They were still drinking and smoking and sitting around doing nothing but wandering around the intersection. Had to be better places for them to go, but then again they didn’t look like geniuses. Probably trying to stake out a claim or stock up on whatever they could steal from people passing by.
The sun was fully cresting the horizon now. He peered through the scope and watched as an old man pushing a shopping cart walked by. The dirt bags started in on him and started pushing him around and taunting him. Haliday couldn’t make out any of the conversation, but knew well enough that the old man was in over his head. One guy threw a quick jab into the old man’s stomach and the old man went down. They gathered around and they kicked him, then dumped beer and liquor all over him.
The old man was pleading for his life by the looks of it. They stopped and stood there for a moment. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bag which one of them grabbed and opened. He could hear the guy call out to another man. This guy came walking over and looked down at the old man and after talking to him a minute he kicked him. Evidently he was convinced the old man was hiding something more. He knelt down next to the old man and pulled out a knife, waving it at the petrified old guy.
Haliday sat there watching through the scope. He had made his adjustments long ago. The guy looked up and Haliday saw a typical piece of crap felon. The guy had a black Mohawk, tattoos all over his neck, a bushy mustache and goatee and looked exactly like the deputy said he would. Haliday already had his breathing under control, exhaled, felt his heart fall between beats and squeezed the trigger. Only 600 yards out and the round still reached the target before the report did. The old man on the ground went limp.
The old man had no idea what the hell happened, but knew better than to get up. The worst thing he had to endure right now was the blood and tissue that had peppered him as the ringleader’s head came apart. Almost instantaneously there came another report from the opposite side of the intersection somewhere down the street.
Haliday had instructed Mike not to take aim, but merely wanted the shot to be heard to confuse the band of prisoners. Mike had gotten beaten pretty good and with swollen eyes Haliday knew it would be a wasted shot, so there was no sense in him exposing himself.
This worked like a charm. The scum bags didn’t know which way to run for cover. They were hiding on both sides of the debris. A couple took off running down the Northern side street. Haliday took these guys to be the lightweights, most likely serving a year or less for crap like breaking and entering or assault, but nothing major.
The few guys still there were more hardcore. These were the felons waiting to go do some serious time in a state or federal pen or guys easily lured into a life of promised crime and ruling through fear. You always had guys who could not think for themselves and liked to be told what to do all the time.
As this group started looking around, Haliday just waited. Even with the sun over his back he wasn’t giving up his position just yet. No sooner had they looked the other way toward Mike’s direction when Haliday squeezed off another round. He had miscalculated his breathing and this one dropped a little low striking the next guy in the base of the neck.
With half of the man’s neck gone, the body just slumped down with a small spurt of blood from his jugular every couple seconds from a heart that just had a few beats left. Mike’s rifle report came just as quick. This time however he hit the frame of the gator. They all moved over to Haliday’s side of the wreckage.
They looked up and down the street trying to find Haliday. Another guy took the opportunity to take off and headed out at a full sprint. Of the two men left, one guy leveled a shotgun and dropped the deserter with a shot spread to his lower back. He tumbled forward and then squirmed on the ground.
The other man looked up the street again toward Haliday, and started shooting at what he thought might be a good hide. The AR wasn’t going to reach out at 600 yards accurately, but a wild shot would ruin the day just as easily. Haliday was not sure how many rounds they had at their disposal.
Haliday tried to count the number of rounds fired at him. A bullet hit the mailboxes and that was a bit too close for comfort. He just laid there waiting. The idiot with the shotgun was pumping round after round and firing it up the street as well. What the hell does he think he’s going to hit? Haliday, thought to himself. The shotgun was out of rounds real quick. He knew by the pause the gun was empty and when it didn’t fire again he knew it was out of ammo. One gun down one to go, Haliday thought.
Haliday darted his eyes left and right quickly and could see people peeking out their windows. Why don’t you morons just come on outside and watch the show, he said to himself. I could use the distraction. The AR was still blindly searching for him. Mike had fired a few more shots toward them and the guys spun toward Mike’s direction, but couldn’t spot him.
He was hiding behind some bushes and blended well, until Haliday saw Mike’s muzzle flash and watched the AR come up and take aim at Mike’s position and fire four quick shots. Haliday quickly readjusted himself and squeezed off one more shot. This one was dead center to the back of the head.
The AR dropped to the ground and Haliday took aim on it instantly and put his fourth and final round of the fight through the receiver, rendering the rifle useless. He sat and watched for about 15 minutes as the last guy sat there shaking. Mike had stopped firing and Haliday wasn’t sure he was still alive. He wouldn’t be going to check either. Whether Mike was alive or not would be answered soon enough.
Haliday scoped the area and didn’t see anything other than the last man sitting there, the guy with the shotgun blast squirming around on the ground and the old man who was now trying to get up. He was about to get up when he saw another man come out from behind the party store and approach the old man with a revolver in his hand. “Damn it,” Haliday said. He was readying the shot when he saw this guy reach down and extend a hand to the old man and helped him up.
Haliday controlled his breathing and heart rate again and kept careful aim. The old guy steadied himself on his shopping cart. The guy with the pistol then walked over to the prisoner sitting there shaking and pointed the pistol at him. Haliday watched through the scope as this man executed the guy with either little or no remorse.
He then watched him walk over to the squirming figure and did the same. He reached down and grabbed the bag the guy was holding. Turning back around; he helped the old man with the shopping cart get back to the sidewalk and gave him the bag back. That explained why his buddy shot him. No honor amongst thieves or something like that.
Haliday waited another 15 minutes or so, and then satisfied he was safe, he rose up and packed up his rifle and rolled up his mat. He looked down at the trash. He wasn’t about to pick it up. He looked toward a couple of the houses and at the people sneaking peeks between the curtains.
He looked at one guy and gave him a thumbs up sign; the guy returned it with a thumbs up. Haliday walked back toward the Tahoe. This had been an intense morning. Looking down at his watch, it had actually only been a total of about 10 minutes from the first shot until the last, if even that long.
Reaching the Tahoe, he opened it up, looked around and saw more people looking at him through half open doors and parted curtains. He threw his gear in, climbed behind the wheel, started the Tahoe, and turned the ham on. “You there Mike?” he said. Linda came on and said he was at the table having a drink. She asked Haliday if he was ok. Oh ya, absolutely run of the mill morning is what he wanted to say but he was too tired. He just said, “Yes, see you guys in a few minutes, have the garage door open.”