As Arkin focused on the sight of his rifle, ready to let loose a flurry of hot lead upon a deer, he felt hot breath on his collar.

“God!” he cried. “Dang it, Private, keep your distance!”

“But Sergeant! I need to learn how to fire a rifle!”

Arkin glared angrily into Private Harrison’s eyes, only idiocracy being reflected back at him. “Private, you’ve gone through the same basic training course thirteen times, and you still haven’t passed it. They left us here so I can train you again! And you’re telling me you can’t so much as fire a gun.” Arkin squeezed his temples. “Hell, Private, how old are you?”

“Twenty-nine, sir!”

“Private, you’re older than me!And you want me to show you how to pull a friggin’ trigger?” Arkin peeked between the trees, watched his deer flee. He stomped in anger,  his hand wrapped dangerously around his rifle. “Tell ya’ what, Private. If you go faaaaar away from me, and teach yourselfhow to fire a rifle, I might just letcha eat tonight.”

“Yes, sir!”

At that, Harrison was off, running enthusiastically into the forest, making no note of his direction. Arkin sighed in relief. “Damn kids,” he said to himself in his scruffy Arizona accent. Sinking back against the soft bark of a tree. He let his head back and breathed in the sweet air, untainted by Harrison’s awful presence.

And then, he felt his own stomach grumble. Immediately, he remembered the task at hand, lifting himself to his feet again, and pivoting his body outward into the forest. Rifle in hand, he instantly spotted a second deer. He lifted the wooden sight up to his eye, centered the aiming reticle…

“Sergeant!”

And the rifle went off, the bullet smacking through the branch of a tree. “PRIVATE!” Arkin exploded. “What, do you think bullets can just appear in our pockets? How many do you think we have at our disposal?” He panted, trying to calm himself down; it didn’t work. “For God’s sakes, Harrison, every bullet we waste is another hundred pounds of food we don’t have!”

“But Sergeant, I don’t have a rifle!”

“Take mine,” Arkin hissed through gritted teeth, grabbing it by the barrel and violently smashing the butt through Harrison’s jaw. Harrison flew backward from the force.

As the Private hit the ground, Sergeant Arkin stepped atop his abdomen, cocked his rifle, and pointed it directly between Harrison’s eyes. “I swear to God, Private, the next time you interrupt me when I’m hunting, I’ll rip out your intestine, tie it into a noose, and hang you with it!”

“Sergeant, look out!”

“And then I’ll whip you, and I’ll personally wrap your mouth around my manhood–” The Sergeant’s ever-so-diligent threat was cut short as he heard the snapping of wooden fibers behind him. He gulped down hard as he slowly turned his head.

The next moment, the very branch he had shot instead of his prey collided with his face.

Click link for Chapter Three:

http://authspot.com/short-stories/man-up-day-u-s-a-chapter-three/

Click link for Chapter One:

http://authspot.com/short-stories/man-up-day-u-s-a-chapter-one/