Wanted
7
The bastard, Cedar Anderson drove quickly without a care for his brothers car, and what might be the effects of driving quickly, he didn't care. He saw only one thing. His destination. He wipes the tears from his eyes, he couldn't be emotional, this was not the way to go. He had to be strong, knowing, he had to be sure what he was doing, there was no room for error. He had stopped by a park in New York, the parking lot had been relatively empty, he had taken that opportunity to remove the license plates from the car and was now well on his way out of New York, heading towards the Pennsylvania border. He had several phone calls in the time, he was sure they would be from Ridley, he hadn't answered, not even nearly.
He pulled into the driveway - well more of a field now, the cement had long been cracked and even in the first days he had come here, Cedar had been able to see grass and weeds growing through the crack which were now rather much the drive way.- climbing out of the car he tried to seem confident. He walked quickly to the old house, one which had for many years been derelict due to it being classed as unfit to be used for a home. He was sure Hendrick would still be here.
He pushed the front door open with little effort and walked into the house, which interior looked as though it had not seen life at all, not even fifty years ago - Hendrick hadn't ever spent much time loving this place.
"Hendrick!" He tried to sound friendly, a hard missions when he was speaking to the man who had killed his mother, after Cedar had done all he had asked, after he had helped him become who he was. He kept telling himself, remember, he would be nothing without you, you were the brains, he would be nothing. Something made him jump, a bang upstairs, the sound of movement, someone was up there.
Cedar looked at the stairs, he gulped, they looked unsafe, they always had. His previous visits here Hendrick Alinson had, surprise, prevented Cedar from using the stairs, all their meetings were held in the safety of the kitchen, the safest room in the house. Now though. Cedar knew he had to do one thin,g. If Alinson came to him, he would be as good as dead. He had to catch him by surprise, even if it meant taking the stairs.
He approached them slowly, taking them one at a time. Each creak made him all the more nervous. He remembered something, the last time he has seen Alinson - about three years before today - he had been a rather large man, around 6 foot 3 in height, weighing close to 300lbs, if these stairs could take a mans weight, they would hold a boys. Surely?
As he heard the footsteps coming closer he had no choice, he ran up the stairs closing his eyes as the creaks grew louder, he reached the top step and gasped throwing himself forward as the steps collapsed.
He hit the floor landing on his face, inhaling huge amounts of dust he almost sneezed standing up as quick as he could looking down at the pile of wood which had been his only form of escape. Jumping that would break an ankle, if nothing worse, he couldn't afford a sprained ankle, let alone a broken one if he wanted to escape alive.
He was about to go looking further into the house when two hands grabbed his shoulders turning him around so he was facing them. The face was barely recognisable. covered in what must have been three years worth of dirt, his clothes bloodstained, his facial hair had reached a new record of long and his eyes, though they were cold before, were ice. The man who had little left now had nothing. His weight must have dropped from 300 pounds to something closer to 150. There was no doubt about it, this was Hendrick Alinson.
His lips twisted into a smile as he laid eyes on the familiar face. "You've grown."
Momentarily Cedar looked shocked, this man must have been the only person to have said that to him since he was around five, and sure, he hadn't seen Cedar for three years, even Cedar himself knew he had hardly grown at all in that time. He tried to smile, knowing his only way out now was to lie about the reason he was here.
He wanted to help, revenge now was gone with the stairs.
"Hen, I heard you're trying to make a come back."
"Then you heard wrong. What made you think that?"
"The news. My principal." He gulped down the last words - my mother.
"I'm not trying, it would be considered a success for anyone to kill that cold hearted bastard, I know what he did to you kids."
Cedar gulped, he knew also. Though he himself had never been called to Principal Johnson's office, he didn't have to be to know the man was brutal. When his friend Alex had been called to the office, he had come back out with blood stains on his shirt and lashes across his wrist. There was no doubt about it, those who misbehaved at Riverbank would only do it once. That was what the parents paid for,
"You didn't kill him?"
A cold laugh, one which sounded not only empty, but cold. His laugh had no joy, simply evil. This man saw pleasure in only one thing, true human suffering. "I wish I could have boy."
"Then why didn't you?"
"I haven't been able to leave this house since, well, since you left."
"How have you..."
"You remember Jake?"
He did. Jake Tonnings had been the single most awful boy Cedar could remember. Around three years older. Jake had no grades, he had been the school bad boy at some public school in the down areas of Harlem. Akinson had picked him up saying that the boy would end up on drugs, he would get arrested or murdered by the time he was 18. Now he was almost twenty, Cedar was sure the boy would have been killed by now, clearly he was wrong.
"I remember him sure."
"He brought me food. He was always good at being invisible, you'd know that."
"Sure, he jumped me."
Hendrick almost laughed stopping himself quickly. "Sorry about that." He turned away and wandered slowly, nervously to the bedroom he had been living in, an area which before had been out of bounds to anyone, but Cedar this time was invited in.
The room was much as he had expected it to be, the only form of bed was an old mattress on the floor, the sheets were old and clearly unwashed, the smell was must and dirt. He almost choked. The room was small, but other than the bed, fairly well kept. There was a pile of old papers, some food cartons, some bottles for drinks. The curtains were closed and moth eaten.
Carefully Cedar sat himself on the cleanest spot of floor he could find sitting on his hands, he didn't want to ruin his trousers. Hendrick laughed. "The floor is clean, you haven't changed, still a.." He cut off.
"Snob?"
"Well I wasn't gonna."
"Sure. Yes. I'm a snob. So are you."
"By birth, not choice."
"You chose this? You can't lie to me... Look this isn't what I'm here for."
"You want to know who killed your mother/."
Cedar almost gasped, almost leapt forward to choke the life out of the man in front of him, he must know. How else would he have known his mother had died, he had no T'V and the newspaper at the top of the pile was dated at almost a week ago. How had he.. "Where is Jake?"
"I haven't seen him in a few days."
The answer caught in the room and held heavy. No one spoke, it didn't seem like they let out a breath. It took only a minute - one which seemed like an hour - for Cedar to get to his feet and dart for the door. That all being, until he was stopped. A man stood in the door way, dominating the room. He was tall and well built, his hair black. He looked at Cedar through cold eyes, in his left hand was a paper bag and a news paper, in his right a knife, he smiled coldly as he looked at Cedar, his heart now racing the boy looked at the floor. He had no chance to run, besides he had found who he was looking for, this was Jake Tonnings.
He pulled into the driveway - well more of a field now, the cement had long been cracked and even in the first days he had come here, Cedar had been able to see grass and weeds growing through the crack which were now rather much the drive way.- climbing out of the car he tried to seem confident. He walked quickly to the old house, one which had for many years been derelict due to it being classed as unfit to be used for a home. He was sure Hendrick would still be here.
He pushed the front door open with little effort and walked into the house, which interior looked as though it had not seen life at all, not even fifty years ago - Hendrick hadn't ever spent much time loving this place.
"Hendrick!" He tried to sound friendly, a hard missions when he was speaking to the man who had killed his mother, after Cedar had done all he had asked, after he had helped him become who he was. He kept telling himself, remember, he would be nothing without you, you were the brains, he would be nothing. Something made him jump, a bang upstairs, the sound of movement, someone was up there.
Cedar looked at the stairs, he gulped, they looked unsafe, they always had. His previous visits here Hendrick Alinson had, surprise, prevented Cedar from using the stairs, all their meetings were held in the safety of the kitchen, the safest room in the house. Now though. Cedar knew he had to do one thin,g. If Alinson came to him, he would be as good as dead. He had to catch him by surprise, even if it meant taking the stairs.
He approached them slowly, taking them one at a time. Each creak made him all the more nervous. He remembered something, the last time he has seen Alinson - about three years before today - he had been a rather large man, around 6 foot 3 in height, weighing close to 300lbs, if these stairs could take a mans weight, they would hold a boys. Surely?
As he heard the footsteps coming closer he had no choice, he ran up the stairs closing his eyes as the creaks grew louder, he reached the top step and gasped throwing himself forward as the steps collapsed.
He hit the floor landing on his face, inhaling huge amounts of dust he almost sneezed standing up as quick as he could looking down at the pile of wood which had been his only form of escape. Jumping that would break an ankle, if nothing worse, he couldn't afford a sprained ankle, let alone a broken one if he wanted to escape alive.
He was about to go looking further into the house when two hands grabbed his shoulders turning him around so he was facing them. The face was barely recognisable. covered in what must have been three years worth of dirt, his clothes bloodstained, his facial hair had reached a new record of long and his eyes, though they were cold before, were ice. The man who had little left now had nothing. His weight must have dropped from 300 pounds to something closer to 150. There was no doubt about it, this was Hendrick Alinson.
His lips twisted into a smile as he laid eyes on the familiar face. "You've grown."
Momentarily Cedar looked shocked, this man must have been the only person to have said that to him since he was around five, and sure, he hadn't seen Cedar for three years, even Cedar himself knew he had hardly grown at all in that time. He tried to smile, knowing his only way out now was to lie about the reason he was here.
He wanted to help, revenge now was gone with the stairs.
"Hen, I heard you're trying to make a come back."
"Then you heard wrong. What made you think that?"
"The news. My principal." He gulped down the last words - my mother.
"I'm not trying, it would be considered a success for anyone to kill that cold hearted bastard, I know what he did to you kids."
Cedar gulped, he knew also. Though he himself had never been called to Principal Johnson's office, he didn't have to be to know the man was brutal. When his friend Alex had been called to the office, he had come back out with blood stains on his shirt and lashes across his wrist. There was no doubt about it, those who misbehaved at Riverbank would only do it once. That was what the parents paid for,
"You didn't kill him?"
A cold laugh, one which sounded not only empty, but cold. His laugh had no joy, simply evil. This man saw pleasure in only one thing, true human suffering. "I wish I could have boy."
"Then why didn't you?"
"I haven't been able to leave this house since, well, since you left."
"How have you..."
"You remember Jake?"
He did. Jake Tonnings had been the single most awful boy Cedar could remember. Around three years older. Jake had no grades, he had been the school bad boy at some public school in the down areas of Harlem. Akinson had picked him up saying that the boy would end up on drugs, he would get arrested or murdered by the time he was 18. Now he was almost twenty, Cedar was sure the boy would have been killed by now, clearly he was wrong.
"I remember him sure."
"He brought me food. He was always good at being invisible, you'd know that."
"Sure, he jumped me."
Hendrick almost laughed stopping himself quickly. "Sorry about that." He turned away and wandered slowly, nervously to the bedroom he had been living in, an area which before had been out of bounds to anyone, but Cedar this time was invited in.
The room was much as he had expected it to be, the only form of bed was an old mattress on the floor, the sheets were old and clearly unwashed, the smell was must and dirt. He almost choked. The room was small, but other than the bed, fairly well kept. There was a pile of old papers, some food cartons, some bottles for drinks. The curtains were closed and moth eaten.
Carefully Cedar sat himself on the cleanest spot of floor he could find sitting on his hands, he didn't want to ruin his trousers. Hendrick laughed. "The floor is clean, you haven't changed, still a.." He cut off.
"Snob?"
"Well I wasn't gonna."
"Sure. Yes. I'm a snob. So are you."
"By birth, not choice."
"You chose this? You can't lie to me... Look this isn't what I'm here for."
"You want to know who killed your mother/."
Cedar almost gasped, almost leapt forward to choke the life out of the man in front of him, he must know. How else would he have known his mother had died, he had no T'V and the newspaper at the top of the pile was dated at almost a week ago. How had he.. "Where is Jake?"
"I haven't seen him in a few days."
The answer caught in the room and held heavy. No one spoke, it didn't seem like they let out a breath. It took only a minute - one which seemed like an hour - for Cedar to get to his feet and dart for the door. That all being, until he was stopped. A man stood in the door way, dominating the room. He was tall and well built, his hair black. He looked at Cedar through cold eyes, in his left hand was a paper bag and a news paper, in his right a knife, he smiled coldly as he looked at Cedar, his heart now racing the boy looked at the floor. He had no chance to run, besides he had found who he was looking for, this was Jake Tonnings.