The two men had been walking for hours and the snow had not stopped falling from the sky. “I can’t go on no further” replied Barney in a frustrated tone. He looked around and saw the cold emptiness of the forest and took a seat on a fallen tree. “We have to keep moving Barney, we can’t stay out here in the open like this”. “Well, why the hell not? It’s not like there’s any place for us to hang our hats and order room service out here. Seems to me this is as good as any place to rest. I ain’t going on no more further tonight, I need a break”. Eli looked at Barney who was sitting bullishly on the collapsed snow covered tree trunk. In the distance, he saw some animal tracks that made him feel uneasy. “We have to keep going. This is no place for us to use as a pit stop”. Barney reluctantly got up from his position. Somehow he knew Eli wasn’t going to approve of his break time. Even still, Barney couldn’t help, but be curious about Eli. The two had only known each other from taking the job that Eddie put together and was now keeping all to himself.
“Say Eli, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you. How is it a guy like you got to know Eddie? “What’s it to you?” Replied Eli in his deep raspy natured voice. “Well, I’m just trying to make some conversation seeing as that’s about all we have to do out here. So, I’m curious. How did you get mixed up with that old back stabbing snake?” “It’s a long story”. “I bet it is. Let me guess, you found Eddie about to get his ass handed to him in some bar and saved him? Or wait, it was a poker game and he got caught cheating?” Eli brushed the snow off his cowboy hat. “You sure do have some imagination there for a school teacher”. “I reckon’ I’ll take that as a compliment coming from you. You know something, I never even wanted to be a teacher. If it wasn’t for Marlene, I’d probably still be half drunk in an alley somewhere. That no good snake Eddie convinced me to do this one last job. You’ll be rich he said. Must’ve told you the same thing evidently ’cause he got you to come out here to this shithole cold tundra.” Eli tried to ignore Barney as he kept moving forward, but somehow the more he talked about Eddie the more it seemed to make him angry.
“You know what my grand daddy used to say about a man with two first names?” “What?” “You can’t trust him.” “Why’s that?” “Just a saying I suppose. Guess I never actually asked him why”. Eli perceived Barney to be a bit naive. “Do you always just listen to whatever someone tells you?” “Well, I ain’t had no reason not to trust my grand dad. He’s always been a religious man. You want to know what he told me about women? He said that you can tell the size of a woman’s vagina by the size of her mo–“Get down!” Eli urged. “Keep quiet”. Barney and Eli hid behind two large trees. “Was the saying that bad?” Barney whispered. “You idiot! There’s Indians up ahead” Eli whispered back. Barney could feel his heart start to beat faster. “Oh God, I don’t want to die today, not like this. How many are there?” Eli peaked behind the massive oak tree. “Maybe three or four. I can’t tell from this position. I’m gonna need you to go up ahead and scout how many there are.” “Me? W-why me?” Barney exclaimed. “Keep your voice down!” “B-but, why the hell does it have to be me?” “Because I can’t set traps and scout at the same time”. “Traps?” “I need you to keep a look out, now quit being a baby and go!” Barney felt a lump in his throat as he started to move toward the men in the distance. His hands began to shake, but he wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or from the fear. “I can do this.” He thought to himself. Okay, Barney stay low and be quiet.” He whispered to himself. “Oh God in Heaven, if you let us live, I promise I’ll never do another job again.
-Adam Smith
Avalanche pt. 1
