he slowly and quietly opened the cabinet, grabbed a handful of bullets, closed it, and casual skipped out the door. He carefully dodged Alya who noticed him and lunged toward him in order to get him to play, past Joseph who yelled something about playing cars, and past Jack who asked if he wanted to learn the proper way to stack wood. Why would he want to know the proper way to stack wood?
Out the door and into the cold he ran through the open field towards the bushes where Trent was waiting for him. He stopped just within the tree line and waited for the man to reveal himself. No matter how hard he tried he couldn’t find the man unless he wanted to be found. After a few seconds he heard a voice come from his right side, despite the fact Ben was expecting it he still jumped.
“So much for trying to appear casual.”
Ben recovered and looked at him confused.
“You ran here like you were running from a fire, a fire you started.”
Ben realized he had forgotten the whole being inconspicuous part of the plan. He dropped his head and focused on his feet. “Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it squirt, what did you get?” Ben showed him the handful of bullets and a frown formed on Trent’s face. “That’s it?”
Ben glanced down to make sure the bullets were still in his hand, confirmed they were, and looked back up. “You said I needed some bullets for target practice. We didn’t have much and I didn’t want my dad to notice so I just took a few.”
Trent ran a hand through his scruffy beard and shook his head. “I don’t know if that is going to be enough squirt. You sure you’re dad doesn’t have any more cases of bullets lying around?”
He thought about it for a second then shook his head no.
“What about the new guy you have living with you for the winter?”
Ben had to admit he hadn’t thought about that. Jack was staying with them for the winter so they could share firewood and help out with hunting duties. Jack had his own gun and it was different from his dad’s so Jack had to have his own stash of bullets.
Trent watched the realization dawn on Ben’s face. “You’re next assignment is to find out where your new friend is keeping his ammo and-“
“That isn’t going to happen.”
Ben looked up and saw his father pointing a gun directly at Trent’s back. In one quick motion Trent pulled out his handgun, spun around and pointed it directly at his father. For a second, just one brief second Ben saw his father’s hand tighten and he thought he was going to fire, but didn’t.
“Ben get back to the house right now.”
Ben couldn’t move a muscle. The sight of a gun pointed at another person suddenly made them seem so much more dangerous and now there was one pointed at his father.
Trent placed his left hand up in the air as if to calm his father down. “Look man I’m not here to hurt anyone, I think you’ve got the wrong idea.”
Ben could see the anger on his father’s face. “I see you out here with my son asking him to bring you our supplies, what kind of idea should I have?”
Trent slowly returned his left hand to his gun and continued aiming it at his father.
“It’s just a game we’re playing, I’m not trying to steal your stuff.”
“No, you’re not. You’re using my son to do that.”
The stood there again in silence, neither moving.
“What’s your name?” his father asked.
“Trent.”
“Trent, I need you to go back where you came from and never return, do you understand me?”
Trent was silent for a moment. “I’m not your enemy. I wasn’t sure if you were a good guy or a bad guy. Yeah it’s wrong to attempt to use your son behind your back to figure that out but I didn’t know what else to do.”
“If I see you on my land or around any of my family members again I will end you, do you understand?”
Again silence. After a few beats Trent slowly dropped his gun.
My name is Trent. I’ve been living in that abandoned house since right before
Out the door and into the cold he ran through the open field towards the bushes where Trent was waiting for him. He stopped just within the tree line and waited for the man to reveal himself. No matter how hard he tried he couldn’t find the man unless he wanted to be found. After a few seconds he heard a voice come from his right side, despite the fact Ben was expecting it he still jumped.
“So much for trying to appear casual.”
Ben recovered and looked at him confused.
“You ran here like you were running from a fire, a fire you started.”
Ben realized he had forgotten the whole being inconspicuous part of the plan. He dropped his head and focused on his feet. “Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it squirt, what did you get?” Ben showed him the handful of bullets and a frown formed on Trent’s face. “That’s it?”
Ben glanced down to make sure the bullets were still in his hand, confirmed they were, and looked back up. “You said I needed some bullets for target practice. We didn’t have much and I didn’t want my dad to notice so I just took a few.”
Trent ran a hand through his scruffy beard and shook his head. “I don’t know if that is going to be enough squirt. You sure you’re dad doesn’t have any more cases of bullets lying around?”
He thought about it for a second then shook his head no.
“What about the new guy you have living with you for the winter?”
Ben had to admit he hadn’t thought about that. Jack was staying with them for the winter so they could share firewood and help out with hunting duties. Jack had his own gun and it was different from his dad’s so Jack had to have his own stash of bullets.
Trent watched the realization dawn on Ben’s face. “You’re next assignment is to find out where your new friend is keeping his ammo and-“
“That isn’t going to happen.”
Ben looked up and saw his father pointing a gun directly at Trent’s back. In one quick motion Trent pulled out his handgun, spun around and pointed it directly at his father. For a second, just one brief second Ben saw his father’s hand tighten and he thought he was going to fire, but didn’t.
“Ben get back to the house right now.”
Ben couldn’t move a muscle. The sight of a gun pointed at another person suddenly made them seem so much more dangerous and now there was one pointed at his father.
Trent placed his left hand up in the air as if to calm his father down. “Look man I’m not here to hurt anyone, I think you’ve got the wrong idea.”
Ben could see the anger on his father’s face. “I see you out here with my son asking him to bring you our supplies, what kind of idea should I have?”
Trent slowly returned his left hand to his gun and continued aiming it at his father.
“It’s just a game we’re playing, I’m not trying to steal your stuff.”
“No, you’re not. You’re using my son to do that.”
The stood there again in silence, neither moving.
“What’s your name?” his father asked.
“Trent.”
“Trent, I need you to go back where you came from and never return, do you understand me?”
Trent was silent for a moment. “I’m not your enemy. I wasn’t sure if you were a good guy or a bad guy. Yeah it’s wrong to attempt to use your son behind your back to figure that out but I didn’t know what else to do.”
“If I see you on my land or around any of my family members again I will end you, do you understand?”
Again silence. After a few beats Trent slowly dropped his gun.
My name is Trent. I’ve been living in that abandoned house since right before
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