Page 9 of Five for Silver

“Easy,” Chad blurted, shifting to adjust forthe dog.

When he glanced at the mirror again, thetruck had gone.

“I’m losing my mind.”

Merc licked him under the chin.

Chad chuckled and patted him on the head. “Ihope Romeo likes you.”

He turned onto the track road that led tothe house. “And I hope you like Romeo.”

The car bounced as they rolled closer.Merc’s ears were up as he fixed his eyes on the house in front ofthem.

“Home,” Chad said, opening the door.

A flash of black appeared in the corner ofhis eye. Wings swooped on top of the outhouse, and feet clacked asthe bird landed. Chad couldn’t see it, but he knew it was upthere.

Not a blackbird or a crow or a magpie, butsomething else.

He heard the machine gun call from thefield, and knew Romeo must’ve been feeding them.

They clucked and cawed, and Chad gritted histeeth as he walked Merc around the side of the house. Romeo stoodin an oversized trench coat, pockets weighted down by seed, doinghis best impression of the reaper with his hood over his head. Hehad his back to Chad, but one bark from Merc and he spun around,wide-eyed.

Merc wagged his tail, and jumped on hislead, eager to greet the strange man with his army offeathers.

“Hi,” Chad blurted.

“That’s him then…”

“Yeah,” Chad petted Merc on the head. “Thisis Merc … you’re going to love him, Romeo.”

“That’s very optimistic. It took me longenough to get comfortable with the idea of loving you, but I willtolerate that scruffy thing.”

Chad leaned down to cover Merc’s ears.“You’re not scruffy.”

“Bring him over,” Romeo said, gesturing withhis hand.

Chad moved towards Romeo with Merc at astalk beside him. He tripped on a stray rock, and the lead slippedfrom his hands.Fuck.Chad reached for thelead but missed.

Merc took off barking at the magpies,chasing them around the field. Romeo’s face paled before his eyessharpened on the dog, and Chad’s heart punched out danger over andover.

“Romeo…”

“He’d dead.” Romeo hissed through his teeth,setting off after Merc. Chad near-flat lined at the promise inRomeo’s voice, but he only took two strides over the mud beforefalling over and landing on his face.

A nervous laugh crept past Chad’s lips.

He tried to cover it with his hand as Romeogot to his feet, but he knew it was obvious by the death glare hereceived. The side of Romeo’s face was covered in mud, along withboth of his hands. He flexed his fingers in front of himself,targeting Merc in the field with his glare. The mud was tooslippery for Romeo to pursue him and too slippery for Merc to catcha bird.

Romeo trudged back to the house whileflinging the mud from his hands.

Undeterred, Chad whistled, and Merc gave upchasing the magpies, and bounded towards the house, flicking up mudin his wake. He knocked into Romeo’s legs as he rushed inside,stamping mud all over the place and eliciting another growl ofoutrage from Romeo.

“Chad!” Romeo snapped, “We need thechain.”

“No, we don’t.”

Merc skidded through the kitchen and intothe hall.

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