still on his hands and knees now looking into the darkness asking,
“What do you want?
“How are you alive?
“I fucking shot you.”
Tomek, now realizing that Magee had not yet put it together that there were more than one of them, decided to continue answering the deputy in a terrorizing manner with a deeper, almost growling voice.
“You cannot kill what is not alive.”
Tomek then drew back his bow and aimed for the small spot between the eyes of the deputy and was instantly blinded by a flash of light.
The sound of the gunshot echoed through the valley. Every owl and crow in the area called out as they took flight from their roosts. Tomek never had the chance to release the arrow as the muzzle flash from the gunshot caused him to flinch off his target. The instant brightness of the flame escaping out the end of the barrel was gone as quickly as it had arrived.
Both Tomek and the deputy briefly looked each other directly in the eyes through the darkness using what little moon had peaked through the cloudy sky. Tomek dropped his bow, feeling around his entire body, searching for where the round had struck him. Looking toward the deputy again, he made eye contact as Magee slowly fell forward from his knees, hitting the ground with thud that launched leaves into the air upon impact.
The clouds dissipated just enough for Tomek to look 15 yards up the tram road. Again, he was locked eye to eye with a shooter, frozen, as if believing if he did not move the shooter would not be able to make him out in the dark. Motionless, hidden in the shadows, he watched as the new shooter walked slowly up to Magee’s body.
Picking up his bow and raising it slowly with the same arrow knocked that was meant to kill Magee, Tomek came to full draw, waiting for his new target to take one more step into the beam of moonlight.
Just prior to reaching the light, the shooter stopped, looked into the dark area where Tomek stood to the side of the boulder and hollered, “You cannot kill what is not alive.” Tomek did not understand how or why, but hearing Drake’s voice again in the dark was nothing short of miraculous.
16 Wounds
S tepping out from his shadowed hiding spot behind the boulder Tomek grasped Drake in his arms, pulling him close, chest-to-chest in a deep hug that caused Drake pain.
“Ah, aaaah, ouch, careful,” Drake said.
“How the hell, I saw you get shot?” Tomek said still holding tight to his back from the dead brother.
“I guess when I put the other one’s coat on, it had some sort of a lining in it that stops guns,” Drake said referring to Ravizza’ bullet-resistant vest-lined coat had just saved his life.
“Are you hurt at all?”
“Yeah, the bullet did not break my skin but I am pretty sure it broke my rib cage or something. It hurt like hell once I woke up.”
“Woke up?” Tomek asked, puzzled.
“Yeah, the impact just knocked me out, I guess. How did I end up down there?”
“You fell.”
Drake rolled his eyes at his brother’s obvious answer but did not want to further push the conversation.
“What woke you up?” Tomek inquired.
Drake did not say anything. He just smirked and held up the pistol that Tomek’s arrow had forced out of Magee’s hand and over the edge of the tram road.
“Well, I am glad you woke up, even though I didn’t need you. I had him dead to rights anyway,” Tomek said in his usual boastful manner.
“You needed me as bait and I drew him out for you,” Drake said, taking off the jacket and looking at his chest for the first time. “Too dark here to see much, but it is already bruised. Let’s head back to the cabin so I can wrap my chest.”
“Sounds like a good plan to me. I am hungry anyway.”
Tomek led the way back down the hillside using the easiest route that could be carved out in the dark. The topic of their conversation was light-hearted. Both seemed just happy to still be not only alive but together.
“What is going to happen when if we
“What do you want?
“How are you alive?
“I fucking shot you.”
Tomek, now realizing that Magee had not yet put it together that there were more than one of them, decided to continue answering the deputy in a terrorizing manner with a deeper, almost growling voice.
“You cannot kill what is not alive.”
Tomek then drew back his bow and aimed for the small spot between the eyes of the deputy and was instantly blinded by a flash of light.
The sound of the gunshot echoed through the valley. Every owl and crow in the area called out as they took flight from their roosts. Tomek never had the chance to release the arrow as the muzzle flash from the gunshot caused him to flinch off his target. The instant brightness of the flame escaping out the end of the barrel was gone as quickly as it had arrived.
Both Tomek and the deputy briefly looked each other directly in the eyes through the darkness using what little moon had peaked through the cloudy sky. Tomek dropped his bow, feeling around his entire body, searching for where the round had struck him. Looking toward the deputy again, he made eye contact as Magee slowly fell forward from his knees, hitting the ground with thud that launched leaves into the air upon impact.
The clouds dissipated just enough for Tomek to look 15 yards up the tram road. Again, he was locked eye to eye with a shooter, frozen, as if believing if he did not move the shooter would not be able to make him out in the dark. Motionless, hidden in the shadows, he watched as the new shooter walked slowly up to Magee’s body.
Picking up his bow and raising it slowly with the same arrow knocked that was meant to kill Magee, Tomek came to full draw, waiting for his new target to take one more step into the beam of moonlight.
Just prior to reaching the light, the shooter stopped, looked into the dark area where Tomek stood to the side of the boulder and hollered, “You cannot kill what is not alive.” Tomek did not understand how or why, but hearing Drake’s voice again in the dark was nothing short of miraculous.
16 Wounds
S tepping out from his shadowed hiding spot behind the boulder Tomek grasped Drake in his arms, pulling him close, chest-to-chest in a deep hug that caused Drake pain.
“Ah, aaaah, ouch, careful,” Drake said.
“How the hell, I saw you get shot?” Tomek said still holding tight to his back from the dead brother.
“I guess when I put the other one’s coat on, it had some sort of a lining in it that stops guns,” Drake said referring to Ravizza’ bullet-resistant vest-lined coat had just saved his life.
“Are you hurt at all?”
“Yeah, the bullet did not break my skin but I am pretty sure it broke my rib cage or something. It hurt like hell once I woke up.”
“Woke up?” Tomek asked, puzzled.
“Yeah, the impact just knocked me out, I guess. How did I end up down there?”
“You fell.”
Drake rolled his eyes at his brother’s obvious answer but did not want to further push the conversation.
“What woke you up?” Tomek inquired.
Drake did not say anything. He just smirked and held up the pistol that Tomek’s arrow had forced out of Magee’s hand and over the edge of the tram road.
“Well, I am glad you woke up, even though I didn’t need you. I had him dead to rights anyway,” Tomek said in his usual boastful manner.
“You needed me as bait and I drew him out for you,” Drake said, taking off the jacket and looking at his chest for the first time. “Too dark here to see much, but it is already bruised. Let’s head back to the cabin so I can wrap my chest.”
“Sounds like a good plan to me. I am hungry anyway.”
Tomek led the way back down the hillside using the easiest route that could be carved out in the dark. The topic of their conversation was light-hearted. Both seemed just happy to still be not only alive but together.
“What is going to happen when if we
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