Rotating the cylinder of his Colt .45 Kid Curry checked that each chamber was loaded before closing the loading gate with a deft flick of his thumb. He quickly ran his fingers along his gun belt feeling each loop, counting the remaining bullets. There were enough for three full loads. He settled himself behind the largest rock he could find, shifted round onto his left hip in order to get a more comfortable balanced position, and waited.
It wasn't long before he heard the shout he knew would come. They had to know he was there, somewhere, hidden among the rocks.
"Hey, Curry! I know yer out there. Bin waitin' for ya."
Kid didn't recognize the voice but he guessed it had to be 'Crazy' Joe Wheeler. Anyway, it looked like whoever it was had been expecting him. He drew in a breath but didn't answer; he didn't want to give them a clear indication of his position, just yet. His sharp blue eyes searched intently for the slightest movement. The rocks encircling the clearing made the voice bounce around so he was unable to pinpoint accurately where it was coming from.
"Curry! Got somebody here been givin' us the pleasure of his company. I think ya mighta made his acquaintance." Joe laughed at his own witticism.
It took all of Kid's self-control to remain in place and not make a run across the clearing, gun blazing, to seek out his partner. That was what Joe wanted him to do and he was well aware of the odds of him being cut down doing it. He wanted to try and work out exactly where each man was before he attempted any kind of action.
"Curry! Yer gonna hafta come out sooner or later. Tell y' what. I'm gonna dangle a little bait; see if I can make y' decide on 'sooner'. Would ya like that, Curry? Would that work fer ya?"
Kid gritted his teeth.
Movement on the opposite side of the clearing drew his attention and he watched a man stumble out from behind a large tree. Kid knew immediately that it was Heyes.
Now gagged with a bandana and with his hands tied together in front of him, Heyes was being hauled up by his wrists attached to a long rope — the very same one that had been thrown over the tree branch. Kid gave an irritated grunt as he realized he had no line of sight to the men on the other end of the rope.
He then saw something that made his heart feel like it had jumped up into his throat and was attempting to cut off his air.
The rope wasn't just tied around his partner's hands, it was also looped around his neck. And, now that he had noticed it, he could see that Heyes was holding on to the rope with his bound hands and having to pull himself up on it to prevent it from tightening.
"See what I mean 'bout danglin' some bait?" The laugh rang out once more. "Now. Heyes here, well, he ain't too comfortable right now. I guess ya can see that fer yerself. If he holds on... I said 'if', Curry, he might be able to stop hisself from hangin' but he's gonna get tired. Maybe he'll just cut his hands to pieces on the rope first. Hey! We'll just hafta wait an' see. Excitin' ain't it?"
Kid tried to swallow but his mouth was dry. He could feel his temper and anxiety rising in equal measure and he knew he was breathing too fast, too fast to aim steady. Slowly, he focussed on the job in hand and tried to detach himself from his emotions, exactly like he did when someone called him out.
The voice came again. "Curry! Curry, yer lookin'? Now ain't that a sight to behold? The great Hannibal Heyes dangling before our very eyes! Hey! We're thinkin' of placin' bets here on how long Heyes is gonna last before he has to let go. We'll let ya in on the action, if ya want." Another guffaw.
Kid didn't doubt that under normal circumstances Heyes would be strong enough to hold himself up there for a while but, with the gag in his mouth limiting the amount of air he could take in, he knew he would tire quickly. There was also the question of his partner's physical condition; he might be hurting from a beating or weakened from lack of food or water. Kid knew he was going to have to act fast or Heyes was going to hang for certain.
Despite the target being small and almost exceeding the range for his Colt, Kid's first shot nicked the rope which was still swinging a little from side to side.
Curry cursed at the miss then aimed carefully for a second shot. "Hold still, Heyes," he murmured.
It was as if Heyes had heard the words but in reality he had only heard the shot and the whistle of the bullet as it passed just above his head. If the Kid was going to get a clean shot he knew that he had to make the rope hang still. Pain seared across his shoulders and through every muscle and sinew in his arms which were beginning to shake with the effort of holding up the rest of him. It also didn't help that he couldn't feel the rope his numb fingers were trying to grip.
With a supreme effort Heyes tried to ignore the pain together with the terrifying sensation of the rope tightening around his neck. He drew as deep a breath as he was able, took what he hoped was a firm hold and let his body hang straight.
Curry fired.
Heyes hit the ground with a loud grunt. Although his feet were free his knees still buckled beneath him and he pitched headfirst into the dirt. Frantically he tried to get his fingers to pull at the gag in his mouth. It was tight; he had tasted blood as Gil had tied it. At last he tore the bandana free, took a couple of much needed breaths then yelled with as much volume as his dry throat could muster.
"Two here, two — your left. Big rocks."
Barely taking his eyes off his partner Kid aimed three more shots towards the tree. Heyes knew he was trying to give him a chance to get clear and, despite not having moved his legs much the last few days, he scrambled toward the cover of some nearby rocks.
As the men behind the tree returned fire Kid shook out the five empty bullet casings and re-loaded. He looked up, pinpointing two muzzle flashes this time from the other direction as shots pinged off the boulder near his head. He had figured that the voice hadn't come from behind the tree. Now he was certain he knew where Wheeler was.
Keeping a wary eye on the clearing Curry groped in the saddlebags which lay next to him. First he pulled out some saddle strings and stuffed them into his pocket. Then he took out the bundle of fake dynamite and a box of matches. Hoping that this trick would buy him some much-needed time he struck a match and lit the end of the length of fuse attached to the sticks. The fuse spat and fizzed. Curry quickly raised his head to peer over the rocks then lobbed the bundle to his left, and he hoped, toward Joe Wheeler.
There was a brief moment of silence before a cry of alarm echoed around the clearing and Joe and Jimmy both broke cover as they attempted to flee, scrambling up the rough slope behind them.
Kid fired two quick shots.
Jimmy shrieked as he took a bullet just above his left knee. He dropped his gun, which slid down the slope and out of his reach, before grasping his bleeding leg with both hands. The other shot hit Joe's gun hand instantly turning his wrist into a tangle of blood and broken bones and sending his gun flying into the air. He yelled in pain and anger as he strove to get clear of the expected explosion.
Kid rapidly pushed two bullets into his gun's spent chambers. Now that the threat of a crossfire had passed he glanced over to the small cluster of rocks on the other side of the clearing where Heyes had taken refuge, sub-consciously measuring the distance and how fast he would have to run in order to make it over there in one full load.
He let the two men behind the tree get off a few more shots. In the brief lull that followed Kid darted out from behind his boulder and sprinted across the clearing fanning the hammer of his Colt and firing all six bullets toward the men behind the tree. The rapid barrage of shots was enough to deter them from returning fire.
A plume of dirt flew into the air as Curry slid feet first behind the cluster of rocks. Heyes coughed as the dust made contact with his already dry throat.
"What. . .kept you?" he rasped.
Curry flashed him a grin as he reloaded. Straightening his hat he glanced at his partner noting the livid red marks around his neck and the fresh trail of blood running down his arms from his wrists.
"Just four of 'em, huh?"
"Uh huh."
Kid peered around a boulder and pulled back sharply as a bullet took a chunk out of it next to his head. The next time he tried that he waited a fraction of a second longer enabling him to catch a glimpse his target. He returned fire. His bullet skimmed the bark of the tree on one side and a shirt sleeve on the other shattering Nate's collar bone and embedding itself in his shoulder. Nate dropped his gun and fell backwards.
"You there!" shouted Kid, knowing that there was only one man left uninjured. "If y' don't want to end up like your friends throw your gun out, and his, nice and far."
Having also seen Kid's prowess with a gun during his short time at Devil's Hole Gil Tatson knew that, alone, he was certainly no match for Kid Curry so he threw the weapons as far as he could into the clearing.
"Good," continued Kid. "Now come out so I can see ya. Slowly. Don't do anything stupid and you won't get hurt."
Gil raised his hands and stepped out from behind the tree. Watching from behind the boulder Kid was relieved to see the man had elected to take the sensible option.
"Stand still," he ordered. Gil complied.
"Stay here, Heyes." Kid instructed before jogging out into the open.
Pressing the barrel of his gun firmly in the middle of Gil's back Kid ushered him back to the tree to check on the man with the wounded shoulder. He noticed a piece of discarded rope on the ground and nudged it with his foot.
"Tie him up," he ordered Gil giving the man's back an encouraging prod. "And make it good." Gil did as he was told despite the cries of protest from his fellow gang member.
Not wishing to holster his gun Kid decided to have Gil tie up the remaining two outlaws so he pushed the big man in front of him and they made their way across the clearing toward where he had last seen Joe and Jimmy.
Jimmy was still lying where he had fallen. Tears streaked his frightened face as he gripped his injured leg with trembling hands in a vain attempt to stem the blood that was soaking his trouser leg.
There was no sign of Joe Wheeler.
"Don't you move, kid" Curry told the boy needlessly while he scanned the area for the missing man.
It wasn't long before Joe's voice came from behind a blood smeared rock about thirty yards away.
"Y' ain't got me yet, Curry!" he yelled with a wild laugh.
"C'mon now, that hand of yours must be bleedin' real bad. Why don't you come out. Get it fixed up?" coaxed Kid.
"And let ya gun me down? Uh, uh. I ain't comin' out. I got a big score to settle with Heyes. And you."
Kid saw the glint of the gun barrel a fraction of a second before Joe pulled the trigger and he threw himself flat on the ground. Either Gil didn't see it, or his reactions weren't as quick as Kid's, because Joe's wild left-handed shot hit him in the chest and the big man dropped liked a felled tree.
Rolling to his left Kid tried to find cover but there was none close enough — he would have to run for it. Knowing he had five more shots before he had to reload he fired four in quick succession as he high-tailed it behind the scant cover of a small bush.
While Kid was occupied loading his five remaining bullets Joe took his chance. With his bleeding right arm pressed against his chest he grasped his pistol firmly in his left hand and, driven by the overwhelming desire for revenge, made his way quickly from rock to rock straight towards Kid. He was determined that either Heyes or Curry was going to die, it no longer mattered who.
Kid pushed his last bullet into the remaining empty chamber and looked up towards the place he had last seen Joe. He waited a few seconds but when there was still no movement he scanned the other rocks in front of him.
Considering the amount of blood he had lost Joe had moved much faster than Kid would have thought him capable of and was now almost behind him.
As he crept closer, Joe's foot dislodged a loose stone. Kid instantly reacted to the sound and flipped over onto his back, his Colt already cocked but, as fast as he was, he didn't get to pull the trigger. Instead, a single shot rang out. Kid's eyes widened in surprise as Joe Wheeler staggered backwards, blood pumping from his chest. He was dead before he hit the ground.
Hannibal Heyes stood in the middle of the clearing clutching a smoking gun between his bound hands. He remained standing for a second or two longer before dropping to his knees.
Positive that he was next Jimmy squeezed his eyes shut and did his best to curl up into a ball. Kid gave him a cursory glance and, doubting that the boy would be able to make a play for one of the guns strewn around the clearing he scrambled to his feet and ran to the crumpled figure of his partner.
"Heyes!"
Brown eyes looked up and Kid couldn't fail to read the anguish already forming in their depths.
"He was. . . gonna. . . kill you," Heyes rasped.
"I know. Thank you," Kid said quietly. Holstering his gun he knelt down and gently removed the pistol from between his cousin's hands. A long minute passed then he asked, "Think you can you stand up?"
Heyes nodded but was grateful for the support of his partner's strong arms.
Curry's mind was racing. He had no idea how best to deal with this situation because Heyes had only ever shot a couple of people in his whole life. He had certainly never killed anyone.
Kid knew from personal experience the lasting effect this would have on him but he also knew that this was not the time or place to try and deal with any emotional fallout. There would be plenty of long nights out on the trail for that. When, and only when, Heyes felt he was ready to talk Kid would be there for him.
Practicalities had always been his forte so, as his partner once again sank to the ground at the base of the tree, Kid turned his focus to Heyes' bindings.
He attempted a wry smile. "Not got these ropes off yet? You must be slippin'."
Heyes just grunted in reply so Kid quickly undid the loop of rope around Heyes' neck before sliding a couple of fingers into his partner's brown suede boot to pull out his hidden blade. Feeling a little puzzled as to why Heyes hadn't already done this he used it to cut the rope from his wrists.
Heyes grimaced as the bloodstained rope slid away.
Noting Heyes' feeble attempt to shake his hands as he freed them Kid asked, "They cut bad?"
"Uh, uh. Can't. . .feel."
"Can't feel what?"
"Fingers."
"But how did you manage to shoot the gun?"
Foolishly attempting a shrug Heyes only succeeded in producing a shooting pain across his shoulders.
"Dunno," he eventually replied, then coughed dryly.
Kid hurriedly sought out a canteen, picked it up and shook it. It felt half full. He barely had time to undo the cap because, having caught sight of the water container, Heyes ignored his numb fingers and snatched it out of Kid's hand, attempting to swallow the water in great gulps.
"Whoa, there! Slow down or you'll be sick," Kid warned him gently.
Heyes lowered the canteen, breathing heavily. "Thirsty. . . no water."
"None at all?"
Heyes shook his head. "Couple. . . of . . .mouthfuls. Hot sun. . .no hat,"
Curry's eyes flashed. "Son-of-a—!" he exploded as he rose to his feet. "I'm guessin' no food neither."
Heyes took a few more gulps of water then shook his head again.
Kid laid his hand on Heyes' arm and his voice softened. "Listen. You sip that, y' hear, while I go see to that kid."
"Never mind about that dumb kid," groused Nate.
Startled by the sound of a voice from the other side of the tree the Colt .45 once again flew into Kid's hand; both he and Heyes had momentarily forgotten the other injured outlaw.
"I'm shot too y' know and I'm gonna bleed out if somethin' ain't done real quick."
Kid's temper flared. He bent down and seized the front of Nate's shirt, balling the fabric in his fist.
"Quiet," he growled, his eyes ice cold. "So help me, I've a mind to finish you, right now."
"Jed," Heyes croaked softly. "No more. . .blood."
With a look of disgust Curry roughly pushed Nate to the ground, rammed the Colt back into its holster and strode off toward Jimmy.
ooooo-OOO-ooooo
Hannibal Heyes sat in the rapidly cooling twilight air wrapped in the familiar embrace of his old grey coat. His bedroll was set out next to a newly laid campfire and he stared into the incipient flames as the wood spat and crackled sending wisps of smoke and showers of sparks up into the air. He felt so much better than he had an hour ago. The pain in his arms was easing to a dull ache, his throat was sore but no longer dry and, probably best of all, he had been reunited with his black hat.
Heyes felt exhausted but he couldn't even begin to try to sleep. Two of the day's events kept playing over and over in his mind.
He could clearly picture the malevolent ear-to-ear grin on Joe Wheeler's face as he held a loaded gun to Heyes' head, mindlessly cocking and un-cocking it while he watched Gil and Nate wind the rope around his neck. The fear Heyes had felt, but hoped he hadn't shown, was still raw.
Then there was the image he knew would be forever burned into his memory; Joe Wheeler's lifeless body hitting the ground.
Sure, he had seen people die, but never by a bullet fired by his own hand. Heyes' mind reeled at the very thought that he had actually killed a man even if it did mean that he had saved the life of the only person in this world that mattered to him; the only person that he called 'family'.
Despite this, Heyes suspected that the shooting of Wheeler would still be looked upon by the law as murder and he knew he would be working on coming to terms with that for a long, long time.
Had his cousin felt like this the first time he had taken a life? Somehow he doubted it; after all, the circumstances were very different. Most of Kid Curry's adversaries had called him out, looked him in the eye and gone for their gun first. Usually, Kid's bullet took out his opponent's weapon or wounded their gun arm but Heyes could recall a few times when the gunman's shot had been deadly. Had that been deliberate? With Kid's skill he doubted it was an accident. What made him change his aim? Was it that he doubted he could beat them to the draw and therefore had to make sure he came out on top? Maybe one day Heyes would ask him.
While Heyes sat quietly with his thoughts Kid Curry had been busy.
First he grabbed Jimmy by the shoulder of his jacket and dragged him down the slope and over the clearing to join Nate under the tree. He tied up the boy's hands with a saddle string, then wrapped a bandana around his wounded leg.
Next, he brought all the horses into camp together with the buckboard. Having set up a highline he tethered the animals to it so that they could graze on the sparse vegetation and be within reach of the water.
He then hauled both Joe and Gil's bodies next to each other, covered them with an old tarp he had found in the wagon and weighted it down with several rocks. Burying them wasn't an option in this hard ground and anyway, he certainly had no intention of wasting any more energy on those two today.
Finally, Kid returned to Jimmy and proceeded to cut the boy's pants with Heyes' knife in order to take a better look at the bullet wound. Jimmy yelped in pain and fear as Kid poured some whiskey over it and applied a bandage as tightly as he dared in the hope it would stop the bleeding, all the while showing no reaction to Jimmy's distress. He was still barely suppressing his temper at the treatment his partner had received at the hands of the gang.
Brought out of his contemplation by the boy's cries Heyes wandered over to take a look at the wound for himself. He grimaced at the damage Kid's bullet had inflicted and doubted the lad would walk without a limp from now on — if he was lucky enough to keep his leg. There was also the chance that he might bleed to death overnight. Heyes offered Jimmy a drink from one of their canteens. He didn't much like Jimmy's chances but he tried giving the lad a positive smile.
Kid then turned his attention to Nate, bandaging his shoulder and rigging up a sling out of a couple of bandanas to ease his broken collar bone. He ignored the man's curses until, having finally reached his limit, he had pressed the cold barrel of his Colt against the outlaw's cheek with such a murderous look in his eye that Nate snapped his mouth shut and didn't utter another sound.
Heyes returned to his bedroll and Kid joined him by the campfire, his eyes drawn to the flames.
"That leg looks pretty bad," Heyes said, keeping his voice low.
"Yep," came Kid's taciturn reply.
"He can't be more than seventeen, Kid."
"Heyes..." Kid swallowed hard. "First of all, they didn't give you any water. Then, they tried to cripple you by tyin' you up too tight and, if that weren't enough, Joe tried to lynch ya," he said through partly clenched teeth. "I sure ain't got any sympathy for the likes of them."
"Jimmy did give me a little water when Joe wasn't looking."
"Pfftt!"
Now that the adrenaline-charged shootout was over Kid was beginning to feel weary but his anger remained. Heyes was well aware of the icy glint that shone in his partner's eyes. Even after all their years of riding together it still had the power to make his blood run cold, and that was when it wasn't even aimed at him!
Eventually Kid looked up from the flames, his gaze a little warmer.
"About time you and me had some food, I'd say," he said, glaring over his shoulder at the two captives. His stomach gave a well-timed growl.
Heyes grinned faintly. "Sounds like it."
"You must be real hungry."
"Kinda," replied Heyes. "I guess you get used to not eating after a while. Like when we ran away from the Home. We went for days without hardly eating a thing."
"Well, I didn't get used to it then and I ain't about to start now! We ain't got much, but you're gonna eat, Heyes. Let's get you started on somethin' then I'll go see what I can find in the wagon."
Curry started unpacking the food that remained in his saddlebags. There was some jerky which he didn't think Heyes could manage right now, a couple of Ida's biscuits, plus the two hard-boiled eggs she had also given him. Sighing, he surveyed the meagre offering.
"How 'bout an egg?" he asked optimistically, holding one out to his cousin.
"Not without salt."
Kid smirked. "Salt? Look, if you're thinking of doin' that egg balancin' trick — remember, I've seen it already — more times than I can count!"
Brown eyes narrowed. "No, I'm not gonna do the egg trick," said Heyes, irritably. "Anyway, the way my hands are right now, I doubt I could hold it steady enough."
"They feelin' that bad?"
"Mmm hmm."
His smile now replaced with a frown of concern Kid peeled the shell from the egg then, after another rummage through his saddlebags, he produced a twist of paper containing what was left of their salt supply.
Heyes thanked him as he took it, making sure his fingers held the egg securely before dipping it into the salt. Kid watched him closely. Satisfied that his cousin had taken a couple of bites he got up to investigate the contents of a couple of gunny bags in the back of the wagon. There he found a good quantity of salt pork, a few tins of tomatoes and, thankfully, a can opener together with an old iron cooking pot.
The pork and tomatoes heated up nicely in the pot and Kid hungrily ate his fill. He silently congratulated himself in having persuaded Heyes to take a little too.
Feeling a little more genial now his stomach was full, Kid grudgingly spoon fed Nate and Jimmy with the leftovers.
