Previously on Ristical…
Andy’s ‘kindness’ comes at a price…
… A misunderstanding erupts between Ristica and Jamey…
… And Jamey makes plans with Andy to take down Zerona, in exchange for his freedom.
Chapter 9: Takedown
Back of a club, night
Andy and Jamey met at the back of a club located on an old camping ground, both men dressed to blend in with the party guests.
Music boomed from the inside but oddly, it was the only sound coming from inside.
“Zerona is inside.” Andy informed Jamey, “I’ve got guys on standby in and around this location.”
Jamey grinned, “Are you sure you want to do this yourself? I don’t usually see you out on the front lines.”
“Zerona is just a stupid little girl. I can handle this.” Andy said confidently, “Let’s go.”
The two men opened up the back door of the club and cautiously headed into a hallway that led into the main area of the club. Neon lights colored everything cyan and the music was even louder but there wasn’t a single person in sight.
“Are you sure this is the right place?” Jamey asked, looking at the empty hallway. Andy didn’t reply.
They looked around the club until they got to the dance floor at the center of the club. On the far end of the dance floor was a row of seats.
Seated on a single bar chair at the far end of the dance floor was Zerona who was, as always, dressed for the occasion.
The music stopped.
“This is a private event, boys.” Zerona teased.
“A party? Where are your guests?” Andy asked smugly.
Zerona chuckled, “Right in front of me.”
“We aren’t here to party.” Jamey said coldly.
Zerona stood up. A device was in her hand with her thumb firmly on the center of it.
“I knew you were coming. I made so many arrangements for you.” Zerona said. Her face was expressionless.
Zerona pressed the device and a square cage dropped from the ceiling, trapping Andy and Jamey.
Just when they thought things couldn’t possibly get worse, a toxic gas began pouring into the room.
Zerona ducked behind the row of chairs and disappeared through another exit.
Jamey raged, “That stupid little-“
“We can curse Zerona later.” Andy interrupted, calm as ever, “We need to get out of here.”
With some clever teamwork, Andy and Jamey maneuvered over the fence with ease but had trouble locating the exit Zerona had used.
Frustrated and running out of air, they used the door they had entered with.
They hadn’t gone too far from the club when they spotted Zerona standing in the woods, calmly waiting for them.
She waved at them before she turned around and ran through the trees.
Dizzy from the gas, both Andy and Jamey chased after Zerona without stopping to consider that she could be leading them into a trap.
They brushed past trees, pushed through shrubs and jumped over and into puddles created by the previous night’s rain.
The cold night air gradually chipped off the effects of the gas and the two men gained more speed in the chase.
Zerona wasn’t even a little bit worried about being caught up to. She seemed to enjoy the chase and dashed through the woods as if she knew some kind of invisible path.
After a great deal of running, Zerona raced up to the top of a hill that was surrounded by trees and shrubs. A girl was sitting at the top of the hill, her hands tied behind her back and her face hidden under a costume mask.
Andy and Jamey caught up and stood at the base of the hill. Zerona had already picked up a gun that was lying on the ground behind her hostage.
“Do you know this girl? Of course you do. Everybody knows her. She’s a celebrity, after all.” Zerona boasted about her hostage, “And what does her big brother like to call her? ‘Pepper’, is it?”
Andy aggressively lunged at Zerona, held back by Jamey, “You’re bluffing. I know where my sister is right now and that’s not here.”
“I’m not bluffing.” Zerona said, visibly offended, “I’ll prove it.”
Zerona pulled off the costume mask from the hostage and tossed it aside. Underneath the mask was a very frightened Paige Pickners, unknown to the public as Andy’s sister.
Paige saw Andy and began to scream, “Andy! Andy, get me away from here! This woman is crazy!”
Andy shoved back Jamey and sprinted towards Zerona who quickly pointed her gun at Paige’s head.
“Stop right there or I end her!” Zerona threatened.
Andy stopped and calmed down. He pulled out his gun and silently watched Zerona for a moment.
“You won’t shoot her.” Andy eventually said.
Andy turned around and held his gun up at Jamey’s face. Jamey stumbled back in fear.
“What the hell, Andy?” Jamey shouted. That was not part of the plan Jamey was told over the phone.
For a moment Andy turned to catch a glimpse of Zerona’s face and saw a hint of fear. It was exactly what he wanted.
“Jamey told me what you did to that girl and I listened to every word of it. I wasn’t surprised at how you almost killed a girl you barely know. I run a gang of blood thirsty hounds who do that all the time.” Andy bluffed,
“What struck me was how you left Jamey completely unharmed. That’s my proof that you don’t want him dead so… Who’s it going to be – my little sis’ or your ex-lover?”
Zerona didn’t know what to do and it showed all over her face. Her gaze shifted from Jamey to Paige but she couldn’t make up her mind.
Andy nudged his head to one side and drew Jamey’s attention to the bushes. One of Andy’s men was hiding in the bushes near the spot where Zerona was standing.
Completely caught off guard, Zerona failed to see the man sneak up behind her. He jumped out, tackled her to the ground and knocked her gun away.
“What the… get off me!” Zerona fought and even tried to bite the man but was too weak in stature.
Andy immediately rushed to his sister and untied her. She jumped up and hugged him tightly.
“I told you to stop this gang nonsense! I could have died tonight.” Paige reprimanded.
“But you didn’t because Andy is always a step ahead of everyone, isn’t he?” Jamey sarcastically said, both annoyed and relieved at the outcome of Andy’s bold move.
Jamey went up to Zerona and crouched down beside her. She had been firmly restrained but was still trying to fight.
“You think you’ve won? You’re a fool! You can’t stop me!” Zerona screamed.
Jamey said nothing at all to her, even as she went on insulting him.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his gun. Zerona went silent as she fearfully watched him.
Jamey put the gun on the ground.
He reached into his pocket again and pulled out a syringe that was filled with a misty liquid. Zerona tried to shift away, knowing what was coming next, but the man held her still until Jamey was done injecting her.
Zerona tried to fight back one last time but the drug was quickly dulling her senses. The man let go of her and watched her toss and turn on the grass before she finally gave up and her eyes began to slowly shut.
Ristical Stories 