The Vegan's Hunter by P. S. Turner Page A

managed to get to one knee. His body was smoking. Kayley picked up the large television camera that sitting on Fred’s chair. She lifted the heavy thing up and brought it down on Billy’s head as hard as she could. There was a crack as the camera broke. His body slumped to the ground. He didn’t move.
    Ray ran for the tent. Tyler caught up to him and pulled him back by his coat. Ray swung his fist around and it landed on Tyler’s face.
    “I’m sorry,” he said, with wide eyes as Tyler looked completely unfazed by the punch. Tyler kicked him between the legs and knocked him out with an uppercut.
    “Don’t move,” Clifton said.
    His pistol was out. It was pointing at Tyler.
    Tyler stared him down. “Are you afraid to fight man to man?”
    “I’m not falling for that shit,” Clifton replied. “Not when there doesn’t have to be a fight. I can just shoot you right now and get away with it. Self defense.”
    “I’m a witness,” Kayley said. “I’ll tell them everything.”
    “Well I guess I’ll just have to shoot you too.” He pointed the gun at her.
    “Get that gun off of her,” Tyler warned.
    “No I don’t think I will. First I’m going to kill you, than your little tart and then I’m going to kill everyone of those stupid animals at your center. Nobody messes with Clifton Jones. Nobody.”
    The branches in the trees behind him started shaking. What was that? It seemed scarier than Clifton if that was even possible.
    The thudding got louder and quicker as the thing approached. Clifton spun around and faced the darkness just as an enormous bull elk charged into him. His head whipped back and Clifton sailed through the air like a rag doll. He landed on the ground with a thud. The elk pounced on him, digging his antlers into his body. Kayley heard snaps. She grimaced wondering if it was branches or bones.
    Dried blood streaked the back leg of the elk. Kayley saw a small hole in its thigh. It was the poor elk from this afternoon.
    The elk released Clifton and backed away slowly. Clayton rolled over onto his hands and knees and vomited. He reached out and picked up the handgun.
    “Son of a bitch,” he muttered, as he lifted the gun at the elk.
    “No,” Kayley cried out.
    The elk charged. Clifton fired the gun. The bullet missed as the elk’s antlers connected with Clifton’s stomach. The beast ran full speed, with Clifton still attached to his antlers, and slammed him into the trunk of an old tree. Clifton’s eyes went wide on impact. The elk shook his antlers and Clifton’s lifeless body slid off.
    The elk lifted its majestic head and looked at Kayley.
    “Thank you,” Kayley whispered to him.
    The elk trotted off into the forest.
    Tyler rushed over to her. “Are you okay?”
    “You came for me,” she said, touching his cheek.
    “Of course I did Kayley.” He ran his fingers through her hair. “I felt so bad about what I said. I was just upset about-”
    She didn’t let him finish. Her mouth was on his. Relief, mixed with passion and desire flooded out of her.
    “I guess you forgive me?” Tyler asked with a smile.
    She grazed his stubbled chin with the back of her hand. “You have to do one more thing before I forgive you.”
    “Anything.”
    She put her lips against his ear and whispered, “Take me back to your cabin.”
     

Kayley
     
     
    Kayley had never fired a gun before, let alone at an animal. She had fired it right at the elk and it felt really good.
    The tranquilizer dart hit him in the shoulder. After that it only took a minute of drunken walking for the big guy to go down.
    Tyler and Kayley returned with some volunteers from the conservation center to find the wounded elk two days after the event with Clifton. She even managed to drag Al along, telling him that there might be a great show in it.
    “People will love this,” Al said, as they hauled the tranquilized elk onto the truck.
    “Wait until you see the conservation center,” Tyler added. “We have all kinds of