THE BEGUILEMENT OF KID CURRY - Chapter Eleven

"PLEASE! JOSHUA PLEASE!"

Amy continued to tug on Heyes' arm. She looked frantically at the door visualizing Miss Martha bursting through it in an insane rage. She was breathing so hard and was so frightened she thought she was going to pass out. It was taking too much time. Miss Martha would soon become suspicious and come looking for her.

Tears of frustration and fear began to fall down her face. Heyes' eyes slowly blinked as his eyes cleared. He groaned. His stomach still hurt and his leg and head throbbed.

"Amy?"

"She's trying to kill you," Amy said in a hushed whisper.

Heyes closed his eyes and tried to recall the previous events and how he had ended up on the floor.

"Why?"

"I don't know." Amy started to sob, "She tried to poison you with mushrooms. You have to get up….pleeeeese." She begged. "The other girls don't know it, but they're digging your grave now!"

Heyes managed to push himself into a sitting position. Drawing in a deep breath and with Amy's help he got up onto unsteady legs. He clung to Amy as he slowly tried to regain his balance. He took in deep breaths trying to clear his head.

"K...K..Thaddeus. Where's Thaddeus?"

"Still gone."

Amy froze, as her fingers dug painfully into Heyes' arm. She thought she heard the porch door slam shut.

"Ssshh!" She gasp, "She's coming! She's coming!"

Heyes' eyes fell on his empty holster hanging off the chair.

He quickly looked around, spotting the heavy wooden desk.

"Help me move it against the door." Heyes stumbled under the weight but with Amy's help they managed to get it snug against the door.

Both heard footsteps coming closer until they stopped outside the door.

Amy and Heyes froze, not daring to breathe.

"I don't think the gloves are in there Amy." Miss Martha said sarcastically through the closed door.

They heard her put the key in the door and attempt to open it, but the desk blocked her from getting into the room. There was a long pause before Heyes' heard the unmistakable sound of the hammer being pulled back on a shotgun.

Heyes grabbed Amy and threw her to the floor, his body covering hers before the door disintegrated in an explosion of sound and wood.

With sudden adrenaline, Heyes got to his feet and grabbed Amy, pushing her hard towards the open window.

"RUN!"

"But…" Amy raised worried frightened eyes to Heyes.

"GO! Get the other girls and run."

Heyes stopped when he heard Martha pulling aside the shattered boards off the door.

"AMY!"

She reluctantly paused at the open window, giving Heyes a final look before climbing out.

Heyes knew even if he made it through the window, there was no way he could escape. If he kept Miss Martha inside, it would buy the girls extra time to escape.

Heyes looked around and grabbed both crutches resting by the bed and waited.

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The girls had heard the gunshot and dropped their shovels, staring wide-eyed towards the house whispering urgently amongst themselves. They timidly started towards the house when they saw Amy round the corner of the house, waving frantically at them.

"NO!" She screamed, stopping them in their tracks. "NO!"

Amy reached the other girls red faced and out of breath.

"We have to run," she managed to gasp out.

"Run?!" Charlotte looked confused.

The younger girls, Emily and Alicia began to sob. Amy grabbed them roughly by their arms and pushed them towards Grace and Olivia.

"Take them to the cave where we used to hide from the Yankee soldiers. Now!"

Grace opened her mouth to question her but she saw the fear in Amy's face and quickly herded the younger girls together as they fled through the corrals towards the woods.

Amy grabbed Marie, "Climb the big white oak by the road. Wait for Thaddeus, he should be coming home anytime."

"Amy?"

"No time to explain." Amy quickly grabbed Marie by her forearms and held them tight as she locked eyes with Marie's. "You can do this...You have to. I have to try and help Joshua...before she kills him."

Amy released Marie's arms and nodded her head towards the road.

"Go!"

Amy turned and ran back towards the house. She headed back to the open window, but changed direction and slowly made her way up the steps to the front porch. She pressed her body flat against the house and reached out to ease the screen door open. She could hear Miss Martha down the hallway. She couldn't make out the words, but the tone was pure rage.

Amy quickly made her way into the kitchen and grabbed a large knife sitting on a cutting board, tucking it in her apron. She fled out the back door as she heard the voices becoming clearer as they moved up the hallway.

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Kid's plan had been to stop and exchange horses in the next town, but something told him not to stop. He slowed briefly before pushing his horse into a full out run

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"Move the desk," Martha said as she pointed the shotgun and eased the trigger back.

Heyes hobbled to the desk on the crutches. He was going to play his injury to its fullest. Maybe she would let her guard down enough for him to make a move without getting killed. After moving the desk enough for her to enter the room, Heyes grabbed the crutches and retreated to the bed. He set the crutches against it and took a seat on the edge. Heyes was going to keep Martha inside as long as he could to give the girls a chance to escape. He could tell Martha had no intention of leaving any witnesses.

"Obviously you didn't eat the mushrooms. Too bad it would have been less of a mess. Hard to get blood off the floor boards..." Her eyes took on a sleepy quality as her mind wandered back to the night she had killed her sister and husband."...walls...headboard...Believe me I know."

"Why fix me up only to kill me?"

Martha's eyes blazed, "Naivete doesn't suit you Joshua. I bet you and Thaddeus got a good laugh at my expense over that letter from my whore of a sister.

Joshua closed his eyes as his shoulders sagged. The damn letter. He should have reminded Kid to destroy it.

"No Martha," Heyes said, shaking his head. "Found it by accident. There was no laughter. Thaddeus was going to destroy it...For your sake," Heyes said softly with sincerity.

Heyes saw Miss Martha's expression start to soften as she mulled over what Heyes had said. The barrell started to drop, when she jerked it back up.

"Liar!" She spat out, "You think you can bat your brown eyes at me and I'll buy your lies like every gullible whore you've ever bedded. It's time to go...leave the one crutch and grab the bible...the book of lies. Take it with you. I have no need for it. Time to go."

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