Caleb and Rica

The Chaos

Rica ran inside the lumber mill scanning all directions. Caleb, as expected, had smoked bombed the inside of the mill, and set a few fires. Rica was not surprised, this was Caleb’s M.O. and he was good at it.

As Rica ran further inside the mill, the gun fire outside silenced. The Gashi’s were either giving up or had killed all of the Tseka defenders. She had to get Caleb out of here, but this smoke..it choked her…

POP! POP! POP!

Gunfire from the back! Rica looked into the smoke and saw two men. An older man trying to start a car and a big one, shooting at Caleb! Rica saw Caleb take cover behind a pallet of crates, while the big man fired at him, the older man got the car started.

Rica raised her rifle ready to shoot and kill the big man, that is, until she saw the little red firecracker Caleb tossed at his head.

BABOOOOM!!

“AAAAAAH!!” The big man screamed and dropped his gun to grab his face and eyes. Before Rica could yell for Caleb, the car with the older man backed up violently and crashed into the burned face man, knocking him on the ground. As the car driver switched the gear from reverse to drive, Caleb jumped in the passenger seat and pummelled the driver with his fists. The old man driver fought Caleb back and sped off with the two of them inside.

“Caleb” Rica screamed and chased after the car as it drove head first into the back of the mill to a rear exit garage door. Rica raised Strongbow and aimed at the rear driver and fired one shot. FWAP! As the car crashed through the closed garage door, Strongbow’s bullet tore through the rear windshield and into the driver’s left shoulder. Exactly where Rica aimed.

The car sped off into the dark of the lumberyard and Rica chased after it as fast as she could. Rica knew she would catch the car for this reason:

The soft point bullet Rica fired was designed to inflict horrible damage to human flesh. When the bullet reached the man’s shoulder, it entered and ripped an exit out of his front, splattering his shoulder tissue all over the steering wheel. It was just a matter of time before the car stopped.

Rica chased the car with everything she had. The lumber yard was the size of a football field, as the yard was a staging area to send wood trucks to the Interstate 95. The old man driver knew this and attempted to reach the rear exit of the lumber yard, and the entrance to the 95, at top speed.

Rica’s legs felt like lead as she watched the car get away from her, but she kept running. The distance between her and the car grew, “No!” she muttered aloud. Panting and out of breath, she couldn’t lift Strongbow to make another shot, he was too heavy. “Caleeeeeeeeeeb!!!!”

Assassin Gods

The Assassin Gods, like all gods, do hear prayer. And one of them heard Rica’s scream. For at 300 meters in front of her, the escaping car, with the old man and Caleb, lost control and skidded out of the lumber yard to the street, crashing into a parked truck. The car stopped moving, and nothing moved after that.

Rica, exhausted, ran as fast as her heavy legs would carry her and force lifted Strongbow into a tactical stance, aiming at the driver’s side of the car. When she reached the car she saw Caleb lifting the old man’s head off of the steering wheel, and they were..talking?

Caleb: I don’t believe you!

Man: It is no matter what you believe you fucking brat! This is all there is.

Caleb: What about the document, the deed?

The old man was dying. The bullet that tore threw his shoulder bled him out. He was barely there anymore.

Man:...yes..it’s money..you..you boy..you go fuck yourself!

The man blacked in an out of consciousness, no longer able to think in English, he mumbled his last words to Caleb, in his own language.

Man: Tseka është i vdekur, qij atë dhe qij ju!

The old man then lay his head to the side of his wounded shoulder, and closed his eyes, forever. Caleb had no idea what the man said. The car crash rattled Caleb bad, he barely noticed Rica opening the passenger door to pull him out.

Rica: Caleb, oh you boy, I think you have a concussion.

Caleb: What?..what did that man say?

Rica: He said...he said you won.

Caleb: Oh...right ..(blacking out)

Sirens and police lights pierced the dark night. Rica could see them in the distance at the front of the lumber yard heading toward the mill. Lights were coming on in the houses near her and the crashed car. With Strongbow in her left hand, Rica helped Caleb on her right shoulder.

Rica: Caleb, stay with me, we have to go!

Caleb: He’s dead.

Rica: I know baby, we have to go!

Rica scanned around for the darkest house on the block and helped Caleb to the side of it. Rica let Caleb rest on the side of the house, giving her time to pack her rifle in her bag, and quietly, before the police ever reached the crashed car, Rica and Caleb, slipped into the night.

Revelation

It took time to get back to Caleb’s apartment. The baka couple needed to take a long route in order to use the darkest back streets. When they finally reached Caleb’s apartment, he became nauseous and threw up in the toilet. Rica was correct, Caleb had a concussion.

Rica: Caleb, come here, you have to lay down.

Rica put him on his bed and placed a cool rag on his head, it felt like heaven to him. Caleb had a speed knot bump near his forehead from the crash. Rica rubbed his hair around it, soothing him. Caleb kept his eyes closed and spoke to Rica.

Caleb: I knew you would...save me...I timed you perfect..

Rica: Ssssh!...I know you did, you bastard!

Caleb: Look under the bed.

Rica looked on the floor just under his bed. There was her Smith and Wesson Model 5906, with two full clips.

Rica: Eh? You didn’t steal it?

Caleb: To do what? Shoot somebody? ..heh..not my style. I just took it out of your bag to worry you. Make you believe I would do something dumb.

Rica: You did do something dumb, you idiot!

Caleb: No...I finished something dumb..and like I said in school. I couldn’t do it without your help.

PINCH! PINCH!

Caleb: Ow ow, Rica, I’m sorry.

Rica: what are you sorry about? tricking me to help you , you don't sound sorry to me boy! But you will!

PINCH!! PINCH!!

Caleb: Owwwww! that hurts, I'm sorry, you're gonna leave a bruise.

Rica: Not where anyone can see it!

PINCH!

Caleb: YAAAAAAAAAA!

Rica exhausted herself pinch-punishing Caleb. It was past 3 am, Caleb dozed off while Rica took a shower and put on one of his big t-shirts to sleep in. She made Caleb lift up once to give him a tylenol and then climbed into the bed, and then on top of him. He was warm and yaaaaaawn...so comfortable and...zzzzzzzzz…nya~the sleepy loli.

Rica and Caleb learned that night that Boss Edi Tseka was dead, he had been killed in a coup d'état by his own men after he had rubbed too many people the wrong way. The remainder of the Tseka crew tried to keep his death a secret and continued to go after Caleb, attempting to acquire the business deed to Caleb’s inherited company Roman Arms.

Between the incident in the woods and now the incident in the lumber yard, Tseka’s old crew had been wiped out. In the four days since Rica first met Caleb, Rica and Reyna murdered ten members of the Tseka crew. No one was left, and no one would go after Caleb Roman, ever again.