BENJI. (a guide to being normal)

The Midnight Hunter

The Jericho 941 F, nicknamed the "Baby Eagle", fit perfectly inside his fingers of accuracy. How beautiful did this weapon glisten against the yellow moon with its silver slide and black grip. The anatomy of the piece was all that a handgun should be for this young hunter. Slowly, with sleek movements of a jungle cat, the hunter crept against the white wall, his steel coloured eyes peering around the corner. All was quiet. All was empty. In stealth steps, he hurried to another shadowed corner where he waited for the enemy. All was quiet. All was empty.

There was a moan. A bitter wail traveled through the length of the hallway. Like sonar, the hunter replied with an expulsion from the chamber of his trusty handgun. The copper bullet spun out of the barrel, heading straight towards the loping figure. It entered the screaming mouth and exited from the back of the head, taking with it strains of rotted brain. The creature let out another wail that escalated into a shriek before falling dead on its face.

The hunter discharged the magazine and loaded a new one as he watched in confidence as a horde of other beings emerged from the shadows. Smiling through his crooked, boyish lips, he said in a gruff voice, "Hello, boys, come to see me?" And with that, he emptied his handgun, killing the first row. When his handgun had done all that it could for him, he tossed it aside and whipped open his black trench coat (which appeared conveniently over his shirt), revealing racks of hand grenades, tazors, and pistols. With a smirk still smeared across his face, he whipped out a tommy gun and aimed it at the pack of flesh-eaters. His finger hooked around the trigger and he pulled it.

"BENJI!"

"Fill with lead, crawlers!" Benji yelled as he tumbled from his chair.

"You fell asleep at the computer," Copper said, helping Benji off the floor. "What were you dreaming about?"

"The usual," Benji replied, rubbing his sore eyes. "They appeared again."

"The zeds?"

Benji moved his head up and down and sat back down at the computer. "How's Fiona?"

"She left about an hour ago. I came down for a beer."

Leaning in to look at the clock in the corner of the computer screen, Benji exclaimed, "At four in the morning? A bit early, innit?"

"Beer is beer, doesn't matter the time. Still tastes the same." Copper wandered into the kitchen and browsed their cupboard. There wasn't much except for empty bags of crisps, partly nibbled crackers still in their orange wrapping, and a stack of cheap beer cans. Copper took a can and cracked it open.

 "That wasn't the point." Benji yawned and stared at the screen. The photo of Kris Madison looked back at him, more radiant than when he had first seen it. "Did I just send an application to this girl?"

 Copper leaned over Benji's shoulder. "Yes, see, it's says, 'your application has been accepted, please expect response within two business days.' She's pretty."

 "I've gathered that. You think I should cancel? I should cancel, shouldn't I?"

 "What are you talking about? This could be good!"

 "How? She'll only be a distraction and besides, th-that won't be helpful for either of us." He blinked innocently.

 Copper let out a huge grin and wiggled a finger at Benji. "You're shy, ain't ya?"

 "If I am, so what? You know how I am around girls, especially one that looks like Kris Madison. I'll make a fool of myself. She looks like a smart lady."

"American, too."

"A smart American lady! It won't work, I'm cancelling the application." Benji's hand quickly maneuvered the mouse over the red cancel button and was about to select it before Copper's beer splashed all over his hand, face, and keyboard.