So I decided to run, run as far away as I could, stepping over the body as I run faster than I ever knew I could. My eyes landed on that "man" again, which seemed to chase after me. I panicked, even more than I was, I wanted to shout, but I knew that it wouldn't help me. All I needed to do is make it to my bike, to drive away and into my house, even if he somehow followed me there, I'd have at least a kitchen knife to defend myself with.
And I finally did, fumbling with the keys before finally getting them inside the bike, I turn the acceleration handle, driving away before that monster could catch me. I look behind me just to make sure he's not tailing me, and he isn't, however, he looks at me dead in the eye as he lowers into a manhole. I never knew that something like that could crawl out of the sewers, and I'm making a mental note to never ever get too close to a manhole, I don't want to be a victim, not today.
After finally being back home, I park my bike in the garage, deciding to go upstairs for my money stash, I'm flush with 2500 dollars, enough to buy me a revolver and ammo for a lifetime, the basic lawman essentials. I hop into bed, not before locking every door and window, and putting the knife on the counter for good measure, better safe than sorry is what my mom always said.
And as I sleep early, I awake early, I check the clock mounted on the wall signalling that it was 6, I missed the chickens waking me up with their loud clucking, but that's just urban life, and I should get used to it.
I make my way to the gun store, in my little leather satchel the money I'll use to get me something that'll prevent anything like last night's encounter. The morning felt dead, there was too much fog, not enough people, I wondered if it was really safe to just walk outside, maybe my brother was right about the dangers of living in this county, but no matter the challenge, I'll conquer it.
Knocking on the door to "Andreas' weapons and ammo", the store that I felt would be the most adequate place to get my guns from, and after a lock was heard, the door swung slightly backwards to reveal a beret atop a fresh corpse, I wanted to puke, what's wrong with this town? And its weird obsession with death and toying with the dead? But then the door swung even more backwards, revealing that the corpse was dressed up in what looked like military fatigues, and he swung his mouth open to begin talking
- "Welcome to Andreas' Weapons and Ammo" - said the corpse, then he turned around and walked back to the counter - "you may browse around. Listen, if you have any questions I'll be at the counter"
I was perplexed to say the least, I never thought I'd meet a real, live man who looks so much like he just died an hour ago. But my worries aside, I decide to look around, this place was flush with so many guns, some of them looked straight out of a sci-fi flick, and the others looked like the rifle my gramps would've used in Virodnum against the Franks, or against the Germanians, depending on which grandpa it was. And my eyes wander and look around until they finally land on the money, a bingo and a half, and tugged in a little corner there were "Civil war and after replicas", a large box full of every kind of revolvers just like those in the movies, the ones that you can really get some power behind to stop the desperadoes and the outlaws. I took the crate, walking over to the counter to greet the storekeeper
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- "So, I wanted to get these, um, do you have any recommendations?" - I asked him, placing the box in the counter, hoping at least some guidance for a newbie like myself - "I don't really know all that much about guns"
- "You're a novice shooter? Well, out of these three the most beginner-friendly I can recommend is this one, for self-defense purposes and everyday carry, that is." - He said, pulling out from the little collection of guns in the box a particularly nice looking replica, it was that same gun I saw in so many of the westerns I saw, it looked like a revolver alright, probably looked the most "Revolver" out of any revolver I've ever seen, if it makes any sense. - "I recommend this one, it doesn't come with the manual, but there's a gun training academy by the Warestore restaurant right across the river that would surely help you understand how to use it. Now I need your ID to make sure I'm not selling to a minor"
(pictured above, the gun Andreas picked for Leslie)
I decide to hand him over the ID I brought in my neat leather bag, my driver's license of Bluehorse, content that I'll be finally be able to use one of those guns from my dreams right now, and the gun training academy seemed pretty interesting. I saw that the man checked both sides to really make sure, reading my name out loud just to confirm it is truly me
- "Leslie Monika K?nig, am I correct?" - He asked before handing me my ID, I responded without an issue, and when I did, he passed me my ID and pulled a piece of paper from his breast pocket and made the calculations by hand on how much everything costed as a small receipt - "That will be two hundred and eighty-"
DING ding, was the sound of the bell that indicated the door being open, both him and I turned to meet the surprise visitor, but to my surprise, it wasn't a normal person like me, or maybe him, but it was a man, burly, dark, dressed in Prussian blue and with a handgun similar to that I was going to buy in hand
- "Ey, Andreas. Francois' called, it's payday" - He said, looking at the store keep as he remained completely lifeless and unreadable as always - "Them 500 bucks, and you better have them"
However, their eyes soon enough diverted from Andreas the store keep, and right at me. I couldn't see anything under his blue bandana, but his gaze was enough to tell me that something was very, very wrong.
- "You know Andreas, I'll cut you a better deal" - He said, closing in on me. I had no clue on what to do, I was fearful, just like last night, I backed up, and again, and again, until my back hit the maintenance door. I knew that my luck most likely just had run out, that there's no way out, his body is blocking the entrance, and the store keep seems to be doing nothing about me. Tears spill from my face, is this it, the end of Leslie? - "give me this little damsel, and Francois won't have to know a thing"
- "Listen, hands off my customer. I will not ask this twice." - Said the store keeper, with a slightly more raised tone, clearly going to defend me, I felt a little hopeful, but my eyes were still closed shut. That's when I felt it, a hand, reaching out to touch my cheek, but as soon as it had made contact -
BOOM!, it was so loud, all of my hearing was gone in one single explosion, followed by the rustling of clothes, I felt warm liquid pool around my boots, I opened my eyes, blurry with the tears covering them, and all I saw was red around my boots, the man before me had a hole right through his right eye, and it was hanging out by a stretched out inferior rectus. I didn't know what to do, what to think, but then it came again. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! my ears were ringing, all I heard was the constant buzzing noise and the screams, I saw the clerk jump over the counter, wielding a rifle as he took aim, I covered my ears but it wasn't enough to save me from the constant explosions, I heard them, again and again, like a chain of explosions a dastardly villain would set off to disable a railroad, I hated it. But at the same time, I knew that this random store keep had just saved my life, and I will forever be grateful for it.