The Black Swan Behind

131 The Formation Of The Red Jack Commander

“Jack.. Where is he?” That was the first question that popped into Marcel’s mind.

Hearing her grandson’s question, Lilian immediately burst into tears that she had been trying so hard to hold back. Not long after, several doctors came to check Marcel’s condition. He had regained consciousness after the surgery. But until several hours later, Marcel had not received an answer from his grandmother regarding the whereabouts of his brother.

Marcel swallowed his tasteless porridge. Beside him, his grandmother was peeling an orange for him. He glanced at Lilian with a suspicious face. He knew his grandmother so well that he could clearly feel when the green-eyed old woman was sad. Even on the old face, it looked like she was holding back tears.

“Where’s Jack, Grandma?” Marcel asked again. He knew something was wrong.

Lilian placed the peeled oranges on the folding table above the legs of Marcel who were sitting on his bed, “After you’ve done eating the porridge, eat these oranges. You should eat a lot and rest more because you have lost a lot of blood.”

“Grandma.. You haven’t answered my question. Where is Jack?”

Lilian looked at Marcel intently, “Marcel.. For now, think about yourself first. You should recover and be healthy soon, got it?”

“Don’t you have any questions for me? Did Jack tell you everything?” Marcel asked.

Lilian was silent for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and replying, “That wound of yours.. was not a sharp weapon wound, but an iron stab sticking out of an unfinished building wall. Luckily, it didn’t hit your vital organs so you still survived even though have lost a lot of blood.” The woman said, making Marcel frown. That was a report made to the police. In fact, she actually knew what happened was so much worse.

.....

“Go to sleep, Marcel. The doctor said the day after tomorrow you can go home.” Lilian continued by getting up and leaving the room. As soon as she closed the door and stepped a little away from the front of the room, she could no longer hold back the feeling of weakness in her knees. The woman pulled over to sit in the waiting chair. She lowered her head and wept bitterly there.

Finally, the day Marcel had been waiting for arrived. He had been released from the hospital. In a taxi, he and his grandmother returned to their house. As soon as he shifted the door of the tavern to be able to go inside the house, Marcel found lots of gifts arranged on several dining tables of the tavern. He turned to his grandmother who was standing behind him, “Who gave those things, Grandma?”

“Oh.. It’s all from our neighbours,” Lillian answered as she closed the door.

“What for?” Marcel asked again with a confused face.

Lilian smiled faintly, “As a token of gratitude.”

Hearing that, Marcel smiled happily. It was true. It wasn’t just a dream. He and Jack had succeeded in making their dream happen. Apparently, the death of Viggo Fisher, which became his last memory before losing consciousness was not a fantasy. They really had succeeded in overthrowing Apollo. They managed to save the Redvalley Street from the colony of the rogue group.

Then, Marcel ran to the back and up the stairs to their house. The pain in his stomach was no longer felt. He was too excited to meet his older brother. But the smile on his face slowly faded when he didn’t find Jack in their house.

“Marcel..” A soft voice called out to him. Marcel, who was still standing in the middle of the room, turned around to find his grandmother who was standing weakly in the doorway of the room where the two brothers used to sleeping since childhood.

“Jack isn’t here, sweetheart. He’s home, but the better one.” The grandmother continued in a trembling voice.

**

Everything felt like a dream. Without realizing it, Marcel was already standing in a green field with many rows of black tombstones. In front of him was a tomb that still looked new. Above the tomb, was a stone made of black ceramic with a name engraved that so inappropriate to be there.

‘Jack Douglas’

Marcel fell to his knees. Slowly, his brain began to restore the memories he had forgotten for the previous few days. As it turned out, Marcel’s last memory wasn’t when he had shot Viggo Fisher down. His final recollection was of another gunshots sound and someone falling to his body. Marcel didn’t think that it was Jack, his older brother.

“How? How did this happen?!” Marcel cried by turning his face to the figure of Kenny Brown who was also there. Kenny was standing next to his grandmother who was crying bitterly.

Then, Kenny bent his knees to kneel beside Marcel who looked devastated, “I’m sorry Marcel. At that time.. Somehow, Viggo wasn’t dead yet. Suddenly, he got up and shot the gun in his hand at Jack’s head..”

Reality made Marcel feel like the ground he was standing on collapsed in an instant, sending him to an endless hell. He couldn’t accept that his brother was gone. They should be laughing together now, celebrating their victory. They should have been happy after going through years of suffering.

When they have succeeded in reaching their dream, Jack was gone forever without being able to enjoy it at all. Jack was regarded as a villain for years, however, he could not return as a hero. He even died on the battlefield before he could return home. But, he had one promise he managed to keep. He really got his little brother out of the misery.

“Why did this happen? We should always be together. We are a pair of legs that support everything together so as not to limp. My brother.. he has sacrificed so much.” Marcel muttered with his face stuck to the grave ground. His tears flowed so hard that his voice was hoarse. Even the death of his brother was more painful than the death of his own mother. It hurt so bad.

“Marcel.. Jack is in a better place now. He has back home with your mother and father. If we are sad here, Jack would be sad there.” Lilian knelt beside Marcel with tears in her eyes. “Jack.. my grandson.. he was pretending to be a bad person all this time to save many people. He has managed to do it. As he wanted, he gave back happiness to everyone. My precious grandson..” she muttered while holding her throbbing chest.

Slowly, Marcel clenched his fists, and then rose from his prone position. He nodded slightly breathlessly, “You’ve succeeded in making our dream come true, Jack. You’ve fought so much over the years. Now, it’s my part to protect it. I’ll take care of this dream of yours.”

Lilian looked at Marcel intently, “Indeed, Jack didn’t come back to our house. But all the people of Redvalley know about his sacrifices. Maybe he didn’t hear praises in his life, but his name will last forever.”

**

Two men were seen standing under a large pine tree that grows in a public cemetery. It was Marcel Douglas and Kenny Brown.

Kenny Brown, who had been an assistant to Jack Douglas, was the only person who held all of Jack’s secrets and messages during his lifetime. Over the years, Kenny had been loyal to Jack. Sincerely, he appreciated Jack who had a good heart. Even so, Jack was also a very firm and strong figure.

“Apollo is fallen. Now, Bluevalley Street has left without a caretaker.” Kenny said. Then, he took a deep breath, “Earlier, Red had told me, if one day something happens to him, then you are the most appropriate person to replace him. Apparently, his concern about the risk of the last dangerous mission was correct.” He continued, unable to hide the sad look on his face.

Hearing Kenny’s explanation, Marcel immediately looked at him with a disbelieving face, “Me?”

Kenny nodded, “Red said that you are the most powerful person, even stronger than him. He knew your heart and soul more than anyone. Therefore, after Red’s death, I will be your assistant to take over everything belonging to Apollo.”

Marcel fell silent. He felt like couldn’t carry out such a big task all of a sudden. So far, Marcel only knew how to fight. If he was physically stronger than Jack, it didn’t mean that he could mentally match his brother. But that was the last order from Jack to him. After all, it was Marcel himself who said that from now on, he was the one who would protect their already accomplished dream.

“What else my brother asked?” Marcel asked flatly.

“You should have known what the first thing to do after Apollo fell. That was to destroy Bluevalley Street.” Kenny answered.

“Apollo is no longer around. Now, I have replaced Jack and Viggo at once. But, there is one thing that I want to know. What is the name of the group that Jack has founded?” Marcel asked.

Kenny shook his head, “There’s none. From the beginning, he said, if we finally set up an official group, it will be his brother who will name it. Because you two would be the heads of the group.”

Hearing Kenny’s answer, Marcel choked. He didn’t expect that even in everyday life and in small things, Jack always thought about him. Marcel nodded once by clearing his throat which suddenly hurt, “So.. I shall give it a name, huh?” he muttered.

Then, he seemed to think for a long time before popping a name out of his mouth, “Red Jack Commander. Actually, the leader of this group is not me. Jack Douglas is still the leader, even though he’s not here anymore. We’re just his subordinates. I’m just a commander.”

That was how the Red Jack Commander or RJC was formed. All of Apollo’s men were dismissed by Marcel. Only those who were disloyal to Apollo ended up following RJC. Just as Jack and Marcel had planned at the start of their mission, Bluevalley Street was finally closed. Marcel disbanded every illegal business that was on the street and auctioned off everything in it. He used the funds of the auction to fix Redvalley Street. In just a moment, things have changed. Redvalley Street which was once a stepchild had become a favourite child. Redvalley, which was under Bluevalley’s feet, was now on its top.