The Waiting

It's been so long since Jeff moved from his position and he trained himself to hold his body to its absolute limit. He rarely ate and drank only when absolutely needed which was probably around four times in five days. He was suprised he could keep himself as steady as he was but then again, after all he had to go through to get where he was now, he couldn't let his opportunity slip. He's come so close several times and was lucky to even have such a view in the first place. The whole story started two weeks ago and he was never going to forgive what happened. If only he had been there, and he could've tried to stop it.

-----

Two weeks ago.

Jeff had just finished compiling a report he was assigned at work which was actually due three days ago. Luckily, his boss was pretty leanient about these types of things just as long as it wasn't more than a week late. Walking down the hall towards his boss' office, he heard a few people talking about what they were planning to do on the weekend considering it was friday and all. Someone was going fishing, another was going to take their family to a cabin, and one was attempting to ask a woman to marry him. Jeff smirked at listening to other's plans then leaned in and gave the office door a light knock. "Come on in!" Mr. Stephens said on the other side just loud enough for Jeff to hear.

With the approval, he grabbed the knob and gave it a quick twist then pulled the door open a small amount as he stuck his head inside looking around. Mr. Stephens was sitting at his desk with a big cigar potruding from his mouth though it wasn't lit. Jeff silently thanked him for that considering he hated second hand smoke personally. Mr. Stephens looked at him with a raised eyebrow and grinned as wide as he could without dropped the cigar from his mouth then motioned towards one of the two chairs positioned in front of his desk. Jeff opened the door more and stepped in then shut it behind him as he walked over to the nearest chair and sat down. The folder with his report was tucked under his left arm and he happily took it and tossed it on the desk. With a burly chuckle, Mr. Stephens grabbed the folder and flipped through the contents. A few minutes passed by quietly while Jeff waited for his boss to finish looking over the report and tell him what he usually always heard from him, which was a big drawn out speech of how he should keep up with things and stop goofing off. His was actually a nice guy, it was just the complaints he couldn't take all the time.

As time dwindled down, he began looking around the office taking notice of all the bowling trophies and plaques of awards. A small statue was on a shelf in the corner but Jeff couldn't make out what it was; not because his eyes were bad but because he just never interested himself in art. Mr. Stephens coughed making Jeff jump slightly and focus back onto the subject at hand, or at wait. As soon he saw the folder lay back down onto the desk, Jeff suddenly felt butterflies in his stomach. It was strange that it should happen at this moment and that it didn't start sooner. He was always worried what somebody else thought of his work but he managed to take their criticism no matter how harsh it was. Another cough emitted itself from Mr. Stephens and he took the ciagr from his lips to speak, "Very good work! I knew you could pull it off!" Jeff smiled and thanked him then inched the chair a little closer, now feeling more comfortable. "I just wish you didn't take so long on these things. I don't want you becoming a slacker or anything," he continued while playing with the cigar at hand. Jeff sighed and looked down at the floor; he knew this was coming and dreaded listening to it.

The room was like any normal office a boss would have. It reminded Jeff of all the cartoons and movies because he of the big boss who loved smoking cigars and almost always had his coat off revealing his suspendors in full and his sleeves rolled up. This brought another smirk from Jeff and it caught Mr. Stephens by suprise. "Something funny?" he asked tapping the rolled tobacco against the folder lightly. Jeff was caught off guard and flushed slightly from being caught spacing out. "Well?" Mr. Stephens asked again and sat back in his big leather chair letting the sounds of it creak and groan under the weight and friction. "I'm sorry," Jeff replied and ran a hand through his black hair, "I was zoning out." He cringed as he said those last two words, knowing it wouldn't be a good thing to admit it but it'd be a lot worse if he didn't say anything. The answer only showed anger from Mr. Stephens, who in turn, let out a sigh and put the soaked end of the cigar back in his mouth, "Well, I guess I probably was boring you a bit, eh?" Jeff nodded and looked at his report on the desk. Mr. Stephens let out a low but very loud laugh and looked directly at Jeff, "Well I do bore people by rambling on about something you already know yourself, right?" Jeff felt like replying but didn't and waiting to see what else his boss had to say. "Anyways, I bet you got plans for the weekend, don't you?" he asked, now looking through his drawers for the lighter so he could light his cigar. "Actually, I'm only thinking of letting my family go somewhere special for the weekend while I sit around the house taking it easy," Jeff replied and sat up slightly, feeling better about everything now. "That's good! I like a family man! Even though you, yourself, aren't going with them it's nice to see you still let them have a good time!" his boss answered back becoming happier upon finding his lighter undera stack of files that were dated from yesterday.

The room got dead quiet again as Mr. Stephens flicked the light top open and gave it a few tries until he finally got a flame then lit the already opened end of the cigar. Jeff made a face and looked at his watch, happy to see it was only another hour until he could go. Mr. Stephens caught him once again and laughed once more as well then sucked hard on the cigar, letting the end glow an angry red then dying to ash. "I bet you're wanting to get out of here!" he exclaimed letting the smoke emit form his mouth as he talked, "Why don't you just go ahead and leave? You've done what you've came to do and turned in the report I needed. I'll even add the hour to your pay and not subtract anything. How about it?" Jeff's face brightened, "Really? Are you sure, sir?" he asked, now coughing a bit from the smoke. Mr. Stephens grinned a big toothy grin which showed his stained teeth from years of smoking and then nodded as he waved Jeff away with his free hand, "Yeah! Sure! Go ahead and leave! I noticed you hate me smoking around you so it'd be a good idea to go now!" Jeff laughed with him and stood up, shaking his hand, then turned and stepped out the door, closing it once more.

-----

Present day.

Why did it have to happen? Jeff kept both eyes open for obvious reasons. He needed to spot for anything that might be useful or hold him from his objective and he also needed to keep an eye on his target. Lying down for over a week has already taken its toll on his body from cramps to sharp pains as he had to adjust to his position. It was the perfect place for him and nobody should be able to see him. The window he was staring into was empty at the moment but it wasn't always which he knew from how long he had been sitting in the same spot for a while. "Simple talking would've been just fine," he said to himself and let the rifle rest against the opposing window sill. It's not the fact that he didn't want to do it or that he couldn't, it was that he just never found the perfect time for it. Several chances have shown themselves but he wanted the opportunity to be perfect. He reached back and grabbed a slightly stale roll but still ate it. If it wasn't rock hard it was edible to him and the water bottle was still half-full of its contents. Little planning was actually needed but it was best to be prepared. The chance just needed to be perfect and so Jeff waited longer.

-----

A week and a half ago.

Jeff had just gotten home from work and was tired more than anything else. Several times he thought he would fall asleep driving back but luckily he didn't. He was beginning to think putting in overtime was a bad idea and made a mental note not to do it again anytime soon. Mr. Stephens wasn't acting like his usual self either. He seemed excited about something and wouldn't stop asking Jeff about how his family was. Jeff had told him he wasn't sure but if it's worrying his boss so much he'll call to see if everything's fine which Mr. Stephens quickly answered "No," to. Jeff was so busy with work he actually forgot the whole ordeal and let his boss be himself thinking maybe he finally got to retire for once and wanted to save the whole suprise for tomorrow. It didn't matter now, Jeff was tired and just wanted to be in bed next to his wife as soon he arrived home.

The rest of the ride home was slow but Jeff didn't care since he knew he would arrive home in just a few minutes. He hated waking up at five in the morning to go to work. It was already eight and the sun was still out but just starting to set. "No need for headlights," Jeff told himself and let out a big, long sigh. It suddenly hit him when he remembered why his boss seemed so demanding of his family. Before he ever met Helen, his wife, she was engaged to Mr. Stephens for a short while but quickly ended it thinking it wouldn't work out. He met her while applying for his job and eventually married her and had a little boy not too long ago. But why would his boss suddenly start asking about his family's well-being? Jeff felt a knot in his stomach and pushed a little harder on the gas pedal, now worried about his family.

The rest of the drive was spent in total silence as Jeff's mind raced through a million questions at once and praying for the well-being of his wife and son. As soon as his house came into sight he knew something bad had happened. He pulled into the driveway and stared at the broken window and then the front door which was wide open for anybody to just walk right on in. His heart was racing now and he put the car in park but left the keys in and didn't even turn the engine off as he ran inside the house callign for his wife and son. "Helen! Helen are you here?! Is Jamie here?!" Jeff yelled as he began searching various rooms. There were very obvious signs of a struggle within his home since mugs were broken on the kitchen floor, various things tipped over, and even the faucet was bent. Jeff winced as he thought about what might've been hard enough to bend the faucet like that. The house was empty except for Helen and Jeff's room which was closed. Jeff took a deep breath and busted open the door then let out a horrified scream before falling to his knees.

On the bed were his wife and son who were each shot several time or more. Jeff couldn't tell and didn't know exactly but also didn't care; he knew they were dead. The blood was starting to dry and the smell was nausiating but Jeff coped with it as he stood up and tried calming himself down. He had to think and seeing his family dead wasn't helping. More than likely somebody heard his scream and might call the police to his house so he didn't have long to spend in the house. He hated being involved with the police even if he was the victim. They'd probably suspect him as the killer first thing until about a week later when they actually understand everything. Jeff didn't have the time to waste with them and quickly came to the conclusion of revenge. He was in a rage now and wanted justice served his way instead of whoever did this getting off with just a slap on the wrist.

Jeff remembered his pistol he had bought about three years ago which was a normal Glock 17. He kept it in his bedroom under the nightstand on his side and even had it loaded under it. He knew it was dangerous to do that but he rather not take chances if someone broke in while he was in his house. He wasn't in his house when somebody broke in it though and that made him angrier. Jeff walked around the bed and reache dunder the furniture, finding the Glock in its place in the holster he fastened to the nightstand. After unbuttoning the holster he pulled the gun out of its protective cover and looked it over before switching the safety off and cocking it. Just because he ekpt it loaded didn't mean he actually had a bullet in the chamber but it was still a bad idea to go with.

The gun was cold in his hand and he shoved it into his suit's inside pocket which actually was a perfect fit. He ran back to the front door and stopped as he looked back towards the bedroom once more. "I'll make whoever did this to you pay severely!" Jeff scowled and then ran out the door towards his car. He needed to know who did this. It couldn't have been his boss since he was there the whole time Jeff was. Jeff leaned into his car and turned the engine off while looking around, "Maybe somebody saw something that could help me..." It'd be worth a shot and he could get at least a little bit of information before he left. He looked across the street and saw a car in the driveway then smiled to himself as he quickly made his way to their front door. He wiped a few tears from his face as he rang the doorbell and tried cleaning himself up a bit. Not much longer a young woman answered shyly. "Did you see somebody go into my house across the street earlier?!" Jeff almost screamed at her trying to seem more shaken than he actually was when, in fact, he was pretty calm about the whole ordeal now. She nodded to him but didn't open the door anymore for him so they could continue the conversation any closer. "He was wearing a brown jacket when he went in and he was about your height. He came out a while later when I heard something like fireworks and he was holding his jacket then. He had a tattoo on the back of his neck too and his shirt underneath his jacket was a black t-shirt," she explained then paused and added, "I think the tattoo was the number thirteen...I could be wrong since I only saw him from my window but that's all I know, I'm sorry." Jeff gave her a nod and leaned slightly closer to her, "Thank you so much, you've helped me more than anything right now," he said then turned and ran back to his car. He was just about to start it up again when he realized he had no clue where he was going to go then turned around and saw the woman point to his right and she yelled, "He went that way!" Jeff mouthed the words 'thank you' to her and started the car then headed in her assigned direction. She had pointed downtown and not many people lived there. Jeff suddenly felt very lucky.

-----

Present day.

Jeff grunted and shifted right leg slightly so as not to lose so much circulaton in it. He didn't take his eyes off his target area as he reached over and grabbed the water bottle then took a sip from it before putting it back and gradually positioning his hand under the rifle once more. After waiting for so long he didn't think waiting any longer would hurt considering he ahd everything he needed within arm's reach. Going to the bathroom was the only thing he had to get up to do but he made sure not to go unless his target had left the apartment complex he was watching. Days had passed by effortlessly and faster Jeff had expected. Nights were no problem due to the fact he always switched a nightvision scope everytime his target turned out the lights. He was going to get his revenge but he just needed the perfect time to do it.

-----

A week and a half ago.

After driving around for an hour, Jeff found a person witht he same exact description the woman gave him. He thought about killing him right there in front of everybody but stopped himself. He needed answers first and then he could decide what to do. Jeff debated this for a moment then agreed to himself on following the stranger to his own home which turned out to be a horribly kept library that went out years ago and was closed down. No books were in there anymore since they were moved to the new library uptown along with the shelves as well from what Jeff remembered. He waited outside the building for another hour before killing his engine and getting out of the car.

The sky was dark and cloudy so no moonlight was shining down on the town and the street lights were such bad shape that only a few were lit up on every street. Jeff straightened his red tie and patted himself down to appear as clean as he could to the man who killed his family. The building was big but not bigger than just two houses put together which Jeff was thankful for. It made less time for him to search for the cold-blooded killer. He reached into his suit and pulled out the Glock then held it at his side as he walked up the few steps to the double-doors and eased one open with his left shoulder, peeking inside.

There was a light coming from down the building and Jeff pushed the door open more until his head was completely inside to get a full view. The light was from a lamp on a table but the man he followed was nowhere in sight from what he could see. After a minute of complete silence, he decided to appear friendly at first, that way he could get closer to the enemy before taking him out. "Hello?! Is somebody in here?!" Jeff called out then pushed the door open and stepped inside completely. The door closed softly much to his suprise and Jeff began walking towards the amber light and noticing strange things about the floor and walls. Ammo cases were stacked against a few walls and belts of ammo hung over the wooden table, for decoration Jeff guessed. Guns were all over the place in pieces and completely assembled ones ranging from pistols like Jeff had to rifles and even a launcher of some type he saw tucked away in the shadows. "Can I help you?" a voice said behind him which made Jeff jump and almost squeeze the trigger to his gun.

The man stepped out from the shadows and looked Jeff over, completely missing the pistol he had in hand since it blended in so well with the darkness and Jeff's black slacks. Jeff cleared his throat and began studying the man's face as he made up some story, "Uh, yea. I was wondering if any of these uh...guns were for sale." The man stared hard at Jeff then grinned and put a hand on his shoulder, "Well, how did you come to find out about my little armory here? Did Jack tell you?" Jeff looked at him confused, "Jack?" The man nodded and rubbed his tattoo with his free hand as he carried on, "Yea, Jack Stephens. You heard of him? Big gorilla type man?" Jeff stared at the man in disbelief. Not only did this man kill his family, he was hired to do it. "You're a gun for hire?" he asked the guy and felt his hand tighten around the handle of the pistol. The man, Ryan, judging from the name his wrist braclet had on it, gave him a pat on the back and laughed, "Of course! You think having this much ammo for nothing is going to earn me a living?"

The silence that followed lasted a good four minutes before Jeff looked back up at Ryan and narrowed his eyes. Ryan leaned in close and looked at him, "You alright?" Before he got another word out of his mouth Jeff quickly thrust the pistol into Ryan's mouth and backed him into the wall, "Why?! Why did you have to kill my family?!" Tears were now rolling down Jeff's face as he awaited and answer from Ryan even with the gun jammed in his mouth. Neither of them said a word for another mintue then Jeff slowly squeezed the trigger making Ryan scream and jump. He was too afraid to try and grab the gun in case he acctidently killed himself in the process. "Now we're getting somewhere," Jeff said and eased the gun out of Ryan's mouth. Sweat had already begun forming at Ryan's brow and ran down his cheek as he tried to explain to Jeff, "Listen buddy, I only do what I do for so I can eat and live!"

Jeff growled and grabbed Ryan by the throat, shutting him up instantly, and got face to face with him, "How did he know about you?" he demanded. Ryan tried to swallow to ease himself but couldn't, due to the fact Jeff's hand was almost crushing his throat. "Well?!" Jeff yelled and pulled Ryan forward then slammed him back into the wall, releasing his grip he had on him. The hit from the wall stung the back of Ryan's head extremely bad and made him close an eye from the now throbbing pain and coughed a few times to get air back into his lungs. Jeff waited and watched the man lean over in a coughing fit for a minute then lean agaisnt the wall as he began to answer Jeff's question, "I worked for him a few years back and when he found out I was practically a mercenary he said he'd keep in touch which only now he decided to actually use my services. He," Ryan coughed again and continued, "said he wanted me to kill anybody inside the house at the address he gave me and he paid me a ton in advance." Jeff crossed his arms as he took all this in. "He said that he was so mad that somebody as lame as you, who always turned in work past the schedule and even got to work late by a good fifteen minutes, didn't deserve Helen," he explained while resting his hands on his knees now.

The light in the lamp flickered slightly and Jeff felt like he was on the verge of snapping. He rubbed his head with his hand that wasn't attachted to the gun trying to think of a logical thing to do now. "He also said that if he couldn't have Helen then nobody should...and that's where I came in," Ryan finished telling him while trying to wipe some of the sweat from his forehead with his arm. Jeff was now infuriated and took a quick swing into Ryan's abdomen causing him to groan and cover the area of attack which now made him want to puke. Jeff was far from done with him now that he knew everything. Mr. Stephens only acted as a nice guy so Jeff wouldn't suspect him but it all came out into the open faster than he expected. Jeff raised his pistol only to Ryan's knee and quickly squeezed off a round, a little shocked at how loud the sound was from firing it. Ryan dropped to the floor immediatly and grabbed his knee screaming in pain well aware that the gun was still aimed at him. Blood was splashed against the wall behind him and the bullet was somewhere in the wall as well considering at how close Jeff fired the gun.

Ryan's screaming subsided as he applied some pressure near the wound, drenching his jeans in his warm blood. Jeff raised the pistol slightly now that Ryan was slouched over on the floor and aimed directly at his head, "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now." Ryan looked up and stared at the pistol down the barrel at a complete loss for words now. Jeff waited for only a second then said, "Too late," as he pulled the trigger once more, and keeping it steady as the bullet tore through Ryan's left cheek. The screaming started again and Jeff pulled the trigger again and again until he silenced Ryan once and for all. The shells bounced off the floor a few times and Jeff lowered his arm as he stared at what was once Ryan's head but was now a bloody mass matted against the wall and was dripping like a leaking faucet to the floor. Jeff dropped the pistol to the floor and walked over towards where he saw a display of rifles Ryan had set up prior to this special meeting.

Jeff knew a lot about guns from reading various magazines in his own spare time and began looking at each rifle closely. He had an idea and he wasn't about to let it slip by. Now that he thought about it, he probably didn't have enough time to be inspecting each rifle as much as he'd want. Jeff grabbed an aluminum suitcase he saw near the table and opened it with a suprise. Inside was a disassembled sniper rifle with a box of ammunition all perfectly laid out for him. Jeff figured it was used by sniping experts considering the scope it had with it and the type of rounds it used. After a good inspection of the case Jeff closed it and stood up, a little mythed at how light it felt in his hand. He gave the area a good last look over and walked over to a crate marked "FOOD" stamped on the side. If he was going to do what he planned on doing then he needed to be prepared. Jeff put the suitcase down and pried the side of the box open as much as he could, disappointed that all he saw was hay then realized that might just be used to keep things from moving around inside it. He grabbed the other side of the crate and pulled as hard as he could until the wooden prison fell to the floor with a loud crack as the wooden box busted open and broke around all sides. Jeff gave it a swift kick to cause one of the sides to open completely and began pilfering through the hay until he came across a couple hard objects and pulled them out into the light. "Heh, M.R.E. shipment, eh, pal?" Jeff joked and waved one of the packages at the corpse.

He needed something else to carry the extra things he needed for survival. Jeff grabbed the suitcase and a couple of the M.R.E. packages then headed out to his car and put them in the back seat before returning inside once more. "I need more food..," he said to nobody in particular. In the corner was a rolled up brown paper bag between two boxes of ammo and Jeff picked it up, checking the contents inside. It was a bunch of rolls which Jeff was thankful for since the meals he had in his car now didn't always taste good and he knew that from experience. He tried a couple one winter while camping outside near the vacation cabin he sent his family to just a few days ago. Jeff searched the crate of food for anything else that might be useful but only found more of the same packages. As he stood up he dusted off his pants and took the bag of rolls and a few more M.R.E.s to his car thinking that he could find water or something somewhere else. Medical supplies didn't matter to him since he only planned on one thing in particular.

-----

Present day.

Jeff sat up and out of sight from the window he was currently occupying while he loosened his white shirt by unbuttoning the two buttons. He had already taken off his tie which was currently under an opened M.R.E. His jacket he had on which completed his standard business suit was used as a blanket in the nights for his few hours of sleep every now and then. He was sick and tired of waiting and just wanted to go ahead and get it over with but that would've been too hasty. He slowled his breathing down as he saw movement in the opposing window and quickly layed down then picked up the rifle and peered through the scope. It was him again and now was a good opportunity but it just wasn't what Jeff was waiting for. He wondered if Mr. Stephens thought he was dead since nobody had heard anything from him for a while. More than likely he knew Ryan was dead since Jeff saw him calling the same number several times the first few days he spent watching his prey. It was fun to see how much detail he could pay attention to through the power of the scope. He was tempted to write the number down and dial it later but that'd distract him from his current objective and he wanted to finish this more than anything. Time was on his side and he used every second watching and waiting for the right time.

-----

A week and a half ago.

The water bottle was an easy find for Jeff since all he had to do was ask somebody on another street for one. Luckily, the whole tragedy wasn't on the news just yet but more than likely it'd be there very soon. He took no chances of staying at the person's place and quickly left then filled the bottle to the very top at a fountain he found at the high school. Twisting the top on was a slow process since he didn't want to lose any water and he also couldn't see very well in the dark. His car was low on fuel but after making sure the bottle be tipped without spilling he only had one place left to go.

He got back in his car and switched the engine back on then made his way out of the school's parking lot while trying to read street signs. He didn't know what the place his boss lived at looked like but he had searched up the address in the phone book and knew it was some type of apartment building. Jeff began thinking of all the apartments in the whole area. There were three up town and about three or four down town. It'd be smarter to check the closest ones first then work his way up to the farthest ones, Jeff started thinking.

First one was a few streets away from where he was now and Jeff took a couple turns before ending up in front of the building. The whole thing was only two stories tall and Jeff decided to take a walk inside. It was colder outside than he thought but he didn't care as he made his way inside the small building. The place was really horrible looking and very dirty. He felt like he needed a shot just from breathing the air in the place. He scoffed at the pay phone near the stairs then noticed the phone book dangling like a limp appendage. Nobody was around, which was a bit strange but Jeff figured if nobody was at the front desk then maybe they wouldn't care if he 'borrowed' the book. He picked it up and wrapped his arms around the thick and heavy book then gave it a good, hard yank away from the phone as the small cord resisted for a moment before snapping free for him. He flipped it open and began looking for his boss' number and saw that this building's was completely different. He also remembered his boss' number had an extention which was probably his room number.

Jeff closed the book and tucked it under his arm as he headed outside and back to his car. As he got into the car he tried to think of which apartment was the next closest and sighed to himself when he noticed it was about eight blocks away and he was running extremely low on fuel now. If the next two weren't the ones then he'd have to start walking with all his gear in arms. The thought made him angry but he pushed it to the back of his mind and agreed that if it came to that he'd do it. Driving towards the next apartment, Jeff reached back pulled the aluminum suitcase up into the passenger seat. He wanted it to where he could see it and pull it out of the car as fast possible if it came to it.

A few blocks down he felt that he was heading the wrong way but pulled the phone book back out and started looking at the address next to the apartment's name. Jeff grinned when he saw that the number next to the address matched that of his boss' number without the extention. "No need for this now!" Jeff yelled and rolled his window down as he threw the book out heading in the direction towards the apartment complex. The building came into a view not long after and Jeff slowed down as he checked it from his car. It was four stories tall and larger than almost every building around it except for the abandoned one which was reluctantly right next to it. Jeff looked the older building over a few times and drove into the parking lot it had. He needed to find out which room Mr. Stephens was occupying and then he'd be set. He left everything in the car since going up to somebody's room with a suitcase would look suspicious at this time of night. He took a few leaps over the parking lot and to the front doors then drew in a deep breath and exhaled. Going inside made him feel a little strange since this was the first place he's been that actually had more than one person standing around inside.

"Can I help you?" the man at the desk asked while leaning on the counter. Jeff looked at him and then at the other people, making sure Mr. Stephens wasn't in the same room as him. The man at the desk raised an eyebrow and asked again, "Excuse me, sir, but can I help you?" Jeff looked back at him and gave him a light nod while playing it cool, "Uh, yea, Can you tell me where Mr. Jack Stephens' room is? I had an appointment with him earlier but he told me to just come by his room." The man stood up straight and began looking through a book full of tenants then tapped a place a couple times, "Ah! Yes, he's in room 403. Go on up and he'll probably let you in!" Jeff smiled and headed his way up the stairs a little confused on why they didn't have an elevator. The whole way up was like a dream and Jeff felt as if he never was going to reach the top or even the bottom if he turned around headed back. Everything seemed the same and there wer eno numbers to tell him what floor he was on but that was fine since he just had to go until there weren't anymore stairs. He only assumed Mr. Stephens had a room on the top floor from the fact the guy at the front desk said to head on up and the room number was 403 which usually meant fourth floor, third door in the neighborhood.

At the top, Jeff looked down one hallway and saw a few numbers near what he was looking for. Five was pretty close which meant three should be right next to it and four straight across. Sure enough, it was exactly as he thought and he began thinking of the window. He tried remembering which way the front door was and then realized that the abandoned building should have a straight view into Jack's window. Jeff smirked and knocked on the door to 403 then turn and ran down the stairs just for kicks. He was out the front doors before he knew it and ran across the parking lot to his car then opened it and grabbed the suitcase, a few M.R.E.s and quickly ran into the old abandoned building.

It was harder to navigate through the older building since it was without any lights and the hallways were too dark to see anything as he stumbled his way around. Once he made it to the top, he began thinking of which room 403 was before setting his stuff down near the one directly across from it. Jeff thought it was too easy at first but when he saw Mr. Stephens pass by the window he knew he'd have to memorize his routine and wait for the perfect opportunity. He also had to go back and get his rolls and water and the rest of his M.R.E.s since he couldn't survive without something in his stomach. The average human can survive weeks on low amounts of water and food so Jeff wasn't afraid to wait as he went back down to go and get the rest of his supplies. After he headed back up he opened the case and put the rifle together slowly so as not to screw anything up since he was doing it in the dark and he also never put one together but it seemed fairly simple probably for instances such as this. He also took his time loading in rounds into the magazine before he locked and loaded the rifle then adjusted the sight until he was ready to wait.

-----

Present day.

That was how he got here. That was why he was waiting. He wanted nothing more than revenge and then he could be on his way to pick up his life just where left off. Nothing seemed more simple to him and it almost scared him it was so easy to get this far; but that was almost. Jeff stared through the sight and watched Jack walk across the other side of the room to more than likely fix himself breakfast. He always did at seven int he morning which never made sense to Jeff. He had to be at work before his boss and be working while Jack just took it easy until around seven-thirty. Jeff grumbled to himself and squeezed the trigger as the crosshairs positioned themselves right above Jack's left eye. "Headshot..," Jeff whispered to himself and smiled as he pulled back further on the trigger. Jack was completely unaware of how close he was to death right now. He might as well be saying his prayers. Jeff stopped pulling the trigger and gently released it, "No...not yet." Now wasn't Jack's time but it was drawing near, and Jeff could feel it. There wasn't anythign he wanted mroe than to put Jack in his rightful place. "Make your time you have left the best it can be, because the next time you come home you'll be playing Black Jack with the Devil," Jeff commented to himself and snickered. He decided to eat the rest of one of his already half-eaten M.R.E.s as soon as Jack left to go and play 'boss' for the next several hours.

-----

Later...

Jeff was getting mroe cramps in his thighs and legs so he sat up against a wall and began giving his legs a little bit of a massage. Waiting was taking a horrible toll on his body and Jeff knew it would from the beginning but he still wanted to go through with it. Jeff's beard was rough but he didn't grow one everyday like evrybody else. For some reason, his beards always took time and at two weeks, it was a rough stubble. It was nearing four in the afternoon and Jeff assumed that the bastard went to go buy something to eat before coming home. A few cars entered and left the parking lot and Jeff inspected each one to make sure if they were or weren't Jack's red truck. None were but he'd be back very soon and Jeff was waiting for him.

Not even ten minutes after Jeff finished a stale roll, Jack rode up and parked his truck then made his slow way up to his room. He was going to do it today. A couple more minutes and Jeff was back into position with his jacket over his head and just right above the scope to keep from Jack seeing a glare of any type. Jack opened the door and stepped into his room obviously bored out of his mind from the look on his face. Jeff tightened his grip on the stock and handle then followed Jack through the crosshairs to his table. He reached for something inside his jacket and pulled out a cigar then bit off one end and spit into a waste basket out of sight. His light was in his left pocket and Jeff watched him anxiously as he lit the bitten end of the brown stick and puffed a few times causing the red embers to glow brightly which made a very nice target itself. Jeff suddenly had an idea and squeezed the trigger slowly since pulling it caused the aiming to go off. In a flash and an almost deafening sound the rifle jumped and bounced against Jeff's right shoulder. The cigar from which Jack was smoking exploded in a puff of angry red embers and brown tobacco and the window from where the bullet entered had a clean hole punched through it. Jack was suprised to say the least and he quickly looked out the window for signs of where the bullet had come from. Jeff took aim again and made sure the crosshairs were over Jack's right shoulder then squeezed the trigger again causing the same effect from the rifle.

Jack jolted from the bullet and actually saw it break through the window this time. His shoulder erupted in a fountain of blood as the hot metal ripped completely through and embedded itself into the wall behind him. Jack only let out a grunt of pain and started to regain his position so he could make a run for the door. Jeff saw this and quickly stood up with one foot planted firmly on the window sill with the jacket still over his head. He wasn't about to let his prey go. The crosshairs found their mark on Jack's left shin and another bullet exploded from the barrel and rocketed towards the designated target. Bone fragments and blood flew apart from Jack's shin making him howl out loud as the pain went through him like a freight train. He saw a figure standing in the opposing window as he began falling to the floor, unable to keep himself up on his own legs. Jeff followed him down and fired another round which tore through Jack's abdomen and gouts of blood flowed from the open wound. Another bullet was sent off and straight into Jack's other leg and also shattered the window causing pieces to fall to the alley below. The jacket covering Jeff's head and scope finally met with the wind and was thrown off him and tossed about before flying off somewhere that he didn't care. Jack's mouth dropped open in shock and awe and Jeff gave him a big grin now having a straight shot into his boss' mouth. He took aim and fired one last shot that chipped and cracked the stained teeth of the man who was so jealous he went to extreme lengths for nothing.

After the final shot was done, Jeff lowered the rifle and let out a contented sigh. He knew everybody heard the shots and that the police would be coming soon but he didn't feel like running away or anything. He set the gun down next to him and sat down against a wall which let him see into Jack's room still. It was all over and there was nothing else to be done. In the distance he heard sirens going off from the police cars which were heading his way. He decided that all there was left to do was to wait now.