|
The Suitcase
by J. R. Cain
“What the . . .” Words evaporated in Caleb’s mouth. He took the beanie in hand, threw it aside. Went to show Peggy, but stopped when he saw a figure rising behind her shoulder, a Driza-Bone cowboy with a snub-nosed .38 in hand. Aiming. A second bloody-faced elf lifted Toby from his cot. Silent they were, this pair, and who would have believed that clumps of seconds before they’d both been victims on the floor? Blind-eye moaned. Peggy stepped across and kicked him in the chin, broke his jaw.
The .38’s hammer clicked. Caleb’s flesh became sandstone hearing that sound. Peggy spun—too late—froze when she saw Toby’s wailing face disappear past the doorway in the arms of a battered elf. The gun fired. Caleb dropped Ratty, shoved Peggy, pushing upward into her hip, took a bullet in the forearm; it blasted on through into the wall. Caleb yipped and rolled away in torment. Gun smoke tainted the air.
The elf swore and took aim at Peggy’s face.
|
|