Chapter 7

            Roy didn’t know what it was, but he stepped forward and began to cross the river. Each step brought him closer to the other side and deeper into the river. He took his time and made sure he had solid footing before each step. One wrong move and Roy knew he could end up downstream or something worse could happen. 

At least once a year for as long as he could remember, someone usually passed away in the river due to them getting taken downstream and getting sucked down in the undertow. There was a kid in Roy’s grade a few years back that drowned in the river. He wasn’t best friends with him, but Roy definitely never forgot him. Roy thought about him as he crossed the river and prayed he did not end up like his classmate. 

As he crossed the river, his mind also flipped to the movie Lonesome Dove, where Newt got killed by the water moccasins. Roy was more scared about that happening than drowning. 

About thirty yards in, Roy realized he was in the middle of the river, and the water was only up to his knees. This gave him relief as he picked up his pace some. He wanted out of the river more than anything else at the moment. 

When he was close enough to the bank, Roy could see hog tracks everywhere. Everything was torn up, and the closer to the bank Roy got, he could even smell the stench of them. 

Roy quietly made his way out of the river as he looked for a trail. It didn’t take long to find one with the moon glistening off the river, giving him even more light. Roy could see exactly where the hogs went. As he walked, each step would sink down in the mud. Roy knew he needed to step quickly but quietly, and he definitely didn’t want to lose a boot in the mud. 

Finally, he reached dry land and maneuvered towards the hogs’ path. There was no turning back now. Roy still had an arrow notched in his bow and could not go home without the beast. He checked his watch and had been gone just over an hour. Roy knew he had about two hours before his mom and dad woke up and started looking for him. 

Roy worked his way down the path, and he could hear some noise from the distance. He had never hunted this land, so he didn’t know where to look for it. He figured he would keep his ears open and head to the location where he heard them and follow the trail he was on. All the grass was knocked over, all the branches that happened to be in their way. 

He didn’t want to make any noise, so he tried to walk on the same grass that had been trampled by the hogs. Roy was trying his best to be as quiet as possible. The only thing worse than missing a shot is scaring away the prey. He continued to follow the sounds. As he walked, he came to a brushy area covered with every plant that grew along the river. Mesquite, pecan, poison ivy, and various vines grew out there. There was also a lot of youpon and oak trees. Once Roy passed all of this, he came to a pasture. 

The sound of the hogs had grown by this time, and Roy knew he was very close. He could hear them, but they had just run through the area he was in. The smell of them was still present. 

Just then, Roy looked off to his left, and along the tree line was a herd of wild hogs. Roy could see them, but he wasn’t close enough to distinguish which one was which. He got down low on all fours and started to crawl toward them, using the tall grass to cover him while staying as close to the tree line as possible. After a few minutes, Roy finally saw exactly what he had come for. The beast was right there with the other hogs lying in the mud. Roy was still too far away to put that arrow right where he wanted it, but he also knew that he couldn’t get much closer without alerting the other hogs of his presence. He quickly looked again and figured he was at least thirty yards away from the beast. If Roy could get another ten yards closer, he would definitely get a kill, but at this range, it would be a very long shot for him. He decided that he needed to try to get closer. Roy stayed as close to the ground as he crawled forward, barely moving at all. 

When he went about three yards. Roy froze. A hog was right in front of him, and its tusks were nearly touching his face. He didn’t know what to do but knew he was done if that hog spotted him. Just as the tusks poked through the grass again, it briefly grazed across Roys’s face before turning around and returning to the pack. 

Roy was so scared that he knew it was now or never. He slowly picked his head up, and he saw the beast standing in front of him. He slowly pulled himself up and took a knee. His bow was in his left hand, and his right hand pulled the string with the arrow nocked. Roy stayed as low as he could; he glanced at the trees and saw no wind blowing. Roy slowly started to pull the string back on his bow and take aim at the beast. He wanted the arrow to enter right behind his left shoulder and hopefully go through his chest. 

The string was pulled back, but the beast moved just enough that Roy didn’t have a shot. He held it. There were stories of hunters pulling back on the string and holding it for long periods. Roy was not one of those hunters. He had a very short time to release this arrow. His arm started to shake just a bit as he held his shot. He thought about dropping the pull but continued holding his shot. 

Then the beast made a sharp turn the other way, and Roy only had a split second. Roy knew the arrow was not as instant as a gun, but he released the string, and the arrow flung out of his bow towards the beast. In less than half a second, the arrow landed perfectly. Roy was relieved. 

The beast turned and looked right at Roy. Roy froze; he knew that the shot didn’t kill him. All bets were off now. Roy reached back and grabbed another arrow as the beast turned towards Roy. At this time, all the hogs were going crazy, and most started running in all directions. Roy was not worried about any of them other than the beast. The beast took off at Roy as he tried to nock another arrow in his bow. He looked down at the bow and tried to get it nocked more than once. Roy looked up, and all he could see was the large snout of the beast and the cutters, which were at least eight inches long and sharp as a razor. 

Roy stood up, pulled the string back, and instantly released it. The arrow landed on the back right shoulder of the beast, but it didn’t even phase him. Roy knew this was the end. The beast made contact with Roy and head-butted him sending him back at least ten yards. Roy’ tried to use the bow as a shield, but it flew out of his hands as he sailed through the air. Roy knew this was the end. His body went limp for just a second, and he knew the wind had just got knocked out of him. He thought the hit from the beast was probably on par with getting hit by an NFL linebacker. 

He was not going to go out without a fight. Roy popped the tab on his sheath and pulled out his knife. The beast came running straight towards him; his head was down, and his bottom cutters were coming straight for Roy. As the beast made contact with Roy, he was slammed down on the ground, getting closer and closer to being mush in the mud. 

Roy was taking the beating of a lifetime, but he was still awake. His right hand just started stabbing into the beast. This blade was brand new and had a razor-sharp edge on it. As tough-skinned as the beast was, the blade quickly entered his neck. Roy continued to do his best to stab the beast until he finally went unconscious.