WEBVTT 1 00:00:10.800 --> 00:00:17.600 Plant growing problems by Larry Brown. Jerry Barlow eased the 2 00:00:17.679 --> 00:00:21.079 sixty seven sportster to the edge of the sand road 3 00:00:21.160 --> 00:00:24.679 and shut off the motor. He listened closely to the 4 00:00:24.719 --> 00:00:28.280 silence of the woods. Aside from the voices of a 5 00:00:28.320 --> 00:00:31.399 few mocking birds and blue jays crouched in the leaves 6 00:00:31.440 --> 00:00:35.399 of blackjack oak and scrub pine, nothing could be heard 7 00:00:35.439 --> 00:00:39.240 except the ticking of his hot motor. He got off 8 00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:42.280 and unstrapped the short handled hoe and the gallon joke 9 00:00:42.359 --> 00:00:46.600 of liquid plant food from the chrome sissy bar. He 10 00:00:46.679 --> 00:00:49.799 knew Bacon County, Georgia was a dangerous place to be 11 00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:52.439 doing what he was doing, but he was sure he 12 00:00:52.479 --> 00:00:56.159 wouldn't get caught. He lit a cigarette and listened carefully 13 00:00:56.200 --> 00:01:02.000 for a few more minutes, hearing nothing approaching vehicle, He 14 00:01:02.079 --> 00:01:04.040 picked up the hoe in the jug and he stepped 15 00:01:04.040 --> 00:01:08.159 off the road. He had fifteen healthy female plants not 16 00:01:08.280 --> 00:01:10.920 four hundred yards off the road, and it was time 17 00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:13.959 to water them and hold the weeds from between the stalks. 18 00:01:15.599 --> 00:01:18.280 There was a fairly worn trail leading from the road 19 00:01:18.359 --> 00:01:21.560 beside his bike to a small patch of grass, and 20 00:01:21.599 --> 00:01:23.879 he didn't look down to see the tracks made by 21 00:01:23.920 --> 00:01:28.040 somebody's heavily booted feet. He slung the hole over his 22 00:01:28.120 --> 00:01:31.799 shoulder and walked through the warm august woods, carefully watching 23 00:01:31.799 --> 00:01:35.719 ahead for snakes. There were rattlesnakes in these woods, and 24 00:01:35.760 --> 00:01:38.760 some of them were as thick as a man's wrist. 25 00:01:40.040 --> 00:01:43.280 Ahead of him a few hundred yards, Sheriff of Cecil 26 00:01:43.400 --> 00:01:47.079 Tailor lay on his enormous gut and wiped away the 27 00:01:47.120 --> 00:01:51.760 streams of sweat running down under his sunglasses. His cruiser 28 00:01:51.879 --> 00:01:54.840 was backed up and carefully hidden down the road a piece, 29 00:01:55.200 --> 00:01:57.359 as it had been for the last three days in 30 00:01:57.439 --> 00:02:00.920 a row. He could have sent some of his deputies 31 00:02:00.959 --> 00:02:03.239 to do this job, but he wanted to catch Jerry 32 00:02:03.280 --> 00:02:06.680 Barlow with the grass himself. He liked to get these 33 00:02:06.799 --> 00:02:10.520 drug addicts under his thumb, especially when they were bikers 34 00:02:10.639 --> 00:02:15.520 like Barlow. Sheriff Taylor had carefully estimated the yield on 35 00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:18.680 these fifteen plants, and by the time fall got here 36 00:02:18.919 --> 00:02:21.759 and they were fully matured, he was pretty sure he 37 00:02:21.800 --> 00:02:24.240 could make a really big bundle by selling the stuff 38 00:02:24.240 --> 00:02:26.919 to his brother in law, who also happened to own 39 00:02:26.960 --> 00:02:29.680 the finest whiskey still in this part of the state. 40 00:02:30.360 --> 00:02:35.000 But that wasn't the whole story, not at all. Sheriff 41 00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:38.000 Taylor knew this particular patch of weed would probably be 42 00:02:38.080 --> 00:02:40.479 good enough to save back a couple of pounds for 43 00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:44.159 his own personal stash. He loved the good buzz as 44 00:02:44.199 --> 00:02:48.000 much as the next man. He watched Jerry Kress the 45 00:02:48.080 --> 00:02:51.080 last ridge coming into the small clearing where the dirt 46 00:02:51.159 --> 00:02:54.319 was dark and sandy. He had to hand it to Barlow. 47 00:02:54.719 --> 00:02:57.919 He picked a very good spot for his weed. The 48 00:02:58.000 --> 00:03:01.159 soil here was just right, just loose enough for a 49 00:03:01.199 --> 00:03:04.199 good root system and rich enough to furnish the plants 50 00:03:04.319 --> 00:03:08.360 with the nutrients they needed. And they're damned sure wouldn't 51 00:03:08.360 --> 00:03:12.120 be anybody wandering around the rattler's roost in the summertime, 52 00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:15.719 not unless he wanted a fast, fatal case of snake bite. 53 00:03:16.919 --> 00:03:19.560 But Barlow had parked his bike in the same spot 54 00:03:19.639 --> 00:03:24.319 once too often, and Taylor had found his patch. He 55 00:03:24.360 --> 00:03:27.360 had hoped the Barlow boy wouldn't do anything stupid like 56 00:03:27.479 --> 00:03:30.199 trying to run or fight. He'd have to hate the 57 00:03:30.240 --> 00:03:33.479 shoot the shit out of him, because then he wouldn't 58 00:03:33.479 --> 00:03:36.560 be able to keep the grass for himself. There'd be 59 00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:40.080 an investigation, and some of those damn Dea boys would 60 00:03:40.120 --> 00:03:43.039 be in here, and they'd confiscate the grass and keep 61 00:03:43.080 --> 00:03:46.879 it for themselves, like they always did. But even so, 62 00:03:47.360 --> 00:03:50.199 he reached back and unholstered the heavy three point fifty 63 00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:54.199 seven Mark III trooper and assumed the prone firing position 64 00:03:55.919 --> 00:03:58.639 from his hiding place under the low foliage of a 65 00:03:58.680 --> 00:04:02.840 small patch of honeysucknes. He was sure Barlow wouldn't see 66 00:04:02.919 --> 00:04:06.199 him until he was ready for him too. He lay 67 00:04:06.240 --> 00:04:08.680 back and watched the young man as he eased carefully 68 00:04:08.800 --> 00:04:13.240 up to the clearing and looked all around. Sheriff Taylor 69 00:04:13.360 --> 00:04:15.879 chuckled to himself as Jerry laid the hole down and 70 00:04:15.919 --> 00:04:20.800 began pouring the blue liquid plant food around each plant. Abruptly, 71 00:04:21.040 --> 00:04:24.959 the fat man hollered here's cecil and laughed out loud 72 00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:28.240 when Jerry spun to face him. His expression won of 73 00:04:28.360 --> 00:04:33.040 Shock's surprise. Sheriff Taylor was a pretty sorry old son 74 00:04:33.120 --> 00:04:36.480 of a bitch, but he had a great sense of humor. Well. 75 00:04:36.560 --> 00:04:39.519 Jerry was in a low crouch, looking almost as if 76 00:04:39.560 --> 00:04:41.720 he meant to try to run for it, but he 77 00:04:41.800 --> 00:04:43.879 stopped when he heard the hammer come back on the 78 00:04:43.920 --> 00:04:47.160 big pistol now drop. A sweat ran down his nose, 79 00:04:47.480 --> 00:04:50.399 and hung on the end, suspended in the hot, dusty 80 00:04:50.480 --> 00:04:54.959 silence between them. I wouldn't try that shit, boy, Taylor said, 81 00:04:55.240 --> 00:04:57.800 not lest you want the undertaker packing your ass so 82 00:04:57.959 --> 00:05:02.759 full of cotton about dark Jerry relaxed and eased his 83 00:05:02.920 --> 00:05:06.480 lanky six foot frame to the ground. He sat cross 84 00:05:06.600 --> 00:05:09.480 legged and watched the red faced sherp get up off 85 00:05:09.519 --> 00:05:12.920 the ground, still holding the cannon in front of him. 86 00:05:13.279 --> 00:05:16.040 You can put the gun away, man, I ain't going nowhere. 87 00:05:16.720 --> 00:05:20.240 Oh yeah, boy, you ain't going nowhere. The pot bellied 88 00:05:20.240 --> 00:05:23.040 officer dusted off the front of his pants and shirt, 89 00:05:23.480 --> 00:05:27.480 but didn't put the gun away. His tone was almost jovial, 90 00:05:27.560 --> 00:05:32.319 and the speech was well rehearsed. You're definitely going somewhere, 91 00:05:32.600 --> 00:05:36.079 probably up to Reedsville for a goodly portion of your life, 92 00:05:36.519 --> 00:05:38.680 either that or out to the farm for a while. 93 00:05:40.079 --> 00:05:43.120 Jerry knew what he was talking about. The county ran 94 00:05:43.160 --> 00:05:46.839 a small correction unit for the lesser criminals, a condition 95 00:05:47.040 --> 00:05:50.839 forced on too many county law enforcement agencies by the 96 00:05:50.879 --> 00:05:55.120 overcrowding of the prisons and the ever increasing number of felons. 97 00:05:55.959 --> 00:05:59.759 He'd heard some bad things about that place. He talked 98 00:05:59.800 --> 00:06:02.279 to a boy who had spent fifteen months out there 99 00:06:02.319 --> 00:06:05.000 for passing a bad check, and the boy had told 100 00:06:05.079 --> 00:06:07.720 Jerry he'd leave the country before they'd let him put 101 00:06:07.800 --> 00:06:11.279 him back in that rat hole. The inmates were forced 102 00:06:11.279 --> 00:06:13.800 to work twelve hours a day in the truck patches 103 00:06:13.879 --> 00:06:17.120 raising vegetables, and he told Jerry that most of the 104 00:06:17.120 --> 00:06:20.120 money from the sale of the produce went right into 105 00:06:20.160 --> 00:06:24.720 Cecil Taylor's back pocket. The boy also hinted that there 106 00:06:24.720 --> 00:06:28.120 were some people who went inside and never came back out, 107 00:06:28.199 --> 00:06:32.319 least not alive. He thought about all this as Taylor 108 00:06:32.399 --> 00:06:35.720 crossed a small patch of ground between them and stopped 109 00:06:35.759 --> 00:06:39.720 in front of him. Stand out. The words came up 110 00:06:39.759 --> 00:06:43.279 from his potgut in a wheeze. He wore a small, 111 00:06:43.439 --> 00:06:48.279 thin smile on his cruel lips. Jerry stood up slowly 112 00:06:48.360 --> 00:06:51.839 and waited while Taylor walked in a small circle around him. 113 00:06:52.120 --> 00:06:54.480 His mind raised as he tried to figure his way 114 00:06:54.480 --> 00:06:57.920 out of this. The only chance he had was to 115 00:06:57.959 --> 00:07:01.480 get away right now the sheriff with his fist, or 116 00:07:01.519 --> 00:07:03.720 get the gun away from him, and if the cop 117 00:07:03.759 --> 00:07:06.000 ever got him in the jail, it would be all over. 118 00:07:07.160 --> 00:07:09.800 He didn't even want to think about spending the next 119 00:07:09.839 --> 00:07:14.519 few years in Reidsville. You fucking bikers think you can 120 00:07:14.680 --> 00:07:19.000 just do like you please, don't you? Jerry didn't answer, 121 00:07:19.600 --> 00:07:23.399 he dirty, greasy scum. The words made the blood rush 122 00:07:23.519 --> 00:07:26.959 up in Jerry's neck, turn his face red. It was 123 00:07:27.079 --> 00:07:30.000 now or never, and he whirled and through his fist, 124 00:07:30.120 --> 00:07:34.399 But the fat man had already anticipated that. He stepped 125 00:07:34.399 --> 00:07:37.360 aside with a practiced motion and let the punch go 126 00:07:37.480 --> 00:07:40.279 over his shoulder, bringing the barrel of the gun down 127 00:07:40.319 --> 00:07:44.120 on top of Jerry's skull, and a light flashed inside 128 00:07:44.160 --> 00:07:47.639 his head and his brain shorted out. He didn't even 129 00:07:47.759 --> 00:07:51.879 feel it when he hit the ground. He couldn't tell 130 00:07:51.920 --> 00:07:54.360 how much time had passed when he woke up, but 131 00:07:54.480 --> 00:07:58.120 the sun hung low on the Blue Georgia's sky. He 132 00:07:58.199 --> 00:08:01.079 was alone. The mosquitoes had bitting him all over his 133 00:08:01.240 --> 00:08:03.759 arms and face, and they buzzed around his head in 134 00:08:03.759 --> 00:08:07.439 a maddening swarm. He couldn't bat him away because his 135 00:08:07.600 --> 00:08:11.439 wrists were firmly held by a pair of bright chrome handcuffs. 136 00:08:12.279 --> 00:08:15.560 Jerry jerked him apart, but the cold steel only cut 137 00:08:15.680 --> 00:08:18.759 into the flesh of his wrist. There was no way 138 00:08:18.839 --> 00:08:21.600 to break them or get them off. But maybe he 139 00:08:21.639 --> 00:08:24.240 could make it back to the road. He didn't know 140 00:08:24.279 --> 00:08:26.639 why the sheriff had left him alone like this, but 141 00:08:26.680 --> 00:08:29.199 he wasn't about to wait around for him to come back. 142 00:08:30.759 --> 00:08:33.120 He got up on one knee and almost passed out 143 00:08:33.159 --> 00:08:36.799 again from the pain throbbing through his head. It felt 144 00:08:36.799 --> 00:08:40.360 as if somebody had his head between two ball pink hammers, 145 00:08:40.519 --> 00:08:44.240 batting it back and forth. He had to let several 146 00:08:44.279 --> 00:08:47.360 minutes pass before he could get to his feet. The 147 00:08:47.360 --> 00:08:50.799 pounding in his temples sent jolts of agony racing through 148 00:08:50.879 --> 00:08:53.720 him with every step he took, but he didn't take 149 00:08:53.879 --> 00:08:58.279 very many. He stopped when he saw Sheriff Taylor blocking 150 00:08:58.320 --> 00:09:01.279 the trail. The fat man and had been watching him 151 00:09:01.320 --> 00:09:04.679 all that time, and in his hands he was holding 152 00:09:04.679 --> 00:09:08.159 a very large diamondback rattler. It was on the end 153 00:09:08.240 --> 00:09:11.120 of a stick with a wire loop drawn tightly around 154 00:09:11.159 --> 00:09:14.679 its neck. The bulk of its stick body moved and 155 00:09:14.720 --> 00:09:18.120 swayed in the air below the head. The fork tongue 156 00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:22.120 flickered and tested the air. Jerry froze where he stood. 157 00:09:22.960 --> 00:09:25.840 He was about to be murdered. There was no doubt 158 00:09:25.919 --> 00:09:30.960 in his mind. Interesting thing about these stakes, the sheriff said, 159 00:09:31.519 --> 00:09:33.720 you can catch them anytime you want to, And all 160 00:09:33.759 --> 00:09:35.919 you gotta have is a little piece of garden hose 161 00:09:35.960 --> 00:09:39.200 and a teaspoon of gas. Just stick the hose down 162 00:09:39.279 --> 00:09:42.279 his hole and pour in the gas. It runs about 163 00:09:42.320 --> 00:09:46.799 every time. They'll probably find your body sometime this winter, 164 00:09:47.200 --> 00:09:52.080 after deer season opens. Wouldn't be nobody around till then. Now. 165 00:09:52.080 --> 00:09:55.159 I appreciate you leaving me the dope, though, then he 166 00:09:55.240 --> 00:09:59.480 came after Jerry. Jerry tried to run, but the pain 167 00:09:59.639 --> 00:10:02.879 was too bad. The fat man was laughing and wheezing 168 00:10:02.919 --> 00:10:06.720 as he closed in on him. Jerry turned and tried 169 00:10:06.720 --> 00:10:08.759 to get closer to the road, but he knew he'd 170 00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:11.600 never make it, not while he was still hurt like this, 171 00:10:12.480 --> 00:10:15.720 And if the situation hadn't been so deadly, it would 172 00:10:15.720 --> 00:10:20.279 have been ridiculous. Jerry was running and stumbling and trying 173 00:10:20.279 --> 00:10:23.639 to jump the clumps of palmetto and sawbriar, and the 174 00:10:23.679 --> 00:10:26.519 sheriff was whooping and chasing him like a fun loving 175 00:10:26.559 --> 00:10:30.440 schoolboy after a little girl with pigtails, only there was 176 00:10:30.519 --> 00:10:34.159 no teacher for Jerry to run to. Taylor was about 177 00:10:34.240 --> 00:10:39.000 to catch him. Jerry risked one glance behind him, just 178 00:10:39.039 --> 00:10:41.639 as he got up close to the huge pino and 179 00:10:41.639 --> 00:10:46.120 he saw an amazing thing happen. Sheriff Taylor was so 180 00:10:46.320 --> 00:10:49.559 intent on catching Jerry that he forgot about watching the 181 00:10:49.600 --> 00:10:52.279 handle of the stick, and he got tangled between his 182 00:10:52.399 --> 00:10:56.440 fat thighs. He tipped and landed face down on his 183 00:10:56.559 --> 00:11:00.919 flabby belly, and his giles hung slack with horror. As 184 00:11:00.919 --> 00:11:05.240 he sat up and Jerry duck behind a tree. The 185 00:11:05.240 --> 00:11:08.080 sheriff squealed at the top of his lungs like a 186 00:11:08.120 --> 00:11:11.519 stuck pig when he saw the snake hanging from his arm. 187 00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:14.960 The fangs sunk to the roof of its mouth. The 188 00:11:15.080 --> 00:11:18.799 jaws were stretched wide, chewing and working and injecting the 189 00:11:18.919 --> 00:11:23.440 venom deep into his blood stream. He screamed while he 190 00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:26.919 clawed at the holster with his free hand, blubbering like 191 00:11:26.960 --> 00:11:29.919 a baby until he got the pistol out, and there 192 00:11:29.960 --> 00:11:32.240 was a mad panic in his eyes as he looked 193 00:11:32.279 --> 00:11:35.799 from Jerry to the snake and started begging him for help. 194 00:11:36.360 --> 00:11:39.879 Oh Jesus, God, help me. He bit me, He bit me. Jey, 195 00:11:40.200 --> 00:11:44.000 oh God, to some of bitches in my arm. Then 196 00:11:44.039 --> 00:11:46.600 he cocked the pistol and stuck the muzzle against the 197 00:11:46.600 --> 00:11:50.039 smooth white scales of the snake's belly, and he blew 198 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:54.759 it apart with one thunderous blast. Little pieces of pink 199 00:11:54.840 --> 00:11:58.519 meat and snake guts splattered against his face, some of 200 00:11:58.559 --> 00:12:02.039 it landing on his lips, and he laid the gun down, 201 00:12:02.080 --> 00:12:05.399 and Jerry watched in fascination from behind the tree as 202 00:12:05.440 --> 00:12:09.279 the sheriff grabbed the pulpy, writhing body and pull the 203 00:12:09.320 --> 00:12:11.559 head and the fangs out of his arm with an 204 00:12:11.600 --> 00:12:16.799 awful groan. Clear liquid oozed from the twin punctures on 205 00:12:16.840 --> 00:12:20.000 his forearm. The holes were red and puffy, and he 206 00:12:20.039 --> 00:12:22.960 could feel the tingle starting in his fingertips, and he 207 00:12:23.080 --> 00:12:27.039 screamed for help again. You gotta help me, You gotta 208 00:12:27.080 --> 00:12:29.879 help me. Please, you gotta cut me. Oh Lord, you 209 00:12:29.919 --> 00:12:32.759 gotta cut me. And then his voice trailed off to 210 00:12:32.840 --> 00:12:36.159 a weak whimper as his head sagged down on his chest. 211 00:12:37.039 --> 00:12:40.600 You throw me that gun, man, Jerry called. He didn't 212 00:12:40.639 --> 00:12:43.120 intend to step out and help and then get a 213 00:12:43.159 --> 00:12:46.080 hole blown in him for his trouble. I got a 214 00:12:46.120 --> 00:12:48.360 knife and I'll cut it, but you gotta throw me 215 00:12:48.440 --> 00:12:52.360 that gun. Sheriff Taylor was shaking and a rigor went 216 00:12:52.399 --> 00:12:55.519 through his body. His heart was pounding, and he knew 217 00:12:55.559 --> 00:12:58.279 each second that passed and each beat of his heart 218 00:12:58.320 --> 00:13:01.639 would send the venom closer closer to the big muscle. 219 00:13:02.600 --> 00:13:05.120 But instead of throwing the gun, he snatched it up 220 00:13:05.159 --> 00:13:10.120 and screamed, you son of a bitch. Jerry duck back 221 00:13:10.200 --> 00:13:13.759 behind the tree as four deafening blasts rocked the woods 222 00:13:13.759 --> 00:13:17.720 around him. The soft nosed slugs tore into the trunk 223 00:13:17.759 --> 00:13:19.960 of the tree, and he pressed his face flat to 224 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:23.279 the ground and trembled. A shock after shock ran through 225 00:13:23.320 --> 00:13:26.480 the wood, and then he heard the dull click of 226 00:13:26.519 --> 00:13:30.399 the hammer striking on spent cartridges, and he looked up. 227 00:13:31.919 --> 00:13:35.799 The sheriff's face was a pasty white color, drained of blood, 228 00:13:36.200 --> 00:13:38.360 and the man realized that he was about to die 229 00:13:38.399 --> 00:13:41.000 a slow and horrible death hearing these woods where the 230 00:13:41.039 --> 00:13:45.440 maggots and the buzzards would strip his riding carcass. He 231 00:13:45.600 --> 00:13:48.759 was crying now, and the pistol fell from his stiff 232 00:13:48.840 --> 00:13:52.240 fingers and dropped to the dusty ground, And Jerry got 233 00:13:52.320 --> 00:13:55.320 up immediately and walked toward the fallen man, holding the 234 00:13:55.360 --> 00:13:58.120 cuffs in front of him. Open them quick, if you 235 00:13:58.159 --> 00:14:01.159 want me to help you. He knelt in front of 236 00:14:01.240 --> 00:14:03.759 tailor and the fat man fumbled for the key on 237 00:14:03.840 --> 00:14:07.000 his belt and his hands were shaking, but he found 238 00:14:07.000 --> 00:14:10.320 the tiny hole in the cuffs and they clicked open. Yeah, 239 00:14:10.399 --> 00:14:13.639 cut it, cut it, you gotta cut it quick. Jerry 240 00:14:13.720 --> 00:14:16.440 dug in his pocket and found his knife, the three 241 00:14:16.480 --> 00:14:19.480 bladed case that would shave the hair on his legs. 242 00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:22.960 He didn't waste any time telling Taylor how bad it 243 00:14:23.000 --> 00:14:25.799 was going to hurt. He just grabbed the sweaty arm 244 00:14:25.840 --> 00:14:29.000 and made two deep slashing cuts through the fang marks. 245 00:14:30.279 --> 00:14:34.039 The skin and meat peeled apart like overripe fruit as 246 00:14:34.080 --> 00:14:38.840 the blade bit deep blood jumped out in two gushing streams, 247 00:14:38.960 --> 00:14:41.480 but Taylor didn't seem to fill the fiery bite of 248 00:14:41.519 --> 00:14:47.120 the knife. A look of relief washed across his face. Okay, 249 00:14:47.399 --> 00:14:49.679 Jerry said, that ought to hold you till you can 250 00:14:49.759 --> 00:14:52.399 get to the hospital. If you hurry, I don't think 251 00:14:52.399 --> 00:14:54.320 he hit a vein, or you'd be having a heart 252 00:14:54.360 --> 00:14:58.840 attack by now. Taylor got to his feet and swayed dizzily, 253 00:14:58.919 --> 00:15:02.120 and he clutched it with his bloody hands and begged 254 00:15:02.159 --> 00:15:05.000 him for help. You gotta walk me to my car. 255 00:15:05.320 --> 00:15:08.440 It sparked right up here about two three hundred yards away. 256 00:15:09.639 --> 00:15:12.879 Jerry pushed his hands away and backed up. No way, mad, 257 00:15:13.399 --> 00:15:15.440 I did all I'm gonna do for you. I'm getting 258 00:15:15.440 --> 00:15:18.440 the hell out of here. You can't leave me. I 259 00:15:18.519 --> 00:15:22.279 can't make it out. Help me to my car. Jerry 260 00:15:22.480 --> 00:15:25.080 started to walk away, but he turned back because the 261 00:15:25.120 --> 00:15:27.840 fat man was crying in the most pitiful voice he 262 00:15:27.879 --> 00:15:31.840 had ever heard. It was stupid even to consider helping him, 263 00:15:32.799 --> 00:15:35.000 and as soon as he got to his car, he'd 264 00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:37.120 get on the radio and call for help, and more 265 00:15:37.159 --> 00:15:41.240 than likely for some deputies to come after Jerry. One 266 00:15:41.279 --> 00:15:44.120 part of him said leave him, but he didn't think 267 00:15:44.120 --> 00:15:46.519 he'd be able to live with himself if he did that. 268 00:15:47.559 --> 00:15:50.080 He didn't want to be responsible for a man's death, 269 00:15:50.320 --> 00:15:53.600 even after what had just happened. All he wanted was 270 00:15:53.639 --> 00:15:58.080 to just get away. Against his better judgment and against 271 00:15:58.120 --> 00:16:01.279 the nagging little voice of his concent he slipped the 272 00:16:01.320 --> 00:16:06.240 sheriff's arm around his neck and said, come on. The 273 00:16:06.279 --> 00:16:10.240 bit and arm was swelling rapidly now. Already the fingers 274 00:16:10.279 --> 00:16:12.919 were puffed up so bad he could barely move him. 275 00:16:13.320 --> 00:16:16.960 Which way's your car? Man? Jerry was having a hard 276 00:16:17.000 --> 00:16:19.799 time holding up the fat man and sweat poured off 277 00:16:19.840 --> 00:16:23.480 both of them straight up the hill over to the left. 278 00:16:23.519 --> 00:16:27.240 It's a bunch of pine trees. Jerry staggered under the 279 00:16:27.320 --> 00:16:31.039 dying man's weight and the pounding pain still racing through 280 00:16:31.080 --> 00:16:35.200 his head. After five minutes of all out effort, he 281 00:16:35.279 --> 00:16:37.879 came out on the road below the car, and he 282 00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:42.240 was so tired he could hardly stand. Taylor sank down 283 00:16:42.279 --> 00:16:45.399 slowly to his knees, and his arm was turning purple, 284 00:16:45.679 --> 00:16:49.240 and every vein stood outlined against the skin, and his 285 00:16:49.399 --> 00:16:53.480 flesh looked as if it was about to burst. I 286 00:16:53.559 --> 00:16:58.480 can't go no further, he panted. You gotta drive the 287 00:16:58.559 --> 00:17:03.679 car down down here, give me to a hospital. Keys 288 00:17:03.799 --> 00:17:07.839 under the seat. Jerry sagged against the tree and looked 289 00:17:07.880 --> 00:17:10.759 down at them. The sheriff had lost his hat somewhere 290 00:17:10.799 --> 00:17:13.079 back in the bushes, and his gray hair hung in 291 00:17:13.119 --> 00:17:18.680 his eyes. The man appeared near death. Jerry closed his 292 00:17:18.759 --> 00:17:22.799 eyes briefly against the sweat steaming them, and then turned 293 00:17:22.920 --> 00:17:27.240 and ran in a shuffling, head jarring trot. He almost 294 00:17:27.319 --> 00:17:30.039 ran past the tan cruiser hidden in a thicket of 295 00:17:30.079 --> 00:17:33.440 pine trees. The keys were right where the sheriff had 296 00:17:33.440 --> 00:17:36.680 said they would be Jerry cranked it quickly and then 297 00:17:36.720 --> 00:17:39.440 pulled out and back down the road until he saw Taylor, 298 00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:43.880 the sheriff, was sinking fast. Jerry couldn't tell that the 299 00:17:43.880 --> 00:17:47.240 fat man was watching him carefully from under slitted eyes, 300 00:17:48.079 --> 00:17:50.240 and he allowed Jerry to pull him to his feet 301 00:17:50.240 --> 00:17:52.920 and help him under the wheel, And then, with a 302 00:17:53.000 --> 00:17:56.839 practiced fluid movement, he reached and pulled a double barrel 303 00:17:56.880 --> 00:18:00.440 shotgun from under the seat. The barrels were so off, 304 00:18:00.519 --> 00:18:03.839 six inches ahead of the chambers, and the spit dried 305 00:18:03.960 --> 00:18:07.240 in Jerry's mouth. When he found himself staring into the 306 00:18:07.319 --> 00:18:11.799 twin black holes, he wondered what it was gonna feel 307 00:18:11.880 --> 00:18:14.400 like to be shot in the face, And when he 308 00:18:14.400 --> 00:18:16.960 heard the hammers come back, he knew there would be 309 00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:20.880 nothing but a roar and then blackness forever. He couldn't 310 00:18:20.880 --> 00:18:24.400 hold his words back. Is this how you pay me back, 311 00:18:24.440 --> 00:18:27.160 you fat son of a bitch. You'd have died if 312 00:18:27.200 --> 00:18:29.640 it hadn't been for me. I should have left your 313 00:18:29.720 --> 00:18:33.920 fat ass back there on the trail. Taylor's lips and 314 00:18:34.039 --> 00:18:38.359 face were swollen. Then he couldn't speak plainly. He drooled 315 00:18:38.400 --> 00:18:40.480 a little. It was hard for him to hold his 316 00:18:40.559 --> 00:18:45.440 head up straight. Jerry had trouble understanding his words. You 317 00:18:45.559 --> 00:18:49.759 damn bikers ain't got you, ain't got. Nobody fooled, not me. 318 00:18:50.759 --> 00:18:57.559 I know, I know. A great pain seized the Sheriff's chest, 319 00:18:57.720 --> 00:19:01.279 causing him to sag back against the sea. It felt 320 00:19:01.279 --> 00:19:04.000 like a huge fist holding his heart and squeezing the 321 00:19:04.039 --> 00:19:06.480 blood out of it. His tongue went up to the 322 00:19:06.599 --> 00:19:09.319 roof of his mouth, and the barrel swung away from 323 00:19:09.400 --> 00:19:12.680 Jerry as he fell back, holding his flabby tent with 324 00:19:12.839 --> 00:19:18.279 a hideous black hand three times its normal size. Jerry 325 00:19:18.319 --> 00:19:22.160 moved fast without thinking. His foot lashed out and struck 326 00:19:22.160 --> 00:19:25.039 the shotgun, pushing it up into the air, and it 327 00:19:25.119 --> 00:19:28.440 went off, both barrels going at the same time, blowing 328 00:19:28.480 --> 00:19:31.240 a shower of pine cones and needles down through the 329 00:19:31.279 --> 00:19:35.880 tree limbs. Jerry didn't wait to see anything else. He 330 00:19:35.920 --> 00:19:38.440 took off running, hearing the car behind him, and he 331 00:19:38.480 --> 00:19:42.519 didn't stop until he got to his bike. The cruiser 332 00:19:42.559 --> 00:19:46.039 came roaring out of the dirt road, sliding sideways with 333 00:19:46.119 --> 00:19:50.200 a madman behind the wheel. The tires were churning and 334 00:19:50.240 --> 00:19:53.559 bucking across the dusty ground, throwing a curtain of dirt 335 00:19:53.599 --> 00:19:58.119 and sand into the hot air. Taylor had the transmitter 336 00:19:58.279 --> 00:20:02.160 off the radio in his puffy hand, howling and screeching 337 00:20:02.359 --> 00:20:06.319 orders and instructions that were never heard because his fingers 338 00:20:06.359 --> 00:20:11.000 were too thick to depress the transment button. The Harley 339 00:20:11.079 --> 00:20:14.680 coughed once and roared to thundering life as Jerry put 340 00:20:14.799 --> 00:20:18.839 all his weight into the kickstarter. Even over the rumble 341 00:20:18.880 --> 00:20:21.319 of his own motor, he could hear the carburetor of 342 00:20:21.359 --> 00:20:24.920 the Plymouth engines sucking in great gusts of air as 343 00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:29.599 Tailor laid his dying foot into it. Jerry kicked the 344 00:20:29.599 --> 00:20:32.079 bike into first and he goosed it and popped the 345 00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:35.160 clutch and laid it over, spinning in a tight circle 346 00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:38.599 in the sand, the swing arm bouncing and jarn until 347 00:20:38.640 --> 00:20:41.200 he pulled it back up and flew down the road 348 00:20:41.240 --> 00:20:44.759 behind the Tan cruiser, eating dust, but determined to see 349 00:20:44.880 --> 00:20:48.480 the end of it. The car pulled out of sight quickly, 350 00:20:48.559 --> 00:20:51.240 and then he was riding blind in a cloud of dust, 351 00:20:51.839 --> 00:20:53.920 and he rode through one hundred yards of it until 352 00:20:53.960 --> 00:20:59.000 suddenly the clouds stopped in a sharp curve. Jerry's foot 353 00:20:59.039 --> 00:21:01.680 came down hard on rear brake and he stopped with 354 00:21:01.720 --> 00:21:04.200 the sound of his motor beating loud in his ear. 355 00:21:05.039 --> 00:21:08.039 The big Pine tree was still shaking from the impact 356 00:21:08.160 --> 00:21:12.240 of six thousand pounds of airborne car hitting it at 357 00:21:12.359 --> 00:21:17.000 sixty miles an hour. Sheriff Taylor was lying part way 358 00:21:17.079 --> 00:21:19.759 out on the hood in a pool of shattered safety 359 00:21:19.799 --> 00:21:24.240 glass and he was spewing blood. Miss Jerry spun out 360 00:21:24.240 --> 00:21:26.839 of the sand and hit the second gear. He laid 361 00:21:26.880 --> 00:21:29.720 the bike low into the next curve and started picking 362 00:21:29.799 --> 00:21:33.599 up speed. He glanced over his shoulder and it seemed 363 00:21:33.599 --> 00:21:37.119 to him that the dead man was waving goodbye with 364 00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:42.680 his puffy black hand. Okay, I hope you all enjoyed 365 00:21:42.680 --> 00:21:46.279 that story by Larry Brown. I'm going to start doing 366 00:21:46.839 --> 00:21:50.720 I'm going to try to start uploading a video every 367 00:21:50.839 --> 00:21:55.079 Friday and call it Fiction Friday. What I'll try to 368 00:21:55.160 --> 00:21:59.519 do is get permission from published authors who have published 369 00:21:59.559 --> 00:22:03.119 works with short stories and share those with you. Some 370 00:22:03.200 --> 00:22:05.720 of them be monster stories, some of them won't be. 371 00:22:05.880 --> 00:22:08.640 Some of them just be damn good stories like this one. 372 00:22:08.759 --> 00:22:12.720 This was a good story. Larry Brown is a was 373 00:22:12.799 --> 00:22:18.079 a prolific author and well published author. There's just his 374 00:22:18.200 --> 00:22:23.880 story of how he learned to write is amazing. I've 375 00:22:23.960 --> 00:22:26.480 never read a short story that he wrote that I 376 00:22:26.519 --> 00:22:29.920 didn't like. And next week I'm going to do another 377 00:22:29.960 --> 00:22:33.599 one by Larry Brown for Halloween. It's actually a really 378 00:22:33.640 --> 00:22:39.160 good ghost story. They're kind of Southern themed. Anyway, I 379 00:22:39.680 --> 00:22:43.279 think you guys who enjoy fiction will enjoy it. I 380 00:22:43.319 --> 00:22:46.759 probably won't hit every fiction Friday because I'm no good 381 00:22:46.759 --> 00:22:49.480 with schedules because I never know. I never know what 382 00:22:49.519 --> 00:22:52.079 I'm going to do the next day or what's going 383 00:22:52.160 --> 00:22:54.200 to be asked of me to do the next day 384 00:22:54.440 --> 00:22:58.160 in my regular job. But anyway, I really appreciate you 385 00:22:58.279 --> 00:23:00.599 listening to this. I hope you enjoy and I hope 386 00:23:00.640 --> 00:23:05.000 you appreciate the talent of these writers that I'll try 387 00:23:05.039 --> 00:23:08.200 to share their stories with you over time. I don't 388 00:23:08.240 --> 00:23:10.759 know how long this will go. And by the way, 389 00:23:10.799 --> 00:23:14.799 I did get in contact with Larry Brown's family. Larry 390 00:23:14.960 --> 00:23:17.759 died back in two thousand and four, so he's not 391 00:23:17.839 --> 00:23:20.000 alive anymore. But I got in touch with his family 392 00:23:20.039 --> 00:23:22.000 and they said, yeah, go ahead and do his story, 393 00:23:22.079 --> 00:23:24.839 and so I actually did two of them. We're going 394 00:23:24.880 --> 00:23:27.799 to do another one next week. And anyway, I can't 395 00:23:27.880 --> 00:23:33.440 do copyrighted stuff without permission, A verbal permission is fine 396 00:23:33.480 --> 00:23:35.920 with me because if it's ever a problem, all I 397 00:23:35.960 --> 00:23:38.720 have to do is delete the video. But anyway, I 398 00:23:38.759 --> 00:23:41.000 just want to share with you some really good, well 399 00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:45.680 written stuff, along with the emails that we get from 400 00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:50.759 viewers and pretty much everything else we do. So I 401 00:23:50.759 --> 00:23:52.599