Sergio De La Pava - A Naked Singularity

I heard a loud noise downstairs. I heard screaming. Near me The Whale sat up. I looked down. Men had burst into the first floor. Guns were drawn. The woman backed into a corner. She slid to a window. No one looked at her. There was screaming. Someone fired his gun. More shots were fired. I watched the woman go out through the fire escape. Her head was down.

DeLeon put his hands around his head and ran to the back wall. He looked up and saw me. He looked right into my eyes.

I closed the door and locked it. I heard people moving up the stairs. I heard more shots. I heard more screaming. I ran to the roof stairs. My leg got caught on something. I looked down. The Whale had grabbed my ankle. It was on the floor. I swung my sword down on its arm. The sword carved into the scaly skin on its arm bounced back and fell out of my hands. The Whale didn’t let go. It pulled my leg and I fell. From the floor, with my other leg, I kicked the sword out of its reach. It slid away and stopped near Landro.

The Whale slid along the floor toward the sword. It dragged me along by the leg. People were kicking the door. The Whale stopped sliding. It was tired. It opened its mouth and went to bite my face. I stuck the baton in its mouth at the last instant. It bit down hard on it and fell back. My ankle was free. I moved to the stairs. I pulled myself up the stairs, to the landing just before the door to the roof. I heard the second floor door break open.

I opened the door to the roof. Jeckle was in the doorway. He took a step back. He looked at my hands. I looked at his. He punched me on the chin. His fist bounced down and into my neck. I saw black. My left foot dropped two steps. I held on to the rail. He punched me again somewhere. With my left hand I grabbed him by the shirt. My neck felt like it was trying to swallow my head. I pulled him forward and drove my right hand palm first into his nose. He grabbed my throat. I plunged my fingers into his eyes. He let go. I threw him down the stairs. He landed in the doorway on DeLeon and the others as they entered.

I moved out onto the roof. Dane wasn’t there. I saw Heckle on the floor of the roof. He was open from chest to waist. His insides formed a lumpy pool around him. I looked away exhaling.

I ran to the ledge. I barely managed to climb over it to 408. I was hurt. I moved toward 406. I heard Dane call out to me. I heard people behind me. I ran to the ledge and the pole that had the rope. The hook was waiting for me there. I grabbed it. My arms burned. I slid across. Gravity pulled me right to Dane. I saw the two bags at his feet. I heard voices coming. Dane took out a serrated hunting knife. With three back and forth motions he cut the rope that connected 406 to 408. We each grabbed a bag and ran to 404. When we got to 402 I looked back.

I saw two men on 408. One of them ran and jumped toward 406. I saw his body and his head disappear before reaching the ledge. I heard a truncated scream. DeLeon was the other man. He turned around and ran back.

We went inside 402. We went downstairs. We got undressed. There was blood on us. All over us. Everything except the money went into a third bag. I saw the music. We went to the basement.

“I have to get my mask,” I said. “From that alley.”

“Tomorrow,” Dane said. “It’s too hot right now.”

“Too late then,” I said. “There’s going to be cops all over here in a few.”

“Fuck,” Dane said. “Let me think.”

“My acid’s all over that mask,” I said.

“I know,” Dane said.

“Bring the money to the car and wait for me there,” I said. “These transmitters still working?” We checked and they were. “I’ll tell you where to pick me up or whether to split or whatever,” I said. “I have to go get it right now.”

“Let’s go together,” Dane said. “There’ll be guys there.”

“No get the car ready,” I said.

“What about the girl you crazy fuck?” Dane said.

“She got away,” I said.

We went out the back of 402. Dane went to the car. I went through the backyards to the alley between 408 and 406.

The man who had jumped was there. I moved slowly. He didn’t move. I saw that it was Jeckle. He was on a car fender. The fender’s end had gone deeply into his back. His eyes were open.

I didn’t see the mask. I looked for it. I heard screaming. A woman. I saw my mask hanging from a pole on the side of 408. I couldn’t reach it. I found a stick. I used it to knock the mask off and I caught it. I stuck it in my pocket. The woman screamed again.

I went to the street and stuck my head out. I looked toward the scream. I saw four people down the street by 402. Escalera had a gun in his hand. The Whale was next to him. DeLeon was in front of them talking. In Escalera’s other hand was hair. A woman’s hair. The beautiful woman was being pulled by the hair. She was screaming. She was pregnant.

DeLeon spoke to Escalera. Escalera nodded. Escalera raised his gun and squeezed a round into DeLeon’s face. Ramon fell to the street, a copper mist where his head had been. The woman swallowed her voice. Escalera spun her around towards me. I pulled my head back in. The streets were quiet. I put my mask back on.

I looked at Jeckle in the alley again. His radio stuck out of his pocket. I went over and took it. It looked fine. I stuck my head back out. They hadn’t moved. Escalera still had the beautiful hair in his hands. The Whale was looking around in a circle. I put the radio to my mouth.

“That’s no way to get your money back,” I said.

“Who the fuck is that?” Escalera screamed. He pulled his radio out. “Who is it?” he said and I heard The Whale say “that’s him.”

“He’s right it’s me,” I said. “Let the girl go and we can discuss how you go about getting your money back.”

“There’s that. Or I can shoot her in the neck if I don’t see your face in the next five seconds,” Escalera said.

“Well I’m two blocks away so that’s not going to happen,” I said. “Meaning you can’t see me but I can certainly see you you worthless fuck and if you so much as leave a bruise on her from here on out you’ll never hear from me or your money again. Well I shouldn’t say never. Just that the next time you do see me will be the day I kill you.”

I saw Escalera put down the radio. He looked around. The Whale paced.

“What do you want?” he said.

“I want the girl,” I said.

“Come get her,” he said. “Bring the money and I’ll turn her over to you you thief.”

“No let’s do it my way I think,” I said.

“What way is that?” he said.

“Let her go and I’ll tell you where to go to get your money,” I said.

“Fuck you,” he said.

“Okay goodbye,” I said.

“No wait,” he said.

“Let her go right now,” I said.

“How do I know you’ll give me the money?” he said.

“I guess you don’t,” I said. “But you know exactly what will happen if you don’t let her go don’t you?”

“Her blood will be on your hands if you don’t bring that money here immediately my friend,” he said.

“I’m not your friend,” I said. “As for blood, I’m already covered in it and I’m going to let all yours next if you hurt her.”

“You fucking threatening me?” he said. “Do you have any idea who I am? Who this person standing next to me is? All your friends who came running in are dead do you understand that? Do you want to join them because that was just the beginning? Do you think there won’t be retribution for some of the people back there? Angel Colon is dead do you understand that? That’s a heavy fuck. You think that shit’s going to go unanswered?”

“You have a choice,” I said. “Make it. I don’t want your money anymore. You can let her go and take it. Or you can hurt her, never see the money again and die tonight or soon thereafter. It seems an easy choice. Make it.”