Page 72 of Life To My Flight

I looked where he was pointing at the skeet thrower and blinked. “Well yeah, but I thought I was going to shoot?”

“Well, really we just brought y’all along so you wouldn’t feel lonely. Now y’all have each other to talk to while we shoot, but it’d be nice if one of you would load the skeet and pull for us,” he said slowly.

I looked over at the two women with me, and they hid knowing smiles.

“So…you wanted me to come along with you so you could shoot with these two. Not for me to do it with you, do I have that correct?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yep.”

I inhaled slowly. “What if I wanted to shoot?”

“Can you shoot?” He asked in return.

I nodded.

“You can shoot…this?” He asked as he held up the shotgun for my inspection.

“Yep,” I agreed.

“And just who taught you that?” He asked suspiciously.

I wanted to smile, I really did, but I managed to hold it in check just for him.

“Show me what you got,” he said tauntingly.

So I did.

Sucker.

I took the shotgun out of Cleo’s hand and inspected it.

Loaded.

One in the chamber.

Pump.

Four shells total.

Lining my toes up at the edge of the concrete I looked back at him and said, “Pull.”

Whomever was behind me pulled, and an orange disc the size of a small plate launched into the sky in front of me.

Lifting the gun up quickly, I placed the stock of the gun in the crease of my shoulder, laid my cheek against the stock, and looked down the barrel at the sites.

Less than two seconds later, I fired, and the orange disk exploded into a million tiny pieces.

“Fuck me,” multiple someone’s said from behind me.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” Cleo said as he stepped up next to me. “Load two.”

“Pull,” I said.

Boom.

Boom.

Two clay discs shattered.

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