Chapter 6 - Zebra Pistol

            The garage didn’t look demonic in any noticeable way. No cars sat in the center of pentagrams, graffiti about Lucifer didn’t cover the walls, and dead bodies (or parts thereof) didn’t hang from hooks. Rydell was finding it harder and harder to believe that the purple man and the bleach-white girl were creatures created to inflict misery on humanity.

            The three of them sat around the garage on toolboxes or stools or whatever was handy. Rydell was still holding the black and white handgun. Wrench made herself comfortable on top of the car she had been working on and spoke.

            “Okay, Ry. I’m gonna cut right to the chase. That gun is for fending off celestials. It will only have an effect on angels, demons, or people with powers from either side. It won’t damage any physical objects, and shooting a normal human with it is no worse than making their leg fall asleep.”

            Rydell blinked. “And you’re just giving it to me?”

            Mr. Coffee nodded. “Yup. We figure you’ll need it.”

            “What if I decide to shoot you guys?”

            “We thought about that, and figured that you’re a smart boy. Infernal beings pop up and give you a weapon to take down any celestials, divine or infernal, infernal beings say they don’t care one way or the other what you decide to do, just as long as you know what’s going on. Now, if you decide to shoot one of us, the other will send you to Area 3 before you know someone moved. Unlike the angels, we don’t give a damn about you being an UV. If anything, a UV is possibly our worst nightmare.”

            “So you give your potential nightmare a gun.”

            “Rydell, do you really want to shoot us?”

            “Not really.”

            “Then why are you bringing it up?”

            “It just seems a little odd, that’s all.”

            Wrench stood up and opened a nearby cabinet, pulling out a cardboard box, about the size of a loaf of bread. She slid it across the floor to Rydell. “Just in case you decide you need to use it.”

            Rydell leaned over and opened the box. There were about two dozen black and white ammuntion clips inside of it. Rydell pulled one out, and instinctively slid the clip into the handle of the pistol until it clicked. Then the garage door slammed shut.