Page 38 of Deck the Hauls

I jumped forward, grabbing Dana’s hand and yanking her as far away from the skunk as possible. A jet of liquid shot past, just missing us. The air filled with the stench of rotten eggs. I gagged. It was the most disgusting thing I’d ever smelled.

I realized I was clinging to Dana’s arm and quickly dropped it.

Dana took a step back, coughing, and held her hand over her mouth. “Ugh, it stinks. Let’s regroup over there.” She nodded her head to her left and we sprinted away.

“Okay, it doesn’t smell quite as bad here. That was putrid,” Dana said once we were a safe distance from the skunk. “Did any spray get on you?”

I looked down at my clothes. “I don’t think so, thank god. I’m pretty sure it can take weeks for the smell to go away.” Charles would not be happy if I stunk up the entire film set for the duration of filming.

“Crap. I’d been hoping the smell would disperse after a few minutes, but it sounds like that’s not going to happen. I’m not sure I can stomach getting any closer.”

“Do you have any face masks at the cabin? They might help.”

“I don’t.” Dana kneeled down and rummaged through her backpack. “But I have an old shirt somewhere in here. We could hold it to our faces. It might block out some of the smell. Aha!” Dana pulled out a red flannel shirt, which she ripped in half in one impressively swift movement. “Here you go.” She handed me the fabric.

“Thank you.” I held it over my mouth and nose. I could still smell the skunk, but perhaps it wasn’t quite as bad.

“I wonder if it can spray again?” Dana peered at the cage in the distance.

“I think so.”

“Damn.” Dana’s shoulders slumped. “If it sprays us directly, that’ll be a nightmare.”

“What if we put something over the cage to intercept any spray? It should calm it down as well. Then we could try to open the door with a stick or something?”

“How do you know so much about skunks?” Dana tilted her head.

I grinned. “I had a role as a vet in Animal Rescue Hospital and there was an episode about a skunk that stunk up the entire building. Thankfully, its scent glands had been removed in real life. The writers often took a few liberties with the truth to make the show more interesting, so I can’t vouch for anything I learned, but I do remember the skunk found the dark quite calming.”

Dana chuckled. “Who knew being an actor would give you so many useful skills? Well, I don’t have any other ideas so it’s worth a shot.” Dana pulled off her jacket, revealing a navy shirt that clung to her biceps. God, she was so toned. Her arms were even more impressive than I remembered.

Stop ogling Dana’s arms. I focused on the smell of rotten eggs lingering in the air and gagged again. Nothing like some skunk spray to counteract lust.

I looked around for a stick to hold the trap door open and spotted a long branch lying under a fir. “I think I’ve found our stick.”

I jogged over to it and stripped the twigs and dried needles so it was bare.

“Nice stick. Why don’t you stay here and I’ll do it?” Dana said as I rejoined her.

“No, I think we should both go, in case you need help.”

Dana looked at me for a moment. “Okay, thank you. So are you ready to brave the smell and rescue the skunk?”

“Let’s do this.”

I held the cloth to my face and we carefully approached the cage. The vile smell grew stronger. I focused on breathing through my mouth. The skunk, now sitting in a corner, hissed at us.

Dana gently draped her jacket over the cage. It didn’t cover the entire cage, but it would hopefully intercept any spray.

“Should I try unlatching the door?” I asked, peering at the latch.

“That’s okay. It’s my job, and I don’t want you to get injured or anything.”

Holding the stick with one hand, and the fabric to her face with the other, Dana crept forward. She reached out slowly with the stick and gently nudged the trap door’s latch. The latch moved, but then fell back down.

“Damnit,” Dana muttered under her breath.

She tried again, and this time hit the cage instead, eliciting another hiss from the skunk.