Vice City : The Bud

Chapter 16 - As Promised

Authors Note - please be kind, I'm not a professional writer I do this as a hobby - Leave a vote/comment if you enjoy as every little bit helps

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Chapter16 - Simon Maccarth - As Promised

It'sfour AM when I get woken up by a shake on my shoulder.

"Comeon Gramps we gotta go."

Iopen an eye and breathe in the shock of the city's perpetual stateof winter. It proves too much for me as I roll over and ignore thealarm and whoever it comes from.

"Gramps,it's the Bud."

Withthat my eyes are open and wide. I turn to face the figure by my sideas the blankets rustle around me. Wesley is stood above, full ofgloom and a serious expression which is quite a change from the usualboyish grin. With sleep crusting about my lids, a hoarse throat andmy mind less than at it's peak I say my first words of the day.

"Doesn'tthis fucker ever sleep ?"

Hecracks a smile as I thought he would.

"Guessnot," he chuckles.

"Nowget your ass outta bed, we've got work to do."

Iwant to pretend he's not there, part of my brain even tells me Ican, but I get up nonetheless. I tell Wesley to wait by the car as Iget myself ready. It doesn't take long to throw my clothes onalthough my tie fails to impress as it's tail dangles way beyondthe front strip. The laces of my shoes are already done and it takesonly a slip and a push before I'm ready to go.

Steppingoutside I see Wesley standing in front a car that's...well... it'snot mine. It's sleek and sporty with the headlights buried into themetal like two gemstones shining through the encasement of a rockyhold. The car is finished in matt white and there's not a spec ofdirt to be found anywhere on it. It's embarrassing, to say theleast, that a kid only half my age is driving a better car than aveteran like me. I look over my shoulder at my shit-box of rustingmetal and sigh. Wesley must have seen me glance at my own car becausenext things he's yelling at me from across the way.

"Notthat one. Today we're taking my mine so we can ride in style foronce."

Ashe's talking I take out a cigarette and light it between my drylips.

"Youknow Skippy, for what it's worth I agree with you. Let's takeyour car this time. Saves me some gas anyway."

Thecigarette burns away in my hand faster than I can smoke it. Beforelong I'm pulling another out and lighting it up as we sit inWesley's car, driving to wherever it is the Bud has taken his nextvictim from. What this time ? Some bush behind the supermarket ? Insomeone's home ? In the view of their children ? Any of these is anoption as the Bud's kills begin to rise in quantity and lower ingrace. Maybe I'm just cranky 'cause I've been woken up at fourAM with only a couple hours of sleep. Everything's harder whenyou're running on low battery. My tolerance level is dwindling atnone, only a little less than usual. I swear if anyone does anythingto piss me off today they'll be looking at the front end of myfist.

Wepull into the suburbs of Vice. It causes me to sit up straight andpay attention. I glance across to Wesley with a face of questioningdisbelief.

"It'snot in here is it ?" I say with cautious pessimism.

"Yeahit is," he replies with a sour confirmation.

"Forfucks sake. I mean Jesus Christ ! Families live here."

AlreadyI'm in a bad mood and with every new piece of information given itworsens. I know exactly which house we're heading for. The onlyhouse lit up and lively. Police cars lay scattered at the end of thedriveway, some with the siren lights still blazing like there's anemergency, like anything can be done for the new girl who lies deadsomewhere in the old stone walls. But there seem to be no bodies inview, with the exception of the poor sucker directing traffic. I feelsorry for the surrounding houses. They're gonna wake up to Vicecops left, right and centre. Hell if I know the staff like I think Ido, half the neighbourhood is gonna get arrested and brought in forquestioning. With each kill the hype of the Bud grows. We'veprobably got half the squads for the whole of Vice in one place, all'cause they wanna be the one to find a clue that leads to anarrest. Tough tits boys, this is my case. I'm gonna solve it andnot for glory or power or money, but because I want Jack to grow upwith one less freak out there. We get directed to a parking space bya waving officer in full riot gear, bullet proof vest and all.