Plagues

Chapter 2

Down in cover, I dumped the rental mag out of my gun and popped in a new one. I slid the gun out of the empty position then emerged back out as maniac targets advanced on me. I scored headshots on all and advanced. As I moved up, a target jumped out at my left. I dodged wide around it and clocked it on the back of the head as I passed. The bang of another target popping out rang behind me. I dodged to the right and fired two more rounds, one into the center mass, and one into the head, coming back to a forwards position at the wall. I slowly slid along the edge of the corridor to the corner and then halted.

I poked my head around the corner and looked above then down to the end of the corridor, the finish line in sight. I reloaded then slithered around the corner and pressed on, keeping my right shoulder brushing the wall. My eyes switched from wall to center to wall with each step. Two targets banged out from behind me. I whirled around and sighted them up as two more popped up on my new six o’clock. As I pivoted to face them, two more popped out, one on my left and one on my right. My heart was redlining like an engine strained on a low gear, but I took a deep breath and smiled in amusing memory. Back in the training days, I remembered seeing others in my position losing their grip, spraying and praying, and thus failing their run. I focused on the two blocking my exit. I punched a round in the skull of one target then cracked the skull of the other’s with the butt of my gun. I pressed on, creating distance between me and the last targets. Once a sufficient distance was achieved, I disposed of the last four targets then walked across the finish line, dropping the expended mag. The timer bell clanged and clambered, signifying my run was over as I looked to the time screen on the wall above the course exit. It showed my time as just over four minutes. It then showed my progress over the last seven runs, since last Monday, and I was more-or-less improving. However, I was just shy, by a few tenths of a second, of beating my current set’s best time which I set Thursday.

“How’d you do today, Al?” Leo, the big, hairy, rental clerk with a slight undertone of an Eastern European accent asked as I returned my remaining clips for my security deposit back. I had 40% remaining, two clips out of five, so I only got $4 back.

“Almost beat Thursday,” I reported.

“That was a good run.” He handed me my money.

“I’m sure I’ve done better in my time.”

“Hey, it’s a Monday. Everyone’s a little off. Most don’t even come in. Even when they should.” He gave a nod to the very quiet facility as he slid an extra three bucks over the counter then smiled warmly at me. “To get you to school on time.”

“Thanks, Leo.”

He handed me my bag and I waved as I took off to catch the bus.

After a short bus ride on Coxwell down to ragged Queen Street, I hopped on a westbound streetcar bound for downtown. As we headed west, looking out the front window you could see the street lined with little independent shops narrowing into the distance and becoming lost in the core of the city.

I hopped off at Sumach Street and crossed Queen over to a coffee shop. As I entered, a familiar girl with an unmissable head of purple hair tied in a loose ponytail, along with the recognizable matching purple SCAR in the carrying strap on her bag, stole my eye. She had her earphones in and hadn’t noticed I came in. I could faintly hear the tinny sound of some heavy band. In a slight crouch, I approached right up behind her, stood straight then swiftly brought my hands in on the sensitive spot just above her hips.

“Kali!” I burst out, close to her left ear as I made contact.

She squealed and whirled around, ripping out both ear buds.

“Hi,” I greeted with a smile and a laugh.

She growled loudly and shoved my shoulder.

“I hate you,” she whined through a giggle, her face red at the attention we had garnered. “It’s too early for that.”