The Banished One

Chapter 6: Showdown

Phillip lunged toward the stranger, who was still sitting in the chair. Driving the knife forward in an underhand motion, the stranger blocked the blow with his forearm. Phillip drug the knife back and upward, cutting a slice into the stranger's left arm. Another thrust and slash came from Phillip as Barley swung the lamp, connecting with the left side of the stranger's head. The bulb exploded, showering the floor with small pieces of glass.

Placing his right hand onto the floor, the stranger kicked Phillip in the stomach and pushed the chair back into Barley, causing him to slam into the wall and fall over. The stranger stood and began removing his jacket. His shirt was also in tatters, making Parker wonder how he had managed not to freeze while he was standing outside. The man's body was covered in scars, causing the men attacking him to pause and stare at Joseph, looking for guidance.

Joseph stepped forward and swung a right hook, which the stranger blocked easily. He then swung a left upper cut, but the stranger leaned back, dodging the strike easily. Following the uppercut with a flurry of haymakers, none of which impacted the stranger. Suddenly, Carl jammed the end of the fire poker into the right side of the stranger's back causing him to stumble. Joseph kept up the attack and began landing blow after blow, finally knocking the stranger into the wall where he slid down to the floor, leaving a bloody trail. Stepping back, Joseph was breathing heavily. With a roar, he lunged forward, swinging a powerful kick directly toward the stranger's head. At the last second, the stranger dodged to the side, allowing the kick to hit where he had been sitting a fraction of a second previously.

"You are quite skillful," Joseph said panting. "You ex-military or something?"

The stranger laughed, wiping blood from multiple cuts on his face. "Something." He stood up, looking at each of the men in the room. "You kids should go upstairs; you do not need to see what is about to happen."

"No," Joseph said, anger and confidence returning to his face. "You need to see what happens to those that challenge me!"

Parker looked from his father to the stranger, and then back. Unsure of what to do, he remained where he was.

"At least keep her eyes covered, do not let her watch Parker," the stranger told him, meeting his eyes.

Carl took advantage of the stranger looking away and lunged forward, swinging the fire poker like a bat. The stranger moved his left forearm up, blocking the blow, before grabbing the weapon with his free right hand, elbowing Carl hard in the face, causing him to release the fire poker. Blood shot from Carl's nose as he stumbled backward and slammed into the door that led outside, breaking one of the panes of glass on the door. A strong and cold breeze blew into the house, causing a howling sound. The fire poker hit the floor as the stranger released his grasp on the tool.

"Stay down," the stranger told Carl, but he was already struggling and attempting to climb back to his feet.

Carl, finally managing to stand back up, let out a roar and lunged forward to attack, but the stranger was ready. The stranger planted his left foot and slammed his right foot directly into Carl's chest. Everything stood still for a moment as Carl's eyes bulged and blood sprayed from his mouth. A second later, Carl had slammed into the door, shattering it outward, expelling him into the freezing darkness, cold pouring into the house.

"One down," the stranger said coldly as everyone stared at him. His appearance was frightening, between the scars, blood, and the serious look on his face. "The odds were never in your favor."

Tears swelled in Barley's eyes, "You bastard!" He swung the lamp directly towards the stranger's face, who caught it easily in one hand, pulling it free from the man's grasp. Off balance, Barley continued to push forward, swinging hard and wild with his fist. His efforts were in vain as the stranger dodged the attacks easily. Taking advantage of the situation, Phillip lunged in and swung hard in an underhand approach, sinking the knife deep into the stranger's abdomen. Grabbing Phillip's wrist with his right hand and pushing Barley in the middle of the chest with his left, the stranger slammed his forehead into the bridge of Phillip's nose.

Phillip fell backward unconscious, as blood sprayed from his face. His body slammed to the floor and lay unmoving, blood pooling behind his head. Barley hit the wall but maintained his balance, his eyes scanning for a new weapon. Before he could locate one, the stranger lunged toward him. Barley tried to dodge to his left, but the stranger was much too fast and saw the movement coming, his fist hammering into his midsection. A loud crunching sound echoed through the room as Barley was trapped between the stranger's fist and the wall, blood and vomit ejecting from his mouth. The stranger removed his hand, allowing Barley to fall to the floor, grasping for air and asphyxiating on his own vitriol.

Joseph stood in the middle of the room, his hands shaking as he looked around the room, his friends all laying still in pools of blood. Lawrence had stopped breathing, Carl lay in a heap, the snow quickly covering him, Barley was no longer breathing, and Phillip was motionless. "You will pay for this," he growled under his breath.

"Take your sister upstairs," the stranger told Parker, limping forward, the knife still in his stomach. This time, Parker did not hesitate, he scooped his sister into his arms and carried her out of sight. "Are you ready to accept your punishment?"

"I'll kill you," Joseph told him, his entire body shaking with fear and anger. "Then the kids. Just know they would have been alive tomorrow if you had not shown up."

The two men eyed each other before Joseph turned and ran into the kitchen, slamming the door behind him. Stepping forward, the stranger placed his foot on Phillip's neck, a crunching sound coming from under his worn boot. He could hear Joseph digging through drawers in the next room, clearly looking for something. Walking across the room, he stood waiting. Joseph's manic noise stopped, followed by the mechanical sound of metal sliding against metal and footsteps leading back to the other side of the barrier. Seconds passed, the two men standing on opposites sides of the wall, staring toward one another.

An explosion sounded from the kitchen as a round blasted through the door, hitting the stranger in his right shoulder. Barely reacting, he stepped forward and kicked the door as hard as he could, shattering it inward and spraying Joseph with debris. Joseph screamed in pain as he was thrown back, large and small splinters of wood jutting from his skin. The handgun he had retrieved lay across the floor from where he was laying, his hand reaching out.

Limping forward into the kitchen, the stranger kicked the firearm further from the downed man. "This could have all gone much more simply," he stated towering over him. The faint sound of sirens carried into them on the night air. "You almost made it."

"Wait," a voice said from behind the stranger. "You don't have to kill him, let him go to jail. They will be here any moment."

The stranger turned and smiled at him. "That is not how this works. Your justice system is easily subverted, and he might not face judgement for his crimes. He must pay, and I have been sent here to collect."

"But, what will happen to us?" Parker asked.

"Life will take a turn for the best, of that I have no doubt," he replied, his face splitting into even more of a smile, one that even managed to reach his eyes. "I suggest you leave the room; I do not want you to witness what needs done."

Parker turned and walked toward the front door, red and blue lights shining through the night, illuminating the snow falling from the sky.

The stranger stepped forward, placing his boot on Joseph's face and pressing hard, a scream and a crunch before the only sound became the sirens from the law enforcement vehicles pulling in front of the run-down house.