The Hitman- Chapter 1 - Part 1

THE HITMAN

Chapter One

Harry Packs His Bags

Part 1

 

Smoke filtered above into the dark cloudy sky over Northern Ireland. On the streets below, shattered glass and debris lay strewn across the battlefields of an ancient conflict where the only solution was there was no solution. The people of the province had learnt to live with the carnage in a city they had grown to love and hate and struggled to survive in the slaughterhouse of fear. 

 

The night passed and a foggy dew started to lift where dead bodies had been covered and placed into the back of ambulances. The sound of helicopters cut through the stillness of the morning air and on the ground police veichles and armoured cars littered the junctions in and out of the area.

The injured were being assisted by medical personnel who went from one to the other, assessing and making notes as they went.  

Some of the survivors sat up in a daze wondering what had happened.

A young child sat beside her Mother on the ground, she held on to a doll, near her was a little boy with toy robot in his hand. Some old men abd women were being treated for shock as they just sat there on the ground staring into space.   

 There were over seventy people injured. Seven dead in the corner bar and another three dead in a parked car.

A dark dawn fell upon the corpses that lay on the pavements on both sides of the road. The number of deaths included twenty five civilians some of who were members of the IRA, seven British soldiers, five policemen and three members from the special branch .

Scores of people were in serious condition in the Belfast City hospital and the number of dead was expected to rise.

The people awoke to the news on the radio of another bloodbath overnight on the streets. All the morning news reports gave the people of the city something else to talk about as they were used to the killings that happened every day.

’The morning newspapers were splattered with the photographs and the headline, “BELFAST BLOODBATH”. There wasn’t a lot of information about what actually had occurred due to the fact that time had not permitted the info to surface so nowit was left for the evening newspaper to carry the story of the massacre in and around the corner bar.

Inside the Belfast Telegraph building, all the offices were busy getting the front page ready to roll and the pressroom was alive with stories about the latest incident.  The castle printers section of the daily newspaper had more than enough to do. There had already been at least seven possible front page stories with graphic pictures of the riot that turned into a slaughter.

Inside the editors office the phone was buzzing red hot with members of the public giving their accounts of the night’s trouble.

Some so called eye witnesses gave their version of what had taken place.

Harry the editor stood holding a baseball bat in his hand. He made a few swipes at shadows and uttered grunts of subdued joy in the satisfaction he had made a home run. His eyes were deeply focused on the street below. In his mind he knew he had to make sure to get it right. The business of reporting the facts is what an editor has to do. He was well aware that somewhere in a few of the city bars you could always get an accurate report of any event that took place. Harry needed something more and felt the walls in his office beginning to close in on him. He needed an out before his head would explode, so he decided it was best to take a walk into The Duke of York to get the facts from those he knew, the word on the street was that a new splinter group paramilitary were responsible for the operation that flattened the corner bar. Harry placed the baseball bat on his desk over a sign that said complaints then he pushed the door of his office open and yelled out,

“Hold the press. I’ll be back in a little while. “

He grabbed his coat and hat and walked out of the newspaper office. The steel shawed heels of his shoes made each step he took make a click clack sound on the street that warned those who were blind to stay clear as he drew near for Harry stood aside for no one. The tramp with the wooden legs stood reaching out his hand to Harry who walked past as if he wasn’t there . The woman in front of Harry tripped and fell to the pavement . Harry stopped and looked at his watch and then skipped over her and continued on his way .

The sun reluctantly found its way to shine through the holes in another grey overcast sky. Surrounded by the drab black and white buildings in the city, Harry stopped here and there to speak to a few identities on different corners who were guarding their shadows as if waiting for something unknown to happen.

The cracks in the pavement on Royal Avenue were getting wider and in the back lane way’s the Belfast Telegraph newspaper vans were already lined up awaiting  bundle loads of evening papers to be despatched all across the province .

 

Harry turned his gaze on the morning crowd passing by on the sidewalk,  looking for answers on their faces but all he saw were questions looking back  . He made his way along a cobbled alleyway to the entrance of the Duke of York

Meanwhile back inside the castle printers section of the newspaper office an argument was taking place.

“Are you out of your bloody mind McCloud. “

McCullough shouted.

“I’ll tell you once .Keep your bloody hat on McCullough, just because you’re the chief printer around here doesn’t mean you can tell me what to do. “

Came the reply from McCloud.

McCullough screamed out .

“You’re out of control Punky . I tell ye when to jump and you’ll say how high . Do you get what I’m saying .?”

McCloud said . “No you can go and jump in the Lagan .“

McCullough went on ,

“Punky McCloud I remember the first day you started in here . You hardly had two bob to your name . Don’t forget that . So you better get your act together, wise up, and do what you’re told , otherwise you’ll be back signing on the dole to get yourself a brew down there at the Dockers club .“

McCloud replied “I’m telling ye McCullough I got the word from upstairs . Harry told us to hold the press for a little while .“

McCullough shouted even louder .

“Roll the press with the headlines . IRA killers admit to the Corner bar massacre “

Punky McCloud was looking worried now .

“Are ye out of your mind McCullough . The boss said to hold the press .”

The friction between them now was getting slightly more aggressive and the printer gave one of these looks that could seriously kill you with contempt, then he said , 

“Roll the press, if you know what’s good for you .“

McCloud’s baldy head bowed down and said ,

“ Ok keep your hair on McCullough . I’m just like the printers  you know . I’ll do what you ask . Ok head the ball .“

McCullough sat down behind his desk and shouted , 

”Just remember that I’m in control here in the printers room .“

 

Punky McCloud pushed a few buttons and the presses began to roll .

“McCullough  , you’re crazy like the rest of them in this asylum .“

 

“What did you say ?”

Sounded the heated reply .

‘I said I’m just a number in here like everybody else. “

Mc Cloud said and the reply came back .

“Now you’re talking Mc Cloud” 

The Mc Cloud pointed a finger in the general direction it was meant and said. 

“I said kiss my ass if you’ve got the lips for the job McCullough.”

McCloud ducked as a lunch box filled with sandwiches was thrown from the chief printers desk  .

 

“”See you McCloud you can be replaced . I’m number one around here . Now you don’t even make up any number . No where near a number , not a fraction , in fact you’ve now become a margin line in my incident report  book .“

 

“All right don’t panic head the ball . The first run is coming through .“ 

“Bring me the cover page .“ McCullough said .

Punky took about five minutes to bring it over . Just as McCloud was handing over  the cover page for the evening paper, Harry walked in to the printers room and snatched the page from McCloud .

Harry looked up and down at McCullough , his face was red with rage .

He spat on the ground and shouted ,

“What’s this ?”

“That’s the cover story and wrap for this evenings issue boss .“

Replied McCullough .

 

“My orders where to stop the press rolling until I returned . Are you able to follow orders or not because I’ll tell you what you half pint excuse for a printers midget you’ll know what hit you when I put my fist right into your stupid looking face . I’ll take you down so quick it will take three years to put you together again . CAPITCHE ”

Said Harry with a fire in his voice .

 

“I told him what your orders were Harry but he wouldn’t listen .“

Said McCloud .

 

“Harry come on . You know what’s it like . “

Said McCullough who was looking pale and sickly like a bottle of churned buttermilk

 

“I will not take any excuses . You were told to hold the press .“

 

“I couldn’t stop him Harry . Said McCloud  .

“We don’t use negatives in here McCullough . You have become a negative and as far as I’m concerned you’re not able to give responses or orders . I don’t even want you thinking aloud , If I do happen to hear you at anytime you’ll be the tea lady and McCloud will be in charge of the printers room . You do not have the power to stop or to roll the press . You do not have the authority to say what the headline will be and in future when I give an order you do what you’re told . Do you follow ?“

“But you never told me Harry .“

Said McCullough .

“I passed my orders down the line McCullough and my orders were to hold the press until I came back .  When I say stop , I MEAN stop . You are not paid to think about anything else . You are paid to obey my orders . Do you follow ?“

Said Harry .

“Well Harry, I was not made aware of it until it was too late . The presses had started to roll “

McCullough replied .

“Well listen now very carefully to me now because your head is just about to roll over this issue .“

“Harry please , don’t be like that .“

Said McCullough .

The look on McCloud’s face was one of complete satisfaction .

McCullough pleaded with the Editor .

“Harry for goodness sake . In all the time I’ve been here, never once have we stopped the press rolling .You know that .“

 

“There’s always a first time for anything McCullough .“

 

Mc Cloud stood behind Harry’s back and made a few rude gestures at the chief printer and said ,

“I’ll just take my break now if that’s all right with you then .“

 

McCullough was speechless and blurted out ,

“What ? “

 

 

Punky looked back very smugly and said ,

“Its lunch time head the ball and I’m taking a break . Ok .“

Said McCloud .

 

“Quit the crap, smart Alec and get back to your place .“

McCullough snapped back .

 

“Have you a problem with Liz ?“

Harry asked .

 

Punky put on this really innocent face and said ,

“Yes Mr McCullough is there a problem with me having my lunch break .”

 

Harry interrupted and said ,  

“Listen Liz . Go and have your lunch break . I want to have a serious word or two with our out of order head printer and after your lunch would you come to see me in my office . I want to go over some of the details fin the story for this evenings front page .“

“Ok boss .I’ll be there. ”

Liz  went to the lunch room and on her way out of the printers shop she could still hear Harry screaming his head off at McCullough   . She smiled and whispered to herself .

“The poor wee man is going to getting devoured.”

 

End Of Part 1

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https://www.abctales.com/story/mcscraic/hitman-chapter-1-part-2

Link to Part 2

 

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