27. THE SAVAGE TWILIGHT
Las Vegas: Wednesday 30th May 1990.
In the company of royalty.....
As we leave the hotel, Lorenzo slicks his hair back again and offers a stark warning:
"Don't say shit hommes! You utter one word and I'll smoke you! I'll blast you! Understand hommes?!"
"Completely...."
He seems agitated by my cool response:
"You think this is a fuckin' joke hommes?! You think I'm fuckin' playing wid you?!"
Now he's beginning to piss me off; I refuse to be intimidated by this coked up prick:
"Look! I understand! You'll kill me if I speak, so I won't.... Let's just get this done and we can go our separate ways. Why don't you comb your again? You missed a spot....."
"Just fuckin' soldier hommes!" He responds angrily, gobbing on the pavement.
"You're the alpha male, you're in charge!"
That comment has jolted him:
"Nigger, did you just call me a monkey?!"
"Did you just call me a nigger?"
The coked up little prick asks me the question again:
"Nigger, did you just call me a monkey?"
His eyes are blazing and I'm refusing to back down; it's too much fun watching this horrible little midget blow his top.
Sarah interjects:
"Guys! Please....." She's right....
....... We have work to do.
Inside the cab you can cut the tension with a knife....
I'm oblivious.... I have memories of Portishead taunting me.... ........ We head downtown and get out just by a liquor store.
Lorenzo leads us down the alleyway, slicking his hair back once again:
"Okay hommes...... This way......."
I suddenly spot Lorenzo for what he really is: A fucking chancer! He's not a drug lord, he's not a kingpin! He looks like a fucking amateur! Swinging a black brief case in right hand, jogging slowly down the alleyway on his tip-toes.
As Lorenzo joggs ahead, I turn to Sarah:
"Very inconspicuous, eh?"
She says nothing, just stares ahead as we walk, arms folded- Nerves I expect..... We enter the parking lot........
And there he is, the man himself: Super Mario..... Stood next to a convertible Cadillac.....
He reaches into the car and grabs a black briefcase of his own, holding it up in the air.
Lorenzo looks around nervously, then jogs over to super Mario:
"Hey hommes... You ready to-"
BOOOOM!!!
HUH?!!! WHAT ON EARTH?!! GUNSHOT!!!
IT'S A FUCKING GUNSHOT!!
Before Lorenzo can even finish his sentence, Super Mario has fired a bullet into his knee!!
Lorenzo drops to the ground like a sack of spuds, frozen in shock; his mouth is wide open, his eye's the size of two footballs......
In what feels like a split second, Super Mario has dragged Lorenzo to the curb....
I'm powerless to do anything..... I'm frozen......
I'm stood rooted to the spot....... ....... I'm speechless.
I'M FROZEN!! I CAN'T BREATHE!!!
Super Mario forces open Lorenzos mouth and makes him bite the curb:
"THE FIRST TIME YOU GOT YO' ASS BURNED, YOU LOST A TOOTH NIGGA! YOU FUCKIN' WITH MARCUS WILLIAMS AGAIN?! THIS WHAT YOU GET MOTHERFUCKER!!"
THIS IS HORRIBLE!! I'M CHOKING! I CAN'T FUCKING BREATHE!!
I am being made to watch another human being suffer.... Like under the lighthouse.....
I'M FUCKING CHOKING!! ABIGAIL!!!! ABIGAIL!!
"... NOOO!!!"
Then he does it....
He stamps on Lorenzos head.... Sending teeth flying all over the concrete........
..... What a cunt!
He grabs Lorenzos case and walks over towards me and Sarah......
Sarah- I have to protect Sarah!
I have Hymies gun! I can protect Sa-
SARAH?!! SARAH........
She's walked over towards him....
What is she doing?!
I'm stunned:
"HEY SARAH..... SARAH?!"
SARAH?! SARAH?!!
I call after her again:
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! SARAH! PLEASE!"
"Leave him!" She says to Super Mario. "He's no threat to anybody....." They're walking away from me..... I'm lost........ Stunned...... A rabbit in the headlights.......
What the fuck is going on?!
As they walk away, I snap out of it:
"SARAH! COME BACK! YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO WITH HIM! I CAN PROTECT YOU! COME BACK!"
Then she does it.....
She reveals herself.....
She reveals her true colours..... She turns back to face me:
"OH TONY!! YOU REALLY FELL FOR THAT SHIT!"
I'm stunned..... She continues, mocking me:
"PLEASE TONY! HELP ME! GET ME AWAY FROM HERE!"
They both laugh.... Turning their backs to me, walking away laughing......
Super Mario is amused:
"AHA! THAT CRIPPLE ASS NIGGER THINKING HE WAS GONNA GET SOME?! SHEEEETT!"
I can see the lighthouse beam burn into the night sky; I can taste smoke, burned wood from the lighthouse....
Before I choke again, god steps in......
My mind is on autopilot, the tape has stopped playing- Like when I staggared down those pathways, back to the dank cellar.......
I hear it, but don't see it:
BANG! BANG!
Hymie's Desert Eagle discharges two slugs.... They penetrate Super Mario's lower back.....
"AAAAAAARRRGGHHHHHHHH!!"
He hits the ground, gasping for breath; shock sets in, the bastard dropped his gun. I'm over there in seconds, firing a shot at Sarah which sadly misses.
She curls up in a ball on the ground, screaming:
"NOOOOOOO!! NOOOOOOOO! FUCKIN' ASSHOLE!"
SARAH! MY DEAR.... I DIDN'T TELL YOU I HAD A GUN!
I HAVE IT BECAUSE I WANTED TO PROTECT YOU!
Just before Super Mario can grab his gun, I slam my cane down on his hand......
I pick up and inspect the weapon:
"YOU REALLY ARE AN AWFUL CUNT! ARN'T YOU BOY?!"
A German Luger..... Super Mario's gun of choice is a German Luger.
....... Under the lighthouse, Dr Unsworth said my death wasn't the end but the beginning of something. I would be become his work of art..... My head in a jar....
Now it's my turn to be the artist.
"YOU SIR! YOU WILL BE MY FIRST WORK OF ART! YOU... SHALL BE A CRIPPLED NIGGER!"
I have Hymies Desert Eagle pointed at Super Mario's ankle. I pull the trigger:
BOOOOOOOMM!!
The bullet shatters bone.....
Super Mario is screaming his head off:
"AAAAAAAARRRGHHH!! SON OFA BITCH!! SONOFA BITCH!! ARRRRRGGHHH!"
I pull his foot up into the air with both hands, pulling it close to my chest; I start to twist the foot at the damaged ankle....
As I twist he screams in agonising pain.... Each twist is another brush stroke......
Blood runs down my arms and inner jacket sleeve; droplets splatter over my chest, neck and chin.....
Super Marios ankle is now a twisted mess of bloodied flesh and protruding bone.......
I can't even hear Super Mario scream anymore; theres a loud ringing in my ears and I can hear blood pulsing through my temples......
I drop his leg to admire my work.....
Something startles me- I look up!
Suddenly I see another car pull up- Cowboy Stan! ....... I'm back at the fair, 1972.
Back in Uncle Franks arms, back with a rifle in my arms aiming at the target; back trying to impress Uncle Frank, show him I'm not a monkey! Show him I'm not an ape- A black bastard!
I pull Super Mario's German Luger from my pocket; the gun discharges three times...........
BULLSEYE!!!!
BANG! BANG! BANG! SMASH!
Three bullets fly through Cowboy Stans side window! Blood spattering against the shattered glass!
I'm stumbling over........ The drivers door pops open.......
Cowboy Stan looks proper fucked- Neck pissing blood, a head wound.....
He drops to the onto the ground from the motor; he's shaking and twitching, blood soaking into his pink shirt......
..... Uncle Frank kissing my head, shouting to everybody:
"THAT'S MY BOY! BEST SHOT IN THE WHOLE WORLD!!" Theres a warm feeling in my guts......
The Cowboys eyes grow bigger as I move closer to him:
"JESUS TONY! PLEASE! NO! NO! NO! NO!"
Stans choking on his own blood- His teeth clenched, his jaw trying to jut! He's trying to shake his head- Fuck him!
My hand is aiming at his fat gut; Marios German Luger discharges three times:
BANG! BANG! BANG!
It take guts to do that- I have them...... Cowboy Stan did......
I can see Stans white teeth through a mouthful of blood; he's twitching and shaking, eyes rolling back into his head....
Brains and blood everywhere.... What a mess.....
As I inspect the decaying Cowboy, I notice something.....
I turn to Super Mario:
"YOU FUCKING EVIL BASTARD!! YOU HAD HOLLOW TIPS!! YOU WERE OUT TO DO DAMAGE!!"
Back at the hotel, I'd watched a documentary on Police ballistics; hollow tips split on impact causing maximum damage- Very painful.........
The rage is boiling inside me again.....
I can hear Sarah calling me:
"PLEASE TONY! CAN WE GO! PLEASE!" Horrible fucking cunt! Played me like a fool!
"TAKE THIS CUNT TO THE HOSPITAL!!" I instruct, pointing to the Super Mario cunt. "YOU'VE GOT SIXTY SECONDS TO GET THIS CUNT IN THE CAR! OTHERWISE, I'LL FINISH THE FUCKING JOB AND HE ENDS UP LIKE THE DEAD COWBOY OVER THERE!!"
"OKAY TONY! OKAY!" The bitch squeals, trying to pick him up. "WHATEVER YOU SAY!"
"ONE......"
She drags him by the leg, pulling him along the ground with all her strength..... Cunt........
"TWO......."
Somebody I genuinely wanted to save has turned into the villain....... Fucking cunt......
"THREE!"
"YOU-A...... DEAD.... DEAD... MOTHERFUCKER.." Super Mario coughs out. "M-M-MARCUS W-W-WILLIAMS....."
"FOUR!"
"No mercy boy!" That's what Uncle Frank used to tell me. "Show no cunt no mercy! They'll only walk all over yer'!"
"FIVE!"
"AHA! THAT CRIPPLE ASS NIGGER THINKING HE WAS GONNA GET SOME?! SHEEEETT!"
Super Mario's words echo in my head......
"SIX!"
"M-M-MARCUS WILLIAMS IS GONNA KILL YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" The crippled nigger shouts as he's pushed into his own cadilac......
"SEVEN......"
I stop counting and turn back to Lorenzo- The Cunt looks a state! He's lying there dazed! Blood pouring from his buggered gob......
Time to tie up loose ends.... I have both the briefcases- I'm in control here!
....... POP!
I open super Marios case first: Six bags of cocaine.
I take the first bag and split the fucking thing open with my fingers; I'm watching particles catching the breezel, flying up into the air as I shake the bag violently.......
Second bag gets the fucking same- Boom! Up into the air!
Nasty cocaine, flying around a liquor store parking lot......
........ A small crowd has gathered, they watch but keep a safe distance.
Bags three and four get the same fucking treatment- All this fucking trouble, over a few bags of white powder!
I've lost control of myself, shouting like a madman:
"ALL THIS SHIT!! FOR WHAT?! FOR WHAT?!! A FEW FUCKING BAGS OF COCAINE?!!"
I toss the case back at Lorenzo, who still pissing blood from his gob:
"TWO BAGS FOR YOU, YER' CUNT!!
I grab his case and pop it open, removing a couple of the money stacks; I place the money in my blazer pocket and toss the case back at Cunty Chops:
"For my trouble.... It's been a pleasure brokering this deal....."
Sarah is staring at me from the drivers seat, tears making her face wet, her eyes full of sorrow and anger.
I point the gun at her:
"YOU STILL HERE CUNT!! WHAT DID I SAY?!!!" I fire another shot in Bonnie and Clydes direction:
BANG!
She starts the car in a blind panic; most of the crowd do a runner when they hear another gunshot.
I'm losing my patience:
"ALL YOU FUCKERS, CLEAR OFF!! FUCK OFF!! THE LOT 'O YERS!! FUCK OFF!! AMERICAN CUNTS!! FUCK OFF OUT OF IT!!"
The cadillac zig zags out of the car park and onto the street.....
I bid Sarah and Mario farewell:
"THAT'S RIGHT!! GO ON!! FUCK OFF THE BOTH OF YERS!!"
A couple of brave cunts have stayed around. As I hobble past, one of them says something:
"THIS GUY IS FUCK-ING CRAZY!"
I hate cunts with big mouths- Especially Americans! First to gob off then moan about violence.... Bring it on yerselves.
I put the empty Luger in my jacket pocket and pull out Hymies Desert Eagle.....
I point the gun at the bastard.
"HEY! D-D-DUDE....." He says, putting his hands up to protect his head- Stupid cunt!
I drop the gun to his kneecap:
BANG!
"AAAARRRRRGHHHH!!! YOU FUCKING SHOT ME!! AAAAAAAGHHHHHH!!"
He hits the deck and his buddy does a runner- Sharpish!
This cunt is screaming in pain:
"SOMEBODY HELP ME!! AAAAARRGGGHHH JEEESSUSSS!! AARRGHHHH!!! SOMEBODY HEEEEELP! PLEEEEEASE!!"
I've got no sympathy for this cunt:
"SHOULDA KEPT YER' BIG FUCKING MOUTH CLOSED! CUNT!"
Fucking prick!
...... People are screaming as I start walking down the road.
I fucking hate these yank bastards! Make a fucking drama out of everything!
Fucking cunts!
I fire two shots in the air:
"ALL OF YOU CUNTS GET OUT OF MY FUCKING WAY!"
I'M ANTONIO RICHARDS!! I'M ANTONIO RICHARDS!!! I AM NOT A MONKEY!! I AM NOT A FUCKING MONKEY!!!!!