by Dan McNeill
Chapter 10
A single shot from a rifle blast tore Raymond from his slumber. With a slight trail of smoke drifting up over the field, a flock of crows flew off from the tips of the stalks they had been feeding on.
"Get up!" an angry voice snarled.
Raymond jumped to his feet. Salome was standing next to him, her head drooping low to the ground. She must have fallen asleep. Raymond couldn't blame her. They'd both been on the run since Lake Como. Raymond wondered how long she'd been on the run by herself before that.
It didn't matter now. Because now there were three men on horseback, facing them. The man in the middle wore a tan Stetson hat and carried a black rifle. As he drew nearer, the two men flanking him came into focus. The light of the morning sun cast sleek shadows off their white armor plating. They weren't men at all. Drones. They raised their rifles, aiming them at Po.
A fourth rider approached, his horse galloping calmly in from behind. Stopping, his big black steed stood firm while its steamy breath escaped through its nostrils like the contrails of a jet. Over his head, the man wore a sleek silver helmet with coiled flourishes on each side. The sides of the helmet melded down like a flexible chain mail, encircling his neck and padded shoulders from his purple trench coat. It was Zephaniah.
“The reward money is yours, tracker," Zephaniah said sourly. "What you do with the woman and the mercenary is of no concern to me.” He removed a fist-sized felt sack from his cloak and tossed it to the ground. “But the Beans are mine.”
The thick-bellied man with the cowboy hat let out a huff, dismounting from his horse to inspect the sack. “A true pleasure doing business with you again Lord Zephaniah,” the man said, tipping his hat. Removing a pair of cuffs from a sack tied up to his horse, he approached Jake with caution.
"Now don't do anything stupid, big guy," the tracker warned. "We got you covered eight ways to-"
Jake reached out, grabbing the tracker's arm with both hands. With a practiced motion, he snapped it back like a stick. Not stopping, he pulled his pistol from his holster, aiming it at the first drone as the bullet ripped through his chest. Clutching his heart, Jake tumbled backwards into the cornfield. He was spitting blood.
"Jake!" Abraham screamed.
It was crazy town. With no time to think, Raymond swung Remmy off his shoulder and aimed it at Zephaniah. The drone that killed Jake turned and fired at Raymond, hitting him in the shoulder. Biting his lip trying to hold back the pain, he got the shot off, blasting it wide left.
While it missed its target, the shot spooked the horse Zephaniah was on. The black horse whinnied, rearing itself up by its back legs as its front hooves punched at the air. With a frantic cry, the horse hurled Zephaniah into the air, out of the clearing and into the stalks. He landed with a soft thud, marching right back into the fray.
“Get them!” Zephaniah shouted, gesturing now to his two drones.
But nothing could move. Nothing could get past the light. The light was everywhere.
And it came from Po. A brilliant white light, shining so bright it made the day look like darkness. It shot out now, spreading forth across the field in all directions.
Raymond cringed in fear as the light shot past him. It was cold. But comfortably cold, like stepping into Lake Como on the first day of spring. Everything was silent as he fell back. Silent and slow like a fading dream. As he hit the ground he saw Salome crying out something in tears. Silence.
Raymond suddenly grew flush while the cool light began to cleanse away his fears. More than anything, he wanted to sleep. With all of his remaining energy, he tried to fight it off, tried to crawl towards Salome and Po. He needed to get to Po. He needed to get to Abe. They had to help Mom. Mom would know what to do. Ask mom.
There was a howling sound. Howling like the wind, like the high-pitched howls of the men on horseback. The same howls that made him want to run back into his cottage and hide under the covers when he was supposed to be guarding Po. A single howl now. The horses were dancing. There was nothing else to fight. Abe's tears at the loss of his friend were almost enough to keep the sleep from overcoming him. But not quite. Raymond made it to Salome and laid his head on her chest. Before letting sleep overcome him, Raymond gave one last glance across the clearing in the corn over to Abraham.
And saw Jake open his eyes.
END OF EPISODE ONE