Vol 1: Part 7

I like to think I showed a lot of restraint in my drinking that night, well I wasn't exactly sober , but I wasn't in a heaping mess as me, Jackson, and a fully drunk Matt left the bar. "Where's your car?" I asked the most sober of the group.

"Just here." Jackson directed us to a sleek black sports car his pride, and joy.

"Sure you want him in that?" I asked as I hefted Matt back onto my shoulders as he tried to wander off.

"Do you want to carry him home?" Jackson shot back, as he climbed in.

"Touché." I said as I bundled the stumbling Matt into the back his liquor stained khakis swung onto the seats. "Hold still." I grunted as I wrestled with him to get his seat belt on. The black strap of safety was once again thrown off as my patient refused to sit still.

"Live reckless, and fast you have the most fun." Matt slurred in my ear his breath was so thick of booze it was making me feel intoxicated by the fumes.

"Live fast, and die young is that what you mean?" I asked standing back with the seatbelt.

"I uh, I." Matt's eyes went crossed eyed in confusion using the lapse of the struggle I snaked in clicking the seatbelt into its hold. I went to go stand up only to have an iron like grip start to crush my wrist. "You know Tommy he, Tommy ain't coming home." He whispered his hollowed, grief stricken voice repeating the same rehearsed lines.

"I know Matt, I know he was a honorable soldier, and a good man, an even better friend." I whispered back running my hand over his just like when he first came home.

"What they did to him. He didn't deserve it, you know Abigail had just sent a letter saying she was expecting." He was starting to cry now tears welled in the corner of his eyes black clouds burdened with too much rain.

"Matt." I said keeping my voice level as I looked into his soul stricken eyes. It was usually better to just let him get it out of his system.

"Those bastards let me tell you what I did to them." He spoke his voice going into a hoarse whisper like we were part of some sort of conspiracy. "I first tracked them down each one I spent my quality time on them, I broke fingers, I broke toes, and then after I had broken their bones I broke their minds. I got their children, family members, friends I killed them one by one." His voice getting heavier, and heavier with a furious wrath as his grip tightened. "The one who stuck the last blow I saved him to last. I slowly chipped him away week after week, until nothing was left."

"You've gotten your justice Matt how about now you start fighting in the present." I said wishfully patting his hand.

"Soldiers fight." He nodded resolutely as if that was the answer to life before falling asleep. I closed the door on his still figure, and made my way around to the front passenger seat.