a
butcher knife from the block on the counter. It wasn’t much, but at least it
could provide some much-needed piece of mind and she carried it with her into
her bedroom.
Chapter
Eight
Sun poured into the windows of Dawn’s little house,
but it betrayed the cold that was outside her door. Even with the noon sun
shining bright, the November wind was crisp and could cut to the bone if one
didn’t dress accordingly.
Despite it being her first day off in a week, Dawn was
getting ready to head to Jim’s. She tried to occupy herself with things to do
around the house, but nothing was working. Every moment her mind was left
unoccupied was a chance for it to remember that her best friend was missing,
that the only suspect seemed like a total dead end, and there was a murderer,
or a bear, or something, that had been prowling around her house at night.
The streets of Goosemont were dead, even at noon. It
wasn’t the cold that was keeping the residents indoors, but rather the same
threats that loomed over Dawn. Parents escorted their kids to school. If people
did go out, they drove, and no woman felt safe while alone on the street.
It seemed that Dawn was the only one who realized
that, chances were, nothing would happen in the center of town during the
middle of the day. Still, anxiety touched her gut as she locked up her house
and let the cold air sting her cheeks and chill her still-damp hair.
Nothing will attack you in broad daylight , her
mind assured her as she made her way toward Jim’s. No person will, either.
Still, the streets were so eerily quiet that she
picked up her pace as she walked the few blocks to Jim’s. She was hoping to see
truck after truck parked outside the bar on her way in. Her eyes searched for
gun racks and boastful bumper stickers to indicate that hunters had finally
arrived, but there was nothing. The place was as deserted as ever, and Dawn
sighed as she stepped inside.
“Dawn, honey,” Jim said as he rose from the table he
was reading the paper at. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” she said, though it was only a half truth.
“Just didn’t feel like being alone at home. My mind was getting away from me.”
“Well, you’re always welcome to my company,” Jim said
with a weak smile. “Don’t know how much good that’ll do ya today.”
“It’ll be plenty good,” she told him as she sat down
at his table. “Any sign of anyone coming in?”
“Nothing yet,” Jim said as he sat back down.
“Just you wait,” Gabe said as he stepped out of the
kitchen, beer in hand. “Tonight, they’ll show. It’s been enough time. I’ll bet
any one of you fifty bucks that we’re swamped tonight.”
“You’re on,” Dawn said. Not because she really wanted
to bet, but at least it was something to get their minds off what was happening
in town.
“Well, I hope they show up soon,” Jim said as he
tucked his thumbs in his belt. “I can’t afford many more nights like last
night. You two are going to drink the bar dry without anything to do.”
It was a weak attempt at a joke, but Dawn made herself
laugh to appease the man. They were all running on stress, adrenaline, and
beer, and ignoring his quip would have only hurt him more.
“I hope they kill that bear,” Gabe said. “Mary had to
drive the girls to school today. Not that she didn’t want to, but the bus isn’t
even running. Parents don’t want to let their kids out of their sight, and no
one else was using the damn thing, so they cancelled it.”
“I’d just like to see someone trying to take an
attempt at it,” Jim said. “No one seems to be even looking. Fish and Wildlife
haven’t been looking around much, and do we really think some FBI grunts are
out in the woods hunting for it?”
“Well, let’s hope they come for a beer before they go
out in the woods,” Gabe laughed. “Just not too many, of course. We need them
shooting bears, not each other.”
“That’s just what we need,” Jim said as he cracked
butcher knife from the block on the counter. It wasn’t much, but at least it
could provide some much-needed piece of mind and she carried it with her into
her bedroom.
Chapter
Eight
Sun poured into the windows of Dawn’s little house,
but it betrayed the cold that was outside her door. Even with the noon sun
shining bright, the November wind was crisp and could cut to the bone if one
didn’t dress accordingly.
Despite it being her first day off in a week, Dawn was
getting ready to head to Jim’s. She tried to occupy herself with things to do
around the house, but nothing was working. Every moment her mind was left
unoccupied was a chance for it to remember that her best friend was missing,
that the only suspect seemed like a total dead end, and there was a murderer,
or a bear, or something, that had been prowling around her house at night.
The streets of Goosemont were dead, even at noon. It
wasn’t the cold that was keeping the residents indoors, but rather the same
threats that loomed over Dawn. Parents escorted their kids to school. If people
did go out, they drove, and no woman felt safe while alone on the street.
It seemed that Dawn was the only one who realized
that, chances were, nothing would happen in the center of town during the
middle of the day. Still, anxiety touched her gut as she locked up her house
and let the cold air sting her cheeks and chill her still-damp hair.
Nothing will attack you in broad daylight , her
mind assured her as she made her way toward Jim’s. No person will, either.
Still, the streets were so eerily quiet that she
picked up her pace as she walked the few blocks to Jim’s. She was hoping to see
truck after truck parked outside the bar on her way in. Her eyes searched for
gun racks and boastful bumper stickers to indicate that hunters had finally
arrived, but there was nothing. The place was as deserted as ever, and Dawn
sighed as she stepped inside.
“Dawn, honey,” Jim said as he rose from the table he
was reading the paper at. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” she said, though it was only a half truth.
“Just didn’t feel like being alone at home. My mind was getting away from me.”
“Well, you’re always welcome to my company,” Jim said
with a weak smile. “Don’t know how much good that’ll do ya today.”
“It’ll be plenty good,” she told him as she sat down
at his table. “Any sign of anyone coming in?”
“Nothing yet,” Jim said as he sat back down.
“Just you wait,” Gabe said as he stepped out of the
kitchen, beer in hand. “Tonight, they’ll show. It’s been enough time. I’ll bet
any one of you fifty bucks that we’re swamped tonight.”
“You’re on,” Dawn said. Not because she really wanted
to bet, but at least it was something to get their minds off what was happening
in town.
“Well, I hope they show up soon,” Jim said as he
tucked his thumbs in his belt. “I can’t afford many more nights like last
night. You two are going to drink the bar dry without anything to do.”
It was a weak attempt at a joke, but Dawn made herself
laugh to appease the man. They were all running on stress, adrenaline, and
beer, and ignoring his quip would have only hurt him more.
“I hope they kill that bear,” Gabe said. “Mary had to
drive the girls to school today. Not that she didn’t want to, but the bus isn’t
even running. Parents don’t want to let their kids out of their sight, and no
one else was using the damn thing, so they cancelled it.”
“I’d just like to see someone trying to take an
attempt at it,” Jim said. “No one seems to be even looking. Fish and Wildlife
haven’t been looking around much, and do we really think some FBI grunts are
out in the woods hunting for it?”
“Well, let’s hope they come for a beer before they go
out in the woods,” Gabe laughed. “Just not too many, of course. We need them
shooting bears, not each other.”
“That’s just what we need,” Jim said as he cracked
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