By FirefighterSIR
Part 6: Punishment
The slave turned over on the floor, pulling the thick blanket close against the chill at the foot of the Captain’s bed. He was trying to get his sleep-addled brain around what was happening.
The Captain had jumped out of bed suddenly, quickly as a cat, and was now standing in the open door listening intently and scanning the midnight darkness of the Bear Trap Ranch. A silvery light outlined the edge of the canyon high above and was moving along slowly, dropping down toward the camp. A low engine rumble could barely be heard over the chorus of crickets and cicadas in the chill air. A truck was making its way along the road above. Intruder!
Even as the slave tried to rub the sleep from his bleary eyes, the Captain had already pulled on his dirty Carhartt pants, scuffed boots, and slipped a wrinkled tee over his head. His handgun was out and strapped to his leg in a quick movement. He slipped out of the door and through the camp gate, disappearing into the trees, his movements marked only by the flicker of his flashlight.