Both men knew it was a long shot, but they were getting a little desperate. They had a grand total of two dollars and forty-seven cents between them and little likelihood of work. The town of Benson had not proved to be the gambling haven that Heyes had hoped for and their meagre funds had decreased dramatically, during their short stay in the town. Heyes had a suspicion that the majority of the games had been crooked, in fact, he was sure they were, but had not felt inclined to do anything about it, for once. He just wanted a little bit of peace and quiet for a while - was that really too much to ask?
So, after two days, they left town and found themselves riding towards the Mexican border, in search of a ranch, which they had over heard was taking on men, for a big drive, bringing cattle north. As there were no other likely prospects, they had agreed to chance their luck and ride south, in search of said ranch, with no certainty of a job at the end of the long trip.
The sun was high in the sky now and both riders had their hats pulled down low, trying to shield their eyes from the glare of the sun. They rode at an easy pace, trying to remain as comfortable as possible in the searing heat.
"How much further do you reckon it is, Heyes?" Kid Curry called back to his partner, who trailed behind, lost in his own thoughts.
"Huh?" Heyes was jolted back to reality by the sound of his partner's voice. He hadn't been at all convinced that this was a good idea but the Kid had seemed restless in town and keen to move on. Heyes often thought that the younger man had an uncanny ability to sense trouble, long before it happened and his unease had persuaded Heyes that the most sensible thing was to leave, no matter how unlikely the probability of work. Many a time Kid's senses had got them out of trouble and he had learnt to trust them as being usually accurate.
"How much further?" Kid repeated, louder this time, thinking Heyes hadn't been able to hear him the first time.
"Can't be too much further, Kid," Heyes replied, but there was a slight lack of confidence in his tone.
Kid reined his horse to a stop and turned in his saddle to look at his partner. "We're lost, ain't we, Heyes?" He said this with no malice or confrontation, just a resigned acceptance of the situation.
"I don't understand where we went wrong, Kid!" Heyes replied, his voice slightly higher pitched than normal, due to his own confusion, baffled as to why they had not come to the small town they had been told was the meeting point for the round up.
"It must be near here somewheres," his partner replied, reassuringly. "I reckon if we head that a ways," he said, pointing east, "the land should flatten out and we might get a better idea of where we're heading."
At this moment, Heyes had to agree that this seemed a feasible plan and followed him down the track that led to the top of a ridge. Looking out across the land, they could see a further rise of hills a couple of miles in the distance and headed in that direction.
They travelled in comfortable silence for a while, until Kid broke it with the usual question, "You got anything to eat?"
Heyes smiled to himself. He had been working out the odds on Kid asking this within a given time frame!
'Two hours and forty minutes - three to one - not bad odds!' he self-congratulated himself. "Nope! We ate the last of the jerky this morning," he told his partner.
"Oh!" came Kid's disappointed response.
After riding for a further hour, they were relieved to see the landscape begin to change, as it became a little more fertile, with a greater variety of vegetation, a good sign that they were nearing civilisation, hopefully.
Suddenly, Kid pulled his horse to a stop and raised his head.
"Do you smell that? Smells like a fire. There must be someone around here and maybe we can get some food!"
Heyes inhaled, drawing the air into his nose and got the faintest scent of burning. 'Heck, Kid's awareness of his surroundings was sensitive,' he thought, 'especially when he's hungry!' He could only just smell it, but there was a definite odour in the air.
The aroma became stronger and slightly more pungent.
"Think it's coming from that direction," stated Heyes, pointing to his left. Kid nodded in agreement and both simultaneously turned their horses.
As they were working their way through a maze of brush, Heyes slowed his horse. The burning smell was getting stronger and there was a familiarity about it that he couldn't quite identify.
Kid smelt it too. "What do you reckon they're cooking? Smells a little strange - but I'm so hungry I could eat anything!" he said, with good humour, although for some indefinable reason, he suddenly felt unsettled, as if sensing something was not quite right. Being ruled by his empty stomach, at this point, he brushed his feelings aside.
Heyes had mumbled his agreement, but he too felt an unease growing in the pit of his stomach. As they came to the top of a ridge, they looked down into a valley that was fed with a small river. It was an ideal spot to settle, well protected from the harsh winds that blew from the surrounding desert and irrigated by the river. Someone had done just that and Heyes and Kid could see a homestead, about a quarter of a mile away.
However, it was not the scene of domestic tranquillity that they would have expected and any thoughts of a home cooked meal were instantly dashed.
The sight that greeted them, and the source of the burning smell, was that of the smouldering remnants of a building. The fire had obviously been burning for quite some time as there was little left of the homestead, just some charred skeletal structures that suggested where a barn might have once stood, with a house alongside.
Kid urged his horse forward, willing to help in whatever way he could. Heyes hesitated. A fear gripped him as a long distant memory flooded his mind. He stiffened in his saddle, only just managing to say feebly, "No, Kid! Don't … wait." But it was too late. His partner's impulsive nature had taken him towards the settlement at a full gallop and he did not hear Heyes' warning. Heyes fought the reluctance he felt to venture closer and cautiously followed his partner, suddenly terrified of what they might find.
As Heyes rode in, he watched as his partner cantered into the compound, swiftly swung himself to the ground, before his horse had stopped moving and took a few running steps forward. Then, Heyes saw him stop abruptly in his tracks, juddering to a standstill. Feeling somehow detached from the scene before him, as if he was observing from a different place, Heyes watched as Kid turned back towards him. Heyes caught the expression on his partner's face. It was one he had seen once before, a long time ago when he had called him Jed. It was a look of sheer bewilderment. Kid looked lost for a moment and then turned to his side and heaved with all his might.
The scene that awaited them was one of devastation, depravity and horror. The smell was pungent, sweet and cloying and the taste in the air was palpable. Never, in his life, had Kid seen such scenes of wanton destruction of property or people. There seemed to be debris strewn in every given direction - pots and pans that hinted of the domestic existence that had once been here, the materials of everyday living, discarded and strewn, without a thought, across the ground. However, what had made an experienced outlaw, not unfamiliar with the lower realms of human existence, wretch so forcibly, were the abandoned and mutilated bodies that lay about him.
After another fleeting glance, Kid turned to his partner, who saw the look of confusion and revulsion in his friend's face all too clearly. Heyes was not close enough to take in the scene that had greeted Kid, but he had a feeling that it would be all too familiar. Kid continued to stare at him, unable to drag his eyes back to the devastating scene, his mouth gaping as if he was about to speak, but no words came.
Heyes swallowed the dread that rose within him and, with fear and trepidation, slowly dismounted from his horse and made his way to Kid's side, who was still stood, immobilised. Heyes kept his eyes fixed on Kid, not wanting to see what his friend had seen. As he neared him, Heyes lightly touched Kid's arm and could feel him trembling. Heyes' touch caused Kid to exhale sharply and he was about to take a deep breath in when the smell that pervaded the air caught his throat, causing him to wretch once again.
Kid bent forward, hands on his knees while Heyes kept a comforting hand on his back, still averting his eyes from the sight that had made Kid react so violently. He wanted to say some words of support but did not trust himself to speak, so he stood silently, pressing his lips tightly together, reassuring his partner with his presence.
Eventually, Kid straightened up and searched Heyes' face with his eyes, as if looking for an answer. "Who could do something like this, Heyes? There are women and children over there who …." He trailed off, not really knowing how to describe what he had seen. Heyes had no answers for him.
Heyes finally found his voice and quietly said, "There ain't nothing we can do for these people, Kid. Come on, let's go."
Kid looked at him incredulously. "We can't just leave them out here like this, Heyes! We gotta bury them or something."
"No!" Heyes replied, coldly. Images of his own murdered family raced through his head. Memories of the day he buried them clouded his mind. He just wanted to forget, to walk away and never look back.
It was not the response Kid had been expecting and, for a moment, he said nothing. He waited for an explanation from his partner, but none was forthcoming. Not understanding why Heyes was reacting in this way, Kid became agitated and almost shouted, "What the hell do you mean 'no'?"
Ignoring him, Heyes turned to walk away, but Kid grabbed his arm and spun him back to face him. "You going to let me do this on my own?" Heyes didn't want Kid to have to do this but he knew him well enough to know he would. He just didn't think he could bring himself to do it, not again.
"That's your choice, Kid," he eventually answered. Kid was dumbfounded by this reply and felt frustrated and confused.
Not really knowing what to say to his partner, he simply spat back, "Fine!" and turned to start the grizzly task.
Swallowing hard, Kid approached the nearest body, that of a woman. Her dress was torn and pulled around her thighs, as evidence of the fate that had befallen her. Gently, Kid pulled the fabric back over her legs in an attempt to make her decent. Softly, he laid his hand on her arm and rolled her onto her back. He let out a gasp as he saw her face for the first time. The terror she had faced as she died was apparent in the expression. Her eyes were wide and staring and her mouth gaping with a captured look of fear. She was bruised and bloodied and had obviously fought her tormentors until her last breath. Trembling, Kid reached out his hand and ran the palm over the woman's eyes to close them.
Looking over his left shoulder, he could see the body of a man, who had been tied to the corral rails. His arms were stretched wide apart and his head hung down, as if crucified. As he neared the body, Kid could see that the man had also been severely battered and slashed across the torso, red ribbons of dried blood running across his bare skin. Kid could only guess at what the man had endured before his death. The woman had lain only a few feet in front of him and it was obvious that he had been made to watch whatever their assailants had done to her.
Moving across to the corral posts, Kid began to untie the thongs that bound the man's left wrist. He was suddenly aware that the man's other wrist was being released, by his partner. Both men's eyes met briefly before they wordlessly carried on with the task. When the man was untied, they carried him across to the woman and laid him by her side.
Together, they worked tirelessly for the next few hours, trying to reclaim some dignity for those people who had died in the raid on their homestead. In all they found six bodies, two of which were children who had been cruelly slashed with a large blade. The two other people were older than the man and woman, parents and grandparents they supposed. They had simply been bludgeoned to death with a something heavy and the blood- splattered mallet that lay near by was testament to this fact. The bodies had also been partially burned, which would account for the nauseating smell that had greeted them.
Heyes and Kid worked in virtual silence as they recovered the bodies and buried them in the shallow graves they struggled to dig, in the dry, hard earth, with only brief words of instruction passing between them. Their worked was hindered by the fact that the sun was burning hot and they constantly had to stop to wipe sweat from their eyes and swat away the persistent flies that seemed determined to impede their task further. The heat of the day was stifling, sapped of any freshness, hung with a seeming air of pestilence.
Eventually the afternoon sun began to sink slowly and the dim light of dusk began to creep across the ground, the air becoming slightly cooler. Just as the light began to fade away, the undertaking was eventually completed. They stood side by side at the freshly dug graves, heads respectfully bowed for a few moments, before placing their hats back on their heads and making their way to the horses, which had stood patiently throughout the day.
On reaching his horse, Kid hesitated before mounting, whilst Heyes swung himself up into the saddle. In the gloom of the evening, Kid could only just make out his partners face but he felt the tension that exuded from him.
"We need to rest up, Heyes, but I don't want to be near this place. How about we ride on a little and find a place to camp for the night?" Kid asked softly.
Heyes gave a low grunt in answer. Kid took one last look over his shoulder at what once had been a home for the people they had buried, before he too, put his foot in his stirrup and pulled himself into the saddle. Heyes led the way along the trail that ran alongside the river that flowed through the valley. The moon was full and the light danced on the surface of the rippling water. 'How can life be so beautiful and ugly all at the same time?' Heyes pondered despondently to himself.
They rode for nearly an hour before Kid eventually pulled his horse to a stop and called to Heyes, "This should be far enough." With no words spoken, they slipped easily into the ritual of setting up camp for the night. Heyes had managed to find enough coffee to make a weak brew and although fairly tasteless, the warmth of the liquid, running down the throat, gave some comfort. Kid produced a bag of flour from his saddlebags and with a look of guilt, began to mix it with some water from the river, to make some sort of biscuit.
He caught Heyes looking at him questioningly and, inclining his head to one side, responded, "Found it back there when we were …" He trailed off, wanting to forget where they had been for the best part of the day. Heyes said nothing, just sat cross legged on the ground, nursing the mug of weak coffee in his hand, sporadically taking small sips, in an endeavour to make it last longer.
When the biscuits were cooked, Kid offered one to his partner, who rejected it with a shake of his head. Kid took a bite of the dry, bland food and chewed unenthusiastically, whilst staring blankly into the flames of the small fire that burned. Now and then, he would take furtive glances at his partner. Heyes had hardly uttered a word throughout the day and his silence was beginning to become a real concern for Kid. Each time he had asked a question or said something that would usually of got a response from his loquacious partner, he had been met with either stony silence or small physical gestures. It seemed unnatural for Heyes not to be talking. Kid was, by his own admission 'not much of a talker' and found this swap in roles was unnerving.
Quite often they would sit in companionable silence, being able to know what the other was thinking, with just a look passing between them. However, this was different - this was a strained silence with an air of tension between them.
Kid had a good idea what was troubling Heyes. The events of the day had brought back memories that they both tried hard to forget, although neither of them ever would. What they had seen at the homestead had shocked Kid but it must have brought the past crashing down on Heyes. He had protected his young friend from what had happened that day, some seventeen years earlier, not letting him go to the scene of the raid but making him wait, by the big, hollow tree that they had made their secret hide out. Heyes had been gone for some time and when he returned, the older boy had never mentioned exactly where he'd been or what he'd been doing and Jed did not ask.
Kid knew now what had happened to their folks - Heyes had told him once, when they were in their late teens. Heyes had been drunk and had got into yet another confrontation at the poker table and it had been down to Kid to bail him out - again. They had argued and Heyes, being in the inebriated state he was, had slung insults at Kid, which in the main, he had managed to ignore. But when had suggested that he had no need of Kid to watch his back and had called him 'a scuff on my heel', Kid had lost patience and hit him! The force of the blow was enough to shock Heyes into an apology, realising he had gone too far and then the effects of the amount of alcohol he had consumed took effect and he became maudlin. He had rambled on about how much Kid meant to him and that he had made a promise to himself to always be there for him, having made that promise, while burying Kid's mother, he had told him. Kid had softly probed about what had happened that day and, Heyes had told him some of what had happened. However, he could not bring himself to tell Kid the whole truth of the horrors he had seen and the full detail of what the marauders had done to their families. Heyes kept those things to himself and had done so ever since.
When Heyes had finished recounting his 'cleaned up' version of that terrible day's events, there had been no great show of emotion from either man. Heyes had talked and Kid had listened. Heyes had then passed out, leaving Kid alone with his thoughts and only then did he shed tears for the family he had lost. The next day neither had referred to the previous evening's conversation and it had never been mentioned again. For a while, Kid had not been able to deal with what he had been told and went off on his own but found that he felt lost without Heyes and had joined back up with him, at Devil's Hole, some time later. They had been together ever since.
Kid sat on a rock, with elbows resting on his knees, fingering the remnants of a biscuit, for which he no longer had an appetite. Heyes was lying curled on his bedroll, his back to Kid. He was feeling light headed and slightly nauseous, but lack of food was not the reason. Images were racing through his mind at such a rate that it made his head spin. Flashes of familiar smiling faces spun towards him and then vanished. They would then re-emerge, but were no longer smiling, but distorted in pain and anguish. Heyes pulled his knees up higher and screwed his eyes tighter in an attempt to rid himself of the images. But still they came.
It was his partner and best friend's voice that put a stop to the invading pictures in his head. They had sat in silence for a good long while and then Kid's voice carried through the dark, night air.
"Heyes?" Kid hesitated a moment, uncertain of what to say and then continued. "What happened to our families …." Another pause for deliberation. "Was it as bad … I mean, you saw … Well, was it as bad for them?"
His question was met only by the stillness of the night, as Heyes remained reticent. Unsettled by the lack of words forthcoming from his partner, Kid blathered on, in his confusion.
"I mean, I ain't seen nothing like we seen today in my life. Sure, I've seen men beat and shot up, but not like today, Heyes. Who could do that to those people? And children too? I just don't understand what goes on in some peoples' minds. That poor family … they were just butchered right there in their own home and …"
"Will you just shut up. JUST SHUT UP!" Heyes had spun around to face Kid and screamed louder than Kid had ever heard him before. He was so taken by surprise that he nearly fell off the rock on which he was sitting. By now, Heyes was on his feet and stood over Kid, glaring down at him.
"Just leave it alone, will ya? We did what we could for those folk back there, there ain't nothing more we can do, so, just leave it alone."
This fervent show of emotion was out of character for Heyes and Kid had only witnessed it a few times in the past, usually when his partner felt guilty or was trying to hide something. Kid sat opened mouthed, staring at his partner for a few moments until his own temper set in. "That's right, Heyes! You just keep right on yelling. 'Cos if you can't face up to what happened, perhaps you've got something to hide. Have you. Heyes? Got something to hide from me? What ain't you telling me? What happened all those years ago that you never had the guts to tell me?"
Kid was startled as Heyes suddenly flew at him, knocking him to the ground and sat on his chest, glowering down at him, fixing him with his dark eyes. Kid hardly recognised him in the flickering light from the fire and the dark expression he wore on his face. Kid was momentarily shocked into silence. Heyes remained on top of him, breathing deeply, clinging to his shirt front.
"I said, shut up." Heyes growled at him, through gritted teeth, before roughly releasing his grip on Kid's shirt and standing up, with feet planted firmly either side of Kid's prone body. They stared at one another, Kid taken aback by what had just happened and Heyes shocked by what he had done. He remained straddling his partner, who still lay on the ground, taking deep breaths, trying to get his emotions in check. Heyes offered his hand to help Kid to his feet but had it smacked away. It was Kid's turn to unleash his temper.
"What the hell has gotten into you, Heyes?" Kid snapped at him, pushing himself from between his partner's legs and making to stand up. Once again Heyes held out his hand, only to have it ignored this time. Kid got to his feet and brushed himself down. "I know you can be a little weird sometimes, but … Why in Hell did you do that?" Kid fixed him with a cool, steady gaze, but Heyes could see the anger and hurt that was in his partner's eyes.
He wasn't sure if he had an answer for the Kid at that moment, so, with fists balled in frustration, he turned and took a few paces away from his friend, staring into the darkness that surrounded them. Heyes was making it pretty obvious that he didn't want to talk about whatever was troubling him, so Kid, a little unsure what to do for the best, merely picked up his bedroll and laid it on the ground a short distance away. Giving one last concerned look in his partner's direction, he slumped under his blanket in an attempt to get some sleep. Hopefully Heyes' mood would have improved by morning and then maybe he'd be able to talk about exactly what was unsettling him.
The events of the day meant that both men were physically and emotionally exhausted and it wasn't too long before Kid had drifted off to sleep. Heyes, however, remained awake for most of the night, alone with his memories and the visions that haunted him, that had been brought so vividly back to life that day.