Tom Schreck: Out Cold

"Duff, who's watching us?" Karl said.

"I've got no idea but I think she's had her eye on us since the woods."

"You think she saw what went down?"

"We were off in the woods so I doubt it. I guess in the confusion she could've followed from behind and saw," I thought about it a little bit.

"She could be with Newstrom," Karl said.

"Yeah or she could be a teacher getting some air." We came up on the Cadillac and Al, hearing us, got up from his nap and barked out the window. I saw Karl smile out of half his face. He got in on Al's side and Al licked him once while climbing on his lap.

"Duff, it just like when I was over there. No resolution, no closure on shit. They got away with it there and they got away with it here." Karl punched the car door. We pulled out and away from VHS and headed toward Crawford.

"Still…"

"Still, nothing Duff. Face it, I'm still nuts, and now, so are you. You've been discredited and no one will ever look at you the same way ever again. They won again," Karl said while he petted Al.

I didn't have an answer. He was right, though. I had become a crazy, punch drunk fighter everyone laughed at behind his back. These fucking assholes went on to the next town to keep their own version of terror going, and they were still making millions. Karl and I sat in silence for a long time as we took the winding roads back home toward the city. We lost and really nothing left to say.

Almost to the city line, Karl spoke. "Duffy, you promised me something."

I felt him looking at me while I drove. "I did?"

"Yeah. When we decided to do this I made you promise we could see something through to the end some time. That we could get somebody doing something wrong and put a stop to it-a complete stop to it. No bullshit, no cover ups, no ifs, ands, or buts."

"Yeah, so. You got something in mind?" Karl looked down at Al. His whole face changed.

"You bet your ass I do."

"You wanna clue me in?"

"We raid that no good fuckin puppy mill and shut it down once and for all."

"Karl…"

"Duff, what the hell do we got to lose? Everyone thinks we're nuts already."

"But Karl I don't think they're doing anything illegal."

"Yeah-and technically neither are the security firms." I didn't know what to say. I looked at Karl and I looked at Al. The idea started to appeal to me. It may not have been the guys we wanted, but it would be a chance to snuff out some evil shit. This might have been conclusive evidence I really was crazy but-you know what-I didn't give a fuck.

"All right Karl-let's do it."

Karl smiled and petted Al.

"We're gonna need some help you know," I looked at Karl.

"It would come in handy."

"There's probably good reason they all think we're crazy," I said.

"You don't think I know that?"

Karl could barely contain himself.

"Time for liberation and justice, liberation and justice, Duff!" Karl paced back and forth in the living room with Al watching him like a one-man tennis match.

"We need a plan Karl, let's go over what we know about the place."

"Yeah, sure Duff, good idea. We know they got about 40 dogs and another 10–15 puppies ready to be sold off," Karl said.

"We saw those three guys pull in there so we know there are three guys who live or work there. Hold it-"

"What is it?"

"The three guys we saw in the pick up who pulled in the gates when we went past on our way to Notre Dame…"

"What about them?"

"You remember I got a weird deja vu feeling?"

"Yeah?"

"Newstrom's three guys, the same guys who jacked me in the head. Holy shit!" I felt as crazy as people thought.

"I wonder what the hell it means. Uh, Duff?" Karl scrunched up his face. "I didn't tell you this, but when I snuck in there, I found out there were more like 10–12 guys living or working in there. Sorry I didn't give you that detail."

"That's kind of an important detail," I said.

"Yeah, sorry."

"Ten against two and forty or fifty dogs to rescue. Karl, how the hell are we going to pull this off?"

"And the guys running the place are all crew cut, tough guy types."

"Oh good."

We both got quiet for awhile. I began thinking as much as a mission like this might serve to exorcise both of our demons, it might do it by getting both of us killed. There was no way we could win against these odds.

The phone rang, jarring me out of my strategic thought..

"Duffy, for God's sake are you all right?" Trina said and she sounded desperate.

"Yeah, I think so-why?"

"You're in the news again. Something about interrupting a school emergency drill? They referred to you as delusional and disturbed or something like. Every one is worried about you."

"Great."

"Duffy, I'm worried about you."

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

"Duffy, I'm serious."

"Look, Trina, I appreciate your concern, but I don't really have time right now. Karl and I have to plan something."

"Karl-you and Karl are planning something. Oh my God…"

"Yeah, I don't expect anyone to understand. I don't care about that any more."

"What are you up to?"

"We're going to shut down the puppy mill I told you about. We're going to go in there and close it down."

"Duff-"

"Don't try to talk me out of it, Trina. We're doing it and I don't expect you or anyone else to understand. It is something we have to do for a lot of reasons."

"You think you're just going to go in there and take the dogs?"

"It might be a little more complicated."

"Complicated?" Trina sniffled.

"Well, there are about ten guys who live there we might have to deal with."

"Duffy, that's suicide!"

"We could use a few extra hands, but with my reputation I don't think we're going to find anyone. If we have to, we'll do it alone."

"Oh my God…"

She begged me to see her before we left and, like a sap, I said I would. She wanted to meet me at AJ's before we did anything and I promised her I would go. Hell, I needed a drink or two before I headed out to do something like this any way. I wasn't looking forward to hearing the bullshit from the Foursome about my mental state, my beating up of a Notre Dame Math student or anything else. Just the same, going to AJ's was just something I did, almost like a bodily function. I had been through some shit in my life, but this last month was something else and at a whole new level. Life gets pretty weird when you're uncertain about what's real and what's illusion, and for me, I wasn't sure about much. I followed the impressions of a man I knew was certifiable. Shit-according to Rudy-I was certifiable. Newstrom, Martin, and those boys had told me they were untraceable and unprovable, and everything they do and did went unchecked.

My answer to all this? Raid a perfectly legal puppy farm that-oh, by the way-is also the local center for canned and dried goods for US Soldiers overseas. I've spent my life following my gut and it's gotten me into trouble. I've lived following that gut, but now people let me know, in no uncertain terms, my gut was nuts.

"We ready, Duff?" Karl said.

"Karl I guess it's just me and you."

"And Al." Al's tail started thumping right on cue.

"Karl, before we head out there-is this really a good idea? I mean besides the danger and all, will this really make things better?"

"It just might, Duff. It just might." I told him we had to make a quick stop at AJ's because I promised Trina. He thought getting a drink and maybe asking the boys to come along might be a good idea. I told him I doubted the boys were likely to hitch a ride on our bandwagon, considering they thought we're both crazier than shithouse rats. It was almost dark, certainly close enough to insure it would be dark by the time we got out to the puppy farm. On our way over to AJ's, things started to run through my head.