Summary

The short story “Hostage” by Andrew Vachss presents Walker, a police negotiator, who observes a hostage situation in Brooklyn. A young man named Mark Weston is holding his mother at gunpoint, threatening to kill her. The woman is in a wheelchair.

The detective tells Walker that the young man has mental health issues and allows Walker to consider the next steps. Walker recalls returning from the Vietnam war and starting work as a cop. After moving from one police department to another because he recklessly killed people, Walker was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and lack of emotion. His gun was taken away from him, and he currently works as a negotiator. 

Walker phones Mark and begins negotiating with him. Mark demands that the police move away from the building, which Walker convinces them to do. When Walker calls Mark again, he asks to be allowed inside the building as a favor in return for making the police step away. Walker undresses so that Mark can see he does not carry a gun, and he enters the buil...