AWOL: A Character Lost by Anthony Renfro Page B

character and the guns on his hip. “I’ll also need those six shooters.”
    The character took them off and handed them to the deputy as the sheriff came walking up the street, briskly, but not in a hurry.
    “There’s been another murder. Two kids out by the lake. We need to check it out. The boy’s best friend just found them.”
    “What about him?”
    “Put him in a cell until we get back. I don’t need him roaming around without supervision until we know more about him.”
    “You heard the sheriff, come on now. No trouble.”
    The character allowed himself to be led back to the jail without any fuss or argument.
    *
    The killing the sheriff was just talking about. Here’s how it all went down, in case you need or want the gory details. If you don’t, skip to the next section, just below the asterisk, and keep moving forward. I promise you won’t miss a thing. Are you still reading? Okay, here goes.
    The young man and woman were lying on a blanket and making love to one another, as the lake gently lapped at their young heads. The beach was deserted and empty. They were all alone, as the sun faded into a perfect sunset.
    A basket (once full of food) lay by itself next to their deserted pile of clothes, and a belt with two six shooters – old west ones, lay on top of this pile. The guy wanted to make sure that if anything happened, the first thing he would be able to do, would be to grab those guns. Those guns were the most important thing in this lawless world. Clothes were a distant second.
    The man, or should I say boy, because he was only 19, was on top of the girl doing his young man thing. He was well stocked, muscular, and not too tall with brown hair and a hairless body. The woman underneath him, trying to show excitement, was a red head, just barely 16 with soft white skin.
    A loon rattled off its noisy cry in the distance.
    “Slow down,” the girl replied, as she tried to savor her first time. The guy, of course, had no part of it. He was racing down the track towards the orgasm finish line, and he couldn’t wait to get there.
    “Come on,” he said. “I have been waiting so long. I need to do this.”
    “Just let me get there with you.”
    The boy paid her no attention as he seized up, shuttered, and then fell onto his back beside her. He was done.
    “We’ve been waiting so long, and this is how it goes.”
    “You didn’t enjoy it?” The boy asked, clueless. He certainly did.
    “I guess, but it was so fast.”
    “The next time it will be better. I promise,” the guy replied, euphoric afterglow pushing him towards sleep.
    A rustling sound caught his ears and attacked them. He sat up to a sitting position and looked over at the trees.
    The girl caught on to what he was doing. It was best to keep your instincts in a world like this, and hers were just as strong as his. “Did you hear something?”
    “It was probably a critter.” The boy reached over and grabbed one of his guns. He checked the chamber, and made sure it was loaded, as he heard the noise again – a cracking twig, nothing more, but it was closer than before. He was sure of it
    He pointed the gun towards the woods, cocked it, and aimed. “Who’s there?” He asked; standing up, gun still pointing forward.
    Another broken twig.
    The sound of a loon.
    A hooting of an owl.
    “You’re getting me worried.” The girl covered herself with the blanket.
    “Something’s out there.”
    A second later that something came busting out of the trees.
    It was the killer, wearing a black ski mask, acid washed jeans, and a sleeveless cut off v neck t-shirt that read – “I brake for death”.
    The boy managed to squeeze off a couple of rounds from the gun that echoed out across the night. This, of course, did nothing to the killer, as his charge stayed true. He rushed up onto the boy and jammed a knife into the boy’s stomach. It went in easy enough; and, as the girl screamed, the boy spit up blood, which ran down his chin to his naked