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THE PROTECTORS: HALLOWEEN RAVE

by

Bernard Lee DeLeo

*****

PUBLISHED BY:

Bernard Lee DeLeo

And

RJ Parker Publishing

THE PROTECTORS: HALLOWEEN RAVE

Copyright © 2013 by Bernard Lee DeLeo

*****

License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. Please respect the author’s work.

THE PROTECTORS: HALLOWEEN RAVE

Oakland Police Sergeant Ben Donaldson came out of the men’s locker room with a grin. It changed to a scowl when he saw who was waiting outside. Alameda County Staff Psychologist Julie Morrison posed in a ‘Sandy from Grease’ costume, skin tight black tights, off the shoulders strapped black blouse, black high heels, and blonde hair curled up on top of her head and swept back. She held a black leather jacket over her shoulder.

Next to her with an arm around her waist stood Oakland Police Officer Ellie James in what could only be described as around the neck attached black polyester stretched material covering the center of her body, bare everywhere else but her spiked black boots. The cat ears, black mask, and off the hip utility belt completed the adult Catwoman costume.

“Well don’t you ladies look ready for undercover Halloween night with a vengeance? Good Lord, I guess you two will blend in after all. I thought this was never going to work, but you might pull it off.” Donaldson held up a warning finger. “Anyone snickers at Opie when he comes out, and you get cavity searches for a month, Ellie!”

Ellie straightened away from Doc Morrison. “C’mon boss, what the hell?! Opie can take it. Besides, Jules here will be the one to set me off. Punish her.”

“She’s not under my jurisdiction, El. You are. Remember what your damn mission is. If you piss off Green Lantern so much he refuses to go, we miss the first big sting night where we can end this flesh eating drug’s introduction in Oakland. We’ve had three cases show up in a week. I want this stopped before the users start blaming us for it!”

“I know, boss. That Krokodil shit is horrifying. These damn whackos and that stuff that eats you from inside out give me the creeps. What’s Opie’s problem. He’s the one who found out about this Halloween rave down on East 12th.”

“It’s the costume,” Julie answered for Donaldson. “I shouldn’t have bought him the Green Lantern costume. It’s… it’s just that I saw the movie, and Connor will look terrific in it, much better than that guy who played it in the movie. He didn’t like it, huh?”

“He’s in there staring at himself in the mirror, and he ain’t happy, girls. Uh oh, here he comes. Remember what I said, El!”

Connor paced out of the men’s locker room, fists clenched. Instead of laughing or grinning, the two women shared short intakes of breath. Donaldson smiled. At well over six feet tall, the heavily built Connor Bradwick stretched out the black and green costume in a form not counted on. In simple terms, with the professionally made Green Lantern costume Morrison had bought, Connor was Green Lantern.

“Oh my… Jules… you were so right. He looks amazing!”

“Good Lord, Ellie, he is Green Lantern.”

“This is without doubt the dopiest antic I’ve ever been talked into. If when I told you I had information about the rave it would come to wearing this freak show costume, I would have cut my damn tongue out.”

“Man up, Opie,” Ellie ordered. “There’s a good chance that ‘Krokodil’ crap will show up at the rave along with the dealer you heard about. I’m not certain why we even bother to save a bunch of needle whack jobs bent on ending up looking like decaying zombies, but it is what it is. C’mon, no more whining. Get into it or I’ll have evil ‘Sandy’ over here spank you.”

“Very funny, El. I’m in, but we’re going out the back way… you hear me, boss!”

Donaldson nodded, making placating gestures at Connor. “It’s all set. We have an unmarked car outside the emergency exit. No one will see you… at least no one that hasn’t already seen you. The guys who volunteered to back you three up in plain clothes are by the exit too. We have three teams on it.”

“Fine!” Connor turned toward the indicated exit.

They popped out from everywhere as Connor and his entourage headed to the escape route. The congregation of Oakland police well-wishers led by the infamous Officers Jason Ladd and Luis Arvizo made it seem as if the undercover operatives were on a Hollywood ‘Red Carpet’ of flash photos. Connor immediately gave up his surly inclination, posing, and clutching his partners in picturesque form. He knew the score once they were entrapped. Every show of anger or displeasure would be magnified. With Donaldson’s help, it ended quickly and Ellie was driving them to their destination. Their back up teams left shortly after, checking in with the three costumed for the sting in the lead car.

“Oh… are we going to have fun after this is over back at my place.” Julie hugged Connor from the backseat. “You look incredible, Connor.”

“Stifle yourself, Sandy,” Connor retorted. “We could have hit this rave with goth gear no one would notice. You’ve made us into a beacon no one could miss. I knew you two would turn this into a debacle while making us the laughing stock of the department.”

“Hey, why don’t you grow a pair, Opie!” ‘Sandy’/Julie smacked Connor in the back of the head. “You act like we dressed you in a Princess Leia costume. Man the hell up, you wussy.”

Dr. Morrison’s uncharacteristic upbraiding of Connor had Ellie laughing so hard by the end of her spiel, she pulled off the road for a moment.

“Sure… yuck it up Catwoman. I can’t believe Donaldson okayed this travesty.” Green Lantern leaned his bulk back against the seat, deciding not to give the two anymore ammunition.

“I don’t think GL is going to get into the mood.” Julie sat back too, arms folded over chest. “I guess we’d better go get this tour of duty over with. I’m already getting sick of this costumed prima donna.”

“See, Opie! You’re ruining Halloween!” Ellie shook Connor’s shoulder angrily. “Now, you’ve got Marla Moody upset.”

Julie gasped, and smacked Ellie’s arm. “You did not just call me moody!”

“Of course not,” Ellie answered. “I gave you a proper name for that self-loathing binge you’ve been on lately. This is the first time you’ve deigned to act like Doc Morrison the Mime killer in weeks.”

“Oh… my… God!” Julie went open mouthed aghast in countenance as she stared back and forth between Ellie and Connor. “I did not kill that mime on purpose, and you know it! I saved you and Connor from an ambush with the only weapon at hand.”

“Then she slammed those two MS-13 gangbangers into the building wall with the hood of her weapon,” Connor added, warming up to a Julie roast. “I told you she needed help. We should have forced her to talk with one of the other psycho babblers she works with, El.”

Ellie nodded. “She’s gone over to the dark side for sure. Jules watches all the action movies and bad ass bitch TV shows now. This change in her is frightening.”

“Baiting me is not going to work, El. Just because you put on some extra weight, there’s no need to take it out on me.”

“What?!” Ellie’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, her mouth in wide open shock, before glancing in the rear view mirror with murderous intent at the now laughing Julie. “You couldn’t get away with that if you didn’t constantly look like a third world starveling, you anorexic twit.”

“Oh great,” Connor complained, looking up for divine intervention. “Now you’ve done it, Doc. You just had to push El’s weight button.”

“My…my weight button? What the hell does that mean, Opie?”

“Never mind what it means, Chunky Cat. Get your head in the game.”

“Opie… I see a reckoning on your Honky Dog horizon you will never forget.” Ellie chuckled at her companions’ laughter over Connor’s Chunky Cat dig. “Connor! Up the street on the right!”

Ellie slowed, trying to determine what she was seeing. Three men in vampire and zombie regalia accosted a woman and little boy at the corner of 38th Avenue where it dead ends into East 12th Street. She made the mistake of retreating inside the open gate to a basketball court at the Ascend Elementary School with the boy scooped up in her arm, making placating gestures at the men. The little boy hid his face in his mother’s neck. Ellie did a quick right, and sweeping left to a screeching halt in front of the court. Connor left the vehicle on a dead run.

“Call it in, Jules!” Ellie followed her partner into the darkened area.

One of the vampires saw Green Lantern running at him only a moment before Connor ran him over with a forearm blow to the head. Taser needles struck the zombie, with Ellie cranking up the juice. Hearing the commotion behind him, the vampire sealing the mother and son against the basketball court fence turned comically with a hiss of fanged teeth. Connor’s elbow shot to the side of his ear launched the vamp head first into the fence, where he rebounded unconscious to the court surface. Connor looked back, but Ellie waved him off.

“I got the zombie. You gather up the fangers.”

The little boy looked up from his death hug on his mother to see the huge Green Lantern frisk the groaning vampire first struck on the scene. “Mom! It’s Green Lantern and Catwoman!”

“Ssshhhh…” the woman cautioned her son, staying still while watching the Green Lantern pick up the vampire and heave him over next to his unconscious cohort. Catwoman shoved the plastic tied zombie into the fence next to them.

Green Lantern smiled and waved at the little boy, as Catwoman came over to inspect the two. “Are you okay, Ma’am.”

“We…we’re fine, thanks to you. Those guys were trying to carjack us. All I got to my name for wheels is my Honda over there. I…I was trying to get the keys out of my purse to give to him.” She set her son down. He immediately ran over to Connor, reaching up to grab his hand. Ellie slipped her low light camera out of the utility belt with a grin.

“Aren’t you going to say it, Green Lantern?”

Connor kept his eye on the three restrained thugs, but knelt down next to the boy. “Say what, buddy?”

“You know… the Green Lantern code.”

Connor glanced back at Ellie, knowing he was had, and hung out to dry. He stood up, his right hand with black glove and Green Lantern costume ring pointed in a fist at the thugs. “In brightest day… in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight! Let those who worship evil’s might, beware my power, Green Lantern’s Light!”

Applause and laughter broke out amongst the plainclothes officers who had snuck up on the scene with Julie. The little boy danced around, pumping his fist. Arvizo and Ladd came over next to the scowling Connor.

“We’ll take it from here, GL,” Louis Arvizo said, patting Connor’s arm.

“You and Catwoman better get back on the streets. Evil is lurking everywhere on Halloween night,” Jason Ladd added, as he and Arvizo moved over to the carjackers. “We’ll take this lady’s statement. Louis already called for transport. We’ll follow close on, but you may want to delay your entry into the rave for about twenty minutes.”

“Okay,” Connor agreed, resigned to the fact it would be months before his night as Green Lantern did not get him a daily roasting at the station. He knew it would be complete with posters, banners, and Green Lantern rings everywhere.

The little boy ran up for a last hug of Green Lantern and Catwoman. Julie grabbed Connor’s hand. “You were awesome! Thank God Ellie had her camera.”

“Oh yeah… thank the Lord for Ellie getting the video. I think you need to put Ellie on desk duty. She barbecued the zombie back to life with the Taser. She needs a timeout.”

Instead of getting outraged, Ellie nudged against Connor. “I say we blow off the rave and go somewhere for a little Green Lantern action.”

“Oh yeah,” Julie agreed.

“How compassionate of you two unfeeling robots to suggest abandoning the cheap heroin substitute users in their hour of need. You two should be ashamed. I hate to say it, but if it weren’t for the danger of some stupid kid getting hooked on it, I probably wouldn’t give it much thought either. It would be one of those comical Darwin’s Law reality TV specials, where people too stupid to live inject themselves with a combination of cooked up codeine, paint thinner, gasoline, hydrochloric acid, iodine and red phosphorous.”

“The problem is as you say,” Julie agreed while they got into their undercover vehicle, “a kid could be talked into trying it a couple of times just out of utter stupidity, winding up hooked on something so potent they will be horribly dead in a year.”

“Okay… okay,” Ellie said, taking the wheel once again. “No need for any more morality lessons. I get the drift. Education should work, but it never does. They could pass out those pictures of the idiots with bones showing through their melting flesh, and some young dolts would go ‘oh cool, I could be a real live zombie’.”

“Our main one to look out for in this is Makar Gurin, the guy who we suspect started making the cheap substitute. We haven’t been able to locate him, but an informant Ellie and I use when he’s not getting blitzed out of his mind told us Gurin would be at this rave in person. Although people can whip this stuff up at home on their own, they seldom do. The addicts supplying themselves will have to go on the Darwin Awards show. I doubt we can stop them if pictures of rotting people don’t have an effect on what little of their brain is left.”

“Tonight was a hell of a lot more fun when we were saving that mom and little boy,” Ellie said. “We haven’t even gotten to the part where Opie here knew the Green Lantern oath by heart. That in itself deserves intense study.”

“That was so cool,” Julie said. “Did you see the little boy while Connor recited it at the bad guys? I got excited hearing it.”

“Uh oh, Opie, I think bad Sandy had a party in her pants.”

“Did not.”

“Oh, you so did. Was it during ‘brightest day’ or blackest night’?”

“You are so annoying! Will your friend be at the door, Connor?”

“If he’s not, we’ll have to abort until he is. Duane Cantor’s an old friend. He’s a cop in Area 1. He works the doors at all the raves that he can. It’s good money, and we get immediate intel if something goes bad. Duane can get us past the metal detector without an Oakland PD badge show. I’ve already explained the situation to him. He knows how deadly this Krokodil drug is. Duane was our source for a picture of Makar Gurin. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have a clue what he looks like.”

Ellie parked the car two blocks from the rave. “I’m getting the creeps just thinking about being in the same building with the stuff. You two have seen the pictures. Ever think of it mutating into a zombie creating disease like in ‘Walking Dead’?”

“Gee, there’s a happy thought, El,” Julie replied. “Halloween freaks me out. Thinking about being on the front lines against a zombie apocalypse makes me yearn for the oath. Give it to me, GL!”

Connor chuckled and held up his ring, repeating the oath with the proper attitude.

“Damn… that stupid spiel even gives me the goose-bumps,” Ellie admitted. “We aren’t superheroes, Jules, so don’t start letting reality get away from you. Don’t hesitate to use your stun gun. We have to circulate in this noisy chaos and find our target, so check in every few minutes. Otherwise, Opie and I will end up more worried about you than our job.”

“I won’t screw this up, El. Thanks for getting Donaldson to let me come along.”

“I’m still not comfortable with this splitting up idea,” Connor said.

“Yeah… yeah, we know all about it. You’ve belched it out numerous times for everyone, Opie. We have three back up cars, and all exits covered. Give Jules a break. She’s worked hard to get this undercover break. Don’t screw it up for her.”

“I won’t.” Connor stepped out of his door, only to have two men run up at him from the shadows. “Shit! This is just not my day.”

“Get your bitches out of the car, and give us all your money and the keys!” The one leading had moved too close to Connor, jamming the 9mm auto against his chest, while his companion banged threateningly against the car.

Julie lowered the window with a big smile. She waved. “Hi, I’m Sandy.” Then she zapped the guy with her stun gun.

The distraction allowed Connor to take the lead one’s weapon, twisting it to the left and out of his grasp. He smashed the handle down onto the top of the carjacker’s head. Ellie had exited her side, and ran around to follow up on Julie’s stunned man down. She plastic tied his hands behind his back, while Connor repeated the same restraining action on his man. He looked at Ellie with shaking head disbelief.

“Great. Now we’ve run dead on into a carjacker gang.”

“Don’t you pull that darkness crap on me, Opie. We’re doing fine. So what if we’ve been fronted more times in the last half hour than in our last three weeks duty on patrol. We’re up. We deal. Great move, Jules! You toasted this clown as cold as ice. I like it! The mime killer is back!”

Arvizo and Ladd pulled up next to them. “Holy Jesus, Connor, are we ever going to make it to this rave deal?”

“Eventually, Jas. I hope you still have the meat wagon available.” Connor danced a step and pointed at the perps. “Two for the tank, El!”

Ellie leaped right into it, joining him with the Ghostbusters dialogue. “We be fast, and they be slow!”

“Okay… get moving. Take your time walking over there so we can wait with these clowns. Stay out of trouble,” Louis ordered, as he and Jason took over handling the suspects.

* * *

As they approached the warehouse building fixed for the rave, they could hear the music. Only a small line waited near the side entrance. The people waiting were wearing goth, vampire, and zombie attire. They looked back at the huge Green Lantern with snickers and blatant insults.

“Yep… I’m going to fit right in. Duane’s working the door at least.”

Cantor made no indication he knew Connor, but waved the three around the metal detector set up by the entrance. Inside, the costumed cohorts stared around at the Halloween trappings and people as if they had just arrived from Mars. They didn’t bother trying to speak. By agreement, the three would head off right, left and center, working their way around clockwise. It was all on one level, but some surrounding tables were on a raised portion of flooring with cordoned off VIP sections. Three times, pickpockets bumped into Connor, going for his utility belt. He caught and squeezed their wrists or hands until they begged for release, while wondering how many people get their ID’s and lives stolen at these type free-for-alls.

An hour passed of brain frying noise Connor hated every second of. Some of the music being played he had in CD’s at home, but the noise level was so disorienting, he had trouble concentrating on a face right in front of him. He had seen Ellie a couple times, waved and went on. Connor had made passes at the raised tables, trying not to attract attention, but he had yet to see a face even amongst the special groups he thought might be into shady deals. Then he spotted Julie between two men at a small stand up bar near the far left corner, where the area had been cordoned off into a private party. One of them was Makar Gurin. She seemed a bit wobbly on her feet to Connor. He wondered if she had forgotten Ellie’s instructions about not drinking anything already opened served to her. Keeping Julie in sight, Connor moved closer, while watching for Ellie. No one could dive in where she wasn’t wanted better than his partner. Suddenly, Julie went down to one knee drunkenly. Gurin and his sidekick hoisted her up, laughing and patting her cheek. Gurin slipped a barstool under her, but they continued to brace Julie to keep her upright.

Ellie showed up at his side a moment later. “Damn it! What did Jules do, get herself roofied?”

“It looks that way. She must have found Gurin, and went in without waiting for us,” Connor nearly shouted as Ellie had done to be heard. “On the left, El - look at those two zombies getting access to the area. I hope that crud on their arms and neck is just makeup.”

Ellie and Connor moved closer to the cordoned off area, making movements to the music together, careful to only shift as if forced to by the crowd. Ellie took her low light camera out to film when Gurin turned toward the zombies, using Connor as a shield. It was a definite drug buy. The zombies then passed Connor and Ellie close by, heading for the exit. Ellie scooted back against Connor. The two looked directly at Ellie. No amount of makeup and fake blood spatter could account for the scabby rimmed holes and openings Ellie saw on their arms, neck and face.

“Jesus, Lord in heaven,” Ellie exclaimed texting Louis and Jason frantically. “Those holes are the real thing Connor.”

He nodded as she held up her phone for him to see their backup would be picking up the zombies. Once they determined the drug purchased, they would move in.

“I’m going to get Jules. I ain’t waitin’ any longer. I’ll low key her out of there.”

“How do you plan to low key your way in?”

Ellie smiled. “Watch and learn, Opie.”

Ellie walked over where a guy in a suit stopped rave goers from wandering into the area. Ellie reached up, and unclasped the single fastener at the back of her neck that held her black spandex up in front. She allowed the material to sink to the top of her breasts, catching Gurin’s eye. Then she lowered the material under her breasts for a moment, never losing eye contact. The guard looked back at Gurin, who nodded. Ellie clasped her top up, walking over to Gurin.

“Very nice. Who might you be?” Gurin put an arm around Ellie’s shoulders, running his hand up and down her bare back.

Ellie smiled and patted the swaying Julie, before hugging her around the shoulders. “This is my BFF Julie. I thought maybe I could join the fun. Hey, Jules, you mixin’ your liquor again girlfriend?”

Julie looked up bleary-eyed at Ellie, squinting as if she had trouble focusing. “El…Ellie? Oh God I’m glad to see you.”

“We helped her as much as we could,” Gurin’s partner, a thin, rat faced, slicked back hair guy about Ellie’s height told her. “She’s been throwing them down for a while. We advised her to ease up.”

Ellie looked into Julie’s eyes, seeing the glaze she’d seen many times of a roofie hit. “Yep, I think she’s had enough, guys.”

“We can put her to rest somewhere, and you and I can have some fun,” Gurin suggested, seeing on Ellie’s smiling countenance a subtle sophisticated leer he mistakenly thought was an invitation to play.

“I think I’d better help my girl Jules here out to our car. I’ll come back and take you up on your offer. I’m Ellie.”

“Yes… your friend told us all about you,” Rat face said as Ellie turned to face him. You’re Ellie James, Oakland cop, here with your partner, Opie.” Rat face snickered. “Is that his real name?”

Ellie didn’t get a chance to answer as she heard two gunshots. Rat face grabbed her, a stunned look on his face. Ellie head butted him. Blood exploded from his damaged nose. As he lurched backward, Ellie kneed him in the nuts a split second later, with attitude. Rat face dropped to the floor, screaming in pain, his hands abandoning his ruined nose for his more vital package. Ellie spun, grabbing Julie off the stool and down under the bar while reaching for her weapon. Gurin lay twitching near them, with half his head gone.

* * *

Connor watched Ellie sway toward the guard’s cordoning position. He saw her hands reach up to release her top, letting it fall provocatively over her left arm at her chest. Not caring for this approach at all, he moved nearer. He halted, seeing Ellie allow the top to fall below her breasts for a moment as an admission card inside the area. It seemed to work. Within moments, Ellie was conversing with their target while checking Julie out. Everything changed then. Ellie turned her attention to Gurin’s companion. Gurin reached into his jacket pocket with a smile, pulling out a syringe.

The scene playing out in front of him went into slow motion for Connor. The music, the people, the chaos lapsed into a background hum in his mind. As Gurin raised the syringe up along Ellie’s back, Connor drew his Ruger .40 caliber handgun in a smooth but hurried draw from his Green Lantern utility belt, taking aim amid screams erupting near him. His vision came in staccato blips as if watching on an old time slide projector. The syringe descended toward Ellie’s neck, and Connor squeezed the trigger on his Ruger twice. The .40 caliber hollow points went in near Gurin’s temple, exiting to bathe the bar in the background with brain and skull matter.

Time roared back into reality along with the screams of rave revelers running for the exits. Connor watched Ellie take down the Gurin sidekick while pulling out his Oakland police identification, holding it up in the ducked down guard’s face. “Please go ahead and help the crowd to not panic. Other officers are on their way. You don’t work for Gurin, do you?”

“No… I work for the people running the rave. I’ll go do what I can.”

* * *

Connor jogged over next to Ellie and Julie, crouching down at eye level with his partner. “Gurin was getting ready to stick you with that Krokodil shit, El. I had to take him down.”

Ellie’s horrified face told him everything he needed to know. “Oh shit! He was? They drugged Jules, and got her to tell them we were on to them. I didn’t know until a split second before you boinked him. Go guard Gurin’s body, Opie. I pray he has the syringe in his hand or you are in deep shit, headshot.”

Connor grinned. “He still has it clutched in his hot little hand, El. I will secure the scene until the forces of light arrive. Is Julie okay?”

Ellie grabbed Julie’s chin. “Hey, Jules… you with us?”

Julie’s eyes blinked. She hugged Ellie. “No…no more undercover for me. Oh… God… I don’t feel so good.”

Ellie sighed. “Go secure our main perp’s position, Opie. I’ll take care of our undercover trainee, and her crappy debut. Damn, Jules! What is it about don’t accept open beverages you don’t understand?”

Julie groaned. “I… thought it was okay if the bartender served it directly.”

Connor and Ellie glanced up at where the bartender was inching away. Connor straightened, pointing at the retreating barkeep. “Stay still! If you break and run, I will slam your face into the floor!”

The barkeep chose unwisely. He broke and ran about fifty feet before Connor caught up and kicked his legs out from under him while slamming his face into the floor as promised.

Ellie chuckled. “Ouch. I think Opie just adjusted the barkeep’s attitude about drugging you, Jules. He seems very contrite now. Do you think you can stand?”

Julie waved a hand haphazardly. “If…if I stand… I’ll barf.”

Ellie patted her hand. “Stay right here. I’ll bring you some water.”

“Could I… you know… just pass out?”

Ellie laughed, patting her cheek. “Not a good idea right now, Jules. If you do… no big deal… I’ll just take videos of you.”

Julie’s look of horror undercut Ellie’s joke.

“Jules! Connor and I don’t do that. If you want to go sleepy time on the floor, go ahead. You may want to rethink that idea with what must be all over this floor. I’ll watch over you, and I mean I will break some bones if Ladd and Arvizo even approach you.”

“Thanks… El.”

“You bet. I’ll be right back, Jules.” Ellie stood up. Connor had already dragged the bartender over near Gurin, so he could both protect the crime scene and hold the bartender.

Their backups arrived as the crowd thinned considerably, including Sergeant Donaldson. He didn’t approach his officers for a while. Donaldson directed traffic for the next half hour, making sure what would be in evidence, stayed in evidence, including all video footage, and actual witnesses. He then walked over to his undercover cops with a shaking head smile.

“Thanks, Opie! I knew somehow you would find a way to turn this sting into an execution. Nice job by the way. I know you too well to jump to conclusions. Go ahead, give it to me.”

Connor pointed at Gurin. “El went in to protect and secure Julie. They’d already doped her. The idiot bartender that did it is next to the corpse. That needle Gurin still has clutched in his hand is Krokodil. He was in the process of injecting it into my partner. I couldn’t warn her because of the noise. I couldn’t intervene in time, and I’d kill another twenty Gurins rather than allow him to stab El with the zombie juice.”

“Point taken,” Donaldson allowed. He gestured then for the crime scene photographer who jogged over. “Get this sleaze with the syringe in multiple shots, Craig. Then a shot of everything, including this guy still holding his nutsack.”

Craig looked over at Connor and Ellie. “Don’t worry. This will be what we want it to be. I’ve already seen those two kids outside. Execution is too good for this monstrous bastard.”

“Thanks, brother,” Connor said. “Any chance of us fleeing the scene, boss, and taking Dr. Morrison with us to recuperate?”

“Go ahead,” Donaldson replied. “If there are any other complications, I have you two on speed dial. I saw those two kids out in the parking lot too. I can’t think of a better ending for that piece of shit. Nice shooting. Good Lord in heaven I hope we can stop this Krokodil stuff.”

Ellie pictured the two young kids who had passed her, shuddering. “From your lips to God’s ear, boss.”

* * *

Connor sat waiting for Julie’s alternate psychologist to make her appearance for the department ordered evaluation after a shooting. She came into the office reading from a file as if prepping for a test, her harried smile and handshake making Connor wonder how many days she’d been on the job.

“Hi, Connor. I’m Doctor Lucy Barrington.” She sat down opposite Connor with Julie’s usual desk between them. “I see you executed another man.”

Connor took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair.

The End

If you liked my Halloween caper with Connor, Ellie, and Doc Morrison, the novel starring the three can be found here: THE PROTECTORS

Amazon’s Author’s Page with all nineteen of my novels listed if you like action, humor, and pulp fiction is here: Bernard Lee DeLeo