Payback Time

Every Saturday, Al Jeffries, Harold Baker and Tom Parker would go rabbit hunting. When Al was getting ready, his wife, Cora, pled with him to stay home.

"Do you have to go? Hunting is a cruel sport."

Al laughed at her, patted her cheek and left. When they arrived where they would be hunting, Al continued making fun of his wife.

"My old lady asked me not to go hunting. No woman will get me to stop hunting."

Harold and Tom could just sit and listen to Al talk about Cora if she tried to make him quit hunting. When Al had his back turned, Harold and Tom looked at each other and shook their heads. They respected Cora and they did not like Al talking about her. Finally, Harold spoke up.

"Do you have to talk about Cora like that?"

"I remember when we came out here once and you said a few things about Carol."

"I know, and she left me."

Al gave a laugh that chilled Harold and Tom to the bone.

"Cora would not dare leave me, because she knows what she would get."

Harold closed his mouth. Al picked up his gun and loaded bullets into the chamber.

"I thought we came to hunt rabbits. So, let us hunt rabbits."

Al walked off with his gun in his hand, and a couple minutes later, Harold and Tom heard three shots. When Al returned, he had his gun in his left hand. In his right hand, he carried the bodies of three rabbits. He was carrying them by the ears. He dropped them on the ground, put down his gun and sat down.

Tom and Harold could not take their eyes off the three bodies. The rabbits had been half-grown. At that moment, the two of them decided that they no longer cared for the once a week hunting trip.
* * *
Al put the bodies in the trunk and started home. He heard scratching coming from inside the trunk. When he arrived home, he found the house was empty. He put the rabbits in the freezer.

He heard. .
scratch
scratch
scratch

coming from outside the door. He peered out the window and saw that the front yard was filled with rabbits. He heard them chewing at the door. Thirty minutes later, there was a hole in the bottom of the door.

Before he could move, one of them sat in front of the door. Al saw it was one he had killed years ago. It's mouth was open and he saw the sharp teeth inside.

It hopped over to him and bit him on the ankle. He shrieked. The smell of the blood put the rabbits in a frenzy. As Al's eyes were wide with fear, the rabbits swarmed inside the house.
Every one was able to hear Al's screams.

If anyone would look in the window, they would be surprised to see the hole in the door and all of the rabbits.

495 Words