Disclaimer: All the characters from the "Magnificent Seven" T.V. series are property of Trilogy Entertainment, The Mirisch Group, MGM Worldwide.
The saloon was full but the mood was far from lively.
Like the rest of Four Corners, the establishment was effected with the same malaise that had overcome the town with no one was in the mood to enjoy their liquor to any kind of satisfaction. Inez remained behind the counter, noting in particular the sombre atmosphere whose greatest concentration seemed to be lingering around the table normally occupied by the seven lawmen of Four Corners. Unfortunately, on this evening, their number had been reduced to six and it was for that lack of one that the entire town was trapped in a prison of despair almost as confining as the blockade that kept them under siege.
"Somehow, we've got to get through this blockade." Buck Wilmington declared as the six sat around the table conferring their position as if it were a council of war. "If Vin's right, we don't have a lot of time and we won't have a chance when they decide to ride in here."
"That's easier said that done, Buck." JD retorted, still smarting from the humiliating encounter with that Quint woman, not to mention he wanted to hurt someone for the near violation of Casey and the harm they had brought to Nettie. The enemy there were now facing did not seem like any outlaw or opponent they had previously encountered. There was something deeply personal about this newest threat because it was not merely themselves that was in danger but their entire existence in the town of Four Corners. "You didn't see how many of them were guarding that pass we tried to take to get to Sweet Water."
"Well we gotta do something." Buck said apprehensive, glancing at Inez who was working behind the bar even as they spoke. He could see the slight swell of her stomach through her dress and knew that curve was actually his child growing inside her, relying on him to keep it and its mother safe. Buck had no intention of failing either of them. If he could not protect her now, how was he ever going to prove to her that he could be a husband to her?
"According to your own observations," Ezra spoke up. "These villains are well supplied and informed. The lady who delivered this charming bruise," he referred to the discolouration on his cheek bone where Selena had hit him that had developed into a formidable shiner. "Knew exactly who we were during our unfortunate encounter. She also knew that we would take the most obscure path out of town and had it guarded accordingly. As much as I may dislike to admit it, I think she has done her homework in evaluating us all and I believe is quite prepared to keep us penned in indefinitely."
"Well there are ways out of Four Corners that don't show on a map." Vin remarked, refusing to believe that there was no avenue left for them to turn. The people of Four Corners were relying on them to get this situation under control and Vin was not about to disappoint them. It was bad enough that the town's morale had suffered a substantial blow with Chris getting hurt, it was now imperative that they knew help was coming and Vin was determined to find a way to materialise that help.
"I don't know whether it's a good idea for you to go off on your own Vin," Josiah regarded the tracker knowing precisely what the younger man was alluding to with that suggestion. Vin had a tendency to go off on his own when he believed he was right. While it was an admirable quality at times, there were instances when he had almost gotten himself killed. "With Chris down for the count and Nathan needed with the injured, this ain't exactly the time to divide our forces. We don't know for sure that a massacre is what these mercenaries have in mind or whether or not they're going to wait a few days to make their run on us. Whatever they plan to do, we're going need you here."
"I know," Vin frowned unhappily before draining his glass and slamming it hard on the table. "I just hate waiting around here for them to come get us."
"We're not waiting around," Buck replied lending support to Josiah's demand that Vin stay put since he too was aware of Vin's predilections to getting things done when he was determined enough. "We're keeping those we care about safe." Once again, Buck fought the urge to look at Inez. For the first time, he had some idea of the anxieties that Chris used to have for his family during those nights when he had to leave Sarah and Adam for a trip out of town. Buck had always considered those occasions a chance for him and Chris cut loose, never understanding what secret fears Chris kept inside of him until that awful night when all his nightmares came to pass in a blaze of fire.
"Maybe Vin's right." Nathan added. "Maybe its better if he makes a run for Sweet Water to get help. I don't know about you but personally I don't think one more man is going to make a difference if they decide to hit us hard. There's more than thirty of them and six of us. Even with the town's help, it ain't gonna be easy to defend this place."
Suddenly, the quiet of the evening night was broken with the loud eruption of gunfire followed by the thundering sound of horses screaming their arrival with high pitched neighs that captured everyone's attention as they rumbled through town. The lawmen immediately leapt out of their seats and ran out of the establishment as the screams and gunfire continued. Emerging outside, they caught sight of a group of armed men, spreading out across town in groups of four. The lawmen immediately counted at least a dozen mercenaries presently fanning out over Four Corners, carrying torches that left a trail of light as they moved through the darkened streets.
"It looks like they're moving ahead of schedule!" Buck cried out as he grabbed the first horse that he saw at the hitching post and mounted it. Beside him, Vin and Ezra did the same as Josiah, Nathan and JD hurried in the direction of nearest riders they could reach on foot.
"Get off the streets!" Vin shouted to anyone who could hear as he climbed into the saddle. Immediately, people started running for cover indoors, more than happy to let the law deal with the invaders while they hid in safety.
Buck led the charge as his horse galloped down the main street of Four Corners, following the group of four who were armed with torches and shooting anyone who was foolish enough to still remain in the open. Buck winced as he saw two bystanders go down even though they were scrambling to escape the gunfire. He did not know who they were but he had seen them around town and knew enough about them to know they were men with families. Watching them cut down so callously forced Buck to pull out his own gun and start firing in an effort to stop their murderers. He saw one of the riders ahead tumbled to the ground as another mercenary tossed his torch through the window of Gloria Potter's store.
The flaming piece of wood shattered the glass store front, igniting the curtains as it passed through them and quickly finding something to burn when it finally landed on the floor. By the time Buck, Vin and Ezra rode past the premises, the fire had snaked up the floor covered with grease and dirt to find sustenance in the rest of the shop's wares. The remaining trio of mercenaries they were pursuing still had torches of their own and the lawmen knew that they had to keep the riders from finding new targets or else Four Corners would soon be engulfed in flames.
"Get off the streets!" Buck shouted at anyone who still had not heeded the warning as he continued firing at the enemy. "Damn!" He swore as he saw another torch flying to the air, this one landing on the awning of Ben Driscoll's home, the local barber. Embers scattered across the sloped surface burning quickly into the wood, dried by the spring heat before burst into flames across the entire length of the awning.
"Vin get the ones with the torches!" Buck shouted because Vin was the sharpshooter among the three of them and only he could make the lengthy shot with that much precision. Buck had seen Vin nail a target at almost 500 yards on horse back in the dark. He hoped this would not be as difficult.
The tracker was already taking careful aim. He did not believe in shooting a man in the back but in this case, there was little choice. Before the night was done, these men could very well succeed in razing the entire town to the ground. He saw the man pull back his arm, preparing to throw the torch he was holding at the window of the Clarion News and knew that this was as good a time as any to make the shot. Pulling the trigger with perfect confidence, Vin heard the bullet escape the barrel of his Winchester and allowed himself a faint smile when he saw the man topple off his horse, the torch that was meant for the Mary and Chris' home, falling into the dirt next to him.
Meanwhile Buck and Ezra were also making careful aim at the remaining riders, preparing to put them down as permanently as Vin had just done so without as much subtlety. Releasing a lethal barrage of fire, their bullets soon cut down the men in front of them and the bodies toppled past the lawmen even though their horses, continued galloping forward, leaving their dead masters behind. Unfortunately, the destruction was far from over as the lawmen saw Gloria Potter's store blazing from the inside out while Ben Driscoll and his family were attempting to beat the flames consuming the front portion of their house into submission.
"Bastards!" Buck swore as he saw evidence of at least two more fires glowing warmly against the backdrop of the indigo sky.
"It looks like they ain't gonna let us wait this out with nothing to do." Vin said sharply.
"Gentlemen," Ezra nudged his horse in the opposite direction. "We are far from resolved from this duty just yet." He started riding after another collection of mercenaries, still holding their torches and making their way towards the Pemberton Emporium. Being one of the largest buildings in town, it was one of the most inviting targets not to mention the difficulty in putting out the fire should the structure become engulfed. There were too many things within the building that were highly flammable and it would be almost impossible to stop the entire Emporium from becoming a raging inferno.
Ezra led this time, pushing the unfamiliar horse he was riding harder than it had ever been ridden in its entire life. Even with Vin and Buck behind him, riding as fast as possible, he knew he would be hard pressed to reach the mercenaries who were almost upon the building. Looking behind him, he shouted at Vin.
"Mr Tanner, you must stop him from throwing that infernal object into the Emporium!" Ezra implored. "It will go up like a Roman candle."
Ezra did not have to say it twice. Like before, Vin had not intention of letting Julia Pemberton's livelihood go up in flames although the shot required to prevent it was almost twice the distance it had taken to save the Clarion. Nevertheless, Vin was determined to try. Taking careful aim as he closed the distance between himself and the target, Vin took a deep breath and knew he had no time to make a precise shot as he might like and aimed from the hip.
The bullet struck the rump of the horse being ridden by the would be arsonist. The animal reared up on its hind quarters in pain, tossing its master and the incendiary torch off its back. Vin hated resorting to shooting the horse but the animal had presented a better target than its rider and Vin had to improvise quickly. The man tumbled to the ground badly but was scrambling to his feet soon enough. He did not appear unhurt but his horse was in no mind to let him saddle up again and so he was forced to climb on the back on his companion's mount.
By this time, the lawmen had reached the group. Their arrival was preceeded by gunfire which had the mercenaries fleeing the way they came, leaving the Emporium relatively safe. However, they were determined to use their torches and flung them aside whilst returning fire. One of the torches landed on some crates in the street, another through the doors of Murphy's Saloon while the last torch landed through the window of someone's home.
Buck, Vin and Ezra kept their heads down as bullets whizzed past them. Vin felt the heat of a bullet graze his buckskins but fortunately penetrated no further than that. By now, the streets were devoid of people except for those who were taking up the defence of Four Corners. Fortunately, it appeared as if the mercenaries had no wish for a prolonged engagement and the ones under pursuit by the lawmen, turned the corner that would put them on the fastest route out of town.
However, the mercenaries were not alone and the rest of their number was still rampaging through town. Buck looked over his shoulder and realised that what they had managed to save was only one small part of town. The rest of Four Corners was being terrorised by the other mercenaries the lawmen had not managed to reach who had thrown their torches while gunning down a number of townsfolk at the same time. As the fires began to intensify, people were drawn out onto the streets again, forced to abandon safety to deal with this new threat.
"Damn!" Buck swore. "We ain't done nothing at all!"
"Not enough it appears," Ezra replied as he saw so many fires across town that it seemed like daylight in Four Corners for the sky was glowing amber.
"Come on!" Vin kicked his heels into his horse and sent the animal surging ahead towards the mercenaries that were still in town. "This ain't over yet! We're in for one long night!"
"Stay inside!" JD ordered a curious woman who had peered out her window to see what was happening as he ran past her home, both his guns drawn on the rider who was outdistancing him rapidly. The young man felt his heart pounding as he attempted to maintain the pursuit, wishing more than ever he had his horse with himself, instead of where it was stabled at the livery. He emptied all bullets at the group, he, Josiah and Nathan had broken up. Despite his best efforts to end the man's rampage, he could not fire the shot that would see that take place.
Suddenly, almost as if the bandit had a conduit to his mind, JD saw the man ride towards the livery, guns blazing at everything in his path as he made the journey there. Stray fire shattered windows, created holes in walls and generally caused enough pandemonium to send people running in all directions, seeking cover. He had some idea as to the purpose of these raids, other than to burn down the town and kill innocent people and guessed that was the campaign of terror that Chris had been so determined to prevent.
The rider paused at the livery long enough for JD to catch up but not long enough to keep him from tossing the flaming piece of wood through the open door of the stable.
"No!" JD shouted angrily, knowing just how much damage that was going to cause. The reaction of the animals was immediate and he heard terrified neighing as the hay inside the building ignited instantly. The man turned long enough to look at JD and throw him a sneer of complete triumph that more or less snapped whatever restraint the young man might have possessed. With skill he did not know he possessed, JD fired without even thinking because he wanted this done with quickly.
The bullet slammed into the man's forehead, blowing the back of his head out in a spray of blood and bone. He fell of his horse without uttering a sound and JD more or less ignored his bloody form when the young sheriff had to run past it to reach the animals inside the stable. JD paid no more regard to the corpse beyond the knowledge that the man was dead and would cause no more trouble. When JD arrived at the main doors of the livery, he could hear the panic cries of the animals locked within their stalls, unable to escape. The young sherrif immediately pulled off his coat and ran into the structure.
As expected, the hay had caught fire immediately and since the place was literally covered from one end of the stable to the other with hay, the fire had plenty to feed on as it consumed its way across the structure. The horses inside their stalls were kicking and screeching in terror as they were visited by one of the most primeval of natural enemies. Some of the animals were kicking so fiercely they were actually breaking wood and it would not be long before one of the animals hurt themselves from the sheer terror of trying to escape.
The fire had snaked up the ceiling beams and the livery was filling up with smoke, adding to the further descent of panic for the animals trapped within. JD pulled the gates that he had unlatched and saw Chris Larabee's black gelding which had returned to town hours earlier on its own, sprint from its stall, galloping towards the doors. He repeated this procedure several times, freeing the dozen or more horses stabled inside the building. Some were eager to depart and more or less bowled him over as soon as he had opened the gate.
Unfortunately, there were a few stragglers, held back by the intensity of the heat of the raging inferno, not to mention that wall of flames that needed human navigation to traverse. The smoke was making hard to breathe but JD was not prepare to abandon the animals and hurried into the stalls of the ones that still remained. He had not idea who the mare belonged to but knew that it was never going to make it out of the livery in its heightened state of panic. Wrestling to get an adequate grip of the mare's bridle which was not an easy thing to do considering the horse was kicking its hind legs violently, trying to smash its way out of the stall, JD attempted to calm the animal.
"Whoa there girl!" JD cried out, trying desperately to reach the leather straps so he could gain some measure of control over the mare. However, she had no intention of making it easy for him and finally, JD had no choice but to flip his coat over her head to calm her. She thrashed for a bit after the darkness had enveloped her but was disorientated by the sudden blackness to finally allow JD to wrap his fingers around her bridle.
"Its okay girl," he said softly, trying to soothe her with his voice as he attempted to lead it out of the stall. "We're getting out of here."
The smoke was so thick, it was difficult to breathe but JD could not leave any of the animals behind as he waved the grey clouds out of his path as he heard the crackle of fire much closer than the would like. The blaze was everywhere now, even inside some of the stalls he had just vacated. The mare was still struggling but JD was able to exert some measure of control as he led it to the doors into the cool of the night air outside.
The young sheriff took greedy gulps of air as he emerged into the night once more. His lungs felt dry and raspy when he released the mare who promptly bolted down the street. There would be time to round up the other animals later but for right now, there was still a few more languishing inside that inferno. Taking another greedy gulp of air, JD dashed through the open doors and noticed that the door way itself was on fire. There were at least three more horses and the fire was making good pace throughout the building. With anguish, JD knew he would not be able to get them all out and decided he did not care. He could not leave any creature to die like this.
Throwing caution to the winds, JD ran into the first stall of the last three horses still inside the stable. The fear of fire had kept them inside their stalls, too frighten to venture or make any attempt to save themselves. Fighting time and the thick smoke inside the building, JD's eyes watered and could only see when he squinted hard. He refused to admit that he was almost blind as he grabbed the harness around the animal and dragged it out of its stall, even though it was bucking and kicking in protest at having to venture out into the fire. His lungs were starting to burn and JD started coughing as he struggled to bring the horse to safety. The air was filled with the sound of a raging fire and the terrified neighing of the remaining horses.
Suddenly, a loud crack was heard, like the snapping of a great log. He could not see from which direction it was coming but heard it break loudly. The beam landed only a few feet away behind him, the loud impact sending the horse he was attempting to save into a surge of fear that caused it to break free of him. Fortunately, the animal had bolted towards the door in its fright and managed to help itself when it escaped through the night air.
JD had been thrown to the ground when the horse had broken free of him and as he scrambled to his feet to see the damage done, he realised with dismay that a support beam had fallen directly between him and the remaining horses. While he might be able to squeeze past them, there was no way he was going to be able to bring the animals through with him. The entire structure was starting to heave and groan as if it were going to collapse at any minute. It would be have been entirely justifiable if he ran out and left them. No one would think any less of him for doing so.
Except he could not.
JD loved horses. Everything he had loved about the West, gunslingers and cowboys had come from that appreciation. When he had lived in the east, learning to ride them had been his own connection to the dream he wanted so much to be apart of when he was old enough to seek it out for his own. He could not imagine abandoning the creatures desperately needing his help even though he knew freeing them would be virtually impossible now. He could not leave them to be burned alive. He made a decision then and hoped his conscience would let him live with it later.
Ignoring the stinging in his eyes and the burning pain in his lungs, JD kept his head down and ran under the fiery beam across the livery floor. Clearing the flaming wreckage, he entered the stalls of a young mare that was kicking and screeching her terror with each breath of smoke she was inhaling. JD could see her nostrils flaring and then recoiling at the toxic air in its lungs. JD tried to pacify the animal the best he could and noticed that to some extent, it was calmed at his present. He took hold of its bridal and ran a soothing hand over its warm flank, hoping to ease its fears.
Then he pulled out his gun and put it down before the animal was even aware of the shot.
The bulk of the horse collapsed immediately and JD knew that some of the tears in his eyes were not from the fire as he groaned in anger with what he was forced to do. Slipping out of the stall, he went to the next animal and repeated the same thing, telling himself all the while that it was all he could do. When the grisly task was finally completed, JD knew it was time to go. That the structure had not collapsed already was a minor miracle and he ran forward at breakneck speed as he heard the first snap of burning wood. Leaping over the beam, he had never run so fast in his life as when he did when those hot embers started raining down on him as the ceiling finally gave way.
"JD!" Nathan was there to greet him when he burst out of the livery doors, just as the building crumbled behind him. Hot waves of air and fire blew outwards as wood tumbled to the earth in a final conflagration. "Boy! Are you crazy!" Nathan demanded almost on the verge of panic when he realised how close his younger friend had come to making that pile of flaming wreckage his funeral pyre.
"I had to get the horses out!" JD said while coughing hard, trying to expel the toxic smoke from his lungs so that he could get fresh air into instead.
"Breathe easy!" Nathan ordered, bending the boy over as he continued coughing loudly.
"It hurts to breathe." JD struggled to say.
"You've probably suffering from smoke inhalation." Nathan guessed and made a quick scan of him to ensure that was the only injury that JD had sustained.
Josiah came running up from the main street at the point. The preacher's gun was drawn as he advanced upon them and surveyed the situation on arrival. This scene although more progressed than some of the others Josiah had misfortune to come across prior to his arrival here, was only one of many such incidents throughout town. Despite the continued gunfire as Vin, Ezra and Buck ran the last remnants of the mercenaries out of town, the entire community had emerged from their hiding places to deal with the numerous fires that had been set across town. Unlike the attacks made by the Klan some months ago, those seemed to pale by comparison with what they faced now when the prospect that the entire town could be nothing more than cinders by dawn if they did not band together and help was a looming possibility.
"I managed to get a few of them but they did plenty damage." Josiah announced.
"I'm gonna talk JD to the school house," Nathan declared, "he's taken in a lot of smoke."
"You okay JD?" Josiah regarded the young man with concern and noted that his pallor seemed rather grey although it was difficult to tell because he was covered in smoke and dirt.
"I'm fine." JD said unhappily, still unable to shake the guilt at being forced to gun down those last few horses. "The smoke's gotten to me just a little."
Josiah could tell by his manner that there was more to it than just than and the look he exchanged with the healer more or less confirmed that Nathan held the same belief but neither were willing to press at the moment. JD would tell them when he felt like he needed to talk about and the truth was, the present situation did not lend itself well to any heart to heart disclosures. The town was in nothing less than chaos at the moment, appearing as if it had just emerged from the aftermath of the battle. Aside from the fires, there were also a number of dead or injured people that needed taking care of, to say nothing about the property damage caused by bullets and stray fire.
"Well, come on then." Nathan took JD by the arm to ensure the young man come with him because something about JD's state of mind concerned him. He had heard the gunshots as he approached the livery prior to its collapse and although he did not know for certain what had happened, Nathan a pretty good idea. "We'll get you fixed up."
"Its best you get up there anyway." Josiah remarked. "You're going to have a lot of patients in a short while. More than Alex can manage I'm sure."
"You best get her Josiah," the healer urged. "She's been staying at her clinic keeping an eye on Chris."
"I'll do that." Josiah nodded grimly as Nathan and JD brushed past him and started walking towards the school house. The preacher watched them go for a moment before hurrying towards Alexandra Styles clinic. Even though it was well and truly dark by now, it appeared that the night was just beginning.
He felt terrible.
That was more or less the first conscious thought that seeped into Chris Larabee's mind when awareness finally brought him out of the darkness of his slumber. He tried to move and felt as if a ton of bricks was resting against his chest and was not letting him go anywhere but then, not even a ton of brick could keep Chris down if he was determined to move. He forced himself onto his elbows even though the action forced a groan of pain from him in retaliation for the unnecessary movement. It took Chris a few seconds to deal with the agony. Much to his chagrin, Chris was forced to concede that the pain was considerable indeed for he felt his head swim from its sheer intensity, not to mention the moan of silent protest from every limb in his body for the over exertion.
When Chris was finally able to maintain some sort of control over the pain and he had to admit, it not much, he took a moment to examine his surroundings. Judging by the partition and the clean, antiseptic smell of the sheets he was lying on, Chris assumed he was in a room inside Alexandra Styles clinic. Realising that Vin must have brought him here after he had been shot, he instinctively looked at his chest to examine the wound he had only seen as a bloody smear on his shirt.
The last thing he remembered was telling Vin to leave although he should have known better than to expect the tracker to do such a thing. Vin could be loyal to a fault when the occasion called for it and Chris had no doubt that the thought to abandon Chris would never have even crossed his mind, despite the peril to himself. Nevertheless Vin had saved his life, yet again. The gunslinger made a note to thank the man if he survived the night, which at this moment did not feel all that certain. Chris tried to slide further upright in his bed, when he noticed Alexandra Styles was dozing lightly in the chair next to him. Judging by the uncomfortable way she was position there, it looked like she had been in it for quite some time.
He watched her for a moment, admiring the lines on her face and marvelled at the fierce determination to heal that transcended everything else for her. Chris had seen her walk straight into a camp full of yellow fever patients where most respectable doctors would have fled at the first sign of the corpse and advised that the place be quarantined. When it came to saving a life, there was no in betweens for her and he wondered if she had been as dedicated when she had been putting him back together. Chris allowed her to sleep, aware that she was probably exhausted and understood as he stared for a moment, why Vin Tanner was so utterly lost.
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to sit up, feeling more waves of agony searing through his body as he moved into an upright position in his bed. He could not see the injuries beneath the bandages around his body but he could certainly feel them. The heaviness in his limbs threatened to overcome him at any moment but Chris refused to relent. He needed to get up. Four Corners was in deep trouble and he could not add to those difficulties by being off his feet. As he pulled the covers from over himself, he left out a soft grunt of pain as he prepared to swing his feet off the bed. He paused a moment and sought his clothes and saw only his gun belt draped over the bedpost. Unfortunately, it appeared he was not dressed but decided he would figure something out when he was finally on his feet.
"Where do you think you are going?" Alex who was very much awake demanded, her arms folded and her eyes meeting his with reproach.
"Where do you think?" Chris retorted quietly, trying to hide the pain in a mask of cool indifference.
"You are in no condition to even think of leaving this room. Do you know that I have spent the last day, making certain you stay alive?" She declared firmly, having risen from her chair and taking up position in front of him, like a sentry daring him to breach the walls of her responsibility to him.
"I'm real grateful but I gotta go." Chris said heaving himself painfully out of bed.
"Of course." She said with no further word of protest as she slipped out of the partition and left him alone. "I'll just get your clothes."
Well that was easy.
Chris had expected more of a protest with her because when it came to her patients, Alexandra Styles had a temper that put even Mary to shame, not to say his wife was any less fiery either. In fact, when Mary was properly riled, even Chris had the sense to duck for cover. Still, he could not help but smile, he did so love strong women. Sarah had been the same way and their spectacular arguments had been followed by some torrid session of love making when they were making up.
He was in the process of climbing out of his bed when suddenly, he felt a sharp sting on his rear. "What the hell was that?" He snapped when he realised that Alex had returned unexpectedly. "What did you give me?" He demanded when he realised that it was a needle that he had felt penetrate his skin.
"Something for the pain." Alex replied in that no nonsense tone that told him firmly that the only way out of this room was over her dead body.
"I ain't in pain!" Chris lied but did not want her to know that he was because she had no call sticking him with needles! Especially on his bare butt when he was not looking!
"Well you're being one!" Alex retorted. "Now you are getting back into bed, Mr Larabee." She took his arm and did not have to exert much strength to get him back onto the sheets.
Chris scowled angrily as he was forced back under the covers and felt the effects of the sedative she had given him starting to take effect. "I'll get you for this." He grumbled weakly.
"Whatever." Alex glared at him with annoyance. "But while you are my patient, you will sit still and rest or so help me I'll get your wife in here and trust me, she'll be less forgiving than I."
"Where is Mary?" Chris asked, starting to get drowsy and felt a surge of annoyance that she had been so sneaky. Still, he had to admit whatever she had given him had taken the edge of the pain that was coursing through him although he was still angry that she had done it and when he was on his feet again, he would devise some way to get her back.
"She's with Billy." Alex said reluctantly. She had been aware that there was some trouble in town but had been reluctant to leave Chris because of the seriousness of his injuries. Besides, she had been on her feet all day and had taken the opportunity for some rest, knowing that in the aftermath of whatever calamity that had taken place, she would be undoubtedly needed. "There's been trouble in town."
"What sort of trouble?" Chris asked, snapping out of his grogginess at that news.
"Alex!" Josiah's deep voice called out after he had burst through the front door, slamming it against the wall in his hasty entrance.
"In here Josiah!" Chris responded, managing a loud enough cry to bring the preacher through the partition into the little room that he was presently occupying during his debate with Alex.
"Chris." Josiah exclaimed with a smile, seeing the gunslinger awake although Chris pallor and general state of health seemed so far away from the tough, brooding man he had ridden with for the last two years. "Its good to see you're still with us."
"Barely." Chris grumbled and shot Alex a stormy look when he felt his head swim because of the sedative she had inflicted upon him. His limbs felt heavy although the pain had dissipated somewhat and Chris had trouble keeping his head up and finally had to rest back on the pillow once again.
"What's happened?" Alex asked thinking it safe enough to take her eye off Chris now that the drugs were well and truly working on him. Besides, she had been unable to dismiss the panic in Josiah's voice when the preacher had first entered her clinic.
"There's a lot of people hurt out there." Josiah replied and provided Chris with a quick run down of what had been taking place, knowing the gunslinger would not be satisfied at being shielded with the truth.
"Where's Mary and Billy?" Chris asked, his first thought was still of his new bride and stepson.
"Mary left Billy with Audrey King," Alex answered promptly, remembering she had not the chance to tell Chris why his wife was absent when Josiah had made his unexpected entrance. "I sent her home to get some rest because she was at your side most of the day."
"Good." Chris nodded as his eyes started to cloud over.
"I gather you sedated him." Chris heard Josiah's voice fade away in his ears.
"It was the only way I could get him to stay still." Alex let out a sigh of relief as the morphine finally did its work and Chris Larabee drifted back to sleep, still muttering how he would get his revenge upon her later on. She had no doubt that he would make good on that threat but right now, he was quiet and she was grateful. By the sound of it, she was going to have her work cut out for her tonight.
"He'll never let you forget this you know," Josiah remarked with a faint smile, unable to deny the admiration he felt at her audacity. There were not women who were willing or brave enough to drug Chris Larabee into submission when he did not wish to be.
"Probably not," Alex returned his smile as she threw several items into her worn doctor's bag to replenish the stores she was going to need when she returned to the school house Ð hospital, whatever it was at this time. "Is everyone okay?" She asked as she gestured her readiness to leave and allowed Josiah to lead the way. Chris was more or less going to be asleep for the next five hours if the dosage of morphine she had given him succeeded in its work, so she would not have to worry about him trying to leave his sick bed prematurely.
Josiah knew that she cared for all of them but was familiar enough with a woman's heart to give her the answer she wanted. "JD's took a little too much smoke in when the fire broke out at the livery but mostly everyone is okay."
"Oh good," she sighed with relief, glad to know that no more of her friends were hurt. "Josiah," Alex met his gaze as they were about to leave the clinic. "Its going to get bloody isn't it?"
Josiah could not lie to her, not after what he had seen these last few hours. When he had hurried here after leaving Nathan and JD, it felt as if he were walking into a page from the past. He had remembered travelling through towns in the south following the wake of a Union Army attack, trying to offer comfort to those who might need it. No one had been in the mood for preaching back then, not when so many had died and the words of God seem shallow and bitter.
Four Corners felt a little like that now.
"I need help here!" Nathan shouted as he tried to hold down seventeen year old Luke Willis who had been at home sleeping in his bed after a hard days' work when a torch had flown through the open window of his bedroom and set his sheets on fire. By the time he was aware of the danger it was almost too late and now Luke was squirming in agony as the pain ate into him with such searing waves that he was more or less incomprehensible to everything else around him.
Rain hurried to the side of her lover, not caring that she could not help him but that she had to be at his side to help him. She could see the pain in Nathan's eyes as he tried to remain unaffected by the screams of this boy whose flesh was raw before her. He might have beautiful once but she could not longer tell. His face was a mass of blood and raw skin. Swallowing hard, she forced away the terrible images of this boy's injuries and concentrated on helping Nathan to soothe his suffering.
"What can I do Nathan?" She asked. Until now, she had been assisting with the injured in a minor way but less than an hour ago, she found herself embroiled in the most violence she had seen since her village had been attacked by Confederate renegades. Townsfolk, suffering everything from gunshot wounds to third degree burns were being brought into the school house awaiting treatment from the two healers that had been working themselves into exhaustion since this had all began.
"I need you to hold him down." Nathan said giving her a look that was filled with more than just gratitude but held the true love he felt for her. "I have to give him some morphine."
"There now," she spoke into Luke's ear as she placed her hands on his body and whispered gently. "I know it hurts but you must stay still." She urged. "We can take the pain away for a bit but not if you are fighting us."
"I can't stand it!" The boy fairly sobbed, his eyes wide open with terror at the pain. However, he had stopped fighting Nathan noticed, even though he was twitching in his efforts to control his agony.
"I know," she continued her soft words, glancing at Nathan who was preparing the syringe for use. The healer urged her to continue; knowing that it would distract the poor boy until he had administered the morphine. "It won't be for much longer." She insisted and hoped that she was not lying to the boy as Nathan pressed the needle against his arm and broke skin.
"I didn't smell it until it was too late!" Luke wailed. "I was so tired!" He started to cry fresh tears as he lamented this awful thing that had happened to him. "I worked all day at the farm and then I just was dog tired when I came home, I went straight to bed."
"It's not your fault." Rain brushed the hair from his scorched brow. "You didn't know this was going to happen."
"I should have!" Luke gushed and descended into loud sobs of pain and anguish at what was happening to him. Rain looked at Nathan, unable to keep the sorrow from her eyes, wondering how he could stand to hear such cries, not just from this one boy but from all the others he treated and healed over the years.
"You'll start to feel a little better now," Nathan said quietly, hoping the drug would do what he had been unable to. There was no real way to cure burns of this magnitude and even though Luke was one of the worst cases he had seen so far, Nathan knew that there were many others awaiting his ministrations and he had to move on. Alex was at this moment conducting surgery on what were almost battlefield conditions.
"Rain," he looked at her. "I need you to stay with him for awhile." He said having taken note of how she had been able to calm Luke with her voice. Ironically, he could empathise with the young man on this one point. How many times had Nathan himself gone to sleep with the memory of her sweet voice in her ear when she was not? "At least until the morphine starts to work."
"Of course Nathan." She smiled at him with none of the anger he had seen when they had first returned to Four Corners. Nathan was glad, he did not like to argue with her and occasions like this tended to make a man more aware of how silly some things could be and how important others were to be.
"Rain, I'm really glad you're here." He swallowed.
She touched his cheek and kissed his lightly on the lips. "I am glad to be here Nathan but you must go." She prompted with a hint of mischief in your eyes. "You are needed."
"We ain't even married yet and you're bossing me around already?" Nathan grinned at her and did not care at all if she did because she was right. He had to go there were many more than needed his help and the night was far from over for him.
"I think I'm going to be sick!" Julia Pemberton struggled to keep the contents of her stomach in place as she held the tray for Alex while the doctor tried desperately to remove the bullet buried deep inside Isaiah Hollister's back. The man was biting in a piece of corkwood she had given him for the purpose because his injury did not allow for him to be moved although that safety protocol was almost academic. The depth of the bullet lodged inside his spine was out of her reach no matter how hard Alex attempted to extract it.
"Do it somewhere else!" Alex barked as she tried to keep Hollister still even though the man writhed with pain each time she attempted to remove the piece of lead that trapped inside his body. She could hear his groaning in her ears as he kicked hard as she inserted the clamp inside him to make another attempt. Alex was literally covered in blood; it seeped into her apron, into the sleeves of her shirt and splattered in thick rivulet across her neck and face.
Julia turned away but remained where she was, aware that her presence was vital even if the grisly scene before her was more than she could stand. In the small room behind the schoolhouse, Alex was performing the surgery, Hollister's frantic screams of pain bounced off the walls. She saw Alex remaining calm and detached and wondered how the doctor was able to do it. There was no fear in her eyes as she worked, splattered with blood the harder Hollister struggled, no revulsion at being covered in his fluids even though it was becoming obvious even to Julia that the bullet could not be dislodged.
Suddenly he stopped struggling all together and he heaved a gasp that possessed the disturbing substance of finality. Alex felt the life drain out of him with such abruptness that she was completely unprepared for it. "No!" She exclaimed, dropping the clamp immediately and rolling the man over on to his bloody back. Almost frantically, she searched for some sign that he was still living and could not even detect the faintest thread of a pulse. "Come on Isaiah!" Alex pressed her ear against the place in his chest occupied by his heart. "Don't give up on me!"
Alex tried everything she could in her arsenal of medical knowledge to revive the man and Julia stepped back, watching in a mixture of sorrow and fascination at her determination. However, as the minutes ticked by, it became more and more apparent that there would be no miracle cures. Alex nevertheless continued to try, almost to the point of beating his chest to kick start his heart into working again but none of it worked.
"Alex," Julia said after she had set down the tray and approached her friend. "Its too late. He's gone."
"No he's not!" Alex snapped. "I can just think of something else... "
"Like bringing him back to life?" Julia retorted, not unkindly but because Alex needed to know she was not God to dispense life and death at will.
Alex could say nothing to that statement and responded by stepping away from the Hollister's body. "I just couldn't get to that bullet." She sighed, trying not to let the frustration get to her. Alex retreated to the other corner of the room and started washing the blood off herself using the water in a small basin provided for the purpose. The colourless fluid was soon turned into the murkiness of crimson as Alex cleaned herself off, even though the stains on her clothes still remained.
"I know," Julia said resting a supportive hand on her shoulder. "You did the best you could Alex, I could see that."
"It wasn't good enough was it?" She swallowed and remembered the other task that was required of her now that Hollister was gone. "I have to go tell Hollister's wife, he didn't make it."
Julia could say nothing to alleviate the burden of that duty for Alex and followed quietly as Alex left the room and stepped out onto the floor of the school house. Outside, Alex surveyed the scene and saw things were more or less slowing down. For the moment at least, there did not appear to be any more injured coming into the temporary hospital. She saw Rain and Inez helping tirelessly with the patients requiring care and noticed Nathan seemed almost as exhausted as she was. Hollister's wife Trudy and his daughter Emma saw her exit from the room and immediately hurried to her. As Alex felt her heart sink at what she would soon have to tell Trudy, she saw Vin and Ezra bringing in someone else.
"Doctor Styles?" Trudy asked hopefully, her eyes begging Alex to deliver good news and the doctor squirmed inwardly at being forced to disappoint her.
"I'm sorry Trudy," Alex said gently as she could, knowing that there was no real way to tell someone that a loved one had died that could make the pain any less. "I couldn't get the bullet out. It was too deep. He died on the table."
Alex steeled herself for the tears that inevitably followed that revelation and found that she could not think of anything to say that would make the knowledge of the family's loss any easier. She could not even say it was a painless death because they would have heard him screaming while she had attempted to extract the bullet. Instead, she swallowed the bile that was in her throat and continued towards Vin and Ezra who was carrying someone who was obviously suffering from smoke inhalation.
"Is it still bad out there?" Julia asked as she followed Alex to them.
"Well, I think we have manage to maintain some semblance of control over the numerous infernos left by our Spanish friends." Ezra remarked as they put the man down on a near by cot where Alex immediately set to work examining him. Both lawmen were covered with the black of soot from the fire. Ezra had discarded his coat and his white shirt and waist coat was soiled with black smears of cinders from the smoke. Julia guessed that after they had chased the mercenaries out of the town, they had been assisting with getting the fires in town under control and she felt a tinge of concern not just for Ezra but for the tracker as well as she saw how exhausted they were.
"We lost Hollister." Julia said grimly.
"Damn." Vin whispered under his breath. "How many is that now?" The tracker muttered angrily, knowing that they had a few deaths tonight already, not simply from gunfire but also from the incendiary nightmare they had been enduring most of the night.
"At least five." Julia answered because Alex was busy with her latest patients. "Most of the injuries have been smoke inhalation and severe burns but the gunshot victims are the ones who don't survive." She found herself casting a glimpse at Hollister's widow who was still sobbing with her daughter, not too far away.
"I wonder what this scoundrels are going to do for an encore tomorrow night." Ezra frowned
Julia looked at Ezra and Vin. "Tomorrow night? You think they'll be back tomorrow night?"
"No reason to think they wouldn't." Vin retorted. "They're trying to scare us."
"They're doing a good job." She shuddered, not at all liking the idea that they would have to endure all this again tomorrow night. "People are terrified and I have to admit so am I. I've heard talk from some who are thinking of getting out."
"Now that will only get them killed." Ezra declared. "My dear, you are to tell those who are foolish enough to believe that it is possible to run the blockade that there is a liable to be a reception committee waiting them if they attempt to breach our isolation."
"I did," Julia answered, remembering what Ezra had endured at Selena Quint's hands when he, Josiah and JD had attempted to get help in Sweet Water. "You two should take a few minutes. Inez has some food prepared," she directed her gaze towards the table at the far end of the room where Inez had left hot meals for those who needed it.
"I think I might take you up on that offer Miss Pemberton," Ezra remarked. "Join me?" He looked at her suggestively and Julia decided it would not hurt to take a few minutes to herself.
"Why not?" She replied. "Vin?" Julia looked at the tracker who seemed more interested in what Alex was doing.
"I'll catch up with you later." He said distracted and took a step towards Alex as Julia and Ezra went on their way. Vin had been watching Alex tend to the man they had brought in and noticed something in her manner that was more than just the exhaustion.
"How is he?" Vin asked when she had finally completed her treatment of her latest patient.
"He's okay," she said softly. "A few days of rest and he'll be on his feet again. Can't say the same for Hollister." She replied bitterly and Vin realised that she was more upset about Hollister's death than she was letting on.
"Come on," he took her by the elbow and lead her out of the building for a few minutes. "You need to get out of here."
"Vin!" She protested, "I've got patients."
"Looks to me like you've taken care of most of them." The tracker retorted, having observed that everyone appeared tended to already and she really needed to be out of here for a moment. In fact, after everything they had been through tonight, Vin himself, wanted to share a few minutes with her alone.
"Don't argument with me Darlin'," he declared in a voice that told her that he was not taking no for an answer. "I'll carry you if I have to."
"You wouldn't dare." She stared at him tempestuously, almost as if she were challenging him.
"Try me." He looked at her with arms folded and a sparkle in his cobalt coloured eyes daring her to defy him on this point.
Alex had learnt enough about him by now to know that when he got it in his mind to do something, he could be even more obstinate than she was and just as immovable. "I'm going, I'm going." She muttered and frowned when she saw the smirk of triumph produced at her capitulation.
"Bastard." She grumbled.
"Nag." He grinned.
Vin lead her out of the rear entrance of the school house, into the small patch of garden that was coming along quite nicely and would be something of a playground by the time school actually opened. They could still smell the stench of smoke in the air but it seemed far away for the moment at least. Alex stepped out under the stars and immediately felt some of the tension she had been enduring, melt away suddenly.
"How you doing Darlin?" He asked once they were alone in the quiet. Vin pulled Alex towards him and held her for a few minutes because he sorely needed to feel her against his skin and she needed a hug after what she had endured tonight.
"I'm not too good. I hate losing patients. I feel as if I hadn't done enough." Alex tried not to cry but she could the emotion welling up inside her.
Vin could appreciate that sentiment most prolifically right now. With Four Corners finally recovering from the vicious attacks by their captors, Vin had surveyed the damage done in lives and in property and wondered if there had been any way to prevent it. As one of the seven lawmen of Four Corners, Vin knew that he was not alone in his feelings of failure in this matter. They had to do something and he had a plan but before he could present it to the others, Alex had a right to know what he was intending. It took a long time for Vin to accustom himself to the idea that decisions on his life did not affect him alone now that he had a woman in his life who some day hoped to be his wife.
"Its okay Darlin'" he stroked her hair gently as he held her, wondering how the presence of her could be so comforting to him. "You did what you had to. It ain't no fault but the men who did this that Hollister didn't make it."
"Vin" Alex said pulling far enough away so that he could see her face, while still remaining firmly in his arms. "This town cannot survive another night like this. People are starting to slip into hysteria already. If this is just the first of these attacks, leading up to a massacre, you know how bad it could be."
Vin knew perfectly well how much chaos the town could descend into if help was not forthcoming. With Chris out of the picture, morale was low and following what had taken place tonight, spirits had sunk even lower if such a thing was possible. Something had to be done and it had to be done now.
"I'm working on it." He said quietly. "I think we may be able to get one man out of town. There are trails they don't know about, some old Indian tracks. I think someone with the know how could make it through."
Alex knew where this was going and she did not like it but could think of nothing to say to refute what he was trying to tell her because there was no other choice. "You mean you." She met his gaze.
"I'm the only who make it through Darlin." Vin confessed, seeing by her eyes that she understood the situation even though she did not wish him to go.
"I don't want you to go," Alex whispered as she embraced him again, laying her head against his chest once again. "But I know you have to so just promise me, you won't get yourself killed."
"I won't." He smiled. "I don't dare make you mad."
It was almost dawn when the lawmen finally staggered into the saloon to decide their next course of action. Outside the fires had been brought under control and extinguish and folk were dispersing back to their homes for some well needed rest. Although each one of the seven wanted nothing more than to fall into their beds and get some well deserved rest, Vin had brought them together in the saloon to determine what they would now do. If any action was to be taken, it had to be done while they were still in the cover of dark. They could ill afford to waste another day waiting for nightfall where there was the real possibly of another attack like the one they had experienced tonight making another appearance.
"Mr Tanner, I hope whatever you have gathered us here for is of pressing importance that could not possibly wait for a few more hours while we acquired some well needed repose." Ezra grumbled as he kept shifting in his chair in the hopes of it becoming comfortable enough to afford him a few minutes of sleep in its rigid confines.
"Button it Ezra," Buck said with uncharacteristic annoyance. While he wanted to sleep too, he knew that they had to work things out now. Like all of them, he knew the mood in town was becoming increasingly tense and if something was not done soon, they would not have to wait for the mercenaries to massacre them, people would be hysterical enough to turn on each other. "What's on your mind Vin?"
"We can't go through this again." Vin declared firmly and saw the others nod in agreement over that point. "People are getting killed or hurt. There ain't gonna be a town standing by the time those mercs are ready to cut us all down."
"We are in no disagreement with you on this point Mr Tanner," Ezra spoke up. "But it appears at the moment, we are caught in stalemate. We cannot leave to summon help or abandon town in case they come back so what other option is there left to us."
"Vin... " Josiah saw the flicker in the tracker's gaze and knew what was coming. "No. It's a bad idea."
"I can make it through Josiah." Vin stated firmly.
"Vin, you can't go out there alone!" JD exclaimed once they all became aware of what Vin was attempting to suggest to them. "There's bound to be some of them waiting for you!" With Chris already hurt, JD did not want to imagine the same thing happening to Vin as well.
"I gotta agree with Josiah on this one," Nathan added his voice to the debate. "They're sure to be keeping watch on us more closely now, figuring we'd be panicking."
"Which is precisely what we would be doing if we were to let you attempt this journey alone." Ezra declared. "I wish to get help as much as you Mr Tanner but we are required here because sure as anything, those men will be back tomorrow night. I would bet my entire fortune on it."
"You don't have a fortune." Vin retorted.
"Which is why I would be unwilling to part company with what I have." The gambler returned smoothly.
"Vin's right." Buck Wilmington said suddenly.
All eyes turned to him as he poured himself a drink from the half empty bottle in the middle of their table. "Vin's gotta go." He repeated himself.
"He'll get himself killed." Josiah said firmly. "Chris would never agree to this."
"Chris ain't here," Vin interjected. "But even if he was, he'd know I was right. We don't have a choice. We ain't gonna last five minutes defending this town on our own when those mercenaries decide to come. The only chance we got of saving this town and everyone we love is for me to get to Sweet Water and bring back help."
"Chris wouldn't like it," Buck added in an unusual show of solidarity that Vin found surprising. "You're right about that." He looked at Josiah. "So he'd probably go himself. Well he can't do that and all we can spare is one man to make the run for Sweet Water. Anyone else at the table who think they can make it through better than Vin?"
Ezra shrugged uncomfortably while Josiah remained silent as always, wearing a stony expression that kept his reluctance to admit that Buck was right. Even Nathan seemed unable to think of anything to say in favour of abandoning the plan.
"I didn't think so." Buck frowned, unhappy at being forced to put things so bluntly and disliking it even less that the decision made could mean death to Vin Tanner if he were discovered or ambushed by the mercenaries that had brought this town to its knees in a matter of a day. He understood as they all did that Four Corners was not capable of withstanding a prolonged siege. Perhaps that was the intention, he thought bitterly, to drive them mad like rats in a cage.
"When will you go?" Nathan asked finally, his question more or less representative of the other's reluctant agreement to this dangerous venture.
"Before sun up." Vin said firmly, having already considered the route he would take long before they had gathered here. "It's best that I move under the cover of dark."
"Do you think they'd be watching the town?" JD asked since no one had brought up the subject. As it was, he did not like to think of their number dividing for any reason, even with an imperative as crucial as this one. He knew that Vin's plans was their best shot of coming out of this alive and despite his reservations, had to concede that if anyone could find a way through the blockade it would be the tracker.
"They might be." Vin replied, having considered that possibility. "Hopefully, I can slip away without being seen."
"I hope so," Josiah grumbled. "Cause if anything were to happen to you, I ain't gonna be volunteering to tell your lady. You should have seen what she did to Chris."
The group of men had been watching the town for most of the night, even though their comrades had returned to their camp following the raid. As expected, not all the volunteers had made it out alive, which was probably why Diaz had offered an extra two hundred dollars for those who were brave enough to make the attempt. The men assigned to the town were given very specific instructions as to what they were required to do and they spent much of the evening, watching the town's efforts to fight the fires wondering with passing curiosity if the attempts would at all be successful.
By the small hours of the night, it was apparent that the townsfolk had managed to subdue the flames that had threatened to wipe out their community and it was during this quiet period in its aftermath that they paid most attention to it. It did not take long for things to take place as they had anticipated. The woman who hired Diaz and his men had given them a laborious set of instructions, as well as the possibilities of who they would be facing.
The lone rider's attempt to sneak out of town had been a worthy effort and had they not been expecting this course of action to be taken, he may well slipped out of their reach. Unfortunately for him, that is, they were instructed at the cunning of the prey they might be forced to hunt.
"He's reputed to be one of the best trackers in the Territory." Quint had told them. "After what we did tonight, you can guarantee, they'll make a run to get help and it will be him that would most likely make the attempt."
It appeared that Quint was right for the tracker rode out of town in the middle of the night, relying on the moonless sky above to mask h is departure. They saw him almost immediately and held back long enough for him to believe that he had made good his escape and had evaded any watchful eyes if any had been present to keep watch upon the town. Once he disappeared over the darkened horizon, they dug their heels into their mounts and took up the pursuit.
"Remember!" The leader among the hunters cried out. "Whoever brings him, gets to claim the bounty on the body!"