The Things We Protect APARTMENT LIVING ROOM DON Hey. Ash looks at Don. She sighs, rolls her eyes, and looks over at Don. ASH What, dad? DON Friend from the old days invited us to dinner, we should go. Ash just sighs. ASH Is this one of your weird Army friends like Uncle Nick? Don shrugs. DON I actually don't know how he is these days. He's in Scottsdale though. ASH What's that supposed to mean? DON Well, he's either doing well off for himself or made some shitty financial decisions at some point. Ash sets her schoolwork on the counter top. ASH Well, it wouldn't hurt for us to get to know people out here I guess. DON You want anything to eat? She shakes her head. ASH Ate at school already. Don nods at this. DON Well, uh- Just be ready at seven and we'll do that. Gotta take you out to the range while I still can too. ASH What is it with you and the range suddenly? Don gives her a grin. DON Mom never wanted me show you how. Ash shrugs at that. ASH Are you sure, dad? I don't know... DON Yeah, yeah we can do that. ASH I don't want to end up shooting myself or you. I see you carry your gun a lot but I never really thought it was that interesting. Don scoffs and chuckles. DON Sweetie- Don walks over to the blinds and closes them. He turns on a light. DON (CONT’D) My dad taught me to shoot when I was six. Started off with a .22 long rifle meant for birds and shit. I didn't really shoot anything like an M4 until I joined the Army. It was fun though. C'mon. He walks over to the couch and takes his Colt Defender out of his waistband. He takes the magazine out and pulls the slide back. The round comes out and he catches it as it does. ASH Hey, that was pretty cool! Ash gives a look of excitement. DON Don't do that. Actually, if you do learn to do it, learn this shit first. He locks the slide back. DON (CONT’D) Before I get into specifics. He motions to his trigger finger which stays off the trigger. DON (CONT’D) These fucking things are always loaded, no fucking matter what. They tell you it's empty? He sends the slide forward and locks it back again. He faces the opened magwell to her. DON (CONT’D) You check. He sticks a finger in the magwell. DON (CONT’D) You make for god damn certain that there's not some extra round that happened to be hiding in there because the next thing you need is someone to get hurt or killed because of your own stupidity. Ash nods at this. DON (CONT’D) Second. The gun should always be pointed in a safe direction. You never ever fucking point this in a direction where someone might be. There's exceptions to this rule as you might imagine. If you know the damn thing's clear, if you checked it enough times to say it's clear, you can dry fire practice with it. Don sends the slide forward. DON (CONT’D) Goes into rule three as well. He points the gun at the TV. DON (CONT’D) What am I pointing the gun at? ASH The TV, why? Don shakes his head. DON What's behind the TV, Ash? Ash cocks her head at this. ASH A wall, dad. Where are you going with this? DON Behind that TV and behind the wall is the apartment complex across the way. This is a 230 gram .45 round. It'll drop off, but it's going to go through shit until it stops, probably on some dry wall if this thing went off. What, or who do you think is gonna get hit by that? Ash watches. DON (CONT’D) Keep the barrel in a safe direction and always know what you're shooting and what's behind it. Sweetie, I'm sorry if I'm being a dick about all this. She shakes her head. ASH No, I'm listening dad. This is the most you've talked to me an awhile, I really like this. Don nods. DON Alright then, lastly. If you do start carrying. Don't you ever fucking lose your gun. Always be cognizant about where the hell it is on your person. ASH Cognizant, that's new word you've never used. DON Just, know where your shit is. Whatever it takes, don't lose control of your gun, Ash. Had a guy- Dunno if I told you this story. Don takes a deep breath. DON (CONT’D) We were clearing a room and he lost control of his handgun. I heard a scream, I took him out. He got ganged up on by two guys who shot him with his own service weapon. Whatever you carry, you make sure you can comfortably hold and use it. Ash nods. ASH That was less graphic than most of the stories you told with mom. Don shrugs. DON Well, mom always wanted to hear about the bad shit that I did and the shit that happened. He shows her his handgun. DON (CONT’D) Make sure you hold it correctly. It's a compact model so it shouldn't be too difficult. Hold it like this. He grips the handgun and aims it forward. Ash looks at how he holds it. DON (CONT’D) Your go now. He passes her the pistol. DON (CONT’D) It's unloaded, but when you pull that trigger, it should be smooth. It's not like Point Break or Die Hard where you just pull the thing and it goes off. Slowly, so your shots stay on target. Ash holds it forward. ASH Like this? DON When you aim it, make sure your eye is on that front sight and lined up with what you're aimed at. Hang on. He walks by her. The gun points forward. DON (CONT’D) Muzzle control, Ash. ASH Sorry. She lowers the pistol. Don stands up and comes back out of the kitchen with a water bottle in his hand. He sets it on the counter. DON Aim at this for me, will ya? She raises the handgun and aims it at Don. DON (CONT’D) Easy, cowboy. Watch where that thing gets pointed. Or I'll fucking beat you to death with it. Ash carries a look of fear and lowers the gun. ASH S-Sorry! DON Just- Fucking be careful. ASH Alright. Don walks behind her. DON Now... Aim for the bottle. Click. CUT TO: The clock on the microwave reads "6:00". DON (CONT’D) Good job, Ash. We'll head out to the range the next chance I get. The two step out to