Flicking

while Early Bird moved over to the couch. “So where are you hit?” Early Bird asked.

  “I think down there somewhere.” Nil8 tried to point, but only managed to move his chin.

  Early Bird looked down and Dorian followed his eyes. A massive puddle of blood seeped between and around nil8’s legs. The couch had acted as a basin and the dark color of the couch had hidden the dark color of the blood.

  “I think I’m a bit short of the red stuff,” nil8 said slowly. “You guys gotta get me to a hospital.”

  “Yeah man,” Early Bird said. “Guys, I need some help here.”

  “I feel like I’m fading, you know.” Sweat had popped out over nil8’s eyebrows. His black hair looked dank and dull. “They made me do it. Forced me.” He licked his lips, his voice faltering. “Some guy…wanted it done. Wanted…all the Deep…Nodes destroyed. They were working for him.” Nil8 groaned softly. “Fuck, that is pain.” A finger twitched. “I fucked up, dudes. I killed you. I was…ReeperG. Code? ...Dorian, are you ok?” nil8 tried to turn his head toward Dorian, but very little happened.

  “Take it slow,” Early Bird said. “Husband your strength, you’ll need it.”

  “They demanded everything Code, you know? At least you’re still alive. I couldn’t get it all, but I had to try. They wanted to kill my parents. You know. Oh shit, that hurts.” Nil8’s hand clenched.

  “There’s no excuse” Dorian said, his body filled with rage. “You came into my room with a gun.” Tears forced themselves unbidden into his eyes. “You went all the way to Italy to kill my family. You threatened me.”

  “Don’t you see, Code. It wasn’t—oh god, my chest hurts—I wasn’t the one.” nil8’s fingers trembled. “I only gave them the DNS entry for your server. That’s…” he gulped. “…how it started.”

  “I can’t see the wound in there. He’s lost a shitload of blood. What do we do?” Early Bird said.

  “I’ve got a first aid k-k-k, k-kit,” Ruutor said, returning to the living room. “Holy fuck. That b-boy’s a goner.” He clapped a hand over his mouth, realizing what he’d said. “Y-y-y-you’ll be fine.” He stroked nil8’s head with a shaking hand.

  “Who was it then?” Dorian yelled, pushing his face into nil8’s. He wanted to grab nil8, but the boy was covered in blood, almost bathing in it. Dorian could see consciousness seeping away and with it his last chance to question his parent’s killer. He had to try something. “Guys, we have to call 9-1-1. This kids in serious trouble. He’s our only connection to these bastards. Without him we can’t find anything.”

  “I-I-I-,“ Ruutor said.

  “Good god. This is a fucking emergency, and all you can say is I, I, I?”

  “I tried. All the phones are jammed. I haven’t found the device yet.”

  He had no choice, he had to get the answers now. “Tell me what happened.” Dorian went to grab nil8, but someone pulled him back. “Tell me!” He tried again, this time he felt arms wrap themselves around his chest.

  “You need to leave him alone,” Early Bird said.

  “Tell me!” The scream echoed in his head, leaving Dorian spent. There was only a gurgle from nil8.

  “Porca miseria, I’ll go get my car,” Dorian said. “We’ll have to drive him to the hospital.” Panic rolled through him again.

  He ran out and down the driveway, down the few hundred yards to where they had parked. It seemed like that had been hours earlier. He jumped into the car after briefly fumbling with the key. He had a bad feeling. A very bad feeling. He gunned the motor and raced the car up the driveway to the front door. Running into the house, he called out, “Grab him and put him in the back seat.”

  “No,” Ruutor said, “It’s t-too l-l-late. He’s dead. No pulse.”

  “We can’t give up. He’s one of us, even if he fucked it good.”

  “Stop it, Code,” Ruutor pleaded, tears in his eyes. “He’s as dead as Colonel.”

  Dorian looked around. All Dorian’s friends were looking at him, heads shaking.

  “But I need my questions answered.”

  “No way. It’s over.”

  “We can’t go anywhere, Dorian,” Andrea said from behind the couch. “If we go to a hospital, they’ll immediately arrest me. I’m already wanted for murder in San Francisco.”

  “Then we leave you here, drop him at the door to the emergency room and run.”

  “FYI,” Ruuror said. “Unless he’s alive, we might want to be careful. They record everything at those hospitals. We’d be on tape right away, no matter what we did.”

  That was certainly true, Dorian had to admit. That and the exercise clearly had no point anymore anyway. Nil8 had died. He’d probably never know what had happened. That he would have to live with.

  Why hadn’t he paid more attention when they walked in the room? Why had he frozen? What kind of idiot was he?

  “Um, guys?” Striptz said, interrupting Dorian’s thoughts. “Where did Colonel go?”

  Dorian looked at the corner of the living room where Colonel had fallen dead. The only thing left behind was a streak of blood that trailed out the door.

  Colonel

  “No way. This can’t being happen,” Dorian shouted.

  “Careful, he’s dangerous,” Andrea said.

  “Striptz, come with me, and take Colonel’s gun. The rest of you keep safe here. Use Andrea’s gun to defend.” Dorian looked around wild eyed. “Don’t get shot, ok?”

  In the hall outside the living room, the blood trail stopped in a balled up wad of toilet paper. “He must have blocked the flow,” Dorian said. “Used t.p. to do it. Why didn’t I notice this blood before?”

  “That dude is hard.”

  “Yes.” Dorian held out the gun in front of him, the same way he’d seen them do it in the movies. He’d started getting used to the feel of a gun in his hands. “Watch out that he doesn’t jump out from behind something, ok?”

  “Sure.” Striptz dashed into the kitchen, emerging stuffing a butter knife in his pocket. “In case the gun doesn’t work. All other knives were missing. They didn’t want us to attack, can you see? Good thing though, now there’s nothing for Colonel.” Striptz’ sounded rattled.

  They checked the rooms upstairs next, looking under beds, carefully prying open closets. As they were coming back down the front landing heading for the basement, something caught Dorian’s eye.

  “Look,” he pointed out the window. “I think he’s out by the car.”

  They ran to the front door and down the driveway. Colonel, bathed in sweat stood banging on the trunk of his car with a large metal rod, trying to smash the lock.

  “Stop right were you are,” Dorian yelled, keeping a safe distance. He could see Colonel considering throwing the metal rod at him. “Now drop the rod. Actually, throw it that way.” He pointed with his gun.

  Colonel complied. “You’ll never win, you little pirate.” He winced. “You think you can do it all because you have a pistol in your hand. But you can’t you little shit. We’re coming after you and we have you covered.”

  “Yes. With the invisible sniper you don’t have.” Dorian brushed back his hair with his free hand.

  “Like the hole I’m going to put in your head.” Colonel rested his hands on the trunk, wobbling slightly as he struggled to find the strength to stand. He’d stuffed wads of toilet paper through his shirt where the bullets had entered. “I’m still on my feet, aren’t I?” He turned to rest against the car. Dorian inched closer, still keeping his distance.

  “Tell me, Colonel, why do you want to kill us?”

  Colonel laughed a deep rumble. “Because I like eliminating garbage.”

  “I swear I will shoot you. And this time I won’t miss your head.”

  “Do I look scared?”

  “You should be, but it is your choice.” Rage swirled through him. He desperately wanted to pull the trigger. Killing this piece of dirt would feel great. But no, that wouldn’t give him the answers he needed. Better to stay calm.

 
He needed to apply pressure. If only he knew how to cock the pistol, as seen on TV. But he wasn’t sure it would work, and he didn’t want to risk disabling the gun. “Tell the others inside that we’ve caught him,” Dorian told Striptz without turning his head.

  As Striptz left, Dorian continued his questions, the gun pointing straight at Colonel’s head.

  “Tell me what the hell is going on here.”

  “We’re eliminating online piracy, can’t you tell? Each of you rodents that’s eliminated, fewer movies online.”

  “It’s not like we’re killing anyone.”

  “Well, we are.” Colonel laughed, but without humor.

  How do I get him to tell me what happened to my family? Dorian wondered. And what incentive does he have to tell me anything?

  “Do you know how much we liked going into your dorm room?” Colonel had a wicked look on his face. “Putting that gun next to your head.”

  “That wasn’t ReeperG?”

  “Hell no. I wouldn’t send a child to do a man’s killing.”

  “But I’m not dead.”

  “Doctors orders. Look what we got instead. All of you shits here in one place. Where did you keep the Deep Noder List anyway? That’s what we needed before we’d kill you.”

  “Looks like you didn’t need it.”

  “Nope. Didn’t. Plan B turned out better than Plan A.”

  Striptz came back from the house. “Don’t we have to tie this guy up?”

  “Yeah. Look for some rope, or that silver tape for pipes. That should do it. I’ll stay here and guard.”

  “Ok.” Striptz stuffed his gun in his pants.

  “I can tell you everything,” Colonel said after a pause.