Searching For Peace - From The Story Teller book

‘Kids can be so cruel.’

‘Forgive them father for they know not what they do.’

‘Revenge is a dish best served cold.’

‘Vengeance is mine, so sayeth the Lord.’

‘But you can hurt him; break him like he broke you.’

‘He has fear in his eyes.  You don’t need to do this.’

 

“Shut up!  Just shut up!”

“Bu… bu… I di… d… didn’t say…”

Jerry punched Sonny across his jaw.  He did not want to hear Sonny speak.  He did not even want to hear Sonny crying but Jerry knew he could not stop that.

“Still don’t remember me do you, you sorry piece of shit!”

Jerry pushed the barrel of a .45 semi-automatic pistol into the side of Sonny’s head.

“I ought to blow your sorry ass away right here, right now.”

“Please, I’ll give you anything you want.  Ju… ju… just don’t hurt me.”

“Who would have guessed that big BAD ASS Sonny Flores, Captain of the football team, would be cryin’ like a little girl?”

Jerry hit Sonny in the back of the neck with the butt of the pistol. Sonny fell forward into a puddle of dirty grimy black water.  The two of them were standing in a dark alley behind Murphy’s Bar in Detroit.  The bar was located in a rundown area on the “wrong side of the tracks.”

The alley was completely dark except for the single light mounted over the back door of the bar.  The light shined on the two men like a spotlight.  Jerry and Sonny were the only things visible in the alley.

Both men grew up in the ghettos of Houston, attending the same schools since elementary.  Sonny was the cool guy that everyone wanted to hang out with.  Jerry was the fat kid that Sonny use to pick on and make cry.  Hence why Sonny became the cool kid.

As they got older teasing and calling Jerry names was not enough.  Since Sonny always had four guys hanging around him, “yes men,” Sonny decided to get more aggressive.

One day during seventh grade gym the five boys cornered Jerry in the locker room.  Jerry tried to run but Sonny tripped him.  Jerry fell hard on the tile floor, cutting his arm on an open locker.

The boys laughed and walked out.  Sonny got the taste of blood and wanted more.  Whenever Sonny got the urge to inflict pain he would go looking for Jerry.  The boys would beat Jerry on his body, making sure never to hit his face.

Sonny use to tell Jerry that if he ever told anyone Sonny would kill him.  Then Sonny would beat Jerry so bad that Jerry use to wish he was dead.  Jerry learned to hide the bruises and pain very well.

By the time high school rolled around Jerry had slimmed down a lot.  Eighty-five pounds to be exact.  Jerry also grew to the height of six foot even.  Summer was the only relief Jerry got from Sonny and his goons.

Sonny always had to leave for the summer and his “yes men” were lost without their leader.  Jerry thought that this year was going to be different.  He himself was different.

Sonny would not have a fat kid to push around anymore.  In fact Sonny was going to have to look up if he wanted to talk to Jerry face to face.

First day of school was always the worst for Jerry.  Sonny figured he had three months of ass whippings to dish out and he wanted to get it all done on the first day.

At school Jerry tried to stand up for himself but that would only make Sonny angrier.  However, since Jerry was taller and skinnier, it was not as much fun for Sonny as it use to be.

Most of the year was better for Jerry.  Sonny and his goons only beat up Jerry once a week.  Jerry would fight back now of course, but he was always outnumbered.

Since the beatings were not as frequent or as bad as before Jerry was able to make a few friends.  His friends would tell Jerry to stand up for himself and how they would back him up.  When Sonny and his goons showed up it became a different story.  They talked big but when it came right down to a fight they would disappear, leaving Jerry alone.

Sonny decided to go back to teasing Jerry mostly.  He would trip Jerry in the cafeteria, causing Jerry to drop his food tray.  In gym Sonny would try to pull down Jerry’s shorts.  A few times he succeeded.  The mental torture would get worse as school went on.

Jerry wished that Sonny would go back to the beatings every day.  That, at least, Jerry knew how to deal with and no one would ever know.  Sonny, however, was having too much fun tormenting Jerry and was not about to stop.

Senior year rolled around and Jerry had met a girl over the summer.  She had moved from New Hampshire and was a knockout, the hottest girl in school.  She was Jerry’s neighbor and for some unknown reason she like Jerry very much.

Two weeks into the school year Sonny decided he should have the hottest girl in school not Jerry.  Sonny tried embarrassing Jerry in front of her.  But the more Sonny tried the more she felt sorry for Jerry.

The week of Fall Semester finals Sonny had enough.  His popularity was beginning to go down because Jerry was not as affected anymore by Sonny’s cruelty.  Sonny decided time came for Jerry to really suffer.

Jerry was always the last person to leave the locker room during gym.  Sonny waited till everyone left the locker room and locked the doors.  Jerry thought he was alone so he never seen the bat coming as he got to the door.

The room began to spin and Jerry touched his forehead.  His nose was broken and bleeding badly.  Jerry looked up to see Sonny holding a metal bat.  Jerry’s eyes grew large as Sonny swung the bat at Jerry’s jaw, breaking it upon impact.

Sonny wanted to break Jerry’s jaw first so that Jerry could not scream.  Sonny continued to beat Jerry with the bat, swinging with all his might.

WHUMP!  CRACK!!

With every blow Jerry’s bones were breaking.  Sonny made sure to hit Jerry all over his body.  His legs.  His arms.  His ribs.  His back.  The last blow was to Jerry’s testicles.  The pain was so severe that Jerry began to black out.

Sonny dropped the bat and pulled out a pair of handcuffs.  Sonny grabbed Jerry by the hair on his head and dragged him to the showers.  Sonny handcuffed Jerry around the shower stall, facing the wall and forcing Jerry to stand on his broken legs.

Sonny yanked down Jerry’s gym shorts.  He went back and grabbed the bat.  Sonny came back and tied a gag around Jerry’s mouth, tying it tight.  The pain in Jerry’s jaw increased with the pressure of the gag.

Without warning Sonny shoved the handle of the bat into Jerry’s ass.  Jerry screamed, despite his broken jaw, but the screams were muffled by the gag.  Sonny pushed until the lip on the bottom of the bat was inside Jerry.

Sonny then yanked out the bat.  He swung with all his might at Jerry’s hands.  The cracking of Jerry’s fingers as the bones broke was a deafening sound to Jerry.  Sonny took two more swings.  One at each of Jerry’s knees.  The weight of Jerry’s body fell as his knees were broken. 

Sonny turned the hot water on full blast.  It did not take long before the water was scolding hot and burning Jerry’s skin.  His body began to go into shock.  Jerry passed out. 

No one ever saw Jerry again.

 

*     *     *     *

 

‘Kill him.  Shoot him in the head.  He tried to kill you.’

‘Thou shall not kill.  Vengeance is mine, so sayeth the Lord.’

‘Where was God all those years when he was killing you?  DO IT!’

 

“Aaaah!” Jerry screamed as he put both hands to his ears.  “Just shut up and leave me alone!”

Sonny looked at the man holding him hostage.  Sonny had no idea who he was.  The man seemed to be going crazy and Sonny saw a chance to run.

Jerry noticed Sonny was trying to get up.  He pointed the gun back at Sonny.

“Don’t you move you sorry piece of shit.  You’re not going anywhere.  Why the fuck did you follow me here?  Huh?!  What did I ever do to you for you to hate me so much?”

“Look mis… mister, I swear I don’t know you.”  Sonny was trying to suck up his tears.  “I think you got me confused with someone else.  If you let me…”

“The hell you don’t know me!  It took fifteen reconstructive surgeries and four years in rehab to heal the damage you did to me.  Because of you I can never have children.  Now I’m going to die a virgin you sick fuck!  I just wanted to be left alone.  You just couldn’t stand for me to be happy.  All because I was FAT!!”

Jerry kicked Sonny in the gut, making Sonny double over and fall back into the dirty water.

“You ruined my life.  You killed me before I ever had a chance to live!”

“Jerry,” Sonny murmured, “you’re Jerry?”

“That’s right motherfucker,” Jerry shouted as he kicked Sonny again.  “I thought I was rid of you for good.  Then you show up here.  Can’t you just leave me alone?!”

 

‘You know he won’t.  Do it!  Do it!  Shoot him in the head.  Death is the only answer.  It’s the only chance you have at peace.’

 

“Yea.  Death is my only chance at peace.”

“Jerry you weak ass pussy.  You aint got the guts.  That’s why you are a loser.  Always have been and always will be.  Your girl realized that after you left.  We fucked and laughed at you for the rest of the school year.”

 

‘Shoot him!  He deserves it!  After everything he did to you.  Come on, you know you want to.  Just pull the trigger and it all ends.’

 

“No!  Shut up!”  Jerry turned to his left and pointed the gun at the shadows.  “Why can’t you just shut up and leave me alone!  Just leave me in peace!”

“Who the fuck are you talking to,”  Sonny began to stand up.  “Jerry I’m going to take that gun and shove it up your ass.  Just like old times.”  Sonny was laughing as he walked toward Jerry.

Jerry snapped the gun back in Sonny’s direction.

‘Do it Jerry.  Kill him!’

‘No, death is not the answer.’

‘Don’t listen to that pussy.  That’s why Sonny beat you up.  Be a fucking man and kill him.  DEATH IS THE ONLY ANSWER FOR YOU JERRY!’

 

“Just leave me alone!  All I ever wanted is peace and quiet!”

“Losers never get what they want Jerry.”

BAM!

Thump.

Silence.

BAM!

Finally peace and quiet is found as a lone figure departs into the shadows… smiling.