It Cannot Get Any Worse
A Tight Squeeze
Danny crouched stiffly hiding behind the woodpile. He was worried about Amber, she was sound asleep. He could hear two people talking on the other side of the woodpile. One of them was making a horrible gibbering sound. He could see the top of one of their heads from where he crouched. Danny was petrified. These were likely killers with guns. He had a tiny axe that he had no idea how to use. Danny knew he was supposed to alert the strange bow and arrow lady if he saw anything, and then hide. He did not know how he could alert the lady without also alerting two guys on the other side of the woodpile and then there would be nowhere to hide. Then he remembered. Shock and awe. Coach Beechum always said, the way to win is to surprise the shit out of the opponent, no matter what your goal. He also said use what you have to do what you need. Or maybe that was Dad. Danny quietly set the axe down and grabbed a small log out of the woodpile. The log was slightly bigger than the size of an oar and about three feet long. This was more Danny’s style than the puny axe. Certainly this would alert the bow and arrow lady. Hopefully she was as fast as she claimed.
Danny heard a series of shots fired in the front yard. He figured that was his cue to move. Leaping onto the woodpile he hit the head he could see as hard as he could with the log. Years of pulling oars paid off. The log cracked and the head made a splat sound and fell away. Danny did not waste a second look. He leapt from the woodpile onto the other guy who had dropped his gun and was clawing at the puffiest reddest face Danny had ever seen. Danny hit the guy hard and knocked him over. This was a big guy, and Danny knew better than to try to fight him. Instead, he locked his legs around the guy and squeezed. Danny was a small guy, only 168 pounds, but he was on the road to becoming a lightweight Olympic rower. Rowing is mostly about leg muscle. Dannys legs were so big, he had to get pants custom made to fit his small waist and massive legs. Despite his small size, Danny could deadlift 400 pounds - more than many of his 250 pound teammates.
Danny locked his legs around the guy and squeezed for all he was worth. He heard cracking. Bones? The guy started screaming and flailing at Danny. All he could hit was Danny’s legs. It hurt, but not much. Danny squeezed harder until he thought his legs would break. The guy looked weird. His face was so puffed up now he could not even see. One eye was bleeding badly. The skin on his face was blotchy red and purple. Actually the guy's whole head was purple, no, more kind of blue.
Behind him he heard ‘you little Fuck!” that is what his coach called him, the “little fucker.” Danny glanced behind him and saw the guy looking like half his head was caved in pulling himself up the woodpile. He was pointing a gun shakily at Danny. Danny thought, this is it, my life ends right here right now. Bye dad, Bye Q, love you mom.
The expected pain never came. Something smacked into the back of the guy's head and bounced off. The guy turned and looked and a second axe embedded itself into his shoulder. He raised the gun at the two guys behind him and an arrow appeared in the guy’s hand and the gun fell away without firing. The guy took two stumbling steps and toppled over into the pool. Another arrow had appeared stuck in the guys leg. A third arrow hit him as he fell. The guy thrashed around in the pool screaming. Danny realized the other guy was no longer hitting his legs. He looked back at the guy. He was not moving at all. His face was even more red and blue and even more puffy, it did not look like a face at all anymore, you could not see his eyes or mouth and his nose was barely sticking out of a swollen bloody mass, but his neck and head were blue.
Did I kill him? Danny wondered. He relaxed his legs. They hurt now. A lot. The big guy rolled to the side. Danny could see him breathing, but he did not move. Danny figured he may have smothered the guy a little and that would explain the blue, but he did not understand why his face was so red and puffy.
One of dad’s SCA friends reached out his hand and helped Danny to his feet. Another guy was standing over Mr. Puffy face with an axe in his hand. Kaja was pulling the other guy out of the pool. The guy was still screaming. More screaming erupted from the woods out back, then some gunfire. Then just quieter screaming. Danny heard Q’s trumpet play a single loud note in the basement, then a shot come from the house, then a scream, then another shot. He never should have left Dad and Q there, no matter what that Kaja lady said. Danny tried to run for the house, but his legs would not work right. They hurt a lot.
Danny heard a series of shots fired in the front yard. He figured that was his cue to move. Leaping onto the woodpile he hit the head he could see as hard as he could with the log. Years of pulling oars paid off. The log cracked and the head made a splat sound and fell away. Danny did not waste a second look. He leapt from the woodpile onto the other guy who had dropped his gun and was clawing at the puffiest reddest face Danny had ever seen. Danny hit the guy hard and knocked him over. This was a big guy, and Danny knew better than to try to fight him. Instead, he locked his legs around the guy and squeezed. Danny was a small guy, only 168 pounds, but he was on the road to becoming a lightweight Olympic rower. Rowing is mostly about leg muscle. Dannys legs were so big, he had to get pants custom made to fit his small waist and massive legs. Despite his small size, Danny could deadlift 400 pounds - more than many of his 250 pound teammates.
Danny locked his legs around the guy and squeezed for all he was worth. He heard cracking. Bones? The guy started screaming and flailing at Danny. All he could hit was Danny’s legs. It hurt, but not much. Danny squeezed harder until he thought his legs would break. The guy looked weird. His face was so puffed up now he could not even see. One eye was bleeding badly. The skin on his face was blotchy red and purple. Actually the guy's whole head was purple, no, more kind of blue.
Behind him he heard ‘you little Fuck!” that is what his coach called him, the “little fucker.” Danny glanced behind him and saw the guy looking like half his head was caved in pulling himself up the woodpile. He was pointing a gun shakily at Danny. Danny thought, this is it, my life ends right here right now. Bye dad, Bye Q, love you mom.
The expected pain never came. Something smacked into the back of the guy's head and bounced off. The guy turned and looked and a second axe embedded itself into his shoulder. He raised the gun at the two guys behind him and an arrow appeared in the guy’s hand and the gun fell away without firing. The guy took two stumbling steps and toppled over into the pool. Another arrow had appeared stuck in the guys leg. A third arrow hit him as he fell. The guy thrashed around in the pool screaming. Danny realized the other guy was no longer hitting his legs. He looked back at the guy. He was not moving at all. His face was even more red and blue and even more puffy, it did not look like a face at all anymore, you could not see his eyes or mouth and his nose was barely sticking out of a swollen bloody mass, but his neck and head were blue.
Did I kill him? Danny wondered. He relaxed his legs. They hurt now. A lot. The big guy rolled to the side. Danny could see him breathing, but he did not move. Danny figured he may have smothered the guy a little and that would explain the blue, but he did not understand why his face was so red and puffy.
One of dad’s SCA friends reached out his hand and helped Danny to his feet. Another guy was standing over Mr. Puffy face with an axe in his hand. Kaja was pulling the other guy out of the pool. The guy was still screaming. More screaming erupted from the woods out back, then some gunfire. Then just quieter screaming. Danny heard Q’s trumpet play a single loud note in the basement, then a shot come from the house, then a scream, then another shot. He never should have left Dad and Q there, no matter what that Kaja lady said. Danny tried to run for the house, but his legs would not work right. They hurt a lot.