The Fury
Issue #1
by Tom Zjaba
Chapter One
A Second Chance
Laying in the gutter is a destitute man named Jack. Nursing a bottle of cheap wine
in a paper bag, he holds out his hat and begs for
money. His bottle is nearly empty and his pockets hold nothing of value. A wad
of rolled up toilet paper, a couple cough drops and an empty pill bottle is all
the possessions he has on this planet. As he sits there nursing his bottle and hoping the day gets
better, a stranger walks by and drops a twenty dollar bill in his hat. The bill
is folded up and attached to something by a paper clip. The man looks up with a
smile at the man who is too well dressed to be in this part of town. "Thanks
man." is all he can mutter. The man looks down on him with a seriousness on his
face. "Attached to the twenty is an address. Show up there tomorrow and you can
make a lot more than that twenty" he said as he walks away. Jack pulls himself
up from the ground, shakes off the dust and smiles at his good fortune. He
is lucky to get half that much in a full day of panhandling, but today he gets a
twenty from one man. With twenty bucks
in his pocket, he heads down the street to the liquor store. For once, he
can buy something better than the rotgut he has been drinking. And he can
also stop and get himself a couple of hot dogs at the push cart. It has been awhile
since he ate a decent meal. He has lived almost exclusively on booze and
handouts down at the shelter.
The next day, Jack wakes up in a back alley. Being homeless,
he knows the best places to spend the night and not get rolled or attacked by
the local gangs. Homeless people make easy targets for gang members who want
to practice their moves on live targets. Once it gets dark, you have to become
invisible if you want to be in one piece the next morning. He sports a few scars
on his face from his early days on the street, before he learned the art of
camouflage. As the sun beams down in the alley, the place comes to life. Boxes began to move
as homeless people crawl from under them or behind them. From under
porches, people climb out to enjoy the feel of the sun on their faces. Out of shadows, the street people slowly emerge.
They know they have hours before the gang bangers wake up from their hangovers
or fatigue from the previous night of partying. Plenty of time
to get out and start looking for money for their next meal or drink. Some
of them collect cans. Some head to the streets to start pan handling. Others dig in the trash for items they
could sell at the pawn shop. Jack, squints into the bright light as the effects
of the night before still linger. He looks down at the empty bottle and hot
dog wrappers and smiles at the good time he had. He reaches into his pocket and
pulls out the four dollars he has left. He also sees the note with the address
on it. He thinks about what the man said about coming to this address to make
more money. He is worried the guy may be some kind of sicko. It is probably some
kind of trap. Or it could end up being some preacher who wanted to show him the
way to salvation. He is unsure if he should go, but the thought of another
night of drinking good booze and having a decent meal is enough to make him
risk it. Whenever he drinks the cheap stuff, he feels sick the next day. But
the quality booze he had last night did not leave him feeling ill. And having
some food in his belly does not hurt things either. But first he wants to head
down to the diner to get a cup of coffee and some bacon and eggs. The four
dollars was more than enough to cover that. With the $2.99 special, he
will eat good and can even leave a tip.
Later that afternoon, he makes his way over to the address on
the piece of paper.
While the neighborhood is better than his, it still is not the best
neighborhood. He is in unfamiliar territory, so he stays vigilant. As he
walks along, he comes across a large trailer in a vacant lot. It looks out of
place among the weeds and debris. The trailer was quite large and obviously
quite expensive. What it is doing in this vacant lot is anyone's guess. But he
checks the address on the paper and the one on the side of the trailer and they
match. He walks over to the door and knocks on it. There is no immediate
response, but he hears movement inside the trailer, so he waits. After a few minutes, he
sees the door open and there are numerous chains keeping it from opening. The
man peers out to sees who it is. Jack answers "Remember me from yesterday?" He
then pulls out the paper from his pocket and hands it through the door. The man
grabs it and pulls the paper in. The door is quickly shut. Within seconds, the
sound of bolts being unlocked lets Jack know that he does remember him. Then the
door opens up and he welcomes Jack in. "Come in, come in" he says as he waves
him in. As Jack enters the trailer, he looks around and sees that it looks a lot
like a mobile laboratory. There are beakers everywhere and lots of tubes and
vials and stuff. Jack cannot help but think of the old Frankenstein movies he
saw as a kid. He then says to the man "Hello, my name is Jack and you said I
could make a lot of money if I came to see you." The guy smiles and says "I am
glad to see you took me up on my offer Jack. Just call me Doc." He then extends
his hand to Jack, who takes it and gives it a good shake. The man has sweaty
palms and a weak handshake. But Jack is not here to judge the man, rather he is
here to get some quick money.
As the two of them walk to another room, the doctor explains
to Jack "What I am doing is experiments on expanding the human mind. Humans only
use a small portion of their brain. I believe that if we could stimulate the
brain into using a larger portion, we could unlock hidden abilities." Jack looks
at him and says "So you want me to be a human guinea pig?" "A well compensated
guinea pig" he replies with a smile. Jack thinks about this for a second and
says "Why are you not doing this at one of those fancy labs or hospitals?" The
doctor replies quickly "Because these are experimental tests and there are
others that would steal my work." Jack is not that smart but it sounds like as
good a reason as any. With that behind them, they go into a room where the
doctor pulls out a vial with some strange looking liquid in it. The liquid is
dark red in color, almost the color of blood. "This is the serum that will
unlock the parts of your brain that have remained dormant" he says as he hands
it to Jack. Not sure what to think of it, Jack lifts the serum to his eyes and
moves it around. He swishes it back and forth to check its consistency. Not sure
why he does it, he checks to see that it is quite liquid. He moves it up to his
nose and sniffs it. The smell permeates out the top and while not foul, is quite
unpleasant. "Before I drink anything, there was a matter of the money" he says
as his hand reaches out. The doctor reaches into his pocket and pulls out five
twenty dollar bills. He hands the money over and says "I will increase the
amount by twenty dollars, for each time you come back." Jack quickly counts the
money and then stashes it into his pocket. He then says "Cheers!" and drinks
down the vial. The taste is strong but not as bad as some of the booze that he
has swallowed. He stops for a few seconds and waits to see if anything happens.
Part of him is waiting to see if he becomes some kind of misshapen creature like
in the horror movies. While the thought of turning into Mr. Hyde is a bit scary,
it would mean he would not have to live in horror of the gangs. It would be nice
to turn the tables on them for once. But when nothing happens, he feels a sense
of relief. The doctor then hands him a notebook and a pen. "I want you to take
notes over the next few days. If anything unusual happens, jot it down here and
bring this back to me in two days." Jack agrees to it and heads out the door. As
he leaves the trailer, he hears the Doc shout out "Remember come back in two
days and I will give you an extra $20.00." While he hears what the Doc has to
say, his mind is thinking about what he can do with his new found wealth. It has
been a long time since he had this much money in his pocket. He knew the first
thing he was going to do was get a hotel room for the night. That way he would
be safe from the gang bangers.
He stops by one of the many run down hotels that line
streets. While they make most of their money renting by the hour, they also will
rent for the night. But the all night rooms are at the top of the building. They
keep the lower level rooms for the hourly patrons. That way they can get them in
and out quickly. Jack goes up to the counter and reads the board with the rates.
It only has the hourly rates listed. It has a room with one bed, one with two
beds, one with a water bed, etc... But Jack knows that if you ask about the
nightly rooms, they will give you the rates. At the Real Cozy Hotel, they don't
advertise the nightly rates. It would kill business for the out of towners who
are looking for a quick visit. As Jack talks to him, he gives him a top floor
room for $35.00 a night. He takes it for the two nights. He hates to waste that
much on a room, but it has been a long time since he slept in a bed and slept
with both eyes shut. And he still had thirty bucks left for food and booze. So
he heads down to get a nice bottle of whiskey. He has grown tired of the high
powered wine and cheap vodka that he usually bought at the corner beverage
store. He is heading to the liquor store and getting some honest to goodness
booze. And it will be enough for the next two days. He is also going to stop
at the deli and get some lunch meat, cheese and bread. And he is going to get a
small cooler to keep it fresh. He is tired of the food down at the soup
kitchen. It is always the same stuff, donated by the same places. He would be
happy if he never had to eat macaroni and cheese again.
The first day goes uneventful. Jack gets drunk as usual and
enjoys sleeping in a clean, fairly comfortable bed. He even uses the sink to
rinse his clothes out and hangs them on the ledge to dry. While the clothes are
not exactly washer clean, they at least don't stink. But he did leave quite a
ring of dirt in the sink after washing his clothes. He also washes himself down.
He rarely gets a chance to wash more than his face and hands. Most of his
makeshift showers are in the bathrooms at the bus station or the subway station.
And he hates spending much time there as the place is always crawling with drug
dealers and other people he would rather not associate with.
The second day is more interesting. When Jack wakes up from
the first night, he rolls over in bed and looks at the table and sees the bottle
of whiskey sitting there. The bottle is half empty, but still more than enough
to get him through the night. His head is feeling a little pain and he figures
he needs a little hair of the dog that bit him to straighten things out. He sits
up and reaches for the bottle, which is an absurd notion. The bottle is across
the room on a table and he is sitting up in bed. But like magic, the bottle
begins to rise from the table and come across the room to his outstretched hand.
He grabs the levitating bottle and just stares at it. Is he still drunk from the
night before or did he actually make the bottle come to him? He has no idea what
just happened or why he even tried it in the first place. So he decides to try
another test. There is a bible sitting on the table that had been left there by
someone wanting to help people find Jesus. He always laughs when some religious
zealot asks him if he has found Jesus. He always replies, that he did not know
Jesus was lost. Or sometimes he tells them to check lost and found. So he
reaches out for the book and concentrates. Within seconds he is able to lift the
book up slowly and bring it to his hand. He grabs the book and smiles. He is
still unsure of this new found power but it feels good. He quickly grabs the
notebook and jots down what just happened.
Chapter Two
The Change
Two days has passed and Jack heads back to the professor's
place. When he gets in, he quickly hands the notebook to the professor. As the
professor looks over the scribbles, he asks "Pardon me, but I cannot read this.
Could you please tell me what it says?" "Well Doc, I was sitting in my room and
I reached for a bottle and when I did, it just came to me. All by itself, like
with no one helping it or anything. What do ya make of this Doc?" he says as he
tries to slow his speech. "The good news is that the drug hasn't been rejected
by your body. It seems to be working, finally" he says as he begins to show some
almost childlike excitement. "Whatta ya mean finally? You trying to tell me I
wasn't the first?" he asks as he realizes for the first time there may actually
have been some dangers to this experiment. He then asks a question he is afraid
to have answered "What happened to the other guys, Doc?" Doc puts his head down
and just says "The experiment failed with the others, the drug just didn't work.
So I quit giving it to them and they went on their way" he says as he tries to
avoid eye contact. While the Doc is not the best liar, he knows that he must
convince Jack to continue with the experiments. He is getting so close and must
do whatever he can to keep the experiments going. He knows this is his only way
out of this place and the trouble he has gotten himself in. "Well, I really need
the money Doc, so I is gonna trust ya" he says as he puts his hand out for
another bottle and more importantly, his pay. He pours the drink down his throat
and just keeps thinking of the money. After he finishes it, he rushes out the
door as Doc yells out "Remember to take notes of anything unusual".
Back at the hotel room, Jack counts the money for the fifth
time. A hundred and twenty bucks added to the money left from the night before.
He decides to get a real meal, at a real restaurant and maybe meet a nice,
classy broad. While the hookers he usually hangs out with are good for laughs,
they aren't exactly the type you would bring home to mother. He wants to meet a
classy broad, like the one he was married to, so long ago. Back when he had a
good paying job as an insurance claims specialist. He remembers the days of
living the good life with his wife and their son. Little Danny, his son, he
always wonders what would have happened if Danny didn't die. It was then that
the tension in their marriage grew. It was then that he started to drown his
problems in a bottle. That was when his life began to unravel. The arrest, the
jail time, the lost job and then the divorce. Instead of trying to get his life
together, he destroyed it even more. Ripping off his company, betraying
his wife, there was no limit to how low he would go. His wife has moved on and now is probably with
some man who treats her right. One who doesn't lie about his drinking and not
come home for days at a time. One who does not embarrass her. But he cannot live in the past. For the first time
in a long time, things are looking up. And he wants to change things and these
experiments may be the way. So he heads over to the barber to get a real
hairstyle. Sure the hippy look is good for scares, but it isn't gonna get him
what he desires.
An hour later, he comes out with a new haircut and a shave.
While he kept some of the length, he had it styled nicely and has that wild
beard trimmed. As he stares in a mirror, he really feels like a new man. As he
heads back to the apartment, he sees some guys shooting craps in a back alley.
Thinking about how he made that bottle come to him, he decides to see if he can
control the dice. As he heads over, the guys give him the look. They know the
face, but for some reason it isn't registering. When he opens his mouth and says
"Do you have room for one more?" they recognize the voice. "Whatcha go all
Downtown on us Jack?" one of the men says. "I just got me a job and decided to
clean my act up a little" he says with pride. "Who'd hire your sorry butt? Youse
one of da laziest dudes we know" he replies as he hands the dice to Jack. Before
he rolls the dice, he pulls out a twenty and drops it down. "Sheet, you is doin
all right fer yerself" the guy says as he watches Jack stick the rest of the wad
back in his pocket. "If Lady Luck is on my side, I should do even better" he
says as he concentrates on the dice and rolls them. As they hit against the
wall, he controls them and rolls a seven. "Winna! Maybe all dis good livin is
agreein withcha" the guy says as he gives the dice back to Jack and doubles his
twenty.
After five rolls of the dice where sevens or elevens came up, they switch dice on Jack.
He sees how the guy with the dice does a quick switch. Most people don't
notice it, but Jack has learned to pick up on these things. It is a trick used in
the streets when someone is just too lucky. Jack can tell by the feel that these are weighted dice and decides
not to push his luck. He will let them win this one, so as not to cause a
disturbance. He will then get the hell out of here with his hundred dollar gain
and celebrate somewhere safer. As he rolls, he gets a twelve and loses. "Well
guys, it looks like my luck has run out, I better leave while I am ahead" he
says as he walks off. He hears rumbling in the background, but knows that they
will let him walk as they have taken far more than that from him in the past.
Back at the hotel, he decides to try some experiments. First
he sees how much he can lift with his mind. He starts off with a wooden chair.
He struggles, but is able to lift it. Once it is up, he rotates it in the air.
Then he sets it down and tries to lift the table. He struggles and struggles and
only able to get it up about an inch. For his next experiment, he decides to
head to the local bar. At the bar, he sees a woman sitting there. The lady is
dressed in a very revealing outfit, the kinds that streetwalkers tend to wear.
But she is quite attractive for a hooker and he does not recognize her face.
That usually means she is new. As he sits at the bar, he concentrates on her to see if he can hear what she is
thinking. He closes his eyes and tries real hard to drown out the loud music and
the television in the background. Once he is able to clear his mind, he opens
his eyes and looks at her. She is staring down at her drink, so she doesn't
notice his staring. <If this night doesn't pick up, Rocco is gonna kick my butt>
she thinks to herself. He decides to try an experiment. He moves over a couple
chairs and sits next to her. As he does, he concentrates on her thoughts. <Not
much to look at, but maybe he can be good for a few bucks> she thinks to herself
as she cracks a fake smile. "Looking for some company?" she asks him trying to
seem interested. "Depends on what the cost of such company is" he asks her. She
thinks <I will tell him fifty, because these guys always want to bargain down>.
"Well honey, for you I will give you a ride around the world for only fifty
bucks" she says with pouted lips. He smiles at her, knowing what she is thinking
and decides to make this her lucky night. "Fifty it is! I have a hotel room down
the street, why don't we head over there" he says. Suddenly she begins to think
<Maybe there is someone with some taste in this area. This night may not be a
waste after all>. They head back to his room and enjoy the night.
The next morning, he wakes up with a sharp pain in his head.
It feels like someone is sticking a needle through his head. He falls out of bed
and rolls on the floor. As he fights to gain some control of it, he feels a
tinge of dread. Suddenly, it comes to him. The professor is in trouble and he is
feeling his pain. So he grabs a shirt and pair of slacks and runs out the door.
He dresses on the way down and as he heads down the stairs, he slips and falls.
As he is falling down the stairs, he tries to stop himself and ends up
levitating his body above the ground. He just floats there and is totally amazed
at this new found power. He can fly, really fly. All he has to do is will it and
it happens. So he decides to fly to the professor, as it will be quicker. As he
flies out the door, he shoots straight up in the air and just enjoys the new
found freedom. No more buses, no more cabs, he can go anywhere he wants and as
fast as he wants. He is doing cartwheels in the air from excitement. The
passersby below are just staring up in total amazement. While they have seen
heroes and villains, both in the flying variety, it is still something that you
do not see everyday. Especially from someone who is so ordinary looking. No
flashy costume or gaudy armor, but a man who should not be able to do what he is
doing. Without wings or jet propulsion, he is flying.
Before he gets carried away with this new found freedom, he
gets another sharp pain. He decides to get to the professor and help him any way
possible. As he flies over there, he lands right in front of the building and
sees that the normally locked front door has been kicked in. As he rushes into
the building, he heads right for the lab, where the professor normally is found.
As he enters the room, he sees that it has been ransacked. Whatever isn't
missing, is smashed beyond repair. Broken glass is everywhere as are tubes and
broken machinery. Lying on the floor is the professor, who is clutching his
chest. Jack rushes over to him and grabs him. As the professor is picked up, his
eyes open and he says in a slow and dying voice "J-J-Jack, is that you?" he says
as he strains his eyes. "I'm here buddy, what happened?" he says as he pulls his
hands away and sees a gaping wound with lots of blood flowing out. "T-T-They
came to shut me down" he says as he brings his hands back to his chest in an
attempt to halt the bleeding. "J-J-Justin R-R-Rage sent them." he says as blood
begins to drip from the sides of his mouth. "H-H-Here Jack, they took
everything, but they didn't get it all" he says as he opens his hand to reveal a
key. "T-T-There's a locker at the bus station, number on key, its all yours." he
says as his head falls limp in Jack's hands. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" he screams as he
cradles the dead body in his arms. For the first time in years, he finds a real
friend and he is so violently taken away. Why is everything so fleeting in his
life? His job, his marriage, his son, everything has been stripped from him. He
breaks down into tears as he cradles the dead body.
The Fury © 2006-2008 Tom Zjaba