Marshal had a bottle of whiskey hidden in one of his boxes. He brought it out with some cups and poured a generous amount in one and handed it to Robert. He then poured a bit in the rest of the cups and handed them out to all of us including Billy. We sat there for a few minutes absorbing our loss and silently toasting the plump woman who I had hated so much just a few days ago. I looked at Robert and noticed him playing with something in his hand. I looked closer and saw the blue string wrapped around his fingers. It only had one knot.
“She knew,” I said and Robert looked at me and nodded. “Oh my God, Robert, she knew she was going to die didn’t she?”
“It’s all I keep thinking about,” he said and I could see his eyes start to tear. “She must have been so scared.”
“I don’t think so,” I said. “She wasn’t the type of person to get scared. She had the presence of mind to fix the string, didn’t she?”
“I know, but I just can’t help thinking how alone and helpless she must have felt,” he said.
“It was Max, wasn’t it?” I said. “She must have heard him come back to camp. He must have found out that we escaped and came back to camp to punish her for it. Bastard! We need to kill him. Ryan’s right; he’s so much worse than Pig.”
“Do you think?” asked Cornelius. “Robert told us about this new leader the out-of-towns have. Do you think he really killed Madge?”
“Who else would it be?” I asked. “I don’t think anyone else in that camp would have dared hurt their prisoner and risk angering him, especially after they let us escape. It had to have been Max. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“You’re right,” said Robert and downed the rest of the whiskey in his cup. “We should go back to that camp and slit the bastard’s throat.” He tried to stand up but stumbled back down. The grief had made him so exhausted that he couldn’t even keep his balance.
“We can’t just go back there,” urged Emma Lee. “You saw how much firepower they have. It would be suicide to go there now. We have to think about this, make plans, go in there with a level head.”
“Yes, let’s do that shall we.” Robert was starting to get angry again. “We’ll just let them carry on like nothing’s happened. We should have just pulled up our homes and gone to a different river. It was pointless to come and try to reason with these savages. One pig dies and another comes to power. Let them have there little dam, let it flood there precious camp, that’s what we should have done. But, no, let’s try to negotiate. What fools we are to believe that these leopards would ever change their spots.” He reached over and grabbed the bottle of whiskey from Marshal’s hand and took a long drink from it. I could see the liquid heat up his face and I knew that what he needed more than anything right now was to go in a corner and pass out. Sleep with his pain and try to come to terms with the fact that he had lost his wife and there was nothing he could do about it.
An hour later the bottle of whiskey was empty and Robert was snoring under a pile of blankets, Barker by his side. The dog was good at knowing who needed to be comforted. He wouldn’t leave him, not even to eat. The rest of us sat at the other side of the cave and tried to talk as quietly as possible. Robert needed to sleep right now. He needed to rest his mind and not think about anything for a while. I, on the other hand, wanted to know exactly what had happened.
Apparently, after they had found Cornelius and Emma Lee they decided to watch the out-of-towns’ camp for a few hours. They wanted to determine the best way to sneak in and get Madge. They had three men who could carry her out with her wounded ankle and they had Emma Lee, who could back them up with a rifle. There wasn’t a lot going on. Everyone seemed to be keeping inside their tents; it was still cool from the rain. Every once in a while a person would emerge from their tent, get something like water or food and then disappear inside again.
With the camp being so quiet, they decided to make their move. Emma Lee stayed behind in sniper position ready to shoot if necessary and even though the entrance to Madge’s tent was facing the other way and behind a couple of trees, she could clearly see the rest of the camp. It was their best shot at getting to Madge so they took it. They snuck into the camp unnoticed and made their way to the tent.
Cornelius, Marshal and Robert went into the tent and found Madge lying there. She looked to be sleeping and Robert crawled over to her and tried to shake her awake but she just lie there, eyes open and cold to the touch. She was dead. That’s when Robert lost it. He held his wife, rocking back and forth, refusing to let her go. Marshal and Cornelius had to use all their strength to pull him away and force him out of the tent.
When they opened the flap, they were surrounded by six men who were waiting for them to come out. Obviously they had walked into a trap and Madge had been the bait. Cornelius was the first to react. He pushed Robert aside and pulled his pistols out of his holsters and started shooting. He got two of them right away.
Emma Lee, meanwhile, heard the shots but so did everyone else in camp. People started coming out of their tents and the southern belle started shooting. She only hit a couple with flesh wounds but it was enough to send the others running for cover.
After Cornelius’ shots were fired, Marshal punched one of them and knocked them out and then stabbed another in the stomach with a hunting knife he kept sheathed in a holder he had tied around his calf under his pant leg. I guess the crazy redhead could fight after all. That’s when Robert snapped and grabbed one of the remaining men and started beating him in a fit of vengeful rage. Cornelius shot the last one and both him and Marshal tried desperately to pull Robert off his victim. They wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible before more men came. Robert wouldn’t stop swinging at his victim who was now bloody and unconscious. So they grabbed some rope and tied his hands behind his back and dragged him out of camp. Emma Lee met them and they made their way back here to the cave.
“It was a setup,” said Cornelius. “I’ve seen a few in my lifetime and this one was no different.”
“What are we going to do now?” I asked.
“We have to go back there and finish them off,” said Billy, all excited over the action he was going to see.
“I don’t think you will be doing anything young man,” said Emma Lee in a pretty good impersonation of an overprotective mother. “You’re much too young to be fighting in any kind of battle.”
“Ah, come on,” he whined. “I can shoot a gun just as good as anyone here. Ain’t that right Marshal? You can’t leave me here by myself. You guys need all the people you can get to fight these guys and you know it.”
“But you’re just a little boy,” she said and Billy glared at her.
“I’m afraid the child is right,” said Cornelius. “If we want to be successful in any type of attack on these derelicts, we must use every resource we can and Billy happens to be one of our resources.”
“He can shoot straight,” said Marshal.
“But he’s so young,” said Emma Lee, knowing her attempt to keep the ten year old out of harms way was futile.
“Are you really that good at shooting?” I asked. I had an idea that would allow Billy to participate but keep him away from any real fighting.
“Darn tootin’!” He stood high on his toes trying to make himself look taller.
“Then you can be the sniper this time.”
“But I wanna be down in the thick of things,” he was starting to whine again. “I don’t want to be kept way up on a mountain just so I don’t get hurt. I wanna be down there with you.”
“No, you don’t understand,” I tried to explain my idea. “You’re perfect for sniper duty and you won’t be up the side of a mountain somewhere. You’ll be a little bit closer than that.”
“Yeah, where’s that.” He didn’t seem convinced.
“In a tree,” I said. “I saw how good you climbed that tree when we first got in the woods. You’re small and quick and can climb pretty high up. If you were up there with a gun and could shoot wi
thout falling out, I think you’d be our most lethal weapon.”
“Nicky, that’s brilliant!” said Marshal as he started to dance.
“I must say, it is a good idea,” Cornelius was thinking things through now. “Billy can get up in the tree and start shooting down at the camp. We sneak in, each one of us in a different part and start picking them off while they sleep, because we’ll have to do this at night of course.”
“I’ll cover the guards by the fire.” It was Robert. None of us had heard him get up and we all turned to look at him. “If that’s okay with the rest of you.”
“Robert?” I looked at him questioningly.
“It’s okay, I’ve settled down,” he said and I could see that he was a lot calmer. “I know I can’t go running in there like a madman but I do like the sound of your plan and would like to be a part of it.”
“That would be good, good, good, Robert. Come, sit down,” said Marshal. We all shifted over and made room for him. Barker came and lay down beside me. We discussed our plans and decided that night would be the best time to attack. Billy could climb the tree and cover us from above. Emma Lee would sneak in first, untie the horses and scare them away to cause a diversion while the rest of us snuck in at different points.
“Right, we rush the camp and shoot anything that moves,” Robert said. “Kill them all if we have to.”
“You mean defeat,” said Cornelius. “We don’t necessarily have to kill everyone. There might be some that want to repent.”
“Yes, yes, whatever.” Robert waved his hands to push the accusation away.
“I don’t think I have enough bullets or guns for such an invasion,” said Marshal. “We came to negotiate not go pow, pow, pow.”
“Don’t you have anything stored here?” asked Robert, annoyed by the lack of ammunition.
“This cave is for emergencies. I only have food and water stored here. If you want more bullets and guns, I’ll have to go back to my place and get them.”
“That’s pretty risky,” I said. “They know you. They saw you with Robert and Sarah...hey, by the way, does anyone know where Sarah went?” I strayed off topic but I had forgotten about the quiet woman and I think everyone else had too.
“There’s been no sign of her,” said Emma Lee. “I guess we can only hope she got away safely and is hiding somewhere.”
“I hope so,” said Marshal and again I noticed the concern in his eyes.
“Well, then let’s set off and get some bullets,” said Cornelius. “Marshal and I shall go and the rest of you stay here and get some rest.”
“I want to go with you,” I stated with a bit of desperation in my voice. “I’ve been stuck in this cave for so long, I think I’m going to go crazy. Please let me go with you.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Nicky,” said Marshal. “You must stay, stay, stay and look after Barker. It will be better with just me and Cornelius. We are light on our feet and know how to escape the enemy like a magical bunny down the rabbit hole.”
“What?” I asked, confused by his remarks.
“I think he wants you to stay with your dog,” Robert explained to me. Barker looked up at me and barked and I knew they were right. I couldn’t leave him here to recuperate on his own.
“Okay, okay, I’ll stay.” They both smiled at me. “Marshal, did you ever do any drugs before?”
“No, why?”
“Just wondering.”
Chapter 14
There was a noise outside and I couldn’t quite make out what it was. I had been sleeping for a couple of hours when I first heard it and at first I thought it was a racoon or an owl but now I wasn’t so sure.
We had all gone to bed early because there was nothing else for us to do in the small cave. Marshal and Cornelius left as soon as we loaded them up with water, food and a few dry clothes. Cornelius refused to wear any of the stockpile of green pants Marshal had. He insisted he could make do with what he was wearing. We tried to amuse ourselves with stupid games after they left like I spy, which didn’t last very long because there wasn’t a lot of colour in the cave and name that tune, which turned out to be even more stupid than I spy. The only songs we all had in common were Christmas carols and even those seemed to have varied throughout the years. So, the only other option was to go to bed and try to catch up on some much needed sleep.
I lay there for about forty five minutes before my eyelids finally started to feel heavy. I could hear the breathing of the others growing deeper and deeper and knew they were drifting off to sleep. Barker was snuggled up beside me and I felt warm and safe for the first time in a long time and I finally fell asleep. Then the noises started.
What I thought was some kind of animal was beginning to sound more like voices. They were low and still far away but they were voices. Barker must have heard them too because his head snapped up and his ears stood erect. He started that low growl in his throat and I reached out and started scratching him behind the ears.
“Shh, boy,” I whispered. “It’s okay.” He stopped growling and looked at me, his ears still twitching with the noise.
I cleared my eyes so I could see if anyone else was awake but I saw no movement and, by the silence that surrounded me, I guessed that I was the only one. I tried to zero in on the noise, no not noise, it was voices, it was definitely voices. I think there were two maybe three different ones. They were still far away but they were getting closer. I started to feel my heart beating faster. I hoped the crack that was the entrance to our cave was not visible in the dark. If we were attacked now, there’d be no escape for any of us.
A twig snapped and Barker was standing now. I pushed him back down and shushed him again. They were close now; I could almost make out their words. I wanted to go to the entrance to try and see who it was. I pulled myself out of my sleeping bag and slowly tiptoed across the cave. I tried to remember where everyone was sleeping and hoped I wouldn’t step on anyone. I got to the entrance and leaned against the wall, trying to pick up the voices again. I could hear them much better here. I was right, there were three different ones, all men.
“Well, they can’t be far,” said one. “They ran out of the camp fast and the older one, he was right crazy. I bet he had to be dragged through the trees.”
“Well, can you blame him? He was greeted with his wife’s dead face after all.” I froze. The Scottish lilt and the deep tone; it was Max. He was here, right outside the cave.
‘Oh my God,’ I thought. ‘What if he finds us here? What if someone snores or coughs? Maybe I should try to wake them.’ I looked around at the dark mounds on the floor that represented my only friends. If I woke them now, they’d be full of questions and waking up sounds. No, let them sleep and pray Max and his buddies will just walk on by.
“I just want to find the girl,” Max said.
“What d’ya wanna bother with her for?”
“She knows and I know she knows.” Was he talking about me? What did I know?
“What does she know?” Thank you.
“She knows about Butcher.” I felt my heart skip a beat. “And I’m going to make her tell me everything.”
‘Butcher?’ I thought. ‘They’re still on about that asshole. What was he, their little pet psycho?’
“Sir,” another voice had arrived and he sounded out of breath, “they spotted the redhead.”
“Where?” asked Max.
“On his way back to the valley.”
“The valley?” Max laughed. “Why would he be going there, now?”
“I don’t know but he’s not alone,” said the voice. “He’s got the Englishman with him.”
“I see.” It sounded like he was weighing his options. “Then I guess we should take a ride into the valley and find out what could be so important that they would risk going back there.”
“Are you sure? We could camp here and continue our search for the others in the morning.”
‘Oh, that’s not a good idea,’ I thought. Max and his merr
y men camped right outside our doorstep all night; no way. I couldn’t keep everyone quiet for that long. Eventually morning would come, everyone would wake up and...it wouldn’t be good.
“No, I’d rather ride in the night,” Max said. “I can make more distance when my horse is free of the day’s heat.”
‘Thank God!’ I felt my body relax as I listened to the little entourage steer their horses away from our hideout and ride away. I wondered if I should wake the others and go and warn Marshal and Cornelius but what use would it be. There was no way we’d be able to get to them before Max and his men. I decided to tell Robert; he seemed the wisest out of all of us. He would know what to do.
“Robert,” I whispered.
“Yes,” he answered right away and it surprised me.
“Were you asleep?”
“I don’t think I’ll ever sleep again,” he said. “Oh, I can close my eyes and nap off and on but my ability to sleep died with Madge.”
“I’m sorry Robert,” I said. “I’m so sorry you lost her. I wish it could have been different. I wish I could have found Marshal on my own and that you could have stayed with her.” I felt my guilt come to the surface and tears began to flood my eyes. Robert reached out in the darkness and took my hand.
“If I had stayed, I would have been killed with her. It is not your fault Madge was murdered. It was those treacherous people of Pig’s that are to blame for this. Once we get what we need, we will go to their camp and get rid of them for good.”
“But, if we had stayed another night, maybe...”
“Don’t think about it anymore, Nicky. What’s done is done.”
“How can I?” I was trying to keep my voice down. “It just seems so pointless for her to be dead.”
Wind Page 14