Chapter 2 - Cards For Sorrow, Cards For Pain...
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The prison wagon lurched and rocked as it made its way along the careworn road. It had just stopped picking up seven inmates in Eagle Bend bound for the territorial prison. Carter Jenkins sat uncomfortably on the wooden bench inside, a sullen look on his face. He pulled at the chaffing leg and wrist irons he was wearing.
His anger at his situation had been on slow simmer ever since those seven men had caught him. He had told the fancy dressed one and the tracker that he would be back and he intended on keeping that promise. He had a score to settle with them…all of them. He made it known he would hurt them anyway he could.
Jenkins stared at the other inmates riding in the wagon. Two of them were former members of his gang, Judd Powers and Cyrus Renfro. Their faces held the same anger as his. There had to be a way to escape before they reached the prison. Jenkins had no intention of spending any more time behind bars.
A sudden jerking of the wagon caused it to tilt wildly, spilling some of the men onto the floor. It rocked on its wheels tossing the men around uncontrollably. It swayed to the left and seemed to hang in mid-air before crashing onto its side.
The door fell open and sunlight streamed into the darkened interior. Jenkins slowly opened his eyes, groaning with the effort. It took him a minute to realize what had happened. Gathering his strength, he pulled himself out from under the two men that lay on top of him.
"What the hell happened?" he wondered out loud.
"Glad to see you made it boss?" came a voice from outside.
Twisting around as fast as his leg irons would permit, Jenkins peered out into the sunlight. Sitting outside on a large bay horse, the man who spoke to him leaned down slightly so he could be seen. "Thought you could use some help getting outta there."
"Webber! Where the hell you been? Get me outta these damn shackles!"
The man dismounted, producing some keys to unlock the manacles. Rubbing his wrists, Jenkins said, "Judd and Cyrus are in here too…see if they're still alive and unlock them too."
"Will do." He replied crawling into the wagon.
Thirty minutes later, the four men rode away from the wrecked remains of the prison wagon. They rode in silence for a time before Cyrus asked, "So where to now Carter?"
Jenkins turned to his men without missing a beat, "Where the hell do you think? I got a score to settle with Larabee and his bunch…and it is gonna cost all of them dearly."
So saying Jenkins spurred his horse forward, his men following close behind leaving a trail of dust in their wake.
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The Standish Tavern was quiet for a Friday afternoon with just a few patrons scattered around the saloon. Rebecca took advantage of the silence by working on some new material. Michael sat nearby on the floor playing with his wooden horse. Every so often, he would look up at her with green eyes so like his father's and smile.
How she loved her son. Taking a second, she stopped to look down at him, a twinge of regret passed through her. As much as she loved her life now, the fact that her parents would never know or meet her son and husband sometimes tore at her heart.
Rebecca continued to watch her son when a sudden idea popped into her head. Looking around to see if Ezra was still at the bar, she walked over to him. "Ezra could you keep an eye on Michael, I need to go upstairs and get something."
"Go ahead darlin…I will be more than happy to spend time with him." As she turned to go, he put his arms around her kissing her softly on her lips.
Gazing at her husband, she whispered, "I love you."
Smiling back at her, he replied, "I love you too my darlin girl."
Rebecca touched his face before heading for the stairs.
Ezra came over to his son, sitting down on a chair next to him as he began to ask him nonsense questions about his toy horse making Michael giggle.
Rebecca smiled lovingly at both of them as she climbed to the second floor. Entering their bedroom, she opening the closet pulling out her knapsack. Her parents would never know her son, but there was no reason why Michael shouldn't know his grandparents …at least through the pictures she had of them.
Grabbing the picture album from inside, she exited the room heading back to the saloon. As she reached the landing the sound of gunfire shattered her quiet afternoon. Bullets began smashing through the large saloon windows.
Bolting down the stairs, she wanted to reach her family, but her husband shouted out for her to get down. Upon reaching the floor, she knocked a card table onto its side crouching behind it. As bullets pinged around the interior some they also continued to shatter what was left of the windows. Ezra appeared next to her clutching their screaming son to his chest.
"Becca, take Michael and stay behind this table…understand?"
Nodding mutely, her eyes wide with fright, she held their son to her speaking softly, trying to ease his fears.
Ezra disappeared around the table as a new round of shots erupted. She heard the doors to the saloon slam open as Buck tumbled inside shouting at her husband. The noise from the gunfire and shattering glass was deafening. She couldn't make out what they were saying to each other, but she placed her hands over Michael's ears trying her best to deaden the noise for him.
All at once, the shooting ceased, creating an ominous silence that hung heavy in the air. Rebecca started to stand, but Ezra waved her back to the floor.
"Rebecca, you and Michael stay down…let us find out if our attackers have stopped. I'll come get you if it has."
"Please be careful."
"Always darlin." Ezra replied in a calm voice.
Both men moved cautiously out the front doors staring up and down the street. They saw Chris, Vin and JD exit the jail, giving the now quiet street the same once over. From across the street they noticed Josiah and Nathan coming down the Clinic stairs. Like the others they looked around before coming towards them.
The seven gathered in front of the jail still casting their eyes over the town, searching for a reason. Chris scowled as he shoved his gun back into its holster. "Anybody see who started this or from which direction?"
"It would appear that the shots where coming from all directions based on where each of us was located. Josiah speculated.
"That seems about right Chris." Bucked nodded. "cause I was passing by the saloon and retreated inside. Josiah and Nathan were in the Clinic…were you three in the jail.
"Yes we were." He replied.
"But who started it and fer what reason?" Vin said as he leaned against the wall.
"I know,"
The seven men turned in the direction of the voice as Mary walked up to them holding a piece of paper.
"Mary you shouldn't be out here. We don't know if this is finished yet." Chris said as he put a protective arm around his new wife.
"They're gone for now according to this note. Someone stuck it the front door of the Clarion during the fight." Mary replied. "It's from that man Jenkins…the one that was taken to Eagle Bend several months ago."
Chris took the paper from her hand scanning through it quickly. He passed it over to Vin and then to each of the others to read it.
"Well damn! I sure would like to know how that devil escaped." Buck frowned.
"I think we all would Buck." Nodded JD.
"Well I would say this note is issuing us a challenge. Should we accept?" Ezra inquired.
Josiah rubbed his chin before replying, "If we don't, I have a feeling he is going to continue to harass us and the town until we recapture him."
Nodding, Chris agreed. "Yeah…I'm thinking the same thing." Turning to his best friend, he asked, "Vin…think you can track him?"
"If we get started right away…I reckon so.."
"I think so too." Chris replied. "Ezra, go get Rebecca and Michael…Vin, you go bring Sarah and the baby into town. I think the Clarion would be the best place for the women. Let's get moving and go find that son of a bitch."
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It didn't take the men long to ready themselves.
Rebecca held Michael in her arms watching Ezra finish his adjustment to his horse. "Please be careful. This Jenkins is a certified wacko and I just have a bad feelin about this." Rebecca cautioned.
Ezra grinned at his wife, "Darlin, have you noticed that ever since you told your secret to everyone that your language has become full of…"
"The word you're looking for is slang. I guess I've become more comfortable using it now." She smiled softly. "I realize most of it probably goes right over your head…sorry."
Hugging his wife and son, he also kissed them both. "Not to worry my darlin girl, in most cases I understand perfectly what you mean."
The others waited as Chris and Vin said their goodbyes.
Vin held his daughter in his arms, kissing her gently on the forehead. Carefully placing her back in Sarah's arms, he wrapped his arms around them both, kissing Sarah before murmuring in her ear. He turned and swiftly mounted his horse.
Mary and Chris held each other tightly for a moment before he leaned down to hug Billy. "Take care of your mother for me, alright?"
The young boy nodded.
Mary watched as he also mounted. "Everyone stay inside until we return. I don't know what Jenkins might do so all of you stay together. Mary…I placed three shotguns inside. You know where to find them if they are needed. Don't be afraid to use them."
Mary gave a weak smile, nodding to him. "We will Chris. All of you be careful…come back safe."
He returned her smile as he and the others turned and rode swiftly away, leaving the women in a cloud of dust.
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"Well I gotta admit Carter, your plan worked like a charm. All seven of them just rode out leaving the women holed up inside the newspaper office." Cyrus grinned over his shoulder.
Jenkins leaned over to him asking, "What else can you see with that spyglass of yours?"
"Well…all the women and the kids just went inside and I think that tracker fella is following that fake trail Judd and Webber laid down. I reckoned you knew that would happen."
"Yep!" he replied back.
Closing the scope, Renfro sat up glancing at his boss. "So what's our next move?"
"We wait for Judd and Webber to return and when it gets dark…we go down into the town and pay a visit to their women."
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Rebecca sat with Michael on her lap leafing through the small photo album she had. He seemed fascinated by the pictures it contained.
"And this is your MawMaw and PawPaw Dannon…my mommy and daddy."
Grinning, Michael looked up at her. "Your mommy and daddy."
"That's right…and Aunt Sarah's"
"Come see me?"
"I wish they could sweetie, but they live a long way away from here."
Yawning, he repeated, "Long way from me?"
Rebecca rocked her son. "That's right, but I wanted you to see them. You know they love you and your cousin Rachel so much.
"Lots?" he said yawning again.
"Uh huh…bunches." Rebecca tilted her head slightly. "I think someone is ready for bed."
Mary looked up from her sewing. "You can lay him down on Billy's bed. There's plenty of room for the two of them."
"Thanks Mary." Getting to her feet, she carried her sleepy son to the back room.
Sarah finished feeding Rachel and asked, "Where can I put her down Mary?"
"You can put her in Billy's room also. I put together a makeshift crib for her. Come with me. I'll show you."
The two women went into Billy's room just as Rebecca returned to the parlor. Sitting back down, she rested her head back against the chair. She could feel her own eyes getting heavy and felt she would probably turn in soon herself.
She had just closed her eyes for a moment when the front door to the Clarion crashed open. Four men charged into the room as she got to her feet. As she started to scream, one of them pointed a gun directly at her.
"If you scream, I'll shoot you where you stand."
The other three men went quickly into the next room bringing Mary and Sarah into the parlor. As the three women huddled together, Sarah said, "Who the hell are you?"
"Allow me to introduce myself…my name is Carter Jenkins. I left my calling card on the door earlier." He delivered a stilted bow. "I want you to collect your children and whatever else you may need cause we're goin on a little journey. I don't want no back talk… do it now or we take you and the brats stay here."
Turning to one of the men, he pointed out the door. "Powers, go bring the horses around back and we'll finish up here."
The man nodded and quickly left.
Taking the women into the other room, Jenkins had them wake and dress the children. Pushing them to hurry, he also had them gather what few things they would need for themselves and the children. Forcing all of them out the back door of the Clarion, they soon had them mounted and racing out of town.
"So where are we going now Carter, Cyrus asked pushing forward into the darkness.
"There's this area I found near here that'll be the perfect place to hole up. The locals call it Brices Canyon. We should be able to hold them off if they decide to attack us."
Rebecca felt her heart stop. Brices Canyon! She and Sarah hadn't been near that place since the day they first arrived. A part of her always felt that something in or around that canyon was what brought them here.
She looked over at Sarah. Even in the darkness she could just make out her face and it had become pale. She was obviously thinking the same thing as Rebecca.
Rebecca held tightly to her son as the group pressed on through the darkness, but inside she could feel the intense turmoil building at the thought of returning to that place.
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Vin crouched and brushed at a set of tracks in front of him. Standing, he dusted his hands together, then mounted his horse. "This is a trick Chris. We're getting further and further away from town and I think that is what they wanted. We need to get back…this trail is all wrong."
Turning around the seven rode hard back towards Four Corners, hoping that Vin's suspicions were wrong.
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As they entered the town, Ezra felt a cold chill run down his back. His instincts were telling him something felt wrong. He stared ahead of him toward the newspaper office. "Somethings not right."
Chris nodded. He had felt it too the minute they rode into town.
Stopping the horses in front of the Clarion, Josiah noticed a bad sign. "Chris…the front door is slightly opened."
Dismounting, Larabee waved Nathan, JD, Josiah and Buck toward the back of the building. Chris, Vin and Ezra cautiously approached the main entrance.
The inside was completely black. Nothing moved. The black clad gunslinger slipped through the entrance as the other two men followed. It didn't them long to realize that the women were gone. Lighting one of the oil lamps, he began to search through the front office as Vin and Ezra checked the back rooms.
The back door popped open as Josiah stepped inside. Pointing over his shoulder, he said, "Vin, you might want to have a look outside."
As they exited, Josiah pointed to all the horse tracks. "Plus I found this." Handing a small stuffed doll to the tracker.
Vin's face fell as he took the doll from the big man. "I bought it fer Rachel…fer when she got a tad bigger."
JD approached the others an anguished look on his face. He held up a piece of paper to Chris. "This was stuck over there…it's from Jenkins. He said he took Mary and the others. He's baiting us Chris… he knows we're gonna come after him. He wants us to follow."
Looking up from the note, his face held a look that only one other person in the group had ever seen before…that was Buck.
After Sarah and Adam had died, for a time, Chris had become unhinged. Buck hoped he would never see that look again on his or anyone else's face. The person that came closest to it was Ezra when Rebecca was kidnapped, but Jenkins had brought it out in Chris again.
The man had made a fatal error by taking Mary, Rebecca, Sarah and the children. The seven were going to make him pay. Mounting their horses, Vin began to track them, sure of the trail this time.
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Jenkins and his captives arrived at the mouth of the canyon and began to pick their way along the trail looking for the place he had found earlier.
Rebecca glanced nervously at the surroundings, feeling as if she had stepped backward in time. He had brought them to the exact spot where she and Sarah had first arrived. It been over four years, but the view from this place was unmistakable.
Glancing at Sarah, Rebecca could see that she recognized the place also.
"I got a bad feeling about this Becky." Sarah whispered.
"Me too." Rebecca nodded.
Jenkins and his men made the women dismount, grouping them together in one spot near some large boulders. Trying to make the place comfortable for the children, the women spread out some blankets they brought with them.
Rebecca leaned back against one of the rocks resting Michael's head on her lap. She covered him with another blanket stroking his chestnut hair. It didn't take long before he fell asleep.
Making sure Billy was comfortable. Mary leaned over to her, saying, "You know this place." she kept her voice low as she spoke.
Rebecca nodded. "This is the spot where we were in our time…"
"And where Buck found us." Sarah said.
Furrowing her brow, Mary said, "You're nervous about being here aren't you? I noticed your face the second we rode into the canyon."
Nodding again, Rebecca whispered, "This place scares me…plain and simple."
"Everyone shut up back there!" Jenkins barked. "Keep quiet and don't make a sound."
Trying not to antagonize the man, the women settled down with the children hoping that the seven would find them soon.
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The sound of gunfire startled Rebecca out of a light sleep. She then heard someone yelling…who was it? Shaking her head trying to clear away the cobwebs, she sat up realizing it was now daylight. Pulling the blanket she had wrapped her and Michael to fight off the morning chill, she trying to concentrate on who was yelling.
Just then she heard the voices again. "Jenkins! We know you're up there with our women! Turn them loose and no will get hurt!"
She recognized the voice immediately…it was Chris.
Looked to her right she realized both Sarah and Mary were also awake. Mary gave her a hopeful smile…perhaps this would be over soon.
Jenkins gave a disturbed laugh at his proposal. Yelling in return, he stated, "I don't think you can tell me to do anything Larabee…I seem to be holding all the cards at this moment!"
Ducking back behind the rock he was near, he turned to Vin, "Think there might be a way to get to them from back or side?"
Vin stood up slightly peering over the rock. Quickly surveying the area above their position, he crouched back down beside his friend. "Maybe…ain't sure. Never been in this canyon before. Let me and Buck scout it out. You just keep Jenkins' attention on you. We'll be back shortly."
So saying the Vin and Buck disappeared back down the trail.
Ezra came up beside Chris, giving him an anxious glance. "I hope that miscreant hasn't harmed anyone or there will be hell to pay."
Chris gave the ex-conman a dark look. "More than Jenkins will ever know."
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Buck and Vin moved silently through the rocks and boulders as they looked for some way to get closer to Jenkins and hostages.
Vin's mind was swirling as he went about his work. He was angry and frightened all at the same time. The thought of possibly losing Sarah and Rachel to that bastard clutched at his heart like an invisible hand. He shoved the thoughts to the back of his mind. It wasn't going to happen…he wouldn't allow it.
Finally the tracker spied what he was looking for. Telling Buck to wait, he scrambled through a rocky outcropping. He was back in less than a minute. "We can get through that notch yonder and approach them from the backside. Let's go get the others."
Nodding, the two men returned to their friends with the good news.
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Jenkins was getting nervous. It had been over an hour since Larabee and his bunch had made contact with him. They were planning something…he felt sure of it.
Glancing over his shoulder at his hostages, he wondered if he should threaten to hurt one of them…one of the women or one of the children. Maybe make Larabee show his hand.
The strong rumble of thunder broke into his thoughts as he stared up into the sky.
Pitch black clouds began to roll across the horizon as streaks of lightning lit up their interiors giving off a muted glow. He had never seen a storm move as quickly as this one did.
Rebecca grabbed Michael holding him close to her body as the wind began to whip. Wrapping her son up in the blanket, grabbing her knapsack and slinging it over one shoulder.
She watched as Sarah enfolded little Rachel in her blanket.
"Sarah! Rebecca yelled above the rising storm.
"I know!" her sister replied.
It was like history was repeating itself. The all too familiar rumble and crash of the thunder…the blinding flashes of lightning…and the incredible wind.
Rebecca got to her feet as did Sarah and Mary. It was happening again.
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Chris and the others had just gotten into position when the tempest struck.
Ezra peered into the inky blackness above, wondering where this storm had come from. He and his compatriots needed to move quickly to free Rebecca, Sarah, Mary and the children and get them out of mess.
Everything appeared to be moving in slow motion to Rebecca as a volley of shots rang out. Between the flashes of lightning and the crashing of thunder, she saw the seven, rush the outlaw's position.
Their kidnappers began to return fire as she watched in terror as Ezra barely made it behind a rock. Chris continued to creep forward as Vin and Nathan came around from another direction.
The storm sudden reached a fever pitch as torrential rain began to fall drenching all of them in seconds.
Then is happened…she felt the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stand up. Reaching out with her free hand, she shook Sarah's arm.
"DO YOU FEEL IT?" Rebecca yelled.
"YES…ON MY ARMS AND MY NECK!" Sarah shouted
"WE HAVE TO GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE…NOW!"
Nodding, Sarah clutched a screaming Rachel to her as Rebecca held tightly to Michael. Yelling for Mary and Billy to follow, the three women locked arms with each other trying to skirt around the gunfight.
Rebecca saw two of the men go down before she saw Jenkins take a hit to one of his shoulders. Thinking they were going to make it out of the area, when a huge bolt of lightning struck the ground near them. A tremendous buzzing sound filled the air near them.
The seven men watched in horror as a large multicolored maw opened up behind the women.
Rebecca reached out toward Ezra screaming, "NOOOOOO!" as she, Sarah, Mary and the children were sucked into the swirling mass.
Moving forward as one, the seven men ran towards the rotating opening, but it vanished in the blink of an eye, taking the storm and their families with it.
"Oh God!" Ezra shouted as he fell to his knees on the muddy ground. "Rebecca...Michael!"
Vin stood rooted to the spot unable to understand what had happened. Tears fell like rain from his eyes. How in the name of all that was holy could he rescue Sarah and the baby now?
Chris stared up into the now clearing sky. His anger bubbled to the surface until it erupted in a heart shattering scream. "MAARRRYY!"
The rest of the men gathered around their friends. Stunned by what had happened, and struggling how they could even begin to help them.
Josiah looked up into the now sunny sky and whispered, "Dear God...where did you take Rebecca, Sarah, Mary and the children?"
