Stephen Randel - The Chupacabra

“I thought the judge said you couldn’t have a gun anymore,” Little Esther added.

“He said I couldn’t have a gun. He didn’t say anything about a backup gun. This is my backup. Girls, meet Judy.”

“Judy?” Big Esther asked.

“That’s her name.”

“Why Judy?” Jolene asked.

“Because she packs a punch. Come on now,” Pearl said as she opened the revolver’s cylinder to check her ammunition before spinning the cylinder with a whirl and snapping it back in place with a flick of her skinny wrist. “Follow me.”

“Here,” Little Esther said as she pulled one of her knitting needles out of her bag and gave it to Big Esther.

“What do I do with this?”

“Hold it like this,” Little Esther said, wielding her other needle like a knife.

“What about me?” Jolene asked.

“Just stay behind us and don’t make a sound, if you can manage, you old loudmouth cradle-robbing hussy,” Pearl said. Jolene frowned. The girls sneaked their way around the right-hand side of the dark house to the kitchen. When they reached the back door, the ladies all placed their ears to the door and listened.

“What are we listening for?” Little Esther asked.

“Movement, voices, anything,” Pearl replied.

“I don’t hear anything,” Big Esther said.

“If you can’t hear anything with those big ears, they must be asleep,” Pearl quipped. “Let’s go.”

“Go?” Jolene said. “We have to be sure nothing is wrong.”

“That’s what I meant.” She raised her pistol and reached for the doorknob. “Inside, but real quiet-like. Take off your shoes first. Those heels make a racket.” The girls complied. Pearl opened the door and the girls slipped inside on their tippy toes. Pearl motioned with her pistol toward the door to the main part of the house. “You go that way, I’ll check the back,” she whispered. Sneaking down the hallway, Pearl found nothing out of the ordinary. Turning around, the hallway was empty behind her. “Girls?” she hissed. “Where are you?” Getting no response, she crept down the hall. Peeking around the corner into the main part of the house, she spotted a group of huddled figures standing in the dark. Pointing her pistol in front of her, Pearl inched her way into the room. Suddenly, something smashed down on her arm, causing her to drop her pistol. In front of her stood the strongest-looking man she had ever seen.

“Over with the rest,” Barquero growled as he picked up the gun and stuck it in his waistband. “Now!”

“Boy, I’m going to break my foot off in your backside if you don’t give me little Judy back.”

“Shut up,” Barquero said, pushing the tiny woman across the room as he pointed his pistol at the group.

“Please, don’t kill us,” Polly begged.

“At least we got baptized recently,” the trembling Little Ester said.

“That damn Mr. Wu,” Pearl said. “If he’d taught me some of that Bruce Lee stuff like I wanted, I’d rearrange this sucker’s face.”

“Quiet!” Barquero yelled.

“I’ve seen your face, boy. I’m your worst nightmare!”

“Be silent,” Barquero quietly commanded as he pointed his gun right between Pearl’s eyes. Miss Pearl just crossed her arms and scowled. One by one, Barquero used zip ties to bind his hostages’ hands and feet before tearing strips of duct tape to cover their mouths. Max received the same treatment. Bennett struggled the most. He received a pistol butt to the back of his head for his efforts.

“That should be it right there,” the police escort said to Agent Diaz as they pulled up in front of the columned white house.

“The one with no lights?” Maria asked.

“Yeah. That’s the one,” the officer answered as he shut off the police cruiser’s engine.

“That seem a little odd to you?” Maria asked as she exited the vehicle.

“Little bit,” the officer replied. “It’s the only dark one on the street.”

“Wait a minute,” Maria said. “Did you see that? Something just came out of that upstairs window on the left-hand side of the house. You go check the front. I’m going around the side.”

Avery hurried as he continued with his counter-insurgency preparations. But he froze when he heard the front doorbell ring again.

Barquero pulled Polly from the group and cut her restraints off before ripping the tape from her mouth.

“You know the drill,” he said to her as he grabbed Jackie and pulled her back toward the kitchen. “Get rid of whoever it is, this time for good. I mean it,” he said pointing the gun at Jackie’s head. Kip struggled furiously against his bonds. “You, keep quiet,” he added, looking at Kip. Polly went to the door and opened it.

“Evening, ma’am,” the police officer said as he looked into the dark house. “Sorry to bother you. I’m looking for an Avery Bartholomew Pendleton. I believe he lives at this address. Is he in this evening?”

“No, he’s not,” Polly quietly replied.

“Do you expect him back soon?” the officer asked. “I don’t mean to alarm you. Just need to ask him some questions.”

“I…I…I don’t know when he’s coming back,” Polly stammered.

“I see,” the officer replied as he pulled a card out of his pocket. “Would you mind giving this to him when he gets back? Have him call the number on the card. Like I said, nothing to be worried about. Just a few questions, that’s all.”

“Okay,” Polly said as she took the card from the officer. “I’ll let him know.”

“You having some kind of power issue with the house?” the officer asked as he looked into the darkened house again.

“Yes,” Polly replied softly. “It’s out.”

“Want me to take a look at your fuse box?” the officer asked as he pulled his flashlight from his belt. “Happy to do it. It’ll only take a second.”

“No. That’s okay,” Polly replied.

“You sure?” the officer said.

“Yes.”

“Ma’am, are you home alone this evening?”

“Yes. Well, uh, not exactly. I mean…” Polly fumbled. A deep voice from the kitchen cut her off.

“Officer, may I borrow your flashlight for a moment?” El Barquero called from the kitchen.

“Please don’t,” Polly whispered as the officer stepped past her and into the darkened foyer. The officer scanned his light around the house, stopping on the group of people standing together in the darkness. “What’s going on in there?” the officer asked. Three dull thumps from El Barquero’s silenced pistol came from the kitchen. The officer collapsed. He was dead before he hit the floor.

“Oh, my God,” Polly whimpered as she looked at the dead police officer at her feet.

“Lock the door and get over here,” El Barquero commanded Polly as he shoved Jackie back into the parlor. El Barquero pulled the officer’s pistol from his belt and tucked it into his waistband next to Pearl’s as Polly closed the front door and shuffled back into the parlor.

Outside, Agent Diaz examined the darkened exterior of the house. She cautiously approached the rope fire ladder hanging from the second-floor window near the back of the house.

“What the hell?” she whispered as she reached with her free hand to pull her sidearm out and awkwardly chambered a round. She froze in place and listened as a loud voice came from inside the house.

“Avery! I’m coming up. I want my money.”

“Shit,” Agent Diaz said as she turned and ran to the front door of the house.

Inside, El Barquero slowly climbed the stairs to the second floor. Tentatively, he tested each of the doors he found there. All of the rooms were dark and empty. Only the door on the end remained. The one with the SKUNK WORKS sign on it. He tried the handle. It was locked. He tapped on the door with his pistol.