his hand. Seeing the red rose of bright blood blossom in the centre of Nathan’s forehead, right between the eyes, making the skull bounce and judder with the force of the bullet’s exit through the back of the head.
“Now why did you do a thing like that for, Roy? He’d have been better alive.”
“I know that. But I want revenge. I want to see all seven of those men dead in front of me. That’s one.”
He reached over and tugged a sheet off the bed, throwing its snowy whiteness over the ravaged corpse, noting with a passing interest the way it stuck to the place where blood still flowed. The redness seeping through the linen like ink through blotting paper.
“There. Come on now, Bill. I know how bad I messed up on that one, and I don’t aim to do it again. Before we try for number two, I’m going somewhere to get me some practice with this,” holstering the warm gun. “Next time things are going to be different, I can promise you that.”
At that moment, Doc Newton appeared in the doorway looking in horror at the sheeted body of Nathan. Blood still trickled down his own forehead where Klyne’s gun barrel had knocked him cold.
“That’s awful. You two….you don’t know what you’ve done. Senator Nathan won’t rest till he’s hounded you down. His son was in my care.”
Bates and Klyne pushed by him, Bates pausing at the front door. “Well, Doc. I guess it looks like you just lost another patient.”
Practice Makes Perfect
With the first victim of the killer group of seven, the master mind, laid down under and taken care of Klyne ‘the Hunter’ the ex-cop and his friend Bates had to be more careful with their task at hand. Their encounter with Joe Nathan was a very close call, they almost ended as dead meat because of their impulsive attitude.
Klyne realized that his three year lay off from the police force had made him rusty in all aspects, his reflexes, his keen senses, and most important of all his police way of thinking which was once lightening fast and finally his trigger finger. They were all off target by a mile.
It took nearly three weeks before Klyne was satisfied. Three grueling weeks of self disciplined practice to put his mind to the task at hand specially getting his once deadly gun hand in proper condition. Bruised hands and bleeding fingers. The thumb and fingers of his right hand that worked the trigger of his gun were red-raw, but he wouldn’t stop. Every morning he was out soon after sun-up. Relentlessly driving himself on. Recovering the old speed and accuracy.
The way he’d fumbled the killing of Nathan had appalled Klyne. Time was he’d have faced a man like Nathan, even with the toy Derringer ready in his hand, and still reckoned that his own speed would have been enough to pluck him down before the other man could squeeze the trigger.
Klyne and Bates, both had agreed that the small town had become too hot for them for the time being. Leaving money and instructions with a very close associate, they had left town under cover in case Senator Nathan sought revenge for the killing of his son.
Klyne and Bates had travelled together part of the way but parted when they reached a certain less known town. Bates went north to stay with a relative of his and Klyne continuing on to a another small town to join a friend of his from the police. His friend was away in the big city, but his wife fed Klyne and kept silently out of his way while he practiced with his gun.
The two friends met again after three weeks. “I reckon we are safe from pursuit so it’s better we get moving once again.” Bates told Klyne.
“I’m ready. Near as I can judge, I’m about as fit as I ever was. I won’t let us down again, Bill.”
Bates had changed in the three weeks that they’d been apart. He’d put on some weight, and his eyes looked puffy and bloodshot.
The nearest man on their target list was the man from
“Now why did you do a thing like that for, Roy? He’d have been better alive.”
“I know that. But I want revenge. I want to see all seven of those men dead in front of me. That’s one.”
He reached over and tugged a sheet off the bed, throwing its snowy whiteness over the ravaged corpse, noting with a passing interest the way it stuck to the place where blood still flowed. The redness seeping through the linen like ink through blotting paper.
“There. Come on now, Bill. I know how bad I messed up on that one, and I don’t aim to do it again. Before we try for number two, I’m going somewhere to get me some practice with this,” holstering the warm gun. “Next time things are going to be different, I can promise you that.”
At that moment, Doc Newton appeared in the doorway looking in horror at the sheeted body of Nathan. Blood still trickled down his own forehead where Klyne’s gun barrel had knocked him cold.
“That’s awful. You two….you don’t know what you’ve done. Senator Nathan won’t rest till he’s hounded you down. His son was in my care.”
Bates and Klyne pushed by him, Bates pausing at the front door. “Well, Doc. I guess it looks like you just lost another patient.”
Practice Makes Perfect
With the first victim of the killer group of seven, the master mind, laid down under and taken care of Klyne ‘the Hunter’ the ex-cop and his friend Bates had to be more careful with their task at hand. Their encounter with Joe Nathan was a very close call, they almost ended as dead meat because of their impulsive attitude.
Klyne realized that his three year lay off from the police force had made him rusty in all aspects, his reflexes, his keen senses, and most important of all his police way of thinking which was once lightening fast and finally his trigger finger. They were all off target by a mile.
It took nearly three weeks before Klyne was satisfied. Three grueling weeks of self disciplined practice to put his mind to the task at hand specially getting his once deadly gun hand in proper condition. Bruised hands and bleeding fingers. The thumb and fingers of his right hand that worked the trigger of his gun were red-raw, but he wouldn’t stop. Every morning he was out soon after sun-up. Relentlessly driving himself on. Recovering the old speed and accuracy.
The way he’d fumbled the killing of Nathan had appalled Klyne. Time was he’d have faced a man like Nathan, even with the toy Derringer ready in his hand, and still reckoned that his own speed would have been enough to pluck him down before the other man could squeeze the trigger.
Klyne and Bates, both had agreed that the small town had become too hot for them for the time being. Leaving money and instructions with a very close associate, they had left town under cover in case Senator Nathan sought revenge for the killing of his son.
Klyne and Bates had travelled together part of the way but parted when they reached a certain less known town. Bates went north to stay with a relative of his and Klyne continuing on to a another small town to join a friend of his from the police. His friend was away in the big city, but his wife fed Klyne and kept silently out of his way while he practiced with his gun.
The two friends met again after three weeks. “I reckon we are safe from pursuit so it’s better we get moving once again.” Bates told Klyne.
“I’m ready. Near as I can judge, I’m about as fit as I ever was. I won’t let us down again, Bill.”
Bates had changed in the three weeks that they’d been apart. He’d put on some weight, and his eyes looked puffy and bloodshot.
The nearest man on their target list was the man from
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