Hyper

Chapter 36 – The Killing Blow

[Location: Decontamination Depot t3rm1nu5 – Outside of Charlie and Linda’s Quarters]

McCormick lifted the pipe in his right hand. “You know how this is gonna end. I’ll tell you what: if you walk away right now, I’ll let you quietly bleed to death.” He slammed the end of the pipe against the metal grating. “But if you have the idiotic notion that you can stop me, I’ll gladly cease your beating heart right here and right now.” He stood tall with the pipe in his right hand, tapping the end of it in his left.

“Walk away? And leave Linda to deal with you by herself? You don’t know me very well, do you?”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Ah yes. That whole man of character thing. Give me a fuckin’ break.” He shook his head, pursing his lips.

Both men were exhausted, but they slowly staggered toward each other. Charlie lunged at McCormick and swung the hammer, but did not connect. McCormick countered with the pipe, but Charlie was able to pull his head back from the path of the weapon.

The two continued to circle each other and McCormick moved the pipe to his left hand, which was Charlie’s blind side because of his swollen eye and broken ribs. Just as Charlie turned his head to get a better look at McCormick, the end of the pipe hit home. Charlie’s legs buckled and his shoulders slouched as he slid to his knees. A stream of blood rolled down the side of his face and dripped to the ground.

“Finally!” McCormick screamed. He pulled the pipe back toward his left shoulder and like a baseball player, slammed it into Charlie’s broken ribs, doubling him over and forcing him to the ground. “Now stay down!” He looked down on the beaten man below him. “I will end you Mr. Kennedy!” Saliva sprayed with every word as the swollen veins on the side of his neck throbbed with his heartbeat.

“I—WILL—END—YOU!”

Charlie squirmed on the grating trying to revive himself, his eyes circling their sockets as the last bit of fight began to drain out of him. The words trickled from his mouth, “Kill you…I’m gonna beat…you…” he coughed, “to a fuckin’ bloody…pulllll…” He rolled onto his back as the hammer dropped from his hand. “Never…I’ll never…”

McCormick walked toward Charlie and stood triumphantly over him. Charlie’s movements slowed and his mouth slid open as he fell unconscious. McCormick wiped the sweat from his right hand on the side of his jumpsuit and then did the same to his left. He gripped the pipe with both hands and gently laid the end of it onto Charlie’s forehead to measure his swing. He squeezed the pipe tightly, bounced his knees a bit, and spread his stance as he prepared to deliver the killing blow. He hacked up some phlegm and spit it into Charlie’s face.

“Don’t worry…I’ll tell your honey that you put up a good fight, but you were no match for a real man.” An evil smiled stretched his mouth. “Like I told you Mr. Kennedy; killing is my business…and it’s lookin’ pretty fuckin’ good right now.”

He lifted the pipe above his head with both hands and arched his back to ensure it would deliver maximum damage. Then he sprayed out the acid laden words through his grinding teeth.

“You disgust me, you fuckin’ piece of sh—”