The Ghost Gun by Gareth Lewis

Author:Gareth Lewis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: speculative action science fiction urban fantasy, pulp crime thriller, secret society sects hidden world history, secret war mystery political intrigue suspense, police procedural detective underworld fixer, zombies ghosts technologized magic artifacts, corporate policing mundane wonder
Publisher: Gareth Lewis

Chapter 23

Jimmy felt out of place, despite having dressed down. The neighbourhood had enough places foreclosed on that it didn’t take much poking about to find a suitable vantage point that shouldn’t draw attention.

He first walked by looking for signs of vacancy. Then he rang the bell, prepared to conjure some garbage to explain his presence. The closer inspection confirmed his suspicions of three residences, a couple of others having signs of habitation if no response.

He selected the one with the fewest signs of habitation among neighbouring houses, and circled around to go in the back way. It was obviously vacant when he got inside, and offered a good view of his target.

Nothing in the area rang any alarms. It was a relatively sleepy neighbourhood. Some houses might once have been respectable, but time and life had a way of tarnishing such veneers, revealing the world for what it truly was. He’d never much cared for surface appearance.

Dubois’ place looked no different from its neighbours, with little in the way of obvious security. He didn’t intend breaking in, but it was habit to check. She hadn’t emerged since he’d been here. Not out the front, at least. There was no real way out at the back, other than over the fence, which was an unlikely exit unless she was spooked. He’d need to concern himself with that when he approached the house, but for now he was confident she was unaware of his interest.

He was reluctant to go in, despite having seen nothing to give him pause. It couldn’t be the company he kept. The ghosts were hardly sparkling conversation, and he had to constantly shoo the bird from perching on the coffee cup. He’d make one more circuit of the block before going in, to see if he could find anything to explain his hesitation.

He went out the way he’d come in, seeing no sign he’d been spotted.

The neighbourhood appeared unchanged from his earlier circuit. He thought he spotted a car going slow behind him, but it turned off. He passed a door to an out-of-business laundromat. If the bird hadn’t been flying about his head, he might have reacted before being yanked into the building and shoved across the room.

Jimmy just about kept his footing, stumbling away from his attacker as he regained his balance and glanced around.

There was only the one guy, closing the door rather than following up his attack. His mistake.

In the second it took the man to turn, Jimmy drew his Heckler & Koch, and aimed it at the man’s chest.

‘You’ve got my attention,’ said Jimmy. ‘Any reason I shouldn’t shoot you?’

The man faced him, then strode forward, showing little interest in the gun.

To further question him, and in case his courage came from body armour, Jimmy lowered the gun to target the man’s leg. He fired, hoping a single random shot could be written off by any locals in earshot.

The man shuddered at the hit, but continued advancing. There was enough light to note the lack of blood.

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