Blue moon
The squishing and moans are getting louder.
You saw me standing alone
The deadheads are in sight, three of them, crouching over a rabbit carcass that had been left overnight.
Without a dream in my heart
One looks up as the singer approaches. A woman, possibly mid thirties. It's hard to tell at this point though, the faces are so decayed.
Without a love of my own
The other two continue to scrape their fingers through the remains of the deceased bunny.
Blue moon
A dull thump is heard as the singer jumps onto a wood plank that has been fashioned between two sturdy tree limbs.
You knew just what I was there for
She holds an 8 oz. cup of gas in one hand and a box of matches in the other.
You heard me saying a prayer for
The other two finally lift their heads. The woman claws at the edges of the pit she had earlier stumbled into.
Someone I really could care for
The singer crouches in the middle of the plank, directly over the three deadheads that now crowd together in an attempt to climb the steep ledge. She pours the gasoline down over their heads. It's just enough to hit all three.
A match is struck.
The small flame is dropped and quickly ignites the woman. The two men behind her are slower to catch but still flare after a few seconds.
It doesn't take long for the smell of burning rotted flesh to make it's way to the singer's nose. Said nose crinkles. "Never get used to that..." She mumbles to herself as she carefully moves back across the small bridge.
The way home is long, but it's worth keeping the smell further away. As long as the wind stays east it shouldn't touch her. She soon reaches the fork of the boards. Left for home, right to check the other pit. There was no bait left in the other, so it would be a waste of time. But time was something she had plenty of.
She decides to check.
It seems as though recently there have been more activity in this area. Just when she was starting to think maybe she had taken care of most of them.
Maybe one stumbled in in the darkness of the night.
She restarts her song for the long walk.
Blue moon
You saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own
Blue moon
You knew just what I was there for
You heard me saying a prayer for
Someone I really could care for
She could swear the woods suddenly seemed quieter.
And then there suddenly appeared before me
The only one my arms will hold
I heard somebody whisper please adore me
And when I looked to the moon it turned gold
Getting closer now. She didn't hear the moans and groans that usually echoed from the pits when they were occupied, but something kept her moving forward.
Blue moon
Now I'm no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own
"Hey!"
The voice froze the singer in place.
"Hey, you! Girl!"
The voice is male, probably close to her age. Her muscles relax again.
She looks down to see the boy in question. Dark hair peeking out from under some kind of cowboy hat, denim jacket and muddy jeans. Could be a Texan that's walked a long way. She stared at him a long time, wondering if he was some kind of illusion.
"How did you get up there?"
"Climbed."
"I see... You should come down."
"No can do, cowboy."
"Can I ask if you're alone?"
"You can ask. Doesn't mean I'm gonna answer."
The boy sighs and throws his hands in the air. "I'm sorry, I'm just a little confused why there's a girl singing in a tree."
The singer hears the frustration in his voice and smiles to herself. "Name's Conner. I can tell you that."
"Carl."
"You armed, Carl?"
He pulled his firearm from the holster on his waist and held it out sideways. "Pistol."
Handgun, no backpack. He had a camp somewhere. Seemed sane enough. But you never really see someone until they don't see you.
"Sorry, but I gotta scram." She hurried across the bridges.
"Wait!"
He didn't try to follow. It would be dark soon.
The absence of light made it easier to roam the tree tops. It was quiet tonight. The creaking of the forest blended with the creaks of the wood under her feet. She could track the boy back to his camp, but there wouldn't be much point. She would see him again, that was for sure.
The house was cold when she opened the door. Must have left a window open again. Connor would have hollered at her for that.
She found the open window and latched it tight. The house would warm up eventually