Walking Out Page #3

snowshoes next week

but by then it might be

three feet deep

and starting to drift.

We'll get two quarters

out today.

It'll make it easier

for you later.

Is that alright?

I expect I ought to

leave it up to you.

The snow...

It's beautiful.

If it stops soon,

we're fine, but..

No, dad... I don't want

you to do

anything different

because of me.

I wanna know how to do this.

David.

Fresh kill.

Here you go.

That blood's still warm.

What happened?

It looks like

the work of our griz.

No. No, it must be

a mother bear.

She's got a cub with her.

How can you tell?

Do you see those smaller tracks?

It looks to be wounded,

dragging its feet.

That might even be two cubs.

Dad.

What is that?

Dad.

Oh, Christ.

That's one of the cubs.

A yearling.

Brains have been

licked clean out.

Come on, David. Now!

Quick, follow me now.

What?

What?

Good sight lines,

all directions.

The brains.

Why did she do that?

Oh, she didn't.

Another bear got her cub.

A male. She fought him

for the body and won.

If we see her, you pick

the nearest big tree

and you climb it, alright?

If she comes up after you

you stick your gun in her

mouth and you fire.

- Okay.

- You can't miss.

- Okay.

- You got it?

Yeah.

- Is your rifle cocked?

- Uh, hang on.

Cock it.

Put on the safety.

Yeah, we'll make fast work

of Mr. elk

and be headed home.

Hey.

Eating snow takes more

energy than it gives you.

That's surefire dehydration.

I'm thirsty. Dad.

Alright. Alright.

Why don't you fill our canteens?

It's heavy work hauling meat.

You stay where I can see you.

David!

David!

Aah! Aah!

Get up, David!

Grab hold! You climb!

That sow, she's gonna

come back for her cub.

- Now, come on!

- Dad.

Climb as high as you can.

Come on!

- David, take this.

- Ah..

Dad, I can't hold on to

the tree and the gun. Dad.

- David.

- Dad, I can't do it.

- David, take it.

- Dad. No, dad.

- I can't breathe, dad.

- Hurry!

Dad, I can't hold on

to the.. Ah!

Dad!

Dad.

Dad!

Dad!

- Uh..

- Dad!

Dad! Dad, the bear!

Come on, dad, get up.

Get up, dad.

Dad, the mama bear!

Get up!

Dad.

Wake up!

- Dad, I'm scared.

- Alright, it's alright.

We're both gonna bleed to death.

Let me see your hand, David.

I'm not gonna hurt you.

Okay?

How bad is the exit wound?

It's bad.

It's a really big hole.

It's, it's a lot of blood.

Tourniquet.

It went through my knee.

I'm not gonna be able to walk.

Here. Help me

get to that tree.

- Come on. Here.

- Ah!

Come on.

David, you can find your

way back to the cabin.

- You can.

- Dad, no.

Dad, I'm not leaving you.

Alright, you listen.

You listen carefully, alright?

We don't have to worry

about freezing.

And your hand is

gonna be alright, okay?

The doctor will fix it up

good as new.

I promise you that.

If I try to walk out on this leg

it's gonna bleed

and keep bleeding.

I could bleed to death.

You hear me?

I'm staying here

and burrowing in

and you're walking out

to get help.

I'm sorry.

It's what we have to do.

You can't possibly

get lost. Alright?

Just follow that trail

down the way we came up

and you'll come to the

Meadow and the pond

and you point yourself

toward that big pine

with the forked crown.

You remember?

- Hey!

- Yeah.

- You remember?

- Yeah.

Alright. That way

you'll find our creek.

Now, you may not, you may

not see it at first

but you make yourself

quiet and you'll hear it

okay?

You listen for running water.

And once you find that,

you follow it down

you'll pass the Sheepman's hut.

You'll come to the Land Rover.

Dad, I've never driven a car.

You haven't? No.

That's okay. That's okay.

Alright, it's simple.

The clutch is

the only hard part.

You just have to learn...

Dad, dad, dad. I..

I can't.

Just up over that hump

and it's all downhill, alright?

Come on.

- Ah!

- Come on.

Dad, come on. Dad.

Hand me your rifle.

The lucky one.

Click. The safety.

Remember?

- Click.

- Alright.

I should have made sure.

You must always make sure.

Come on.

Damn. This crutch

is useless.

Useless!

You'll have to drag me.

Okay, we can, we can make

some kind of sled.

A sled?

Yes, a sled,

a goddamn sled, David.

Okay, well, just, just

tell me what to do

and I'll do it.

I'm pretty good

at making things.

No, no, no.

Ah, it'd take too long.

We have no rope, no runners.

What we could cobble together

won't skid for sh*t.

We'll lose too much time.

I can carry you.

It's the one thing I'm good at

when they make us work out.

Dead lift.

Dead lift?

That's pretty funny.

- I can do it.

- Alright.

Gravity's on our side.

Yeah.

I never would have thought of it

but your dead lift

may just save you.

Save us, dad.

Yeah.

- You ready?

- Yeah, I'm ready.

Okay. Three, two, one.

Ah, god! Okay.

- Ooh.

- Okay. Okay. Okay.

- Are you okay?

- Yeah.

Whoa!

We'll stop for a while

and let you rest.

Alright, you can

set me down here.

You can set me down, David.

I get it. No resting.

No talking.

You're not gonna

get your first kill.

Not this time around.

That's okay. Next year.

Just tell me about yours.

Mine?

Your first kill.

Your moose.

Yeah.

Sir moose. Where was I?

Stuck in the muck.

I was sure that moose

would be gone

but there it was,

bigger than life.

The damn thing honked

like 11 elephants

in a circus-train fire.

I thought it was charging at me

but it was heading

for the river.

I was as alive

as I've ever been.

- You okay?

- Yeah.

- You okay?

- Yeah, I'm alright.

I'm alright.

Oh, that's not good.

Not good at all.

We'll rest now.

- I'm not tired, dad.

- We'll rest.

- I can keep going.

- We'll rest.

I'm tired.

Yeah.

To get off this mountain..

We're gonna have to feed you.

It should cut easy.

We're not gutting him.

We just want his belly meat.

Alright. Alright.

Give me that knife.

There.

Eat it.

The fat too.

Especially the fat.

Now we'll cook the rest

further on.

I don't wanna build a fire here

and taunt mama griz.

There you go. Good.

Baby-bear Sushi.

It's getting cold.

B*tch cold. Come on.

Let's go before

your sweat freezes.

- Are we at the hut?

- No.

We're not even at the Meadow.

You're shivering, dad.

We need to build a fire.

- A fire.

- Yeah.

- Before dark.

- Yeah.

Dad.

Dad.

The, uh, the sky's clearing up.

Why?

Yeah.

Yeah, it's clearing up.

Here you go.

Thanks.

Good as any brisket in Texas?

It's better.

Hm..

Dad?

Click.

Click.

Click.

Click.

Dad?

Dad? Dad, dad,

what's happening?

Are you choking? Dad?

Dad, what's wrong?

- You're scaring me, dad.

- I'm cold. I'm so cold.

Okay. You're okay, dad.

You're okay.

You're okay.

You can't die on me, dad.

You can't die on me, dad.

You can't die on me.

You can't.

You can't.

You can't die on me.

You can't.

You can't die on me.

You can't.

Meadow.

Pond.

Snag.

Trail.

Hut.

Creek.

Land Rover.

Meadow. Pond.

Snag.

Trail.

Hut.

Creek.

Land Rover.

Road. Cabin.

Meadow. The Meadow.

But where is the beaver pond?

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