Free Collision Course by David Crawford

began to eat as she went back inside. DJ watched as the man finished his dinner with the aid of the flashlight. He finally set the tray to the side and doused the light. DJ could still see him through the goggles as if it were daytime. He saw the man pick up the shotgun and rest it across his lap. DJ scooted to a more comfortable position and continued watching.
    It took a long time, but the man’s head began to nod down and then jerk up suddenly. As time passed, his head would stay down longer and longer until finally it nodded down for good. DJ moved his legs slightly as he watched to make sure the storeowner wasn’t going to wake up. After half an hour, he carefully stood and walked back to his camp. Once there, he got the two empty gas cans and a small pair of high-quality bolt cutters out of the trailer. With the aid of the night-vision goggles, he was able to get back to the store undetected.
    The owner was still slumped over in his chair across the street. It was so dark that DJ doubted the man would be able to see him even if he did wake up. He put the cans down next to the tank cover and walked to the back of the store. These doors were padlocked top and bottom just like the front doors. DJ took the bolt cutters and put them on the top lock. As quietly as he could, he pushed the handles together. With some effort, the lock gave way. It made a metallic snapping noise as it broke.
    DJ peeked around the corner. The owner was still sleeping. DJ felt that if he had attacked the locks on the front, the man might have heard. He returned to the back doors and cut the bottom lock off. He entered the store and found the manual pump. It was a little unwieldy for one person, but he was able to get it out to the tank. He removed the cover, stuck the long hose down into the tank, and began to pump the gas into his cans.
    When he was changing from the first can to the second, the short hose hit the empty can on the side, sounding like a bass drum. DJ froze and looked across the street. His heart skipped a beat when the man moved, but he only shifted in his chair, never looking up. DJ finished filling the second can. He capped both of them and then carried them behind the store. He returned to get the pump and lugged it back into the building. Walking up to the cash register, he found a pen and a notepad. He scribbled down: “For ten gallons of gas and two padlocks.” Then he set the hundred-dollar bill Jacob had given him on the counter and put the note on top. He walked out the back and closed the doors. Picking up the bolt cutters, he made his way back to camp and started his ride.
    This was the most dangerous part of his plan. He had to get the bike past the sleeping guard and load the gas without waking the man up. He drove slowly, the engine on his quad at little more than an idle. Watching each house as he passed it, he saw no sign that anyone was aware of his presence, but his heart was beating in trepidation nonetheless. As he got within sight of the man on the porch, he stopped and watched him for a couple of minutes. Satisfied that he was still sleeping soundly, DJ pulled the big bike behind the store and quietly loaded the gas onto his trailer. He now had plenty of gas to make it to his hideaway. He smiled as he climbed back on the quad and pulled onto the road.
    * * *
    The hot sun shined through the window and onto Gabe’s face. His eyes blinked open, and he tried to straighten himself in the chair. His hand went to his neck and rubbed the muscles that had tightened up from sleeping slumped over. He realized that his neck hurt worse than his head did. That almost never happened. He looked at the bottle. It wasn’t even half-empty. That, too, was rare. He made his way into the bathroom, and when he tried to turn on the light, the events of yesterday came back to him. He grabbed a few aspirin tablets, but when he turned on the faucet, only a dribble of water came out.
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