RUSTY | frank castle

THIRTY SEVEN

A maroon-coloured van came into view for the three. They walked up a little as the van parked, David messing with his hands as he knew what was inside that vehicle. 

His wife, and his son.

"Oh, shit." David said, watching the van closely from Rusty's left side.

"Easy." Frank spoke from her right, watching the man. He could snap at any moment and the plan would all go to shit. 

Men dressed in all black clothing, and black ski masks led Zach and Sarah out of the car. They wore black material bags over their heads, and Rusty couldn't help but remember that this was very similar to Operation Cerberus. 

She also noticed the firearms they had in their hands. 

The man pulled off the bags sharply, revealing a very panicked Sarah and her frightened son. 

Rusty glanced at David, saying, "Easy. Just remember the plan."

The men cut off the restraints on their wrists, and then poked a hole with the knife in the plastic containers they had tied to their backs. It was petrol. Extremely fucking flammable. 

Rusty couldn't help but think, Thank god my dogs are with Homeland.

David started stammering and Rusty raised her head high, glancing at him. "It's okay." She said. "It's just for show. They're trying to get you scared, they're not gonna do anything. Just to make sure we behave."

One of the men lit a fire, looking dangerously at the three who were halfway across the factory's grounds. Rusty heard the phone in Frank's pocket vibrate. He answered the call. 

"Yeah?"

There was an ongoing silence. Look who's trying to create tension. What a fucking drama queen.

"So it's real simple." It was Billy. "You, Rusty and Lieberman get in the van. You do anything else, the happy family turns into a bonfire."

Frank hummed. "The fact that me and Rusty are standing here without a bullet in our heads means you didn't get too far with those computers, right?"

Rusty glanced at Frank, who made reassuring eye contact. It seemed cliche, but there was something about his eyes that just screamed home.

"Well, we both got things we want here." Rusty could faintly hear Bill from Frank's phone. "So let's get through this nice and smooth. No tricks. Start walking."

Rusty's heart seemed to beat a little faster at Billy's command. She trusted him, and then he pointed a gun at her head. If he was to be honest, she feared him right now. She didn't want to die. At least not until David had his family back safe. 

The three started moving, walking cautiously towards the men. They shouted for Sarah and Zach to move, and the woman whimpered as she grasped her son to her body in fear of her life and his. 

The men stayed where they were, but the flame stayed in their view and the petrol leaked behind them as the pair walked forward. Rusty didn't believe her words that spilled from her mouth in reassurance. These people were cowboys, but they were smart. They could do anything, including setting a woman and a boy on fire. 

Keeping her eyes on the two walking towards them, Rusty stayed close to Frank, their shoulders brushing every couple of steps. 

"Easy." Frank said to David, knowing that this was extremely difficult. 

Rusty said, "They're going to walk past you and they're gonna be safe. Just stick to the plan, David, and they'll be safe."

"Dad?"

"David?"

"You keep it together, David." Frank said. "You keep walking."

Everything seemed to pass in slow motion. Every millisecond became a second as David passed his wife and son. 

The fiery-haired woman fought back the habit of biting her lip as Sarah reached and grabbed David's arm. He didn't look at them, but spoke, "It's okay. Just keep walking. It's okay."

The woman gasped, tears staining her fragile face as she walked further and let her husband and the two ex-marines walk towards the maroon van and the few armed men. 

Finally, Rusty heard the sirens of Homeland's police trucks pulling up to a stop. The sound, for once, was calming her beating heart. But the action had just begun. 

Rusty and Frank turned and David put his arms up. She saw Madani get out of the car, gun in hand as she ran straight into the start of the fire. 

Rusty heard the men's feet thumping on the pavement behind her, but as she turned, she only managed to punch one man in the face before she was being grabbed and knocked unconscious. Her body was dragged back and thrown into the van, Frank's body next to hers. 

Rusty was right about the fire. The petrol was lit and David desperately tried to stop it, throwing his coat onto it and stamping in an attempt to put it out. 

Sarah and Zach were pulled into safety by Madani, who hid them behind one of the Homeland's vans. 

A few men got hit by gliding bullets but Billy Russo didn't care. He spoke into the comm, "I need them both. Get Lieberman!"

The men grabbed David, pulling him away. Zach and Sarah only watched from the cover of the van, their hearts breaking yet again as they saw him being pulled away. "No!"

"Take him down." Dinah ordered her men. They aimed their guns, and shot, almost as if blindly, in the opposing men's direction.

But then there was something even more heartbreaking. Suddenly, David Lieberman was shot a few times in the back, his blood spilling. 

Zach and Sarah cried. The woman panicked and the young boy couldn't tear his eyes away from his lifeless father on the concrete ground, lying in his own little pool of blood. 

"Dad. . ."

Billy Russo exhaled deeply, aiming his sniper at the tires of the Homeland vans. He prevented them from being able to drive away.  

Dead bodies lay on the floor, and the maroon van pulled away on Russo's orders. Rusty's unconscious body close to Frank's in the back, being thrown side to side from the speed the driver was going at. 

And then the bullets froze.