Week 11 Story: The Vigilante

A Flintstone Knife (Wikimedia)

October 15th, 1973

It was a cold and dreary night. The wind bit at my nose. The flooded street seeped into my shoes as I walked down 5th Avenue towards El Agujero. 

I had been tracking the Sola gang for 6 months. They're operations sprawled across the city. Drugs, prostitution, trafficking. If it was somebody's vice, the Sola gang provided it. They didn't care who or what tried to stop them. Nobody ever did. Nobody ever stayed alive long enough.

I thought I was different. We all do, don't we?

Most people tried to take out the Solas gun blazing. They figured if they could take out the head, the body would wither. Nobody ever took out the head. Cops figured they could make it under cover. A total of three tried. The first made it 3 months before his head showed up at his kid's birthday party. The next lasted 1 month. His arms were safely delivered to his aging mother. The final idiot lasted a whole 3 days. His corpse was found sitting in the mayor's office chair. Blood was still oozing from the hole in his head.

Since then, the Solas ran this town.

I knew if I wanted to make a difference, I'd have to do it like nobody had tried before. I didn't carry a gun. I didn't go under cover. I walked right into their headquarters. I ordered a drink. I waited for some unsuspecting fool to walk through the secret back door. I followed him through.

Once the door was shut, I slit his throat. 

I proceeded to do the same thing for the remaining members of the Solas. I waited behind corners, in bathrooms, and under desks. I took them out one by one. It became more difficult as I went. Once the bodies were discovered, everyone was on alert. I managed. I was determined. Once all the goons and assistants were out of the picture, I walked straight into the boss's office. He sat in his chair staring me down. We both knew what was coming.

I pulled back my arm. The knife dangling loosely in my hand. Every muscle in my arm tensed as I launched forward. The blade escaped its loose hold. Then, it found a new home.

It fixed itself firmly in the boss's forehead. The Solas were no more.

July 17th, 1976

There was approximately 17 months of peace in the city. The Sola gang was done. The cops ruled the streets once more. Some argue that wasn't much better. Tyranny is tyranny they said. At least this tyranny didn't push poison through your baby's veins.

Soon, though, the needs of the scum became too great. Just because the source of their vices was gone didn't mean their desire for the product was. Some enterprising young women saw this as an opportunity.

The Lunas were born.

At first, it wasn't so bad. They were at best petty thieves and at worst low rate drug dealers. It was tolerable. You can't keep the demons out forever.

Over time, it got worse. The Lunas moved into all the Solas old games. But they weren't just the Solas replacements. The Lunas saw themselves as the next step in evolution. They were so much more vile than the Solas ever were, and they loved it.

Pretty soon, every shop in town was either paying a protection fee or facilitating deals. The Police commissioner was a Luna before long. Then the DA was under their control. Then the mayor. This was truly the Lunas' town. 

And I thought I'd be the one to change that again.

I've been studying and tracking their leader for months now. It's a difficult task. She's rarely outside and never without an army of guards. 

I'll fix this place eventually.

August 23rd, 1977

Tonight was the night. I had all the information I needed. Tonight the Luna boss would've died.

If she hadn't got me first.

I executed my plan exactly as I had with the Solas. It worked. For a while.

I executed at least a dozen high level guards for the boss. I stepped into her office.

BLAM!

The lead struck me in the stomach. 

BANG!

Another.

The boss walked over to me as I fell to the floor. She leaned down and brought her face to mine. She smiled. Then she was gone.

I heard the door close behind me. A lock clicked.

I'm lying here. I'm bleeding out. I write this in the hopes that someone will finish what I started.

Author's Note

This story was very loosely inspired by a short Native American Tale. In the tale, it is said that originally there were 10 suns and 10 moons. A coyote killed nine of the suns so the Earth would not burn up. Then, he patiently waited and killed nine of the moons so the humans would not freeze at night. In the story, the coyote uses a flintstone knife.

I adapted the story by telling it from the perspective of the "coyote", my vigilante. I turned the suns and moons into the Sola and Luna gangs. I had my vigilante actually kill all of the "suns" but fail in killing off the "moons". I kept the fact that he uses a knife. I tried to give my story a sort of noir detective feel to it.

Bibliography. SW/CA Three Coyote Creation Stories from Myths and Legends of California and the old Southwest by Katharine Berry Judson (1912)