THE ROCK CREEK
ADVENTUROUS TALES, PART 1
Jimmy and Buck are following the two soldiers, on horseback, over the flat open plains about seven miles outside Rock Creek. It is mid-afternoon, and the blazing sun is shining directly in their faces. Jimmy wipes the beads of sweat threatening to trickle down into his eyes with a red bandana. The men soon embark upon a sparsely wooded and rocky terrain. They travel another mile before they approach a swallow creek with refreshing crystal clear water. Buck and Jimmy both stop their horses to allow them to drink from the creek water. The soldiers cross the creek splashing the water onto the over-heated horses, but they don't allow them to stop for a gulp of the refreshing liquid. Buck and Jimmy follow closely behind the two straight-backed soldiers as they ride though the creek until they come to a slight embankment.
All four horses climb the sight embankment with ease. The other side is heavily populated with trees. The soldiers slow down as they enter their horses into a small like forest. Buck notices the stench in the air immediately. He is perfectly aware of where the odor is coming from. On the other hand, Jimmy is looking at Buck with bewilderment in his eyes. He can smell the awful aroma, but he's having a difficult time believing it could be coming from a mortally wounded human.
The soldiers stop their horses and dismount. Buck does the same. He dismounts and throws Warrior's reins over a low tree branch. When Jimmy doesn't dismount his horse right away, Buck turns to him before following the soldiers.
"What are you doing?" Buck asked somewhat impatiently.
"Why should we have to view the bodies? It's obvious they've been out here for quiet some time," Jimmy spoke in a protesting manner.
"I suppose because Rock Creek is the closest town to where they were murdered," Buck spoke with a gasp for fresh air.
"You ok?" Jimmy asked concerned.
"Would you please just get down from your horse so we can get this over with, and get out of here."
Jimmy still hesitates not wanting to see the blood and destroyed flesh that lay just a hundred feet up ahead of where they are standing. He notices ahead of him that the two soldiers have stopped their forward movement towards the murdered soldiers. Their unimpassioned expressions send chills down Jimmy's spine.
"Look at the two of them. How can they be so heartless about other soldiers being killed?"
Buck turns his head to briefly glance at the two soldiers. He notices that their eyes are blindly staring at Jimmy and him. Their bodies are stiff as if at attention. Their faces are built from stone. Not a single muscle from either soldier twitches.
"You'll have to dismount and view the murder surroundings closer if you are to get an accurate record of what happened here," spoke the taller of the two soldiers. His voice is cold and monotonous.
Buck turns back to face Jimmy. "Let's get this over with."
Jimmy dismounts, and throws Buck the reins to his horse. He walks away from Buck and towards the soldiers. Within a brief moment, Buck is right by his side again. "I shouldn't have dragged you out here. This is my job now."
"I don't mind," Buck spoke quietly.
Jimmy and Buck stop in front of the soldiers.
"There are four bodies." The soldier turns and points to the area about fifty feet from where they are standing.
Jimmy and Buck focus on the area in front of them. Jimmy can make out the shape
of a man's body slumped over a fallen tree trunk. Arrows are sticking out of
his back. There are too many to count from this distance. The shirt he is wearing
has no color except the color of blood. Jimmy can barely make out another soldier
that is lying on the ground in the tall grass. Jimmy swallows hard. He can taste
the rotten stench that is in the air. He takes another glance over at Buck.
He sees the apprehension in Buck, that wasn't present when they first arrived
in the wooded area. They have both seen death many times in their lives. They
just never had to witness it long after the victims breathed their last breath.
"We can see fine from here," Jimmy spoke his voice barely above a
whisper.
"Marshal, I am requesting that you take a closer look at what has happened here."
Jimmy turns to Buck. "Why don't you stay here? No sense in both of us losing our breakfast," Jimmy spoke more like an order than a request.
Buck smiles and shakes his head at Jimmy in disbelief. "Jimmy I can handle this," Buck spoke softly.
With all the strength he can muster up, Jimmy starts to walk towards the hollowed
area in the woods where the bodies of four soldiers are decomposing to skeletons.
Buck follows cautiously behind him. The two
soldiers pace themselves behind Buck.
As Jimmy gets closer to the four bodies, he begins to cough and gag. He can hear Buck doing the same. He realizes he should have left Buck back at the ranch. There is really no logical reason for Buck to witness the merciless of these murders. It will only haunt him. Bring back bad memories of when he was a child living in the Kiowa Indian Village. He had told Jimmy the stories of when white soldiers would raid his village and kill the innocent women and children that had been unlucky in seeking out a worthy hiding place.
Jimmy suddenly stops and extends his arm out to touch Buck's chest. The smell is unbearable! He takes a bandana out of his vest pocket and hands it to Buck.
Buck takes the bandana and places it over his nose and mouth. His coughing has increased. His eyes begin to water from his coughing attack.
Jimmy takes the bandana from around his neck and extends it up over his mouth and nose. He holds it there with his left hand for fear that it might slip from his face. His eyes make a quick survey of the horrifying scene before them.
Buck is looking around. He sees the arrows embedded in two of the four soldiers. He makes himself walk forward into the center of where the men have fallen.
Jimmy follows Buck's actions, but he heads to his far left where the one soldier is laying face down in a swampy marsh area.
The two soldiers stay rooted to where they had stopped behind Buck and Jimmy. They watch the marshal and his deputy closely. They watch over the murder scene with no reaction to the outcome of what has happened to their fellow soldiers.
"You two must be used to seeing this kind of devastation," Jimmy spoke his voice muffled from the bandana over his mouth.
"We fought in the war. We've seen much worse than this."
"Well we haven't fought in the war!" Jimmy proclaimed in an anger tone towards the cold-hearted soldiers.
Buck glances over at Jimmy. He sees Jimmy is raging with many emotions. The ruthless act of the way these men were murdered and left here to rot in the smoldering sun is making Buck sicker to his stomach then the smell of deteriorating flesh. He watches as Jimmy pulls an arrow out of a dead soldiers back. Buck grimaces as a hunk of flesh comes out attached to the arrow.
Buck diverts his attention back to a soldier that is laying a few feet from him face down in the tall grass. He makes his way over to the soldier. He doesn't witness any means of a wound that could have killed the man. Buck bends down and proceeds to turn the man over onto his back.
Buck clasps the bandana tighter to his face. The stench is causing him to hesitate and rethink what he is about to do. He becomes over-whelmed with the smell and gags violently. He spits out the taste next to the dead man.
He just wants this to be over with. He pulls on the man's right arm to turn him over onto his back. Buck's eyes become wide open with horror and shock!
Buck tumbles backwards while trying to stand up on his feet! He can't seem to take his eyes off the tiny creatures that have eaten the man's face away! The churning in his stomach lands him on his hands and knees, clutching at his stomach, while vomiting in the grass!
Jimmy watches Buck with concern. When he sees Buck getting sick he is at his side in a split second. He crouches down next to Buck and gathers his hair away from his face. Jimmy waits patiently for Buck's gagging and heaving stomach to settle down.
"Take it easy. What happened that has you so upset?" Jimmy asked his voice filled with concern.
Buck latches onto Jimmy's arm for support. He tries to get up onto his feet that are a bit shaky. "Don't look at the man behind us. His face…face is…is gone."
Jimmy looks at Buck with a mixture of confusion and curiosity. Jimmy can't seem to help himself. Before getting Buck completely upright, he turns his head around to view the morbid picture that Buck described. He starts to gag. His stomach heaves once and quickly looks away. He focuses his attention back on Buck. He gets his friend standing. Without looking at the faceless man Jimmy guides Buck back towards the two soldiers who have been watching the two grown men act weakly over a few bugs invading a dead man's flesh!
"We've seen enough!" Jimmy stated flatly with anger for the two breathing soldiers.
The marshal and his deputy stumble away from soldiers.
