Barett worked his way slowly to a spot that looked down the upper trail, a fallen log giving him some cover to break up his profile. The sky was a flat gray, the kind that scrubbed the life from the desert landscape and stripped the joy from the vastness of the desert. But for Him, this was the best light to shoot in, no glare, no sun spots, a perfectly dull background. He checked his escape route, to the left and up wound a light game trail, to the right and down a thicket of brush and aspens. Behind him the trail made its way up to the crest of the ridge, then opened up to low sage brush and rocks and then crested down again beyond his view. Somewhere along that trail Hoss was making his way, at least that is what Barett was hoping for.
The forest breathed in slow and exhaled, breathed in slow and exhaled again, the rhythm of the leaves and the sway of the trees made him feel like he was laying on the chest of a sleeping giant. Struggling to stay sharp and awake, he moved his eyes from side to side and up and down, trying not to make noise, but use every trick he knew to keep his senses sharp. Barett sat on the cool earth, waiting and hoping, hoping that he choose the right spot, waiting until one way or another the conflict was brought to a head.
Through the motion of the trees and rustle of the leaves his sensitive hearing picked up on the steady pattern of footsteps moving stealthily down the trail. Placing the handgun on the edge of the log to steady the scope Barett waited for his kill shot. Hoping to end this quickly, and gain control of the situation, instead of just responding to it.
1 comment:
Barett slows his breathing, and beads up on the chest of the figure hunched over coming in low on the trail.
The Crack of the pistol breaks the afternoon silence, through the scope he can see the vapor trail.
The pink mist of the bullet as it punches clear thru his victims chest magnified thru the scope makes clear the shot was good.
There is a look of shock, then nothing as body ignores mind and crumples to the moist earth from whence it came.
"That was to easy"
He thinks to himself, in a sarcastic voice that sounds just like his fathers.
The adrenaline rush makes him want to get up and confirm the kill, but experience says to sit still and wait. He has the advantage....so....breathing deeply and pulling the gun back below the log, he waits.
Slowly the sounds of the forest return, as the pool of blood grows ever larger. After about four minutes Barett quietly starts moving backwards, and to the left, circling around to come up from behind the fallen body and do a check. Mostly he is hoping for a rifle and some ammo, otherwise he would just move on.
Post a Comment