Roman Cesaro - Fallen Into Darkness

“I hope he killed him,” said Richard, nervously.

“Do you see any weapons?” asked Robert.

“No. Have another look around.” Kyle handed the binoculars back to Robert.

Robert watched the man walk back to the RVs and tents. He seemed to be explaining what just happened a moment ago. Another man was slapping him on the back and laughing as the big man spoke to the others. Robert pointed the binoculars back toward the raft and saw that Haber was gone. He quickly swept the binoculars across the landscape, desperately trying to locate Sergeant Haber. Robert followed a row of bushes from near the water as it curved up the slope, and he saw Haber moving low behind the bushes toward the stranded campers.

“There he is. He’s closer to us now. He’s by that row of bushes, making his way to the campsite,” said Robert, as he pointed toward the shrubbery Sergeant Haber used as concealment. “He has a rifle with him. Looks like an assault rifle.”

Sergeant Haber positioned himself so that when he walked through the bushes toward the campers, a large concrete outhouse would hide him. Haber got to the concrete building, and stood there with his back to the wall. Robert watched him chamber a round. Haber moved to the end of the building and peeked around the corner. He was waiting for a chance to make his move. When the other campers gathered around the big man that he had just fought with, Sergeant Haber jumped from behind the building and advanced toward the crowd. The mothers screamed and grabbed their children. He put his rifle barrel into the face of the large man and pointed toward the ground. The man immediately went prone on the dirt. Haber gestured with his rifle toward the large RV and told the others to go inside. Sergeant Haber then flipped a small picnic table over and picked up one end, shoving it under the door handle of the RV and making it impossible to open from inside.

Robert laid the binoculars down. “He trapped everyone in the big camper, except the guy that hit him. Something bad is about to happen.”

“We have to get out of here now, Robert!” exclaimed Richard.

“Is he going to kill them?” asked Kyle.

“He killed a guy back at that other camp. We have to do something. Come on men, think.” Robert put his face in his hands after he passed the binoculars back to Kyle.

“He has the guy tied to a chair,” reported Kyle. “Now he has his back to us… he’s poking the guy with the rifle barrel. I can see the guy’s face… he looks terrified.” Kyle watched the sergeant terrorize the man with his rifle.

The sergeant would occasionally look around, then resume taunting the man tied to the chair. Haber noticed something leaning against the picnic table by the outhouse. He hit the man with the butt of his rifle, then turned and went toward the object. Kyle adjusted the focus and saw that he was walking toward a baseball bat. “He’s going to get that baseball bat by the picnic table.” Kyle handed the binoculars back to Robert.

Robert found Haber again with the binoculars and brought him into focus. He watched Haber lean the rifle against the table and pick up the bat. The sergeant tested the bat’s weight in his hands and swung it around. He looked back at the man tied to the chair and strode directly toward him, leaving the rifle by the picnic table.

“That’s it. Checkmate, asshole!” Robert quietly exclaimed, as he tossed the binoculars back to Kyle. Robert immediately dashed down the hill toward the row of bushes.

“Oh, shit, what’s he doing?” Richard pleaded.

Kyle brought the binoculars back up to his face. He watched Robert as he arrived at the row of bushes and positioned himself so that the concrete outhouse was between him and Haber. He moved silently to the concrete wall, and then sidestepped toward the corner near the table. There it was. He could see the rifle now. It was about six feet away leaning against the table. Robert’s heart was racing when he leaped from the corner and snatched the rifle. He immediately put the rifle to his shoulder and aimed at the sergeant. The sergeant was facing the restrained man and taunting him with the baseball bat. The man tied to the chair saw Robert approaching with the rifle and turned his head toward him. As the man’s expression changed from fear to disbelief, Haber spun around and saw Robert approaching. He immediately noticed that it was his own weapon that Robert was pointing at his head.

“Haber… Haber… Haber… a good soldier never abandons his weapon,” said Robert, sarcastically, looking at the sergeant and shaking his head. “I think I should keep this rifle, Sergeant… I wouldn’t abandon a good rifle… especially if it was my only weapon.” Sergeant Haber froze in disbelief. His eyes were wide and his jaw hung open in absolute shock as he stared at Robert and the rifle. Keeping his eyes on the sergeant, Robert waved for his friends to come down from behind the trees. He expected one of them would be watching with the binoculars and knew they would understand the hand signal. “Was I the last person you expected to see alive?” Robert smirked. “Drop that bat and put your hands on your head.”

The sergeant dropped the bat and faced Robert as commanded. “Are you going to kill me?” he asked, without emotion.

“Get on your knees, asshole!” commanded Robert.

The sergeant dropped to his knees and continued to face Robert. His hands were on top of his head. Robert could see the look of defeat in his eyes as he walked behind the sergeant and placed the end of the barrel at the back of the defeated man’s skull. The man tied to the chair was trying to scoot the chair back away from the scene, but with little result. Kyle and Richard ran down to Robert’s location. Kyle had his pistol drawn and told Richard to untie the man.

Robert looked at the man in the flannel shirt and asked, “The sergeant wants to know if I’m going to kill him. What do you think?”

“It’s your rifle,” said the large man, holding his hands up as he took several steps away from Robert.

“Fair enough,” said Robert, as he pressed the rifle harder against the sergeant’s skull. “I will count down from five. Say your prayers, asshole.”

The sergeant began to cry uncontrollably as Robert slowly counted down. At zero, Robert paused for a moment, leaned toward Sergeant Haber’s ear, and yelled, “Bang!” The sergeant began to scream that he was sorry, and tried to beg for forgiveness from everyone.

Robert circled around the kneeling sergeant and told him to look up. “I should kill you. You stole my raft, and tried to get us killed in Fort Benton. There’s one thing holding me back.” Robert took a step away from the sergeant and lowered the rifle. “You’re not worth a bullet.” Robert kicked the baseball bat to the large man, then walked back to the sergeant who was casting his eyes at the ground in front of his knees. “Look at me, you bastard!” yelled Robert. The sergeant raised his head. His eyes were red and snot was dripping from his nose. Robert lifted his right foot and kicked the sergeant hard, right in the center of his chest, sending him several feet backwards. The sergeant landed flat on his back, gasping for air. Robert instructed Richard to frisk the sergeant for weapons. Richard found nothing and stepped away.

Robert walked toward the sergeant and nudged him with his boot. He looked down at his contorted face. The sergeant was desperately struggling to breathe, and his broken ribs were not cooperating. “When we were in Fort Benton, someone tried to introduce us to frontier justice. We didn’t stick around for the introduction. I think we’re supposed to thank you for that.” Robert tested the sergeant’s broken ribs with his boot. The sergeant screamed. “Sergeant Haber, I would like to formally introduce you to my version of frontier justice.”