by Eric Vall
“Okay,” the redhead agreed. “I can’t wait for some steaks.”
“Aw.” Bailey frowned.
“Hey now,” Anna smirked at her friend. “You eat meat now too, you can’t get mad at me.”
“I know,” Bailey pouted. “But cows are just so cute.”
“Eh.” Paige shrugged indifferently.
“I like cows,” Rolly said. “But I’m not sure how cute they are.”
“Have you ever looked at their eyelashes?” Bailey asked. “They’re soooo long.”
“And that makes them cute?” I raised a brow at the blonde.
“Of course,” she giggled.
“I’ll take your word for it,” I chuckled.
“Take her word for what?” Tara asked, and she came out onto the roof carrying a skillet and some meat for Winchester.
“That cows are cute,” I said.
“Oh, they totally are,” the platinum blonde said, and she took a seat and gave Winchester his breakfast.
“See?” Bailey beamed. “Tara gets it.”
“Yeah, but they’re tasty too,” the platinum blonde said with a shrug.
“And just like that I lost her,” Bailey said with a snap of her fingers, and we all laughed.
“So we’re going turkey hunting today,” Anna said after everyone had a plate.
“Oh hell yeah,” Tara said. “Now if we can get Betty to make us some bread, we can have turkey sandwiches.”
“Oh my God,” Paige moaned. “I miss those.”
“Yeah,” Anna pursed her lips. “But they won’t be the same without mayo.”
“I bet we could find some,” Paige said excitedly.
“I’ve definitely seen some,” Tara said with a nod. “I just never grabbed it ‘cuz I focused on the canned goods and stuff.”
“Mayo lasts a long time without being opened,” Paige informed us. “Especially miracle whip.”
“I mean that is the best kind of mayo,” Anna said as if there was no debate.
“I do like miracle whip,” I said.
“It’s settled then,” Anna said. “We’ll search for some on our next run.”
“We need to go on one soon,” I said. “We need to stock up on as much food for the animals as we can, and we’ll definitely need more chicken feed.”
“Are we bringing the chickens here today too?” Bailey asked.
“I’m not sure,” I said. “We could ask about bringing a few.”
“It would be nice to have eggs around,” Tara added.
“I’m sure Betty wouldn’t have a problem with that,” Rolly said. “We have the chicken coop ready.”
“Yay,” Bailey said.
“We’ll ask today,” I chuckled. “Now let’s finish eating so we can go hunt some turkeys.”
The girls and I finished up breakfast, then we left Rolly on the roof and headed downstairs to gear up.
“I want everyone wearing vests,” I announced.
“Okay,” Anna said, but she looked slightly confused.
“We’ve seen tracks in the woods,” I explained. “If there is somebody out there I want us to be prepared.”
“That makes sense,” Paige said with a nod.
“Yes,” I said. “And we need to be extra careful today.”
“Should we be going hunting then?” Bailey asked.
“We aren’t going to let a suspicion stop us from living,” I said. “We’ll just take extra precautions and keep an eye out for anything strange.”
“Alright.” The blonde smiled back at me. “And we’ll have Winchester.”
“Right,” I said. “If he growls, everyone stop and pay attention.”
“He’s a dog,” Tara smirked. “Doesn’t he, like, growl at everything?”
“You give him too little credit,” Bailey tsked.
“Whatev,” Tara rolled her eyes, but I saw her smile at Winchester when she thought nobody was looking, so I chuckled to myself and headed outside to wait for the girls.
Everyone arrived outside shortly after me, and I took a moment to admire them all kitted out.
Tara wore ripped up jeans, black hiking boots, and a long sleeve green under armour shirt under her kevlar vest, her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, and a black bandana was across her forehead.
Anna’s long red hair was pulled back in its usual thick braid, and she wore long athletic pants that hugged her hips, a jogging sweater under her vest, and a pair of running sneakers.
Paige wore a thick college sweater under her vest, a pair of skinny jeans, hiking boots, and her usual messy bun.
Bailey had on a green tight fitted hoodie under her vest, black skinny jeans, and a pair of green chuck’s. Her blonde hair hung around her collar bones and framed her face, and each girl had a pistol strapped to them and a rifle on their backs.
“You all look ready.” I smiled at the girls.
“Who are you supposed to be?” Anna turned to Tara with a playful smirk. “Rambo?”
“I’m a hunter,” Tara scoffed. “But camo is gross.”
“What’s gross about camo?” I asked, and I looked down at my own camo pants.
“It looks good on you,” Tara said. “But it’s not for me.”
Anna rolled her eyes at the platinum blonde, and we all chuckled as we walked into the trees. Even almost a year after the world had gone through a major change, Tara still held onto her values.
We made our way through the woods, and I kept my eye out for marks on trees, or footprints on the ground as we walked, not only was this a hunting trip, but it was a way for me to get a good look at what had been going on in our forest.
“Should we check the traps?” Bailey asked.
“Let’s do it on the way back,” I told her.
We reached the creek and I led us about a mile further until we reached a small clearing.
“I saw some feathers just a ways back,” Anna said.
“Yes,” I said with a nod. “I saw them too, I think this clearing is our best bet.”
“But I don’t see any turkeys,” Tara commented as she looked around me into the clearing.
“You act like this is your first hunt,” Paige chuckled. “We have to wait.”
“Ugh,” Tara groaned. “I forgot about that part.”
“It shouldn’t take long,” I said. “Turkeys are everywhere this time of year.”
“Do we aim for their chest?” Paige questioned.
“What is this, your first hunt?” Tara teased, and Paige narrowed her eyes at the platinum blonde.
“My first turkey hunt,” Paige said.
“Bailey.” I smiled at the blonde hippie. “Where should they aim?”
“The head,” she said quickly, and she grinned at me when I nodded.
“The head?” Paige asked, and she bit her lip. “That’s not much of a target.”
“You’ll do fine,” I assured the brunette.
“We just had to bring Bailey,” Tara teased. “She’s going to show all of us up.”
“I could miss,” the blonde said with a shrug.
“If you miss on purpose I will punch you for real,” Anna narrowed her eyes at the blonde, and Bailey’s eyes went round.
“Jeez,” the blonde chuckled. “It’s not a competition.”
“Of course it is,” Anna said.
“Alright,” I said. I kind of liked the competitive spirit, I figured it might bring out some drive in the girls to do well. “What are we playing for?”
“Bragging rights,” Anna said confidently.
“That’s lame,” Tara smirked. “The prize should be something better than that.”
“Hm,” the redhead thought for a moment. “Guard duty.”
“We can’t have someone getting too tired.” I shook my head.
“How about we play for a night with Tav?” Tara said, and she eyed me up and down.
“What would I get if I won?” I laughed.
“Good point,” the platinum blonde pursed her lips. “I’ll be your prize.”
> “Oh God,” Anna chuckled and rolled her eyes.
“What?” Tara said with a shrug.
“We have a bunch of board games,” Paige said. “How about the winner gets to choose the game we play tonight?”
“I like it,” I said.
“And we get to choose the booze that goes with it,” Tara added.
“Deal,” I said.
“Okay,” Anna said, and her eyes narrowed in resolve. “So how do we win?”
“Let’s say cleanest shot and largest kill,” I said.
“Okay,” the redhead said. “But we can’t all go for the same turkey, so we have to call our prey.”
“Good thinking.” I smiled and then I raised my eyebrow at the girls. “So the game is on?”
“Oh, it’s on,” Tara said, then she looked at Bailey and mocked a deep voice. “You’re goin down.”
“Why me?” Bailey’s eyes widened, and she laughed.
“We all know you’re the stiffest competition,” Anna told her. “And Tara’s right, you are going down, but by me.”
“Oh, it’s on,” the blonde chuckled.
“Why do you assume Bailey is the stiffest competition?” I asked with a wry smile. “I took her turkey hunting with me once.”
“But she’s the best shot.” Paige shook her head.
“Maybe,” I said with a shrug, then I grinned devilishly at the girls. “But I’m the most experienced.”
I watched as their faces dropped for a second.
“Whatever,” Anna’s eyes narrowed on me. “You’re just as worried about Bailey.”
“Yeah,” Tara pouted. “You’re just trying to psych us out.”
“Maybe,” I said with a shrug again. “But maybe not.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter,” the redhead informed me. “You’re goin’ down too.”
“We’ll see about that,” I said.
The girls all scowled at me, then they pushed over one another to get a good spot to aim at the clearing. Once everyone was ready, and Winchester had laid down next to Bailey, all we had to do was wait for the turkeys.
As promised, it didn’t take long for a flock of them to make their way into the clearing. We waited a moment for them to get settled and find a place to stand and peck at the ground.
“Farthest one to the right,” Anna whispered.
“I got the one in the middle,” Tara said softly.
“Three o’clock,” Bailey breathed.
“The one closest to us,” Paige whispered.
“I got the one on the right,” I said in hushed tones. “Count to three, then shoot.”
I looked over to see the girls nod, then I counted down in my head, and we all fired within a split second of each other.
The birds scattered in a mess of feathers, and once they had retreated, I saw that five birds lay dead in the clearing.
“Okay,” I stood up and clapped. “Go retrieve your birds.”
The girls all raced to get the turkey they had dropped, and we met in the middle of the field so I could inspect them.
“Good work ladies,” I said, and I smiled at them all.
“Yeah, yeah,” Anna pushed. “Just tell us who won.”
“Let’s see,” I said, and I looked at each of the birds they held before me. “Paige has a decent sized bird, but the shot is pretty far down on the neck.”
“Damn,” the brunette said, and she lowered her bird.
“Tara’s,” I continued. “Clean shot, but by far the smallest bird here.”
“It looked bigger from farther away,” the platinum blonde muttered.
“Bailey,” I said, and I inspected her kill. “Good size, and a good shot.”
“You did that on purpose,” Anna scowled at me.
“I assure you, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said.
The redhead rolled her eyes and held her bird out for me to inspect.
“Good shot,” I said. “And about the same size as Bailey’s, but not quite larger.”
“So is it a tie?” Bailey asked with a smile.
“It can’t be a tie,” Anna said. “We’ll weigh them.”
“Ah ah ah,” I tsked. “You’re forgetting someone.”
“Alright,” the redhead looked at me with amusement. “Let’s see yours.”
I pulled the turkey out from behind my back and displayed a bird that must have weighed close to twenty-five pounds.
“Ah fuck it,” Anna said, and she tossed her hands up. “We’ve been bamboozled, ladies.”
“You put up a good fight,” I laughed.
“Next time,” Anna scowled, and she pointed her fingers first at her own eyes, then at mine. “Next time.”
“What next time?” Tara chuckled. “We have enough turkey here for weeks.”
“We do,” I said. “I hadn’t intended for all of us to get one today, but you all did very well.”
“We’re going to Betty’s later,” Bailey said. “Why don’t we drop off a couple of them with the civilians there?”
“Yeah,” Paige said. “And Dan and Jenny and Betty can stay for dinner.”
“I’m sure Rolly would like that,” I said. “Good idea ladies.”
We headed back toward campus, and Winchester happily chased rabbits as we walked.
Once we hit the stream, Paige and I stopped to check the lines while Tara, Bailey, and Anna went to check on our rabbit traps.
“Hey,” Paige said, and I looked over to see her inspecting one of the hooks. “Look at this.”
“What is it?” I asked as I walked over and looked over her shoulder.
“It looks like we had a fish on here,” Paige said. “Some of it is still there.”
Sure enough a bit of fish skin was attached to the line, and I leaned closer to inspect it.
“Do you think a bigger fish, or an animal could’ve got it?” the brunette asked.
“Maybe.” I nodded, but I thought that it looked tampered with. I hadn’t seen more footprints during our hunt, but this little piece of fish disturbed me, it was almost as if someone had cut the fish off the line.
I didn’t mention my suspicions to Paige, I’d wait to talk to everyone about it later. We continued to check lines but only found two fish, and the girls came back empty handed from the traps.
“Why do you think our traps were empty?” Anna asked. “Do we need to move them?”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “We’ll do that tomorrow.”
We stepped out of the tree line, and I heard Rolly whistle down at us.
“Looks like you all did well,” he hollered.
“We did,” I called back. “But I won the bet.”
“What was the bet?” he laughed.
“I get to choose the booze and board game tonight,” I chuckled.
“I look forward to it,” the old man said.
“Wait up there,” I said. “We’ll bring some lunch up.”
Rolly gave me a thumbs up, then he disappeared from view. It was late morning already, and I figured some lunch would be good before we headed to Betty’s to help herd the cows.
We ate a quick lunch after we put away the turkeys, and Rolly opted once again to stay and keep guard, with the promise of us bringing Betty back for dinner. Bailey and Tara headed out through the woods to Betty’s place, and Anna, Paige, Winchester, and I hopped in the truck.
Once we arrived at Betty’s we waited a few minutes for Tara and Bailey to arrive with Gray Lady and Buttercup.
“Took you long enough,” Anna called out as the girls approached.
“Well we didn’t want to push them too hard,” Bailey said. “We have to guide the herd the whole way back.”
“Betty,” I said. “Did you want us to take a few of the chickens back as well?”
“Oh sure,” the old woman said. “Everyone at my place and the Miller’s gets eggs, you all should get some too.”
“Yes,” Tara said, and she pumped her elbow.
“Well, I also figured it would be less to m
ove when the time came,” I chuckled.
“That too,” Betty said. “Now let’s get to herding.”
“Okay,” I said with a nod.
“We’ll put some chickens in the back of the truck,” Jenny said. “Somebody can drive it behind the herd to block them.”
“I’ll drive,” Betty said. “I don’t need to walk all that way, I’ll let you younger folks handle that.”
“Sounds good,” I chuckled.
We left the civilians with a couple of turkeys to eat for dinner. They offered to help, but I told them we had plenty of people, and they should keep an eye on the place and relax.
It didn’t take long to get the cows down the driveway, and Betty followed behind us, keeping a safe distance from the livestock.
Tara and Bailey had each taken a side of the road to keep the herd in line, and Dan, Jenny, Anna, Paige, and I walked around shooing any cow that decided they needed to stop or went in the wrong direction.
Winchester was a big help, he ran happily back and forth and occasionally nipped at the legs of the animals to keep them moving.
I watched my girls work, and I had to conclude that Bailey and Tara were naturals. They kept the herd in line easily and had excellent control over their horses. Anna and Paige were a different story, they looked like they were afraid to touch the cows, and whenever one decided to stop or try to wander off the road, they would yell at them and point, a warning which the cows ignored. Luckily Jenny, Dan, Winchester, and I were there to assist, and within a couple hours we had all the cows in the barn and the chickens in their coop.
“Well,” Betty said as she sat down in Rolly’s lap. “That was interesting.”
“How did the girls do?” the old man chuckled.
“It was fun,” Tara said.
“Yeah,” Bailey agreed.
I looked over to see Anna and Paige with exhausted looks of disappointment on their faces, and I had to laugh.
“I take it you all didn’t have quite as much fun,” the old man commented.
“Not exactly,” Anna said dryly.
“I stepped in poop,” Paige said, straight faced.
We all laughed at Paige’s comment, and she glared at us.
“It’s not funny,” she said, but I could tell she wanted to laugh.
“Thank you,” Betty said sincerely. “You all did a wonderful job, and we appreciate the help.”
“I’ll appreciate the eggs,” Tara said.
