Chapter 12 Chapter Twelve

The black car suddenly appeared, slid to the side of the road, and then stopped.Two heavy black detectives in tattered gray overcoats and strange beanies came striding down the sidewalk. At the same time Goldie's taxi arrived and pulled up on the side of the road a block away, but Goldie didn't get out. Two detectives, long-barreled nickel-plated pistols in hand, strode up to the luxurious Cadillac. Eddra "Coffin Bucket" opened the door, and "Gravedigger" Jorns dragged Gus to the sidewalk. "Get the fuck off me," Gus snarls, throwing a right uppercut to Gravedigger's face. "Gravedigger" Jorns pushed Gus on the back and yelled, "Hey, give him a slap, Ed."

"Coffin Bucket" Ed's open palm slammed against Gus's cheek with a "pachi". With a "chirp", Gus's hat tightly fastened on his head was blown away, and his body fell towards "Gravedigger" Jorns. "Gravedigger" slapped him back, and he fell to "Coffin Bucket" Ed.One by one, the two detectives slapped their hands "Ba Chi" and "Ba Chi" quickly, as if they were playing table tennis. Gus's head started buzzing, he lost his balance, his legs started to bend.Two black police officers slapped him until he fell to his knees, completely deaf to his ears. Ed "Coffin Bucket" grabbed Gus by the collar of his coat to keep him from falling face down on the floor.He knelt between them, his head drooping limply, and Jorns the Gravedigger raised his chin with the butt of his pistol.

Ed "Coffin Bucket" looked over Gus's head at Jorns "Gravedigger" and said to him, "Did you hit him too lightly?" "A little heavier, and he'd be a pulp," said "Gravedigger" Jones. "This boy is too uneducated." "Coffin Bucket" Ed still looked dissatisfied. Jackson sat transfixed in his seat while the two detectives lectured Gus.At this point, he suddenly opened the driver's door and stepped onto the sidewalk, hoping to slip away quietly. "Stop, boy, your business is not over yet." "Gravedigger" Jorns roared.

"Understood, sir." Jackson said meekly, "I was about to ask you what you need me to do." "We still have to go in." "Okay, sir." "Take this hapless boy, Ed." "Coffin Bucket" Ed let Gus lean on his feet, pulled out a pint bottle of bourbon, and forced it into his hand.Gus took a sip and coughed from the choking.There was a bang in his ears and he could hear the sound again, but his legs were still shaking like a drunk. Ed "Coffin Bucket" took the bottle and stuffed it back into his coat pocket. "Now are you going to collaborate?" he asked Gus.

"Any other options?" Gus said. "Your attitude is still wrong." "Relax, Ed!..." "Gravedigger" Johns warned, "This boy is still useful to us, he has to take us in." "I know." "Coffin Bucket" Ed looked around and complained, "This ghostly place hides secrets." "They chose this place to trade because it is convenient for them to escape. They think that the terrain here makes it difficult for the police to form a siege." "Let's see." Going forward is the 155th Street Bridge, which spans the Harlem River and connects Coogan Cliffs on Manhattan Island to the Bronx Flats, where Yankee Stadium is located. The polo field between the Lyme, a ribbon in the dark.In the darkness where light cannot penetrate, the iron pillars under the bridge looked like ghost sentinels.A little farther on, a branch of the Bronx Elevated Railroad crosses the river to a station near the stadium gate.

This is the dark, desolate and bleak part of Manhattan.The night here is scary, there is nowhere to hide, there is no shelter, someone will appear out of nowhere and slit your throat with precise precision, no one will hear your cry for help, and even if someone did, it is not enough Courage to answer you. Gus parked the Cadillac sedan in front of a huge warehouse. It can be seen that the place has been turned into a peaceful paradise by the holy God-on the roofs on both sides, there are huge " The word "peace" can only be seen from the bridge.This abandoned place now lurks in darkness.

"I don't want to be here alone," Jackson complained. "Don't worry, good boy, we're here." "Gravedigger" Johns assured Jackson.He locked Gus' Cadillac and put the key in his pocket. "Okay, boy, grab your hat and let's go," Ed "Coffin Bucket" said to Gus. Gus picked up his hat, dusted it off, and put it on his head again.His face was so swollen that his eyes were almost closed. "Pretend nothing happened," Johns the Gravedigger ordered. "That's not easy," Gus grumbled. "Boy, you'd better pretend better, no matter how easy it is."

"Okay, policemen, let's go." Gus said helplessly. Gus led them along a narrow path next to the abandoned warehouse to a wooden shack built on the river bank.The hut was originally dark green, but at night it looked black.On the wall facing the path, there were two closed windows and a heavy wooden door.There was no light coming from inside, and there was no sound except for the chug of the tugboats trying to haul the barges of rubbish out to sea. Ed "Coffin Bucket" kept aiming his pistol at Gus. Gus tapped a signal on the door.During the period of knocking on the code, "Coffin Bucket" Ed felt a little nervous. The slight sound of the pistol shaking was like a huge firecracker detonating in silence, scaring Jackson out of his wits.

Sudden.A small surveillance window in the door opened.Jackson's heart was about to fly out of his mouth; then he found himself staring into an eye through the surveillance window.Although he couldn't see what that eye looked like, he could feel it: it seemed to be talking to him. The lock turned, a latch was pulled, and the door swung open.Now Jackson can see fully, that eye and its companion.A dark brown, round face appeared in the light from the door, it was Imabella's face. Imabella looked Jackson in the eyes calmly and said silently, "Come in and kill him, honey. I'm yours." She stepped back into the house to make room for them to enter.

Imabella's words shocked Jackson, and he unconsciously drew a cross in front of his chest.He tried to talk to her, but found he couldn't make a sound.He looked at her pleadingly, so nervous that he could barely breathe, he could only walk into the room obediently. It's a single room, about the size of a two-car garage.On either side of the room, there was a small closed window, and there was a locked back door in the corner.It might have been the office of a foreman, or a time-keeper at a company built by the river.Next to the door in the corner stood a large desk and a swivel chair.There were also two cheap, overstuffed armchairs, three straight wooden chairs, a washstand, a glass-topped cocktail table, a tin filing cabinet, and a Covered with black canvas, under the dim light in the house, only the lower half of the safe can be seen - the only prop that can add a little sense of trust.

Clearly, the owner is trying to create a luxurious and comfortable atmosphere, waiting for the idiot to take the bait.There was a floor lamp between the armchairs, a round glass lamp hanging from the ceiling, and a reading lamp with a green shade on the desk.All three lights were on. Jackson glanced over Imabella and landed on Hank who was sitting next to the desk.The green light from the desk lamp shone on his yellow face, making him look like a corpse. Jody sat by the back door, wearing lace-up boots and a denim shirt, his straight hair smeared with gray and white dust.With this attire, he almost led a donkey laden with gold ore slowly down the mountain. The tall, thin man sat on a straight-backed chair against the wall, wearing a khaki dust jacket over his coat, like a mad scientist who often appears in low-budget horror movies.On the chest of his clothes, the words "Legendary American Assayer" are embroidered. Seeing Jackson, the three immediately sat up straight and stared at him together.Before everyone in the room could react, "Gravedigger" Jorns kicked Gus on the back and kicked him into the room.Gus staggered a few steps and slammed his head into Jackson's back.Jordy was the first to react, but as soon as he stood up, Jackson rushed over and pinned him against the wall. "Gravedigger" Jorns yelled, "Bastard, stand up for me!..." Ed "Coffin Bucket" stood at the door, holding up his . The tall, thin man raised his hands and almost jumped out of his seat.Hank put his hands on the desk, still sitting motionless.Jodi aimed at Jackson's body, blocked the muzzle of the gun, and punched Jackson twice in the stomach. Jackson groaned twice, then grabbed Jordi by the throat.Jodi kneed Jackson's groin, and Jackson fell on Gus in agony.Gus held onto Jackson's shoulders to keep him from falling, but Jackson, thinking that Gus was trying to grab him, twisted violently, trying to free himself from Gus' hand. In a desperate rage, Jody jerked his switchblade out and slit Jackson's coat sleeve. "Drop the knife!" shouted "Gravedigger" Jorns. When Jordi was about to stab him again, Jackson, blushing from pain and rage, kicked him in the shin. Seeing the knife, Imabella screamed, "Be careful, baby! . . . " Her scream made everyone in the room—except for the two black detectives—involuntarily tense. And "Gravedigger" Jones was stimulated by the screams to become even more ruthless. His finger lightly on the trigger of the pistol tightened convulsively. The sound of the gun scared everyone in the small room. one jump. Gus fell, the 38mm bullet entering his skull behind his left ear and exiting above his right eye.When he fell to the ground, he grabbed Jackson with his hands. Jackson jumped aside like a frightened horse, and Jody took the opportunity to try again. Jackson grabs Jordy by the wrist, trying to throw him over to the Gravediggers.Unexpectedly, Jodi broke free, but pushed Jackson to the "gravedigger". Hank grabs a cup of sulfuric acid on the desk—it was originally used to test the purity of gold ore—looking for a chance to splash it in the eyes of "coffin bucket" Ed. Immabella noticed his move and screamed again: "Be careful!..." Everyone panicked again. The heads of Jackson and Jodie accidentally bumped into each other. In order to avoid it, the tall and thin man stood between Hank and "coffin barrel" Ed, while Hank was pouring sulfuric acid into the "coffin barrel" that was about to shoot Throw it on Ed. Some of the sulfuric acid splashed on the tall thin man's ears and neck, and most of it splashed on Ed "Coffin Bucket"'s face.The acid blinded Ed "Coffin Bucket" momentarily, and he shot frantically, smashing the lamp to pieces. The tall, thin man jumped backwards so hard that he hit the wall with a bang! "Coffin Bucket" Ed, who was blinded by the scalding sulfuric acid, shot crazily and continuously like vengeance. The desk and the wall were all smashed to pieces by his .38 caliber gun in an instant.Hank nimbly jumped behind the desk a second before "Coffin Bucket" Ed got angry. A bullet hit a concealed light switch, and the room was plunged into darkness. "Calm down!..." "Gravedigger" Jorns yelled a warning, and closed the door to cut off the escape route of the criminals. Ed "Coffin Bucket" didn't know that the light was knocked out.He's a tough guy, and as a black detective in Harlem, you have to be tough.Enduring the excruciating pain, he closed his eyes, but couldn't help venting his inner anger.Out of bullets, he started beating the pistol handle like a club. He didn't know that Grave Digger was about to come to help him, but he only felt someone approaching him, so he turned around in a rage, and beat him savagely until Grave Digger lost consciousness. As soon as Gravedigger fell, Ed Coffin Bucket asked loudly, "Gravedigger, where are you? Dude, where are you?" Silent darkness lasted for a moment before turning to brutal chaos.People kept slamming their bodies against the closed door, like a desperate game.Floor lamps and cocktail tables were smashed and toppled, and there were sounds of objects falling and glass shattering. Imabella screamed again: "Don't cut me! . . . " An angry voice responded: "I'm going to kill you, you bitch, you traitor." When Jackson heard the conversation, he immediately followed the voice and rushed to Imabella, trying to protect her. "Gravedigger, where are you? Say something, buddy." "Coffin Bucket," Ed yelled, groping around in the dark.Although the pain in his eyes was unbearable, the first thing he had to do now was to find his partner. "Don't touch her, she didn't do it." Another voice came. A violent struggle ensued between Jody and the Slender Man. All Jackson knew was that one of them thought Imabella had tipped off the police and wanted to kill her; the other didn't agree.However, he couldn't tell which was which.He rushed towards the intermittent panting sound, intending to take advantage of the chaos to save others, and at the same time teach those two people a lesson.Unexpectedly, he stepped on the arm of "coffin barrel" Ed, and was hit in the skull by the handle of a thick pistol, and immediately passed out. "'Gravedigger', are you injured?" "Coffin Bucket" Ed tripped over the body of "Gravedigger" Jorns, and only then did he know the location of his partner.He asked uneasily, "Dude, are you hurt?" "Come with me, let's go!..." Hank yelled and ran to the door, successfully opening it.Imabella followed closely behind him. The Slender Man and Jordi stopped fighting at the same time, and both went after Imabella.The two people who ran out of the room were able to see each other. They stared at each other for a while, and suddenly they both pulled out their knives and began to slash at each other, but they only cut into the cold night air. There was a chugging sound from the back of the house as the engine started, and after a while, it finally started.Jody got rid of the entanglement of the tall and thin man, and quickly went around to the back of the shed.A motorboat was crashing into the Harlem River. The tall, thin man grabbed Imabella's arm and said loudly, "Come with me, run, they've dumped us both." Then he pulled her and ran towards the alley leading to the street. Four patrol cars gradually surrounded them, and the night sky was suddenly filled with the sound of sharp sirens.A motorcyclist riding over the 155th Street Bridge heard gunfire on the Harlem River and called the police, who came almost in Sherman tanks. ① Sherman tank, also known as M4 Sherman tank, was a tank developed and mass-produced by the United States during World War II. "Coffin Bucket" Ed felt that it was his own prayer that was answered by the gods, and the intense pain caused by the burning was almost beyond his tolerance.He didn't reload the pistol for fear of blowing his own head off.He started to go crazy, blowing the police whistle he was wearing, and the long and loud whistle brought Jackson back to consciousness. "Gravedigger" is still comatose. Ed "Coffin Bucket" heard Jackson's approaching footsteps, and immediately loaded the pistol.Jackson heard the click of the bullets into the slots of the gun, and felt his body tremble. "Who is it?..." "Coffin Bucket" Ed called defiantly, his voice was loud and majestic.Jackson was taken aback and forgot to answer. "Say the fuck, or I'll shoot you," Ed "Coffin Bucket" threatened. "It's me, I'm Jackson." Jackson barely made a sound. "Jackson! . . . Where the hell are all those people, Jackson?" "They all ran away, only I am still here." "Where's my mate? Where's that kid 'Gravedigger' Jorns?" "I don't know, sir. I didn't see him." "Maybe he went after them. But you gotta stay where you are, Jackson. You don't move a goddamn step." "Yes, sir. Is there anything I can do for you, sir?" "No, fuck it, you just have to stay still. You're under arrest." "Okay, sir." Jackson thought, I knew it would be like this, the real criminal got away once again, and I was the only one caught.With this in mind, he began to move slowly and quietly towards the door. "Is that your footsteps, Jackson?" "No, sir. Not me." Jackson moved a little closer to the door. "I swear to God." He moved a little more slowly. "It must be the mouse under the floor." "Rats, yes, fuck it," Ed "Coffin Bucket" said grumpily, "those damn rats hiding in the ground." Through the open door, Jackson could see next to the abandoned church, several patrol cars with their lights flashing, going back and forth, searching the street.He heard the whine of the engine, and the screech of the siren, and he felt the blind "Coffin Bucket" Ed beside him, shaking a .38 caliber pistol in the dark. The sharp police whistle blown by "Coffin Bucket" Ed, like a blade, scraped through Jackson's tense nerves layer by layer, as if he was in hell, everything collapsed, and everything around him was from top to bottom, from the inside. Lost in the field, and he was in the dark blue ocean full of devils. Jackson felt that even if he was hit while escaping, it was better than standing here waiting to die, so he decided to run away when he saw the right opportunity.Unfortunately, "Coffin Bucket" Ed seems to have guessed his mind. "Are you still there, Jackson?" Ed "Coffin Bucket" growled. Jackson leaped through the open door and began to run almost on all fours. "Jackson, you bastard! . . . " Jackson heard Ed "Coffin Bucket" scream, "you mean rat, don't blame me for being rude. You son of a bitch, hear that? Jackson ! . . . " Ed yelled at the top of his voice. Accompanied by three gunshots piercing the night sky, "Coffin Barrel" Ed's long barrel spewed out three red flames in the night.Jackson heard the sound of bullets piercing through the wooden wall. He adjusted his gait and tried his best to increase his running speed. He was sweating profusely, his blood was boiling, and he almost used his breast-feeding strength, but he was still not fast enough.It really fulfilled the saying that people in Harlem often say: thin people can't stand up, and fat people can't run fast.He wanted to run to the old brick warehouse that had been turned into a church, but it really seemed as far away as heaven. Three more shots were heard from behind him, and Jackson ran like a dog with its tail on fire.At this time, in his empty mind, an old-fashioned folk song that he had heard when he was young suddenly appeared: Jackson slipped and fell in a muddy place. He didn't see an old wooden pier in front of him, so he fell headfirst.The thick lips just hit the edge of the hard wooden pier, making the sound of meat being slapped on the chopping board, the pain made him almost tear up.He got up in pain and licked his bruised lips.At this moment, from the other side of the church, he heard the click of a policeman walking. Jackson lumbered onto the pier like a crab trying to escape a turtle.On the right side of the pier, there was a ladder, but he didn't see it. Under the heavy curtain of night, the cars on the 155th Street Bridge, lights on, lined up and came to a slow stop, passengers craning their necks to see what was causing the commotion. A tugboat, towing two empty flat-bottomed garbage barges, sailed alone on the Harlem River, picking up floating trash.Reflected in the dark river, the red and green mooring lights of the boats flashed. Jackson felt that he was surrounded by two sides. Even if he escaped from the police, he would not be able to swim this hellish river. Jackson started running on the pier, his feet stepped on the rotten planks, and the sound, like thunder, exploded in his ears.He suddenly stepped on a broken plank, staggered, and fell headfirst. A policeman held a flashlight and walked over from the church. The broad beam of light swept across the prone Jackson, swept across the dark wooden pier, and finally searched along the river bank.Jackson jumped up and ran forward, the old folk song began to echo in his mind again: The faint echoes formed by the river and the buildings on both sides confused the sound of Jackson's footsteps, and to the patrolling policeman, it seemed to be coming from the opposite direction.He followed the footsteps, searched slowly, and finally came to the front of the wooden shed. "Fuck, I'm here." Jackson heard Ed "Coffin Bucket" roar. "Here." He heard the reply again. "It seems that someone has escaped." It was another voice. Lifting his feet and landing again, Jackson speeded up his pace as much as possible. He felt that the pier was endless. At the same time, he felt like an old man in his seventies, his whole body was stiff, his joints were sore, and his body was almost broken in half. .Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the police lights searching the river, slowly approaching along the river bank, and the distance between him and him was getting shorter and shorter. Jackson knew: he had nowhere to hide. Jackson left the pier suddenly, and before he realized what was going on, he found himself already, running wildly in the icy night.However, before he had time to decide where he should run, his feet sank into a puddle full of mud. He ran so fast that he couldn't stop at all, so that he fell a big Somersault. The inspection lights went from top to bottom, shone across the entire pier, and searched back along the river.Jackson happened to be in the shadow of the pier, temporarily safe. To the left of his body there was a dark and narrow alley between the brick walls of a church and the corrugated zinc walls of a warehouse.There seemed to be an exit in the distance—a rectangular beam of light that shone onto the street.He plodded through the mud, crawling bear-like for ten yards with his hands. When Jackson felt that the ground under his feet had finally hardened, he straightened up, only then did he realize that he was already in that alley, and he was unaware of it.He began to run blindly in the alley, like Don Quixote fighting bravely with the big warehouses on both sides. Suddenly, Jackson felt that he should try to run aside as much as possible, so, like a crab, he stuck to the wall and moved forward cautiously. The alleys were littered with broken cans, beer bottles, water-soaked cardboard, wood fragments from crates, and all kinds of trash.Jackson's calf trembled a little, and the coat on his body kept scraping against the walls on both sides. His fat body almost filled the entire narrow alley.The way he moved forward was very strange—the right foot jumped forward, and the left foot trailed behind. He still hasn't been able to get rid of the damn nursery rhyme in his mind, it haunts him like a ghost: