“If we go in there I have a bad feeling we’re not coming back out.” said Tabehul.
“You’re just wired up from that sauce.” I said as I clicked six shiny shells into my gun.
“What if he has a gun?”
“Well, I assume he does. He killed someone a couple weeks ago if we’re to believe the paper.”
“Thats’ just it.” Replied Tabehul as he felt the gun in his jacket pocket.
“Let’s go.., there’s nothing to worry about.”
We pushed through the door and walked down the isle of candy, condoms, and bug spray, past the display of cheap jade jewelry and flip flops, the bottles of sunscreen and foot sprays and up to the counter which stood very high before us since we were both about four feet tall. Tabehul pointed at the carpet to a large stain that covered about 9 square feet. “There’s where the fucker died.” He said under his breath.
We stood at the counter for about thirty seconds before the proprietor came out from behind the drugs and asked us how he could help us. We pulled out our guns at the same time and I said, “Hand over all the cash you’ve got back there and all your morphine.”
“I’ll be damed if I will.” He said.
“Do you want to die today?” Asked Tabehul.
“You can’t kill me you little fuck wads.” He said as he wiped his forehead with a bright white kerchief. He reached over to a bottle of something, took off the lid, and started to measure out some of the liquid into a smaller jar. He was acting like we weren’t even there and I can tell you that when someone behaves like that under the barrel of a gun it will sure make you nervous. If nothing else it indicates that they are insane and not likely to react to the usual exhortations.
I reached up and banged the butt of my gun on the counter top which caused the small bottle he was filling to almost tip over but he grabbed it with a movement that was so fast that it didn’t make sense.
“You bang that counter again and I’ll put some strain on you.” Said the pharmacist.
“I’m gonna pop a shell through your brain pan mister.” Said Tabehul as he sort of jumped sideways from one foot to the other.
“You’re congenital.” said the pharmacist “I could give you a pill that might make you grow a some nose hair but it won’t help your brain.”
“Sir,” I said, “Please believe me, we’ll kill you. We really will. Just give us the cash.”
The pharmacist took out his handkerchief and wiped his forehead and then his mouth. He put it back in his pocket and then poked Tabehul in the eye with his finger and slapped me on the nose with such speed that the hair stood up on my head. Tabehul fell to the ground howling in pain with one hand over his injured eye and the other reaching around for his gun and I felt my nose to see if it was broken or bleeding.
“Now boys,” said the pharmacist, “I can outdraw you both by orders of magnitude. I have a gun back here and I’ll happily blow your brains out, assuming you have any, which I doubt. Now you want to buy some rubbers or magazines then go to it. Other wise…, clear out.”
“I don’t believe this.” I said. “How the hell can you move so fast mister? I’ve never seen anyone move that fast.”
The next thing I knew, there was a gun pushing on my nose and the pharmacist was laying halfway across the counter. I didn’t even see it happen. It was unbelievable.
“I practiced for years on people just like you who think they can just come in here and have anything they want. I realized that the quick and the dead were real elements of life and so I chose the quick. Now what do you think you should do you punk?”
“OK, Ok,” I said in a nasal voice, “we’ll clear out.”
I helped up Tabehul who was still whimpering and I noticed the stain again. I started walking out and then I turned and asked why he killed the guy a few weeks ago instead of demonstrating his superiority with the draw.
“I shot him because he was a spic.”
“So, you’re a prejudiced quick draw. That’s a bad combination.”
“Now just what the fuck’s wrong with being particular about who you shoot?”
“I guess it’s what you’re particular about in a given case that matters. Like, I’m glad you’re not particular about midgets.”
“You’re midgets? I thought you were kids!”
The two shots were so fast that it sounded like one big bang and Tabehul’s appropriately tiny last thought was, “I was finally right.”
