Vacuuming carpets and dusting desks was mundane, but it wasn’t the worst job Cowboy Sam, a.k.a. Danny Yokes, had performed in his centuries long life. Still, as he ran the old Hoover WindTunnel over the faded navy blue flooring of Mrs. Lawrence’s fifth grade classroom, he couldn’t help but wonder what might be next for him. He needed to find a way to move on from here, to make contact with Alex or any of the other Hunters who might be willing to help him in some way. He knew there were thousands of Hunters and Guardians who wanted him dead, and though he felt he was fully capable of living by himself in the rustic state he now existed in for as long as he needed to, it was getting rather monotonous and boring. Not to mention, he had never been one to stomach failure. Maybe ther
“Nice job,” Aaron’s voice came over the IAC. “Paxton, let’s get the Extracto 9000 down there, and take care of our mess before he blows away.”Paxton, one of the less reliable members of the team, had recently been given sweeper duty, and as Cadence stood and dusted her hands off on her pants, she reflected on what a fitting position that was for him, though a fleeting thought of the Guardian who had fulfilled that duty for decades before crossed her mind momentarily. She pushed it aside, just in time to come face to face with what could on
Once again the room was silent for a moment before everyone answered almost simultaneously in the negative. “You can’t do that,” Hannah’s voice broke through the others. “We absolutely need you on the field. No one else can do what you do.”“I guess,” Cadence shrugged, “but I don’t know what else to do.”“Maybe I should
Tyler Jones was a pretty stout young man. At five-seven, two-hundred-twenty pounds, he made most of the other fifth graders in Ms. Lawrence's class look like first graders. Despite his crooked grin and the charm he often layered on thick, Tyler spent his fair share of time sitting in the principal's office thinking about his choices. As he shuffled down the hallway toward class, his backpack thrown over one shoulder, his lunchbox grasped firmly in his fist, he tried to push the unpleasantness of that morning out of his mind. Perhaps if his father drank a little less in the evenings, he'd be more inclined to get up and take Tyler to school in the morning, maybe even make it to work himself. But Tyler had learned a long time ago most teachers didn't really care what happened to you at home so long as you le
Cadence bolted upright in bed, not sure if she’d heard a knock on her door or if the zombie apocalypse she’d been dreaming about had infiltrated her bedroom. She wiped the drool from her mouth and glanced at the clock. If that was the door, and someone was actually knocking on it at 8:30 AM the morning after a hunt, whatever the person wanted better be pretty damn important. Another banging noise let her know that it was, in fact, the door. “Stupid non-sleeping, non-human Guardians,” she mumbled as she pulled on her robe and clambered out of bed. Her IAC wasn’t on, and since no one could force it on, not even Aaron, the only way anyone could contact her was through normal methods--a phone call, a text, beating her door down. She glanced through the peephole and sigh
Sam had procured much better accommodations in the last few months since he had been working steadily at the local school district. Rather than hovelling in a burned out trailer home, as he had started his new life, he now lived in an abandoned shotgun a few miles outside of town. It was apparent when he moved in that the last squatters did not care about the property nearly as much as he did, and while he didn’t concern himself with the modern conveniences of the twenty-first century, he did appreciate that there were no holes in the roof and the fireplace worked.Like most Hunters, he
The Cessna Caravan wasn’t the fastest plane in the arsenal, but when Aaron selected it for their current trip, he had good reason. He wasn’t exactly sure how close the nearest airport was to their destination, and there was a possibility catching Sam might take more complicated measures than usual. He wanted to make sure his team was prepared for anything.That’s why he had decided to fly the plane himself.
Sam rapped lightly on Ms. Lawrence’s classroom door before pulling it open even though she had yet to acknowledge him. She was sitting on a stool near the front of the classroom, a chapter book in her hand. The kids seemed to be listening to a story, and while he should be concerned about interrupting, at this point, his only interest lay in retrieving the phone. “‘Scuse me, Ms. Lawrence,” he began as soon as he had her attention.“Mr. Danny!” she acknowledged, a wide smile on her face. “It’s so nice to see you! Everyone, say hi to Mr. Danny.&rdq
Tyler knew he was in trouble now, so he didn’t even bother to add “yes ma’am” as he climbed out of his chair and pulled the phone out of his pocket. As soon as it was out, Sam knew for certain it was his and rushed to get it. Ms. Lawrence looked at him oddly, and he realized he needed to slow down a bit. “This is my phone,” Sam nodded as he pulled it out of Tyler’s hand.Tyler opened his mouth as if he were going to argue, but the look on Ms. Lawrence’s face was enough to keep him quiet. He dropped his head in shame and anger. “I…&rd