Windows to the Soul
Part VIII
While watching the crow circle once more, I eased into the water and slowly slid my feet on the bottom, not wanting to raise them out of the water thus making a small splash and a “kdump” noise when I put my foot back down. I motioned to Don to follow suite. Sliding further down the gully about 75 yards, the step banks began to play out into flat ground with heavy sage cover on both sides. I could see the area opened into a frog pond about 10 acres around with a good stand of sage and a heavy mix of horse sugar bushes. As I cleared the end of the gully and it played out into the flat pond, the realization hit me, it was getting late and the sun would be setting very shortly. I eased forward a few feet into the pond looking down at the trail and then following it out. Just ahead the trail made a sharp left turn leaving the water and disappearing in the heavy sage and horse sugar that surrounded the pond. The water was getting a little deeper as I could feel it moving up my boots, once I made it to where the trail left the water it rose over a small hump. With great care and good footing I made my way up on the hump where the smell hit me. The smell was overwhelming, so much so I felt as though I would vomit. I turned to Don and then pointed in the direction I felt they would be laying, as Don carefully came up the small bank and slide behind me to take the lead. With our weapons at the ready, we moved forward, while at the same time we fanned out putting about 30 feet between us, with me slightly behind.
We were both scanning ahead so intently when all at once we both caught a flicker of late evening sun shinning off a rack as it rose from out of the sage in the evening shadows. And there before us, less than 50 yards away, stood one of the huge bucks we were looking for. He rose slowly as though he was being lifted by some form of mechanical device. The sage obscured our view of his legs and up to his stomach area, but the rest of his body was visible for a clear shot from either one of us. He looked so majestic standing there as his head rotated 90 degrees to look straight at us, showing a full view of his inside spread. His big black eyes glared at us with a thousand yard stare.
“Take him!” I muttered in a whisper.
Don raised his rifle and I heard the “Click” of the safety as it disengaged. I glanced over to see him finding his Spot Weld on his check while finding his eye relief in the scope. I returned my attention to the buck waiting for the moment of impact. I could see the huge buck nostrils flare out and then the sound arrived. He had blown at us. With every sense in my soul on edge and every nerve ending tingling, I waited for the report of Don’s rifle, instead my ears picked up a twig break in the direction of Don, then a sound like that of paper being ruffled. I turned my head to find the sage brush parting and being bulldozed down coming toward Don about 10 feet the other side of him. I saw Don’s head raise and look over the scope toward the buck he was taking aim on. My mind raced, my heart rate jump as I could feel every pounding thump as it beat. My lips were moving but no sound came out. I tired again but there was a sickening lump in my throat as I watched the huge rack taking shape as it appeared in glimpse through the sage. With every ounce of energy I could muster, I forced enough air out of lungs and over my vocal cords.
“LOOK OUT!”
Don’s head snapped to the side in time to see the beast break over the last horse sugar bush before impact. It looked as though Don was a Matador losing to a bull in a Spanish bull fight. The huge buck centered him right at his knees and with one flick of his head Don went flying through the air, sending his feet up over his head. I watched as Don’s Mini-14 disappeared into the sage below him on his way back to earth head first. Out of instinct I hit the safety on my Model 12 on the way to my shoulder to take aim. I instantly slid my finger in the trigger guard and applied pressure while my feet were still not in position. With impulse, I tugged at the trigger and instantly felt the backward recoil began.
I never heard the shot or say the buck fall as my sight picture disappeared into sky line. I felt my feet leaving the ground while I had an overwhelming feeling of falling. I realized that I had been flipped by one of the killer bucks myself. I tried to point the barrel of shotgun up in the air, but as I hit the ground on my back, I stuck the barrel in the muddy clay at a 45 degree angle. Fear and a pure shot of adrenaline forced my heart rate to the point I felt it was going to explode. Knowing that the only chance I had was to retrieve my .45 ACP Smith & Wesson from my hip holster, I reached till I felt the grip and rolled to my left while releasing the snap on the holster. As I raised my head and upper body while drawing my weapon, I could see the huge buck making a tight left 180 degree turn about 10 feet away. Knowing he was going to get another running start at me, I pointed and squeezed the trigger taking up the slack in the combat trigger. I felt the pistol buck in my hand as I watched the animal stumble, his front left shoulder dropped and his nose touched the ground almost plowing up mud as he pressed on toward me. He lifted his head just enough so his nose cleared the ground and his rack was facing me. I could see he was moving in my direction and picking up speed. Losing all control, I began tugging on the trigger as I felt the pistol rear up. I forced the weapon back down and tugged again and again. With the grace God, one of the 240 grain jacketed hollow points centered the massive Goliath right between the eyes, sending his head backwards as his rear kept coming forward, landing less than a foot from my feet with his whole body point in the opposite direction. I felt my heart rate plummet, now relieved that my immediate damager had passed into the next life, I rolled up on my knees and looked for Don.
I turned looking around to finding my bearing and making sure there were no other bucks heading for me, my eyes came to focus on movement in the sage, it was Don. He slowly stood with his rifle in hand. I sprung to my feet to retrieve my shotgun then check on Don. With one step I was on the way to the ground again. My left leg had given out under me. I caught myself with my left hand keeping my .45 above the ground. I looked down my body to find my left leg folded under toward my right leg half way between the knee and foot. A sick feeling whelmed up in my stomach as the dull, numb pain started. I rolled over on my rear and sat up facing Don’s direction. I pulled my left leg around in front of me looking for blood as a sure sign of a compound fracture breaking the skin. My mind raced as the realization set in that I was immobile. With out warning, I heard “Thdump, cling Thdump, cling, cling,Thdump!” as Don’s Mini-14 spit out rounds. I could hear the brass clinging as it left the action landed on the ground. I looked up to see Don firing his weapon at something in the sage.
Once the firing stopped I yelled out. “DON! Where is the third one?”
Don snapped his head up looking for the first buck we had seen.
“I don’t know! I lost him! Did you see where he went? Hey, are you okay?” Don yelled back.
“NO, MY LEG IS Broken…. Into!” I replied.
I could see Don making his way toward me while still looking for the last buck. When he arrived he looked over at the dead buck less than five foot away, then squatted beside me and looked at my leg. Putting his rifle in his left hand, he reached out with his right hand to touch it.
“I DON”T THINK SO!” I remarked as I pushed his hand back with mine. “It is broken for sure!”
“This is not good. We have to get you out of here. Now!” Don remarked. “Where is your cell phone?” He asked. “I left mine in the truck.” He muttered.
I felt my shirt pocket where I always kept it, I ran my hand to my front pants pocket, and I felt every pocket or place it could be to no avail.
“It must have come out when he flipped me.” I said while point in the direction of the buck.
Don stood and walked to the rear of the buck I had taken and began looking for the cell phone. The sun was going down fast and we were a great distance from the truck and even further from a hospital. My leg began to throb as I could feel the swelling had begun. I could hear Don mutter to himself while kicking the sage back and forth looking for it. After about 10 minutes of intense searching, Don gave up.
“I have no idea where your phone is. You must have left it in the truck or lost it somewhere else. We don’t have time to look for it though, it is getting late and we have to get you to a doctor. Can you walk at all?” Don asked.
“Not on my own. I can not put any weight on it.” I replied.
“Do you think you can put your arm around my shoulder and let’s see if we can get you out of here?” Don insisted as he stuck out his hand.
“I will try. Get my shotgun for me.” I said
“How are you going to carry it? Just leave it, I will come back tomorrow and get it.” Don said.
“I don’t want to leave it here!” I remarked in dismay as I put my .45 in its holster and garbed Dons hand and stood on my right foot. “What if someone, well never mind, I want my shotgun back tomorrow!” I said as I threw my left arm around Dons right shoulder and put all my weight on my right leg. We made three steps and I could not take it any more.
“Stop!” I cried as I turned loose and fell to the ground. “Oh my God, I think I am going to puke.”
“You have to suck it up, we have to get moving. It is getting dark fast.” Don ordered.
“Don, there is no way I can hobble out of here like this. You are going to have to leave me and go get some help. At least make it to the truck and call Terry.” I said with pain in my voice.
“Leave you? I don’t think so! Right here? Are you out of your mind? There is still….
“Don,” I broke in. “You are going to have to leave me. There is no way I can walk out, my leg is flopping against yours with every step. I will be alright. Look, just help me get back to the gully. That way all I have to watch is right and left. I can put my back against the wall and unless he jumps down on me from the top, I will see him coming.”
“Oh no, I can’t leave you. Man I will never live it down if something happens to you.”
“Don, something already has happened, now the best thing you can do is get help.” I insisted.
With much regret and a lot of fear in his voice, Don helped me slowly back into the gully. I found a nice little recessed spot where the bank was about five feet high. Don helped me get settled. The sun light was fading fast as the evening was turning a light gray. Knowing Don would not make it out before night fall, I instructed him to follow the deer rut back to the truck. As Don stood at my feet looking down at me, I removed my .45 from the holster and set it in my lap.
“I will be okay.” I insured him as I reached for my spare clip. “I have nine rounds here.” I said as I drop the old clip out and put the full one in. “And five rounds here if I need them.” I remarked as I held up the used clip.
“I don’t like this. I feel so bad. Just hold on, I will get Terry and my son out here. We will get you out tonight.” With that said Don turned and began the long walk out.
“I will be right here. It is you I am worried about. Keep your guard up.” I said with the only smile I could manage as Don took one last look at me.
I could see Don moving in a fast walk up the gully and then I could hear him for a short time after he was out of sight. I knew it would take him a while to return with help so I tried to make myself as comfortable as possible. The pain was becoming intolerable and I began to have thoughts of going into shock. I worried that the buck we did not get would return after dark and try to finish me off. With improper planning, I had not brought a flash light or any water. With every passing minute my mind raced with fear, pain and disgust. I watched as the sun faded away into darkness. I thought about my shotgun stuck in the mud and then what my wife was going to say. I thought about what my children would do if I did not make it through the night and then about all the animals that may come by. My mouth was parched and dry. I wanted a drink so bad.
The only form of light was my Timex Indiglo watch which I kept looking at ever few minutes. The minutes turned into an hour, then two. I began to wonder if something had happened to Don. I knew he should have been to the truck by now. I tried to keep my mind occupied and off the pain in my leg. I could feel the swelling in my foot as the boot was getting tighter. I knew that I had to remove it, but there was no way I could push it off. I did not want to cut my good boots off, but I could feel the circulation being cut off to my foot with a painful tingling sensation. I found my clip on pocket knife in my right front pocket. With a flick of the blade from my thumb it opened. I adjusted my leg to lay the inside part up and started slicing. After a several painful minutes I was able to remove my foot from the boot. Oh the relief was so great, but the pain of getting the boot off was unbearable. I felt as though I was going to pass out.
After working so hard, I just sat there looking at the stars and feeling a chill creep up my back. With no clouds to insulate the earth, I knew it was going to be a cold evening. Sitting there in the stillness with my leg throbbing I heard music. I could hear a rock song, coming from the frog pond where I shot the buck. It was faint, but I could make it out. “Long Cool Women” by The Holley’s. It was the ring tone I used for my wife. I knew she was calling to see what was going on and when I would be home. Oh how I did not want to tell her what had happened. The song stopped playing and my mind raced thinking about her fear and worry. I checked my watch again.
My mind drifted off into every thought possible. What could be taking Don so long was the biggest one. Then I could hear the phone ring again. And a few minutes later, she called back. This went on every 15 minutes for over two hours. I looked at my watch and began really worry at 10:15 pm. Where was Don, where was my help. Had something happened to him? Did he get lost? Could they not find me? Were they too scared to come out looking for me in the dark? My wife made her last attempt to call at 11 pm and I was no longer worried about going in shock, but rather losing my leg to the swelling. I needed medical attention and fast. My worry turned to fear when I heard something walking in the direction of the frog pond. I gripped my pistol tightly while leaving it on my lap. The thought crossed my mind to check the night sights and make sure they were glowing. Sure enough they were not, so I turned on my Indiglo watch and charged them for a moment. I knew this was the wrong thing to do as it would give away my position to any animal in the in sight of me, but I figured anything that could see the light had already smelled me long ago. I listened intently for a long time, scanning the darkness looking for any movement in the direction of the noise. I kept the pistol gripped tightly. I listened and looked hard for a so long I became sleepy. I looked at my watch and the realization hit me. 2am, Don was not coming back tonight. I long since began to shake with chills from the cold night air. The temp had plummeted to the upper 30’s or 40’s. When my body would shake with big shivers my leg would hurt intensely from the broken ends of the bone rubbing each other. I knew I had at least four more hours till sun up and hopefully a search party or help of some kind. The noise that had occupied my mind for so long was gone and nothing but a few high flying jets and some hoot owls filled the night air. I longed for a drink of water and something to eat as my stomach had started burning like fire from lack of food. I wanted to scream at one point but I knew it would waste too much energy and make my leg hurt even worse. The cold was really taking its toll on my body. I could feel the moisture from the humidity in my long sleeve Wrangler shirt and my tee shirt under that. If I only had a lighter, I would try and burn some sage or crawl to the pine thicket and build a fire. I sat in misery. This would prove to be the longest night of my life as I pressed the button on my watch, 4 am. Two hours to go till sun up, I can make it. I knew someone will be looking for me then. My mind drifted between fiction and reality with every passing minute.
As I sat there drowning in self pity, I heard the thumping of hoofs hitting the ground up the gully toward the pine thicket. I looked at my watch, 5:35am. The sound dulled and almost disappeared as I realized I had heard an animal coming down the dropoff at the beginning of the gully. I checked my night sight and again had to recharge them with my watch. I could feel day light in the air as the temp had dropped to near freezing in the last 30 minutes the way it does just before dawn. I watched to my right looking back up the gully trying to find any movement whatsoever. As I peered into the darkness I caught a glimpse of something large moving toward me. I pulled my right leg up till my heel almost touched my rear making a shooting rest for my pistol. I then took my .45 and sat the bottom of the pistol grip on my knee cap with the barrel pointed straight at the deer trail. I watched as the movement began to take shape. I could make out the form to be a deer. As it drew closer, I could hear the unmistakable sound of heavy breathing. At once my heart rate jumped out of sight, my hands became sweaty and fear took my breath. I had heard that deep raspy sound before and knew what was coming at me. It almost sounded like a sucking chest wound, just louder and in rhythm. My night vision was at its peck, as the deer’s out line became clear. I could make out the huge rack wobbling from side to side. I knew this was it as he drew to with in ten yards of my position. I heard his feet slap in the shallow water in the bottom of the gully. He was going to pass right in front of me, less than six feet away. I put my finger in the trigger guard and applied pressure to the trigger forcing the combat trigger to engage the thumb less hammer. As the hammer moved backward into a cocked position, I slid my thumb between the receiver slide and the hammer, then pulling the hammer to the cocked position with a snap as it locked. I loved the double action auto pistols for fast draw, but in this situation I was going for accuracy. I was totally ready when all at once he stopped about six yards up the gully. I could see his head go up in the air and hear his noise working over time. “Oh my God, he has winded me!” I thought as I sat there watching him. I was frozen, moving only my eyes. I watched as his head came back down and he began slowly moved forward placing every step. Almost as if in slow motion, he crept right into my line of fire. With little aim needed, I squeezed the trigger till the .45 bucked up. As the muzzle flash lit up the blackness of the night for a split second, I could see the huge beast was looking right at me with his big cold black eyes while turning in my direction. With the only thought being self preservation, I lit up the night 8 more times. With every flash of fire from the muzzle the area lit up. With the last flash of light I felt the receiver lock open and listened as the echo died into the pre dawn air. I could smell the fresh burn Bulls Eye gun powder drift past my nose as the heat from the open slide warmed my hands for a moment. I broke the silence as I depressed the clip release allowing it to fall free of the weapon. I grabbed the spare clip with my left hand rolling the .45 on its side in my right and slammed the five remaining round home. As my right thumb hit the slide release to send a live round up the pipe, a foul odor made its way into my nostrils. While my night vision returned to normal I peered at the deer trail looking for any movement. None was to be seen, only a pile of rotten stench that once was a breathing beast of pure evil lay less than six foot in front of me. The stillness of the night was only disturbed by the faint sound of the buck’s blood dripping onto a leaf. A clam came over me as I sat there knowing it was all over for the rogue bucks that had terrorized the property for the past few months. While the peace was filling my soul, I heard a distance voice pierce the darkness.
“MIKE! Hey MIKE!”
As the yelling became clearer I could tell it was Don. I could tell that he was moving fast in my direction as the sound was getting louder and louder. As I sat looking up the gully I could see multiple lights beams dancing in the darkness. Knowing Don was not alone, I finally yelled back letting him know I was still alive.
“DON! DON!” I yelled at the top of my lungs.
In moments the lights were coming down the dropoff into the gully with me. There were four lights and they all were bouncing up and down as those holding them moved at a fast pace. When they arrived I could make out Don leading the way.
“Oh my God” I heard Don exclaim as he shinned his light on the dead buck lying almost at my feet.
“Over here Don!” I said as I listened to the heavy breathing as they all shined their lights on the buck and me.
“Are you alright?” Don asked as he turned his light on me.
“I am now that help has arrived. Where have you been?” I asked.
“Dumb Butt got lost.” A voice said in the darkness. It was Terry.
“I got lost and wondered around in the pine ticket till 2 am when I came out on the main road at the main gate about 2 miles from the truck. I then had to walk down the road and to the truck and got there sometime after three. I then called Terry and Wayne here. He is a fellow scientist at the lab and Chris my son, and told them what happened. They gathered up gear and guns and met me at the parking area about 25 minutes ago. I had run to the lab and got lights. We had not been on the trail five minutes when we heard you open up.” Don explained.
“Well I am glad to see you here now.” I remarked. “I am ready to go to the Doctor.”
Don sent Chris to retrieve my shotgun at my request while they gathered me up to get me out of there. When Chris returned with my shotgun, he handed me my cell phone.
“You will never guess where I found this.” With a short pause, Chris then told me, “Under the buck’s front leg a few feet from the shotgun. I heard it beeping.”
Placing my arms around Terry and Chris’s neck and they began to carry me out with Wayne leading and Don trailing. I felt safe at last. We stopped at the beginning of the gully to figure out a safe way for me to get up the gully. As we stood there my mind began to drift off into a peaceful rest of numb pain and I allowed my mind to take it all in as I rolled my head back and gazed in to the morning sky.
As the sun slowly began its assent into the morning sky, I set out on my journey. The shadows of the night life receded into a gray glow, as the light blue eastern sky raced forward into the darkness of the western hemisphere. The steam rose from the water like ghost dancing off into the heavens, blown from a soft gentle breeze. The air was crisp, fresh and very cold. With every breath from deep inside, came a bellowing cloud of white smoke blown before me. Without seeing them, I could feel my wind battered cheeks were rosy red, with the feeling of a thousand ants biting them at once. In the distance I could hear a lone mallard duck calling for his lost flight. I marveled for a spell at the wonder of God’s creation and how wonderful it is to be alive in it.
The End!
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