Chapter 17
Beta's Saddletramp and Nakoosay
Slim's POV
I groan as I slowly come around to consciousness. My head is fuzzy, and my chest hurts something awful but thankfully not as much as it hurt before. I remember talking to Jess and drifting off to sleep. I'm awoken by quiet arguing and when I open my eyes the sun is streaming through the half-window and hitting my face. I may feel like my entire body aches but at least I feel something.
When I was out in the cold, I remember pretty much not being able to feel anything. The pain though harsh, is a pretty much welcome relief because as least I know I am alive. I tun my head to where Jess was last night, and worry fills me when he isn't there. Murmuring for the kitchen catches my attention again and I strain my ears trying to decipher who is talking. Trying to move my hands I find that they are tied very tightly together.
Relief fills me as I recognize Jess's voice and then disgust as I recognize the man who Jess called Josh although I knew him by another name- which obviously was fake. Something about making Jess rob a bank with Josh floats into my mind. So maybe Josh was outlining he pan to Jess. Still, I wonder why they untied Jess and let him into the kitchen? As I was debating whether to find out if I was allowed or even had the strength to get up, one of Josh's men opened the door in a rush, blowing in freezing wind and tiny snowflakes with him. He walked past me towards the kitchen and noticing that I was awake he stopped for a second then grinning continued walking into the kitchen while saying.
"Hey Josh that other fellow is awake."
A chair scrapes and then footsteps came out of the kitchen towards me. The person stands behind my head, but I can't tell if they are looking at me because whoever it is, I refuse to look at them. Rather I avert my eyes toward the wall that was at my feet. After a minute or so I hear the person chuckle and walk back into the kitchen. I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. I hear murmuring and then the unmistakable voice of Josh yell.
"Sherman, get into the kitchen." I tried to get up, just to sit up but my body, though better than yesterday refused to cooperate. It also didn't help that my hands were tied together so I couldn't use them. So, I lay there wondering where in the heck Jess is. "Boy, if I don't see you in three seconds your friend here isn't going to look so pretty. Not with a hole in his head." I gritted my teeth and this time I rolled over on my stomach and scrunching myself up I managed to sit up.
Slowly I stood up and wavered as black spots decided to speckle my vision. They passed though and I slowly started to walk the short distance to the kitchen. As I walked my muscles seemed to unwind themselves and that felt good. Arriving in the kitchen I saw Josh, sitting at the table, stuffing his face with a hot breakfast. Also, at the table wearing a scowl was Jess, his still tied hands lying on the table in front of him beside an untouched breakfast.
"A second longer and your friend here would have bit it." Josh said spitting food out of his mouth in the process. Disgusted I turned my attention to Jess, and he looked back at me asking me with his eyes if I was okay. I nodded ever so slightly, and a smile ghosted the ends of his mouth before returning to his earlier scowl at Josh. "Jessy boy, why doesn't Sherman grab seat and watch us eat a hot meal?" Jess threw a disgusted look at Josh and didn't any anything.
"Boss man told you to sit down." The man who had walked past me apparently had been at the stove and now was standing beside me with a gun pointed at my stomach. I walked over to the empty chair by Jess and grabbing the back of it, I pulled the chair out. Before I had a chance to lower myself into the chair I was roughly pushed by the man with the gun into the chair. I knocked against Jess and lost my breath for a second from the force of it.
Jess nudged me and I sat up straight, now fixing my own glare at Josh. Everything started to happen so fast that afterwards I could barely remember what happened. I was sitting in a chair at the kitchen table glaring at Josh then the man by the stove says something about seeing people sneaking through the hills outside. Josh curses and runs to the window while me and Jess take the opportunity to use Josh's knife to cut our ropes.
The backdoor bursts open with Mort and a deputy barging into the house. As the man with Josh reached for his gun, Jess threw the knife, hitting him in the arm, surprise and pain causing the man to scream out. Josh used the opportunity to escape; opening the door behind him and starting to run. My hurt body forgotten I scramble out of the chair and run after Josh. Jess demanding Mort's gun rang in my ears. The freezing wind buffets and whips around me as I run after Josh who is headed for the barn.
I reach the open barn door and too late I realize that I have no weapon. I go slowly on the alert for Josh, but an arm snags my neck from behind and the cold sound of the hammer cocking on a gun stops my struggling. His breath hits my neck and I jab him in the stomach to try to get free. He grunts in pain but tightens his hold on my neck. Since I'm taller than he is, I'm kind of bent backwards and as his arm hugs my neck harder, I start to see spots and choke for air.
He pushes me towards the open barn door, and I see Jess coming out of the house. He sees us and starts towards us. Josh starts to breath faster and yells to Jess with a maniacal sound in his voice
"You took away the only one who understood me. Now you'll finally understand what that feels like." It took a second for Jess to hear what Josh said over the wind and realize what he meant. Jess's eyes go wide and forgetting about the borrowed gun in his hand runs towards me screaming "No" just as a gun fires behind me and feeling heavy I fall forward.
To Be Continued
