Post by liquidsword34 on Oct 5, 2012 9:16:47 GMT -5
All-Star Punisher Noir #5
First Week In Hell Part 4
First Week In Hell Part 4
9:20PM, February 1st, 1946
Harlem, Manhattan
Barracuda sped along the street in his black sedan, his gun propped up in the passenger seat and strapped in like it were a human being. The cars engine roared and struggled beneath the heavy rain, much too heavy for Barracuda's car's wind shield wipers and worn down tyres to deal with. The vehicle lurched and skid across the street, spluttering loudly. Around the car the run down neighbourhood Barracuda grew up in towered down, like all of his bad memories were surrounding him. Barracuda remembered every second of it. From the first time his father beat him for answering back, to seeing his mother leave. Then when he lost it, couldn't take his father picking on him or his little sister any more. Watching the last air escape from his fathers lungs as the belt tightened around his neck. His sister being horrified, and refusing to have anything to do with him. Barracuda gripped the wheel tightly in his hands and put his foot down, trying to force the last of the life from the dying engine. With a loud snap something finally went, causing the car to slow down to a stop gradually. "Damn chop shop job," Barracuda muttered as he climbed out the almost comically undersized vehicle, grabbing his gun as he went. A few people gave Barracuda odd looks but were either intimidated by his gun, physique, or reputation. Sentencing himself to walking the rest of the way, Barracuda set off, sliding the edge of his jacket over the gun to at least somewhat hide it from view.
--
9:40PM, February 1st, 1946
Top Chunk Dog Chow parking lot, Manhattan
Frank ignored the pain in his ribs telling him to hurry up and get back to his hideout quickly, instead choosing to load his M1 Garand carefully and slowly. The click of the cartridge sliding into the weapon echoed around Franks car gently, finally reminding Frank of senses other than pain. Frank checked his watch, then the number of other cars in the parking lot. About twenty, give or take a few. Whoever was in the factory was clearly expecting something to happen, one way or another.
--
9:50PM, February 1st, 1946
Top Chunk Dog Chow, Manhattan
"She knows, she knows, SHE KNOWS!" Carlo shrieked as he paced around the metal walkway above the industrial grade meat mincer, his heavy shoes rattling loudly on the steel beneath them. Armed gangsters patrolled both the high up walkways and the dirt covered floor with only the dim strip lights illuminating the room. The heavy machinery has fallen silent for the night, making the steady patter of feet the only sound in the building.
"She don't know, she pro.." one of Carlo's henchmen started, but he was cut off by a harsh glare from his boss.
"Speak when your spoken to yah runt", Carlo spat. "I'm not in the mood for yah ramblings". Carlos hand sat in his pocket, holding onto his gun tightly.
An ear splitting bang resonated throughout the building as the shutter doors were ripped in half by a bazooka round. A chunk of metal flew back and cut through the nearest henchman's throat as his ally was felled by Franks first bullet piercing his forehead. With the rain belting down on him, Frank calmly dropped the bazooka and knelt down behind his car as inside the factory Carlo's men tried to get themselves together.
"Get out after him!" Carlo roared as he pulled his handgun from his coat pocket. "Tear him to pieces you morons!"
The goons slowly edged their way out of the factory, guns up ready to fire. Through the darkness and rain all they could see were the outlines of the various cars and other factories off in the distance. The group was just over a dozen strong, but Frank could tell they weren't trained. They weren't aiming down their sights, stood too close together, were too jumpy. Frank rested the barrel of his gun on the hood of his car, took a deep breath to steady his aim, and let off a volley of shots, ripping through the goons at stomach level. Some of the wounded fired their own guns, doing nothing but killing more of their own men and wasting ammo as they fell down. Frank was careful with placing his shots, not wasting a single one. Frank then reached into his pocket and tossed a grenade over at the group of wounded men, finishing off any survivors.
With his M1 empty Frank threw the rifle back into his car and withdrew his colt from his jacket, checking it was loaded quickly out of force of habit. Frank raised his pistol as he slowly stepped into the factory. "Come on out, Carlo. Make this easy". Frank climbed a metal stairway up to the higher level, scanning for Carlo.
"I'M HERE YA MUT!", Carlo screamed as he dove out from behind a wooden box, firing his pistol wildly. "COME AND GET ME!"
---
10:00PM, February 1st, 1946
Manhattan
Barracuda walked on through the night, whistling a jolly tune to himself while stepping over a homeless man laid under a bus shelter. The area Barracuda was in was mostly factories for food products, meaning it was almost abandoned at night after the workers had gone home. In the distance he spotted the Top Chunks factory, causing him to sling his gun up into his hands. "Time to have a bit of fun", Barracuda muttered to himself.
---
10:00PM, February 1st, 1946
Top Chunk Dog Chow, Manhattan
Frank fell down onto his back as Carlo fired, avoiding all but one of the six shots fired at him. Through the adrenaline Frank couldn't feel the bullet embedded deep into his upper arm, but it jerked his aim enough to cause him to miss Carlo as he tried to return fire. Carlo discarded his pistol and booted Frank's weapon out of his hand and off the walkway. "Just me and you", Carlo taunted while standing over Frank. "Thought you were dead? Or did Barracuda just lie to me, that b..."
Frank pulled a knife out from his overcoat and jammed it into Carlo's foot, sending a streak of blood flying out of the wound. Despite the injuries he'd received in the previous few days Frank was still much stronger and faster than Carlo, and with his opponent concentrating on the four inches of knife impaled through his foot Frank had no trouble getting to his feet and ready to fight. Frank drove his knee into Carlos ribs hard enough to knock the wind out of him and then followed it with a quick headbutt to Carlo's chin. Carlo fell down to the metal walkway like dead weight while holding his jaw and screaming obscenities at Frank, too busy yelling out to think about fighting bacl. Frank yanked the knife from Carlo's foot and grabbed the mobster by his hair, putting the blood stained knife to Carlos throat. Before Frank could finish Carlo off, Carlo swung his arm back and elbowed Frank in the nose with all of his strength. Frank jumped backwards and dropped his knife as he started bleeding, his back to the industrial size meat grinder and his vision blury. The stench of raw meat drifted up from the grinder, filling Franks nostrils and making him fully aware of his surroundings. Carlo charged at Frank, wielding the knife like a blood thirsty barbarian.
"YOU KILLED MY BROTHER AND NOW YOU WANNA KILL ME!?" Carlo roared out in a fit of rage.
"Exactly", Frank calmly replied as he sidestepped Carlo, driving him face first into the safety barrier and causing him to drop the knife. Frank grabbed Carlo around the waist and flung him over the barrier, forcing Carlo to grab onto the walkway for dear life.
"FOR WHAT? FOR REVENGE? YOU THINK THIS IS JUSTICE OR SOMETHING?!" Carlo screamed out while trying in vein to pull himself back up.
"No", Frank slammed his hand down onto the large red "ON/OFF" button overlooking the grinder, making the dozen or so sets of blades whirl into life. "It's punishment".
---
10:10PM, February 1st, 1946
Top Chunk Dog Chow, Manhattan
The smell of Carlos ground up body filled the factory as the ear splitting sound of the grinder still spinning away bounced off of the walls. Barracuda calmly stepped over the corpses of Carlos men to reach the large vat where the minced meat was collected from. Barracuda casually leaned over to look inside, seeing a mix of minced up flesh and, unmistakably, Carlos suit cut up into thousands of pieces. "Look like somebody's gone and saved me a bit of work", Barracuda chuckled as a smile spread across his face.