"Jesse! NO!" Cole begged, as Jesse stood tall in the middle of the street
shouting at the Indians who were gathering at a slow speed.
"Come on! Stop shooting at us! We have what you want! Come and get him!" Jesse continued to holler, ignoring Cole's cry for help. Liberty stood next to Cole, her tears had dried up and her gun was poised to be ready.
The Indians gathered at the outskirts of Jesse. He was waving his gun around like a madman and shouting obscenities that would have Zee rolling in her grave, but Liberty didn't correct him.
"Please, Jesse. I'm so sorry. Please don't do this! Please!" Cole cried again. Liberty pulled him so that she faced him.
"Is that what my ma said when you pulled the knife on her Cole Younger? Or did you catch her unawares?" she said with hate in her voice and despise in her face.
The look on his cousin's face was so truthful that Cole just hung his head and cried. Liberty pushed him into the ground and kicked him with her boot.
"How could you Cole?" Jesse asked standing over his cousin. Cole didn't answer. "Well, you want him don't you?" he added to the Indians. "Look, I won't shoot you. I put my gun away." Jesse tossed his pistol to the ground.
* * *
Inside, Colin, Frank and Bob were kneeling at the window unsure of what to do next.
"Does someone want to fill us in?" Bob said irritatedly to Frank. Frank rolled back on his heels and sighed.
"Cole did something he never should have."
Colin and Bob looked at each other and then looked at Frank.
"And what was that?" Bob replied.
"He crossed paths with a James brother in the worst way, he made it personal." Frank said simply.
"I still don't get it Frank!" Bob said exasperatedly. Frank collected himself and turned to face Bob.
"Cole killed Zee you idiot. It wasn't the Indians, it was Cole, your brother, my cousin, Jesses best friend, he killed Zerelda Mims."
Bob sat back and his face paled.
"Whats Jesse gonna do?" he asked quietly.
"Stop this once and for all, so he can go home with his daughter." Frank replied.
Colin sighed.
"Whats the matter boy?" Frank asked him.
"It's just that these last few days have been so exciting, and great. I don't think I want to go back."
"Trust me Boy. do you love Liberty?" Frank said. Colin nodded.
"With all my heart."
"Then don't get yourself caught up in outlaw affairs. They'll bring you nothing but pain, sorrow and almost certain death."
* * *
Once of the Indian Chieftains had stepped forward and bowed at Jesse.
"We thank you for this offering of peace." He said in slow English. Jesse nodded.
"He owes it to you." He replied with a kick to Cole.
Cole stared up at his cousin and scrambled to get up. Two big Indians arrived from nowhere and took hold of Cole to walk him to the Indian camp. Fifty feet away, He felt for his pistol and smiled in his mind.
"I ain't going with no Indians Jesse." He shouted.
"Cole, there ain't gonna be no talking about it." Jesse replied. Liberty saw a glint of metal underneath Cole's coat as the wind blew it back.
"Well I ain't going to die alone!" Cole cried back revealing his gun.
"DAD!" Liberty cried as Cole fired. Jesse stood unarmed and it what happened next was dream-like. Everything happened in slow motion for Liberty.
She screamed as her fathers form fell back into the dirt with a crimson wound blossoming red blood from his chest. Her hand flew up with her pistol readily cocked and she ran at Cole.
Cole fired a round at Liberty but missed as she dove to the ground. Frank, Bob and Colin shouted and ran out into the street as they saw Jesse fall from Cole's shot. Liberty crawled up into a standing position and stood two inches from Cole and pressed the cold tip of her pistol to his forehead.
"Go ahead." Cole whispered. "Shoot me."
Liberty's face screwed up, tears began to roll down her face and she screamed in agony as she pulled the trigger. Cole's dead body slumped and the Indians dropped him to the ground. Her face splattered in blood, she stood shell shocked by the image of her cousin, hole in his head, dead at her feet. She dropped her gun and wiped her eyes, smearing blood across her cheeks.
Suddenly, it was like someone had pressed fast forward and as the Indians fled, Liberty spun around and ran to the crowd of outlaws circling her father. Her feet felt like lead weights as she pushed herself to the gaggle of men. As she wove her way into the center of the circle, Frank lay kneeling holding Jesse in his arms. Liberty sniffled,
"Dad," she asked quietly. Frank looked up, tears in his eyes and lifted Jesse off his lap and onto the ground. Liberty kneeled and it was so quiet that you could have heard a pin drop in Missouri. Her father's eyes were glazing over and the blood was streaming out in rivulets.
"Libby." He wheezed. Liberty felt fresh tears on her cheeks as she put pressure into the wound.
"It's okay Daddy, don't waste your energy. Grandpa will help. Right Uncle Frank, Grandpa will help." Liberty said looking up with pleading eyes to her uncle. Frank just turned away. Liberty felt her father's shaky breaths and she turned back and cradled his head with her free arm.
"Please Daddy. Stay strong for me." She sniffled trying to stifle her on coming reality check.
Jesse looked up at his daughter, tear stained and bloody and he swallowed hard.
"I love you." He inhaled. "I always lo-" he stopped short. "Loved you Libby." He said as his eyes glazed over and his whole weight dropped into Liberty's lap. She cried into his hair.
"I love you too Daddy." She added before screaming. This wasn't a normal scream either. It was wild, and animal like. It was a scream she'd not soon forget. She raised her head to the skies and screamed and cursed god. She was only 15, she needed her father. He took away her mother, and now he took her father too? It wasn't fair.
Colin, Frank and Bob stood on the outer edge of the circle. Frank stood silent with tears rolling down his face, Bob was leaning on Frank and fighting the oncoming ocean that was going to consume him too. Colin took a step forward but Bob grabbed his arm and held him back.
"Let her be boy." He said his voice cracking as he looked Colin in the eye. "She needs this."
And so she cried. And cried and cried. The gang slowly drifted until it was just the four of them. Liberty cuddling her father's lifeless body and crying into him and Frank, Bob and Colin looking on.
John Redcorn hid behind a barrel at the end of the road and stared in disbelief and shock. As a tear crept down his wind-weathered face, he crept away and soon after, a shot rang out. A shot that no one heard, and a betrayer that no one recognized was dead.
** A/N: I realize this story was very short, but I hope you all enjoyed it. Don't worry, this isn't the END, END. 'I have a little bit more stuck up my sleeve. **
"Come on! Stop shooting at us! We have what you want! Come and get him!" Jesse continued to holler, ignoring Cole's cry for help. Liberty stood next to Cole, her tears had dried up and her gun was poised to be ready.
The Indians gathered at the outskirts of Jesse. He was waving his gun around like a madman and shouting obscenities that would have Zee rolling in her grave, but Liberty didn't correct him.
"Please, Jesse. I'm so sorry. Please don't do this! Please!" Cole cried again. Liberty pulled him so that she faced him.
"Is that what my ma said when you pulled the knife on her Cole Younger? Or did you catch her unawares?" she said with hate in her voice and despise in her face.
The look on his cousin's face was so truthful that Cole just hung his head and cried. Liberty pushed him into the ground and kicked him with her boot.
"How could you Cole?" Jesse asked standing over his cousin. Cole didn't answer. "Well, you want him don't you?" he added to the Indians. "Look, I won't shoot you. I put my gun away." Jesse tossed his pistol to the ground.
* * *
Inside, Colin, Frank and Bob were kneeling at the window unsure of what to do next.
"Does someone want to fill us in?" Bob said irritatedly to Frank. Frank rolled back on his heels and sighed.
"Cole did something he never should have."
Colin and Bob looked at each other and then looked at Frank.
"And what was that?" Bob replied.
"He crossed paths with a James brother in the worst way, he made it personal." Frank said simply.
"I still don't get it Frank!" Bob said exasperatedly. Frank collected himself and turned to face Bob.
"Cole killed Zee you idiot. It wasn't the Indians, it was Cole, your brother, my cousin, Jesses best friend, he killed Zerelda Mims."
Bob sat back and his face paled.
"Whats Jesse gonna do?" he asked quietly.
"Stop this once and for all, so he can go home with his daughter." Frank replied.
Colin sighed.
"Whats the matter boy?" Frank asked him.
"It's just that these last few days have been so exciting, and great. I don't think I want to go back."
"Trust me Boy. do you love Liberty?" Frank said. Colin nodded.
"With all my heart."
"Then don't get yourself caught up in outlaw affairs. They'll bring you nothing but pain, sorrow and almost certain death."
* * *
Once of the Indian Chieftains had stepped forward and bowed at Jesse.
"We thank you for this offering of peace." He said in slow English. Jesse nodded.
"He owes it to you." He replied with a kick to Cole.
Cole stared up at his cousin and scrambled to get up. Two big Indians arrived from nowhere and took hold of Cole to walk him to the Indian camp. Fifty feet away, He felt for his pistol and smiled in his mind.
"I ain't going with no Indians Jesse." He shouted.
"Cole, there ain't gonna be no talking about it." Jesse replied. Liberty saw a glint of metal underneath Cole's coat as the wind blew it back.
"Well I ain't going to die alone!" Cole cried back revealing his gun.
"DAD!" Liberty cried as Cole fired. Jesse stood unarmed and it what happened next was dream-like. Everything happened in slow motion for Liberty.
She screamed as her fathers form fell back into the dirt with a crimson wound blossoming red blood from his chest. Her hand flew up with her pistol readily cocked and she ran at Cole.
Cole fired a round at Liberty but missed as she dove to the ground. Frank, Bob and Colin shouted and ran out into the street as they saw Jesse fall from Cole's shot. Liberty crawled up into a standing position and stood two inches from Cole and pressed the cold tip of her pistol to his forehead.
"Go ahead." Cole whispered. "Shoot me."
Liberty's face screwed up, tears began to roll down her face and she screamed in agony as she pulled the trigger. Cole's dead body slumped and the Indians dropped him to the ground. Her face splattered in blood, she stood shell shocked by the image of her cousin, hole in his head, dead at her feet. She dropped her gun and wiped her eyes, smearing blood across her cheeks.
Suddenly, it was like someone had pressed fast forward and as the Indians fled, Liberty spun around and ran to the crowd of outlaws circling her father. Her feet felt like lead weights as she pushed herself to the gaggle of men. As she wove her way into the center of the circle, Frank lay kneeling holding Jesse in his arms. Liberty sniffled,
"Dad," she asked quietly. Frank looked up, tears in his eyes and lifted Jesse off his lap and onto the ground. Liberty kneeled and it was so quiet that you could have heard a pin drop in Missouri. Her father's eyes were glazing over and the blood was streaming out in rivulets.
"Libby." He wheezed. Liberty felt fresh tears on her cheeks as she put pressure into the wound.
"It's okay Daddy, don't waste your energy. Grandpa will help. Right Uncle Frank, Grandpa will help." Liberty said looking up with pleading eyes to her uncle. Frank just turned away. Liberty felt her father's shaky breaths and she turned back and cradled his head with her free arm.
"Please Daddy. Stay strong for me." She sniffled trying to stifle her on coming reality check.
Jesse looked up at his daughter, tear stained and bloody and he swallowed hard.
"I love you." He inhaled. "I always lo-" he stopped short. "Loved you Libby." He said as his eyes glazed over and his whole weight dropped into Liberty's lap. She cried into his hair.
"I love you too Daddy." She added before screaming. This wasn't a normal scream either. It was wild, and animal like. It was a scream she'd not soon forget. She raised her head to the skies and screamed and cursed god. She was only 15, she needed her father. He took away her mother, and now he took her father too? It wasn't fair.
Colin, Frank and Bob stood on the outer edge of the circle. Frank stood silent with tears rolling down his face, Bob was leaning on Frank and fighting the oncoming ocean that was going to consume him too. Colin took a step forward but Bob grabbed his arm and held him back.
"Let her be boy." He said his voice cracking as he looked Colin in the eye. "She needs this."
And so she cried. And cried and cried. The gang slowly drifted until it was just the four of them. Liberty cuddling her father's lifeless body and crying into him and Frank, Bob and Colin looking on.
John Redcorn hid behind a barrel at the end of the road and stared in disbelief and shock. As a tear crept down his wind-weathered face, he crept away and soon after, a shot rang out. A shot that no one heard, and a betrayer that no one recognized was dead.
** A/N: I realize this story was very short, but I hope you all enjoyed it. Don't worry, this isn't the END, END. 'I have a little bit more stuck up my sleeve. **