Running on Empty

Chapter 3

Marcus was easy enough to find; his confidence ensured that he wouldn't hide. Vinn went without a plan, unable to think, unable to act. Marcus acted like everything was okay; like the world hadn't gone crazy, and Lily was still alive.

      If only Lily was still alive.

     At the sight of the gun, Marcus - the force's best man - drew his own gun in fear and sent off two shots. Vinn embraced the pain, relishing anything that distracted him from his real pain. Then he blacked out.

      Vinn woke up in the hospital,  numb, but not from the anaesthesia. Marcus and the chief were there.

  "We have all decided to let you take an early retirement, Vinny boy," the chief had said. "Officer Judd here told me what happened, how you tried to shoot yourself and he was forced to give you one in the kneecap to stop you. We think it's for the best. You'll always be one of us, old boy. If you need anything at all, you know my number, and you've got your partner here."

     The chief, made awkward by confrontation as always, cleared his throat, nodded and left. Marcus looked out in front of him the entire time. A bunch of conflicting emotions ran across his face, but he said nothing. Just like Vinn felt nothing. There was only emptiness left. 

   Now, he could do nothing but waste away on his favourite park bench everyday, allowing his hatred of mankind to build. There was no longer a shining light guiding his path - that light was extinguished in the bank a year ago.

     Pushing back tears of grief and self-pity, Vinn struggled to his feet, clutching his cane for support. It was a souvenir from his encounter with Marcus. A relentless reminder of why life wasn't worth living anymore. He would do it, if he could muster enough hatred and despair. But there was never enough emotion in him anymore; never any motivation.

     Come to think of it, he really hated the park. For some unfathomable reason, everybody there seemed happy. The world just continued to function, oblivious to Vinn's trauma. He felt as if the world should be crumbling, but the wind kept blowing, the children kept laughing and playing. People had picnics, for God's sake. What was wrong with the world?

      He hobbled forward a step and winced as excruciating pain shot up his right knee; the crippled knee. A little girl with a bright expression was playing with her little Jack Russell not far off and spied Vinn struggling. Her eyes lit up and she skipped over  to give aid.

"Get away from me, I'm fine," Vinn grunted, his tone fierce and honest enough to make even the enthusiastic little girl falter.

"My uncle told me that if somebody needs help, I should help them," she announced with a hint of uncertainty. "I just want to help you."

      He tried to be rude, but the pain was pretty bad this time. He conceded and she slipped in under his right arm, supporting his bad knee. She had rosy cheeks that complimented her flaming red hair. She was full of wide-eyed innocence, and chattered to him as if he was an old friend. Vinn smiled to himself, knowing that he could just as easily have been a predator or child trafficker. The girl's name was Callie, and she lived with her mom. Her dad upped and left years ago, so her uncle sort of took over that role. 

      Vinn found himself listening and smiling as they slowly crossed the green banks to where he had parked. He yearned to shove her away and never have to look at that joyful expression, or listen to that excitable voice, ever again, but for all his effort he could not bring himself to do it. Deep within his broken soul, he supposed a part of him was still searching for some goodness in the world; something that would suggest order in amongst all this torturous chaos.

      He resented life, for giving him nothing to live for. He resented death, because it was the reaper who had stolen his soulmate from him. And yet, although his hatred for everything burned in his heart, he liked this girl. This odd girl who clung to him like a confused parasite - letting him leach energy out of her rather than the other way around - gave him a spark of hope.

"Why don't we go to your mom now, sweetheart? I can make it the rest of the way on my own, but you shouldn't be wandering this far away." She hesitated, but then nodded her agreement.

"My uncle is there too," she said as she half helped, half tugged him to her destination. "You'll like him, he's real nice. He's brave and strong, too. Like a firefighter. He even helps people. My mommy told me that."

"Oh, yeah?" Vinn asked, the corners of his mouth pulling into a small smile. "Sounds like the kind of man I'd like to meet." He ruffled her tangled bush of red hair. 

"He was in the newspapers too. He caught some bad men who hurt people. Maybe you read about him; his name is Marcus Judd."

      The truth walloped Vinn in the chest, driving the air from his lungs. His knees buckling, he landed heavily, extracting his arm from Callie's shoulder just in time to prevent pulling her down with him. She cried out in confusion and fear as he put his head down and wept. Weeping with tears of mixed emotion, Vinn thought about how it was possible that someone so bad could have raised another to be so good. Surely, it wasn't possible.

       Her concern was evident as she tugged at his arm. Placing a hand on hers, he looked up and smiled reassuringly. 

"It's okay, sweetheart. My leg is just a little sore. I think you should go on without me."

       She looked distraught. "I thought you were coming to meet my uncle? He's real nice, really. He can probably fix your leg too. He helps a lot of people."

"It's okay, sweetheart. I know your uncle, I worked with him. Look, I need you to tell him something for me, okay? It's very important, but I can't tell him myself, my leg's too sore."

      She nodded, a tear glistening in her eye.

"Tell him: 'Vinn says he doesn't know why you did what you did, and he never will. But he is sending this message as a truce. Your niece is everything to you, and I am sending her back to you because she is the best thing you've ever done and she has given me hope.' Tell him to take good care of you, sweetheart; uncle Vinn's orders."

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Hey guys:) This is one of my favourite stories, written a couple of years back. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, please give it a vote. Comment your thoughts, I'd love to hear from you.