Page 3 of Two for the Guard
"He's going to want us to help him with something he needs our support for, and he will probably make his pitch at some point this weekend.” Kyle seemed pleased with himself. Casey continued to eat chicken strips and nodded. "It has something to do with Hank, no doubt.” He added. “Some project they’re working on together.”
“Let’s just forget about it and get through this weekend. Whatever he wants will become obvious soon enough.” Casey remarked and pulled a chair up to the room service table. “Let’s eat before it gets cold.”
“Okay, but I’m not lending him any money. He treats our business like a joke and treats us like jokes so he can go elsewhere for funding.”
"Agreed, this trip was just to make mother happy, and that’s all it is. I'm not wasting any energy on a relationship with Brad. If he wanted a relationship, he could have started years ago when he married his mother. Not interested in anything he has to offer at this point.
“This is going to be a terrible weekend.” Kyle sat on the edge of the bed and grabbed a chicken tender.
It was early morning, just before four, when Bram heard people milling around, not hunting exactly, just walking around, talking in hushed tones. He couldn't make out the conversation, but he found it strange that they were out there at all. It was too dark unless they were setting up a blind, but they were making too much noise. The whole thing caught Bram as odd, so he moved closer quietly, staying out of sight.
Two men were moving about, no guns visible, and they seemed to be planning something. They were pointing and discussing movements and directions, referring to the nearby private property. "Too bad the winery didn't shoot trespassers." The one said, and the other laughed.
"Let's go." The same one spoke again, and then they left toward the main road, about a mile back. Bram followed for a while but then turned back. He wasn’t close enough to get a good read on them, but their comment and activity were troubling. He had their scent, so if they returned later, he would know them.
He returned to the border and got back to his patrol, although he continued to ruminate over the two men he saw in the woods. There was something dark in their aura, but Bram could not clearly identify what it was or what it meant. The sun would not be up for several hours, but hunters would begin filling the woods before dawn.
The morning air was filled with the sharp scent of fall and dying leaves. The weather was projected to be overcast with a chance of rain. Currently, it's a crisp 42 degrees with a slight breeze. He proceeded along the border, taking in the increasingsounds and movement echoing from the state land. All remained fine with no one venturing too close to the posted property.
It was midday when he caught the scent of the men he’d followed that morning. Bram moved onto the state land and followed the scent for about a half mile, then noticed there were four of them now. There were two large men and two smaller. The group was odd; they didn’t behave like hunters, they behaved more like hikers. The large men each carried a rifle, while the two smaller men carried none.
After another half mile, he veered off and went back to the Coven property. He was making something out of nothing, he convinced himself. Four hunters, probably a family out for the day, nothing sinister, just four people who were piss poor hunters. The way they were trampling through the woods guaranteed they would see no wildlife. Bram shook his head and resumed his patrol.
They headed for the forest just after dawn, and they'd had a light breakfast with plenty of strong coffee. Both Brad and Hank looked a little tense but pretended to be excited for the day as they poured more coffee. If they could have, Casey and Kyle would have caught the next bus back to Ann Arbor, but their mother had called again that morning.
“Try to show some appreciation for what he is trying to do.” She said in a stern tone.
"We're here, and we're trying to get along, but he isn't exactly Mr. Friendly, so it isn't all on us.” Casey shot back. “Hunting is not something I ever wanted to do, and yet here I am because Brad wants to bond," Kyle spoke up, voicing the same.
"Make sure you both stay close and don't wander off, and stay hydrated.” She shifted to concern.
"We're adults, we can handle ourselves." Casey looked at Kyle and rolled his eyes. "We've got to go talk to you later." He closed the call. "That was so weird.”
"Since when do we wander off and get lost. She won’t let it go like we’re a couple of morons.” Kyle shook his head. “I wish we could just go home.”
“God, me too.” Casey grabbed his snacks, put them in his coat pockets, and handed a few chocolate bars to Kyle. "It might be a long day.”
“It better not be.” Kyle was serious.
The ride to the site took about 10 minutes, and then they pulled off onto a dirt road. Everyone got out. Brad handed them each a water bottle and told them to stay hydrated, much the same as their mother had. “We’re going to go straight back about a mile or two and then set you two up.”
"What does that mean?" Casey asked.
“You will wait and watch and keep quiet," Brad explained. "Hank and I will go a little further and scope the area, and then we’ll come back and sit with you. Hunting is a waiting game, boys. If we see something, we'll shoot it." Brad laughed, and Hank joined.
“Just a waiting game.” Hank echoed.
It all sounded stupid to Casey. All the walking and circling back will scare away any deer in the area. And why make them wait when they weren't even armed? What were they waiting for? It didn't make any sense, but then nothing about this weekend made sense. Casey and Kyle looked at each other butdid not comment. After about twenty-five minutes of walking, they left them at the base of a large birch tree and told them to wait there.
They sat down, leaned against the tree, and watched Brad and Hank walk off. They pulled out their water bottles and took several sips. "Let's walk back to the road and call a cab," Kyle suggested. “I don’t know what this is, but it is not a hunting trip.”
“I think Brad is setting us up for something. Maybe he has an internet channel, and he's using us for content." Casey contributed his thoughts on the subject.
"He was pretty specific about this tree." Kyle got up and started studying the tree, but found nothing. "I'm getting kind of tired. How about you?" He stretched and roughly rubbed his fingers through his hair.
“I thought I was just out of shape, but maybe it was something we ate." Casey stood and also stretched. "Let's head back to the road. Your cab idea is a good one." They started walking, but every step got increasingly more difficult. They looked at each other and pulled out their phones, but there was no service. They would have to get back to the main roadway to have service, and right now, that seemed so far away.
"I'm so tired, Kyle.” Casey stumbled, and Kyle helped him to a tree and sat him against it. He pulled out his water and took another sip. “So tired.”
