Homecoming | The Punisher

10. Mrs. Zhou

Words: 1223 

"Can you just turn the cameras back on?" 

"No can do because your dad somehow managed to cut their power source. The cameras are useless to us." 

"Tsk... Dad, I know you can hear me. You better find Mrs. Zhou and not get killed in the process!" 

Frank smirked to himself as he loaded up on ammunition and listened in on David and his daughter. It was pure luck that the electric box was on his path. He didn't hesitate and destroyed all the panels, permanently shutting off the cameras, along with the compound's power. 

"Your dad will be fine. It's the Triads who are screwed," Frank heard David inform LC. 

"Good," was the last thing Frank heard LC say before he manually switched his earpiece off, completely severing ties with New York. He only required their intel to help gain access to the secret compound and locate the Triad's weapons. He didn't need any more guidance or have David and LC scrutinizing Frank's actions in his ear. 

The Punisher needed to focus on the battlefield. 

As an ex-marine, he knew how to make his way through tough terrain with poor visibility. He quickly found the Triad's storage room; the ones he heard LC tell David about. He listened in on their conversation but kept his presence hidden because he needed time; time to figure out how to talk with LC about her past with the Triads. He could barely get over his initial shock. He couldn't believe the Triads used his sweet baby girl to carry out their criminal ways.

Frank focused all his hate and anger towards the Triads and terminated them one by one. They flocked the subbasement like a moth to a flame, too eager to eliminate the threat that they forgot to assess the danger. The Chinese henchmen weren't as accustomed to fighting in the darkness as the Punisher. They fell victim to his bullets before they had a chance to take a shot themselves. 

The Punisher, now fully equipped, made his way through the secret subbasement and annihilated any person who stood in his path. In the process, he searched every room, kicking down doors and scanning the area for a Mrs. Zhou. 

He must have knocked down over a dozen doors and shot twice as more bodies until he came across a room with an old lady tied to a metal chair. The tight knots caused her wrists and ankles to bleed and blanched her hands and bare feet. Her grey and white long hair was tangled and matted, covering her face. 

For a split moment, the Punisher thought he was looking at a corpse. Then, he saw her chest rise and fall. 

"Mrs. Zhou?" He rushed over and bent down behind the frail woman. In one fluid motion, he pulled out the hunting knife he acquired from the Triad's artillery and freed the lady from the rope. From up close, he noticed all her limbs were tattered with bruises. Some were fresh while others, days old. Her worn out clothes were stained with patches of blood and saliva. She sat motionless despite being free. With each breath, she wheezed. 

The Punisher mentally added 'elderly abuse' to his growing list as to why he should eliminate the Triads from existence. He stood up and walked around to face the beaten woman and try to console her; only to be greeted by her fist. 

The Punisher stumbled back. His nose stung mildly, but it was the surprise that momentarily disoriented him. It turned out the elderly woman had some strength left in her. She also had speed under her sleeves because she simultaneously stole a handgun from the Punisher when she punched him. 

She jumped up from the chair, and although her gait was unsteady, she managed to hold her ground. Instead of shooting the Punisher while he was wide open, she proceeded to yell furiously in Mandarin while waving the loaded gun in the air like a fly swatter. 

She was the smallest individual the Punisher encountered throughout the long and bloody evening, but she was the only one who managed to scare the man. The reason for the Punisher's concern laid primarily with the unpredictable trajectory of the gun. The fact the both of the woman's eyes were swollen purple didn't help. Her visibility was probably terrible than normal and yet she wielded a gun. 

The Punisher remained on his toes, ready to take the gun out of the woman's hand at the safest opening, but a Triad beat him to it. One emerged into the room, also screaming in Mandarin while aiming his gun at the old lady. 

The Punisher reacted instinctively and drew his revolver. A gunshot rang through the air before he could pull the trigger and the Triad fell to the ground.

The elderly woman beat the Punisher to the kill. He was both stunned and impressed that she could execute such a deadly aim. One thing was sure: she wasn't to be underestimated. 

The woman continued to rant in her native language. She pointed between the dead man and the Punisher with her free hand, and the Punisher wasn't sure if she was insinuating that he would be next to meet his maker. The fact that she wasn't pointing the gun at him was the reason why the Punisher hadn't caved into instinct and shot her. He maintained his finger on the trigger just in case.

She continued to surprise the Punisher by yelling paragraphs with one breath, scrapping his suspicion of broken ribs or damaged lungs. This woman could have been standing all the way upstairs in the floral shop, and the Punisher would still hear her. 

She was so angry at the Triads that she proceeded to kick the dead man. The Punisher had to blink a couple of times because it wasn't every day that he witnessed an elderly woman kick a corpse. 

At one point, when she was gearing up for another kick, she lost her footing. The Punisher caught her before she could hit the ground and break a hip. He purposely chose to grasp the arm with the gun as a precaution. 

His precaution didn't go unnoticed by the elderly woman. Instead of showing her gratitude, she narrowed her eyes up at him, not intimidated by the towering beast of a man. She appeared annoyed by his behaviour, mumbling to herself out of frustration. 

The Punisher merely let go of the woman, refusing to argue with her.  

The woman walked to the doorway, barely succeeding, then turned to face the Punisher. 

"LC father, come," the woman said in broken English and a heavy accent, motioning for the Punisher to follow her.   

At the sound of his daughter's name, the Punisher perked up. In the blink of an eye, the bruised elderly woman who kicks dead men for a living became an ally. 

Now that the two officially understood each other, the Punisher nodded his head and walked out of the room with Mrs. Zhou by his side. 

Despite her injuries, he didn't have to worry about her. 

In fact, he had to share his ammunition because she was killing just as many Triads as him. 

It turns out Mrs. Zhou was just as much as a force to be reckoned with as the Punisher.