The Bullworth Never Ending Story

[BloodChuckZ]

The sounds of birds chirping in the trees greeted Mr. Luntz as he groggily came to.  At first disoriented as to just where he was, the flooding pain soon reminded him of the events of the previous evening.  His head was pounding and his knee was on fire.

Little Fucking Bastards, thought Mr. Luntz through stabs of pain.  Trying to get up, he discovered he couldn’t...He wouldn’t be able to walk.  Slowly and painfully, he began to drag himself along.

An hour later, he reached the entrance between the Observatory Yard and the Football Field.  His pants were dirty and torn from being dragged along, and the rest of his clothes were sweaty with his efforts.  As he pulled himself along the brick walkway, he saw the apple that had bopped him in the head was still lying where it fell.  Suddenly hungry, he snatched it up and ate it.

While on his crawling journey, he discovered his weapons were missing.  This did not surprise him, as he expected nothing less than to be robbed by those maladjusted freaks of nature.  Nor did it concern him that they were now in possession of his firearm, since the gun itself was unloaded.  The dumb shits had neglected to search his pockets for the bullets, which he still carried.  What really burned his ass was that he fell for the sneak attack in the first place.  He should have known better than to let those moral rejects trick him like that.

As he rested, he contemplated his position.  He couldn’t afford to make waves, not at this stage, when he was so close to blowing off this place for good.  Stupid as they were, most of the rif-raff here at the school only showed intelligence when it came to getting away with their foul deeds.  It would do him absolutely no good to turn them in, and might expose himself to unwanted accusations.  It was best, he decided....No, Critical....That he maintain his low profile.  But, there were other ways to make those scum pay for their blatant attack on him....And they wouldn’t even see it coming.

Mr. Luntz knew that the Townies had been the Bullies main drug suppliers.  Now that the Townies were locked up, he also knew that the Bullies would soon run out of drugs to sell.  He cracked a painful smile as he saw how he could wreck them at this school for good....And they would never know what hit them.

The School Basement was Mr. Luntz’s kingdom.  Stored in it’s many rooms on dusty shelves in boxes were various forgotten items from years past, including things confiscated from students.  One of those confiscated items were drugs.  The present-day Bullies weren’t the first ones to run drugs in this school, and wouldn’t be the last, Mr. Luntz reckoned.  There were plenty of drugs squirreled away here and there, hidden away in places that only Mr. Luntz knew about.  Most were scrip meds, drugs that kids swiped out of their parent’s medicine chest at home and brought to school and got caught with.  But there were some more dangerous ones there, too.....Uppers, Downers, Coke, Crack, and....Hallucinations.  Drugs that would allow the user to take a trip and never leave the farm.  Mr. Luntz knew the location of both pill and powder forms. 

Packaged up in powder form and cut with other drugs, they would be indistinguishable from the Nickel and Dime bags the Bullies were selling.  It would be a very easy thing to leave them unseen on the beds or in the rooms of the Bullies.  Mr. Luntz was, after all, practically a ghost at the school and elsewhere, unnoticed by most all of the people he came in contact with.  Stupid as they were, the Bullies would assume that the Townies were still suppling them from Jail.  A few bad trips from the kids they sold them to would result in those Cliques out for blood.  And, as the sellers, the Bullies would be the prime targets for restitution.  It was perfect.

As he was laying there, gathering his thoughts of vengeance, some activity began to start on the field.  A few runners came out and started jogging around without seeing him.  Mr. Luntz then spotted Seth the Prefect, who had come down the steps and was keeping watch for troublemakers.  Summoning his strength, he raised an arm and called out to Seth for help.  The Prefect came on the run.

“LAWBREAKERS !!  SCUM !!”, Seth was yelling while approaching, thinking Mr. Luntz’s raised waving arm meant he had captured someone.  He came to a halt when he realized that there was no squirming student in Mr. Luntz’s grasp.  It took a few seconds for Seth to even remember just who Mr. Luntz was.  He finally identified him as ‘Janitor So-And-So’ in his mind and barked, “Do You Need Assistance ?”

“Obviously, Yes”, Mr. Luntz remarked through clenched teeth.

“Have you been attacked ?”, Seth continued, “Are you Injured ?”

Not the brightest bulb in the socket, Mr. Luntz thought.  “Yes, and Yes.  I need a transport to the clinic.  I can’t walk.”

“Did you see who did this to you ?”, Seth demanded.

“Naw”, Mr. Luntz lied.  “It was....Too dark to tell.”

Seth nodded and touched a Bluetooth-looking device in his ear. “Code 12, Code 12....Emergency Transport.”  He seemed to listen and again nodded his head. “Help is on the way, Sir.”

Mr. Luntz pointed at the device in Seth’s ear. “Them things new ?”, he asked.

“Why, Yes”, Seth said proudly, “A gift from Mr. Spencer himself.  Just got them yesterday. These are going to allow us to swarm far faster than before.”

As if to verify his claim, the other Prefects appeared within seconds, Karl toting a wheelchair.  Edward and Max picked up Mr. Luntz and loaded him into it, and then it was off to the School Clinic, with Seth clearing the way.  As they wheeled him along, Mr. Luntz contemplated his upcoming role as the Bullies' new invisible drug supplier.
_____________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

“Seein’ anything Boss ?”, Benny asked coming in the upstairs room with Tibo.

Kurt sat perched at the window, looking through binoculars at the Harrington residence.  Without breaking eye contact, he muttered, “Nothing yet.  Those two fucks haven’t been outside the walls since that Limo brought ‘em back.”

“Seen the rest of them ?”, Tibo asked, taking a seat on the bed.

Kurt briefly swiveled the binoculars in the other direction. “They’re hanging out in front of the Spencer place right now.  Looks like the shit we heard on Benny’s radio is true.  They split the ranks again.”

“Got to tell you, I feel a little nervous being between them”, Benny commented.

“I wouldn’t worry”, Kurt said, still staring intently through the binoculars. “Tad’s group won’t do nothing.  They’re outnumbered, and they know it.  Besides, ain’t they all like, aulteristic now, giving all that spiffy new shit to the Cliques ?”

“Well, maybe so”, Benny said uneasily, “But...Still....”

“But Derby and his little lapdog, them’s the ones that’s gonna want revenge”, Kurt continued.

“Two of them against all of us ?”, scoffed Tibo, “Even he’s not that crazy.”

“No”, Kurt said, “That’s why they will have to bushwack us, try to sneak in, maybe.  They haven’t been goin’ to class, so it would have to be here.....We should double up on the guard around the place here....On in front and one in back.....”  He broke off as a car, moving slowly up the street, stopped in front of Harrington’s House, then pulled up to the closed gate.  A man got out and went up to the gate, then bent low, appearing to speak into a box mounted on the side.

Tibo went to the window. “What’choo seeing Boss ?”

“Somebody just pulled up there”, Kurt murmured.  “Some old guy, looks like....”

“Who is it ?”, Benny asked, a frown creasing his face.

“Donno”, Kurt said. “I never seen him before.”  He watched as the gate suddenly swung open, and the man returned to his car and drove in.  The gate swung shut behind him. “Wish we had one of them ‘bug radios’ in that place like in the ones in the school.”

“BOYS ! Time For Dinner !”, Pinky hollered up from downstairs.

Tibo and Benny made towards the door. “You coming, Kurt ?”, Tibo asked.

“Tell her I’ll be down later”, Kurt said. “I’m kinda busy here.”

Tibo shook his head, but told Pinky what Kurt had said when they went downstairs.  As Tibo had figured, Pinky didn’t like it.  She was getting a bit weary of Kurt’s obsessions and his aloofness.  Maybe, she felt, she should try to approach Tony again....This time, without Karen anywhere around though.
________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Derby opened the door. “Come in, Come in, we’ve been expecting you.”

The man crossed the threshold. “Right this way”, Derby said, and began walking towards the living room without looking back.  After a bit, the man followed.

Derby indicated a spot on an empty chair, and the man sat, looking around. There was only one other person in the large room, and that was Bif, who was seated on the couch, regarding the stranger owlishly.  Derby assumed a spot standing by the huge fireplace.

“Where’s your father, Boy ?”, the man said, thinking that Derby’s father was about to join them.

Derby regarded the man speculatively. “He’s not here.  I’m the one who has summoned you here.”

The man blinked, then narrowed his eyes. “Say, what is this ?”, he said harshly, “I don’t work with kids !”  He rose as if to leave.

“Sit Down !!”, Derby barked.  “Your business is with ME this time, not my father.”

“I don’t deal with pups, Bucco”, the man said, began walking back towards the front door.

“Gary Smith and Jake Brown”, Derby called after him.  The man stopped dead in his tracks, and slowly turned.

“What...Did you say ?”, the man asked, his face beginning to turn a whiter shade of pale.

“Oh, you know perfectly well, old man”, Derby sneered. “Cousins, I belive both those boys are, now isn’t that right ?”

“Gary....Is Dead”, the man said heavily.  He suddenly looked as if he were going to vomit.

“So he is !”, Derby said cheerfully.  “And a fine ending it was for him, just a tombstone in the graveyard now.  What a fine productive life he had, taking over the school and all that, for what....Five Minutes ?  A true Bullworth Hero, that boy was.  And such a fine way for him to go out in a blaze of glory, getting his brains bashed in and all.  Such a sterling boy, he was....A real go-getter.”

“You...Can’t talk about him....Like that...”, the man said falteringly.

“Oh, that’s right !”, Derby exclaimed, “Shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, and all that rot.  Everything’s forgiven when someone is DEAD, isn’t that so ?”

Derby good-cheer face suddenly turned into a scowl. “Then let’s talk about his no-good cousin, down from the wrong side of the tracks, shall we ?”  Derby left his place leaning against the mantle and advanced on the man.  “Let’s talk about JAKE, instead.  Let’s talk about all the Damage that little pisser peon caused by planting bombs around Bullworth, all the Damage my family had to PAY FOR to fix.  Let’s talk of all the suffering and fighting that took place due to that sneaky little bastard.  Let’s discuss how those Throwback Boys were the Devil Spawn of the spawn of Your Own Loins, shall we ?”

The man’s shoulders slumped.  The tropical shirt he wore, his favorite choice of dress in the days since his retirement from his business empire, looked wilted and so out of date, much like himself.  “Who else knows of this ?”, he asked, almost inaudibly.

“Not many, I’m sure”, replied Derby smoothly.  “Most don’t have the information to put it all together.  And I’m sure you would like to keep it that way, isn’t that right ?”

The man slowly nodded, all his bluster gone.  Although a large man, he looked somehow deflated and very old. “What do you want me to do ?”

Derby indicated the chair the man had vacated.  “Have a seat, Mister Smith, and I’ll tell you what I have in mind.”

Mr. Smith sat.  Derby resumed his place at the hearth and outlined what he wanted to have done.  A look of dismay came over the old man’s face.

“I can’t do that !”, Mr. Smith exclaimed.  “Why that’s....That’s....Illegal !!”

“Mr. Smith”, Derby said, somewhat sternly, “You owe us....You owe my family.  Need I remind you of that salient fact ?”

“But...”, Mr. Smith blurted, “But...This is just Outrageous !!”

“No, Mr. Smith”, Derby shot back, “I’ll tell you what is Outrageous.  What’s Outrageous is that this Peon has beaten two of us nearly to death.  What’s Outrageous is that this SCUM kidnaped a young lady and held her hostage.  What’s Outrageous is that he has somehow brainwashed that same girl into living with him and his trashy friends.  What’s Outrageous is that he and his brainless buddies are living down the street in a repossessed manor house and being subsidized by the head of the Academy !”  Derby leaned in closer.  “In OUR part of town, these PAUPERS are being allowed to live, to thumb their snotty noses in OUR FACE !!  We can NOT allow this to continue !! He must be dealt with !!”

Derby circled the floor while Mr. Smith absorbed this information.  Bif, who had not said a word up to this point, spoke now in a soothing voice.  “We could really use your help in this matter, Sir.”

Derby approached Mr. Smith. “And...Needless to say....Some of your debt to my family will be...Shall we say....Forgiven ?”

Mr. Smith sighed heavily and nodded. “It will be done.  I’ll arrange it.”

Derby’s lip curled up in a sarcastic smile.  “Good. When you have it done, contact me...And me only, not my father, understood ?”

Mr. Smith nodded and stood, not wanting to tarry. He always had the feeling of something nasty every time he had to deal with the Harringtons.....And now, he had to do a slimy deal for the son.  He had roots in the Vale Valley, but was beginning to think that his retirement would be better lived somewhere else.  Somewhere far away.

As Mr. Smith shuffled to the door, Derby said, “Bif, open the gate so our guest can leave, would you old chap ?”

Bif complied.  After Mr. Smith was gone, Bif remarked, “That was really something. You were truly on form there !”

“Of course I was”, Derby sniffed, “I’m a Harrington, after all.  And once I deal with this pig Kurt, I am going to put Tad Spencer in his place.  Soon, my friend, we are going to be back in our rightful place in Harrington House.”
___________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

There was a knock on the door to Tony and Nick’s shared room that evening.  Opening the door, Nick saw Ray standing nervously in the hall, casting looks around.

“Say-Hey, Ray !”, Nick boomed, then cracked up at his own stupid rhyming joke. “What’s shakin’?”

“Umm....I need to talk to Tony”, Ray said in a voice barely above a whisper.

“That Ray ?  Let him in !”, Tony called.

Nick stood aside, and Ray, still jumpy, entered.  He insisted that Nick close the door.

“Uh...Tony, I need to tell you something”, Ray said, looking about.

“Why sure, Ray”, Tony said, swiveling about in the chair he was sitting in.  “You know you can always tell me anything.”

Ray eyes jumped towards Nick.  “I’m not snitchin’ or anything, just tellin’ what I saw....That’s not bein’ a snitch, is it ?”

Tony frowned. “Of course not, Ray.  And, any information you might tell us is confidential, you know that...Right ?”

“Um...Yeah...I guess”, Ray said, still looking like he was going to jump out of his skin.

“Anybody see you come in here ?”, Nick asked suddenly.

“Uh...No...I don’t think so....”, Ray said, “I mean...Nobody in the hall, that is....Think they’re in the Parking Lot....”

“Who’s in the Parking Lot ?”, Tony asked, although he pretty much knew who Ray meant.

“Er....The B-B-Bullies”, Ray said, with a bit of a stutter.

Nick had seen the scared side of Ray, at the Graveyard...But this was somehow different.  Not afraid of Spirits this time....Instead, fear of an ass-whipping.  “Look, Ray, whatever you tell us don’t go beyond this room.  We never heard anything from you, got it ?”

“Yeah, Ray, It’s alright....Spill it”, Tony chimed in.  “We protect our sources.”

Ray took a couple of deep breaths, and then suddenly blurted, “The Bullies are selling drugs on campus again....In The School !!”

This was indeed disturbing news.  “Where did you see this happen at ?”, Tony asked.

“It was by the School Store, that’s where, it was Davis and Wade, that’s who, Wade grabbed me and wanted me to buy some, but I don’t do that stuff, no sir, so I got away.....”  Ray said all of this in a rush, as if it were a hot potato he couldn’t wait to get rid of.  Tony got him to slow down, and Ray gave a few other details, including that it looked like they were selling to Luis as he was hurrying away, and that the whole transaction was taking place presumably in the sight of Mr. Luntz, the Janitor.

When Ray had told all he could, he excused himself from the room, first cracking open the door and looking both ways down the hall to make sure nobody spotted him leaving.  After he was gone, Tony and Nick sat looking at each other.

“Can you believe that”, Tony said, shaking his head.  “What’s wrong with those dumbasses ?”

“Didn’t I just beat Russell to get them to stop doing that shit ?”, Nick asked to nobody in particular.  “These assholes ought to be in a special school for Idiots.”

Tony got up suddenly. “I got an Idea.  Meet me over at the Parking Lot in a half an hour, OK ?”

“Alright”, Nick said, mystified. “But....Where you going ?”

“Going down to the Football Field”, Tony said, heading for the door. “Gotta see Laurent.”
__________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Nick was at the Parking Lot a half hour later, watching the perpetual evening action between the Bullies and the other students who wandered through the area, particularly the Greasers, whose Autoshop area butted up along the South side of the lot.  In a normal evening, there was trash talk, threats, intimidation, and a few scuffles....And occasionally a fight or even a rumble.  It was no different this particular time, the Bullies were hassling the smaller kids and exchanging the usual taunts with the others.  Nick stood against the wall for what seemed like five minutes, until he spotted Tony trotting up to join him.

“Some half-hour”, Nick observed.

“Would be faster....If I could ever....Learn to ride that damn....Skateboard”, Tony huffed.

“Just have to apply yourself”, Nick commented, smiling at Tony’s out of breath condition. “So, where’s Laurent ?”

“They’re coming”, Tony said, getting control of his breathing. “Com’on, let’s do this !”

“They ?”, Nick asked, “They who ?”  But Tony was already heading over towards the Bullies.

“RUSSELL !!”, Tony said as Nick caught up, “We Need To Talk To You !”

“What You Want With Russell ?”, the big boy said as he turned to face the pair.

“Listen, we had a deal, Russell”, Tony went on.  “No pedaling DRUGS on campus, Remember ?”

“Russell Not Know What You Are Talking About”, Russell replied belligerently.

“Your boys was seen dealing right in the SCHOOL, Russell”, Tony went on, “So ain’t no use denying it.”

The other Bullies had grouped about Russell at this point.  Trent suddenly decided to stick his two cents in, for it was about all he was worth. “Nobody see'd us doin’ nuthin’ in the school !”

“Butt out Trent, or I’ll bust your ass”, Nick said easily, cracking his knuckles.

“Yeah ?”, Trent blustered. “You a real tough guy, ain’t you ?  Like you could take us all on !”

Nick smiled an evil smile at that. “With one leg tied behind my back, Wuss.  I won’t even break a sweat.”

“You can’t talk to me like that, Freak !”, Trent screamed, and charged Nick.  Trent wound up to take a big roundhouse swing, but Nick merely stepped aside and brought his knee up into Trent’s guts.  “OOOOF !!!!”, Trent gushed, right before Nick’s closed fists swung around and clocked him full in the face with a loud CRACK.  Trent went down, knocked unconscious.

Davis and Wade, who had been the ones selling the drugs in the school in the first place, pushed their way to the front, challenging Nick and Tony.

“You two Motherfuckers need to back the Fuck Off !”, Tony warned.  They held their ground, hopping and jumping, shouting, “Com’on Man !!” and “We Gonna Get It On !!”  The rest of the Bullies, Tom, Troy, and Ethan, were also jumping now, pumping fists.

“You boys weren’t so brave in the Graveyard, I hear”, Nick jeered. “Fact is, I heard you all cut and run like a buncha scared Pussies.”

The Bullies were shocked in to silence at that, but only for a moment.  They began yelling even louder, making stepping moves towards Nick and Tony.

 “So, do I gotta beat your ass again so as to make your dumb fuck boys stop pushin’ Dope at school ?”, Nick addressed Russell.

“Russell Win Re-Match This Time”, Russell growled. “You Two No Army.”

“How about an Army Of One ?”, called a voice from behind Tony and Nick.  Everyone suddemly focused on Laurent, who was sauntering up from around the Parking Lot wall into view, followed by Lance, who was leading the six and a half foot tall figure of Bob.

The Bullies were stunned into silence once more as they took in the imposing sight of Bob Southby.  Even Russell had to look up at Bob, who stood a half a foot taller that he was.  Laurent began speaking. “Let me to introduce Bob, our new defensive lineman.  He has been at Bullworth about two weeks now, I am surprised you do not know of him.”

Wade was the first to find his voice.  “We ain’t never seen this dude before”, he muttered loudly.

“Merde, how stupid of me”, Laurent said, mock slapping his head.  “He just stays at the Football Field and Clubhouse.  You Locos never come down there, do you now, because you be too fearful of the Jocks.”

Davis took offense at that, and with a yell charged Bob.  His pardner in crime, Wade, followed after, uttering his own war cry.  But before Davis’ swinging fists could even reach him, Bob reached out and grabbed Davis around the throat, lifting him high into the air, strangling his yell into a helpless gurgle.  Wade skidded up short and backpedaled, his own yell dying on his lips as he witnessed Davis being plucked skyward as easily as a toy balloon in a child’s fingers.  Bob’s gaze shifted to the retreating Wade, and with just a flick of his monster arm sent Davis whipping  through the air at Wade, where they collided, rolling over and over like twiddlewinks  on the hard asphalt of the Parking Lot.

Still conscious, Wade lay on his back trying to catch his breath, while Davis rolled up on his hands and knees, uttering choking sounds and hacking up his dinner on the pavement.  The whole thing had taken mere seconds, but the remaining Bullies shrunk back behind Russell.

“Bob likes to protect the Jocks”, Laurent said amid the sudden silence. “And he will fight on command.  Lance, have Bob tell the boys here what he can do.”

Lance said something to Bob, who leaned down slightly to hear.  Then he straightened, and looking at the Bullies he uttered two words from his caveman-looking face. “BOB SMASH.”

The word’s effect was not lost on Russell, as dumb as he was, or the other Bullies as well.  Their silence spun out as they awaited what was to come next.  The tension built.

“How about it Russell ?” Tony asked, “Stop selling Drugs on campus, or fight the new boy ?”

Russell was silent as he gazed at Bob.  Used to being the biggest boy in school, despite the fact that he was very near legal drinking age, Russell really didn’t know how to react to this bigger version of....Well, himself.  Finally, he cleared his throat and rumbled out a reply.

“Russell Can No Fight Right Now.  Got Bad Knee.”  Then, to save face, he added, “Maybe Some Other Time.”

With that, Russell led the Bullies off the Parking Lot, Tom and Ethan helping Wade and Davis, while Troy lifted a groggy Trent and headed towards the School Clinic.  As they went out of sight, Tony turned to the others.

“Think that’ll work ?”, He said speculatively.

“Maybe for awhile”, Nick said wirily.

“Until the next time ?”, volunteered Laurent.

“If it don’t work, I’m going to have Bob tear them new assholes”, Lance said. “They’re not going to keep poisoning my brother with their fucking trash.  Coach’s Steroids are bad enough.”  With that, he led Bob away back towards the Gym.

The three boys watched them go.  “He’s just like a trainer with them big elephants”, commented Nick.  The others could do no more than agree with that.
____________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Posted by MikeW July 10, 2011

The Bullies felt like they had just had their sacks ripped off after what went down at the parking lot.  It was very humiliating for them to have to back down from a fight, especially Russell.  A few hours later, they had regrouped inside the old school bus at the edge of the Parking Lot.

"Russell Feel So Ashamed !", the giant boy sputtered.

"This bullshit has to end !", said Trent. who had been knocked down again by Nick and had now built up a severe hatred towards him.

"So, what are we gonna do about it ?”, asked Tom.

"We can't have this happen again", Troy said, as he slowly pulled out the giant pistol they had swiped from Mr. Luntz and began playing with it in his hands, a glum look on his face.  As Troy was cradling his ‘toy’, Wade snatched it out of Troy's hands.

"This boys, this right here !  This is the answer to our problems !", Wade said with a maniacal grin.

"What ?!  We can't shoot people !", said Tom in disbelief.

"Sure we can....Either that or we look like pussies AND lose our money", Wade pointed out.  It would have been devastating for the Bullies to lose their great business, but one thing mattered to the Bullies more than anything and that was looking tough and coming out on top.

Wade lifted the gun out the open window of the bus and put his fingers on the trigger.  Taking aim at a nearby street light, he squezzed his finger down on the trigger.  There was a click, but no shot.  Nothing.  "What the Fuck ?, said Wade as he slapped the gun with the palm of his other hand.

"You Dumbass, there's no ammunition in there !", Wade yelled at Troy.

"Ummm, Shit...", said Troy. "Well this is just great, we have perfectly good weapon, and nothing can be done with it !"

Ethan sat in the corner and looked up when Wade lost his mind over the fact that the gun had no bullets. Ethan just sighed and began flipping a quarter with his thumb.  Ethan wasn't feeling overly optimistic about the situation.  He didn't want to get his head cracked open by that hulk of a boy they called Bob. 

Suddenly, the silence was interrupted by Tom. "Say, whatcha got there, Ethan?"

"Uhh, just a coin I found here in the bus.", Ethan replied.

"You know....Let me see that thing”, Tom said.  Ethan handed Tom the coin.  Tom turned it over in his hand and examined it closely. "Hey Russell, you think you can bend this thing into the shape of a bullet ?", Tom said, and then began to laugh as he figured it could never happen.
Russell snatched the coin and with much straining and focus, the big bully bent the coin and folded it.  Looks of astonishment came upon the faces of the boys in the bus as sweat rolled off the forehead of their leader.  Wade hastily took the quarter and jammed it into the barrel of the gun, stuck it out the window again.  Then he squeezed off the trigger.

CH-CHINK went the gun as the hammer pushed the firing pin and struck the metal jammed in there. Still no shot, though.  A glum look came over Wade’s face.  So much for that Idea.....

Davis, his voice still hoarse from being briefly choked by Bob, spoke up. “You have to have some Gunpowder in there, Dumbass.” He was still a little pissed that Wade didn’t jump out of the way as Bob was throwing him.  “Anybody got a Firecracker ?”

Ethan dug in his pocket and came up with one that had been split open slightly and therefore was no good for lighting and throwing.  Davis snatched it worked it powder from it into the barrel of the gun behind the ‘quarter’ bullet.  “Now needs something to spark against...”, he muttered, looking about the littered floor.  Spotting a pop-top from a can of soda, he picked it up and placed it behind the powder in a position where the firing pin would hit it. “Try it now”, he said, handing the gun back to Wade.

Taking aim once more, Wade aimed at a far target, a spot on the ground in front of Sheldon who was walking by the entrance to the Parking Lot.  Wade once again placed his finger on the trigger and pulled. 

BANG !!  The quarter was ejected at an incredible speed.  With a little ‘ping’ sound, it hit the ground in front of Sheldon.  Startled by the sound, the little boy ran screaming away from the spot.

A large grin played upon Wade's face.  "Boys....gather up all the quarters and pop-tops you can find....Heh, Heh.....We going Hunting !"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Later, behind the Boy’s Dorm, Wade loaded another bent quarter into his new favorite toy.  As he squeezed in a bit of powder, jammed in a pop-top, and pulled the trigger again, nothing happened and the trigger only clicked.

"Damn it!", shouted Wade. "What the hell is wrong with this friggin' thing ?"

The other Bullies clustered around.  Wade shook his head in disbelief. "What do you guys know about these things ?", he asked.

Tom reached over and took the gun from Wade. "This stuff’s wet. Looks like we need some dry gun powder.", Tom observed. “Anybody got any more Firecrackers ?"

The other Bullies shook their heads No.  For the past week, Firecrackers had become a scarce commodity around the school.  In fact, the supply of Firecrackers was being horded up by the other Cliques for use in the upcoming Bike Races.

"Well, where we gonna get some gunpowder then ?", asked Wade.

"Maybe in the Chemistry room ?", suggested Ethan.

"No way man, I ain't going to class !", said Wade. The boys had to think, in addition to not wanting to go to class with Dr. Watts, they also figured they wouldn't even know how to make gun powder anyways.

"I got it !", said Davis, "How 'bout at Rocket in my Pocket ?"
_____________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Later that night, at around 3 AM, the Punks, along with Jake, broke into the Spencer Warehouse.  In short order, they located the crates containing the weapons and C-4.  It was easy, Jake discovered, when one knew just what they were looking for.  Then, they swarmed the upstairs office, rifling through paperwork until they discovered the shipping orders for the crates.  Some of them were missing, because unbeknown to them, Jimmy and Zoe had taken some of those....But no matter.  What they did find showed a date that matched up with all the crates containing weapons they had found so far....A shipping date of five days away.  Which, coincidentally, coincided with the night that the next train was due to come in, by Sid’s reckoning. 

All the files and orders were replaced exactly as they had found them.  A few weapons were removed from the opened crates, then they were nailed shut once more and replaced back in their exact positions.  Even Jake, as part of the crew, was allowed to pilfer some of the stash from a couple of the crates.  As he stuffed his pockets with charges of C-4, so elemental to his plan of takeover, Jake reflected that he had enough explosives on his person to level the School and all of the buildings on it’s campus to a pile of rubble.  But, that was not his objective.  His plan all along was to seize control of Bullworth Academy.  If he chafed being under Sid’s direction, he did not show it, for Jake, unlike his now-dead madcap cousin Gary, finally had learned from all his past failures in his attempts to take over the school.  In every case, Jake’s attempts had unraveled at the end because of unforseen interventions.....Cops, The Weather, Pete With A Gun, A Failed Bullhorn, Unreliable Hostage-Takers.....But no more.  This time all the would-be foils to his plans would be under his control.  And, if the Weather sent a Hurricane, so much the better.

The Punks and Jake left the Warehouse.  Now all there was to do was wait.  In the meantime, Jake had some details to take care of....Items that would be necessary for this, his final, Ultimate plan.
________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

In a hospital in Boston, the boy awoke from his coma.  Precisely when couldn’t be told, as he had had periods of semi-lucidity for some time....But only in bits and fitful pieces.  An overheard disjointed conversation here, flashes of dim, filtered grey-looking light there.  He seemed to be swimming, fighting a great current that threatened to sweep him away for what felt like a million years.  He had no sense of time, yet he was timeless.  Scraps of thoughts floated through his mind, swirling like a Hurricane wind at first, chaotic, then slowing, coalescing into a rough form of rational thought.  Bit by bit, piece by piece, the storm passed and his mind calmed.  He became aware of self, of his existence, and arose from the murky mental pool of confusion that had held him captive for such an uncounted time.  Freed, he slowly, ever so slowly, swam upward to awareness.

He opened his Eye.

The boy was sure that he should have had two eyes to open, and should been able to open both eyes, but he couldn’t.  He just couldn’t.  Something beyond his power was preventing him from opening his other eye.  A great weight held it tightly shut.

He tried to speak, but no sound escaped his throat.  Couldn’t escape.  Something was blocking the way, something that felt huge, a lump in his throat he had never felt before.  His mind commanded a scream, but nothing happened.  He poked his tongue around, trying to lick his lips, tried to clear his throat.  He could do neither.  

Light flooded his one open eye, causing him to squint.  It was as if a strong thousand-watt bulb was shining through a dense fog directly into his face.  He blinked rapidly to clear it, as as his pupil adjusted to the intense light, the surroundings came into focus.

He was in a room, a sort of sick pea-green-colored room.  There were white curtains on each side of him.  He shifted his gaze down, looking at his body, lying in a bed.  A bed with rails.  He became aware, then, of sounds....A mechanical, rhythmic sound that grew louder then softer, louder, then softer.  Underneath that was the sounds of beeping, short high-pitched bursts that also seemed to settle into a rhythm of sorts.

His eye spotted his hand lying beside him.  He tried to move it, and with effort, succeeded.  He curled his fingers into a fist and back open again, spread his fingers.  He became aware that he had another hand he could not see, could FEEL another hand, and commanded it to open and close in time with the hand he could see.  This also worked, for even though he couldn’t see it, he felt it, working in rhythm with the one he could see.  It meant, he though with relief, that he was not paralyzed, although he didn’t know why he had that sudden thought.

Next, he tried to raise his arms.  Straining, he could only raise them a couple of inches off the bed, could only hold them there for a few seconds.  Suddenly exhausted, he let them fall back.  Weak....He was so WEAK.  What had happened ?  Sudden memories flooded his mind....A snowstorm....Lots of people fighting....A Bullhorn....Gun in his hand.  Then, a sudden sharp, piercing pain...His Eye, his right Eye......

His remembrances were interrupted by voices off to his right.  Since he couldn’t see in that direction, he didn’t know who they were.  He was suddenly afraid.  He was in Danger, he sensed, although he did not know why.  As the voices came closer, he closed his Eye.

“......is our patient doing today, Nurse ?”, the one voice was saying as it came closer.

“He’s been making some movements.  I think he might wake up soon, Doctor”, the other voice replied.

“Hmmm”, the first voice said, “Let’s take a look.....”

The boy felt something cold and heavy on his chest.  It took a great effort of will for him not to react.  Something....Instinct ?.....Told him to keep still.

“Hummph....Hummph....”, the voice, now identified as ‘Doctor’, muttered, as he ran the cold, heavy object to different places on his chest.  “How are his reflexes ?  Breathing responses ?”

“Much improved, Doctor”, the one called ‘Nurse’ answered. “He has been making movements on both sides, and trying to breathe on his own.”

“Well then...”, Doctor said meditatively, removing the cold, heavy thing from his chest, “We’ll take him off the respirator tomorrow.  When he wakes up, he should be able to talk.”  The Doctor straightened up.  “That’ll be good news for those men waiting to ask him some questions.  Lord knows it’s been long enough”, he said, shaking his head.  “Almost lost this one.”

“I’ll see to it, Doctor”, Nurse said.  

Both left the room, and the boy heard the door close after them.  

I Have To Get Out Of Here, he thought.  

But first, he knew, he would have to get strong, had to recover his strength....And his memories.  For the next hour, he struggled to move his arms and legs, and turning his head.  By the time he felt he could stand no more, he could raise his arms above his head, pull up his knees halfway, and was able to turn his neck from side to side.

It was all he could for now.  He fell exhausted into a fitful sleep, and the dreams came.
______________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

It had taken awhile for Nick to locate another boat that wouldn’t be missed so easily, but by mid-week, he had found one.  Taking off from afternoon classes, Nick, Tony, and Karen were motoring out to Pirate Island at last.  As they approached the Island, however, they saw something that gave them caution....There was another boat beached there.  And not just a rowboat, either....This was a fancy-looking speedboat, quite new by the looks of it.

Both Tony and Nick pulled their weapons and scanned the beach for a possible attack, but could see nobody.  As that reached the shore, both boys quickly hopped out and pulled their boat up onto the sand.  Karen stepped out, and the three scoured the small beach for any sign of life.  It didn’t take long to discover that nobody else was on the beach or hiding in the rocks above.  Satisfied that there was no threat, they wandered over to the mystery boat to have a look.

“What do’ya make of this ?”, Nick asked.

“Donno”, Tony replied, still looking around. “Somebody’s got to be here somewhere.  That boat didn’t drive itself here.”

Karen sniffed. “I bet this is a Preppie Boat.”

Tony turned, surprised. “Why would you say that ?”

“Look”, she pointed.  On the deck by the stern lay an Aquaberry jacket.

“Figures it would be one of those rich boys”, Nick said. “But what the hell does any of them want to come out to this place for ?”

“If they’re here, they got to be up there”, Tony said, motioning towards the broken trees higher up into the rocky area that covered most of the Island.  “Let’s go careful.”

The three started up to the rocky part, Nick and Tony with weapons drawn, and Karen following, since she had no weapon.  Thinking, she said, “Do you remember those pictures plastered up on the wall in the big hall awhile back ?”

Tony squinted his eyes, trying to remember.  “Ummm....Yeah....You mean the queer ones that fired up the trouble in the Cliques ?  Who the hell was in them....I don’t remember.....”

“It was Kirby and Trent in the one set of photos”, Karen said promptly, “And Vance and Gord in the others.”

“So what ?”, Tony grunted, trying to find good footing on the rocks, “What’s that gotta with this ?”

“Well”, Karen said, “In the pictures of Vance and Gord, they were on a Island with rocks and trees in the background.”

Tony stopped climbing. “So....You think...That was HERE ?”

“Know it was”, Karen said.  “That half-sunk ship out there was in the background.”  She pointed out in the bay. 

Nick had been watching the interplay between Tony and Karen with amusement. “She’s got you there, buddy.”

A picture floated up in Tony’s mind of the two boys, Vance and Gord, out here on the Island, doing God-knew-what.  “I don’t really know if that means anything.”

“It’s a Preppie boat”, Karen insisted.  To Nick, she said, “What do you think ?”

Nick raised his hand, palm out. “Hey, leave me outta this”, he said, jokingly.

The trio resumed their climb.  “Got to mean something”, Karen said stubbornly.

As they topped the rocky face and looked out over the Island, Karen’s prediction proved to be true.  On the vast rocky plateau of the Island, littered with the deadfall of trees smashed down by the Tornado, a lone figure in a blue dress shirt was bent over, apparently pulling frantically at something. 

The trio approached cautiously, weapons at the ready, but it was not possible to do so silently.  The figure heard them coming over the uneven terrain, and straightened up.  When he turned around, they saw that it was Gord.

“Say there, Tony old chap”, Gord said, somewhat agitated, ignoring the others, “Could use some help here !”

“What...Um...Seems to be the problem there, Gord ?”, Tony asked.

“It’s Vance !”, Gord replied frantically, pointing. “He’s trapped down there !  You’ve got to help get him get out !”

Nick and Tony looked down through the tangle of tree trunks and limbs, and through an opening about a foot square, they saw a face peering back up at them. “Vance ?”, Tony said, shocked.

“Hey, Yo, whadda know ?”, came Vance’s muffled voice.  “I gotta situation here, bro....”

“I see that”, Tony remarked. “Just...Uh....How long you been down there, Vance ?”

“Ah, Geezh...Been here awhile....But been trapped here since that big storm”, Vance replied.

“Holy Crap”, Nick muttered, “That was almost three weeks ago.”

“How come you ain’t starved to death ?”, Tony asked. “You must be real hungry.”

“Ahh....No, got me plenty of food still, stashed down here”, Vance said, “But I run outta water a couple days ago....You guys got any ?”

Silently, Karen handed over the water bottle that she had brought along.  Tony took it and squeezed it down through the hole. Vance grabbed it and drank greedily, and soon emptied the entire bottle.  “Hold on there, Vance, we’ll think of something up here”, Tony said, and then straightened up to talk with the others.

“I tried moving those big limbs, but I can’t”, Gord began to babble, “I should be able to push them out of the way or something, but they wont budge an inch, and Vance is going to die down there and it’s all my fault, and Look !  I’ve soiled my marvelous clothes, and here’s a rip !  Oh, No....”

“Hey, relax, Gord-O, I’m sure if we all put our backs to it, we can get Vance outta there”, Tony said soothingly.  “We just gotta work together, that’s all.  You Preps are into working together now, aren’t you ?  That’s your new thing, Isn’t it ?  Well, here’s your chance.”

The boys bent to the task.  Karen stood off the the side, watching, an amused look on her face.  Tony and Nick were strong, but try as they might, even with a weaker Gord alongside, they were unable to budge the tree trunk much more than a fraction.  The boys were sweating and busting, about to go insane with the effort.  Unable to contain herself any longer, Karen burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny ?”, Tony demanded, sweat running down her face.

“You all are”, Karen said, still giggling. “I can see none of you pays any kind of attention in Math Class.”

“With evil Mr. Hattrick ?”, Tony grumbled. “I would guess not.”

“If you had”, Karen went on, “You’d know that all you need to move that is a Lever and Fulcrum.”

“A...What ?”, Nick asked.  Gord  just had a confused look on his face.

“Lever and a Fulcrum”, Karen said, moving over to the spot. “Get a big log that you big boys can handle, then put another log here”, she pointed, “Then use the big log to pry against the tree trunk.  Simple.”

The boys didn’t really know what she meant, but fanned out anyway to find some deadwood that they could handle.  Rolling a short log into place in front of the cavern entrance, the three then found a long thick log that they carried over.  Karen directed them as to where to place it, jammed under the tree trunk that blocked the cavern, and laid against the short log they had set in place.  Then Karen said, “Now, all of you, Pull Down Hard !!”

The boys complied, and in short order, the tree trunk began to move away from the cavern entrance.  The boys redoubled their efforts, and in no time at all, just like magic, the tree trunk was moved away from the cavern entrance enough to allow Vance to squeeze through.

“Whoa, that was like, cool jewels, man”, Vance said, looking about in a sort of a daze.  “Wow, where did all the trees go ?  That musta been some storm !”

“Actually, it was a Tornado, Vance”, Tony told him.

Vance looked stunned. “A Freakin’ TORNADO ?”, he exclaimed.  “Woah, No Way !  Wait’ll the guys hear about.....” He stopped suddenly.  “Oh....Right....”

Karen said gently, “I think maybe your friends might like you to come back, Vance.”

A spark of hope crossed Vance’s face. “Really ?”, he said doubtfully.

“Sure, Vance, just the other day I heard Lefty and Lucky saying how much they missed having you around”, Tony added. 

“And I hear you Greasers have a new lift and tools over at the Autoshop”, Nick chimed in.

Vance looked to Gord, who said, “It’s all true....Things have changed.  I’m back with my fellows, too !  That’s why I came to find you, to tell you it’s alright now !”

“And Kirby and Trent are back with their Cliques as well”, Tony said.  “The only one still missing is you.”

Vance stood speechless, hardly daring to believe his ears.  “So....”, he gulped.

“So, it’s alright now”, Karen said.  “You can go home.”

Tears welled up in Vance’s eyes and he hurriedly brushed them away. “Well then....What are we waiting around here for ?”, he said to Gord. “I seen enough of this place already.  Let’s Go !”

He linked arms with Gord as they made their way across the rocks and deadfall towards the beach. Tony, Nick, and Karen followed.  When they got to the speedboat, the boys helped push it into the water.

“You chaps need a ride ?”, Gord asked the trio.

“Brought our own”, Tony said, pointing to the boat farther up the beach.

“What are you doing out here, anyway ?”, Gord asked, frowning.

“Jake escaped to the Island here on the night of the big storm”,Tony said easily, “We’re out here looking for clues.”   In fact, that wasn’t their true reason for being here, but Tony wasn’t going to mention that.

“Oh...Well then, good luck with that”, Gord said, not really interested in a chance encounter with the Mad Bomber of Bullworth Academy, as he was coming to be known.  “Ah, say, chap....Could you not mention....Our little hiding spot to anyone ?”

“Heh...Your secret’s safe with us, don’t worry”, Tony replied.

“Well then....Cherrio !”, Gord said, as he gunned the speedboat’s motor.

“Ehhy, Thanks for the help there !”, called Vance.

With that, the speedboat executed a turn and sped away.  Tony, Nick, and Karen watched it go with traces of amusement on their faces.

“Now, there goes the perfect couple”, Nick quipped, and the others busted out laughing.

Chuckling, Tony said, “Grab them shovels and picks outta the boat.  Now, we can go find what we really came out here for.”
__________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

The trio headed back up the cliff face with their equipment in tow.  Karen pulled out the tracing she had made of the Island from the book that Tony had returned to Mr. Luntz. 

“It looks like....”, she began, studying the paper, “That the ‘67‘ Grid line runs from where the North edge of the beach is to.....Straight West toward the Carnival......So, should be....Right over here.”  She pointed to a spot a few feet away, then went to it. 

“How’re we gonna know if we’re facing the right way West ?”, Nick asked as they assembled at the spot Karen indicated.

“That’s where one of these comes in handy !”, Karen exclaimed, pulling out a compass.

“Where’d you get that ?”, Tony asked in amazement.

“I’m not telling you”, Karen said coyly. “A girl’s got to keep SOME secrets, Ha Ha !”  Holding the compass steady, she lined up the needle on the North point and sighted a line straight on the West point towards the other side of the Island.  “Com’on....This Way !”

They set off along the rocky landscape.  Here and there was large cracks which had provided the places where the trees that had grown there, before they were ripped up by the Tornado and scattered, broken, across the island.  There was not many places where a hole could be dug along their path, but they tried each spot along the way, usually hitting rock before they had dug a foot or two, coming up empty every time. 

As they continued West, they passed within a couple of feet of the cavern that they had just freed Vance from.  Continuing on, still digging in spots, they reached the other side of the Island where the rock suddenly dropped off into the water.  “Hummph....Now what ?”, Tony wondered aloud. 

They retraced their steps, again coming near the hole that led down to the cavern.  Karen stopped, thinking for a moment, then said, “You don’t think....Maybe Pete meant this cavern ?”

Thunderstruck, Tony considered that.  Since there was not many places to dig on the rocky surface, perhaps Pete HAD hidden the file down there.  “Karen, you’re a genius !”, Tony said.

“Keep telling you that”, she said with a smile. 

“Maybe someday you’ll believe her, huh ?”, Nick joked.

The three examined the opening.  It was agreed that Tony and Nick would go down, while Karen stood watch.  Tony squeezed down the opening first, then Nick.  There was enough light coming in through the opening to just barely see.  Flicking their lighters, the boys could just make out some other details.

The whole place smelled bad.  There was an old woodstove there, with an small exhaust pipe snaking up to the surface.  A makeshift bed, where Vance had been apparently sleeping, a doorless cabinet partially stocked with canned food, and a couple of empty 5-gallon jugs laying on the floor, obviously holding the water that Vance had run out of.  Over in the one corner was a bucket overflowing with shit and piss, smelling horrible, with big flies buzzing around it.  Lined up against the far wall were what looked like Pirate costumes.  On the floor where they had dropped in was the remains of what looked like a homemade trap door that Vance had probably removed while seeking freedom.

Most of the floor was solid rock.  There was barely enough room to stand up in, and as they searched farther away from the opening they had to bend over to keep from bashing their heads against the irregular rock of the ceiling.  They discovered several smaller passageways branching to both the North and South, gradually narrowing into nothing after a few yards.  In these, the floor surface became uneven and had turned to dirt.

They returned to the hole that was the entryway and called up to Karen to pass down their tools.  As she did so, she advised, calling down through the hole, “Remember the grid lines read from South to North !  Anything buried should be the North of where you’re at !”

There were two passageways to the North, so Nick took one and Tony took the other.  They began digging in the near-darkness, occasionally flicking their lighters to gauge their progress.  After an hour of digging, cramped from being bent over, both became hot and sweaty.  finding nothing, Tony was beginning to think that they were on the wrong track.

Suddenly, Tony’s shovel struck something with a light metallic THUNK.  Flicking his lighter, he saw a dull gleam of metal.  Dropping to his knees from his bent-over position, he dug with his hands and freed up a metal box about a foot square and about six inches deep.  Flicking his lighter again to check it, he yelled, “Hey !  I Got Something !”

Nick hurried over from his passageway, glad for the respite to stop digging.  Adding the light from his lighter to Tony’s, they examined the box.  It was a dull green color, with a lid secured with a large padlock. 

“This has to be it !”, Tony said excitedly.

“Must be, I didn’t find anything over there, and I was nearly done”, Nick said.

“Let’s get outta here, this place stinks !”, Tony said, backing out of the passageway with the box.

Nick couldn’t agree more.  “It’s about as bad as a stink bomb down here.  Sooner the better !”

They both returned to the opening, passing the box and their tools up to Karen before squeezing up to the surface themselves.  Out in the open air once more, They were able to examine the box closer, particularly the padlock.  It was rusted and clogged with dirt from being buried.  “Think you can pick this, sweetheart ?”, Tony asked Karen.

Karen pulled out her lock-picking tools, which she always seemed to be carrying around.  She bent to the task, working on the padlock.  But the minutes ticked by without any success.  Finally, she looked up.  “It’s just to rusty and dirty.  I can’t get it open.  Maybe if we cleaned and oiled it....”

“We should get off the Island”, Tony said nervously, “Before anybody comes poking around.”

“Who’s gonna come out here ?”, Nick asked, looking at the coming twilight gathering darkness.

“We came out here”, Tony observed, “And found Gord out here.”

“Hmm, good point”, Nick admitted.  The three gathered up the tools and the box, then made their way down to the beach to the boat.  Once there, they loaded their stuff in, and made ready to cast off.

“Where to ?”, Karen asked, settling in and holding the box tightly.

Tony squinted into the distance.  “Over that way, to that beach we came out on that night we were chasing Jake. From there, we can go around the back of the school on the old rail line trail.”

“What’s back there ?”, Nick asked, shoving off the boat.

“We can’t even be seen with this thing, so we have to get it to a safe place”, Tony said. 

“You mean....Jimmy’s hideout ?” Karen asked, in a burst of understanding.

“That’s right”, Tony replied, “Safest place I know.”

“Who’s this....Jimmy ?”, Nick asked.

Tony faced Nick across the bow.  “I guess it’s about time you knew.  Pretty sure we can trust you now.  Actually, you’ve already met Jimmy.....Except, you know him as ‘Hoppy’.

Nick frowned.  “That kid that...Um....Helped us bust Damon out of the Nuthouse ?  Him ?”

“One and the same”, Tony affirmed. “But you have to keep that a secret.  Wrong people find out, and our goose is cooked.....”

“And this all has something to do with....What’s in there ?”, Nick asked, pointing at the box Karen was holding.

“That...And More”, Tony replied.  “A whole lot more.  If they were to catch us with what’s in that box, we’d probably never be heard from again.”

Nick mulled that over.  “What’s in there is dangerous ?”, he ventured.

“HIGHLY Dangerous”, Tony replied.  “Even more that I know.”

Nick cut the motor and the boat drifted in towards the beach.  The three hopped out, leaving the tools in the boat.  Nick said he would come back later for the boat and return it under cover of darkness.  At the entrance to the short tunnel that led to the old rail line trail, Tony gave instructions.

“I’ll go first, Karen will follow with the box in the middle.  Nick, you’ll bring up the rear.  The trail’s usually empty, so we shouldn’t be running into anyone.....But in case we do, Shoot Them.  Keep at it until they’re knocked out”, Tony said grimly. 

Nick, who was always up for a challenge, grinned.  “Lead the way”, he grinned. “Let’s Do This !”
___________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

At about the same time, Gord and Vance were heading back to the Bullworth campus, having spent some quality hours alone at the Overlook, making up for lost time.  As they were walking down the winding Vale Valley Road, just past the small bridge east of the park, a figure on a bike zoomed around the corner up ahead of them, riding like a bat out of hell.

It was Kurt, riding a stolen bike.  The Rockers could well afford their own bikes, given the ‘allowance’ that Dr. Crabblesnitch gave them, but Kurt always found it a better thrill just to steal a bike.  It added to his aura of invincibility.  He was in a hurry as he had a gig to play that night with his group, unusual for a weekday.....But the popularity of the group had grown tenfold since the addition of Pinky as one of the lead singers over the past couple of months or so.  Even though he really didn’t have the time to dawdle, Kurt couldn’t resist bringing the bike to a skid a few feet in front of the startled pair.

“Well, Well....Lookit who we got here....The Pussy Queer and The Missing Queer”, he jeered.  Hopping off the bike and drawing his Spud Gun, he pointed it at the two shocked boys.

“I say, what is this ?”, Gord gulped.  “We don’t want any trouble here !”

“Yo, Don’t get A twist in your jeans, jellybean”, Vance chimed in.

“Like the one in your jeans, huh, jellybean ?”, Kurt mocked.  “You butt-fuckin’ queers just crack me up.  Save it for some of your gay friends who really give a shit.  Oh, wait....You misfits don’t have any friends !”

"Trash like you is not wanted here”, Gord said boldly, “Get out of our neighborhood !"

“Trash like ME ?”, Kurt said in feigned surprise. “That’s big garbage talk coming from a small fag like you !”

"You're an embarrassment to the human race !", Gord shot back.

“Yeah, like school on Saturday.....No Class !”, Vance snorted.

“No Class ?”, Kurt laughed.  “You sick butt-fuckers should talk !  Giving each other the hot-tongue sandwich ?  Pinks told me that is unbelievably disgusting to watch.  Absolutely Revolting !!”

Traffic was light on the Vale Valley Road.  A couple of cars had driven by during the confrontation, unnoticed by either Kurt or Gord and Vance.  Likewise, none of them paid the slightest bit of attention to the black auto slowly creeping up behind Kurt.

“Watch it, Dorkus McDinklestein !”, Vance threatened.

“I’d rather not”, Kurt said. “That kind of thing is really gross.”

"Hey, Bite Me !!", Vance yelled, making a move towards Kurt, who merely pulled the trigger on the Spud Gun and shot Vance in the crotch.

"OOHH! Right in the Hot-Rod !!!!”, Vance screamed.  “Ooohhh...."

“How Despicable !”, Gord reacted.  "You're Poor, and UGLY !!!"

Instead of replying, Kurt calmly turned the Spud Gun on Gord and shot him in the nuts.

“GA-A-WD !”, Gord yelled,  “That was DIRTY !!!”

Kurt moved closer to the pair.  “You queer assholes try doin’ each other now, see how it feels !”

“He’s gonna be..... Bleedin’ from....his ears !”, Gasped Vance.

“I’ll make you....Pay for this....For the rest of your life....”, moaned Gord.

The black car had come to a stop a few feet behind Kurt.  The back doors silently opened and two construction workers noiselessly emerged.  Quietly, they crept up behind him.

“You sick disgraceful pissheads got a world of hurt about to come your way.....”, Kurt began, but was interrupted as the two construction workers suddenly grabbed and tackled him to the street.  His Spud Gun was knocked from his grasp and went clattering to the pavement. 

“HEY !!!!  Git Off Me, You ASSHOLES !!!!!”, Kurt screamed.  He struggled, but it was no use.  In the matter of a few seconds, the men had wrestled him into the back of the car, climbed in and slammed the doors.  The driver mashed the gas and the vehicle speed off.

 “What is goin' on ?”, Vance moaned through glazed eyes as the car zoomed away.  He looked over at Gord, who was contorted in pain.  “This is so SO not cool !”

Inside the car, Kurt was fighting to free himself from the grip of the two men in the backseat.  “MOTHERFUCKERS, GET OFF ME !!  GET OFF !!!!!!”

The driver turned his head slightly. “Quiet our Guest down, would you, Boy-os ?”

“Sure Thing, Mr. Smith”, one of them replied, cocking back his arm.  A huge work-hardened fist smashed directly into Kurt’s screaming face.  Darkness followed.
____________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Pete.  His name was Pete, he remembered now.  Pete....Kowalski.  He was an orphan, a ward of the state....That’s why nobody was there, by his bedside, anxiously waiting for him to wake up, to CARE if he woke up.....He was alone in the world.

Except, he wasn’t alone....There was more talk of those waiting to ‘ask him questions’....The ‘Doctor’ made mention of it again today as he was pulling the ‘respirator’ from his throat.  That had hurt.  It took all his willpower not to react to that, although he couldn’t help coughing a couple of times.  That was a good sign, the ‘Doctor’ had said, that he would wake up soon.  Pete kept his eye closed through all of it, just as if his life depended on it.  For all he knew, it just might.

His Eye...his other Eye....Was missing.  He had confirmed this when, left alone, he had peeled back the tape and gauze that covered that part of his face and probed the empty eye socket with his increasingly nimble fingers.  At first he was shocked, then....Incredibly saddened.  Something had happened, a bad something....He couldn’t remember.  He replaced the gauze and tape as best he could, and mourned the loss of his eye.  How had this happened ?

He had tried hard then to focus.  He was Pete.  He was....How old ?  A piece of an ancient song floated through his mind ---

“......Violence flares, Bullets loadin’....You’re old enough to kill, but not for votin’.....You don’t believe in war, but what’s that gun you’re totin’.....”

Gun.  That Gun he was totin’.....There WAS a gun, he recalled, and suddenly, he remembered firing it.....Fighting....A Snowstorm.....A War ?  No....He was to young to go to war.

But it WAS a war......A Faction war.....Other kids, like himself, yet.....Unlike himself.  Brutal, Bullying, Stupid Retarded Kids who had no brains and no respect for anything or anybody except for those stronger and more powerful that they were.  A bunch of social misfits, thrown together in a cauldron of hate.  

And where was this ?  He pressed his mind to remember.  Images floated up from the murky depths....Buildings, OLD buildings, Gothic-looking, decrepit.....A fountain with a statue, walls with gates, a whole area of despair......Litter everywhere, Rats.....Oh,The Rats.

Exhausted, he began to drift off.  Enough for now.  But soon, he knew, soon....He would have to remember, would have to escape.  THEY were waiting for him, to 'ask him questions’ and who knew what else ?  Pete knew what else....They would kill him for what he didn’t remember yet.

He tumbled down towards sleep.  At the edge of the Twilight Zone, just before he entered the chasm of his dreams, whispered words escaped his lips.....

“......Jimmy......The File......”
__________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

“Dum, Te Dum Da Dum.....”, Mr. Luntz hummed under his breath as his hands searched the shelves in the fenced-off basement room.  Hell, there was a whole drugstore of pharmaceuticals here, all labeled and sealed up in old-style canning jars.  At length, he settled on a couple of different substances.....Some Cocaine and the hallucigen LSD.

Taking the jars over to a nearby workbench, he metered out amounts into little plastic baggies he had swiped from the kitchen, adding in some powdered sugar that he was sure that Edna wouldn’t miss, since there was so much of it there.  The crazy bitch had a hundred boxes of it back in her storeroom, and used it on everything she cooked, probably to drown out the rancid taste of the slop she served to those little vermin.  Mr. Luntz had to laugh at that thought.  It was no wonder there were rats all over the place, for that’s all the old biddy’s food was really good for.

Mr. Luntz had no trouble approximating how much to put in each bag, as he recalled with vivid memory just how the nickel and dime bags of his youth on the streets of New York had looked.  Besides, he was sure that the Bullies would be cutting the mix further, probably with flour or talcum powder or who knew what the hell else.  None of these small amounts were lethal, just in case the stupid ass Bullies were too much of morons to cut it with anything....just enough, Mr. Luntz gauged, to give the users a bad enough trip they wouldn’t likely forget.

Finished, he packed the filled, taped bags into his work satchel.  Then, grabbing a dirty scrap of paper, he crudely printed the following message on to it.....

"GIVE OUR CUT TO OUR LAWYER FOR THE DEFENSE OR WE WILL KICK YOU ASSES AGAIN WHEN WE GET OUT (signed) O.R."

Waiting until it was well past 2 AM, Mr. Luntz headed off to the Boy’s Dorm to plant the drugs.  He knew exactly where each boy and girl roomed in the dorms, just as he knew about most everything else about Bullworth Academy.  Arriving at the Boy’s Dorm unseen a few minutes later, he eased in the front door.  The hallways were empty, and nobody was evident in the common room.  As a precaution against kids staying up all night playing the video consoles, each was equipped with a timer that shut them off after 1 AM.  Not even the Nerds had been able to jack their way around that.  Locating the door to Trent’s room, the only one of the Bullies who bunked in a room by himself, he withdrew his set of keys.  Sorting through them until he found the proper one, he unlocked the door and silently eased it open.

The sound of Trent’s snores greeted his ears.  Mr. Luntz moved silently into the room, using a small penlight to locate a dresser against the far wall.  Quickly, he removed the bagged drugs and stacked them on the dresser, weighing down the fake note with the last bag as the snores of Trent continued in the background.  Finished with his mission, he hefted the now-empty satchel and quietly left the room, pulling the door shut behind him.  Leaving the Boy’s Dorm unobserved, he began to sing a little tune by Steppenwolf under his breath from the mean street days of his youth.....

“God Damm !!  Go-o-o-o-d Damn, I Say THE PUSHER......
I Said God Damn, God, GOD DAMN The Pusher Man......”
_________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Safely making it to Jimmy’s cave hideout without incident, Tony led the others in through the secret door.  Upon entering, they found Jimmy and Zoe involved in a game of ‘Catch the Titties’.
 Zoe blushed and quickly covered up while Karen smiled and Tony and Nick hid grins.  Seemingly a bit annoyed at being interrupted, Jimmy quickly came to full attention when Tony showed him what they had found.

“So”, Jimmy grunted, “Think this is really it ?”

“Has to be”, Tony said. “Pete told me he buried it, and then croaked out Pirate Island after he got shot.  We actually found it buried in another secret cave over there.”

“Another Cave ?” Jimmy asked. “What other cave ?”

“There was an underground cave over there that Vance was trapped in”, Tony said, and went on to relate how Gord had found the trapped Vance and how they had freed him.

“But, Gord or Vance doesn’t know anything about this here ?”, Jimmy questioned, indicating the metal box.

“Oh, no no....We waited until they both left the Island to go looking for it”, Tony said. “Gave them a bullshit story about how we were looking for clues about Jake.”

“And the dumb fucks bought it”, Nick added.  “They ain’t none too bright, that pair.”

“And...Nobody saw you with this box...Right ?, Jimmy questioned closely.

“Naw”, Tony said, “We came around the back way at twilight. Didn’t see nobody.”

“Hmmm”, Jimmy said, satisfied.  He hefted the box.  “Well, let’s get this turkey opened.”

“Umm....We can’t”, Tony said.  “Karen already tried.”

Jimmy looked up at Karen. “What ?  The best lock-picker at Bullworth can’t get this little padlock open ?  What gives ?  Losing your touch ?”

Karen grew red in the face. “It’s too rusted !”, she said, embarrassed.  “If I had some oil or something.....”

“Got just the thing !”, Jimmy exclaimed, and hopped up, heading off to the part of the cave that contained the stove.  He returned with an old metal container that was filled with oil.  “I use it to get the wood a-burnin’ really hot”, he said.  “Works great.  Here, I’ll get a cup and pour some in the keyhole.”

With that, he rounded up a cup and dipped it in the oil, pouring it onto the lock and into the guts of it through the keyhole. After waiting a few minutes for it to soak in, he said, “Go’on....Try it now.”

Karen pulled out her lock-picking tools once again and bent to the task.  Several minutes went by, and Tony was beginning to think that maybe they should get a hacksaw or bolt-cutters.  Suddenly, the padlock made a small 'click’ in Karen’s hands.  She tugged on it to work it free.  Jimmy leaned over to help pull, and the slowly came open.  Jimmy pulled it off the hasp and tossed it in a corner.  Picking up the metal box, he opened it to a squeal of rusty hinges.

Everyone crowded around to look.  Inside was a large manilla envelope, spotted with faint green moldy spots from being in the damp ground.  Jimmy opened it and pulled out a manilla folder containing a thick sheath of papers.  Leafing through them, he proclaimed, “Yep, this is them.  Here”, he said, handing them to Tony, “I already looked through them long ago....But you haven’t.  See what you think.”

Tony took the file and started leafing through it.  Karen sat down beside him to read, while Zoe hovered over his shoulder.  After several minutes of skimming, Tony mummered “Whoa....I had no idea it went this deep.  Racketeering to the first degree.....Ties to the New York Crime Syndicate.....State Officials.....Even Congressmen.....”

The cave was in silence while Tony read, each with the deepening feeling that their lives were at risk just by knowing the information that was spread out before them.  Contained within the file were instances of disappearances, presumably down the winding river passage to the ocean and beyond.  More than just a smalltown operation, this one had connections from New York City down the coast to Miami, and as far East as Detroit and Chicago.

Coming to the end of the file, Tony held up a piece of paper.  Frowning as he read it, he said, “Hey look, Jimmy....It’s your Arrest Report !”

“Lemme see that”, Jimmy said, startled, grabbing it out of Tony’s hand.  Scanning it over, he exclaimed, “Those Lying Bastards !!  I TOLD them it was that Big Darrell fuck that killed them !!”  He pointed to a spot on the Report.
______________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

“How’d this get in here ?”, Jimmy wondered.

“Pete musta gotten ahold of it and added it to the file”, remarked Tony.


__________________________________________________________________________
|                                                                                                                                    
|      ** BULLWORTH  POLICE  DEPARTMENT  ARREST  REPORT **                       
|_________________________________________________________________________
|                                                                
|   1. Name (Last, First, Middle)    2. Alias / Nicknames / A.K.A.   3. Case Number
|         HOPKINS, JAMES LEE            ‘JIMMY’ aka ‘THE KING’          BS-1706
|_________________________________________________________________________
|
|   4. Address (Street, Buld. No.)   5. City, State, Zip Code              6. Sex
|         BULLWORTH ACADEMY        BULLWORTH, R.I. O2804       MALE
|_________________________________________________________________________
|
|   7. Place Of Birth                        8. Date Of Birth                          9. Age
|          GROTON, CONN.                      07 /31 / 1991                               16
|_________________________________________________________________________
|
|  10. Race     11.  Hair     12. Eyes    13. Weight     14. Hight         15. Build
|          WHITE         BRN          BRN           170                5‘5“                STOCKY
|_________________________________________________________________________
|
|  16. Education   17. Occupation     18. Employed    19. Marital    20. Citizen
|         GR. SCHOOL   STUDENT           PT. TIME           SINGLE       YES
|=================================================================
|  21. Arresting Officer     22. I.D. No.       23. Assisting Officer     24. I.D. No.    
|           P. IVANOVICH        #4497                    R. MONSON              #4438
|_________________________________________________________________________
|
|  25. Arrest Date             26. Arrest Time            27. Arrest Location      
|          08 /18/ 2007                   03:15 A.M.                BLUE SKIES INDUST COMP.
|_________________________________________________________________________
|
|  28. Juvenile                   29. Weapons Found     30. Defendant Condition
|           YES                                SPUD GUN                IMPAIRED
|_________________________________________________________________________
|
|  31. Miranda                   32. Statements              33. Arrestee Status                
|            YES                              REFUSED                    HELD W/O BOND
|_________________________________________________________________________
|
|  34. Bail Amount            35. No. Of Victims       36. No. Of Offenders    
|          NONE SET                           2                                    4
|=================================================================
|  37.  Arresting Officers Narrative:
|            “Subject was found unconscious in the near vicinity of two fatally-
|            injured victims, one GARY A. SMITH and one EDGAR MUNSEN.
|            Subject was transported to Blue Skies Clinic.  Subject was questioned
|            upon regaining consciousness and claimed an unknown fourth party
|             was present at the scene and committed the offenses.  Subject denied
|             any role in the offenses.  Subject was also questioned about thefts in
|             area.  At this point, subject refused to make any more statements.  
|             Subject was then placed under arrest for Attempted Murder and then
|             read his Miranda Rights.  Upon treatment for his injuries, subject was  
|             then transported to the Bullworth City Jail to await Arraignment.”
|_________________________________________________________________________
|
|    38. Arraignment Court     39. Arraignment Date    40. Arraignment Time
|            BULLWORTH CTY          22 AUG 2007                8:30 A.M.
|_________________________________________________________________________
|
|    41. Detail Charges:
|           ATTEMPTED MURDER, upgraded to TWO COUNTS
|           ASSISTANT TO MURDER on 08 / 20 / 2007
|_________________________________________________________________________
|
|   42. Arresting Officer            43. Supervisor               44. Presiding Judge
|   (signed) P. IVANOVICH    (signed) G. CARCER    (signed) J. STARKWEATHER  
|_________________________________________________________________________