"You mean to tell me 'at Johnse was taken hostage by McCoys?" I asked, staring at the ground as I walked with Cap to the shooting contest line. He nodded, his rifle in his hand as he walked. Jim Vance was beside us and made a comment I wouldn't dare repeat about the McCoys. We got to the line and Calvin McCoy smiled a bit at me and I stared back at him, jaw clenched as I did.
"How you gon' beat that, fog eye?" Jefferson McCoy asked, causing the others to laugh. "Back off, McCoy." I snapped, standing right beside Cap as he glanced at the ground and brought his gun up. "Good luck." Sam mocked before Parris came up and spoke. "Hey, hey - Toe the line. You're over the damn mark, yeah, Judge should'a caught that."
Cap moved back a bit, breathing deeply as he brought his gun up again. I stood back a bit as Jim Vance spoke. "Just do what you do, son."
"And what he does, is miss." Parris stated, Cap didn't give the McCoys a second glance. I looked at him and whispered softly in his ear. "Just shoot before I ask you to put a bullet in each o' their asses." I said, Cap smirked a bit before settling in his place confidently. He brought the gun up and lined it to make a perfect shot at the nail, I moved back just in case.
He shot and it bounced off the nail, hitting the lantern. "Oh, Cap! You missed completely!' Calvin told him, laughing with the others. Cap held his gun at his side as Jim Vance shook his head. "To hell he did - hit the nail on the head." He defended, pointing at the target before looking at the now quiet McCoys. "Right on the goldang head."
"The hell you say? You see where that went." Calvin stated, the Judge sighed. "Settle down, boys."
"Watch your mouth, this here's a shootin' contest." The Judge shouted over the bickering McCoys. I stood a little away in the crowd, careful not to get shoved by an idiot named McCoy. Everyone stopped, looking towards the head of the McCoys and Hatfields. I sighed to myself, shaking my head as they passed each other, all four people looking away. I was walking near Cotton and heard Ellison say something to him. "Whateva' happens, stay here." He ordered. "Keep these horses peaceful."
Ellison looked at me and told me to stay on the sidelines. Roy and Bucky were by the cheeses and everyone stopped to watch the commotion unfold. "I am hell on earth!" Tolbert screamed, and Lias shot something back as I stood beside Cotton, watching him pet the horses and pay no regard to what was happening. Suddenly, each McCoy was attacking Ellison and then it happened. One started stabbing the shit out of him.
I gasped immediately, but I couldn't tear my eyes away just yet, I ended up covering my mouth. Tolbert stabbed him, and each McCoy who had a knife was sticking him with it. Lias got up for some reason, and then I saw it. Phamer had taken someone's gun and then he shot him. My eyes widened as I took in a mighty breath, my arm falling as Cotton turned around. Ellison fell as the McCoys ran off. Skunkhair ran past us and I took Cotton's hand, as he was beckoned over, I walked with him to his father.
"Daddy?" Cotton asked weakly, looking down at his father before he dropped to his knees to comfort him as Anse ordered. "Can we go home now?" Cotton asked and I felt my heart breaking a bit.
"Johnse, Cap - get his legs. Get him in the wagon." Doc ordered as they lifted him, I walked away to go join my family. "I gotta..." I trailed off, glancing back. I helped Sam and David into the wagon, Florence got in then Alice. My mother was loading the jam she had been selling into it as my father got in himself, and then Bucky and Roy. "I'm gonna go back with Cap." I told them, my mother shook her head.
My dad looked at her. "Mary, let her. She could be of more help there than here, they need all the help they can get." He told her, my mother sighed. "Come home soon, I won't be sendin' Roy and Bucky out for ya."
I nodded and rushed off to go ride back with Cap, I had taken my horse in the first place because I didn't want to make the wagon too full. I mounted him and rode off to the Hatfields' home, finding a place to tie him when I got there, and I sighed to myself as he looked at me and walked in place a bit, adjusting himself. "You're gettin' old, Baron." I told him, brushing his black coat before walking to see Cap by the door in the striped shirt I adored him in.
"May God damn your eternal soul." Randal McCoy spat, I didn't hear the full conversation but I know Anse threatened Randall with Cap's gun. Everyone cleared away from the porch after that, and I took the short moment to place a gentle kiss on Cap's lip, causing him to smile a bit. "I gotta go cut boards." He said with regret and guilt.
"He isn't dead yet, Cap." I told him and he nodded. "But it's a possibility." I watched him walk away and walked inside to offer my help with anything and everything. "You're involving your whole family in this feud by coming here." Levicy told me and I nodded, looking down at my feet. "I know."
She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "You can go comfort Cotton, he's in the room down the hall." I went off and opened the door slowly, making my presence known to the gentle boy. It wasn't long after comforting that I found myself outside with him, rubbing his shoulders as he wailed and cried on me. I glanced over to see Anse and Cap.
They knew what had happened right away, I saw Cap picking up the boards he had been cutting, for some reason they were on the ground. I held Cotton close to me, sitting in the grass as he sobbed mercilessly. If the Hatfields had any say in it, they were going to kill every McCoy responsible, and then some. And I had no problem with that whatsoever.