Life was great once, it was nice, and it was perfect. But that was one time and very long ago. Now I’m back killing people this time for vengeance. Someone killed my kid brother, why do I say someone I know who they are, Raine Smith, that big talker, thinks he’s a gangster now he’s a dead man. Raine wanted to get to me, I wasn’t home in Paris. He saw my kid brother, home. So his thugs took him, and god they tortured the hell out of him. Some people say that vengeance isn’t everything. I personally think that’s a load of crap. Guess I’m cold and think differently. My ex-wife Sherri always said that about me, when she left me she called me a cold blooded killer. Guess she was right on one thing.
Nick, he didn’t care, he looked up to me. Stupid kid should have never have. I wanted to send him away but he wouldn’t go. Now he was dead and in my heart I know it was my fault. I thought I was big when I had my gun. This was a reality check I was just a guy just like everyone else. People think that they are big until they are pushed down to their lowest. I’ve learned that and agree with the philosophy.
The rain felt nice on my cold sober face. The streets were lonely like my soul was; it wasn’t just Nick’s death that pulled me about. Before when I started this career, my first love Farah died. We were walking out from a movie, and then someone shot her. I never did find out who did it, but I thought if I killed Nick’s killer then it would make up for Farah’s death. Sherri, we only got married because well I don’t really know why. Wish we would have never did though. That was a sad fact, but she had an affair on me with Raine himself. My luck and my life sucked most of the time.
The streets here were full of all kinds of people, prostitutes male and female, addicts, musicians playing for change, homeless people, and anything else in-between. I lived here most of my life, I traveled some. My parents died when I was eighteen, so I took care of Nick. We had a five year different between us. He was a budding artist and a good student, who didn’t deserve to die with four bullets in his body and before that his feminine face slapped around and then thrown in the river. Mind you it was 34 degrees outside. Just thinking about it, boiled my blood. Oh he was going to pay and it was going to be fun. I felt so blood thirsty right now. This feeling even made me shutter with disgust.
I stopped at the correct building where that coward was, he lived in a duplex. I held my pistol in my pocket and visioned his body lying in a pool of blood. These dark thoughts were the only things that could soothe me at this point. I felt like an animal. I wanted his prey and nothing more.
I barged in with my gun pointed out, and there I saw Raine’s body hanging by the stairway. I kicked his body as hard as I could, and let my emotions go. His housekeeper looked up at me but the old woman never said a word.
I talked to her and said, “He do this?”
She nodded.
“Why?” I demanded.
“He was afraid that you were coming. So he got drunk and killed himself.”
I nodded but had no response.
“I called the police you might want to leave.”
“Yeah, goodbye you sadistic bastard.” I said to his lifeless body and left the room.
“Hey mister do you know what time it is? I lost my watch?” A fair haired teenage boy asked me. He looked vaguely familiar.
“Yeah, you want some coffee or something.” I thought it was Nick but god it couldn’t be. He looked differently but sounded like him. He didn’t even recognize me; I thought I was going crazy. To think that my brother who’s dead still alive.
He raised his brow, “You looking for something?”
“No, its 8:30, cold outside, just thought I would ask.”
The kid smiled, “Fine if you’re looking for a friend. My name is Nick.”
I almost laughed at the irony I was getting today. “Simon Davis.”
“Nick Smith by the way didn’t tell you my last name.”
“Great, your brother he’s hanging in there.” I figured out that he couldn’t be him then.
“Yep, he killed my friend. See how people meet, I didn’t even recognize you at first. Until you said your name, I could really use that coffee or a shake those are my favorite.”
“Me too, I was going to kill him “
“Figured, god my head is so messed up right now.” He looked like he was sick.
“You can stay with me if you want.”
“Why are you being nice to me? I’m Raine’s brother.”
He was right on that but I felt sorry for him, “Well you didn’t do it do you?”
“No, actually he locked me in the closet, I tried to shoot him. God this last month shit you know that’s when you miss your parents the most.”
“Come on kid, I’ll get you something to eat.” He looked like he hadn’t eaten in days and his face was pale. I felt at ease maybe was wrong about the whole vengeance thing, whichever I felt like a changed man. Like it was my duty to make something right in the world. That kid when he came over by me, I just saw Nick in him, the sense of sadness but kept that grin on his face. No wonder why were friends they were so much a like. Too much a like, I saw my brother in him.
We walked to the diner, both in silence. I felt like Nick was next to me, it felt strange like this happened for a reason. Nick took off his jacket when we got there. I noticed his arms were bruised up. I then noticed more little scars.
“I just got out of the hospital and was coming home. Then saw his body laying there. Weird hey, like I said this last couple weeks have been so odd.”
I analyzed him closely, he was my brother. There was a resemblance and I was right. That had to be him.
“So how long were you and Nick friends, I’ve never meant you before?”
“Oh for years.” Nick put a straw in his milkshake.
“Really? Guess I missed that.”
“You were gone a lot probably.”
I nodded, “Probably.” It was him, when I saw him in the light, it was my Nikki. I wanted to hug him but he didn’t remember me.
“Man I haven’t had a shake in awhile.”
“When you said that your parents were dead, I wasn’t sure, because your father he’s still alive.” I thought if I gave him this information he would remember me.
“No he isn’t both of our parents died when I was 13. I remember it.”
“Raine’s not your brother okay, to tell you the truth I am.”
He didn’t believe me, he got up, “Nick’s dead I saw his body.”
I saw the stitches on his head, amnesia, a case where he forgot something, mostly his accident and who his family was. When I came home my friend Rickie told me he was dead and maybe Raine thought so and killed himself because he thought he saw a ghost. That fact made me want to laugh. I bet someone saved Nick that night.
“Who brought you to the hospital?”
“Oh yeah I said I just got out. See I was walking and feel in, the place I fell it wasn’t frozen yet.” He took a bite of the hamburger, the first bite he took.
“No you didn’t think hard, someone threw you in. You had blows to the head, and maybe even shot.”
Nick was silent he just kept his eyes on his hamburger and fries.
“Nick, you didn’t die. You just forgot and now you’re trying to piece it together. It’s okay, it’s a great thing. God I love you. “
He started to cry, I felt guilty, for that one. I held him, a tough guy like me even felt like to cry. Just the look on his face, the confused pitiful look, it hurt me. For once I did feel like human and not just a guy that would kill you for a price. That’s when I decided that I was going to get a job change. Someone up there was giving me a second chance and I better use it right.
