Read Online Snareville by David Youngquist - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: David Youngquist
Ads: Link
She held the jugs in front of her chest.
“ You mean these?” she asked innocently.
Tony grinned and snatched them away. “Yes, these.”
Together, the two loaded a johnboat and headed out. The sun hung behind the west wall of the valley now. Tony pulled the boat into the fast-moving water behind one of the locks. He flipped open the bait bucket, and Cori reached in to pull out a long night crawler. With a few deft moves, she had the worm threaded on the hook, held in her left hand while she hefted a jug in the right.
“ Where you want it?” she asked.
“ You have done this before,” Tony noted. “Toss it up near the tie-off post. We’ll get them in and drift down from there.”
Ten jugs went into the water. They bobbed around before the current caught them and pulled them downstream. Tony hit the switch on the trolling motor, and they got out of the way. It wasn’t long before one jug started to roll away from the others, moving upstream along the bank. Tony hit the motor as he chased after it.
As they drew alongside, Cori reached out, snagged the handle with one hand, and pulled jug, fish, and all into the boat. She grabbed the shank of the hook, twisted it out of the big channel cat’s mouth, and dropped the fish into the basket tied to the side of the boat. Tony watched quietly as Cori re-baited the hook and tossed it back in the water.
“ I think you just earned a nickname,” he said.
“ And what would that be?”
“ Catfish Cori.”
“ You sayin’ I smell like a fish?” Cori asked, grinning.
“ No. I’m sayin’ not too many girls can do what you just did.”
“ Oh.” She considered, then smiled. “Not the prettiest name in the world, but it’ll do.”
They fished for two more hours. When full dark came on, a black-velvet sky spread out overhead, shot through with stars. More fish went into the baskets. A light breeze pushed the boat across the water as the two talked about nothing. Just a couple of folks getting to know one another. The world lay at peace. Nothing felt wrong. They could almost dock the boat and walk back into town as if everything were normal.
The feeling stayed with Cori until midnight. Then she heard footsteps on the north towpath opposite Snareville.
“ Who’s down here this time of night?” she wondered aloud.
“ Probably just Fred,” Tony replied.
“ Fred?”
“ Yeah. Fred. Hang on.”
He dug around in the bottom of the boat until he found his spotlight. With a flip of the switch, he lit the night. On the towpath stood a zombie. Half his scalp was missing, along with his left arm from the shoulder down. His white, buttoned shirt was stained with the moisture of decay. His tie hung loose around his neck. His slacks hung in tatters from the crotch down.
“ Lord!” Cori gasped.
“ Looks like ol’ Fred's lost an eye now. Wonder how that happened?”
“ You see him a lot?”
“ Yeah. Ol’ Fred the Zed. He comes along here pretty regular. I see him two or three times a week.”
“ Why don’t you shoot him?”
“ Why? He can’t get me out here in the water. He wanders along the towpath, then he wanders off somewhere else. Probably lived in one of them houses up in the timber. He’s dressed like it.”
Fred reached out for them, letting out a moan. Tony waved back.
“ See ya, Fred. Go take a walk.”
The zombie turned and shuffled down the path.
“ You always talk to him?”
“ Only if he talks to me first.”
Cori shook her head. Tony had undergone some damage. But hadn’t they all?
In a matter of hours, the two had filled all the fish orders for the day, so they retrieved their jugs and drifted with the current. They spoke of family and friends they hadn’t seen and didn’t know what happened to. Tony talked a bit about his wife. She'd shambled along the canal one night with Fred. She was torn up and rotting. Tony put a bullet through her head. It was the last time he’d shot a deader. That was three weeks ago.
As dawn
“ You mean these?” she asked innocently.
Tony grinned and snatched them away. “Yes, these.”
Together, the two loaded a johnboat and headed out. The sun hung behind the west wall of the valley now. Tony pulled the boat into the fast-moving water behind one of the locks. He flipped open the bait bucket, and Cori reached in to pull out a long night crawler. With a few deft moves, she had the worm threaded on the hook, held in her left hand while she hefted a jug in the right.
“ Where you want it?” she asked.
“ You have done this before,” Tony noted. “Toss it up near the tie-off post. We’ll get them in and drift down from there.”
Ten jugs went into the water. They bobbed around before the current caught them and pulled them downstream. Tony hit the switch on the trolling motor, and they got out of the way. It wasn’t long before one jug started to roll away from the others, moving upstream along the bank. Tony hit the motor as he chased after it.
As they drew alongside, Cori reached out, snagged the handle with one hand, and pulled jug, fish, and all into the boat. She grabbed the shank of the hook, twisted it out of the big channel cat’s mouth, and dropped the fish into the basket tied to the side of the boat. Tony watched quietly as Cori re-baited the hook and tossed it back in the water.
“ I think you just earned a nickname,” he said.
“ And what would that be?”
“ Catfish Cori.”
“ You sayin’ I smell like a fish?” Cori asked, grinning.
“ No. I’m sayin’ not too many girls can do what you just did.”
“ Oh.” She considered, then smiled. “Not the prettiest name in the world, but it’ll do.”
They fished for two more hours. When full dark came on, a black-velvet sky spread out overhead, shot through with stars. More fish went into the baskets. A light breeze pushed the boat across the water as the two talked about nothing. Just a couple of folks getting to know one another. The world lay at peace. Nothing felt wrong. They could almost dock the boat and walk back into town as if everything were normal.
The feeling stayed with Cori until midnight. Then she heard footsteps on the north towpath opposite Snareville.
“ Who’s down here this time of night?” she wondered aloud.
“ Probably just Fred,” Tony replied.
“ Fred?”
“ Yeah. Fred. Hang on.”
He dug around in the bottom of the boat until he found his spotlight. With a flip of the switch, he lit the night. On the towpath stood a zombie. Half his scalp was missing, along with his left arm from the shoulder down. His white, buttoned shirt was stained with the moisture of decay. His tie hung loose around his neck. His slacks hung in tatters from the crotch down.
“ Lord!” Cori gasped.
“ Looks like ol’ Fred's lost an eye now. Wonder how that happened?”
“ You see him a lot?”
“ Yeah. Ol’ Fred the Zed. He comes along here pretty regular. I see him two or three times a week.”
“ Why don’t you shoot him?”
“ Why? He can’t get me out here in the water. He wanders along the towpath, then he wanders off somewhere else. Probably lived in one of them houses up in the timber. He’s dressed like it.”
Fred reached out for them, letting out a moan. Tony waved back.
“ See ya, Fred. Go take a walk.”
The zombie turned and shuffled down the path.
“ You always talk to him?”
“ Only if he talks to me first.”
Cori shook her head. Tony had undergone some damage. But hadn’t they all?
In a matter of hours, the two had filled all the fish orders for the day, so they retrieved their jugs and drifted with the current. They spoke of family and friends they hadn’t seen and didn’t know what happened to. Tony talked a bit about his wife. She'd shambled along the canal one night with Fred. She was torn up and rotting. Tony put a bullet through her head. It was the last time he’d shot a deader. That was three weeks ago.
As dawn
Similar Books
