Robert stood completely up and put his hands on top of his head interlacing his fingers. He closed his eyes momentarily, then stared back toward Ben’s house. “Get your pistol. Use your left hand if you have to.” He put his hands on his hips. “I have a rifle so we can get them from a distance. We’ll sneak up or try to draw them out of the house. Either way, I’m going to shoot first and ask questions later.”
The boy and his dog stayed behind with Alexis. They sat by the extinguished campfire and the puppy stood on its good back leg and licked the boy’s face, happy to be back with him. Alexis was scared for her husband again, but she tried not to show it. Her eyes followed him as he ran to the raft on the riverbank to get his pistol. Then both men disappeared into the cornfield.
Near the end of the field, the men cautiously stopped and carefully looked around. They saw no movement. Robert tapped Kyle on the shoulder and pointed to his weapon. He chambered a round and Kyle did the same. Pulling the slide back on his pistol caused Kyle to wince from the pain in his right hand.
“I’m ready,” said Kyle, shaking his right hand, trying to work the pain away.
Robert nodded and surveyed the landscape. The house was in front of them, with the van parked in the back. It was an older two-story house with white peeling paint and an old walnut tree to the left near the long driveway. At the back of the house, he could see double doors, almost horizontal to the ground, near the foundation. The doors would most likely lead to the basement. To the right of the house was a large propane tank for the furnace, and still further away was a red barn with a large sliding door. The barn’s door was closed.
From around the corner at the front of the house, a man carrying a shotgun emerged. He was walking toward the barn at a fast pace. The shotgun was pointed halfway down and the man constantly looked to his left and right, nervously, as he hurried toward the barn. Kyle tapped Robert on the shoulder and pointed. He wanted Robert to take the shot. Robert sat with his knees up to aim the rifle, and wrapped the rifle’s strap around his left forearm as he pressed the stock tightly into his right shoulder. Robert followed the man with the rifle’s sights, suppressed his breathing, and moved the barrel to lead the man as he aimed. He had just begun to slowly squeeze the trigger when sweat dripped into his eye. He angrily lowered the rifle and wiped the sweat from his face.
“Damn it!” Robert whispered to himself.
The man was sliding the barn door open to go inside.
“Too late, he’s inside,” said Kyle.
“Damn it!” Robert cursed to himself again. He looked toward the barn with determination. “I’m going to jump him. He’ll never expect it.” Robert held his hand up with his palm toward Kyle. He was signaling him to stay there. Robert ran toward the barn as fast as he could and slowed near the entrance. As he crept into the barn, he heard noises like someone recklessly tossing things around. He entered the barn with his rifle in position. Instantly he saw the man turn to face him and raise a shotgun, but not fast enough. Robert pulled the trigger twice and the man fell backwards. The holes in the man’s torso were faintly whistling in rhythm with his rapidly expanding and contracting chest. The whistling turned to a gurgling noise as the man drowned in his own blood. Robert kicked the shotgun away and went to the edge of the barn’s open door. He peeked around the corner and noticed an open window on the second floor of the house. It had not been visible from their position in the cornfield. He saw movement in the house through that window. To his left he could also see Kyle’s position in the cornfield. Robert cautiously glanced at the house, and then quickly stepped out to show Kyle he was safe. He swiftly hid behind the door, only peering far enough around the corner to see Kyle extend his hand from the corn and wave back.
Unexpectedly, he saw Kyle running barefoot toward the house’s cellar doors. Kyle grabbed the handles, looked around, and disappeared inside.
“Shit.” Robert cursed to himself. “What’s he doing?”
Robert’s mind raced, and he concluded that Kyle was going to try to sneak up on the remaining intruder. Kyle would need a distraction, but Robert did not know what to do. Almost as soon as Kyle disappeared into the house, Robert saw a person’s head at the second-floor window, which was open. A man with a ball cap sheepishly looked out the window and, after a moment, yelled, “Hey… hey, Billy! What was that? I thought I heard something. Are you okay?”
Robert peered at the man though a crack in the barn door. Two pieces of parallel wood were warped and separated, allowing a clear view and a gun port for Robert. He rested his rifle in the opening and gently touched the trigger. He had the man’s head in his sights. Robert shook his head and partially lowered the barrel of his rifle. He did not know if anyone was behind the man. The bullet could ricochet or go into another room hurting an innocent person. Robert angrily lowered the rifle and stared back through the crack in the door. The man, now more boldly, was calling for his accomplice. Robert knew Kyle was in the house. He knew he could give Kyle the advantage if he could create a distraction. He looked back at the dead man’s shotgun and then back at the open second floor window. He judged the distance and made a decision. He would step outside the barn door. The distance from the house would be too far for a shotgun to reach with deadly force. Robert placed his rifle on the ground and stepped outside. The intruder was so startled that he hit the top of his head on the window, knocking his hat off. By the time the hat hit the ground, he was back at the window with his shotgun aimed at Robert.
Robert held his hands up. “We can make a deal,” said Robert, yelling from the front of the barn.
“Why shouldn’t I just kill you now?” said the intruder, still aiming the shotgun at Robert.
“I’ve got your friend. He’s here in the barn.”
“You son of a bitch! Bring him out here and prove it.” The man was stabbing the air with his shotgun in Robert’s direction as he yelled.
Robert mumbled to himself, “That’s it. Keep talking. Let Kyle find you. Just keep looking at me.”
“I said bring him out here so I can see him!”
“Okay, relax, I’ll get him.”
Robert went into the barn and looked back out through the crack in the door. Come on Kyle, where are you? He’s distracted. Robert noticed the cellar door lifting up. He saw Ben’s head appear and look around. He stepped out, holding the door open, and a woman appeared behind him. He closed the door and they ran for the cornfield. Robert shook his head in disbelief as he hid behind the barn door. Kyle is still in there. Robert turned to look at the body on the floor. There was a portion of the corpse’s belt that was not soaked with blood. Robert grabbed that part of the belt to drag the body outside. He thought to himself that the home invasion business must be good. This man still weighed a lot. He must have been getting plenty to eat. Robert dragged the body across the gravel floor. The sunlight through the door’s opening illuminated the gravel dust liberated from the ground. The gravel dust, damp hay, and blood made for a putrid smell in the barn. Robert dropped the belt and the limp body hit the ground. The intruder leaned forward in disbelief. He stared at his partner’s pale white face, his eyes squinting in confusion, and then realized that the clothes were soaked in blood. The man dropped to one knee and raised his shotgun to aim at Robert. He leaned forward out the window, and just before he could pull the trigger, Kyle was behind him with his pistol. The intruder never heard Kyle’s bare feet or the bullet that went through his skull.
Kyle put the smoking pistol in his pocket and pushed out the limp body hanging from the second floor window. The body fell on the shotgun that the intruder had already dropped. The body landed, with a small bounce, in a very contorted position. If not already dead, the fall would have killed him. Kyle leaned out the window and yelled toward Robert. “All clear.” Then he gave a quick wave with his swollen hand and disappeared back into the house. Robert wasted no time and sprinted toward the backdoor just in time to greet Kyle as he exited the house. Kyle had a gun belt hanging over his shoulder. He stood at the top of the back steps and looked down at Robert.