Ella's eyes slowly opened, she felt strangely groggy like she had many years ago when she'd drunk too often and too much. Her head ached, pounded to an erratic rhythm of pain and she placed a hand tenderly upon her brow. It was then she became aware of how much her neck hurt, she moved her hand slowly, her movements shaky and unsure and touched the skin at her throat softly. Ella winced as the pain shot through her nerves at the contact, it was sore like a bad rope burn, she remembered getting a nasty one in her youth when she'd tried holding a milking cow for a neighbor, the animal had got it into its head to run off and had near taken her on its little adventure too but she let go of the rope just in time, she still bore a light pinkish scar on her left palm as a reminder.
Slowly and with a little fearfulness that the ache in her head would worsen, she rose to a sitting position and glanced around her surroundings only just realizing where she was. She was sat upon Judge Roy Bean's bed, it smelt awful and the stink of moldy covers invaded her senses, seeming to leave an unpleasant aftertaste upon her tongue. But at least it had been soft; she knew she would have felt a lot worse waking up on the hard floor. She assumed Joey had carried her into here… after … she winced inwardly, yes she remembered it all now. It all came flooding back to her like an unpleasant dream that would rather have been forgotten. He had found the photograph and then he had…he… the memory would not fully form in her mind, she refused to let it, telling herself silently over and over that he had stopped, that he hadn't carried it through to the end, that this fact must at least mean something. She knew she was only trying to calm herself, there was no way to justify what had happened, no way to really forgive and forget…
She got to her feet glad that she at least did not feel as shaky as she had expected she would. She walked to a small mirror that hung upon the wall over a very dirty wash stand; she ignored the muck encrusted bowl and looked into the mirror, studying her appearance. She looked far too pale; it seemed to make the slightly darker areas around her eyes stand out in harsh contrast to the rest of her skin, giving her a disquieting ghostly look. She raised her chin and looked at her neck, it was red and angry looking, a band of bruised, swollen flesh ringed its way around to each side, she gave it a gentle rub before turning to look at the closed door that led out into the main part of the saloon.
Ella shuddered as she wondered if Joey was waiting outside in the saloon and what kind of mood would he be in if he was. She felt a ball of dread knot tightly in her gut, if he was there she didn't know what would happen, perhaps he would finish what he had begun and snatch the life out of her with a gleeful smirk… and if he wasn't out there she was abandoned, alone, miles from any town and if she was found by the next cowboy or sheep herder that came by for a drink it was likely she'd either be taken to a local sheriff seeing as there was a dead body swinging outside or the man would force her back into this bedroom, neither idea appealed to her. But Ella thought Joey wouldn't be waiting outside, not this time…
She knew she couldn't really waste another moment and taking a deep breath she walked out into the larger room. It was empty, she rushed to the doorway and her suspicions were confirmed, Joey was gone and he had taken both horses, leaving no food, blanket or any other provisions for her. She wasn't sure if she should feel relieved or not but Ella knew this wasn't important, not now she knew time was more of a factor, she had to get out of this place.
She bound her hair loosely out of her face and searched for something to eat. Ella found some slightly stale bread which had been covered with an old plate to prevent the flies getting to it. The judge must have been saving it for his supper. She ate it, forcing it down her sore throat and trying not to think where it had come from before drinking what was left of the coffee. It was stone cold but still warmed her a little with its sharp taste. She wandered out the back door to a small enclosure that housed the privy. She looked at it for a long moment trying to decide if she could wait and find a bush later, but in the end her modesty won out and she ventured into the small building. It didn't smell half as bad as she had expected, it seemed it had just been cleared out. She prepared to sit down and her eyes caught something unexpected. She stared at the red stain that had spread across her pantaloons and her heart beat faster in excitement. She returned back to the saloon in high spirits and found a few clean cloths that she could use before shredding them into strips and attending to her more than welcome menstruation.
She rushed around finding items she could take, her heart feeling bright and gladdened. She found tinned food, a canteen she could use for water and a woolen blanket, it smelt musty like it had never been used but it would at least keep out the night wind to some extent. She slipped a box of matches into her skirt pocket and slinging the blanket over her shoulder she walked out onto the porch. The sun was still high, she still had a few hours of light left before she'd have to stop for the night, it was a dangerous undertaking riding or walking alone in this kind of place but she had no choice. She stilled herself and glanced at the dead man, already she could hear the buzz of flies around him, the thought turned her stomach. Ella's eye was caught by something upon the ground and she looked down seeing the judge's hat, it must have fallen from his head before Joey strung him up. She picked it up and dusted it off with a few heavy blows, it was an ugly looking brown thing that she knew would be far too big for her, but it would keep the sun off and she needed it. She placed it onto her head and pushed the brim back so she could see.
She squeezed past the Judge holding her breath, managing to not touch him and walked with quick steps towards the pens and stables at the back of the saloon. Her heart sank at the sight, if there had been any horses, Joey had taken them and all that was left was a few wandering goats and chickens. Seeing the little animals joltingly reminded her of Maria and her children, how she wished with bitter longing that she was in Maria's cozy adobe now, warming herself by the fire on a lazy afternoon, knowing that a hot tasty meal would soon be made and they would all sit at the table, laugh and talk about the goings-on in the village.
Ella gave a low sigh, she couldn't stand there feeling sorry for herself, if she couldn't ride she'd have to use her legs. True it wouldn't be as quick and it would be hard, the nights would seem colder but if she just kept her mind upon that cozy fire and those warm smiling faces she knew she could get back to the village, she had to believe she could. She turned on her heel and began to make her way from the saloon, towards the open plains, she knew she could survive the heat and the nights with some luck… it was men that worried her, she prayed with mumbled words that she would remain unseen and pass by anyone that may be going her way.
---
Ella didn't know what direction she was really walking in, but she followed what seemed to be a path until it petered out, lost to the winds of the desert. She knew or more hoped she'd come across a town sooner or later. She passed an uneventful night, the fact brought her comfort and reassurance that she could get through this, she felt tired but had not slept well with all the noises about her, she thought she'd heard a dog howling in the night, her mind had turned it into a ferocious wolf searching for prey but of course this was a ridiculous thought and as dawn rose she had scolded herself for having such fanciful imaginings. She set on her way soon after, being careful to put out her fire fully and kick sand across it, something Billy had talked of in his stories, he said it cooled the wood fast to bury it and made it harder for people to track you, although who would be tracking a twenty one year old woman with nothing to her name other than a few tinned beans, beef jerky, water and a musty old blanket she didn't know, she didn't even think a poor thief would think her worth the effort and this thought made her feel comforted.
She walked for a good deal of the day, resting every few hours to catch her breath and drink plenty. She was able to find a stream and refill her canteen, the journey was certainly not the hardship her mind had made out it would be, it wasn't a pleasant walk down a peaceful lane it was true but she had seen no one, not even a rattlesnake had crossed her path. As she continued Ella began to softly hum, the distraction took her mind off the soreness around her neck and the landscape, it didn't seem to change much. She assumed she'd come upon a town in the next day or so, she had enough food to last for at least three days.
It was just after noon, the sun was high in the sky casting no shadows upon the ground around her, it beat hard and hot upon Ella's back but she endured it, she had no choice there was nowhere to shelter, she thought if she came upon a cave or a good thicket she would sit in the shade for a while and cool herself. She squinted at the distant horizon ahead as the corner of her eye caught movement. She thought she'd been mistaken, that the glare of the sun was making her see shapes but no there were shadows, men on horseback it appeared. She shaded her eyes, trying to gain a better view, she hoped she would see a woman, such a sight would make her believe that the men were trustworthy, perhaps she would hail them and ask where the nearest town was.
They came a little closer and Ella retreated behind a sparse twiggy thicket that offered very little shelter or cover, she strained her eyes but could tell nothing about the five or six riders and then she saw it, a small figure in a saddle, a child and then another. They had children with them, her heart leapt and she stood up from her poor hiding place, as they drew closer she began to wave to get their attention. They quickly saw her and changed their direction coming towards her. Ella wondered how close the next town was, she hoped a kind family would at least give her a good meal, perhaps if she was lucky she'd gain a bath too.
She heard distant crying, the children were wailing for their parents, the sound suddenly made the light feeling that had bubbled within her disappear and an icy dread replaced it, she bitterly wished she'd stayed in the thicket but it was too late, they were upon her and they certainly were not the kind hearted men she had longed for, the sight of the many guns and rifles they carried was enough to stem any thought of that ilk. There were a few Mexican men who looked shabby and ill kept, a large looking pasty man who appeared far too big for his horse, an Indian with long hair and a wide brimmed hat and a very ugly squat man. His features appeared to be mashed together with so many scars, like bread dough half kneaded. He looked almost blind in one eye, the milky white orb stared right at her, chilling her to the bone. It took her a moment to register that he was actually not blind but cockeyed. He grinned showing very few teeth and most that still remained were brown or blackened.
"Lost your way?" The Indian said with a cruel chuckle.
Ella turned her attention to him, he was good looking but had a sly quality to his features, the kind of man that would slit your throat for one coin in your pocket. She swallowed as the two children continued to wail, perhaps these men were slave traders, she heard many children were stolen in such a fashion and sold to faraway places, women too sometimes….
"No." she said trying to make her voice steady. "Just goin' my way." She tried to sound light and carefree, her gut tugged for the plight of the children but she didn't want get caught up in this, she just wanted to be on her way, leaving these foul looking men far behind. "Just thought I'd ask you which way the nearest town was." She smiled at them hoping her confidence would deter them from trying anything.
"You ain't goin' to no town." The ugly man said leering down at her, his good eye shone with excitement.
Ella tried to back up a step, she could try to run, she would easily be out run by a horse but she could at least try. As if he had read her thoughts the Indian was beside her in a moment, his hand came harshly and painfully around her upper arm and jerked her upwards before him into the saddle. Ella struggled but he held fast.
"Just let me go, I swear I won't say I saw you an' the children." She said in a gasped plea as the Indian set her astride, forcing his large hand around her waist and pulling her close making any struggles or escape unlikely. "You can just go on and sell them." Ella felt sick at the words.
The ugly man gave a boom of a laugh causing the children to wail louder in distress. "You think we're traders!" He mocked. "Don't you know who I am girly!"
Ella stared at him, her mind flashed up the thought that this man was a fool, of course she didn't know who he was, she would have said if she knew him, she would have remembered his repulsive face for one thing.
The hand around her waist jerked slightly drawing her attention to the man behind her. "This is Mox Mox and we are his gang."
The name hit her like a leaden brick, she avoided reading the papers when someone brought one in from across the river, usually Billy or one of the young men who ventured across the border frequently. The small print always hurt her eyes and her reading wasn't all that good, there were many words she didn't know and it always made her feel simple to not understand. But Billy would often tell her the stories past and present so she felt she didn't need current news anyway. Billy had told her in great detail about Mox Mox, he had been nicknamed 'The Manburner' by many and Billy said the Apaches called him 'The Snake You Do Not See.' He had a fierce reputation and was a known killer, not in the same sense as Joey or John Wesley Hardin, Mox Mox killed for no other reason than to watch people die and unlike Joey and Hardin, Mox Mox loved killing women and children, especially children. He liked to build great bonfires and set people on fire while they still breathed, the memories of the tales sent a strange queasy jolt through her body. Billy had told her he was dead, killed by an Indian… she studied the ugly man, she supposed it must really be him if he had a band of followers, her heart sank further, the queasy feeling replaced by mounting dread… would he burn her too?
Ella found that her voice had deserted her and even if she had use of it she didn't think she had anything to say, no protests would help her now.
"You're coming with us." Mox Mox said. "We'll have some fun." He laughed gruffly.
Ella felt the large hand tighten around her waist and without another word being uttered the band of riders set off once more taking Ella with them.