Chapter 10

By the time the outlaws finally went to sleep, Grace could feel her stomach rumbling and aching with hunger. She hadn't eaten since the morning of yesterday for she knew she needed something to eat fast. The only problem was she was still tied to the pole and could only reach out an inch further. Focusing on where the fireplace stood, she thought she spotted two red apples on a small table not too close to where the men slept close to. One of the bandits must have accidentally left them there when they arrived back from their hunting trip. Now if only she could make part of the floors rumble a bit enough to roll them over to her location without waking them. Stomping her front feet on the floorboards, the apples shook and rolled around the table, but did not fall to the ground. Grace tried again and this time, one of them fell with a soft thud rolling over next to her feet. Relieved, she picked it up with her mouth and walked back to the darkest corner to eat it. The apple was indeed the juiciest tempting fruit she had ever tasted. When she was finished, she hid the core under a loose floorboard sticking out so that none of the bandits would suspect that she had been nosing around in their food supplies. There was still the other apple sitting atop the small table and Grace was still feeling hungry. Using the same technique she did with the first apple, it too rolled off with a soft thud next to her. This one was fatter, juicier, and more delicious than the first one. It was even enough to give her a full stomach for now, but her back still burned whenever she turned from side to side. It was now back to this situation where she is being abused, only now she didn't have a little companion for comforting or to sooth her searing hide. Throwing the core down the loose floorboard, she went right to sleep.

Somewhere out in the desert

"Are you absolutely sure those crooks have gone in this direction?" The sheriff and his deputies had been riding out in canyon landscape all through the past couple of hours, and there was no sign of the crooks anywhere. Already, their mouths had been watering from thirst, due to the smoldering heat.

"I can't be sure," the sheriff replied, reaching for his water jug. "I only know that if we find that calf, then we find the gang. Hopefully, she's still alive." The sheriff's hound walked over to the horse his master had been riding up upon. The sheriff gave him a proud smile which might have been telling him he did his best in catching their scent. Seems the best they could do for now was either find the nearest town or set up camp for the night.

The sheriff let out a sad sigh. For some reason, he couldn't help but feel responsible for leaving the poor calf behind at his home. At this moment, she must be out somewhere waiting for him and his deputies to come to her rescue. And if they did find her in time, she would have to be taken further and further away from her old home and placed in a safer haven. Because their town was simply too unfriendly, dangerous, and he couldn't keep her since his house maid just didn't like animals. Besides, she needed to be around the company of another herd of farm animals for good companionship. But if she wasn't alive by the time they got to her, then maybe possibly they'll still be able to have the outlaw gang in the palm of their hands. A law was the law.

"There's a town over there. We'll rent a room at the inn."

That morning at the old mansion

"Wait a minute; I could've sworn I left the two apples sitting here last night." The leader of the gang commented. It was just about the time for them to move out of the place.

"Hmmm, maybe someone must've already eaten them," Lewis eyed the small round table to where the sleeping calf laid next to the pole.

"Someone or something," Furrowing his brow, he walked over to her position. He did spot the loose floorboard, but no sign of any apple core near Grace or under the board. Of course not, because it was too dark to see even a stick or stone. No use trying to stick his hands in there either, as he felt he would only be touching dust or possibly a venomous critter.

"C'mon wake up you!" he demanded, kicking her in the stomach. It was enough to send her wide awake jumping, but not the least bit painful. Grace was a little unsteady from the wake-up call with her eyes still half closed. She could see that she was still in the abandoned mansion from last night. Her back still ached from those hits Lewis had given her. She couldn't believe this was happening again. After stretching out her legs, Grace didn't notice Lewis walk right behind as she then felt something grab her hair, then pull her head back causing her to gaze upward at the old ceiling. Soon her eyes met her "owner's".

"I better not find you nosin' through our bags anytime soon!" He shouted at Grace, making her eyes close as he did. The more he pulled back, the more Grace felt fearful of having her spine snap. He still had one more thing to say. "When we finish our meals, you can have leftovers!" Thankfully, he released her, making her move her neck left and right to try and ease the pain.

"No problem Lewis, we can just pick out some more on our way outta here," the leader reminded him as he walked out the front door with some items in his arms.

Grace had been lead out forcefully by Lewis tugging at the halter that still restrained her painfully. She had no other option but to obey before Lewis could threaten to do something even worse to her if she didn't. She wasn't sorry for eating the two apples, because she knew that she needed them more than they ever did. Her "owner" sounded true to his word about the leftovers; at least it was better than nothing. Once outside, Lewis picked up a long thick stick which lay next to the front steps and carried it over his left shoulder. Grace had hoped it wouldn't be what she thought it would.

Somewhere in a nearby town

"Did you by any chance notice any five familiar fellows in dark clothing walk into town a while ago?" Sheriff Jones questioned the owner of the inn, from which they've spent the night in.

"Nope, not that I know of sir," the owner shook his head at the counter. Right now, they were checking out. "Maybe you ought to have a word with the other sheriff of this town. He sees a lot of things that go on around here. Just two blocks behind this place." He pointed his thumb back.

Thanking him for his advice, the lawmen stepped out the main door and turned to the left side of town.

At a train station

"Six tickets please," The bandit leader paid for train tickets with some money they stole from the bank five days ago (during the time when Grace tried to make her own escape into town due to her fear of maggots coming after her).

About an hour had passed since the men left the old mansion, and were attempting to flee to the most forgotten town in the Old West. Not only was it truly abandoned, but it was also a safe haven for outlaws who were never caught or tried. It had been (who knows how long) for them since they left the place and now it was time for them to return with everything they've earned (or stole). The ticket-booth salesman asked nothing of this or why there was a calf panting so heavily next to a pole where a fat guy stood, knowing it was probably none of his business.

"There you go partner, just wait over there; the train will be here in about ten minutes," he replied handing the leader the tickets.

The outlaws decided to make the best of the situation while waiting on a bench, pretending to act like normal citizens waiting for a ride out of town. How boring it was for them to wait ten long minutes, but they couldn't risk blowing their cover in front of everyone. And none of them carried anything valuable on them. Grace could only stare blankly at the wooden floor miserably as they still waited, with Lewis holding on to the end of the halter. She already felt like crying, but felt she still needed to keep her dignity while still in the presence of these men. Otherwise they might have found something else to poke fun at.

TOOT! TOOT! The train had finally arrived at the station. Before boarding, the conductor told Lewis that all cattle and horses needed to be loaded onto the stock cars in the center of the train. Lewis saw no point in objecting and had agreed to do so; like any normal townsfolk would react when requested to wait in line at a bank.

To Grace, the inside of the stock car was engulfed in an unpleasant darkness. It stretched about 8 ft wide, had solid sides and small windows for ventilation near the top. There were no other animals in the stock car; she would be the only traveling animal on this one since the outlaws horses were loaded onto a separate one. After being shoved in by force, Grace was then tied to a metal pole in the right corner. Over there, she had a sickening feeling in her stomach that this was about to become the most intensely, depressing, longest ride she had ever experienced. Another thought that filled her with the most painful stress was her not knowing where this trip would be taking her.

"Don't think you'll be goin' anywhere on this train ride, bovine!" Lewis scoffed with a sly grin crossing his lips. Grace gazed at her surroundings. From the looks of this confinement, there would be no possibility of escape, especially while restrained with a tight halter. This would be a lot worse than the shack Lewis always locked her up in. Unexpectedly, Grace felt the lead of the halter from beneath her chin being forcefully pulled. Next thing she knew, her eyes were locked onto her "owner's" face. "Until you've grown and are fattened enough, you're mine!" Releasing the lead, he placed his right foot on her back, forcing her to lie down and demanding that she take a seat. Finally, he stormed out of the opening to allow the conductor to close the sliding door. The darkness from inside covered everything entirely. The memories of her being confined in a small area with a lack of space to run around in quickly clouded her mind. And without her little friend, there would be no hope of comfort to help her pull through her feelings of uneasiness. She was on her own. The only lights to shine through were from the small windows. The sweet smell of freedom had been taken away from her. Ignoring the pain on her back along with the sounds of the train moving off, she slowly lowered her head on the metal floor with a saddened expression.

The past few hours of traveling on this train ride were indeed complicated. Grace tried to make the best of this situation by getting her mind off of the things that made her feel sad or angry. Her singing managed to help her forget all that had happened, even if it was only for a short amount of time. Grace thought of Sampson and her singing and dancing back on Ned's homestead, while still humming Oh Susannah

"Sheesh! For a moment it sounded like somethin' dyin' in here!" a horrid screeching voice broke Grace out of her singing mood. Looking up, there were four crows perched atop one of the small windows to the left. Something sinister had been hiding behind those beady eyes on their feathered faces and yellow beaks. They looked similar to the crow that had been taunting her back on Lewis's property.

"Who are you?" Grace asked in a worried tone. The calf could feel her blood run cold when the crows gave her an evil smirk.

"We're crows you idiot!" one crow blurted out. "I can see that you're still alive. I reckon the maggots haven't even caught you yet?"

The young calf's eyes widened at that familiar comment about maggots.

"It was you! You're the same bird I saw back on the barn!" She shouted at the flock.

"Wow, maybe you're not as dumb as me and my pals thought you'd be," he taunted as his feathered companions snickered at his comment.

"Just go away! I don't wanna hear anymore of what everyone has been telling me! I'd rather be alone singing than listening to you!" Grace exploded then turned away from them to sit back down in the dark corner. The crows exchanged surprising glances at each other. So that's what it was. It was only her wretched singing. For a moment, they thought someone had been dying.

"Don't you even realize what's about to happen to you?" one of the crows spoke after a brief moment of silence. Grace still lay there with her head facing the solid wall. "You're in danger of becoming what cowpokes like to refer to as grilled steak!"

Grace rose up in bewilderment when he mentioned the last two words of his comment.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the moment this train stops, those folks are gonna fatten you up till you're ready to be EATEN!"

"What?"

"Don't tell me you never heard of what happens to cattle who are raised on farms. You're one of those animals, who are only meant to provide leather which comes from your hide and after that, its supper time!"

The crow perked his head up letting out a laugh as his other buddies did the same thing.

The moment Grace heard this; she felt a cold shivering chill running down her spine through fear. She thought back at the time her "owner" had been shoving spoonfuls of that awful filth down her throat for who knows what. After all the abuse he put her through, it was not only to keep her under his orders but to make sure she'd become the fanciest meal on a plate. That's what he meant when he told her she was still his until she had grown fattened enough. This can't really be what they were planning to do to her, could it?

"Stop it, stop laughing!" she cried weakly with angry tears welling in her eyes. The crows laughing grew slower and stopped.

"Face the facts bovine!" the first crow retorted. "If you don't believe us, then you'll see for yourself!"

He couldn't have been more right after the train began to slow down with the whistle blowing outside. Feeling as though he had said the magic words, he knew this was their cue to leave.

"Oops, time to go," The crows flew off into the dusky sky.

Grace let out a sigh of relief when she heard them depart. At least she didn't need to worry about hearing anymore of their cheeky tormenting verbs. Then again, what if what they mentioned was true? Being turned into a grilled up meal. Could it be true or were they only toying with her emotions for their own enjoyment? She became lost and alone with those questions running through her mind that she didn't even notice the slide door opening with Lewis coming in after her.

"Come on, get up!" Lewis demanded, pulling on her halter. Grace obeyed his orders as he dragged her out of the stock car. She looked around her as passengers and other citizens walked by outside the train station. Hoping at least one of them would take pity on her; she gave each passerby a sorrowful look in her tearful eyes. But all they did was stare, and then went on their way. Seemed she was nothing more than a traveling belonging of the rancher leading her out.

Nobody even cared. Despite the sadness filling her eyes, nobody cared. Lewis tugged harder on the halter to make her move quickly whenever she began to slow down. She felt a sob rising in her chest, mixed with pain, sorrow, and fear. Neither the bandits, or the guard dog even set one eye on the grief stricken calf as they were too busy trying to act natural when walking across town. The town along with the citizens walking by was starting to get blurry from the tears welling up in her eyes.

Only Lewis kept a sharp eye on Grace who hung her head down in misery. If she tried to make a move, he would make sure he deals with her behavior the hard way. After several minutes of walking, the outlaws walked into a saloon, but not before tying Grace to a wooden post near the doors leaving their guard dog to watch over her. All they needed now was a little gambling, restful beer to drink, and to discuss more of their plans. Swaying back and forth as if she were feeling sick, Grace thought she could hear the sound of clanking spurs coming toward her direction. Turning to her left, she thought she saw three men, with gold badges walk in the saloon. Lawmen?