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“Those doors are a hundred years old.”

“I’m not even going to point out how illogical that thinking is.”

“I believe you just did.”

“Stay away from the unbarricaded doors. Go upstairs. I’m on my way.”

“What are you going to do once you get here?”

“I have no idea. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

“Can you make it in ten?”

“I’ll try.”

Milo really wanted to peek through the doors to see what the bear was up to, but that would be stupid. He put his ear to the door. The bear was crunching something hard. The crunching stopped, and the bear coughed, then huffed.

“I hope you choke, you bastard.” He moved to the staircase and sat on the bottom step and watched the clock slowly tick toward 2:15. At 2:12, the lights from Justin’s Jeep shone through the front window. Milo stood and went to open the front door. Justin got out with a rifle in his hands.

“You’re going to shoot it?”

“This is a tranquilizer gun.”

“So, what’s the plan?”

“Put some damn shoes on first.”

Milo grabbed a pair of boots by the front door and put them on, along with a jacket. “We should go around to the kitchen door.”

They went to the side of the house and crept up to the back door. It was open, and Milo checked it for damage. Apparently the bear had opened it right up and walked inside.

The bear was working his way through a bag of onion bagels and didn’t even look up when Justin and Milo peered through the door. Several cans were on the floor, along with ripped-open boxes of pasta, crackers, and cereal.

“I guess that’s what I get for not putting my groceries away.”

“Mom always said…”

“I know. So, why are we drugging him? Why not just chase him out?”

The bear left the bagels and nudged a can, sending it rolling across the floor. “Do you want to go in there and chase him out?” Justin put a hand over the scars on his chest. “I’ve had my once-in-a-lifetime run-in with a bear. I’m not getting near him.”

“Fire away.”

Justin raised the rifle to his shoulder. “If I miss, it’s going to piss him off, so be ready for that.”

“How about you just don’t miss?”

The bear looked up at them and huffed. Both men took a step back, then Justin adjusted the rifle and fired. The dart hit the bear in the shoulder. It grunted, then took a few steps toward them and started to stand. Justin fired again. The bear dropped back down, took one more step, looked slightly surprised, then fell to the floor.

“Holy crap.” Milo leaned against a porch support beam. “Is it down for good?”

“An hour, at least.” Justin started through the doorway, and Milo took his arm.

“Give it a minute.”

“He’s out.”

They both stepped through the door and paused a moment before approaching the bear. Milo shook his head, then put a hand to his nose. “Good Lord. He smells like… death.” He cocked his head. “There’s a damn stinky bear in my kitchen.”