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  ***

  The sun started making a break for the horizon. There wasn't much time left. Jeremy dragged the crate to the northwest corner of the building, the sun at his back. He looked over the city; the tall buildings, the cars roaming the streets, the people walking the sidewalks, all of them in danger. Not hesitating any longer, he opened the crate. Inside rested the rocket launcher and five rockets. Would five be enough? If he missed more than once, it might not, but five was all he could afford, and just barely.  Missing a target would have plenty of other consequences besides wasting ammo. He picked up a rocket and examined it. He hoped it would pierce the armor of the vehicles. The dealer had said it should.

  "About time!"

  Jeremy jumped a few inches, clutching the rocket launcher so he wouldn't drop it.

  "The heck, Grimble, don't sneak up like that!"

  Grimble, a three foot gnome, almost four if you counted his pointy yellow hat, shrugged. 

  "Sorry."

  Grimble set down a sack and hooked his thumbs under his red suspenders.

  "The southeast area is blocked as best we can, so they should have to come into the northwest area where you can hit them."

  Jeremy loaded a rocket.

  "Should? They had better! If even one gets through we could be ..."

  Grimble cut him off.

  "Hey, we've got limited energy to hold the barriers up. The fact we have to tune them to allow humans through makes it harder. "

  Jeremy looked over the rocket launcher, noting the exhaust warning stenciled near the back.

  "I guess I'm doing this right. Make sure you're not behind me when I fire this. You might lose your hat."

  Jeremy looked over the city again. Far down below a homeless man poked through a trashcan while a man in a sharp suit walked right by talking on a cell phone.

  "What if I miss?"

  After a moment, Grimble walked up beside Jeremy and placed a hand on his back and looked up at him.

  "That pendant around your neck has been blessed by the Utmost to help you hit whatever you are looking at, so keep your eyes and the laser on the target. Magic and technology work well together."

  Jeremy pulled the rockets partway out of the crate for easy grabbing.

  "Ok, I'm almost convinced I won’t screw this up."

  Grimble teetered on his toes.

  "Glad to hear it! Want something to drink?"

  Grimble pulled a glass bottle out of his sack.

  "I've got plenty."

  Jeremy glanced at the bottle.

  "No thanks; that gnome juice, or whatever it is, tastes foul, but please, don't let that stop you from enjoying a refreshing drink while the fate of the city is in my hands."

  "Suit yourself. I love this stuff. It’s been filtered through the best minerals known to gnomekind."

  "You could have brought me a soda."

  Grimble cringed.

  "Ugh, sugar, how can you mention that at a time like this?"

  Jeremy shrugged and looked over the city again.

  "I have an idea. I'll drink all of that if you fire the rocket launcher."

  Grimble grinned.

  "No can do. That charm is attuned to you, plus I can't see over the edge of the building."

  Jeremy sighed.

  "How will I know when the ..."

  An obnoxious horn blasted an eerie tune that sounded like it should be cheerful. Jeremy stiffened.

  "That would be them, I bet."

  Grimble nodded.

  "No time to waste Jeremy, take them out and worry about the consequences later."

  Jeremy shouldered the rocket launcher and scanned the streets for the source of the horn.

  "The consequences. I was ignoring those fine until you brought it up."

  Sirens wailed and Jeremy saw the red and blues of a cop car as it chased a white car with cheerful red and blue swirls painted on. A happy face grinned on each of the two doors.

  "There it is."

  Grimble spoke from right beside him, standing on the crate.

  "I couldn't bear not to watch."

  Jeremy didn't answer. He looked through the rocket launcher's scope and tried to get a bead on the moving car. It was hard to follow the erratic movements while zoomed in with the scope.

  "Slow down!"

  Grimble clucked.

  "You've got to hit them before they stop and get out."

  "I know I know, just, let me ..."

  He trailed off.

  Should he fire now? Were there people nearby? What about the cop car? His last question got an answer when jets of stringy color shot from the back of the tiny car and covered the police car's windshield. The tiny car careened around a corner and the cop tried to follow, but ran into another car. Jeremy fired.

  The rocket wooshed out of the launcher and sped towards the streets, leaving a smoky trail behind it. Jeremy did his best to keep the laser trained on the small car as it sped faster and faster through the streets. The rocket's trajectory stayed true and as the small car screeched to a stop. It pierced the passenger door right through the happy face's forehead and exploded internally. A fireball shot upwards and bits of the car flew in all directions. When the initial flames cleared, a burning husk of the car and rising red and black were the sole remains. Jeremy didn't have time to see if anyone was hurt because a second horn howled among the skyscrapers. Grimble held out the next rocket.

  "Good job, Jeremy."

  Jeremy smiled a cheerless smile and took the rocket. He loaded it while trying to see the next car. More sirens blared, but the police cars he saw appeared to be moving towards the smoking crater. God, what if someone died in the explosion? The rocket launcher trembled in his hands. Grimble pointed.

  "There!"

  Jeremy looked and saw the second car. This one had yellow flowers painted on the side. It sped along and a white gloved hand tossed candy to the people walking. Jeremy hoped that no one ate any of it. He imagined people falling over from poison, or struggling to pry their mouths open. The launcher still trembled in his hands, but he barely hit the last car in time, so he could not hesitate. He fired and the second rocket flew.

  Jeremy panicked when the car turned and stopped out of sight. He could see it, but just the reflection in the windows of a building. Unsure what to do, he aimed at the reflection. Would the laser bounce? The rocket careened towards the window. Through the scope he saw a lady standing on the other side of the reflection watching. The rocket flew right towards the woman. The woman turned her gaze and her eyes widened. His gaze followed the rocket as it neared. It turned at the last second to drill into the proper target which exploded as before. The glass of the reflecting building burst inwards. The rocket launcher trembled even more. Another plume of red and black smoke joined the other in the sky. Jeremy stood motionless. His thoughts sparked as he considered all the damage he could have done if that woman had been killed. The world seemed to stop. Had she been married? A mother? A hot pain redirected his thoughts to his chest. He looked down to see the charm glowing. He touched it and burned his finger. Grimble shouted.

  "... Are you listening to me? There are two more out there right now; you've got to get them both!"

  Jeremy shook out of his daze.

  "The charm burned me."

  "Good, that means it's working. Did you hear me?"

  "What? Two?"

  Listening, he heard two distinct honking tunes, as eerie and almost cheerful and the others.

  "I think I killed a woman."

  Grimble held out a rocket.

  "A lot more are going to die than that if your stand here worrying about it. As soon as they get on foot, silly string and candy that makes your teeth fall out will be the least of anyone's worries!"

  Jeremy grabbed the rocket to load it. His shaking hands made it difficult, but he managed. The next target revealed itself when balloon animals started pouring from the windows. They rolled along behind. Jeremy hated to think of what might be wrong with those balloons.
What if they popped? Poison gas? Spiders inside? Maybe they were just covered with germs. Balloons would attract kids. They wanted to hurt kids. He fired again and this time the rocket hit the car as it still moved. The explosion tossed it further down the road and it smashed into rear bumper of a car. The driver got out and ran. A third pyre of red and black smoke filled the sky. Grimble thrust the next rocket at Jeremy.

  "Hurry! The car has already stopped!"

  Jeremy loaded the rocket. Grimble pointed with one hand and talked with the knuckled of his other hand in his mouth.

  "This should be the last one, but they are already getting out of the car!"

  Jeremy aimed as the car's occupants climbed out. There they were, the clowns. Wild hair of orange, green, blue and pink, colorful noses, silly pants, the works. But instead of smiles painted on their mouths, big red sneers dominated their faces. They weren't painted on though. Four of them stood outside the car, with several more still inside. Jeremy stiffened as a woman with a stroller walked near the clowns. A clown with blue hair and a classic red nose bent over and waved into the stroller. With the speed of a jack-in-the-box it grabbed the front of the stroller and pulled it from the mother’s grasp and shoved it into the road. Cars swerved as the mother ran without abandon to rescue her child. Jeremy fired. A floppy purple shoe with polka dots stepped out just before the rocket hit the car. Flames burst in all directions. Jeremy watched as the clowns flew away from the blast. One ended up with his face smashed through a bus stop. Another fell in the road, wisps of red smoke curling from the burning clothing and blue hair. A truck screeched to a halt, but not before the front wheels ground the corpse, squeezing out guts like a surprise snake from a peanut can. Nothing obvious could be seen of the other two.

  No more dreadful horns haunted the air. Jeremy surveyed the city. Four plumes of red and black smoke marked each site.

  "I think we did it Grimble."

  Jeremy turned when he got no reply.

  "Grimble?"

  Grimble lay on the rooftop, green blood pooling out from where a spiked yellow and orange ball stuck into the back of his neck.

  "Grimble!"

  Jeremy looked up to see a shadow dart behind a rooftop air duct.

  Moving with haste he made his way back to the edge where the last rocket lay in the crate. He brought the launcher up to bear. The clown loomed, clad in green and black, juggling two balls in one hand. With inhuman speed the clown threw the ball into the barrel. Ducking behind the crate for cover he looked down the rocket launcher. The ball looked stuck, and seeing the spikes protruding from it made Jeremy jerk back the hand that was reaching in to pull it out. Deciding firing the launcher might make it explode, Jeremy changed his grip and held it like a bat. He peered over the crate, but saw no one.

  He rose and cautiously advanced across the rooftops, taking cover behind air vents. He heard something behind him and turned and swung the launcher. The swing was slow but connected with the incoming ball. Jeremy watched as the ball flew back towards the sneering clown that had thrown it. The clown blocked its face and the ball struck it, spikes springing out and into the hand. The clown gasped a disgusting wet and dripping cry. The laugh that bubbled out was worse. The clown rushed Jeremy with its stuck hand raised high. Jeremy backpedaled until the clown was in range and swung, smashing into the arm and the clown twisted. On it's way down one of its floppy black shoes smashed into the side of Jeremy's head, backwards. He stumbled and fell when he tripped up against the crate. The launcher clattered over the edge of the roof.

  The clown scrambled towards Jeremy as he struggled to get up and the clown got there first. It crawled onto him and raised the ball high and swung it towards Jeremy's face while laughing a sadistic, wet laugh. Jeremy caught the arm mid swing with both hands. His arms didn't hold out long and the hand came rushing down. Jeremy twisted and the hand crashed onto the rooftop. A liquid shout and slobber shot from the clowns crimson lips and the spikes drove deeper into its hand and poked through the other side. The clown ripped the ball free with its other hand and threw it away. Jeremy still struggled to get free, but could not break the hold. The clown pulled a fluffy wad of cotton candy from a pouch and pulled it tight, making it a thin strand. Jeremy struggled as the clown put all its weight against Jeremy's neck with the candy garrote. He smashed at the clown's face, pulled at its hair, but nothing affected it. Everything started going gray.

  In a last attempt, Jeremy flailed for something to grab onto. Just in reach was a bottle of Grimble's gnome juice. Jeremy grabbed it and smashed it against side of the clowns head. The bottle shattered and glass and juice splashed all over the clown's head and Jeremy's face. The clown leaped up and with a flurry of gloves clawed at its face. The skin began to bubble and hiss and red steam poured out from the wounds. Jeremy got to his feet, spitting the disgusting, salty liquid from his mouth. The clown ran at Jeremy but he sidestepped. The clown stumbled and teetered at the edge of the rooftop. Jeremy picked up another bottle.

  "Have another, it was Grimble's favorite."

  Jeremy wound up and hurled the bottle at the clown. It exploded against the clown's chest. The clown reeled backwards, arms in the air as it fell over the edge. Jeremy watched the clown flap like a bird its arms all the way down to the. When it hit the pavement it sounded like wind exiting a rubber cushion.

  Jeremy loaded Grimble onto the wagon with care and made for the elevator. Sirens sounded and drew closer to the apartment building. He hoped that no matter what happened he could bury his friend.

  ***

  Visit the Author’s site at https://thespaceturtle.com.

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  About the Author

  Justin Lowmaster is a husband and father and considered a curiosity by many. He lives in the Great Northwest and enjoys the rain, so long as he’s not driving in it. Other things he enjoys are listening to and creating podcasts, gaming of all kinds, and pie.