BARE HUNTER

THE GENERAL

Never leave an enemy until you’re sure he’s dead, Donnie, you fool. My brother-in -law’s kid had always been a fuck-up. I had scooped him and his buddy off the streets in Philly and offered them more bread than they’d ever seen in their lives. I should have known better. He was stupid and careless.

Now, I had to finish this myself. Sitting up the street from Ted’s ex-wife’s place, I saw Ted and the big guy who lived with her take off. I didn’t know how long they’d be gone, so I quietly backed the rental SUV into the driveway and slipped around to the back of the house.

It didn’t take long to jimmy the lock and let myself in. Scanning the first floor, I found the stairs and crept up them, searching for the kid’s room. It probably was the door with the big dinosaur drawing taped to it. Thanks for the map, kid. I gently pushed the door open and surveyed the room before entering. The kid was sleeping soundly and never stirred until I slipped my hand over his mouth and clamped my other arm around his squirming, little body. Getting this brat down the stairs without waking Mama would be a challenge, so I pinched his nose closed until he passed out.

Checking for lights on in neighboring homes and seeing none, I kept him under control until I could stuff him into my old rucksack and hide him in the back of the SUV. Once inside the canvas sack, he could yell and kick all he wanted, and no one would hear him while I drove to Ted’s house.

When I got to Ted’s street, I parked a few houses away before opening the back of the vehicle, then I slung the rucksack over my back. I crept around to the back of the house with my gift package, easily opening the door. Flipping on a light, so Ted could see my surprise, I slammed the noisy rucksack onto the floor, pulled out my trusty Barretta, and waited.

The tyke was crying for his mommy, so I kicked the bag to shut him up. He let out a yelp that woke Ted from his drug-induced slumber. When he stumbled out to the kitchen, he shook his head and rubbed his eyes to figure out what was going on.

“What? What the fuck are you doing here, Cap?”

“I brought you an early Christmas gift, Teddy.”

“Your boys shot each other in the woods. They were noisy and clumsy. Thanks for sending the best,” he said arrogantly, thinking he'd won this battle.

“Don’t worry about them. I wasn’t going to pay them anyway. But, I got something you might want back.”

The kid, hearing his daddy’s voice started screaming, “Daddy! Daddy! Help! I can’t see!”

“The fuck? What have you done, Cap?” he yelled, trying to get past my weapon to his kid.

I pointed it at his head. " Back off. We need to talk. If you confess to the murders in Maidan Wardu, and sign this paper for the DCSA stating I had nothing to do with them, that you disobeyed orders, I’ll let you have him back alive," I ordered, waving my gun at the papers on the table. “Here’s the paper and here’s the pen. Do we have a deal, or do I have to start taking potshots into the bag?”

His whiny little bastard started whimpering in the bag, so I gave it a good kick with my boot to show Ted who was in charge.

“I don’t trust you as far as I can throw you, Cap. You’ve lied about everything for years. I don’t think you’d know the truth if it hit you in the face,” he threatened uselessly, while his kid shit his pants in the bag.

“It doesn’t matter now. I had a booming trade going on in Afghanistan until that buffoon took us out. All those men and women. All those ruined American lives for what? For nothing. We didn’t conquer anything and we lost more than we ever gained. This administration is full of crooks, including Tom Murray, who is in their back pocket. You want to play for that team, Ted?”

“I’ll play for any team that keeps my son safe. Come on, Cap. Let him out of there. He’s four years old, scared and hurt. Are you really that much of a monster?” he asked, thinking I was going to fall for his sentimental mush.

“Tell you what, if you sign this paper and let me leave without a problem, I’ll unzip the bag so you can see him. I think he shit his pants, unless that’s you, Ted.”

I unzipped the bag, letting out a burst of four air and the squeals of a pampered little creep. I kicked the bag to shut him up, then told Ted to sign the paper or else I’d start putting holes in the bag until his boy was dead.

“Don’t worry, Buddy. Daddy is here. I’ll get you out of there, okay?”

“Daddy, snif, snif, Daddy, I’m scared. Help me.”

“Shut up, you little pussy,” I yelled, scaring another turd out of him.

“You leave him the hell alone, asshole,” Ted yelled, trying to sound like the man he wasn’t. He read the paper I would soon hand over to DCSA and signed his name.

“Finally. Now, was it that hard?” I said, getting up and leaning on the kitchen table while aiming my gun at the smelly rat who ruined my rucksack.

Ted, that bastard, jammed the fountain pen into my hand, causing me to drop my gun. Then, the coward ran over to shield his son with his body. Somewhere behind me, a door rattled in the breeze. When I turned around to look a huge guy was standing in the open door with a gun pointed at me.

“Don’t ever point a weapon unless you plan on...”