"A shooting? Down by the

Seaside Rest

you say?" the tanned, lean forearm powered the hand that was holding a brown bottle of lager. Between the index finger and thumb was dark blue star tattoo. The

blue

was dark enough that most would describe it as

black

.

"Yeah! And even stranger, Jimmy. The victim was actually at the motel months ago as part of some raid."

"A shooting. And a raid? What in tarnations is happening down there? That motel was always real quiet. Real peeaceful."

"Right! Right?"

Jimmy sat down on the barstool. He usually always stood by the bar. But right now he had to collect his thoughts. Things were feeling a bit too different. It was evening. He had come into Dockside after work for the usual three or four lagers before heading home. But the bar had been quieter, the air cooler. Where was everyone? The bartender just shrugged.

It wasn't until halfway into his second beer that Lafou came in nearly breathless. Neither the bartender or Jimmy used a cell phone. And this is how Jimmy had found out why nobody was at Dockside. They were all down by the Seaside Rest. Gazing at the crime scene. Shooting. Never would've Jimmy imagined such a thing happening in this town. His town. What was the world coming to?

He thought. Sat there. staring straight into space. Sipping more 

beer

. Wondering.

"Lafou. you said they raided the Seaside?"

"Yeah!"

"Raid makes it sound like. It was official?"

"Well it seemed like they had permission to do it. Matthew said they had no way to sue and the police wouldn't touch it."

"That just sounds like a gang to me."

"But it wasn't a gang. Matthew said at least. It was more like. More like military."

"My God," Jimmy said. He then thought it in his head once more. "My God."

After God, he thought about his 

guns

. He had six back at home. One in his truck in the parking lot. He was thinking he needed to buy more ammo. Start getting together with the boys. Round up a militia. War was coming. 

war

, he thought. "My God."