Free The October Light of August by Robert John Jenson Page B

cap, shades, jeans, boots rounded him out. No need even to threaten with the gun at his hip. I could still hear the truck idling in the street, and would have given just about anything to see it driven off at that moment. Alas, the alpha dog had that under control as well it seemed.
    Mike wavered for a moment, then dropped the gun and wiped at his nose. Nick drew back a leg to kick him again, but the alpha would have none of it.
    “We do not have time for this,” he said tightly. “Cut the shit, and let's do what we came here to do.” He turned and stalked back to the truck. Nick followed him, and Mike jumped up and limped after them. After conferring in low tones at the truck for several minutes, Mike climbed into the cab and got behind the wheel while Nick and the alpha moved out of sight onto my mom's front yard. Mike swung the truck into the street, then backed it up over the curb onto Jackie's lawn.
    “I hope you have your seatbelt on, dumb ass,” Nick offered stage right. Mike must have decided to do that very thing, and I heard shared laughter out of sight punctuated by the truck's engine revving and then the vehicle accelerated back towards the front porch of Jackie's house. The porch steps crunched into the bumper of the truck, but a louder thump and crash of breaking glass made the spectators cheer.
    “Do it again!” yelled Nick.
    The truck spun its wheels before lurching away from the porch and tearing up the front lawn. Just as Mike hit the brakes, there was a brutal crack! and the back window of the truck grew a spiderweb-ringed hole as glass flew out of the front windshield.
    “What in the fuck do you guys think you're doing?” yelled Jackie. I couldn't see her, she must have been on the upper porch at the front of her house.
    “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” yelled the alpha dog as he trotted into view waving his arms. “Come on now, Jackie – we thought you guys were gone! Jesus, is Jesse there?”
    Mike sat in the truck, his shoulders hunched and trying to look small.
    “Don't you worry, Jesse's got you covered,” Jackie responded.
    The alpha thought that over. “Uh-huh,” he said. “Look, I'm sorry we smashed your front door – you must have heard us yelling for you guys? We thought you must have hit the road. We're only looking for supplies, you know? Had to check and see if Jesse took all his shit, you know? Any chance that he left anything could help us out, you know?”
    “Right,” said Jackie. “If you don't mind, we'll go ahead and keep what's ours. And Nick if you make another move, this MILF will drop your ass where you stand.”
    “Aw, Jackie,” Nick shouted. “I didn't mean anything - ” Another shot ripped through the morning air, and I saw the alpha dog actually flinch.
    “Gonna shut up, Nick?” asked Jackie.
    The morning was quiet except for the birds. The alpha had his arms raised, as did Nick I presumed. It was at this point I wished I had a gun. It was also at that point I wondered what in the world I had done with Jesse's gun? I honestly could not remember doing anything with it after I had pried it from his hand. Sat it aside, maybe? Buried it with him? Jesus, where was it? I wanted to move from the window to go look out the one in my old room. Was the damn thing just lying out there in the grass? Could I climb down the tree and get it? I was sore all over, and my knees were killing me from banging them on the floor the night before. I was afraid I would slip off the roof. Climbing down a tree might be a disaster.
    The familiar, desperate feelings of indecision gripped me yet again. I wanted to look for the gun, but I didn't want to leave the window. Even though I was useless to Jackie at that point, I felt leaving the window would be like abandoning her. Thankfully, Mrs. Clarke showed up to distract everyone.
    She shuffled into view from the front of our house, in white carpet slippers and slacks, her blouse loose and wrinkled. Her hair that had usually been styled once a