Read Online The Winter People by Bret Tallent - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Bret Tallent
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time.
"What the
hell did you find sheriff? What happened to them?" Mikes eyes were wild
and flashing. He was near to panic. Nick placed a hand on his shoulder and
Mike quickly shook it off.
"Calm down
Mike, he'll tell us," Nick urged.
"You calm
down! This asshole found something and he won't tell us what it is! Country
ass fuck!" Mike stared at Hayden steely eyed and his mouth was a thin
level line. He looked right at Hayden then lowered his voice and drew out each
syllable to emphasize it, "What - the - hell - did - you - find?"
Hayden didn't stop
the car or change his expression. He began driving back down the road towards
the Ranger Station. He reached into his pocket and pulled the gun back out,
dropping it into Mike's lap. "I think they're both dead." His face
was grim and his voice was flat, "I found that in the Jeep, empty. Spent
shells were all over the place. Something dragged them out of there all
right. Turned the Jeep over too! Looks like a rogue bear, a real big
one." Then he added, "I've seen it happen before."
Mike stared down
at the gun, the color gone out of his face. He picked it up and held it with
his palms opened, in both hands. He looked over at Nick then back down at the
gun. Nick was staring off at nothing in particular, his face a blank. Mike
turned the gun over in his hands and felt a sticky substance on it. Then he
noticed the darkness against the light of his hands where he had touched the
gun. He held one hand up to the light from the instrument panel and saw that
it was blood.
Mike belched twice
and his stomach churned. His mouth tasted of bile and he could feel his
insides wanting to come out. He swallowed hard and held it down. His eyes
filled with tears and they stung from it. The lids could hold no more and they
gave way, first one drop, then two. They flowed down his cheeks leaving
glistening trailers to mark their path. Then, like a dam burst, he cried.
The funny thing
was he wasn't crying so much for the loss of his friends as he was from the
absurdity of the situation. He was crying because of the helplessness of it.
All of his fears and anxieties had surfaced and chiseled the hole that sprung
the leak. The impossible had happened and he couldn't accept it. He didn't
want to accept it. It was not a long cry, only a minute or so. The flow had
stopped as quickly as it had come. He sniffed twice and wiped his face on the
sleeve of his coat.
Mike dropped the
gun onto the seat between Hayden and himself then wiped his hands on his pant
legs. He wiped his eyes once more with the backs of his hands then looked at
Nick. Nick was staring at him. Only then did he notice Nick's arm around his
shoulders.
"I'm okay.
I'm sorry too. Sorry I was an asshole, sheriff," he wouldn't look at him
though, ashamed.
"I thought I
told you to call me Hayden," his voice gentle and un-rattled.
"Death's a tough thing to deal with. Everybody handles it
different." Then he said no more. Truth was he didn't know what to say.
Nick looked over
at Hayden and wondered if anything could get to this man. Then he took his arm
from around Mike and sat it in his lap. He put his right elbow on the arm rest
and set his chin down on the knuckles of his right hand, staring out at the
sky. They drove on in silence, each of them thinking about what had happened,
what was next…and death.
CHAPTER 4
Johnny Kaostiwa
returned quickly to the warmth of his station house without looking back. He
could not hear the roar of the Suburban's engine above the wail of the wind,
but he knew that they had turned around and were leaving. He could feel it.
He could see them doing it as surely as if he were still outside watching
them. He had always been able to sense what was happening in his immediate
surroundings outside of his normal vision. Johnny literally had eyes in the
back of his head. It was uncanny.
His grandfather
had
"What the
hell did you find sheriff? What happened to them?" Mikes eyes were wild
and flashing. He was near to panic. Nick placed a hand on his shoulder and
Mike quickly shook it off.
"Calm down
Mike, he'll tell us," Nick urged.
"You calm
down! This asshole found something and he won't tell us what it is! Country
ass fuck!" Mike stared at Hayden steely eyed and his mouth was a thin
level line. He looked right at Hayden then lowered his voice and drew out each
syllable to emphasize it, "What - the - hell - did - you - find?"
Hayden didn't stop
the car or change his expression. He began driving back down the road towards
the Ranger Station. He reached into his pocket and pulled the gun back out,
dropping it into Mike's lap. "I think they're both dead." His face
was grim and his voice was flat, "I found that in the Jeep, empty. Spent
shells were all over the place. Something dragged them out of there all
right. Turned the Jeep over too! Looks like a rogue bear, a real big
one." Then he added, "I've seen it happen before."
Mike stared down
at the gun, the color gone out of his face. He picked it up and held it with
his palms opened, in both hands. He looked over at Nick then back down at the
gun. Nick was staring off at nothing in particular, his face a blank. Mike
turned the gun over in his hands and felt a sticky substance on it. Then he
noticed the darkness against the light of his hands where he had touched the
gun. He held one hand up to the light from the instrument panel and saw that
it was blood.
Mike belched twice
and his stomach churned. His mouth tasted of bile and he could feel his
insides wanting to come out. He swallowed hard and held it down. His eyes
filled with tears and they stung from it. The lids could hold no more and they
gave way, first one drop, then two. They flowed down his cheeks leaving
glistening trailers to mark their path. Then, like a dam burst, he cried.
The funny thing
was he wasn't crying so much for the loss of his friends as he was from the
absurdity of the situation. He was crying because of the helplessness of it.
All of his fears and anxieties had surfaced and chiseled the hole that sprung
the leak. The impossible had happened and he couldn't accept it. He didn't
want to accept it. It was not a long cry, only a minute or so. The flow had
stopped as quickly as it had come. He sniffed twice and wiped his face on the
sleeve of his coat.
Mike dropped the
gun onto the seat between Hayden and himself then wiped his hands on his pant
legs. He wiped his eyes once more with the backs of his hands then looked at
Nick. Nick was staring at him. Only then did he notice Nick's arm around his
shoulders.
"I'm okay.
I'm sorry too. Sorry I was an asshole, sheriff," he wouldn't look at him
though, ashamed.
"I thought I
told you to call me Hayden," his voice gentle and un-rattled.
"Death's a tough thing to deal with. Everybody handles it
different." Then he said no more. Truth was he didn't know what to say.
Nick looked over
at Hayden and wondered if anything could get to this man. Then he took his arm
from around Mike and sat it in his lap. He put his right elbow on the arm rest
and set his chin down on the knuckles of his right hand, staring out at the
sky. They drove on in silence, each of them thinking about what had happened,
what was next…and death.
CHAPTER 4
Johnny Kaostiwa
returned quickly to the warmth of his station house without looking back. He
could not hear the roar of the Suburban's engine above the wail of the wind,
but he knew that they had turned around and were leaving. He could feel it.
He could see them doing it as surely as if he were still outside watching
them. He had always been able to sense what was happening in his immediate
surroundings outside of his normal vision. Johnny literally had eyes in the
back of his head. It was uncanny.
His grandfather
had
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