, I walked back outside to both John and Danielle while Ronald followed. “Well, my friends. It is time for me to go.” I spoke. “Why is that?” John said. “Because my father came here and wants to take me home.” I spoke. “David, I am very happy for you. You get to be with your father again.” Danielle said. “I am too man. We are going miss you here.” I spoke. “I will too John. I am sure we will meet again someday. I feel like this will be a step on another adventure for me.” I spoke. “I wish good luck to you in that.” John said. “Of course, thank you and bye.” I said as I walked out with Robert. I smiled as I walked out of the bounds of the group home entrance. Hearing the gate close was the first step to a new life being reunited with my father that I missed so much.
            One week has passed since I reunited with my father. With no job, no money and no other place to go, I decided to stay with my father. I felt very fascinated by the fact that my father owned a very fancy blue decorated house in Westchester Square on Saint Peters Avenue. One night, I wondered about what I was going to do with my life from now on. That feeling led me to approach my father, who was sitting in the kitchen, for help. He sat in a very dark brown robe and kept his rings on his fingers. “Hey Ronald, Dad or whatever you want me to call you.” I spoke. “Just call me Ronald. Feel free to call me Dad when the time is right for you. So, what is up?” Ronald said. “I know I made the choice to live with you and that is fine. I really need a job because I do not want to just be a free loader doing nothing. Can you please help me out?” I spoke. “Of course. I never told you that I own a business, and we are always looking to recruit new members. I will call one of my contacts to come here and explain the ropes of it.” Ronald. “Of course. Thank you very much.” I spoke. “Anytime son. I am here to help you in any way I can.” Ronald said as he picked up his phone to call his contact. I waited in patience and sat down on the living couch in excitement looking forward to the job I will have the chance to excel in. A half hour later, Ronald's contact came over to the house. “That must be them.” I spoke. “Yes, it is.” Ronald said. David felt very surprised that Ronald's contact was a man who also wore a dark black suit instead his left hand was covered with rings. “I am here boss.” The man said. Ronald got out of his chair and approached the man and said, “Nice. Glad to see you make it Mark.” Mark looked at me and said, “So you're the boss's son?” I returned the look with complete eye contact and said, “If you are referring to Ronald then yes. My name is David Stone.” “I hear you are looking for a job. Is that right?” Mark said. “I certainly am. I really need one.” I spoke. “Well, you are in luck. You have just found one. I need some help. If you come with me now, then you will make a good cut out of the deal.” Mark said. I looked at Robert and said, “So what will I be doing with this job?” “Mark will explain to you when you get there. So, Mark, that selfish leech Matt has not paid the money he owed me. I want you to teach him a lesson that he will never forget.” Ronald said. “I will boss. So, David are you ready?” Mark said. “Ready.” I spoke. “Wait David. Take this.” Ronald said as he handed me a black mask. “What's this for?” David said. “To hide your identity. To make sure he will not know it is you.” Ronald said. “Okay...I'm fine with that.” I said as I put my mask on. “Now let's go new recruit.” Mark said. “Let's go.” I said as I followed Mark out to his car wearing the clothes I still had on. As I sat in the passenger seat of Mark’s car, I wondered what I was getting myself into.     
           In less than an hour, I found myself at our intended target's house. I sat in the passenger seat of Mark's car wearing a mask suffering with a cold shiver that ran down my spine. “Okay we're here. Before we left, your father ordered me to hand you this.” Mark said as he handed me a black handgun. “What is this?” I spoke. “It's what you'll need to teach Matt a lesson.” Mark said. “Okay.” said I said as I took the gun and placed it in my waist band as I got out of the car with Mark. Every step I took to Matt's house was like I stepped on a bush of thorns. Each moment of pain brought me to a sensation of feeling great. On impulse, I gave Matt's door a big loud knock. In a matter of seconds, Matt came and opened the door. And there stood our target Matt. He stood at the doorway in a long brown furry robe and had on nothing but long shorts and slippers. I felt shocked at the sight of Matt's obese body. Matt could not help but say, “Look, I promise to pay the money by the end of the week.” “Too late for excuses Matt.” Mark said as he punched Matt as hard as he could in the face pushing him hard onto the floor. Matt angrily wiped the blood that came out of his nose with the sleeve of his robe. “What are you doing?” Matt said as he tried to get back up. Mark, on the other hand, kicked him in his belly to prevent him from standing up. “Stay down!” Mark said. “Look please. I will pay you back. I swear.” Matt said in a pleading voice. I stood and watched the entire scene in a motionless stance not knowing what to do. “It is too late for that Matt. You need to learn not to mess with Ronald by not paying him back. Say can you come here?” Mark said. “Of course.” I said as I walked over to Mark. “To test your loyalty to Ronald. I want you to take the first shot with that gun I gave you.” Mark said. “What?” I spoke. Realizing that I was inexperienced led Matt said, “What? So, Ronald is hiring kids now? That p***y will not be going to pull that trigger. He does not know even know how to use a gun.” The hearing of mocking led me to quickly pull out the gun out of my waist band. I slowly pointed at Matt with both hands. I also made sure to be within an inch of Matt. “I may not have a great level of experience with guns but at this range I won't miss.” I spoke. “You are going to go to Hell for this you creep.” Matt said as he spat at me. Hearing what Matt said led me to pull the trigger of the gun shooting Matt right in his knee. The wounding of the gunshot made Matt scream his heart out. “Right on. Good shot.” Mark said as he pulled out his gun from his suit jacket, pointed it at Matt and stood side by side with me. Matt raised both of his hands and pleaded with all his might for his life making him say, “Please!!!” “It’s too late. Remember this in your next life. Pay what you owe.” Mark said as we shot Matt three times in his stomach. I laughed as I watched the man breathed his last breath and died. The sight of seeing another man lose his life felt just the same as I was walking to Matt’s house. I loved the rush of it, and it made me want to feel more. “Wow. That was awesome.” I spoke. “It sure was. So, this is going to be your new life. You ready for it?” Mark said. “There is only one way to find out. Let us go back to Ronald.” I said to Mark, and I went back to the car. For the entire car ride back home, all I could think about was killing Matt. I stared at my gun wondering who I would kill next with it. When we finally came back to Ronald’s house, we immediately went over to him. Ronald was sitting in the living room smoking a cigar waiting in expectation for me. “Hello guys. So how did it go?” Ronald said. “We did it boss. He is dead.” Mark said. “Great. Here are your payments plus extra.” Ronald said as he handed Mark and I orange envelopes filled with money. I felt fascinated at the amount that was in the envelope. “Holy s**t. All of this is mine?” I spoke. “You got it. Use it in any way you choose.” Ronald said. “This is great. I am going to love this job.” I spoke as I smiled at my stack of cash. “I like it that you love it.” Ronald said. Matters were starting to look up. I took my new job as an adventure of excitement.
            Seven months have passed since I took my first assignment from my new job. Each assignment I took I completed with ease. Being a hit man was a life that I enjoyed every minute of. With the aid of Mark, I became an expert shooter with the very same pistol my father gave me. My reputation became known throughout the city due to the main fact that I was Ronald’s son. The knowledge of my first successful assignment led Ronald to disclose the details of my mission. One stormy night, I found myself being driven to an abandoned mansion in High bridge. The mansion itself was covered in smashed windows, busted walls, and doors that barely locked. “Pop. Where are we?” I spoke. “We are at one of the few places I own where I do my work on my mission.” Ronald said. “Okay.” I spoke. I began to feel the same rush I felt the night I murdered Matt as I noticed the door to the facility open. I wondered who was going to come out. Two men both dressed in sweaters and jeans armed with machine guns quickly came out through the front door and approached us. “Oh, it's nice to see you again boss.” said one of the men. “Of course. I just wanted to check in on this spot to see how everything is going.” Ronald said. The other man stood and looked at me then at Ronald. “Hey boss. Who is this?” said the other man. “This is my son. David.” Ronald said. “Huh? Your son? We had no idea you had a son boss. Well welcome David.” said the gunman who shook my hand. “Of course. Thank you very much.” I spoke. “Anytime. Come right on in.” said the gunman who led me right inside the mansion and headed right down to the basement. What I saw inside the mansion stayed in my mind from that moment forward. There were dozens of people manufacturing and packaging drugs. Out of curiosity, I looked at Ronald and said, “What is this?” “My mission.” Ronald said. “Making drugs?” David said. “Yes. Do you have any idea how much money someone would pay for these drugs?” Ronald said. “How much?” I spoke. “A lot.” Ronald said. The moment I heard that, I asked myself how my life would be if I had control of a business like that. Seeing the sight of people exchanging enormous amounts of money influenced me to want to work up the ladder. “This is a great idea. Question, have you thought about expanding.” I spoke. “Yes, I have. I have only three other spots. It's hard for me to make more due to the police.” Ronald said. “I can help you with that pop. How about we expand by taking out all the criminals in the city? Doing this will make it easier for expansion.” I spoke. “That's a clever idea. We can take over the city and make it ours.” Ronald said. “Great!!” I spoke. In that moment, my father and I raised our fists up high in agreement with our plan. We felt like we could take whatever we wanted and do whatever we wanted.
             In that passage of time, I gained a new friend. His name was George Collins. I became so devoted to my job I recruited other people to work for Ronald. The rewards I received from all my completed assignments grew tremendously. It was as if I was being devastated by a waterfall of money that I was earning only through being the cause of death. Furthermore, I found myself dating a lone Caucasian woman named Carla, who was the one and only daughter of my first target Matt. Every day I spent with Carla was a time I treasured. With the money I saved from all my assignments, I bought myself a house at Riverdale on West Two Hundred and Forty-Nine Street. My residence was completely furnished in every room including framed pictures and high-definition television sets of assorted sizes. During all the glory of my new life, I hoped that the two friends I left behind at the group home were okay. I never forgot John and Danielle. One day, in the middle of the summer, after I waved goodbye to the woman I loved dearly, I decided to take a walk around Riverdale. As I walked through the neighborhood, I looked at my surroundings with a great level of happiness. I had no idea that my feelings would come to a halt when I recognized my dear friend John. He was walking across the street. I noticed John’s curly black hair, his dark skin, and his black eyes. “John. John!!” I spoke. Luckily for me, looked at me and remained motionless. “David is that you?” I spoke. “Yes, it is. Oh my God. What have you been up to all this time?” I spoke. “I been…taking a walk.” I spoke. “Taking a walk? Okay.” I spoke. I could not help but hold my nose due to the odor of John’s clothes. John was wearing a dirty torn green sweater and light grey sweatpants. He was also wearing blackish white sneakers with holes in the front of them. I could also tell that my friend has not eaten in days due to the faint growling of his stomach. I hated seeing my best friend looking filthy. “What’s wrong David?” I spoke. “Um…say John how bout you come home with me. You need a shower, and I will give you a change of clothes as well. You also look like you could use some food too. How does that sound?” I spoke. “Sounds good.” I spoke. “Great. Now let us go.” I said as I led John back to my house. The moment we got to the house, I led John to the bathroom. “Thanks, David, for allowing me to come here.” John said. “Anytime John. Now you get in the shower. I will leave you your change of clothes.” I said as I left the bathroom closing the door heading to the kitchen to prepare a plate of sandwiches and chips. A half hour later, I heard the bathroom door opening and footsteps of John approaching the dining room. Luckily, I was already sitting in at the circular brown dining room table. I felt relief when John came into the dining room smelling a whole lot better. “I'm done with the shower David.” John said. “Great. Now let us eat.” I spoke. “Okay.” John said as he sat down. “Dig in.” I spoke. Being the selfless man I was, I had no problem allowing John to eat most of what I had prepared. During the sound of the munching of food, John said, “Say David who is the woman in that picture behind you?” “Huh? Oh, that is my girlfriend, Carla.” I spoke. “Your girlfriend? Really? That is impressive. When did you two meet?” I spoke. “We met seven months ago.” I spoke. “How did that happen?” I spoke. “I saved her life from oppression.” I spoke. “Whoa. She must be indebted to you for life.” John said. “She is. I love her to death. Say John if you have nowhere else to stay you can bunk in with me.” I spoke. “Really? Thank you very much for that and it is true I have nowhere else to go.” John said. “Any way, today I am going to go meetup with a friend. Would you like to come along?” I spoke. “Of course. I love to meet your friends.” John said. “Great.” I spoke. “Nice. Let us go.” John said as he stood up. “Okay.” I said as I stood up and led John to the local bar.
           Later that day, we found ourselves standing inside the bar on Wilkinson Avenue. I smiled as everyone inside the place welcomed me in there like a king. I loved the fact that I was attaining so much attention. It was nothing like I ever received before working for my father. When every aspect of the scene looked like it was looking up, the goodness of it was interrupted by the sound of gunfire. Everyone in the bar panicked. I did all I could to save as many people as possible. I did it by making George, John and I hide behind the bar. “What's going on?” John said. “They want to take down my dad but they're doing it by going after me.” I spoke. “No.” John said. I did not want to see anyone else get hurt on my account. “That's it. John, you are waiting here. Stop!!! I surrender!!!” I spoke. And with that the gunfire subsided. “Okay. Then you David Stone come on out from hiding and we will spare your friends.” said one of the gunmen. “Okay but you better keep your word and leave my friends out of this.” I said as I stepped out of my hiding place and walked slowly. “Pull out any gun you have hidden on you and show it to us.” said another one of the gunmen. “Okay.” I said as I pulled out the black handgun I had hidden in the back of my pants. “Is that the only gun you have?” said another one of the gunman. “Yes, it is.” I said while looking at my assailants in the face. “Now you have anything to say?” said the gunman. “Yes. May I make sure my shoes are tied before you kill me?” I spoke. “If you care about your shoes so much then go ahead.” said the gunman. I took my chance, looked at my shoes, returned to my stature and dropped my gun to the floor. The gunmen were dumbfounded at my stunt because they had no idea that I was distracting them just to have the chance to kill them. Even at the age of eighteen, I still fought to protect others. I smiled at the success of my fight and stared at the corpses of the gunmen that laid down at the entrance to the bar. “Okay. Everyone you can come on out.” I spoke. “Okay.” John and George said as they both got out from hiding and slowly approached me. “David what happened here?” John said. “I fought to protect you that's what happened.” I spoke. “Oh my God. I am incredibly grateful to you. Thanks for that.” John said. “It was nothing. Let us go back to the house. George, I recommend you should come with me too.” I spoke. “Okay.” said John and George as they followed me back to the house. I added what happened at the bar that day to my list of accomplishments.
          One week has passed since I saved John's life. One cloudy day, I found myself sitting in my bedroom with the door slightly open talking on the phone with my father. “I heard about what happened at the bar. Splendid work in holding your own.” Ronald said. “Of course I did. I learned from the best.” I spoke. “Awesome. I also heard that you brought in a recruit.” Ronald said. “Of course. I feel like that he can bring some new touch in our gang.” David said. “Cool. What is his name?” Ronald said. “His name is John Armstrong.” I spoke. “Oh. Tell me about him.” Ronald said. “You have seen him before. Remember the boy who I said goodbye to at the group home. That is him.” I spoke. “Wait a minute. You recruited an orphan? I think that guy should just get a job and live a normal life.” Ronald said. “Well, if you think that then I will tell you more about John. He is a man who loves to fight. He is a tough man, and I taught him how to defend himself myself. I have no doubt about his prowess. I think you should give him a chance.” I spoke. “I do not know but I will try it. When he wants to meet bring him to me and I will talk with him.” Ronald said. “Okay. Sure thing. Bye Dad.” I said as I hung up the phone and walked over to my bedroom door. I found myself startled when I noticed that John was standing outside my room. “I'm sorry David.” John said. “It is okay John. So how long were you standing there?” I spoke. “Only a few minutes.” John said. “So, what's up?” I spoke. “I can't stop thinking about what happened last week. It is still fresh in my mind. Is there anything that I can do for the mafia?” John said. “Well, I wish I could answer that question. I remembered that my father is the one who makes the call to welcome new recruits into the gang. My father told me that you are better off getting a job and living a normal life.”  I spoke. “I want to speak to your father. I want him to understand that I am making this decision to be a part of the gang to repay the man who saved my life repeatedly.” John said. “Very well. To be honest my father wants to speak with you too.” I spoke. “Let's go now.” John said. “Okay.” I said as we left to drive to Ronald's location. After a time of driving from block to block, the duo arrived at our designation which was an abandoned and condemned part of High bridge. “Your father is here?” John said. “Yes. He is.” I spoke. “I cannot believe that your father is here of all places. I used to hide here all the time.” John said. “Really? That is cool because my father and I will be using this terrain as an important part for our mission.” I spoke. “And what mission is that?” John said. I kept a calm face and said, “You will know soon enough. Now let's go.” “Okay.” John said as he followed me to the condemned apartment building in front of us. We walked up the stairs all the way to the top floor of the building. When we got to the room, we noticed that Ronald was sitting down in a chair smoking a cigar surrounded by a dozen other men all dressed in their black suits. Ronald was wearing his usual black suit. Ronald waved at us like he knew we were coming. “Hey David, it's great to see you again.” Ronald said. “Hey Dad.” I spoke. Ronald looked at John and said, “So you must be John. David told me about you.” “Yes sir.” John said. “So, you want to be a part of my gang?” Ronald said. “Yes sir. I really want to join your group.” John said. “Okay then I want you to tell me why I should allow a scrawny kid like you to join my gang.” Ronald said. And with that, I watched John get down on his knees and said, “Sir. I beg of you. Please let me join your group. I will do whatever I am told.” “Are you sure about this? Are you serious about being a part of this gang until the day you die?” Ronald said. “Yes, I am. I will do whatever it takes to repay a debt to someone I care about.” John said. “Okay. If you really want to be a part of this gang then you must earn my trust. You can begin by learning how to use a gun because you obviously look like you don’t know how. You must be able to be a valiant member of this gang.” Ronald said. “I understand.” John said. “Good and David will see that you will do just that. Now go.” Ronald said. “Okay.” I spoke as I helped John get back to his feet. “Okay.” John said as he walked out of the building with me. As we reached the car I said, “Great work John.” “Thanks. So, I need to learn how to use a gun. Do you know of somewhere I can learn how?” John said. “I sure do.” I spoke. And so, we went back into the car to drive off. I was excited because my friend became a part of the same culture that I adjusted to.
            The very next day, I brought John over to the place where I regularly practiced my skills. That place was the gun range near my house. I hoped John would become as skilled as me with a gun. I brought John right over to the front counter and there stood the owner of the business. The man behind the counter noticed me due to the sound of my footsteps. “Oh, hey David. Here for your usual practice?” said the man behind the counter. “No not today. I am here to sign up my friend for your afternoon session.” I spoke. “Of course. Name please.” said the man behind the counter looking right at John in the face. “John Armstrong.” John said. “Okay. John Armstrong.” said the man behind the counter as he wrote John's name down on a piece of paper. “Yes sir.” John said. “Okay you are all set. Good luck in there.” said the man behind the counter. “Thank you.” John said. “You need any help. You let me know.” said the man behind the counter. “Thanks sir. What is your name sir?” John said. “My name is Kenneth.” Kenneth said. “It's nice to meet you, Kenneth.” John said. As I watched and listened to the dialogue between Kenneth and John, I felt a connection that was formed from them meeting the first time. “Okay. I am ready. So, what kind of gun I will be using today to practice with?” John said. I picked up a black handgun along with magazines filled with bullets and said, “You will be practicing with this gun here.” “Great.” John said as he followed me to the targeting area. “Okay John. Let's begin your training.” I said as I handed John the gun. “Great. Let us begin shooting.” John said as he aimed his gun at the targets and opened fire. Within an hour of practice, I did not like the fact that John was giving up due to constantly missing targets. Seeing my friend in complete distress led me to say, “Come on John!! You can do it! Do not give up!!” “David, how can I do this? I keep missing.” I spoke. “You are concentrating too hard on the target. I have an idea that may help you. Look at the targets and visualize them as a person you hate most of all.” I spoke. “Okay.” John said as he looked at one of the targets. I wondered what John was going to do as I stood and watched him. My wondering peaked as I watched John take a shot and hit the target at which he was staring. “Nice job. You hit it!!” I spoke. “I did it!! I will stay and shoot till I miss.” John said as he continued shooting his gun and hitting more targets one after another. I took what I saw that day as another step in creating an extremely useful piece of my true plans.
            Three months have passed since I brought John over to the gun range. On the side of accomplishing assignments, I would bring John over to the shooting area to practice. I could not ignore how precise and accurate John's shooting has become in just a short time. Throughout that passage of time, I had been keeping my father posted. I thought that John may have become something that was not even human. One day, as John was doing his regular practice, I approached and said, “That's enough John.” John lowered his gun, looked at me and said, “Enough? What do you mean?” “I mean you are now ready.” I spoke. “Ready for what?” John said. “Your first assignment.” I spoke. “My first assignment? Great!” John said. “Yes. We should meet with my father. He should be waiting for us at the house.” I spoke. “Okay.” John said as he followed me back to my house. When we returned to the house, we saw Ronald sitting in the living room surrounded by his usual dozen black suited minions. As I looked at my father, I was amazed at the fact that he was wearing a completely dark black mask. That led me to think about what happened at the bar. “Hey Dad.” I spoke. “Hello David and John.” Ronald said. “Nice to see you again sir. May I ask why are you wearing a mask?” John said. “Don't worry about the mask. I am wearing this for my protection.” Ronald said. “Oh. Okay.” John said. “Well anyway Dad. John is ready to conduct his first assignment.” I spoke. “I will take your word for it. Hand it to him.” Ronald said as he ordered one of the Black suited men hand John a large orange colored envelope. As I watched John receive that envelope it brought me back to the day I took my first assignment. Watching Matt scream, making him beg, seeing him squirm and then ending his life to put him out of his misery. I loved the fact that my best friend was going to experience the same rush that I go through every time I go on an assignment. “Okay John, are you ready?” I spoke. “Yes.” John said. “I will be coming with you to overshadow your work. Now let us prepare for this.” I said as John, and I left to change our clothes. I allowed my body to experience the rush I enjoyed a whole lot more than killing people for money. I hoped that would be the same for John. And with that, we both walked out of our bedrooms dressed in dark black suits. “Best of luck John.” Ronald said as we walked out the front door. I looked forward to seeing how my friend would turn up.
           For the car ride over to our target's household in Tremont, the sky became dark. The night was a tremendously stormy one. We stared at our target's apartment complex with utmost anticipation of taking care of the mission as quickly as possible. “Okay John. Is this the house?” I spoke. “Yes, David that is the house.” John said. “Okay then. Are you sure ready for this? After completing this there is no turning back.” I spoke. “Yes. Let us go.” John said. “Okay let's do this.” I said as John, and I stepped out of the car. We put our guns in the inside pockets of our suit jackets and walked over to the house. Even though it was John's mission, and I was there as backup, I felt that same rush running down my spine as we walked inside the house and walked up each step. When we got to the right apartment number, John stopped and said, “David. This is the right one.” “Okay I will ask one more time. Are you ready for this?” I spoke. “Yes. I am ready.” John said as he put his mask on. “All right then. Like I said there is no turning back.” I said as I put my mask on and began knocking on the door. I made sure the knock was very loud for him to hear. In less than a minute, Anthony, our target, opened the door. Anthony was wearing a light red short-sleeved shirt along with black cotton pants and light brown slippers. “Good evening. Can I help you two?” Anthony said. “Yes.” I said as I pushed Anthony back inside the apartment. “Hey!! What are you doing?” Anthony said. “Boss's orders drunk!!” I said as I pushed Anthony onto a chair. “Oh, I see. I guess Ronald has finally made his move.” Anthony said. “Quiet!!” I said as I punched Anthony in the face. “Okay but may I have a couple last requests?” Anthony said. “Okay then name them.” I spoke. “My first is can you two take those masks off so I can see the faces of those who killed me.” Anthony said. “Okay then.” John and I said in unison as we did what Anthony asked of us. Anthony gasped out of disappointment as he noticed John’s face. “John is that you?” Anthony said. “Yes, it is me. Now tell us your last request.” John said as he looked at Anthony. “May I have one last drink?” Anthony said. “Okay. Have your last drink. You better not try anything stupid.” I spoke. And with that, Anthony got up and walked over to a tall glass cupboard by the window near the entrance to the dining room and grabbed a large bottle of whiskey and a glass cup. I could not help but feel awkward as I watched Anthony drink from his glass of whiskey like he was alone in the apartment before. Anthony did this until he sipped the last drop. “Okay I am done.” Anthony said as he placed his glass on the dining table. And with that, I looked at John and hoped that he would take his chance. In my head, I kept saying, “Come on John!! Do it John! Do it!! Take him out!! Show your loyalty to my father.” And just like I wanted, John fulfilled my wish and killed his father shooting him three times with the gun Kenneth gave him. “Great job John. Good one.” I spoke. “Of course. Let us go.” John said. And so, we left Anthony's apartment leaving his motionless body lying on the floor by the window. We quickly returned to the house later that night and received recognition and appreciation from Ronald.
            Eleven years have passed since I witnessed John's first triumph. In that time, David and John worked closely with George. We became so known and respected throughout the mafia. John and Goerge looked at me as their leader. I decided to name the group The Wrecking Crew. I loved how my life has become being a hit man and I also was impressed with John's improvement as well. I felt like I created an ultimate fighting machine that would only attack under my bidding. To me, killing people, whether they're a known criminal or not, was the same as drinking a shot of bourbon every night at home. I took each assignment as another step of achieving my goal of destroying the city. With each target taken out of the picture, I took the time of creating more drug manufacturing hideouts throughout the city. Secretly, I went over to every hideout and recorded myself making peace signs with my fingers smiling happily with the camera of his iPad facing the manufacturing of the drugs and the packaging of them in box upon box. Furthermore, Carla and I were married.
           One day at my house, I was having breakfast with Carla. I ate my food and thought more about my plans for the mafia. Carla looked at me and said, “Honey?” I looked back at my wife and said, “Yes love?” “What are you thinking about?” Carla said. “I am thinking about telling John the truth.” I spoke. “You mean that plan?” Carla said. “Yes. I mean that.” I spoke. “Well, you just be careful in telling him honey. I do not want you to regret making this decision.” Carla said. “I will not love. I believe I will not.” I said, giving Carla a smile. “Okay honey.” Carla said. Later that day, I found myself having a drink with John on the shores of Pelham Bay beach after completing our most recent assignments. “Hey John. I want you to know how proud I am of you and of what you had become.” I spoke. “Of course, David. I learned from the best.” said John. “You sure have.” said David. “I am especially happy about my life with Danielle.” John said. “How is Danielle doing with the pregnancy?” I spoke. “She is doing great. The doctor told us that we are going to have twins.” John said. “That is great. I am happy for both of you.” I spoke. “Thank you, my friend. Say David, can I ask you something?” I spoke. “Sure. Go ahead.” I spoke. “I have been thinking about this for some time now. For what are we killing all those people? What is Ronald planning?” John said. The moment David heard what John said, I felt extremely glad that I brought my iPad with me making me say, “So you finally began to think about that huh?” “Yes, I have. Now tell me.” John said. “I will not tell you, but I will show you. I was going to reveal this to you anyway.” I said as I pulled out my iPad from the bag, I carried it with me and handed it over to John. As I watched John view the videos I recorded on the electronic device, I smiled an evil grin believing that I gained a recruit in my plan of destruction. It did not take long for John to reply to me saying, “David. What is this?” “That is the plan. We plan to turn the city into something that we can control.” I spoke. “But using drugs to do that?” John said in an unpersuaded expression. “Just imagine it, John. We will have the city in our palms in our hands. People will look at us as kings.” I spoke. “David I am extremely disappointed in you. I joined you to repay the debt of saving my life, not be involved in meaningless destruction. So, this is why you needed me all along.” John said. “But...but John...,” I said. “But nothing!! You lied to me. I cannot believe you would do this to me. I quit.” John said as he threw his glass of bourbon in the water, got to his feet, and walked to his car. I felt very agitated because someone rejected my proposal. That made me get up and grab my gun that I had hidden in the back of my pants, follow John, and say, “John. John wait.” John, already about to get into his car, replied saying, “What? What else do you have to say?” I pointed my gun at the man I saved repeatedly and said, “No one says no to me. Not even you. This is your punishment.” And with that, I shot John in the stomach until the clip of my gun was empty. I panted heavily as I watched John's body make a thud on the ground. To cover up what I did, I carried John's corpse and placed him into the water. Before John’s body drifted off to sea, I took his gun, car keys, phone, and wallet out of his pockets and placed them onto the sand. Seeing the sight of my friend sinking into the sea brought no shame to me. I hated John a whole lot more than I loved him like a younger brother. And with that, I ran to my car and quickly drove back home. When I got back home, I noticed Carla was sitting at the dining room table with a plate of food ready for me. “Welcome home honey.” Carla said. “Oh, thank you love.” I spoke as I walked over to the table and began to eat. “So how did it go telling him?” Carla said. “It went great.” I spoke. “You mean he is going to go along with your plan?” Carla said. “No. He is not.” I spoke. “If he is not joining you then why did you say that it turned out great.” Carla said. “Because he is no longer a part of the living.” I spoke. “Wait a minute. You killed him?” Carla said. “Yes, I did.” I spoke. “Why did you do that?” Carla said. “Because he deserved it. Now let us stop talking about that.” I spoke. “Okay honey.” Carla said eating with the effort of trying to end the conversation. Later, Carla and I went to bed. I let my mind go blank which helped me fall into a deep sleep.
            The very next day, I was woken up by the sound of my cell phone ringing very loudly. I walked over to the phone half-dead and agitated and tried to answer it as nicely as I could. “Stone.” I spoke. “I am so sorry to call you this early sir.” said the man on the phone. “Who is this?” I spoke. “This is one of the men who collaborate closely with your father.” said the man. “Speaking of my father, how is he doing?” I spoke. “Well sir, which was the reason I called. Your father has...,” said the man. “My father has what?” I spoke. “Your father has lung cancer.” said the man. “My father has cancer?” I spoke. “Yes sir.” said the man. “Why didn't he tell me?” I spoke. “I guess he didn't want to worry you.” said the man. “Any way. Where is he?” I spoke. “He is at the Stone Family Hospital at Morris Park on Niell Avenue laid in bed and is on tight guard.” said the man. “I will be coming to see him right now. If that is okay.” I spoke. “Of course, sir. I am sure that means a lot to him.” said the man. “Okay I will see you later today. Bye.” I spoke. “Bye sir.” said the man as he hanged up. I remained standing there with the phone in my hand smiling an evil grin while chuckling quietly. Hearing my wife getting out of bed helped me get back to my senses and headed back to the bedroom. “Oh, good morning honey.” Carla said. “Good morning.” I spoke. “Is something wrong? Who was on the phone?” Carla said. “One of my dad’s henchmen.” I spoke. “Oh. I see. What did he want?” Carla said. “He called me to tell me that my father has lung cancer.” I spoke. “What? Cancer?” Carla said. “I am just as shocked about this as you are.” I spoke. “Of course. You must see him honey.” Carla said. “I will. I am going today. I need to go alone. Will you stay here and wait for me?” Carla said. “Honey. I promise I will stay here and wait for you.” Carla said. “Thank you.” I said as I hugged Carla, kissed her, and then left to take a shower, get dressed and left to see Ronald. On the car ride there, I believed and knew that that would be the last time I would be able to communicate with my father.
              When I got to the hospital, I parked my car and got to Ronald's room as quickly as I could. In the room was Ronald lying in bed surrounded by his usual band of minions. One of the men looked at me and said, “Hello sir.” “Hello. Can I have a minute alone with my father?” “Sure sir.” said the men as everyone left me alone with Ronald in the room. And with that, I walked over to my father, closed the curtain, and sat at his bedside. Ronald turned his head to face me and smiled because I was there. “My boy. Thank goodness you came to see me.” Ronald said. “Of course, Dad. I am here.” I spoke. “So how is everything going?” Ronald spoke. “Good.” I spoke. “You sure? You look like you did something you regret.” Ronald said. “Very funny. I am a hit man. I am going to be haunted by all the targets I took out. You know that.” I spoke. “Of course. How is John? I have not heard from him since yesterday.” Ronald said. “He is...very peaceful.” I spoke. “What's wrong? Why are you stammering? What happened?” Ronald said. “John...is dead.” I spoke. “Oh...that is such a pity.” Ronald said. “Yes. He was the best shooter I ever seen.” I spoke. “Not just the best. He was the greatest.” Ronald said. “You really mean that about him?” David said. “Of course.” Ronald said. “Dad if you die, what are we going to do about our plan?” I spoke. “You must continue without me. I do not think I will survive this and even if I do, I have had enough of this. I am glad you are the only one here to hear this. I give up.” Ronald said. “Give up? What do you mean?” I spoke. “I mean I give up. I quit this life. I had enough of it.” Ronald said. The moment I heard those words from my own father, I thought about what I did last night. I felt like I was losing the support of everyone I loved and cared about, even my own father. That led me to put my hands into the drawer right next to Ronald's bedside for a pair of rubber gloves. “David. What are you doing?” Ronald said. “Just keeping myself sterile.” I spoke. “Sterile? What do you mean?” Ronald said as he began to twitch. “Dad. You saying that you are going to quit means that you are a traitor to the mafia. Sorry. I must do this. Forgive me.” I spoke in a quiet whisper. “What are you doing?” Ronald said. “I am taking my rightful place. This gang is mine.” I said as I began to put my hands around my father's throat. Ronald, being as weak as he was, could barely move to fight for his life. I choked my father until his air supply cut off and died. I sighed out of what I believed was total relief. To hide what I did, I tossed the gloves I wore into the nearby trash can and walked out of the room where the men were waiting. One of Ronald's minions stood up, looked at me and said, “So how did it go?” I whipped up some tears and said, “I am so sorry everyone. He is...dead.” Everyone in the hallway of that hospital, including me, flooded that hallway with tears. Deep down in my heart, I smiled an evil grin knowing that I removed what I believed to be another obstacle to what I wanted to achieve. I allowed a doctor to pass by to oversee Ronald's body and took that as a chance to leave the hospital and go back home to be with Carla. Carla was still sitting back in the house.  I felt very awkward as I watched Carla run to me and embraced me very tightly. “Oh honey. I am so glad you are back to protect me.” Carla said. “Protect you? What is going on? What happened?” I spoke. “You said you killed John but shortly after you left, he came here and threatened to kill me if I didn't give him the iPad.” Carla said. Hearing that even from my own wife filled me with rage. “On the day of losing my father you made the choice to tell jokes, but this one is not very funny.” I spoke. “Honey. I am not lying to you. Go check the bedroom where you always keep the iPad charged. You will see.” Carla said. To ease the rage in my heart and to find confirmation of what Carla said, I walked over to the bedroom and looked at the dresser to see the iPad and unfortunately it was missing. My rage turned to frustration as I searched high and low in the room for the iPad, and I failed to find it. I walked out of the room, walked right back over to Carla, and said, “No. That is not possible.” “David. I cannot believe even after that you still think I am lying to you. He is not dead.” Carla said. “Okay honey, I need some time to think. I am going to the back porch to be alone.” I said I he walked away. I ignored my crying wife as I left through the back door to sit down. I sat down on the back porch feeling as furious as I had ever been in my life. For the rest of that day, all I could do was ask myself how the man could who use to be my best friend and brother survive from the execution that I gave him.
            Sixteen years have passed since I murdered my father Ronald and my best friend John. With my father gone, I assumed the role as boss of the mafia. I put fear into the remaining hit men that worked for him. I asked myself if my father and friend would not help me in my plan then who else would make that choice. I put to death all who even made one attempt to resist me. There were times I grumbled due to the news of my drug manufacturing warehouses being destroyed. I never found out who was responsible. I never stopped looking for more to replace the ones I lost. With every contract achieved brought me closer to the success of taking control of New York City. It was a life that brought me even more excitement. With everything else that has been going on all those years, there was one matter that I had always longed to go through, becoming a father. In over a decade, Carla and I have tried desperately on bringing a new life into the world but unfortunately, we never succeeded. We were lucky enough to get pregnant but they each ended in miscarriages. That fact hurt me so badly. It was as if the bitterness of life was apart tearing my insides itself. Every day was a fight against the world around me. Deep down in my heart, I was so envious at the sight of people running around and playing with their kids. So, I used to kill people as my way of escape of what I thought was suffering. My new life came to a devastating halt when I was enjoying what I thought was a peaceful day at home having dinner with my wife. Even though I was a middle-aged man, I never allowed that to hinder the usefulness of my five senses. That allowed me to hear banging on my front door. I knew that someday my lie about my father’s death was going to fail and after sixteen years it finally did. “Open up David!! You murderer!! Open the door or we will break it down!!” said the people outside the door. Carla looked at me and said, “Who is that and why are they calling you a murderer.” “Honey. You know I am a hit man. I kill people every day for money.” I spoke. “I know that. It is just hearing them call you that and banging on our door is making me feel very uneasy.” Carla said. “Okay. I will tell you but first we must get out of this house.” I said as I walked over to grab a brown duffle bag. In the bag, I stuffed all the money I had hidden in the safe along with two loaded handguns and ammunition. “David. What are you doing?” Carla said. “I am packing up all the money I saved. We need it if we are going to start a new life somewhere.” I spoke as I continued packing up the rest of the money into the bag. “David are you sure we will make it?” Carla said. “Of course.” I said as I finished packing the bag and walked right over to the bedroom closet. “David. You said that you were going to tell me when we get out of here. Tell me now.” Carla said. “But...,” I said. “No buts. Please tell me now.” Carla said. “Before I tell you, I am going to apologize for not telling you for all these years. I killed my father.” I said sighing in complete melancholy. “So, killing John was not enough. You killed your father too?” Carla said. “I had a good reason to. He wanted to quit just like John did.” I spoke. “Even so but that was your own father. The man who brought you to the world.” Carla said. “I stood and watched John kill his own father.” I spoke. “I am not talking about John. I am talking about you.” Carla said. “True. You are. Now can we end this conversation? We must get out of here or these people will kill us.” I spoke. “You may have lied to me, but I still love you and want the best for you. Let us get out of here.” Carla said as she let me open the closet. Behind the wall was a secret passageway. “Okay come on love.” I spoke as I stepped inside the open space. “David. What is this?” Carla said. “My secret exit. A crawlspace that can help us escape. I had it made when I purchased the house. So come on.” I spoke. “Of course.” Carla said as I had her go in first. “Alright. Here we go.” I said as I followed my wife. We made sure to be completely quiet as we crawled underneath the house. We both flinched to the sound of loud stomps and punching of the walls. “Where did they go?!!!” said one of the people. “Do not worry. We will find them. When we do, we are going to enjoy ending him.” Another one of the pursuers said. “Yeah. Since David did something sinister like killing Ronald lets destroy the house.” Another pursuer said. “Yeah.” Another pursuer said while chuckling. Carla and I waited the men finished their time inside the house. When the coast was clear, we got out of the crawl space and ran as fast as we could. Within a matter of seconds, we both flinched and stopped due to the sound of an explosion. We turned around and were devastated at the sight of a raging fire coming from the sight of where my house once stood. I could not help but cry profusely knowing that everything I killed for has been taken away from me. I took that as a declaration of war against the very people who worked for me. And with that, I wiped the tears I shed and fled taking my wife along with me. We tried with all our might to leave the city to get to somewhere safe but unfortunately, we were not successful. I recognized the faces of my former minions everywhere we went to take the chance to leave. That led me to frustration. At that moment, we were hiding on the fire escape of an abandoned apartment complex on Zarega Avenue. “Honey, what are we going to do?” Carla said in a quiet whisper. “I do not know. I just do not know. What are we going to do now?” I spoke. I hit myself in the face just to take on my frustration. Carla stopped me saying, “Honey. Do not do that. Do not beat yourself up for this. We will get through this.” Hearing that from my wife lead me feel what I believed was a piece of hope, making me say, “You're right. We can do this.” “Great. Now David dear, do you know of any other place we can hide for the time being?” Carla said. I searched deep into my mind for a hiding place I had not tried to go to for safety. Throughout the pondering, I made what I believed to be a useful realization making me say, “Yes. There is one place we can hide.” “Really? Where?” Carla said. “The old bar that I had shut down after I killed my father. The one on Wilkinson Avenue.” I spoke. “There?” Carla said. “Yes. It is the only option.” I spoke. “Okay. Let us go then.” Carla said. “Yes.” I said as Carla and I both climbed down the fire escape when the coast was clear and headed back to the old bar. I desperately hoped that I would have a place to get a moment's rest.
           We managed to get to the old bar. I never believed that I would ever lay eyes on the same place that I saved the life of the man I killed in cold blood. We were disgusted at the sight of the place. The tables were all around the bar flipped over and torn apart, the front windows were completely shattered, the door could not close, and the floor was completely covered with pieces of what were glass cups. I felt a sense of satisfaction when I noticed that the bar was still completely intact. “Okay honey. So were here. Now what?” Carla said. “We have no choice but to sit here and hide.” David said. “Hide in here where?” Carla said. “Let's hide behind the bar.” I said as Carla, and I walked over to the bar and sat on the floor behind it. “David honey, do you really believe they won't find us here?” Carla said. “I hope that they will not. Now Carla, I know you have not had any experience in this, but I want you to be able to protect yourself and me.” I said as I handed Carla one of the guns from my bag. “But David, I never used a gun in my life. What do you expect me to do?” Carla said. “I expect you to hold up your gun, aim at the target and fire.” I spoke. As I continued to chat with Carla, I was interrupted by the sound of the crackling of glass. That disturbing sound led me to gently cover Carla's lips and say quietly, “Shh. Someone's here.” “Who?” Carla said in a quiet whisper. “I do not know but let's surprise them. Remember. Aim. Then fire.” I said as I listened to the crackling get closer and closer to our hiding place. My wrists shook heavily out of fear of knowing who was walking towards me. The fear intensified as I began to realize that the footsteps were from more than one person. Now with guns in hand, Carla and I waited for the right moment to jump on out of hiding and aimed at our pursuers. And the person who stood in front of me was someone I never expected to see again. “John!!” Carla said. “John?!!! John Armstrong?! How can this be? I killed you.” I spoke. “I told you honey. I wasn’t lying to you. He is alive.” Carla said. And right in front of my very eyes was the man who I emptied the clip of my gun was my former best friend, John Armstrong. Standing on John's left was Kenneth, and his right was a teenage girl both pointing a gun at me. “Hello David. You thought you would never see me again. Didn't you?” John said as he looked at me. “No, I did not. Now get out of here before I kill you again.” I spoke. “You have lost David.” Kenneth said as he pulled out his gun. I looked at Kenneth and said, “Kenneth. I cannot believe you would betray me. I should have killed you when I had the chance, but I never had any proof of your betrayal now it is in front of me.” “Who do you think John got the explosives to destroy your precious warehouses from?” Kenneth said as he chuckled. “Look David, we were able to find you because I knew you would be hiding here.” John said. “If you knew then you were right. Carla and I have nowhere else to go. Our house was destroyed and now everyone in the mafia is trying to kill us.” I spoke. “Well, that serves you right. You killed your father in cold blood.” John said. I sighed angrily and said, “You are right. I did kill him. I only did it because I wanted control. Control over this gang and the entire city. I wanted to have everyone eat at the palm of my hand.” “Good for being honest. Now I am going to have Kenneth, and my daughter Lisa lower their guns if you and Carla do the same.” John said. “We will only do it if you keep your promise not to hurt us.” I spoke. “We all promise.” John said. And with that, we all have lowered our guns instantaneously. At that exact moment of everyone coming to a compromise, the scene was interrupted by the sound of cars parking outside the bar. With my eyes fixed on John, I found myself being pulled back behind the bar. I kept my head ducked behind the bar as the people in those cars pulled out machine guns and opened fire. I could not help but feel even more confused because the man who I attempted to put to death saved my very life. “John. I am very surprised and furious at you. Why would you save me after I put you through Hell?” I spoke. “Why? Well, I really want to empty a clip into you, but it will solve nothing. I believe that that is what my murdered wife would want.” I spoke. Hearing what John said turned my frustration to conviction. I had no idea that everything I had done up to that point would bring me to what I was facing at that very moment in that bar. Knowing all that me to David say, “All right that is it. I am tired of running. I am tired of feeling guilty about everything I did. It is time I face the consequences for everything I done.” Carla held onto my arm with her life, “Honey. Do not leave me.” I looked at Carla and said, “I have to do this.” “Then I am going with you.” Carla said. “No. I want you to stay here. Live on for my sake.” I spoke. John looked at me and said, “Are you sure that this is what you want to do?” I replied, “Yes. It is time for me to go.” “Okay then go.” said John as he tilted his head to face the ground. I kissed Carla one last time and raised both of my hands up and yelled, “I give!!! Stop shooting!!” “Hold your fire!!” said a voice from outside. At an instant, the shooting stopped. I gave Carla as well as David a big smile as I walked to the doorway of the bar. Seeing the shooters was as if I could see the faces of every target I’ve killed for many years. Facing that made me accept my death with a grin.