A few weeks go by after the chicken incident, and things have quieted down. We are getting to the end of our junior year at school and it is now finals week.

We run across an article in the local paper about some cow mutilations that have happened nearby. A farmer in Golan County, Nathan Bowers, has discovered two of his blue ribbon cattle butchered in the middle of his two hundred acre ranch. The assailants didn’t take any of the meat, but staked pieces of the cows in a small circular area. There were no tracks leading into the field or out of it.

The local sheriff, Butch Anderson, investigated and thought it was a teenage prank. There have been many reports of cow mutilations in the county since the late 1970s, though most of them find the cows drained of blood and their bodies precisely cut as if by scalpel or laser.

Professor Glen Maclanahan of East Texas University said that this one is different because of the “savage butchery”. He has written a number of books on the subject of modern mythologies, and says that this is likely the work of a cult and not aliens.

We start to do some investigations but don’t learn much during finals week.

The next week we hear of another cow mutilation nearby, but this one was further south of us. We decide that it would be best to investigate ourselves. We drive together to the farm and meet the farmer, asking if we can hunt near here. He mentions the incident and Bo seems to track with him; he invites us inside to see what happened. We take a look around and Bo gets permission for us to visit his land “for hunting coyotes and wolves.”

We look for clues but it seems like the scene has been trampled by the cops. There is a circle of flattened grass like a helicopter was hovering over it, and there is a ring of blood with somewhat of a pattern but it has been mushed by footprints. Homer takes his helicopter up a hundred feet and takes a picture of the scene, and Bo does videos of the area.

A week later Blake hears from the local cops that they are concerned about these mutilations and they are under pressure to figure it out. The mayor has also taken some interest in this case. We research the mayor’s background; apparently he had an illegitimate child with another woman. He may also have ties with white supremecist groups. Once when he was drunk he was overheard saying that “northern occupiers” are preventing decent folk from getting what they deserve, and is hoping to return the south to its former glory.

In a few days they have a press conference. The sheriff is there and also the mayor, who looks a lot like Colonel Sanders. Manny Travis, one of the council members, local business owner and a former chicken fight attendee. The mayor starts out by saying that this is a grave matter and is being investigated. When pressed, he just says that there are a few deputies looking into it.

Suddenly an F-150 pickup drives up and a barrel emerges from the window. Bo sees it and yells “GUN!” and throws his slurpee at the truck. A shot is fired and the cameraman filming the press conference, Neil Franks, is shot in the head. Everyone hits the deck. The truck peels off and a cop car rolls out and pursues him.

Adelle hears Manny turn to the mayor as they are both laying on the ground, and he says “If I find out you were behind this, I’ll open up a can of whoop ass like you’ve never seen.” The mayor stands up and runs into the city hall building. The police pursue the truck but he gets away.

Manny yells about “white supremecists” and “they are trying to do me like they did my girlfriend.” Adelle gets this on tape with her smartphone.

In checking the video of the event, the face of the assassin and their accomplice can be seen. Manny seems okay but is going on about how white supremacists are after him. Afterward, when being interviewed he seems to have changed his story and says that he doesn’t even know what happened.

Blake finds a shell casing on the ground and tells the authorities about it.

While this is happening, Leafwalker is in the religious studies department and has found professor Glen McClanahan who spoke out about the attacks. He brushes Leafwalker off, unfortunately.

A few hours later, we have been released from questioning. Homer runs the plate and finds out that the truck is owned by Hank Cleary, and we see find his address.

The next day in the Pinebox Newspaper, it says that Kerry McGovern was the shooter, driving Hank Cleary’s truck. They reportedly both have ties to the Texas National Militia, a pseudo-military, racist organization.

Blake looks up Kerry McGovern’s records and he has a record for battery, disorderly conduct, and chicken fighting. He also looks up the Texas National Militia, and it seems that they feel that the Civil War has never truly ended and they are waiting for the south to rise again.