As I entered the musty bar room, I saw the back of a dark-dressed guy seated at the counter. His black and white boots hung over the footrest of the bar stool. As he turned to face the man on his right, I saw an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips as if it were about to fall at his slightest utterance. Although I had never seen him before, I knew he had to be Sparky. "Got a spark?" he mumbled to the customer beside him.

I called out his name, "Sparky!"

He spun the bar stool around 180 degrees. "Who's that?"

"Caleb - Ted's big brother. He was the guy in the package store you murdered in cold blood. I'm here to reciprocate."

"Reci-what?"

"Payback for what you did to my brother."

"What...?"

"Do I have to draw you a picture?" I fired four slugs into the creep and walked out as calmly as I had stepped in.

Little did I know that this was only the beginning of being a vigilante. As someone once said - There's never a first time, only a second, a third, and so on.

One day I was walking down the street when I saw a small crowd of people. I stopped to see what was going on. Some maniac was beating up an old lady. He had her down on the pavement and was kicking her. It was a good thing he was wearing sneakers. Otherwise, he most likely would have killed her in no time. As it was, she suffered multiple injuries and was in critical condition. Maybe, had I not interfered, she would have died right then and there. While several witnesses were shooting the scene with their cell phones, I shot the culprit with my Magnum 50 AE. Maybe he didn't deserve the death penalty, but I had to save the helpless woman's life.

Then there was the time when a couple of low lives were in a jewelry store smashing cases with hammers and taking priceless items in broad daylight. I fired a couple of bullets into the store to scare them off. When one of the thieves fired back, I let him have it right between the eyes.

Yeah, I guess I was getting to be a pretty good marksman. Of course, it didn't hurt that I practiced at the firing range on weekends and at any other opportunity I could get.

Although the police hadn't caught up with me, word soon got out about a vigilante in town. And even though almost no one knew who I was, a few found me out. I started to get nervous when a couple of them began asking for favors. Of course, I refused. I preferred to be my own boss and make my own decisions. Nevertheless, I decided to lay low for a while. I spent the next few weeks out of town. But I was sure to pack a suitcase with all the necessities, including my Magnum 50.

Copyright© 2022 by Michael DeFrancesco