The man, who stood next to a sign that Matthew couldn’t quite make out, shouted again and waved his arms in large circles.
“Hello the water!”
This was only the second person Matthew had seen since leaving Louisiana. The first had started shooting at him without ever saying a word.
Looking at his reserves he saw he was low on water and food, both. Though hesitant, he raised his arm and waved back.
Matthew tucked the calendar back into his pack, grabbed the tiller and guided the boat toward land.
Minutes later the bottom of the boat bumped onto a small stretch of sand, and Matthew tossed his mooring rope to the man who stood on shore, a shotgun slung across his back. Once the boat was tied off, the man, whose face was severely scarred on the left side, extended his hand. Matthew stood, shaking it, returning the firm grip.
“Hi,” the scarred man said, “I’m Dean Fletcher, welcome to Heritage, Missouri.”
End
About the Author
John L. Davis IV has been writing, in one form or another, since he was 14 years old. He is a bibliophile that lives with a bunch of awesome females (Wife, 2 daughters and a dog, Pixie) and thousands of books in Hannibal, Mo.
Along with the American Revenant series, John dabbles in horror and science-fiction, mostly in short stories. He has also written several short screenplays.
Read the rest of the American Revenant series today, as well as other stories by John! Get them here.
To Erica, for believing in me,
even when I don’t.
Writing a book may be a solo effort in many cases, but getting it as done as it can be and out to the world usually takes more than one person.
Thanks to Guy Cain, Tamra Crow, Morley Greening, and Jeremy Baker.
Jeremy is an excellent author in his own right, and his insights were invaluable. Give his collection Drawing in the Dark a read, you won’t regret it.
American Revenant (Short Story 2): Dead South Page 8