DISCLAIMER: The Magnificent Seven characters are the property of MGM, Trilogy, and the Mirisch Company. I have just borrowed them, and then will give them back.
RATING: PG13 — (language — violence)
NOTE: This is my first story, and it's unbeta'd.
He sensed rather than heard, the other man moving toward him. He figured out that if he was passed out that other fella'd leave him alone for a bit, an since he didn't feel much like holdin his head up anyway, he just closed his eyes.
Jessie came round the back of the wagon to find the tracker passed out again, he was secretly glad cause he was getting a bad feelin where Whitt was concerned. Knew he was gonna have ta go check to make sure that he'd gone in the direction of Eagle Bend like he was supose ta.
He knew the man tied to the back of the wagon wasn't goin no where, so he went back to his horse an got ready to ride.
The trackers head came up as he heard the footfalls of the horse move off, he waited until the other man headed over the rise an then turned his attention to gettin loose. Knew it was gonna hurt like hell but he didn't have a choice as the leather round his throat was gettin tighter, hurt like a son of a bitch. Ignoring the pain in his left shoulder, he put all his concentration on his right wrist an began to twist an pull.
He knew he didn't have much time an with the way he was hurtin an he was feelin an a fever comin on, he knew he had to move fast.
Mary took a breath after explaining what happened to Vin and was now sitting sipping a glass of water that Josiah had been thoughtful enough to bring to her. She watched with concern filled eyes as the gunslinger sat on a chair in front of her rubbing across his forehead with thumb and forefinger and leaning his elbows on his knees, head hung low.
All this time he'd thought it was the bounty on Vin, should have known better and now his fiend was in trouble. "What to do?" He asked himself. Wasn't in him to just sit and wait for something to happen, but Mary said they'd get in touch with him by wire. But then Vin could be dead by then. He shied away from that last thought almost immediately.
He was on his feet headed toward the batwing doors before he fully realized that he'd made the decision and knew without looking the other men were at his back. Out the bat wing doors and off to the livery. If they took Vin's boots, then maybe they would be able to track him using the full moon as a guide. Couldn't be that hard, could it, he asked himself.
Not a word was said and all that could be heard was the shift of the horses as they were being dressed out for riding. Leather and stirrups making the only noise as it was being laid out.
"I'll be right back." Nathan said into the quiet and caught a look from their leader. "Gotta go get my stuff, Chirs. No tellin how bad Vin's hurt with that shoulder n' Mary said he got a knock on the head as well." A nod from Chris was the only acknowledgment he got that their friend was in need of help.
"Nate?" Joshia stopped the healer in his tracks, "I'll bring your horse." All the healer could do was nod his head as he was already making a mental list of the things he might need.
JD stood quietly with the other men watching Chris tack Peso, not saying anything but feeling a pain in his stomach that made him feel like he was gonna be sick. He turned to look at Buck for reassurance that everything would be all right. The older man would not meet his eyes and that worried the Sheriff more than anything. Buck always let him know that things were gonna be ok, made sure that he knew that he was worried for nothin. And he needed that right now, but Buck was looking at the gunslinger with a worried gaze of his own.
Buck had been friends with Chris for more that 10 years now, rode with him, drank with him and chased women with him til he met and married Sara. Knew every expression on that man's face but dammed if he knew what he was thinkin right now. Buck was worried for Vin "Sure he was, but more for Chris Larabee's sanity if somethin happened to the tracker."
Buck stepped quietly up to the gunslinger "Chris, should one of us stay in town case a wire comes?"
Chris looked over Peso and met the steady stare of the other man. "You boys do what you gotta but I ain't waitin for no wire, Vin's hurt." He turned with a lead in each fist and headed out of the livery.
Joshia stepped up beside Buck, "I have to go, if Vin can't sit a horse, I'll have to help carry him." And he moved on past the lady's man.
Ezra had been quiet the whole time and realized that it felt more like they were headed to a funeral already, and then just at that thought came he banished it. "Vin Tanner was one of the toughest men he knew, and if anyone were able to with stand the riggers of this ordeal then it would be him."
"Mr. Willimington? If you deem it necessary that one of us should remain behind to intercept the missive should it arrive, I would be delighted to perform this service and depart immediately upon it's arrival." Before Buck could respond he went on, "Or do you consider that all of our considerable talents may be required in our endeavors to retrieve Mr. Tanner from the clutches of those miscreants before any additional harm should befall him?"
Buck jumped in before the gambler could take a breath and start again. "If your askin if you should stay or go Ezra, I don't rightly know, but I'ma goin." He moved out of the livery with JD on his heels.
Ezra stood there a moment before taking up the lead of his horse and following along as well.
It was a solemn group of men that road out from the back of the News Paper office headed out into the New Mexico Bad Lands in hopes of finding a friend. Mary watched them go with troubled eyes, knowing if they came back as only six, that things would change. Vin Tanner was the heart of this group, and without a heart nothing could survive. The moon was high but after a bit she could not make them out anymore. She turned to go back in with a prayer on her lips for the trackers safe recovery.
He was dizzy and sick by the time he got loose from them ropes. Tore the skin round his wrist but the blood helped slide his hand out. Once that was done it took only a moment more before he was free. He had to stop for a moment when he tired to stand on his own feet, the blood rushing back into his arms was bad enough but when his left shoulder came back alive the pain almost took him to his knees.
So here he stood leaning against the end of the wagon trying to get his balance an knowin he didn't have much time fore one or both of those men would be back. Another problem was that the leather around his throat was a separate binding an his worst fear was that it would choke him to death while it was dryin. He tired several times to get it off but with nothing to cut with, he was stuck with it an it was slowly closing off his air. He knew if he was gonna live he'd have to get in the water that ran in a little stream alongside the camp an loosin that dam thing up.
That might cool his fever too but it was gonna make him even sicker, no choice was what he had left. The sun was gonna be up in about 20 minutes he figured. Didn't have time to stand here ponderin on what to do, just had to get to it.
He staggered to the steam an went down face first, soakin the whole front of him. Felt good so he turned over to make sure to get the back of the leather thong around his throat. Felt better already as he tugged it out far enough to insert a stick he found, scrapped his neck but would give him some room to cut if he ever found something to cut with.
Stumbling up and out of the water, the tracker rested on his hands on his knees for a moment. Looking around to get the lay of things before he moved, he noticed that he had one of two options. He could follow the stream an hope he got enough ahead for them not to be able to pick up his trail, or he could scale the mountain side that followed the stream.
He was familiar with this area an knew that over the top was a straight drop down an if the sun started to dry out this noose round his neck he would need the water or slowly chock to death. That was as bad a choice as going to Texas to hang. He also didn't have nothin to carry the water in so's he figured it'd be the stream.
With a look back in the direction the other man had taken an a quiet prayer that if he died Chris an the boys would find him, so's he could be buried proper. Didn't like the thought one bit of bein something's dinner, but guessed there were worse ways to go out. So with that he moved back into the middle of the stream an moved off in what he figured was a southern direction.
Jessie road hard back toward the camp where he left the tracker, was gonna just kill 'em an get gone. Whitt done double-crossed him an he wasn't gonna hang fer that.
"Damitt, jus knew that fucker was goin back to tell them others where the tracker was." He'd come up on Whitt headed back toward him from Four Corners an Jessie didn't even give him time to take a breath fore he sidled up side him, took his knife an made a cut along the other man's throat.
Didn't have time to wait to see the job done cause sure nough he could see dust risin an know'd it had ta been them others from that town. So he took off fast rigdin not in the direction he'd come but Southeast hopin to throw them off, an also hopin that Whitt was dead by the time they reached 'em.
He'd seen him go down off the horse but "Shit" didn't have time to get down an make sure Whitt was dead.
Clem Whitt never thought things would end for him this way. He lay dying beside his horse. The only good thing was he'd be with his son soon. Knew the deep gash in his throat leaking his life's blood out was a mortal wound.
He still clutched at the wound instinctively trying to slow the blood loss down.
He knew he was taking his chances going back for the tracker, but he just could not let Jessie kill the man. He'd seen too much and heard too much the last few days and found out too late that he'd misjudged the gunslinger.
He knew his last thoughts would be regret at what had taken place here due to his misplaced anger, and was sorry to his sole that the tracker was going to die for it.
Chris had been following what he knew to be fresh wagon ruts in the dusty trail. Hoped it was Vin they were onto and not a dead end. They had been out of town about 4 hours now and nothing to tell him one way or the other if the tracker was still alive.
"Chris!" Josiah pulled up along the man in black and motioned for him to look off to the west of them. " Looks like a horse out there"
Chris had no time for stops along the way and was about to tell the preacher that when he glanced over and saw a movement beside the horse. Hating that he would have to delay the journey to find his friend, but knowing they had to check it out, he pulled his horse in that direction without so much as acknowledging the change.
They all changed direction without comment to follow their leader.
About 20 minutes later Nathan jumped down off his horse and flew to the man lying on the ground. Blood seeping from between his fingers where an obvious wound was. "Here let me take a look"
They all recognized the man on the ground from the run in's with the tracker and this mans friend.
Chris was down on him in a moment and had a fist in his shirtfront, ignoring the pain he was causing and hissed "Where is he."
"Chris, let 'em loose!" Nathan made a grab for the gunslingers hands, but the other man stopped him with his words "He may be dead by now" choked out through a blood filled gurgle.
"Where" was all the man in black could get out through the red haze of his anger, fighting the urge to finish off the man in front of him.
"Chris, I said let 'em go" more forcibly now and the gunslinger let the other man go with a shove back to the ground.
A hard look to the healer "You do what you need to, but I'm goin after Vin" and with that he started to rise.
A blood soaked hand on his sleeve stopped him short and he looked back down at the man on the ground.
Clem needed to clear things before he died and he had no doubt that he would die here today. "He's due south where the foothills start their incline" he had to stop to get his breath "Tucked up beside a stream." And his hand dropped limply to the ground.
The gunslinger cast one last look puzzled for a moment on what he could have done to this man, and just a quickly the thought was gone as his mind turned to finding his friend before it was too late.
Nathan tried to find a pulse but the man had just bled out right there with his last words. He looked up at the gunslinger and felt a shiver run down his spine and the look on the other mans face. The healer knew that someone would die today and sure was glad he was on this man side.
Josiah rode up beside their leader, "Chris, we need to stop and rest the horses."
A hard green-eyed glare was all the preacher got in response otherwise the gunslinger just kept going.
The preacher pulled up and allowed Buck to come along side him. No need for words as the lady's man knew that without Vin here they would look to him to try to make Chris see sense. So with a deep breath, he spurred his gray up along side the gunslinger.
Buck didn't say anything for a minute, just rode in silence until he was sure that he had the other mans attention. Looking him in the eye he said, "Ain't gonna be no good to Vin, we don't rest these horses, Chris." And he saw the gunslinger shoulders go high and tight in anger.
"You don't want ta stop fer them, that's fine by me, but we been runnin along this water toward the foothills fer better'n hour. Seems we'd be comin up on 'em by now." He dropped his head and then tried again, "Chris, we need to stop an take a look 'round, we go bargin in there an Vin's liable to get killed."
Just as Buck knew it would, that brought the other man to a stop. Without a word he turned his horse toward the water.
JD felt the tension leave him, was worried about Vin, about the way Chris was just now. Never seen him like this, not like him to run his horse to ground. He heard the other men and they thought about 20 minutes over the next rise should bring them to where that dead man told to look.
"Dead man" He was curious as to why that fella started all this, was puzzled still why the gunslinger didn't seem to care that the man died before he told them why. He looked up from where he was squatting to find Buck there beside him.
"Buck?" he asked
"Yeah, kid?" In low tones and not even looking at him but at the man in black further down the line of horses.
"Why do you think that man was after Chris? Don't it seem funny too that he told us where to look for Vin?" He looked to his friend to find the answers for him.
Buck cast a brief glance at the young man wondering briefly how it was that this boy had gotton to him so fast. Just couldn't help liking the kid. "JD, Chris has too much of a past to ponder on the doin's of other folks, right now he's worried bout Vin, so ain't much gonna pull 'em away from that till we find him." And he went back to taking care of his horse.
JD didn't really understand and sometimes he got irritated at Buck cause the other man seemed to think he could just pick up on what was goin on. He looked at each man that he now road with.
Chris, brooding and mean one minute and concerned and playful the next. Buck, his friend always a kind word but boy did he have a temper. Joshia, never could quiet finger him out with all that church talk bout things he had no understanding of but strong in his stand with all of them. Nathan, healer and took dam good care of all of them, but deadly when he needed to be. Ezra now there was a piece of the puzzled he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to figure out, but he was always there when they needed him and those five dollar words of his, well maybe one day he'd understand 'em better. And then there was Vin.
JD didn't understand how they all could have rode together for months now and all they knew of the tracker were his obvious skills and he had a bounty on his head. Vin was only a few years older than him he thought but nobody knew fer sure. He was steady and seemed to bring a balnce to the bloody violence that was Chris Larabee. Movement beside him interrupted his musings and he realized that Buck was mounting and so he did as well, wishing now he took the time to answer the call of nature.
"Fuck" Jessie sat looking around, that dam tracker was gone. It had not been an easy goin by the looks of the blood on the ropes. He got down off his horse knowin he didn't have much time before those other men would be headed this way. Just knew it like he knew Whitt was not headed to Eagle Bend.
He found the other mans trail easy, where he fell into the water and then a little ways down where he came out. No other tracks leadin out of the water toward the mountain. That rig Jessie had tied round his neck was not comin off without a knife, so he figured that the tracker knew to stay near the water. He cast a look behind him and decided if he couldn't find the tracker right quick then he'd head out an come back another time to finish 'em off.
Dizzy, sick, in pain, feet now cut an going between hot an cold, the man stumbling down through the now knee deep water was think'in things couldn't get much worse. Water was getting deeper as it was comin down off the mountains so it was cold an he was headed down stream where it was likely to pool even deeper as he went. The water had felt good fer a while when the sun was out, but then he came into the shade of the mountain and now he was starting to shiver an that didn't make sense as he was sweating as well, knew he was sick an things getting fuzzy.
One foot in front of the other just keep goin until he passed out. Would be a sorry sight to Nathan when the healer got hold of him. "Well, he hoped he'd get the chance to get hold of him." Just one foot in front of the other. Everything now buzzin in his head an just where the hell was he anyway? Couldn't quiet get a grasp on how far he'd come an seemed to him he was loosin time.
And then he heard it. Water splashin back up round the bend where he'd come through bout 1o minutes or so ago. "Fuck Me" an knew that was as right a sayin as any right now. Dam sure knew better than to stay so close to the middle an if he was think'in better, no one would have been able to get that close. Not braggin just knew is own skills an had no doubt of them. Before he could move out of the stream, he felt the rope drop round his shoulders an went flying back into the water.
Jessie had come up on the other man bout the time he was ready to just ride off, took 'em down with a toss from his lariat an started back up the stream urgin his horse to go as fast as he could. He was workin on borrowed time an knew those other men would most likely be here soon.
He wanted to see the trackers face when he put a bullet tween his eyes. So he drug him a bit further an stopped ready to get down off the horse, when he heard the sound of horses an looked up to see six men top the rise to his left an head down with guns drawn.
Jessie knew he had seconds to get outa there or he was gonna be the one with a bullet tween the eyes, so he took the end of the rope off then an let it drop, turned his horse with a cruel jerk back down stream. As he passed the man strugglin in the water he took a shot an a big smile bloomed as he heard a pain filled grunt.
"Nother time tracker" an he was gone.
Chris would never forget when they came upon the old wagon and the bloody ropes. He didn't have time to try an track Vin an knew he'd only had two choices, straight up the mountain or down river. Felt if Vin was hurt he'd go down river, so he headed down along the water line, the boys at his back.
He took the rise rather than go into the water, thinking it would be faster. His heart dropped to his stomach when he topped the rise in time to see the tracker being dragged through the water. Drawing his gun, he spurred his horse down the other side and straight at the man holding that rope. Was close enough to see the man drop it and turn back to the tracker spurring his own horse past and taking a shot. Chris's own gun was firing at the retreating back of the other man, when he saw Vin's body jerk with the impact of a bullet. Didn't much cotton to shootin a man in the back but when his friends life was in danger, even he could see the rightness in it.
Coming along side Vin, he didn't look directly at him, fearful of what he might see, so he kept going and yelled back at Nathan "See to him."
Nathan, Joshia and Ezra stopped upon seeing the tracker lying so still in the water. Buck flew past with JD on his heals, right on the tail of the gunslinger.
Nathan spared a look to the retreating backs to see Chris pulling away, due in mostly to him tucking down tight across his horse's neck. Not needing to put spurs to its side as his urgency was transferred to the horse and it flew. Nathan quickly turned to look down at the tracker and was dismayed at what he saw. He cast a look up to the Big Preacher but he was already kneeling down to scoop the tracker up in his big arms.
Ezra stepped back out of the way and directed his question at the healer "How can I be of service Mr. Jackson?"
"Go ahead back to that camp an get a fire goin, he's gonna need ta get warm." He threw a grateful look at the gambler.
Ezra wasted no time in reclaiming his seat and a sharp turn with a heal to the horses side sent him back up over the ridge.
Between Josiah and Nathan they got the unconscious tracker seated in front of the preacher, not an easy job as the man may be slight in built but he was all lose limbs. He didn't stir a bit until they were back at the camp an the healer had taken what was left of his shirt off to look at the old wound in his left shoulder. He was more concerned with the new gun wound that was leaking blood from his lower waist. Nathan just sat holding a cloth to that an startin to worry he couldn't get to everything at once.
Josiah's big hand came over the healers to hold pressure there and Nathan cast a grateful look his way.
He was not prepared for Vin's violent reaction when he started unbuttoning his pants to get them off, first to see the wound better an sides they was soaked threw.
All Vin knew was he was hurt an somebody was takin off his cloths. He was cold 'nough an just who the hell had their hands on him anyway. Never could abide bein touched an sure as hell wouldn't stand fer gettin stripped without his knowin why.
Nathan moved back as the tracker came up off the makeshift bed to a sitting position but not quick enough an found himself lookin down the barrel of his own gun. "Vin, no need to be doin that, just here to help." He slowly reached out for the gun, but the other man was scooting back an lookin like he would shoot anybody that tried to get near. Nathan could read confusion in the other man's eyes an threw a cautious look to the other men, hopin they wouldn't do nothin to make things worse. The healer had seen this kind of thing before with head wounds an Vin was runnin a fever as well by the look of the light sheen of sweat on his chest an forehead.
Ezra heard the commotion from where he was trying to get the damable fire going, was not made out for this kind of outdoor life, better shooted to life in town. He stood up quickly but before he could move he too noticed the gun in Vin Tanners hands and it was pointed at the healer. He could see Josiah on the other side and wondered briefly why Mr. Tanner had a gun and why he was clutching the top part of his pants with a white knuckled grip.
Josiah didn't move, he wasn't sure how much of what was going on that Vin registered and knew without a doubt if he'd been lucid that gun would not now be pointing at Nathan. So he sat back on his haunches and waited for things to play out.
Nathan was startin to get pissed, this man had a world of hurts needin looked to an here he was bein held hostage by his own gun. Tanner kept shaken his head an the gun waiver in the tremblin hand that held it. Sure wish Cris'd get back here, maybe talk some sense inta the tracker.
Course things couldn't get worse, Nathan thought an then the trackers horse shows up. Just trotted right though the camp an on up to the tracker like a big dog.
Peso, Vin recognized an tried to get his feet under him. Went down like a rock an the hands were back at 'em. "What the fuck! Get off me." He looked up into dark brown eyes shadowed with concern. "Nate?"
"Thank God!" From Ezra, who now was kneeling at the tracker's feet with a tight grip on his legs.
"Amen Brother" the preacher stated and loosened his grip on the sick man;s fore arms.
"Mother of God!" Nathan had just caught site of the death grip the leather thong had on Vin's throat. Reaching for his knife he cautiously moved toward the tracker to cut it off before it choked him to death.
Shit, Shit, Shit, Damit, Fuck"
JD and Buck sat watching the gunslinger pace beside his horse after loosing the other man's tracks.
Buck let him have a few minutes and then got down off his own horse to approach the other man. "Chris, ain't yer fault that wiry little bastard got away. Can't do nothin now an we need ta get back to Vin."
Hearing the other mans name, the gunslinger turned an mounted his horse without another word and turned back toward where they left the others. His heart beating fast at the thought of what he might find there. The last look he had was of a pinkish tinge to the water where the blood was leaking out of the other man.
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