CHapter 077

Gerard watchedthe dark shapes approach.

They moved with a loping gait, and made a snorting or snuffling sound, and sometimes a mewling sound. Their bodies were low. Their backs were just visible above the sage. They circled his perch, approaching, then sliding away.

But they had clearly smelled him, because they were coming ever closer to him. There were six animals altogether. Gerard ruffled his feathers, partly in an attempt to warm his body.

The animals had long snouts. Their eyes glowed bright green. They had a distinctive musky odor that was unpleasant. They had long fluffy tails. He could see that they were not black but rather brownish-gray.

They moved in closer. "I'm sha sha shakin', I'm shakin' now."

And closer. They were quite close, now.

The largest one paused a few feet away and stared at Gerard. Gerard did not move.

After several seconds, the big animal edged closer.

"You can stop right there, mister!"

The animal stopped instantly, and even took a few paces backward. The other animals in the group backed away, too. They all seemed confused by the voice.

But not for long. The big animal started to move in again.

"Well, hold on!"

This time, there was only a momentary pause. Then the animal kept coming.

"You feel lucky, punk? Do you? Huh?"

The animal was coming very slowly now. Sniffing at Gerard, closer and closer...Sniff, sniff...The creature smelled awful. The nose was just inches away...

Gerard bent and bit hard on the animal's soft nose. The creature yelped and jumped backward, almost knocking Gerard from his perch. He regained his balance.

"Every time you turn around expect to see me," Gerard said. "'Cause one time you'll turn around and I'll be there, and I'll kill you, Matt."

The animal was flat on the ground, rubbing his injured nose with his forelegs. He did that for a while. Then he got up, growling.

"Life is hard, but it's harder if you're stupid."

The whole pack of animals was growling, now. They moved forward in a semicircle. They seemed to be coordinated. Gerard ruffled his feathers, and ruffled them again. He even flapped his wings, trying to make as large and active a shape of himself as possible. These creatures didn't seem to care.

"Look, you fools, you're in danger, can't you see? They're after you, they're after all of us!"

But the spoken voices seemed to have no effect at all. The animals just kept moving forward, slowly. One was loping around behind Gerard. He turned his head to look. Not good, not good.

"Get back to where you once belonged!" Gerard flapped his wings again, nervously, but apparently the anxiety gave him new strength, because there was a bit of lift from the branch he stood on. The growling animals closed in -

And Gerard flapped his wings hard - hard - and felt himself lift into the air. It was weeks since his last feather clip, that was the reason. He could fly! He moved high above the ground, and discovered that he could soar a little. Not much, but a little. The smelly animals were far below, howling at him, but Gerard turned west, following the road that Stan had been driving on. He was heading away from the sunrise toward darkness. With his acute sense of smell, he detected the odor of food, and flew toward that.

CHapter 078

Sleeping inthe front seat of her car, Alex Burnet opened her eyes and saw that she was surrounded by men. Three of them were peering into her car. They wore cowboy hats and carried big pronged sticks with loops on them. She sat up abruptly. One of them waved for her to be still.

"Jes' a moment, miss."

Alex looked over at her son, Jamie, sleeping peacefully in the seat beside her. He didn't awaken. Nothing woke Jamie.

When she looked back outside, she gasped. One of the cowboys raised his stick. A gigantic rattlesnake, easily five feet long and as thick as a forearm, was wriggling on the end of it, making a sizzling sound with its rattle.

"You can come out now, if you want." He swung the snake away.

She opened the door cautiously.

"It's the heat of your engine," one of them said. "Draws 'em under the car in the mornings."

She saw that there were six men altogether. They each had sticks, and carried large sacks with squirming contents. "What're you doing?"

"We're collecting rattlers."

"Why?" she said.

"For the Rattlesnake Roundup next week. In Yuma."

"Uh-huh..."

"Do it every year. It's a contest. Who brings the most snakes."

"I see."

"It's by weight, so you want the big 'uns. Didn't mean to frighten you."

"Thank you."

The group of men was moving off. The man talking to her lagged behind. "Ma'am, you oughtn't to be out here alone," he said. "Though I see you got yourself a weapon." He nodded to the backseat of the car.

"Yes," she said, "but I don't have any ammo."

"Well, that won't do you," the man said. He started toward his car, parked across the road. "Is that a twelve-gauge you got?"

"Yes, it is."

"These'll serve." He gave her a handful of red shells. She stuffed them into her pockets.

"Thanks. What do I owe you?"

He shook his head. "You just take care, ma'am." He turned to rejoin the others. "A black Hummer came up this road about an hour ago. Big guy with a beard, said he was looking for a woman and her little boy. Said he was their uncle and they were missing."

"Uh-huh. What'd you tell him?"

"We hadn't seen you yet. So we said no."

"Which way did he go?" she said.

"Toward Elsinore. But I figure anytime now he'll be heading back."

"Thanks," she said.

He waved. "Don't stop for gas," he said. "And good luck."