"It's called a Sixteen Nine on the Street," Becky said. "I don't know what it's really called," Joe looked confused. "Sixteen for the clip," she said, "and nine for the ammunition size. See?" she held up her own pistol, comparing the two side by side. "They're nearly identical, except for that long stock on yours. Makes it look more like a rifle. Mine's semi, that one's full."
"And, we can swap back and forth on ammunition?" Joe asked.
"Just on the ammunition," Becky answered, "the clips won't fit."
"Well, with just sixteen bullets wouldn't it run out pretty quick?"
"Not pretty quick, babe, damn quick, like immediately. I think the attraction was speed, sixteen bullets in less than half a second. You can get a larger clip that'll hold two hundred."
Joe turned his head back to the other three who had been listening to Becky talk. They all seemed impressed. "I guess," he said looking around the destroyed shop, "we better get going. Is that truck of yours in pretty good shape Delbert?"
"Junker," Delbert said, "it was nice, when we left Dallas, but it's on its last leg for sure now. That's why I left it running; bitch-kitty won't start if you don't, and to be honest, I been too damn scared to stop and get another."
"Well," Joe said, "leave it. We got room in ours for all three of you."
Becky was staring around at the wrecked interior of the shop, it wasn't the damage that bothered her though, it was all the missing rifles, and guns. "Yeah, let's get out of here," she said, "this place gives me the creeps, and I for one don't want to be here in case whoever took all of this..." she gestured at the empty shop, "...returns."
Everyone, Joe included, looked apprehensively around the empty shop.
"Yeah, let’s go," Joe said hastily, as he turned and walked out the door.
They all scouted carefully around the parking lot, as they walked to the Suburban. Anyone could be hiding in this lot, Joe thought, as he looked around at the packed parking lot, anyone, anywhere. They reached the truck, Joe unlocked it, and they all climbed quickly inside. Several sighs of relief were released once Joe started the Suburban, and drove from the lot.
A half mile down the road, Delbert spotted another store and Joe cautiously pulled into the lot to have a look. He was able to drive up close to the shop, without getting out of the truck. The glass store front, including the doors, were barred by a segmented aluminum pull down door, and the store looked as though no one had as of yet been in it.
"What do you think?" Joe asked of no one in particular.
"Don't look as though it's been broke into yet," Bill replied, "gonna have to leave the truck though to be sure," he finished with an apprehensive shrug of his shoulders.
Becky pulled the nearly spent clip from the machine pistol, and clicked home the full one. "Stay here, I'll go see," she said, and she was out the passenger door before Joe could protest.
Joe shut off the truck, and got out. No way, babe, he thought as he jumped from the truck, no frigging way.
Delbert looked from Bill to Peggy. "I don't know about you, but they got the guns, and I ain't keen on staying in here without one," he said, as he opened one of the rear doors, and stepped out. He carried the empty shot gun with him as he went, and Peggy and Bill brought their guns out of the truck with them as well.
Joe was staring through the segmented burglar door into the interior of the small shop, as Delbert walked up. "What's it look like, Joe?" he asked.
Becky was back on the sidewalk, the machine pistol in her hands, sweeping the parking lot with her eyes, Peggy and Bill beside her.
"Looks like nobody got to it," Joe said, "what do you think, Dell?"
Delbert squinted into the shop. "Hard to tell, but I think you're right, Joe, it looks good to me. But this door is gonna keep us out, just like it's kept out ever one before us."
"Uh-uh," Joe said, "not me it isn't. He turned face and walked back to the Suburban.
"Look out, Dell," he said, as he started the truck, and cramped the wheel around to bring it up on the sidewalk, "saw this on a cop show once, here goes..."
Joe lined the truck up even with the front doors in back of the aluminum burglar door, backed up, and punched the gas pedal. The rear tires screeched briefly as the truck bumped up over the curb and hit the door. The truck passed through the aluminum door as if it were made of paper and barely tapped the inside glass doors before Joe locked up the brakes. The lite tap on the doors was all it took to shatter the safety glass. Joe reversed the truck, and backed down off the sidewalk. He cramped the wheel once more, and shut off the truck, leaving it almost where it had been in the first place. He got out and looked over the front of the truck; there was not even a single scratch to show where the massive bumper had connected with the aluminum door, and then the glass. He stood up from his examination of the bumper, and was surprised to see everyone staring at him.
"What?" he said. "I told you I saw it on a cop show once. Of course I didn't know it would work so well," he finished grinning.
"You're an animal, Hon," Becky said, grinning back.
"Well folks," Joe said as waved his arm at the store, "looks like the stores open after all."
Delbert, Bill, and Peggy, were all grinning too, and Delbert said, "If I ever lock myself
