20 In 5 -- Vol. I -- Bird Calls

For the love of Nature.

The jaybird in the thin dry branches above twittered again and Jake cursed silently. He knew the jay would fly away if he moved and the Branson boys would pinpoint his hidey-hole. Once they knew that, they’d flank him and he’d either have to surrender or get shot up. Maybe even killed. And the goddamn sun was goddamn hot!


The gravel underneath Jake’s chest shifted a tad and he almost grunted. The jaybird twittered again and Jake swore he’d shoot every jaybird he ever saw if he got out of this alive. Sweat dripped down his face and his hat was a furnace under the afternoon sun. Somewhere out there the three Branson boys moved, for Jake heard the sound of a careless boot scrape on the rocks. His Winchester shifted slightly down, to cover the rocky rise that spread before his eyes. He blinked hard, several times. The heat and sweat were blurring his vision.


Suddenly a shot spanged off the rocks near his left shoulder. 


Grunting, Jake rolled right, accidentally firing off a shot. Damn! He scrambled across the gravel and rocks as two more shots pinged around him, his boots scrabbling for purchase on the gray shale. Jake dove behind some boulders as another shot nicked his boot heel. Jake landed in a heap, heaving gasps, and clutched his rifle at the ready.


In the strange quiet, Jake thought how the morning had been filled with bad omens. The horses...

The rest of this story is continued in:

December 2011 Edition of "20 in 5"

To finish "Bird Calls" and 19 other great stories, please buy the inaugural ebook edition of "20 in 5."