shut but it sprang back open, breaking a pane from the small inset window as it slammed against the wall. Broken shards of glass fell to the floor, some of the larger pieces breaking again.
Delmar could feel a trickle of blood running down the back of his neck. In the dim light of the room, he could see his brother, drunk with a broken bottle in his hand, towering over him. The rage in Dorn’s eyes was unmistakable. Delmar eased himself slowly along the floor to gain a defensible position.
“Where you been, you little snot!” Dorn screamed drunkenly at him. “You went and tried to cause trouble for me with the social agency, didn’t you?”
Delmar, confused by the accusation, knew that he had not seen anyone from the agency in several years. As his enraged brother drew closer, Delmar prepared for the worst.
“Don’t you try to run, you little son of a Red-tail! I’m gonna beat the tar out’ta you!”
Finally fed up with Dorn’s abuse, Delmar kicked outward and connected with his brother’s ankles, toppling the inebriated man. Falling to the floor, Dorn was unable to get a good hold on the faster boy.
Delmar twisted free of his drunken antagonist and leapt through the open door, running hard for the road. He dodged the thrown broken liquor bottle as he fled.
“You better run or I’ll kill you!” his brother screamed at him and slammed the door. The rest of the small window in the door shattered with the impact.
Delmar ran as fast he could, putting distance between himself and his dangerous brother. Fearing that Dorn might run him down from behind, he cut across several fields. He knew Dorn would look for him at the Hassels, so he decided to avoid their inviting sanctuary. Instead, he scrambled deep into a nearby wood and found temporary shelter in an abandoned shack. He secured his makeshift shelter and sank to the floor. How could such a perfect day have gone so wrong?
∞∞∞
Checking the outbuildings for the night, Robert Hassel was surprised to hear a ground vehicle roar into his driveway and slide to a halt. He hurried around the side of the house and saw Delmar’s older brother, drunk and enraged pounding on the front door with the palm of his hand.
“Where you hidin’ that no good little snot?” the man yelled at the door.
Before he could intervene, Robert heard the door open and saw the drunken man stagger backward. In the light of the porch lamp, he saw Agnes standing firmly in front of the large man with her rifle pointed squarely at his chest.
“I don’t know what you want but you have exactly ten seconds to leave my property!” she said, her voice hard.
His eyes wide with surprise, the man fell off the porch and lurched back to his truck. When he hesitated getting in, Agnes put a shot into the fence post next to him.
“Git, I said!” she yelled, “and don’t ever come back!”
Dorn leapt behind the controls and the vehicle spewed gravel as it reversed its course down the driveway. As soon as the truck was gone, Robert joined his wife on the porch.
“Good shot, Agnes,” he said, “but now I have to repair the fence post.”
Emptying the spent cartridge from the chamber, Agnes fed a fresh round in and cycled the weapon. “You know what I think, Robert? I think Delmar’s in trouble.”
“It’s obvious he isn’t at home or his drunken brother wouldn’t have come here looking for him. Wherever that boy is tonight, he’s going to be awful lonely.”
The couple remained quiet for a moment. They could still hear the noise from Dorn’s racing ground vehicle in the distance. After it finally faded, Agnes said, “We’ll go look for him at first light before his brother sleeps off his booze.”
“Sure wish I could help him tonight though,” replied her husband as they walked into the house.
Chapter Five
Early the next morning the Hassels were up at first light and ready to begin their search. Robert tried to think of how he would run if he were in Delmar’s
Delmar could feel a trickle of blood running down the back of his neck. In the dim light of the room, he could see his brother, drunk with a broken bottle in his hand, towering over him. The rage in Dorn’s eyes was unmistakable. Delmar eased himself slowly along the floor to gain a defensible position.
“Where you been, you little snot!” Dorn screamed drunkenly at him. “You went and tried to cause trouble for me with the social agency, didn’t you?”
Delmar, confused by the accusation, knew that he had not seen anyone from the agency in several years. As his enraged brother drew closer, Delmar prepared for the worst.
“Don’t you try to run, you little son of a Red-tail! I’m gonna beat the tar out’ta you!”
Finally fed up with Dorn’s abuse, Delmar kicked outward and connected with his brother’s ankles, toppling the inebriated man. Falling to the floor, Dorn was unable to get a good hold on the faster boy.
Delmar twisted free of his drunken antagonist and leapt through the open door, running hard for the road. He dodged the thrown broken liquor bottle as he fled.
“You better run or I’ll kill you!” his brother screamed at him and slammed the door. The rest of the small window in the door shattered with the impact.
Delmar ran as fast he could, putting distance between himself and his dangerous brother. Fearing that Dorn might run him down from behind, he cut across several fields. He knew Dorn would look for him at the Hassels, so he decided to avoid their inviting sanctuary. Instead, he scrambled deep into a nearby wood and found temporary shelter in an abandoned shack. He secured his makeshift shelter and sank to the floor. How could such a perfect day have gone so wrong?
∞∞∞
Checking the outbuildings for the night, Robert Hassel was surprised to hear a ground vehicle roar into his driveway and slide to a halt. He hurried around the side of the house and saw Delmar’s older brother, drunk and enraged pounding on the front door with the palm of his hand.
“Where you hidin’ that no good little snot?” the man yelled at the door.
Before he could intervene, Robert heard the door open and saw the drunken man stagger backward. In the light of the porch lamp, he saw Agnes standing firmly in front of the large man with her rifle pointed squarely at his chest.
“I don’t know what you want but you have exactly ten seconds to leave my property!” she said, her voice hard.
His eyes wide with surprise, the man fell off the porch and lurched back to his truck. When he hesitated getting in, Agnes put a shot into the fence post next to him.
“Git, I said!” she yelled, “and don’t ever come back!”
Dorn leapt behind the controls and the vehicle spewed gravel as it reversed its course down the driveway. As soon as the truck was gone, Robert joined his wife on the porch.
“Good shot, Agnes,” he said, “but now I have to repair the fence post.”
Emptying the spent cartridge from the chamber, Agnes fed a fresh round in and cycled the weapon. “You know what I think, Robert? I think Delmar’s in trouble.”
“It’s obvious he isn’t at home or his drunken brother wouldn’t have come here looking for him. Wherever that boy is tonight, he’s going to be awful lonely.”
The couple remained quiet for a moment. They could still hear the noise from Dorn’s racing ground vehicle in the distance. After it finally faded, Agnes said, “We’ll go look for him at first light before his brother sleeps off his booze.”
“Sure wish I could help him tonight though,” replied her husband as they walked into the house.
Chapter Five
Early the next morning the Hassels were up at first light and ready to begin their search. Robert tried to think of how he would run if he were in Delmar’s
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