Guns And Roses

Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

“Hey, mate,” called out Thornton, interrupting Walker’s train of thought. He was just recollecting the incredible moments he had shared with the hostages, now under this vile organization’s captive.

 Regardless, he had to be as professional about the case as was possible. He had to think in a positive manner; think that he would see his friends again; drink and laugh with them again. In any case, he cleared these thoughts and acknowledged Thornton’s call.

“Yes, Shane,” said Walker in his characteristic gruff voice.

“Well, firstly I guess it’s safe to say that the killings of the victims in the morgue were absolutely random?” asked Thornton, who looked like he had an idea forming at the back of his mind.

Walker stroked his chin, before saying, “I guess that’s perfectly safe to say. The Force is back on track now, and a connection between any of the victims would have been found by now, without a doubt,” he said leaning forward with his piercing dark eyes. “In any case, dear Shane, it seems that you’ve worked through an angle at this juncture, if I’m not wrong?” asked Walker innocently.

“Well yes, I think I have, though I’m pretty sure you would have already thought about it,” he said with slight hesitation clearly showing on his brow.

“In any case, you must proceed, Thornton,” encouraged Walker, leaning back on his chair now.

“Okay, then,” started Shane Thornton, now slightly more confident.

“This organization clearly has a huge vendetta against you. However, we keep coming back to the motive in every successive step of our investigation, so I think that our first priority must be to figure out the motive,” said Thornton with the air of a man who had just started. Walker nodded with approval, and urged him to go on.

Thornton continued, “Well, the next point that certainly pops up is how we establish the motive,” stated Thornton with underlying emphasis.

“Well we’ve succeeded in establishing a connection, which is that all of us, including me, attended the same University. As all of you were a year senior to me and in almost all the same classes, we will focus on your circles of friends without further ado despite my good acquaintance with Aaron and Kyle,” he said, now on a run.

“Now, obviously the disappearance of these men is related to something which took place in the University,” continued Thornton matter-of-factly, “as that’s the only way by which we are able to link all of you together, other than the evident fact that you were close friends,” said Thornton.

Taking a breath as a break, he continued, “Well this obviously points towards the fact that some particularly nasty incident took place between you and some other individual, or group of people. My question quite simply, is this,” he said taking another deep breath.

 “Was there any such incident which took place during those years, which could have caused such a hatred for you and your friends?” ended Thornton, now looking fiercely into Walker’s eyes in desperate hope of a positive response.

“Well I assure you, Thornton that nothing of that sort happened...” ended Walker who got up from his seated position with an abrupt jolt.

In a second, it all came crashing down upon him, with crushing force.

Vague recollections were forming the despicable image of a sinister man from his days at the University, as Walker stood completely petrified.

He hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now that the man had taken action, he couldn’t believe his revelation in the least.

He knew the man well. He was, in his prime, an effortlessly brilliant student and a formidable rival. Walker had had the misfortune of being on this man’s wrong side.

How Walker hadn’t thought of this before, was completely inexplicable. Then again, he’d tried his best to forget about the gruesome event which had been engraved into his mind at the time.

Walker sat down on his chair with considerable difficulty and assistance from Thornton. But all of this wasn’t what was running through his mind at the moment.

It was his personal nightmare; his only fear. The thing which had haunted his friends and indeed, him for so many months had suddenly resurfaced in the form of a Nemesis.

But how! Exclaimed Walker to himself over and over again, as Thornton continued trying to make conversation with him in vain.

When the man had challenged that he would make his friends and especially him, atone for their sins, Walker hadn’t doubted the man’s sincerity even for a second. Yet the whole scenario didn’t make sense, all because of one major point.

                            Walker knew the man to be dead.