Manson crashed through the underbrush cursing and swearing. "If that SOB wasn't so dang gone smart I'd have shot him long ago. What he mean we anint going to kill the kid? Anit like he's got the balls to do it anyway, I'm the one who'd be pulling the trigger. It's my neck that's going to stretch! The brat didn't see him with a smoking gun over…. Ah! Here's the dang gone entrance…."

Manson pulled some shrubs off of n opening in the ground revealing an incline leading in to an entranceway, big enough for a man to crawl in. Manson took a quick scan of the area, checking for any signs of someone.

"Well the brat didn't clime out…" he finally decided, "Guess I have to go in after him…" Manson grumbled, getting down on his knees.

Joe stumbled and fell. He could barely keep himself up right, and his strength was so far gone that he didn't think he could go on.

"Come on Joe…" he scolded himself, "Didn't Pa, Adam, and Hoss teach you never to give up? You going to let them down?"

He could just see it, his Pa and brothers gathered around his coffin shaking their heads saying, "If only he had kept going." "If only he hadn't give up." "I'm so disappointed, I thought I taught him better then that…."

"No Pa!" Joe cried out to the image in his head. "You did…"

"Then why are you still lying down?" the image asked.

"Na…. no I'm not…see I'm getting up…see…" Joe said as he painfully pushed himself up. "I'll keep going…I promise…I won't give up…. keep going…."

Manson cursed yet again. He'd forgotten how steep and long the entrance was and how narrow it got. "Damn Clay…the SOB…why'd he send me down here…GOD DAMN IT!" Manson shouted as he hit his head on another tree root.

His curse echoed loudly through out the passage.

Joe froze in mid stride. He heard something…at least he thought he had.

"GOD DAMN IT!"

He had. The words sounded distant, kind of distorted, like an echo.

'He's in the cave,' Joe thought, feeling his gut tie itself in knots.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU BRAT! YOU HEAR ME! I'LL KILL YOU!"

The words sent shivers through Joe's body, as he started to stumble backwards away from the echoes.

'Guess I can't go that way…' Joe thought as he turned around and started to head in the other direction.

"Wait Joe, where's the other guy? What is he up to?" Joe heard Adam's voice.

"I don't know…" Joe answered.

"Well you should find out, unless you want to end up caught in the middle. Then where would you be?"

"Dead" Joe said as he pushed himself along the wall, towards the main cavern.

"Get to the cavern…find other guy…avoid both…be home in time for dinner…."

The sun was setting over the moutons range bathing the landscape in reds, organs, and pinks. Out near the dessert the sky had already succumbed to night, and the glittering silver stars in their deep blue bed were a stark contrast. There was a soft breeze blowing from the north eased the heat that was pressing in from the south, but there was no sign of storm. It was a perfect night for camping or a midnight ride, but Hoss paid it no mind.

He was closer to the posse now and he pushed Chubs faster. He had been tracking them for a half hour now and his goal was finally in sight, or at lest hearing range. In fact the horses and their riders seemed to becoming closer to Hoss….

"Wow! Wow there girl…" Hoss said as he slowed Chubs to a stop. "Hey there!" Hoss called out.

"Hey there!" came the reply, distant but there.

"That you Willy?" Hoss called.

"It's me! Hang on!" Willy yelled back and in a few minuets he and Hoss were face to face. "Did you find him Hoss?" Willy asked hopefully.

"No Willy, but we think we're getting close. Come on, Adam needs ya and the posse, just incase," Hoss said grimly.

"Right, be with you in a minuet, just got to get the others."

With that Willy disappeared back from where he came and about five minuets latter he reappeared with the posse.

"We're ready Hoss."

"Thanks Willy, right let's go."

Little Joe's hart was racing. Pain was radiating throughout his body and doubt was gnawing on him. 'I should have kept going the other way, I was so close to the exit. I should have kept running and not crawled into this stupid cave. Hell, I should have kept going.' However, when he'd got to wrapped up in the 'should'ves,' Manson would shot out another threat that made Joe quicken his pace.

'He's getting closer,' Joe now thought after Manson's latest tirade, 'gotta move faster….'

Joe limped on, doing his best to ignore the coldness that was seeping into his body, but he was getting so desperate that tears started to fill his eyes.

'Come on Joe, just a little farther…don't give up now…not now…' Joe stumbled again, this time though it was into the cavern. Joe sighed with relief as he started to stand, but it was short lived as two strong hands grabbed him from behind….