Chapter Three: Midnight Dove
Sam and Courage hit a run of bad luck and find themselves caught in a quickly worsening situation. A glimmer of hope presents itself somewhere along the way however.
It was the early hours of the morning when the familiar and conspicuous click of a revolver caused his eyes to shoot open and for his hand to simultaneously go for his gun. Of course, it was too late. He was already looking straight down the barrel of one.
"Ah-ah! Take your hand away from that piece, funny man. What, no jokes now?"
The red-headed mercenary that he had left for dead back at the farmhouse days ago was standing over him, holding the gun that now threatened the structure of his head. Even worse, the other two mercenaries were standing around as well. May, the buck-toothed one, was fitting a strange sort of collar on Courage, who currently looked entirely defeated. The collar sparked once she was done with it.
"There we go! He ain't going nowhere."
Sam alternated glancing between the three of them. Strangely, May and Lee moved just fine and they showed no sign of injury to their legs. Lee must have noticed him looking around because she spoke up next.
"We always keep some Stim-Gel between us. You never know when you'll need one. Those things are like magic, even on gunshot wounds."
Sam ensured that he didn't show an inch of fear as he directed his gaze up to Lee's face.
"You gonna pull that trigger or we just gonna stand here all day making small talk?"
"You know, that's tempting. You shot us, beat us up, stole Marie's things, ruined our motorcycles, and ran off with our payday. And you know, you made a lot of noise back in Midlove."
"Too much noise," Marie said, leaning against a rock. "You made some friends of ours pretty mad. The Gangreen Gang says hi, by the way."
"They're not still sore about our little disagreement, are they?" Sam snarked.
May laughed. "Ha! They want your head on a platter. Maybe we should serve it to them. My vote is we should send this jerk back to Midlove so they can have him."
"Maybe we should," Lee replied. "Buuuuut…I think I've got a better idea. See, all that fuss you made in Midlove? You killed some things you shouldn't have. I think that maybe our client would give us a bit extra for delivering the idiot who killed a few of his guys. What do you say girls? You think so?"
It was quiet for a second, the other two girls lost in thought.
"Don't think too hard. You might hurt yourselves," Sam said.
"Shut up!" Lee yelled, shoving the gun further into his face, the barrel now only an inch from his eye.
"I say yes," May finally spoke up.
"That's one. What about you, Marie?"
"Alright. Let's take him with. But I want my stuff back from him," she said, walking over, snatching the hat from his side, and putting it on. She leaned down, removing the bandolier from him, the scabbard with the rifle, and finally, the gunbelt and pistol. Her hands began undoing the belt slowly and came uncomfortably close to his thighs multiple times during the process. He could have sworn this was on purpose. Marie looked up, grinning, and winked at him, confirming his suspicions before backing away. Lee reached behind her and produced a pair of gleaming, high-tech cuffs. She threw them down at Sam.
"Put those on."
"Or what?"
"Or we'll shoot you in the leg and leave you out here to die."
They had, several times throughout the hot and terrible day, said that they were the Kanker sisters, as if that was supposed to mean something to their prisoners. They bragged about it, flaunted it, wore it proudly like a badge of some sort. Sam and Courage didn't care. As they baked under the merciless sun, all they cared about was water. Sweat poured from Sam's face and Courage panted as if he were struggling to breathe. Their throats constricted tightly and were as dry as the hardpan that they walked on now. With how stuffy and sweltering the air was, one couldn't imagine why.
Sam had begun to see colors popping like birthday balloons in his failing vision. He had begun to smell the sky and taste the dry rocks around them.
The Kanker sisters wouldn't let them rest. As they walked on, they wiped their own sweat away with handkerchiefs. They produced canteens and took swigs followed by long, deliberate gulps in front of the two prisoners.
"Ahhhh, that's nice and cold. Nothing like some refreshing water on a hot day like this, eh boys?"
"Piss off," Sam breathed.
A shock surged through his body, blood, bones, and all, in that instant. He spasmed and twitched, falling to his knees.
"Get up or you'll get another one! A longer one!" Lee yelled back.
Sam climbed to his feet uneasily. Courage whimpered.
"We need water," Sam said. "Your client needs us alive, right? Well we ain't long out here if you keep running us ragged without any water."
"Hmmm…true. Alright, tell you what. We'll give you boys a drink. You've earned it."
Lee gestured to May and Marie. May handed her canteen to Courage, who began to drink as if it were the last he would ever take. After a single gulp, May swiped it away and capped it.
"That's enough, dog! She said a drink."
Marie uncapped hers and held it out to Sam. Just as he reached out with his bound wrists, she took it out of his reach. Smiling, she tipped it into her mouth before swishing and spitting back into the canteen. Then she held it out again. Sam stared at her.
"Go on! Aren't you thirsty?"
With the choice being to either die from the hellish heat or drink water from that canteen, the choice seriously became difficult in Sam's mind at that moment. In the end, he chose to take the canteen and reluctantly drink from it. He forced himself to swallow but not taste it. Marie gleefully took it back.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?"
Sam ignored her, and the group began to press on once more through the desert.
"It feels so nice to have my hat back. I think it looks much better on me," Marie said.
"I agree! Better than on this moron's head. Speaking of, I haven't heard many jokes from you since we started this trip. Why's that?" May asked.
"Take these cuffs off of me and I'll tell you one," Sam replied.
"Ha! I knew you had some more in you."
Sam felt as if he truly was entering the realm of madness now, being marched across the devilish desert haze by this bunch towards a fate that was completely unknown. He would take Courage and run if he could, but they wouldn't get far. He was smart enough to know that at least.
"So who's this client you girls have, huh? Color me curious."
"Curiosity's bad for you," Marie teased.
"You'll meet our client soon. Once we get to the train station, it's a straight shot from there," Lee called back.
"Well, I for one can't wait to meet him."
Courage whined quietly. He wasn't handling this whole thing well.
"Your dog's got the right reaction. That's how you should be feeling right now. You should be terrified. Hell, I almost feel bad for you two," Lee said.
They'd been marching almost the entire day by now. Dusk had to be drawing nearer by now, though with the sun still perched as high-up as it was, maybe not. Maybe time was just crawling by because it wanted to spite him. What he had done to it to draw such ire, he did not know. He had spent the entire day trying to occupy his thoughts and pass the treacherous time by coming up with a plan for their escape, but he had none at this time. It was admittedly quite difficult to think under these less-than-ideal conditions.
When he first spotted the dark blob on the horizon among the cliffs through the rising waves of heat reverberating from the grit, he thought he was mistaken. He thought it was just a part of the rocks themselves or a trick of the light or even an animal. He kept fixed on it for sometime, though he could not measure how long it was. There was certainly nothing better to do. Maybe it was just simple curiosity, but it was hard for him to take his eyes away once he had noticed it. As he continued to watch it, he almost swore that it wasn't something, but rather someone hiding in those cavernous rocks.
Night fell in no particular hurry, but both Courage and Sam were thankful for it when it did finally come. The sun set, replaced by a starlit void, and the Kanker sisters led them as far as they would go tonight. They themselves were tired and ready to rest for the night. Courage and Sam were ragged, worn-down, and when the sisters finally stopped and allowed them to sit, they practically collapsed into the dirt.
The Kanker sisters laughed.
"What a couple of babies," May mocked.
"Whatever. Let's just get the fire going."
The pair on the ground were almost deaf to their captors' remarks. Their feet were almost struggling to accept the relief of not moving, and they ached terribly.
"Tell me you've been working on a plan," Sam muttered, looking straight up into the sky.
"I'm working on it. I was hoping you'd have one," Courage said.
"Best I got is to make a move on them while they're asleep, but it's a long shot. They're probably gonna be up in shifts to watch us. Was thinking since I played the part of distraction last time, you might be willing to take that role this time."
"That's fair. I'd say that's really our only shot, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I'd say so. Lee's got the shock controller. We'll need to take that before we make a move, otherwise it'll fall apart."
"What do you think's in store for us?" Courage asked.
"Hm?"
"If this doesn't work. What do you think is going to happen to us?"
"I don't wanna think about that. You shouldn't either. Failure's not an option on this one. We're gonna take that controller and we're gonna run for it. Hopefully figure out a way to get that collar and these cuffs off. Hopefully find some water and a place to hide since they'll be coming after us."
Courage went quiet, accepting this response for now.
The Kanker sisters got the fire going and huddled around its bright flames, leaving the two prisoners on the dim outskirts of the light and away from the warmth. The sisters ate jerky and drank from a bottle of whiskey that they passed around, taking turns laughing at stories between themselves and occasionally checking back on the two laying in the dirt. Surprisingly, they paid them little mind for the most part.
Courage had passed out, snoozing quietly, and Sam was fighting it when the sisters began to yawn and stand from where they were sitting. All three of the sisters had a dramatic wobble to their steps and movements, and they walked as if they were just learning how to perform the act. Their glazed, droopy eyes landed on Sam and Courage. Marie unsteadily gestured towards them.
"Alright, who's got first shift?"
Lee and May looked over at each other. Lee placed a finger to the tip of her nose. May started to do the same before realizing she'd been too slow.
"Damn! Alright, alright. I'll keep an eye on these two. Marie, I think you should get next watch though."
"Why? Why doesn't Lee get it?"
"Because I'm taking first watch and I want you to take next!" May spat back.
"I'm with May on this one, I think you should take second, Marie," Lee jumped in.
"Lee, you never take first watch! It's always me or May. I don't think that's fair at all," Marie spun, her arms crossed like a pouting child.
"Fair, what's all this about fair? Who cares? Just wake me up when you're done with your shift and stop your whining," Lee remarked, walking off to jump into the sleeping roll that she had set up on the ground. Marie turned to May.
"Jerk," she muttered before following Lee's lead to her own sleeping roll. The fire was still burning somewhat brightly when the other two fell asleep and May slumped down to cautiously watch Sam and Courage.
Sam did not know whether she could see that his own eyes were still open and staring back at her in the dark but he doubted it. May could barely sit straight for five seconds at a time, falling left and right almost like a pendulum. He could see that sleep was luring her in as well, slowly but surely. Her eyelids would drift down, down, down, then would shoot up again once she caught herself before the process would start over again. Sam patiently watched her for the better part of half-an-hour. Finally, she could no longer resist, and her eyes shut firmly and she slumped over on her side, her cheek against the hard grit.
Sam kept watching her, waiting for any sign that she might spring back up and resume her post. It never came. Once he realized he was in the clear and that he could hear the light snores of each of the Kanker sisters, he turned to Courage and nudged him hard without speaking. Courage emerged into consciousness slowly, even after Sam shook him with more intensity, evidently wanting to stay in the realm of sleep. Once he came to, Sam put a finger to his lips and pointed in the direction of the sisters. Courage looked over towards the sleeping forms, then back at Sam, having caught on.
Sam leaned in towards Courage's ear to whisper as quietly as possible.
"If one of them wakes, you signal for me."
Courage nodded.
Sam turned and, his eyes locked on the sisters, slowly got to his feet. When he finally began to walk, he did so with wide, exaggerated, careful steps. He made sure to stick to the oily darkness that engulfed the outside of the small camp. The crackle of the dying flames was the only sound as he made his way over to where Lee slept. He looked over to Courage, who reassured him with a thumbs up.
The remote for the collar and the cuffs was set in the dirt next to Lee's roll, most likely so she wouldn't roll and accidentally shock the two in the middle of the night and so she could easily grab it in the middle of the night if need be. He reached down and snatched it up, withdrawing it from the ground at a lethargic pace to ensure he wouldn't wake Lee. He slid it into the pocket of his jeans.
Courage excitedly cheered him on from the shadows, their escape now at hand. Sam looked over to Marie briefly, thinking about trying to take the hat and the pistol from her. It was an alluring thought, but he shook it from his head almost as quickly as it had appeared. He'd be pushing their luck and he didn't want to do that more than he already had.
He backed away and crept around and back over to Courage.
"Alright, let's get the hell out of here," he whispered.
Courage gave no argument with that, and the two took one last look behind them before starting off into the outer dark. Courage went first, Sam following close behind. Their pace was quick, eager to get as far away from these psychos as possible, but they still cared enough to minimize any sound they might make. Freedom was ahead of them, waiting with open arms, and for a moment Sam truly couldn't believe that they had actually managed to pull it off without a hitch. Deep down, Sam almost felt a pang of cockiness.
They got perhaps thirty, forty feet away from the campsite when a high-pitched, repetitive ringing rang out from behind them. They froze in their tracks immediately, staring at each other with bulging eyes before turning back towards the campsite.
The fire was nearly out now, just a handful of dying embers, but in the dark they could make out a silhouette, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.
"Ughhh…Marie, it's your turn to w–" May's voice slurred out, stopping abruptly. She shot up, looking all around her frantically before setting her eyes in their direction.
Sam and Courage stood absolutely still, doing their best to make themselves into a set of statues with the highest of militaristic bearing. Sam hoped with everything in him that the dark would cover them enough, blue them into natural shapes of the desert. He could hear his heart thumping like a war drum in his ears, he could hear his own icy blood flowing like a river that had not yet frozen in the dreadful bleak of winter.
Their hopes were quickly dashed.
"Lee! Marie! Wake up, they're getting away!"
The other two stirred and reacted surprisingly quickly in response to May's frenzied panic. Their movements were still uncoordinated and drunken as they hobbled from their sleeping rolls and to their feet.
"What the–the remote's gone!" Lee screamed, enraged.
With one hand, Sam pushed Courage forward and the two broke themselves out of their trance, tearing off into the desert. Behind them, they heard the Kanker sisters getting into gear. They heard shots ring out, and they heard the sharp whizzing of rounds as they flew by at a distance that was uncomfortably close.
"Watch it! He wants the dog alive! Kill that other moron for all I care!"
The shots stopped, but Sam could sense that they were now being chased. The two at least had a head start on their pursuers and the dark to at least make it harder for their forms to be seen. They made for a cluster of moderately-sized rocks some distance away, and Sam pushed Courage behind it as he himself made a dive. They scooted their backs up against the rock, breathing heavily, and sat there listening. The Kanker sisters were screaming and hollering like a pack of wild animals, threatening every method of harm that could be done to another living thing and cursing that would have made a coal miner blush. Judging by their voices, they fortunately weren't terribly close, but they were heading straight for Sam and Courage.
"What now?" Courage whispered.
"I don't know," Sam muttered.
A million thoughts blitzed through his mind at the speed of light in those moments, and he did his best to slow them and form something. They were dead if they stayed behind this rock. The Kankers wouldn't rest until they had checked behind every single one, and sooner or later they would find them. They realized now that Sam wasn't worth the trouble, and would promptly put a bullet in him.
"You think we could maybe reason with them?" Courage asked, knowing the answer but obviously searching for any sort of solace in their increasingly dire situation.
Sam chuckled dryly and mirthlessly.
"Call me crazy Courage, but I don't think they're the reasonable type."
Sam slowed his breath and began to inch his head up the rock, just enough so he could try to see something, anything, out there in the dark. He laid his eyes on the silhouettes of the Kankers, who were indeed approaching just as he had thought. They were perhaps sixty feet away at this point. As he watched them, another shot rang out, echoing across the flatland. What was surprising, however, was that none of the Kankers' guns had gone off as far as he could tell. Dust had kicked up at their feet, and they had stumbled back. One, who looked like May if he had to guess, fell back onto her ass. He watched as they looked around, visibly confused. Another shot rang out, and more dust scattered.
"Find where that's coming from!" Lee yelled, and the three themselves began to shoot all around them and in different directions.
Sam turned to Courage, who was shaking in fear with his hair raised like a pink, spiky ball of fur.
"Someone just saved our asses, let's not look a gift horse in the mouth," he said, and the two booked it from their hiding spot as the sporadic shots reverberated behind them.
They dared not look back. They ran and ran and ran as far as their weary feet could take them at a full sprint. Perhaps it was for an hour, perhaps it was only for mere minutes, but it was to the point where their lungs were crashing madly against their rib cages and begging to be let out. They had to stop soon. Courage directed them towards the bottom of a steep cliffside they could take cover behind. Once behind it, they crumpled to the floor and focused on measuring and steadying their breathing. They could no longer hear gunshots. Sam hadn't even noticed when they had ceased.
"Whew. Someone really helped us out back there," Courage panted.
"Yeah. Guess we've got a guardian angel…either that or the Kankers really pissed someone off. I saw someone earlier though, on the cliffs watching us. I didn't say anything because I didn't want the Kankers to know. They watched us for quite a ways. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that's our shooter."
"That makes sense," Courage said, peeking out behind the wall slightly. "It looks like we're in the clear for now, we lost them."
"That's good. We needed some good news. We gotta keep moving though, they'll be coming our way and looking for us. They can't be that far behind."
The pair moved steadily in the unyielding, cold dark. Luckily, they had run in the direction that they were already heading, and should still have been on the right track towards Foster's. They stuck mainly to the rocks and to the cliff walls when they could. It was preferable to sitting out in the open with three murderous lunatics on their trail. Frequently, they would look behind them and scan the wide open area for any sign of their pursuers. Luckily, there was no sign of them.
Sam was finding that he hated being without a weapon. It made him feel naked, vulnerable, and that wasn't a good feeling to have in this exact set of circumstances. Not to mention his hands were still bound in those damn cuffs. He felt near useless.
Courage was first to spot it off in the distance and point it out after some time of walking. Sam didn't see it at first until he squinted and looked closer. It looked like some sort of opening for a path that went up the cliffs.
"It might be a good idea to climb up there and get an idea of the area. Might also help us see the Kankers if they're close," Courage said.
"You're just full of good ideas, dog," Sam remarked. Courage seemed to glow with pride at the compliment.
The two made their way towards the path and prepared to turn onto it when they reached the entry, but stopped dead in their tracks as they did.
The hooded figure looked down on them from the top of the path, holding a rather cumbersome bolt-action hunting rifle. A magnification scope was attached to the top of it, and the rifle itself looked old and weathered. The figure himself was squat with a lumpy body, and barely taller than Courage. Still, he appeared rather intimidating at that angle.
"We don't want any trouble. We just wanna pass through," Sam called out.
"Trouble? Oh no, no no no. No trouble at all. I was the one who helped you guys earlier when those ladies were chasing after you."
The figure's voice was that of an old man, but it was genuine and warm and without so much as a hint of malice.
"Thanks. We really appreciate that," Courage spoke up. "You saved our butts."
The figure went quiet, and the three of them eyed each other for a moment until he slung the rifle over his shoulder and started to reach into his cloak. Sam readied himself, believing they were about to start running. Instead, he became confused at what the man at the top of the path took out. The moonlight exposed a glint of golden metal extending from the man's hand.
It was a bell.
He rang it, playfully so, and the note that came from the object was quite a beautiful sound, something serene. Sam only hoped the Kankers wouldn't be able to hear it. Courage cocked his head curiously, stepping forward.
"Wait a second…I know that sound…"
Courage reached into his own pocket and produced a similar bell. He rang it in the same jovial, playful manner, and the note that echoed from it intertwined with the strange figure's own and created a harmonious melody that worked to put even Sam's jumping nerves at an unlikely ease.
The man reached his free hand up to his hood and finally let it fall, allowing the pair to glimpse his face. Anyone else might have called this man hideous, but Sam and Courage weren't anyone else. The man was green, much like the Gangreen Gang's members but a bit darker. He had sparse tufts of bright orange hair decorating only the front and the back on his head. One eye curved at a strange, upward angle from his head, and the other bulged in its socket.
Courage smiled up towards him. The man, a hunchback, smiled down in return.
The Hunchback led the two up the path, through the rocks to a small opening in the cliffs, a dim entryway to a cave.
"Welcome! Make yourselves at home, I never get visitors here but it's so nice to finally have some company," the Hunchback said.
He vanished some feet ahead of them before reappearing again while blanketed in the warm glow of a newly-lit lantern that hung from the middle of the cave. The light revealed a rather cozy, if makeshift, home within the small cave. The Hunchback had built a small kitchen complete with a stove and a dining area, what looked like a bathroom further down past the kitchen, and had a bedroom for himself across from the kitchen. The place was surprisingly well-kept and taken care of. It was evident that the Hunchback took pride in it.
"Wow, you put this place together yourself?" Courage remarked, an impressed tone underlying his voice.
"I sure did, buddy! A place to finally call my own. No more knocking on strangers' doors and getting turned away, no more sleeping in the rain. It's everything I've ever wanted."
"Heh. That's great. I'm happy for you, I really am. You deserved it," Courage replied.
The Hunchback smiled gratefully.
"Thanks. That means a lot. It's good to see you again though, old friend! I honestly never thought we'd cross paths again but I always hoped we would. I do think about you quite often, I hope you know. I always hoped you were doing okay."
Sam stood back, towards the entryway, letting the two catch-up since they obviously knew each other. He did, of course, have questions of his own though. Those could wait.
"Oh my, how rude of me. You must be eager to get that collar and those shackles off. Let me help you with that. Could I see that remote, good sir?" The Hunchback gestured over to Sam, who gladly passed him the remote from his pocket. The Hunchback fiddled with the remote for a moment, and suddenly both the collar and the cuffs deactivated and opened, allowing Sam and Courage to slip them off.
"Well, you boys must be famished! I can cook something up and get you guys some fresh water, there's a spring right under this place! I lucked out pretty good," the Hunchback said as he ducked into the kitchen.
"That's awfully kind of you, mister," Sam called out to him. "You're doing a lot for us."
"I like to help out my friends, and any friend of Courage is a friend of mine. I've learned that friends, real friends, are a tough thing to find in this world. Once you manage to find one, you treasure that. And Courage is a true friend. You know, I would have helped you boys out sooner but I didn't see a good opportunity."
"So that was you watching us?" Courage asked.
"Sure was. I felt awful, watching those girls march you both along like that and run you ragged. But I knew if I chose the wrong time to act, things would go sideways in a bad way. I'm sorry, I hope I can make it up to you with a hot meal and as much water as you can drink. A safe place to rest, too."
"You don't owe us anything. You've helped us so much. It sounds like we owe you one," Courage responded.
"What'd I tell you? Sit down, relax. You guys need it."
The pair relented and did as he asked. When in Rome, Sam thought. They sat at the dining table, and it felt good to sit down. It felt good to be at ease somewhat, though admittedly Sam was not fully there. The Kanker sisters were still somewhere out there, searching for them, and they weren't happy.
The smell emanating from the kitchen wafted through to their nostrils, filling it with all manner of savory goodness. Courage licked his lips unconsciously. Sam would've said that he had never felt so hungry, but honestly he didn't know if that was the truth. All he knew was that he was, indeed, starving. Courage dug into his pockets and produced a bib for himself, which he tied around his neck in preparation for the meal. Sam chuckled.
"Hells bells, you've got just about everything you could ever need in those pockets, Courage."
Courage gave a toothy smile in reply, and somehow this was the first time that Sam had noticed a gaping hole in one of the dog's upper teeth. He wasn't quite sure how he had missed such a thing.
It wasn't long before the Hunchback emerged from the kitchen, carrying steaming plates for both Courage and Sam. He set one in front of each of them, and they found themselves staring at plates full of heaping piles of mashed potatoes and baked beans. On pure instinct they almost dug in until they both stopped themselves, realizing that their host hadn't gotten his own plate yet. He chuckled and waved them away.
"Go ahead, hahaha. I'll go grab my plate and be right back, but don't you wait for me. You both have waited long enough."
With that stamp of approval they both dug in like cavemen, shoveling forks full of food down their gullets and filling their hollow stomachs. The Hunchback returned soon after and sat with them, eating from his own plate at a more moderate pace. He didn't seem to mind their absent manners in the slightest.
"How is it, fellas? I'm sorry, I know it's nothing fancy, but I hope it will suffice."
Both Sam and Courage affirmed that the food was absolutely delicious.
"This is plenty," Courage said, and Sam nodded in agreement.
"Good, I'm glad you enjoy it. There's seconds up there too if you'd like, just in case you have a little more room in your stomachs after. I don't think I have any dessert unfortunately," the Hunchback said, almost disappointed.
"I promise, this is good. We don't need dessert," Courage reassured.
The Hunchback smiled.
"So how have you been, Courage? God, it's been ages! How are Muriel and that mean old bald guy? I hope he's stopped giving you trouble."
"Oh. Ummm…ah, well they both passed on a while ago. I can't remember how long it's been, but it's been a while."
The Hunchback's strange face contorted in a frown, as if that answer had completely broken his heart.
"Oh. Oh no. Courage, I'm so sorry. Muriel was a wonderful woman, a kind woman. And the bald guy, he was…well, I'm sure he had some good qualities somewhere in him."
"I miss Muriel a lot. I dream about her often. You know what? I even miss Eustace sometimes. He wasn't good to me or Muriel, but every now and again he had a moment of goodness. It was rare, but it happened. I buried them behind the house together. It's what they would've wanted. I…I know Muriel is still here with me, guiding me along from wherever she is now."
"You're a strong dog. She was lucky to have been a part of your life like that, and I'm sure she's proud of you for all you've done."
"I hope so," Courage said, the side of his mouth briefly lifting into a sort of smile.
"So you and Courage go back quite a ways then, huh?" Sam asked, gliding a fork-full of beans into his waiting mouth.
"Oh yes, yes we do. Quite a ways, eh Courage?"
"Mmmhmm!" Courage agreed, having perked up from the earlier topic of conversation.
"Courage and Muriel offered me a place to stay during an awful rainstorm. They offered me hospitality when everyone else pushed me away. I had nowhere to go, and that lovely woman and this nice dog let me stay with them. They cooked me food and everything! As far as I'm concerned, this is me repaying the favor."
"He taught me the bell trick too," Courage said. "He also uh…taught me how to swing from a trapeze swing. That was a little terrifying, but I got the hang of it pretty quick."
"Haha, that you did! I did feel bad because he was a little scared…well, very scared, but he did great. He was a natural! You should've seen it. I guess that was before the world went the way it did."
Sam's eyebrow cocked.
"What happened to the world?"
"I don't know an awful lot about that, I stick to myself these days mostly. I have everything I need out here and I'm happy. But I do know that something bad happened. A lot of people got hurt. A lot of people got killed. I can't stand that thought. I hope you two don't mind it, but I wasn't aiming to kill those girls. I just wanted them to leave you alone. I don't think I have it in me to kill somebody."
"There's nothing wrong with that. What you did worked and we got away from them. We can't thank you enough for that."
"I couldn't just sit there and let them do that to you both. That was horrible, those girls should be downright ashamed of themselves. Say, I hope you don't mind me asking, but what are you two doing so far out here anyway?"
"We were traveling when those Kanker sisters caught up with us. We're trying to get to Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends," Courage replied.
"That right? That's a decent place. I've been there before. Lots of decent folk, a few who are rough around the edges, but that's alright. They were kind enough to take me in for a bit. I do wonder how they're doing. When you get there, you'll tell them I said hello, right? Especially Frances and Wilt, haha! Eduardo too, if you see him."
Courage nodded and smiled.
"We'll do that. I'm sure they'll be happy to hear from you."
"I miss them. Heh, maybe I'll make my way out there again sometime and say hello myself. What's bringing you fellas that way?"
"We're looking for someone. Guess she's called 'the Sorceress.' That wouldn't happen to mean anything to you, would it?" Sam asked, bringing his tin cup of water to his lips. God, it tasted so good. Before he knew it, it was completely empty.
The Hunchback sat in deep thought for a few moments, scrunching his lips.
"No, I'm afraid it doesn't. I apologize. I wish I could be of more help."
"That's alright, just figured I'd ask. To be quite honest, we don't even know what we're walking into with that. Hoping it can help me get my memory back."
"Oh dear, that's terrible that you've lost it. I do hope whoever this 'sorceress' is, she can help you with that. Courage, it's a good thing you're doing, helping this man on his quest."
"Heh. It seems to be my quest too. I'm a part of it somehow. We just don't know how yet," Courage said.
"Ah, I see. Oh! Your cups seem to be empty. I'll go get you both some more water. That spring isn't running dry anytime soon, so I'll give you as much as you can drink."
When the Hunchback returned, the trio drank and ate and conversated more. Sam and Courage talked in detail about their adventures this far, and the Hunchback listened with genuine fascination, gasping at certain parts and laughing at others. They remained seated and talked even well after their plates were empty, enjoying each other's company, forgetting about whatever troubles they had left behind.
When it had gotten much later, the already tired three gathered to prepare for bed. The Hunchback had, luckily, kept some bedrolls in the event that he would ever get guests someday. He would've hated to be a poor host. Even further, he himself decided to stay out in the main area with them out of courtesy. The three prepared their bedrolls and the Hunchback got up to blow out the lantern. Just before he did, however, he stopped himself. A smile crossed his lips, and both Sam and Courage wondered what he was thinking.
"Excuse me, I'll be back in just one moment," he said, disappearing into his tiny bedroom momentarily.
Sam and Courage looked at each other, playfully suspicious and confused. When he reappeared, he was holding a bulky old flashlight. He went over to the lantern and blew it out, leaving the cave in mostly darkness, save for the slight bit of light leaking in from the outside.
"Courage, do you remember this?" The Hunchback asked, sitting down beside the dog and turning on the flashlight. He shone it at the far wall. The beam created a large circle of light, and the Hunchback stuck his free hand in the middle of it. At first, Sam was entirely confused and unsure of what was going on. Courage seemed to catch on immediately however.
The shadow that appeared in the middle of the light was formless at first, until it began to contort and change shape. To Sam's amazement, the shadow clearly took the form of a butterfly, flapping its wings in a majestic display. This came as no surprise to Courage, who sat grinning and laughing and clapping his paws together. The Hunchback shifted the light towards Courage, and he immediately knew what to do. In the light, the shadow of his paws made the shape of a dancing ballerina. Sam quickly decided not to question how the trick worked, instead opting to watch on in astonishment.
The two shared the beam of the light back and forth. Over the next ten, twenty, thirty minutes, the shapes of rabbits, ducks, cats, mice, snapping alligators, and a menagerie of other animals came to life on the wall. They all laughed and smiled, even Sam. He got the feeling that smiling and laughing was something that did not come natural to him, but here he felt like a little kid enjoying a magic show. In these few moments, he forgot about the Kanker sisters, he forgot about Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, and he forgot about his amnesia. It all vanished away like teardrops in an ocean. All that he thought about for the rest of the night was this. The laughter. The smiles. The peace.
The wafting, irresistible smell of bacon, eggs, and sausage roused both Courage and Sam from their peaceful sleep. Sam pulled himself from the depths of a deep and dreamless slumber, but a much-needed one. He wiped drool from his chin, and he hoped neither of the other two noticed. The cave was flooded with white sunlight from the entryway, and it was nearly blinding.
"Ah, good morning! It's rather late in the morning but you both needed your rest, especially since you're planning on getting back out there today. I'm just cooking a nice meal for the road before you go."
Sam sat up, rubbing his eyes and coming into focus. He got a distinct sense of deja-vu, like he was reliving the moments that he had when he had woken up some days ago with no memory as if being born anew into the world. He looked over at Courage to find him slowly making his way up, his mouth widening into a yawn while he stretched his paws out.
The two went to the table and the Hunchback brought out the plates as he did the previous night, humming jovially as he did. He sat with them and they ate. As expected, it was delicious, and Sam savored every single bite and explosion of savory flavor like it was his last meal on death row. They made light conversation of course, and it was clear by the Hunchback's visibly sad expressions and reserved tone that he was sad to see the two go.
Admittedly, Sam was also sad to go. He enjoyed the Hunchback's company as much as Courage did, and he felt as if he truly did make a new friend in the lonely old man. They had business to take care of however, and they needed to get going before the Kankers caught up with them. They finished breakfast, and the Hunchback offered them old canteens that he had scrounged at one point or another and filled them to the brim with spring water so they could drink on the road.
The time came when they were standing just before the entrance to the cave, preparing to bid their farewells.
"It was a real pleasure, you guys. It was a night to remember, I'm so glad you two stayed last night. I hope you got enough to eat."
"We got more than enough. You promise you'll take care?" Courage asked.
"As long as you promise to do the same, old friend."
Courage nodded.
"I promise."
The Hunchback turned to Sam.
"And you too, new friend. It was great to meet you," he said, sticking out his hand.
"Likewise, sir," Sam said as he shook it. "I don't know how to repay you honestly."
"You don't have to do a thing, the company you two gave was more than enough. I mean it though. It's dangerous out there, you two need to be careful."
"We will," Courage smiled and reassured. "And you know what? If it's alright, I think we'll come back and visit sometime once we handle the business we need to handle."
"You mean that? Oh, that would be great! You two are welcome anytime. And if you meet any more new friends out there, bring them too! Like I told you, any friends of yours are friends of m–"
CRACK.
The deafening sound split through the cave, bouncing off of the tightly confined walls and wracking their ears. Sam's hearing began to battle against a sudden undercurrent of unceasing ringing. He wasn't quite sure what had happened. The Hunchback stood there for a second, wincing and blinking oddly. Then he coughed, and a heavy flow of red spilled out, down his chin and onto his blue shirt and onto the ground. Sam looked down and noticed that a hole had opened in his chest.
"Oh…oh dear," he muttered before wobbling to the side. He tripped over his own steps and fell, crawling his way to the cave wall. Courage immediately ran to him, frantically yelling and panicking.
Sam was still registering what had just happened. His eyes were fixed ahead, at the cave entrance where Lee Kanker stood on her lonesome, blocking the light. Time had slowed to a withering crawl.
"That'll teach you to take potshots at us," she sneered. She was pleased with herself.
She made the mistake of turning to yell out the entryway, down the path, her gun still trained towards Sam and Courage.
"Yeah, I got them both in here! Come on up! I told you I heard something up here last night."
At that moment, Sam saw nothing but red and acted instantaneously. Snapping from his trance, he lunged forward, seizing Lee's gun-wielding arm and forcefully smacking it against the cave wall with as much rage as his grip would muster. He did it again and again. She yelped out each time, relenting to the pain and dropping the pistol. Sam caught it before it fell to the floor, swinging it up to Lee's abdomen and squeezing the trigger.
BANG.
With a forceful kick from his boot, he sent her falling through the entryway, leaning out simultaneously and aiming down the path to his left. Marie and May stood there, stunned, and didn't have enough time to react. Sam fired through May's head and sent two rounds through Marie's chest. May fell back immediately, her head cocked at an awkward and unnatural angle, and Marie staggered like she was still caught in a drunken haze before she finally dropped. Sam immediately moved back over to Lee, who had climbed her way half-heartedly to the rock behind her in order to sit up, aiming the gun at her face just as he had back at the farmhouse.
"Where's your Stim-Gel?"
Lee spat out blood in a mess that dripped down the side of her face.
"You…you killed my sisters."
"I should've killed you all when I had the chance," Sam said, clicking the hammer of the revolver. "I'm not asking again. Stim-Gel."
Lee chuckled.
"We…we ran out. We had one bottle, we used it all up when you shot us back at that farmhouse. Here," she slid her fingers into the pocket of her jeans, pulling out a strange vial and holding it up to him. He took it, his gun still aimed at her while he examined it. The bottle read 'STIM-GEL by DEXTECH! A MIRACLE CURE FOR ALL INJURIES!'
Sure as hell, the bottle was completely empty.
"That was our only bottle," Lee choked out, visibly in agony. Her hand was clasped over the wound in her stomach, and both her hand and her shirt were covered in blood. "You can check the other two over if you don't believe me."
Sam looked into her eyes, buried beneath her tangled curls.
"I believe you."
He squeezed the trigger and the shot echoed across the desert.
Sam ran back into the cave, where Courage knelt at the Hunchback's side. His chest was heaving up and down heavily like a massive weight was yanking it back and forth. Sam knelt at the opposite side. The Hunchback slowly turned his head to look at him. He had paled and lost quite a bit of his darker complexion in the couple of minutes that he'd been sitting there.
"Oh there you are, Sam. I'm so glad you're here," the Hunchback croaked out weakly.
"I'm here," Sam said. "Courage and I both."
"Good, good. That's good. I'm happy to be surrounded by friends in my final moments. Heh. To be quite honest, I didn't think that today would be it. That's funny in a way. I don't think any of us really expect that day to come, but it does sooner or later. It seems often when you expect it the least. I'm not mad at those girls, you know."
"I took care of them," Sam said.
Courage sat, a paw gently supporting under the man's back.
"Is there anything we can do?" Courage asked, choking on his words a bit.
"Heh. Yes, I suppose there is. If you would grant a dying man's wish, Courage I would like you to take this," the Hunchback said, lethargically removing his hooded cloak from himself, carefully so as not to hurt himself, and handed it to Courage. "For good luck, my friend. I want you to keep it. I've had it for a very long time and I can't think of anyone else I would rather give such a precious item to."
"I promise I'll take good care of it. You have my word," Courage said, smiling.
The Hunchback smiled in return, then turned to Sam.
"And you. You take care of this dog. You be nice to him and treat him well. Be a friend to him."
"I will. I swear," Sam promised.
Satisfied, the Hunchback looked up towards the ceiling of the cave. His arms extended slowly, out towards both Courage and Sam. He coughed violently, and more blood spattered out.
"Would you…would you boys hold my hands? Please? And stay with me until I go? I don't want to be alone."
Sam placed his hand into the man's own, and Courage did the same with his paw to the other hand. The man tried to close and grip them each, but his strength had failed considerably. He held on with what he could.
"Ah. Thank you. I couldn't ask for a better send-off. Thank you both. Getting to know you was wonderful, and I want you to know that I'll look out for you from beyond as best I can."
"No. Thank you," Courage said. "It's okay. You can rest now."
The Hunchback closed his eyes. His smile returned. They sat there for a minute, maybe two, in utter and complete silence before the old man's arms went limp and his hands fell from those of the fellows that he had called his friends in the end. Perhaps the only friends that he had ever had.
Sam closed his eyes, and Courage's welled up. They remained there, sitting next to the man for a while. Neither spoke or made a sound, not until Sam looked up and around. His eyes found a variety of tools sitting together on a long shelf by the entryway of the cave. Among them was a shovel.
After the last patch of dirt was thrown over the freshly dug, six-foot hole, Sam stabbed the spade into the ground, using it as leverage for his foot, and wiped the sweat from his brow. Courage had finished nailing together a makeshift, crude cross from some of the spare building materials that they had found deeper in the cave. He moved to the head of the patch of dirt, taking the sharp end of the cross and hammering it into the earth. Sam looked on silently. Courage finished and backed away, his ears folded down atop his head, his eyes glazed over.
"You wanna say a few words? It's only right you be the one. You knew him better than I did," Sam said.
Courage nodded after a second of silence, his paws folded together in front of him.
"You were a good man, better than this world deserves. You were my friend and I'm glad I got to know you, I'm thankful for it. Because friends are hard to come by in this world. Once you find one, you treasure them. And I hope in your final moments, you felt treasured by both of your friends. I hope you see Muriel and that you tell her that I miss her and that I think about her everyday. You'll always be in my thoughts too. Please…rest now."
Sam reached down and placed his hat back on his head. His gunbelt had returned to his waist, firmly but comfortably weighted by the hand cannon in its holster. The bandolier had also found its way back around his torso, and of course the laser carbine was at his back once more. He spat to the side, away from the grave where they had buried their friend with his old but trusty rifle.
"You ready?" Sam asked Courage gently after giving him a few moments of peace. He didn't want to rush the dog of course, and wanted him to take as much time as he needed.
"Yeah. I'm ready."
"We'll remember him. He'll be with us every step of the way. He doesn't die unless we let him die."
The dog smiled over at Sam, and he could tell that Courage legitimately took comfort in his words.
"Let's hit the road," Courage finally said softly, and Sam stepped away from the shovel in the ground. They turned away from the grave and walked off eastward once again. Courage turned to look back at some point, wanting to catch one last glimpse of the grave. There, on the cross he had embedded in the ground, a dove had perched itself, adorned with beautiful white feathers. Courage watched as the bird spread its wings, taking flight high into the sky and away from the grave, never looking back.
They almost couldn't believe their eyes when they saw it. It was almost too good to be true, it had to be. Somewhere in sight was the abrupt end to the desert that had plagued them in the previous days, and beyond that was the unfamiliar sight of flowing green. There were towering, healthy trees and there was a sea of grass. It was almost alien, almost uncomfortable to look at. The thought crossed Sam's mind that this was a mirage, a cruel trick by the desert, and that once they neared it it would immediately vanish into thin air.
Courage began to babble excitedly, pointing towards the wooded grasslands.
"You see it too? It's not just me then," Sam said, somewhat surprised.
As they grew even closer, past the forest and in-between the dense trees they could even see structures. They could see buildings and cars driving along on streets. Sam and Courage practically flew into the new, uncharted land before them, sprinting like they had the other night when running from the Kanker sisters.
When they fell across the line that roughly separated the desert of Nowhere from the new land, they crashed onto it. Courage began to playfully roll in the grass, and Sam sat there on his knees. He reached out, brushing the blades of green grass with his fingertips. This was no mirage. This was real. They spent a few minutes taking it all in, breathing the new and fresh air that wasn't trying to suffocate them with pure, unfiltered heat. They got their fill and realized that they needed to keep moving.
They made their way through the woodlands and eventually passed the welcome sign to the town ahead of them. The town was in better shape than the ramshackle, scrapyard town that had been Midlove, but there was still something quite…off about it all. The people they passed on the streets all looked drained, unhealthy, and unkempt. The buildings were much like the people. They passed a few beggars on the side of the street, sitting clothed in rags and holding out cups of jingling change.
"Can you gentlemen spare some change for an old war veteran?" one asked. Sam dug into his own pockets, producing a few of the paper bills that he had taken from the Gangreen Gang and the Kankers.
"Sure thing. Can I just ask you to point us in the direction of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends?"
"Oh, haha. Why, you sure can. It's on Wilson Way, two streets over, on the outskirts of town. It's a big mansion. Can't miss it."
Sam dropped the dollars into his cup and tipped his hat, thanking him before he and Courage began to walk off.
"Just be careful over there," the beggar called after them. They stopped, turning back towards him.
"There's strange stuff going on over there lately. The…things that live there, they're not acting right. Something's up with them, last I heard. Just wanted to give you a heads-up for being so generous."
"Thank you," Sam called back, and they continued on.
They followed his directions, jumping two streets over, when indeed a structure like the one he described came into view once they neared the edge of town. Past multiple rundown and ill-kempt buildings, they found this one. They made their way over to it, following the old and rusted fence to the gate itself. The ancient metal formed the word 'FOSTER'S' above the gate.
Beyond, an imposing mansion towered before them, looming over like some kind of long-forgotten temple. The architecture was of course old, classic and grandiose in every sense of the word, but not that old. Sam sized it up. For some reason that he could not know yet, there was a terrible feeling oozing out from this place, infecting him deeply. Something was telling him not to go in, and that's how he knew that they had to. He looked down at Courage. They nodded at each other before pushing past the gates and making their way to the front door of the mansion.