A Town Called America by Andrew Alexander Read Free Book Online

Slowly she focused her watery eyes.

    After grabbing the shotgun from the open gun safe near the stairs, Rick was outside in less than a minute. Standing on top of the RV fortress with the gun in hand, he scanned the area for any signs of movement. The cold breeze against his shirtless body sent a chill up his spine.
    Question needed to be answered. Where was Chris? Who had fired the shots? Had someone discovered the fortress?
    Another gunshot rang out, breaking the silence. Rick, having been in the army, instantly knew the last shot was different; it was a rifle this time and not a pistol as before. Panic struck him as he sprinted up the hill toward the gunfire. He then remembered that Chris had the rifle.
    “Chris!” he yelled.
    One more shot rang out from above, and Rick knew she had to be in the deer stand. Something was wrong—very, very wrong—as she never would have used a gun so close to the cabin unless intruders were nearby. Even so, that was an absolute last resort.

    Chris had been lying on the ground when she heard the shots. Deciding to investigate she climbed the tree to the deer stand. Once in place she scanned the area when she saw the intruders.
    No going back now
,
just take your time. It’s no different than the hundreds of time you’ve went hunting with Rick
, she thought. She closed her left eye and focused her right on the target. She took aim, held her breath, and squeezed the trigger. The rifle shot back into her shoulder with tremendous force, but she kept control.
    Just once more
, she told herself as she squeezed the trigger a second time. At that moment she knew without a doubt she had hit her marks. Two men were now on the ground next to each other. One she didn’t recognize; the other she had known since they were children. It was Shawn, and he was dead.

NINE
    J ust six weeks before Shawn took his last breath and watched the world around him turn to darkness, he had been away from the security of the RV for two days on a hunting trip with Rick.
    Deer was the prize they were after, and although fish were abundant from the lake near the cabin, their attempt at growing a garden had resulted in no return for their efforts. They were in dire need of meat and another source of food. Retrofitted, the hot tub collected rain from the roof of the cabin so it could funnel through a series of PVC pipes into the tub, where it then funneled into the RV fortress. As a result water hadn’t been an issue for the three of them, even through the heat of summer. They rationed it appropriately and had an excess supply. Food, on the other hand, was quickly becoming an issue that needed to be addressed. Their hunting trip could produce enough meat to last through the winter, if they found deer or other wild game. And only if they dried, salted, and stored it underground properly to ensure its longevity.
    By midday they hadn’t seen any sign of deer. Shawn, without a weapon, was there reluctantly, if only to aid Rick, should he need help carrying supplies, or a deer, should they find and kill one. Initially Chris was to join Rick, but because she sprained her ankle, he had insisted she stay behind. Chris had nagged Shawn to go with Rick until they both gave in to her. She desperately wished the two of them couldget along, see eye to eye, and this trip might be what they needed pull themselves together. Chris had no idea that in only a month’s time Shawn would be dead by her own hand.
    The weather was beginning to turn, and the rain had started to come down, slow at first then steadily picking up. The drops of rain falling on the ground made the forest come to life. Birds flew in and out of the trees, and a few squirrels ran up and down the thick tree trunks.
    “Shawn, we need to think about shelter for the night,” Rick said abruptly.
    Both men had argued earlier and hadn’t said a word to each other for hours. The topic was Chris, as usual. Shawn had brought up the subject to ensure Rick knew he