Free Wormwood Dawn (Episode VI) by Edward Crae Page A

headshot.
    Over to his left was a display case with various accessories. He chose a good scope, a canted mount, and a red dot sight. He also grabbed an appropriate boresighter in order to get the scope sighted without having to waste too many bullets.
    Other than that rifle, there was little else of interest. In the other room, Max and Drew were checking out the handguns and ammo supply. Dan immediately spotted the .22LR ammo. There was plenty of it left, which was surprising. Before the shit hit the fan, most retailers were so backordered on the tiny bullets that they all had a purchase limit. Here on the shelf, however, there were six boxes of high-velocity rounds.
    “Whatcha got there, chief?” Drew asked.
    Dan held the rifle up to show him. “Ruger 10/22,” he said. “For Toby.”
    “Sweet,” Drew said, smiling. “That looks like a BX-25 mag in it. There are more of them at the front counter.”
    “Cool,” Dan said. “I’ll get them all. Do you see any .22LR handguns in there?”
    “Another Ruger right here,” Max said, pointing straight down into the glass case.
    Dan grabbed the six boxes of ammo, and took the handgun. He went back to the front room, leaving Max and Drew to continue their search. As Drew said, there were two double packs of BX-25 mags, all shrink wrapped for his enjoyment. He stuffed them into his pack and slung the rifle over his shoulder.
    Toby’s gonna love this, he thought. And the kid would. With the high capacity magazine inserted, the Ruger would look badass. It would make Toby feel like he was armed to the teeth. When he got older he would definitely need something a bit larger. If he got older, that is.
    Dan shook his head in frustration as he realized what a shitty thing that was to think. Of course the kid would get older. He would make sure of it. It was his job, after all, being their elected leader. Everyone was his responsibility.
    “Dan,” Drew said from the other room.
    He turned and went back, seeing Drew standing at the top of a set of stairs. He joined him, looking down into the dimness that was only light by the flashlight in Drew’s hands.
    “I bet they keep all the stock down here,” Drew said.
    “Good point,” Dan said. “Stay here with Max. I have an idea of what I want.”
    Drew nodded and turned back to Max, who was “trying on” several different handguns. Dan descended, flicking on his own flashlight. The room at the bottom was lined with shelves, all of them full of weapons boxes. There was a single section devoted to AR-15 type rifles, and he headed straight for it.
    The box on top contained exactly what he was looking for; a .300 AAC Blackout. It was an AR-15 that was chambered for .300 caliber rounds. They were much larger than the standard .223/5.56 of the average AR, with a bit more ass to them, but with the same size cartridge. All of the equipment on his current M4A1 would be compatible, right down to the magazine.
    He grabbed the box, looking around one more time. There was little else of interest to him; mostly muzzleloaders, .17 HMRs, and an assortment of pointless accessories. One thing caught his attention, though. It was a suppressor, marked as being compatible for a Blackout barrel. Smiling, he grabbed it. There would time later on to assemble his new rifle.
    Max had chosen a .38 handgun. He examined it proudly as Drew selected some ammo and accessories for him. Dan held up his new toy, drawing a smile from Drew.
    “That’s cool,” Drew said. “Maybe Max can use your AR now. That’ll be better for him, I think.”
    Max smiled, stuffing his new handgun in his pocket. “That was always my favorite rifle in the shooter games,” he said. “I would be proud to wield it.”
    “In that case,” Dan said. “It’s yours.”
    He handed over the rifle. Max’s smile was as wide as his face as he admired it. Surprisingly, he knew exactly how to handle it. He released the magazine without a second thought, inspected the chamber, slapped