An Insurgent Population : Meeting Danny

A Collection Of Short Stories

The Insurgent Population
… Meeting Danny Boy


Danny smashed the roll of duct tape on the bridge of my nose, “this is what happens to those who try and fuck with my work” Danny screamed into my ear, “how many times do I have to tell you this is bigger then us?” he kicked my chair pushing me into the wall. Of coarse I already knew all this, but he had gone too far now. He was starting to misunderstand what our goal is, he had to be stopped, and it was about time I moved up and took his place.
We have certainly come along way since Gosnells, and although Danny’s beliefs matched mine, he was losing everyone’s respect.

“What time is it?” I grunted, he shoved his watch in my face; it was 03:14am so in about one minute we were going to find out just how loyal my insubordinate co – members are. I craned my neck to watch the door, “What the fuck is going on” Danny roared, he was sweating now. He smashed the butt of the gun on the back of my head “talk to me you motherfucker” he instructed shakily. I laughed and nodded towards the door (pointing was hard because I was taped to a chair) “knock knock” I whispered and sure enough Bang Bang a heavy thud came from the only door in the one bedroom apartment, “open it” I grinned at him. I watched as he walked cautiously towards the door and peered through the peephole “w – what do you want he stammered.

10 Years Earlier

This shopkeeper kept up with me a hell of a lot longer then yesterdays, this was the fourth shop I pulled the power on and I swear it was getting easier each time. He chased me all the way to the train station and kudos to him because that’s almost a kilometer away. I ducked into the chick’s toilets and finally lost him. “Persistent little bastard” I muttered to myself as I shouldered past the train guards and stepped on the train.
I looked around at the pathetic bunch of people that surrounded me, a couple playing tonsil hockey and a elderly lady who was clutching her purse like she had millions of dollars stuffed in there. These people I didn’t even know made me so angry, I don’t know why but everyone seemed to infuriate me these days, everyone walks around completely oblivious to how fucked up the world around them is.

Then there was Danny. I knew I would like him within 30 seconds of seeing him, he just made it on the train and looked out of breath “move you fatuous sea monkeys” he ordered as he pushed pass the couple trying to get off. Danny was about six foot, he had a green tuft in a mop of brown hair and he looked real hard, surely someone your average Joe wouldn’t get too deep in an argument with. “What are you looking at” he barked, I flashed my best smile at him “I’m not sure yet, I’ve narrowed it down to either a moody androgynous pile of shit or a grumpy fucking blockhead”. He smiled back and drew out his hand “I am Danny Boy” he emphasized like I should recognize his name. “josh” I replied as I shook his hand.

“So Big J, what do you do for dosh?” Danny asked as casually as possible, “ I don’t do the whole “JOB” thing” I answered, “the government fucks us enough already, I don’t like the idea of getting bent over by the Taxman” Danny stared at me for a second, smiled then told me he had a job but it just made him angry so he quit.

We sat in silence for a while and I couldn’t help but notice a very painful looking scar on his forearm but Before I could ask about it Heavy Metal blasted through the air, it was Danny’s phone. “What is it” he answered he went quite for a moment “yeah, how much?” he asked “that should be fine just bring about 500 bucks with you” another pause “okay bring $350, meet me at our spot and don’t bring any new faces along” he hung up.
“okay Joshy Boy this is my exit” he exclaimed as he jumped up and hit the emergency stop button, which of coarse sent the train into a screeching halt. I watched him pry the doors open and jump on the tracks “hey big J are you doing much?” “No” I admitted, “well come on let’s go” he waved me to follow him. I jumped out the door and noticed we were only about 75 meters from our station “what was the point in stopping it?” I asked him, to which he replied “just a little 9am pandemonium, every little thing affects some poor fuck” he laughed and led the way.

We spent the rest of the day hanging out, walking to and from different houses, selling and buying all these different types of drugs I had never heard of. Danny asked me if I took anything in particular, when I told him I hadn’t he stopped walking and looked me up and down, stopping to stare directly in my eyes. It felt like we were standing there for ages and Danny had gone into a trance, I was starting to get uneasy then he snapped out of it and announced “Congratulations J Dog you have moved two spots up my book, which brings you closer to understanding the truth”. “What the hell are you talking about” I questioned. He ignored me and kept walking, “come on Joshua, last house call just up ahead,” he pointed at the next seedy stop we were going to make.

As we got closer to the house Danny crossed the street and headed towards the park across from the sandy, burnt out home we were supposed to be going to. Just as I was about to ask where we were going a voice came from behind the hedge fences that surrounded the park. “Danny” someone whispered we ducked behind the hedges and saw three teenagers, all wearing singlets and jeans, and all had a green tuft of hair. Danny introduced me as J Dog; I shook their hands and met Big D, Skinny and Six-pack. Before I could ask what the hell they were doing behind a bush a cop car came rolling around the corner, it pulled in to the houses driveway they were watching and two officers jumped out, they stormed the house, kicking the door in and disappearing inside. “Ok go” Danny ordered and all four of them simultaneously jumped up and ran across the road, I of coarse followed and watched Big D pull the rope out of Skinny’s bag and dip it in the can of gasoline that Six-pack was holding and I stood there dumbfounded as Danny pried open the lid of the petrol tank with a screwdriver and shove the rope in, it was then I noticed the elderly man sitting, handcuffed in the backseat of the police car. I quickly opened the back door and screamed “come on get out hurry” a grabbed the old mans hands and pulled him across the street with me. Danny and his friends were directly behind me yelling things I couldn’t hear at the time, we ran to the middle of the park and watched as the police exited the house with three teenagers all looking sorry for themselves.

Then the car blew up. I have never seen anything blow up before, the entire back end of the vehicle lifted about 2 feet in the air and seemed to be suspended for several seconds, the inside completely filled with fire and smoke then it came crashing back down again, smashing all the windows, I watched in awe as the 2 cops and their victims where thrown back onto the sandy front yard of the undisturbed old house. “Yeah” Danny and his comrades shouted in unison I turned around and saw the old man running away from the scene, “let him go” Danny laughed “come on guys lets go back to my house and celebrate” he cheered. I couldn’t believe what I just witnessed I was dumbstruck, I told Danny he is crazy and I had to get home, he grabbed me by my shoulders and said that if I ever told anyone what had just happened he was going to kill me, and I believed him.

It was about 4pm when I opened the door to another row between my parents in the kitchen and just as I walked in mum stormed off into her room “what’s her problem?” I questioned Dad “oh she is just shitty because someone stopped her train before it got to her station and she was late for work” he laughed and yelled “she doesn’t have to take it out on us” so she could hear. I couldn’t help but laugh to myself, I was too tired and shaken to eat so I just went upstairs to try and sleep because Danny wants me to meet him at the park tomorrow, I can’t wait!









Written By Nathan McNamara

Short Stories to come
An Insurgent Population
… Meeting Danny
… Danny’s Beliefs
… Cult
… Recruiting
… The Gosnells takeover
… Guerilla uprising
… Mutinous corporate blueprint
… Ultimate anti heroes