This is a the sequel to my previous story, Fever Dreams. Both stories can stand on their own - however, certain things will make more sense if you read them both.
Chapter One
Jess Harper stuck a spoon into the chicken soup he was cooking on the stove and took a small sip of the broth. He winced as the heat stung his lips and bit back a grimace at the taste. Not his best work, he thought, but he shrugged and began to scoop spoonful's of the food into the waiting bowls next to him. His ranch partner and best friend Slim Sherman would be riding in soon. The older man had ridden out earlier that morning to repair some of the fencing at the far end of the ranch. Jess had stayed behind to take care of the stage lines and to do some of the more menial chores around the ranch house. Jess desperately hoped that they would be able to hire a housekeeper soon. Ever since Slim's old family friend Jonesy had left to join Slim's younger brother Andy in St. Louis, the pair were struggling to keep up with the household chores and the cooking that the old man had previously taken care of.
Jess heard the familiar sound of hoofprints returning to the yard. He quickly gathered up the bowls and hurried over to the table. He set the bowls and the spoons at each spot and grabbed the coffee that he had made up earlier and began pouring it into the two empty coffee mugs he had placed on the table earlier. He wiped his hands off on the apron that was tied around his waist, and then removed the apron and tossed it haphazardly across one of the empty dining room chairs. The front door to the ranch house squeaked open behind him.
"About time!" Jess called out with faux annoyance, not bothering to look behind him. "The food was getting cold."
"Oh, I don't think he'll mind a cold lunch." The voice that spoke was unfamiliar to Jess. Jess spun around quickly to face the stranger. Absentmindedly, Jess reached down to his hip with his right hand, feeling for the gun that was usually strapped there. However, the gun was currently set in its holster, which hung by the front door, steps away from where the stranger now stood.
Slim was standing a few inches away from Jess, his hands held in the air in a show of defeat. Jess noticed that Slim's own gun was missing from its holster, which was still strapped to Slim's waist. The stranger pushed Slim hard in the back and Slim stumbled forward. Jess reached up to steady his partner by placing his hands on his friend's shoulders. "You okay, Slim?" Jess asked, his voice low and threatening.
Slim nodded. "Fine, Jess," Slim said as he straightened up and turned around to face the man who had entered their home.
Jess was now able to get his first good look at the stranger. The man was older, his hair showing the first signs of gray. He was quite short, and his spine bent slightly, causing him to stand with a hunch. He was thin and looked quite feeble. However, his eyes were a hauntingly light shade of blue, and his skin was startingly pale. "He looks like a ghost," Jess thought vaguely, a shiver of fear creeping up his spine. He didn't look all that threatening; but he held a gun in his hand, and his eyes were squinted with a look of pure hatred.
"What's going on Slim?" Jess asked from his partner's side.
"Shut up!" the man barked. "Quiet! Nobody talks. Nobody moves."
Jess' hands began to open and close as he fought to control his easy-to-rise temper. Almost unconsciously, Jess took a tentative step towards the man. Then, the gun went off with a bang, and Jess watched in stunned horror as his partner tumbled to the ground next to him.
"Slim!" Jess bent down over Slim's form and rolled his friend over onto his back. Jess gaped in horror down at the spreading red blood that was flowing over Slim's abdomen.
"I told you," the man growled. "Nobody moves."