• Dzama

The Gold Bullet

The rain came down like daggers and Mulley cowered with Jen and the little guy Trent in the shadows under the overpass. Trent got the strange wooden box running, cranking the iron handle with his stubby arms. He watched for the electric charges to start bouncing around. “Maybe they already came down,” said Jen. “Hope not,” said Trent, cranking away, the box creating a racket with its squeaking gears and its buzzing. Mulley stared up at the raindrops as they showered down, sparkling from the streetlight. Jen and Trent watched the box. They heard a distant dog barking furiously.

“We’re running out of time,” said Jen. “Jen, I’d like you to chill out,” Trent said. “I’m concentrating here,” He wiped his face with a chamois cloth.

“I’ve been fucking chilling out for three days now! We’re paying you a lot of money! I’m not seeing anything!” Jen screamed. Trent looked up at Mulley, who didn’t take his eyes off the falling rain. With an over-dramatic sigh, Trent went back to briskly cranking the machine. The buzzing sound became more high pitched then, and sparks were visible. “They’re coming. About a half mile away.”

“Whooo-hooo!!” said Jen. Mulley stepped out into the rain and put his hands out, palms up. Jen bounced around. “I love you, Trent! I fucking love you!” She hugged the little guy awkwardly as he continued cranking. “Careful Jen.”

More sparks bounced out of the machine, arcing to the wet sidewalk before dying. “Here they are,” Trent said, not even looking up. “Oh my God!” Jen cried out. Mulley reached his big hand upwards, opening it wide. Then he froze. Trent and Jen ran out to stand in the rain beside him, staring at his hand. He lowered it very, very slowly and they crowded around, watching the tiny people get up from where they had landed in his palm. They weren’t much larger than gnats but you could tell by the way they moved they were just like humans.

Jen held a funnel device up to her mouth to address the tiny people. “You guys made it! We’re so happy!”

“Yeah, we lost Candy,” the little man shouted up into the funnel. “But other than that we’re okay.” Jen looked at Mulley. “Candy’s dead? Oh my God!”

“Candy’s not dead,” the tiny person called up. “She went to the other side.” Just then there was a tremendous explosion and half the overpass was blown away, chunks of it raining down to the street below. A spacecraft in the shape of giant wasp blasted by. The group cringed. “See?” called the little person on Mulley’s palm. Trent had his musket out and stared up at the sky through the pouring rain. Jen took a gold bullet off Trent’s belt and set it on Mulley’s palm. The miniature people opened a door in the side of the bullet and got in, closing the door after them. Then Mulley handed the bullet to Trent and he loaded it into his musket.

The Wasp ship returned to bomb them again and Trent took careful aim with the musket. When it was close enough he fired up at it, the gold bullet piercing the side of the ship. “Good luck guys!” he shouted. Another missile blew up the rest of the overpass and the ensuing shower of debris made them all run for cover. Mulley kicked down the door of a small municipal shack on the edge of the park. Then the three rushed in and went over by the window. They stared out into the night. “I hope they made it,” Trent said. “I hope they fucking made it.”

Copyright © 2008. All Rights Reserved.

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