and the violent take it by force.

—Matthew 11:12 (KJV)

PART ONE

Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves

Brining in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves

1.

Rusted strands of barbed wire were the only obstacles keeping us from sneaking onto the Lewellen property. The cords had gotten weathered by the elements and hung limp in the fence posts, so they pulled up easy when I grabbed them. Marshall dropped to the ground and crawled on his belly the way an infantryman does on the battlefield. Once he got to the other side, he dusted himself off, took the fencing from me, and I snaked my way through. If Harper Lewellen caught us trespassing, he’d get mad enough to shit bullet holes through us.

It wasn’t my idea to sneak onto old Harp’s property. He’d hated me ever since I was a kid in high school. Harper caught me finger-banging his daughter one time and told me he’d shoot me if he ever saw my face again. Up to this point, I’d steered clear of him and any gun he’d aim in my direction. But Marshall told me there was something I needed to see and pestered the devil out of me until I agreed to come.

It was the dead of night, and we’d counted on there being enough moonlight to see in the dark. I’d told Marshall there wasn’t no way I was sneaking around Harp’s with a flashlight. The only problem is I didn’t consider the forecast, and with it being partly cloudy, it obscured what light we could see by. After it started drizzling some, we scooted through the woods like a pair of coon dogs tracking a scent.

Marshall slowed when we reached the edge of the tree line and found a kudzu strangled hickory stump to hide behind. I camouflaged myself behind the tree next to him and waited for him to signal what to do next. Marshall was down on one knee, peering over the stump’s jagged lip. I didn’t know what my brother was looking for, but I was on the scope out for any Lewellen who might be stirring. It wasn’t an easy task with it being well past dusk and the lack of moonlight, but I wasn’t saying nothing to Marshall. He’d already given me two earfuls of shit about bringing no flashlights.

Marshall whistled to get my attention and pointed where he wanted us to go. I looked past Harper’s two-story home, the double-wide his mama lived in, and way out to a sheet metal building. Before Harp caught me two knuckles deep inside Andy, she’d snuck me inside that shop a couple of times. It’s where her deddy liked spending his time drinking, watching Georgia games, and rebuilding classic cars. It was that man’s sanctuary, and if we got caught inside there, we’d get shot on sight.

I looked back over at Marshall and shook my head. He’d come off his heels to make a run for the building and almost fell over trying to stop. He threw his hands out to the side and mouthed something at me, even though he knew I couldn’t read lips, especially in the damn dark. I threw a thumb over my shoulder to let him know I thought we should head back. Marshall wasn’t having it. I knew he thought we’d come too far to turn back now, and he did the one thing I hoped he wouldn’t by taking off on in a flat sprint and hauling ass for the building.