About 10:45 Just Outside of Steelville by PJ McAvoy
from Betrayal: a PUNK NOIR Magazine series
The gunshots nearly burst his eardrum.
Reilly didn’t realize how loud they’d echo in the small convenience store. It was nothing like shooting the snub-nose in the woods where each pop flicked out with a flame. He staggered backwards, a high pitch dial tone suffocating any other noise.
Who the hell was this guy, playing the hero? Old, bearded, and now sliding down the wall, holding his guts as blood pushed out through his fingers.
Reilly turned back towards the cashier.
This whole thing had gone to hell faster than a jackrabbit down a lane.
Jim’s in the Camaro, waiting outside. We’ve got to split.
He motioned with the gun. The money, put the gotdamn money in a bag. It was like being underwater. Even the light seemed different. A dull roar rose somewhere outside in the dark.
He stole another look at the guy who attacked him. Eyes closed, splayed eagle around a crushed pile of hostess cakes.
Finally, the bag. Didn’t seem like much, but it didn’t matter. He turned towards the door. Panic rose like acid reflux. Just in time for him to see the taillights of Jim’s Camaro disappear, a red blur in the Missouri night.
This story appears as part of Betrayal, a PUNK NOIR Magazine series, originally published May 2024.
Bio
PJ McAvoy is a crime fiction writer who has spent time working in graveyards, libraries, classrooms, and behind the keyboard. He works his day job in non-profit communications and lives in upstate New York.
PUNK NOIR, the online literary and arts magazine that looks at the world at its most askew, casting a bloodshot eye over the written word, film, music, television and more.
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Classic betrayal.... well done.