Read Online Going Home by Angery American - Free Book Online
Authors: Angery American
Tags: General Fiction
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thought he’d do anythin’ like is.” He nodded toward the house. “It’s good you was here. I don’t know whut woulda happened if you wasn’t.” We started walking toward the house; he stopped at Thomas’s body and looked down. “That’s a hard thing you done, son. Be careful, or that sort of thing will consume ya. I outta know. I looked into the eyes of six men as I kilt ’em. It’s somethin’ that will be with you ferever.” He looked at the hatchet in my hand, which I didn’t realize I was still holding. “Hell ova thing, son, hell ova a thing.”
We went into the house. Mandy and Edith were sitting on the sofa. “Ladies,” I said as I walked in.
Mandy looked up, “I can’t thank you enough. I don’t know what to say,” she said.
“I didn’t do anything anyone else wouldn’t have. I’m glad you an’ the lil ones are safe. What are you going to do now?” I walked over and sat on the edge of the coffee table.
“I wanted to go to my mom n’ dad’s, but they live about fifteen miles from here an’ I can’t walk that far with the babies.” She motioned to the two little ones, who had wandered over to James. Apparently he kept suckers in the pocket of his overalls, and they knew it.
“Why don’t you load up what you and the kids need in that truck and get over there? It runs; you can make it.” I pointed to the truck. Mandy and Edith just sat there for a minute.
“Well? There’s no reason to stay here now. Go to your mom’s,” I said,
Edith jumped up. “Let’s go, honey. I’ll get the kid’s stuff. You get what you need.” And with that they were off.
While the ladies were packing up what they needed, James and I walked out to the truck. It was a rust bucket; James started it up, and it ran fine. It was without a doubt the loudest thing I had heard, though. It felt like being on the starting line at a damn funny car race. James shut the truck down. “Damn thing sounds like shit but runs strong,” James said.
“Yeah, from the way I saw them two yahoos driving it, it should make it fifteen miles.” I turned and went to the house.
The ladies had a pile of stuff by the front door. I started hauling it out to the truck and piled it in the back. They soon had everything they thought they needed. I went back into the house and poked around in the kitchen. There wasn’t much there; actually there was nothing in there. Walking into the living room again, I asked, “Did you pack all your food up?”
“We didn’t have any. If it wasn’t for Edith and James, we wouldn’t eat.” She nodded toward the old couple.
“We couldn’t let you and them babies go hungry.” She tussled the little guy’s hair as she said it. “We never had any grandkids, so these are as good as ours. We love ’em jus’ the same.” Mandy walked over and hugged the old woman, both of them tearing up.
Mandy stepped back wiping her eyes. “We should go. It’s going to be dark soon.”
“Mandy, do you have a gun?” I asked.
“No, Ryan had to take his to the pawnshop. He was out of work for six months before getting the job on the rig.” You could tell she was afraid for him.
I walked out to the yard where Thomas’s body was lying and flipped it over, pulling the revolver from his back pocket. I patted his pockets real quick and found the lighter, a pack of 305s, and a Buck 110. Going back into the house, I checked Lonnie’s body. He had a BIC lighter and another pack of 305s. In his left front pocket were twelve .38-lead round-nose bullets. I flipped open the cylinder on the revolver, and it had the same thing. Pulling the knife from its sheath, I looked at the blade—it was cheap Pakistani steel—and dropped it on the floor. It wasn’t worth its weight to me. On second thought, I pulled the sheath from the belt and stuffed the knife in it.
Back in the living room, I asked Mandy, “You know how to shoot a gun?”
“Yeah, Daddy taught me how. I learned on a .22 revolver.”
I
We went into the house. Mandy and Edith were sitting on the sofa. “Ladies,” I said as I walked in.
Mandy looked up, “I can’t thank you enough. I don’t know what to say,” she said.
“I didn’t do anything anyone else wouldn’t have. I’m glad you an’ the lil ones are safe. What are you going to do now?” I walked over and sat on the edge of the coffee table.
“I wanted to go to my mom n’ dad’s, but they live about fifteen miles from here an’ I can’t walk that far with the babies.” She motioned to the two little ones, who had wandered over to James. Apparently he kept suckers in the pocket of his overalls, and they knew it.
“Why don’t you load up what you and the kids need in that truck and get over there? It runs; you can make it.” I pointed to the truck. Mandy and Edith just sat there for a minute.
“Well? There’s no reason to stay here now. Go to your mom’s,” I said,
Edith jumped up. “Let’s go, honey. I’ll get the kid’s stuff. You get what you need.” And with that they were off.
While the ladies were packing up what they needed, James and I walked out to the truck. It was a rust bucket; James started it up, and it ran fine. It was without a doubt the loudest thing I had heard, though. It felt like being on the starting line at a damn funny car race. James shut the truck down. “Damn thing sounds like shit but runs strong,” James said.
“Yeah, from the way I saw them two yahoos driving it, it should make it fifteen miles.” I turned and went to the house.
The ladies had a pile of stuff by the front door. I started hauling it out to the truck and piled it in the back. They soon had everything they thought they needed. I went back into the house and poked around in the kitchen. There wasn’t much there; actually there was nothing in there. Walking into the living room again, I asked, “Did you pack all your food up?”
“We didn’t have any. If it wasn’t for Edith and James, we wouldn’t eat.” She nodded toward the old couple.
“We couldn’t let you and them babies go hungry.” She tussled the little guy’s hair as she said it. “We never had any grandkids, so these are as good as ours. We love ’em jus’ the same.” Mandy walked over and hugged the old woman, both of them tearing up.
Mandy stepped back wiping her eyes. “We should go. It’s going to be dark soon.”
“Mandy, do you have a gun?” I asked.
“No, Ryan had to take his to the pawnshop. He was out of work for six months before getting the job on the rig.” You could tell she was afraid for him.
I walked out to the yard where Thomas’s body was lying and flipped it over, pulling the revolver from his back pocket. I patted his pockets real quick and found the lighter, a pack of 305s, and a Buck 110. Going back into the house, I checked Lonnie’s body. He had a BIC lighter and another pack of 305s. In his left front pocket were twelve .38-lead round-nose bullets. I flipped open the cylinder on the revolver, and it had the same thing. Pulling the knife from its sheath, I looked at the blade—it was cheap Pakistani steel—and dropped it on the floor. It wasn’t worth its weight to me. On second thought, I pulled the sheath from the belt and stuffed the knife in it.
Back in the living room, I asked Mandy, “You know how to shoot a gun?”
“Yeah, Daddy taught me how. I learned on a .22 revolver.”
I
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