by Annie Berdel
Emma broke the stillness and pointed her flashlight towards the coop. Just as she had thought, the door was still open. Shining the light around the coop, she did not see any of the girls outside. That was usually a good sign. Approaching the door to the coop, Emma rested Mossy up against the outside so she could get the coop door closed using both hands.
Shining the light inside, she started counting chickens. If you’ve never owned chickens, you may not understand the enchantment that comes with life with this delightful creature. Emma raised her chickens from the egg. They owned her heart. Each with their own personality, she could sit for hours and watch them interact. Each coop had its own pecking order. Piper was the head clucker in Emma’s coop. She was a Rock Island Red and had the feistiness of an eagle. Emma didn’t have the heart to tell her she was just an egg-laying hen. She had stolen Emma’s heart. One day when Emma heard a commotion and came to the coop to investigate, it turned out a hawk had gotten into the pen. But Piper, being Piper, had all the other chickens tucked in behind her, her wings sprawled wide and a fierce determination on her countenance. One leg in the air, Piper was in pure battle ready form. Emma had to have a little chuckle as Piper reminded her of “The Karate Kid” when the main character was balancing on one leg, arms outstretched, doing The Crane stance on the pole. Piper had this under control completely but Emma wanted to make sure the hawk got out of the pen alive.
Piper was resting in one of the side boxes and all the other hens along with Tootsie, the only rooster, were all accounted for. Emma backed out of the coop slowly as not to disturb them and reached for the door to close. That’s when she saw them. Two red eyes glowed in the darkness.
Emma slowly continued to close the coop door, trying not to make any sudden movements. She knew what was there in the darkness, stalking, and waiting. She had met this adversary before and had let him live, and now could curse herself for that mistake. He had haunted her… tortured her since their last meeting. Emma knew this meeting would end differently. It had to.
She could feel his breath on the back of her neck, making shivers run down her spine. She knew not to move… but she needed to get Mossy. She knew what had to be done and it had to be in one quick, flawless movement. The consequences of not being able to outperform her adversary would get her killed.
Her breath, just the deafening sound of it, echoed in the night. Beneath her the earth pulsated with each inhale and exhale. Emma remembered back to when she first moved back to the farm. The plans she had… and still had. Slowly she slid her hand along the coop door…feeling the wood…the splinters digging into her fingers. She had to use the door itself for as much concealment as possible. She did not want to let him see her arm move towards the shotgun.
The stillness…that stillness that she found peace in when she left her house just a short time ago, was now taunting her. Like a bully on the playground…”DO SOMETHING” it beckoned to her. “Make the first move” it teased, but she knew better. She had to focus. She had to think clearly. Her fingers hit the cold hard steel of Mossy bringing a false comfort. She had danced with that comfort once before and had been very disappointed. It had cost her dearly, but not this time. This time she knew what had to be done.
Closing her eyes, she said a quick prayer and just as fast reached down the length of Mossy and with one swift movement she lifted the gun as she pivoted and aimed.
Just as quickly, she heard the gravel beneath his feet give way to a chorus of chatter alerting her ears to the torment to follow. “THERE’S NOT ENOUGH TIME” screamed in her head….”SWING DAMMIT” she yelled at herself, startled as the words escaped her mouth and broke the stillness. He was coming as fast and as hard as he could straight for her. His intention was to kill and she knew it with every fiber of her being. “Nooooooooo” she screamed into the night.
A bolt of white caught her attention out of her peripheral vision. “Oh God, no,” she thought. Like a locomotive with no intention of stopping, the white savior covered the distance in an instant, hitting the beast with the red eyes with the force of a thousand crashing waves. Over and over they rolled, ripping and tearing at each other with teeth that devoured flesh and gave no mercy.
Emma quickly readjusted Mossy and took aim. The sights were useless in the darkness. Over and over she tried to get focused on the beast but the whiteness appeared. She silently begged for the fury to stop, for her to be given a clear shot, but nothing was listening to her pleas for help. She was the outsider in this fight, and she was helpless.
Realizing she still had Mossy in her hands, she aimed towards the stars who were taunting her in the darkness and pulled the trigger as hard as she could. The deafening sound made all of nature stop for just a fraction of a second. The stillness returned for all of an instant, but it was enough. Emma took aim and fired. Death had finally entered this battle and ensnared its prey.
Laying in the night, the wolf was motionless. A huge hole had been ripped into his chest. Emma walked over to him and knelt down, placing her hand over his muzzle. No breath left his nostrils.
Emma ran over to her Dixon who now lay on the ground breathing deeply, each breath coming in painful gasps. Streaks of red now intermingled with his white fur, bringing tears to Emma’s eyes. “Please no!” she screamed “Oh God, please, please, please” she screamed as she buried her head into his fur. She had to get him back to the house. Somehow she needed to get this 150 lb. dog back into the house so she could tend to his wounds or she was afraid the stillness would envelop him also. “You can’t have him,” she muttered into the night.
Emma ran around to the side of the chicken coop where she kept her wheel barrow. Bringing it along the back side of the dog, she set the wheel barrow along his spine and laid it down. Slowly she tried to roll Dixon as far back into it as she could. Running around to the backside, she grabbed hold of Dixon’s collar with one hand and with her weight bracing down on the wheel barrow, she pushed down. Slowly, the contraption righted itself with the dog tossed painfully inside. Grabbing her shotgun, she laid it alongside the injured dog.
Emma ran to the handles of the wheel barrow and swung it around and raced towards the house. Slicing through the night air she reached the porch and sat it down. Crying out, she yelled for her husband while trying to claw open the door to the house. He was already heading out to find her when he heard the shotgun firing.
“What happened?” Tommy asked, getting caught up in the excitement
“He’s back,” was all Emma said
It took both of them to get the dog inside the house. Emma began barking out orders to help save her beloved friend. They got him onto the table and Emma began scanning Dixon for injuries. There was so much blood. It had matted Dixon’s hair heavily to the point the Emma had to feel through the threads for what she thought was a laceration. To her surprise, she found only minor cuts. Tommy had heated water and brought it along with some wash cloths and they gingerly began to try and wash the blood from Dixon’s coat. Slowly the couple searched every inch of the dog for injuries. Emma finally let out a breath and looked towards Dixons face. Walking over to him, she knelt down and kissed him on his cheek. He was snoring.
“This crazy dog is just exhausted” Emma said as tears ran down her cheeks. The tears from Emma’s face fell upon Dixon and soaked into his blood stained coat. “Crazy dog,” she muttered and reached down and hugged him so tight she could feel his heartbeat against hers. She belonged to him. She was his human.
Trying not to wake him, Tommy set about putting on a pot of coffee while Emma added some helichrysum essential oil around some of the minor bruising and some melaleuca essential oil around the cuts Dixon had received. Dixon started to stir so they moved him from the table to his bed in front of the fireplace. Tommy brought in a bowl of water for him and Dixon took a deep drink. A small fire was burning down so the area was nice and toasty. Dixon fell back asleep almost instantly. He needed rest right now more than anything.
Once they were sure that
Dixon was comfortable, Tommy walked over and put his arms around his wife. “What happened?” he asked. Still caught up in the moment, Emma realized she was still wired for the fight. “I need a shower and then we can talk” she said, her lower lip still holding a small hint of quivering fright. Tommy kissed her on the forehead and released her, knowing she needed some time to herself.
Emma walked up the steps to their bedroom loft and walking into the bathroom; she shut and locked the door behind her. She turned on the hot water, as hot as she could get it, and slowly peeled the blood-stained clothes from her body, piling them one atop the other in the middle of the floor.
She turned, opened the door and stepped into the shower. A fog had already begun to envelop the room as she felt the hot water hit her skin. The heat from the cleansing pellets sprang to life and washed over her skin, awakening every cell. She felt the thumping, the reminder of their previous encounter. She slid her fingers alongside her breast and felt the uneven roughness of the scar. She let her fingers dance the full length of the invasion from top to bottom as her mind drifted back ten years.
Ten years ago, she met him. The beast with the red eyes. Ten years ago he had left her dying in the woods. She had gone out to search for some ginseng root when she found the litter of pups instead. Mesmerized by their playful banter, Emma didn’t see their father crouched behind her. Emma took a step towards them and the next thing she knew, she had the wind knocked out of her and was lying on the ground. Gasping for air, she reached into her belt for her knife. He lunged at her as she raised her hand up to meet him. She felt his claws dig in to her side as the knife entered his chest. He hit her with such momentum that once he hit her blade, he rolled over top of her and came to rest on the opposite side of her, motionless.
Emma reached down and felt the blood pouring from her side. She felt the forest begin to spin around her and knew she needed to get help fast. She also didn’t know where the mother of these cubs was and didn’t want to chance the fact of her returning soon. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled her cell phone and hit the speed button for Tommy, and promptly passed out.
Days later she awoke with her husband by her side. That’s when she learned of her rescue and of the fact that neither the cubs nor the father were anywhere around when her rescuers arrived.
The water danced around her fingers, gently teasing her breast and what remained of her adversary. He was gone. She felt her body go limp as the sobs overwhelmed her, her tears mixing with the water spraying over her, swirling into the abyss beneath her feet. She cupped her hands over her face and let the pain and fear leave her body, leave her soul. Her shoulders heaved against the weight of this burden she had been carrying. This demon that had been haunting her, watching her from deep within the woods, would no longer torment her.
Drying off, Emma slipped into her bathrobe and brushed out her long hair. She would let it dry by the fire while she sat with Dixon. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she touched the faint lines around her eyes. Time had been good to her. Quickly adding some moisturizer to her face, she picked up the pile of clothes on the floor and walked downstairs.
Tommy was sitting in his chair quietly waiting. He watched his wife walk to the fire and toss the clothes in she had worn earlier. He watched them burn and sent up a silent thank you that he still had his wife. He understood the symbolism but also knew there was still evil in the world that could bring harm to Emma. She was a strong woman…the bravest woman he had ever met but sometimes he wished she wasn’t as independent as she was. Try as he might, he couldn’t protect her all the time.
He traced her image against the fire with his eyes and felt a need to comfort her...To hold her in his arms and shut the hurt from the world outside their door. She stood there, staring into the flames, her memories captivating her attention. Tommy stood up and walked behind her, enveloping her in his arms. He loved the smell of her hair, the way her body molded to his.
She leaned back into him just as Dixon stirred, bringing them both back to reality. He was looking for food. He was one hungry dog! Emma knelt down and gave him a big hug and then went into the kitchen to make him some homemade goodness for saving her life.
While Emma was busy in the kitchen, Tommy went over to Dixon’s pillow and sat down beside him. Tommy owed Dixon for saving his beloved’s life and had no idea how to repay him other than to show him lots of love and take care of all his needs and comforts. As much as Tommy loved his wife, he questioned whether there was another that loved her even more.
“Come on Dix!” Emma yelled from the kitchen. Dixon slowly got off his bed and went to follow her voice. Finding her in the kitchen, his tail began to wag excitedly. Placing his food bowl on the floor, Emma went and filled his water bowl and then sat at the kitchen table to watch. It didn’t take long for Dixon to clean his plate. He then slopped up a gallon of water and walked over and drooled all over Emma’s nightgown. She didn’t care though…she rubbed his ears briskly back and forth and gave him a big hug.
“Outside Dixon” Tommy said as he walked into the room. Dixon lifted his head and looked at him. He wasn’t going to leave her side. He placed one paw up on her lap and just stood there looking at Tommy. “Emma, that dog needs to go outside, and you need to change your bathrobe! If not, you’re going to have a big mess to clean up… How about sweet talking him into going outside with me while you change?” Tommy said
“Dixon, go potty” Emma said and the dog got up and walked to the door, waiting to be left out. Tommy just sighed and walked over and planted a kiss on Emma’s head. “Dixon and I will be back in about 20… go change… you’re covered in drool…and that’s not going to cut it if you think you are going to get lucky tonight” Tommy chuckled.
“Don’t be out long” Emma sang out as the two walked through the back door. “That storm is about to kick up and fast”.
The night ahead was a restless one for Emma. The howling of the wind outside beckoned to her in her dreams, sending her on a journey that she would be hard-pressed to remember as the dawn approached, but would leave her soul with an uneasy feeling that she wouldn’t be able to shake for quite a while.
5
“Dixon, in” Emma said as she pointed into her truck. He knew where they were going and wanted no part of it. “Dixon, In!” Nothing. He wouldn’t move. Not a budge.
Emma walked around the truck and got in the passenger side. “Dixon, drive!” Dixon jumped into the truck, sitting behind the steering wheel. Emma gave out a chuckle and scratched his ear. “Crazy dog,” she muttered. Reaching around him, she shut the driver’s side door. Then she slid out of the passenger side door and shut the dog in by himself and waved at him as she walked around the front of the truck. Opening the driver’s side door, she pushed Dixon over into the passenger side of the seat. Not an easy feat for a dog weighing 150 lbs.!
They finally arrived at Doc’s office. The nice thing about Doc’s office was that it really was his homestead. With a visit to his friends, it was easy for Dixon to forget he was there for a reason, and not a pleasant reason this time. Emma wanted Doc to check him out after their encounter last night. The wolf was also loaded in the back of her truck for Doc to examine, just to make sure rabies or some other disease was not involved or communicable since Dixon did sustain some scratches.
“Well hey there, big guy” Doc said as Dixon bounded over to him. Doc knelt down and gave him a rub behind the ears. “How’s he doing since last night?”
“Good” Emma said. “Tommy got you all caught up on what happened?”
“Yes, he also told me you were out there at the coop by yourself again. I thought we had a conversation about that already?” Doc asked sternly, looking at Emma from under the brim of his hat.
Emma squirmed a bit, kicking at the gravel under her feet. “It’s all over now Doc, bastards in the back of my truck.” Emma said as she jerked her head in the direction of her truck.
“Tsk Tsk” Doc clicked with his tongue. “We’ll talk
about this later” he said as he reached his arm around her shoulders. They both walked together into his office with Dixon not far behind.
Dr. Scott Smalley and Emma had known each other since high school, having dated briefly. They were in the same graduating class. After graduation they went their separate ways but still retained the sweet fondness they had always had for one another. It wasn’t the fondness needed to sustain a marriage but more of a deep lasting friendship. They could go for months without talking but be able to pick up right where they left off. Emma was off to see the world when she left home, but Doc stayed in town. He left long enough to go to veterinary school but came right back to his roots. It took Emma a little longer to realize where her heart had always belonged, and when Emma moved back home, Emma called upon Doc numerous times for her livestock. One night while waiting the birth of one of her calves, Emma brought up the topic of preparedness. Turns out they were on the same page.
When Doc was in school, he learned that antibiotics that were being used for animal wellness were, in essence, the same antibiotics that were being given to humans. “The difference” Doc explained one day “Only consisted of dosage requirements and relabeling. You cannot imagine the manipulation in the drug companies out there Emma. Just to get a buck off of people. Sickening”
For more information about using antibiotics in a survival situation, please visit http://www.doomandbloom.net/category/antibiotics-2/