Conway Jack

I raised his head and placed the other jack in place of the one I removed.

I looked into his eyes and said, "I will get you away from this pain."

His body tensed. The jack had begun.

A scream echoed through the hall as Mr. Frankel got in touch with his new body. I turned and picked up 3 large bottles of ethyl ether from the table and placed them within the cushions of the couch.

Picking up one of the Gulper units, I placed it within Frankel’s lap. I flipped the switch. The small pool of ether began to flame. I tipped the pipe.

A fairly good blaze began immediately within the lap of the man in front of me, and he was already too burned to flee.

"As I turned to go, I shot over my shoulder, "If that doesn’t get you hot enough Mr. Frankel, I’m sure that the fire from the other three bottles will."

Returning upstairs, I knelt down in front of my captive.

"I have freed you from your burned body, which is more than you deserve, you piece of shit. I watched you take at least three lives tonight, and then turn into a rutting pig; all as a result of your deep seated hypocrisy."

"Tonight, I am the avenger. Tonight I settle the tab for those who can not."

He looked up at me with a glazed expression and asked, "What are you going to do?"

I stood and walked to the door.

"I’ve already done it. You’re mind has no body to return to. You have 10 minutes left. Goodnight." I turned off the light.

The only illumination that was present was from a fire that was burning in a far away alcove.

I let myself out the front door.

A scene from an old 70’s war movie kept playing through my mind as I walked away. In it a young soldier leaves the safety of the PT boat he is in to venture into the jungle in search of Mangos. They are his desired source of pleasure.

He comes face to face with a tiger and barely escapes with his life.

The scene in my head is of him lying on the deck of the boat after a mad dash through the jungle, repeating hysterically, "Never get out of the boat, never get out of the boat, never get out of the boat."

It was a rule I would have to remember.

Never get out of the boat.