The rhythm was hypnotic. Where his standard mags would have run dry and locked the bolt back minutes ago, the drum kept feeding. Twenty rounds. Forty. At fifty-five, the barrel was radiating heat like a radiator, the mirage shimmering off the handguard.

Elias clicked his tongue, hefting the weight of it. "I’m tired of the reload drill at the range, Miller. I want to spend more time behind the trigger and less time fumbling with thirties."

The neon sign above "Miller’s Sporting Goods" flickered, casting a rhythmic blue glow over the counter where Elias stood. He wasn’t there for a standard box of brass or a new hunting scope. He was there for the "Drum"—the 60-round high-capacity magazine that turned a standard AR-15 from a precision tool into a marathon runner.