Savages

218

Chon rides the pony down to Calexico, right on the border.

Etymology obvious:

California

Mexico

Calexico.

The name reflects the reality. You take a walk in old downtown Calexico you aren’t sure which country you’re in. Truth is, you’re in neither and both.

Chon goes to see this man he knows. You meet some interesting people around the edges of the elite forces thing. Guys who dig the scene, probably a little too much, for a lot of different reasons. And probably more of these guys cluster around the border, again for a whole lot of reasons.

Some of them see themselves as Davy Crockett.

Except this time they keep the Alamo.

You look at Barney, you don’t think elite forces. You think pudgy Smurf with bottle glasses, bad breath, and lung cancer.

Anyway, Barney is happy to see Chon.

“What can I do you for?”

“A Barrett.”

That is, a Barrett Model 90. A humongoid sniper rifle that can send a .50-cal bullet into a target with accuracy from a mile away.

“Jesus, who are you going to shoot with that?” Barney asks.

“Cans,” Chon answers truthfully.

“My man,” Barney says.

Yeah, it’s that kind of world.

Chon buys the Barrett and a 10X Leupold M-type scope to go with it.