Frank Castle’s having a bad day. First of all, his son’s gone missing, having been kidnapped by the psychotic Barracuda, where the boy is now surrounded by serial killers and rapists in a small town somewhere far away.

Now his old enemy Elite has resurfaced and has formed a gang of killers to lure the Punisher to New York. While Frank’s busy tracking down Elite, his partner Chip is busy reconnecting with someone from his not so distant past, whom Frank thinks might be the new Elite…

Unfortunately for Frank, Elite’s planning a surprise party for him. One that the Punisher might not walk away from…

COME KNOCK ON OUR DOOR

By Tobias Christopher

Tommy stood guard outside of the bathroom door as he smiled at his sister Anna, who gave her brother an odd look as she walked toward her bedroom to retrieve something. Inside the bathroom was Tommy’s friend Chip, who was cleaning up after having had sex with Tommy earlier that afternoon.

And down the hall, Frank Castle and Martin Soap were on their way to the apartment to have a few words with Tommy, whom Frank believed might be the new Elite, who had formed a group of serial killers to lure the Punisher out.

“I’m telling you, Frank, this kid isn’t Elite,” Soap said as he fished his keys out of his pocket. “He’s probably one of the nicest guys I’ve ever known, which is saying something considering the kind of people I usually fall in with.”

“Let me be the judge of that,” Frank told him flatly as they walked into the apartment, just as Tommy decided to get a glass of water. He was nervous about his sister seeing the man he was quickly falling in love with and needed to hydrate. As he walked through the door into the kitchen, Frank and Soap entered the apartment.

“I hear the shower running, it’s either Anna or her brother,” Soap told him. “Make yourself at home, grab yourself a drink.”

Soap gently knocked on the bathroom door before entering, just as Frank decided to go into the kitchen to get himself a glass of water, entering through the door on the right hand side as Tommy emerged from the door on the left. Anna came out of her bedroom just as Tommy exited.

“You’d better get going before you’re late,” Tommy said nervously.

“I want to meet your friend, first,” Anna told him as she realized she left her purse in her bedroom. “Better grab my purse, first.”

As she entered the bedroom, Soap came out of the bathroom. “Sorry about that, guy. Tommy?”

“Martin, what are you doing home so early?” Tommy asked.

“Just…meeting your friend,” Soap told him as Tommy quickly went into the bathroom to check on Chip, just as Frank came out of the kitchen.

“I heard voices,” Frank told him.

“Tommy’s here, he went into the bathroom,” Soap told him. “He’s got… a gentlemen caller.”

Frank rolled his eyes as he decided to look around, opening the closet and turning on the light. He walked into the large walk in closet and started looking around for any secret compartments just as Anna walked out, unnoticed, and saw Soap.

“I’m afraid I can’t stay long, I have business,” Anna said as she kissed him. “I’ll be home late.”

She walked into the kitchen, just as Tommy came out of the bathroom.

“Martin, about the guy in there, he’s kind of-”

“I know, kid,” Soap told him quietly. “Don’t be embarrassed. Look, there’s someone here I want you to meet.”

“Oh, hang on,” Tommy said as he noticed Chip’s boxers and picked them up. “He’s going to want these.”

Tommy rushed back into the bathroom as Frank walked out of the closet. “Who was that you were talking to?”

“Tommy again,” Soap told him. “He went back into the bathroom.”

“I’m going to look around the bedroom,” Frank told him as he walked into the master bedroom , just as Anna came out of the kitchen.

“Have you met Tommy’s friend?” Anna asked him.

“Yeah, I kind of… walked in on him thinking he was you,” Soap blushed. “Nice guy, I think you’ll like him.”

Anna looked at her watch. “Damn, I’m running late, it’ll have to wait,” she said as she kissed Soap gently. “I’ll see you later tonight.”

As Anna left, Frank came out of the bedroom empty-handed.

“Nothing,” Frank said, just as Tommy came out of the bathroom, his hair soaking wet and his shirt unbuttoned. He stood frozen as he stared at the Punisher, who stared him down coldly.

“Tommy, really?” Soap asked. “In the shower? You know how your sister is about keeping it clean in there.”

Having just gotten out of the shower, Chip wrapped a towel around his waist and was about to open the door when he saw Frank standing there. He gulped and closed the door, leaning against it, knowing he was supposed to have been back at the safe house.

“We need to talk,” Frank said coldly as he motioned toward a gun in his holster. “Sit down.”

“I’m kind of too scared to sit, sir,” Tommy squeaked out as Frank pushed him down into a chair.

“Now, we’re all going to have a nice, long talk about your recent activities,” Frank told him. “Starting with you fucking my partner. Come out of the bathroom, Chip.”

The door slowly opened as Chip walked out, fully dressed with his shoes and socks in his hands. His hair was still wet as he carefully came over.

“How did you know?”

“I saw your laptop under the couch the second I walked in,” Frank said calmly. “You lied to me about Elite’s kids.”

“I know, I just-”

“Shut up and sit down,” Frank told him, just as coldly as he looked at Tommy. “It’s going to be a long afternoon.”

“According to my sources, the Punisher is in town,” Elite told her crew as they met in their usual spot. “It’s time to put our final plan into action. The Punisher dies tonight. I have everything set up, we just need to make sure he stays in one place while we take him out.”

“And you’re sure we have the firepower to take him out?” Jester asked. “I’ve seen the guy take a lot of, well, punishment.”

“Trust me, with the surprise I have in store, the Punisher will be begging us to kill him,” Elite told them. “I even had an article put into the paper that I’m sure he won’t be able to resist.”

“Plus, the Fucked Up Four will have more than enough firepower to take him down,” Doug told him. “The Punisher won’t even know what hit him.”

“Then meet me at the appointed place tonight at nine,” Elite told them. “And bring every last weapon you can think of. We’re going all out on this one, gentlemen. The Punisher dies a slow and painful death tonight.”

“Oh, boy, I get to wear my special suit!” Bob said with glee.

“He’s not Elite,” Chip said to Frank. “He has an alibi. He was working at the times the incidents happened,” Chip opened his laptop and showed Frank surveillance footage from the restaurant that Tommy worked at. “See? He was nowhere near those places at the time.”

“You still lied to me,” Frank told him. “You came here without even telling me what was going on. You could have been killed if you were wrong.”

“I’m sorry,” Chip said as he looked over at Tommy. “It’s just…”

“Make your decision, kid,” Frank said bluntly. “Him or the mission. You can’t have both. The shit’s about to hit the fan, and if this kid isn’t Elite, then that leaves one option.”

“You think Anna is Elite?” Soap asked. “That’s ridiculous. She couldn’t be.”

“I know my sister, she’s not a killer,” Tommy said.

“She’s the only suspect left,” Frank replied as he looked at Chip. “I need you focused on this, kid. Decide right now. Are you in, or are you out? You won’t get another chance.”

Chip looked over at Tommy, holding his hand. For the first time in his life, he really felt like he’d found something pure. He opened his mouth to give his answer.

Sweetwater, Wyoming

Even though Benji wasn’t that old, he knew a life or death situation when he saw one. He knew that he was taken to a place where no one could help him; he knew that he had been surrounded by several bad men who wouldn’t hesitate to kill him, or worse if they got their hands on him; and most importantly of all, he knew that if he didn’t help himself, no one else would. He had long given up that his father would come to his rescue, and with his waning strength from the miniscule rations that Barracuda had given him, he figured he had less than two days before he was too weak to even stand up, so the time to move was now.

If he was correct, Barracuda wouldn’t be in to check on him until tomorrow afternoon. If he escaped at night, he could use the cover of darkness to keep out of sight of the murderers that were roaming the town, and if he was really lucky there would be a phone or a computer he could use to call for help. If not, he was ready to run as far as his legs would carry him. If he could make it to a highway, he might have a good chance of getting help from an adult.

After making a makeshift ladder of furniture to get to the air vent, Benji had managed to crawl through it, getting to the outside of the house. He used a rope made of the bed sheets to lower himself as far as he could to the ground, but the rope was still too short. He would have to jump, and hope he didn’t break his leg.

Benji closed his eyes and let go of the rope as he fell to the ground, trying to land softly. He landed on his backside, and aside from some minor pain, he was more or less okay. The boy stood up and tried to figure out which direction would be the safest to run in.

As it turned out, he’d just left the safest place within the town, and by the time dawn came, he’d regret not waiting for his father to come to his rescue.

Frank and Chip said nothing to each other as they drove back to the motel. The entire car ride had was filled with silence, as both knew what had to be done. Frank’s war had no time for love or relationships, a fact that he had stressed to Chip the night they met.

“Elite’s going to strike again, and soon,” Frank said as he stopped the car. “Stop thinking with your dick and start using your brain to help me find her before anymore people die.”

“If Elite is Anna, she’s stepping up her game from her father,” Chip told him as he leaned his head back. “The original Elite was only keeping the neighborhood clean of what he perceived to be threats. This new Elite is expanding the kill zone and killing things that she perceives to be threats to the quality of her perfect life.”

“From the places she’s hit so far, she seems to be a right wing fascist homophobe,” Frank said. “Does she know her brother is gay?”

“He’s trying to find the right way to tell her,” Chip said. “He’s worried that he might disappoint her.”

“She might be worse than disappointed, she might get violent,” Frank told him. “If we don’t stop her, that is. There could be a million places she could strike next.”

Chip opened up his laptop and did a quick search to see what was in the area that she could strike at. “Or maybe not. Look at this news article, it’s been in the entertainment section of the paper, no wonder we missed it. It’s only two days old.”

Frank leaned over and looked at the article. He tried to mask his anger, but Chip knew he was going to explode in a rage. “You have got to be fucking kidding me.”

“Let me change clothes, I don’t want to get blood on my good shirt,” Chip told him. If Anna was Elite, there no remaining doubt in his mind that she was asking for death.”Or brains, or whatever you’re going to pull out of this bitch.”

“Anna can’t be Elite,” Soap laughed. “I’ve known her all this time. She’s the perfect woman.”

“I know, right?” Tommy asked as he got up. “I mean, the Punisher couldn’t even find any evidence of her being a killer. I mean, where would she even hide a gun in this apartment?”

He headed to the kitchen, but stubbed his bare toe on a piece of tile sticking up from the floor. He looked down and slowly moved the tile, revealing a hiding place for a gun and mask.

“Fuck!” Tommy shouted as he fell back onto the couch. “She is Elite. It’s starting all over again.”

“I have to find her before Frank does, maybe I can talk some sense into her,” Soap said as he stood up.

“I’m coming with you,” Tommy told him. “Just let me-”

“No, you’re not coming, this is too dangerous,” Soap said as he put a hand on Tommy’s shoulder. “You’re a good kid, Tommy. You’re not like the rest of the people wrapped up in this, you’re still innocent.”

“But she’s my sister,” Tommy said with tears in his eyes.

“And I’m doing to everything I can to make sure she comes home, or at least doesn’t get killed,” Soap. “I’m sorry about this, Tommy.”

Soap punched Tommy as hard as he could, knocking him out cold. He then picked Tommy up and put him onto the couch, handcuffing him to the table before rushing out the door.

“What. The fuck. Is this?” Jester asked as he stood on the second story of the warehouse, looking over the railing at over fifty children, along with their parents. All the boys and girls looked alike, with dark hair and features, ranging from five to ten years old. “Why are all these families here?”

“Ha ha,” Doug said as he read the paper his brother was holding up. “HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! This is fucking brilliant! I salute you, ma’am! I couldn’t have come up with a better plan myself!”

Jester grabbed the paper and smirked. There was a casting call for the Punisher movie, with pictures of Frank Castle’s son and daughter, asking only for children who exactly resembled Frank’s beloved children to apply.

“So, what, we’ve got a warehouse full of kids who look like the Punisher’s brats, are we going to hold them hostage?” Jester asked.

“Something like that,” Elite said. “Are the doors locked?”

“As soon as the clock struck eight,” Doug said.

“Good,” Elite said as she approached the catwalk and looked down at all the families, waiting to audition for a movie. “Gentlemen…wait, where’s Bob?”

“I’m right here, friends!” Bob said as everyone turned toward the door. “What do you think of my new suit?”

“Is he wearing-?” Doug started to ask.

“Oh my God, is that-” Elite asked, wanting to vomit under her mask. Powers just simply held up a finger momentarily before vomiting into a trashcan.

“This is a night I’m definitely not going to forget,” Elite said as she pulled out a tommy gun. “Alright, boys, let’s do this.”

“Do this? Do what?” Jester asked as Elite, Bob, and Doug, using his brother Glen’s body, started firing their guns into the crowd.

Frank grabbed all the guns he could strap to his body, as well as some grenades and knives and calmly walked toward the warehouse. He didn’t care how badly he got shot, or stabbed, or blown up in this fight. Elite had just made it personal by dragging his children into it, something that Nicky Cavella had to learn a brutal lesson about some time ago.

Frank kicked open the door and saw the massacre in front of him. Dozens of dead parents and children, with every boy and girl looking like his precious Lisa and David. Two of the children were even holding hands as they died, just as his own children had been found. It took everything Frank Castle had to not drop to his knees right there, as the dozens of children who looked like his family was almost too much for him.

“It’s showtime,” Elite said as she put down her tommy gun and picked up a sawed off rifle, aiming it at Frank’s kneecap.

To be continued…