You shot him?

I shot him.

You saw him go down?

Yeah.

Felt his pulse?

He’s dead. Trust me.

Where’s the body?

Out in the woods.

You just left it there?

He’s in a hole covered with dirt and leaves. I packed it down.

How far did you dig?

Five. Six yards.

How long did it take you?

Awhile. I didn’t time myself. As fast as I could. The job is done.

Right.

The two men looked at each other. They could see their breath. Heard dogs barking.

He had it coming.

Yes. I told him. No doubt about it.

I didn’t even give him time to pray. Shot him in the back of the head. He never saw it coming.  Probably didn’t feel it. Just dropped to the ground.

He knew. Knew it was going to happen.  Men sense these things. He knew it from the beginning. Back when he was a kid, he dreamt about it. He knew.

Did you know?

Not till God told me.

Yeah.

God said to Abraham, Kill me a son. Abe said, God, I’ve only got one. God told him, Just get the job done. Bury him out on Highway 61.

The two men drove through town in silence. Johnny Cash was on the radio singing a gospel song. It was Sunday morning.

(Inspired by Bob Dylan’s Highway 61.)