Gods and Monsters

Ep.6: Jared Brody (No.14)

Episode 6: Jared Brody (No.14)

Created and developed by Danny Richards

2 miles away from RAF Twin Oaks - Sevenoaks, Kent

Peggy Parker's car sped along the rural country road in the dead of night, racing past trees that stood in forests, silhouetted in the full moon. Behind the wheel was Charlie Quinn. Having found Peggy unconscious after a suspected overdose he had hurriedly made the necessary calls, carried her down the stairs of her apartment, got her in the car and was now on route to the only person who may be able to save Peggy's life.

Charlie couldn't believe this was happening. Too many people had died after becoming involved with him and he wasn't going to let Peggy join the list. A feeling of guilt rushed through his bones. They had been his drugs that she had stolen. He should have seen the signs and realised sooner what Peggy was going through. Hell, maybe he had noticed but ignorance got the better of him. Then he had to deal with how to explain the missing drugs when the Kingston twins inevitably came to collect. Charlie imagined they would not take the news too well. All of this was stuff to worry about later though. For now the priority was saving Peggy.

The endless trees encompassed their surroundings as the car continued to dart along the road, an enclosing, almost claustrophobic feeling all around. The only other company on the dark road was a single SUV behind Peggy's car. It's headlights shone brightly, blinding Charlie as he glanced at them in the cars rear-view mirror. His mind quickly wondered what another car was doing out here so early in the morning in the middle of nowhere, but he quickly figured the SUV driver would likely be asking the same question of Charlie themselves.

In the deafening silence, Charlie heard the SUV speed up slightly as he kept his eyes focused on the road. No, wait, not speeding up, a different engine. There was another car with the SUV that was following Charlie now. One car was peculiar enough, but having three cars travelling along the same country road in the witching hour was now becoming suspicious. Slowing slightly, Charlie checked his rear-view mirror once again and noticed through the blinding headlights that both cars had matched speeds and were travelling alongside each other, only just behind Charlie although he couldn't yet make out their faces.

Charlie took a quick glimpse at Peggy lying on the backseat. Her body was limp, strapped in awkwardly with all three sets of seatbelts to keep her as secure as possible, a little bit of dry froth hanging slightly out of the side of her mouth from her seizure. The man they were going to for help, Clark Loeb, did not sound happy to hear from Charlie on the phone, but Clark owed Charlie more than one favour and helping now was really the least he could do.

Now the cars did speed up, the first SUV nudging Charlie's bumper slightly whilst the second pulled up alongside Charlie. He could finally see the man in the SUV and noted the large tattoo across his face which even in the poor light Charlie could see covered a thick scar that crossed the man's forehead. He recognised the tattoo as a mark of the Makurdi Cartel; a group of murderers, rapists and plunderers who Charlie had crossed paths with on more than one occasion in the past. The other slightly more concerning thing was what the gentleman in the SUV was carrying. Charlie was always one to appreciate a good machine pistol, however his opinion changed when it was being aimed at him from a car travelling alongside his own. The MAC-10 machine pistol was essentially a box that bullets come out of, firing over a thousand rounds per minute with devastating effect. A wave of bullets shattered the window next to Charlie as he ducked down, just about able to see over the dashboard. Another nudge from the SUV at the rear, and Charlie was beginning to feel in real trouble as his tyres skidded slightly, chewing up the earth below.

Pushing the pedal hard into the floor Charlie peeled away from both SUV's before another nudge and volley of bullets could assault the car, however both remained close on his tail as he began the winding descent down the narrow country lanes. The road was practically all mud now, and with the recent wet weather all three of the cars were sliding around, desperate for traction to avoid cascading down one of the surrounding valleys. A swift handbrake turn from the nudging SUV allowed them to gain on Charlie once again after his less glamourous taking of the corner, and the two cars were once again swapping paint. Charlie rammed Peggy's car into the SUV's side creating a splash of sparks and the sound of crunching metal which caused the nocturnal wildlife to scarper hastily. The SUV responded by pressing hard into Peggy's car, and Charlie was having difficulty keeping it on the road. With some swift thinking, Charlie looked ahead for a split second before braking. Spiralling ahead of the amalgamation of metal, the SUV crashed straight into the pile of trees ahead whilst Charlie continued to manoeuvre down the spiralling path.

The second SUV had now caught up once again and Charlie find himself ducking another hail of bullets as the cars took another tight turn to continue their winding descent. The SUV was alongside Charlie once again, the tattooed driver smiling manically as he raised the machine pistol again, pulling the trigger which only resulted in a click. The gun had jammed, and now was Charlie's chance to get rid of the attacker once and for all. Ramming Peggy's car into the left wheel arch of the SUV the attacker's vehicle swayed slightly as the mud below was chewed up by the spinning tyres. The SUV tried to respond by pushing into Peggy's car, however the previous nudge had knocked it far enough away that the return impact had little effect. Lining Peggy's car up once again, Charlie spun the steering wheel round causing the car to smash into the side of the SUV, lifting it slightly as it moved on to two wheels, tumbling on to its side before toppling over the metal barricade around the path. The crunching of metal echoed around the valleys as the SUV crumbled as it rolled down the steep hill. Pulling up at the side of the road, Charlie stared out of the window as he observed the metal mess finally come to a stop at the bottom of the valley. He quickly contemplated what the attack had been about, but knowing Peggy needed to get to Clark as soon as possible he didn't wait for too long before speeding off to RAF Twin Oaks. 

Continued in Part 2...