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The more well to do among the dumpers screamed and yelled, while the local boys casually reached into their trucks n cars. As they pulled out shotgun, rifle and pistol, I supposed they were looking forward to a turkey shoot of sorts. But as some hefted their weapons to their shoulders, suddenly the air was filled with bullets coming from the direction of the trees!

Most of the hunters dove for the shelter of their wheels, while others started firing back, and not necessarily at the walking corpses who seemed confused by the ruckus which exploded around them. Danny knocked me to the ground, falling beside me even as some wild bullet tore off the passenger side mirror. The two of us scooted beneath the truck as this firefight began to tear into the Dead, several bodies literally shredded to pieces where they stood.

And as the last corpse lost it’s head to something akin to an elephant gun, at least I guessed from the size of the mess it made, there were some very human shouts calling for a cease-fire.

It took several minutes for things to cool off, some of the boys unwilling to let a single shell go unused. Eventually though we were able to crawl out from our hiding place just as Carlos and some fellas I didn’t recognize emerged from the thicket.

He was smiling somewhat sheepishly, though Delgado didn’t even give the angry civilians more than a passin glance. The other mercenaries set to work mutilating the fallen dead, taking ears n scalps for belt ornaments, both Danny and me wearing serious poker-faces as their leader sauntered over.

I don’t know which smelled worse, the garbage piles or these men happily playing in the filth. Still, we’d made our choice where that was concerned, whereas this one fella in his polo shirt and expensive slacks apparently couldn’t leave well enough alone.

His puffy face poked out of that stiff collar, the middle age dumpy suit dragging two adorable pony-tailed little girls behind him as he stomped toward Delgado and into some real trouble.

"Are you cracked, man?! " shouted the fool, Carlos ignoring him for the time being, content to lean comfortably against our shot-up truck. "Some of them God-Damned bullets passed right by my kids! "

I spied the machine pistol idle in Carlos’ left hand, noting the safety was in the Off position as he smiled softly at the twins, both nervously twisting the hems of their pastel sundresses. He knelt down before them, lightly touching the girls cheeks with an angel’s caress, not giving the outraged parent the time of day.

"So girls, " the ex-felon whispered in confiding tones. " ya wanta know a secret about your daddy? "

Despite their fear the children nodded, giggling self consciously all the while the father fumed, unarmed and unable to protect them from his own foolishness. "He’s a Dick. And you should tell him to shut his trap before he gets you all killed. "

Their eyes opened wide, even as Carlos kissed the deathly pale faces, getting back to gabbin with Danny as if nothing happened. As the thug turned his back on them, the family man knew the next move was his. He took it, almost running toward his mini-van with the girls in tow.

"You on contract, Carlos? " I asked, even while the man spared an eye to watch those little girls til they left with their deeply shamed but still living dad. "Just out for some fun. " laughed the other. "Like shooting rats. So, your truck’s okay? "

"Blind on one side, but that’s all. " Danny responded easily, eager as I was to dump our stuff and find someplace to get drunk. "I’ll get it fixed easy enough, after we finish up here. "

"Collateral Damage. " Delgado remarked absently, surprising me that he even knew that phrase, distracted by a gross bit of fun goin on behind us. "I’ll catch you fellas later on. "

I’m not gonna describe the things that the boys were doing to those bodies, just that it made me think that Rake n his crew might be unlikely to stop with just the Dead. Once they got a full heat-on, that is.

Danny dropped me off at the Capshaws around eight, doing a turn-about for Willie’s even as Lori met me at the door, an eyebrow arched in curiosity at the look in my eyes. I shook my head slowly and she held it between soft hands while kissing me in sympathy.

"Daddy’s off talking to some members of the Association. " she explained carefully. "But you can come in, all the same. "

Mrs. Capshaw was watching TV, some comedy playing on the screen, without commercials which I thought odd. She waved at me, even as there was a quick interrupt for a upcoming News flash at eight-thirty.

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