5. Rewind

(2021*LA BREA, US)

JACK

"Jack! Jack! "

"What?! "

Shakenly, Tim turned the screen of his phone towards me as his pupils shrunk with terror.

"Margot, " I called gently and I grabbed Tim's phone.

I saw a live feed of my sister tied and gagged up by my arch-nemesis, or as we in the special squad force like to call him; The Butcher. Everyone knew he was very invested in my family. First, he had my father killed by pushing him off the window of a fourteen-floor building after slicing his gut open with his butcher knife. My mum lost her voice and every sense of feeling after he slashed her throat on her seventieth birthday, ever since, she's been in special care, away from me, away from all this mess. Margot is all I have now, I can't let him win. I can't let him take all I have left.

"I'm so sorry, " Tim said taking a few steps back and covering his mouth with his hands.

"What the fuck are you sorry for? She's not dead yet is she? " I said rather warmly.

The Butcher ungagged her and I fixed my eyes on the screen curiously.

"I'm sorry, boss, " Tim said again, this time with a thin line of tears flowing down his left eye.

Tim would feel that way since he was Margot's ex-boyfriend. It was a relationship I never cheered on because Tim was already recruited into my special squad, which sole objective was to hunt down hardened criminals so high up on the blacklist and I wasn't going to condole any sentiment.

"Jack Raymond, what'd you say I slice open her scalp, " the Butcher said and then sent out a burst of ear-piercing laughter.

"Let her go. I'll do anything you want. Just let her go. "

"Oh, Sorry. Too late. The time for pleas has gone, it's been a while since I've had a good slash anyway. Perhaps I could make up for that with this Beauty. "

The Butcher never bluffed, I knew him too well to doubt what he could do to her. And not to mention the fact we were held underground, where we had located his hideout with the help of a huge lead. On getting there with my men, we had realized the Butcher left hours ago to abduct my sister in her studio. The Butcher wasn't an empty head after all, with this stunt he pulled, I'd say he had us fooled.

Margot was an outstanding model, and had worked for practically, twenty magazine companies over the years, it made more sense why he'd go after her. She was the only one left.

"Jack, Ja– " I could hear Margot muttering.

"Margot! Look at me, it's going to be okay, okay? "

"Snap out of it Jack. Thi–This isn't real. "

My mind was boggled. "Margot, stay put, okay? You, just stay put. I'm coming. "

"If you move an inch, she dies, " The Butcher said pointing a long screwdriver to her neck so I'll know he wasn't bluffing.

"What do you want me to fucking do?! "

"Prove how much you value her life, " he said with a mischievous smirk.

"What is that supposed to mean? "

I could see his stretched neck from the video call.

"See that knife? "

I rolled my eyeballs, scrounging around.

"This? " I asked grabbing a hold of the 7 inches butcher knife that laid on a table.

"There isn't much time for you, Make the choice or I'll make it for you. Kill Tim with that knife or I'll kill Margot right this second, " he said picking up his toolbox, where he kept his weapons of terror.

He knew I had a 9 MM handgun holstered at my side, we, in the Special–Ops, all did. Yet, he wanted me to use his stupid MO; The Butcher knife. Tim, clueless about the words I and the Butcher were exchanging, leaned his head against the ragged wall, sobbing, possibly reminiscing on all his experiences with Margot.

He's insane, I concluded. How did he expect me to make such a decision? I may not have cherished Tim as much as I did my sister, Margot, but that didn't mean his mother wasn't expecting him home by sunset the next day. He had someone too, you know. Someone who cared about him, who nagged at him, who annoyed and was annoyed by him, who loved him. Who am I to determine who lives or dies between the two at this rate?

"You fucking psycho! " I roared.

He clicked his tongue, shooting me a wry look.

"Don't be dumb, Jack. Make the choice. "

I clenched the phone to myself like I feared Tim was listening in.

Margot's tiny voice again, saturated my ears; "Jack, wake up. "

"If I were you, I'd kill Tim. I mean, isn't it obvious, he'll eventually die on one of your suicidal missions, he's slow-witted. So, why not have him killed now, instead of losing them both. "

"Fucking vicious circle, huh? " I said with a shift in my tone.

"What...vicious circle? "

"Michael Zachary, I know you felt terrible too, "

I had to keep going, I was utilizing my trump card against him now. His eyes lit open at the mention of his actual name, he then sauntered closer to the camera.

"Surprised, huh? That I fucking knew your name all this while. Michael Zachary, parents were murdered by a narcotic serial killer when he was just thirteen. The killer had you pick between them, who he could let go. You couldn't choose so he killed them anyway, both mom and dad. What hunted you the most wasn't that, was it? " The Butcher stood still not uttering a single word, I let out a calm sigh and continued. "What pricked you most, Michael, was the fact that the police and the other defense bodies couldn't do a damn thing about it. "

"Shut up! " He finally couldn't put up much longer.

I could feel the gore in his eyes.

"Michael, This may be the part in movies, where I win you over to the light and urge you to turn a new leaf. No, No! You'll fucking pay. You'll pay for every throat you've slithered, everyone you've taken away from their loved ones. "

"You know my secret. " He relapsed on an iron chair dramatically, coating one part of his face with his palm, like he was ashamed.

"I was diligent enough. "

"Too bad. Just when I thought our little Batman and Joker act was killing it, " he said and then cackled hysterically.

"Stand down, Michael. "

He immediately got up inhumanely and slashed Margot's throat open with his butcher knife and blood trickled viciously from the cut.

"Never say that name again. I'm the fucking Butcher," he said and then caressed the knife on his face sticking his tongue out.

My pupils shrunk.

"No, no. Margot! Margot! " I shrieked at the peak of my voice.

***

"Shoot to kill. I repeat, shoot to kill! " I bawled as our chopper landed. With me were Tim and four other pissed soldiers.

We had located Michael Zachary. We'd gotten him. No funny tricks this time. I'd just had Margot killed by him, but somehow I didn't shed any tear, I just had this burning rage, it ate me alive.

We approached a storehouse and I slammed opened the door with my broad shoulders almost immediately without even trying the knob to see if it was opened.

We then spread out to cover more grounds.

Just then, I saw a silhouette of who I suspected to be Michael, flashed past me.

"Michael, " I called steadying my grip on my 9 MM handgun.

Suddenly, as I treaded another turning of the mazed-up corridors, I felt a sharp pain in my chest, I looked up and saw Michael's murdering eyes. He had plummeted his Butcher knife so deep into my chest that all I could feel now, was death.

As I began to fade off, I saw the rest of my squad, rain bullets on him vehemently as he meandered around in pain.

Then I died.

There was this darkness everywhere. I let open one eye as I slowly opened the other, Where am I? What is this place? The afterlife?

I woke up to find myself laid down on the bare floor of my team's HQ, it all seemed pretty strange and no one was there.

A voice suddenly broke through the consuming silence.

"Jack, the world is falling apart and I'm going to need your help. "

To be continued...