The sun was beating down mercilessly on the two men riding slowly along, one sitting tall looking around seeming to enjoy the passing scenery and the other slouched somewhat miserably in his saddle. A cloud of dust being kicked up by the hooves of their horses followed them, but it didn't seem to be bothering Hannibal Heyes as he took a deep breath and let it out with a pleased sigh.

"You realize it's bin over a week and we ain't bin chased by anybody? Kinda nice for a change," he said cheerfully.

Jed 'Kid' Curry jerked up out of his slouch, reining his horse sharply to a stop and turned his head to fix a glare at his partner.

"Now what'd ya have to say that for Heyes, you'll jinx us for sure," he snapped irritably.

"Aw c'mon Kid, don't be so proddy, you're startin' to sound as bad as ol' Silky," he teased with a smile.

"I don't wanna take any chances is all, and I ain't proddy," Kid mumbled, nudging his horse forward as he turned his eyes back to the trail ahead.

Heyes eyed his travelling companion, watching as Kid removed his hat and ran a forearm across his face, trying to wipe away some of the sweat. It had been hot, damn hot the past couple of days, and even though they had avoided being chased by any posse, the heat was relentless and it was beginning to wear them both down, although it seemed to be affecting the Kid more so. His wet curls were sticking to his forehead and neck, his shirt was soaked with sweat and dust clung thickly to him, Heyes knowing that he probably didn't look much better.

"All right, all right. Listen, we're not far from Evanston Kid, what d'ya say we head there, we need to get supplies anyway."

"Well I wouldn't say no if you was to offer to buy me a cold beer," Kid replied after thinking about it for all of five seconds.

"Sure Kid, I'll buy ya a beer," he chuckled good naturedly.

XXXXX

The two partners guided their horses side by side down the street of Evanston later that afternoon smiling at each other when neither recognized the sheriff's name and continued to the saloon, eagerly looking forward to a cold beer to wash the dust from their throats. Tying their horses to the hitching rail they made their way inside, pausing long enough to quickly scan for any possible trouble before walking to the bar, both leaning their arms on the wooden top.

"Two beers please," Heyes raised two fingers.

"You wantin' cold ones?" the bartender eyed them suspiciously.

"The colder the better," Kid responded without looking up.

"That'll be twenty cents," he said crossing his arms, not making a move to get their beers.

Heyes looked at the bartender with a raised eyebrow before sighing in resignation digging the money out of his pocket and tossing it toward him. Moments later they had each picked up the beer that had been placed in front of them, and taken a deep satisfying swallow, each man closing his eyes enjoying the feel of the cold liquid sliding down his throat. They turned almost in unison to face the room, leaning back with elbows resting on the bar, Heyes scanning the poker tables with interest as Kid continued to assess the occupants in the room as they drank. Other than the heat that had seemed to dog them the past couple days, it had been a pleasant week but their supplies were running low, so Heyes was hoping to spend a couple days in town. He knew that a nice juicy steak, a soft bed, a bath and a few beers would go a long way to improving his partners' mood and the thoughts of increasing their funds with a few poker games made him smile in anticipation.

"What d'ya think of gettin' supplies and maybe spendin' a couple days here enjoyin' some of the comforts the town has to offer?"

His blond haired partner smiled slightly, giving a single nod in agreement. They finished their beer and left the saloon having decided to take the horses to the livery before heading to the café for some supper. They crossed the street, horses in tow and had almost made it to the door of the livery when they heard the words that always sent a chill through them.

"Hey, somebody get the sheriff, that's Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry."

They didn't even turn to see if they recognized who had yelled, but wasting no time they hurriedly mounted and kicking their horses into a ground eating gallop, made their way out of town.

XXXXX

The posse seemed to be on their trail in record time and they were hard pressed to stay ahead of them. Kid glanced back over his shoulder some time later without stopping.

"They're gainin' on us Heyes."

"How'd they manage to get that posse together so dang fast?" Heyes wondered aloud.

"Don't know, but they're on fresh horses and we ain't."

They kept spurring their horses onward, the posse slowly but steadily gaining on them. As they headed into a grove of trees, a couple shots rang out causing them to duck low over the necks of their horses even though they knew they were out of range. Coming across a stream they urged their animals into the water, following it for almost a quarter of a mile before getting out and heading toward a tree covered hill and hopefully safety.

They made it to the stand of trees at the base of the hill and turned looking for the posse which had fallen back having lost some of its' ground tracking them through water but were back on their trail again.

"Dammit, they're a persistent bunch," Heyes cussed almost silently.

"Good thing our horses have had a few easier days, let's move Heyes."

They moved off again staying ahead of the posse by riding through the trees, across rocks and as they came to another stream they dismounted allowing the horses a few minutes to rest and drink while they refilled their canteens.

"We'll be able to rest up a bit come nightfall Kid," Heyes said as they remounted.

"I hope you're right 'cause they sure seem determined," Kid responded worriedly.

As the sun lowered to the horizon and daylight slowly faded, Heyes looked back and swore again causing Kid to rein up and look back as well. The glow of torches being lit made them both groan in frustration, knowing there would be no rest tonight. They were able to stay mounted for another hour before Heyes' horse stumbled badly in the dark, almost dislodging its' rider.

"You all right?" Kid asked as he pulled up beside him.

"Yeah, but I think we'd better lead them, we can't afford for one of 'em to get a broken leg," Heyes reasoned.

"Yep," Kid agreed as he stood in his stirrups taking one last look back from atop his horse. Shaking his head as he tried to judge how far back the torches were, he dismounted, wishing for once that there was some moonlight so they could see where they were going. In total darkness they had to travel much more slowly than he would like, especially with such a competent posse behind them. They continued through the night, both men stumbling along as they led their horses, both falling painfully to their knees more than once but not daring to stop as they watched those torches slowly get closer. Heyes was leading the way and fell hard, almost getting the wind knocked out of him as he tripped over a rock, causing Kid to almost walk into the back of his horse. Heyes grunted in pain and started struggling to his feet when he felt a hand on his arm helping him up.

"Dammit Kid, it's so dark I can't see where the hell I'm goin'," he hissed.

"C'mon, we can't stop," Kid urged.

Heyes didn't say anything else, just sighed and began walking again. The night seemed never ending, but they continued on not even looking back any more, because every time they had the posse was that much closer than before. Finally the sun started to peak over the horizon and they were able to stiffly mount their horses once more, but by now the posse was only fifteen minutes behind them.