Showmanship

Five things happened in quick succession.

1. Kirk ran toward the stranger in the entryway.

2. His machete, raised above his head in fine form, became lodged in the doorframe of the kitchen. He was taken aback, to put it mildly.

3. Taking advantage of the situation, the stranger stepped forward and punched Kirk in the face. It was impossible to determine if the ensuing crack came from his nose being broken, his neck snapping back or the wood of the doorframe splitting from the force of the large knife plunging into it and then being heaved back from the punch’s momentum.

4. Kirk landed heavily on his back, blood spewing from his nose, his arm wrenched from the handle of the machete, which loosed itself from the doorframe and dropped, blade down, into his chest.

5. Everyone froze, unsure how to react to what had just happened.

Nathan stepped out from behind the stranger, agog at the sight of Kirk on the floor, impaled by his own weapon. He looked around at everyone gathered, his gaze coming to rest on the stranger. He started to clap, slowly and determinedly.

“Now that’s what I call showmanship!”