"Wait, what? What's going on; is Nick alright?" Judy asked frantically, hoping he hasn't done anything stupid. She knows the fox can be very impulsive when he gets emotional.
"Yah he's fine; just really, really drunk at the moment," Earl replied, slight annoyance apparent in his voice. At least he didn't go and get himself hurt, she thanked; however…
"How drunk?" Judy inquired. There was a pause and Judy heard another voice- that she could only assume to be Nicks- talking with Earl. "No, stop it. You can say hi to her when she comes and gets you," she could hear Earl argue with Nick.
"Very," he finally answered, clearly being flustered. Judy seethed with a sigh and looked dreadfully down at her phone. Nick getting super drunk is basically like him being 6 again. The damn fool acts like a kit and you can't get him to do anything. It's not like I've already had had enough problems with him today the bunny inwardly screamed.
"I mean I'd love to help him, but I have no idea where he lives, and you two are pretty close anyways. Also, something's got him super depressed; that's what got him into this mess in the first place. He wouldn't tell me anything, so hopefully when he sobers up you two can talk abou… Cut it out Nick," Earl suddenly shouted. "Sorry, he keeps trying to take my phone," he said. "So can you come pick him up please, before he gets himself into trouble."
"Yah," Judy sighed, "just tell me where you are and I'll come pick him up." She really did not want to do this. With everything that has already happened today this was going to be beyond awkward for the doe. Not to mention the stress she was going to have trying to handle Nicks drunken persona. She's only had to deal with it on one other occasion, and it was one of the most miserable, ear pulling nights of her life.
"Great! Please hurry up, though, I don't know how long I can keep him entertained. "
"I'll be there as soon as I can, see you then," Judy said as she hung up her phone. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let out a long "uhg".
"What was that all about?" Judy looked up to see Hayden coming from the kitchen holding an assortment of snacks. She never understood how he could eat so much, but still not have an ounce of fat on him.
"Nick went and got himself drunk," Judy groaned. "Now I have to go pick him up and take him home." She was already having regrets of accepting to do this. She could of just told Earl where Nick lives, but no she had to agree to go and take care of him. This is kind of my fault anyways she figured, which she guesses is why she felt slightly obligated to go and help him.
Hayden gave her an amused smile, "I've only been here a day and you two have already shown me enough drama for my liking," he snickered. "And we have nearly 300 siblings to put up with."
Judy gave him a death glare, "You can never keep your thoughts to yourself, can you?"
He gave a half shrug, plopping down on the couch, "Not really, it's kind of my thing."
She ignored the comment, not wanting to engage in an argument already having enough to deal with. She got off the couch and picked up her keys; luckily Bogo had sent over a couple officers to drop off another squad car for her and Nick to get to work with. Judy bets when Chief sent them the cruiser, he probably wasn't expecting it to be used to pick up a certain drunk fox cop.
"I'm probably not going to be home tonight, so goodnight and good luck at college tomorrow," she said to Hayden.
"See yah, Jude," he waved good-bye as she closed the door. "And no taking advantage of him," the buck shouted out. He had to laugh as he could just see the embarrassment on his sister's face. Probably going to pay for that one later.
"For the last time Nick, she'll be here when she gets here," It had been about fifteen minutes since Earl ended the call with Judy, and for a majority of that time after he was constantly getting pestered by Nick asking when she would be here. It got to the point where he had to drag Nick outside for making such a big commotion.
"I just want to see my Carrots; my wonderful, beautiful , amazing Carrots," Nick praised the rabbit. Though still annoyed, Earl couldn't help but smile as he witnessed the fox swoon over his partner. You're lucky this will make a good story for the others. If you thought that the wolf was above filming his co-workers drunk, then you would be wrong. He was recording everything the wasted vulpine was doing and, more importantly, saying. "I almost feel bad for doing this," he chuckled. Call it payback for ruining his night off.
The sight of a police cruiser brought relief to the wolf as it was parked and Judy jumped out from it. She rushed over to the other two, her eyes not leaving her partner.
"Judy!" Nick drunkenly cheered upon seeing her. He zipped over to her and brought her into a tight embrace. "I've missed you," he cried out.
"Nick, put me down," she shouted, causing Nick to flinch. He looked hurt by her yelling which made Judy feel even worse than she already did, but that's how you have to deal with a drunken Nick. Nick set her down and gazed at the ground, shoulders slouched.
"Ahh, you broke the poor guys heart," Earl chuckled. You have no idea, The rabbit thought as she turned to the wolf.
"Thanks for looking after him; I'm sure he'll appreciate it," Judy said.
"No problem. I'm just glad nothing too bad happened. Who'd a thought Nick would be like this drunk," he chuckled seeing the fox recovered from Judy yelling, and back trying to cling on to the poor rabbit.
"Yah, it's not fun," she sighed, keeping Nick at bay. "Its even worse the day after."
"I can only imagine," Earl gave a slight cringe. "Anyways, I'm going to try and enjoy the rest of my night. I've got a lot to process in the lab tomorrow," he softly groaned. He walked back into the bar waving goodbye to the two.
Judy gave a wave back, then returned her attention back to the problem: Nick. The bunny was still trying to keep him off of her, but she was starting to have troubles; Nick was being very persistent. It was about this time that the events of earlier that night came crashing into her head which made looking at him a lot harder. It was obvious that drinking had caused Nick to forget all of that, an indication of his actions, but it was all still very fresh on her mind.
"Come on Nick, let's get you home," she sighed, pulling the fox along with her. He followed with no complaint, happy to go wherever she was. Her hope was that by the time they reached his apartment Nick would be worn down, and would just pass out. The likeliness of it happening that way were slim to none, but she figured she was due for a break.
Nicks place wasn't to far from the bar, so it wasn't long before they were entering into his apartment. It wasn't easy getting him there; trying to get him out of the car, into the building, onto the elevator, down the hallway and in here was a nightmare in itself, and that wasn't even mentioning his constant kittish attitude. There was no shortage of looks they got making their way to his room.
"Nick, just calm down," Judy whiningly pleaded as she started to get fed up with this already. Her hopes started getting farther from her grasp.
"But Carrots," Nick drawled, "I juuuuust want to have fuuuun," he drunkenly sang out, dancing around his apartment.
"You have to go to sleep, we have work tomorrow," Judy voiced, starting to violently tap the ground with her foot. She had an easier time taking care of her hundreds of younger siblings.
"Pfft, I don't need sleep. I can go on like this for days," Nick poised gleefully. "Unless of course, you give me something," he taunted playfully.
"And what would that be?" Judy sighed, expecting it to be something stupid.
"I'd really enjoy if you gave me a kiss," he giggled puckering up his lips. Judy's ears immediately flushed. Damn you Nick, she thought, covering her face. Of course he had to forget what happened today, and now he was just messing with her emotions unintentionally. This offer definitely didn't help the situation.
"Nick, I can't," she started, but was stopped by the sound of a large 'thud'. She looked curiously over to the source of the sound thinking Nick had knocked something over; instead she saw Nick passed out on the ground. She let out a breath of relief, happy she didn't have to explain to a drunk Nick why they couldn't kiss. As well as being glad that he'd just passed out, so she didn't have to deal with him anymore. She looked down at the fox and couldn't help but giggle at the position he was in. He'd somehow managed to have his feet dangling in the air as he was propped upside down off the couch. "That's a photo for later," she whispered as she took a picture of Nick.
When she put her phone away, the bunny had to silently groan to herself; she was going to have to drag him to his bed. Hopefully he was lighter than he looked. Judy grabbed under his arms and slowly started pulling him towards his room. "Definitely not lighter than he looks," she griped.
After Judy finally got the fox into his bed, she thought to herself if she should just go home now. She wanted to sleep in her own bed, and see Hayden off to his first day of college. But she felt like she should stay to make sure Nick gets up tomorrow and help him with his hangover. In the end she decided she would stay and sleep on the couch. Luckily she has a spare uniform here, so she'd be able to go directly to the precinct from Nick's apartment. The only thing she was not looking forward to tomorrow would be facing Nick; that was going to be utterly terrible.
The annoying buzz of an alarm clock got a very irritable fox to smack it off. For the third day in a row, Nick woke up with a massive headache pounding in his head. This time, though, the fox couldn't put the blame on a concussion from an explosion; he had only himself to blame for this. He let out a prolonged groan as he tossed around in his bed, feeling the consequences of the hangover from last night's actions. He started to slowly open his eyes, but immediately clenched them shut when the burning sensation of the light hit. Nick silently cursed himself, irked by his own immature actions. I'm over 30, and I'm acting like some broken hearted teen, he growled in annoyance. He honestly can't remember much about the bar. The last thing he recalled was someone he recognized coming over, then he downed his drink; from there everything's just a blur. This got Nick to wonder how he managed to get back home. He was well aware of how he acts when drunk, having seen many videos Finnick recorded of him, so he knows he's not the most mature or responsible while under the influence. He wished he could lay there and just try and sleep it off, but Chief wanted him back at work today and Nick knew Bogo wouldn't be pleased if he called in sick. Reluctantly, he dragged himself to the side of the bed so he was in a sitting position. He cautiously opened his eyes, trying to adjust to the light. When he could finally see, his attention was brought over to his night stand where he saw a large glass of water and some aspirin. Thank the Lord, Nick praised, only now realizing the immense dehydration he was having, and immediately grabbed the two items downing them both. He sighed with satisfaction, but the pounding in his head was still there.
Suddenly Nicks nose twitched at the scent of something coming from his kitchen. A grin spread across his muzzle at the smell of coffee brewing. But there was still one question on his mind: who was doing all this for him. The only person he could think of was that animal he recognized at the bar. His name slipped his mind but he's certain they work together. That must be who's doing all this for him.
He heaved himself out of his bed and looked down at his clock seeing it was 5:30. He'd have to be a little quicker with his morning routine to make it to work on time, which would prove difficult in his current state. Hopefully a warm shower will help the fox hoped. Nick hurried and took a hot shower, feeling the warm water relax his soar body. He wished it would have lasted a little longer, but he had to be quick about it. He jumped out of the shower and dried off, then he proceeded to groom his fur the best he could. Nick looked decent enough, and no one would be able to tell he was drunk the night before if it weren't for his sunken, bloodshot eyes complimentary of the hangover. "I'll have to deal with that, otherwise Chief will have my head," Nick mumbled to himself, walking back to his room. He swiftly put on his uniform and looked back at the time: 5:50, perfect. He'd have plenty of time to eat breakfast, thank whomever it is that helped him out, then catch a bus to the precinct. Usually he'd get a ride with Judy, but the fact their car kind of got exploded, and he wasn't feeling like having a conversation with her, kind of derailed that routine.
Nick walked out and went towards his kitchen wanting to find out who he had to thank for getting him home safe. Only when he turned the corner he found the last mammal he wanted to see at the moment; which is sad for him to think about after all they've been through. Judy was sat down at Nicks table sipping on some coffee and scrolling through her phone oblivious to the fox in front of her. Judy knew he was up and was dreading the moment when they had to talk, but she was too occupied reading a news article to notice Nick standing right in front of her.
Nick had some things he really wanted to say to the rabbit; most of which weren't very kind. However, he didn't want to make things even worse than they were, so he sucked up his pride, went over to the table where a coffee was placed for him, and sat down in the chair. Judy heard Nick sit down and looked up to meet the foxes eyes. The pair stared at one another in silence creating an awfully tense atmosphere.
Nick glared at her a little upset, but he couldn't be that angry with her. She still came and made sure I'd be alright, he realized. She still cares; it just hurts knowing she doesn't feel the same. Nick wanted to be mad at her, he really did; she's just… Judy. He could never stay mad at her for very long.
Judy stared back at Nick, feeling the guilt build up in her. She knows what she did was wrong and knew that she needed to apologize. The bunny just hopes that her fox will understand her reasoning and not be too mad. The last time Judy angered him and betrayed his trust was back when she said all those false accusations about predators that basically tore the city apart. Now she feels as though she's done it again, and it doesn't feel any better than it did the first time.
"Nick," Judy finally broke the silence, "I think I owe you an explanation for last night," she glanced away, dodging his gaze.
"That would be nice," Nick spoke bitterly.
"I was afraid," she admitted, gaining a confused look from Nick. Afraid? The fox wondered. "I didn't know how to respond to your sudden confession. It was, well… sudden. I gained a lot of conflicting feelings, and it scared me. I know what I did was wrong, and unfair to you, and I am so sorry." Tears started welling up in the rabbits eyes as the guilt settled in. Nick's face softened at the sight of Judy becoming so distressed; he never wanted to see her cry. Sure, he may be a little upset with her but that does not mean he still doesn't hold strong feelings for her.
"Judy…" he tried to sooth her, but she waved him off.
"No Nick, you deserve an answer. Though I'm not sure it's exactly what you want to hear," she said. Nicks ears flattened to his head, thinking he already knew where this was going. "To be truthful, I think I do actually like you," Judy confessed shyly, getting Nick to perk up surprised by her answer. But She said I wouldn't like the answer, he thought. Unfortunately for Nick's new found hope, Judy wasn't finished yet. "But I just can't… can't be with you."
"What do you mean?" Nick was floored. How could she love him, yet not be with him? Why was she playing so much with his emotions?
Judy was hesitant to answer, worried that Nick would become even angrier than she already knew he was. "I was raised by parents who had a firm believe that only mammals of the same species and gender should be with each other. I personally believe that everyone should be able to be with anyone they want, but I'm just scared about what they'd think if they knew I was dating another species. I've already done a lot of things they don't approve of, but I've never done anything that might cause them to disown me." Nick could see that Judy was physically shaken by the thought of this. It caused Nick to feel slightly bad for the bunny. "I don't know what to do, honestly. I feel like I want to be with you, but I don't want to lose my family. Family is everything to a rabbit." Nick let out a long sigh which didn't help the bunny feel any better.
"Nick?" Judy asked, waiting for a response of any kind, but Nick was lost in thought as he looked at the ground.
Was he disappointed? Very. He had wished for months that he'd be able to confess his feelings for her, then she'd say she felt the same way, and they'd date happily and maybe even become something more some day. Sure this wasn't the answer he wanted, far from it, but he couldn't be mad at Judy. One of the reasons why he was hesitant to confess in the first place was because he didn't want to tear Judy apart from her family. He had to respect her choice.
Nick finally looked up at her with a half smile. "I understand." He told her.
"Really?" Judy had to admit that she was a little surprised that he was being so calm about this. After everything she had put him through for the past two days, and the worse she got from him were a couple of glares? This fox is too good for me.
"Look, Judy," he started, looking solemnly at the bunny, "I always assumed that if you rejected me that our friendship would just fall to pieces. Our partnership would fail and we'd slowly drift apart to the point we never talk anymore. I don't want that to happen to us." Nick expressed earnestly. This was his greatest fear, to lose Judy forever. She's made life for him so much richer and fuller that he wouldn't know what to do with himself if he ever lost her.
"Nick, this may be a little weird right now, but you are my best friend. It is going to take a lot more than just some awkwardness to tear us apart," Judy told him. She understood where he was coming from, but she cared for him way to much just to let him slip away from her for such a simple thing.
"Soooo, still Friends?" Nick inquired sheepishly.
"Of course, you dumb fox," the rabbit replied with a smirk.
"Sly bunny," Nick replied, giving a relived smile. He couldn't be happier that they were still friends, and that Judy wasn't that put off from his confession. He still assumed that things would be slightly different for them, there was no denying that, but Judy was right- it would take a lot more to tear the two of them apart.
"We should get going to work," Judy suggested, pointing out that it was thirty minutes to six.
"Yah, Bogo will kill us if we are late today," Nick agreed as he drank the last of his coffee. "Oh, and thank you for taking care of me while I was drunk." Speaking of which, he remembered that he wasn't looking the best. He slipped on his shades right before they left the apartment.
"Wasn't a problem, I mean what are friends for, right?" Judy said. Nick grinned happily, glad that Judy would still be apart of his life.
"So you should probably know, those bank robbers struck again last night," Judy said, catching the attention of Nick. "Before you came into the kitchen I was reading a report that a raccoon and a masked wolf were seen breaking into a jewelry store, and that they stole basically everything," the bunny explained. Nick nodded and knew it was definitely the same group they encountered a few days earlier; the image of the masked wolf being seared into his head. Though something seemed odd to him. "Why on earth would they go from a massive bank heist to a jewelry store?"
Judy shrugged, just as stumped as him, "I've got no idea, but it's clear what there after is money, and a lot of it," she figured. Nick nodded in agreement.
Judy continued to drive them towards the precinct, and as they neared the front they became confused by the sight of a half a dozen large black SUV's parked right outside the front of the station. Nick happened to glance down, then nudged Judy and pointed out what she saw. All of them had matching government plates.
"Feds? What are they doing here?" Judy asked, pulling around back to the parking garage.
"No idea." Nick said as Judy parked the cruiser, "But I have a feeling it has to do with the bank robbers." He inferred as the hopped out of the car.
The partners walked into the main lobby looking around to see a couple dozen mammals in suites buzzing around the precinct in an urgent manner. Nick and Judy looked perplexed at the sight of the federal agents as they walked over to Clawhausers desk. The oversized cheetah was sitting in his chair eating his usual breakfast that consisted primarily of doughnuts. When the cheetah saw the two, a visible look of relief fell over him.
"I'm so glad you two are okay," he nearly screamed.
"It's good to see you too, Ben," Judy smiled at their gleeful friend. It was a relief to see a nice familiar face.
"Nick, you don't look so well. Are you feeling alright?" Ben asked worryingly.
"Yah, just a rough couple of nights," Nick lied, still having to annoy the constant pounding in his head from the hangover. "Other than that I'm fine," he grinned reassuringly.
"I'm honestly surprised you two look as good as you do. I thought you both would look like death," Ben admitted. The partners really did luck out by not getting as hurt as they could have. Being that close to the blast zone and coming out with minimal injuries is a miracle. The only noticeable thing to come from their near deaths was the cut across Judy's forehead. Other than that, you would never know the two almost exploded.
"So what's with all the suits?" Nick asked, referring to the MBI agents.
"I'm not that sure, they just came here this morning and everything's just been hectic since then. I haven't seen the Chief yet this morning, so I haven't been able to ask him what's going on," Ben explained. If he had to be honest, all of this was making him a tad bit nervous.
"I guess we will just have to find out in the bullpen; we'll most likely get an explanation there," Judy inferred.
"Here's hoping," Nick agreed, "This is causing me to be on edge." Judy felt the same way. Things haven't been going well for them as is, and they only felt that it was going to get worse. Something about this group of criminals just didn't sit right with the partners; especially with the presence of the MBI.
Judy and Nick bid there farewells to Clawhauser and started making their way to the bullpen where they were hoping for answers. They walked into the room and immediately were met with wall of suspense. The usual excitement was void from the room, causing everything to be that more intense. It seems that they weren't the only one worried about what was going on. When the two were seen, their fellow officers wanted to make sure that they were okay; Nick and Judy assured them that they were fine… mostly. The rabbit and fox officer took their usual seat and waited for the Chief to come in and debrief all of them about what was happening and why there were so many federal agents walking around their building.
When Chief Bogo walked in, there wasn't the usual energy that came from the officers, instead there was only silence as the large cape buffalo took his place in the front of the room. Closely behind him followed three other animals: a cougar, a jackal, and a rabbit. Everybody immediately prepared for the worse when they saw the condition that their leader was in. It didn't look like he had gotten much rest the past couple of days, which caused him to look way more pissed off than usual.
"It's obvious that you all want to know what's going on, and why the MBI are here. To put it bluntly, the city of Zootopia is no longer safe." If anyone in the room wasn't unnerved before, they sure are now. Judy felt her stomachs twist because her brother was here all alone, and if the city isn't safe than neither is he. Nick isn't to thrilled about the news either; his mother lives in a bad part of the city all alone, and that already scares him to death. "To help put this into perspective, Agent Clawson will inform you on what's happening." Bogo gestured over to the female cougar who wore a stern face. She walked over and took Bogo's spot and stared down the room of officers with a harsh scowl. "She seems nice," Nick whispered down to Judy; in return he received an elbow to the ribs and a dirty look. He got the message.
"The mammals involved in the bank robbery a few days ago are not your average day gang bangers; this crew, known as The Fakes, are a highly dangerous group of professional criminals who are near the top of the MBI most wanted list." She stated. Well, that's just wonderful Nick inwardly groused.
As she talked, the rabbit and jackal passed out profiles of every member of the crew. Judy immediately dug into the files to check in to these criminals. There were a total of six of them: a raccoon, a bear, a honey badger, a hare, a fennec, and… the wolf; the same wolf that nearly shot her and Nick. It was weird, every other animal had a mug shot and a detailed record of what they did; however, the wolf only had a low quality picture with minimal information. There wasn't even a name, only an alias: Vagabond. This guy just terrifies me more and more.
"The crew originates out of Los Animales, and have been rampaging in the city for nearly half a decade. They control most of the city, under the leadership of one Geoff Ramsey. For them to come all the way over to Zootopia is very alarming. We just hope to figure out what they are here for, for the sake of every mammal in the city." An eerie silence enveloped the room as everyone processed the reality of the moment, The surrealism of the whole situation coming down on them like a building.
"So what are we supposed to do?" A voice from the back of the room asked what everyone was thinking.
"To contain their destruction and keep collateral to a minimum for the safety of the city," she instructed. Though being very clear with her orders, Judy didn't like the answer they were given.
"Shouldn't we be out there trying to catch them, not just maintain their actions?" Judy questioned. Having almost been killed by them, she felt a personal drive to put these criminals behind bars.
"We have no intentions of bringing any mammal from The Fakes in," Agent Clawson stated quite matter-of-factly. "These animals have killed dozens of civilians, officers, and agents. Besides, every time we bring one of them in, it always ends with bloodshed and them walking away free. If there is any chance, you are to shoot them on sight."
Most of the cops didn't see that as being a problem, including Nick. These are dangerous criminals who need to be brought down. Judy, however, seemed to be mortified at the thought. Shooting someone on sight, even with the chance of being brought in? She understood how dangerous these animals are and figured it would be better to have them off the street, but it goes against everything she believes in. She fidgeted around in her shared seat as her morale's clashed. Nick noticed her behavior, considering how much she was bumping into him, and noted that he'd have to ask her about it later.
Chief had assumed his regular position back in the front of the room, giving out orders to everyone; mostly it was an increase in patrols around the city to increase security. Judy and Nick figured they'd be part of that group, but as the last pair of mammals left they weren't so sure anymore.
"Hopps, Wilde, come here," Bogo called for them, getting them to jump down from their chair and nervously walk over to him and the three feds.
"These are my two officers who had the run in with The Fakes," Bogo stated. The rabbit looked at both of them, unimpressed; which didn't go unnoticed by the partners. "I want you two to relay everything that happened Friday to Agent Savage and Agent Canis. Agent Clawson and I have some things to discuss." After he gave them their orders, the buffalo and the cougar left to go and trade some notes; this left the two sets of partners in the bullpen. Already, a tension built up between them as Nick glared at the judgmental buck, and he stared right back seemingly unfazed by the hostility.
"Perhaps we can go somewhere else to talk," the female jackal suggested in a joyful tone, trying to break up the building tension.
"We can go to our desks," Judy said, hoping that Nick wouldn't get into a fight with the other rabbit. For not letting people get to him, he has quite a big temper- its not often he blows his top, but when he does it gets scary. Luckily she got nods of approval from everyone.
They began to walk to their work stations, and on the way Nick and Judy prepared themselves to retell what happened a few days ago. It's not something someone would like to talk about, no matter how much of a veteran you are, or how dull your senses have become.
"Everything ready?"
"Yep, everyone is in place and the target is approaching."
The crime boss, Geoff Ramsey, stood atop the rooftops of a very crowded part of Saharan Square, on Heat Street. He gave a slight pant from the heat beating down on them. We had to chose here, of all places, for this, he growled at himself. He looked down to a near alley where he saw a fully armored vehicle ready to spring into action at any moment. A little further down the street, to the west, he spotted a grizzly and badger standing next to a garbage can talking amongst themselves. He smirked: everything was perfect.
With him, holding a large sniper rifle, was the fennec Jeremy. Jeremy watched through his scope for the target to arrive; once it did he'd signal everyone and everything would begin.
"What's the E.T.A on the package, Gavin," Geoff asked into a com system.
"I'd say you'll see it in less than a minute, that's when Lil-J can bip the driver and everything should kick-off," the British hare predicted.
"Everyone get that?" the raccoon asked, getting a unanimous 'Yah' from the rest of the crew.
"Target is approaching," Jeremy suddenly called out. Down the road approached a large unmarked vehicle, but it was obviously what they were waiting for. Geoff rolled his eyes seeing the vehicle a little ahead of schedule, but it wasn't much of a problem for them; they're used to having difficulties during their heists.
"Alright, fire when ready, then get ready to book it out of here," Geoff ordered, ready to take off to the meeting point.
The fennec looked down his scope, lining the head of the driver perfectly in his sights. He took a deep breath and slowly drew it out as he softly squeezed down the trigger.
Bang!