OWN THE NIGHT

It had been three days since the power went out, and no one had any idea of what disaster had befallen their quiet, little suburb. Lights and automobiles had just quit functioning, and any radios that worked just had the sound of static and dead air.

During the day, the occupants of this small neighborhood would venture out to see if anyone had heard any news about what was happening; but at night, each family huddled in the darkness of their homes. The only light was coming from distant fires burning somewhere in the city, a mere 10 miles away.

It was the fourth day when Henry noticed the house at the end of the street had been vandalized. A few windows were shattered, and the front door was wide open. That very night, he heard Doug, his next door neighbor, opening his garage door to pull out a mountain bike with a small, attached trailer. Henry had always thought Doug was a little strange; even so, taking a bike ride after dark and under these conditions just didn’t make sense. He had no idea that he would never see Doug again.

There are times when thermal units are the better choice for spotting your “game,” but night vision offers better identification abilities.

It was only an hour or so later that Henry heard the sounds of someone outside. Thinking that Doug might have returned and that he might have gathered some information about the current state of affairs, Henry opened his front door. He stood on his porch, silhouetted by the light from a single candle burning in his living room as he peered into the darkness.

His family would never know if Henry felt the pellets entering his body. Did he feel the pain before he saw the muzzle flash and heard the sound of the shotgun being fired?