Daniels flung open the double windows and leaned out them with a cross look. They were all on edge and it angered him, he wasn't a man who felt fear often and when it crept up on him he swiftly became angry with himself for giving in to such a weak emotion. Images of Bethany flickered through his mind and he cursed quietly into the cool night air. Despite the low temperature the room felt stuffy, constraining even and he was anxious to feel some relief from it.
Henderson sat in a chair twisting his falcon headed prize about one hand whilst puffing on a cigarette with the other. "Hardly seems worth it now, does it?" he queried darkly as he eyed the gilded treasure with scorn.
Daniels gave his friend a look of annoyance as he refused to answer. Jess, who was now standing beside the doors that held Evelyn, fidgeted in her pockets, her fingertips brushing against the shards of the broken lion headed canopic jar she had taken in a foolish moment of greed. 'Why couldn't I leave it alone?' she thought, furious at herself. 'I've put a time limit on everything now, even if O'Connell and Jonathan get the book I could be sucked dry before I can do anything with it!'
The electric lights buzzed faintly, flickering out for a second causing everyone to tense and glance about nervously.
"I'm getting so tired of this shit," Henderson grumbled before taking another deep draw from his cigarette. "I just wanted some fun, after all the grief we'd suffered, Katie dead just a few months ago and her only turned sixteen and Bethany..." He glanced at Daniels out of the corner of his eye. "What happened to her was beyond understanding David, it was madness, and Bernie and I just wanted to get you away from all that insanity before it took you." He turned his head to Daniels fully then, his warm, sea blue eyes sparkling with guilt and fear. "Shit David I'm sorry, I just led you to a different madness didn't I? Now Bernie's gone and hell, we're next aren't we?" He glanced down at himself and shook his head with a bitter laugh. "Is this how I'm going out, in these dusty, sweat stained rags and not even a cigar or drink to hand?"
"Henry quit talking like that," Daniels scorned him. He was now pacing the room like a caged animal, his uneasy gaze darting from Henderson to Jess.
"We'll figure it out," Jess piped up as she stood off the wall and walked up to them, coming to a halt near Henderson. Anu moved with her, coming to a halt on Henderson's left side between the chair and his mistress.
The blonde abandoned his jar to his lap to stroke the dog's back. He felt a little soothed as he rubbed the dog's soft, black coat, cracking a small smile when the dog's tail started wagging. "Even if we do there's no bringing back Bernie," he grumbled morosely. He finally stubbed out his cigarette in an ash tray on a table to his right.
"Maybe," Jess murmured cryptically.
Daniels and Henderson both looked to the woman sharply. "What's that supposed to mean?" Henderson queried suspiciously. His expression turned thoughtful and he murmured, "we always wondered what you were doing out in that hellhole. Bernie and I talked about it, had to do with your family obviously, he worried a lot about it. Don't think he knew you took from the chest mind, probably for the best, poor bastard was already afraid whatever your plans were would get ruined simply by association with us."
Jess turned pale and frowned as she folded her arms and pointedly looked ahead, avoiding Henderson's prying stare.
"It's that wretched book," Daniels spat as he stared at the woman accusingly. "It's evil; don't know why you think it could do you any good."
"Haven't you learned that you're not an expert on Egyptian artefacts yet?!" Jess snapped at him with a glower. "You don't know anything about that book! It has the power to bring them back!" She froze up, her eyes going wide as she realised what she had let slip out.
Henderson looked up at her in dumb shock whilst Daniels' sapphire stare filled with surprise before the rage bled into it. "As what?!" he yelled back at her, extending out his good arm in a gesture of anger as he did. "Mummies? Ghouls?! Haven't you seen firsthand how that's not a good idea!"
"No," Jess protested, "you don't understand, the Book of the Dead gives life back. There are rules about it and ways of doing it-"
"Yeah like sacrificing someone's organs!" Daniels interrupted her. "Are you bloody stupid?!"
"David," Henderson interrupted as he looked at his friend chidingly.
"What?!" Daniels snapped at his companion. "Listen to her Henry; she's talking about raising the dead for Christ's sake! Has that been your master plan this whole time?" he snarled as he glared at Jess once more.
"David she lost her family in a horrible fashion, you know a little of what that's like," Henderson reminded him calmly. "Look her in the eye and swear you wouldn't do the same if you thought it was feasible." The blonde was actually doing the unthinkable and considering Jess' alleged plan. 'Well the book raised a thousand year old mummy,' he thought grimly. 'What if it could bring back Bernie?'
"I wouldn't after seeing the walking, talking corpse of someone I loved," Daniels retorted hotly as he paled at the reminder his own words conjured.
Jess shook her head at him angrily even as the tears burned down her eyes. She then dug her fingers through her scalp and choked out, "it wasn't them, you know it wasn't really them. It wouldn't be like that, it wouldn't, there are a hundred spells in that book, and you can bring them back, properly. Evelyn read the wrong spell but the right one is in there, no ghouls or mummies, just them, the way they were, the way they should be..."
"What do you mean it wasn't really them?" Henderson questioned as he turned his head from Jess to Daniels. "What does she mean David?"
Daniels let out another curse. "You know what, I don't know everything about that book," Daniels grumbled as he deliberately evaded Henderson's question, "but what I know of it ain't good. I'm sorry you lost your family the way you did and that you've been alone but..." He trailed off, unwilling to wound the woman any further.
The dark haired man turned away from the pair and cursed once more. "To hell with this, I need a drink, and you probably need one too," he added as he looked back at Jess. He then glanced down at Henderson. "You want anything?"
Henderson looked at his friend in shock, paling at the thought of being left alone. He was ready to stand up and insist on going before remembering that they were meant to be guarding someone. 'Broad is locked in there,' he reminded himself, 'if something were to happen she'd be trapped. I can't leave her defenceless like that.'
"Yeah. Yeah get me a glass of bourbon," he decided. The lights flickered a couple of times again prompting Daniels to edge towards the door. "A-And a shot of bourbon!" Henderson snapped as his eyes darted to the door desperately.
"Yeah okay, okay," Daniels grumbled impatiently as he looked Jess' way. He opened the door and quipped bluntly, "you comin'?"
"Do you want me or Anu to stay?" Jess offered as she looked at Henderson questioningly. She liked the blonde, he reminded her a little of her late brother Lorcan, the would be cowboy. It wasn't just the cowboy hat, the spurred boots and the boot dusters but Henderson's kind attitude towards her. For all his suspicions of her he had still looked out for her in his way, giving her his vest to wear during her period of fever, matching pace with her when the same fever and a burned leg had laboured her steps and buying her a ticket for a boat to Alexandria that had never showed.
Henderson just waved her off with his left hand. "Nah, I got Evelyn for company, just... don't take long."
Jess nodded solemnly as she saw the fear burning in the man's eyes whilst Daniels noticeably tensed, Henderson's words sounded just a little too close to Burns' before Daniels and Henderson had abandoned him for a bar, leaving him to the mercy of the mummy. Daniels swallowed hard as his throat turned dry at the reminder her and for a moment he hesitated. 'Henderson's got his sight and he's a great shot,' he reminded himself, 'and that woman is here it's not like we're leaving him alone and defenceless.'
"And be nice to her Daniels," the blonde added as he wagged his finger at his friend warningly.
Daniels just shook his head before looking to Jess impatiently. "Sooner we go, sooner we can get the bourbon," he muttered.
Jess headed out at last with Anu close on her heels. She felt the same suffocation in the room that Daniels did and was eager for a reprieve from it.
Daniels glanced back at Henderson once more and murmured, "I'll not take long Henry."
"I believe you David," Henderson retorted with a small, reassuring smile. "Now hurry up and get me a bourbon I'm getting a real itch for a drink."
Daniels nodded and headed out into the hall at last.
"And get me a bourbon chaser!" Henderson called after him as he stood up.
"I'll get your damn bourbon!" Daniels shouted angrily with a roll of his eyes as he charged up the corridor with Jess.
"Don't worry about the door," Henderson grumbled sarcastically as he stepped up to it and slammed it shut.
Daniels headed down the corridor with Jess and Anu, and then down a flight of stairs. The lights flickered as they walked before blinking out when they reached the floor below. Jess halted as for a brief minute there was darkness. She peered ahead into the sudden gloom with a moment of uncertainty.
The lights started to flicker again, going on and off in the space of a few seconds. Jess felt her blood run cold as she was certain there were figures just ahead of her in the dark corridor, shadowy shapes that came and went with the blinking of the lights. She swallowed hard, wishing that she had not left the bow and arrows behind, and counted the gaps in her head. Four seconds each time. The forms appeared in the gloom of the corridor but there wasn't enough time for her to properly make them out or even determine if they were really there.
She knew there couldn't be anyone there, she hadn't seen anyone when they had arrived in the corridor and she couldn't hear anyone, there were no footsteps or voices. When Anu gave a low growl she found herself taking a step back.
The lights flickered off again. One. Two. Three. Four seconds of darkness crawled by, each one marked by a frantic heartbeat in her chest. She staggered back with a gasp of alarm when three of the forms suddenly appeared within inches of her faces. She saw them for just a couple of seconds but it was enough, though rotting, bloody and distorted she still recognised them as three of her brothers.
Daniels tugged out his gun in alarm when the lights came on and stayed on, banishing the shadows of the corridor. "What the hell was that?" the man demanded hoarsely. He peered ahead to a blue carpeted corridor, perfectly ordinary and void of all life save theirs. The bulbs hummed steadily behind frosted glass casting a soothing golden glow about the hall and the American thought that if he didn't know better from experience he might have considered it all a trick of the light.
Jess just shook her head as she stared ahead half expecting the forms to reappear. "I think I need that drink now," she muttered before she started walking again.
They picked up their pace, almost running through the corridor and down the next flight of stairs. Both of them were relieved to enter the bar, which was busy enough to offer them a sense of safety. Even though they both knew that crowds probably meant little to their ancient foes at this point they were still willing to take solace in the people anyway. There was music playing as soldiers mingled with veiled women and barmen rushed to and fro with jugs laden with wine. At a first glance it was as if there hadn't been a series of unusual and horrifying events at the fort but if one cared to study the scene as Jess did they would notice more guards than usual, religious relics dusted off and more prominently on display, beverages closely inspected each time before they were drunk and eyes constantly darting to shutters purposely closed to hide the outside world.
Daniels led the way to the bar and was quick to order two shots of bourbon, pushing a glass to Jess when they were served.
Jess gulped it down hastily, shaking her head as it burned down her throat before welcoming a second shot as she sat on a black stool.
Daniels grasped at the bottle when the barman went to take it away. Seeing the seriousness of the man's indigo stare, the barman released the bottle with a shrug and headed off to attend other customers.
"I didn't mean to call you stupid," Daniels confessed grudgingly as he rested one arm on the bar and cradled his third shot in his right hand, trying to ignore the pain that seeped up his still injured arm. The Texan was beginning to fear he was going to have to use his wounded arm again for shooting, two guns was better than one after all but if he kept it up it might never heal right.
Jess nodded. "It's alright," she murmured stiffly as she pushed back a strand of her golden-brown hair and bowed her head. "I know how it sounds I just...I want them back so badly," she choked out the words as the tears suddenly poured down her cheeks anew.
Daniels swallowed the third shot briskly, slammed the glass down and then turned to face the woman, scrutinising her with a grave stare. He sighed and tentatively reached out to her with his good arm, putting it over her shoulders lightly. "I know that jackal," he said quietly, "but I don't know that the book is gonna do that for you, at least not in the way you want."
"My brother Corbin took twelve hours to die, he just kept bleeding and bleeding and I couldn't do anything about it. We had to hide, I wanted to get him help, I should have tried!" She was babbling now as her grief finally escaped from her.
"Jess I don't know all the details," Daniels said arduously, adding to himself, 'and I sure as hell don't want to' before saying, "but I know you, you're a stubborn, determined woman, if there was something to be done you'd have done it."
She shook her head. "I didn't, I was too afraid he'd get me too. Corbin was only twenty and not even married, it's all he wanted you know, a nice family, and he didn't get the chance. He deserved that chance; they all did so I have to find a way to make it happen, to undo it." She leaned into Daniels slightly and glanced up at him with a serious stare. "I know it's hard to understand after everything that's happened and I don't expect you to but I need that book, and I have to be right about it, I must be, otherwise why would Set be trying to stop me from getting it?"
"Well one thing at a time," Daniels grumbled as he poured them both a new shot, "how about we sort out this mummy business first and then deal with the book?"
"What's the we business?" she quipped with a look of surprise as she accepted the glass he pressed into her. "Aren't you hopping on a boat back to America first chance you get?"
Daniels sighed heavily as he thought of what Henderson had said about Jess' 'dopey look' and how Bernie had noticed it. He hadn't given it much thought; it was a bit hard to in these circumstances but he wondered grimly if he was ever going to get the time to really think about it. 'Does it matter?' he wondered. 'I am going back to America, the sooner I get out of this messed up country the better.' He realised though that he couldn't just leave Jess alone in Egypt with her business half-finished and no one to help her, whether it was helping her find a way to deal with Set's curse or to find some closure Daniels wasn't sure but he thought that he'd like to help out. He gulped down his fourth shot hastily before contemplating his answer.
"You want to see the Wild West," he reminded her, "or what's left of it anyway. How about we come to a compromise? You, me and Henderson survive this shit together and then the three of us can take the book to Texas and look at it there without having to worry about mummies or some other Egyptian shit, deal?"
Jess gave Daniels a small smile and he saw a spark of happiness flicker through her amber-brown eyes as she nodded before downing her own shot and setting the glass back on the table.
"Hmm Henry's right, you do have a dopey look don't cha?" he quipped teasingly. He let out a curse as she elbowed him sharply in the stomach in retort before he laughed as her cheeks turned pink. It was a brief laugh and it felt strange to the man but he liked it, sure he felt guilty for it given the circumstances but damn how good was it to feel some small measure of happiness still?
"We should get back to Mr. Henderson," Jess murmured quietly. She flinched when Daniels pressed his lips against hers briefly. She tasted tobacco and whiskey and felt her stomach turn slightly as she filled with shock. The gesture had come out of nowhere and ended as quickly as it had begun.
"We should do that," Daniels murmured against her before he pulled back again. "Better not forget his bourbon," he added before turning back to the bar, deliberately avoiding Jess' puzzled stare, and waving to the tender.
Henry paced the room restlessly playing with his gun as he did. He twirled his Colt SAA about his right hand in an attempt to reassure himself of his skills with it. Back home he had won prizes for his quick shooting, it had made him feel invincible but right now those ribbons seemed liked a lifetime ago and he wasn't sure an undead monster would care much about his silver and gold trophies. He gave a bitter smile as he recalled one of the rare times he had been beaten in a shooting contest. He had been beaten by a wannabe city boy who wore glasses, who the hell would have thought it? He shook his head as he recalled Bernard Burns' quiet confidence and modest show of pride when he had taken the $25 prize money and a small silver cup, and the seemingly endless teasing Henderson had endured from Daniels after for losing to a 'book boy'. That was Bernie all over of course, a shy and awkward man who was full of hidden talent.
The blonde glanced at the doors to Evelyn's room warily; there hadn't been a peep out of her for over an hour now. Daniels and Jess had been gone fifteen minutes and the silence was starting to unnerve Henderson to the point that he actually wished Evelyn would start her wailing again. He wondered as he continued to turn his gun over in his hand if Daniels and Jess were having an argument, a moment of uncomfortable silence or actually getting along. He could imagine his dark haired friend's temper only being inflamed by the shots he was probably drinking and him berating Jess further for her desires to bring back her family with an ancient spell book. He supposed Jess wasn't really the type to take Daniels' crap, strange in fact that she should actually like his stubborn, antisocial friend. The cowboy hadn't even picked up on that until Burns had mentioned it to him as they had arrived back to Cairo. He had thought it was probably one sided, but now he wondered, Daniels had shown a smidgen of consolation to the woman during her fever out in the wilderness after all and he had let her wear that stupid hat of his.
Henderson tensed as a breeze blew through the window. "Bloody Daniels," he grumbled as he frowned at it, "man was raised in a barn, leaving windows and doors open everywhere." As if he wasn't already on edge without having the wind to make him jump. 'He'd better hurry with that drink,' he thought anxiously as he glanced towards the main door.
He just wanted this to all be over; of course there would be no forgetting it. No matter how much time passed he knew he would never forget Burns' gut retching screams as the life had been sucked right out of him. He felt his blood run cold and a shudder ran through him. He turned towards the window accusingly then and told himself it was just the icy breeze creeping through it. 'This country just keeps giving,' he thought sardonically, 'ancient booby traps, resurrected mummies, and weird weather.'
He turned sharply, drawing his gun fast on the canopic jar resting harmlessly on the chair. He cracked a tight grin, satisfied with his swift reactions. Maybe he still had a fighting chance, all he and Daniels had to do was get on a boat for home, let Evelyn and O'Connell sort out sending the mummy back to Egyptian hell, the woman was the one who'd resurrected it after all, it was her fault. He didn't know where exactly Jess fit into that scenario, he hoped she would be on the boat with him and Daniels but he wasn't so sure.
The wind came again but when Henderson looked to the window, this time ready to close it, the colour drained from his face as he saw the sandy breeze form into a man sized tornado within the room before taking the very real and familiar form of a half-rotted mummy.
BANG! BANG! The blonde let off several shots without thinking. His blue eyes darted hesitantly towards the doors as the mummy glowered back at him with Burns' eyes. He could make it; he was only a couple of steps away but... 'Can't leave the woman!' he thought as he moved towards the doors to Burns' bedroom, purposely putting himself in front of them. His heart was beating hard against his chest as the adrenaline rushed through him, he was too pumped to be scared and if he had time to think on it he might have been grateful for that.
BANG! BANG! He knew he would have to reload in a second but it hardly mattered, his bullets were barely delaying the creature.
The mummy's shoulders jerked back with each bullet that hit it but it still managed to advance towards Henderson, Burns' eyes flickering towards the falcon headed canopic jar accusingly.
"That what you want?!" Henderson growled at it, his voice steady and bold. "Take it then you ugly bastard!"
BANG!
Henderson's very last bullet sank straight into the mummy's skull with a satisfying crack as it caused the flesh to rip back with the force creating an impressive hole. The cowboy felt a thrill of pride thinking briefly that even Bernie couldn't have made a shot like that. 'Gotta keep the woman safe,' he thought numbly as his eyes darted to the main door once more. 'Where is everyone? Shit I need to stall, if it gives them time to get here that's all that counts.'
The mummy turned about again, twisting itself back into a tornado that stretched out to the defiant Henderson and sucked him up in its grasp. The blonde fought back as valiantly as he could, kicking and squirming in a vain attempt to escape as he was pulled up into the air. He let out a howl of agony as he felt his life force ebbing away, pulled out violently with his blood and flesh as he was drained of all that he was. It was like nails were being dragged over every inch of him and acid was running through his veins burning out his blood, every fibre of his being felt only pain and all he could do was scream and wish for it to be at an end.
As the wind resumed the form of Imhotep, now more flesh than bone, Henderson's dried husk hit the ground with a noisy bang. The almost reformed mummy stepped over it like it was trash as he headed to the seat and lifted up the falcon headed jar. As he pocketed the canopic jar he turned suddenly to the doors the blonde had so feebly attempted to guard and he approached them with intrigue.
She was there, he sensed her as a cat sensed a mouse in the wall. His right hand, now only bearing one telltale, rotted hole, reached out to grasp the handle and turn it but he found the door locked. He could break it down but he did not want to disturb or frighten her unnecessarily, strange that all the commotion had not. So he leaned down to the keyhole and performed a new, disturbing feat.
In Burns' room there suddenly came the soft sound of tiny grains of golden sand pouring through the lock and steadily piling on the floor. On Burns' former bed Evelyn tossed and turned on top of the sheets, clenching her hands tightly and groaning as the sound of gunfire entered her deep slumber and disturbed her dreams. So caught was she in her nightmares of her own parents being chased by a shambling mummy with the eyes of a man only briefly known, a man who howled at her from the shadows with a tongueless mouth, that even the death knells of Henderson had not been enough to awaken her.
So Evelyn lay, a sleeping beauty awaiting a prince and instead receiving a dead priest who was seeking a very different princess. The sand was starting to pile up now, almost the height of a man as the specks shifted and blurred together to reform Imhotep. Once he was finally formed he strode towards the bed quickly, his sandaled feet barely making a sound. He gazed down at Evelyn with a look of obsession burning in his stolen eyes. She was beautiful, a worthy sacrifice he supposed, perhaps even in another life... He leaned down towards her slowly as he sought to satisfy a longing that had been dormant for hundreds of years.
Evelyn's eyes opened as she felt lips upon her, forceful and rough with an imposing tongue. Her eyes went wide as they locked with the horror upon her and she instinctively screamed just as O'Connell kicked in the door.
"Hey, get your ugly face off her!" Rick snapped dramatically.
The mummy drew upright with a hiss of rage and turned towards O'Connell deliberately, ready to strike him down in an instant.
"Look what I got!" Rick cried out triumphantly as he raised Evelyn's unimpressed looking cat Cleo in both hands.
The mummy let out a very real shriek of horror before turning in a whirlwind and crashing out the bedroom window dramatically, taking the shutters out with it.
Evelyn let out a gasp as she pushed herself upright and looking to the broken window in horror before turning to Rick and her brother, who had been delayed looking at Henderson's corpse.
"Are you alright?" Rick quipped as he dropped the scowling cat and hastened to Evelyn with a deep look of concern.
"Well, I'm not sure," she murmured as she pressed one hand against her tangled curls with a look of bewilderment. She stood up from the bed, blushing faintly as Rick rested his hands on her shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. "Where are Jess and the others?" Evelyn asked with a look of worry.
"Well Jess and Daniels appear to have scarpered," Rick grumbled, "and Henderson..." He paused and glanced over his shoulder to where the corpse lay, one withered foot visible behind Jonathan.
"Our friend got him," Jonathan confessed grimly. The Englishman had turned an odd shade of grey and his cheeks bulged slightly as he resisted the urge to vomit. The main room reeked of decay and the sight of Henderson was more than he could stomach.
"Oh no," Evelyn murmured as she shrugged off Rick's grasp.
There was a loud shattering sound followed by a curse and a cry as Daniels dropped the bottle of bourbon he was carrying in horror. The Texan's face turned chalk white as he raised a hand dumbly in the direction of his friend and stumbled a couple of steps forward before freezing up. "Oh God Henry, it can't..." He shook his head wordlessly.
Jess raised a hand to her mouth as new tears burned at her eyes and threatened to dampen her cheeks. "No," she babbled out, "no more! There aren't meant to be anymore!" She dropped her hand and let out a shriek of anger.
Rick and Evelyn emerged from the room then and Rick was quick to pounce at Daniels, once more grabbing him tightly about the throat, this time with both hands. "And where the hell were you? I told you to mind her!" He shook the man hard as he pressed his face close to him. "Let me guess," he sneered, "you were at the bar again. Well I hope you enjoyed the whiskey while your friend got the life sucked out of him!"
Daniels, who had been numb with shock, came back to his senses at O'Connell's last words. His dark blue eyes filled with rage and he reached to grab O'Connell's hands with both of his own, pushing them down and freeing himself. "To hell with you! You left O'Connell!"
"Yeah for your former companion who you were too cowardly to go after!" Rick reminded him hotly.
"He made his choice," Daniels grumbled as he rubbed at his throat with one hand.
"And you made yours Daniels! You were meant to be minding Evelyn!"
"Ah too hell with her too!" Daniels spat with a vicious look thrown in Evelyn's look. "She's the one read from that damn book and started this mess, far as I'm concerned the mummy can have her."
O'Connell swung hard but Daniels narrowly dodged the blow. In a moment the men found themselves in a scuffle as they tackled each other, each grasping at the other's shoulders and pushing back. Rick jerked free first and kneed Daniels in the stomach. The Texan doubled over with a gasp as the wind rushed out of him before he scowled and punched Rick in the ribs in response.
"Oh for goodness sake," Evelyn grumbled with a roll of her eyes as she folded her arms and looked at the men scolding. She had felt a surge of guilt at Daniels' accusations, whilst she didn't appreciate his choice of words she couldn't help but agree with him that she had indeed started this mess.
Daniels let out a howl of pain when Rick punched him hard in the still healing bullet hole in Daniels' left arm. Daniels stumbled back as he clutched at his arm and yelled, "you dirty bastard! You crooked, cheating bastard!" There were tears budding at the corners of his own eyes now as they fell briefly on the grey husk that had, just minutes ago, been one of his closest friends.
Jess moved to Daniels, reaching out to his injured arm. He instinctively went to push her off, catching her in the chest with his free arm and using more force than intended. The blonde stumbled back with the blow and Daniels found himself looking at her in alarm. "Fuck!" he cursed loudly. He turned and repeated it again and again, pacing across the room as he did and kicking out a table leg and a chair. He finally paused and burrowed his right hand in his dark hair before letting out a groan of despair. "I'm next," he moaned, "I'm next."
"No you're not," Rick spoke up confidently as he looked at the man with a hint of pity, "none of us are next because we're going to put our mutual friend back in his grave." He knew he'd overreacted, Daniels had just lost another close companion after all, and one couldn't really blame the man for having the beginning of a breakdown.
Jess moved to the Texan again, the time a little more cautiously. She reached out a hand to him slowly, brushing her fingertips lightly against the sleeve of his good arm. "I'm still in this with you," she reminded him quietly.
Daniels shook his head at her miserably. "By God I wish you weren't," he muttered.