Author's Note: Thank you for the review's, faves and follows after the last chapter. I thoroughly appreciate it. I have decided that from this chapter onward, Gene's role in the story will be in an 'as needed' fashion only. I hope you will understand. *****This chapter is rather violent so please use caution before reading. *****
Chapter 11
Everything happened so fast.
Miles and Nora had been fast on Bass' heels toward Charlie when they heard Lara Mitchell's scream; they both stopped to see that one of their men had just fallen after having his throat slashed. Lara was thrown to the ground and Nora took aim at the man standing above her; the shot was clean through the chest and as he fell he landed partially on Lara, baby Paige's mom, who screamed once again. Miles ran over to her and got her up and told her to run to the wagons as he began shooting at the onslaught of men.
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Charlie stood up off the blanket, the pain having subsided for a moment and ran to the wagon to get her crossbow. Most of the adults were firing their weapons or running around screaming but some of the younger children just stood there, frozen in the melee'…screaming for their mommy's and daddy's.
Charlie saw Hayley a few feet away, Paige in her arms, and screamed to her- the girl ran to her.
"Here, take this," Charlie said, handing her knife, "get in the wagon with the baby and hide under a blanket; if anyone attacks, use it. Do not hesitate!"
Hayley simply nodded, in a state of shock. "Now Go!" Charlie shouted at her. She ran to the wagon just as a clansman approached- Charlie took aim with her pistol and shot him squarely in the head.
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Bass had been on his way to Charlie but when the screaming started he began firing his gun- he took out five men within seconds. He turned to look at Charlie once again and saw her shoot the man and saw that she had her crossbow. As he slowly worked his way back towards her he kept shooting. When he ran out of ammo he took out his swords.
"Are you okay for now?" he shouted at Charlie.
She screamed, "Yes!"
Suddenly a man swung at him with a mallet- Bass dodged the hit and stabbed the man squarely in the chest.
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Rob Colson had just picked up his son, Sam, when the screaming and shooting began. He ran to his wagon and put Sam in the back and told him to hide- he grabbed his rifle and began shooting at the approaching men.
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The people of Woodbury were all armed but hardly any of them had ever experienced hand to hand combat; in this, they were sorely outnumbered. As their ammo ran low they started fighting with whatever they could find- some of them taking the weapon's off of the men they had just shot.
The problem was the clansmen were doing the same thing- and retrieving guns from the people they killed. Slowly they began making headway into the camp as people fell against their never-ending onslaught.
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Miles had just fired his last shot of ammo and began sword fighting. He grabbed a little girl, so frightened she couldn't even scream, just as one of the men was about to swing his bat at her; with the young girl in one arm he swung his sword with the other and took off the man's arm. Blood spurted from the hole where his arm used to be and he ran screaming in the other direction. The young child buried her face in Miles' neck and hung on for dear life.
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Emma scanned the landscape searching desperately for her children and her husband; she spotted Becca ten yards away from her, along with two other girls. As she ran to them a big burly man picked up one of them and held her over his head- he smiled wickedly at Emma as he did this and the girl screamed and flailed her arms and legs wildly. Emma was just about to shoot when an arrow hit the man from the side…right underneath his heart- Charlie was standing a ways behind her having just taken the shot.
The man fell to the ground along with the child and she fell hard; she was barely conscious afterward- Emma picked her up, grabbed Becca and the other girl and led them to the wagon Hayley was already in.
"Hide," was all she said to a shivering Becca.
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Nora was almost out of ammo when she heard a woman screaming a few yards away from behind a bush. She snuck up to find a man on top of the woman- he had already ripped her pants from her and was about to pull down his own when Nora came up upon them. When the guy saw Nora he grinned; she pulled her gun out and shot him in the head. When the other woman, Maddie, got up Nora handed her a knife and told her to get back to the wagons.
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Rob was shooting his gun left and right not always hitting his mark- truth be told the man was panicked. He had never been in a situation like this before and except for Sam he didn't know where his family was. He was desperate to find them. Sam had climbed out of the wagon wanting so much to help his dad- at four years old there was little he could do but he was terrified hiding in the wagon by himself.
Rob had just run out of bullets and pulled out his knife as a guy approached him swinging a mallet. Rob dodged the first few blows but the next one got him in the arm, causing him to drop his knife.
Just then Sam ran forward trying to get the knife for his dad; when Rob saw him he yelled, "Noooo!" and pushed Sam out of the way.
The crushing blow that landed alongside Rob's head killed him instantly and he fell to the ground without as much as a whimper.
Sam, still on the ground from his father's push grew eyes the size of an owls as he stared at his unmoving father; he did not even notice the man approaching him now.
He didn't lift his head or bat an eye as a sword ran through the man who had just taken his father's life. Miles would regret for the rest of his life that he hadn't gotten there a moment sooner- that he hadn't spared the boy the sight of watching his dad die right in front of him.
Miles, who was still carrying the little girl, put her in the wagon and then picked up a shell-shocked Sam. Not knowing what else to do, he kissed the boys temple and put him inside the wagon next to the girl.
"Hide in here- I will protect you," he said.
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Charlie took aim at an approaching clansman when the pain took over her body once more; she doubled over, unable to move. She had been grabbing kids and putting them in the wagon, along with Emma- but she knew she couldn't do this much longer.
The man reached her, laughing, and pushed her to the ground; he straddled her when Emma jumped onto his back. With one easy shove he threw Emma to the ground near the wagon, her head smacking the wheel, leaving her unconscious.
The guy began laughing even harder and reached under Charlie's coat to rip at her pants. All the sudden he stopped and stared at her…he lifted her coat away from her swollen abdomen and when he looked back at her the glint in his eyes sent shivers down Charlie's spine.
He rocked back on his heels, threw his head back and made this loud, keening wail that pierced through the air around them- and just for a second it seemed as if time stood still…every other clansman looked their way…and then they all began making the same loud wail. "Ayyyyyy-eeeeee!" came from their voices and Charlie was quite sure she had never felt more fear in her entire life. She could not think. She could not move.
Just then a sword ran through the man's chest and Bass was there…oh thank God, Charlie thought, Bass. He shoved the man off of her with kicks to the head and chest and then he picked her up and placed her in the wagon with the kids.
"Bass…Emma," Charlie pointed. He picked up Emma as well, who was still unconscious and he grabbed the reins of the wagon as he jumped up into the seat. Just for a split second, he looked around…and what he saw chilled him to the very core. All of the clansmen were looking in their direction or trying to head their way.
With a flick of the wrist he had the horses moving and they turned around and started off again at full speed…to try and make it back to Willoughby. Flame's instincts kicked in and she took off right behind them, always staying by her owner's sides.
A boy ran up to her, trying to jump on her and make his escape; but Flame was too fast for him and the boy looked injured. Bass saw this and signaled to his beloved mare. Flame stopped and let the boy on before taking off again after Bass.
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Miles and Nora had both seen the reactions on the clansmen's faces when the man had wailed over Charlie and they both knew what it meant; they had found out she was pregnant.
Miles watched in horror as some of them grabbed horses to follow Bass and the wagon carrying Charlie out of the ravine. The anger and rage that erupted in him was unlike anything he had ever felt before- a surge of protectiveness that sent his adrenaline into overdrive.
He told the two children in the wagon that he would be right back and he ran after a man who had just jumped onto a horse in the wake of the message that had been relayed. He jumped at the man and grabbed hold of one of his legs and pulled him off the horse and onto the ground. He punched the man over and over until he couldn't see straight, blood splattering up at him as the man's face turned to mush. Finally, it was Nora who stopped him and woke him from his manic, brutal attack.
"Miles, there are more…they're getting away!" she screamed.
She had found a rifle still in one of the saddle's and took aim at the men who had gotten away. One….then two….and three she took down but still three were now too far out of aim and were chasing Bass and Charlie in the wagon.
Miles took the rifle from her. "Go guard those children in the wagon…get the other's in there- I'll be back!" He ran to a horse and took off after the men on horses.
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The little boy on Flame…Colin, was only thirteen and became terrified as he saw the approaching men. Flame ran ever faster but one of the men had a gun and was taking aim…only not at the boy but at Bass.
Bass was the one they wanted- taking out Bass was the way to get to Charlie. Charlie was sitting up at this point watching them and whistling Flame to go faster. She was having the pain in her abdomen every few minutes or so now but she got her crossbow ready and took aim at the man closest to reaching Colin…not to mention, Bass.
The ride was super bumpy but Charlie had fought in so many different conditions' she was able to adjust quickly- she took aim…and fired! Her bolt hit the man in the stomach and he looked down, as if in shock, and then fell off the side of the horse.
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Miles quickly caught up to the men who had followed Charlie and Bass and took aim at the one closest to him; he got off a shot, hitting the man in the side.
The guy looked shocked and turned around and pointed a pistol at Miles- he took aim just as Miles tried to dodge him and got him in the shoulder.
Charlie screamed as she watched Miles fall.
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Nora was screaming for everyone to come guard the wagon while at the same time, grabbing children and taking them to it. She figured their best bet was to form a circle around it with their backs to it- that way they could defend the kids while also fighting together in a pack.
Those who heard her came running, some carrying children to the back of the wagon. They stood their ground guarding the children ready to fight to the death in order to protect them.
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Miles slowly got up off the ground; his shirt was bloodstained but the wound looked worse than it was- as clansmen approached him he took each of them on, the adrenaline still coursing through his veins and pumping him with strength and determination and sheer will.
He fought like he had in his younger days and killed one right after the other determined to not let them follow Charlie- some finally ran off in the other direction; sure they would die up against this feral enemy.
There were still some shells in the rifle and he ran back to camp ready to finish this thing.
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Bass turned around to see Charlie doubled over and trying not to scream.
"Hayley!" he yelled towards the girl, "come take the reins!"
Hayley got up and slowly made it over to the seat and climbed over. He handed her the rein's and said, "Try to stay low but don't slow down, okay?"
She nodded.
He watched as the man Miles had shot at fell behind ever slightly but still making his way towards them, the other one fast on his heels. He took the crossbow from Charlie and aimed…he got the wounded man in the chest right at the base of the throat. The man fell backward and off the horse he went.
The second man was taking aim at him- Bass pushed Charlie down and ducked and the shot missed them but grazed poor Hayley along the side. The young girl screamed and pitched forward falling into the footrest of the wagon- her head dangled over the horses as she lay there dazed and in shock.
Bass hurriedly rushed up to her and pulled her back in so that she was lying underneath the seat. The guy on the horse was taking aim again but Bass grabbed his hunting knife, took aim, and threw it so hard and so fast that it hit the man just as he was taking the shot; the shot went wild and the man fell off his horse, dead.
Bass looked around cautiously; he didn't want to stop but he needed those weapons off the dead men- when he saw no one else around he stopped the wagon. He jumped down quickly and took Charlie's crossbow from her; he quickly ran back to the dead men and grabbed their pistols and knives. As he ran back to the wagon he grabbed a terrified Colin off of Flame and put him in the wagon and told him to stay down; the poor boy was shaking and had wet his pants.
"You're gonna be all right," Bass said to him before quickly going back up front. He carefully picked up Hayley and moved her to the back. Charlie put the girls head in her lap- it was clear she was in shock and pain and so Charlie covered her with a blanket and tried to calm her in between her own shocks of pain.
Bass was back on the wagon and as quick as a flash they were headed back down the road again as Flame followed…back towards home.
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Miles made it back to the camp and saw that they had formed a circle; there were still nearly a dozen clansmen left who were fighting with the townspeople. Nora, who was the most skilled fighter, was trying to take on most of them while the others backed her up and guarded the children.
Miles took aim with the rifle and began shooting—within a minute or less he had shot down half a dozen of the men and now was out of bullets. He started running towards the rest, swords raised and howling like Mel Gibson in the movie Braveheart. Between him and Nora they handily took care of the remaining men.
Afterwards, they counted thirty-one dead townspeople out of eighty-six who had left Willoughby that morning. There were more than forty dead clansmen, not even the counting the ones out on the road that Bass had just travailed.
The remaining townspeople were either crying, panicked or in shock; most a bit of all three.
"We have to get out of here; we don't know if there are any more coming," Miles said. "Look around, not every one of ours may be dead…some may only be wounded. Also retrieve any and all weapons for our trip home…Hurry!"
Miles himself walked around to each clansman making sure they were dead; those who weren't were promptly stabbed in the heart.
Nora found a group of three children hiding behind a large boulder. "It's okay," she coaxed soothingly; "you're safe now. Come with me." They took her extended hand and walked back with her, some of them reuniting with parents who picked them up and held them and cried. There were also reunions between children and adults in the wagon; but not all of them had a parent to run to. Little Sam Colson looked around, bewildered and panicked, not knowing what to make of the situation. Miles saw him and felt a deep pang of sadness for the young boy; he walked over to him and picked him up.
"Your mama went with your friend, Bass…you remember Bass, right?" Sam slowly nodded. "Well, how 'bout you stick with me until we get home okay?" The little boy didn't speak, only nodded, and then buried his face in Mile's shirt.
"Miles, you're hurt," Nora said. She tore off a piece of clothing from one of the dead men and wrapped Miles' shoulder while he still held onto Sam.
"It looks worse than it is, Nora," he said. "We've got to unload some of these wagons in order to get everyone back- some of these people are in too much shock to make it back by horse on their own- and a lot of them are wounded."
"Yea, you're right…did Charlie and Bass make it out okay?" she asked.
"I tried to take out those guys- got a side shot on one of 'em but then he shot me! But if I know Bass…and I do know Bass…those guys are dead by now…so yea, I'm sure they made it out okay," he tried to smile.
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Bass had driven the wagon nearly five miles down the road when Emma regained consciousness. She looked around bewildered, saw Becca and hugged her tightly to her…Charlie's heart ached for her as she now saw her searching for Sam and Rob.
"Emma, they're back with Miles and Nora…I'm sure they're okay," Charlie tried.
A panicked Emma started to cry and then scream for her little boy and her husband and then began to jump out of the wagon.
"Emma, no!" Charlie screamed.
Emma jumped but landed wrong and sprained her ankle- Becca was still in the wagon screaming for her mama.
Bass stopped the wagon and climbed down; he picked up Emma who started to throw her fists at him, shouting, "No! I have to find my baby boy!"
Bass put her down in the wagon and held her in place. "We can't go back, Emma. Something's wrong with Charlie…Hayley's injured…you're injured…I'm sorry, we can't go back."
Emma stared at him with such anger on her face that he felt sure she was going to hit him full in the face. However, she remained still and quieted down, grabbing her daughter to her side and softly sobbing.
It was mid-afternoon by this point and Bass wanted to make it back to town before darkness…which was coming earlier by the day. He jumped back up on the wagon with a nod to Charlie and they were off once again. Charlie was now holding the baby, Paige, and softly singing to try and calm her. The young boy, Colin, sat next to her trying to relax and holding the baby's hand.
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By late afternoon Miles' group had cleared off three wagons to transport everybody back to town. No one seemed to care about personal items being left behind; at this point it was enough to be alive and all of them were still so tense and afraid it might happen again- they just wanted to be on the road.
One of the wagons carried the wounded; they would've liked to transport their dead back to town but they were too afraid to risk the time it would take loading them up and hauling them back. They would need to come back with more people and more weapons. They only hoped that the bodies would still be there when they returned; the odds of it were not good. Either the other clans would come take them in revenge or animals would get to them.
The other two wagons were filled with adults and children who sat on their laps or clung to them like ivy- everyone wrapped themselves and the kids in blankets as they were all shivering out of shock and the cool air.
Miles wrapped Sam into a blanket and climbed up onto his horse with him in front; he latched the boy to him with rope just in case. Nora climbed onto her horse and this time she brought up the rear of the caravan while Miles was out in front. The horses without riders were tied to chains of rope which Nora carried and they travelled behind her. They weren't about to leave any behind for any more clansmen to find and chase after them with.
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Most of the children had fallen asleep and Charlie moved up in the wagon bed so that her back was against Bass' seat; she made sure everyone was covered in a blanket and swaddled Paige and laid her down between her legs. The baby was now sleeping soundly, although it had taken awhile as she was very hungry.
They all were.
It was late afternoon and they were still about five miles away from home; there had been no further sign of the clan's but both Charlie and Bass continued to be on high alert. Emma was now going in and out of sleep softly mumbling to herself; Charlie guessed she was in a state of shock.
Charlie's pain was more infrequent but still terribly painful- she tried to relax in between telling herself she had no bleeding and began softly talking to the baby, telling him or her that it would be okay and to try and rest.
Bass listened and his heart filled with pain; he was a man capable of so many things but this was one thing he had no control over- if he could take away whatever was causing his wife and child this pain he would in a heartbeat- but all he could do was get them home…and hope beyond all hope that everything would be all right.
"Baby, how you doing?" he whispered to her.
"Honey, it hurts like a bitch," she tried to laugh, knowing there was no use in lying to him, "But they're coming farther apart now…I think that's a good sign."
"Okay, well just hang in there, k? I love you so much, baby…we'll be home soon," he said, trying to calm her as well as himself; because truth be told, he was frantic and knew he would not rest until he had her home and had some reassurance from Gene…at least he hoped there would be reassurance's.
Charlie reached up with her hand and squeezed his upper arm silently conveying to him that she was still here, still okay and that she trusted him to get them all home safe and sound.
"I hope Miles and Nora and everyone are okay," she said quietly, looking at Emma.
"Yea, me too," Bass said.
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Miles knew by the nip in the air that it was going to be a very cold night- with most of these folks already in shock, he thought, they had to get back to Willoughby soon.
When unloading the wagon's to make room for everyone they had kept the picnic baskets of food that had been made for dinner; no one wanted to stop so they ate while they rode. They shared apples, jerky and some cured, smoked ham.
Sam wouldn't eat and was soon asleep in Miles' arms- he thought about everything the young boy had seen and witnessed that day…much more than any child ever should. He wondered if Sam would remember seeing his father die or if his young mind would black it out, protecting him from the memory- Miles hoped for the latter.
So far they hadn't encountered any more problems although it was slow going, the horses already exhausted from a long day of hauling, first furniture and belongings and now people. Miles almost wanted to stop and change the horses with the un-ridden ones Nora was handling but he was too nervous about surprise attacks. Stopping to exchange them could be timely and would make an already anxious group even more so.
He chose to keep riding.
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Bass pulled up to the gates of Willoughby just as the sun was beginning its descent into the western sky; he hoped Miles wasn't far behind. Jeff and Jim Jensen were guarding the gate and began shouting for help and for someone to get Andy while they pulled open the gate. They could tell just by the sight of them that something was wrong.
Bass brought the wagon in quickly shouting, "Where's Gene?" Just then Gene and Marion came out of her bar along with everyone else who was inside. Bass motioned to Gene and Andy and both men ran over. "Clans attacked us almost fifteen miles out- we managed to get away but I don't know about the others. When we left there were plenty still alive and fighting."
"We'll send a search party," Andy said.
"It's too late," Bass said, the sun already beginning to set. "It'll be dark soon- you'll never make it in time. Miles and Nora are strong fighters- I think they were getting the upper hand when we left…hopefully…hopefully, they won't be far behind us." He then lowered his voice so only the two men could hear, "tighten up security, Andy. The clans may have followed us here…they know," he hesitated, "they know Charlie is pregnant."
"Oh my God," Andy breathed, being one of the few people in town who knew what this meant.
"That's why I had to get her out of there…I didn't want to leave them behind…but Charlie's having problems, Gene…severe pain- it's killing her…and…and Hayley was grazed by a bullet and Emma has a concussion…maybe even some of the kids…everyone's in shock," all of the sudden Bass felt exhaustion wash over him.
"Bring everyone down to the house so I can take a look at everyone," Gene said, reassuringly, "I'm right behind you."
Bass rode on down to Gene's while Andy went to talk to the men and women standing around wondering what they should do. He had his deputy go to the other end of town to alert the guards down there and fire three warning shots into the air- the warning sign to farmer's that there was danger and they should head to town.
As Bass pulled up in front of Gene's house it was getting dark- he knew the horses were too tired to move and didn't bother tying them up after he hopped down off the wagon. He went to Charlie to pick her up and she refused.
"No, take Hayley first…she's unconscious. Take her up to Grandpa's exam room- he needs to look at her first." Bass started to argue with him but she stopped him, "I've made it this long, I can wait a little longer." She told Colin to follow Bass inside and start lighting the lanterns and candles indoors- she told him where the matches should be. She slowly edged herself to the end of the wagon, holding baby Paige; she was in between cramps so she climbed down and then helped the rest of the kids down. She told Becca to wait with her mom, who was still out of it, and to wait for Bass.
Bass ran out and took the baby from Charlie's arms- he took hold of Charlie's elbow and helped her inside to the living room. He started to lead her to the couch but she said no, to bring Emma to the couch. Bass went to get her and laid her carefully down upon it, Becca staying glued to her mother's side.
It had been warmer during the day and the windows were still open since Gene had been at the bar; Bass went around closing and locking them all, even drawing the curtains. He wanted nothing to do with the outside world for the rest of the night.
Gene and Marion entered the house then and proceeded upstairs to work on Hayley. Some of the townspeople followed them in and began helping in any way they could. Some went upstairs and some stayed downstairs to help with everyone down there. One woman took Paige to relieve Charlie.
"Did…Lara make it?" the woman asked.
"I don't know," Charlie answered honestly. Just then another abdominal cramp took over her body and she clenched herself to keep from screaming. Bass ran over and took hold of her hand. She squeezed it so hard he knew she was suffering badly.
When it finally subsided another of the women spoke. "It could be Braxton-hicks," she offered hopefully.
"What?" Bass and Charlie both asked together.
"Braxton-hicks…false labor; I got them with both my kids. They're usually nothing to worry about," she said, hoping to reassure the very pale couple.
Emma became conscious again and began quietly sobbing; Becca hugged her mom and held on tightly. She sat up on the sofa and some of the other women went to comfort her.
An elderly man in the room noticed how all the children were shivering. "Hey, Colin," he called the young boy, "how 'bout you help me build a fire- get everybody warmed up in here." Colin hadn't spoken much but seemed happy to have more to do; his parents and brother had been some of the ones left behind and he was scared he would cry if he stopped moving. His mom had been the one who got him to run to Flame to get out of the ravine; he had twisted his ankle while running to her but didn't seem to notice the pain in the state he was in.
As the fire started burning the other children gathered around it, huddling together in their shared state of exhaustion and shock. Bass brought out blankets and the women rolled them out onto the floor in front of the burning wood and the kids laid down- including Colin; and within minutes, they were all asleep. The elderly man, Mac, covered them all up under a big quilt sewn by Charlie's grandmother.
Gene came downstairs just as Hayley's father rushed through the front door. "She's okay, she's okay," he reassured Alex Mayhew, "she was grazed by a bullet along the side of her hip and leg…the wound was not deep but she needed fifteen stitches to sew it up. I gave her something to help ease the pain and help her relax- she's sleeping now and I put her upstairs in my room. Marion will take you to her now." Marion led him upstairs where he stayed by his daughters side all night long, sitting in Gene's rocking chair.
"Charlie, let me examine you," Gene came towards her.
"No, Grandpa, examine Emma- she's got a concussion…and is…upset," Charlie said. "One of the little girls has a concussion also- she was….dropped…by one of the men."
The townspeople gasped.
"Charlie, come on," Bass tried, "You need to be looked at…now- you have been in serious pain."
"And I will…after Emma," she reassured him. Bass exhaled, exasperated with her, knowing it was useless to argue.
Gene looked at him and then asked both of them, "Do we know where the rest of their family is?" he motioned towards Emma.
"No," Charlie whispered.
He went over to Emma and examined her right on the couch. "She has a severe concussion and will need to be monitored all night long," he said to the women sitting with her. "I'm going to give her something to relax but one of you will need to wake her every four hours- and if I'm not up each time come get me." They all nodded. They made her comfortable on the couch and wrapped her in a blanket. Becca refused to leave her side but was so tired she could barely sit up- they finally resolved to put a blanket for her to sleep on right next to Emma but on the floor and just like the others, she was asleep within moments.
"Charlie, let's get you upstairs so I can examine you now," Gene said.
Charlie started to protest about the other young girl with a concussion but Bass stopped her. "She's sleeping now, Charlie; Gene can examine her after you." He looked at her but she wouldn't meet his eyes. "Hey…I know you're scared- I am too…but we need to find out what's wrong- for both you and the baby's sake."
Charlie finally met his eyes- she had fresh tears in the corners of both, which now slid down her cheeks, "Okay."
Bass kissed her cheek and lifted her up into his arms- as he carried her upstairs she tried to joke, "Don't drop me."
He looked at her, happy she made the effort. "I'll try very hard," he quirked.
Gene examined her and agreed it was Braxton-hicks. "You were nauseated this morning? Charlie, you should've said something," he looked at her.
"I thought it was just nerves," she cried. "I thought it would pass- and then when the cramps started they were light at first…I thought it was gas. Emma said she used to get it too. So I tried to walk it off," she looked at Bass, regret in her eyes.
"It's okay, Charlotte…you're safe and you and the baby are okay," he stroked her cheek. "You need rest now baby…I'll stay with you- least until the pain subsides."
He and Gene helped her to their bedroom; after Gene left Bass helped her undress and into bed. She couldn't believe how sore she was but as soon as the tension from being so scared subsided it all settled in- every muscle and bone in her body hurt. Gene had given her something to relax, hoping it would stop the labor pains. She settled into the bed slowly and rested her head down on the pillow.
Bass removed his boots but left on the rest of his clothing, knowing he'd have to get up later and help with things. He settled in beside her and she snuggled in close to him- they both felt cold…not just cold from the cool air moving in…but a chill from deep within their very core from all they had witnessed that day. Both of them knew that for as long as they lived, they would always remember how that felt; it was something they would never completely escape from.
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Miles' group was still about seven miles from Willoughby- it had been a very long day and he was anxious to get these people back to town and then climb into bed for a long night's sleep; that is if one could be had.
He knew this was far from over; those clan asshole's had found out Charlie was pregnant and judging by the look in their eyes they would stop at nothing to get to her. He could just kill Blanchard for putting them all in this screwed up situation, with no Ranger's for the next couple weeks—although, one good thing- Blanchard was expecting them all in Austin tonight. When they failed to arrive it would send an alarm bell to the old buzzard and he better answer, Miles thought.
He had tried to talk to Sam but the kid wasn't talking- Miles couldn't blame him after what he'd been through. He felt terrible for the boy- no kid should ever have to witness their parent being murdered. It's a horrible world we now live in, he thought to himself, as he looked at the small figure in his arms.
Nora was so tired and achy she'd give anything to be in a warm bed…with Miles. Even the thought of sitting in one of the wagons sounded good to her right about now- at least she'd have back support. It felt like it was slow going and it was- they were not making very good time- the horses were exhausted as well as the people.
All of the sudden she thought she heard something coming from the nearby woods- she slowed down her horse and listened…and watched. She saw a flicker of movement from behind a tree and raised her gun.
And then she saw him.
She probably wouldn't have since he was dressed in all dark clothing but his shaved head reflected off the moon. He was about to shoot something and it looked like he was aiming for Miles.
Nora took aim…and fired! Boom!
For just a second everyone froze and all heads turned toward the woods. Another shot came from the woods- and this time it hit one of the men driving the third wagon- he fell forward off the wagon and onto the ground. Everyone started screaming at once.
"Go! Go! Goooo!" Nora screamed.
Miles moved to the side and ushered the first two wagons to keep moving faster. "Hurry!"
Both wagons took off in a flourish- shots were being fired from both sides now and the horses Nora was holding on to got spooked and she let them go. The rope chain unweaved itself easily and they all ran off in different directions but supplied the distraction they needed just in time.
Nora jumped off her horse and jumped up into the now empty wagon seat and got the wagon moving again just in time. Miles rode alongside her, holding onto Sam with one hand and shooting his pistol with the other.
Some of the clansmen from the woods were trying to jump on the horses running by them- many of them missed and began running after them but some got on and began chasing the wagon and its occupant's.
"Get the children down!" Miles yelled to the people in the wagon, "The rest of you be ready to shoot!"
They sped down the road as fast as they could.
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Willoughby had grown quiet for the night; many people were sleeping but there were extra guards and sentry's surrounding the town.
"Did you hear that?" Jim Jensen asked the men guarding the front wall with him.
"What?" Jeff asked.
"Listen…" Jim said.
And then they all heard it…gunshots…coming from down the road; some of them swore they could also hear screaming.
"They're several miles out," Andy breathed, "but it's gotta be Miles and them…we gotta go help 'em!"
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There were three or four clansmen who had made it onto horses and were now chasing them. Miles knew he was almost out of bullets and he knew everybody else had to be too.
Not now, not now, he thought to himself…damn it, we're almost there!
Nora saw him and yelled to him- he looked over and she threw him a gun- must've been with the guy who died.
Miles nodded to her and then proceeded to keep shooting at their follower's. Damn it, but it's hard to see, he thought.
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Bass heard the town's bell and three warning shots almost at the same time. He woke up and sat up quickly. Charlotte had finally fallen asleep, her false labor seemingly behind her; she didn't even stir at the noise made now.
He quickly put on his boots and coat and ran downstairs and out the door; he saw Marion's horse tied to the fence and got on.
When he got to the front gate they were forming a rescue party and Andy handed him a revolver. Very quickly, fifteen men rode out the front gate to help rescue Miles' group, the gate rapidly closing behind them.
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The first wagon had the five wounded townspeople in it; the man driving it was going so fast trying to outrun the clan. It being night time he didn't see the large pothole in the road- the wagon went right into it and he lost control and the wagon flipped into the grass on the side of the road.
The second wagon began to stop to help but he yelled at them to keep going; he didn't want anyone to die because of his accident. The wounded had all been thrown from the wagon but no one was stuck beneath it which was a good thing.
The man, Brian, was hurt but he pulled each of the wounded up against the wagon for protection. He sat and waited, knowing they were close enough to town that eventually, someone would come help.
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The search party from town was making good time going down the road; they soon came upon the first wagon.
"It's the sheriff!" Andy shouted in warning, letting them know they need not be afraid.
Some of the people in the wagon clapped; three men from the search party turned around and rode with the wagon escorting them to town.
The rest rode on and soon they found Brian and the wounded from the overturned wagon. They got there just in time as several clansmen were about to attack- they all took shots and the attackers were killed.
Miles and Nora, however, were still being chased and shot at; Bass and five other men rode as fast as they could to help them while Andy and the other men helped Brian's group.
Miles and Nora had both run out of ammo and now were just trying to outrun the clansmen; they were very quickly losing ground though. Just as they were losing hope they heard horses charging down the road toward them. When Miles saw Bass leading the way it was like the cavalry had just arrived in one of those old western's they used to watch together. He almost yelled, 'yippe-kye-aye!' he was so happy to see his friend and brother.
Bass' group let Miles and Nora pass and then blocked the way for the clansmen; they took aim and all fired their weapons, watching as they all fell from their horses. One of the men took off running for the woods and Bass chased him down…thinking of Charlie, always Charlie…and ran him through with his sword.
The skirmish was over quickly and they gathered as many of the wayward horses as they could and rode back to the accident site.
Nora stopped her wagon once they reached Brian's group; the people in her wagon jumped on the empty horses, some of them sharing or carrying a child while the wounded were put in the wagon once more.
Together they all rode back home… to Willoughby.
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A/N: Please leave a review- they really help a lot and are very much appreciated.