Story [Issue 78] The Chronicles of a Writer

[Flexoo 6,980]

 

 

 

Chapter 1: The Reveal 

by @Electron-9000

 

‘Meet me at my office at 2’ read the note. All kinds of emotions rushed through. “What does he want now?”, visibly confused, Gerald quickly glanced at the clock. “Half-an-hour left eh”. He reached out for his coffee mug. It was empty.  He moved towards the coffee machine to fill him up with some coffee. “Yo Stephanie, do you know what the boss wants to talk about today? Did he speak to you about anything?”. Stephanie just nodded a no and continued to converse on her phone.

 

This whole meeting thing was stressing Gerald out. He had never been called for a meeting before. Was he getting suspended? Even worse, fired? Gerald worked as a writer for a firm. He had been appointed to his role by his uncle, Oswald. He had done a few reports and that’s it. What the company did, or what their market was, was something Gerald has no clue about. Nevertheless, he waited for the hour to strike.

He knocked the boss’s cabin, asking permission to enter. The boss had his chair turned towards the fireplace, smoking a cigar, with his back towards Gerald. “Grab a chair young man”. His voice was cold. Gerald, not wanting to make things worse for himself, quietly pulled a chair and sat down. Every second passing seemed like an hour. At this point Gerald had begun to sweat.

 

The boss, back still turned against him, spoke: “Do you know why I called you here Gerald?” “Not really Sir!” Gerald replied. The boss turned around. He had large sunglasses on, which covered most of his face. A muffler was wrapped around his neck. He said, “Mr. Gerald, I know its been just 4 months that you have been working with us, I think now it’s time that I tell you what this company is all about” Gerald sat right up. Something wasn’t right. He could feel it. The boss let him have a few moments to sink it in.

 

Once Gerald regained his composure, the boss continued. He said, “We are a company that does ads for different clients, but we work as spies undercover for these clients. Blackmail, evidence collection, reports, etc. is all part of what we do here. And before you react or try to leave, let me tell you that once you are hired here, there is no turning back”. Gerald was shocked. Struggling to find some words to blurt out, he asked, “What.. What mm-makes you think I c-can’t run away?”. The boss smirked, and pulled out a paper which looked like the contract Gerald had once signed on. He continued, “Your uncle works for us as a talent recruitment officer. I must tell you, he does his job well, I mean look at you. Perfect talent”.

 

Gerald gulped. Memories were starting to strike back at him. Nearly 6 months ago, he had asked his uncle Oswald for a job. His uncle introduced him to this job. Even though the pay wasn’t all that good, Gerald had to take it because of his poor condition. After all, something is better than nothing right? He also remembered that in his state of desperation, he had forgotten to read the contract and just did whatever he was told at that time.

 

Back to the present, Gerald was furious. He had been played. But there was no other option at this point. With a heavy heart, Gerald asked the boss, “What do you want me to do?”. The boss laughed, and replied, “Now we talkin’, you have three objectives, each different from the other”. Saying this he threw three photographs in front of him. “The first photograph is of Joseph Carter, the second is Frank Callum, and the last one is of Kristi Elizer. Now here’s what you will be doing. Joseph Carter is an undercover spy for the G.E.N.E.X, an organization that collects ancient relics. You have to create a case against him, busting him with proof of his relation to the organization, and stuff like that… You get the point. Frank Callum, is a model who is rumored to be cheating on his wife. You have to prove this wrong, and support him with valid resources. Kristi Elizer is the daughter of the third richest man in the country. She has been missing for a few days now. You have to make a report on this event. Is that clear?”.

 

At this point, it was complete fade out for Gerald. Failure to accomplish these tasks would mean death. With no choice, Gerald picked up the three photos, and began to leave the cabin. As he left, the boss growled, “Oh yeah, one more thing, If you try to run away or call for help, my men will make sure you don’t stay alive to tell your tale”

Gerald closed the door behind him. He wasn’t hired for this. He went back home, set up his bulletin, and cleared his table. He was a different man now. His only hope and escape was if he finished these tasks. As darkness slowly took over the city, Gerald sat down, pen in hand, making notes as he surfed the internet. Progress had to made.. And Fast!

 

*        *        *

 

Chapter 2: The Betrayal

by @GrandExecutioner

 

Gerald lifted his head up from the table where he had fallen asleep. He wiped his groggy eyes, letting out a loud yawn simultaneously. Eyes widening when he glanced at the clock, Gerald got up abruptly, causing his chair to fly back and clatter against the wall. It was 11.30am already! Gerald's natural body clock ensured he never slept in and was always up at 6.00am sharp- whether he liked it or not.

 

He peeled off a post-it note from his cheek, eyebrows furrowing in confusion as he read the content. Scribbled on were 3 names: Joseph Carter, Frank Callum, and Kristi Elizer. That's when yesterday's events hit him. The company! The tasks! Panic-stricken, Gerald gazed over the assortment of documents spread out on the table- finally taking it all in. Pictures, newspaper articles, biographies- everything to do with these 3 people- were scattered across the table covering the entire surface. Gerald recalled the hours of research he put in last night, finding out anything he could about his targets.

 

He was jolted out of his thoughts by someone banging on his front door. He quickly moved to the windows to check who it was. An audible sigh of relief escaped from his mouth when he realised it was the mailman.

 

“G'day mate!” As soon as he opened the door, Gerald was greeted with a thick Aussie accent.

 

“Hello, how can I help you?” Gerald spoke warily.

 

“I'm here to talk about some changes to the terms and conditions of your subscription to Girlz Fashion Monthly. Can I come in?” It took a while for Gerald to decipher what he was saying due to his accent.

 

“Err...but I'm not subscribed to-” Gerald was cut-off mid-sentence as the man barged in swiftly shutting the door.

 

“Right, I don't have much time so listen carefully.” To Gerald's surprise, the man had dropped his thick accent and started talking normally.

 

“Who are you? What do you want?” Gerald had started to back away.

 

“I know about the company you work for. I know about the jobs.” Gerald froze. He could remember his boss making it very clear that if he so much breathed about what the company did, he wouldn't live to see the next day.

 

“W-who are you? Do you work for the company?” Gerald asked slowly.

 

“Yes...no. It's a long story. The point is I used to be in your shoes. I can help but I don't have much time. I've disabled the bugs they've put inside your house so they can't watch or listen to you but it's only good for 2 minutes.” The man started talking rapidly.

 

“You used to be in my... hang on, they're watching me?” Gerald's tone was one of shock and fear.

 

“That doesn't matter now. Do you want to stay alive or not?” After some time, Gerald nodded.

 

“Then listen carefully. They're framing you. Your 3 targets. The company is an organization who are hired to kill people for clients. But they need someone to take the fall for each assassination. They've got you doing useless research because when an investigation is made of these murders, they'll need someone to blame. Someone who has recently been fixated on all 3 of these people. Someone who can close the case by going to prison in order for the organization to remain hidden. ” The man stopped to take a breath. “...Someone like you.”

 

Gerald's jaw dropped and he could only gape at the supposed mailman as the news washed over him.

 

“2 minutes are up. I need to go.”

 

“Wait! Stop! What should I do?” Gerald was finally able to get words out of his mouth.

 

The man stopped, his hand on the door handle. “Find Kristi Elizer. If you find the person who kidnapped her, you might be able to get some answers and get out of this hole...before it's too late.”
With that, he was gone and Gerald was left wondering whether he even existed.

 

 

 

It took 3 hours after the mailman's visit before Gerald knew what he had to do. He needed to pay the man who had gotten him this job a visit. His uncle.

 

After a short drive of constantly checking his mirror for the fear of being followed, Gerald found himself before his uncle Oswald's front door. Despite some very loud banging, nobody answered. It seemed to him that either nobody was in, or nobody wanted to answer. Gerald made his way round to the back of the house and climbed over the fence to find the shed door open. Puzzled he walked in, his nerves on edge.

 

Gerald gasped. Slumped on the floor in the far corner was a young woman who was unconscious. Her arms and legs were tied and duct tape was placed on her mouth. Gerald had never met this woman before in his life, but he instantly recognized her. Kristi Elizer. The kidnapped daughter.

 

“It's a shame you found her.” Gerald spun around to come face to face with the person that spoke. His uncle Oswald.

 

“B-but...wha-why...” Gerald for the second time that day was at a loss for words.

 

He only glimpsed the swing of the baseball bat before he felt it smash against the side of his head with the force of a wrecking ball. Darkness invaded Gerald's vision long before he hit the ground.

 

*        *        *

 

Chapter 3: The Shock

by @C.O.N.Q.U.E.R.O.R

 

Gerald woke in a dimly lit room, with a desk adorned with pictures of a child that he recognised as himself. His vision was impeded by a crust of blood over his left eye, leaving him with blurred vision and a pair of broken spectacles that wouldn't fit properly over his swollen eye. He tasted the bitterness of his own blood in his mouth, which he quickly spit out onto what appeared to be a floor of solid concrete. Gerald could hear a vague whine in his ear. The next thing he knew, his eardrums were practically shattered by the sound of Oswald slamming open a dark door that Gerald hadn't noticed before. He quickly swiveled his head to the source of the noise and was immediately surprised by Oswald's appearance.

 

He was wearing a brown heavy-duty jacket with a fur hood and a pair of jeans that were ripped at the cuff. Oswald's face appeared to be bruised, and his eyes were sunken in, as if he had not gotten an hour of sleep. He walked with a distinct limp that Gerald noted was new. A cigarette was between his lips; odd, for his uncle had abandoned smoking ever since his childhood friend had died of lung cancer.

 

Oswald pulled a chair that had been in front of the desk out and seated himself. For more than a minute, an uncomfortable silence reigned between them.

 

In a nervous attempt at conversation, Gerald croaked, 'I... I didn't know you smoked.' 

 

Oswald scoffed and spat the cigarette out of his mouth. 'There are many things you don't know about me, clearly.' He was rasping, as if someone had choked him recently.

 

Gerald recoiled and asked, 'What happened to you?'

 

Oswald laughed but his expression remained unamused. 'In the process of trying to preventing the higher-ups from forcibly waking you up, I was kicked and beaten for my insolence. Now I'm not so sure I should've even tried.'

 

Gerald contemplated Oswald's words, then replied, 'Mother would have wanted you to.'

 

Oswald, clearly taken by surprise, jumped up from his chair and walked over to Gerald. Oswald knelt and gripped Gerald's chin with his right hand, and moved Gerald's face only inches from his own. 'Your mother was a fool. I had told her to stay away from the man who became your father, but did she listen? Clearly not. Look where it landed her. She died with nothing to think of but a husband who left her and her good for nothing son!' 

 

Gerald, unnerved, continued. 'Mother was a kind, loving, and caring woman. She told me to always trust my family, that they would never let me down. She believed in her family. She trusted you!'

 

Oswald threw Gerald's head back against the wall and scowled. 'That's why she's dead. She trusted anyone and everyone. Her death was caused by her husband. He left her with nothing, yet he expected her to care for a child. If you were to ask me, you'd be better off if you had died begging in the streets like your fool of a mother.'

 

The lack of emotion in Oswald's voice shocked Gerald. 'Why are you with this company, uncle? You were a good man once. What happened?'

 

Ignoring Gerald, Oswald returned to his seat, rolled over to Gerald, and continued, 'But let us get to the point. Are you going to write the article or must I force you to? The former would be much preferred, by the way.'

 

Affronted by Oswald's casualty, Gerald spat out, 'Of course not, you little son of a -'

 

Oswald smacked him across the cheek, cutting him off abruptly. 'Language, child. Besides, you're in no position to speak to me in that manner. Last chance, Gerald... will you or will you not write?' When Gerald remained resolutely silent, Oswald sighed and raised a small, grey microphone to his mouth, saying, 'Guard, there is something I need from you; do you mind? Thanks - I'm In Room 203.' Oswald smirked, 'And now, we wait.'

 

Gerald was stricken when a man who bore a remarkable similarity to Kristi walked into the room and gave a tittering laugh at Gerald's expression, then turned to face Oswald. 'Alexis Elizer, at your service.'

 

*        *        *

 

Chapter 4: The Family Secrets

by @GrandExecutioner 

 

"Don't look so surprised Gerald!" Alexis swiftly pulled out a chair and sat down facing Gerald. He slid a hand into his jacket and revealed a gun. Emptying the bullets from the chamber, he placed them on the table. Finally, Alexis brandished a cloth from his pocket and started cleaning the weapon.

 

Why is Kristi's father here?

 

"Family is a complicated matter don't you think?" Alexis spoke calmly.

 

Gerald kept his gaze fixed on the gun.

 

"I think it's time someone told you about your family." Slowly he started wiping the empty chamber.

 

"Is this the part where you reveal all your evil plans before you tell me you're going to kill me?" Gerald remarked. He didn't care that the man was holding a gun. He had enough of people playing him.

 

"You should watch that mouth boy. It'll get you into serious trouble." Alexis smirked as he moved on to cleaning the bullets. "Many years ago your great-grandfather started an establishment- a spying agency shall we say."

 

Gerald was quiet. Having no parents for most of his life, he had no knowledge about his family history. Oswald used to always avoid the subject.

 

"But over the years, the legacy behind the establishment became morphed and it didn't take long until the company became a… hire-to-kill firm. These days to solve a problem, you don't spy. You kill. Your great-grandfather had astonishing skills allowing him to excel at his job. And that gene seemed to have been inherited by his children and their children after that. Every single member of your family worked for the organisation. Even when it became an assassin's firm- the firm you're now refusing to work for." Alexis finally paused to take a breath. He had moved on to wiping the barrel of his gun.

 

Gerald was speechless.

 

"Your blood has the 'perfect gene' for the work the company does. The organisation made it a tradition to recruit every family member when they reached a certain age. Natural talent they called it. Your uncle has incredible stats. A near spotless record. But it's your mother that has the faultless reputation."

 

Gerald couldn't believe what he was hearing. But he snapped out the trance.

 

"You're lying. My mother would never work for filth like you." Gerald snapped back, spitting on the floor.

 

"Fool. Your mother is no angel. She holds the record for most assassinations. Noone has gotten remotely close to her figures. Not even your uncle." Alexis started loading the bullets back into the gun. "Face it. Your family line has a lot of blood on their hands. It's what you were born to do."

 

Gerald's head was beginning to spin. He couldn't handle this.

 

"But then we have you. The biggest disappointment. You're the first to refuse to do the job...even when you know your life is at stake." Alexis flicked the safety catch off. "So now you know. This is your last chance."

 

Gerald took a deep breath and looked coldly into Alexis' eyes.

 

"I see." Alexis sounded disappointed. "In that case, any last words?"

 

"Not to you." Gerald looked up at the ceiling and made a silent prayer. Then he closed his eyes, waiting for the bullet that would take him out of this world.

 

But it never came.

 

Gerald opened his eyes. Alexis was still holding the gun but there was a slight smile on the corner of his mouth. Oswald emerged out of the shadows- a matching smile on his face.

 

"I told you he'd pass."

 

"Judging from the look on your face, you're probably wondering what's going on." Alexis leaned back in his chair as he placed the gun on the table.

 

"You mean you don't work for the company? You lied?" Gerald's head was throbbing.

 

"No. He lied about one part. He just didn't tell you the full story." Oswald spoke up as he took a seat himself. "He lied about you being the first to rebel. You aren't. Your mother was. Then it was me. Though the company doesn't know that yet."

 

"And your mother paid the price for it. They killed her." Alexis spoke softly. "Your father had to go on the run when Oswald warned they would come after him too. He feared his child's safety and so left him behind. Your father didn't betray you, Gerald. I hope you understand that."

 

"So, like we expected, the company recruited you and I managed to set up an assignment to see if you had the courage to act against them." Oswald had started speaking again. "But it was frustrating to watch. It looked like you were actually trying to complete the assignments."

 

"I-I didn't know." Gerald stammered.

 

"I know you didn't. But you're key in the case we've been building against the company. That's why I sent the postman. I hoped he would be able to plant a seed of doubt in your head. And it worked. You found your sis..." Oswald stopped abruptly.

 

"W-what did you say?" Gerald spoke slowly but Oswald remained quiet. "Kristi Elizer is my...sister? But that means..."

 

Gerald turned his gaze to Alexis Elizer. Suddenly everything clicked into place. It all made sense now. Why Alexis had been so sad about his mother. How he had known so much about his family...and his father.

 

"It's been a while...son." A tear made its way down Alexis' cheek.

 

*        *        *

 

Chapter 5: The Vengeance

by @Person_Random

 

Surprised and more than a little bit miffed, Gerald began to tear away from his father as Alexis reached over for an embrace. As he started to head out of the room, someone stopped him. His uncle.

 

“Gerald, we couldn’t tell you.” Oswald tried to console him. “I thought you’d understand.”

 

“Understand what?” Gerald shot back. “First you tell me to work for a corrupted news company, and now this?”

 

Oswald sighed in resignation. “I already told you. I was trying to get you to rebel against them, but you listened to them instead of us. Just this time, do it for your father.”

 

After Gerald contemplated this silently, he made a decision, “Fine, I’ll do it. But for you, not him,”, he said, glancing over at his father. As they sat down to make a plan, the doorbell rang.

 

“I’ll get it,” Alexis yelled across the room and rushed to answer the doorbell. Meanwhile, Oswald and Gerald followed behind, wondering who could be calling at this time of day. Once the door opened, Gerald stood, shocked as he watched his boss step inside, grinning strangely.

 

“Can I get some coffee?” the boss queried, “Oh, and make it black. No sugar, but get me two of those Splenda packets.” As Oswald hurried out of the room, the boss sat down on a leather chair and tried to look comfortable and intimidating at the same time. “Gerald, I was looking for you. After two days, I couldn’t find you. So we searched your house. No one was home. So I decided to ask your uncle Oswald if he had seen you, and there you were when I knocked on the door. Besides, your assignments were due a while ago. Hand them in.”

 

Gerald went to retrieve his nonexistent articles but bumped into Oswald on the way. “Don’t try to hide,” Oswald directed. Gerald protested, but before he could do anything about it, his uncle nudged him and commanded him to go back. Quickly, he returned with empty hands.

 

“I must have left my work at home,” Gerald fibbed, hoping for a chance to get away.

 

“Nonsense!” his boss retorted. “Just a few days ago I had been looking for you. So I called the police and asked for a search warrant to enter your house. I thought that even if you were gone, I could at least find your articles. We found nothing. Not even the three photos that I gave you. Now hand them in. This is the last time I’ll tell you.”

 

To Gerald's surprise, Alexis stood up. Walking to a file cabinet, he extracted a folder full of papers. As he came back into the room, he handed the file to the boss. “Here’s Gerald’s work.”

 

Only uttering a grunt of appreciation, the boss opened the folder, fingering through the papers. They were all blank. Becoming increasingly frustrated as he flipped through endless reams of blank paper, he yelled, “This isn’t a joke! I need the news!”

 

Gerald hastened to reply, but Alexis beat him to it. “You’re not getting a single page of the assignments,” he growled, then unsheathed a dagger from under his belt. “You’re going down.”

 

However, the boss seemed unnerved. Once Alexis came within ten feet of him, the boss took out his gun. “Noooooo!” Oswald cried. BANG! The sound of the gunshot seemed to last for ages, but Alexis instantaneously keeled over, dagger clutched tightly in hand.

 

As Oswald examined Alexis’s body, looking for signs of life, a strange feeling entered Gerald. “We’ve lost him,” Oswald whispered quietly. Ever since his father had been known to him, Gerald had shunned Alexis for leaving him in childhood. This time was different. Gerald burned with anger, agitated at his boss for what he had done.

 

Knowing nothing, he just did what came to mind first. Grabbing the coffee mug, he flung it as his boss. The clay shattered, cutting through the boss’s face. Groaning, the boss struggled to sit up but managed.

 

Once he had partially recovered from his wounds, the boss mustered up the remainder of his strength to point the pistol at Gerald. Gerald stepped back and shut his eyes, waiting for the light from heaven. Strangely, nothing happened, just the sound of the gun. I’m alive?, Gerald wondered. A plan formed in his head as he made sure it wasn’t an illusion.

 

Seizing the opportunity, Gerald pried the dagger from Alexis’s hand and took aim at the boss. However, as he was going to throw, his eyes came in contact with his boss’s. Though the boss was begging for forgiveness, for the first time, Gerald didn’t care. Throwing the knife, he watched as it landed in the boss’s body with a satisfying thunk.

 

A loud shriek emanated in the distance, followed by rapid footsteps.  Not long after, the sound of a siren sent Oswald running to the window.

 

Pale-faced, Oswald turned to Gerald. "It's the police," he gasped.

 

***

 

As Gerald stepped out of his uncle’s house, he noticed something in Oswald’s hands. “Gerald, your father wanted you to have this,” he muttered, then walked away. Opening the package, he found a pistol. His name engraved on it. A reminder of the life he never had. He sighed.

Instead, Gerald had decided to start a company of his own; a newspaper company. To do what he loved to do. Write. 

 

 

[Destrod 2,634]

Thoroughly enjoyed reading all the pieces, although I might say that GrandExecutioner had the best one out of the lot from my perspective.

[Magenta 5,165]

One would think that a story cannot have too many plot twists; this is proof that one would be wrong to think so. The sheer number of plot twists ruined it.

 

But then, one cannot expect better than what the authors came up with given the format. Each author did a terrific job individually, except the first. I'm being brutally honest here, but that's what I am. No point beating around the bush. Each chapter - again, except the first - individually were great pieces, but they just don't come together.

Edited August 5, 2018 by Magenta