Sting

     The fields motivate Ed when he runs. Bundles of hay line the fields and are so abundant that they look like golden ripples. In fact, there are hundreds of them across dozens of fields, and they're the only thing Ed sees for the next hour--before he stumbles upon a vulture feeding on a fox. He watches the pitiful thing; its organs puddled on the road, and its blood soaks its torso. The vultures, being ravenous, tear the flesh so that only the bones and matted fur remain. Ed observes their greed and pities them because they rely on predatory tendencies. Soon, he leaves the scene.
      Ed's run is peaceful before he hears the gravel behind him crunch, and when he glances behind his shoulder, he sees a red pickup truck coming in his direction. It cruises in his direction slowly at first as it comes closer. Ed's breath quivers as the truck approaches. Soon, without hesitation, he hurries into the field, but the truck accelerates behind him. Ed does the only thing he can do. He quickens his pace and blindly runs through the forest of hay, then hides behind the bales.
After a moment, Ed peeks from behind the bale and sees the vehicle stop in the field. His fingers twitch, but the rest of him is stock-still. He doesn't recognize the "red Chevy."
     Ed whispers the words, then touches the hay. While repeating these words, he watches a young woman leave the truck. He doesn't recognize her.
     Her dark hair is messy, and her round face looks somber; it's almost gaunt because of the worry lines on her face. She paces the field and searches for Ed, but Ed is so still that she doesn't hear him. But even in such a vast space, he feels that his breathing is too loud. He feels dizzy.
     Ed feels relief when he sees that the woman is inside the truck. 'Maybe she will leave,' he thinks. But after a few minutes, she returns with a rifle. She prowls, gazes, and calls out for Ed. The barrel of the rifle is level.
"where." a bullet impales the hay.
"are." another shot.
"you." She shoots three shots at a hay bale and screams.   
      "You took everything from me, Ed," her only audience is the red Chevy, the rows of hay, and the rifle. Ed can only hear his breathing.
   "You caused me so much pain, Ed. And I was blamed for what you did." She stops to look at the sky. There are vultures circling the area. More of them swoop down to devour the remainder of the poor fox.
      Jane looks down at the gun and strokes it, "Ed, why did you lie? When did I say I wanted it? Why did your friends taunt me, as if what you did wasn't enough?" She drops the barrel for a brief moment.
     "Do you even remember who I am? Jane, that's my name. Jane Reilly. You didn't even ask that night. I had to tell you."Jane."
     Her name repeats in his mind while he tries to remember. 'Jane. Jane. Jane.'
     Her name repeats in his mind while he tries to remember. 'Jane. Jane. Jane.'
     Ed remembers the night Jane talked about. The two of them met at Caleb's party. Ed, being a gentleman, poured her a drink then led her to the bedroom. He thought she had fun that night. When she reported him to the police, he was let go because she was asking for it. The police even said so when they saw what she was wearing that night. She was asking for it.
      Jane cocks the rifle, then shoots rapidly from one bundle of hay to the next. She pivots and fires without hesitation; almost every hay bale in the field is hit. Ed slides behind the hay before he feels a slow sensation tingling up his legs. Bees consume his body, and while he cries out in pain, his eyes swell. He hears the grass from in front of him rustle. Jane is above him now.
    "Lady, please. Please don't," he holds his hands out to shield his chest, but the barrel of her gun points at his head. Ed lunges at Jane, and the two fall to the ground.Her hands have a steady grip; her feet dig into his chest while he's on top of her. She punches him in both the eyes until they're black and swollen, then strangles him.
     But before she does much damage, Jane's eyes roll back as Ed's hands wrap around her neck. He watches Jane gasp for air through his swollen eyes. Her eyes bulge from their sockets, and before she suffocates, a sharp pain erupts in Ed's leg, and he falls on his back. Jane's pistol is in hand when she collapses. She wheezes and gasps for air, and Ed, with his remaining strength, stands; but only for a moment before he falls, and cries in pain. Soon, Ed feels Jane's weight atop his chest before Jane spits in his face. And without hesitation, Jane kicks Ed's leg continually. Ed howls in pain, so Jane shuts him up by hitting him with the butt of the gun until his blood soaks the dirt. His blood is stagnant, and it fades to black as it seeps into the soil. It nourishes the crops much like the fox would have if he too was on the soil. But poor Ed meets the same fate as the fox because Jane shoots him in the chest.