gator!”
Mario and Shelly walked over and looked in the back of the Hummer. “It’s a big one,” Shelly said.
“I like gator meat,” Mario said with a smile.
“You want some of it?” Sarge asked.
Mario politely hesitated. “Well, yeah. But I couldn’t take it from you.”
Sarge slapped him on the back. “Of course you can! We’ll bring it over in the morning.”
Smiling even wider Mario replied, “I mean, if you insist.”
Shelly laughed. “Oh, whatever. We’d love some. He’s trying to act all bashful.”
“Let’s get home and butcher this big lizard, and then we’ll bring some meat over.”
We said our goodbyes as Ian ran up and climbed into the truck. Getting back in, we made the short ride to the neighborhood. Pulling in, I stopped at the bunker. Aric, Fred and Jess were there on duty.
“How’s Jamie?” Jess asked as I rolled to a stop.
With a slight shrug, I said, “She’s at the clinic. Doc stayed with her.”
Sarge leaned forward. “She’ll be alright. She’s a tough girl. Doc won’t let anything happen to her.”
Jess smiled weakly. “I hope so. I miss her already.” She looked up at Ian and squinted against the sun. “Several of us do.”
Ian smiled but didn’t say anything for a moment. “She’s too mean to kill. They’ll have to do better than that.”
“We’ve got a lizard to gut,” Sarge said.
“I see that,” Aric said, looking in the back of the truck. “It’s huge.”
“It’s dinner!” Sarge shot back.
“We’re having gator meat for dinner?” Fred asked.
“Looks that way. You like it?” I asked.
She twisted her face, “Don’t know. I’ve never had it.”
“It’s good. I like it fried,” Aric said with a smile.
“Well I’m sure Miss Kay will do something wonderful with it,” Sarge replied.
We’ll see you guys at dinner,” I said and pulled off.
We took the beast to Danny’s house. Thad and Mary were in the garden working when we pulled in. Danny came out as I backed the truck up towards the sheds.
“What’s up?” Danny asked as we were getting out.
“I took care of the meat issue for a little while,” Sarge replied with a smile.
Danny walked around to the back of the Hummer and opened it. “Damn, that’s a nice looking gator.”
“I want to keep the skin as nice as we can,” Sarge said.
“Sounds good to me. I’ve never done a gator before. Should be fun,” Danny said.
Not wanting to, but knowing I must, I asked Danny about the recovery at Tyler and Brandy’s.
Danny looked at the ground. “We couldn’t find much. But what we found, we buried out back by Jeff.”
“What about them youngins?” Sarge asked.
“They’re in the house with Bobbie and Kay. Jace said Tyler pushed them out the window but was too weak to get himself out. I guess Brandy was too weak to even try.”
Sarge shook his head. “That’s a hell of a thing.”
“At least the kids are ok,” I said.
“They’re shook up and not really saying much. But Kay and Bobbie are in there fussing over them,” Danny said.
“It’s sad, but what’s done, is done,” Sarge said. He then looked at the gator. “Right now, we’ve got work to do.”
I looked at him. “This is far from done.”
He stared at me for a moment. “It ain’t over, Morgan.”
I looked off into the woods behind him. “We can’t lose any more.” Looking back at him, I added, “I’m not burying anyone else.”
“Don’t worry, Morg. They’ll pay for what they’ve done.” He reached out and gripped my shoulder. “Pay for all of them.”
Danny set up three sawhorses and laid out a couple pieces of plywood on it to make it long enough so we could work the whole animal. Once it was on the makeshift bench, we looked the beast over. Sarge asked Ian to go get Mike and Ted.
“No problem,” Ian said as he headed off.
I took my vest off and laid it on a stump by the shed and pulled the ESEE from its sheath. Looking at the gator, I said, “Well, I guess we
Mario and Shelly walked over and looked in the back of the Hummer. “It’s a big one,” Shelly said.
“I like gator meat,” Mario said with a smile.
“You want some of it?” Sarge asked.
Mario politely hesitated. “Well, yeah. But I couldn’t take it from you.”
Sarge slapped him on the back. “Of course you can! We’ll bring it over in the morning.”
Smiling even wider Mario replied, “I mean, if you insist.”
Shelly laughed. “Oh, whatever. We’d love some. He’s trying to act all bashful.”
“Let’s get home and butcher this big lizard, and then we’ll bring some meat over.”
We said our goodbyes as Ian ran up and climbed into the truck. Getting back in, we made the short ride to the neighborhood. Pulling in, I stopped at the bunker. Aric, Fred and Jess were there on duty.
“How’s Jamie?” Jess asked as I rolled to a stop.
With a slight shrug, I said, “She’s at the clinic. Doc stayed with her.”
Sarge leaned forward. “She’ll be alright. She’s a tough girl. Doc won’t let anything happen to her.”
Jess smiled weakly. “I hope so. I miss her already.” She looked up at Ian and squinted against the sun. “Several of us do.”
Ian smiled but didn’t say anything for a moment. “She’s too mean to kill. They’ll have to do better than that.”
“We’ve got a lizard to gut,” Sarge said.
“I see that,” Aric said, looking in the back of the truck. “It’s huge.”
“It’s dinner!” Sarge shot back.
“We’re having gator meat for dinner?” Fred asked.
“Looks that way. You like it?” I asked.
She twisted her face, “Don’t know. I’ve never had it.”
“It’s good. I like it fried,” Aric said with a smile.
“Well I’m sure Miss Kay will do something wonderful with it,” Sarge replied.
We’ll see you guys at dinner,” I said and pulled off.
We took the beast to Danny’s house. Thad and Mary were in the garden working when we pulled in. Danny came out as I backed the truck up towards the sheds.
“What’s up?” Danny asked as we were getting out.
“I took care of the meat issue for a little while,” Sarge replied with a smile.
Danny walked around to the back of the Hummer and opened it. “Damn, that’s a nice looking gator.”
“I want to keep the skin as nice as we can,” Sarge said.
“Sounds good to me. I’ve never done a gator before. Should be fun,” Danny said.
Not wanting to, but knowing I must, I asked Danny about the recovery at Tyler and Brandy’s.
Danny looked at the ground. “We couldn’t find much. But what we found, we buried out back by Jeff.”
“What about them youngins?” Sarge asked.
“They’re in the house with Bobbie and Kay. Jace said Tyler pushed them out the window but was too weak to get himself out. I guess Brandy was too weak to even try.”
Sarge shook his head. “That’s a hell of a thing.”
“At least the kids are ok,” I said.
“They’re shook up and not really saying much. But Kay and Bobbie are in there fussing over them,” Danny said.
“It’s sad, but what’s done, is done,” Sarge said. He then looked at the gator. “Right now, we’ve got work to do.”
I looked at him. “This is far from done.”
He stared at me for a moment. “It ain’t over, Morgan.”
I looked off into the woods behind him. “We can’t lose any more.” Looking back at him, I added, “I’m not burying anyone else.”
“Don’t worry, Morg. They’ll pay for what they’ve done.” He reached out and gripped my shoulder. “Pay for all of them.”
Danny set up three sawhorses and laid out a couple pieces of plywood on it to make it long enough so we could work the whole animal. Once it was on the makeshift bench, we looked the beast over. Sarge asked Ian to go get Mike and Ted.
“No problem,” Ian said as he headed off.
I took my vest off and laid it on a stump by the shed and pulled the ESEE from its sheath. Looking at the gator, I said, “Well, I guess we
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