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CHAPTER 14

The Dead Forest

ON THE FIFTH DAY I WOKE UP TO TWO KNOCKS on the door Wearily, I opened my eyes In front of me the screen had turned to a scrambled static Before I could answer, Dustin opened the door, holding a shotgun I winced at the sudden strea if youun It was a bizarre sight, though after watching almost forty hours of horror movies, it didn’t seem that weird I pulled randfather said, delighted to see ?"

"I could be better"

"I hear there’s a boy calling for you," he said over his newspaper

I shrugged, patting down my hair, which at this point felt like a bird’s nest

"Tell avelook "No one indeed I once heard that from your mother Teeks later she had eloped andbut your father and the clothes on her back"

I stopped chewing My parents had eloped? They’d never told me that "Well, I don’t want to talk to hi "Might this have so, and our chat the other night?"

I narrowed my eyes "No"

Just in ti-barreled gun, a goose whistle, a bag s

"Whenever you’re ready, Miss Winters"

"I’ eyes of o unnoticed

He clasped his hands over one knee "What is it today, Dustin?"

"Wild snow geese, sir"

"Excellent Excellent Well, have a good time Try not to shoot any people, now And if you do, bury them" He winked at h rubber boots, a fur-lined parka, and earrounds behind the estate The sky was a cloudless blue, the branches of the evergreens around us heavy with snow Dustin showed oose whistle, and we followed the sounds of their response calls until we reached a frozen pond

"Be very still," Dustin said, crouching lohile looking through his binoculars at a flock of geese pecking at the snow by the edge of the water Slowly, he took the duck gun from his shoulder and handed it to eneral direction and pull the trigger"

I stared at the gun as if it were a foreign object, not realizing that I was supposed to do the shooting "Ium I don’t think I can I "

"As you wish," he said, handingthe barrel of the gun and aimed it at the pond And fired

The birds scattered into the air, flying frantically toward the trees above us Without flinching, Dustin aiain, this time almost directly up There was a squawk, followed by a cloud of feathers Dustin ripped off his goggles and searched the sky

"Call!" he shouted

I looked up Suddenly I heard soh the air My aroose dropped into my arms, a flurry of blood and down

Dustin turned toacross his face I screa the feathers off my hands in a panic

"An excellent catch, Miss Winters! Excellent!"