Finding Grace: The Guardian Chronicles Book One

Chapter 46. Chasing Zebras* (medical folks will understand zebras :)

Chapter 46. All the Wild Horses by Ray LaMontagne

Evan sat silently on the couch, trying to believe what Nathan had told her about Emil and Tourneau. All she could think of though was how gentle Tourneau seemed and how Emil had been so kind and tender with her. She couldn't see Tourneau as anything but a sweet old-fashioned gentleman, but she knew Emil would protect her at all costs, he'd already proved that. He had been very effective against Matt Thomas, and he had managed to subdue Rafael earlier, but Rafael had left. Granted, at the moment, that had been the goal. Emil had allowed the predator inside him to emerge briefly; she'd seen the beast in him rise as he held Rafael to the counter. He could be terrifying, she decided.

The noon news was over and the afternoon rubbish had been turned off in favor of another video game. Nathan was skillfully killing off the enemy in a war game, rattling off little tidbits about the weapons he was choosing and why each was the best choice for the type of combat he was in. Evan was only halfway listening, but was shocked at how much he seemed to know from the video games.

"Evan, see this one, it's an Franchi SPAS-12 shotgun. It's the best one for me to use because of the way the shot sprays in close quarters. I'm searching the buildings here and need to be able to take out a lot of people fast," Nathan said matter-of-factly.

"That's nice," Evan said, distracted by a sound overhead.

"Emil has one over there on the rack. I bet I could use it if I needed to," he said, pointing quickly at a long, lethal looking gun hanging on the wall.

Evan looked at the weapon and thought she would have no idea even how to load one. She could pull a trigger, but if there was a safety or anything else to mess with, she would be out of luck.

She stood and walked over to the wall to examine the guns suspended there. Other weapons were displayed also: knives, swords, a crossbow. Lined neatly in the felt rack below the weapons were various sizes of ammunition. Evan would not have the first clue as to what went with which gun.

"Nathan, do you really know that much about these guns from just playing your games?" she asked, thinking that it might be a good idea to know how to use one of them in case things went badly.

Nathan paused his game and came to stand beside her. "I know everything I can possibly know about all of these. I have to so I can win. Besides, my dad has guns at home and he showed me how to use one. Once you can shoot one, you can pretty much figure any of them out eventually. Never thought video games would be educational, did ya?" he said proudly. This was a side of Nathan Evan had not seen before. He exuded the confidence most human teens of fifteen would have.

"Show me," Evan said, backing away a bit so he could get to all the weapons. She noticed a banging coming from upstairs again. This time it was more persistent, but didn't last long. Maybe somebody was knocking. If it was Emil and Jean, they would just let themselves in. Evan was becoming a little nervous about who it might be, especially considering the events of the last twenty-four hours.

Nathan picked up the long black gun that resembled the weapon he had been using in the game. He cleared the chamber expertly, popping out a shell into his hand. He picked up a box from the shelf below it and handed it to Evan. "These are the shells that go in it. This SPAS can hold eight rounds and one in the chamber."

Nathan held the gun in one hand and in a swift motion shook the gun up and down once, giving off an unmistakable ratcheting sound anyone would recognize as the chambering of a shotgun.

He grinned and said, "My favorite saying is 'I believe the sound of racking the pump of a shotgun is universally recognized as kiss your ass goodbye'. This is a lot easier to hold now that I'm stronger. Here check it out."