Rat King

“My, my, look who we have here…” A dishevelled Weasel bated his breath, standing defensively across the speaking man who was holding Elmer at gun point. A vast cliff range stretched out behind them. His weapon lay kicked to the side. He just had to get close enough– “Move, and he’s a goner.” Shit. He’ll have to get around that somehow. The lieutenant wiggled his own revolver around casually as he looked at Weasel pointedly. “Well, sooner than later you’ll both be, anyway. That’s the whole point.” His grip tightened around Elmer’s neck, whose feet where millimetres away from the precipice. The lieutenant didn’t seem to notice – or care – about his perilous position, as he carried on without much fussing around. “I could say I’m surprised to see you here. But I’m not. Your little mole got so talkative after we encouraged him.”

Great, now the guy was monologuing. Weasel shuffled slightly, inching closer and closer to his weapon. He straightened as the lieutenant turned back to him. “Purely due to protocol, I’m afraid I will have to arrest you.” The lieutenant’s voice was dripping in sarcasm, knitting together like a spider’s web. Weasel huffed, “Oh, I’m sure you are doing this more than just for protocol.” He was so close to it; he just needed a window of opportunity to lunge for the revolver.

“You’re right, I’m not. This is quite enjoyable.” His smirk widened, gesturing between them with his armed hand. “How the tables have turned, haven’t they. Pity. Or not, given that I get to do this now.” Weasel’s eyes widened as Elmer started clawing frantically at the hands around his neck, a manic grin now stretched across the lieutenants’ face. “Your plan failed. How predictable. And I. Oh. I will be promoted. Deservedly so.” He cocked his gun and held it against Elmer’s temple, breathing down his neck. “You rats can be disposed of quickly enough.”

A single shot could be heard.

His body slumped down like a puppet whose strings got cut. And they both plummet. Weasel barely had time to recover from the recoil when he saw Elmer being dragged down with the now slack body of the lieutenant, still tightened around him. Both figures disappeared behind the precipice. “NO! No, no, no, shit, ELMER!”

Please. Please let him be alive. He could barely feel himself running up to the edge, numb and disbelieving. “What’s taking you so long, come on, help me up!” There Elmer was, dangling from a loose stone wedged into the canyon wall. He exhaled in relief, “Fuck, man, stop having so many near-death experiences, will ya?” The other replied exasperated, “You think I do this for shits and giggles?!”

“Come on up then.” With that, both men worked to heave Elmer back up. After recovering from the adrenaline rush and shock, Weasel took a pill and picked up the conversation again, gathering their belongings and equipment they had laid out for planning. “You realize what we’re about to do is lunacy, right? Downright mental.” “Yeah.” “You sure about this? There’s no going back.” “Sounds more like you’re having second thoughts.” “No, I’m not. Just. Making sure.”

“So we’re doing this?” “How could we not?”