Hunted
By: The Scribe
ACT FOUR
Vin could not understand what they were doing.
For a group that were supposedly concerned about being pursued by Chris and the rest of the seven, the men taking him to Tascosa were surprisingly languid in their pace to get him there. Vin wondered if they were simply dumb or they truly expected Chris to sit by and let this happen because Baker was a friend. He knew Chris Larabee and if Chris had not torn Baker a new one by now, Vin would be extremely surprised, not to mention a little disappointed. Their journey to Tascosa transpired at what he considered to be almost a leisurely pace. Not to mention their route ensured that anyone who was in pursuit would have little difficulty finding them.
Vin had conceded by now that these were good men despite the fact that they were taking him to hang. They were seasoned lawmen that took their work seriously and it showed by the way he was treated. There was no cruelty in their actions, just sensible methodology he would have employed himself if he were transporting a dangerous prisoner to justice. Hell knows Vin and the seven had done enough of that over the past three years. Still, the pace and route they were taking was so questionable, it almost bordered on criminal negligence. If he was transporting a prisoner that was likely to have six men attempting a rescue, Vin knew he would not be doing it the way these men were.
When the sun began to set, the group had decided to make camp. Once again, Vin regarded this with confusion. The sensible thing would be to keep travelling until they were well out of the Territory but, as it appeared, and not for the first time today, that sense was clearly something that was not dictating their actions. Vin supposed that if they wanted to play it dumb, who was he to argue. Chris would find him soon enough, taking advantage of all the clues these men had left for the seven to track them down. It defied logic because his conversations with Vess indicated that the man was a knowledgeable tracker, much too knowledgeable to make mistakes even a novice in the wild would be able to notice.
Perhaps, they were waiting for the Marshal to catch up, Vin thought but decided that was foolishness as well. The last thing they should do is wait for the Marshal to join them when it was very likely that Chris would be on his heels to reach Vin.
By the time the sun had set on the day and Vin found himself staring into the fire, he had stopped wondering about such things. He resigned himself to quit pondering the mind of others when he had more important concerns on his mind and what awaited him in Tascosa. He once told Chris Larabee that he did not mind dying; he just didn't like to be hung like a dog. Not much of that perception had changed but there was a part of him that was also tired of running, that detested this no man's land he had been existing for the past few years where he could go neither forward or backward in his life. Maybe it was best that he went to Tascosa, 'cause at least then, it would be over.
Suddenly he heard something in the dark and his gaze immediately followed the sound. The horses stirred, offering a series of nickers, which was usually a response to the presence of other animals. Since there was nothing panicked about their reactions, Vin assumed the animals in question were horses. Vess also noticed this and his hands had slid protectively over his gun. His action immediately inspired the others to be on their guard and Vin felt damned helpless without his sawed off shot gun.
Sounds emerged from the darkness; Vin heard voices and horses closing in on them. He debated whether or not it was the seven coming to his rescue but knew it could not be because Chris would never make such a foolish approach. If Larabee had learnt nothing from him about stealthy approaches and was making this foolhardy attempt to free him, Vin would be forced to kick his ass for sheer stupidity. The tracker was searching the darkness for the intruders when suddenly a voice announced himself from the shadows.
“Hey, boys,” Marshal Baker Campbell greeted the camp as he entered the ring of amber light.
It took a few seconds for Vin to realise that he was not alone. The familiar shape of Chris Larabee was following the Marshal close behind. With Chris was the rest of the seven and their presence immediately caused the others to leap to their feet, with guns drawn, ready to fire.
“Hold it!” Baker shouted before gunfire could erupt. Chris already had his peacemaker out of his holster and the others with him were also primed to start shooting. Vin, who was the only one unarmed, felt as if he had been thrown headfirst into his worst nightmare.
“Lower your guns!” Baker barked at his men before things escalated any more out of control. “They didn't come here to fight!”
Vin's eyes were fixed on Chris, who found him equally fast. The gunslinger's face showed his obvious relief at Vin's well being, a feeling mirrored by Vin's own expression. However, as Baker called for calm between his compatriots and Chris doing the same without words but an armed raised and crooked in a gesture to desist, Vin's concern gave way to puzzlement. What was Chris up to?
“What's going on here, Baker?” the man Vin knew as Roman Klein asked.
“Chris and his men are here to talk to Vin,” Baker explained slowly, his manner still tense because the danger in his eyes had not yet passed. No one was shooting but their guns were still drawn.
“You okay, pard?” Chris asked before anyone else could comment.
“I've been better,” Vin said reservedly, not volunteering more than he had to at this point because he had no idea what Chris was planning on doing. Usually, he could read the gunslinger well enough to know his intentions, but on this occasion, everything Chris was doing was out of character.
Chris approached the tracker and lowered his gun, a gesture that went a long way to appeasing the others and inciting the rest of the seven to do the same. Even though the urgency bled out of the situation, the tension still remained.
“Vin,” Chris said upon reaching the tracker. “Baker says that if you go to Tascosa, he'll get a judge to review your case. It might be a shot at proving you innocent.”
“Hell, you know that ain't gonna happen,” Vin exclaimed in a mixture of shock and betrayal. “I ain't never gonna live long enough to see a judge, them folks down at Tascosa are gonna lynch me long before I get to see any judge.”
“Not if I can help it,” Baker interjected. “Me and my men will see justice done. We'll make sure that you get a fair hearing. Anyone looking to lynch you is going have to go through us first.”
“And us, Vin,” Josiah added “We're going with you to Tascosa and we won't let anyone hurt you.”
Vin stared at Chris a moment, wondering if this gamble with his life was because Chris still trusted Baker. Vin silently debated his position as he connected with the gunslinger's eyes and saw the indecision there. Chris was having almost a hard a time of this as he, but if so, why didn't he just rescue Vin and be done with it? Was it possible that Chris believed he could be cleared of the charges? Even Vin did not think it was possibly and yet, Chris was willing to try, using his life as a stake.
“You killed the only person who could clear me, Chris,” Vin spoke, a hint of accusation in his voice.
“I know,” Chris replied, his jaw tensing in hurt at that reminder. “I wish to God I hadn't but you've been wanting to clear your name for sometime now, Vin, this is the best way.”
“How am I gonna do that when I'd be most likely locked up the minute I got to that town? I ain't gonna be able to do much from behind bars!” Vin's anger got the better of him and he lashed out at Chris, who felt his words almost like a physical blow.
“Vin, you just say the word,” Buck declared. “You just say the world and we'll get you out of here.” Buck glared at Baker and the men with him in bold challenge. His words resulted in everyone reaching to clutch their guns tighter.
“We'll do that too, pard,” Chris replied, casting a glance at Baker to show the Marshal that he meant it. “If you want to, we'll get you loose and ride for the border. We'll be riding right beside you.”
And they would do that, Vin realised as he stared at the faces assembled before him, the faces of his friends who would do anything to save him from a noose. They would sacrifice their futures in Four Corners just to see that he was safe. It felt good to know that they had been there for him the past three years and would continue to do so, even if it meant becoming fugitives themselves. Vin, who had spent most of his life alone, was touched by their friendship and knew that as much as he wanted to be free, he could not let them make the sacrifice.
“You think we can convince a judge I ain't guilty?” Vin looked at Chris hopefully.
“I don't know,” Chris said honestly, not prepared to lie about anything. Vin needed to know the consequences of his decision; he needed to know in order to determine what was the best course to proceed. Chris would hide nothing from him. “Mary's contacted Winstanley in Bitter Creek. He'll meet us in Tascosa to represent you.”
Vin raised a brow at that. Gareth Winstanley had proven himself to the seven when he had successfully defended Nathan against a murder charge involving Alderson. Winstanley had proven himself an able litigator, as well as possessing none of the smarminess that was known to be a trademark of all lawyers. If there was any person in this world that Vin would have chosen to defend him in a court of law, it was the English criminal lawyer.
“And we'll be turning over every rock in Tascosa to find out the truth,” Baker added. “Chances are the sheriff did very little investigating to find out the truth. If we can prove that he pinned the murder on you illegally, it might have some effect on how the judge rules.”
“It's up to you, Vin,” Chris said earnestly, “I could have beat it out of Baker where you were. Don't think that I still ain't tempted to do that, but you've been saying that you need to clear your name so that you can get on with your life. You'll never have a better chance than to do it now . I know it means going back to Tascosa and if you don't want to do that, I'll understand and we'll do whatever it takes to see you escape.”
Chris' eyes connected with Baker long enough for the lawman to know that the gunslinger was perfectly serious before regarding Vin once again. “If there's even a chance you can walk away from Tascosa an innocent man in the eyes of the law, I think you should give it a chance, because no matter what happens, I won't let you hang Vin, even if it doesn't go the way we want. I just know you gotta try.”
Vin swallowed thickly, wracked with indecision. He had no doubt that if he made the choice to run, the seven would stand by his side, no matter what the consequences to themselves. However, Chris' words had penetrated the formidable fear of hanging that he kept deep inside of him. He did want it to be over. He wanted to stop looking over his shoulder out of fear that there was someone ready to step out of the shadows to bring him in. Most of all, he wanted to stop feeling someone's breathe on his neck.
God help him, he just wanted to stop being hunted.
“I guess I got no reason to put this off any longer,” he said finally.
“Vin, think about it,” Buck interjected, seeing where the tracker's decision was leading him. “There ain't no reason to believe that you could beat this thing. Just say the word pard and we'll get you out of here.”
“Where?” Vin asked Buck sharply. “Where am I gonna go? Do I run to Canada or Mexico? I can't go back to Four Corners and if I settle down someplace else, it won't take long for someone else to catch up with me. The rest of you have lives in Four Corners, people you care about. Are you gonna leave them for me? I can't ask you to do that for me and I won't.”
“You do not have to ask us such a thing, Mr. Tanner,” Ezra replied. “We would do it willingly.”
“I know,” Vin stared at the gambler, “that's just what makes it harder to accept.”
The entire group fell silent and Vin knew that all their actions hinged on the next words that left his lips. Baker's men were poised to attack and if Vin went with his first instincts, then he would doom his friends to becoming fugitives, that is if they did not get killed fighting it out with the Marshal's entourage. He touched Chris' eyes and saw the gunslinger nod slightly in understanding. Chris knew him well enough to know he would never endanger any of his friends, even if it meant facing a hanging.
“I hope you right about this, pard,” Vin finally spoke and saw Buck's shoulders slacken and the rest of the seven showing their own feelings of reservation or agreement with his decision.
“Only one way to find out,” Chris replied, glad that Vin was taking the chance to clear his name but also felt responsible for convincing him to walk willingly into a hangman's noose.
“I guess so,” the tracker drawled. “I guess we're going to Tascosa.”
To Be Continued
