Night creatures howl from trees near and far. A chilling breeze drifts softly through the air, giving the night a frigid, unnerving feel.
Climbing out of the truck, Jimmy raps on the door before adjusting his weight. Standing in one spot for a minute or more quickly becomes uncomfortable.
The door squeaks open. Jimmy looks up to find his long-lost pal standing on the threshold. Besides adding a few pounds, a few wrinkles, and a hint of gray to his hair, he appeared the same. Then again, he was the youngest of the bunch, mid-thirties at best.
"Long time no see," Larry says, stepping aside; he motions his friend in. Timmy and Ty follow.
Turning towards Timmy, Larry studies the emerging man. Timmy, like Tommy, is tall and slender with dishwater-blond hair and dark hazel eyes. "You look identical to your dad."
Rolling his eyes, Timmy grumbles, "I know."
Slapping him on the back, Larry chuckles and says, "That's not a bad thing, kid."
Jimmy nods in agreement. "Your dad was quite the looker back in the day."
"Mom told me stories about him."
Larry snickers recalling what a little spitfire Jen could be. How it didn't take long for her to make it known that Tommy was her man. "I bet she has. So, I heard you want to go after the mob.
Anxiously shifting his weight, Timmy glances up from the dusty concrete floor, nods, and says, "They've been terrorizing my family's life for years, and I want to put a stop to it."
Stepping up beside Timmy, Jack puts his hand on the lad's shoulder and says, "I get why you want to do this, I do, but going after them with only a few of us to back you up is suicidal."
Larry nods in agreement. "He's right, Timmy." Making a grand sweep of the room, he continues. "We're outnumbered."
"Bambini has men everywhere," a second man adds.
A small murmur echoes through the crowd as they all nod in agreement.
More determined than ever, Timmy plants his feet firmly and says, "We'll take them all down!"
Gazing across the crowd, Larry says, "I'm afraid you will be doing it alone."
A devastated look crosses the lad's face. "What? No."
"Look, kid, your dad is like a brother to us, and we would do most anything to help him, but risking our lives to go after the mob is a huge ask."
"So why did you agree to do it to begin with?"
Jack glances around at the group. Turning, he motions across the crowd and then says, "We were all for it in the beginning, but then we got to talking, saw all the risk involved, and changed our minds."
Aggravated, Timmy slings his balled-up fists down at his sides. His face turns to several shades of crimson as he glances around at his dad's supposed friends in disbelief. "So that's it? I either do it myself or not do it at all."
"We don't want to put our family in danger," Jack murmurs.
"But it's alright for my family to have to run from them for the rest of our lives," Timmy snorts. "Some friends you are." Spinning on his heels, Timmy storms towards the door. Reaching the flimsy barrier, Timmy turns and says, "Thanks for nothing, guys."
"Timmy, wait," Jimmy says, dashing across the room.
***
Tommy is speeding down the narrow winding road. His entire body trembles at the thought of what he's about to do, yet his eyes continue to stay focused on the road ahead.
A fresh set of tears floods his face as precious memories replay in his mind. The kid's births, a few of their firsts, and precious memories he can never let go of. Wiping the tears away, he sniffles and says, "This is the only thing I can do to guarantee my family's safety."
Tommy wasn't ready to die, not after escaping the mob's grip so many times, but he refused to let his family live in horror any longer. Nearly jumping out of your skin when there's a knock on the door day or night. You are on constant alert the moment you step outside. The worst part of all is not knowing who to trust, forcing them to keep to themselves. The isolation seems to be the hardest on Jen, the social bug that she is.
Tommy can see a significant change in her mental health, something that's been happening over the course of the past nine years, making Tommy afraid that he'll either have a mental break or turn to drugs like his mother did. Wiping away the tears, with a new resolve on his face, he says, "It's got to be this way."
***
Timmy figures the police have been looking for him shortly after his mother discovered he was missing. As fiery as his mother is, he's sure she insisted on having an ABP or whatever the technical term is for the report they put out on a missing kid.
Since walking through town was out, Timmy decided to take a different, off-the-beaten-path route, a trail he'd used back in his childhood days.
Timmy quickly realizes that the chilling, dark woods become colder, damper, and more eerie as he continues further inside. Taking a gulp of courage, he squares his shoulders and raises his head as his chest inflates. Tapping the gun at his side, with newfound courage, he nods, smiles, and says, "I've got this."
A twig snaps in half behind him; Timmy spins around to find the dark, desolate area around him is uninhibited. Probably a damn coon or a skunk. Chuckling, he continues on.
Timmy doesn't make it but a few feet further when he hears a noise behind him again. Drawing his gun, he turns a second time. Like the first time, no one is there. I need to get a grip before I give myself a heart attack. He places his gun in his waistband, the way gangsters do on TV.
Night creatures continue their haunting calls from every direction, echoing through the darkness around him like warnings. The once soft, gentle breeze has quickly twisted into a small whirlwind.
Timmy sees his friend's house sitting at the top of the hill as he continues through the stagnant water. The dim lights glisten in the front room as shadows from the TV flicker across the back wall. Just a little further, he thinks. Relief washes over him as he steadies his breath. His blood suddenly turns cold when he hears a familiar voice behind him say
"Tommy, my boy, so nice to see you again."
Timmy spins around to find Bambini's look-alike standing on the other side of the bacteria-infested pond. "Timmy?" Leaning closer, the man adds, "You sure have grown."
"I'm seventeen now," he says, reaching for his gun. Timmy continues to search only to discover it isn't there. He quickly scans the area but doesn't see it anywhere.
"Are you looking for this," the man asks, holding up the small, black piece.
Timmy raises his hands in surrender. "I'm not looking for any trouble here, mister," he says, as he continues to back away.
"That's not what I heard. I heard you came back looking for revenge."
"Me against all of you?" Timmy nervously laughs as he takes a step back. He shakes his head and says, "No way."
The double raises his gun. "You should've left town when you had a chance."