Peyote

A/N: This story is in the process of being re-written to make it flow better. I'd love to get your feedback, good, bad or otherwise. Enjoy.

Adios.

...

I leant back against a tree and yawned. I began spinning my knife around to try and kill the boredom of waiting. Chavez had given me the knife as we'd been leaving Lincoln the previous day.

"Sometimes Gatito, you will find a knife more reliable than iron."

I looked around at the boys, all hiding in different places. Charlie and Steve were with the horses behind a clump of trees; Chavez was a few meters to their left; Richard was to my left and slightly behind; Doc was behind a mound by the river; McCloskey on his right, and Billy was somewhere behind Richard. The fact I couldn't see him caused me mild alarm. It wasn't long before we heard the thud of hooves down the road. I ducked behind my tree as Paul Baker and Andy Morton stopped in the middle of the road. Morton got down from the saddle and walked to the edge of the road next to the trees that concealed Chavez.

Morton knelt down and picked something up. "Shit," he said turning said piece of shit in his hands.

"What's wrong?" Baker asked.

"No I mean I found some," Morton replied. "Horseshit! They came out of the Sierra Bonitas just this morning, horses been grazin' wild." He looked up at his friend "pretty good, don't ya think?"

Chavez slipped out of the trees behind Morton and placed his blade against the man's throat. "Not that good," he murmured as the rest of us made our presence known with all guns cocked and aimed at the Murphy men.

"Buenos dias, shit-heads." Richard said riding forward with Charlie and Steve on one side.

Chavez let go of Morton and stood nearby, giving off an aura of danger.

"You don't understand Dick," Baker said. "By killing Henry Hill you all started a war."

"By killing Mr. Tunstall, you all started the war Baker!" Richard fired back.

"Just the same, we're talking fifty...sixty men against your what...six or seven and one girl!" Morton leered at me. "We're with the Ring, Dick," he continued looking away from me.

Billy appeared and began to circle around Morton. "We're gonna bury you, you can believe that."

"Quiet Bonney," Richard snapped. "We're taking you to jail, no killing."

"Objection your honour!" Billy said grabbing hold of Morton's coat. "These boys are going to the grave in the name of John Tunstall."

"I said quiet, Billy," Richard was starting to loose control of Billy. "I don't need that kind of talk, the law don't talk like that."

"Yeah well, law don't kill innocent merchants now do it?" Steve argued back.

"Shut up Dirt-face," Doc replied.

"Take the son-of-a-bitches up to Capitan Mountain and blow their brains out!" Billy was getting excited and I knew this wasn't going to end well. "What do you say Steve?"

"Yeah!" Steve agreed with a huge grin on his face.

"Hey Billy, easy."

I glared at McCloskey as he stepped in front of Billy.

"Dick, I don't think we should go by way of South Road."

"Why's that?"

"Well, I think Murphy will be watching the trail ends with ambushes," McCloskey continued. "I think we should go straight through to Lincoln."

Suspicion flared when I saw McCloskey look past Billy and lock eyes with Morton.

"Hey I saw that," Billy said clearly seeing what I did.

"What? What did ya see? What did ya see?" Charlie asked nervously looking from Billy to McCloskey.

"He knows what I just saw." Billy advanced on McCloskey and backed him up, right into Doc.

"Where's the ambush McCloskey?" Billy asked. "In Lincoln? You're trying to steer us away from Capitan so your men, MURPHY'S MEN!, can jump us in Lincoln!"

I knew I'd been right in my estimation of McCloskey.

Richard now joined in. "Billy what are you talking about? McCloskey's with us, he's a Regulator."

"Yeah but he used to ride with Murphy, that's what I'm saying." Billy was refusing to look at Richard.

"That was a long time ago!" Richard was getting mad now.

"HE'S A SPY!" Billy yelled glaring in Richard's direction.

"He's been with us, we made a pact," Richard growled. "Right McCloskey?"

The man in question seemed nervous. "Right, Jesus Billy, come on," he held out his hand.

While Billy stared at the offered hand, Morton tried edging closer to Charlie and Steve who halted his movement by raising their shotguns.

"Ah shit, I'm sorry McCloskey," Billy sighed. He put his gun away and took the outstretched hand.

"It's alright," McCloskey replied with a shaky breath. "You're all upset about John and..."

"Sorry I didn't sniff you out sooner you god-damned traitor!" Billy cut off McCloskey's reply by putting a bullet through his forehead.

"BILLY!" Richard yelled a second too late.

"Jesus!" Charlie looked panicked as Billy shot McCloskey in the stomach for good measure.

Baker and Morton tried to run for it. Chavez's knife lodged in between Baker's shoulders and he slipped off his horse to landed in a heap on the ground. Billy began firing at Morton.

Doc raised his rifle and shot Morton in the shoulder. "Get that son-of-a-bitch!" he yelled to Steve.

Steve fired a round and Morton fell into a bush and moved no more.

"Court adjourned," Billy said with a smile.

"Moron! you're out of line you son-of-a-bitch." Richard was incensed.

"Richard he was right," Doc replied wiping at the blood and brains on his face. "McCloskey was acting strange."

I look around at the bodies and the sight of McCloskey with the back of his head missing made me so nauseous I missed the rest of the conversation, as I was too busy heaving my guts up by the river. I felt a hand on my back and looked up to find Chavez next to me; concern evident on his face.

"Are you alright, Gatito?" he asked.

I wiped my mouth and got shakily to my feet. "I am now."

"Is she okay to ride Chavez?" Richard asked.

"Yes, I believe so," Chavez replied helping me into my saddle.

Richard seemed relieved. "Okay everybody, skin up the river now!" he ordered spurring his horse forwards.

…

That evening while Richard cooked supper Doc read the newspaper out loud. He read something regarding Billy and I saw Richard spit on the ground and grumble under his breath. I was seated on my bed roll next to the fire, still feeling a little queasy, when Doc mentioned the name John Kinney.

"Oh great, John Kinney." Charlie wasn't happy and I agreed with his sentiment.

"Who's Kinney?" Billy asked confused.

Doc read a bit more of the paper. "It says here that he's an ex-soldier who suffered an injury and is now a bounty hunter."

"Well what does that mean?" Steve asked.

"It means he can whoop some ass," Charlie sighed.

"How are you feeling now Jackie?" Richard asked looking me over.

"Much better, thank you," I replied with a smile. I was soon keeping an eye on supper while Richard went to have a private talk with Doc about where we were headed next, so I didn't realise right away that Chavez had returned from his solo foraging trip; his hat full of some strange cactus-looking thing.

After supper Chavez painted his face like a skull and made a drink from the things he's collected. He told us how drinking this mixture would help us find the right way to go and lead the way by taking a sip.

"Oh Christ Chavez that's all we need," Steve complained. "More of your red-ass Navajo mambo-jahambo, we're running out of time here."

The cup was passed to Billy.

"Is that any good?" Charlie asked.

Billy replied with a cough.

"Chavez, what is that?" Charlie asked apprehensively.

"Peyote," Chavez replied with no explanation.

The cup was passed around the group with everyone, besides Richard, taking a sip. The effects of the peyote were different for all of us. Charlie was wandering around muttering "this is great" over and over. Doc was mumbling about butterflies and flowers, Billy had stuck flowers in his hat and was throwing his gun around, Steve was running about yelling about chickens and randomly firing his shotgun; almost hitting Doc on one occasion and Chavez was standing on a hill above us meditating.

My reaction was the strangest thing that had ever happened to me. As I looked at the boys I could see different colours surrounding them. Doc, Chavez and Charlie had a pale red, Steve and Richard had very pale pink and Billy had bright red. I figured these colours showed me how much I cared about each of them; the stronger the colour meaning the more I cared about him. Billy having the brightest surprised me but deep in my heart I agreed with the pretty colours.

…

"Regulators! Saddle up!" Richard ordered, clearly having had enough of our nonsense.

Chavez leapt onto his horse with a cry. A wide eyed Charlie climbed slowly into his saddle and held the reigns of Billy's horse; who Billy was mounting backwards. Steve began mumbling to his horse before accidentally firing his shotgun.

"Godless heathens," Richard said with a shake of his head. He looked around to make sure we were all there, in body at any rate, before starting down the trail.

As we passed through a Reservation I kept glancing around nervously. The peyote had worn off and I was feeling jumpy. I rode close to Billy, who was still backwards, and Chavez and vowed never to drink strange cactus juice again.

"Hey Chavez, how come they ain't killin' us?" Charlie asked.

"We're in the spirit world asshole," Steve replied. "They can't see us!"

I smiled and rode up real close to Billy; he flashed me a wide grin when he realised and I felt a flutter in my stomach. It was then I realised my heart had been true and I was falling hard and fast for Billy. "I think I love you," I whispered leaning close to him.

His smile broadened. "I told you I would soften you up," he chuckled and pulled a flower from his hat. He kissed it and handed it to me, his blue eyes sparkling in the sun.