Bishop's Song by Joe Nobody

Author:Joe Nobody [Nobody, Joe]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Kemah Bay Marketing LLC
Published: 2013-11-09T05:00:00+00:00

The merging aromas of coffee and smoldering hickory chips lured Bishop from his dream. He had decided to sleep in the fully reclined driver’s seat rather than risk rolling off a picnic table, like the accommodations chosen by his partners.

The sun was low in the west, probably two hours from slipping over the horizon. Peering at his watch, he noted the four hours of rest he’d achieved.

“Well good morning, sunshine,” Deke greeted, observing movement in the truck’s cab. “Room service should deliver the eggs and bacon to the door any minute now.”

Rubbing his eyes, Bishop managed a weak, “Hope you ordered mine scrambled with cheese.”

Bishop’s frame was stiff, a symptom of never having fully relaxed or been comfortable in the driver’s seat. After a stretch and yawn, he wandered off to find a tree to stand behind.

A mouthful of water combined with a short squeeze of toothpaste satisfied his bare minimum hygiene requirements. The first sip of coffee made him feel somewhat human. “I’m getting too old for this shit,” he mumbled.

Grim was setting up a wire grill over the campfire, a cooler of food nearby. “I want to fix the last of this beef we brought from Alpha. The ice in the cooler is gone, and these steaks will spoil before too much longer. How do you like yours cooked?”

After eating the thick slices of well-cooked meat, topped off with canned corn and fresh green beans, the men sat in silence, again trying to avoid the difficult decision that could make or break the mission.

“I can’t come up with any alternative to Bishop’s idea,” Grim finally said. “How ‘bout you, Deke?”

“Nothing comes to mind. One thing’s for sure, we can’t just stay here and hope a better option presents itself. I didn’t see or hear another soul during my entire watch.”

And so they began talking through the plan, covering as much detail as possible. At one point, Grim rose from his haunches and said, “I found something that might help. I got bored during my watch and jimmied the trunk lids of those cars… just curious. Check this out.”

The operator walked toward the parking lot, returning a minute later pulling a bag of golf clubs on a two-wheel cart. “I think this might help with the weight.”

Bishop smiled, the small bit of good fortune helping cheer him up. “That’s one hell of a find, Grim. Nice. Very nice.”

Deke glanced at the sun and then announced, “We’ve got a hell of a lot of work to do if we’re going to leave tonight. Most of it will be easier with daylight. Let’s get moving.”

“Well, crap! How is a guy supposed to practice his putting on this little vacation, gentlemen?” Bishop quipped as he removed the bag of clubs from the cart.

It had been decided that Grim would remain behind to guard the truck. Given that responsibility, the contractor began setting up his security, running tripwires in key locations around the rest area.

Bishop set about removing the battery from the truck and filling two plastic milk jugs with gasoline from the barrels.

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