When I woke up, two things came to my attention. One… my stomach now felt like caving, and I had forgotten to tie the horse up. I sat up, and looked over the brush. The sun was just barley finished rising, giving me a beautiful sunrise with fresh morning air. Well, at least that was something to be happy about. But I didn't smile. I was still lost… no idea where I was… or how'd I get home. I missed my family. I Stood up, wondering how I would get the horse back, when I heard one behind me. I snapped around, thinking they had found me. But it was the one I had taken. Still standing my the creak. I slumped down in utter amazement. The horse had stayed there the whole night, without being tied up. It didn't take off, it didn't doze nothing. I rolled the blanket up after a good shake, and tied it as best I could back on the saddle. I fount matches and broke a few pieces of brush off and tossed them in a pile. I soon had a fire going in the chilly morning, and tried best I could to cook the bacon. I had six pieces of bacon and four biscuits before I was well enough to keep riding. I found a knife in the saddle bags, and cut a nice round hole in the ground next to the brush. Knowing the dirt would be soft, but the roots would keep the dirt all together, I pulled the piece out. I set it on top of the died out fire. This held two reasons. One.. it would keep any surviving flame from spreading… and two.. the ground was cold and in putting it over the spot where I had the fire, would keep any good trackers from telling how long ago the fire was put out. Something I had learned in the Action shoot. I wasn't taking any chances, and took precaution as I left. I almost felt proud, that I was smart enough to cover my tracks this well. And amazed that such knowledge actually came in handy. Who knew.
As I rode, I kept looking over my shoulder, wondering if they would follow. My eyes scanned the hills nearby, and anything in my surrounding. Nothing. I was doing pretty good for such a young kid
. As the day wore on, I began to think of what I would do when I got home. I would take on a caton full of ice cream. Oh yeah. Then I would get on the computer and tell on my friends about what happened, and how I had escaped and traveled! Except Taylor. I wouldn't tell her over IM. No way. I could never understand her instant messenger talk. I would have to call her. Her number was saved on my cell phone at home. Speed dial number 14. Then I would take a bath. I looked down. My white shirt was no longer a pure white. I had sweated, and slept in the dirt… so it was anything but clean. I wanted a bath pretty badly. I soon got boared of thinking over and over again what I would do when I got rescued. I let the reigns loose to find out exactly how good this horse was. A normal horse would wander off the road… but not this one. I sighed, getting bored again. I wondered if this wonder saddle held anything else. Like cards. I rummaged through the bags. I found the knife, bacon and biscuits. The matches, a few tin cups and lots more on one side. When I turned to the other side, my arm hit something solid. I pulled back, looked. I didn't see anything. I reached down and felt again, and again, the hard thing hit my hand. Whatever it was it was almost completely hidden behind the saddle and saddle bags, and slid into a long leather pouch. I reached inside and pulled it out. I froze, even the horse stopped, feeling my tension. I now held the rifle in the air, my eyes wide. They carried GUNS on there horses? Ok, these men were no normal ranchers or kidnappers. This was bad. They were murderers! I checked to see if it was loaded, and for a second, I was temped to try my aim on horseback. But I would probably spook the horse. I tapped the horse back into movement, I slid it back in the leather case. A little jittered. Maybe they kept a gun to protect themselves out here. Maybe it was just a safety precausion. I bit my lip . A safety precasuion for WHAT? A little shaken up, continued looking in the bags. Still nothing interesting. I looked over my shoulder again, and this time… my eye caught movement up on the rocky hill. My eyes sharpened and I starred hard. I could barely make out the shape of a hat against all the rock. My mind wondered to the rifle again. If I needed to protect myself… I would. Those kidnappers would deal with who they kidnapped. Just the thought of those men this close to me scared me. I wanted to run for it, but I knew they would follow. They would have to know who they were dealing with. Again, I pulled out the rifle, acting like I was itching my leg. If it would spook the horse, oh well. I looked at the hat again. It was easier then the Flat Shots on the shoot out, so I should hit my target. Just blow his hat off. I calmed my heart, feeling it against my chest like it would just jump out any second. Would this work? I never shot at a person before. What if my aim was just a little off? Then, suddenly, quicker then the eye could blink, I swung the rifle around, cocking it at the same time, aimed and fired. The shot rang out, and the horse just jumped, his ears jerking back to me. This horse was good. Probably used to all the gun shots. Great. So these guys used a gun a lot. I began to feel like I was no match for them. The hat flew off, and the head ducked down. I cocked the gun instantly and fired again. Then, with some difficulty, I turned back around, and kicked the horse into full gallop. I had a hard time putting the rifle back in full speed, but I had to concentrate on going fast. And that was hard enough without the rifle in hand. Finally, I slammed it back in and kicked the horse even faster. If that was possible. And it was. I pushed it at that pace for about a half hour. Half because I was scared, and just wanted to keep going no matter what. But mostly because I wanted to get to a town. I wanted to feel safe again. I didn't was to be exposed out in the open to those killers! But then, I felt a touch of something else. Something I hand't expected to feel, and it scared me. It was excitement. The feeling of the wind brushing my hair out of my face, riding as fast as you could away from danger. It reminded me of the old western movies I watched. But a thought of getting killed if I slowed down kept me from smiling. But I did. Not because of the feeling, but because of what I saw. Up ahead, just barely visible… looked like some type of town… a city. I kept the horse heading straight for it. As I got closer, I began to get puzzled. It was a town, yes. But not a big one… and it was all wood. No cement, no glass, just wood. They were all lined up along the road with wood walkways… it looked just like an old western town. People walked about doing there buiness as I rode in. They all dressed like it to. The girls and women all wore dresses and shalls. The men even wore holsters with guns. Probably loaded. It wasn't to strange to me, because it reminded me of the action shoot I went to with my dad. But these guys REALLY took it seriously. Dang, if this place was close enough, me and my dad would have to come our here. I felt in place when I dismounted the horse and tied him off next to the other horses. Ok, first of all, I would have to find a phone. Call my dad. I walked down the walkway, avoiding making eye contact. I didn't know anyone, and I didn't know if anyone here would recognize me as the kidnapped. As I walked, the people suddenly disappeared. They run in stores and shut the door, and closed the curtains. I was left in the suddenly deserted town, still looked for a phone. Then I saw a man out in the road. He was a decent looking man, and even better, I saw a sheriff star on his shirt. Wow, these guys were actually organized. Wonder why they called there company? And why hadn't I heard of them before? I was about to call out to him, when he suddenly jerked his hand toward his gun. A shot rang out, and I stopped dead. The sheriff sputtered, and fell down, a red spot growing on his shirt. Blood. I looked down the street, and a young boy, about my age, stood there, pistol pointed and smoking. Wow! That was the best action play I ever saw! I waited for the applause but instead I gasped. No. This has to be a play. A stage. Practiced. But I heard the sheriff take his last breath, I saw his eyes glaze over. I felt that feeling of death in the air… and for feeling if for the first time… I didn't like it. People rushed out, racing toward the boy and the sheriff both. Ok, these people took the western theme TOO seriously. My breath seemed to come short, and I had to look away. I stumbled backwards. There was a gallow next to the building I was at. A body hung from the noose, a brown woven bag over his head. I started to sweat, and I turned away. There was a poster in the window. It was a picture of a piece of candy. Underneath it, it said 'best tasting candy of 1876' in big black letters. No way. I wanted to buckle. I wanted to fall. But I locked my knees, and clenched my fists. No. I was going to get a hold of dad, and get out of here. This place was crazy. I turned around, facing the street again. The boy that shot, was being shackled, and the sheriff was being carried away. A man walked up to me, and a quick glance at the silver star, said he was deputy.
"Did you see what happened miss?" he asked me. I felt faint, the memory fresh. I nodded. "Do you mind taking your sights to court then?" he asked. Court? You mean they were going to decide to hang that boy or to let him go? And I would decide that with my word? My knees buckled, and the man caught me. "Whoa… hey! We need a doctor! You ok miss?" He turned back to me. My eyes shut, and I blacked out.