Chapter One
The other man ran to Sam's side. "Bubba! Aw, man! Are you okay?"
"I th... I think so," Sam said as he pulled himself into a sitting position. "The ground is soft so it must have absorbed a little of the impact."
"Good, 'cause you know Momma 'n' Daddy'd kill me if I ever let anything bad happen to you! You're my only brother, and I promised to take care of you while we were out here. You stay here. I'll go up and get your gun. It's about time to go home, anyway."
We're brothers, Sam thought as he watched the other man climb up the tree stand. I'm probably the younger one, judging by his protective attitude over me. I had an older brother when I was growing up. Tom. I remember he died in Vietnam, but I was given the chance to save him. I must be here to give one of these two brothers a second chance.
"Here's your gun. You gonna make it home okay?" the other man asked.
"How far is it?" Sam asked, hoping it wasn't too far. He was sore from the fall, but he felt like he could walk home if he had to.
"It's about five miles or so, don't you remember?"
"Five miles?" I'm too sore to walk five miles! It's too cold to walk five miles!
"Bubba, you sure you're okay? Can you make it to the four-wheeler over there?" He gestured to a camouflage painted four-wheeled all-terrain vehicle sitting in some undergrowth nearby.
"Oh, the four-wheeler! Yeah, I guess so." His voice was a little strained as he got up, but he felt very relieved he wouldn't have to stiffly hobble more than a few feet.