I know it's taken forever, but here's the next chapter…. Hope you all like it.-OyNebach42

"From the city, the populace groans and the souls of the slain cry out. But G-d does not lay guilty!"

(Job 24: 12)

Chapter 14: Captured Soul

I recall coming once or twice to my senses after Slade's attack. Anguish made me cry out, the pain in my shoulder doubled. I could feel fingers in the wound, poking about carelessly. "Hold um, hold um!" Someone shouted and claw like fingers grasped me. The pain resumed and I thrashed. "Get the morphine!" A bitter tasting liquid was shoved into my mouth as I passed out.

The darkness cleared again, I am sure one of my eyes was open, but only grey light swam before my gaze. Another rope was stretched across my chest. I heard voices above me. "We'd better get to work on his eye, darn cuss. I wish he would have died, it sure would have saved us a lot of trouble."

"Well he didn't. Give him the drug and let's get this over with."

Again my mouth was forced open, and again I slept as the foul tasting morphine slid down my throat.

The next time I woke, I saw clearly through one eye. The other side of my face was wrapped in bandages where Slade's knife had cut me.

I was lying on a cot, in a cell. I tried to turn my head to get a better view, but the pain made me stay still.

It hit me then, it hit me and I remembered what had happened. My home was gone…. Jamie was gone…. Jed was gone…. Ella was gone…. Ella… My Ella dead, and I was still alive! I expected to have tears swell in my eye, but none came. Greif had taken its toll. Numbing sorrow that eternally fills ones soul struck me.

I was alive.

"Well, well, well, would you look who isn't dead? It's a good thing too, because I'd be sorry if I never got the chance to see him hang. Boots thudded on the floor, as the Sheriff's voice grew closer. "Yep, after what he's done it will be good to watch him hang."

"It is petty much an open shut case." Someone else agreed, "but what gets me is only witnesses we have are that Hunter character and a band of outlaws, what were they doing at the-"

"You heard what Slade said, him and his gang were pulling out of town when they heard Mrs. Hunter's screams."

"But what about Hunter, he wasn't riding around drunk again, was he?"

"No, sober this time. Couldn't sleep so he went riding, met up with Slade they got to talking and then heard the screams."

The other paused before continuing. "I still have my doubts, Sheriff. A man who is wanted for murder himself isn't likely to care if somebody else kills."

"You can keep your doubts if you want, Doc. Right now you'd better tend to Cartwright here so I can lock up."

Keys jingled and the lock sprung with a metallic clank. Both men walked up beside me, and I felt something get placed on the cot.

"I'm just going to change his bandages, it shouldn't take long." White cloths hung in my view. "I'm going to start with his shoulder and leave the eye for last."

The Sheriff argued, but let the doctor do as he saw fit. He pulled the blanket from my top half. I cringed while cold hands touched my skin.

"Careful Doc," The law warned.

"It's alright, he's still got some fever in him's all, but I am going to have to loosen these bounds to tend to his bandages."

"He's not stable anymore…. You saw what happened when we first brought him in… This man's crazed Doctor, and those ropes are the only thing keeping him from going wild."

"Nonsense! He's lost so much blood he couldn't even lift a hand if he wanted to. Now help me with these knots."

"Alright," the other agreed hesitantly, "but just incase he gets any ideas…" He drew a gun from his holster and held it were I could see it.

The rope around my top half went slack and I took a deep breath of cold air.

"Why Sheriff," the doctor exclaimed, "this mans been tied so tight, it's a wonder he's still alive."

"More of a shame if you ask me."

The doctor undid my bandages. "I didn't." He examined the wound. "Well, it is healing a little slowly, but that's understandable."

"Doc," the Sheriff broke in, "he's a killer, not my son. You don't have to give me the details, just keep him well enough that he can be at the trail Monday."

The rest of the procedure was carried out in silence. I had three bullet wounds, not counting that one in my shoulder. A slug had gone clean through my calf, another lodged in my foot and the third took the tip off my left index finger. The doctor wrapped each in fresh bandages and moved on to my eye.

When the bandages were removed, cold air rushed up to greet my hurt eye. It wouldn't close, or open. I saw nothing out of it, and I knew that only a gaping hole stood where my eye had been.

"Well," the doctor announced, after my face was covered in fresh cloth, "I'm going now, you may want to feed him while he's up, Sheriff. He'll need some nourishment if he's going to make it to the trial. Send my best to your wife."

The Sheriff kept watching me, "I will."

The door creaked as the doctor left. Sighing, the Sheriff left the cell for a moment, only to return carrying a plate of beans.

"Come on," he called, "it's time for your supper."

I blinked at him, and closed my eye. He pulled his chair up by the cot and pushed the food around with the spoon. After a while, the spoon banged against the plate. "You're going to eat now so that way you'll get to hang." A revolver clicked, "you don't have a choice."

Slowly, I opened my mouth and allowed the food in. The beans were bland and left a gritting feeling on my tongue, I had no desire to eat them, but the Sheriff kept his gun out until the entire plate was empty and I'd downed three cups of coffee.

Then the law man left for good, locking the cell door behind him, and I was alone. I lay still, trying to keep my head clear, trying not to remember the bloodshed I'd witnessed. I failed. Ella's body appeared on a blood stained earth, her wounds too numerous to count. Her screams, her cries again and again they echoed through my mind.

Jed Gold, who never harmed anyone, the misunderstood, the cursed… his lifeless eyes look into mine once more, staring, pleading and weeping…,.

Jamie, Jamie my son at the hands of that fiend Hunter. How is my son fairing with him? Starved, beaten, abandoned and traded for a bottle. That is what has become of Jamie.

All of them were taken from me…

But where was my grave? Where was my peace, my eternal sleep? My bones ached fro it, and my soul longed to ascend from my body…. I was so tired, so worn out of every breath, every thought, every movement, and every ounce of pain. I was so disgusted with my life, and yet my grave was still along way off.

I opened my eye and let it close again. The cell had grown dark, night was coming. Sleep, I was coming to value it more and more. A chance to leave my senses, a chance to almost cease from existence… I longed so for a pit to sleep in, for a padded casket to rest my head in, and thick heavy dirt to cover me and keep me warm.

My sole fear is that my wish finally be granted, that I will die and ascend to the afterlife, only to have myself reincarnated or resurrected and be forced to live again. To watch more die, and see more pain.

I fell asleep, only to dream of the Virginia City graveyard. Only there was no comforting wind, or tombstone marked grave for me to visit. It was empty and I was alone.

I woke the next morning to the sound of rifles firing. A deputy stood by me with a six shooter in his hand and several more of the Sheriff's men were scattered around the office.

"Why don't we just give him to them, Sheriff?" The deputy beside me asked, "All they want to do is hang him."

The rifle sounded again, "hu, is that all now."

"But we wanna see him hang as much as they do!"

"Yeah, but I'm not giving Cartwright over to any lynch mob. I want to see to it that he dies legally and that I'll be the one to pull the rope. I'll get my own back then on Ben Cartwright fair and square."

"You really can't blame the town though, especially with this woman murderer hogging up the cell."

The Sheriff snorted, "He isn't the first if you remember right. They'll get their hanging tomorrow after the trial." He went out to try and quiet the mob. No more shots were fired, so I assume he was successful.

After he returned, the Sheriff entered my cell and exchanged some words with the deputy before turning to me. "Sorry if all that gun fire woke you, Cartwright. See, we had a little problem with the town. They wanted you to hang early, but I made them see reason. They'll get their chance tomorrow. 'Cause after you're found guilty, we're gonna string you up, Cartwright. You know I hate you, I hate all your kind, but before you get that noose tomorrow, I want you to know why.

"A few years ago, when I first started being an officer of the law, there was a bank robbery and the men who did it fled for the hills. So we put a posy together and went after them. Ben Cartwright was in town, and he'd been a friend of mine for a few years. So we went out together and we saw him. We cornered that ornery scoundrel, and I had a perfect shot at him. Only your 'pa' wouldn't let me fire. He said you can't just shoot an unarmed man so I let him live and we brought him to town. That night, his partner busted him out of jail and they tried to make their getaway. My daughter saw them and you know what they did to her, Cartwright?" The Sheriff's voice choked with emotion, "They did unspeakable things to my Jenny before the finally let her die… I killed those men myself, Cartwright, I learnt that day that it doesn't matter why or how you kill a criminal, what matters is you do it once you get a chance and bring him down."

I started at the Sheriff with my good eye. "I'm sorry," I whispered, after he gave me a vicious stare I continued. "I'm sorry about your daughter."

He nodded, "any man convicted to hang would be." But he still untied my bounds and let my feed myself some beans. I fell asleep that night, wondering if tomorrow I'd meet a girl named Jenny who was awful sorry for what her Pa had done.