TITLE: Close Quarters
AUTHOR: Susan Zell
DISCLAIMER: All characters from "The Magnificent Seven" series are the property of Trilogy Entertainment, The Mirisch Group, MGM Worldwide, and CBS. They were borrowed merely to relate a long lost tale and they will be returned to their rightful place upon completion. No profit has been made by this venture.
RATINGS: PG
WARNINGS mild cursing
TYPE: : Hurt/comfort
TIMELINE: This story takes place after "Inmate-78" and "The Collector."
NOTE: This is an old story that was written long ago during the show's heyday but I've decided to archive here to keep all my works together in one spot.
CLOSE QUARTERS
by
Susan Zell
JD Dunne burst into the saloon, his face smeared with sweat and dust. It was early morning and the only souls inside were a bleary-eyed bartender and an impassive Chris Larabee. The latter glanced up at the boy's distressed entrance. Something had set the kid on edge. He set his tin coffee cup back meticulously down on the table.
"Chris!" JD shouted, running toward him.
"JD," Chris acknowledged with a little less enthusiasm. The gunslinger's voice remained low in contrast to JD's excited cry.
"We've got trouble! Where are the others?"
"Gone to Landon on business. What trouble?"
"Mrs. Wells said that Casey's been missing since yesterday!"
Chris almost smiled but it was too damn early in the morning. For the last couple of weeks since they met, the two kids had been circling each other like wary predators but whenever one made a move it always turned into an argument. Leave it to some crisis to change the scenario with the unpredictability of a summer storm. Chris kept his voice composed in an attempt to calm the boy. Now was not the time to go and do something rash. "Did something happen out at Nettie's ranch?"
"No, no!" JD was becoming flustered. Casey was in trouble and Chris was playing twenty questions.
Chris silently observed JD's growing impatience but there was little he could do until JD gave him some more details. "Where was she last seen?"
JD fidgeted in front of the passive gunslinger. "Mrs. Wells said Casey was riding up towards Coyote Bluff. But she never came back last night. I know something's happened!"
Chris sighed gently. He hadn't known Casey Wells long but the impression he got was that she had more fire in her than most young boys--not to mention grown men. She seemed likely to get caught up in some adventure and forget about the time. Still a whole evening had gone by and a cold one at that. It could be considered extreme. He stood slowly and gathered his wool coat and hat. "Saddle my horse. I'll tell Mrs. Travis we're heading out."
JD bolted out the door towards the stable. Chris had almost told JD to go look for her on his own. Most likely he'd find the girl camped out on the bluff and who knows, perhaps some quiet time together out in the wilderness would be all that was necessary for the budding romance between the two kids to blossom.
But to be honest, Chris was a mite bored in town with everyone gone. Four Corners seemed almost quiet without Buck's boisterous voice or Ezra's shuffling cards. He missed his philosophical conversations with Vin and the steady hammering of Nathan and Josiah's tools from the direction of the church.
He donned his hat with exasperation. God, he was getting pathetic in his old age.
He drowned his grimace with a last belt of black coffee and for a moment wished it was something stronger, but ever since Jericho he had been trying to avoid the temptation. There was the other reason to get out of town for a while. He had dried out some during his time in the prison. It had cleared his head. He figured there was a reason for it. Unfortunately though, it had been quiet for the last couple of weeks which only made it harder for someone trying to give up the bottle. Right now some activity would take his mind off his incessant cravings.
*****
It took an hour to reach Coyote Bluff. At its base, Chris whistled shrilly and JD, far in the lead, turned to see Chris rein in his horse. JD pulled his own steed to a halt abruptly, its sides heaving, its flesh wet. They had been riding hard.
Chris studied the ground. He wasn't as accomplished a tracker as Vin but he had enough rudimentary skills to follow his quarry if they weren't trying to hide. A single rider had passed, heading up the mountain, that much was obvious. It had not come back down, at least not on this trail. The minute he informed the younger man of this, JD had his mount racing madcap up the slope. Shaking his head, Chris followed, albeit a tad slower.
They found Casey's mare tied at the top near the entrance to an old mine shaft. JD dropped from his horse looking around frantically. "Casey!"
There was no answer. Chris dismounted and glanced around gathering first impressions. There was no campsite. The girl's bedroll was still behind her saddle and wet with the morning's dew. Now Chris was beginning to worry.
"She's not here!" JD announced breathlessly coming back from a swift circumvention of the area.
Chris' eyes were drawn to the dark maw of the abandoned mine.
JD turned to follow his gaze. "You don't think...," he began and Chris raised a contrary eyebrow at him. JD expelled a frustrated curse. "Yes, she would," he finished in exasperation, anger displacing his fear momentarily. He grabbed the lariat from his saddle.
Chris fished the extra torch from Casey's saddlebags. Striking a match from his pocket, it blazed into life. "Let's go." With the narrow circle of light to lead them they entered into the pitch darkness.
*****
Casey's consciousness returned slowly. She felt wet and cold and achy. She blinked into the darkness that continued to engulf her and for a moment she panicked. Was she blind? Then her memory kicked in and she remembered the mine shaft and falling. Her hand splashed in an icy pool and it led her to believe that the torch had been extinguished by it when she fell. It was probably useless now. She eased herself up and fruitlessly groped for it anyway. She tried to stand and cried out as her right leg felt like a hot poker had stabbed her. Please don't let it be broken, she prayed her hands flying quickly to cradle the injured limb.
She probed gently, fighting her fear. Tears falling, her fingers searched for but didn't find a break. Relieved, she choked back a sob but then realized her predicament. There was no way for her to climb out of the shaft on her own. What if no one came looking for her? She had no idea of the passage of time but it must have been hours past when she had fallen and still there was no help.
"Don't panic, Casey. There's no reason to panic." She practically chanted to herself. "Aunt Nettie will come or she'll go get help when I don't come home." Suddenly her stomach plummeted. Oh no! She'd go straight to Mary Travis and from there straight to Chris Larabee who'd grab JD Dunne. Her head plopped into her hands. Oh please, not JD. She couldn't be rescued by him! Lord, how embarrassing. She'd rather die in this hole that have that happen. She felt the slimy water against her skin and shivered. Something buglike scurried across her hand. She jerked it aside with a slight squeak and tried to breathe calmly again. Okay, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad if JD rescued her.
She glanced up and tried to see how far she had fallen but the murky darkness offered little information. She fought to keep her terror at bay. Then in the far distance she heard something. Footfalls, voices perhaps. To her shock, a faint trace of light could be seen far above her at the shaft's opening. "Hello!" she cried. "I'm down here."
There was the sound of running feet and then a dark form appeared abruptly over her. It looked like the figure was about to topple in with her but then suddenly fell backward as a rain of stones and dust came down instead. Casey ducked her head.
Chris released JD's shoulder and eased himself over the edge holding the torch high above him. JD crawled quickly over and looked over as well, calling "Casey!"
"I'm here," she shouted back, finally seeing their dim faces.
"Casey, are you alright?" JD's voice was higher than normal.
Chris was amused at the young man. He certainly wasn't acting as if this girl got on his nerves as he continually told everyone. Quite the opposite in fact. The fool kid had almost fallen headlong into the shaft with her. Thankfully, Chris had seen the danger at the last second and grabbed him.
Casey's sarcastic voice drifted up through the hole. "Oh, of course I'm just fine. I fall down these things all the time. What the Sam Hill do you think?" she yelled
JD spat back a retort, falling quickly back into their normal routine. "Look, I just asked if you're okay. Don't bite my head off!" To Chris, he grumbled, "Stupid girl."
Chris ignored him and called down, "It's Chris Larabee, Casey. Are you injured?"
Casey stared at the tall dark form above her. It was Chris Larabee alright. He was the only man she knew who wore black all the time and would probably be recognizable with or without illumination just by the sheer will of his intimidation. "I hurt my leg."
JD muttered, "That's what I asked her and she jumped all over me."
Chris played the rope down the hole. "Casey, you think you can tie this around you? We'll haul you up."
Casey reached for the descending rope. "Sure, I can do that." Within minutes she had the rope tied as instructed. "I'm ready."
Chris set the torch into a sconce on the wall. Then he took up the rope, JD holding onto the end like an anchor. Chris nodded and they proceeded to pull Casey as gently as they could up the shaft. Casey moaned in agony as her injured leg came off the ground but she didn't pass out--though a part of her wished she had. But the thought of JD at the top of the shaft curbed such feminine action. She bit down on her lip in an effort not to cry out. She had to be strong.
The trip up the long shaft seemed to take forever but in reality she had not dropped far, maybe ten feet. She had been extremely lucky. Luckier than she deserved. She was sure to hear about her blatant stupidity from now till Sunday and from every soul from here to the ranch. While Aunt Nettie would conclude the escapade with the worst reprimand since God lectured Eve.
Then she felt JD's strong arms grasp her under the shoulders as she came over the lip of the shaft and her breath left her momentarily. She silently convinced herself that it was from exertion and not the touch of his hand.
"I've got you," he said in that sweet voice of his. She stared into his worried face as the shadows danced across it and dropped her gaze into his warm, dusky eyes. His expression changed into one of perplexion as he watched her and she realized how stupid she must look. Her hand flew up to her face in a pretense of wiping away the mud. He eased her up against a twin set of boulders set five feet apart.
Chris knelt down beside them on the other side of Casey. He gently probed her leg. She let out a gasp as he found the tender area. Pursing his lips, he looked up at an anxious JD who was torn between looking at Casey and looking at Chris. "It's not too bad. It doesn't feel broken." He turned to JD. " Get the blankets tied behind the saddles. Take the torch with you. We'll be alright in the dark for now."
"Okay!" JD leaped up and ran back out the way he came, across the huge cavern and up the main shaft towards daylight. As he moved further away, the light faded from the room plunging them eventually into pitch darkness. Casey drew in a deep steadying breath. It brought back the same fear as when she had awakened alone in the shaft. She was shivering uncontrollably, her arms locked tight around herself.
Taking off his wool coat, Chris draped it across her shoulders. "He'll be back soon," he comforted. He squeezed her hand reassuringly only to have her grasp it tightly before he could let go. So she wasn't as tough as she thought she was, he mused silently. "You know, it wasn't a particularly smart thing going into this mine by yourself. It was very...."
Casey interrupted him harshly between her chattering teeth. "Yes, I know! It was extremely stupid and dangerous. Believe me, I know."
Chris was silent for a moment then grinned. Her brusqueness didn't faze him much. She'd have enough of a lecture from her Aunt and maybe a good tanning as well. "Just so you do," he told her and left it at that. Minutes passed and still JD had not returned. Chris silently cursed the boy. How long did it take to find those few things?
Casey mirrored his thoughts. "What the heck fire is taking him so long? It's not as if you sent him to round up some cattle."
Chris realized it was only the pain and fear that was making her talk so. At least that's what he hoped. Though he had to admit his own frustration at JD was rising. He didn't particularly like sitting here in the dark himself.
Suddenly, Casey screamed loudly, squirming and flailing. She practically leaped into his arms not a easy feat for someone in her condition. He grabbed her. "What's the matter?"
In an instant, he knew himself. A flurry of rats swept over them, past them, their nails skittering over the stones and cloth.
"One's on my arm! Get it off!" Casey shrieked, nearly hysterical.
Chris brushed his hands over Casey and finally found a lingering rat nearing the top of her shoulder. He pushed it off and it squealed away into the darkness with the rest. Casey was a trembling mess. He was afraid she was slipping into shock. JD better hurry with those damn blankets or Chris was just going to carry her out. He felt a hand on his own again.
"Please don't tell JD I screamed, will you? But I really hate rats." She shivered against him, suddenly noticing the aroma of sawdust and smoke that surrounded him. He smelled nice. She began to slowly relax again. She realized that she had never gotten this close to the steely gunfighter before. He wasn't quite as menacing as she first thought.
Chris patted her shoulder with surprising tenderness. "I won't say anything. I have the same reaction to snakes."
Casey's eyes went wide in surprise. "Really?" She was amazed that this man was afraid of anything, much less a silly old snake.
"Yup," Chris admitted. "You keep my secret and I'll keep yours."
"It's a deal."
The cavern began to lighten and soon they could hear the approaching footsteps of JD. He jogged in with a bundle in his arms, out of breath and perspiring.
"Took you long enough," Chris chided.
"Yeah," Casey added her own ire up. She hated being in this cave and her fear and anger were growing by the minute. "What did you do, go to the next county?"
The boy glared at Casey for a split second then he looked suitably chastised. "Sorry, but the damn horses were acting up. Yours took off like the devil himself was chasing him, Chris." He wrapped one of the blankets around Casey and offered her a canteen. She drank it eagerly.
Chris straightened. "What?" This was odd news. His gelding was considerably even-tempered. It'd stay quiet under a hail of bullets and a flurry of lightening bolts. Yet he had to admit his own nerves had been steadily growing on edge. Something wasn't right here, but his first duty was to Casey. He dismissed the other matter for now. They had to get her out of the cave as quickly as possible.
He was just about to pick Casey up and carry her out when he heard the first rumble, like a distant roll of thunder. The dust from the ceiling began to sift to the floor as the tremors began.
JD, stationed behind Casey, supporting her back, looked up in alarm. "What's that?"
The ground began to shudder. Chris, set back on his heels, almost lost his balance. He put an arm out to steady himself. With horrifying clarity, he realized the danger. He cursed. "It's a ground shake. We have to get out of here now!" He grabbed Casey's arm and pulled her to her feet. JD helped him. The earth was shaking so violently that they could only keep their balance by touching the cavern walls. They were at the mouth of the cavern and just about to enter the main shaft but no sooner had they reached the tunnel did Chris shove the two kids behind him. The ground bucked violently beneath them.
"Get back!" Chris shouted.
The two kids fell roughly between the twin boulders on the ground. On top of Casey, JD raised his head and caught a final glimpse of Chris, arms raised protectively over his head, as the roof of the main tunnel collapsed in front of him. Then the cavern was plunged into darkness once more.
*****