Dead Living by Glenn Bullion Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Glenn Bullion
shoulders. It was nearly his size.
“Uncle Frank, can you give me a hand?”
“Jesus, Aaron,” he said, dropping the ax and
rushing over. “What the hell? You trying to be the Incredible
Hulk?”
“I know.” Aaron had a huge smile on his face.
“Dinner for a week. We haven't had deer in a while. Who's the
Incredible Hulk?”
The women left the house to greet Aaron. They
listened with smiles as Aaron told them the story. He was
practicing with his bow on the other side of the lake when he saw
the buck getting a drink of water. He killed it clean through the
trees with a single arrow from about forty yards out. Everyone was
impressed.
As Aaron told the story, Joe grew unhappy. It
was only when his son finished did he realize why.
Aaron was growing up
fast. Soon, he won't need me
anymore .
“Hey Dad, you mind if I clean up and read a
while? Then I'll help Uncle Frank with the wood.”
Joe nodded. He grabbed Aaron's shoulder
before he could walk away. “I'm proud of you.”
Aaron just gave his father a confident wink.
Joe tried not to laugh as his son walked around the back of the
house to use the buckets of lake water they kept to wash up. If
high school still existed, Aaron would be the scholar athlete,
getting excellent grades, then hitting the track after school. Not
the snobby popular type. Aaron wasn't like that.
“They grow up fast, don't they?” Joe
said.
“It just means we're all getting older,”
Margie said with a smile.
“Speak for yourself.
Maybe you all are
old. I'm not,” Frank said.
Joe was ready to get back to the outhouse
when he saw the three of them trading looks with each other.
Something was going on.
“Guys? What's up?”
Frank took a breath and shrugged at the
women. “Do we want to do this here?”
Margie nodded. “Yeah.”
“Do what?”
Margie tried to stifle a smile as Denise took
Joe by the hand. Denise tried to keep her feelings for Joe a
secret, but she never did a good job.
“Joe, Aaron's gotta learn how to shoot a
gun.”
“He hates guns. Scared to death of them. He
can barely aim one straight.”
“Hell, none of us like guns. Well, except
for Frank the warrior here. But Joe, come on. It's way past
time.”
“We won't be around forever,” Frank said.
“He's mean with a bow, and I taught him how to throw his fists
around. And I hope it never happens, but one day, he might be in a
corner with five corpses looking at him. He has to learn how to
shoot.”
Aaron wasn't a stranger to the world of the
dead. He'd gone along the last few trips to town. But he never had
to see a corpse up close, never had to shoot one in the head.
Joe was quiet a moment. He
was always reluctant to start on Aaron's gun training because, like
Frank said, it was an admission that they couldn't protect him
forever. It was easy to pretend that deep in the woods, they were
protected from the Hell that had taken over the earth. But the
truth was no one was completely safe.
Frank didn't agree with Joe when he wanted to
teach Aaron to read. Frank thought it was a waste of time. But Joe
knew Frank was right about gun training.
“You're right,” Joe said. “We all agree we
need to head to town, right?”
Everyone nodded.
“Okay. We got plenty of daylight left. We'll
go in together, get what we need, teach Aaron to shoot. Hell, maybe
we'll even find a battery and some gas for the van.”
Denise laughed. “You always say that.”
“One day I'll be right.”
Joe turned to leave, but Frank grabbed his
shoulder. “Uh, hey. There's one more thing.” He looked at Margie.
She gave him a bright smile, one Joe hadn't seen in quite a while.
“We have something to say.”
*****
Aaron poured a bucket of water over his head.
It felt great, although it gave him a chill as the water seeped
inside his shorts. He wiped his bald head with his sweaty shirt and
carried the empty bucket down to the lake for a refill.
As he walked by the house he saw his entire
family gathered near the cooking
“Uncle Frank, can you give me a hand?”
“Jesus, Aaron,” he said, dropping the ax and
rushing over. “What the hell? You trying to be the Incredible
Hulk?”
“I know.” Aaron had a huge smile on his face.
“Dinner for a week. We haven't had deer in a while. Who's the
Incredible Hulk?”
The women left the house to greet Aaron. They
listened with smiles as Aaron told them the story. He was
practicing with his bow on the other side of the lake when he saw
the buck getting a drink of water. He killed it clean through the
trees with a single arrow from about forty yards out. Everyone was
impressed.
As Aaron told the story, Joe grew unhappy. It
was only when his son finished did he realize why.
Aaron was growing up
fast. Soon, he won't need me
anymore .
“Hey Dad, you mind if I clean up and read a
while? Then I'll help Uncle Frank with the wood.”
Joe nodded. He grabbed Aaron's shoulder
before he could walk away. “I'm proud of you.”
Aaron just gave his father a confident wink.
Joe tried not to laugh as his son walked around the back of the
house to use the buckets of lake water they kept to wash up. If
high school still existed, Aaron would be the scholar athlete,
getting excellent grades, then hitting the track after school. Not
the snobby popular type. Aaron wasn't like that.
“They grow up fast, don't they?” Joe
said.
“It just means we're all getting older,”
Margie said with a smile.
“Speak for yourself.
Maybe you all are
old. I'm not,” Frank said.
Joe was ready to get back to the outhouse
when he saw the three of them trading looks with each other.
Something was going on.
“Guys? What's up?”
Frank took a breath and shrugged at the
women. “Do we want to do this here?”
Margie nodded. “Yeah.”
“Do what?”
Margie tried to stifle a smile as Denise took
Joe by the hand. Denise tried to keep her feelings for Joe a
secret, but she never did a good job.
“Joe, Aaron's gotta learn how to shoot a
gun.”
“He hates guns. Scared to death of them. He
can barely aim one straight.”
“Hell, none of us like guns. Well, except
for Frank the warrior here. But Joe, come on. It's way past
time.”
“We won't be around forever,” Frank said.
“He's mean with a bow, and I taught him how to throw his fists
around. And I hope it never happens, but one day, he might be in a
corner with five corpses looking at him. He has to learn how to
shoot.”
Aaron wasn't a stranger to the world of the
dead. He'd gone along the last few trips to town. But he never had
to see a corpse up close, never had to shoot one in the head.
Joe was quiet a moment. He
was always reluctant to start on Aaron's gun training because, like
Frank said, it was an admission that they couldn't protect him
forever. It was easy to pretend that deep in the woods, they were
protected from the Hell that had taken over the earth. But the
truth was no one was completely safe.
Frank didn't agree with Joe when he wanted to
teach Aaron to read. Frank thought it was a waste of time. But Joe
knew Frank was right about gun training.
“You're right,” Joe said. “We all agree we
need to head to town, right?”
Everyone nodded.
“Okay. We got plenty of daylight left. We'll
go in together, get what we need, teach Aaron to shoot. Hell, maybe
we'll even find a battery and some gas for the van.”
Denise laughed. “You always say that.”
“One day I'll be right.”
Joe turned to leave, but Frank grabbed his
shoulder. “Uh, hey. There's one more thing.” He looked at Margie.
She gave him a bright smile, one Joe hadn't seen in quite a while.
“We have something to say.”
*****
Aaron poured a bucket of water over his head.
It felt great, although it gave him a chill as the water seeped
inside his shorts. He wiped his bald head with his sweaty shirt and
carried the empty bucket down to the lake for a refill.
As he walked by the house he saw his entire
family gathered near the cooking