Pied Piper Part II

[mjcmmv]

PART II: The Game

Chapter 12

Billy sat in stony silence, staring out the passenger window,  ignoring his mother’s attempts to draw him out. Caroline finally gave up. They pulled up to the side of the school. 

“Good luck, hon,” he heard her say. 

He picked up his backpack and exploded from the car. 

Students were milling around the canteen. Members of the student government were setting up refreshments, hoping to sell enough to raise funds for the team. Cheerleaders were tying their shoelaces and primping in hand-held mirrors. Teachers waved when they saw him. The principal shouted a greeting from across the hall. 

This was the moment before the game he loved the best; when the optimism was at its peak and he could actually feel the electricity in the air. As he approached the gym, he could hear locker doors banging noisily and excited voices blending together with unbridled enthusiasm. 

Tension was high. The rivalry between Central and Southside had always been fierce, and each team had been preparing all summer for a rematch after the end of last season’s brutal squeaker.

He heard guys calling over to him. “So, Crockett! You ready?’  “Looking good, buddy! Looking good!!” “You know we’re gonna kick their ass tonight, man!”

Billy smiled with relief as he sensed the camaraderie in the room. Now, he could concentrate on putting the fear and lingering tension from the afternoon behind him. 

“Hope you remember which team you’re on.” came a low menacing voice.

The taunt caught Billy off guard. A group of seniors were congregated by the showers, staring at him.  Billy saw the resentment in their eyes. He had worked hard to convince them he would do his best for his new team, but the memory of last year’s defeat was obviously too fresh to ignore. 

“I play for Southside, now, remember?”

Steve Cassidy was glaring. “Just as long as you remember your place, we’ll get along just fine, Crockett. I’m the Captain, and what I say, goes. Got it, blondie?”

“Yeah, I got it!”

Billy was well aware of the pecking order in this macho society of football jocks, and he had no intention of upsetting the way things were at his new school. Acceptance was going to take time and he would have to be patient. 

With a dejected sigh, he lowered his backpack to the floor and slid the zipper open slowly. He glanced up to make sure he no one was around, then he pulled out the uniform and cleats. He’d wanted to leave the bag in his closet at home but decided it would be better to keep it with him in case his father got a chance to snoop. If anyone found the gun, there would be hell to pay.

But if the Feds decided to conduct a search and found the gun in his locker, he was finished. Cop or no cop, there’d be no way his Dad could get him out of that one.

Chapter 13
 

“Okay, they switched the field lights on. Much better,” Jeremy murmured. He trained the binoculars on the pretty cheerleaders from Southside as they practiced their routine on the field. 

“Oh yeah!” he added, running his tongue over his upper lip. “This is definitely more like it!”

Derrick glanced over at his friend with contempt in his eyes. “The game’s going to start in twenty minutes. We better set up. Give me the keys to the trunk.” 

Jeremy tossed the key ring to Derrick without taking his eyes off the growing crowd.

“Big turnout, bro. Half the junior class is down there. Wanna see?”

Jeremy offered the binoculars to his friend. The cold blue eyes stabbed back at him. “There’s no one out there I want to see just yet. Now get off your ass and let’s get started.”

The two worked together feverishly, unloading the trunk of the car and placing several large black plastic garbage bags in a heap in the small clearing. The overgrown bushes and trees were a part of the private wooded area behind the school’s athletic fields and managed to hide them from the spectators below. 

Of the two, Derrick had the most experience with weapons. His father had seen combat in the Viet Nam War, and he made sure Derrick received a “proper” education when it came to guns. At least there was one thing he could thank his old man for. 

Derrick had orchestrated the theft and he was the one who negotiated with the dealers when it came to buying or selling.  He had impressed them all with his expertise. 

“So, kid,” one of them asked. “What do you plan on doing with all this hardware?”

“Start a war,” was his answer.

The man laughed but there was something in the boy’s eyes that made him wonder. “No skin off my nose,” he thought. “The kid has the money. Once he takes the guns off my hands, I don’t care what he does with them.”

Derrick sold handguns to a few of the students and made a nice profit. With the extra money, he contacted the dealers again. This time, he asked for more sophisticated weaponry and got the AK47’s. But his pride and joy was the DR-200, a civilian version of the K2 Korean military rifle. That was one of the stolen ones. And it had been fitted with an expensive sight that gave him excellent long-range capabilities. 

Tonight, he was dressed in cargo pants with large pockets that held the extra magazines he’d need. His military cap was pulled down low over his forehead, and the black soot he’d put on his cheekbones under his eyes made his fierce expression appear even more maniacal. 

The two boys lined up their weapons so they could reach them readily. 

“So, remember what I showed you in practice. You load, fire and when it’s empty, you go to the next one.”

“I remember.”

Now, Derrick picked up the binoculars. “Here comes the team. Coach Butler. And there’s the captain, Steve Cassidy. The one who called you and me the ‘Misfit Brothers’.”

He stroked the trigger on the rifle. 

“I even see a few of the geeks I sold guns to. Wonder if they managed to get the chance to even fire them over the last few months.”  His chuckle was hollow and flat. “There’s Johnson. I sold him the 45, remember? And Crockett.” Derrick snorted. “That idiot didn’t have a clue about guns. I even had to show him how to hold it.” 

“His dad’s a cop, you know.” Jeremy said with a yawn.

Derrick’s head spun around. His expression told Jeremy he must have said something important.

“Yeah. He was bragging about it the other day to a bunch of guys in the cafeteria.”

“No way. I saw his dad. He’s no cop.”

“That’s his step-dad. His real father lives in Miami. Doesn’t get to see him much from what Crockett was saying.”

Derrick put the binoculars back up to his eyes. “So, Crockett and his cop-dad are tight. Interesting. Wonder what the little shit told his father about his purchase?”

“You mean you think he snitched? That would be stupid. He’s the one who bought the gun.”

“Maybe he wants to get his old man’s attention. What better way than to inform on a couple of dead-end cowboys like you and me?”

Derrick adjusted the lenses and studied Billy Crockett. “Tonight’s his first game, too. I’ll just bet Big Daddy is out there watching Billy boy right now.”

“Great! That’s all we need; cops on the field.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I kind of like the idea of using cops for target practice.” He drew in a deep breath. "There you are, hot shot cop," he muttered. 

Derrick had always hated cops. His father, John, was rotting in a jail cell because of a cop. Okay. Maybe his father deserved it. He had committed murder. He had killed his own brother. And this brother was a cop.

It didn’t make a difference this cop was trash. He’d been known to plant evidence, beat suspects into submission. He was even brought up on charges of sexual assault. He was accused of raping his own brother’s wife. The cop got off. That’s when John Connors decided to take matters into his own hands. 

Derrick’s mother Doris, was still in the hospital, recovering from the attack when they came to arrest his father. He was only nine years old at the time. His father didn’t resist, but when they got their hands on him, they almost beat him to death to make him pay for killing one of their own. 

He remembered looking into the faces of the men who called themselves “keepers of the peace’. To him, they were worse than his father. They had no honor. They had betrayed the badge and the public trust. 

His father could have gotten a death sentence, but instead, he got life, without the possibility of parole. As far as Derrick was concerned, that was worse than a lethal injection. An execution would be quick-over and done with. Staring at four walls for the rest of your life was a very slow way to die. 

So, yeah, he hated cops. And now, maybe he'd get his chance to kill one, just like his father had. Maybe even more than one if things worked out. He’d love to see the old man’s face when he found out what his kid had done. Maybe he’d be jealous. Or, better yet, maybe he’d be proud.

Through the binoculars, he could see Billy Crockett's number 88 as the boy reached up and gave a blonde guy a high five as he passed. The resemblance between the two was unmistakable.

His grin was wide when he put down the binoculars and stared down at the football field below.

 Killing a cop along with all the others was more than he could have ever hoped for. He breathed out a contented sigh. For him, it was a dream come true. 

Chapter 14

Sonny stood back, watching the team gather on the sidelines. Some of the boys were shifting nervously from one foot to the other while the more seasoned players waited poised and relaxed, listening to the coach lay out his strategies as he illustrated the plays on a large pad of paper. 

Billy huddled with the pack and gave his father a slight nod. Sonny responded with a thumbs-up and a smile. They had shared a high-five earlier when Sonny first got to the field. Any more communication might be interpreted as interference, so he turned on his heel and quickly headed back toward the bleachers.

Gina slipped her hand into Sonny’s as he settled down beside her. He gripped it tightly.  Her warmth and support soothed him, and the painful memories of the last few hours melted away for the moment.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. Things will work out, I know it,” she said in a soft voice. 

“You think so, huh?” 

“Yeah, I do.” 

Caroline settled down beside Sonny. “I couldn’t get a word out of him,” she said. “You don’t think he had anything to do with that boy, do you?”

He looked at her. “I hope not, Caroline.”

“I refuse to believe it. Pot, okay. He’s trying to be cool and fit in. But guns? That won’t make him popular. And you taught him respect for weapons, since he was little. He would never want to disappoint you, I know it.”

“Maybe he’s trying to get my attention.”

Caroline looked away. “I wish you’d stop. You’re scaring me.”

Sonny put his arm around her and hugged her close. “I’m sorry. I have nothing to go on but my intuition, Caroline.” He didn’t mention the incident with Billy’s backpack. “Let’s give him a chance to talk tomorrow when things have calmed down. In the meantime, we should concentrate on the game and have a little fun.”

The game started out strong and continued that way for most of the first quarter. 

Billy was still on the bench. 

At the start of the second quarter, Sonny saw the coach signal to his son and Billy jumped up to join the team on the field. Sonny let out a huge sigh of relief. 

It didn’t take long before the boy showed what he could do. Good solid plays confirmed he knew the game and appreciated the coach’s strategy. After watching him assist on  Southside’s touchdown with a fake pass, Sonny was assured the boy would make his mark before the season was over. 

The score was tied, seven to seven, when he heard the half-time buzzer. 

“I’m going down to congratulate him,” Sonny said. “Want to join me?” he asked the two women sitting next to him.

“No, you go ahead,” Gina answered. “He’ll love the praise coming from you.”

Caroline nodded in agreement. “Tell him I’m proud of him, too.”

Other parents were streaming toward the field. And students, too. As Sonny climbed down the bleachers, he could still hear the cheerleaders shouting a chant.  When he reached the ground, the unthinkable happened. 

Two loud cracks echoed from the trees. He recognized the sound of gunfire immediately. One of the players fall to the ground. 

“Get down, everyone!” he shouted. “Shots fired!”

He could see the confusion on the faces around him. Another shot rang out and a cheerleader fell. Now, the confusion turned to panic. 

Sonny reached the coach on the sidelines. The man’s eyes were wide with horror.  Another one of his players had just noticed the blood on his jersey and was screaming. 

“Everyone, off the field!” Sonny shouted. 

Coach Butler had come back to life. Between the two of them, they gathered Billy and the rest of the players and pushed them toward an equipment shed by the bench. 

“Get them to the school,” Sonny shouted. “And call 911.”

People were crying, running, in every direction. Sonny knew they’d be sitting ducks if they didn’t find cover. He glanced behind him and saw Gina dragging Caroline under the bleachers. 

“Good girl,” he muttered. 

The coach had returned to the field. “The boys are in the gym. The rest of the cheerleaders, too. What are we going to do about the wounded on the field?”

“Nothing now. We can't go out there or we’ll be wounded, too. Did you call 911?” 

“There’s a phone in my office. I told one of the boys to call.”

“We need a SWAT team here, now! Go back and communicate the seriousness of this the best you can. I’m going to see if I can spot the shooter.”

Coach Butler knew Sonny was a cop. “Do you have a gun?” he asked. 

"Just a small caliber. It's no match for their firepower.," Caroline had asked him to leave the "big" gun home just for today. "Can't we stop playing cops and robbers for just this once?"

Now, he was kicking himself for listening.

The crowd had dispersed enough to reassure him the shooter had run out of targets and he glanced toward the wooded area where he’d seen the flash from a muzzle firing. Right now, it was just a peaceful setting. 

There were three players and a cheerleader lying on the field, covered in blood.  Sonny  had told Coach Butler they’d be crazy to make themselves targets but he couldn’t just leave them there, dying in front of his eyes. 

He rolled behind a large metal trashcan and used it as a shield even though he knew bullets could rip through the container easily. 

“Hey, mister. Help me, please. I…I’ve been shot!” A young kid about Billy’s age was holding his hand against his face while blood oozed through his fingers and down his hand. Sonny stopped to check the wound and cringed when he saw the hole in the boy’s cheek. The bullet had exited at an angle, knocking out three of his teeth but missing everything else. 

“You’re going to be okay. Stay down and don’t move! Help is coming, I promise.” He crawled to another player and turned the boy over. This one wasn’t going to make it.

The crack of gunfire disturbed the silence and Sonny looked back at the trees bordering the field. He waited for the next shot so he could locate the gunman’s’ position. A bullet whistled past his head and he ducked low just as another one spit on the ground beside him.

“Sonny!” he heard Gina shout. 

“Stay there, Gina! Please, don’t come out. That’s what they want!” He couldn’t see her, but he knew she was on the verge of doing something foolish. 

He crouched low and got ready to move toward the injured cheerleader when another barrage of bullets exploded all around him. His body jerked and a searing pain burned through his right shoulder. It brought him to his knees, and he put his hands to the ground in front of him in a last-ditch effort to keep his balance. His useless right arm refused to hold him, and he sank to the ground with a helpless groan. He was pinned down and the only option he had was to stay perfectly still. He didn’t want them to know he was still alive. 

“Sonny?” Fear flared in him like a match. Gina was beside him. 

“Go back,” he whispered. 

She’d pulled his left arm around her neck and over her shoulder.

“Can you stand?” she asked. 

“Yeah…”

He heard more gunfire. “Go back, please…,” he said, as he started to lose consciousness.

“Hold on to me, honey. We’re almost there.”

Another shot, and then another. He felt her body jerk and then she gasped as if something had startled her. “Gina?” he whispered in disbelief.

“It’s okay … we made it,” she answered. They’d almost reached the gym doors when she lowered him to the ground and sat down hard.

“Gina?”  She didn't answer. She was looking down at her white sweater, watching a bright red stain growing rapidly along her side. 

“Baby!” 

He encircled her with his good left arm, and they staggered together toward the school. They reached the metal doors and several strong hands reach out to pull them to safety.

“She’s hit. Help her, please!”

“You’re hit too, buddy. Here, lie down.” 

Billy’s football coach had caught Sonny as he slid to the floor and the man put him on one of the mats they’d thrown down to accommodate the wounded victims.

“We’ll take care of her, don’t worry.”

Sonny grimaced when he tried to sit up. He looked over at the coach. 

“…the police?” he asked

 “We put in a call just now. It’s a good distance from the town to the school. It might take them a while.” Butler paused. “Someone padlocked the exits.” 

“What?” Sonny couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“It must have happened sometime after the game started. Everyone but the custodian was out there watching the game. The custodian was in his closet listening to the Falcon’s game on his radio. He never noticed a thing.”

“So, the only way out is the front door, or the gym exit to the football field.” 

“Maybe the back door to the cafeteria where they take in the supplies. But that’s on the other side of the school. We’d never get all these wounded people there in time.”

“What the hell are they planning?” Sonny asked aloud. 

He looked over at the mat beside him and saw someone bending over Gina. He could feel his panic begin to build. 

“Don’t worry.” There was a woman kneeling next to Gina, and she’d seen his face. “She’s out for now,” the woman told him.  “It’s from the pain. Luckily, the bullet just grazed her side. I don’t think anything vital was hit, but of course I can’t be sure.”

He fell back on the mat. 

“Let me take a look at you,” she said. “I’m Helen, the school nurse.”

He closed his eyes and let her fuss. Then, he overheard a conversation that made his blood run cold. 

“Mr. Butler? Two men are coming from the woods behind the field. They’re carrying rifles.”

“Rifles?” Butler echoed.

“Barricade the doors.” Sonny winced as Helen cleaned the perimeters of the wound. “Use something heavy. It might buy us some time.” 

“Maybe. But we don’t know how many shooters there are. We can’t cover them all.”

“As long as you can hold them off until the police get here…”. 

A few strong men began to pull the heavy gymnastics beam from across the room and placed it in front of the door leading out to the field. A few others sat by the windows and kept a silent vigil as the precious minutes ticked by. The coach took men with him out into the hallway to help him set up a barrier.

Sonny sat up and rubbed his left hand over his face. The dizziness had passed and now the pain in his shoulder was replaced with a chilling numbness. 

“Your injury is going to need some medical attention and soon,” Helen said.

“Just slap a gauze on it and let me up. I have work to do.”

“What are you going to do? Fight them with your bare hands?”

He glared at her. “If I have to, yes.” 

He tried to lift his leg and failed. “Listen, Helen. Do me a favor, will you?”

“Sure.”

“There’s a small handgun in a holster strapped to my leg. Unstrap the holster and keep it close until Gina comes to. Then,  give it to her, please.”

She nodded and after she removed the holster, she wrapped in in a towel and tucked it under Gina’s mat.

He stood and swallowed hard as his legs wobbled ever so slightly. 

Butler had just returned from his scouting mission. 

“Any idea who they might be?” Sonny asked.

“Not a clue.”

“I need to see my wife and my son.” Sonny said in a calm voice.

“They’re in the locker room, with some of the team.”
 

Edited September 25, 2019 by mjcmmv

[Robbie C.]

Nicely done!

[mjcmmv]

24 minutes ago, Robbie C. said:

Nicely done!

Thank you! And thanks for all the great advice and suggestions!

[vicegirl85]

I couldn't look away, even though I didn't intend to read the whole thing tonight!  You kept me on the edge of my seat, and I was afraid of who might be the next victim.

[mjcmmv]

2 hours ago, vicegirl85 said:

I couldn't look away, even though I didn't intend to read the whole thing tonight!  You kept me on the edge of my seat, and I was afraid of who might be the next victim.

I’m so glad you found it exciting! Thank you!