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Speaker 1: Plant growing problems by Larry Brown. Jerry Barlow eased the

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sixty seven sportster to the edge of the sand road

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and shut off the motor. He listened closely to the

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silence of the woods. Aside from the voices of a

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few mocking birds and blue jays crouched in the leaves

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of blackjack oak and scrub pine, nothing could be heard

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except the ticking of his hot motor. He got off

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and unstrapped the short handled hoe and the gallon joke

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of liquid plant food from the chrome sissy bar. He

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knew Bacon County, Georgia was a dangerous place to be

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doing what he was doing, but he was sure he

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wouldn't get caught. He lit a cigarette and listened carefully

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for a few more minutes, hearing nothing approaching vehicle, He

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picked up the hoe in the jug and he stepped

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off the road. He had fifteen healthy female plants not

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four hundred yards off the road, and it was time

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to water them and hold the weeds from between the stalks.

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There was a fairly worn trail leading from the road

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beside his bike to a small patch of grass, and

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he didn't look down to see the tracks made by

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somebody's heavily booted feet. He slung the hole over his

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shoulder and walked through the warm august woods, carefully watching

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ahead for snakes. There were rattlesnakes in these woods, and

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some of them were as thick as a man's wrist.

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Ahead of him a few hundred yards, Sheriff of Cecil

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Tailor lay on his enormous gut and wiped away the

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streams of sweat running down under his sunglasses. His cruiser

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was backed up and carefully hidden down the road a piece,

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as it had been for the last three days in

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a row. He could have sent some of his deputies

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to do this job, but he wanted to catch Jerry

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Barlow with the grass himself. He liked to get these

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drug addicts under his thumb, especially when they were bikers

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like Barlow. Sheriff Taylor had carefully estimated the yield on

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these fifteen plants, and by the time fall got here

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and they were fully matured, he was pretty sure he

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could make a really big bundle by selling the stuff

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to his brother in law, who also happened to own

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the finest whiskey still in this part of the state.

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But that wasn't the whole story, not at all. Sheriff

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Taylor knew this particular patch of weed would probably be

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good enough to save back a couple of pounds for

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his own personal stash. He loved the good buzz as

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much as the next man. He watched Jerry Kress the

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last ridge coming into the small clearing where the dirt

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was dark and sandy. He had to hand it to Barlow.

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He picked a very good spot for his weed. The

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soil here was just right, just loose enough for a

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good root system and rich enough to furnish the plants

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with the nutrients they needed. And they're damned sure wouldn't

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be anybody wandering around the rattler's roost in the summertime,

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not unless he wanted a fast, fatal case of snake bite.

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But Barlow had parked his bike in the same spot

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once too often, and Taylor had found his patch. He

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had hoped the Barlow boy wouldn't do anything stupid like

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trying to run or fight. He'd have to hate the

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shoot the shit out of him, because then he wouldn't

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be able to keep the grass for himself. There'd be

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an investigation, and some of those damn Dea boys would

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be in here, and they'd confiscate the grass and keep

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it for themselves, like they always did. But even so,

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he reached back and unholstered the heavy three point fifty

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seven Mark III trooper and assumed the prone firing position

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from his hiding place under the low foliage of a

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small patch of honeysucknes. He was sure Barlow wouldn't see

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him until he was ready for him too. He lay

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back and watched the young man as he eased carefully

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up to the clearing and looked all around. Sheriff Taylor

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chuckled to himself as Jerry laid the hole down and

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began pouring the blue liquid plant food around each plant. Abruptly,

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the fat man hollered here's cecil and laughed out loud

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when Jerry spun to face him. His expression won of

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Shock's surprise. Sheriff Taylor was a pretty sorry old son

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of a bitch, but he had a great sense of humor. Well.

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Jerry was in a low crouch, looking almost as if

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he meant to try to run for it, but he

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stopped when he heard the hammer come back on the

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big pistol now drop. A sweat ran down his nose,

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and hung on the end, suspended in the hot, dusty

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silence between them. I wouldn't try that shit, boy, Taylor said,

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not lest you want the undertaker packing your ass so

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full of cotton about dark Jerry relaxed and eased his

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lanky six foot frame to the ground. He sat cross

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legged and watched the red faced sherp get up off

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the ground, still holding the cannon in front of him.

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You can put the gun away, man, I ain't going nowhere.

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Oh yeah, boy, you ain't going nowhere. The pot bellied

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officer dusted off the front of his pants and shirt,

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but didn't put the gun away. His tone was almost jovial,

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and the speech was well rehearsed. You're definitely going somewhere,

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probably up to Reedsville for a goodly portion of your life,

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either that or out to the farm for a while.

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Jerry knew what he was talking about. The county ran

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a small correction unit for the lesser criminals, a condition

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forced on too many county law enforcement agencies by the

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overcrowding of the prisons and the ever increasing number of felons.

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He'd heard some bad things about that place. He talked

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to a boy who had spent fifteen months out there

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for passing a bad check, and the boy had told

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Jerry he'd leave the country before they'd let him put

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him back in that rat hole. The inmates were forced

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to work twelve hours a day in the truck patches

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raising vegetables, and he told Jerry that most of the

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money from the sale of the produce went right into

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Cecil Taylor's back pocket. The boy also hinted that there

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were some people who went inside and never came back out,

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least not alive. He thought about all this as Taylor

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crossed a small patch of ground between them and stopped

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in front of him. Stand out. The words came up

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from his potgut in a wheeze. He wore a small,

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thin smile on his cruel lips. Jerry stood up slowly

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and waited while Taylor walked in a small circle around him.

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His mind raised as he tried to figure his way

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out of this. The only chance he had was to

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get away right now the sheriff with his fist, or

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get the gun away from him, and if the cop

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ever got him in the jail, it would be all over.

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He didn't even want to think about spending the next

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few years in Reidsville. You fucking bikers think you can

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just do like you please, don't you? Jerry didn't answer,

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he dirty, greasy scum. The words made the blood rush

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up in Jerry's neck, turn his face red. It was

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now or never, and he whirled and through his fist,

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But the fat man had already anticipated that. He stepped

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aside with a practiced motion and let the punch go

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over his shoulder, bringing the barrel of the gun down

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on top of Jerry's skull, and a light flashed inside

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his head and his brain shorted out. He didn't even

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feel it when he hit the ground. He couldn't tell

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how much time had passed when he woke up, but

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the sun hung low on the Blue Georgia's sky. He

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was alone. The mosquitoes had bitting him all over his

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arms and face, and they buzzed around his head in

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a maddening swarm. He couldn't bat him away because his

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wrists were firmly held by a pair of bright chrome handcuffs.

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Jerry jerked him apart, but the cold steel only cut

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into the flesh of his wrist. There was no way

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to break them or get them off. But maybe he

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could make it back to the road. He didn't know

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why the sheriff had left him alone like this, but

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he wasn't about to wait around for him to come back.

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He got up on one knee and almost passed out

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again from the pain throbbing through his head. It felt

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as if somebody had his head between two ball pink hammers,

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batting it back and forth. He had to let several

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minutes pass before he could get to his feet. The

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pounding in his temples sent jolts of agony racing through

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him with every step he took, but he didn't take

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very many. He stopped when he saw Sheriff Taylor blocking

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the trail. The fat man and had been watching him

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all that time, and in his hands he was holding

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a very large diamondback rattler. It was on the end

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of a stick with a wire loop drawn tightly around

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its neck. The bulk of its stick body moved and

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swayed in the air below the head. The fork tongue

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flickered and tested the air. Jerry froze where he stood.

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He was about to be murdered. There was no doubt

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in his mind. Interesting thing about these stakes, the sheriff said,

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you can catch them anytime you want to, And all

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you gotta have is a little piece of garden hose

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and a teaspoon of gas. Just stick the hose down

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his hole and pour in the gas. It runs about

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every time. They'll probably find your body sometime this winter,

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after deer season opens. Wouldn't be nobody around till then. Now.

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I appreciate you leaving me the dope, though, then he

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came after Jerry. Jerry tried to run, but the pain

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was too bad. The fat man was laughing and wheezing

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as he closed in on him. Jerry turned and tried

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to get closer to the road, but he knew he'd

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never make it, not while he was still hurt like this,

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And if the situation hadn't been so deadly, it would

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have been ridiculous. Jerry was running and stumbling and trying

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to jump the clumps of palmetto and sawbriar, and the

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sheriff was whooping and chasing him like a fun loving

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schoolboy after a little girl with pigtails, only there was

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no teacher for Jerry to run to. Taylor was about

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to catch him. Jerry risked one glance behind him, just

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as he got up close to the huge pino and

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he saw an amazing thing happen. Sheriff Taylor was so

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intent on catching Jerry that he forgot about watching the

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handle of the stick, and he got tangled between his

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fat thighs. He tipped and landed face down on his

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flabby belly, and his giles hung slack with horror. As

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he sat up and Jerry duck behind a tree. The

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sheriff squealed at the top of his lungs like a

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stuck pig when he saw the snake hanging from his arm.

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The fangs sunk to the roof of its mouth. The

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jaws were stretched wide, chewing and working and injecting the

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venom deep into his blood stream. He screamed while he

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clawed at the holster with his free hand, blubbering like

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a baby until he got the pistol out, and there

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was a mad panic in his eyes as he looked

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from Jerry to the snake and started begging him for help.

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Oh Jesus, God, help me. He bit me, He bit me. Jey,

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oh God, to some of bitches in my arm. Then

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he cocked the pistol and stuck the muzzle against the

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smooth white scales of the snake's belly, and he blew

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it apart with one thunderous blast. Little pieces of pink

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meat and snake guts splattered against his face, some of

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it landing on his lips, and he laid the gun down,

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and Jerry watched in fascination from behind the tree as

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the sheriff grabbed the pulpy, writhing body and pull the

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head and the fangs out of his arm with an

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awful groan. Clear liquid oozed from the twin punctures on

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his forearm. The holes were red and puffy, and he

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could feel the tingle starting in his fingertips, and he

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screamed for help again. You gotta help me, You gotta

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help me. Please, you gotta cut me. Oh Lord, you

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gotta cut me. And then his voice trailed off to

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a weak whimper as his head sagged down on his chest.

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You throw me that gun, man, Jerry called. He didn't

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intend to step out and help and then get a

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hole blown in him for his trouble. I got a

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knife and I'll cut it, but you gotta throw me

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that gun. Sheriff Taylor was shaking and a rigor went

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through his body. His heart was pounding, and he knew

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each second that passed and each beat of his heart

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would send the venom closer closer to the big muscle.

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But instead of throwing the gun, he snatched it up

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and screamed, you son of a bitch. Jerry duck back

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behind the tree as four deafening blasts rocked the woods

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around him. The soft nosed slugs tore into the trunk

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of the tree, and he pressed his face flat to

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the ground and trembled. A shock after shock ran through

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the wood, and then he heard the dull click of

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the hammer striking on spent cartridges, and he looked up.

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The sheriff's face was a pasty white color, drained of blood,

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and the man realized that he was about to die

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a slow and horrible death hearing these woods where the

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maggots and the buzzards would strip his riding carcass. He

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was crying now, and the pistol fell from his stiff

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fingers and dropped to the dusty ground, And Jerry got

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up immediately and walked toward the fallen man, holding the

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cuffs in front of him. Open them quick, if you

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want me to help you. He knelt in front of

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tailor and the fat man fumbled for the key on

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his belt and his hands were shaking, but he found

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the tiny hole in the cuffs and they clicked open. Yeah,

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cut it, cut it, you gotta cut it quick. Jerry

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dug in his pocket and found his knife, the three

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bladed case that would shave the hair on his legs.

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He didn't waste any time telling Taylor how bad it

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was going to hurt. He just grabbed the sweaty arm

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and made two deep slashing cuts through the fang marks.

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The skin and meat peeled apart like overripe fruit as

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the blade bit deep blood jumped out in two gushing streams,

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but Taylor didn't seem to fill the fiery bite of

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the knife. A look of relief washed across his face. Okay,

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Jerry said, that ought to hold you till you can

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get to the hospital. If you hurry, I don't think

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he hit a vein, or you'd be having a heart

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attack by now. Taylor got to his feet and swayed dizzily,

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and he clutched it with his bloody hands and begged

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him for help. You gotta walk me to my car.

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It sparked right up here about two three hundred yards away.

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Jerry pushed his hands away and backed up. No way, mad,

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I did all I'm gonna do for you. I'm getting

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the hell out of here. You can't leave me. I

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can't make it out. Help me to my car. Jerry

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started to walk away, but he turned back because the

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fat man was crying in the most pitiful voice he

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had ever heard. It was stupid even to consider helping him,

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and as soon as he got to his car, he'd

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get on the radio and call for help, and more

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than likely for some deputies to come after Jerry. One

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part of him said leave him, but he didn't think

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he'd be able to live with himself if he did that.

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He didn't want to be responsible for a man's death,

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even after what had just happened. All he wanted was

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to just get away. Against his better judgment and against

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the nagging little voice of his concent he slipped the

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sheriff's arm around his neck and said, come on. The

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bit and arm was swelling rapidly now. Already the fingers

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were puffed up so bad he could barely move him.

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Which way's your car? Man? Jerry was having a hard

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time holding up the fat man and sweat poured off

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both of them straight up the hill over to the left.

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It's a bunch of pine trees. Jerry staggered under the

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dying man's weight and the pounding pain still racing through

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his head. After five minutes of all out effort, he

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came out on the road below the car, and he

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was so tired he could hardly stand. Taylor sank down

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slowly to his knees, and his arm was turning purple,

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and every vein stood outlined against the skin, and his

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flesh looked as if it was about to burst. I

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can't go no further, he panted. You gotta drive the

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car down down here, give me to a hospital. Keys

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under the seat. Jerry sagged against the tree and looked

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down at them. The sheriff had lost his hat somewhere

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back in the bushes, and his gray hair hung in

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his eyes. The man appeared near death. Jerry closed his

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eyes briefly against the sweat steaming them, and then turned

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and ran in a shuffling, head jarring trot. He almost

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ran past the tan cruiser hidden in a thicket of

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pine trees. The keys were right where the sheriff had

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said they would be Jerry cranked it quickly and then

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pulled out and back down the road until he saw Taylor,

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the sheriff, was sinking fast. Jerry couldn't tell that the

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fat man was watching him carefully from under slitted eyes,

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and he allowed Jerry to pull him to his feet

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and help him under the wheel, And then, with a

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practiced fluid movement, he reached and pulled a double barrel

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shotgun from under the seat. The barrels were so off,

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six inches ahead of the chambers, and the spit dried

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in Jerry's mouth. When he found himself staring into the

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twin black holes, he wondered what it was gonna feel

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like to be shot in the face, And when he

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heard the hammers come back, he knew there would be

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nothing but a roar and then blackness forever. He couldn't

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hold his words back. Is this how you pay me back,

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you fat son of a bitch. You'd have died if

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it hadn't been for me. I should have left your

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fat ass back there on the trail. Taylor's lips and

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face were swollen. Then he couldn't speak plainly. He drooled

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a little. It was hard for him to hold his

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head up straight. Jerry had trouble understanding his words. You

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damn bikers ain't got you, ain't got. Nobody fooled, not me.

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I know, I know. A great pain seized the Sheriff's chest,

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causing him to sag back against the sea. It felt

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like a huge fist holding his heart and squeezing the

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blood out of it. His tongue went up to the

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roof of his mouth, and the barrel swung away from

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Jerry as he fell back, holding his flabby tent with

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a hideous black hand three times its normal size. Jerry

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moved fast without thinking. His foot lashed out and struck

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the shotgun, pushing it up into the air, and it

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went off, both barrels going at the same time, blowing

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a shower of pine cones and needles down through the

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tree limbs. Jerry didn't wait to see anything else. He

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took off running, hearing the car behind him, and he

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didn't stop until he got to his bike. The cruiser

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came roaring out of the dirt road, sliding sideways with

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a madman behind the wheel. The tires were churning and

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bucking across the dusty ground, throwing a curtain of dirt

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and sand into the hot air. Taylor had the transmitter

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off the radio in his puffy hand, howling and screeching

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orders and instructions that were never heard because his fingers

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were too thick to depress the transment button. The Harley

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coughed once and roared to thundering life as Jerry put

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all his weight into the kickstarter. Even over the rumble

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of his own motor, he could hear the carburetor of

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the Plymouth engines sucking in great gusts of air as

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Tailor laid his dying foot into it. Jerry kicked the

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bike into first and he goosed it and popped the

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clutch and laid it over, spinning in a tight circle

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in the sand, the swing arm bouncing and jarn until

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he pulled it back up and flew down the road

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behind the Tan cruiser, eating dust, but determined to see

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the end of it. The car pulled out of sight quickly,

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and then he was riding blind in a cloud of dust,

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and he rode through one hundred yards of it until

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suddenly the clouds stopped in a sharp curve. Jerry's foot

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came down hard on rear brake and he stopped with

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the sound of his motor beating loud in his ear.

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The big Pine tree was still shaking from the impact

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of six thousand pounds of airborne car hitting it at

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sixty miles an hour. Sheriff Taylor was lying part way

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out on the hood in a pool of shattered safety

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glass and he was spewing blood. Miss Jerry spun out

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of the sand and hit the second gear. He laid

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the bike low into the next curve and started picking

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up speed. He glanced over his shoulder and it seemed

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to him that the dead man was waving goodbye with

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his puffy black hand. Okay, I hope you all enjoyed

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that story by Larry Brown. I'm going to start doing

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I'm going to try to start uploading a video every

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Friday and call it Fiction Friday. What I'll try to

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do is get permission from published authors who have published

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works with short stories and share those with you. Some

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of them be monster stories, some of them won't be.

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Some of them just be damn good stories like this one.

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This was a good story. Larry Brown is a was

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a prolific author and well published author. There's just his

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story of how he learned to write is amazing. I've

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never read a short story that he wrote that I

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didn't like. And next week I'm going to do another

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one by Larry Brown for Halloween. It's actually a really

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good ghost story. They're kind of Southern themed. Anyway, I

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think you guys who enjoy fiction will enjoy it. I

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probably won't hit every fiction Friday because I'm no good

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with schedules because I never know. I never know what

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I'm going to do the next day or what's going

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to be asked of me to do the next day

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in my regular job. But anyway, I really appreciate you

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listening to this. I hope you enjoy and I hope

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you appreciate the talent of these writers that I'll try

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to share their stories with you over time. I don't

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know how long this will go. And by the way,

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I did get in contact with Larry Brown's family. Larry

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died back in two thousand and four, so he's not

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alive anymore. But I got in touch with his family

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and they said, yeah, go ahead and do his story,

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and so I actually did two of them. We're going

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to do another one next week. And anyway, I can't

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do copyrighted stuff without permission, A verbal permission is fine

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with me because if it's ever a problem, all I

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have to do is delete the video. But anyway, I

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just want to share with you some really good, well

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written stuff, along with the emails that we get from

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viewers and pretty much everything else we do. So I

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don't know, that's all I wanted to say. I really

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appreciate you listening, and we'll see you guys on the

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next video. Thanks and