Remember Who I Am

Chapter XXIV

December 25, 2023

9:12 PM

Brooklyn, New York City, New York

"Someone's here." A guard called out into the warehouse that Rich owned.

Rich came storming into the room that you would enter if you were to go to the warehouse; "Well, who the fuck is it?"

"Ferdie and Kerry." The guard said.

Rich stared at the door, reaching into his suit and pulling out a Colt M911.

"Let them in." Rich said menacingly.

"Okay."

The guard opened the doors.

BANG!

The guard immediately fell to the floor. Rich flung his gun up and pointed it out of surprise. The guard's brains were blown out and gaping holes sat by his nose facing right and by his nose facing left. He was shot twice at once. The other guards in the facility pointed their guns, all were cheap, ol' betsy-esque Madsen M50's. All of them were used.

"Ferdie, Kerry; which aren't your real names but who can fucking keep count of the lies at this point? Huh, Xavier and Clover?" Rich spoke angrily.

Xavier and Clover stood in shock.

"Who told you?" Xavier asked.

"Bloomington." Rich said.

"That fat... fuck."

"So why lie?"

Clover looked at Xavier as they both started to point their guns. Xavier gave an affirmative sort of look, knowing what they were doing.

"You killed my mother." Xavier declared.

It felt so good to say that after so much time of having to hold in his dear thoughts.

"I think I've seen you before..." Rich spoke unsurely, possibly even mockingly.

"My name is Xavier Zed Barnes. 22 years ago, you killed my mother in Flint, Michigan. Harald, he was my father. You went too far." Xavier admitted.

Rich's look of wickedness quickly turned to disturbance in recognition. Xavier then got ready to say what he had been waiting to say for over 2 decades.

"Hey... do me something good for once over these many years. Please... try to see if you can; Remember who I am."

Rich tried to act unphased; "You aren't worth my fucking spit. You think I'd remember you and your pathetic mother after years?"

"My mother is dead because of you as well." Clover proposed.

"I have never killed any 'Asian' woman ever. Someone is lying." Rich shut her statement down.

"Bull-fucking-shit, you racist cocksucker."

"We're just a little hostile, aren't we?"

Clover, angry at this arrogant man, immediately threw her arm up, revealing her typical gun, a Kimber Solo CDP.

BANG!

Rich fell over. Clover shot him in the torso. Rich didn't scream at all, and actually rocked back up immediately.

"Fire!" Rich yelled, plucking a flattened bullet off of his suit jacket. It was a kevlar suit jacket, just like Xavier's.

A gunman fired off a shot from his shotgun. Xavier covered his upper body with his suit jacket and he blind-fired from where he heard the shots. Clover had worn kevlar under her leather jacket as well. She took a shot to the chest, she fell over. Of course, she rocked up, but it still hurt to take a bullet. The men continued to shoot their shotguns. It rained bullets.

* * *

Dorian sat outside a warehouse in his car. There was another car outside out of the warehouse that he had been spying on. It was Xavier and Clover. Dorian had to sneak out, his wife was in bed early tonight because she was down. He was down too. He got a certain joy out of Christmas and now that it was basically over, he was sad.

But he had more important things to worry about, like the current moment. He watched over the warehouse for any suspicious activity that could get Xavier captured. He trusted Xavier oddly. There was some comfort in having a criminal be your go-to that he couldn't reason about. Perhaps it was his constant re-watchings of mafia films. Perhaps it was just being able to sleep safely in Queens as a detective that many knew.

He couldn't put his finger on it. As he started to zone out again, he heard multiple shot fire from the warehouse. Dorian kept his head locked on the warehouse as he rushed to get ready.

"Shit." He said to himself in a hurry.

He whipped out his typical pistol; a Heckler & Koch P7, before raising it up. He stepped out of the car and sprinted toward the entrance of the warehouse. Dorian didn't know how much time he had stalled before he registered the gunshots. It could've been a minute for all he knew. He kicked open the doors and immediately 2 dead guards beside it, and he saw a gunman pointing a shotgun to the chin of another man.

It was Xavier. He wasn't the one pointing the shotgun, which is what Dorian expected. He had the shotgun being pointed at him.

"Hey!" Dorian yelled.

The man looked up.

BANG!

He fell to the floor. Fatally shot in the chest. Dorian saw Xavier look up and see him. Dorian looked to his left and saw a younger woman that appeared to be in her 20's aim a gun.

"Fucking cop." She muttered.

BANG!

She fired a bullet off toward him.

"Agh! Fucking shit!" Dorian yelled, holding his ear.

"Clover!" Xavier yelled.

He lunged at her and grabbed the barrel of her gun.

"He's a cop!" Clover yelled.

"Hey! Think!" Xavier yelled; "Didn't I say... I met a detective?"

"You think I'm able to think!? I just got shot in the stomach multiple times. My stomach hurts like shit, my head is fucking killing me, all of my limbs ache, and I just had to kill at least 15 men that were gunning for me! I don't have time to think, Xavier! 4.0 GPA or not, adrenaline fucks you up! You should know that after you've been doing this shit for 2 decades!" Clover ranted.

Dorian continued to hold his ear as he grunted.

"Clover, you shot his fucking ear off! I know you can't think clearly, but don't kill a cop that saves me and doesn't automatically scream that I'm under arrest. But I'll say I should've told you more. Now, Dorian, are you okay?" Xavier admitted urgently.

"Yeah... but that sound! Right by my ear!" Dorian yelled.

"How's your ear?" Xavier asked.

"Fine! But I'm gonna go fucking deaf!"

"Good, now, Dorian, meet Clover, Clover, meet, Dorian. We're alright now?" Xavier said angrily.

"We need to get the fuck out and find Rich!" Clover yelled.