Gathering Home

by JEFF MOTES

  “All right, if you think you can do better, go ahead. Don’t let it knock your shoulder off.”

  I hope it gives him a bruise he remembers for a long time.

  He takes my place and aims down at the target then operates the bolt and chambers a round. He sits there peering through the scope, then BOOM! The thing is loud as all get out. My ears are ringing despite the earplugs.

  “You’re right. This thing kicks like a mule. Let me take another shot to check the grouping.”

  He chambers another round. BOOM! This time I have my fingers trying to shove the earplugs deeper into my ears. He operates the bolt, removes the spent casing, and loads the remaining round, then unloads it and leaves the bolt open.

  “Let’s go check the target.”

  He’s rubbing his shoulder as we walk to the back. Good.

  There are two bullet holes. One is touching the edge of the two-inch diameter black permanent marker circle in the center of the paper. The second is about an inch lower and to the left.

  Damn, the kid can shoot.

  “I think we’re good, Mr. Wright. The grouping is pretty good. I think we’re set. You want to take a couple of shots to get the feel?”

  “No. I don’t guess that will be necessary.”

  Chapter 16

  Lizzy

  Deer Hunt

  Day 8

  “Time to get up, girls,” Mrs. Wright says, stepping into Amy’s bedroom. “Your dad tried to get Will to come wake you, but he wouldn’t come. So you’ll have to settle for me. Now get up. I’m tired, and I want to go to bed.”

  I rise out of the bed quickly. It must be midnight or close to it. That’s the time Amy and I are supposed help Will with the watch. Removing my sleep clothes, I dress, then go to the bathroom to brush my teeth. There isn’t much light coming from the dwindling candle. Brushing my hair back, I put it in a ponytail. It needs washing, I know, but there’s no time for that now, and the air is too cool anyway. I poke my head out the bathroom.

  “Amy, get up.”

  She gets out of the bed and stretches, then heads for the door to go downstairs.

  “Amy,” I call out, “put some clothes on before you go downstairs and straighten your hair. It’s a mess.”

  She stops. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Lizzy, if you’re too tired, I can take watch with Will. I don’t mind.”

  “No, I’m good. Will said he wanted both of us to help him tonight.”

  She steps into her pants, removes her top, and pulls that long sleeve body shirt she had on yesterday over her head. She starts for the door, and I stop her again.

  “Amy, don’t you think you should put a bra on? Or another shirt on over what you’re wearing?”

  I don’t think I want her hanging around Will looking like that.

  “It’s too dark to see anything,” she replies.

  I glare at her.

  She sighs. “Oh, all right.”

  She puts on a shirt lying across a chair but doesn’t button it up and heads down the stairs.

  I pause long enough to get my shotgun, then follow her down the stairs. Will is stepping inside the front door.

  “Good morning, ladies.”

  “It’s not morning. It’s still night,” Amy whines.

  Will checks his watch. “It’s 12:15 a.m. That means morning.”

  Amy sits on the couch Indian style with her back in the corner. Will sits on the other end, and I sit in the middle. He reaches out his hand, and I take it. He gives it a squeeze.

  “Good morning, Lizzy.”

  I smile. “Good morning, Will.”

  “Let’s go over what we’re going to do tonight,” he says.

  “I told you it wasn’t morning,” Amy taunts.

  “I guess it is still night.” He chuckles. “We have to keep watch, and I also want to bag a deer or one of the hogs. Amy, I want you to keep watch up front while Lizzy and I go to the back to wait for a deer. They weren’t out there earlier, and I don’t know exactly what time they will be coming in, so it may take a while.”

  “Why not let me go hunting?” Amy asks. “Lizzy already knows how. You could teach me tonight. I need to know these things, too.”

  “There really isn’t a whole lot to teach about hunting at night. Just sit and wait for them to come in, then shoot one,” Will responds. “There isn’t a whole lot of skill involved. You have to be still and quiet, that’s all. I showed you how to use Lizzy’s shotgun, so we’ll leave it for you. If you see or hear anything strange, wake your dad, then come to the back door and get us.”

  Amy looks a little dejected.

  “Oh, all right. Lizzy, it’s kind of cool out. You can get one of my long sleeve sweatshirts if you want.”

  “Yes, I will. Thanks.”

  I run up the stairs and get a sweatshirt from her closet. I turn to head down the stairs but pause and get another sweatshirt for Amy. It’s cool inside, too. When I return to the living room, Amy is no longer sitting in the corner of the couch. She’s standing close to Will, stretching and yawning.

  “Here, Amy, I brought another shirt for you.”

  “Thanks.”

  She takes it from my hand, removes her outer shirt, and stretches again. Her shirt pulls tight as she does, and I’m glad the light is dim in here. What is she doing? A little pang of jealousy springs up. Is she showing off for Will? She pulls the sweatshirt on, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

  Will gets a long sleeve shirt from his pack and gives me his carbine. At the front door, he scans the front yard with his NVD, then we step out and head to the backyard, passing the deck.

  “We aren’t going to sit on the deck?” I ask.

  “We’ll be too exposed there, and the deer might spot us. Let’s go to the back of the privacy fence and sit in the bushes. I’ve already set a place up.”

  He’s using a small flashlight set on dim to guide the way. Between the fence and the bushes is a tarp with a sleeping bag laid out on top. The view from the house is completely blocked from here. My heart is starting to race. I look at the sleeping bag. What is he thinking?

  “Will, I’m not going to lay in that sleeping bag with you.”

  “Lizzy, that thought hadn’t entered my mind. We’re going to lean against the fence, and if you get chilled, you can use the sleeping bag as a blanket. We’re going to have to be quiet and very still.”

  My face flushes hot; it must be glowing red. I’m glad there isn’t enough light to show colors. He takes his carbine so I can sit down, then he hands it back to me.

  “You can set it to the side if you want,” Will says. “You don’t have to hold it. We won’t be able to use it on the deer.”

  “Why did we bring it?”

  “This rifle is good for hunting, but it’s not good if you have to shoot fast. I brought the carbine just in case.”

  “Just in case of what?”

  “Just in case the Hiltons or others like them show up. Lizzy, we can’t stay here much longer. We need to leave for Repose soon.”

  He sits down right next to me. “Is this all right?”

  We are barely touching, yet I feel the warmth of his shoulder. “Of course. You can sit a little closer if you like. It is cool out here.”

  He slides a little closer. Picking up the rifle, he puts it to his shoulder and aims in different directions, making sure he can move freely. Underneath the barrel is his high-output flashlight, but it’s not turned on. He said it was a Fenix light or something like that. It puts out a lot of light. It’s taped to the bottom of the barrel with a wood spacer between it and the barrel. He sets the rifle on the ground beside him then picks it up and aims again. He does this several times.

  “Will, what did you promise Amy earlier this morning?”

  “I didn’t actually promise her anything. She asked me if I would teach her some things, and I agreed to teach her what I could. That’s the reason we stayed, isn’t it? Though I’m not sure I can teach Mr. Wright anything.”

  “Yeah,
it is. Amy’s my best friend, but she seems…I don’t know…to be extra friendly toward you lately.”

  “I’ve noticed it, too,” Will says after a long moment of silence. “Lizzy, I came out here for you, and we’re only staying because you asked me to. The folks in Repose are getting anxious about our return. When I talked with Mike Evans and Grandpa this evening, they both wanted me to come home in the morning.”

  “Are we leaving in the morning? What about Amy and the Wrights? Can you take them to Repose, too?”

  “No, Lizzy, I’m sorry. I can’t do that. It’s not a decision I can make on my own. It’s different in Repose than it is here. Much different. It’s a free place, but I can’t bring outsiders in without talking with the group about it. It’s all part of our plan. If we’re going to succeed out there, we must all abide by the rules. I told Grandpa we would come home no later than Sunday. That’s the day after tomorrow. We’ll do what we can for them till then.”

  “All right, Will. If you think that’s best.”

  Will scans the area with his NVD. Then he gives it to me, and I look around. The thing is really cool, turning the dark of night into a green-tinted dusk. Handing it back to him, I gaze up into the nighttime sky. The stars are bright and beautiful.

  Mom, are you seeing the same stars? Are you lonely? Are you safe? Dear God, please protect my mother!

  “Will, why did you come out here for me?” I ask, not sure if I should have.

  He puts his NVD down and turns his face towards mine. “Lizzy, don’t you know? Don’t you know why I’ve prepared a place for you in Repose? Why I’ve risked my life to come here? Why I’ve agreed to stay? Don’t you know?”

  My heart is starting to pump faster. What is he saying? What is he asking? I have a fullness in my heart. I know what he’s saying, and I feel all funny inside.

  Go ahead and say it, Will! Don’t hold back.

  He puts his arm around me. Our faces are only inches apart, and he moves closer. I feel a tinge of nervous fear inside me, and I’m shaking all over. My heart is beating faster. I can’t stay here right now. I don’t understand what I’m feeling, but I can’t stay here.

  “Will, I’ve got to go inside for a few minutes.”

  I jump up and walk briskly to the house.

  Trembling, I knock on the front door, glancing back to see if Will followed me. Amy opens the door, and I step in. “Lizzy, you’re trembling. Are you cold?”

  “Amy, he loves me! I know he loves me.”

  Instead of embracing me, she pushes me away. “I knew that’s what y’all were doing. You’re ruining everything!”

  She turns and runs up the stairs.

  I’m stunned. What is going on? First I’m running from Will, and now Amy is running from me. Before I can consider the emotions and feelings running through my mind and my heart, a loud BOOM erupts from outside.

  Chapter 17

  Will

  Sharing

  Day 8

  Another mistake. I keep making them. Now she’s gone. My heart is still racing from the encounter, and my hand is trembling again.

  Dear God, show me the way. Protect us. Protect the Wrights, my dad, Ms. Jill, and the rest of our families and friends. Show me what I must do. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

  I scan the area again with the NVD. Everything is quiet except for the crickets.

  I catch a glimpse of movement at the edge of the tree line to my left and scan the area. A deer is timidly looking into the opening. Its head jerks from one place to another, looking down, then side to side, ears erect. I freeze, not moving a muscle. It walks tentatively into the opening. It’s a doe. Following close behind is another doe, then a buck. The NVD doesn’t provide enough detail to tell how many points he has on his rack, but it doesn’t matter. Grandpa never showed me how to cook antlers anyway.

  They gradually move further in and begin eating the green grass. They seem more relaxed, yet they pause and look around every now and then. Here is the tricky part. I set the NVD on the ground and quietly pick up the hunting rifle. Placing my left arm through the sling, I make one wrap then pull the gun to my shoulder and place my left elbow just past my upraised left knee. Aiming in the general direction of the deer, I peer through the scope. This is a really good scope. Mr. Wright didn’t spare any expense. I can see the deer with the starlight but not well enough to shoot.

  I adjust the rifle on my shoulder and prepare for the shot then push the endcap button on the light. The whole area is flooded with white light. The deer stop eating and stare at the light. I’ve never hunted for deer at night before, only hogs and coyotes. If the deer act like the hogs and coyotes, I only have a few seconds before they scatter.

  I take the safety off and place the crosshair of the scope right behind and down from the right shoulder of the buck. Exhaling, I squeeze the trigger. BOOM! The sound is deafening, and the gun bucks hard into my shoulder, though I hardly notice it. The two does are running across the field. The buck is down. Working the action, I chamber another round and observe through the scope. The deer isn’t moving. But, I’m going to give him time to bleed out, just in case the shot wasn’t an instant kill. Grandpa drilled into my head one-shot, one-kill. In fact, he made me practice over and over with our hunting rifles. I still hear his voice: Will, if you’re going to take an animal’s life, make sure it’s for a just reason and make sure it doesn’t suffer needlessly. That applied even to the dreaded coyotes.

  The back door opens, and Mr. Wright calls out, “Will, are you all right? Did you get one?”

  “Yes, I’ve got one.”

  I unload the rifle, removing all the ammunition. When he reaches me, I give him the rifle and pick up my carbine. We walk to the back of the property.

  “Where is he?” Mr. Wright asks.

  By now, Mrs. Wright and Lizzy are walking with us.

  “In the middle toward the back,” I reply.

  Mr. Wright and Mrs. Wright move ahead. I wait for Lizzy. She’s carrying the shotgun, which surprises me.

  “You didn’t leave the shotgun for Amy?” I ask.

  “Amy went upstairs. I picked it up out of habit, I guess.”

  I stop abruptly. “Wait, is Amy not keeping watch up front?”

  “No. When I came in, she went upstairs.”

  “Somebody needs to be watching up front.”

  “I’m sorry, Will. I wasn’t thinking. Your shot caught me by surprise. I’ll go back.”

  She turns to go. I catch her arm, halting her. “No. Wait. I don’t want you to go alone with no one watching.”

  “Will, I can take care of myself. I’ll go.”

  “Wait for a moment. We’ll be dragging the deer up there, so we can all go together.”

  “All right. If that’s what you want.”

  Mr. Wright has reached the deer. We’re a few yards back.

  “Lizzy, I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to…to make you leave. I’m sorry.”

  She holds out her hand, and I take it. “Let’s talk later when no one can hear us,” she says quietly.

  “Where did you hit it?” Mrs. Wright asks. “I see a lot of blood but no hole.”

  I point to the small hole close to the shoulder. I didn’t hit exactly where I was aiming, though it was close enough. There is blood all over the ground underneath the deer though only a small amount at the entry wound. Mr. Wright rolls the deer over. The exit wound is obvious. It’s the size of a double fist. Blood, bone, and skin have been blown away. The 7mm magnum is way too much rifle. Though it wasn’t legal to do so, Grandpa killed most of his deer with a .22 magnum. He shot most of them either behind the ear or between the eyes. Instant death and no damage to the meat.

  “Let’s drag him to the garage,” Mr. Wright says. “We can hang him from one of the rafters.”

  Mr. Wright grabs one of the legs, I grab the other, and we soon reach the garage.

  “Mr. Wright, do you want to eat the heart and the liver?” I ask.

  “No, we don’t,�
� Mrs. Wright answers for him sharply.

  “I think it would be a good idea to call the folks up the road and see if they want them,” I suggest. “It may go a long way in building good will.”

  “You may be right, but I’m not sharing the whole deer. Only the innards, if they want them.”

  “I’m going to get my radio and call.”

  “All right, Lynn and I will get this thing hung up.”

  Lizzy and I walk up the stairs of the porch, pausing at the front door. She faces me.

  “Will, I’m sorry I left you earlier. You know, right before you shot the deer. I should have been there for you.”

  “It’s all right, Lizzy.”

  My heart is starting to race again. She places one hand on my chest and looks directly into my eyes. If there were only enough light to see those beautiful green eyes.

  “Will, I do know why you came for me.”

  She stands on her toes, moving her face closer to mine. Then Amy opens the door.

  “You two can’t wait till everybody is asleep?” Amy snaps.

  My face is on fire, yet my heart is still racing.

  Lizzy pats me on the chest and turns toward Amy. “Will got a deer. Here’s your chance to learn how to skin one. I’ll get your radio for you, Will.”

  “Will you get my scabbard knife too?”

  “Sure.” She steps into the house, and Amy walks out.

  “Well?” Amy says. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

  I’m confused.

  “What?”

  “Don’t what me. You’re going to ruin everything.”

  What is she talking about?

  Lizzy steps out. “Come on, Amy. You want to learn how to survive, here’s your chance.” She gives me the radio and my knife. “We can watch the front from the garage as well as from here.”

  She takes Amy by the hand and drags her to the garage.

  Still confused, I make the call. “Will calling checkpoint two.”

  I should have gotten their call signs, but I’m not going to use mine except within our own Repose group.

  “Will calling checkpoint two.”