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Opening Day

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    Opening Day

    PROLOGUE


    Centerville, Texas
    September 29, 2007

    Luke Ewing manually pushed his door lock to avoid the honking horn and flashing lights from the alarm on his Ford F150. He dropped to one knee, adjusted the headlight on his cap, and reached under the truck to hide his keys on the muddy frame. He stood up and adjusted his pack, picked up his Bowtech Tribute compound bow, and quietly stepped into the woods on the faint trail.

    Fifteen minutes later he reached the base of the tree. Locating the paracord rope hanging from the tree stand above, he wrapped the end around the upper limb of his bow and clipped the snap hook back to the line. He adjusted his headlight once more and began climbing the three-piece ladder that was attached to the oak tree with ratchet straps. Fifteen feet later he stepped over onto the lock-on tree stand, hugging the tree with one hand while he shucked his backpack with the other, hanging it on a strategically placed screw-in hook.

    Luke stretched one last time, preparing for a long sit. It was thirty minutes until sunrise and then who knew how long it might be before the first deer appeared on the well-worn trail to his front. He started to snap the carabiner from his safety harness onto the tree strap above his head, but decided to pull up his bow from the ground and hang it on its designated hook. As he bent over to feel for the paracord rope, he felt a violent shifting to his left as both of the ratchet straps securing his stand to the tree gave way. He grunted and screamed as limbs tore at his face and hammered against his back and abdomen. The last thing he thought before blacking out on the ground was, “Nobody knows where I am”.

    #2
    Stay tuned!

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      #3
      Dang i wake up and surf a bit and now i have to go back to sleep thinking about that!!!

      I'll be watching for the rest of the story! I always enjoy your writing.

      Hope you and Mary are doing well.
      Last edited by doug; 01-05-2019, 03:31 AM.

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        #4



        Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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          #5
          Tuned in

          Comment


            #6
            I’m in!

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              #7
              Man, I'm sure this will be great, but don't you have more chapters of the Hitman to write before changing genres?

              Looking forward to this one too

              Tim

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                #8
                Bobby is just trying to remind folks to always be thinking Safety First. One lapse of judgement moment can cost you your life. IN for the story

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                  #9
                  In

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Yes, have my interest.

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                      #11
                      I tell everyone, $#it happens quick. You don't intend for it to happen but it can.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        DAMMIT, Booby!!!

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                          #13
                          Happens to a Bowhunter every year I'm sorry to say.

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                            #14
                            Time for an update.

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                              #15
                              Chapter 1: Pieces

                              Corporal Josh Ewing had been training in the mountains of Camp Pendleton when his company Gunnery Sergeant called him aside and told him that he needed to get home.

                              “The Red Cross folks sent a message to HQ Company. He’s been in some type of accident and isn’t doing real good, Corporal. I wish I knew more”, Gunny Bloodworth mumbled. Josh just numbly nodded and went to gather his gear and weapons.

                              It wasn't until he was about to get on the plane in San Diego to fly to Houston that his brother told him the news. Dad had fell out his tree stand on opening morning of archery whitetail deer season. He wasn't found for a few days because Mom was out of town with her friends in San Antonio. To complicate matters, Dad had been hunting a new area in the back corner of the property that was very hard to access. Mom had returned from her trip, couldn't find Dad, and checked the three stands that he usually hunted. She returned home and called the Sheriff's Office. Dad was finally found after the deputies conducted a full grid search of the property based on where he had parked his truck.

                              The doctors did everything they could, but he had died a few hours ago at the hospital in the Houston Medical Center.

                              The rest of that week was a blur. Josh maintained a semblance of Marine Corps stoicism until after the funeral. He was strong for his mother and his brother, but didn't save much time for his own grieving process. It finally hit him when he was sitting on the edge of his bed in the house where he had lived for most of his life before enlisting in the Marines. His body shook as the uncontrollable sobs took over for about 15 minutes. When he gained his composure, Josh knew it was decision-making time.

                              “Should I reenlist for another 4 years?”

                              “Should I get out of the Corps and move back to Centerville to take care of mom?”

                              “What will I do for a job? There’s not a big market for infantry squad leaders right now.”

                              Josh got up and had a few cups of coffee. Gave his mom a kiss and a hug, and went for a run to clear his mind. Thirty minutes later he had made some decisions. He would return to Camp Pendleton, finish up the last three months of his enlistment, and move back home to Leon County, Texas.

                              He loved the family property and knew how tough it was for his little brother, Clint, to come home from Dallas every weekend and check on their mom and do work around the place.

                              "Well that was quick and easy", Josh thought to himself after taking everything into account. He had a lot of money saved up from his four-year enlistment. He’d served his time honorably, including eight long months in Afghanistan. He didn’t owe anybody anything, and had nothing to prove. His Dad had died on the property while doing what he loved. Josh vowed to himself to keep the forty-acre place in pristine condition and make sure it stayed in the family. It's what Dad would have wanted.

                              To be Continued.
                              Last edited by Chew; 04-08-2020, 10:02 AM.

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