On the Banks of the River
Chicago, Illinois
Friday, December 17, 2010
3:40 PM

I reached out, trying to grab onto anything to slow my fall. I felt the branches of trees whipping my helmet, tearing at my jacket. Snow seeped into my gloves and boots, numbing my wrists and feet. Finally, I roll to a stop, on the bank of the river. I look up the hill to see the van pull up next to the rail. A man in a leather jacket and sunglasses approaches the rail, leaning over it, looking down the hill. I keep still. If, for whatever reason, he doesn’t see me…I don’t want to make it any easier for him. Our eyes never meet, but after a few moments, he seems satisfied enough with his search, because he turns and gets back into the van and drives away. I try to move, but it’s difficult. My hands are numb with the cold, and it feels as though I’ve broken my arm. I’m too afraid to look. With my free arm, I reach into my pocket.

[On my own is all I-]

“Yeah?”

“Matthews, it’s Agent Clifton.”

“Fantastic.”

“Is everything alright?”

I’m about to tell him I’ve just been thrown down a mountain and almost into a frozen river, but he interrupts.

“Forget it, there’s no time. Listen, we may be onto something. We have reason to believe your family is being targeted.”

“Would’ve been nice to know twenty mintues ago.”

“Beg your pardon?”

“Someone cut the brakes on my bike. I just got pitched halfway down the hill towards the river."

“Are you alright?”

“I’ll live.”

“Can you move?”

“Haven’t tried.”

“Where are you? I’ll send help.”

“Just tell me what you know, and forget sending help.”

“I believe I told you before, I am not at liberty to discuss-”

“Shut the fuck up, and tell me.”

“Mr. Matthews, do I need to remind you that I am an agent for the United States federal government? You will show me some respect.”

“Whatever. I just need to know…who’s targeting us?”

“I can’t discuss this. But I can tell you, Chuck is in the hospital, and is in good hands. If you insist that you can take care of yourself, so be it…but I need to know, is there another person who could possibly be in danger…you have a niece, correct?”

I suddenly thought of Ashley. Could she possibly be in any danger?

“No…she’s with her boyfriend. They’re on a ship somewhere in the middle of the ocean right now…she’ll be fine.”

“Anyone else?”

I didn’t need much time to think.

“Jessica…”

“Where is she? We’ll send protection right away.”

“I’m not sure. I thought she was with her fiance…”

Was I sure about that? I knew Jessica had mentioned that she wanted to spend Christmas with Corey…but had she left yet? I tried to remember the exact conversation, but I was drawing blanks. Where was she?

“I need to get back to the house.”

“I’ll send someone to help-”

“No. I’ll be fine. Just…make sure nobody gets anywhere near that hospital, and keep doing whatever it is you’re doing.”

“Will you be meeting with us at the tower?”

“Later.”

I hang up before Agent Clifton can respond. Slowly, I try to get to my feet. A stinging pain courses through my side, but it isn’t crippling. I grab hold of a nearby tree, using it as leverage as I get to my feet, and begin my slow ascent back up the hill towards the main road. It takes a few minutes; the ice and snow make it difficult. Finally, however, I’m able to reach the guardrail and hop over, where a police officer waits.

“Chris!”

I look at him.

“Did Clifton send you?”

“Who?”

“Forget it.”

“I got a call about a motorcycle accident. This yours?”

“Yeah. Listen, I don’t have time to talk right now-”

“I called in a tow. Are you alright?”

“Fine. I-”

I spot the patrol car, sitting at the side of the road.

“Where were you headed?”

“Chicago…”

“Great! I’m on my way to Matthews Towers. As soon as we get things fixed up here, we’ll head off…what are you doing?”

I’m walking towards the car, ignoring the officer’s question. I reach the car, sliding my hand across the hood. Am I really about to do this? Was I really this desperate? This panicked?

“Mr. Matthews?”

I slide into the driver’s seat. The keys are still sitting in the ignition. I turn it, starting up the engine.

“Hey!”

The officer finally springs into action, running towards the car and drawing his gun. I step on the gas, moving forward, and running into him. The officer flips onto the hood, his head bouncing off the windshield, and leaving a spider-web of cracks. I shift into reverse and pull away, letting him roll off before turning around and driving off towards the house. I can hear him behind me, shouting about something, but I ignore him. I pick up my phone and dial a number. I was surprised I had it, really. Jessica would occasionally call from Corey’s phone if hers was dead, or if she forgot it somewhere. Eventually, I decided to simply save the number into my phonebook…and now, I was grateful I did.

“You better pick up…”

“You’ve reached the phone of Corey Casey. Leave a message.”

“Fuck…”

[Beep]

“Corey, it’s Chris. Listen, I have no idea where you are, or what you’re doing, but make sure you guard Jessica and Zack-”

I stop. Zack…I remembered seeing him this morning. And if Zack was at the house…so was Jessica. It all suddenly came back to me. Corey wasn’t at the Expo. That’s why Jessica had been staying at Charlie’s place…and she was still there…

“Forget I said anything. Just…wherever you are, make sure you get to her as soon as possible. We have a problem.”

I hang up and immediately dial in Jessica’s number, praying she’ll pick up.

“Hello?”

A wave of relief washes over me.

“Jessica? It’s Chris.”

“Hi Chris! How’s it going?”

“No time. Jess, listen to me. Close the front gate, right now, alright? Don’t open it for anyone.”

“Uh…”

I hear shuffling on the other end.

“Do you know where the switch is?”

“Shit…”

“Chris, what’s going on?”

“Nothing. Just…hold on, let me think…Keep an eye out the front window, alright? Tell me if you see anything.”

The gate switch was normally by the front door. Jessica had used the one at Valeo Manor hundreds of times, she knew what one looked like. If she wasn’t seeing it…

“Chris, there’s a white van pulling into the driveway…”

“NO! Shit…”

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know who the van belonged to. They had found her.

“Jessica, I want you to listed to me. Alright?”

“Chris, what’s going on?”

I could suddenly hear the fear in her voice. I pressed my foot on the pedal, and hit a switch on the console. Immediately, the sirens of the car began going off. Ahead, people began braking, getting out of the way.

“Chris, are those sirens? What’s going on?”

She sounded as if she was almost in tears.”

“Don’t worry about it. Just stay on the phone with me. Where’s Zack?”

“He’s in his room.”

“Lock all the doors, and get Zack. Both of you, find a place to hide, and don’t move from that spot, ok? Do you understand?”

“Chris…”

“Do you understand?”

“Yes…hold on…”

I hear her moving around on the other end, locking the doors, sealing up the house.

“Zack? Zack, come on honey, wake up…You can take a nap later…”

I can hear Zack’s voice, but can’t make out what he’s saying.

“We’re going to play a game, ok? We’re going to hide until your uncle gets home, alright? Then we can jump out and scare him. Won’t that be fun?”

I smile a bit. I could hear in her voice how scared she was…but at least she was making an effort to stay calm.

“Ok Chris, what do we do?”

“Find a place to hide. Anywhere. In a closet, under a bed, wherever. I’m almost there.”

“Chris, please….what’s going on?”

I take a deep breath.

“The FBI thinks someone’s targeting us, and you’re next on the list. The white van belongs to them.”

I take another deep breath.

“They’re going to take you.”

I hear her choke back a sob on the other end.

“Hurry, Chris.”

“Aunt Jess, what’s going on?”

“Shh….It’s okay, Zack…just stay quiet.”

My stomach sinks further with every passing second. I’m still a couple minutes from the house, and the men in the van were already there.

“Jessica, listen to me. If they find you, don’t fight them. We don’t know what they want, but if these are the guys that shot Charlie, they won’t hesitate to kill you. Are you still with me?”

“Yes.”

Her voice is cracking. She’s absolutely terrified. It kills me that I can’t be there to help her. To do anything.

“Chris…What’s happening? Where are you?”

“I’m almost there. Just a little bit longer.”

“I’m scared, Chris…”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t know where-”

She screams, and I can hear the faint sound of a loud bang, telling me they had broken in.

“JESSICA! Stay quiet! If they hear you, you’ll give yourself away.”

I can hear her, sobbing quietly on the other end.

“Give the phone to Zack.”

“But-”

“Jessica.”

I hear her sob again, but the soft shuffling tells me she’s handing the phone to him.

“Hello?”

“Hey Zack. Are you okay?”

“What’s going on?”

“I need you to listen very carefully, alright pal? I want you and your aunt to hug each other as tight as you possibly can, okay? Don’t let go for anything.”

“Why?”

“Just trust me on this buddy, okay? Make sure both of you stay perfectly quiet. Where are you guys?”

“We’re hiding under Uncle Chuck’s bed.”

“Perfect. Stay there. Don’t move. You got it? If you have to pee, do it on the floor. We’ll deal with your uncle later.”

Zack chuckles. I had hoped he would laugh at my lame pee joke. If I could keep him laughing, it meant a moment where he wasn’t panicking. And that was the most important thing. I spot the intersection coming up ahead and bring the car to a stop, turning off the sirens. If they were there, they would be on the lookout for a patrol car. I open the glove compartment, and spot a handgun sitting there. I grab it, tucking it into the waistband of my pants as I get out of the car.

“Ok Uncle Chris, we’re good.”

“Are you holding on tight?”

“Yeah.”

“Ok. Stay perfectly still. Don’t let her go, ok? Whatever you do…”

“I got it.”

“Give the phone back to your aunt.”

More silence and faint shuffling. I look up the street at Charlie’s house. There’s the white van sitting in the driveway, but there was no sign of movement within. I begin walking up the street, doing my best not to slip on the icy surface of the street.

“Chris…”

“Shh…Jessica, do you have any idea where they are?”

“I think they’re in the basement.”

“Not on your floor?”

“No…No, I don’t think so.”

“They’ll be there soon. I told Zack I want you two to hold onto each other, no matter what, ok?”

“Ok. We’re doing that now.”

“Stay that way. Now, if they come into your room, stay perfectly still. Are you listening?”

“Yes…”

“Chances are…they’re going to find you.”

She lets out another terrified squeak.

“Shh…When they do, stay calm. That’s the most important thing, is to stay calm. Hold onto Zack until they physically pull you apart. Remember, don’t fight them until you know exactly what they’re after. If they don’t want you dead, they won’t kill you unless you make things difficult, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Now, I’m going to stay on the phone with you as long as I can. When they get into your room, put the phone in your pocket. When they catch you, I want you to yell whatever you see.”

“Ok.”

“I mean anything. Height, weight, skin color, eye color. If you see scars, tattoos, anything that I can use to identify them.”

“I’m so afraid…”

“I know. I’m almost there.”

The house looms ahead. I stop at the gate, looking at the callbox. I look at the van, then to the house, looking for any signs of movement.

“Chris…”

At first I don’t hear her hushed voice.

“Chris…”

I quickly bring the phone back up to my ear.

“What?”

“They’re coming up the stairs.”

“How many?”

“I don’t know…”

“Ok. Remember what I told you.”

I activate the recording function on my phone.

“Are you still there?”

“Yeah.”

“Just stay calm. And don’t move no matter what. I’m coming into the house now. Put the phone in your pocket.”

I slide the phone into my own pocket. The recorder was on. If they found her, my phone would record anything she said. And with her and Zack holding each other, it would make dragging them out from under the bed more difficult, and hopefully stall them just a bit longer.

I slowly make my way up the driveway, gripping the gun tight in my hands. I stop near the van, creeping slowly towards the passenger window. I try and catch a glimpse through the rear view mirror, to see if anyone waited in the car. It was empty. I try the handle, and to my surprise, it opens. I steal one last glance at the house before sliding into the driver’s seat. There’s a wire cutter sitting on the driver’s seat. Perfect. I grab them, using them to snip a small handful of wires hidden under the steering wheel before sliding out of the car, and slowly creeping up towards the front door. I can hear a faint screaming in my pocket, and a brief moment of panic takes over my thoughts.

The front door is wide open, and the broken bits of wood on the ground tell me the house was forced into. Upstairs, I can hear Jessica screaming at the top of her lungs. I run into the house, keeping an eye out for anyone around me, then moving towards the stairs.

“Drop it.”

I freeze dead in my tracks.

“I said drop it.”

I feel the chill of cold metal against the back of my neck, and I drop my gun.

“WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE!”

Another earsplitting shriek from Jessica.

“CHRIS!”

“You Chris?”

“Who’s asking?”

“I’m asking the questions.”

I put my hands in the air, slowly turning around.

“Don’t move.”

I stop. I still can’t get a good look at the man, but I can hear shuffling upstairs.

“TWO! TWO!”

Two of them. Plus one with me. That made three of them…at least.

“THREE!”

Add one more. Four. I hear heavy footsteps upstairs.

“Listen, I don’t know what you want, but-”

“Shut up.”

“I’m just trying to-”

“I told you to shut up!”

I feel him press the gun harder into my neck. I smirk.

“How many are in the house? Don’t make me shoot you.”

“Four.”

The man circles around me, keeping the gun pointed at my head. He presses it into my forehead, and I get a good look at him. He wears dark red clothes with a black ski mask and a bulletproof vest. The vest is emblazoned with an insignia, a taped fist holding a lightning bolt, circled with red stars. He pulls a walkie talkie from his belt with one hand, keeping his other hand holding the gun, never taking his eyes off me.

“Got a third one. Says there are four in the house. How many you got?”

There’s a crackling for a moment.

“We have two. Woman and a kid.”

“Search the other rooms. Make sure we have them all.”

He slips the radio back onto his belt, staring at me.

“So…Chris, was it? You live here?”

“It’s my brother’s place.”

“Your brother! Might that be our fourth person?”

“If you hurt any of them…”

He smiles under his mask.

“Don’t you worry about a thing. We have specific orders. But you…you’re expendable.”

“So why haven’t you killed me yet?”

“You might have information that’s useful to us…for now, that is.”

We’re silent for a moment, his gun poised, just a few inches in front of my face.

Footsteps coming down the stairs distract both of us. Three more masked men walk down, with Zack and Jessica between them. Tears stream down Jessica’s face, and Zack looks terrified. Two of the men take up the front and back, with a third standing between Zack and Jessica.

“Two more.”

“Did you check the other rooms?”

“Not yet.”

“So what are you waiting around here for? You two, back upstairs, We’ll keep an eye on these three. We don’t leave until we have every one of them.”

Two of the masked men nod, and head up the stairs, leaving us with the remaining two. Jessica drops to her knees, her captor keeping his gun on her at all times. She remains completely silent, except for the occasional sob.

“You’re a pretty one, aren’t you?”

I can feel my blood start to boil as her captor grabs her by the face, forcing her to look him in the eyes.

“You’ll cooperate, won’t you? I’d hate to hurt such a pretty face…”

He quickly spins and points his gun at Zack, who has tried backing towards the kitchen.

“You take another step, and mommy’s brains paint the walls.”

Zack freezes.

“She’s my aunt.”

“Excuse me?”

“She’s not my mom…she’s my aunt.”

The man narrows his eyes, walking towards Zack.

“What’s your name, kid?”

“Don’t answer-”

I’m interrupted by the man in front of me smacking me across the face with his gun.

“What’s your name?”

“Zack.”

“Aww, little Zachary…”

He grabs Zack by the neck and throws him to the ground.

“Don’t move.”

He turns back to Jessica, keeping his gun on her.

“Oh, come on, she’s pregnant, for fuck’s sake!”

The two men look at each other, then to Jessica.

“How far along are you?”

Jessica doesn’t say anything.

“He asked you a question.”

“Almost four months…”

“Shit…”

The men look at each other.

“Four…Four people…There‘s nobody else here!”

The man grabs his radio.

“Hey, we-”

I seize my moment. I grab his wrist, the one holding the gun, and twist it under my arm. A quick elbow to the nose, a snap of the wrist, and I grab the gun with my free hand, turning to point the gun at the other kidnapper. The first man drops to the ground, cradling his wrist with one hand, and reaching for my discarded gun with the other. I step on his hand and deliver a kick to his gut, keeping my gun on the second man. I rest my foot on the police gun, and kick it away, far out of his reach. The second man and I stare at each other, each of us with our weapons locked on the other.

“Don’t move.”

“I was going to tell you the same thing.”

The man smirks.

“How long do you think you can keep this up? Once they realize there’s nobody else here, they’ll come back down here.”

I knew he was right. Sure it was a stalemate now, but once backup arrived, then what?

“You know you can’t win.”

“We’ll see.”

He smiles again beneath his mask. There’s the sound of the cocking of a gun, and his smile vanishes instantly. He slowly turns.

“Zack!”

The man looks at Zack, standing there, holding the officer’s gun with both hands, his grip shaky.

“How old are you, Zack?”

“Don’t tell him anything.”

“You ever fire a gun, Zack? You look a little young.”

He smiles.

“Gonna shoot me, kid?”

Zack’s hands tremble. He closes his eyes, looking away…and pulls the trigger. The man drops to the ground, screaming, clutching his stomach. Jessica screams, covering her mouth his her hand. The man raises his gun, shaking in pain. He takes aim at Zack. I look from him to Zack, and back, and fire. Another scream from Jessica, and the man drops to the ground, blood seeping from the wound in his head, soaking the carpet. I turn to Zack.

“Stay put.”

I pick up the man’s gun and empty it before dropping it to the ground again. Upstairs, heavy footsteps and shouting is heard. I stand with my back to the wall, hiding out of view from the top of the stairs.

“What’s going on down there?”

I look at Zack, holding my finger to my lips. He nods, still shaking, staring at the dead man in front of Jessica.

“Who did you shoot?”

Silence. I slowly begin creeping up the stairs. I realized he was standing on the balcony overlooking the foyer…which made it safe to start heading upstairs.

“Is everything alright?”

I turn around the corner to see him leaning over the railing, shouting. I cock the gun, and he spins, looking at me.

“Shit!”

He fumbles with his own weapon. I run forward, and knock the gun from his hands, watching it fall to the first floor, clattering on the hardwood floor. He grabs my wrist as I raise my gun to shoot, and we stand there for a moment, grappling. Footsteps behind me tell me the final kidnapper has arrived, and I hear him ready his gun. I turn, putting my opponent between me and the fourth man.

“I can’t get a good shot!”

“Then don’t shoot, you idiot!”

“I wasn’t going to!”

“Forget it, get downstairs and get the girl!”

The final kidnapper stares at us a moment, then turns and runs down the stairs.

“Jessica, run!”

I drop down, driving my shoulder into the man’s gut and lifting him up. I carry him across the hallway, before we crash into a door, which breaks open upon impact. Jessica’s bedroom. Downstairs, I hear shouting. I shove the man aside, running out of the room, trying to get downstairs. He tackles me from behind, and we roll right back where we started, wrestling on the balcony. I reach for my gun, trying desperately to grab hold of it.

There’s a gunshot downstairs, and Jessica screams. I hear her crying…Zack was gone…The realization hits me, almost as hard as the punches the masked man delivers to my face. For a moment, I don’t defend myself. I can’t…I lost, and they had killed my nephew.

“Uncle Chris, he’s getting away!”

Zack? He was alive? The sound of his voice is almost empowering. The knowledge that I hadn’t lost quite yet, fueling me to fight back, to save Zack and Jessica. I reach for the gun, grabbing hold of it, and swinging it into the man’s head. He rolls off, and I get to me feet, taking aim. He grabs my wrist, using the same maneuver I had just used downstairs. As he peels the gun out of my hands, I release it, slipping my hand out from his grasp, but relinquishing my weapon. I grab him be the neck and throw him headfirst into the railing. He crashes through it, falling down to the main level, and landing headfirst on the hard floor, I look down to see the first man stop, staring at his fallen comrade, then look up at me. He runs through the front door, heading back to the van. I drop down, jumping off the balcony, and rolling with the landing, chasing after him. He gets into the car, frantically trying to start it, only to realize the wires have been cut. Quickly, he retrets from the car, racing down the street, as I give chase. I catch him at the bottom of the driveway, tackling him into the ground, and rolling him onto his back, grabbing him by the throat. His mouth is foaming when I catch him.

“You son of a bitch, you better not swallow…Who sent you?”

He shakes his head, making only a sick gurgling noise as more foam seeps from his mouth. I stand up, watching him die in front of me, before sending a kick, more out of frustration than anything, to his ribs.

“Fuck!”

I hear sirens. Looking up, I can see a swarm of patrol cars turning onto the street, racing up towards the house. They stop, and the police swarm out of their cars, one of them coming up to me.

“What happened?”

“Kidnapping attempt. Two dead in the house, one unknown, and this asshole.”

The cop stares at the man lying at my feet.

“What happened?”

“Cyanide capsule. My guess is when he realized he couldn’t get away, and everything had gone wrong…”

“He took the coward’s way out.”

“Right…well, there’s one out in the foyer, and one dead in the living room. Not sure about the fourth.”

“Is everyone okay?”

“To my knowledge, yeah.”

“And the car down the street?”

“That was my doing…listen, I had to-”

“It’s fine. Clifton sent us. Said you might have done something drastic. We’ll forget the whole thing.”

“And the officer on the bridge?”

“He’ll need a few stitches in his head, and he’ll probably have a few bruises, but he’ll be fine. I’m sure he’ll drop any charges when he learns what happened here.”

“Thanks.”

“You did good, soldier.”

I smirk.

“That’s a past life. I just wanted to make sure my sister and nephew were alright.”

He slaps me on the back.

“We’ll take it from here.”

He looks around at the other officers.

“Alright men, we got three dead, one unknown, and we don’t leave until all four are accounted for! Priority is to get the woman and child out safely!”

They charge into the house, and moments later, a few emerge, with Jessica and Zack in tow. Jessica immediately runs towards me, throwing her arms around my neck.

“Chris…”

I pat her back as she bursts into tears.

“Shh….it’s fine…Everything’s fine…”

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So Knife…I’ve already got done saying I’ve taken this company by storm. That I’ll be going home to NLWF as a winner, going through my entire FTW career without a single blemish on my record…are you going to tell me I’m wrong? Gonna tell me not to count my chickens before they hatch?

Let’s get a few things straight here…I’m currently the Legends Champion and the Dream Champion…and out of respect for the man, I relinquished my No Limit title to Death-Angel…otherwise, I’d be No Limit Champion as well.

What have you accomplished again?

To be fair, you’ve had more recent success than the last guys I’ve fought. When was Jason Hawk a dominating figure? For that matter, when was Death-Angel a dominating figure either? But you? I remember a time you were one of the best the company had to offer. You were in the same boat I find myself in now. The man returning to wrestling. Nobody takes him seriously…and he powers through anyone and everyone in his path.

Now what’s the difference between you and me? Number one is obvious. While for me, that path of dominance is in full swing, and I’m still yet to be defeated…you’re far past your prime. Beating up Tim Patrick when he least expects it…holding onto a title that carries no weight whatsoever…me? I hold three titles. I’m undefeated since my return…I’m at the top of my game, and I’m still climbing. I made a promise, a promise that I would be world champion by the time King of the Throne rolls around. I intend to keep that promise, and nothing, not hell nor high water, is going to stop me.

And of course, there’s difference number two. Your reign eventually came to an end…and even then…you’ve never been a great champion. Never held the big one…But me? There’s no telling what I can do. And if you’d like to look at the rest of my family as an indicator…

Oh, wait. Tangent time.

If you ever say anything against my family, be it my sister, my niece, my nephew to be…or my brother…I’ll personally see to it that you pay for it tenfold.

On second thought…you don’t get a warning. I’ll make you pay for it this week. Mostly because I hope I never have to waste my time and talent beating on a worthless…whatever you are…again.

But back to my main topic. If my family is any indication…I think it’s a safe bet to make that 2011 will see a world champion in Christopher Matthews.

To put it bluntly, Knife…I’m better than you.

You believe in chaos…I’m the Definition of Discipline.

You’re a clown who’s lost everything. I’m a man who’s only climbing higher in this business.

You’re a loser. I am a winner.

Just like I told Jason Hawk, I’ll tell you. It’s all about mind over matter, Knife.

I don’t mind…that you don’t matter.