Confronting Danger

Shots echoes through the dusty pawn shop store. Ducking behind the counter, the owner scampers to safety.

Seeing three large men with a gun, Kirk takes a quick side dive to the floor. His body lands with a thud behind a display of dishes.

"You're not escaping this one, pig." Andy pulls the trigger. Small ceramic pieces fall all around him.

Kirk's heart beats so hard that he feels like it's going to pound right out of his chest. Grim images come to mind. He pushes them aside. "I need to lay low until backup arrives.

Kirk peeks around the corner to find the three stompings towards him. Their heavy steps cause the fine china to clank. It's going to

crash on top of me if I don't move. He anxiously glances around, hoping to find a safe place to hide.

"Come out, come out wherever you are," Andy says as he continues to plod through the store.

"You don't want to do this, boys. You really don't."

"Wanna make a bet," Andy growls, moving towards his voice.

"You may think so now, but what you do in the next few minutes could determine your future, whether you're locked up for a few years or the rest of your life." Keeping low, Kirk makes a mad dash behind a row of couches.

"No judge will give us life; the prisons are too crowded for that," Andy chuckles. Realizing Kirk has moved from his spot, Andy motions his brothers to fan out."We'll find you eventually, pig, and when we do, it's game over for you." Andy continues to tromp through the aisles.

Kirk peeks around the furniture and finds one thug in front of him, the second to his right. Now's my chance to even the odds. Bringing his weapon out in front of him, Kirk shoots the first man in the back. His plump body lands with a thud. Turning, he squeezes off a second-round. The bullet lodged in the center of Jack's chest. Two down, one to go. Kirk is reloading his weapon when he feels something hard pressing against his head. He then hears a metallic click.

Andy pushes the barrel in deeper and says, "You shouldn't have done that, pig."

***

The terrified young woman glances towards the kitchen. "Who's out there?" she asks again. The house remains eerily still. She starts to take another step when her frightened cat darts past her. Startled, she jumps back as she yelps, then laughs when she realizes what it is. Seeing the owner, the cat turns and hisses, then darts into the adjacent room. Something has her spooked. Julie looks towards the kitchen but doesn't see a thing. He could be hiding in the shadows.

Pulling a small handgun out of her purse she continues towards the back. "I have a gun, and I know how to use it." She yells, hoping to sound braver than she feels. Not hearing anything, she nervously takes another step.

Dashing through the service door, Tommy closes it behind them. "This way." He motions, dashing up the hill. His friends follow.

Flipping on the light, Julie discovers the room to be empty. She then sees her spice garden scattered across the marble floor. That explains a lot. Laying her gun on the counter, she begins to clean up the mess.

The back door opens and closes in the breeze.

"I know I locked that before I left." Grabbing her gun, she runs outside and takes a quick look around. I must have scared him off. She starts to head back indoors when she sees movement out of the corner of her eye.

"That was close, Tommy." Larry leans against the shed, trying to catch his breath.

"Too close." Vinnie agrees.

"I hate to burst your bubble, but we're not out of danger yet." Tommy points towards the armed lady stomping her way up the hill.

"What are we going to do?"

Tommy looks around, hoping to come up with a plan.

Julie's fear turns into anger, and her anger turns into a rage as she climbs to the top of the hill. This is the second time this month someone's broken into my home this month, and I'm going to put an end to it right here, right now. The police told her not to confront him, but she's afraid he'll be long gone by the time they arrive.

Walking up behind him, Julie shoves the pistol into his back. "Don't move a muscle, or else." She cocks her gun. "Got it?"

"Yes." Tommy gulps. He looks towards the shed where his friends were safely hidden and wished he was in there too but knew someone had to explain the van.

"What were you doing in my house a few minutes ago?"

"I've... I've never been inside your home."

She shoves the gun in deeper. "Don't lie to me."

"I'm... I'm not. I've been checking satellite signals for the last twenty-five minutes, see?" He lifts a small handheld device above his shoulder. "The clock in the corner tells you how long I've been on this machine." What he didn't tell her was this was an old reading.

She glances at the clock and then at him. "I know I heard something when I walked into my house."

"Whatever it was wasn't me."

"It has to be. You're the only one here."

"Well, it wasn't, and unless you have proof, the cops won't do a thing about it."

They hear sirens in the distance.

Smiling, she says, "We'll just see about that."

****

Kirk is reloading his gun ducked behind a row of couches when he feels something hard press against his head.

"You shouldn't have killed my bros, pig," The man growls through gritted teeth.

Kirk hears gunfire, followed by a loud clunk. He turns to find the owner's son trembling behind him, a rifle in his hand. He then sees Andy bleeding on the floor between them.

"What did I do? What did I do?" Marshal cries, glancing down at the semi-conscious man.

"You did what you had to save us."

The color drains from his face when he looks at the man again. "I... I didn't mean to kill the man. I... I didn't."

He sees the gun shaking in the young lad's hand. I better disarm him before he accidentally shoots himself. Kirk walks towards him. "It's over, son. He can't hurt us anymore." Kirk is reaching for the gun when the front door flies open. He looks over to see officers storm into the shop.

A deep voice yells, "Freeze, police,"

Kirk turns to find Joe pointing his gun at the boy."Don't shoot, don't shoot. Marshal saved my life. He saved my life." Tossing the weapon aside, Kirk grabs the boy and pulls him in close. He feels the young lad's small frame heave against him.

"I didn't want to kill him, Kirk, I didn't, but I didn't know what else to do."