Harvey Miller motioned to Jonas to climb up onto the mule in the stall at the livery stable. "Where are you taking me?" Jonas growled as he looked at Miller with Newly's gun.

"Somewhere and if you want to get there still conscious, then do as I say. I don't want to hurt you Jonas, but I will if I have too," Miller stated. The man's voice was cold and calculated.

Jonas swallowed and carefully climbed up onto the mule. He wasn't fond of horses, unless they were pulling a wagon or buggy. Riding bareback was even more foreign to him. "Come on Jonas. Move!" Miller jabbed him in the back with the gun. Jonas shot a glaring look over his shoulder, "You really think you are going to get away with this?"

"With what? I'm just using you," Miller said with a leering smile on his lips.

Jonas didn't say another word. Instead his mind raced as he wondered what Miller was planning. Once seated on the mule, Miller pulled the reins from the post and climbed up behind the store owner. With a quick jab of his heels Ruth jumped forward with a snort. Jonas held on for dear life as Miller rode the mule out of Dodge.

Jonas looked back. He wanted to yell for help but nothing came from his mouth. Soon the two men were cloaked in the cold of the night and the foreboding dankness.

The men rode for almost an hour. Miller pulled hard on the reins and Ruth halted. There was enough moonlight that Jonas could more or less make out that they were in front of the old sliver mine. "Why are we here?"

"Shut up and get off the mule," Miller said as he slid off Ruth and pointed to the entrance of the mine. Jonas slowly plodded his way to the mine. He continuously glanced back over his shoulder and could see the moonlight glistening on the barrel of the gun.

Miller fished around in his pocket for a key and then thrust it into Jonas' hand. "Unlock the door," Miler growled. "And hurry up!"

Jonas nervously worked the locked and opened the door. The most ungodly smell greeted him causing him to gag and cover his mouth and nose, "What is that smell?" Jonas looked at Miller.

"Hum. Likely that idiot that cheated me at poker one night?" Miller laughed.

"What happened to him?" Jonas tried to peer into the dark cave.

"I shot him after a fight," Miller said straight out. "Now if you don't get in there, you'll meet him at the "Pearly Gates", so you better move," Miller gabbed at Jonas again with the gun. "And give back the key," he held out his hand.

"But, I'll freeze to death!" Jonas stated.

"Yeah, you might. I think there's a lantern in there somewhere that might keep you warm. You just better do a whole bunch of hopin' and prayin' that you have good friends," Miller laughed as he slammed the heavy wooden door shut and locked it.

Miller quickly gathered Ruth's reins and headed back to town.

Jonas stood in the darkness. The smell was making his stomach churn. The store owner turned into the darkened cave and tried not to throw up. He really wanted to find the lantern. Carefully he walked and inched his way along. He looked back at the door and could see a hint of moonlight through cracks. Jonas kept his eyes on the light as he took another step, unfortunately something caught his foot and he lurched forward to the ground.

Jonas groaned and rolled to his side. He wonder if he'd tripped over a log. He pushed himself to his knees, favouring his left arm. With his right arm out he worked his way back to what tripped him with hopes that he could start a fire.

Jonas moved his hand back and forth until he touched something. The store owner gasped and pulled his hand back quickly. Whatever it was he touched had hair and it didn't move.

Jonas scrambled to his feet and moved to the door and in doing so walked into the lantern that hung from a hook in the wall of the cave. It must have been the one that Miller had mentioned. Jonas reached out and steadied the lantern as it rocked back and forth.

The store owner then searched his pockets for a match.

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Clarence Cox had made it most of the way to Dodge, but decided that a night in the bush wasn't such a bad thing. He needed to rest and then in the morning nip into Dodge and grad his things and high-tail it out of there on his mule. He wasn't liking the idea of giving up on finding Isaac Talbot, but if it got him out of Dodge and more trouble then that is what he'd do.

Cox gathered some twigs by moonlight and heaped them together. He found some dried moss and some smaller twigs to sue as kindling. Cox used his metal strike and flint to get a spark. Carefully he bundled the glowing spark into the moss and blew on it until it ignited. He placed the small flaming bundle on some twigs and added more as the fire grew.

Cox sat back and watched the flame. His mind wandered back to Isaac Talbot. He remembered the good times they had together trapping and the adventures that they experienced.

Clarence then frowned. He never understood why after all the years he and Isaac trapped that his partner would all of a sudden steal his share of money and leave without a word.

Clarence began to put pieces of the puzzle together and traced his steps which brought him to the here and now - in the middle of the woods, somewhere outside of Dodge City in the middle of January. "Damn you Isaac," Cox balled up his right fist and slammed it into his left palm. "I sware, if I catch up to you I'll choke the living daylights out of you!" Cox grumbled.

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Jonas' stomach continued to churn at the smell in the mine. He finally found the matches he had. There were only three. Jonas lit the first one and looked over to see what he tripped over. There in the middle of the mine was a man - a mummified man. Jonas gasped and dropped the match.

The store owner's heart was pounding in his chest. He struck the second match and lifted it to the lantern only to have a quick gust of wind blow it out.

Jonas' shoulders sagged. He took the lantern off the hook and knelt down. He couldn't see the light through the door anymore but he knew where it was. He repositioned himself and drew a deep breath as he struck the third and final match. Carefully he cupped his hands around it so that the flame could burn the small match stick.

Slowly Jonas placed the lit match to the wick. The lantern's amber glow lit up the mine. Jonas swallowed as he now tried to face the dead man. As he turned, he looked and studied the dead man. There was something oddly familiar about him, but Jonas couldn't put his finger on it.