"Lom wants us in Porterville in four days." Heyes' tone was flat as he looked up at his partner who scowled as he added. "I know Kid, but we gotta go."
"I don't see why we have do what he tells us, it ain't like we get much outta him for doing what he wants."
Heyes shrugged. "We'll get even less if we don't, Kid."
"Can you even get less than nothing?" At the expression on Heyes' face, he shrugged. "It's one of them questions you're always talking about. I don't expect an answer, leastwise not one I'm gonna like anyway."
XXX
They were about a day out of Porterville, when they sensed someone on their trail. As they came to a slight slope upwards, where the path they were on, broke into two clear directions, the Kid turned to Heyes with a slight smile. "You know Joshua, I think I oughta double back and ask whoever it is why he's so interested in us. I figure maybe you can convince him that we ain't who he figures we are. Seems a mite unfair to let him continue wasting his time."
"Heyes smiled at him and nodded. "I agree with you, Thaddeus, it sure seems like the polite thing to do."
Before they could react any further, there was a crack of a bullet and Heyes fell off his horse, landing heavily on the ground. Kid jumped off his own mount, swirling round, his eyes sweeping the landscape around them in a desperate attempt to pinpoint where their attacker was, but he saw nothing but emptiness.
With his gun drawn, he crouched by his friend and with his mind spinning slightly, the loudest thought in his head was not again, as blood poured out of a wound on the corner of Heyes' forehead. When he couldn't see Heyes' chest rising, he leant his ear by his heart, listening desperately for the reassuring thud and exhaled shakily when he heard a faint beat.
Heyes took a shuddering breath, but showed no sign of recovering consciousness and as another bullet bounced close to them, kicking up dust, Kid sheltered his prone form. Damn it all, this guy was good.
"Toss your gun, Kid! I was gonna shoot you, but you spotted me too quick, so I had to settle for Heyes."
Kid gritted his teeth, recognising the voice as belonging to an ex devil's hole gang member, Curtis Lowell. He hesitated, but knowing there was nothing he could do yet, did as he was told reluctantly and turned away from Heyes to glare angrily up at the man, who grinned down at him, unintimidated, holding his rifle steadily on the two of them. "This bounty hunting business is even more profitable than robbing."
The Kid continued to glare. "You ain't got the money yet!"
Lowell ignored him and spat out his tobacco aiming it to land close to Heyes' head. Kid started to his feet in anger, which earnt him a tap from the man's rifle on his head which sent him back down and he glowered, swearing that when they got out of this, the asshole would regret it.
"Now because I'm a generous soul, I'm gonna tie your hands in the front, seeing as you got your hands full with that partner of yours."As he spoke he grabbed Kid's wrists and tied them one handed, but still managed to yank the rope tight enough that Kid had little freedom of movement. He raised his weapon in warning as Kid started to scramble to his feet, his face likely showing his anger. "I wouldn't do nothing to make me regret my consideration."
He heaved Kid back onto his horse then shoved Heyes up in front. Kid managed to precariously balance his partner and stared down at him, willing him to open his eyes.
XXX
"Where we going Lowell? Ain't we closest to Porterville?"
"Nice, try, Kid, but I ain't trusting my $20,000 to Lom Trevors. We're heading elsewhere to someone I can trust. Don't need to know exactly where till we're nearer. Now don't make me gag you!"
Kid glowered at the man, his anger burning hot, but he gritted his teeth and again looked down at his partner, who he had pulled tight against his chest. His head lolled against him and for an awful moment Kid feared he was dead, but a slight twitch and the thud of a pulse against a suddenly slightly panicked grip, reassured him and he whispered fiercely. "C'mon Heyes, you can stop playing possum now, I need your help to get us out of this."
When he didn't receive a reply or even any acknowledgment at all, his heart sank even more. The longer Heyes was unconscious... Kid pushed the thought down before it could take root, but he knew well enough that head wounds were tricky at the best of times. And he was very aware that this was about as far from the best of times as possible.
What made Kid's anger burn all the deeper, was that Lowell and the gang hadn't even parted on bad terms and yet here he was, willing to cash in on them.
XXX
As they rode, despite his mind being mostly on his partner and how on earth he was going to get them both out of this mess, the Kid became aware that the previously clear sky was beginning to darken and that the wind had started to whip up.
Kid could feel the air becoming moist and as he feared the downpour soon began, only adding to his misery and bleak mood. Rain dripped down his hat and soaked into his clothes as he shifted to try and save Heyes from getting too wet. Scrunching down lower into his saddle, he flinched as a lightning strike crackled close to the side of him, briefly illuminating the darkness.
As he calmed his horse, another strike hit just behind him and through the whistling wind and heavy rain, he heard a startled whinny. Glancing back, he saw Lowell's horse rear up and throw its rider hard to the floor. Without a second's thought, Kid pushed his knees hard into the flank of his horse and turned back towards what he hoped was the direction of Porterville, riding as fast as he dared.
Exhausted, soaked to the bone and far too close to falling off his horse and taking his still unconscious partner with him, the Kid finally saw the light of a town ahead. He just hoped it was Porterville, as he'd lost any sense of direction several miles back.
XXX
As the storm raged outside, the Kid paced the spare bedroom of Lom's cabin, his anger at Curtis Lowell, the Governor of Wyoming, Lom and the world in general building up as Heyes still showed no sign of waking up.
He glared fiercely down at his partner, his head pounding as he hissed. "You better not die on me, Heyes, or I won't never forgive you! You listening to me?" Flopping down on the chair by the bed, his throat tightened as too many memories crowded in on him. He growled and reached for his still absent gun when the door opened and Lom entered with the doctor behind him.
Lom glanced at him and said calmly. "Now, Thaddeus, Doc Flint is here to see Joshua. You gonna let him do his job?"
Kid glowered at them, but nonetheless stepped away to let the fussy looking man examine Heyes. With barely restrained impatience, he struggled not to loom as the man tutted and mumbled to himself. He turned round to peer at Kid and said. "How long has he been unconscious?"
"Two days. Why?" The Kid snapped, stepping forward, his fists clenching, before he caught Lom's eye and subsided slightly, folding his arms and moving back out of the doctor's space.
The Doctor with a slightly nervous glance at him, swallowed and put his equipment away. "I don't have very good news for you I'm afraid. I don't like his breathing at all and his heartbeat is quite weak. If he doesn't wake up in a few hours..." He trailed off and cleared his throat as he glanced between Kid and Lom his face anxious.
Before the Kid could explode, Lom waved the doctor out quickly, placing himself between the man and Kid as they left the room.
As soon as he was alone with Heyes, the Kid felt some of the anger burn out into despair as he sat down next to the bed again, suddenly exhausted.
He stared down at his friend, the unnatural stillness of his form, making his head pound. "Heyes, you gotta wake up! You hear me? I can't do this amnesty thing on my own. To be honest I ain't sure I even want to. Life ain't never been as much fun or as easy by myself and it don't seem anything is gonna change anytime soon, so you better not be planning on leaving!"
As the hours passed, with still no sign of Heyes waking, the Kid's anger built up again. Three long difficult years they'd been on this journey and there was still no end in sight, leaving them at the mercy of anyone who wanted a piece of them, without ever being able to properly protect themselves.
If this is where it ended for Heyes, then he wouldn't be going out by himself, Curtis Lowell would soon be joining him and he likely wouldn't much care what happened after that. "I'm sorry, Heyes, I can't just stay here and watch you fade away. I just can't. I'll see you on the other side, sooner than you'd want probably, but I won't go without a fight." With that he gazed down at his partner for what he thought was likely the last time and swallowed hard. "Been a good ride, Heyes, can't say I regret much of it, 'cept maybe how it ends."
XXX
The Kid with a glance at his carelessly dropped belongings, grabbed his coat, but left the rest, before he slipped out of the room,without daring to look back at the bed. Lom had thankfully retired, so the living area was empty.
He quietly rummaged in the drawers by the door and with a grunt of relief, found a serviceable weapon that his bullets would fit.
The moon was setting, and the sky was ablaze with colour by the time he finished cleaning the gun to his satisfaction, it wasn't a patch on his own weapon, but it'd serve his purpose well enough. He was about ready to leave when the door to Lom's bedroom opened. Kid swore under his breath and met the other man's gaze.
"Where you going, Kid?" Lom was staring at him, his face concerned.
"I think it's better you don't know, Lom."
Moving quickly for a big man, Lom was soon blocking the door, Kid gritted his teeth and waved the gun in Lom's direction. "I don't want to use this, but I will."
"Kid."
"Don't you Kid me! If you'd not insisted on us coming here...not to mention that stupid ass deal you struck with the governor."
"You and Heyes came to me, best you remember that!" Lom's tone was angry and his gaze had turned stony.
Kid had no answer to that, so instead said more quietly. "There's money in my saddlebags, you know for when...well I know you'll make sure he gets seen to decent."
"If you do what you're planning..."
"I know that Lom, but I don't figure on it mattering much once I'm done."
Lom sighed and stepped away from the door. "I still think you ought to reconsider, but I don't fancy having my own gun levelled at me, so I won't try and stop you."
Kid shrugged, not attempting to explain and instead simply slipped out into the day without a backward glance, though he was aware that Lom was watching him as he rode away.