Fox Grove
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I watched through a telescope as a fox traveled among the alfalfa fields, it’s red fur strangely hidden in the greens of the clovery leaves. Slivery raindrops fell all around between me and that little scrappy beast. Eventually I watched it disappear into a particularly dense bunching of vegetation. Though I wanted to pet it, it was time to say goodbye. I took my eye out of my telescope and stood back up in the old hunting tower.
The wood didn’t creak under me. Despite it’s age, the tower still stood well and served it’s purpose. During the winter times, it still saw use for hunting white tails. During the summer though, it was mine to use. Mine for spying on the world around me.
Slowly, I climbed down out of the wooden structure. The ground was growing soggy from the rains coming down. The grass and clovers were wetted down plenty. Had I worn anything other than my best boots, my feet would have been soaked. I did wear my best ones though, so the water on the leaves was of no concern. I trudged through the tall grass onward towards home. My home was an old homestead long abandoned to the wilderness. It was mucky and falling apart, but it served my purposes. Maybe one day I would repair it and turn it into something better. I wanted to, but I still needed the money to do anything to it. It was money I didn’t have, so I could only dream.
Dream I did as I walked in the woods. I dreamt of turning the old place into a farm of my own kind. I dreamt of a giant garden and a goat pen on top of other things. I would save the money slowly. I’d perhaps find an actual job to support it all instead of just doing what I usually did. I could buy myself everything I needed then, even cat food for that fox I knew was living in the woods with me.
“Yeah, that’s what I’ll do.” I spoke to myself.
I felt along my teeth with my tongue as I walked along between maples, oaks, and ashes. I clicked a few clicks. My head stayed on a swivel, looking for anything dangerous. The southern woods were mostly tame, but I still had to be on the lookout for particularly aggressive coyotes or people. I knew it well that both lived in the woods where I did. I tapped my fingers against the pistol in my pocket. Nobody would take me without a fight.
As if I had spoken the devil’s name, I suddenly felt as if someone was going to try. I heard a creak from the wood’s somewhere around me. Someone was in the grove with me. I reached my hand into my pocket and pulled out the old gun. I had 8 shots. Plenty enough to do the job against any wild dogs or coyotes.
Unfortunately I realized quickly, as a bullet hit my shoulder, that I wasn’t dealing with any kind of either. I screamed in pain and squirmed on the ground I’d fallen to. I fired off two shots in whatever direction I thought the shot had come from. Blood seeped from my right shoulder and onto my coat.
“What the hell?!” I screamed, the pain almost too much to bear.
I could hear the crunch of leaves and twigs even through the ringing of sense coursing through my body.
“Where the hell are you?! Come out and show yourself!”
“Not a chance, bitch. I haven’t come this far to risk dying when I’m so close to ridding these woods of you!”
“What are you talking about?!”
“You’re the fucking thief who’s been robbing people that pass through here. I found your hideout over in the old Anderson homestead. I know it’s you.”
“You’re insane. I’m not a thief. I’m Bob Marshall’s cousin. He invited me out here to get some pictures of the wildlife.”
“Oh yeah, you know Bob? You’re not from here? Then where’d you get the gun from? I know Bob too, and that ain’t his gun. He never mentioned having no cousin neither.”
“It’s my gun, dipshit. Urghhh…” I replied. “He said there were coyotes and coy wolves out here. I didn’t want to be a victim.”
“No, you was using it to rob the fine folks around here. Holding random people at gunpoint. I know you ain’t related to him at all. He wouldn’t have invited any family out here with you on the loose.”
“You want me to prove my relationship to him? Come out and I’ll call him. You can talk to him yourself.”
“I’m not budging, darling. Call him and put him on speaker, or you get a one way ticket to the next place calling you.”
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“He’s gonna put a bullet in your ass as soon as this is all cleared up, asshat.”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Whatever. I’m pulling out my phone now. Don’t fucking shoot.”
I heard a grunt from deep in the woods. I couldn’t risk firing again, even if I had 6 more shots. I’d be put down quickly by the hillbilly staring me down from behind the trees and the brush.
My hand was shaky as I unlocked the phone and typed in the phone number I needed to. I put it on speaker and threw the phone a couple of meters away from me. Far enough that he’d be able to hear it from wherever he was. I’d only ever kept the numbers of my victims to eventually apologize for taking what I needed. I never thought I’d have to lie like I was lying then. I didn’t think I’d had to do what I was about to do.
“Hello?” Bob spoke from the phone.
“Bobby? That you?” the hunterbilly asked.
“Lucas? What are you calling for? Why are you calling on this phone?”
“Shit… Uhm… Fuck! I’m fucked. I’m so fucking sorry, Bobby.”
I heard the creak of twigs and the shaking of leaves as the young man named Lucas ran out of his hiding spot.
“What do you mean? What’s going on, Lucas.”
I watched the hunter run right past the phone and up to me. He put down his rifle and kneeled in front of me, taking his backpack off and staring right at me.
“I shot your cousin, Bobby. I shot your fucking cousin. I thought she was the wood’s thief.”
My eyes went wide and serious as he looked back at me. I pointed the gun right in front of his stomach. The jig was about to be up, and I only had one choice.
“Cousin? What the hell are you talking about, Lucas?”
I whispered to him. “I’m sorry about this.”
His eyes went wide and he tried to scramble, but I pulled the trigger and he fell back with a bullet hitting right next to where his heart was supposed to be. I heard him choking on blood as I pulled myself back up. I had intended to go for a gut shot, but he moved and the bullet landed where it had.
Bob screamed wildly from the other end of the phone. He was wailing, trying to figure out what was going on. I walked past the dying Lucas, kicking his rifle another meter or so away as I did, and put a bullet through the phone that was still laying on the ground. It wasn’t as if it was more valuable than my life.
I went back to Lucas, still coughing on the ground. Blood sputtered up out of his mouth and onto his lips.
“You shouldn’t have come hunting for me. I never hurt anyone doing what I did. I never shot or killed anyone. You’re the only one out here who tried to kill someone.”
He groaned and looked at me, unable to speak much of anything. He was dying, and would be gone soon enough. I knew I had to move, but I didn’t want to leave him suffering. I pulled up my pistol and planted the barrel against his skull.
“I didn’t ever want it to come to this. I’m sorry.”
I heard the sound of a gunshot, but I knew it wasn’t mine. I stumbled back as soon as another bullet had hit me in the gut. I stood up and away from the hunter to see several more. I pulled up my gun and tried to fire at the closest hunter, but a hail of bullets came for me before I could. I found myself flying back and I landed against a tree with holes all over me. Crimson coated my shredded clothes. I heard a strained laugh from the dying man beside me. Neither of us were long for the world.
I tried to reach my hand up or out or anywhere, but there was no strength left in me. The pain was too much to do anything, and my body was destroyed. I watched from eyes growing blurry as the hunters collected around me. They started discussing my fate.
“What’re we gonna do with her?”
“Leave her for the scavengers. She deserves no better than that.”
“And what about Lucas?”
“Help me get him up. We’ll say it was a hunting accident.”
“You think they’ll believe that?”
“I know someone who’ll confirm it for us. Help me get him up and let’s get the hell out of here.”
And so they did. I was left alone as they dragged their dying friend out of the woods. I was left dying against a red maple. As I felt it all fading, my eyes grew sharp and dull at random. It was coming to an end for me. I tried to speak. I tried to say a prayer. Mumbles came out from my lips. Broken bits of speech, everything strained.
“Im… surrey… I tre… tried… I tried to bu…be goot…” I sputtered. “Pleas… let me guh… sumweer goo… Lemme hav… peace.”
I let my head fall as my begging ceased. I didn’t know who I was talking to. My eyes looked at the ground and the time between my slow blinks grew longer and longer. I was left watching the ground as a creature skittered up next to me. My eyes matched the copper orange eyes of a familiar fox. It sat down and it’s mouth opened as if to howl. I heard it’s yelp and the sense of pain left my body. I smiled a little bit as the beast curled up next to me.
If I could have reached my pack, I would have fed it and given it something shiny to keep. I would have given it some of the tinned meat and cherries in my pack. I would have done something good. What I would have built if I’d just been given the chance. I could have been better than what I was. That chance of that was gone now though, and it was time to go. The fox at least was there to keep me company as my life faded away.
“Tha…thanyou… beastie.” I coughed, reaching my hand out to pet it with the last of my strength. My last wish had at least come true.
As I felt its fur, I closed my eyes and let myself go. My last friend stayed by my side as I went. My last moment was spent with the lonely beast. The fox of the grove, come to see a fellow thief off. At least I could have a last bit of joy in that. A last look into curious eyes, and then it was gone. Darkness then to light, and another life.