A Scout Master's Folly

by Cooper Max

3 Apr 2018 3742 readers Score 8.1 (28 votes) PDF Mobi ePub Txt


            John, Chuck and Kyle laughed and joked down the serpentine trail back to the cabin. Given the feverish sex that had occurred between the three men, the air between them didn’t have the slightest scent of awkwardness of sheepishness. A euphoric camaraderie bounced between the three men as they shot                knowing-glances and wide grins at each other.

            “In all seriousness, boys, we’re going to have to get our shit together before we get back to the cabin,” John Dooley quipped with an air of authority. “My two boys are perceptive little fucks. I doubt their imaginations would run to the scenario that just happened but we don’t need any unnecessary questions especially if we’re going to aim for a round two.”

            “Right you are,” Chuck stated somberly. Quietness settled over the men, as they got lost in their own thoughts.

            Without warning, two men stepped out of the woods onto the trail directly blocking the three men.

            “Well, well, well, look at what we have here, Billy.” The taller, heavyset man said with an air of menace.

            “Yeah, look a group of all-American men JUST out for a stroll, Clint.” The smaller, pudgier man replied. Something about the way he said ‘JUST’ stuck out to Chuck.

            “Um, can we help you gentlemen with something?” John Dooley stated calmly. John didn’t like the look or attitude of what he saw in front of him.

            “Help us? Well hopefully not – well at least not how you were helping each other.” The taller man, Clint, retorted.

            Ice shot through John, Chuck and Kyle’s veins. Tension tapped dance between the two groups daring either set of men to speak.

            “Made a whole lot of noise, you folks did. The woods aren’t empty you know. Local folk do enjoy the blissful outdoors but today ya’ll tainted it with your queer nonsense.

            “Guys, I think there’s been some kind of misunderstanding…I don’t know what you think you saw….”

            But before Chuck could finish his sentence the pudgier man had leveled a pistol at the group of three men.

            “Don’t insult our intelligence. We may be country folk but we’re neither blind nor deaf. We can recognize faggotry from much farther away than where we were observing the likes of you queers,” Clint said coldly.

            “Now guys, there’s no need to act irrationally. Clearly, you caught us in a moment of perceived …uhhh…privacy. Had we known there were people around, we never would have done it.” Chuck uttered.

            “Your intentions and what-ifs don’t interest us. Acts are acts and what you three were doing is one of the worst acts man can do on God’s green earth. It’s an abomination.” Billy said.

            “So where do we go from here then gentlemen? Do you kill us putting yourselves at risk for life in prison. People know we’re out here together and they will come looking for us or can we just say we learned our lesson and get the hell out of dodge?” John stated with no trace of fear in his voice.

            “Life in prison?” Billy laughed as he elbowed Clint, “Do you think we’re a bunch of hillbillies that would leave any evidence to find? Ya’ll wouldn’t be the first group of hikers to vanish from these here woods. Investigators always get the same story from the likes of us up here………. “Hikers? Disappeared? Well, that’s horrible officer. You better believe we’ll phone ya if we come across anything out of the ordinary. Gee wilkers, I hope they get out of these woods safely.”

            A slice of fear shot through Chuck. It was beginning to look like they couldn’t smooth talk or reason their way of out of this. These folks were bigots and deceptively intelligent bigots at that.

            “I think it’s best that you folks come with us without resisting.” Billy said.

            “With you? Where? Somewhere deeper in the woods where it’ll be easier to get rid of our bodies? Not a chance.” Replied Chuck.

            “Well, you all can walk with us and see what happens or resist and die here and be dragged farther into the woods anyway. Choice seems pretty simple to me.” Clint stated without any hint of empathy.

            Begrudgingly, the men began following Clint as Billy held up the rear, pistol aimed at their backs.

            The men marched for what seemed like hours. Clint and Billy hardly said a word and didn’t bother responding to any of the men’s questions or comments. Billy prevented the men from walking too close together or talking.

            “No schemin’ or one of you gets a bullet in the leg and limps the rest of the way.” Billy had said very matter-of-factly at the onset of the forced march.

                                                            -------------

            The men shot each other furtive glances. There was no way to hatch a plan with Billy watching so intently. The thought crossed all the men’s mind that there were only two of them and three of us but a melee would likely result in one or all of them being injured or killed.

            ‘Do we resist now, with the odds of success the way they are, or take a chance of our odds getting worse the farther we walk?” The men all thought in one version or another.

            A clearing burst into view. In the middle of the clearing sat a lonesome but well-kept barn and a low roofed log cabin with fire pluming out of its red bricked chimney . If the situation weren’t so dire, John would have found the scene pretty damn charming.

            “Alright you queers, into the barn with ya.” Clint said absentmindedly. “If you cooperate and don’t try anything stupid, you may get out of here intact.”

            The men were unceremoniously shepherded into the dim, dingy and manure smell-laced barn. Utter silence greeted their arrival as the barn door slid shut with a thud and the lock clamped loudly.

            “First, we all need to stay calm and collected.” John whispered hurriedly.

            “Second, we need a plan for how the fuck we’re going to get out of this.” Chuck continued.

            “Guys, they said if we cooperate we’d be fine.” Kyle interjected.

            “They said we MIGHT get out of here INTACT.” Chuck stated with special emphasis on the two words. “They could beat us to bloody pulps or just decide to kill us. We don’t have any guarantees. Our best bet is escape or die in the attempt.”

            “Die in the attempt?” Kyle shot back shrilly, “Don’t you think that’s a bit dramatic?”

            “Do you want to take your chances and see what they do with a pretty little faggot like you 2 against 1 or take our chances with 3 on 2 plus the gun?” John replied harshly. His patience was starting to run out.

            Kyle opened his mouth to say something but closed it and just shook his head.  “So what’s the plan?” He asked reluctantly.

                                                            ------------

            Before either of the two men could reply, murmuring voices could be heard on the other side of the barn door.

            The three men slinked up to the door for a better listen.

            “Did you call them?” They could hear the deeper voiced Billy say to Clint.

            “Yeah they said they could be out here in a few hours or so.” Clint responded. “They’re bringing the supplies I asked for. They said they haven’t had a situation like this in years. They sound excited.”

            The three men inside the barn looked at each other with fearful eyes.

            “So what do we do with them until then?” Billy asked.

            “Let em’ stew. They have no idea what’s coming.” Clint replied.

                                                            ---------

            The three men practically sprinted back across the barn.

            “Ok, is there anything we can use in here as weapons? Are there any weak points in the barn that we could bust open or slide through? Who ever is coming, I don’t want to meet them.” Kyle said, a new found, leveled strength reverberating through his voice.

            Both Chuck and John nodded approvingly at him in the dim light and began scouring the barn for anything of use. Within five minutes, the three men were back empty handed.

            “Fuck, this is not looking good, guys.” Chuck said. “Let’s not panic.”

            The men stared at each other in silence – each brain storming options.

            A low crunching from outside burst through the silence.

            “Shit, that sounds like a vehicle on the gravel road. I think they’re here.” Sputtered Kyle.

------ To be Continued ------

by Cooper Max

Email: [email protected]

Copyright 2024