C4 antho - Chamber Four
C4 antho - Chamber Four C4 antho - Chamber Four
~194~ The Chamber Four Fiction Anthology before he died, had gotten half an ear kicked off by an emu. Sonny landed beyond the open gate and ran. The rest of the sheep, looking at one another for reassurance and apparently not finding it, dug in after him, emptying the pen into the pasture where the rest waited to be sheared. After rounding up all but a few dozen stragglers hiding somewhere on the rancher’s three-thousand acres, they were ready for the Mexicans. James Carl told Billy to start plowing the upper three-hundred and twenty acres, the 320 for short, and that he would call him when their company arrived. Billy had barely climbed in the Big R Versatile tractor when he spotted six or seven wild dogs working the tree line to the north. They were a long way away, but he knew they were dogs. They don’t hunch up all timid-like and prance the way coyotes do. Dogs are worse than coyotes. Braver. Smarter, too, which made them bad news for sheep. These looked especially menacing to Billy the way they slithered in and out of the timber like a snake. About a thousand yards east and upwind of the dogs were a group of thirteen sheep, five ewes and their lambs. Billy picked up the CB handset and radioed back to James Carl, who was supposed to be preparing a barbecue pit by the shearing barn. “Found the stragglers. We got dogs on them,” Billy said, but he realized that from where the shearing barn was he was right in the line of fire. In a hurry he added, “The dogs are behind me.” He made a hard right turn so the dogs would progress past him. Five minutes after radioing and hearing no response from James Carl, Billy saw a ewe go down. She kicked her back legs high in the air before falling. Over the noise of the tractor, he hadn’t heard the rifle report, but he’d often seen deer kick the same way. It meant the ewe was likely heart-shot. It also
Black Night Ranch ~195~ meant James Carl mistook his sheep for dogs. While Billy fumbled for the CB, he saw another ewe collapse, and he dropped the handset. A lamb then spun to the ground. The dogs were about two-hundred yards from the sheep when the lead dog broke and ran for them, the rest of the pack following. The sheep stood looking in the wrong direction until Billy honked his horn. As the sheep turned toward the tractor, they caught sight of the dogs and fled into the timber out of Billy’s sight. When the dogs were nearly at the spot where the sheep disappeared, the sheep re-emerged and ran straight at the dogs. All but one. A lamb separated from the group and ran flat out across the newly plowed field toward the tractor. When it got close enough, Billy saw one of its ears was half gone, which was strange because Sonny was supposed to be with the others they’d rounded up that morning. At first it looked like he was headed back to the pasture he’d escaped from and was going to cross in front of the tractor, but instead the lamb cut hard just short of the Versatile and took cover under it. Versatiles like the Big R were enormous, and though they swiveled in the middle, such tractors couldn’t be maneuvered like the tiny Fords and Farmalls Billy was used to operating. The tires alone were taller than he was, and there were eight of those. As fast as Sonny was running, the tractor must have looked parked. Billy heard and felt nothing, but he knew he got the lamb because it never came out the other side. He shut the tractor off and climbed out, mindful of James Carl’s position at the barn. With Sonny coming at him like he had, Billy had lost track of the other sheep. Shots echoed off the timberline from the north. Billy couldn’t see anything that James Carl might be shooting at by that time. He also couldn’t find Sonny. “Break down?” James Carl asked over the CB. Billy climbed back into the cab to answer him.
- Page 143 and 144: Bad Cheetah ___________ by Andy Hen
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Black Night Ranch ~195~<br />
meant James Carl mistook his sheep for dogs. While Billy<br />
fumbled for the CB, he saw another ewe collapse, and he<br />
dropped the handset. A lamb then spun to the ground. The<br />
dogs were about two-hundred yards from the sheep when the<br />
lead dog broke and ran for them, the rest of the pack following.<br />
The sheep stood looking in the wrong direction until Billy<br />
honked his horn. As the sheep turned toward the tractor, they<br />
caught sight of the dogs and fled into the timber out of Billy’s<br />
sight. When the dogs were nearly at the spot where the sheep<br />
disappeared, the sheep re-emerged and ran straight at the<br />
dogs. All but one.<br />
A lamb separated from the group and ran flat out across<br />
the newly plowed field toward the tractor. When it got close<br />
enough, Billy saw one of its ears was half gone, which was<br />
strange because Sonny was supposed to be with the others<br />
they’d rounded up that morning. At first it looked like he was<br />
headed back to the pasture he’d escaped from and was going<br />
to cross in front of the tractor, but instead the lamb cut hard<br />
just short of the Versatile and took cover under it. Versatiles<br />
like the Big R were enormous, and though they swiveled in<br />
the middle, such tractors couldn’t be maneuvered like the<br />
tiny Fords and Farmalls Billy was used to operating. The<br />
tires alone were taller than he was, and there were eight of<br />
those. As fast as Sonny was running, the tractor must have<br />
looked parked. Billy heard and felt nothing, but he knew he<br />
got the lamb because it never came out the other side. He<br />
shut the tractor off and climbed out, mindful of James Carl’s<br />
position at the barn. With Sonny coming at him like he had,<br />
Billy had lost track of the other sheep.<br />
Shots echoed off the timberline from the north. Billy<br />
couldn’t see anything that James Carl might be shooting at<br />
by that time. He also couldn’t find Sonny.<br />
“Break down?” James Carl asked over the CB. Billy<br />
climbed back into the cab to answer him.
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