Page 72 of Anchored to the Storm

I glared at the sketch, fired my first bullet, and watched it hit its mark. Holy shit! “Bullseye! I did it!”

Styx motioned to me. “Barrel to the floor.”

I did as told, pointing my gun to the ground. “Did you see that?”

He rolled his eyes. “No, and neither did you, Silly Rabbit.” He hit a green button on a post. The paper fluttered as it was brought to us on a wire. As the paper got closer, Styx’s jaw began to slacken. “Maddox, can you actually see the paper when it’s way down there?”

“Yeah. You can’t?”

His upper lip snarled at his shortcomings. “No.”

Grinning, I licked my teeth. “Who is the badass now?”

“Fuck off.” He stared at the paper—at the hole in the forehead. “Beginner’s luck.”

His ego was shredded after I hit every target, right where I wanted it, with any gun he gave me.

“Fuck off!” He laughed, surrendering to my wicked aim. “How?”

“It’s my bullet, like you said, so I told the bullet where to go.”

Styx made an O shape with his mouth, then muttered, “Like riding a motorcycle with no know-how.”

Thinking of the first night we got here, I said, “Yeah, I suppose so.” But… “I did crash though.”

He shook his head with a proud smirk. “Crash. Destiny. One and the same, in your case.” He exhaled. “Glad you got the HOG back. It’s another gift from your dad.”

I jolted, my hands floating in front of me as if not knowing where to land. “W-What?”

He went to the table to set down a gun. “Yup! Had been restored for you.” He side-eyed me with a glare. “Now back in the shop.”

Oops!

As always, Styx was a great teacher. Broke down the basics in such a way that no other gun instructions felt overly complicated afterward. I wasn’t an expert by a long shot—no pun intended—but handling that sort of weapon seemed to come naturally to me.

“Your father was a hell of a shot, too.”

Damn, it felt good to know parts of him were strong in me.

“Maybe he had the gift of such control, just never knew it to be different from others.” He told me, “I feel like you lived with limitations before the age of ten, hence recognizing changes afterward.” He put a gun away. “I wonder if second nature is as strong as awareness.”

He side-eyed me again.

Silly Rabbit, say something! “Uh… Well, I’d have to say awareness is knowledge. And the more I know, the more I can take care of those I love.”

Gramps leaned back. “Ya don’t say.”

Nibbling on my bottom lip, proud, I gave myself a pat on the back.

Styx held out a black case. “This should be yours. He would’ve wanted it that way.”

Shaky hands took it. “Dad?”

He cleared his throat. “Mmhmm.” Then handed me a holster. “From me.”

The holster was slick, dark brown leather. Engraved in the leather that went around my left arm and near my heart was the phrase Boundary of the Underworld.

I was a barrier for an unknown world. It was time for me to start carrying.