The Butcher and the Baker

I walked into Dan’s Meat Market. Which was across the street from the bakery, where Hollyne worked. When you walk in there were are bunch of shelves. On them was candy bars, chips, and packaged frosted donuts. To the very right, on the shelf was boxes of pastas, and packages of different kinds of rice. Instant ramen and similar, and dinner sides. All things that could be stored in the pantry, and eaten weeks later. In the very back was a series of fridges with glass doors filled with every drink in every brand you could think off. Ross and V went to grab pops, and Raina browsed the chip aisle. Cypress just wondered around looking board. Me and Jordan went to the butchers counter. There was a display with half pounds of different kinds of meats. My mouth watered at the sight. The cashier counter was to the left front of the store. The butchers counter to the left back. In between them was the door to the restroom. Behind the cashier counter was the door to a very small staff room. Behind the butcher counter was the door to the walk in freezer. Where most of the meat was kept. Mr. Dan and Ms. Debbie his wife owned the store. He was the butcher, and she the cashier. I looked at the counter display case. It was the only fresh thing in the store. If you wanted fresh fruit, or eggs, or something you have to go to the Farmers Market down the road. Debbie was behind the cashier counter. I heard the freezer door swing open, and could smell bloody meat making my mouth water again. Jordan put a hand on my shoulder. Dan smiled when he saw us.

“Well if it isn’t my best customers!” He exclaimed walking over to us. “What can I do for you.” I let Jordan order first. Any money I make doing chores, or babysitting goes ether into my to go bag, or is spent here. On meat.

“Carful it’s heavy.” Dan says. Jordan nods pretending to struggle with the large paper bag a bit. “And for my favorite customer, but don’t tell Jordan that.” Dan says smiling.

“Burger meat.” I say figuring that’s a safe non suspicious option. Jordan at least comes from a family of hunters so taking home meat isn’t so strange. It probably wouldn’t with me ether, but can’t have people connecting any dots. Nether is getting large portions if he’s selling it like his father, and his friends do on the side. Or if they’re sharing it up at the farm. His dad and mine work together at Farmer Roger’s Farm. They do a lot of hunting up there. We try to stay away when we can, when we hunt. Jordan is close friends with Farmer Roger’s son Leo. Who works as a ranch hand. I think about how much meat I can ask for with out over doing it. “Enough for eight people.” I say. There are six of us. Dan knows that, but asking for a little extra isn’t so strange if someone ends up wanting thirds, or another person ends up showing up to this non nonexistent cook out. Though Ross keeps saying we should buy a grill for the green house. One of those small park grills that seemed easy enough to use, and Jordan would know how too if not. Still I hadn’t allowed it to afraid the branches, or leaves would catch fire. Still it wasn’t such a bad idea. And it wasn’t like we didn’t set up camp fires out there. We could even just bring a pan out there. I took the bag thanking him. There was six of us, but the meat would only be for four of us. Our human friends could eat only human food, and never get the second hunger. We were not so lucky. We ate like human’s, the same amount they ate it just wasn’t enough, wasn’t the right food for us. Meat helped a little. We could wait a little longer to hunt our real prey. While waiting made the desire to hunt harder to control it helped us be safer for a little while longer. We took Jordan’s truck out to a spot we visited often. We settled sitting on logs, or the ground. All except V who stood closest to the road. As if she was standing guard. Her eyes shifting around. Our hearing and sight was keener, but that didn’t seem to stop her from being on edge. We passed out the meat. Jordan would take his home to his sister. She craved human flesh as much as the rest of us, but her hunting instincts would grow slowly over time until she was big enough to hunt. She was only eight. She had more control than most, but Jordan wasn’t taking any risks. So far the hunter only thought there were four wolf-shifters in FallenGreen, and he was planning on keeping it that way. Things were getting worse that couldn’t be denied, and I felt guilty in my part in that. All-be-it unintentional. I scoured maps on my phone. Places with enough people to hunt, but far enough away to hopefully not attract the attention of the Hunters Guild. There was no Guild of course not really. The Hunters were no unified group. A few like the ones here formed their own little packs, but most just worked and happened across each other. Sometimes they met online, but most hunting groups were on their own. There was the two others if we could help ourselves we couldn’t kill, friends of Jordan’s dad. He was a retired Hunter. Technically so was Farmer Rodger, but after all the deaths he took up the work again. Julie, anther person who worked for Farmer Rodger as a Farm Hand was also a Hunter. Most of the human deaths happened in the towns nearby, and that was the real issue. We had gotten the Hunters attention, and FallenGreen was the main suspect for where the wolf-shifters were hiding from them in human form. In our desire to stay fed, but spare our friends of friends, and the lack of community losses. We practically unwillingly gave up our location. Still things could be worse, and it was hard to get too sad now that I had a pack again.