I could not believe it. He actually expected me to believe he doesn't know anything. I'm old, but I'm not stupid. I could tell that this kid was lying, and I could tell he would not be missed.
"You know, it was real dumb of you to try and screw me over Johnny." I taunted him, speaking through the cigarette in my mouth.
"I know Tony, I'm sorry, just don't do this!" he whimpered. He looked pathetic, squirming on the ground with his hands and legs bound, wriggling like a worm at my feet. "I was an idiot, I'll make sure you never have to see me again, just let me go, please!" He had started to cry. Why do they always cry? It was entertaining the first time but after the 50th it started getting old. As he crawled I noticed his hands trying to loosen the bindings. I sighed and took the cigarette out my mouth. I crouched down so that my face was close to his, he looked disgusting, his face was wet with tears and snot. This kid was terrified, just like he should be, I blew smoke right into his face and he coughed and spluttered. He'd stopped talking now, as I got to my feet I thought about what he was seeing as he was looking right into my eyes. Eyes that were dark, and I don't mean the colour, I mean eyes that have seen some really creepy shit. I stood there, cigarette in hand and delivered a strong kick to his stomach. He gasped as he tried to breathe in air to his winded gut.
"Johnny, Johnny, Johnny. Why'd you have to try and run, I always find 'em, Johnny, just like I found you". The disdain in my voice was as though I was talking to a corpse, well, Johnny might as well be one. "Where's the money Johnny? This could all be easier if you just told us where the money is."
"I don't know what you're talking about, what money? I didn't steal nothing, Tony please, help me!" he sounded so desperate. They all do.
"I'm gonna give you one last chance Johnny", I spoke softly and clearly, I crouched down, then grabbed his hair and pulled it so he was looking directly into the shallow pits of my eyes. "Where is the money?"
"Tony I don't know what you-" he spluttered but I cut him off by putting out my cigarette on his forehead. He screamed as his skin burned.
"Johnny, you know what I'm gonna do?" I said pulling my pistol from the pocket of my jeans. "I'm going to let you walk home." I checked the magazine, 7 rounds, I'd only need 6. "See, just over the horizon of this desert is a town, I'm sure they would love to have a new visitor"
"Tony, thank you, I knew you wouldn't kill me, we know each other too well, thank ....", his desperate thanks were cut off by the sound of a gunshot. The bullet landed right next to his head, sending sand onto his face. He sat there stunned, dazed and confused. After the second gunshot, he screamed in agony, clutching his knee, which now had a large hole through it. His screams doubled as I put a bullet through his other knee.
"Now Johnny, I'm going to let you free of those ropes, then I want you to walk to that town, not crawl, I want you to walk. I'm going to give you three chances, if you fall over three times, then your head is gonna be all over this desert, you understand?" He just screamed. I took that as a yes. I pulled out my knife and cut his bindings. He lay there shaking before he tried to crawl away. He froze a bullet whizzed past him. "I said no crawling Johnny, strike one." Johnny exploded into tears as the waves of agony rushed through him when he tried to put pressure on his shattered knees and fell over once again. The second bullet whizzed past. "Strike two Johnny." Johnny tried one last time and got an impressive one step in before collapsing to the ground, screaming something about his mother and mercy. I walked over to him, a grand total of 3 steps away. "Strike three Johnny."
