I sat up.

Hogg pushed his wet meat back in his fly. “Time for you to get out,” he said to Jimmy; I guess Hogg really had no intention to listen to none of Jimmy’s story.

“We ain’t at the mill-road yet …” Jimmy leaned forward, looking out the windshield.

“Come on,” Hogg said. “Get on out. We’re about a couple of hundred yards up. This way, nobody’ll see you gettin’ out of our truck.”

“Oh,” Jimmy said. “Yeah, sure. I guess that’s a good idea.” He was twisting around to get forward on the seat.

“Just a second,” the nigger said. He opened the door beside him. “I’ll get out and let you down.”

Hogg opened his door too. “Yeah, I think I can use a little legstretchin’ too.” He swung out. “Come on down, cocksucker,” he said to me. “Come on, move!” Which I did while the others got out the other side.

“I guess the turnoff’s just down there?” Jimmy came around the front of the truck. The headlight splashed his plaid chest and stubbly chin as he passed through it.

“That’s right,” Hogg said. He was standing near the cab door, one hand up on the door frame, half leaning. Denny and the wop came around too. Standing on the other side, I could hear water against the wheel. The nigger was taking a leak.

The only light on Jimmy’s face now was a crescent from the road lamp on the top of one of the telephone poles a few yards down. “Well, thanks, I guess.…” He looked a little embarrassed, tried to swallow his teeth a little.

“You sure you don’t want to come with us and try out on the next job we got?”

“Naw,” Jimmy said. “Naw. I ain’t into that. Thanks … Naw, I’m gonna be goin’, I guess.” He took a couple of steps backwards, bobbing his head, wiping his hands on his hips; then turned and started down the road.

“Watch it, cocksucker!” Hogg whispered suddenly; he leaned by me back into the open door, reached under the seat, and came out with a narrow-gauge shotgun.

I stepped back, surprised.

Hogg raised the gun. His body jerked with the crack!

Thirty feet away, Jimmy jerked too.

Denny—or the nigger—whistled.

“Come on!” Hogg whispered. He grinned at me. Then he sprinted forward. I followed.

Jimmy lay on his face, trying to push himself up, going: “Uhhhhh … Uhhhh … Uhhhhh … Uhhhh.…” Blood wet the gravel on the road’s shoulder, spread to the asphalt, and began running left and right like a T, until at one point it started to roll across the topping, so that it was spreading out now in three directions.

With his shoe under Jimmy’s hip, Hogg rolled him onto his back.

Jimmy’s hand clawed up gravel and flopped out.

“Uhhhhh … Uhhhh.…”

Hogg pushed my shoulder. “Go on, cocksucker! Get that fuckin’ dick out of his pants and start suckin’!” He had a funny grin in his voice.