Duckblind

DuckBlind By Obsidian_Hunter Obsidian_hunter@yahoo.com

Writer's note: No longwinded rant this time. Enjoy the story. O_H.

Writer's Note II : Special thanks to a special (and to damn smart for his own good) pup for the editing and spell checks, also to a little fish who's youth and humor makes me smile, and miss my teen years, and that's hard to do.

"Damn it, Will! Why in the Hell haven't your officers found my boy yet?" Phil yelled across Will's desk

"Look, we are looking everywhere okay? We have officers from all the surrounding counties looking too, we are checking all the local campsites and hunting grounds, he has to be in the area, so please STOP YELLING!" Will shot from his leather chair.

"Have you checked all along the river? Max liked swimming down off Kettlecase Road, maybe he's there?"

"That was the first place we checked."

"The old dairy maybe?"

"No..."

"Damn it, Will, where is my son?" Phil began to cry.

"Phil, he is fine. Trust me."

Phil was not holding back, he hadn't cried this hard in years.

"Come on Philip can you think of anywhere else they might go?"

"No... Well... No..." Phil replied through a wave of sniffing and tears.

"Wait a second, Phil, what was that 'Well...'?"

"Well, we would go hunting down on the Dupre ranch."

"The Dupre place? Shit we didn't think about that place."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because Mr. Dupre shoots trespassers, every one knows that. Even the pot heads stay away from there."

"Well send some officers over there right now!"

"Whoa, man, we can't very well drive on to the ranch and not expect trouble from old man Dupre. Let me call Mark and I'll have him check it out okay?"

"Okay, Will, Okay." But Phil really did not like it.

"So that's what happened huh?" Mark asked as he served himself a cup of coffee.

Max wept softly as Corey held him, "Yes, Mr. Dupre."

"Well, I can understand you wanting to stay hidden then."

Corey nodded.

"So how long you two been out there?"

"Two days."

"You two should call your dads, I am sure they are worried."

Max looked up, "Not after what my dad said, besides it's been two days and no one has come looking for us."

Mark laughed, "No one would look for you here, my dad shoots trespassers. I am amazed you guys risked it."

Corey smiled a little, "I didn't want to but Max convinced me."

"So, boys, what are we going to do?"

Max looked at Mark with a odd expression, "We?"

"Hell yeah, I am in the shit too, thanks to this little meeting. So I am going to help."

"How you going to do that?" Max asked.

"Well, first off I'll Get a hold of your dad, then we will set up a way to get you two to talk."

Max jump to his feet, "Hell no! He does not want to see me and I don't want to see him, not after what he said."

"Whoa there, kid!" Mark said. "Look I know he hurt you but I know him well enough to know he is dying right now without you, he will want to see you, I promise that."

"I can't believe that!" Max shouted.

Mark stood up. "Believe what you want Max, I know your dad, I know him very well, and I promise you he wants to see you."

Phil pulled in to the driveway, he saw that the lights in Max's room were off, but Corey's truck was parked on the curb, he must have come over to watch TV or something. Max would not be expecting this at all. Phil had never managed to get the time off for Max's birthday so this would knock him on his ass.

Phil grabbed the pecan pie off the seat next to him and trotted up to the door. Phil opened the door to silence, they must have fallen asleep in front of the TV again. "Son I'm home." Phil shut the door. "Surprise! I got off early tonight for your sixteenth, bud."

Phil walked over to the kitchen to put the candles in to the pie, as he walked in he saw a bunch of roses in a vase sitting on the table. "What the hell?" Phil chuckled, "The kid's got girls sending him flowers. Definitely not his father's son." Phil smiled as he lit the last candle and began to hike up the stairs.

Phil walked up to Max's door and listened for a second, slight snoring, yup Corey was asleep. well this will scare the shit out of him, Phil thought as he threw open the door.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY..." Phil lost his words, there in the bed was Max and Corey, he had seen them sleeping on the same sofa and sleeping on the floor together, but here they were asleep in the same bed. And they... they... they are naked! The pie began to slip from Phil's grasp, then he saw it, he saw the only thing that answered the question that now flooded Phil's mind. The smile... Max had that smile, Phil's smile, the one meant only for him, but now it was being given to Corey! Max was smiling but it was for COREY!

The pie slipped free and an instant later exploded on the ground. Max awoke with a jump, the look on Phil's face... not once had Phil ever felt so much rage.

"DAD!?!"

"Don't DAD me you FUCKING... YOU SON OF A..." Phil could not think.

Corey bolted from the bed and dove for his pants that were laid out on a chair. Phil had the urge to reach over and throw the boy through the window. Max on the other hand sat in bed pulling his sheets tight over him.

"Mister Kantrell! Look it's not..."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP COREY!" Phil screamed. "What the hell were you doing Max?"

"Dad... I... we... dad..." Max began to bawl his eyes out.

Phil could not move, he couldn't. He just stared at his son, the only thing he prized more that life itself. His son was now corrupted, how many times had he done this? How many times had he given himself to another man? No not even a man, he was a boy... God must have been trying to punish Phil, for being weak. Now his son was being punished for his father's sins.

"Max..." Was all Phil could squeeze out.

"Dad, I am sorry..." Max said between sobs.

Phil looked at Max then at Corey who was trying to put on his shirt but was missing each button because he was shaking so hard. The boy who now had his son's smile, he stole it, he took it forever. Phil looked back at Max, there was only one thing to say.

"Get the hell out of my house." Phil said with a cold deep tone.

"Dad?"

"No, I am not your father you... you... fa..." The word stuck hard in his throat, he couldn't say it no mater what his son had done.

Max's eyes filled with pain. "But..."

"Get out, I want you out of here in five minutes, You are not my son and I don't want anything to do with you."

"Mark come in. Mark You there?" Crackles over mark's radio.

Mark jogged over to the Jeep when he heard the call.

"Mark you out there?"

Mark threw open the door and grabbed the handset. "Yeah, Will, I'm here what's up?"

"Hey, man, look, you over on the ranch?"

"Yeah I'm here, why?"

"Well could you go down to the marsh and see if Max Kantrell and Corey Miller are down there?"

Mark swallowed hard and hoped he could lie right now, "Ummmm... well I am down there now, I don't see anything. Why would they come down here?"

"Well they ran away from home and we can't find them anywhere we thought they might be down there."

"Nope sorry, bud, but if I see them I'll let you know. How is Phil taking it?"

"Horrible man, horrible, he is in a lot of pain right now."

"Oh... where is he right now?"

"He is at home, maybe you should call him."

"Maybe I'll do that, thanks Will."

Mark trotted up to Phil's door, How would he handle this? How do you tell your best friend that you are gay and in love with him? Not possible. Fuck this is hard...

Mark sat down on the steps. How in the name of all that is holy, do you do that?

Mark stood up and started walking back to his car. Maybe tomorrow. Mark grabbed the handle on his car door.

"No." Mark whispered, "Do this now."

Mark turned around and headed back to the house. God, just fire off one of those random lightning strikes that seem to hit farmers all the time.

"Okay, do it." Mark raised his hand to knock on the door, but it froze there, inches from the wood. "Please, just knock." He whispered to his hand, "Please."

Mark breathed out, "like shooting a gun." Breathe in, raise your hand, breathe out, knock.

Just as Mark's hand struck the door it swung open, Mark's fist swung down and swiped past Phil's face.

Phil flew back as a reaction to the unintentional attack at his face, "WHOA! What the hell!"

"Phil! Oh shit! I am sorry!" Mark cried as Phil landed hard on his ass.

"Geez man, what the hell!" Phil, yelled as he began to laugh, "I knew you were jealous of my good looks, but damn!"

Mark was stunned, he wanted to run away and cry, but he also wanted to laugh, fortunately laughing won out because after a few moments of watching Phil rolling on the floor laughing, Mark was laughing too.

After about a minute of laughing Phil managed to get to his feet and managed to rasp out between chuckles, "So what's so important that you have to try and kill me?"

Mark had forgotten his reasons, no he couldn't tell him now, no not now. Mark's laughter died off, as he looked at his friend and saw the person he loved more than anyone, but he could never know.

Phil must have knoticed the long pause, "So? What's up?"

Mark looked Phil dead in the eyes. "You want to go hunting this weekend?"

"Mark!" Came the voice of doom from down the hall. "Mark come here now!"

Mark sat in his room doing his homework when he heard his father call him, which was both a surprise and a reason to fear, Mark's father never ever talked, let alone yelled unless he had to. The total number of conversations they had in the past sixteen years added up to five.

"MARK!"

Mark, although still surprised, jumped up and ran down the hall to the living room where his father stood at a near perfect military stance. Mark's blood ran cold, something bad happened, something really bad.

"Sit!" His father yelled, and Mark obeyed immediately.

Mark did not know what was going on but he knew better than looking at his father right now.

"I want a straight answer from you boy, don't you even consider for one damn second to lie to me, because I will break every bone in your hand. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir." Mark said without looking up.

Mark's dad took a few long steps toward the table at the other end of the room, there he scooped up a stack of magazines turned and walked towards mark like a butcher approaching a lamb.

A large stack of magazines spilled to the floor at mark's feet where he could clearly see the covers and a lot of the pictures inside. Mark's heart shot in to his mouth.

The stack was Mark's "stash" magazines he had collected over the last few years, everything he had been given, found, or 'borrowed'. And all of them porn magazines. From his first Playboy and Penthouse to his newest Playgirl. His dad must know now.

"Do you know where I found these?" Mark's dad yelled in the ever shrinking room.

"Yes sir."

"They all belong to you, right?"

"Yes sir."

"What kind of filth is this?" Mark's dad paced up and down slowly as he yelled, "Do you want your brother reading this garbage?"

Mark thought for a second on how a few of his old Playboys were in Jacob's collection, but he better not say anything about it. "No sir."

"And what is this?" Mark's father yelled as he picked up one of the Triple X magazines that came in a pack. Unfortunately this one was of three young guys fucking. "Are you GAY?"

The voice seemed to echo for an eternity in Mark's ears. Mark knew the answer but how could he tell his father.

"WELL?"

Mark locked his eyes at his feet, breath in, breath out. "Yes sir."

Mark's dad let out a sharp grunt. Mark kept his eyes locked on his feet, he knew his dad was going to hit him. But after what felt like an eternity the hit never came. Mark looked up at his father. The man stood there silent, unmoving, that perfect human statue Mark knew all to well.

After another five minutes of unmoving silence Mark's father spoke. "Pick up this trash now, throw it in the incinerator and anything else you might be hiding, because if I ever see anything like this here again, you will not see the next morning's sun. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir."

"Move!"

Mark leapt to his feet and grabbed every magazine on the floor. then ran out of the house to the incinerator. In minutes every thing was a pile of smoking ash. Mark fell on to the grass and cried silently. After a few minutes Mark's father called from the house "Mark you have a phone call." There was not even the slightest sound of anger in his voice. Mark cleaned himself up and jogged to the house where the phone sat on the kitchen counter.

"Hello?" Mark asked into the phone.

"Hey, Mark, how's it going?"

"Oh, hey, Phil."

"Are you all right? You sound upset."

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay, if you say so, do you want to come over and watch some TV?"

Mark thought for a second, maybe it was a good idea to go out. "Yeah, let me go ask my dad." Not that he really wanted to ask.

Mark put down the phone and went in to the other room where his dad sat watching TV.

Mark whispered out, "Dad?"

"Yes." he replied in his normal flat tone and not turning away from the TV.

"Can I go watch TV at Phil's?"

"You finish your homework and chores?"

"Yes sir."

"Fine, but be back on time."

"Yes sir."

There was no sound of anger or any emotion in his fathers voice. Like nothing had happened, like his father did not just find out his son was gay or anything, like he did not care. But when did he ever care? He never congratulated him on good grades, he never said he was proud of him when he played baseball or football, he never cared. And now he knows the darkest truth of his son, and he still does not care. Mark felt like crying again.

Mark slowly walked back to the phone with those thoughts in his head.

"Mark you there?"

"Yeah Phil, I will be there in a few minutes, I have a few things that I have to burn first."

"Okay, man, see you in a little bit. Bye."

"Bye."

Mark hung up the phone and made his way up to his room, he took every picture, letter, magazine and video he had and put them in his trash can, then walked slowly to the incinerator.

Mark stood silently and watched as everything he knew vanished. Mark turned and looked at the house. His father's house. Just then Panzer and Faust came running up to Mark wagging their tails wildly and jumping around in excitement. Mark just smiled and petted each dog gently.

"Come on, boys. Lets head over to the garage." Mark said as he led the two dogs towards the side of the house. mark jumped onto his bike. As he pulled out of the driveway, he glanced back and saw the two dog chasing him, they would follow him as far as the gate then turn around like they were trained to do. Trained to do, just like Mark.

After riding for a few minutes Mark pulled up to Phil's house, and just sat there.

Mark looked at the house, at how much life seemed to come from it, but Mark's house was the opposite.

Mark stared at Phil's house longingly, knowing that this house was where he wished he could be. Where he wanted to be.

Mark pulled his jeep over in front of Phil's house. It looked like it had for all those years he would come by, beautiful and full of life. After Phil married Lisa, Phil's parents gave the house to them and moved closer to their shop in town.

Mark and Phil did a lot together in this house.

Mark looked at this house, how many times he wished he was in there, where love and life seemed to be. Well at least there used to be, maybe Mark could bring it back, but only if Phil will listen.

Mark walked up to the door and knocked, after a few seconds he heard thunderous footsteps running to the door. The door flew open to the face of an expectant Phil.

Just for a moment the look of hope faded to disappointment then to puzzlement. "Mark?"

"Hey Phil."

"When did you get in to town?"

"Last night, can I come in?"

"Oh yeah, sorry." Phil stepped aside and let Mark in. "Sorry Everything is a mess, it has been a bad couple of days." Phil directed Mark to the living room

"So I understand, how are you taking it?"

"Not too good, man. No one has seen Max and I am really worried." Mark could see Phil was telling the truth. "How did you hear about it?"

"Ummm... Will called me on the C.B."

"Oh right he asked you to check out the ranch, please have a seat."

The two old friends sat down, Phil sat on the sofa and Mark took a seat on the recliner, and for a few moments there was silence. Mark noticed a bunch of roses that were blooming with only the slightest hint of wilting. "Nice flowers." Mark said offhandedly.

But that comment caused a streak of pain to shoot through Phil's face. "They belong to Max." Phil's voice dropped off to a whisper as he stared down at the floor.

"Look, man, what happened?" Mark knew the story, but he wanted to be sure Phil wanted Max to come home.

"The other day was Max's birthday, I made special pans to be here with him, and when I came home I found him in bed with another boy. Mark I knew that they had had sex, right there in his bed, in my house. Mark, he is just a little boy, how could he do that?" Mark just listened politely. "I was so mad at them, so mad at myself, so mad at my life I just lost it, and I kicked him out. I didn't mean to, I didn't want to, I just did. After he left I called Will and asked him to find Max, but no one has been able to find him in almost three days! Mark I don't know what to do, I can't go on if I don't find Max."

Mark looked at his friend, "Are you mad at him for being gay?"

Phil's face shadowed the shock he felt at that comment, "You know I would never hate him for that!"

"Would you tell him that?"

"Of course! If he had told me before I would have accepted it!"

"Did you ever tell him that?"

Phil looked at Mark puzzled, "He knows he could tell me anything."

"Does he? Why would he live a life in secret if he could tell you anything?"

"I don't know Mark, I don't know. All I know is I want him back."

"Would you accept the fact he is with Corey?"

Phil looked at Mark with surprise. "How did you know he was with Corey?"

Mark realized Phil never mentioned Corey by name. "Will told me."

"But Will does not know that I caught Max with another boy, and I only told you that. How do you know it was Corey?"

Mark's eyes gave it away, they always gave it away.

"YOU KNOW WHERE HE IS!" Phil yelled as he leapt to his feet.

"No really, Phil, wait!"

"No, you know don't you? You saw them didn't you? You know where my son is!" Phil was looming over Mark.

"Wait Phil, look, We have to talk about this!"

"No, no, Mark! Tell me where he is now!"

"He does not want to see you yet!"

Phil's face dropped to the floor. "But I have to tell him, I want him to come home."

"Phil look he told me everything that happened and he is still mad, I told him we could set up a neutral place to meet and you two could talk."

"No, Mark, I just want him home, after he is home then we can talk."

Mark stood up. "Damn it Phil don't be so damn pig-headed! Now I know where Max gets it from!"

"God Damn it Mark! Don't you understand this is not a game?"

"No shit this is not a game! You think I could ever find this funny?"

"That's not funny." Phil said.

"I am not kidding." Mark replied as he took a sip from his soda.

"But he is married."

"I know, I was in the wedding party remember?" Mark stuck another French fry in his mouth.

"But he is going to be the sheriff!"

"Look just eat your food."

"What if his wife finds out?"

"Look I think she already knows, I mean when we leave on our hunting trips he is usually all tense. And when he gets back he is hornier that hell, shit his wife asks me when we plan to go hunting again."

Phil shook his head, "Don't you think that's wrong?"

Mark thought about that in the past, true Will was cheating on his wife, but what other choice was there? The person he really wanted did not want him, and the one that did was married, so go for the best offer. Mark glanced in to Phil's eyes, he knew it was wrong, but what could he do? "No, not really. He still loves his wife a lot more than he loves me, plus it's just another way to relieve stress."

"How can you take this so casually? I mean you are having an affair with a married man!"

"Oh come on Phil, you have a wife, someone to go home to at night, me I have a bunch of stuffed ducks on my wall. Same thing for Will, he goes home to his wife every night. Who do I have?"

"Come on, Mark, you can find some one."

"I did a long time ago."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing. Forget it."

"No, what does that mean?"

"It means a long time ago I loved some one, but they didn't love me, I thought they did, but I was wrong."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"What? why are you sorry?"

"Because you are my friend, and I did not know."

"Thanks but don't be, it just was not meant to be."

"Well whoever it is, I am sure they don't know what they missed out on."

Mark looked at Phil and smiled, "Damn straight they don't."

"Max?" Corey whispered in to Max's ear, as they laid together in the back room of the old duck-blind.

"Yeah?"

"If Mr. Dupre gets your dad to agree on seeing you, will you go?"

"I don't know."

"What if your dad says you can come home but you can't see me anymore?"

Max turned his head and looked directly into Corey's eyes. "Then I won't go home."

Corey smiled and kissed Max on the forehead. "What if you can go home but we can never kiss again?"

"Then I will stay right here."

Corey kissed Max again. "Okay, what if we can never have sex again?"

Max was silent in thought.

Corey gave Max an odd look, "Well?"

"Well, it was not that good, so I probably would go home." Max beamed a large smile.

"Bastard, I guess I will have to get you to change your opinion." Corey said as he wrapped Max in his arms then rolled them both over so he was now laying on top of Max.

Max grunted, "Oh no you don't, last time it cost you roses, this time I expect more." Max broke Corey's grip but was still pinned under him. With his right hand he pushed up, with his left he slid under himself and grabbed Corey's right arm. Max then pulled on Corey's arm forceful which pulled Corey over Max's back and on to floor. Because of the limited room, Corey was now pinned between the wall and Max. Corey let out a painful grunt as Max pounced on to him with all his weight and with enough force so Corey could not escape.

"Give in?" Max asked triumphantly.

Corey had not managed to recover his breath.

"Well?"

"Yes!"

"What?" Max asked with a sly smile on his face

"YES! I GIVE IN!"

"That's better." Max then locked his lips with Corey's.

To be continued...

Please Drop me a line if you like or even if you dislike this story, but if you dislike it... please be polite about it. Tell me what you dislike, it won't change anything, but I would like to know, hehe. Thanks. O_H.

Obsidian_Hunter@yahoo.com