//------------------------------// // A Light Shining in Darkness // Story: The Thoughts that Count // by Mclovin //------------------------------//         “Why am I here?” I thought to myself.         “Because you need the money, that’s why. Don’t you want to go back to school? Have a future?”         “Yes, but… at what cost?” Within my groggy brain, an anguishing feeling buzzed like a swarm of angry hornets, banging against the walls just begging to be released. And the longer they thrashed, the more painful I felt, almost developing into a rising headache. As soon as Abbie and I came inside the house, Charlie was already preparing for bed. Soon she joined him, leaving me with a quick goodnight before I went to my room. I thought I had craved sleep once all of my chores were done, but it turns out I couldn’t sleep. Not with so many nettlesome thoughts to keep me up all night. It must’ve been close to 11:30 last time I checked. The couple I lived with must’ve already been fast asleep. Half an hour after I crawled into bed, the walls couldn’t hold back their conversation or most likely an argument given there were a few muffled exclamations. I wasn’t sure if they were talking about me, but I decided to not overthink upon the idea.         After some time, there was nothing but silence. The entire house was dead quiet, giving indication that everyone was asleep. All except me, of course. No matter how much I would toss and turn, I just couldn’t get comfortable. All I could think about was what Abbie said back in the barn. And it left me wondering… What exactly happened to my friends? Have they moved on, same as me, yet keeping me close to their hearts? Or have they forgotten and left me to wither alone? Do they not care about me anymore? I would’ve resolved my overthinking by texting a message or two on some old numbers on my iPhone. But I suddenly recalled the last messages I sent about two years ago. Still no response to this day. So I left my phone alone and tried to force myself asleep. “Maybe… maybe they… don’t really care anymore?” At that moment, my heart began to sink until my shoulders followed suite. Sadness consumed me, like the sudden collapse of an empty cave. Yeah, I know it sounds a tad cliche to wallow over being a total loner, but walk enough miles in my shoes and you’ll see that having too much time to yourself can almost be deadly. The only difference is that I haven’t died, at least not on the outside. I turned to my side, where my cheek made subtle contact with the pillow. The window beside me gave a crystal clear view of the luminescent moon peeking behind the curtains. Beautiful, but not helpful. It was only a matter of time before I grew more depressed to the point where I could actually sleep. So this is what dying on the inside must feel like. Doesn’t surprise me. After all, you kind of get used to it. Like a euthanasia, I slowly drifted off into sleep with another heavy heart. *** White. All I could see was white. Wind howled furiously, with every gust delivering another chilling sensation. It was snowing in the form of a blizzard, wave after wave of flurry snow raised itself from the ground to coincide with the wind. I’d appreciate the dancing airborne swirls if it weren’t for my chattering teeth. I found myself struggling to keep my balance as I trudged heavily through the deep snow. No more than six inches to prevent me from expanding my stride. I could barely see the trees rustling at my side, shaking the powder loose from their branches. Yeah, it was that cold. Thankfully, I wore a thick wool coat, though hardly thick enough to keep my upper body warm. A full moon shined in the murky storm. Winter at night is never an assuring sign, I felt like I was about to freeze mid-step at any minute. Just kill me now before I die in the cold. Continuing to walk in shin-high snow, a light glowed faintly in the distance - or at least it felt distant. I squinted my eyes past the incoming snowflakes pelting wetly against my face. Please tell me it was what I thought it was: a fire, shelter, anything to get me out of this cold! Almost blindly approaching the mysterious light source, I started to hear muffled laughter. Followed by meager bits of conversation, somewhat hidden behind layered walls. Hobbling forward, I was greeted by a small cabin in the middle of the woods. “Oh, thank God!” I shook with relief, my breath visible. My legs full of adrenaline to push through the snow towards the front door. I knocked as hard as I could, my gloved hand bashing against the wooden surface in hopes someone will hear it. No response came, and so I knocked again. The laughter inside roared loud, oblivious to my even louder plea. “Hello?” I repeatedly knocked. “Guys! I’m freezing my ass off out here!!” No use trying the door. Might as well use the window instead. I walked to the brightened glass to my right and glanced inside to find a group of people socializing at a table not far from the door. I tapped on the window, and they still ignored me. “Guys!!! Hey, look outside!!!” They didn’t even turn there heads. As if I was not there. The interior looked like any old cabin - taking the time to hastily review the house - with its comfy furniture and blazing fireplace that made me yearn deeply for its warmth. The group was sitting in circle, surrounding a small table whilst drinking beer, laughing at each other’s jokes and talking about their lives. How on earth could they not see or hear me?! Resuming my feeble attempts to get their attention, I stopped with my fist inches away from the glass. At the corner of my eye, there was another person. A man with the hood of his sweater draped over his head, I could not see his face. He sat on a lonely arm chair near the corner of the room ten feet from the rest of the party. Noticing there was a free chair at the table, I quickly wondered why he just didn’t walk right up and sit down with the rest of the group. In truth, he made me feel uneasy, as if he was planning something. That proved correct when the mysterious man stood up, his back slightly hunched. The snow outside must’ve been furious enough to blur my vision, as I noticed he was holding something with a shimmer. Looking down at his hand, I prayed my vision was off. A large knife, gripped tightly no doubt by anger. Oh, God!  I banged against the window some more. “Guys!! Behind you!!” My pleas barely reached them. Without warning, the blade-wielding madman approached from behind a woman in the group. I couldn’t watch, but at the same time I couldn’t look away. In one swift move, the man yanked the girl by her hair and slit her throat. “NOOOOO!!!” I could feel my hands clench in rage. The glass would not give way at my frantic punching. Blood flowed from her neck, splattering her friends in a fountain of red. The hooded killer quickly swiped his blade, cutting a man by his face before launching himself and stabbing him in the eyes. One by one, I saw everyone in the cabin being slaughtered. I could feel my insides churning in disgust, my legs quivered at the sight of blood. Before I knew it… everyone was dead. I had no words, other than fearful breaths fog up the window. Those lifeless eyes blankly staring, unaware their lifeforce was gone. The butcherer stood amongst his victims with his dark sweater coated in thick red splatters, his knife dripping into a puddle. Suddenly, he faced the window I was looking through. My heart lurched into my throat, my feet frozen to the ground - both figuratively and almost literally with the storm getting progressively worse. I would’ve assumed I was next, but he didn’t even move. He instead gazed at me, possibly with daggers for eyes, before he pulled open his hood. My God… The snow froze me in place when I was facing eye-to-eye with myself. I was the man that killed those innocent people. Finally, I unfroze myself and ran away from the window, straight into the woods. I didn’t even bother to look behind me when I heard a door slam open. “Oh, shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!” I breathed heavy as I struggled to run in the deep snow. The wind howled, pushing against my side. “Come on, Ike! Push it!” Adrenaline forced itself into my legs, shoveling tons of powder into the air in a frantic matter.  The killer, no doubt following the same idea as I glanced behind me for a second. The wind grew more murky as I ran farther and farther away from the cabin. The trees could easily be mistaken for shadows before they vanished behind the snowstorm. No way of hiding or any clear direction for me to run towards, and it felt like the snow on the ground was only getting deeper and deeper. Until suddenly, I tripped over something, possibly a tree branch hidden under the snow. My face all wet and cold, running down my neck and into my coat. I quickly stood up, the killer closing in on me past the curtain of white. I was about to keep running but… What the? I can’t move! My foot was stuck in the snow, lodged in the branched I stumbled into. I tried to pull my foot free, but it was no use. The ground began to quake all of a sudden, and I started to feel like I was sinking. The snow quickly sunk into a forming hole, dragging me down as well. Panicking, I clawed into the surrounding earth, desperately trying to find any solid surface. The hole grew, pulling the snow into a chasm. I slid down, scratching the dirt under the now fallen snow until I quickly saw a protruding branch and grabbed it, stopping me just inches away from the edge of the abyss. I hung onto that branch for dear life, nearly hyperventilating as I gazed behind me into the chasm. The wind bellowed louder, but that was soon overlapped by crunching snow, like footsteps. Looking up, already quivering, I saw myself staring menacingly down at me. No words flowed out of his mouth, except for a deadly smile growing across his face. “Please, don’t!” I begged. But he only raised the bloodied knife. My eyes widened. “THOU SHALT NOT HARM!!” A thundering voice roared. I literally looked at myself as the grin on my doppelganger's face shrank promptly into a grimace, covering his ears over the abrupt noise. Lightning cracked, blinding me and my pursuer. He backed away from me, right before a bolt of glowing blue light penetrated his torso, causing him to scream to the heavens. It only intensified as more light shot right through him. Multiple beams riddled him with holes like swiss cheese before he dissipated into black smoke, a blood-curdling scream echoed afterwards. I had no time to be awe stricken as the edge crumbled beneath me. Clutching with all my might on the root, I was now dangling over a pitch black canyon. I tried to climb up the root, but in the midst of the blinding blizzard, I saw something looking down at me. A shadow, not of the murderer… but something else. It looked like… a horse. With a large horn. A unicorn? Unlikely, when I saw two large wings extend at full length. I stammered completely dumbfounded. The root in my grip began to weaken. Being pulled from the ground before it broke, I was about to fall until I felt something clutch onto my wrist, preventing my immediate death from occurring. It almost felt like something was grabbing me and so I looked up, only to find some sort of blue energy engulfing my entire hand. “Hold on!” the woman’s voice wailed, a forceful tug lifted me from the hole. In fact, it catapulted me no more than ten feet from the edge. I landed directly on my arm, my side quickly aching from the impact as I groaned. “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry!” I opened my cringed eyes, the snow virtually covering the surrounding area so that I couldn’t see. “It’s fine,” I ached slightly as I started to sit up, with my forearms supporting me. “Thank you for saving... me…” I couldn’t tell if the bitter cold finally tightened it’s grip to the point where I froze on the spot. But really, I was astonished by my rescuer. Emerging out of the murky white wind came a dark blue horse with blue smoke for a mane, the night sky literally imprinted in its mane. A horn protruded from the center of its forehead, along with a set of wings folded against its sides. “Are you going to be alright, little creature?” I shook my head in shock as my eyes widened. The horse actually talked! “Umm… yeah.” I hesitated while squinting my eyes directly at her own, tilting my head in confusion. “But… what are you?” She didn’t respond. A brief silence only followed as the overpowering wind blocked all sound. Instead, as I sat in front of her waiting for an answer, she closed her eyes, before opening them again. Revealing dark slits where her pupils used to be, much like a vicious predator. Sharp teeth began growing out of her muzzle, a chilling smile stretched her face. I was blanched, unable to move. “Your worst nightmare,” she hissed in an evil manner. At that moment, it felt like I was being scrutinized by a hungry lion. She then lurched at me in a jolting scream, her jaw wide open with sharpened teeth. *** I awoke gasping, my eyes flashed open in panic. Every muscle briefly tensed with enough shock to jumpstart a dead elephant. “What the ever-loving hell!” I rasped, breathing heavily over the dream. A dream. It was all just a dream, albeit one that would haunt me for a few minutes. Starting off with only a few seconds of analyzing my room, the walls were brightly lit under the rising sun. Laying on my side facing said wall, I already knew that the morning had arrived, and what a morning it was. My erratic breathing began to slow down, as my eyes shifting at every corner of the room. I sat up with my back grazing the pillow, scrunching my shirt slightly and stretched with my arms raised high. My spine realigning itself after another uncomfortable slumber, as a constipated yawn followed after.         “Charlie really needs to think about buying new mattresses one of these days,” I mumbled in disapproval. I looked at the top of my night stand to see that it was ten past 8:00 on the alarm clock. I don’t start work until 10:00. Shame, I was looking forward to sleeping in all day. Of course that won’t happen, what with so much to do according to the man I’m forced to work with. All the more reason to just say “fuck it”, and plop my head back on that pillow.         Guess I should enjoy my morning while I can. Yet, my groggy brain could only recollect back to that dream. A few bits and pieces was the only thing I seem to remember, reimagining the snow, the cabin, and the lunatic about to cut me down. As I said, that only haunted me for a few short minutes so not much was clear.         There was something else, but I couldn’t quite remember what it was. A horse that talked, with wings I think. And a-         A knock on my bedroom door startled me.         “Ike!” I recognized that harsh voice anywhere. “Time to git up! We gotta herd the girls out to pasture.”         I sighed, being cautious not to groan loudly. “Be right out, Charlie. Just let me get dressed!” I heard footsteps leave my door. “You fucking asswipe,” I mumbled under my breath as I rubbed my eyes.         And here I thought I was gonna kick back before doing any sort of work around the ranch. Had I known I was gonna help out on one my most despised jobs, maybe I wouldn’t feel the urge to jump out the window. Maybe deliberately break a leg just to stay inside for a week or two.         “Come on, Ike.” I thought to myself in smugness. “You’re not desperate. Crazy, but not desperate.”          *** The morning was rough. Like really rough. Rough enough to be compared to sandpaper on stucco, if Abbie didn’t prepare me some coffee before we left the house on horseback. Even she knows the struggle without a daily fix of caffeine. Sadly, I only took like five sips before Charlie realized we were on a tight schedule, so I barely had enough caffeine to perk me up, let alone keep me awake.         It was a bright and sunny day out in rural Chama. The pine trees were practically sparkling in their morning dew. I might’ve lived under misery every day, but at I guess it was worth it if it means I get to be close to nature. Just looking at the environment around me, as I bobbed in the saddle, was even better than sleeping in all day. “Ike!” I snapped out my trance. “W-What?” “You alright over there?” a man in a plaid button-up shirt said with concern in his voice. I looked at him for a moment before shaking my head slightly. “Uh, yeah. I’m okay. Just… in deep thought.” “I know the sight is pretty to see, but we need you to stay focused.” He gestured to my right. “Go an’ herd that straggler back with the rest. Don’t let ‘em get too far.” I glanced to one of the cows wandering off from the rest of the herd as the man urged his horse. “Come on, Cletus.” I tapped my heels against my horse’s sides.          Herding cattle was never my strongest suite. Seven months and only four attempts. Neither of which have I proved to be an actual cowboy to Charlie and the other frontiersmen living next door. Although, I could argue that I was doing okay as I have yet to hear complaints about one cow short after every round-up. That or Abbie somehow did most of the work just to help me out a bit. Maneuvering Cletus with a tug of the reins, I was able to guide the bovine back to the herd. The other men that had accompanied us, shouted behind the chorus of mooing, forcing the cattle to move forward. Charlie led the entire herd like he was a professional shepherd, erecting his posture from his horse like a true cowboy. “Half way there, fellas!” he bellowed, his men nodding their heads as they held their position. They galloped along the sides of the herd while me and Abbie were riding behind the herd, trying to keep the cows contained in an invisible box.         This job was atrocious for a “city-boy” like myself, as I was given that nickname from most Chama farmers. But I was more content just being beside Abbie. Most of the time when I’m tasked with herding cattle, I’m always riding alongside her dick-head husband. It was a nice change of pace to finally talk to someone who isn’t entirely focused on walking beef.         Abbie and I trotted from behind the herd, exchanging smiles and admiring the forest of which we trekked across. We didn’t talk much, making the moment somewhat awkward. I didn’t feel like talking anyway on account I was still tired, practically longing for a nap. She was always first to start a conversation.         “Beautiful day,” Abbie commented, “isn’t it?”         “A little hot, but yeah,” I replied, squinting my eyes at the rising sun.         “Well, that’s why we wear the hats outside. Wouldn’t want to get a sunburn, no would we?”         I tipped my Stetson as I maintained my grip with one hand on the reins. I don’t know why, but I’ve always considered myself a hat-person, and growing up in the countryside always requires that I should wear one to cover my neck in the blistering heat. Luckily, the Williamsons provided me with a spare cowboy hat for just the occasion. Added with faded jeans and cowboy boots, I was ready to take on the wilderness.         That and a rucksack full of the essentials should the corralling turn into Man vs. Wild.         “Did you sleep well?” Abbie asked.         I groaned.         “So I’m guessing no?”         “Ding-ding,” I grinned goofily before shifting back into a frown.         Abbie giggled slightly. “Relax, we’re almost done. Just another mile and we can head back.”         “And do what? More work?”         “No. Charlie’s probably gonna be tired after all this, so you and him can relax once we’re done herding the cows.”         All the more comforting to hear as I sighed with relief.         “Come on, don’t you like being outside?” She asked.         “If I was on my own,” I added. “But with Charlie, no.”         Abbie groaned herself. “Again with this? I thought we discussed this last night.”         “Well, how am I supposed to enjoy the outdoors on a beautiful morning if Charlie can’t appreciate what I do for him? Even if it’s marginally good, he won’t even look my way. ”         “He does appreciate the things that you do.” Abbie evoked. “You just don’t see it.”         I gave a hollow chuckle, shaking my head in mere disbelief.         Abbie did the same, but more disapproving in my direction. “Just be patient, okay?” She said, bobbing against the trotting horse underneath. “One of these days, you’ll be sorry for doubting my husband.”         I laugh. “That’ll be the day.”         Abbie shot me a sour face before commanding her horse to trot faster. I stayed behind, already hating myself for hurting her feelings.         But why should I feel sorry for Charlie if all I get from that man is criticism? I’d be performing at maximum efficiency if I wasn’t yearning for an extra hour of sleep, but trying to keep my composer without any coffee was like being forced to compliment while being compressed against a semi truck.         I don’t know why I’ve been feeling so tired lately. All I could think about was relaxing in my air-conditioned room, reading while sipping on a cold soda. Although, I was enjoying the lush mountain forests as I let the horse follow his buddies. What I’d kill for a rest next to one of the trees, letting the sunshine shower over the grass and leaves.         The clip-clop against the ground provided a rhythm. I could almost hum along to it.         “Ike! Look out!” The rhythm quickly vanished as one of the cowboys bellowed abruptly.         I shook my head, but before I could have a chance to react, my horse whinnied loudly and lifted his front hooves off the ground. I jolted back, trying to hold onto the saddle as best as I could. Amongst the frantic cries, I could almost hear a maraca rattling softly.         “Woah! Cletus!” I shouted, tugging on the reins forcefully. I immediately regretted doing that.         With an unexpected thrust of the back legs, I was bucked off. Using my forearms to brace the landing, I hissed in pain. Speaking of hissing, I started to see why Cletus was startled.         I looked up to see a rattlesnake, coiled with his tail shaking loudly. Its head was pulled back as its forked tongue wriggled out the mouth as if it was about to bite my face, which was almost inches away.         I didn’t want to move. All I could do was look at the snake cautiously.         Suddenly, the snake was shot dead, producing a very loud gunshot that nearly gave me a heart attack. I yelped as my arms covered my head in dismay. After a few seconds, the echo dissipated and I looked up to see Charlie mounted on his horse against the sun, holding a large smoking revolver in his hand.         “Ike!” I heard Abbie cry. Followed by rapid footsteps before I felt her try to pick me up by my left arm.         “Goddamnit!” Charlie cussed as he holstered his gun. I looked around to find that the herd of cows got spooked by the gunshot and were now starting to run away in droves. Cletus was long gone, judging by the sounds of galloping leaving the area.         Charlie looked around in a panic state. He shifted his head towards the other cowboys, who looked just as startled as he was.         “Henry! Jack!” He barked in a commander tone of voice. “Roundup them cows! Make sure they don’t git too far!”         The two men nodded their heads and rode after the fleeing stampede.         I was up on my feet by the time all hell broke loose. Unfortunately, it only got worse, as Charlie looked down at me practically, fuming with rage.         “What the hell were you doing?!” He shouted at me.         “I-I just… I didn’t…” My words floundered out of my mouth.         “Didn’t you see the snake in the grass?! Cause of that, the fucking herd ran off! Do you have any idea how hard it is to rustle up spooked cattle?!”         I stood there in silence, not knowing what to say to defuse the situation.         Abbie stepped up, grasping my shoulder. “It wasn’t his fault, honey! None of us saw it, he was just-”         “Not right now, Abs!” Charlie barked, his face colored red and wrinkled. “I saw the whole damn thing. Damn idiot was too busy gawkin’ and didn’t pay attention.” I wish I could reply, but unfriendly thoughts boiled in me as my fists had already tightened. Nothing pleasant could be said, so I kept my trap shut. “Now I gotta go find Cletus before he gets lost. Damn anxious nag…” He mumbled to himself, looking out into the trees where my horse ran through. Abbie tried to comfort him, but Charlie swiftly ignored her as he tapped the sides of his horse, urging post-haste to go after Cletus. “Wait!” she called out, causing Charlie to tug on the reins and stop to turn around. “What about Ike? How’s he gonna get back home?” “Screw him!” I could feel his hatred hit me like a bus, that bellowing voice could almost freeze a man in place. If only I could’ve thrown him off his horse and stomped his brains out. “That kid can find his way back on his own. He’s always braggin’ to ‘get closer to nature’, then let’s see if he can survive in nature.” “Charlie!” Abbie retorted in shock. “I’ll be right back.” Out of ignorance, the man urged his horse before riding off into the woods. He simultaneously called out for Cletus, leaving me and Abbie all alone in the clearing. There was nothing but the subtle chirping of the birds. Too bad they couldn’t be heard as I screamed at the top of my lungs in a fit of rage. Kicking my rucksack that had fallen off my back after falling from the horse. Abbie couldn’t help but witness me franticly blaring. I eventually stopped, panting while my face resembled a sweaty tomato. An echo had fallen, scaring off any of the local wildlife within range that might’ve heard me. “Ike?” said Abbie, her trembling voice indicating her surprise at my little release. “Are you okay?” “No! I’m far from alright.” I replied, still steaming. “I told you I wasn’t up for herding cattle this early in the morning with that walking sack of shit!” I viciously pointed at where Charlie once was.         “Hey! That ‘sack of… crap’, just saved your life.” she fumbled. Abbie was never the kind of country girl who swears often. At least not harshly. “Show some gratitude why don’t you.”         “Well, I...I…” I began to soften my tone, finger raised but quickly crumbled soon after. She was right. If it weren’t for him, I would’ve been dead in record time from rattlesnake poison, especially since we were miles from the nearest hospital. Yet another perk of living in the countryside when medical attention is all but convenient. Abbie looked at me with distressed eyes. I groaned harshly. “I don’t know why you put up with that guy.” I said with hands on my hip. “He drinks like he works at a brewery, thinks he’s better than everyone, and barely gives me any slack. He’s just... “ “He’s not better than everyone else, and he knows it.” “Then why does he treat people from the city like shit?” There were other applicants from most major cities who applied for the job. All of which didn’t do so well under Charlie’s crooked wing. “He just gets stressed out. It’s pretty hard training let alone working with someone from places like Santa Fe or Albuquerque.” “Stressed out?” I raise a brow. “If that’s the case, then he is just terrible at coping with it. I can’t work with someone who is constantly ‘stressed out’.” Abbie furrowed her eyebrows. “Would you prefer it if you quit right now?” Silence was all I could produce. I sighed in defeat, looking at the grass below us. Obviously, I couldn’t quit, for my own reasons. The kind of reasons not suited for personal discussion. “Look, Ike.” she said, approaching me softly with a hand resting on my left shoulder. “I know you can’t get along with him. But if you can’t, at least do it for me.” I looked up into her caring eyes. Abbie was my only friend, and if I were to quit at that moment, I would lose her entirely. She gave me no choice but to nod in agreement. “What do you see in him that I can’t?” I asked.         It took her a while to say anything, yet she had a crack in her smile. “Something I’m sure you’ll understand one day.” she replied. “He’s in pain. He’s always in pain, and that’s all I can really say about him. I’m just here to help him.”         I gave her a confused look as she lifted her hand from my shoulder. Abbie walked towards her horse after she had dismounted to tend to me. She opened the saddle bag and reached in for an odd-looking wooden box.         “Here,” she said as she walked up to hand me the box. “I wanted to give you this. You worked hard these past seven months and this made me think of you.”         I held the box up, it glossed in the sunlight from the varnish while a few scratches showed that it was used. Opening it, I was greeted with an old west revolver with a walnut grip. The Colt company logo engraved on a brass stamp on the side of the grip. I could hardly contain my excitement as I pulled out the gun with my finger off the trigger.         “This is… this is a colt 45!” I stuttered.         “1873.” Abbie followed. “A true classic.”         “Where’d you get it?”         “In my attic. My granddaddy had it for years before he died, and it’s been collecting dust ever since. I know how much of a gun nut you are and I thought it’d be perfect for you. Especially after that picture you showed me last night.” My smile began to stretch itself to the limit, but I didn’t forget about the still-present issue.         “Thank you.” I said with noticeable regret. “Really, and… I’m sorry for…”         “It’s alright.” she raised a hand. “Just give it time, and you’ll see why he needs me. Cause someday, you’ll be the same as him.”         “Heh.” I rolled my eyes.         Abbie walked over to the saddle bag again. “You’ll also need this.” She threw a belt with a holster on it, ammunition still in each individual strap. “It’s a long way back to the ranch, and I could give you a ride if you want.” Abbie offered as she straddled her horse. I would take her offer, but the last thing I needed after that whole fiasco is Charlie lecturing me, no doubt still torn over the whole snake-in-the-grass thing. All I wanted to do was enjoy my time outside. Outside… I looked around me at the towering pine trees. The wind rolled over the mountains in a gentle breeze to where you could almost hear it whistling. Birds chirping their little tune in almost perfect unison. I was much too enamored by the beauty to say yes. “You know what, Abbie?” I smiled at her as I gave her an empty box. “I think I’ll walk. Like the big guy said, I wanted to feel close to nature. Besides, I know the way back.” “If you says so.” She gripped her reins. “Just don’t wind up lost in there, okay?” With a tap at the sides, Abbie rode into the foliage to catch up with Charlie. Now it was just me standing in that open clearing. I looked at the gun in my hand, the smooth texture of the grip caressing my palm right before I gripped it tight. “What I’d give to shoot that man dead in the face.”