4th Wall Universe

Search and Destroy

#SearchandDestroy

#AnExtremelyShortStory

#ByMReneLee

#4thWallUniverse

"You look tired," Alex Mason says through the torn cloth over his mouth. "You look really tired, actually." He pulls out a dented metal flask and takes a big swallow of it. The hot whiskey burns as it runs down his throat.
"Aaack!" Alex says through the fabric covering his mouth. "I hate cheap whiskey...but it's all I can get in this piece of crap city of yours." He holds the flask out to the man pinned to the wall by several serrated daggers. The man's right hand is facing palm down against a cracked concrete counter to his right. There is a six inch dagger stabbed through it.
"Would you like some?" he asks. The man slowly lifts his head and peers angrily at the man before him. He says nothing.
"Are you sure?" Alex continues, with the flask still directed toward the man. The man holds his burning gaze as he grits his teeth from the apparent pain coursing through his body.
"Suit yourself," Alex says, before adding, "All I know is, I'm not drinking any more of it." Alex reaches over and slowly pours the remaining few ounces of whiskey directly onto the spot where the knife stabs through the poor man's hand.
"Arrrrggghhhh!" He screams while Alex deliberately and slowly empties the flask onto his hand. His blood runs like water as the alcohol soaks into the wound. The man's piercing scream lets Alex know how painful it is. The man continues to scream as the last few drops fall from the mouth of the flask. Alex then takes the flask and forces it into the man's mouth, breaking several teeth and splitting the corners of his mouth in the process. The man's cries become muffled but more intense.
Alex is unmoved by this as he wraps his hand around the man's neck. He coldly speaks, "Now when I remove this flask, you have one chance to tell me who your supplier is." He pulls out a charred heap of metal. "Just so that we're clear, I'm referring to this." He holds it up and places it in front of the man's face. "You should recognize this as the remains of an FWAD grenade, similar to the ones you have over there."
The man, with tears in his eyes, looks past Alex at the opened crates of Frequency-Wave Atom Detonator grenades against the wall. Alex slowly removes the flask from his victim's bloody mouth. The man immediately begins gasping for air once the flask is free from his mouth. Alex throws the flask aside just as the man spits out a few broken chunks of teeth. Alex looks at the man with bloodshot emotionless eyes.
"Where did you get this from?"
"I...don't...know...I just-" the man begins but Alex back-hands him with his balled-up fist.
"That's not helping," Alex states.
"I'm serious...I don't-" the man begins again but this time Alex grabs his left hand, takes his index finger and bends it all way back.
"Ahhhhhhh!" the man screams.
"One more time. Who is your supplier? Where did you get this from?" he demands.
"All...all I know is...they're shipped from North Africa. When I need'em there's another guy that I contact who's in Bangladesh. I never met either of 'em. They found me initially. That's all I know. I swear."
Alex just stares at him. He can tell he's telling the truth but it's just not enough. This is the same thing that keeps happening. He takes down one of these organizations, gets to the top and they end up knowing nothing. Whoever is supplying these highly-advanced weapons is cautious and remarkably elusive. He has no loose ends and nearly invisible traces. Still, Alex must find him. Whoever this is will pay for killing his wife and mother.
Alex snatches the knife out of the man's hand.
"See, that wasn't so hard," Alex jokes. "If only your friends would have listened." Alex turns around and begins walking away as he steps over several emotionless bodies on the ground. He doesn't bother wiping the blood off the knife before putting it back in its holster.
The man's right hand is now free but he is still pinned to the wall. He yells, "You won't find him. Nobody knows who he is unless he wants them to. And even then he only sends that stone-faced bitch of his."
Alex turns around and says, "You might be right but unless you hurry up, you won't have to worry about doing business with whoever he is anymore."
The man looks puzzled. "What do you mean?"
He picks up a grenade. "I mean you have the same amount of time your client gave me to save my family." Alex activates the grenade's timer, but not the fuse, and tosses it at him before dashing away.
The man panics as he rushes to unpin himself from the wall before the grenade goes off. He doesn't realize it's not armed.