Chapter 7: In the Barn

The dog immediately forgot all about his enemy to make sure his mistress was alright. Her hand caressed his nose and he licked it gently, happy to find her alive.
I aimed at the dog! I swear I did! Sanchez yelled in panic.
¡Hijo de puta! Nita snapped, and then her eyes filled with pain. she moaned.
Buck knelt beside her, and found that the bullet had hit in her thigh near the hip. It had torn the flesh, but didn't seem to have hurt the bone badly - fortunately, it wasn't exactly a bony thigh.
You're alive, little one, that's what matters, he said softly. He didn't know what made this peculiar teenager so important, but he was most grateful that she wasn't worse off.
Yeah, well, I don't have any inner organs in my leg, she bashed him.
No, but arteries, and this came damn close to a big one. He looked up at Sanchez with dark, accusing eyes.
I was aiming for the dog, the man repeated.
Okay, enough of this! Lefaivre said, taking control of the situation. He tried to ignore the furious comments delivered by Nita's siblings, and his eyes met Buck's without any sign of concern.
Is she alright, then?
She'll live.
Then lift her up and go inside. Slowly. No sudden moves. Oh, and another thing.
He bent down to Buck's feet and pulled the knife from his boot.
I'll take care of this one.
As they all moved inside the barn, one of the other men joined them from the house.
What are you doing? he asked.
Saint Francis of Assissi over there didn't want to kill anyone, Lefaivre said sarcastically, so it seems we have to do some babysitting.
The man's eyes wandered over the place and stopped on Nita.
What happened to her? he asked. We heard a gunshot
Saint Francis again. He doesn't seem to be able to live up to his own theories.
Could you get us some rope? Sanchez asked.
Tie them? The man seemed unwilling. That means we would have to tend to them everytime they need to eat or take a crap. Look at those walls. Think they're going somewhere?
The walls were indeed powerful, partly made of the rock itself and partly of thick, massive oak. Near the roof on a wooden wall there was a window to let the air in, maybe eight inches in each direction. Apart from the door, that was all.
You can't tie a witch, Vallejo mumbled. They break loose from any human snare.
Well, in that case you can't lock them up either and everything we do is pointless, Lefaivre said rather irritably. You're right, Maynard. If we lock the door and keep some people outside, that should be enough. Jesus, what a mess!
They let action follow the words and soon the prisoners found themselves alone.

I don't get it, Sandy said when she had taken a look around. They didn't want to kill us, but they must have killed señora Coátl. If they didn't, where is she? And where are the animals?
They probably killed them for food, Carlos said.
That's not all, said Lou. What are they doing here? It's obviously something illegal, and yet they seem so unprofessional. They didn't want to kill us, they didn't want to tie us up, and they hadn't even counted on anyone coming here.
Nobody ever comes here, Ramón said, and then he silenced when he realised what that meant for the lot of them.
And nobody knows that we're here, said Sandy angrily. she cursed.
They're gun smugglers.
Nita's voice was low. Buck was dressing her wound, and even though he was careful it caused some pain. He stopped at her words and looked at her closely.
How do you know?
I don't remember. I just know.
Ike nodded thoughtfully.
That makes sense he signed. That's the sort of thing people would do for money. People who had never done anything like it before and certainly never had killed anyone.
Great, then we know that, Sandy snapped and started walking around the little room, drumming her hands against the walls.
Stop that, you're making me nervous, Carlos said.
Buck still looked at Nita, and he felt a bit cold.
How does she know that sort of things? he asked her siblings.
Carlos slowly got a big smile over his worried face.
I think Buck is affected by all this talking of witches, he said. And then: Aleja, if you don't stop that I'm gonna break your arms, and I mean it.
Sandy let her arms fall down and sighed deeply.
, Carlos said to Buck, don't let our jokes get to you. Nita notices things, and afterwards she can't always tell what it is. That's all. As for the ghosts she sees, he raised his arms and shrugged, who knows? Maybe she's just a bit dotty. We've got other things to worry about.
Randy had moved to the door, and now he stood scratching it with his front paws, whining.
Oh, God, I hope he doesn't have to 'go', Sandy said with disgust. I just love the thought of dog shit to add to the appeal of this place.
We will all have to 'go' sooner or later, her brother said softly. This isn't a picnic anymore.

After a few hours, they all calmed down. There was no way of getting out, and it could have been much worse after all. They were all alive, and even Nita didn't appear to hurt more than she could stand. But Buck hadn't been able to remove the bullet, and that might cause some trouble later on. If there was to be a later on.
The riders, having been in this kind of situations before, wasted no time on emotions. They used as much energy as possible to think of a way out. The others were so exhausted from being flung between hope and despair, courage and fear, they sat quiet. Sandy's rest was the rest of a predator waiting for prey. When Vallejo entered carrying a tray with food, she gave him a look so fierce it appeared insane. As they say, if looks could kill
Vallejo happened to believe that they could. He backed away from her as fast as possible and put the food down on the floor.
Here you go, he said.
You can't keep us here forever, you know! Sandy's voice was sharp.
It won't be very long, he said and tried to retire, but she rose and stood in his way.
Then what? Will you kill us? Her hand moved for his gun and when he grabbed it she laughed, very softly. You have a gun. You can kill me now. Don't you think? She took a step closer, and in her gentle rage she was more beautiful than ever before. Can you kill me, Vallejo? Can you pull that trigger and make my heart explode? Do you want to know a secret, Vallejo? I have no heart. She drew her hands apart and blew inside them to show their emptiness. Nothing. It is gone. There is nothing you can do to me that hasn't been done already with my consent. You cannot harm me, but I can put a curse on you that will make you wish you had never been born. She started to chant in a low voice: Pyramus et Thisbe juvenum pulcherrimus alter
Vallejo leapt outside with the speed of lightning and slammed the door locked. Everyone stared at the revenging goddess, but with a short, girlish laughter she was back to normal, back to being Sandy.
Imagine someone being so afraid of Latin poetry, she said scornfully.
Who taught you that poem? Carlos asked her.
Who else? She noticed the riders' faces and smiled. You don't have to look at me like that. I'm not one of Nita's ghosts. And I'm not a witch either if that's of any interest to you. I'm just a damned good liar.
You're certainly a fantastic actress, Buck said. You'd put our Cody in the shade any day.
It helps that she's a tad said Carlos and tapped his temple.
Well, a little bit, maybe, she sighed and sat down on the floor. But Jesus, when someone scares me it just feels so good to scare them right back.
You didn't seem scared Ike signed, half impressed, half put off by her divine performance.
She smiled at him.
I told you what I'm like when I'm scared.
An enormous yawn finished her sentence. She looked a bit embarrassed.
I've been so tense, and now I feel so much better. But it takes a lot of strength to pull off the witchy thing. I think I'm even too sleepy to eat!
Without thinking, Ike sat down by her side, handing her pieces of food as they ate, because she seemed about to fall asleep. Even Nita was more alert, in spite of her injury. Before he knew it, Ike found himself having Sandy sleeping in his arms. He met Buck's eyes and had to look away. It wasn't as if he had done anything. He could tell Emily about this anytime.
But he knew he wouldn't.

Night had fallen, and everybody tried to cuddle up to sleep. Ike had moved gently to reach a more comfortable position without waking Sandy. He heard someone come close to him, and then Carlos' voice whispered:

Ike turned to him, but how could he answer? It was pitch-dark, and he could barely see the young man's shadow.
It's okay, you don't have to Carlos silenced, and then continued: I just want to ask you a favour. Don't stay away from my sister.
Of all things, Ike would never have expected this. He sat so still Carlos got insecure and whispered again:
Are you awake? Squeeze my hand if you are.
Ike searched for Carlos' hand and found it.
Good. I know this must sound horrible to you - Aleja told me about your girlfriend. But we may not come out of this alive. He searched for words. I don't want her to die thinking that love is that sick, perverted thing she takes it for.
Silence again. Ike wanted to answer, wanted to say go on, tell me at the same time as some part of his conscience told him to stay out of this. He squeezed Carlos' hand to push him further.
She's such a beautiful girl, you know. Even in a whisper, there was sobbing in his voice. She always took care of me when we were little - of all of us. She's so strong, and smart, and lovely, but that son of a bitch He was definitely crying now. Anyway, I'm not going to enter any details. You know how a limb can be broken and then heal, only it heals the wrong way and you can never use it properly? You have to break it again to set it right. Thing is, the same thing can happen to a heart. She lied to that man, she's got one alright, but it broke and never healed right. Even if you break it again, Ike, whatever little thing you can give her will be with my blessing.
He rose quickly.
Anyway, that's what I wanted to say, he concluded and disappeared into the night.
Ike sat thinking, bewildered. Buck had warned him about getting involved, but a part of him - no, a big part - wanted to do exactly what Carlos had hinted. Not as an act of charity. He had wanted it all along.
But he could never do anything that would mean being unfaithful to Emily. There he stopped. What was infidelity anyway? Sleeping with someone? But surely they would never come to that. Even in the dark, he could see Sandy's features as clearly as in broad day light, because they were always in his head. Wasn't that infidelity? He tried to produce Emily's face into his mind and succeeded - but only to have it pushed aside by a chubby, aggressive Mexican girl.
Suddenly he realised that Sandy's breathing was quick and shallow, and he put his hand on her face to check it out. Her cheeks were wet, and when his fingers touched her eyes she blinked.
Yes, I heard, she whispered. Maybe he's right. He's always been the smart one. And right now I don't think I would mind any human touch.
She moved away from his arms anyway, and then took his hands in her.
You to me, top secret, she whispered. What do you think?
He realised that she meant that he should sign while she held him, and so he did:
I think I love you. But I also love Emily.
She read his signs with her hands and thought for a while, then it came, pleading:
I don't want to demand anything from you, but You don't have to think of me ever again once you're back with her, but try to love me right now.
He grabbed her and held her closely. He made no sign, but every part of his body said: I will.