Passing Through Part 2

Tank's lips quiver. An intake of breath tightens his voice as he ignores the officer's threat and steps into the sunshine while the arms-folded officer still stands in the doughnut shop's doorway. Tank, facing the street, "Nevermind a cab, I'm leaving this town free of charge in a body bag anyway." Tank sees red. It's Red. The officer, with a look of incomprehension, stares at the back of Tank's hairy skull, but before the officer has a chance to retort, he follows Tank's line of vision.

Both men witness a flash of red dart out of sight and into the alleyway between the shop and the 8 Ball liquor store. Tank mumbles, "She wants me to get a glimpse," His face darkens in the sunlight with a glimmer of sweat, "just a glimpse." The officer, "What's going on here," - instinctively drops his right hand to his holstered gun, "who is that woman?" Tank, "Red." The officer, "Huh?", steps into the sunlight. He's followed by the doughnut shop's patron, a nervous shadow of a man who Tank had accosted in the shop. He also steps out onto the street and he taps the officer's shoulder.

"Off - officer, this fat bass - urd attacked me!" Tank turns around, arms high in the air, "Oh, so we're back to that again," attentive to the officer's sidearm. The officer, "Just you both - hold your horses," pulls a notepad and pen out from his outer belt.Tank notices perspiration on the butt of the still holstered glock where the officer had rested a palm for a moment. The patron, "He - " twists the hair on top of his head as if he'll make himself a ponytail. Tank, eyes riveted to the glock, says, "I read somewhere it's said that calling people fat is the last acceptable prejudice and -" - POP - The officer rapidly spins 180 degrees and bodily slopes downward until flatly aligned with the curb. Tank and the doughnut shop patron jerk their heads in the direction where the one round came from. A kid, about ten yards distance, a boy who looks to be no older than 18, holds the smoking gun which is still pointed in Tank's vicinity. Although the gunshot that's dropped the officer was louder, the voice of the menacing teen in Tank's ears reverberates the loudest just after the shooting when the teen says, "Oops."

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