Daniel gripped a silenced pistol in each hand, and rapidly turned away from the shopping cart, extending both weapons at the driver's side of the Suburban's windshield. He registered the look of surprise on the man's face, and alternated trigger pulls. The first two bullets struck the safety glass a few inches apart, right where he saw the driver's upper torso and head, followed by another closely grouped pair just below the first. The entire front windshield transformed into an opaque, blue tinted mosaic of tightly packed glass particles, as the safety glass shattered, but held in place.
With his view obscured by the safety glass, Daniel walked slowly toward the vehicle, concentrating the pistol fire on the milky white glass surrounding the driver's seat. Bullets ripped through windshield, tearing into the upper dashboard and the driver beyond, confirmed by bright red splotches on the broken glass. A few bullets hit the metal frame of the Suburban, causing the only noise that might attract anyone's attention in the parking lot. He approached the driver's door, still firing methodically, as the door window's red stained glass particles fell to the parking lot surface, directly exposing the driver to Daniel's deadly aim. He reached the door, and fired at point blank range into the driver's head, noting the man's bulletproof tactical vest.
He considered firing the remaining rounds into the back seat, but decided to keep some ammunition in the pistols for immediate use. He had only seen one silhouette in the vehicle on his approach, which led him to believe they'd left the guy from the hotel courtyard behind in their haste to follow his car, but he might be wrong. Glancing around the parking lot, he didn't see any unwanted attention directed at the Suburban, and didn't detect anyone lurking nearby. Deciding he was temporarily safe, he yanked open the rear passenger door of the running Suburban.
The interior of the truck resembled a slaughter house. A small armory of gear sat covered in blood and skull fragments on the rear passenger seat. The rear passenger seat didn't look much better, but he saw a laptop computer buried under some gear, which piqued his interest, so he closed the door and ran around to the other side. He was greeted by a thick red speckled stain covering the door's window.
He opened the door, and didn't waste any time helping himself to the contents of the truck. He tossed the two smoking pistols onto the floor and reached for the fully modified M-4 assault rifle leaned against the back of the seat. He swung the rifle over his shoulder, using the tactical sling to secure the rifle in place over his right shoulder. The rifle was slippery to the touch, covered in thick, fresh blood.
He started to grab the tactical vest, but decided against wearing the blood and brain showered black nylon contraption. He might need to travel on foot sooner than he expected, and the last thing he would need on the streets was more blood stains to attract attention. He shoved the heavy vest to the middle of the long bench seat, uncovering the partially hidden laptop. He took this into his left hand and was pulling it out of the SUV when he quickly noticed that it was attached by a USB cable to a large digital camera that almost toppled out onto the parking lot pavement. He scooped the camera into his left hand, along with the laptop, and slammed the door shut.
He opened the front passenger door, and stood up on the Suburban's side steps to look over the roof at the front of the grocery store. He saw two people in the parking lot near the exit, a woman pushing a cart away from the Suburban's aisle, and a tall man carrying a single grocery bag, headed in his direction. He also heard a car alarm chirp from somewhere behind the Suburban, which shouldn't be an issue, since anyone in that row wouldn't have an angle to see the truck's damage.
He ducked into the front passenger seat, and sifted through the gear piled on the seat. He took the tactical vest first, checking for blood, and only finding a small dime sized splatter. He noticed that the vest contained ammunition magazines for the M-4 and for what he assumed to be a submachine gun. The magazines were too long and thick for a pistol. Daniel dug around in the front passenger foot well until he found the silenced MP-9 jammed up against the center console. He considered leaving the M-4 rifle for the smaller, more concealable submachine gun, but the heavy screeching of tires nearby put any thoughts of ditching the rifle on temporary hold.
Juggling the rifle and gear, he donned the vest, and slung the MP-9 SMG over his left shoulder. He reached back into the truck and grabbed the police scanner, which squawked excitedly. It was about to get very busy in this parking lot. With all of the gear in place, he sprinted toward his car, which was located several parking spaces toward the store entrance. He could hear a power truck engine roaring somewhere near the back of the lot. A few cars down the aisle, he passed the tall man, who turned his attention from the bullet riddled Suburban to Daniel, and muttered a prayer, backing suddenly against the hood of a white minivan. Daniel focused on getting to the car, which he had left unlocked, with the key partially inserted into the ignition. Another tire squeal reinforced the urgency of his situation, as he reached the driver's door and pulled it open.
He started to duck into the car, but caught rapid movement in his side vision. A figure filled the gap between the two cars parked directly ahead of Daniel's Dodge Charger, running toward him. He didn't fully assess the situation, but it wouldn't be necessary. His brain registered a pistol in one hand, and a shiny object in the other, and that was all he needed to respond. The compact MP-9 submachine gun spit an extended burst through the driver's door window, instantly shattering the glass. Beyond the crackling cascade of glass particles on the pavement, the silencer prevented any unwarranted attention. Even from as close as one car away, an untrained civilian would only hear an unrecognizable, staccato thumping, that faintly resembled the deep bass of a serious car stereo.
The woman charging Daniel never heard a sound. The concentrated, close range burst of 9mm steel completely stopped her momentum, and slammed her unceremoniously to the pavement. She was dead before her upper back slapped the pavement with a sickening thud. Daniel heard a pistol clatter underneath one of the cars, and caught a glimpse of a police badge gripped in a bloody hand jammed up against one of the car's doors. He recognized the woman's grey business suit, and froze for a second, staring at her lifeless body. He wished she had kept walking, but understood why she hadn't. Several approaching sirens pierced his thoughts, and a large black SUV entered the parking lot near the edge of the grocery store. He tossed all of the gear into the front passenger seat and started the car, drowning the sirens with the Charger's powerful engine.
Daniel pulled the car out into the aisle and accelerated toward the back of the parking lot, reaching the end as the black Suburban careened into the same aisle. Behind the Suburban, he could see large groups of people piling out of the store, and jammed the accelerator as he turned toward Pershing Drive. The car lurched forward toward the quiet suburbs of Silver Spring, where Daniel hoped to reduce the odds even further in his favor. His plan was simple, he'd race ahead, opening some distance as they entered the twisting, crowded streets, where he'd pull the same trick he used in the grocery store.
The Suburban gained some ground as he sped past Cedar Street. Wind poured through the open window, and Daniel drove a few blocks before he realized that Pershing Drive was a one way street. Approaching headlights confirmed this, as a car's high beams flashed. The car quickly swerved to the left, as Daniel's car approached rapidly with no intention of moving. He would need to get off this road before someone didn't react quickly enough to his approach. Another street passed his car before he could make a decision, and the GPS indicated that Springvale Road was no longer an option.