Turn 154 of 226

Resume our life in full force before the authorities appeared. Hunting, fighting, eating, fucking and pissing

The foundry is the thing the bodies return to. The returning is not the thing the bodies do quietly. The quietly is the thing the human does. The human is the thing the bodies are not. The bodies are the things that walk through the gate — the gate that is the thing the chain was on, the chain that is the thing the bolt cutters the fifth patrol carried cut through. The bolt cutters are the thing the bodies kept. The keeping is the thing the animal does with useful things. The lot is the thing the bodies stand in. The standing is the thing the 1,470 pounds does on the concrete. The concrete is the thing the blood stains are still on. The blood is the thing the bodies do not clean. The not cleaning is the thing the territory marks.

The perimeter is the thing Lena walks first. The walking is the thing the animal does when the animal reclaims. The reclaiming is the thing the scent does — the scent that the bodies refresh against the fence posts and the door frames and the rusted pillars. The pillars are the things the bodies rub against. The rubbing is the thing the sweat and the piss do. The piss is the thing Lena releases against the first pillar without stopping. The stopping is the thing the body does not do. The body does not stop because the pissing is the thing the body does where the body stands. The standing is the thing the body does while the pissing happens. The happening is the thing the body does not think about. The thinking is the thing the human does. The human is the thing the body is not.

Diane is the thing that finds the clearing behind the complex. The clearing is the thing the scrub makes — the scrub that is the thing between the foundry and the tree line, the scrub that is the thing the deer bedded in before. The before is the thing the bodies took from the deer. The taking is the thing the bodies will do again. The tracks are the things Diane's nose finds in the mud. The mud is the thing the creek left. The creek is the thing that runs through the south edge of the complex. The complex is the thing the county gave. The giving is the thing the bodies use. The using is the thing the hunt is for.

The first hunt is the thing the bodies do at dusk. The dusk is the thing the dark starts from. The dark is the thing the bodies own. The deer is the thing Diane's nose finds first — the scent that is the thing the wind carries from the tree line, the scent that is the thing the bodies track through the undergrowth. The tracking is the thing the animal does. The animal is the thing the bodies are. The deer is the thing the bodies flank. The flanking is the thing the bodies learned on the coyotes. The coyotes are the things the bodies killed first. The deer is the thing the bodies kill now. The killing is the thing Diane's arms do — the arms that wrap the neck, the arms that are the things 1,470 pounds of muscle and fat behind. The neck is the thing that breaks. The breaking is the thing the deer does not survive.

The eating is the thing the bodies do on the creek bank. The eating is the thing the teeth do — the teeth that tear the hide, the teeth that find the meat. The meat is the thing the blood runs from. The blood is the thing the chins catch. The chins are the things the bodies do not wipe. The not wiping is the thing the animal does. The animal is the thing that wears the kill. The wearing is the thing the blood does. The blood is the thing that dries on the skin. The skin is the thing the bodies do not wash. The not washing is the thing the body has done since the wish. The wish is the thing that is still going. The going is the thing the bodies do not stop.

The training is the thing the bodies do after the eating. The training is the thing the foundry floor gives — the floor that is the thing the concrete makes, the concrete that is the thing the striking takes. The striking is the thing Lena's shins do on the pillar. The pillar is the thing the rust makes. The rust is the thing the shin scrapes. The scraping is the thing the callous builds from. The callous is the thing the adaptation is. The adaptation is the thing the wish accelerates. The sparring is the thing the bodies do together. The together is the thing the clinch makes — the clinch that is the thing the 1,470 pounds does against the 1,470 pounds. The pushing is the thing the bodies do. The pushing is the thing the strength tests. The testing is the thing the bodies do every night. The night is the thing the bodies do not waste.

The fucking is the thing the bodies do on the foundry floor. The floor is the thing the concrete makes warm. The warm is the thing the bodies make. The making is the thing the 1,470 pounds does — the weight that is the thing the bodies press together, the weight that is the thing the skin does, the skin that is the thing the hair covers. The hair is the thing the bodies grind through. The grinding is the thing the hips do. The hips are the things the bodies use. The using is the thing the animal does. The animal is the thing that fucks. The fucking is the thing the animal does not hide. The not hiding is the thing the open floor gives. The open floor is the thing the foundry is. The foundry is the thing the bodies own. The owning is the thing the bodies earned. The earning is the thing the killing gave. The killing is the thing the bodies do not do anymore. The anymore is the thing the agreement says. The agreement is the thing the bodies keep. The keeping is the thing the bodies do because the territory is the thing the bodies have. The having is the thing the bodies will not lose again.