His hand went down to his waistband and closed upon the gun butt and he dragged the weapon free.
He tilted the gun downward and stabbed at the button, just one quick, light stab. Light bloomed out and filled the doorway and the crowd went reeling back.
The door itself was blackened and there was the smell of blistered paint.
Jon Hoff spoke evenly: "This is a gun," he said. "With it I can kill you. With it I will kill you if you interfere. Stand back. Go hack where you came."
Herb took a forward step and stopped.
"You are the one who is interfering," he declared. Herb took another step.
Jon brought the gun up and lined its sights on him. "I've killed one man," he said, "and I'll kill another."
And he thought: So easy to talk of killing. Of taking human life. So ready to do it, now that I've killed once.
"Joe is missing," said Herb. "We have been hunting for him."
"You need to hunt no more," said Jon.