Out on the Ranch

"Keep fucking me, Billy," Claire was urging him on, "keep fucking your baby sister, fill her up with your hot cum. Make her carry your babies."

"Take my cock, baby sis," Billy replied, "make me a daddy, Claire. Oh shit, here it comes!" Claire allowed a loud moan to escape as she felt the first shot of semen splash her insides, her body shook with the intensity of the dirty talk and the orgasm that was produced because of it.

"Everything ok in here?" The voice came from just outside the barn, the two siblings looked for their clothing but to their horror they realized how far away it was from them as the door opened. Claire dove for the nearest pile of hay while Billy used his hat to protect his modesty.

"Hey, Nacho," Billy stammered, "anything I can help you with?"

"Not while you're wearing that, boy," Nacho laughed, "could've sworn I heard a girl's voice in here." Nacho took a step inside the barn and closed the door. "Who do you have in here with you, boy?"

"No one," Billy replied, then closed his eyes in embarrassment as he realized the foolishness of his answer. "Well, someone, but she is hiding."

"Well," Nacho laughed, "sorry for interrupting you two, just needed to borrow some tools when I heard the shouting. I'll just go over to the house and wait on you two, mind if I grab a beer while I wait?"

"No," Billy answered, relief painted across his face, "go right ahead, Nacho, I'll be up there in just a second, as soon as I can find my pants."

"Take your time, boy," Nacho said as he pointed at the pile of clothes that were scattered in the opposite side of the barn, "you too, Claire. I'll see you two back in the house." Nacho opened the door and made his way toward the house as Billy and Claire remained frozen.

"Oh fuck..." they both said in unison.

The two siblings walked together into the large house; Nacho was busy singing to himself when the door opened. There was a crimson shade that revealed the shame that both Billy and Claire felt at being caught; Nacho looked at the two as they wallowed in their shame and let out a belly laugh. Confusion spread out in the two young faces, Nacho found something in the situation extremely amusing.

"Nacho," Billy began to say something but was silenced by Nacho's hand being held as his laughter slowly waned. Once Nacho regained his composure, Billy tried to speak again, but again Nacho's hand told him to remain silent.

"How long has this been going on between you two?" Nacho raised an eyebrow just as Claire was about to respond, that single gesture told them that lying would not be a wise thing.

"Since after the wake," Billy replied, "it just sort of happened. The loneliness of the house, and we were just there for one another."

"Something like this doesn't just 'sort of happen,' boy," Nacho again laughed, "for goodness' sake, she is your sister, not some random bar fly you came across."

"I snuck into his bed," Claire interrupted, "and then, well..."

"I could've asked her to leave," Billy jumped into the conversation, "but instead..."

"I see," Nacho again interrupted them, "who else knows about this arrangement of yours?"

"Just you," Billy replied while hanging his head.

"Well," Nacho continued, "can't have it just at that. I certainly can't keep this to myself," panic spread across their faces, "calm down you two, its nothing like that. Claire, can you please go and fetch my wife while Billy and I have a talk?"

"Ok," Claire meekly replied, "I'll be right back," she told Billy before leaving.

"You can't tell anyone about this, Nacho." Billy's panic was flowing freely now that Claire was no longer in the room, "please, I am asking you as a friend, please keep this business to yourself. If you want, we won't ever bother you again."

"Boy," Nacho's face grew serious as he turned to the younger man, "I ought to put the belt to you for talking such nonsense." Nacho finished his beer with a long swallow, "care if I grab another drink?"

"No," Billy answered, his voice was like a condemned prisoner as he prepared himself for the final walk to the gallows. Nacho reached into the refrigerator and removed two long necks. After handing Billy one, Nacho again took a long drink from the bottle. The front door swung wide open as the two women walked in.

"Que es lo que sucede aqui, Nacho?" While Mrs. Renteria spoke English quite well, she preferred to speak in her native language whenever she spoke with family. Both Billy and Claire understood the language, but Claire had difficulties speaking it since she had gone so many years without practicing.

"What do you think is going on, woman?" Nacho opened his arms while Mrs. Renteria moved in between them, as if that was the most natural place for her to be, "caught these two going at it in the barn." Claire lost all color in her face, the combination of sheer terror and embarrassment was almost too much for her to endure; had the situation been slightly different this would have been a comical reaction.

"Mrs. Renteria," Claire tried to speak up but her breath had suddenly gone away, she raised her hand as if looking for some platform or crevice that she could use to hang on to but there was only emptiness there. Billy managed to catch her before her body fell into the floor.

"Nacho!" Mrs. Renteria scolded her husband as he laughed, she quickly moved to Claire's side and began fanning her with her hands. "Ve y trae agua fria, Billy. Apurate!"

"Maybe grab me another beer while you're there, boy," Nacho laughed louder still, he was enjoying the torment that he masterfully inflicted onto the two youngsters. His wife's eyes shot daggers at him, it would always be a mystery to Billy whether that man was very brave or incredibly stupid.

"Here is the water," Billy handed Mrs. Renteria the cold glass, "and the beer." The daggers were now being directed at him.

"Don't pay her no mind, boy," Nacho's laughter was slowly becoming one of the most natural sounds in the house, "she is just mad at my drinking."

"What..."

"Te desmayaste, mi vida," Mrs. Renteria cradled Claire as she slowly tipped the cold glass of water to Claire's lips, slowly the color returned to her face.

"Didn't think you would react that way to a little joke," Nacho said.

"Eso no fue ningun chiste, Ignacio," Mrs. Renteria shouted as the breath from all lungs in the room was sucked simultaneously out of each body.

"She called me by my full name," Nacho was struggling not to continue laughing, when he made eye contact with Billy, both men broke out in a fit of fearful laughter.

"What is so damn funny?" Claire was now joining the anger ranks as Billy joined the laughing ranks, the battle of the sexes was about to be waged in a small living room. "Why are you laughing, William Bonney?"

"Oh shit," Nacho continued, "guess I'm not the only one that is going to be in trouble tonight, boy." He held up his bottle of beer, "let's sit down, don't want another repeat performance when I tell you all a little family secret."

"Why do we care about your secrets when you aren't willing to protect ours?" Billy looked at Nacho with anger and defiance, this of course made Nacho laugh even harder.

"Boy," Nacho looked down and made eye contact with his wife. Even after the entire exchange, there was little doubt of the love and complete devotion that these two felt for one another. With little more than a stare, Nacho could make his wife blush, even after so many years together. "Your mom and pop knew this secret, and they were very helpful over the years as we kept ours."

"What secret is that?" Billy asked.

"That woman," Nacho gestured with his beer, "before she was my wife, she was my sister."

"What?"

"Your parents knew this, of course, they saw us growing up. While I am her first husband, she is my second wife. The first one decided to leave me when she learned that I would not be selling the land that I had inherited, mainly because my sister had equal share to it. After my divorce, I was not ready to meet anyone else, Elena here decided to move in with me to help take care of me and the land."

"Looks like she did an excellent job at taking care of you," Claire said, this time it was Elena who felt the as the blush covered her face.

"Yes, she does," Nacho replied, "we saw you two growing up, how close you two were to one another. When you left, Claire, I thought that maybe I had been wrong in thinking that you two would do the same thing that Elena and I did. But when you came back, I knew that I had been right."

"El corazon quiere lo que el corazon quiere." Elena looked at Claire while she spoke.

"Sometimes," Nacho continued, "the only heart that beats as close to yours, happens to be one that you've known all your life." He looked at the two and continued, "there is nothing for you two to feel ashamed about, finding love is a happy occasion."

...

"Please, be careful Billy," Claire was running her hands across his naked chest as the two lay together after their latest love-making session. Billy was having a tough time prying himself off this woman, but the sun had already begun to hide behind the mountains and tonight would be the time they would find out what had been killing their animals.

"I will," he replied, "Pa's old pistol is ready to go just in case." He tried to remain calm for her sake, but there was something in the night air that made him feel uneasy. The moon had a tint of blood on its face, the air outside was as still as a catacomb. One could almost taste an acidic-like moisture on the surface of the air, it burned the eyes as one walked around.

"Elena is coming over to spend the night," Claire continued, "she doesn't want to be alone in the house with Jenkins there."

"Why?"

"She has always said that there is something about the man that made her nervous," Claire replied, "something not right."

"Did she tell you what gave her that impression?" Billy turned to face her, this was news to him. As far as he knew, Nacho and Jenkins kept their distance from one another, there was no ill feelings between the two men but there certainly was no friendship either. Billy remembered how surprised Jenkins had been when he learned of the closeness Billy held with the Renterias. While he hadn't given it much thought then, Claire's words had brought that memory rushing back into his mind.

"No," Claire replied, "but there was something there for sure. I'll try to find out more about it tonight, but I don't want to make it an interrogation."

"Don't pry too much if its not necessary," Billy moved to start gathering his things, "I'll try to see if Nacho can tell me something about it. But she did have a strange look when we went over looking for Nacho."

As the night hours dragged on, the three men gathered in front of Nacho's house; all three had arrived separately to their meeting place. Each man had a long rifle and flashlight, their plan was to cover as much of the land as possible while keeping an eye on the animals. As soon as one of them saw anything out of the ordinary, he would fire his rifle into the air to alert the others. While they made their final preparations, Nacho worriedly looked over at Billy.

"What is the matter? You look shook up, Billy boy."

"Just something don't feel right," Billy replied, "even Claire thinks there is something odd about the night."

"Women," Jenkins replied, "they always have to be afraid of something."

"Its not that," Billy continued, "Claire mentioned there could be some type of creature that is attacking our animals. That's why she insisted that I bring along my..."

"What type of creature?" Jenkins was very curious to hear this revelation. "Did she get a blood sample, or maybe a carcass? Anything?"

"What?" Billy looked at the man, "no, nothing like that. She just mentioned a name... something with a C-H sound. I don't remember it exactly but it was in Spanish, that much is for sure."

"A chupacabras?" Nacho looked at Billy with narrowed eyes. He had spoken this name in a whisper, almost as if he was terrified that saying the name out loud would invoke the creature from whatever depths it came from.

"That's it," Billy replied, "what is it?" Nacho's darkened mood interrupted Billy's recollection, whatever that creature may be, it certainly was dangerous, or that was what Nacho's mannerisms revealed.

"It's a legend boy," Nacho replied, "its spread from father to son, from family to family. There are few names that this creature has not affected with its presence, some of the more prominent families that I have ever met have reached ruin after encountering such a beast. It is said that this creature is singlehandedly responsible for hundreds of cattle mutilations and deaths for the past years."

"What kind of legend is that?" Jenkins looked at the two men, a hint of fear in his voice.

"The closest one that I have heard is the legend of... Bigfoot." Nacho looked at the two men, waiting anxiously for their laughter to creep out from the corners of their mouths. When none came forth, he continued. "It is not real, its just a scary story to help kids go to sleep. There is no need to take any of it seriously."

"She tricked me again?" Billy looked at the house, the anger was seething out through his clenched teeth.

"She sure did, Billy boy," Nacho said. "Let's go, it ain't gonna get much darker."

"Nacho," Billy asked as the men split up, Nacho and Billy would go on a bit further before they too would spread out, "something going on between Jenkins and you?"

"Nothing much, Billy boy" Nacho replied, "he's just always struck me as a bit odd, don't you think?"

"What do you mean?"

"You never heard him talking about all those stories?"

"I don't think so," Billy replied, "what are they about?"

"Last one I heard from him, he was going on and on about how government men were coming around his lands at night." Nacho stood still for a few seconds as if trying to recall some important detail, "must've been three months back or so. He was telling anyone that would hear about how he shot down a black helicopter in the middle of the night."

"A helicopter?"

"I told you they were stories," Nacho laughed, "not much to them when you think about it. The best thing about a conspiracy theory is that you don't have to prove it to be right."

The three men wondered in the darkness for hours, every sound that echoed through the wet night-time air was suspicious. Their senses were heightened, the feeling of impending doom combined with the eagerness for action proved to be a powerful stimulant for all men. While Billy's mind resisted the temptation to wonder into nightmarish territories, the weather and feel of the night made it almost irresistible to do so. The stillness of the night was broken by a single sound, it was almost as if a cannon was tearing through the fabric of the starlit canvas above. Billy's hand traveled the short distance to his hip; the 1911 pistol that his grandfather had used during the war had been passed down as a war memento. After taking a deep breath, Billy moved in the darkness toward the gunshots.

"What the hell is going on?" Jenkins reached the place almost at the same time as Billy had, Jenkin's face was showing far more signs of terror and exhaustion. The jog from where he had been and this place would not have been a taxing one for a healthy adult, Jenkins was anything but that.

"I got something," Nacho calmly replied, "something was moving along the fence line, I am sure I got it."

"Did you get a look at it?" Billy asked, he tried to keep the excitement off his voice, but by the looks Nacho was giving him he failed miserably.

"All I know is that it wasn't one of my animals," Nacho replied, "and it wasn't a person."

"What makes you say that?" Jenkins lowered his voice, just like Billy, he was trying to keep a sentiment off his voice, and just like Billy he failed miserably. The fear dripped from every syllable, his tight grip on the long hunting rifle further betrayed his feelings at that moment.

"Its eyes glowed," Nacho replied, then turning to Billy he continued, "no, I am not tricking you, Billy boy. I have never seen that kind of thing before, those eyes..."

"Which way did it go?" Billy was eager to give chase, Nacho pointed away from their lands and toward the large tree filled expanse of land that had long belonged to the government. "Damn," Billy knew that any hunting done in those lands came with a hefty fine and confiscation of his priced weaponry.

"We can wait until daylight," Jenkins replied, "follow the trail."

"I'll have Claire get a hold of the game warden," Billy added, "at least that way he'll know we aren't there to poach."

"I don't think anything else is going to be coming here for the rest of the night," Nacho continued, "we might as well pack it in."

"We'll meet here at first light then," Jenkins added almost too willingly, "you coming along Billy?"

"No, I gotta go pick up Claire first," Billy replied, "we'll see you tomorrow, Jenkins. I got a feeling its going to be a long day." As the three men departed for the second time that night, two of them headed to the small house in the property while the third looked on toward the national managed lands. If Billy or Nacho had turned around at that moment, the look painted on Jenkin's face would have caused them some worries.

"We heard the shot," Claire ran into Billy's arms as soon as the door was opened, "we were worried."

"Nacho hit something," Billy comforted her, "or so he says."

"Don't think you're too old for me to put you over my knee, Billy boy," Nacho replied as Elena embraced him, "care for a drink to call it a night?"

"Sure," Billy replied, "Nacho said he saw something with glowing eyes."

"Glowing?" Claire immediately dropped her concerned look and adopted her scientific demeanor, you could see it in her eyes as she mentally ran through the long volumes of academic literature trying to find an answer. "Nocturnal creatures can sometimes reflect even the smallest amount of light," she said, "it's got something to do with the way they see in the dark."

"Are you still waiting on the test results on the dead animals?" Billy asked.

"Yes," she replied, "there was nothing unusual in the carcasses, no missing organs, no signs of predation, and no immediate signs of disease. Same with your animals, Nacho, besides none of the other animals have shown any signs of disease." Claire was in full scientific mode, Billy rarely saw this side of her and he found it incredibly endearing. At that moment he could not contain his pride at how far along she had come as a woman.

"Pero no se estan portando normalmente," Elena added.

"No," Claire replied, "I am a little puzzled with their behavior as well, they do act as if a predator was in the area. I have a hunch that would explain all the dead animals, but seeing how Jenkins was right with the pattern of attacks, well that theory doesn't make much sense now."

"What did you think it could be?" Nacho handed Billy a cold shot of tequila as he asked Claire his question. Even he was impressed by the young woman's methodical approach to problems; while her family had a great deal of influence is the community accepting Claire as the local veterinarian, it had been her knowledge that kept their trust. Her problem-solving skills had proven more than once to be a savior in many a rancher's eye.

"Some type of contamination," she replied, "either in the water or the feed. That would target specific animals, based on their tolerance and reaction to the toxins. It would also explain the behavior for the rest of the animals."

"But it doesn't explain the pattern," Billy thought out loud.

"Exactly," Claire replied, "its that pattern that breaks the theory. Otherwise it would have been the perfect explanation, but once the labs come in we'll be able to rule that out for certain."