Disclaimer: This story is the copyright of nesciri and are published for others to read. Any abuse or infringement of the author's rights will be goverened by Swedish law. The characters have been borrowed from the TV-drama "The Young Riders" . This has not been done in order to violate the copyright of the authors of that show, however, if an infringement has been done, please notifyand this page will be removed. Any drawings are the copyright of nesciri and may not be used without the written permission of
XII. Hornet's nest
Epilogue
Chapter 12
Hornet's
Nest
Kid spurred his horse. He knew he only had this chance of finding Cody, unless Jimmy and Ike already had found him. It felt like a hopeless assignment - it was impossible to find anybody in this landscape, especially a single rider. But he had to try. He continued, now and then shouting Cody's name, in hope that the rider was somewhere around. But there was no answer. Kid kept a close watch on the sun and tried to remember the landmarks he passed. He had no wish of getting lost.
Kid held in Katy. He had been riding hard and Katy could need a rest. So far there wasn't a single trace of Cody or of any of the others. He was starting to wonder if Teaspoon had been right. Why would Cody head out into this kind of country he thought to himself as he wiped his face with his short sleeve. Suddenly he heard the sound of hoofs rapidly approaching him from the west. Quickly he looked around him for any cover in case it would turn out to be some of the men involved in whatever it was Cody and Buck had stumbled into. Unfortunately he couldn't find anything, so instead he let Katy walk on, while he, just in case, took out his gun and held it hidden under his jacket. Soon he saw a group of ten or twelve men approach him from around a rock, and he felt himself stiffen. Ten or twelve, it was definitely too many for him, in case there would be any trouble. He halted Katy and sat still waiting for the men to reach him. There was no way of trying to find any hiding place now, it was obvious that the men had seen him.
As the men came closer he soon saw the blue uniform of the army, and he frowned. What was the army doing out here? he thought. The answer came to him almost immediately - they were looking for Cody. He sat still as he thought of what he would tell them. To his relief it didn't appear as if they had found him.
"Hello there." The officer leading the troop rode up to him.
"G'day," Kid nodded.
"Where are you from, boy?"
"I'm an Express rider. Just came from Lichtfield."
"Seen this man around here?" The officer produced a paper that Kid recognized instantly. It was the wanted poster for Cody. Kid shook his head.
"No, I haven't seen him lately." Suddenly he got an idea. "But I'm looking for him," he added.
"You're looking for him?" The officer looked at him with surprise. "Why?"
"He's a friend of mine," Kid said boldly. "And I need to get hold of him, since I've found a witness that can free him of the charges." This wasn't exactly the truth, but Kid hadn't time to be picky. He hoped that Buck had the answers or that Teaspoon possibly had found something out in Lichtfield.
"What are you saying, son?"
"I'm telling you that the man you're looking for ain't the one you should be searching for. He's just a cover-up for something else."
The officer looked at him unbelievingly.
"And you got proof of this?"
"No, not me. But my friend has."
"And where's this friend of yours?"
"He's been hurt, so some of us decided to take him back to Lichtfield."
"Some of you? How many are you? I think you better dismount and tell us the whole story over coffee, son."
Kid nodded his approval and the officer started to hand out orders. Soon they were seated around a small campfire.
"Now tell me everything you know about this story," the officer requested, who had introduced himself as Major Adam Turner. Kid complied, telling him the few facts that he knew of. Kid hoped he was right about Buck knowing more, or he would have to do some serious explanation. But he was content with at least having the army listening to him. He was convinced that if he only got the officer with him back to Lichtfield, Teaspoon would be able to set the man straight.
"You're convinced your friend, Cody, was framed?" Major Turner asked when Kid had finished his story.
"Yes, sir. The marshal in Sweetwater can vouch for him, and I'm sure that our station manager can tell you what's going on."
"He's the one that took your wounded friend back to Lichtfield?"
"Yes, sir."
"I have to tell you, son, I don't know what to believe. The army have had a lot of trouble in this area lately, and the order to get hold of this Cody came from colonel Saunders himself."
"Then somebody fooled him," Kid insisted. "Cody ain't involved in any gun-running schemes."
Turner scratched his head and looked into the fire for a while.
"I'll tell you what we'll do," he said finally. "Half of my men will continue to look for Cody - but they will not kill him, only apprehend him in case they see him. The rest of us will follow you back to Lichtfield to hear this wounded friend of yours, what was his name again - Buck Cross?"
Kid nodded, not completely satisfied. He would have preferred that all of the soldiers would join them. But he didn't say anything, simply nodded. He had a feeling that something was wrong and he was anxious to see that Lou was all right - and the others too, of course.
It took some time for the Major to get the men ready and decide who was coming and who would look for Cody and by the time they were ready to leave, Kid was fidgeting with impatience. The feeling of that something had gone wrong had placed itself firmly in his mind, and he couldn't shake off the feeling of uneasiness.
"All right, let's head out!" Finally the order came and the small company headed back to Lichtfield. The Major insisted on them taking it easy, claiming that their horses had been ridden hard earlier and Kid's impatience grew steadily. The major insisted on asking him several more questions and Kid answered as well as he could.
"You know, this might turn out to be more serious than you think," the Major admitted once.
"What do you mean?" Kid couldn't help asking.
"If the order came from the colonel about your friend - and he really just is a decoy - then the colonel might be involved in this racket. Or he might be under some influence by the leader. Either way, it's not good for the army."
Kid wasn't particularly interested in the army's good name, and simply nodded when a sound made him stand up in the saddle. The Major had heard it too, and he ordered his men to a halt.
"What's that?" he asked as the sound of gunfire reach the small troop. Seconds later a dark pillar of smoke appeared on the sky, and Kid felt a chill down his spine. Somehow he knew that had something to do with Lou and the others. He urged Katy forward, ignoring the rest.
"Hey! Where you're going? Hold it!" Kid ignored the major and urged Katy to go faster. The major watched him head out, and after calming his horse, he regained his composure and ordered his men to follow. At a gallop they all set out for the smoke and the gunfight, wondering what they would see.
The sheriff walked briskly across town, ignoring the townspeople that he met. He went straight over to the saloon and went inside. Mr. Dodgson was entertaining a few guests at one of the tables, and the sheriff headed over there.
"I need to talk to you Mr. Dodgson."
"Why, sheriff, right now? I'm a bit busy." Mr. Dodgson looked sharply at the man. These were important guests - they all owned great lands and some of them had even bought cattle from him.
"Yes, sir, Mr. Dodgson. I'm afraid this is important." Mr.Dodgson's face darkened, but then he turned to his guest with a smile on his face.
"Excuse me, gentlemen. There appear to be some trouble that need my assistance."
Then he followed the sheriff to his office.
"What is it that's so important?" he sneered when he had closed the door behind them. "Those men are important, so this better be good."
"The Indian is back."
"What Indian? What are you taking about?"
"That Indian that came here with that young fellow, Cody."
"So what? Cody ain't back is he?"
"No, but the Indian was brought back by the man that was here asking a lot of questions earlier."
Dodgson looked at the sheriff.
"You think he knows something?"
"One of the boys following him killed Tom. And they took that old drunk Esaias to the doctor."
"Still, they don't know anything."
"Tom said they dropped the Indian close to where the run-away cattle were. He might know something."
"If he did, they wouldn't have brought him back here."
"They sneaked into to town, Mr. Dodgson. At least that was the boy who saw them said."
A knock on the door interrupted them. Dodgson told the sheriff to open the door and Deacon entered.
"What are you doing here?" Dodgson asked irritated. "You were supposed to take care of the cattle."
"We had a stampede a couple of hours ago. A wagon was stolen. We followed its trace back here," was Deacon's short reply.
Dodgson looked at the two men.
"What do you mean?"
"I heard what Proctor told you," Deacon continued, "and I think he's right. We found traces around the place where the cattle first run off, and then some of the men run into trouble near by. By their description the boy, Cody, attacked them and stole some rifles and horses. Maybe the Indian knows more than you think."
Dodgson sat in silence for a few minutes, tapping his fingers against the table. The clock on the wall ticked away a few minutes and sent them into the past.
"Well, sheriff," Dodgson finally spoke, "I think you have a duty to perform."
"What duty? What are you talking about?"
"A murderer has taken Dr. Marsden and his wife as hostages. I suggest you get him out of there."
Deacon smiled weakly and shook his head, as the sheriff looked stunned at Mr. Dodgson.
"I don't understand. What murderer?"
"You seemed to have missed a few things, sheriff. The men that murdered Tom are hiding at the doctor's house. Get them out, and if they happen to die resisting the arrest, well that just one of those things that happens, ain't it?"
"I see," the sheriff mumbled. "What do you want me to do?"
"Do what you're supposed to do, man - get a few men and take care of 'em."
"OK," the sheriff nodded and walked out.
"Deacon, stay around here for a while. I might need you."
"We're leaving?" Deacon carelessly lighted a cigarette and looked disinterestingly out of the window.
"I believe it's time we took our business elsewhere. See to it that we have some fresh horses ready."
Several miles from Lichtfield Jimmy, Ike and Cody slowly descended from the empty cave.
"I don't think that Buck is dead," Jimmy muttered. "There must be another explanation to all that blood."
"I hope you're right," Cody replied. "But where can he be?"
"Maybe he managed to get away and are waiting for you in Lichtfield."
<We better get back to Lichtfield.> Ike suggested, hoping that Buck would be there.
"I agree," said Jimmy. "It's time we met up with the others."
Later they were on their way back to Lichtfield. Not much was said, as all of them were occupied with their own thoughts. Cody was tired and hungry too. He had seen enough of this country and longed to be back in Sweetwater and to Emma's cooking. If they only could find Buck and the others, he thought morosely. Deeply in thoughts they rode on, not noticing two pair of eyes following them.
"That's the boy that started all this trouble," Dodgson mumbled to his companion. "And if he's out here and not where he supposed to be, the army may found the cattle any moment now," he continued with anger.
"What are you going to do about it?" Deacon asked him calmly, tossing his cigarette away.
"I'm gonna teach him a lesson he'll never forget, and you're gonna help me, Deacon."
"Ain't so sure 'bout that."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"I'm only in it for the money. Revenge will cost you a lot more, and from the look of it you ain't got much left."
Dodgson looked angry at the man and then he reached into his saddlebag and grabbed a large bunt of dollars, which he threw to the man.
"Now here's your money. Now you'll help me get even and then you can go to hell!"
Deacon scanned through the money and nodded.
"So I'm in. What's the idea?"
"I want him to hurt, Deacon. I want him to learn a lesson with some help of his friends.."
"You want 'em dead?"
"I don't care if his friends dies, but this Cody, I want him to live. I want him to live with the knowledge that he's responsible for his friends deaths."
"Whatever you say, boss."
The first shot sent a cloud of dust from the ground just in front of Ike's horse. The horse was spooked and Ike had trouble remaining in the saddle until he managed to calm the animal. The second bullet grazed Jimmy's arm. Before they could recover two men stepped out in front of them, covering them with their guns.
"So we'll meet again, Mr. Cody," Mr. Dodgson. "And this time the pleasure is all mine. Why don't you step down and let us discuss this as gentlemen?"
The boys had no other choice but to dismount.
"Your guns." The order came from Deacon. Reluctantly the boys obliged wondering what the men wanted. Their hands were tied behind their backs and Jimmy regretted handing over his gun. He hated being without means of defending himself. He would rather have fought it out, but he didn't wanted to risk his friend's lives. Now he wished he had done it any way.
"What do you want, Dodgson?" Cody asked.
"You own me, son," Dodgson smirked. "And know it's time you pay me back."
"I ain't got any money," Cody objected.
"It ain't money I'm after - I don't like when people abuse my trust in them. Deacon."
Deacon nodded and dragged Ike and Jimmy over to the closest tree where he tied up their arms so that they were forced to stand straight with their hands above their heads.
"What the hell is it you want?" Cody asked again as Deacon went over to his horse and brought out a large seven-tailed whip.
"Now, Mr. Cody, I'm gonna give you a suggestion." Dodgson smiled and sent a chill down Cody's spine. "You see this whip? It was made in Mexico. It says that no man ever withstand more than 60 strikes. Each end is made of genuine silver, a real special item, I would say. Being whipped to death is no easy way to die, Mr. Cody, so I'll let you save one of your friends. Now all you have to do is say one name, and he'll be saved. Or they both die - and it ain't a nice death, I can tell you. Now, who will live?"
"You're crazy!"
"Deacon?"
Deacon turned and the whip went through the air striking first Jimmy, causing him to gasped at the pain. The whip was raised a second time, this time hitting Ike, who only showed the pain in his face, not a sound coming over his lips.
"You still don't believe me, Mr. Cody? Or are you ready to say a name?"
Cody shivered and stared in anger at the man.
"You can't force me to choose," he said between his teeth.
"One or two will die, Cody."
Dodgson nodded over to Deacon, who once again let the whip brandish down on Ike and Jimmy.
"Stop it! Cody could almost feel the pain as the whip hit his friends. Dodgson walked up to him.
"This is what comes out of double-crossing me," he murmured sternly to Cody. "You made a big mistake boy, and now your friends will pay for it."
Cody stared at him, gritting his teeth. His silence brought another whiplash upon his friends. This time Jimmy was forced to cry out in anger and pain as the whip tore up his shirt, drawing blood.
"You bastard! I'll kill you, I'll swear I'll kill you! He called out to Deacon, who grinned at his threats.
"You wouldn't be able to kill me even if you had the chance, boy," he replied scornfully.
Cody who had been listening suddenly thought of a chance out of their mess.
"He could take of you single-handed!" he yelled. "Don't you know he's the one that killed Longley?"
Jimmy looked in surprise at Cody. What the hell was he doing? Weren't they in enough trouble already?
Deacon, who had lifted the whip for another blow, hesitated and then he lowered it.
"What are you doing?" Dodgson growled, but Deacon ignored him.
"So you're the one that dumped Longley, he?" he asked looking at Jimmy, and suddenly Jimmy realized what Cody had tried to accomplished.
"Yeah," he snarled, "and just give me the chance and I'll drop you too."
Deacon shook his head and sneered.
"What do you think you're doing?" Dodgson wanted to know.
"You know, this kid claims to be a gunfighter, Dodgson. I have a good mind to let him get a try at it."
"You're here to do what you've been told."
"You ain't paying me enough for that, Dodgson. Besides you'll get your revenge any way. This kid just challenged me to a gunfight. Since it will be his last request, I think we ought to grant him that."
Ike looked questioningly at Jimmy. None of them knew how good Deacon was with the gun, and Jimmy had been wounded by the second shot, which might slow him down. Jimmy saw his look.
"It's our only chance," he whispered. "That crazy idiot are going to kill us otherwise, and I ain't gonna be whipped to death as a lowly dog."
Dodgson watched Deacon, and then he nodded.
"OK, but be quick about it." He knew that Deacon was probably the best gun-fighter in the territory, and that the man took pride in his ability. A challenge was a challenge, and Deacon had never walked away from a fight.
"But first we'll even out the odds." Dodgson picked up Jimmy's gun and removed all the bullets except one. "Now, gunfighter," he said to Jimmy, "you've got one chance to beat Deacon here. If that bullet takes any other way you or one of your friends dies. Is that clear?"
Jimmy nodded.
"Let him loose, Deacon."
Jimmy's hand was released from the rope and he rubbed his wrist, seeing the red brands after the rope. Dodgson handed over the gun to him, and after checking that the bullet was there, he placed it in the holster, looking at Deacon.
"Let's do it."
"Have you've said your prayers, boy?"
Jimmy ignored him and walked away to the rock as Deacon took his place opposite Jimmy. Dodgson covered Cody with his gun and Ike was still tied to the tree. All eyes were on the duelists. Jimmy realized that he had only one chance, and even if he killed Deacon, it was more than likely would be killed by Dodgson. He looked desperately for a new opening, but the harder he searched his mind for a solution, the harder it seemed to find one.
"Come on, boy, draw whenever you're ready," Deacon sneered.
Jimmy placed his hand close to the but of his gun and threw a quick glance at Cody, who was staring at him. When he saw Jimmy look at him he nodded slowly. Jimmy wondered what he was up to, but he had no way of figuring it out. He had to concentrate on what he was doing. Deacon was already ready and stood confident watching his every move. Jimmy felt a feeling of uneasiness coming over him. The wound in his upper arm ached and he knew that the wound would slow him down. A tense silence settled over the scene only to be shattered minutes later by two shots, fired so close that it almost sounded as one.
Lou watched the doctor leave the room and she stepped in, unable to keep an eye on the door in her eagerness to hear how Buck was doing.
"How is he?" she asked Teaspoon who was standing by the door.
"Shouldn't you be watching the door?" Teaspoon replied.
"I can't stay there without knowing how Buck's doing!"
Teaspoon looked at her, and sighed.
"It doesn't look good, Lou. He's got pneumonia."
"And?"
"The doctor says he will go threw a couple of fever crisis."
Lou looked down on the floor. She knew all to well what a fever crisis was - her mother had had them.
"Will he make it?" she asked silently.
"Only time can tell."
Lou swallowed hard and looked over to where Buck was stirring in his sleep.
"So what do we do now?"
"We'll wait here."
Suddenly a noise outside the house, brought them to the window. To their horror they could see several men taking position around the house.
"What's going on Teaspoon?" Lou asked as she looked at the activity outside.
"I'll be darned if I know," Teaspoon mumbled, when he saw a familiar face. "So the sheriff is in on this too."
"The sheriff?" Lou looked at Teaspoon.
"Better get the rifles, Lou. And see to it that the door is looked. You better warn the doctor while you're at it too."
"What do you think is gonna happen?"
"I ain't sure Lou, but whatever it is it ain't good."
"I'll get the rifles," Lou affirmed and went back into the hall. She checked the door, when the doctor appeared in the hallway.
"What's going on?" he asked nervously. "You said it wasn't gonna be any problem."
"You better get your wife down here," Lou told him shortly. "We might have some trouble."
"What do you mean trouble! You said it wouldn't be any trouble!" Marsden stared at Lou before he turned and stormed into the room where Teaspoon was keeping an eye on the men outside.
"Good you came, Marsden. Help me get the bed away from the window."
"What's going on here? You promised me it wouldn't be any trouble!"
"Sorry. Now give me a hand."
Marsden looked at him disbelievingly.
"You can't do that - my wife---"
"I ain't got time to discuss this with you, Marsden - now give me a hand."
Marsden was brought out of his trance and reluctantly helped Teaspoon move Buck's bed from the window to the other side of the room. When they were done, Lou entered the room together with Mrs. Marsden, who was looking upset. She went over to her husband, who placed his arms around her as to protect her.
"John, what's going on?" she asked looking at her husband. Marsden shook his head and hugged her gently.
"Sorry that you got dragged into this, Mrs. Marsden," Teaspoon apologized, before he turned to Lou.
"What does it look like?"
"They have the front door covered. As far as I can make out they've taken up position just behind the fence."
"Is there any other way in?" Teaspoon looked at the couple.
"There's a backdoor to the kitchen," Mrs. Marsden replied.
"Check it Lou," Teaspoon ordered. "You better take cover, Marsden."
Lou came back a few seconds later.
"There's no one there," she reported, "and I've blocked the door."
Teaspoon nodded, when a shot shattered the window and the bullet bored its way into the opposite wall. Mrs. Marsden screamed as Teaspoon forced them to stay low. Lou had ducked immediately and was on her way to the window, rifle in her hand. Teaspoon crawled over to the bed, checking on Buck. The shot had woke him up and he looked at Teaspoon through feverish eyes.
"What's going on?," he asked weakly, trying to get his bearings despite a thundering headache.
"Don't worry," Teaspoon answered reassuringly, "just try and get some rest. Lou and I will handle this."
"Teaspoon," Lou called from the window, and Teaspoon left Buck to crawl over to where Lou was squatting. Mr. And Mrs. Marsden lay still on the floor staring in fright and the activities going on in the room.
"What is it?"
"I think something's going on."
At that moment, the sheriff called out.
"You in the house! Send out the Indian, and we'll let you walk!"
"What do you want with the Indian, sheriff?" Teaspoon replied.
"He's wanted for murder!" came the reply.
"He's lying, Teaspoon!" Lou said angry, "Buck ain't a murderer!"
Teaspoon snorted before replying.
"You know that and I know that, but the sheriff obviously told those men outside something else."
"But why Buck?"
"They must think that he knows something." Teaspoon looked out over the garden. "Well, its clear that a sheriff who takes bribes wouldn't stop at false accusations," he yelled back. "The boy is innocent and you know it, sheriff!"
"Does that mean you ain't coming out?"
"We're not handing over the Indian and we ain't coming out!"
"Hey, what about us? We're not involved in this!!" Marsden had finally found his voice.
"All right," Teaspoon said and raised his voice. "The doctor and his wife has nothing to do with this, sheriff! Can they leave?"
"Sure! Doc, you better get out right now!"
Marsden and his wife got to their feet and left hastily the room.
"See to that the door is locked after them," Teaspoon told Lou and she slipped away after them.
"Teaspoon?" The weak voice from the bed, made Teaspoon turned his attention to the bed.
"How are you doing, son?"
"It's me they're after, right?"
"I suspect they want all of us."
"I brought you into this."
"Rubbish. This ain't anybody's fault."
"But---"
"Save your strength, son," Teaspoon said as Buck started to cough. "Take it easy, Buck."
The coughing continued until Buck was gasping for air. Teaspoon tried to help him as much as he could, but it wasn't much he could do. Lou came back just as Buck managed to get some air. Teaspoon let him sank back in bed, realizing that there was more trouble coming. He hated leaving Buck unattended when he was this sick, but he had no choice.
"How is he?" Lou asked silently, as they resumed their posts by the window.
"He would be better off without this," Teaspoon mumbled as he peered out of the window. Seconds later a bullet hit the windowsill, and right after that a hail of bullet smashed through the window. Teaspoon and Lou crouched below the window and as soon the last bullet had echoed in the room, Lou hastened over to Buck.
"You're OK?" she asked, relieved to see Buck nod.
"Help me up," he asked faintly.
"You're in n o condition---"
"Lou, I can't stay here. Help me up and give me a gun."
Teaspoon joined them.
"What's going on?" he asked looking from one to another.
"Give me a gun," Buck requested again.
"You think you can manage?"
Buck nodded as Lou stared at Teaspoon.
"He can't," she hissed at Teaspoon, "he's too sick."
"If he says he can, he can." Teaspoon replied as he handed a gun over to Buck, who slowly got out of bed and together with the others crawled back to the window. He had too close his eyes and lean towards the wall, trying to ignore the headache that threatened to split his head open. He had a hard time breathing, but he had no intention on laying in a bed while others were fighting for him. All he had to do was staying awake and fire as good as he could, he pondered as he opened his eyes again, trying to get a glimpse on what was happening outside. Another storm of bullets send 'em crouching to the floor. Seconds later they returned the fire. The firing continued for what felt like an eternity for the three inside the house, and especially for Buck who not only was fighting the men outside but also an increasing weariness and headache. Suddenly Teaspoon stopped firing and peered outside.
"Something's wrong," he said sternly. "Lou, check the back door!"
Lou slipped out of the room, staying low to avoid being hit. Teaspoon turned to Buck.
"How are you holding up?"
"I'm OK. Don't worry 'bout me, Teaspoon."
Suddenly Lou rushed into the room, her face ashen.
"Fire," she yelled. "They've set the house on fire!"
Teaspoon looked at her and at the same time felt the distinct smell of smoke as a voice called from outside.
"Come on out, or you'll burn to death!"
