The Last Stand
Chapter 2
by
Four of Hearts
Matt anxiously tapped the telegram and letter against his palm in thoughtful silence for a moment before opening a drawer in his desk. Quickly grabbing a pencil and paper, he scratched out a short message and pressed it into Festus's hand. "Take this down to the telegraph office and get it sent off immediately. Wake Barney if you have to."
"Will do 'er, Matthew," Festus agreed, reaching for his coat. "Ya want me to wait fer a answer?"
"Yeah," Matt answered after a moment's pause. "And tell Barney to put a rush on it. I need an answer on that as quick as possible."
"Who's it to, Matthew?" Festus queried, peering down at the paper in his hand.
"The commander at Fort Dodge," Matt answered.
Festus wanted to ask for more details but he saw a look on Matthew's face that told him not to tarry. "I'll be back quicker'n you kin say the rat ran over the roof with a piece o' raw liver in 'is mouth, Matthew," he called over his shoulder, hustling out the door.
Matt watched him leave through bleary, bloodshot eyes, then wearily shuffled over to the cot in the corner of the jail and lay back with an exhausted groan. He wanted more than anything to go see Kitty but not until he had an answer and could confidently reassure her that the town and, more importantly, she would be safe. Unwillingly, he quickly sank into a deep sleep and was visited by nightmare images over twenty years past, a young outlaw's face, cut and bleeding, eyes filled with rage and vengeance.
Matt startled awake when Festus returned in an hour, bursting in the door with a blast of wintry air. Grasping a paper in his hand, Festus explained he'd had to roust Barney from bed, and he in turn had to roust someone at the fort, but at last an answer was received. As Matt read the wire in his hand, his heart sank.
"What's that there say, Matthew?" Festus asked, warily eyeing the grim expression on Matt's face.
Apprehensively, Matt looked up at his friend and deputy. "It says unless I do something drastic, Dodge is in trouble."
Festus looked at the lawman in confusion as Matt began to put his boots back on. "Whatta you mean?"
"I requested help from the fort," Matt told him. "But there's only a handful of soldiers left there. Seems Commander Goodson took most of the troops and pulled out two days ago heading to Salt Flats. There's some sort of Indian uprising there. We are effectively on our own."
"Ya reckon, that there yahoo San-ta-ge is gonna make a run fer us, do ya?" Festus asked, already dreading the answer.
"Yeah, I do." Matt answered bleakly as he reached for his gun belt, hat and coat. "I'm going over to the Long Branch, Festus. I need to talk to Kitty."
Festus could only nod as the weary and agitated yet determined lawman left the jail.
As Matt trudged down the street, he knew of only one thing to do to thwart disaster. He just hoped he could make Kitty understand why he had to do it.
FoH
"No, Matt!" Kitty declared emphatically. "You don't know how many men this Santiago has. From what that letter says he's wiped out whole towns. You could be killed."
Matt shrugged, trying to appear confident. "I know the dangers, Kitty," he stated, somewhat exasperatedly. "But I also know I can't just sit by and wait on them to come here. If we do this right, we might be able to stop them before they even get near Dodge."
Kitty glared at him, angry that he was risking his life in such a way.
Doc swiped his mustache trying to make sense of it all. Earlier, when Matt had come into the saloon, he had found Kitty and Doc sitting at their usual table and had asked them if could speak with them in private. As Kitty led them into her office, Doc had the unsettling feeling this wasn't going to be good news. He had been right.
"Matt," Doc said, trying to be the voice of reason. "Say you can get enough town men to go out there with you. How do you know for a fact where they'll be or that you can stop them? What if they come in a different way?"
"There's really not any other way they can come, Doc," Matt explained. "That trail's the best and easiest through those hills. Santiago is going to want to take the quickest route in and out."
"When're you going?" Doc asked, sympathizing with the pained look on Kitty's face. What Matt was planning was beyond dangerous.
"I want to hold a town meeting," Matt answered. "Warn everyone about this and make some plans in caseā¦.." He didn't go on for Kitty's sake. "I'll see then how many men I can get to ride with me." He continued, "I figure we'll meet first light over at the church and leave after that."
"You sure about this?" Doc asked.
Matt shrugged. "Santiago's not going to expect a fight, Doc. At the very least we could slow him down or we could very well derail his plans entirely."
"Or you could very well get killed," Kitty fumed as she turned away, not wanting to show him how very much afraid she was.
But Matt knew her too well. Walking up behind her, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and squeezed her.
Doc turned self-consciously and took a few steps away, fiddling with the watch in his pocket to give them a semblance of privacy.
"I have to do this, Kitty," Matt stated simply. "It's not only my job but it's the only way I know of to keep everyone - keep you - safe."
Kitty turned in his arms, hugging him tightly to her, no longer fighting the tears. "Please be careful," she begged.
Bending down and making sure Doc wasn't looking, he placed a quick, chaste kiss on her lips and nodded. "I will."
tbc
FoH
