"Advices from Lincoln say that a young lad of lightening rigidity and iron nerve and marvelous skill apparently single handedly took down Morton and Baker of the Murphy-Dolan faction, including a miraculous shot at fifty yards," read Doc. "There's a picture here. It says "Billy the Kid", but it aint Billy."
Richard stood up from the fire where he was cooking food in the skillet and took the paper from Doc.
"Let me see that," he said.
It was his own picture accompanying the story about Billy.
"Well, that's me," said Dick. "This is bullshit. Papers can't get nothin' right," he said walking away from the group.
"Advices from sources say a kid, a left hander, is tall, handsome and unequal in the elements that appeal to the holier emotions," read Doc. "Jesus Christ this country needs a hero. "However Murphy, of Lincoln, has hired none other than John Kinney and his bunch to help hunt down Billy the Kid and the gang."
"Oh, great. John Kinney," said Charlie.
"Well who's Kinney?" asked Billy.
"Says here he's an ex-soldier who suffered injury and is now a bounty hunter," read Doc.
"Well, what's that mean?" asked Steve.
"It means he can whoop some ass," said Charlie.
Kelsey shook her head as she tended to the food over the fire. Ann was off by herself trying not to lay into Billy again about his actions. Kelsey looked up from the fire to see Chavez off in the distance picking things from nearby shrubs and off the ground. She shook her head knowing what was going to come next.
"Hey, Doc," said Dick from his spot in the forestry. "Can you come here for a minute?"
"Yeah," he said folding up the paper and handing it to Charlie.
"Well, we can't go north 'cause Murphy's got men coming out of Fort Sumner," said Dick. "We can't go south because he's got Brady comin' in."
"Yeah," said Doc.
"East is no good 'cause we got John Kinney comin' up now," said Dick.
"We could go west," said Dick. "But there is that reservation."
"Yeah, and they are havin' a good year with scalps," said Doc. "No thanks, Richard."
"I don't know what to do," said Dick. "What the hell's he doing?" asked Dick as Chavez walked by.
Night finally fell and the group gathered around the fire to eat. It was a quiet affair. Chavez didn't eat much and sat off by himself during the meal. Once everyone was down they set the dirty dishes off to the side. That was when Chavez returned to the fire. Now his face was painted white a black. He resembled a skeleton.
"We have come to a place where we are lost, no?" he said. "When an Indian is lost he must reach into the Spirit World to find the way. On the Spirit Road he will be shown a sign. This is the way to the Spirit Road."
"Is he for real?" asked Ann.
"Shut up. And yes," said Kelsey.
"We're lost right now, but I will find us the way," he said taking a drink from the bowl.
"Oh, Christ, Chavez," said Steve. "That's all we need is some more of your red-ass Navey-ho mamba-jahamba. We're running out of time here, Chavez."
"Shut it, Steve," said Kelsey.
"What are you getting in a twist for?" he asked.
"I'm half Navajo as well, you dipshit," said Kelsey.
"Great. Another one," grunted Steve.
Kelsey started to lean over to hit him when Ann pulled her back into her spot next to the fire. Chavez took a sip of the liquid in the bowl. He passed it off to Billy who did the same thing.
"Is that any good?" asked Charlie as Billy coughed. "Chavez, what-what is that?"
"Peyote," said Chavez.
Slowly the bowl made its way around the fire until it got to Ann.
"I'm not drinking that," she said sniffing it.
"Do it," said Kelsey. "Now!"
Ann grunted as she sipped the drink. She had to keep from gagging at the taste of it. She passed it on to Kelsey who finished off the little bit of liquid. She had never had Peyote before and she wasn't sure she would want to after the night was over. The only one not to drink it was Richard. He just watched the rest of the group.
As the group sat around the fire the peyote started to kick in. A few of them started to stare at their hands like it was something new. Slowly they stood and went off on their own. Ann started giggling for no reason. Dick just rolled his eyes at everyone's actions. Kelsey stood up and walked away from the fire.
Ann and Richard were the only ones left sitting next to the fire. She still had a smile on her face but her giggles had died down. She turned to Richard and smiled.
"What?" he asked.
"You're so stern all the time," she said, furrowing in eyebrows.
"Someone has to keep them in line," he said poking the fire.
"Not Billy," she said. "He thinks he's better than everyone else. He needs to have a good beatin' to knock some sense into him. You're cute…"
"Yeah…wait, what?" said Richard catching the last bit of her sentence.
"You're cute. I like you…I think you're pretty," she said taking his hat and putting it on her head.
Richard leaned over to take his hat back when Ann launched herself at him. She knocked them both over so that he was lying on the ground. He stared up at her, shocked at her forwardness.
"How long has it been?" she asked with a drunken smile on her face.
"Ex-excuse me?" he said.
"How long since you've had a woman?" she asked again.
She didn't wait for a response before she kissed him. It had indeed been a long time since Richard, or most of the men, had been with a woman. And even though he was the only one left with his senses, he wasn't going to pass up this opportunity. He rolled them over so that he was lying on top of Ann and returned the kiss, tossing his hat to the side.
Kelsey wandered around the camp. She could hear Doc talking to himself about butterflies and flowers and how they relate to his relationship with Lin. Steve was starting to freak out bit. Slowly, as she rounded a boulder she saw Chavez standing on the top of a cliff. She stopped and stared. The sun was starting to rise at this point.
"Kelsey," Chavez said as he came down from the cliff.
Kelsey stared at him, but didn't say anything. She was starting to feel a tingling sensation make its way through her body. He was staring at her. He had a contemplative look on his face, as well. Before either one of them said something Kelsey launched herself at him, knocking them both to the ground. Chavez countered and rolled them so that he was lying on top of her. They were shielded from the rest of the group by a grouping of shrubbery.
Neither one of them said a thing as Kelsey started pulling at his shirt. Chavez did the same, sending buttons flying in different directions. Kelsey moaned as he leaned forward and kissed and sucked on her collarbone. She started pulling at the lacing on his pants as he continued his assault on her neck.
Chavez moaned when Kelsey brushed across his stiff member. She smiled and lifted her hips into his. Whatever coherent thought he had went out the window at that point. He leaned back long enough to undo the lacing of her own pants and pull them down to her ankles. They were way past niceties and comforts. He freed himself from his pants and thrust into Kelsey. Kelsey moaned as she dug her nails into his shoulders, leaning half-moon indents.
"Regulators! Saddle up!" shouted Richard. "Godless heathens."
Chavez and Kelsey had redressed by this point. Chavez jumped up onto the back of his horse, screaming a battle cry, as Kelsey made her way over to her own. Billy climbed onto his horse backwards and grabbed the tail thinking they were the reigns.
As started on their journey again Charlie started singing. Ann had started giggling again and was having trouble stopping. Kelsey had a smile glued to her face as she followed Chavez's horse.
Soon they came upon and Indian settlement. They were giving them all strange looks. Billy was greeting them as his horse went by them.
"Hey Chavez, how come they aint killing us?" asked Charlie.
"We're in the Spirit World, asshole," said Steve. "They can't see us!"
By the time they stopped to water the horses everyone had come down from their high. Ann had stopped giggling and seemed to be staring at Richard and blushing when he would turn to look at her. It seemed like he was avoiding her as well. Steve took a swing of his whiskey before he corked it. He turned to look out at the river and saw a man approaching them.
"Lord forgive us for our wrong doings, for our misguiding's by heathen religions. Thank you for keeping us alive," prayed Richard.
When he paused Billy assumed he was done and reached for the food. That was when Richard started up again.
"Please help guide us in doing the right thing. Our Father, who art in Heaven. Hallowed be thy name…"
"Please, Dick, it's getting' cold!" said Billy.
Both men drew their guns on each other.
"I coulda killed ya, Dick," said Billy. "I coulda killed ya."
Kelsey rolled her eyes at the confrontation. She smiled when she felt Chavez toe her boots with his own. She could've swore she saw him smirk out of the corner of her eye.
"But I don't want to kill you. I want to eat," said Billy.
"When we finish this meal, you little rodent, we're going to go out in the yard and see who has the right to run this group of regulators," said Richard.
"Richard, would be so kind as to pass the gravy, please," said Doc trying to break the tension and change the subject.
"Mighty well held man headed this way," said Steve running into the building.
"Just one?" asked Richard.
"Uh-huh," said Steve.
"Good Lord, it's "Buckshot" Roberts," said Charlie from the window.
"We got a warrant for him," said Richard, still eyeing Billy with his gun drawn.
"You think he's comin' to surrender?" asked Doc drinking his coffee.
"Don't look that way," said Charlie.
"He any good?" asked Billy as Chavez took a bight of chicken off his knife.
Kelsey smiled at his non-chalant attitude at the whole situation.
"He's killed more people than small pox," said Charlie.
"Well, hell, introduce us," said Billy putting his gun away.
"Stay inside the damn building," said Richard looking at Ann, first, then to Kelsey who was still eating.
"But…" said Kelsey around a mouthful of food.
"Stay put," said Chavez standing up to follow them out.
Kelsey grumbled as they left the building. She and Ann walked over to the window to watch what was happening.
The men made their way out into the yard as Roberts pulled his rifle out of its saddle holster.
"Got a warrant for you, old man," said Dick.
"I aint got no business with that war no more," he said holding a rifle in one hand and a shotgun in the other. I'm on my own. I'm here to get that $150 Sheriff Brady is puttin' down for The Kid. The rest of you little shits is only worth $110, but I'll take it," he said eying the group.
"What's going on?" asked Ann.
"I can't read lips," said Kelsey. "And I don't rightly remember what they say…"
"But?" said Ann.
"But what?" said Kelsey not looking at her friend.
"There is a but to that sentence, you just didn't say it," said Ann.
"But I remember what happens," said Kelsey.
"And?" asked Ann.
"Just eat your food," said Kelsey avoiding the question.
"What a sweet disposition," said Doc.
Roberts dropped the rifle to the ground and cocked the shotgun. "Let's Dance!"
The group scattered behind various object that were in the yard as they started exchanging fire. Chavez was shot in arm before he could find cover.
"Chavez!" shouted Dick from behind a stack of logs.
"Son of a bitch!" shouted Kelsey as she grabbed her gun.
Before she could get to the door the owner slammed it closed and stood in front of it.
"That Indian told me to keep you in here," he said with a shaky voice.
"I will shoot you," she said.
"I'm more afraid of what he'll do to me then you, ma'am," said the man.
"Goddamn it!" she shouted slamming her gun on the table.
As the fight continued Roberts went into the outhouse.
"Chavez?" shouted Doc.
"What?" he replied.
"He's going into the shitter," said Richard. "Billy, go in there and cut that son of a bitch in half."
Billy just stared at Richard.
"I'm daring ya, Billy," said Dick.
Billy smirked at him and pulled his pistols out as he stepped from behind the logs. As he did Roberts kicked the door open and started shooting at them again.
"Screw that!" said Billy ducking behind the logs.
Roberts opened fire on them again as the door swung open. The boys returned fire as the door swung closed. After a moment the shooting stopped and they heard grunting from inside the outhouse.
"Cover me," said Richard as he stood up.
As he neared the outhouse Roberts stuck his gun through a hole in the door and shot him three times. Steve shouted as he opened fire on the outhouse. The rest of the regulators followed suit. Ann was screaming as she ran for the door. The poor owner didn't stand a chance. Ann knocked him out of the way, as if he didn't weigh a thing, and jerked the door open. As she stepped outside the Regulators were climbing on their horses. Kelsey helped Doc get Chavez onto a horse before she climbed up with him. Doc pulled and over to his horse forcing her to climb up. He slowly made his way up behind her before they took off out of the town.
They were a good distance away from the town and Ann still hadn't stopped crying. They were slowly making their way across an open desert brush. They rode down into a hollow before they dismounted. Once Chavez was off the horse Kelsey jumped down and started to tend to his wound.
"Where to Doc?" asked Billy.
"The road into Patricia looks safe," he said. "I've got to write Dick's mother in Vermont. Get some clean wraps for this," he said raising his bloodied hang.
"Well, whatever you do, don't go near Lincoln," said Billy.
"See ya," said Doc as he turned his horse and rode off.
"Whatcha doin' there, Billy?" asked Steve as he shoved a large was of chewing tobacco in his mouth.
"Well, with the side filed down, I get an eighth of a second drop on our good Sheriff Brady," said Billy.
"Billy, we can't touch the Sheriff, Dick said so. You know that," said Charlie. "Besides, we can't keep this up."
"Yeah, well, Dick aint around anymore, is he, Charlie?" said Billy.
"You heartless bastard!" shouted Ann, lunging for Billy.
Billy fell backwards off his bedroll. Ann was clawing and smacking at him. It too both Kelsey and Charlie to pull her off of him.
"Calm down!" shouted Kelsey. "We're all upset about Richard," she said giving Billy a dirty look. "But you have to keep your head about you. Understand?"
Ann grunted her agreement as she sat back down next to her bedroll.
"Right now Sheriff Brady is in desperate need of being removed from office," said Billy dusting himself off.
"We're not going after Brady," said Chavez. "No Murphy men, no more. I told you I would find a way and the way is west."
"West, huh?" said Billy. "Well west is that way, and the bastards we gotta kill are that way," he said pointing in a different direction.
"The only bastards that are going to get killed are us, Chivato. Let it go," said Chavez.
"Let it go!? Murphy's taking inventory in Tunstall's store right now and you're saying it means nothing to you?!" said Billy.
Chavez slowly turned to face him. He was standing up on a ridge above the group. "It means nothing to me? Murphy and his politicians have taken more blood from me than they ever will from you."
"Yeah, how you figure?" said Billy with a cocky attitude.
"The Red Sand Creek Reservation," said Chavez.
"What's he talkin' about?" asked Billy.
"I dunno…" said Steve.
"207 people butchered in the snow with their stomachs emptied. My mother's people," said Chavez. "You see, Murphy and company was under government contract to supply us with beef. And two winters ago he sent only rotten meat. No corn, no flour. Only rancid beef crawling with worms. So I went out with a band in the night to a trader's camp to try and get food. Oh, yeah, they welcomed us in and then they opened fire on us. Only I got away, only me. But when I got back to the Red Sands, I found out that the army had already heard about out big Indian uprising and they beat us back."
Kelsey has sank down next to the fire while he was talking. She wiped a tear away from her face as he continued talking.
"My mother was cut by a saber from her privates to her neck! My sisters were just babies and they had their heads bashed in with boot heels SO THAT THE ARMY COULD SAVE BULLETS! EVERYBODY ON MY RESERVATION WAS BUTCHERED, AND IT MEANS NOTHING TO ME!? Oh yeah, yeah, I went to Lincoln to take Murphy's head, and that's when John Tunstall found me. And he took me in, and he taught me a better way to bury Murphy."
"Murphy buried him the old Irish way, Chavez," said Steve.
"That's right, Steve," said Billy. "And he starved out your family, Chavez. And now he's doing to every small farmer in the territory."
"Uh-huh," agreed Steve.
"But you want to run, go ahead. Just go right on ahead. Bye," said Billy. "Got no loyalty, Navajo."
"Navajo," said Steve.
"No. We had our ceremony back on the ridge, chivato. Now, I don't know what your vision told you, but my vision told me that we're headed for blood. Blood like a river. I'm the last of my clan, the last of my people. If I die, then I'm not afraid of dying," said Chavez. "Now, I have to go west to make my people live again."
Chavez turned walked over to his horse. When he reached it stopped and turned.
"Charlie, are you comin' with me?" he asked.
Charlie stood up from the fire and looked between Billy and Steve.
"You're not saying much, Steve," said Charlie.
"That's because he doesn't have much to say," said Billy. "You see, Steve understands the meaning of the word "pals". Don't you, Steve," said Billy. "You got three or four good pals, why then you got yourself a tribe. There aint nothing stronger than that. We're your family now, Chavez. You walk away from us, you break our sacred hope. We got to stick together fellows, that's the only way I see it."
Chavez mounted his horse and turned it west. Kelsey watched him as he disappears over the ridge.
"What are you thinking?" asked Ann.
Kelsey didn't say anything. She dusted off her pants and walked over to her horse. She mouthed it and turned it west as well.
"If you leave us now, Kelsey, there won't be anyone to protect you. You will be on your own!" shouted Billy.
Kelsey glared at him as she kicked her horse.
"WAIT!" shouted Ann, jumping to her feet. "How am I supposed to get home without you?"
"You'll figure it out," said Kelsey as she took off to catch up with Chavez.
"Chavez, hold up," said Kelsey as she caught up to him.
"What do you want?" he asked slowing his horse but not stopping.
"Look, I hate Billy half as much as you do," she said grabbing the reigns and pulling the horse to make him stop. "But they are your friends. John wouldn't want you abandoning them when they need you most. Billy is as dumb as dirt. He's going to get them killed!"
"You think I don't know that!?" he shouted.
"Don't yell at me," she said. "I tried to come out here and be helpful. Make you see things right. I'm going back for Ann, I'm not going to let him get her killed. She's my friend. And if I die trying, the so be it."
Kelsey turned her horse around and made for Lincoln. She knew that's exactly where Billy was going to be.
Kelsey was walking out of a small hotel when she heard gunfire. She turned to see Billy standing in the middle of the street. She saw Steve and Charlie run out from behind a fence. She heard yelling and saw Chavez come riding around the corner. He threw one of his knives, hitting the man in the neck. Kelsey made a dive behind the wall to see Ann just sitting there with her head in her lap, clutching her knees.
"Having fun yet?" asked Kelsey loading her gun.
"Not in the slightest," said Ann.
"Come on! Saddle up!" shouted Billy as he mounted his horse.
Kelsey smiled as she rode up next to Chavez, but he wouldn't look at her. They made their way to Alex's house.
"This is for you, Alex," said Billy handing over a picture of himself.
"You weren't supposed to touch Brady!" said Alex.
"Sheriff Brady sent the men who killed John," defended Billy. "It was a good move for us, Alex.
"Oh, was it Billy?"
"Yes it was!"
"Have you seen The Independent? The Governor has revoked your deputization powers! You're now wanted by the legitament law as well as those outside the law," said Alex. "You're not only being hunted by John Kinney and Murphy's men, you're being hunted by troops. Fort Stanton, Billy, the U.S. Army. The governor has but a $200 bounty on your head!" said Alex starting to pace. "You were supposed to serve 11 warrants and expose The Ring. Instead you went out on a war path , on a rampage. Now Richard's dead and we're living up here like fugitives. What the hell you think you're doing out there?!"
"I don't know. Maybe I'm trying to get some attention," said Billy. "Maybe I'm trying to get President Hayes to look this way. He'll let Murphy and his bankers get away with anything and I can't allow that." Said Billy. "The more bastards I dust, the more stories they write. More troops they send after us the more President Hayes will raise an eyebrow and come down to see for himself what's going on here. And they'll find out who's really doin' the killin'."
"Alex, what are you gonna do?" asked Charlie.
"I'm going to try to reach the President myself, legally," said Alex. "Won't be easy to get past the governor."
"Yeah, I got plans for the governor," said Billy.
"Alex, what if you can't get in touch with Hayes?" asked Doc.
"I'll go back to Lincoln and reopen John's store. Try to deal with that. That's what John would want," said Alex.
"Well, we'll escort ya," said Billy.
"You'd be a death sentence to anyone now, Billy. I don't want your help," said Alex.
"Alex, you didn't see what they did to John," said Billy. "We did."
Billy tried to hand the picture off to Alex again.
"Christ Billy," said Alex looking away from them. "What about them girls?! Huh? You willing to get them killed, too?"
"They chose to come along. They knew what they were gettin' into. I aint responsible for them!" said Billy.
"You're right," said Alex. "Hell, you're not even responsible for the men that ride with you, either. Are you?"
Billy didn't answer. Alex shook his head again.
"They stay here," he said. "If you take off to continue doing this, then I want them to stay here. They are less likely to get killed if they are here with us."
"Wait just a minute," said Kelsey standing up. "Billy was right. We did choose to ride with them. We knew damn well what we were getting into when we did so. So you can't just say what we can't just say what we can and can't do."
'He's right," said Billy. "And I aint gonna have no more women-folk ride with me."
Kelsey pulled out her gun and pointed it at Billy. "What about me or my personality constitutes me as women-folk? I shoot just as well as you men-folk do and I red better than half of you. So you won't tell me what I can and can't do. Understood?"
"Put your gun away," said Alex.
Billy turned and handed the picture to Susan, Alex's wife.
"Thank you, Billy," she said. "Billy, please go to Old Mexico. Please?"
Billy put his hat on and turned away from her. He looked down at the badge pinned to his chest. He pulled it off and tossed it in the dirt at Alex's feet.
"Gentlemen, let's ride," he said walking off to his horse.
Steve stood up and tossed a tin cup to the ground. He pulled off his badge and tossed it at Alex's feet as well. Charlie and Chavez did the same. Doc stood up from the seat and walked up to Alex.
"Alex…" he said.
"What the hell happened, Doc?" asked Alex.
"There's a whirlwind out there," said Doc. "When you're in it, you can't get out. I'm sorry," he said looking at the badge in his hands. "I was wondering if you remember that China Doll. You know, the one that danced the Fandango? I was sorta thinkin that since you're a lawyer and all, that maybe there was a legal way…"
"I don't even have enough ground to stand on anymore, Doc," said Alex. "I mean…"
"Okay…okay…" he said fingering the badge in his hands. "Thanks," he said handing the badge to Alex. "Take care of yourself, Alex."
Doc walked off and mounted his horse. Ann and Kelsey stood up. Kelsey smiled at Alex and Susan before she walked off to mount her horse. When she turned around Ann was still standing by the house.
"Aren't you coming?" she asked.
"No. I'm going to stay here," said Ann. "I think Alex is right. It is safer for us here than off riding with Billy."
Kelsey nodded her head as she kicked her horse. She took off out of the fence and caught up the rest of the group. Ann sighed as she followed Susan into the house.