In Another Life

Chapter 58: Mia

Vic hands me probably my favourite gun in her family's arsenal. A beautiful 30 odd 6, I smile when she hands it to me. Bret, Bobby, CC, and Rikki all take a step back and I make a face.

"What?" CC wonders. "You with a gun is scarier than you with your switch."

"Im good with a gun." I state and Vicy laughs.

"C'mon kid, let's go get a buck." She says.

We get dressed in some camouflage and g ready to go. Bobby makes a stupid joke about not being able to see us. Rikki kisses me and tells me good luck and to be careful.

Vicy and I walk through he woods with our guns in hand. My legs are longer than Vic's so I walk about three steps in front of her. She directs me as I walk. I push a branch forward and walk through. I thought I had held it long enough for Vicy to get through. I heard her swear about seventy times before I turned back.

Blood pours down Vicy's face as I pull the little first aid kit out of the hunting jacket's pocket. I start to patch up the cut that's just above her eye.

"Ow fuck! Jesus, Mouse!" She nearly screams and birds fly out of the trees.

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! I've gotta tape you up! CC will have a fit if you come back to camp as bloody as you are." I say and she scowls then laughs.

"Okay but imagine Rikki if you came back bloody. He'd kill." Vic laughs.

"C'mon, let go before the first frost comes." I say and she laughs again.

"We're in Bama, remember?" She wonders as we walk.

"Whatever." I laugh.

Storm clouds start to roll in and we haven't seen anything. We decided to start to head back to camp before we get soaked. When we get to the tent (that's about the size New Jersey) and the boys are vacant. Vic and I look at each other.

"Boys?" Vic yells. "CC? Bobby?"

"Rikki? Bret?" I yell.

"Up here!" Bret's voice calls and we look up.

The four boys are sitting on a high branch of an old oak tree.

"What the hell are you doing up there?" I wonder.

"There's a snake near the tent!" CC yells.

"So your reaction is to hide in a tree?" Vicy wonders.

I drop my gun and walk over to the tent. I see what they're talking about and I pick it up. It's a snake skin.

"It's a snake skin! Like your boots CC!" I yell.

Now I'm not sure what they're arguing about but they argue for a few minutes before hopping down. Just as it starts to rain. We all go into the tents. I pull out one of the baby books that my grandmother bought before we left Brooklyn and I start to flip through them with my head in Rikki's lap.