Bang. Bang. Bang. The gunshots are deafening, echoing throughout miles of nothingness. The sound is so loud, when I run out of bullets and the gun just clicks in my hand, the gunshots echo like thunder rolling kilometres away. Lizzy would hand me another stick of ammunition and I would continue as she watched on, entertained, catcalling every once in a while.
After firing the gun once, I wanted to do it again, and again, and again. Lizzy and I even had to drive to a private owned Apache variety store miles out to shop for more ammunition, food and pictures to shoot at. A few times shooting the gun did the trick, I had gotten the hold of it and my aim impressed her. She told me she's never seen a person learn to use a gun as quickly and as well as I did, and, what can I say, I loved being complimented by her. The first time I've ever held a working gun was only two hours ago, but as Lizzy throws an empty bottle of water out into the horizon and I shoot and hit it, you would think I had grown up playing with them.
I lay down on my stomach with my arms outstretched, holding my gun. I'm still aiming at the same shrub I have been for hours, the only thing that changes is the picture attached to it. As soon as bullets would tear a picture beyond recognition, Lizzy would rip another picture of a celebrity out of a tabloid and stick it onto the small shrub. Right now, I'm aiming at Taylor Swift. I have nothing against her; in fact the red dress she wears in the picture is cute. I'm just focussed on impressing Lizzy. My finger squeezes the trigger and the familiar sound of the bullet deafens me once more, making my fingers become numb and poking holes in Taylor's red dress.
Bang. Bang Bang. "Fuck, you look so hot with that gun," Lizzy purrs. She lies next to me in the sand, feeding me mixed nuts we bought from the variety store. I smile and take a cashew before firing my gun several more times.
"Next time we rob a store," I start, "I'm the one with the gun."
Her eyes widen and she feeds me another cashew. "Next time? Who said there was going to be a next time?"
I glance at her before fixating my eyes back on the target. "Well, we are going to...aren't we?"
Lizzy laughs and shrugs to herself. "I thought you said you, 'didn't want to do any more illegal shit with me.'" She moves her fingers up and down as she quotes me, the little movement mocking me.
"The sex after it was good," I say and squeeze the trigger again.
I'm not lying. After the heist in Arizona, Lizzy and I had really good sex in the hotel room that night. I'm not sure if it was because I was filled with so much adrenaline or if it was because I thought the amount of power Lizzy held was sexy, but that night was amazing. However, the good sex wasn't the only reason I wanted to take on another retail store, but I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing she was right.
"The sex?" She asks. "The sex is what makes you want to rob a store again?" I nod and pull the trigger. Bang. "You fucking fiend." The gunshot echoes again throughout the desert. The sound is so loud and seems to travel so far it makes me wonder how many other people can hear it. Lizzy doesn't seem to notice the thunder like sound it makes and sits up, placing her hand on my back. "We could do it now," she says.
I look up at her and put the gun down before cracking my fingers. "Do what? Have sex?"
"No," she says. "Take a store."
I sit up next to her and look her in the eye. "Now?" The rush of adrenaline is coming back slowly. I feel it in the tips of my fingers as I drag them through the colourless desert sand.
She nods. "Why not? We could do it here."
I smile creeps across my face. "Then let's do it."
