AN: This chapter contains racist terms and violence. If that bothers you please feal free to skip this chapter.
"Son of a bitch!"
Lily May was inclined to agree with Vern but at the same time couldn't look away from the smoking ruins of the Alamo. It was an ominous sight, one that she knew deep inside would stay with them all for years. Despite the cottonmouth that suddenly came on a prayer suddenly finds its way to her lips. As Revelations 21:4 is voiced so quietly she figures no one can hear a rough hand engulfs her shoulder. Kit grimaces at her in an effort to smile, his other hand covering his heart with his grey hat. She figures it's pretty safe to say he heard.
She purses her lips and turns back to the graveyard only a few dozen miles away. All of a sudden scratching and wagon wheels beating against the prairie catches all of their attention. Kit retracts his hand and resets his hat. They all crane their necks to inspect the noise and are startled by what they see. A wagon full of Mexican soldiers was barreling through the plains as a party of battle crying indians chase them like a herd of buffalo. Lily May rooted for the tribe.
She couldn't quite recognize them though which left her uneasy. Ignorance is one sure fire way to get yourself killed. When she couldn't place them she turned to Anderson. They were all staring at him expectantly. When he felt eight sets of eyes on him, Anderson rolled his eyes. "They're Karankawa."
"Karankawa?" "I thought theys was all wiped out?"
Lily May had thought the same and her stomach didn't set well knowin otherwise. Not because she was afraid of the Karankawa. Because whenever man tries to kill something and fails that somethin usually comes back with a vengeance. "Just so long as they ain't Comanches." Beans quivered from behind Karnes.
Lily May lips pulled up to the left in a small smirk. She probably should have felt bad that Beans was so terrified but she didn't have it in her. It was too cute. Like a child who thought there was a monster living under their bed. Deaf however was more understanding.
"Beans, why don't you head back to camp. Inform General Houston on the fate of the Alamo."
The gangly man nodded but was grabbed by Karnes, held in place by a fistful of his red sweat stained shirt before he could turn. "Don't dawdle boy, and don't get yourself killed! Future of Texas is at stake." Beans didn't need to hear any more. He took one last look at the Karankawa that could have been Comanches and took off for Camp Gonzalez. The rangers watched him leave until his horse disappeared from sight and turned back to the show before them.
None of them moved to help.
Until suddenly a high feminine scream had them all turning to a confused Lily May. She was just as startled as the rest of them in the seconds before they realized, "Those are women in the wagon!" Anderson shouted out. The air around them changed immediately. It turned antsy and excited as they all waited.
"That cuts it. Come on boys!" The men let out shouts and hollers of joy as the rangers all charged down the hill followin Deaf; guns, knives, even ax's in hand. Lily May let out her own whoop of excitement as she pulled that ready flintlock out of its holster. Time to earn their dollar seventy five.
Lily May shot once at a indian trying to pull one of the women out of the wagon. He fell straight and hit the ground dead, his upper body getting trampled by the still moving wagon. "He's got the little girl!" Truitt called out. Lily May turned her head to see when she caught a blur out of the corner of her eye. She whirled back around in time to hold back the arm wielding a homemade knife coming for her chest. She struggled to hold back the stronger man but with the movement of the horses was eventually able to duck down and shove him arms up. She landed a left hook to his jaw that threw him of balance long enough for her to grab the knife from her boot and ram it through his chest. He made a choking sound and fell back to the ground, his horse still running.
"Acklin stop that wagon!" Karnes demanded from his own fight. Lily May shot at another Karankawa flanking too close to the wagon with a pistol from her right hip holster. As he fell she spotted Kit jumping off of Huntsville and grabbing ahold of the neck of one of the team of horses pulling the wagon and digging his feet into the ground to slow it down. There were more indians moving that way but as Lily May moved forward a flare of pain shot through her back. The ground rushed up to meet her suddenly, dirt flying up around her face as the air left her lungs.
Her green eyes popped back open hastily still not sure what hit her or how hurt she was, just that she could still move. A screeching Karankawa was charging at her ax raised and tipped with blood. Well she knew what hit her. She jumped to her feet, ignoring the scream her own back protested with and pulled her bloody knife back out. She readied for a hit and aimed to give one back but just a few feet from her the man dropped dead. Lily May's eye widened as she followed his fall then cocked her head in the opposite direction.
Flores threw down a gun and ran to help Zachariah and one of the ladies from the wagon. She made a mental note to thank him later.
Scanning the area for her next move she caught sight of one of the other wagon women hiding beneath the stilled wagon. Her brown eyes were overwhelmed and spilling over with fright and pleas for help. She clutched her baby to her chest for dear life. Lily May crossed the distance between herself and the wagon in record time, scooping up her hat and grabbing a 45 shotgun off of Beau on her way. Her back made sure she knew it's feelings on the sudden movements. She readied the 45 and stood guard over the small family.
She only had to fire it once and that was at a indian trying to give Karnes anatomy lesson on the human heart.
Before any of em knew it the battle was over and every Karankawa lied graveyard dead. It felt like it was over in minutes. Glancing around to make sure it was safe Lily May bent down and set the gun on the ground. Shd reached a hand out to the young mother. "It's all over now sweetie. You can come now."
Jittery and startled as a rabbit she crawled out from beneath the wagon with Lily May's gentle hands helping pull her out by the shoulders. She refused to loosen her hold on her child. "You alright honey?" She shook beneath Lily May's hands. She couldn't have been more than a few years older than Lily May; making their differences even starker. Besides the woman's dark brunette curls and eyes like fresh brewed coffee. This woman has seen too much. Things that had made those coffee eyes cold and frightened.
Lily May looked away, searching out the others for damage while allowing the woman a moment to collect herself. She spotted Karnes first. He had an arrow run through his shoulder but he'd be fine once they got him to camp. Anderson stood behind him helping work it out. Deaf, Truitt, and Yancey were riding back from wherever they'd run off to. Truitt and Yancey grinnin like fools all the while and cuttin up with each other like they do.
The fresh scalp on Truitt's belt and the little mexican girl sitting safe and sound in front of Yancey told her a pretty good story on why. Flores was crouched down across the plain from Lily May leaning over something. Beside him was the black woman from the wagon in the green dress and red bandana holding back her curls. Next to them hiding whatever they were all leaning over from Lily May's view was Kit.
Suddenly gunfire broke out one more time. Lily May grabbed the wagon woman by her shoulders and instinctively threw herself over the woman blocking her from unidentified shooters as the woman screamed. The white bundled baby was squeezed between them. "Yeehaw! I don't know what I love more?! Killin redskins or killin mexicans!"
Lily May glanced over her shoulder and caught sight of Vern riding circles around the wagon shootin a shotgun into the sky. She glared at him at the same time Kit flew to his feet. "Dammit Vern!" He glared at Vern matching Lily May. She shook her head subtly. Vern was an idiot, but Kit was cute when he was angry. But as she looked away she finally caught sight of what Kit's body had been unintentionally shielding from her view.
"Oh God." Lily May's breath caught in her throat at Zachariah lying there. His shirt was stained through red with blood and a red cloth bandana covered his face. She tore her eyes away as quickly; forcing a smile for the shattered woman. She was bouncing her baby through her shakes, eyes darting over the bodies surrounding them. Lily May drug her bottom lip through her teeth and watched her. Finally thinking of how to distract the woman she gently stroked the bundled babies peach fuzz head.
"What's his name?" The wagon woman jumped, looking up in surprise at being addressed. Taking the ranger's gentle smile, her eyes traveled down to her infant then back to Lily May.
"Angelina."
"Oh." Lily May chuckled in embarrassment.
"That's a real pretty name. I betcha yours is real pretty too. Would ya tell me what it is?"
She was silent long enough for Lily May to believe that she would never speak up when suddenly in just above a whisper
"Suzanna."
Her voice was soft and meek but Lily May squeezed her shoulder encouragingly.
"Suzanna what darlin?"
"Susanna Dickinson."
Oh. It suddenly occurs to her who this woman is. It's a startling thought to realize she had seen this woman picture pregnant and smiling yet couldn't recognize her anymore. Her husband had been showing it one night months ago waiting for her to join him with their baby.
"Ma'am, are you Lieutenant Dickinson's wife?"
Suzanna's eyes welded up with fresh tears that fell down her cheeks following
pre- existing paths as she nodded. "He killed them all! At the Alamo. He slaughtered them."
"Who did sweetie?"
"Santa Anna." She growled out between sobs. Lily May jammed shut her eyes and pursed her lips. God damn Santa Anna. Let him rot in the cage of hell with devil himself. She smiled gently at Mrs. Dickinson and stroked Angelina's heads once more before climbing to her feet. "I'll be right back
honey." Stepping over bodies she jogged over to Karnes who was deep in conversation with Anderson, Deaf, and Kit.
"Uh, Captain, we have a problem." She cocked her thumb behind her towards Suzanna and Angelina. "That woman with the baby over there? That's Almaron Dickinson's wife."
"First Lieutenant at the Alamo?"
"They're the only ones left. Santa Anna slaughtered the rest of em."
"Dear God." There was silence as he processed what he was just told. "Alright we need to get on back to camp. I think this scouting missions gone on long enough."
"Couldn't agree more Captain."
"You all go on ahead. I'll stay behind and bury Zachariah and this lady," Anderson pointed to the woman gutted by the Karankawa before the rangers could reach her. "I'll meet up with you all at camp."
"I'll ride ahead, grab a wagon for the women."
Kit looked at Deaf in confusion. "Why don't we take the mexican one?"
"We leave the injun horse and the wagon behind."
"Why?"
Deaf stared at Kit with a dry look then pointed his chin to the plateau they'd been standing on earlier. It was lined with Karankawa warriors watching them carefully. Their eyes all widened.
"Oh shit."
Lily May let Kit dragged her away by the arm with no protest. They sped over to the young Dickinson family and carefully led them to Beau. Kit swung her onto the saddle by her waist with some difficulty. She had yet to loosen her hold on Angelina. It was even more difficult for Lily May to jump on behind them but she did. She stumbled to the left, almost falling off her horse for a second time when Kit steadied her. She clutched his shoulder with one hand while he steadied her with a hand on her waist.
Lily May opened her mouth but nothing came out. So she simply nodded thankfully with a tight smile. He returned it with a slight squeeze to her waist that could have made her blush in a different light, in a different circumstance when her arms weren't wrapping around a widowed mother only a few years older than herself with angry indians surrounding them. She kept her eyes focused on the Karankawa as she rode, even as she stood next to Anderson
"Be careful wontcha Bill. I want to see ya back at camp." She pulled her eyes away from the plateau to spare her fallen friend a last glance. She tipped her hat to him.
"Sorry bout all this Zachariah."
Arms around the surviving Dickinson's she took off for camp.