Free Dr. Slick: A Killer Comedy by Dani Amore

It’s all vacant - you never even worked there did you?”
    Rocky looks caught off guard for a moment.
    “And you don’t have any other clients do you - they all realized you’re a fucking psycho!”
    “I know how to win,” Rocky says quietly.
    Tom laughs.
    “The fuck you do. You know how to lose. Period.”
    In Tom’s excitement and wild gesturing, his shirt has come untucked. Rocky notices it and looks closer. Suddenly he reaches over and rips open Tom’s shirt, revealing the wire.
    “You bastard!”

Fifty-Four
     
    Rocky is holding the wire and tape recorder. He throws it into the darkness. It clatters against a metal warehouse wall.
    He and Tom are now out of the car and squared off against each other.
    “I should’ve known you’d try to weasel your way out of this.”
    “You’re the weasel! You’re a fucking criminal for God’s sake!”
    Rocky holds his hands out wide. “I’m a criminal, you’re a pussy. So shoot me.”
    “I can’t let you get away with this.”
    “No, I’m afraid I can’t let you get away with this.”
    Tom is about to protest when Rocky nails him with a right cross. Tom gets knocked on his ass.
    “Come on, Tommy boy. Let’s see what you’re made of.”
    Tom gets to his feet. Rocky dances around, clearly he’s fought before and is good with his hands.
    Tom charges.
    Rocky sidesteps him easily, trips him and when Tom tries to get up, Rocky nails him with a punch that sends him back down.
    Tom sits up, bleeding.
    “See what I mean?” Rocky says. “You haven’t got it in you. You haven’t got the fight in you, Tom. You’re a goddamn failure.”
    Tom charges, throwing a handful of gravel he’d picked up.
    Rocky is momentarily caught by surprise and Tom knocks him down, then throws a wild punch that connects.
    Rocky is pushed back and then comes in a fury. He throws a wicked combination that rocks Tom’s world. Tom staggers. Rocky throws a couple body shots and Tom sinks to his knees.
    Rocky kicks him.
    Tom is down and out.
    “Loser Tom. Tom the loser.”
    Rocky pulls out a gun.
    He steps toward Tom who has now brought himself up to his knees, but his head is still on the pavement.
    It’s the perfect pose for an execution.
    “So close, Tom. Yet so far.”
    He racks the slide on his automatic but before the action is completed, Tom is moving. He lashes out at Rocky and knocks the gun from his hand while throwing a giant haymaker that snaps Rocky’s head back. Tom hears the crunch of bone.
    Tom grabs a nasty-looking two-by-four from a pile of scrap.
    Rocky tries to get up and Tom wallops him across the back with the board.
    “You ruined my life,” Tom snarls.
    He wallops Rocky again.
    “You ruined other people’s lives.”
    Tom hits him again.
    “You’ve got to be stopped!”
    By now, Tom has knocked Rocky back to the edge of the river. It’s a high bank with about a ten-foot drop into the rushing waters.
    The current is very strong.
    Rocky gets to his feet. Blood is pouring from his face and head. He’s all busted up inside.
    He sways before Tom, glances back into the water.
    Tom hesitates.
    “Come on, you quitter,” Rocky taunts. “You can’t finish me. You’re a quitter. A loser!”
    Tom swings the bat, twisting his body and putting everything into it.  He clocks Rocky across the head and Rocky goes flying back into the water. He stays on the surface for a moment, and then gets swept under.
    Tom stares at the water, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
    He throws down the two-by-four.

Fifty-Five
     
    The mini-recorder is scraped and dented, but it still works.  Tom places it on the kitchen table, then hits the play button.
    Michelle watches the recorder and hears Rocky’s voice.
    “Of course I did it. You couldn’t. You weren’t going to be a success.”
    Tom snaps off the recording.
    “Am I supposed to believe that? How do I know that was really him?”
    “You have to trust me,” Tom says.
    Michelle gets up from the table.
    “Look. I’m not