Chapter 5 : Walking Back Into the Grave

    " Until the last day of my life. " The words stucked to my head when I thought back my memories. Pablo was my friend. The one I could trust in this cold dark world. I looked at Pablo's fucked up face. I patted his shoulder. He looked at my face and smiled, then, he closed his eyes back. He was resting in this place and times like these. What a fuck. Today will not be his last day of his life. I held the gun tight and went out of my cover. I shot two thugs while they were talking. Then, the others started to panicked and started shooting at me. I ran for cover but nowhere near Pablo. I shot two thugs in the head. That kind of saved my bullets. One shot one killed. I ran jumped over the boxes and started shooting. I took the deads' guns. I held two M1911 tight and shot the thugs. One by one was killed by bullets coming from my guns. I saw one on the stairs and I shot his leg. He fell down the stairs and stopped moving. Maybe he broke his neck. I got shot in the shoulder. Fuck! First the elbow and now the shoulder. I didn't stop shooting. I kept shooting until the last person squirted blood out of him. I went back to Pablo. He was still sleeping. I carried him in my shoulder. It was painful but that's the least I could do as a friend. I went down the stairs and started shooting at the incoming thugs. I carried Pablo to a car and I broke the mirror to unlock the door. I put Pablo inside. Yet from all the killings, he was still sleeping. I ran back inside the building to search for Kladov. He was nowhere to be found. I saw one thug was bleeding on the floor. I asked, " Where is Kladov? Where's your boss? " He didn't answered yet he spitted on my shoes. I shot my gun at the thug's leg and put the tip of the gun inside the wound. He kept screaming but in the scream there was no answer. I asked again the same question. He answered by saying the place where he thought his boss might be at that time. I went back outside and saw the car. I closed all the doors and got inside. I checked every compartment for keys. There was no keys. Pablo pointed his finger at the place where the key might be. It was under the seat. I started the engine and drove the car to the hospital to drop Pablo for recovery. He got on the bed at the emergency room. He insisted on finishing the job with me but I kept forcing him to get a medical attention. He said to me, " Don't die. " I nodded and got outside of the hospital. I drove the car to a factory where Kladov might be.

    Facing your death would be a lot easier if you're ready for it. Well, I'm not. I walked into the restaurant with blood all over my shirt and my face. I was a mess and yet I walked into a fancy restaurant called, De La Noir. Weird name for a restaurant in Puerto Rico. I took out my gun and held it tight. Kladov was eating with his associates. Their guards were standing and guarding their pathetic lives by looking at them eating foods. I walked in a shot one guard in the torso. I flipped a table to make a cover. They were shooting at me and the place went chaotic. Some of pedestrians were polite enough to call the police and report this incident. Fucking great. Kladov shouted, " Fuck you, Cooper! You can't kill me. I am the God of Puerto Rico. You certainly can't kill me! " I smiled. God he said. He's no god. Too stupid and too human to be a god. Idiotic Russian fuck. I shot the guards and they either dead or fainted. Kladov ran away through the back door and I followed him. While I was chasing him, I killed his associates. Rich fuckers who think that they can get whatever they want with just simple money. No. Not that simple if I'm in it. I chased him through a back alley somewhere near a hotel called The Rain. Stupid name for a hotel and yet we live in a stupid country. I caught Kladov by shooting at his leg. My kind persuasion of yelling, " Stop! ", didn't work. So I used the alternative way to stop him. Putting a bullet in his leg. He yelled and started to cry. I held his collar and asked, " What business are you dealing with John Frier? Tell me! Now! " He spitted on my shoes just like one of his goons did. Why? Why did they have to spit?! I punched him right in the face and said, " This is my Monday shoes. You fuck! " Punched him again the face for the second time. I asked again, " What business are you dealing with John? Answer me. I just shot you in the fucking leg. Don't make me shoot your dick off and put it on display and take a shot of it with my phone and upload it to my Facebook page with a nice hash-tag of ' Nice Kladov's dick ' with a L.O.L! " He replied, " Okay. Okay. You had me at fuck you. Okay. He sells to me a nice crate of drugs. " I asked, " Is it by any chance the drugs are The Jinx? " He nodded. John wasn't backed down at all after the arrest. My absence was an opportunity for him to go bigger. He knew I was here and he knew I did the whole robbery stuff. He put me in a position of force for finding the money for Kladov. He tipped off the cops. He used Kladov to kill me. Just like he used me before. Just to put me into sleep for good. Sorry to disappoint you John. I felt pity for Kladov so I shot him in the head to put him out of the his misery. I walked to the hospital and I lost too much blood. My visions became unclear. My mind became faded. I was near the hospital and I walked towards the emergency entry. I fainted in front of the entrance.

     I opened up my eyes and saw beside me was John. Lying on his bed while watching the news. He said, " Hey, welcome back Gringo. " I smiled and replied, " I'm so glad to be back. Haha... " He chuckled and started to cough. I said, " Woah. Pablo, relax yourself. You took a decent beating yesterday. Relax. " He replied, " Me? Decent beating? How about you? Two bullets in one arm. Sounds relaxing. " I asked, " When can I be discharge? I need to do something. " He replied, " How the fuck should I know. I'm not a doctor. " I called a nurse and asked the same question. She answered, " You can be discharge once the stitches would no longer be a problem. Then she went outside to do her job. I can't do anything except resting. Lying my body on the bed and feel the softness of the bed. The news started to catch my attention. It stated that massive murders happened at the old abandoned factory and the murderers were unknown. Pablo said, " Gringo, looks like we just lucky. " Suddenly, a bullet came from the window and hit Pablo's chest. I saw the trajectory of the bullet came and saw John was holding a sniper rifle. I was shocked and turned the bed over. I yelled, " Nurse! Somebody! Help us! " I pulled out the syringes that were sticked in my body out and went to Pablo. I was mad and didn't know what to do except asking him to not die. " Pablo. Stay with me buddy. Stay with me. Pablo! Nurse! Breath just breath! I'm here. Pablo, come on. Your one true friend, Gringo, is here. Just breath don't speak. He said in his pain, " Don't die. I don't want to see in you hell just yet. " He chuckled and I replied, " Fuck no brother. You don't have too. " He smiled and replied, " Gringo, this is hurt, bro. " He laughed in his pain and I couldn't do anything except putting a pressure on the wound. The doctors came in and took him into casualties. I sat on the ground and couldn't anything except cry. " Nurse! Release me. Discharge me! Now! " They replied, " No we can't do that sir. You're not well. " I replied before they could even finish the sentence, " Fuck it! I'm not well! I am aware of that. Discharge me now! Or I kill every last one of you! " They had to discharge me to deliver to the cops. I was charged of threatening the nurses. I was being held up in the room with a nurse watching over me. It was awkward. With my friend just been shot in the room and I being held up here while he was being treated. The doctor knocked on the door and the nurse answered it. The doctor came with a 'bad news' face. He said, " I'm sorry Mr. Cooper. Your friend is no longer with us. The bullet went deep inside the chest. It messed up his respiratory system. I'm sorry. " The news gave me a shock that momentarily I was paralyzed. I couldn't say anything except thinking of Pablo's really dead. I asked the nurse nicely, " Please let me go. I need to do something. I need to catch the killer. What have you got to lose? You don't need me here. My health actually nobody gives a fuck and why do you? I'm nobody. Just a man who is currently walking back into the grave. I'm begging you. " She replied, " I'm locking the door and going into the toilet. Okay? If you're escaped, then, I can't say anything because I just went into the toilet. Understand? " I replied, " Agree. " She replied, " Here's your clothes for you to... I don't know. Want to feel comfortable or some sort. Here. " She put my clothes on the bed and she locked the door. She went into the toilet and said, " Good luck. " I took my clothes and opened the windows. I went out and ran away. Didn't look back.

    I arrived at my apartment and found out that my apartment was ransacked. Somebody was seriously needed something from me. I wore my clothes. Wore my slack pants and plain white long sleeves shirt with handguns shoulder holster. I wore my socks and plain black shoes. Last but not least, my coat. Black, dark as night coat. I opened my secret box where I personally hid for emergency. I took my guns and put them in the holster. John must be anxious to leave Puerto Rico after killing my friend but he must get his money first before leaving. He would be at Kladov's building or penthouse to take his money for the drugs. Although Kladov's dead but the business wasn't. The building was named, Cosa Pasadena. Kladov's own building. Built on the poor for the rich. I took a cab to the building. I saw John's goons or should I say rogue cops were guarding the place. I contacted NYPD from a payphone and asked for Holstein. " Yes this is Holstein. Who is this? " I answered, " Holstein. This is me, Cooper. " He replied, " Brad Cooper?! Fuck. I thought you are dead. What happened? Seven years and no call from you. Everybody thinks you're dead. " I replied, " Holstein. Listen. I need you to do something. Come to Puerto Rico at once. John is here. He killed my friend. I'm going to kill him and you need proofs that John is the dealer, right? So, I captured some pictures. Okay? " He replied, " Coop! Don't do anything stupid. Don't rush in there. The other rogue cops will kill you. Rogue cops fighting the best rogue ex-cop from New York, it will be an interesting day. Holstein, come here quick. Okay? " He answered, " Okay. " I walked in front of the building and captured some pictures of John and Kladov's supervisor or secondary in charge dealing their 'business' using a camera. What a stupid fucking thing to do. Dealing their business in a lobby. John was stupid and foolish. I yelled John's name. He was shocked to see me and yet he pulled his confident face. I took out the memory card from the camera and put it in my coat. Then, I threw the camera away. I took out my gun and held it tight. John smiled and said, " Really Coop? Here? In the lobby? My men are all over this place and you're trying to kill me? I smiled. I was ready to meet my death. The question was, " Is Death ready to meet me? "