Multiples of Six by Andy Rane

clicked on his overhead lamp and glanced quickly at the map. He might have known the address by heart, but he’d never bothered to memorize its exact location in the town. That had seemed a bit too much trouble for a task he had felt he would never have. Just a few more blocks, according to the map.
    The streets were empty, as most small town streets are at 3 am . He slowed as he approached the house. To his surprise, there were two cars in the driveway, outside of the garage, and a third late model muscle car across the street that had started up noisily on his turning onto the end of the street. He was still half a block away when it lurched around the corner of the block ahead. Paynter shut off the engine and coasted to a stop in front of the house. There was a light on at the back of the house.
    Reaching down to the passenger side floor, he fumbled with the assembly of the gun. He was relying on the prep work he had done the previous day. He couldn’t afford a mistake if he needed to use it.
    He walked out into the driveway, silently cursing the nearly full moon that he had just been admiring earlier. Any night owl looking out of their window would be able to clearly identify him. None of that mattered now, though.
    He spotted footprints in the remaining snow along the side of the house. They trailed around to the back of the house. There were no other tracks in that part of the yard. He followed them to the back porch and pushed the kitchen door, which was already open. Seeing fresh mud tracks weaving their way through the room, Paynter moved across the kitchen floor. He paused at the entry to the hallway. He could hear the conversation clearer now. Someone upstairs was conversing with someone in the hallway. Paynter moved to the doorway of the kitchen.
    Paynter raised the Pneu-Dart Model 179 Projector with an unsteady hand. He had never once fired it at a living object. His arm felt stiff, and his finger slippery. He shook off the fear and stepped out further into the hall. At the bottom of the stairs was a short, balding man with glasses with a large chrome-plated gun held in his hand. He was aiming up at the top of the stairs, and only flinched slightly when he finally saw Paynter.
    “You…,” the man said, without a hint of surprise in his voice. Paynter had taken aim. When the gun moved, Paynter pulled the trigger.

 
    Chapter 10
    James watched as the man at the bottom of the stairs turned, eyes narrowing. There was another audible click and a tearing sound that cut the air. The man lurched and grasped at his throat, slumping against the wall.
    Nicole screamed and tried to pull James back from the top of the stairs. Kevin came around the corner and the three watched the man at the bottom of the stairs slide slowly down the wall, his hands still clutched to his throat. They could see something sticking out between the man’s fingers just beneath his chin. Inaudible words escaped curled lips. His eyes bulged in a mixture of horror and fear. He wrenched what looked like a dart from out of his neck, and stared at it, his lips now mouthing soundlessly like his voice had been muted. His eyes slowly rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed the rest of the way to the floor. Nicole let out another cry.
    James put his foot onto the next step down, which elicited a shudder from Nicole, her whole body shaking in disbelief. Even Kevin looked dismayed at the thought of descending the stairs. James turned slightly, gave her hand a squeeze then froze at the sound of another man’s voice.
    “James?” said the new voice.
    James threw his hands up.
    “Jesus Christ! Why does everyone know my fucking name around here?”
    “Paynter?” Kevin called out. 
    A taller man with a full head of grey hair materialized over the slumped, drooling, unconscious man at the bottom of the stairs. He too held a gun in his hand.
    “What the hell is going on?” James shouted.
    “Did he hurt you?” said the man.
    His voice was