God Hates Us All
8. A risky choice
Johnny had been watching Yahweh for the past month, 2 days after Syn and Matt's beating of Zacky. It was all he could do to focus on keeping his head. Zacky, for his part, had made it very clear that Matt, Syn and Johnny were all dead to him. Johnny remembered the telephone conversation:
JOHNNY: Zacky?
ZACKY: Who the hell is this?
JOHNNY: It's Johnny... dude, I'm so-
ZACKY: SHUT UP JOHNNY! Let me make something clear. You and your psycho buddies Brian and Matt are NOT my friends! You are all fucking DEAD to me! You understand?!!!
JOHNNY: Zacky, what could I do? Syn held a gun to my head, he made me join in on the attack-
ZACKY: You're fucking pathetic Johnny.
JOHNNY: Wh-wha-what?
ZACKY: You're a fucking slime. A two-bit, no-hoping scumbag. A little fucking child who is too weak to stand up for what's right. But don't worry. Matt and Syn, yeah, I've told them the same thing. I'm amazed at how pathetic you are, Johnny. I had Matt screaming and abusing me for an hour afterwards, threatening to do this and that to me. And Syn? That fucking piece of shit just laughed, like he didn't care. You and them shit all over Val's memory with that attack. And the 3 of you will burn in Hell for what happened. Now FUCK OFF AND NEVER CONTACT ME AGAIN!!!!!
Johnny was in tears afterwards, everyday. Matt and Syn kept on poking fun at him about it everytime they saw him, reminding him that Zacky was just a weak faggot, who was an insult to Val's memory for not supporting them, saying that they'd rather have AIDS-infested lepers in their house than Zacky ever again... and had also started talking about killing him. This Johnny couldn't handle. He couldn't bear it if Zacky died, no matter how much Zacky hated him. At least Zacky didn't tell on them to the cops.
Zacky, for his part, felt bad about his outburst to Johnny. He could never forget Johnny that day at the cemetery: Johnny looked so miserable, so beaten, like he would have gladly shot himself on the spot. He didn't give 2 fucks about Matt and Syn anymore; them two could rot in Hell for all he cared. He hated them even more for forcing Johnny into it. He made up his mind to call Johnny back and apologize... and figure out a way to get him the hell away from Syn and Matt.
A sharp knock to the door awoke Zacky. He dragged himself out of bed... to be greeted with a flashbang. It exploded the second Zacky made it to the loungeroom, knocking him off his feet. He felt rough hands grasp him, put him in a restraining position and handcuff him. A hood went over his head; he was terrified out of his wits. His initial thought was that Matt and Syn had come to kill him, before the hood was pulled off and he saw about 6 SWAT officers, all glaring at him through their masks and goggles, M4 Carbines and .45 Kimber handguns pointed at his head and chest. "What the hell?!!!" Zacky shouted, "Who are you guys, what's happening to me?!" The SWAT team didn't answer, just kept their guns levelled at him, looks of anger in their eyes. Zacky knew he was in a van, no doubt heading to the police station. The van stopped, and Zacky immediately thought of those guys who get arrested for major crimes and get mobbed by the news crews in front of court. He knew it had something to do with the bombing. Therefore, he was suprised to find himself at an abandoned factory lot.
The SWAT officers motioned for Zacky to start walking towards what looked like the sign-in office. Zacky started walking, afraid. He could see a muzzle flash in 3 different places in the higher windows, and he knew that snipers were watching him. 'Jesus Christ, what am I gonna do?' Zacky asked himself, 'if they're gonna kill me, please let them just shoot me in the head. ' He reached the office, opened the door.
He was suprised. The inside looked like a command centre inside one of those naval warfare ships in the Call of Duty games. Inside were 3 men; a portly, older looking man was looking at what was obviously a spy-cam from a recon drone. Zacky knew that there was a drone hovering above the bombing site somewhere. A younger, taller, rangy-looking man was busy smoking and fiddling with an assault rifle. And almost hidden in the shadows was a strange-looking bearded man, who had a backwards cap on and sunglasses on inside, obviously awaiting Zacky's arrival by the way he was looking at him. Just then, the older man looked around and saw him.
"Mr Baker!" the man boomed, scaring the shit out of Zacky, before Zacky realized he was smiling, "sorry to drag you out of bed in this god-awful hour of the morning, but we have our reasons for this meeting!" Zacky took this in, then reacted in anger, "And I suppose that the state of Texas hasn't heard of alarm clocks? What, they send 6 SWAT guys in to wake everyone up around here, do they!?" "Well we couldn't be takin' any chances," the man smiled, "we sure as hell know you had nothing to do with the bombing but you're still an associate of our suspects, you know?" 'Yeah, the bombing, I knew it' Zacky thought to himself, 'these guys are trying to rope me in. I bet it was either Shads or Syn that set this whole thing up'. Evidently Zacky's mistrust appeared on his face, as the older man disarmed himself, the younger man put his rifle on the ground and the bearded man edged out of the shadows.
The older man looked concerned, "look Mr. Baker, we ain't here to hurt or kill you. We're FBI agents, here to find and arrest those responsible for the bombing. We're also here to find the killers of your friend Matthew Sander's wife and sister in law... and your fill-in drummer". "How about showing us some ID then?" Zacky demanded. The older man looked at the rangy man, nodded and pulled out their badges with their IDs. Zacky took them, and opened them; "Hmmm, FBI Texas Branch Chief Art Mullen" opens the other one, "Special Field Agent Raylan Givens". Satisfied that these guys were the real deal, Zacky handed back the IDs. "Are we good, man?" asked the rangy one who was evidently Raylan Givens, "we're sorry you got knocked around and all that, but we really need your help, you know?" "Yeah, I'll help you out..." Zacky said, "...if this one shows me HIS ID" he snapped, pointing at the bearded man. The bearded man walked slowly toward Zacky, with Zacky getting nervous again and backing away. "Look here you fuckin' schoolboy" Bearded guy drawled with his tone dripping with menace, " I don't need an ID. What I do with my life positively precludes me from people knowing who I am. My buddies Mr Mullen and Mr Givens are lawfully excluded from kickin' your whiny bitchy little ass because they are law enforcement. But me? I am the type of guy you can only dream about from playing shit like Call of Duty and all of that shit. So, my little schoolboy, you'll address me and these fine gentlemen with courtesy and respect, cos if you don't?" "Yeah what?" Zacky snarled; he wasn't a world class fighter but could still kick someone's ass if he wanted to. The bearded guy smiled, then in a lightning move, had Zacky pinned up against the wall, a knife millimetres from Zacky's throat. Zacky struggled; it was useless. The bearded guy, amid protests from the 2 feds, smiled through gritted teeth, "I'll cut out your fuckin' tongue and use it on my favourite hooker's pussy. Then after that I'll cut your fuckin' face off. Then your head. And I'll feed it to my dog. Then I'll call up some boys from the US Army SFOD-D, some buddies of mine in there, and they'll hide your worthless body somewhere where no one, not even a junkie desparate for cash, would find you. Understand?" Zacky could see no way out of this, this guy had him pinned. "You- you- you're Delta Force?" Zacky sputtered, relaxing his struggling, therefore causing the Delta operator to loosen his grip. "That's right boy, and you'll know me as Dusty" the man called Dusty smiled, "so you straighten up that attitude, and help me and these two gentlemen bring Texas back to the good old days of peace and prosperity. Do that, and you and me'll get along right well."
After Zacky had calmed down, Art Mullen spoke up; "Alright Zacky, from what we've gathered since the murder of Val DiBenedetto, we know it was your bandmates involved in that bombing." "yeah, I found that out at the funeral" Zacky mumbled. "We know, Dusty told us all about it" Givens stated, "how those 2 real nice friends of yours, Shadows and Gates, pistol whipped you and held guns to your face. How that short-ass, Johnny Christ, was standing guard with a sawn off." Zacky looked around in astoundment at Dusty. "Sir, you were there?" Zacky exclaimed. "Well yeah I had to play the part of a mourner, had to pretend I was Michelle's ex-boyfriend who got locked up in jail for drugs before she met Gates" Dusty stated, "and after the ass whoopin' I seen ya get, I met up with Givens and reported it all to him. Having a video camera helps. I was milling around near that guy Joey's grave, if that helps." Zacky was astounded. "yeah, I thought I was gonna have to turn them in myself, I had no idea that you guys were onto it since day 1" Zacky mumbled. Art smiled "usually we'd come down hard on ya for not reportin' a crime, but we had a good lead on it long before you knew anything, so its all good". "Well here's our next move" Raylan Givens announced, "we've tapped into the comms of both Michael Yahweh and his merry band of freaks, and your boys in Avenged, Zacky. We've deduced from numerous conversations that both sides are plannin' somethin' horrifically spectacular on each other. From what I heard, your old boy Shadows managed to get his hands on some sarin gas, from some Mexican cartel assholes just near the border. Of course, we couldn't drag the cartel guys in for questioning- Shads and that guy who calls himself Synyster Gates shot them all after receiving the gas. The Right Handers, on the other hand, are planning a mass assault on the park 2 miles west of here, where all of your fans go annually to commemorate your old drummer Jim Sullivan. They intend to kill everyone there. Zack, you ain't gonna like this, but if you'll agree to it, we need you to go in undercover- with your old friends."
Zacky stood in shock. Never would have he dreamed that his once beloved brothers would become insane murderers, and keep killing until likely death or incarceration. He felt saddened that the Right Handers were targeting Avenged fans, and sickened at Michael Yahweh for beginning all of this, for killing and defiling Val, Michelle and Joey, for taking Matt's and Syn's loves away from them, for sending matt and Syn insane with bloodlust... and dragging Johnny down with them. Matt and Syn swore death and destruction on him the last time Zacky spoke with either of them; they made no bones about hating Zacky and wanting to kill him, and, from what Zacky heard, were pressuring Johnny to step up and come after Zacky with all sorts of weapons of torture. Zacky had actually remembered a video message Matt had sent to him a week ago, where Matt openly fantasised about fucking Zacky's girlfriend in the ass and slitting her throat at the point of climax, while Zacky watched. And putting an axe through Zacky's skull afterwards. Remembering this steeled Zacky's resolve. "Alright, I'll do it" he said. Art and Givens looked extremely pleased. Dusty showed no reaction. "Excellent Zack" Art boomed, shaking Zacky's hand. Zacky wondered why Art was so happy, then he figured that the 3 men each had their role; Dusty was there to intimidate should things go wrong, Art was there to provide confidence and make the person/people they're asking for a favour feel good about themselves, a real motivational guy; Raylan was there to lay the facts out, the brains of the group. Zacky was still left wondering what the hell Dusty was doing there in the first place. "Alright Zack, you gotta think about what you're in for, before you do this for us" Raylan warned, "think of how you're gonna weasle your way in. Think about who's more likely to accept you, that way they can turn the other guys around." Zacky knew the answer immediately: Johnny Christ. "I'll speak to Johnny, he's desperate to get in contact with me" Zacky stated. "Are you comfortable wearing a wire?" Raylan asked. Zacky nodded his consent; anything to stop the madness. "Come see us tomorrow, and we'll set you up". Mullen and Givens packed up and made to leave. This left Zacky with Dusty. "Hey kid?" Dusty enquired. "Yes sir?" Zacky asked, unable to help feeling a little afraid. "Drop the 'sir' crap" Dusty smiled, offering a hand; Zacky took it and shook it. "Now kid, you're about to do somethin' very fuckin' dangerous. Do you need to reconsider?" "No way Dusty, I want this shit to end as much as you do" Zacky stated firmly, "those guys were my brothers for years. We did everything together. We've sold out stadiums, arenas, everything. Then some fat asshole comes and kills one of our own, and just about my whole family fucking crumbles. Next thing you know, the guys that I loved like family have killed all of these people, and painted me as a target. All because I wanted to leave it to law enforcement. So maybe they deserve whatever happens to them." Dusty smiled, "spoken like a true patriot, son. Now lets get you out of here, and back to bed. You look fuckin' tired." Zacky smiled, relieved; Dusty wasn't that bad of a guy after all. "Hey Dusty?" Zacky asked. "Yeah man?" Dusty enquired. "I gotta ask you", Zacky said, "no matter what happens, please try and protect Johnny Christ. I have a feeling he's doing this against his will". Dusty looked long and hard at Zacky, who stared back, upset but determined. "Okay Zack, I'll do my best" Dusty said as they drove back to town.
JOHNNY: Zacky?
ZACKY: Who the hell is this?
JOHNNY: It's Johnny... dude, I'm so-
ZACKY: SHUT UP JOHNNY! Let me make something clear. You and your psycho buddies Brian and Matt are NOT my friends! You are all fucking DEAD to me! You understand?!!!
JOHNNY: Zacky, what could I do? Syn held a gun to my head, he made me join in on the attack-
ZACKY: You're fucking pathetic Johnny.
JOHNNY: Wh-wha-what?
ZACKY: You're a fucking slime. A two-bit, no-hoping scumbag. A little fucking child who is too weak to stand up for what's right. But don't worry. Matt and Syn, yeah, I've told them the same thing. I'm amazed at how pathetic you are, Johnny. I had Matt screaming and abusing me for an hour afterwards, threatening to do this and that to me. And Syn? That fucking piece of shit just laughed, like he didn't care. You and them shit all over Val's memory with that attack. And the 3 of you will burn in Hell for what happened. Now FUCK OFF AND NEVER CONTACT ME AGAIN!!!!!
Johnny was in tears afterwards, everyday. Matt and Syn kept on poking fun at him about it everytime they saw him, reminding him that Zacky was just a weak faggot, who was an insult to Val's memory for not supporting them, saying that they'd rather have AIDS-infested lepers in their house than Zacky ever again... and had also started talking about killing him. This Johnny couldn't handle. He couldn't bear it if Zacky died, no matter how much Zacky hated him. At least Zacky didn't tell on them to the cops.
Zacky, for his part, felt bad about his outburst to Johnny. He could never forget Johnny that day at the cemetery: Johnny looked so miserable, so beaten, like he would have gladly shot himself on the spot. He didn't give 2 fucks about Matt and Syn anymore; them two could rot in Hell for all he cared. He hated them even more for forcing Johnny into it. He made up his mind to call Johnny back and apologize... and figure out a way to get him the hell away from Syn and Matt.
A sharp knock to the door awoke Zacky. He dragged himself out of bed... to be greeted with a flashbang. It exploded the second Zacky made it to the loungeroom, knocking him off his feet. He felt rough hands grasp him, put him in a restraining position and handcuff him. A hood went over his head; he was terrified out of his wits. His initial thought was that Matt and Syn had come to kill him, before the hood was pulled off and he saw about 6 SWAT officers, all glaring at him through their masks and goggles, M4 Carbines and .45 Kimber handguns pointed at his head and chest. "What the hell?!!!" Zacky shouted, "Who are you guys, what's happening to me?!" The SWAT team didn't answer, just kept their guns levelled at him, looks of anger in their eyes. Zacky knew he was in a van, no doubt heading to the police station. The van stopped, and Zacky immediately thought of those guys who get arrested for major crimes and get mobbed by the news crews in front of court. He knew it had something to do with the bombing. Therefore, he was suprised to find himself at an abandoned factory lot.
The SWAT officers motioned for Zacky to start walking towards what looked like the sign-in office. Zacky started walking, afraid. He could see a muzzle flash in 3 different places in the higher windows, and he knew that snipers were watching him. 'Jesus Christ, what am I gonna do?' Zacky asked himself, 'if they're gonna kill me, please let them just shoot me in the head. ' He reached the office, opened the door.
He was suprised. The inside looked like a command centre inside one of those naval warfare ships in the Call of Duty games. Inside were 3 men; a portly, older looking man was looking at what was obviously a spy-cam from a recon drone. Zacky knew that there was a drone hovering above the bombing site somewhere. A younger, taller, rangy-looking man was busy smoking and fiddling with an assault rifle. And almost hidden in the shadows was a strange-looking bearded man, who had a backwards cap on and sunglasses on inside, obviously awaiting Zacky's arrival by the way he was looking at him. Just then, the older man looked around and saw him.
"Mr Baker!" the man boomed, scaring the shit out of Zacky, before Zacky realized he was smiling, "sorry to drag you out of bed in this god-awful hour of the morning, but we have our reasons for this meeting!" Zacky took this in, then reacted in anger, "And I suppose that the state of Texas hasn't heard of alarm clocks? What, they send 6 SWAT guys in to wake everyone up around here, do they!?" "Well we couldn't be takin' any chances," the man smiled, "we sure as hell know you had nothing to do with the bombing but you're still an associate of our suspects, you know?" 'Yeah, the bombing, I knew it' Zacky thought to himself, 'these guys are trying to rope me in. I bet it was either Shads or Syn that set this whole thing up'. Evidently Zacky's mistrust appeared on his face, as the older man disarmed himself, the younger man put his rifle on the ground and the bearded man edged out of the shadows.
The older man looked concerned, "look Mr. Baker, we ain't here to hurt or kill you. We're FBI agents, here to find and arrest those responsible for the bombing. We're also here to find the killers of your friend Matthew Sander's wife and sister in law... and your fill-in drummer". "How about showing us some ID then?" Zacky demanded. The older man looked at the rangy man, nodded and pulled out their badges with their IDs. Zacky took them, and opened them; "Hmmm, FBI Texas Branch Chief Art Mullen" opens the other one, "Special Field Agent Raylan Givens". Satisfied that these guys were the real deal, Zacky handed back the IDs. "Are we good, man?" asked the rangy one who was evidently Raylan Givens, "we're sorry you got knocked around and all that, but we really need your help, you know?" "Yeah, I'll help you out..." Zacky said, "...if this one shows me HIS ID" he snapped, pointing at the bearded man. The bearded man walked slowly toward Zacky, with Zacky getting nervous again and backing away. "Look here you fuckin' schoolboy" Bearded guy drawled with his tone dripping with menace, " I don't need an ID. What I do with my life positively precludes me from people knowing who I am. My buddies Mr Mullen and Mr Givens are lawfully excluded from kickin' your whiny bitchy little ass because they are law enforcement. But me? I am the type of guy you can only dream about from playing shit like Call of Duty and all of that shit. So, my little schoolboy, you'll address me and these fine gentlemen with courtesy and respect, cos if you don't?" "Yeah what?" Zacky snarled; he wasn't a world class fighter but could still kick someone's ass if he wanted to. The bearded guy smiled, then in a lightning move, had Zacky pinned up against the wall, a knife millimetres from Zacky's throat. Zacky struggled; it was useless. The bearded guy, amid protests from the 2 feds, smiled through gritted teeth, "I'll cut out your fuckin' tongue and use it on my favourite hooker's pussy. Then after that I'll cut your fuckin' face off. Then your head. And I'll feed it to my dog. Then I'll call up some boys from the US Army SFOD-D, some buddies of mine in there, and they'll hide your worthless body somewhere where no one, not even a junkie desparate for cash, would find you. Understand?" Zacky could see no way out of this, this guy had him pinned. "You- you- you're Delta Force?" Zacky sputtered, relaxing his struggling, therefore causing the Delta operator to loosen his grip. "That's right boy, and you'll know me as Dusty" the man called Dusty smiled, "so you straighten up that attitude, and help me and these two gentlemen bring Texas back to the good old days of peace and prosperity. Do that, and you and me'll get along right well."
After Zacky had calmed down, Art Mullen spoke up; "Alright Zacky, from what we've gathered since the murder of Val DiBenedetto, we know it was your bandmates involved in that bombing." "yeah, I found that out at the funeral" Zacky mumbled. "We know, Dusty told us all about it" Givens stated, "how those 2 real nice friends of yours, Shadows and Gates, pistol whipped you and held guns to your face. How that short-ass, Johnny Christ, was standing guard with a sawn off." Zacky looked around in astoundment at Dusty. "Sir, you were there?" Zacky exclaimed. "Well yeah I had to play the part of a mourner, had to pretend I was Michelle's ex-boyfriend who got locked up in jail for drugs before she met Gates" Dusty stated, "and after the ass whoopin' I seen ya get, I met up with Givens and reported it all to him. Having a video camera helps. I was milling around near that guy Joey's grave, if that helps." Zacky was astounded. "yeah, I thought I was gonna have to turn them in myself, I had no idea that you guys were onto it since day 1" Zacky mumbled. Art smiled "usually we'd come down hard on ya for not reportin' a crime, but we had a good lead on it long before you knew anything, so its all good". "Well here's our next move" Raylan Givens announced, "we've tapped into the comms of both Michael Yahweh and his merry band of freaks, and your boys in Avenged, Zacky. We've deduced from numerous conversations that both sides are plannin' somethin' horrifically spectacular on each other. From what I heard, your old boy Shadows managed to get his hands on some sarin gas, from some Mexican cartel assholes just near the border. Of course, we couldn't drag the cartel guys in for questioning- Shads and that guy who calls himself Synyster Gates shot them all after receiving the gas. The Right Handers, on the other hand, are planning a mass assault on the park 2 miles west of here, where all of your fans go annually to commemorate your old drummer Jim Sullivan. They intend to kill everyone there. Zack, you ain't gonna like this, but if you'll agree to it, we need you to go in undercover- with your old friends."
Zacky stood in shock. Never would have he dreamed that his once beloved brothers would become insane murderers, and keep killing until likely death or incarceration. He felt saddened that the Right Handers were targeting Avenged fans, and sickened at Michael Yahweh for beginning all of this, for killing and defiling Val, Michelle and Joey, for taking Matt's and Syn's loves away from them, for sending matt and Syn insane with bloodlust... and dragging Johnny down with them. Matt and Syn swore death and destruction on him the last time Zacky spoke with either of them; they made no bones about hating Zacky and wanting to kill him, and, from what Zacky heard, were pressuring Johnny to step up and come after Zacky with all sorts of weapons of torture. Zacky had actually remembered a video message Matt had sent to him a week ago, where Matt openly fantasised about fucking Zacky's girlfriend in the ass and slitting her throat at the point of climax, while Zacky watched. And putting an axe through Zacky's skull afterwards. Remembering this steeled Zacky's resolve. "Alright, I'll do it" he said. Art and Givens looked extremely pleased. Dusty showed no reaction. "Excellent Zack" Art boomed, shaking Zacky's hand. Zacky wondered why Art was so happy, then he figured that the 3 men each had their role; Dusty was there to intimidate should things go wrong, Art was there to provide confidence and make the person/people they're asking for a favour feel good about themselves, a real motivational guy; Raylan was there to lay the facts out, the brains of the group. Zacky was still left wondering what the hell Dusty was doing there in the first place. "Alright Zack, you gotta think about what you're in for, before you do this for us" Raylan warned, "think of how you're gonna weasle your way in. Think about who's more likely to accept you, that way they can turn the other guys around." Zacky knew the answer immediately: Johnny Christ. "I'll speak to Johnny, he's desperate to get in contact with me" Zacky stated. "Are you comfortable wearing a wire?" Raylan asked. Zacky nodded his consent; anything to stop the madness. "Come see us tomorrow, and we'll set you up". Mullen and Givens packed up and made to leave. This left Zacky with Dusty. "Hey kid?" Dusty enquired. "Yes sir?" Zacky asked, unable to help feeling a little afraid. "Drop the 'sir' crap" Dusty smiled, offering a hand; Zacky took it and shook it. "Now kid, you're about to do somethin' very fuckin' dangerous. Do you need to reconsider?" "No way Dusty, I want this shit to end as much as you do" Zacky stated firmly, "those guys were my brothers for years. We did everything together. We've sold out stadiums, arenas, everything. Then some fat asshole comes and kills one of our own, and just about my whole family fucking crumbles. Next thing you know, the guys that I loved like family have killed all of these people, and painted me as a target. All because I wanted to leave it to law enforcement. So maybe they deserve whatever happens to them." Dusty smiled, "spoken like a true patriot, son. Now lets get you out of here, and back to bed. You look fuckin' tired." Zacky smiled, relieved; Dusty wasn't that bad of a guy after all. "Hey Dusty?" Zacky asked. "Yeah man?" Dusty enquired. "I gotta ask you", Zacky said, "no matter what happens, please try and protect Johnny Christ. I have a feeling he's doing this against his will". Dusty looked long and hard at Zacky, who stared back, upset but determined. "Okay Zack, I'll do my best" Dusty said as they drove back to town.
10/8/13