hand. Ollie lifted the old mower deck up off of the ground with the three-point hitch and slipped the tractor into gear. With a jerk, they were on their way.
Most of the journey went uneventful. The tractor settled in to a comfortable cruise down the old back roads. It was a bumpy ride for Evan and Jason with the sloppy linkage of the three-point hitch letting the old mower deck shift side to side with every bump, but it was easier than peddling their bikes.
The old road had many twists and turns and had tree's and foliage beginning to overtake the pavement. The road had not been maintained in over a year now, and it was beginning to show. Add that the lack of vehicle traffic and the kudzu vines that plagued the area were making the road seem narrower by the day. The road was surrounded by tall hills that constantly kept it in the shadows, limiting visibility for those traveling on the road as well. It was the perfect road for an ambush from virtually any position, Jason thought to himself.
As they rounded a corner, Ollie slammed on the brakes jarring Evan and Jason against the rear fenders. They turned around to see Ollie pointing ahead and to the left.
"What's up?" asked Jason.
"A horse just left the road and entered the woods right there," Ollie whispered as he pointed.
Evan and Jason's first thought was to split up and take cover on each side of the road, but they could not leave Ollie out there on that tractor exposed and alone. Evan hopped down and walked around alongside Ollie with his VZ at the ready. Jason took a kneeling position on the Bush Hog deck and scanned the area where Ollie had seen the horse with is scope. A few moments passed and they neither saw nor heard anything more.
Evan said to Jason, "Cover me. I'm gonna sneak up there and see what I can see."
"Roger Roger!" replied Jason as he shouldered his Remington.
Evan crept up the side of the road near the ditch line. He had to step over and around the vegetation that was taking over the road, slowing his progress. The only clear path was in the center of the road, and that would leave him too vulnerable and in the open. As he approached the area where Ollie said he saw the horse, Evan heard a horse snort. He pulled his VZ up to a high ready position scanning the woods and then heard, "Evan, is that you?"
"Who's askin'?" he replied.
"It's Daryl Moses. Put that thing away, I'm coming on out," the man said as a large bearded fellow on a brown horse came into view, picking his way through the woods. "I came around the corner and saw that tractor and took off into the woods until I figured out who it was. I didn't want to find myself stumbling across any looters or anything all alone."
"You sure walk the walk and talk the talk. You look like you are straight out of Grizzly Adams or something," Evan said to Daryl commenting on his frontiersman attire.
"Well, there ain't no better camo than the original camo. The frontiersman of the past didn't need all of those fancy digital camo patters and stuff, they simply wore what nature provided and it works to this day."
In addition to his buckskin clothing and brown boots, Daryl was wearing an 1875 Remington on his side and had a Winchester model 1886 lever action rifle attached to his saddle in a homemade leather scabbard.
"Are those things real?" Evan asked.
"The guns?" Daryl replied. "Well, the pistol is a Uberti reproduction of a '75 chambered in .45 Colt. I wouldn't be able to afford a real one. The rifle is a true Winchester '86 in .45-70. It's old like me, but it still thumps hard and puts meat on the table. What are you fella's up to? Are you on a supply run?"
"No, not today. We are headin' up to the Murphy place to try to make contact with him. The last time Jason and I went up there we were shot at. This time Ollie is going with us to see if we can get him to talk," Evan replied.
"Oh hell, is that Oliver Thomas?" Daryl said
Most of the journey went uneventful. The tractor settled in to a comfortable cruise down the old back roads. It was a bumpy ride for Evan and Jason with the sloppy linkage of the three-point hitch letting the old mower deck shift side to side with every bump, but it was easier than peddling their bikes.
The old road had many twists and turns and had tree's and foliage beginning to overtake the pavement. The road had not been maintained in over a year now, and it was beginning to show. Add that the lack of vehicle traffic and the kudzu vines that plagued the area were making the road seem narrower by the day. The road was surrounded by tall hills that constantly kept it in the shadows, limiting visibility for those traveling on the road as well. It was the perfect road for an ambush from virtually any position, Jason thought to himself.
As they rounded a corner, Ollie slammed on the brakes jarring Evan and Jason against the rear fenders. They turned around to see Ollie pointing ahead and to the left.
"What's up?" asked Jason.
"A horse just left the road and entered the woods right there," Ollie whispered as he pointed.
Evan and Jason's first thought was to split up and take cover on each side of the road, but they could not leave Ollie out there on that tractor exposed and alone. Evan hopped down and walked around alongside Ollie with his VZ at the ready. Jason took a kneeling position on the Bush Hog deck and scanned the area where Ollie had seen the horse with is scope. A few moments passed and they neither saw nor heard anything more.
Evan said to Jason, "Cover me. I'm gonna sneak up there and see what I can see."
"Roger Roger!" replied Jason as he shouldered his Remington.
Evan crept up the side of the road near the ditch line. He had to step over and around the vegetation that was taking over the road, slowing his progress. The only clear path was in the center of the road, and that would leave him too vulnerable and in the open. As he approached the area where Ollie said he saw the horse, Evan heard a horse snort. He pulled his VZ up to a high ready position scanning the woods and then heard, "Evan, is that you?"
"Who's askin'?" he replied.
"It's Daryl Moses. Put that thing away, I'm coming on out," the man said as a large bearded fellow on a brown horse came into view, picking his way through the woods. "I came around the corner and saw that tractor and took off into the woods until I figured out who it was. I didn't want to find myself stumbling across any looters or anything all alone."
"You sure walk the walk and talk the talk. You look like you are straight out of Grizzly Adams or something," Evan said to Daryl commenting on his frontiersman attire.
"Well, there ain't no better camo than the original camo. The frontiersman of the past didn't need all of those fancy digital camo patters and stuff, they simply wore what nature provided and it works to this day."
In addition to his buckskin clothing and brown boots, Daryl was wearing an 1875 Remington on his side and had a Winchester model 1886 lever action rifle attached to his saddle in a homemade leather scabbard.
"Are those things real?" Evan asked.
"The guns?" Daryl replied. "Well, the pistol is a Uberti reproduction of a '75 chambered in .45 Colt. I wouldn't be able to afford a real one. The rifle is a true Winchester '86 in .45-70. It's old like me, but it still thumps hard and puts meat on the table. What are you fella's up to? Are you on a supply run?"
"No, not today. We are headin' up to the Murphy place to try to make contact with him. The last time Jason and I went up there we were shot at. This time Ollie is going with us to see if we can get him to talk," Evan replied.
"Oh hell, is that Oliver Thomas?" Daryl said
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