Stay For The Encore: Act Three
Romko arrived on scene with two other squad cars following his lead. They pulled down a trash filled alley, and found their way through the derelict labyrinth to an empty lot sandwiched between a few abandoned buildings.
Romko stopped his car, and got out slowly. He took a moment to fully realize what he was looking at. At the back of the lot, there was a raging fire inside of a rusted dumpster. The flames jumped and danced out into the air.
The dumpster had been locked to a chain-link fence that ran up along one of the buildings. The fence was originally there for protection and safety, and now it had become a place of execution.
Above the flames from the dumpster fire, was the body of Officer Gregory Blake. His arms were handcuffed out horizontal of his body, and blood still dripped from the several knife wounds that covered his torso. The wounds were visible, because Blake was stripped of his clothes.
Romko began to cautiously move forward, his eyes darting back and forth, looking for movement. He came closer to the brutality before him, he could see articles of Blake's uniform hanging on the edge of the dumpster, burning in the extreme heat of the fire.
Romko looked up once more to find more details that added to the absolute malicious nature of the attack.
The handcuffs were not locked around Blake's wrists. They had been impaled through his palms and then locked.
Officer Blake had been stabbed and stripped, then violently crucified on a chain-link fence in the back lot of a ghost town.
Romko's face curled with anger, a vulgar scowl breaking through. He rhythmically tapped his fingers against the grip of his pistol. Justice was coming. Brutal and unhinged justice. That, Romko was certain of. A voice called out to him, pulling him out of his thoughts of revenge.
"Sergeant! Their car is around this building on the other side! I think Whitten is in it!" A young officer shouted across the lot. Romko managed to pull his eyes from Blake's desecrated corpse and he walked towards the group behind him. "Get him down from there. Fast." Romko growled quietly to another officer.
Romko rounded the corner and saw the squad car smashed into a wall. It was vandalized heavily with spray paint. The door had a cruel limerick dripping from its side.
This little piggy...
Romko saw hesitation in his men. The sight of Blake had sent a ripple through their confidence. He could not let that resonate. They were going to war, and this was the frontline. Romko took the lead and strode up to the car.
He peered into the windows and saw Whitten inside, gagged and tied up, but alive. He was in the drivers seat, but was turned sideways, his legs draped over the passenger side seat and his back to the driver's side door. Whitten was shaking and tears were streaming down his face.
Pathetic. Romko cursed in his mind. He had to move quick, take hold of the situation, and minimize the effect of these guerilla tactics. The first thing was to offer some good news to his men.
"Whitten is alive. He's just been subdued. Call an ambulance unit in. Fire, too." Romko said to his men, his eyes on theirs. His eyes still turned away, he reached for the door handle to swing the door open. Whitten was thrashing in his bindings inside and attempting to scream through the gag. With the click of the handle and the opening of the door, a tripwire was pulled. The wire pulled tight, pulling the trigger on the patrol issued shotgun that had been wedged on the floor of the passenger seat, aiming directly at Whitten's head.
The inside of the car filled with a instant flash followed by a torrent of blood that coated the interior. The blast blew through the driver side window, sending glass shards and cranial shrapnel out in an explosive display.
Romko had jumped back from the sudden blast of the rifle, and had drawn his pistol, aiming at the headless body of Whitten. As he lowered his weapon, sweat dripping down the back of his neck, he saw lettering on the inside of the passenger door.
Guttersnipe 2 Pigs 0
Romko slammed the door in disgust and began storming away from the second crime scene, only to find himself back in the empty lot, where Blake still hung. Officers had clambered up the chain-link, but hadn't yet been able to get his hands free.
Romko saw the issue just as it was happening, and could not stop it.
One officer got one of Blake's hands free, but lost his grip on the body. The corpse fell down, the weight of the body ripping the other cuff straight through the palm.
Blake's corpse fell into the dumpster fire with a macabre impact. The smell of burning flesh slowly filled the air as Romko shouted endless profanities.
In the shadows of a broken out window, in view of the lot, the Guttersnipe watched, twirling a switchblade in his hand.
STAY TUNED FOR PART FOUR TOMORROW
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