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I Hunted

Beads of sweat roll down Alejandro’s (Ah-le-han-dro) head.  Alejandro looks at his surroundings as he struggles to breathe.  A throbbing pain resonates from his left shoulder all the way down his arm.  Blood flows from the gaping wound as he tries to ignore the pain. 

Alejandro instinctively touches the wound and winces in pain.  He removes his hand from the wound and gasps from the sight of his own blood on his hand as he tries to remain calm and silent.

That son of a bitch!  That inbred, hillbilly piece of shit!  He killed Sally Jo!  He shot her in cold blood!  He would have killed me too if I wasn’t fast! he thought. 

Alejandro leans against a large oak tree as he tries to ignore the pain from his shoulder.  He clears his mind as he looks around.

My shoulder is KILLING me!  Who would have thought that a pitchfork would be THAT sharp!  It cut my shoulder like a warm knife through butter!  Oh my God this hurts!  I have to ignore it.  I have to be quiet.  Billy Jo and the others weren’t that far behind me.  I can’t believe he killed her!  He just looked at her and shot her!  If Sally Jo didn’t step in front of me...if she didn’t sacrifice herself to save me, I’d be dead!  She saved me!

Alejandro finalizes his thought when he hears voices from afar.  He continues to lean against the tree as he hears the sound of howling from afar.  A cold chill runs down Alejandro’s spine as he listens to the voices of the men that are pursuing him.

That fucking beaner is here somewhere!  It couldn’t have gone far!  I swear when I see that mother fucker, it’s DEAD!  It’s that BEANER’S fault my sister is dead!  It’s all that beaner’s fault!

The man leading the group pauses and wipes away his tears.  He looks at the group of men that are with him, then spits on to the ground.  The mixture of saliva and tobacco juice leaves a large stain on the ground as he walks away. 

He wipes his mouth with his right hand, removing any remaining saliva and tobacco juice from his mouth.

Billy Jo, what in God’s name are you talking about?  We all saw what happened.  YOU shot Sally Jo!  You shot your own sister!  It’s one thing to try to shoot that big Mexican, but YOU killed Sally Jo!  Ever since that taco-eater pissed you off, you’ve been acting crazy!  What the hell is wrong with you boy?

Billy Jo spits on the ground again.  This time, some blood is mixed with his saliva and tobacco juice.  The sight of his own blood angers Billy Jo.  He quickly wipes his mouth, ensuring that no one sees his blood before answering.

Travis, don’t you EVER talk to me like that!  Sally Jo betrayed ALL of us!  She’s ALWAYS been different from us!  Sally Jo with her fancy books and clothes!  I swear, our Ma and Pa never should have let her go to New York!  Ever since she came back from New York, she’s changed!  It’s like she’s ashamed of US!  Ashamed of who we are!  WE embarrass HER!  When she asked us to let that wetback go...oh what’s its name...Ollie han ero, that was the last straw!  No one told her to stand in front of it!  No one told her to take a shotgun blast to the chest for it!  As far as I am concerned, my sister DIED when she went to New York!  You got me boy?

Travis steps in front of Billy Jo.  He angrily stares at Billy Jo and shoves him.  The group quickly separates Travis from Billy Jo as they try to attack each other.

Travis, you’re angry at me because of what that Mexican did, not me!  It brainwashed Sally Jo, not me!  Who knows what it said, what it done to Sally Jo when she was watching it!  Just think about it!  Sally Jo, all by herself with that Mexican!  That wetback probably used its ‘Latin charm’ to get into her panties!  Is that what you want Travis?  You want to be with a race-mixer?  You want to be with someone that would fuck an animal?  A lowly wetback that should be working the land like its ancestors!  You would marry and lay with a woman that would lower herself to be with an animal?  What happened to you Travis?  Have you forgotten our ways? Billy Jo asks.

Travis looks at Billy Jo and lowers his head in shame.  He stops trying to attack Billy Jo and sighs.  The men holding him back release their grip on his arms as Travis calms himself.

No.  No, I haven’t.  I would NEVER betray the Klan.  I let my feelings for Sally Jo get the better of me.  Sally Jo chose an animal over a human.  She chose to lay with a beast.  Sally Jo was weak.  She let a beast tell her what to do, just like Eve let the serpent tell her to eat the apple in the Garden of Eden.  Sally Jo would have tainted our race, just like those whores in New York that lay with the niggers, chinks, kikes and wetbacks!  She is a disgrace!  She betrayed us!  She betrayed YOU Billy Jo!  Your Pa, his Pa and his Pa before him all proudly represented the Klan! Travis says.

Travis stops speaking and sobs.  The group looks at Billy Jo and waits for his next move.  Billy Jo moves closer to Travis and places his hand on to his shoulder.  Travis looks up at Billy Jo and smiles.

Billy Jo, you are right.  You did what you had to do.  You were right.  I’m sorry.  If it wasn’t for that Mexican, Sally Jo would still be with us!  That wetback used its animal instincts to charm her!  We have to be pure!  We have to preserve our race!  Now she’s gone and it’s all that Mexican’s fault! Travis says.

Billy Jo smiles.  He spits out another mixture of saliva and tobacco juice on to a rock.  Remnants of tobacco juice stains his yellow, crooked teeth as he smiles widely.

That’s right Travis!  It’s that damn Mexican’s fault!  The fucking wetback, that Mexican tricked my sister so she can help it escape!  Now she’s dead and that wetback is out there running from us!  Let’s stop all of this yammering shit and get this Mexican!  Let’s teach that wetback a lesson and make it suffer!  It’s going to beg us to kill it when we git it!

Travis smiles and nods his head in agreement.  He reaches into the pocket that is stitched on to his coveralls.  Travis pulls out a folded piece of paper and opens it.  Billy Jo recognizes the handwriting on the paper as Travis unfolds it.  A tear rolls down Travis’ cheek as he reads the letter to the group.

This was a letter that Sally Jo wrote to me.  She wrote this to me after she came back from New York.  I’m not gonna read the whole thing, but she did say this, ‘Travis, going to New York has opened my eyes.  I have experienced things that I would never have experienced here.  I have done things in New York that I couldn’t do here.  If my Ma and Pa were not here, I never would have come back.  I know how you feel about me and I felt the same way for a while, but that has changed.  I want to experience more out of life.  I know that I am not here just to cook, clean and make babies.  I’m more than that.  I’m sorry Travis, but as soon as I get the chance, I’m going back to New York and never coming back.’

Travis takes the letter and tears it apart.  The letter is torn into many pieces as Travis rips it several times.  He tosses the remnants of the letter on to the ground and spits on them.

"New York ruined Sally Jo!  It changed her! 

The Sally Jo I loved died when she went to New York!" Travis shouts.

Travis reaches towards his leg and unlatches the strap on his holster.  He takes out a large, serrated knife and stares at it.

Sally Jo gave me this knife.  She gave this to me for my birthday a while ago.  This was my favorite knife.  Now I’m gonna use it to gut that Mexican!  I’m gonna let that beaner know that this is the knife Sally Jo gave me when I cut it open with it!  I’m gonna skin that Mexican! he says.

More tears escape from Travis’ eyes.  He notices that everyone in the group is staring at him and he quickly wipes them away.  As he wipes away his tears, streaks of dirt are left under his eyes.

Let’s git that son of a bitch before it gits away!  That beaner is gonna pay for what it did! Travis shouts.

Billy Jo smiles and nods his head.  He spits out a long trail of saliva and tobacco juice on to the ground.  Billy Jo looks at the rest of the group and addresses them.

Boys, we got us a real situation here.  No one has ever escaped before so we gots to be real, real careful.  That Mexican was able to sweet-talk my sister into letting it go and sucker-punched Bobby Dean.  Who knows what else it can do.  That beaner’s a fighter.  It’s not going to be easy to git, just like that damn deer that none of ya’ll can git.  I heard those big Mexicans like to fight.  Let’s catch that beaner and make an example out of it!

Travis nods his head and smiles.  Billy Jo looks at each member of the group and addresses them individually.

Bobby Dean, you ready?  You ready to git back at that Mexican for hitting you?  You know what needs to be done?

Bobby Dean nods his head and smiles.  He tightens his grip on his pitchfork as Billy Jo continues to address the group.

Keith, you ready?

Keith nods his head and laughs manically.

Randall, you ready?

Randall nods his head and says, Yup.

Billy Jo pats Travis on the shoulder and smiles.  He walks towards the dirt path and points towards the trees.

That Mexican’s gotta be hiding in there, depending on how far it got.  For a big taco-eater, that beaner can run really fast!  It’ll probably try to go to the old huntin’ shed.  That’s where we’ll git it! Billy Jo says.

Bobby Dean excitedly says, That’s good Billy Jo!  We can burn the beaner out of the huntin’ shed and make it pay!

Keith slaps Bobby Dean in the back of the head.  Bobby Dean winces in pain, holding the back of his head.

What the hell was that for?  I ain’t done nothing wrong Keith! Bobby Dean shouts.

Keith looks at Bobby Dean as he shakes his head in disbelief.  He angrily stares at Bobby Dean as he speaks.

Bobby Dean, you big idiot!  I swear boy, you just don’t think!  What do you see there?  What is Billy Jo pointing to?

Bobby Dean opens his mouth as he looks at Keith.  The confused look on his face makes Billy Jo, Travis and Randall laugh.

Dammit Bobby Dean!  The trees!  The trees Bobby Dean!  You burn down the huntin’ shed, you can also burn down the trees!  Come on Bobby Dean!  It’s bad enough you let that big beaner sucker-punch you, but I can’t do your thinking for you! Keith shouts.

Bobby Dean lowers his head in shame as Keith angrily stares at him.  He whispers, I’m sorry Keith.  I was just trying to help.  I didn’t mean no harm.

Keith steps closer to Bobby Dean and leans his head towards him, whispering in his ear.

That’s OK Bobby Dean.  I know that beaner hit you when you weren’t looking.  I know that you want to git it back for what it did.  That’s OK, but you gotta think.  You gotta think BEFORE you talk Bobby Dean.  When you just go ahead and open your mouth, sometimes you can say things that are just plain dumb.  I swear boy, one day I’m not going to be there for you and you’re gonna git yourself in a lot of trouble.  Just try to remember what I said.  THINK before you talk.  Makes sense?

Bobby Dean nods his head silently as Keith smiles.  Billy Jo looks at the group and spits out the wad of tobacco he has in his mouth.  A stream of tobacco juice and saliva hangs from Billy Jo’s chin.  He quickly wipes his chin with his hand, then wipes it on to his jeans, leaving a brown stain on them.

We’re gonna go to the huntin’ shed and git it there.  I want that beaner alive!  That Mexican is going to suffer for what it did.  We’re gonna serve that wetback justice, Klan style!  Just like the good ‘ol days! Billy Jo says.

The group all nod and smile as Billy Jo speaks.  They eagerly prepare their weapons as Billy Jo continues to speak.

That beaner is going to regret the day it was born!  It’ll wish it was back in New York, Mexico...wherever the hell it came from!  When we’re done with that beaner, no one will recognize it!  They’re gonna have to get one of them doctors to look at that beaner’s teeth or get a Dee-N-Ah sample to know what it is!  I swear to Christ almighty we will have our revenge!

The group cheers, holding their weapons in the air.  Billy Jo holds up an axe as Travis holds up his knife in the air.  Bobby Dean timidly lifts up his pitchfork as Keith looks on and smiles.  Keith raises up his axe and Randall raises his Baseball bat.  Billy Jo looks at the group and triumphantly howls like a wolf.

Bobby Dean lowers his pitchfork and shouts, Let’s get that somabitch!  I’m gonna stab it with this here pitchfork again, this time in the gut!  That wetback won’t be able to move and then we can make it pay!

Billy Jo chuckles and says, Damn Bobby Dean!  That’s the smartest thing you’ve said all day!

The group laughs in unison as they lower their weapons.  They walk towards the trees, ready for the hunt.

II Travel Plans

Alejandro, you know that I’ve always supported your decisions.  I’ve always had your back since the first day you agreed to be my client.  I even supported you when you took a stand against that eBook company that makes its writers wait four months for their royalties.  When you decided not sell your books on their devices, other writers followed suit.  When they saw their profits decrease, they were forced to change that policy.  But this Alejandro, this is a BAD idea.

Alejandro sighs in frustration as he listens on the phone.  He looks across the room as the hand on the clock moves.  It makes a clicking sound as it slowly moves to the number 6 on the clock.  Alejandro takes note of the time as he listens to the call and thinks.

It’s now 8:30.  Tony’s been talking to me for half an hour now!  I have things to do!  I don’t have time for this!  I know that Tony means well, but sometimes he’s too much!  Yes Tony, you’ve been there for me since day one.  Yes Tony, you’ve helped me get my books produced.  The first three were made into a movie and the last two into a mini-series on that streaming movie site.  Yes Tony, you’ve done a LOT for me, but for Christ’s sake, you’re NOT my father! Alejandro thought.

Alejandro moves the phone away from his ear.  He places the phone on to the table as he takes a sip of coffee from the cup that is in front of him.

This is some GOOD coffee!  Did Lisa buy a new brand?  I’m going to have to ask her next time I see her Alejandro thought.

Alejandro takes another sip of coffee.  He looks at the coffee maker, smiles and thinks.

"This is so surreal.  I still can’t believe how much