Chapter 16

Buck prepared to leave the station that night. Teaspoon walked in on him in the barn. He leaned against the stall. Buck looked down. He wasn't sure what to tell him. He didn't know what to tell him.

"Going somewhere I see."

"Yes."

"You know where Jimmy is, don't ya. What is going on?"

"Teaspoon, there are some things that I can't explain. I just need you to trust me."

"I am here if you need me, Buck. You can trust me. He can trust me."

"I know. I just need to know more first."

Teaspoon nodded. He moved back to his room.

Buck mounted his horse and raced away back to the cabin. He rode for a few hours until he finally saw it ahead. He saw a lamp in the window. He tied his horse around back and walked in the door. He opened it holding the sack of food.

"Sorry it took so lo….." Buck looked up and dropped the sack on the floor.

Jimmy was not in the cabin. An extremely large black towering thing was. It was looking down at the floor as if in… embarrassment? Buck felt his heart begin to race due to the shock and fear. As his heart began to beat faster, he noticed it look closer at him and narrow it's eyes. He heard a deep rumble bellow out of it. He held his breath. This was not it. This was Jimmy. Had to be. Raven was right. He was now one of them. His brother. He took a few deep breaths and felt his pulse slow. He noticed him seem to calm. Buck looked in his eyes. Red eyes. It was a scary thing to behold.

"Jimmy?" He whispered.

It did not answer. It seemed nervous and jumpy.

"I brought supper. I got some sandwiches and snuck some biscuits." Buck said as he edged closer.

"Brought you some coffee also."

Buck heard another low growl, but it wasn't threatening like before. He seemed pained. He grasped his stomach as he bent over. He grunted as he rolled into a ball on the ground. Buck watched in amazement as the monster before him faded away, leaving Jimmy gasping on the wooden floor. Buck ran and got his arm.

"Jimmy?"

"I need a minute." Jimmy panted.

"Does it hurt?"

"Fuck yes, it hurts."

"How did you change or whatever happened?"

"I don't know, I just remember the pain. I swear, I can't do this."

"We will work through it. You can."

"I don't want to be this, Buck. I need you to kill me. Please."

"Jimmy, listen to me. This was supposed to happen. I think you are the answer to it all. I think you can stop this."

"I don't know how. I don't know how this happened. I don't understand how to go on living like this."

"Here eat." Buck said as he pulled the food out the bag.

He waited for Jimmy to eat before he decided to fill him in on Carson's crazy scheme. He went back to his horse and brought in a change of clothes for Jimmy as well as another oil lamp. He sat them on the dusty table.

"I think you need to stay hidden for a while. Carson had this dumb idea to trap the other one and it went terribly wrong. He was too fast and too strong for anyone of us to get close."

"Is everyone ok?"

"He went in the trees. We couldn't keep up. He hit Kid and Cody. Cut them up pretty good but they are ok. He ran. If my theory is right, then he knows. He will not fall for it again."

Jimmy listened so Buck went on.

"I think that even though you are…um…."

"A monster."

"No, a different being, that you still can think with your own mind and conscience. I think you can control yourself in that state."

"But what if I can't. What if I end up just like him? Can you end this, Buck?"

"I will if I have to."

"So, I have to just sit here in the mean time."

"Raven is out to kill you and the other. She isn't going to stop. Carson wants to trap it. He already suspects you have something strange going on. I will ride back in the morning and talk with Teaspoon. He needs to know."

Jimmy nodded as he looked at his hands.

"I need some way to tell the two of you apart from each other. Just in case."

"I don't know what that could be."

Buck looked on deep in thought. He reached up and pulled his pouch from around his neck.

"Buck, I can't take that. Your beliefs and all."

"It is here to protect me. Keep me safe. Now I need it to keep you safe."

"I don't know."

"I do. Just until we figure this out. I need to know which one is you."

Jimmy reluctantly nodded and took the pouch. He draped it around his neck. He sat back to look out into the darkness. Buck leaned back against the far wall to wait until morning.