The Spectator

[CollegeCutie]

All around the room hung scenes of Natalie's days in the city park: an old married couple walking hand-in-hand, a little girl picking flowers for her mother, a couple teenagers out on their first date together...

"You have to take the good with the bad David."

He turned his tear streaked face away from hers and she brought her hands up to cup the sides of his face. She gently turned his head back to face hers and their eyes locked.

Don't push people away David... you'll end up missing so much.

Like what?

Like this..

Pulling his face down to hers she closed her eyes and kissed him softly on the lips, her arms sliding to drape around his neck.

 

[Beach Boy]

Visions of the gun battle ensuing outside flashed through Davids mind then flickered out. All of his senses were alive to Natalie and nothing else really mattered. He felt whole, confident, gratified, alive!

David's arms reached around Natalie and pulled her close -- their bodies and souls melting together.

You don't have to worry about losing me. Natalie smiled.

Will you marry me? David snuggled her close.

Natalie's heart beat against David and she smiled at him with her eyes. The thought had helplessly crossed his mind. It embarassed him slightly... they had only been with each other for a couple of hours. There would be no secrets between them.

I mean would you consider marrying somebody like me?

 

[CollegeCutie]

Will you marry me?

Natalie knew it was just a fleeting thought and not an actual proposal, but it still caused her heart to skip a beat as she smiled at him. She could feel his embarrassment and knew he had not meant for her to hear.

I mean would you consider marrying somebody like me?

Her smile moved from her eyes to her lips.

I would. she lifted herself up on her toes and kissed him again.

It was absolute euphoria. Natalie would not lie and say that her life had been an unhappy one, but even in the best of times there had been something missing. A piece of herself she had not found until now. With David she felt complete. They had only just met, but she couldn't possibly imagine returning to the way things had been before him.

 

[Beach Boy]

Poking his head cautiously above his patrol car Sheriff Parker tried to size up the situation. But he really couldn't see anything.

"The fucking windows are tinted!" Sheriff Parker yelled into his radio.

Using the word 'fuck' always made him feel a little tougher. It could be scary being a Sheriff.

"And some fuckin' idiot tried to be a fucking hero and almost got a women killed.. The robbers are probably fucking mad as hell! Is the negotiator here?... Well fucking send Bob in!"

An unarmed man, slightly balding and in his early forties, wearing a bullet-proof police vest, nervously headed into the building.

"This is totally insane." One of the sharpshooters, on the roof commented.

The infared masks they'd just put on allowed them to see shapes inside the building. But to get a good shot, or even know what they was shooting at was impossible.

"Can you see Bob?" Sheriff Parker asked over the radio.

"I think so." One of the sharpshooters replied.

Fuck!

"Whoa, something's happened! The negotiator just went down!"

"Bob, do you copy?.... Bob!"

"And now.. somebodies running!"

"Shoot! Fucking shoot!!" Sheriff Parker yelled.

Both of the sharpshooters fired on the blurry figure. The fourth shot brought him down.

Fuckin' idiots!

"Bob, do you copy? Hello...?"

"Sheriff, I can see three figures moving slowly across the bank. They could be the robbers."

Sheriff Parker took a deep breath. Should he gamble that these were the robbers?

"Hello.." A strange voice came over the radio.

"Hello, who is this." Sheriff Parker demanded.

"This is fuckin' nobody. You just fuckin' killed your own man."

Fuck..

"Look we've got the bank fucking surrounded. If you fucking want to live you'll come out with your hands up."

BAM BAM BAM Three loud gunshots rang out from inside the bank.

"Fire at will!" Sheriff Parker yelled.

Inside the bank the wounded security guard passed out moments after squeezing off the third shot. He'd hit two of the masked figures.

The sharpshooters saw two of the three figures they'd been watching go down. The third figure went down on the second shot they fired.

"What's happening in there?" Sheriff Parker asked.

"Nothing.... Maybe we got them?"

For a few strained minutes Sheriff Parker and the other officers sat behind their cars and waited.

Fuck..Fuck..Fuck!

"Now!" Sheriff Parker yelled.

Sheriff Parker waited while the other officers rushed the bank.

"We've done it!" The officer announced over the radio. "All four of the robbers are dead and the banks secure! But we do have two men down in here.... One's dead... And the others going to need the 'medics fast!"

Sheriff Parker waved the paramedics to follow him into the building. The bodies of the masked robbers lay on the floor and a little ways away several officers were gathered around a fallen security guard.

"He's still alive." The officer reassured Sheriff Parker. "The other wasn't so lucky.."

Something caught Sheriff Parkers attention further inside the bank.

"What is it?" The officer asked.

"I don't know." Sheriff Parker frowned. "But don't touch it!" Nervously he headed towards the center of the bank. There on the floor lay a black ski mask.

The man climbed shakily into his car and eased away from the curb. Fuck.. Fuck!.. I fuckin' swear I'm gonna fuckin' kill that fuckin' asshole that fucked me up... And his fuckin' wife! And his fuckin kids, if he has any! And anybody who even fuckin' looks a little like him!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"Well what should we do?!" David shook his head.

"I don't know.. He didn't really get much of a look at you."

"I know, but we have to do something.."

 

[CollegeCutie]

"Maybe he's just angry. Maybe he won't really try anything." she said.

But she could sense that he really had meant it. He hadn't gotten a clear look at David, but maybe that was worse because now he was going to start killing people he thought were David. Who knew how many people would die if they didn't do something. She bit her bottom lip in thought.

"Maybe I should call the cops. No one really got a good look at me, I could tell them that I live across from the bank and think I saw one of the robbers escaping. I could even give them specifics: what he looks like, the car, the license plate. They would have to at least bring him in for questioning right?"

 

[Beach Boy]

"Sheriff Parker, we have a lady on the line, who lives across the street from the bank. She was a witness to the robbery. She saw somebody she thought was suspicious leave the bank and she got the make and model of his car.... AND the license plate number!"

"That's..uh..great!" Sheriff Parker nodded. "Have her come on down to the station. I have some other questions I'd like to ask her."

A special task force had been enlisted to aid in the apprehension of a particularly violent gang of vigilantes who were acting out their own version of street law. But there was something that bothered the Sheriff. He'd personally been one of the officers at one of the crime scenes. An old man and his wife had been brutally robbed and murdered by a small local street gang. A gang of vigilantes had interceded and killed all of them. It had happened under the bridge near the water. They'd combed the area for clues, and in the dirt they'd been able to find the shoe prints of one other man. It was ludicrous... but Sheriff Parker had a theory -- that had been laughed off by the task force. One man... and only one man... was the "gang of vigilantes".

At the bank robbery a 'vigilante' had taken on two men with Uzi's, killing the one at the bank entrance and knocking out the one inside. Insane! 'He' had to be the the Sheriff's mythical 'superman'.

But now the Sheriff had a witness who could identify 'him'! She'd seen 'him' in Starbucks with a.. girlfriend? And she'd seen 'him' knock out the armed robber inside the bank.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"David we should have never gotten involved. I should have called the police from the start."

"There was no time!" David's face flushed slightly "He was going to kill ALL of the people inside the bank... to buy time and secure their getaway."

"But David... David.. I could have distracted him.. At least long enough for the police to get there!"

David knew that Natalie could sense the shame and self-loathing he felt. I'm not perfect! I screw up sometimes!

"When I was in college..." David began fearfully. He took a deep breath. "The six year old daughter of the football coach was kidnapped by a deranged fan...."

Natalie reached over and put an arm around David and David pulled her close.

"I contacted the police... But instead of listening to what I was telling them, they became suspicious of me.. They traced my phone number and had a plain clothes officer follow me around."

What happened to the girl?

"I knew the kidnapper was going to kill the girl and I became desperate. I lead the plain clothes officer right to the kidnapper. He was so caught up in believing that I was the kidnapper... He got himself shot... I had to react.. I had to do something! I almost lost my life recuing that girl.."

And you killed the kidnapper?

"No the officer did.. He lived somehow, but the injury hurt him.. badly. He was put on office duty. The little girl told her father what she'd seen me do... But he didn't really believe it."

David kissed Natalie softly on the cheek. Please be careful with the police.

 

[CollegeCutie]

Natalie gave David a reasuring smile.

Don't worry, I will.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Natalie closed the office door behind her as she walked in.

"Sheriff Parker? They told me to come and speak to you. I'm Natalie Giordani, I called earlier regarding to the bank robery across from my apartment."

She extended her hand in greeting to the man seated down at the desk across from her.

 

[Beach Boy]

David eased his car up the winding drive leading to his home. He was proud of his large Arts and Crafts style home. David had it custom built, and he'd personally done much of the hand-finishing on the house himself. However it was a bit large and sometimes when he wondered what he'd been thinking when he'd built such a large house. A smaller one would have been easier to have kept clean.

David suddenly tuned into Natalie nervously answering questions. Normally he couldn't pick up this much from people far away. But Natalie was different.

Why did I become suspicious?

"I don't know... I was watching people exit the bank when one man came out with his hands almost covering his face -- like he was afraid somebody might see him. So I watched him.. and noted the make of his car and the licence plate."

"What do you mean, how was I able to see the plate from all the way up in my apartment? I don't know... I just could."

David, don't worry so much.. His main concern is that I'm faking this report. He really wants to believe me!

David's mouth dropped open. Natalie could sense his fear.. this far away!

Natalie, I've got a busy day with clients tomorrow but I could meet you in the morning at Starbucks, for coffee, if you'd like.

I'll see you there, David! I'd offer to have you over to my place but I think that the police might be watching my apartment for the next couple of days so Starbucks is probably the safest place to meet.

 

[CollegeCutie]

The remainder of her talk with the sheriff went rather smoothly. He wrote down all the information she had given him and said that they would call her to identify the perp in a line up if they caught him.

When they catch him. Natalie reasured herself.

She had caught a cab home, and the rest of her day had passed uneventfully.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning Natalie sat at the same corner table by the window as she had the day before. She sipped idly at her coffee and skimmed through the morning paper as she waited for David to arrive. Thankfully the shop was not nearly as crowded today.

God please let this meeting go better than yesterday's. she prayed silently.

 

[Beach Boy]

David tucked several rolls of plans under one arm and picked up his notebook computer with the other. Today was going to be a busy day. But his most important piece of business was to first meet with Natalie for coffee! He gave one last satisfied look inside his house and closed the front door. Natalie would probably love the house. And the empty walls would look great with her paintings on them!

Guilt tugged at Davids mind when he considered what had happened the day before, but an image of Natalie contently sipping coffee at her favorite corner table entered Davids mind and filled him with peace as he drove along.

Suddenly Natalie sat up straight and gasped. David felt it too and a sliver of fear seemed to press down on him as he increased his speed anxiously.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So how are you doing this gorgeous day?" The bearded man asked in a deep soothing voice.

"So so.."

"May I have the pleasure of joining you?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm waiting for somebody."

"Well, I certainly hope it's not that piece of work you were with yesterday. I know his kind... he's bad news..... You have a thing for abusive men, don't you!"

Natalie glared at him, but instead of turning away he pulled a chair out and sat down at the table with Natalie.

"Let me tell you about his type.."

"Leave now!" Natalie said deliberately.

"Now you just calm yourself down! You don't understand."

Natalie looked at him intently "No, you're the one who doesn't understand."

"He really doesn't understand!" David chimed in.

The bearded man spun around and took a deep breath "Look, you are going to leave this nice young lady alone. Do you understand me!"

Natalie ignored the bearded man and turned to David "He's here."

"That man standing right over there, that's him!" The women yelled out "That's the jerk who almost got me killed!"

Sheriff Parker's face was filled with fear and David could feel his anxiety as he approached.

The bearded man stood and grabbed ahold of Davids arm. "You're going with the Sheriff right now!" He turned to Sheriff Parker. "Sheriff this piece of dog crap keeps harassing this young lady and just won't take no for an answer."

Sheriff Parker suddenly recognized her and gasped. "Natalie?!"

"It's good that you're here Sheriff." The bearded man nodded.

Sheriff Parker lunged forward, his right arm hooking around the bearded mans neck. The man struggled and gasped for air as we was drug out of Starbucks and thrown onto the pavement.

Sheriff Parker charged shakily back into Starbucks, all eyes intently watching.

"You're coming with me!" He hoarsely yelled to David.

Natalie looked at him nervously, and the sugar she'd been reaching for suddenly shot across the table into her hand.

Sheriff Parker looked at Natalie increduously. "And you too.." He croaked.

Natalie jumped up and together with David they followed Sheriff Parker as he shakily exited.

"You're freakin' nuts.." The bearded man, who was now seated on the sidewalk, said weaky.

"I'll drive." Natalie offered.

Sheriff Parker handed her the keys and suddenly all the doors on the squad car opened at once. Sheriff Parker sat down in the back and David joined Natalie in the front. Then all the doors closed, the car roared to life, and Natalie accelerated away from the curb.

"The siren!" Sheriff Parker yelled noticing the light changing yellow in front of them.

"Sorry.." Natalie apologized. The siren came on by itself... and the light turned green in front of them.

Sheriff Parker watched in amazement then covered his face in his hands. "He fucking grabbed my wife and daughter!"

"I know.. He want's to kill me too." David nodded "It was my fault... for letting him go.."

 

[CollegeCutie]

Natalie could feel the guilt radiating from both of the men sitting behind her in the squad car: David for letting the robber go, and the sheriff for not being able to stop the man from kidnapping his wife and daughter.

"It's no one's fault." she told the both of them.

David, you can't blame yourself. You did everything you could.

Another light quickly changed from red to green as she sped the car to where she knew the man was keeping the sheriff's family captive.

Despite her words, on the inside Natalie was battling with her own feelings of guilt. She had kept David from killing a criminal who was now going to try and kill two innocent people.

Dear God please help us get there in time.

 

[Beach Boy]

Sheriff Parker gave David a look of sad resignation "Why didn't you just call us when you first realized that the bank was being robbed?"

David knew he was right but didn't know how to respond.

"David doesn't trust the police as much as he should." Natalie ventured.

"Do you remember the time the football coach's daughter was kidnapped?" David asked.

"Yes I do." Sheriff Parker studied David intently. "I wasn't Sheriff at that time.... You.. You were the guy who tipped us off!!"

"Yeah.."

"I don't understand, we caught the guy and saved the little girls life. One of our best detectives was even injured in the rescue.."

"I had to lead him there! The evidence I gave the police was ignored and they began investigating me instead!"

"We play the percentages." Sheriff Parker argued. "We have too! People who know that much are always connected in some way....... You were the exception."

"Well we're going to have to beat the odds now." Natalie interupted with a twinge of fear in her voice.

She guided the car down a dirty neglected street between a couple old brick warehouses.

Natalie glanced back at Sheriff Parker "He's on the phone right now trying to get ahold of you. He's getting ready to do it... To kill them. And he's not alone, he's got other people there with him."

"We've got to do something!"

Sheriff Parker's red sweaty face was a picture of pain and anxiety.

"We can distract him." Natalie suggested. "We can send in somebody he wants to kill... We can send in David."

 

[CollegeCutie]

She wouldn't have even mentioned the idea except she knew that David was already thinking it.

"If we all work together we can do this." she said in what she hoped was a confident tone. She pulled the car into an alleyway and turned of the engine.

They had to do something soon though. She could feel the anger and frustration of the bank robber from not being able to get a hold of the sheriff at the station.

"What do you mean you don't know where he is?! Well find him damnit!! I've got his family RIGHT HERE and I'm gonna blow their brains out!"

The poor girl, she couldn't be any more than ten years old. She had the same dark hair and eyes as her mother who was tied next to her.

I won't let her die. Natalie vowed.

 

[Beach Boy]

"Hurry David!" Natalie said outloud.

David could feel her anxiety and it seemed to weigh him down as he climbed out of the car.

"Maybe I shouldn't have turned off my cellphone and radio..." Sheriff Parker whispered horsely. Both David and Natalie knew that Sheriff Parker only half believed that David was capable of doing anything to save his wife and daughter.

David approached slowly but he could only sense two guards in the building. They were inside a small room near the entrance. And from the sounds he could hear they were busy watching a football game on TV.

This was going to be too easy! David almost had to laugh. However there was a slight squeak in his shoes, and Davids better judgement told him not to risk it. Sometimes it almost seemed as though his heightened senses also heightened his intellegence! He slipped his shoes and socks off and passed the room, where the guards were watching football, without the slightest notice.

The concrete floor was a little wet but Davids bare feet actually seemed to grip better than shoes could have.

"You're telling me that the Sheriff fuckin' turned off BOTH his cellphone, AND his radio? No fuckin' way! This is your last chance! You put him on NOW or I'm going to blow his little family's brains out!"

David heard the man yelling into the phone from behind a metal door.

You're not blowing anyones brains out. Not while I'm here, at any rate!

The door was probably locked but David knew he could break the lock on any door with a good hard twist.

Okay asshole, now we're going to have some fun! You wanted me now you've got me.

David reached forward and grabbed the door knob. But before he could turn the knob a jolt went through his body and his body knotted up on him.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! An alarm sounded through the building.

David could feel his heart seizing up on him as the electricity in the booby-trapped door bit into him. He had to break loose!

"What the fuckin' hell!" The man yelled from behind the door.

David willed his frozen body to move, and broke loose..

WHOMP WHOMP

David saw the guards out of the corner of his eye, and heard the muffled gunshots, but his heart wasn't even beating right and he found himself unable to react. David sensed one of the shots penetrating his hip and the other grazing his shoulder.

WHOMP A shot ripped into his stomach.

WHOMP David saw stars and felt searing pain as a shot ripped through his chest. His vision blurred, he could smell blood and the floor swung up and hit him hard.

HELP ME NATALIE! HELP ME! I MESSED UP! HELP ME NATALIE! HELP ME! HELP ME! HELP ME!

 

[CollegeCutie]

"Oh god, DAVID!!"

His pleas rang in her head, and for a moment she was doubled over in pain as she felt the bullets rip through his body. But in an instant she was up again.

Hold on David I'm coming!

The driver's door to the police car opened without her even touching it.

"What?! What happened?!!" asked the sheriff.

"CALL AN AMBULANCE!" was the only response as she ran through the door of the warehouse that David had just entered only moments before.

I shouldn't have asked him to go.. I should have gone with him.. I should have...

 

[Beach Boy]

Through blurred vision David watched the two guards as they approached him. One had a radio in his hand and was talking to the boss in the room behind the metal door.

"What do you mean? How the fuckin' hell should I know how he got past us! He didn't get far, we fuckin' shredded him! Fuck..okay.. I'll have Jimmy fuckin' secure the perimeter, and I'll clean up this fuckin' mess.... "

David could sense the fear, no the terror, that the Sheriff's wife and daughter were feeling. "Don't worry your pretty little cunts.. I'm not gonna do nothing to you 'til I get your fuckin' pig husband on the phone so he can hear every little fuckin' sound!"

David I'm coming! Hang in there!

Whoa! Whoa Natalie! David could hear the sounds of her running feet approaching.

"Who the fuck is that!" The guard with the radio spun around and aimed his Uzi at the young woman Jimmy already had in his sights. "KILL HER!"

 

[CollegeCutie]

Natalie had been in such a rush to get to David that she had almost forgotten about the two guards...that is until they both pointed their Uzis strait at her.

Natalie, watch out!

WHOMP WHOMP

Two bullets from two seperate directions shot towards her simultaniously, and to her astonishment.. she dodged them. Just barely. One flew by so close to her ear that she could feel the slight shift in the air it caused. Natalie couldn't believe it. She didn't think she had ever moved so fast in all her life.

Holy shit! the guard nearest David stood looking at her with his jaw dropped.

Then the lights went out.

How'd she do that?!

Everything went silent for a moment then.. CRASH!

Jimmy crumpled to the ground, Natalie having just broken a beer bottle that she had quickly grabbed from atop the television set over his head.

"What the fuck was that?! Jimmy, where is she?!!"

Natalie picked up the fallen guard's gun and silently krept in the direction of the voice.

 

[Beach Boy]

"Try and stop me, you fuckin' pig"

In the darkness he aimed his Uzi in the direction of the tied up Sheriff's wife and daughter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I na- need an ambulance... and all available officers... imediately!" Sheriff Parker's voice shook with fear. He should have stopped Natalie. He'd heard the shots. She was almost certainly dead. Maybe David was still alive?

Sheriff Parker checked his gun, stepped out of his car, and ran towards the building. But instead of recklessly rushing inside the warehouse he stayed to the right of the door and hugged the wall listening and wary. Carefully he peered into the dark warehouse.

 

[CollegeCutie]

Natalie didn't need to use her eyes to tell exactly where everything and everyone was in the darkness, her senses told her everything she needed to know. The guard on the other hand...

Where the fuck is she?!

She could sense him searching the black void with his eyes, his ears straining for any noise that might reveal her location.

She was maybe about three feet away now, her gun aimed strait at the man's forehead.

David?

No reply. His silence scared her. They were running out of time. She didn't have any other choice.

God, please forgive me..

WHOMP

The metal door flew open without her even touching it.

WHOMP

 

[Beach Boy]

Karen was the most beautiful girl in Davids Anthropology class and they often studied together. He knew she liked him and thought of him often. However Karen, who didn't seem to have any psychic ability, seemed to sense Davids preoccupation. Maybe he should tell her what he knew?

David watched Karen out of the corner of his eye as she ate lunch with her parents. Karen was talking about college and living in the dorms when suddenly she noticed David.

"Mom, dad, you see that guy over there? That's David. He's in my Anthro 100 class. We study together sometimes."

David sensed a little suspicion from Karens dad -- and Karen did too.

"Dad, he's really nice..." And I really like him.. Karen thought. But instead of saying that she said "And I think he really likes me.. He's always following me around."

No I'm not! Don't say that!
David felt a little queazy

"You're just friends?" Karens dad asked.

"Yeah.. we're just friends."

"You don't feel threatened by him.." Her dad nervously broached the subject.

"No, I think he's just going through a hard time now."

"I think I'm going to go and have a talk with him!"

"No dad, no!"

The undercover officer watched David intently. He noticed David watching Karen and her family and her family watching him. But he couldn't hear what they were saying.

David suddenly felt overcome by fear. It wasn't his fear, it was the coaches daughters fear. Her captor was telling her how he intended to kill her.

David had to do something, and NOW! Karens father was headed his way, and it was going to look bad but the officer would almost definitely follow him if he ran now.

Davids heart was pumping hard now. So hard that he had to will himself out of his chair and force himself to run..

But he seemed to be moving slowwwwly...

"David hang on!" Natalie yelled out loud. "Don't you die on me!!!" I love you..