Artie woke with a pounding headache, severe body aches and pains and a growling stomach. He went to sit up and groaned in pain. His entire body felt like it was on fire. He thought some food might help ease his headache. Artie slowly sat up, this time with his eyes closed. When he opened his eyes the room wasn't spinning quite so bad and he didn't have as strong an urge to retch. He filed that fact away for future use. He slowly stood and held on to the bed as a wave of dizziness swept over him. He grabbed his fringed riding jacket and left his room.

He was near the top of the stairs to the lobby when he stopped to stare at the man who was just leaving the hotel. Maybe my first stop tomorrow should be to a doctor. I keep seeing Jim everywhere I look! Artie jumped when he heard the hotel clerk tell his hallucination to have a good evening and come back soon! Artie blinked his eyes and stared at the closing door.

"Jim?" he whispered.

As he exited the hotel, Jim suppressed a shudder. He glanced back at the hotel but didn't see anything. He shrugged his shoulders and walked down the sidewalk.

Artie approached the clerk and leaned heavily on the counter.

"Sir, that man that just left…is he staying here at this hotel?"

"I am not at liberty to discuss that type of information," the clerk replied snidely, Artie reached over the counter and grabbed him.

"I asked you a question and I want an answer, friend. Is that man staying here?" Artie growled, scaring the clerk and turning him three shades of white.

"N…no…I heard one of them say something about a train…"

"Where is the nearest train siding?"

"The…the edge of town…there…there's a siding on the edge of town…it's about three miles from here. That's the most likely place," Artie released his hold on the clerk.

He ran outside to see if they were still on the street. His heart sank when he didn't see them. He started walking in the direction the clerk had told him the siding was. I might be hallucinating Jim but that WAS Jeremy I saw! If I keep heading in this direction I might find him. Artie plodded on past hotels and saloons.

WWWWWWWWWW

"James, are you okay?" Jeremy asked as they sat in a saloon sipping their beers.

"You aren't coming down with something are you? That's the second or third time I've seen you shiver tonight."

"I'm fine. I just keep getting the feeling that Artie's nearby and we somehow keep missing him."

"After what I saw earlier today I'm inclined to believe that, James. There's something I should tell you…" Jeremy replied hesitantly.

"What's that, Jeremy?"

"Well…earlier today I thought I saw…I'm not sure I could have been wrong…"

"Just tell me what you thought you saw and we can figure it out."

"Artemus. I thought I saw Artemus go into an alley. But when I ran across the street and looked in the alley there was no one anywhere in sight the alley was deserted."

"What? When was this? Why didn't you tell me?" Jim asked excitedly.

"I thought I saw Artemus by that alley because I wanted so badly to find him. I'm sorry, James."

"Don't worry about it, Jeremy. At least I know my feelings were correct."

"You mean the shivers?"

"Yeah. Artie is out there on the streets somewhere we just need to go find him."

Jim left his beer and quickly exited the saloon with Jeremy close on his heels. They went back to the spot Jeremy had thought he had seen Artie. Jim was thankful it was mid May and the sun stayed up longer. They were examining the alley when an elderly couple approached them in the company of none other than Willie. He pointed to Jeremy and spoke with the couple who paused and watched them. They listened to their conversation for a time as they watched them searching the alley.

"Excuse me, young man," the gentleman said, "are you looking for a man in his middle ages?" Jim stopped and starred at the man.

"Yes! He's about six feet tall, dark hair, brown eyes…and…what was he wearing, Jeremy?" Jim looked at him expectantly.

"He was wearing his burgundy suit and his fringed riding jacket."

"As a matter of fact we did. This morning in fact, when we were leaving The County Asylum wasn't it, mother?" The man turned to his wife who nodded.

"He seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere. He pushed his way between us and acted like he knew us."

"After we got outside he took my hand and kissed it and said he was sorry he couldn't stay and properly introduce himself then he took off down this alley."

"That sounds like Artemus," Jeremy smiled as Jim reached into his pocket and took out a photograph.

"If you ask me he needed to see a doctor. He didn't look too well," the lady said.

"Was this the man you saw?" Jim asked showing the photo to the couple. They both looked at the picture.

"That's him all right," the man said, "he had some bruises on his face and some swelling but that's him."

"Why would Artie not head for the local office?" Jim wondered.

"Your friend seemed like he was in a real hurry and he kept looking behind him. When those men came out of the Asylum he ran into this alley."

"Men? What men?"

"Some orderlies came out of the Asylum…said they were looking for a patient that got away," the woman said.

"Funny thing, though," the man interjected, "they never called the police in to help them look for him. That's always done when an inmate escapes. That's why I never told them where the young man ran off to."

"Are you sure about that?" Jeremy asked.

"Quite sure. Our son has been in and out of asylums for the past ten years," Jim and Jeremy exchanged worried glances.

"You know what that means, don't you, James?" Jeremy said worriedly.

"Yeah, Artie's cover was blown. Now he's out there somewhere hurt, alone and quite possibly being hunted."

"I hope you find your friend, mister. He is real lucky to have friends like you boys," the lady said.

"Thank you, ma'am but I think we are the lucky ones," Jim replied.

Jim and Jeremy turned to leave alley and head for Colonel Richmond's office…if he wasn't in they could tell them where to find him. Maybe he could help them look for Artemus without getting him into any more trouble than he already was.

WWWWWWWWWW

Artie stopped and leaned on the side of a building again. He needed to find a place to sleep before he passed out on the street. He spotted a hotel and was grateful he had not left his wallet at the previous hotel. He stared down the street at an elderly couple having a conversation with a man in the entrance to the alley. Okay, my first stop in the morning HAS to be a doctor, Jim is dead…I can't be seeing him. I've got to get a grip. But I remember that couple from this morning. My grief must be playing tricks on my mind and placing Jim everywhere I look.

Artie headed across the street to the hotel hoping he could find a boy to go to one of the local chemists or apothecary and get him something for his pain. He was about half way across the street when a voice from near the alley stopped him.

"Artie!" a familiar voice yelled.

Artie turned around to see who had called him when he saw Jim running across the street toward him,a smile on his face that quickly turned into a worried look. Artie began to walk backward, a look of horror on his face. He put his hands up in front of him as if he were warding off an enemy and screamed out at his apparition.

"Go away and leave me alone! You're dead, Jim…you're dead," Artie cried out.

Jim stopped and stared at his friend. Something is definitely not right with Artie, Jim thought as he looked at his partner.

"Artie? What are you saying? I'm not dead," Jim tried again to approach his friend.

In his blurry, swirling vision Artie saw only the ghost of his best friend and he backed away, grasping his head as his world began spinning like a whirlwind. He kept backing up as Jim advanced. He backed into the steps leading to a hotel and fell back. Instinct kicked in and Jim ran forward to help his friend. Jeremy ran across the street and joined them. Artie still had the look of shock and horror on his face along with the intense pain. Jim grabbed him and cradled his head and shoulders in his lap as he sat on the steps. Artie just stared at him, his mouth moving but no words came out.

"Artie…it's okay, you're safe now. I've got you…" Jim tried to soothe him.

"No…no…no…" Artie said, "you're not here…you're not real…you…can't be…" Jim looked at Jeremy confused.

"Let me try, James."

Jeremy took Artie in his arms and talked softly to him, it seemed to calm him down to some extent. Nothing Jeremy told him about Jim seemed to get through, however.

"Artemus, I don't know what was done to you or told to you but you've got to listen to me," Jeremy stated harshly, trying to get through to his fellow agent.

"They're dead…they're dead…all dead…" Artie whispered.

"Who's dead, Artemus?" Jeremy asked deciding it might be better to let Artie talk it out.

"All of them. The members of the cabinet…Senators…President Grant…Jim…"

"Dead? Who told you they were dead?"

"The doctor…he showed me papers…the explosion…there was an explosion…"

"Yes, Artemus. You were injured in an explosion. That was four days ago. We've been looking for you for the past four days."

"Four days? No…no…no…they told me three months. The papers said…funerals…three months…deaths…three…the papers said Grant's funeral…Jim's…I missed Jim's…"

Artie grabbed his head in agony again, the information making his head hurt. He started rocking back and forth, the images of the explosion flowing through his mind. Wait a minute WAS Jim really there? NO…Jim was on assignment with Jeremy…wasn't he? The jumbled mess was beginning to take some sort of shape in his mind.

"Jim? He's…" Artie spoke confused.

"Jim is right here, Artemus. Look at him…touch him…go on…he's real. He isn't a ghost, he isn't dead," Jeremy pulled Jim over to him.

"He isn't?"

"No, Artemus, he isn't. Believe me."

"But they told me…"

"Whoever told you that lied to you. Jim IS alive," Jeremy motioned to Jim.

"Jim?" Artie said afraid to hope it was true.

Jim grasped Artie's hand in his and squeezed. He gripped his right arm causing him to hiss and pull his arm back in pain. Jim eased his hold but never took his eyes off his partner, willing him to recognize him.

"Ouch! Hallucinations can't hurt you…you must be real," Artie hissed.

"Are you okay, Artie?" Jim asked concerned.

"If you're alive I'm doing fine," Artie beamed.

"I am, partner, I am."

"What about the President?" Artie asked hesitantly.

"President Grant?" Jeremy asked.

"Yeah…is he…"

"No, Artie, he's alive and kicking and demanding we find you," Jim smiled at him.

"Thank God," Artie sighed, "Uh…not to be pushy or anything but it's much easier to look at you if I'm sitting up," Artie closed his eyes and tried to sit up.