Ch.29 - Jackson
Once the sun rose from the horizon, the chill of the morning dissipated quickly and a thick layer of sticky moisture covered Jackson's skin underneath his camouflaged jacket. The ground was wet and soggy from an overnight storm and the chunky soles of his boots sank into the soft grooves of the earth as the men moved through the woods.
Jackson propped the butt of the rifle into the palm of his hand, the barrel leaning against his shoulder, while the other hand swatted at the swarm of mosquitoes that were trying to make him their breakfast. The only sound that could be heard was the occasional twig snapping underfoot as Charlie, Ryan and himself made their way deeper into the thicket of trees.
He'd been so close to taking Charlie out, so close the sweet taste of victory still lingered on his tongue, until that piece of shit Ryan pulled up in his poor excuse of a truck. Jackson didn't like the gruff young man. He didn't like the strawberry-blonde of his hair, the way the curve of his thin lips were set in a perpetual smirk or the cocky way he studied his every move, as if he somehow knew he was up to no good.
But the man couldn't possibly know what he had planned, and what seemed "no good" to some was "just right" for others. Taking Charlie out of the picture felt "just right" to him. It fact, it felt downright justified.
Jackson looked toward the ground, his eyes still attempting to adjust to the mottled sunlight between the trees, trying to plot out a new plan. As far as he could tell, the two young men were taking turns watching him like a hawk, careful not to let him out of their sight for even a moment. All that crap he'd fed them about being an inexperienced hunter was making it increasingly difficult for him to slip behind them unnoticed, they were taking extra precautions to ensure he kept up the pace.
Even though Ryan tagging along was less than ideal, Jackson was unable to fight the wild beating of his heart. One of the moments that had been years in the making had finally arrived and he'd be damned if some blue-collar redneck was going to ruin it for him. He would just have to forget Ryan was there and focus on Charlie, eventually he would find a way to separate himself from their view and then BAM! Goodbye, Mr. Wilson. Forever.
Jackson took a deep breath as he surveyed the woods in front of them. Hunting wild boar in the backwoods of Florida was not something he'd foreseen himself doing, yet here he was chasing down a herd of nonexistent swine, pretending to give a shit. He was a big game hunter, not some two-bit hog stalker. There was nothing he enjoyed more than taking down something thirty times his size. Elephant, lion, buffalo; he'd overpowered them all. A collector of trophies, that's what he was. Wild boar was beneath him. But if this is what he had to do to get Charlie alone, then so be it. He hadn't risen to the top being hasty and foolish. He knew when to go with the flow and when to move against the tide, and to accomplish this goal he needed to lay low. Rocking the boat would get him no where fast. Especially with that low-life Ryan around.
Ryan suddenly stopped moving and held up his hand, signaling for them to be still. Jackson strained against the quiet sounds of the forest, just waking up from a long night of sleep.
"Over there," Ryan whispered. He cocked his head, his eyes swiveling to the right.
Jackson followed his gaze and off in the distance, about 300 yards away, he could just make out the course bristles of dark brown fur. The beast appeared athletic and tough even though it was on the smaller side, most likely weighing in around 150 pounds. Its snout receded into a sturdy, long head with small ears on alert, and broad shoulders that tapered down to narrow hind quarters. Long legs held the hog motionless as the men sized him up.
"Holy shit!" Ryan leaned his head closer toward the men so the swine wouldn't hear him. "Nothin' beats the pure adrenaline rush of going up against a wild boar!"
"We're going to take this nice and slow," Charlie explained quietly, turning toward Jackson. "We don't want to scare him off. A boar that size means all three of us should walk away with some meat."
The men watched the animal closely and then a second one came into view, nearly twice the size of the first. They were several yards apart and not too far off from a clearing, so startling them now could mean a quick getaway for them both.
"Hot damn, there's another one!" Ryan nudged Charlie with his elbow. "And would ya look at that beauty! We'd be set all year."
Charlie nodded. "Our freezers would be full, no doubt about that. We'd have plenty to share with a couple other families, too." Charlie narrowed his eyes. "Let's try to herd them, so they'll be less likely to escape. Even if one gets away we should be able to get the other."
"You want to do it like we did last time?" Ryan whispered, adjusting the rifle in his arms.
Charlie nodded again. "Just like last time, only this time we'll get them." Charlie gave Ryan a half grin and turned to Jackson. "Maybe you should follow Ryan, he's quite a bit stealthier than I am. All that military training..."
Jackson gave a nod and stayed quiet, assessing this new turn of events. A move like this could work out in his favor.
Ryan jabbed his elbow into Jackson's forearm, getting his attention. "We're going to load up. Pay close attention so you can do it yourself."
Jackson watched as Charlie and Ryan removed the magazines from their rifles. Ryan glanced up to make sure he was paying attention. With a well-tuned grace, he loaded the cartridges into the magazine and slipped it back into place, then watched carefully as Jackson repeated the steps, packing his own weapon with ammunition.
"Do you feel comfortable holding it?"
Jackson nodded. "It feels natural, like I handled one only yesterday," he answered, trying to gain the man's trust.
"It's like riding a bike," Ryan reassured him with a sideways smirk. His tone was confident, his voice raspy and deep. He fixed his gaze on Jackson, his green eyes boring through him. "Just follow my lead and don't make any noise. When I tell you to position yourself, only then do you do it. Got it? Not a moment before. Charlie's going to come in at a different angle to try and keep them from running into the clearing over there." He nodded his head, showing the way. "You stay close behind me and do what I tell you to. Once we're in place, we'll decide who takes a shot. Then we need to make sure everyone's in the safest position."
"Got it," Jackson assured. He fought the urge to grit his teeth as Ryan spewed orders at him. Just who the hell did this punk think he was talking to anyway? Oh, what he would give to show him. Maybe in time, after the first order of business was taken care of... Wouldn't that just be the cherry on top?
The men went in separate directions, Charlie moving swiftly to one side while Jackson followed Ryan to the other. He walked quietly behind, his steps slow and deliberate, one booted foot in front of the other, his eyes never once leaving Ryan's agile form. All he had to do was wait for an opportunity to step back, to distance himself so he could take a shot at his mark. One bullet to the head was all it would take, and Jackson was an expert at hitting his target.
The air was getting thicker with each step they took and Jackson felt his lungs working hard against the increasing humidity. Ryan became hyper-focused as he studied their prey through narrowed eyes, allowing Jackson the opportunity to slide behind some bushes unnoticed.
Across the way, Charlie crept along the trees, his gun in position, making sure to arc around as to not startle the hogs. Slowly, the swine inched their way closer to one another, unaware they were being herded together.
He stood watching him for a moment before raising his rifle. With his feet spread shoulder-width apart, toes pointed at his target, Jackson positioned the weapon, stilling his body to look through the scope. Charlie was moving slowly through the thicket of trees, concentrating only on the task at hand. He kept his eye on him, his head up-right and still. Jackson aimed, his breath controlled, his finger on the trigger.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Ryan hissed. Startled, Jackson glanced toward his voice and saw the redhead swooping toward him, his lips peeled back revealing gritted teeth. Before he knew it, he was sailing through the air, crashing down hard on the soggy, leaf-covered ground. Reacting quickly, Jackson managed to squeeze the trigger before Charlie disappeared from his line of vision.
The bullet exploded from the rifle, the deafening blast ricocheting off the trees surrounding them. Flocks of birds flew from the treetops they were nestled in, sensing the danger that lingered below. Ryan laid on top of him, his weight making it more difficult to breath in the muggy, still air, and he glanced over to where his target once stood. Charlie was nowhere in sight.
And for one long moment, everything was silent.
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Hello and thank you for reading Secrets and Lies! If you enjoyed this chapter, please hit that star!
Poor Charlie, I don't even now what to say--other than I hope he's okay. But if Jackson never misses his target...
Today I would like to thank readers in Maldives, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Suriname and Serbia--thank you for reading! Any other countries I'm missing? If I've missed yours, please let me know!
The next update will be after Christmas, sometime next week. For those of you who celebrate--Happy Holidays to you and your family!