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Bobby’s Battle
(A Flash Fiction Story)

Don Ray Crawford

    Bobby Santos was heading for trouble and he knew it. Yet, he felt he had no choice. He had to get even and that was all he could think about right now.
    Two days before, his seventeen year old sister, Lisa, had been raped. And Bobby had been looking for Billy Mallick ever since. She had been dating Billy for the past couple of weeks and they had gone to the movies and were sitting in his car when he had forced her sexually. She never agreed to have sex and told him so. He had forced himself on her, ignoring her words.
    Lisa was far from being a virgin, she felt overwhelmed and ashamed afterwards. She asked her brother not to get involved, but Bobby was not the kind of guy to just stand and allow Billy to get away with such crap, especially not with his only sister. He had been watching out for her all through her teen years, and wasn’t about to sit back now. He only hoped he wouldn’t kill him, or wind up in jail over all of it, but he had to do something nonetheless.
    Bobby had served four years in the Marines, and had been in Vietnam twice. He knew how to kill a person dozens of different ways, and quickly. Once he got onto someone it was very hard for him to control himself. Even knowing all of this, Bobby’s mind was made up. He would find Billy Mallick and have it out with him.
    Billy had been a high school football hero and all of that, but Bobby didn’t give a rat’s ass about that. He would pay for violating Lisa. But, where the hell Billy disappeared to? Bobby had look high and low for him all over Hayward for the last two days now. He just seemed to have vanished, and Bobby was growing more and more impatient and frustrated, which only added to his anger over the rape. He had to find Billy pretty quick or he was going to explode inside himself.
    Bobby began cruising up and down Mission Blvd. and the bars scattered along 98th Avenue, the usual places he knew Billy frequented. A few days later, Bobby spotted Billy with a couple of other guys and some chicks whooping it up. Bobby’s blood boiled over. He figured Billy had totally forgotten all about that night with Lisa and what he had done to her. He probably didn’t even give a damn anyway. Bobby fumed. Now he would show that hero want’s what.
    Bobby followed the group who had piled into a dark Malibu and headed south for downtown Hayward. He figured they were going to the Red Dog, a popular hot spot in town.
    Sure enough, that was where they turned into the parking lot and started getting out of the car. Bobby was out of his Mustang and almost on them before they were out of the car.
    Without a word, Bobby hit Billy Mallick in the throat and Billy stumbled back gasping for breath. He was all bent over and Bobby kneed him the face and he reled back andf stumbled over a rock and fell hard on the dirty pavement. About that time, one of the other guys took a swing at Bobby. Bobby caught his arm in midair and twisted it around until the bone snapped with a loud crack and the guy screamed in anguish. Then, Bobby karate chopped his neck and he fell hard to the dirty ground. Bobby then whirled around toward the other guy, who stared wide-eyed for a second and then took off, galloping wildly across the street and then down an alley.
    That dude is long gone, mused Bobby, who then for the first time glanced at the chicks, huddled in a group, open-mouthed, leaning against the Malibu and staring wildly at Bobby.
    Bobby motioned for them to leave and screamed, “Get lost bitches!” And they scatter like a flocked of wild geese.
    Bobby stood over the groggy Billy Mallick, who was groaning on the ground and had his arms covering his face. “Please, Bobby, don’t hit be anymore, man. I’m sorry for everything.”
    Bobby turned beet red on hearing these words and began kicking Billy in the ribs and the side of his face. His jawbone cracked and he began spitting blood, which drooled down his mouth and on to his chin. Billy’s eyes were swollen closed and he cried like a baby.
    Bobby finally gained control of himself and stood over Billy just staring at his downed enemy. “You bastard! If I ever see you any where even near to my sister, you’re dead, you hear?” He then whirled around and headed for his Mustang across the street. Glancing back, he saw Billy who was all crunched up in a fetus position. It was then Bobby noticed the absence of the other guy whose arm he had broken. Bobby figured he had, like the runner, taken off as well.
    As he sat in his car, he felt better now that it was all over. He was still shaking a little and grabbed the wheel to steady his hands. Then, he started up the engine and rolled down the window. In some ways, he thought, going to Nam was not too bad a thing after all. He had learned some things that now had served him well. If only he could gain more control over his anger.
    It was only a quick shadow move Bobby noticed out of the corner of his eye, and he never felt the bullet as it penetrated his left temple. He merely slumped over the wheel and his head had hit the horn, which gave off a terrible blast of noise which Bobby never heard.

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