Dog Tags

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Gunner

Gunner stepped out of the airport, the sun bright on his eyes. He frowned and slid on a pair cheap sunglasses over his eyes. He regretted his decision to come back to Texas. There was something about that last night that still made his heart bleed. 

Every time he got close to her, she just pushed him away. Or sometimes he did. He growled to himself. She was too much like David for him to get anywhere near her. She had his eyes, green with a tad of hazel in them. Crap. He was thinking of her again. 

Everything in his life was bad. His family was dead. His best friend dead. There were two things that were actually okay; Sloane and 3412. 

He walked towards the rental car place, his eyes finally adjusting to the light. "Can I get a car?" 

"Why, sure you can." Said the lady in cowgirl boots and daisy duke shorts. He grinned at her faintly, before taking the truck and slid the sunglasses up on his head. 

The drive was silent, no radio, not even the slightest noise from the truck. He wore his famous grim look as he turned on the back roads, heading towards through woods that evened out the farther he went. After about three minutes, there was nothing but rolling plains with grasses almost the same height as Liam, the short little bastard.

He grinned, something that only happened occasionally. When she was around. His happy mood deteriorated, the grim look forced back onto face. That is, until the horses came into view.

"Dad?"  Hagan walked into the bedroom, his face white as a sheet. "Dad, the colt."

The brown-haired man glanced up, his glasses low on his face. His eyes widened ever so slightly, before he stood and nearly knocked the table over. "You afraid?" He asked. Hagan shook his head, smiling faintly, but his face was still pale. The older man took him by the arm, walking him out towards the old wooden barn, built by the previous owner.

The mare was having trouble with the colt. Both father and son saw it in the horse's eyes. But Hagan watched as his father calmed the horse down, and realized that he wanted to do that. When the colt was born, it let out a soft little whimper. The mare turned to the colt and licked his little head.

Ten minutes later, the colt was dancing on the April soil, while the mare was leading him to the rest of the horses. Hagan was chasing after them happily, laughing happily. It was a good birthday.

Gunner parked the truck before sliding on his sunglasses and walking to the old run down house. Heck, no one had been here in years. He opened to the door to find it ripped off its hinges. He'd have to fix that. 

The kitchen had ants, but whatever they were searching for wasn't here. McCully had cleaned it all up when he'd come down from Maine after the death of his father. Hagan had watched him do it,  his heart heavy. He'd been so numb with no one but his uncle alive, and not even here in Texas. He had a snooty wife that when she spoke, Gunner had to laugh. 

He found a can on mosquito repellent and frowned, before spraying it on the ants. They froze for a moment, before moving along in a single file. "Dammit."

"You can't spray little ants with a can of bug spray, Hags." He slid the knife from his belt, swinging around and seeing the thin, petite figure of Cherry. He grinned slightly at seeing her again. Her long red hair was tied back in a ponytail. Her eyes were a vibrant green, something he compared his own eyes.  She walked up to him, but being a whole foot shorter than him, she had to actually look up. He couldn't believe a girl that pretty hadn't been picked up.