Chapter Three

Jasper

I wiped his face with my neckerchief and smiled reassuringly, if he got too upset I wouldn't get anything else from him.

"Let's see what I can do Sammy, come on. I might be able to help him."

I pulled him up and put his arm around my shoulder having to stoop to do so,

"Come on little brother."

It was quite a way to the cellar but I knew of old if I picked Sammy up he would let me and not try at all, he was basically lazy if allowed to be and I was tired.

It sounded like I might need his help with Peter too so I walked him back there noting his shaking was worse than ever, he had always trembled but now it was a real shake, he was scared almost witless. Arriving at the cellar entrance I saw he had attempted to hide the cellar door with branches, obviously on Peter's orders because he would never have thought of that on his own. I pushed it aside and pulled open the door descending the steps with Sammy close at my back.

Inside I saw Peter laying on a straw mattress and he looked terrible, his face was almost white and his lips a faint blue, in the air was a smell I recognized and it made my blood run cold, his wound was infected. He looked at me through pain dazed eyes and then a smile crossed his face,

"Hells fire, you took you time gettin' here Major."

I knew he wasn't unfeeling just relieved.

"I'd have been here sooner if I'd a known."

"Sorry about your family Major, I followed Samuel back to see if they'd had any news on you comin' home but by the time I got there it was all over. The attackers had gone and I found Samuel just standin' there crying. I guess I frightened him cos the next thing I know I've got a son of a bitch pitchfork in my bad leg. I sent him to warn my pa and when he got back he told me the "monsters" had been there too. They're all dead Major, my father and my brothers, all dead. Sammy dragged me back here and we've hid out ever since. I can't move round so every night Sammy goes to check out your place. We hoped you'd be back now the war is over. He told me the bodies had been buried but we don't know who done that. Sorry I couldn't do it myself Major. There was somethin' strange though, I didn't see any blood, mind Sammy had covered the bodies but even so. I couldn't ask him any questions, he just stares and starts crying about monsters or some such bull if I do."

"We need to find out what happened Peter but first we're gonna to need to do somethin' bout that leg."

"Hey don't try to kid me Major, I know that smell as well as you do. Once infection sets in it's the end, I'm on borrowed time. I just wanted to make it long enough to see you take charge of Sammy."

"Thanks Peter. You could be right but I have some powder the surgeon handed me before he left, it's supposed to work wonders and I guess we'll find out if he was telling the truth or not now."

I didn't wait for him to argue with me, instead I asked Sammy to get a canteen of water, I saw some in a corner and then ripped the trouser leg to get a good look at Peter's injured leg. It was bad but I'd seen worse, usually under the surgeon's saw admittedly but I would do all I could to save not only Peter but his leg too.

"Sammy get the brown paper packet outta my saddlebag."

I was relieved I'd grabbed it before coming and took the packet from Samuel's shaking hand opening it carefully,

"This is gonna hurt like a son of a bitch."

"Yeah I thought as much, go ahead."

I cleaned the wound out surprised to see that an effort had been made to clean it already and the main seat of infection seemed to be near the surface.

"Did I do right Jasper? Momma showed me what to do with herbs in wounds and I tried to find the right one when I went to the house."

"Ya might just have saved Peter's leg."

I sprinkled the powder into the wound after cleaning it and then strapped it up noticing how thin it was. Even if this worked that leg was never going to be strong enough to take his weight again. Peter would be a cripple for the rest of his life but at least he would have a life, I wouldn't lose my only friend.

I slept uneasily that night after letting Thunder free knowing he wouldn't wander far and would be an early warning system for us. He'd saved my life more than once during the war neighing when the enemy were getting close. I had tried to question Sammy about the monsters he had seen, to get some sense from him, but it was a difficult process. All I could discover was that they were man shaped but their eyes glowed a frightening red, "like the devil's own" and they were pale, "so white their skin sparkled in the sun". They were incredibly fast and strong, tearing apart their victims after biting them, but there was no blood, "Not even when they left and I went to look at the bodies. It was scary, all their limbs were torn off but there was no blood, none at all."

It just didn't make sense and I knew that Sammy must have been so terrified that he confused what he was seeing with the stories our father told us of the demons that came to take the wicked down to hell, mind that didn't explain the sparkling skin. He had given them red glowing eyes, reflecting the fires of hell but there was no mention of sparkling skin and although he had mentioned bodies ripped apart in hell he had never mentioned that the bodies didn't bleed. I would have been inclined to dismiss Samuel's ravings outright if not for the absence of blood at the ranch, surely whoever had buried the bodies would not have taken the time to clean up all the blood, it didn't make sense. If Peter had seen what happened it would have helped although it was a miracle Sammy hadn't been murdered too.

The next morning I was awake early and told Sammy to wait with Peter while I rode into town to find out what had happened if anyone knew and who had buried my family, and get some food because the supplies Sammy had brought from Peter's house had almost run out. I whistled and Thunder came galloping up so I mounted up and rode off determined to find out what really had happened to my family and the Jenkins.

There were fewer people in town than I remembered and they all looked nervous when they saw me, many I didn't know anyway. I rode straight to the Sheriff's office but the man there was also a stranger to me and when I explained who I was I saw a look of concern cross his face.

"Right, you're Frances Whitlock's son, its good to meet ya, your pappy was always talkin' bout your exploits, he was mighty proud of ya son and I'm real sorry bout your family."

"Yeah, maybe ya can tell me what happened and who did it, ya bein' the law an all."

"We think it was Union soldiers on the rampage celebratin' their victory. We got the news from a traveler who called in your pappy's place and then rode to town to tell us. Its a real tragedy two families wiped out just like that. We went out and did what was necessary, the preacher said some words over the graves, it was all done proper Major Whitlock."