Prairie Possessions

Jimmy and Lou both stared at the beautiful woman with open mouths.

"Test?" asked Lou and the maiden nodded.

"You had to prove to the spirits that you were faithful and honest. They had to know if your souls were true before they would even consider helping you."

"So that whole thing with Lou an' me was just a test?" Jimmy asked and the color seemed to return to his face. "I thought I was losin' it there." he finished as the maiden smiled at him.

Lou, noticing the love-struck face that had suddenly appeared on Jimmy's face, shook her head and laughed. He'll never change. she thought to herself. Put a pretty girl in front of him or Cody and they both turn into fools. Then she realized that they still didn't even know who this woman was.

"Excuse me but, who are you?" she asked the maiden.

"My name Indian name means "She Who Sings Like a Bird", but you may call me Lily." she answered.

"Well then, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Lily," said Jimmy as he half bowed to her. "The name's-" he began.

"James Hickok. And you" she said as she turned towards Lou, "are Louise McCloud."

Jimmy's eyes widened again as he stared at Lily. "How did you know that?" he asked her.

"May I sit down?" she asked the riders. When they both nodded, she sat down by the dwindling fire and crossed her legs. She nodded in Buck's direction, where he was in a deep, sound sleep. "Your friend Buck Cross, how is he doing?" she asked.

"How did-" Jimmy started but Lou cut her off.

"About as well as anyone who was possessed by an evil spirit would be doing." Lou finished.

Lily's face suddenly grew very sad and she shifted her eyes downward so that she was not looking at either of the riders. "I am sorry."

"Sorry? What for?" asked Jimmy.

"Listen Lily… I think that you had better just start from the beginning and tell us what's going on." Lou stated with a determined look.

"You're right." replied Lily as she finally looked up, tears in her eyes. "I was sent here by my people to be your guide. My father, Running Wolf, was the chief of our tribe up until a week ago. The Army raided our village and he was killed in battle…" she trailed off.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Lou said, the pain that this girl was feeling was very obvious. But there was something else. Something that she just couldn't put her finger on.

"My father was a very proud man, and one who didn't take life lightly. He was famous for telling my people that he would live to be the oldest chief ever. After he was shot, and I was cradling him in my arms, he told me that this wasn't the end of it. He told me that he wouldn't leave me and my people to be slaughtered by the white man." With that Lily leaned over, her body wracked with sobs. As Jimmy reached forward to comfort her Lou remembered something that White Feather had said.

"It is as I thought. Your friend has a spirit trying to take over his soul. It is probably a young spirit, one who was not ready to die and is not to willing to spend eternity here. Not yet, anyway."

"Oh my God…." said Lou as she suddenly realized who this girl was. "It's the spirit of your father who is trying to take over Buck's soul!"

Jimmy, who had been holding the girl, suddenly jumped up as if he had been embracing a wild animal.

"Please," cried Lily. "Do not hate me. I am here to help you, and to try and allow my father's soul to find the eternal peace he deserves. He's not an evil man." she added after noticing the wary looks on the two riders' faces.

"How do we believe you?" Lou asked.

"If you want to save your friend, then you'll have to just trust me and believe what I am saying. If I wanted to harm you in any way, then I would have had many opportunities to do so already." Lily stated matter of factly.

Lou glanced at Jimmy and they both shrugged and nodded. "I guess you're right." she finally told the girl. "I'm sorry for doubting you."

Lily smiled. "It's okay. Thank you."

"We'll be the ones thanking you later if you can help us with Buck." said Jimmy.

As if Buck had heard himself being talked about, he started moaning again and said something in Indian. The three new friends looked towards him. Lily ran over and kneeled by his side. "Father?" she asked. Buck's eyes flew open and they were glowing red again. He started chanting something in Indian, which made Lily's face turn white.

Lou thought that she was going to be sick. "What's he sayin' Lily?" she asked, frightened because she didn't really know if she wanted to find out.

Lily looked up at Lou, tears streaming down her cheeks. "He says I betrayed him by helping you, and that now I am just as dead as the two of you are."

"LILY!" screamed Lou, for Lily's back was turned to Buck and she couldn't see what Lou and Jimmy saw. Buck/Running Wolf had risen from the ground and was now standing right behind Lily. He had taken his knife out of his boot and was about to bring it down into Lily's back.

Lily looked at Lou and Jimmy and couldn't understand what was wrong. As Lou screamed for her to look out she turned around and the last thing she saw was the sharp blade of a knife rushing towards her.

"Lily, watch out!" screamed Lou again, closing her eyes for she didn't want to witness the death of her new friend by the hands of one of her closest friends. At the same time Jimmy jumped up beside her and pulled his gun ready to shoot if he had to. Lily threw up her hands in defense, but she was even smaller than Lou and was no match for a man the size of Buck. She tumbled backwards with Buck landing on top of her, as she struggled to keep the knife as far away from her body as possible.

"You've-betrayed-me!" growled the voice of Running Wolf. "You've sided with the white man, and now you must pay!"

"No!" Lily screamed as she fought to push Buck off of her. "Father please don't do this to me!"

Jimmy and Lou looked at each other, neither one knowing what to do. Finally it was Jimmy who spoke. "If I can get a clear shot I'm taking him out."

"Jimmy no!" exclaimed Lou. You can't kill Buck!"

"It's not Buck anymore, Lou! If we don't kill him, that Indian inside of him is gonna to kill Lily, and then he's gonna kill us!"

"NO!" yelled Lou again as she reached for Jimmy's gun and forced him to let go.

"Y'know Lou, I just don't get you." Jimmy shook his head as he ran towards where Buck and Lily were struggling on the ground. Buck was like a wild animal, thrashing around and yelling in Indian. Lily was doing a good a job at holding him back, but Jimmy could see she was tiring and growing weaker by the second.

"Jimmy! Get him off of me!" screamed Lily. Jimmy reached down and tried to grab a hold of Buck's shoulders, but Buck was moving so fast and with an inhuman strength that it made it an impossible task. Suddenly Lily let out a bloodcurdling scream as she felt the blade of Buck's knife swiftly enter her body and the release of warm, sticky blood.

"Lily! Oh my God Jimmy! He's killed her!" screamed Lou as she rushed forward to where Lily was laying. Jimmy finally pulled Buck off of her, but he had fallen unconscious again, and just slumped over. Jimmy then turned his attention to where Lou was leaning over Lily crying. "Oh thank God…"

"Lou? Lily?" asked Jimmy as he approached the two girls.

Lily was lying on her back, her face a mask of terror, but her eyes were open and blinking back tears of pain.

"Lou, let me see her." said Jimmy as he tried to push Lou aside, but Lou wouldn't budge from her new friend's side. "Lou? I have to check the wound." Lou finally obliged, but only to move around to Lily's other side so that she could hold her hand. It was odd, Lou usually didn't take to other girls too well, but she felt a special bond with Lily.

"You're going to be just fine Lily, I promise." she told the shaking girl as she tried to calm her with soothing words, stroking her hair back from her face.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Jimmy finally said as he examined Lily's shoulder. It's just a surface cut, and we should be able to stop the bleedin' with a cloth and some pressure."

Lou looked around for something to give Jimmy and noticed the red cloth lying on the ground. Ike's bandana must have fallen out of Buck's pocket during the struggle. She grabbed it and handed it to Jimmy. "Here… use this."

Jimmy took the bandana and pressed it tightly against the wound. Lily squirmed uncomfortably underneath him and Jimmy felt bad for hurting her, even though it was unintentional. After what seemed like hours, the bleeding finally stopped, and Jimmy was able to wash off the bandana and then tie it around Lily's shoulder as a bandage.

"How are you feelin'?" he asked her, helping her to sit up so she could take a drink of water from the canteen that Lou held out.

"I'm okay…. just a little sore and light headed." Lily answered, her face as white as a ghost. She couldn't help but stare at Buck's figure lying on the ground. "Is he?"

"No, he's not dead" Lou told her. "He's just unconscious again."

"I don't know whether to be relieved or upset." Lily shuddered. "He was going to kill me." Lou started to say something, but Lily kept talking. "I knew that you two were going to have to pass another test, but I never thought that it put my life in danger…" she trailed off, almost as if she were talking to herself and had forgotten about the two riders.

"Another test?" exclaimed both riders at the same time. Lily seemed to wake out of her daze and look at the two of them with startled eyes.

"Lily… what 'other test' are you talkin' about?" asked Jimmy, narrowing his eyes.

Lily looked at him, meeting his gaze straight on. "I didn't know anything about it. All I was told was that you two were going to have to prove your loyalty to Buck. You were going to have to prove your friendship and dedication."

"In other words, you mean that when Jimmy was going to shoot Buck…"

Lily nodded at Lou. "You told him not to, and he listened. Even though he was trying to kill me, your love for him would not allow you to kill him."

Jimmy shook his head in disbelief. "I don't know how much more of this I can take. If I had shot him we would all be dead right now. Including Buck."

Lily turned to look at him and put her hand on his arm. "I'm so sorry Jimmy. Please understand that I had no idea…"

Jimmy smiled reassuringly at her. "I'm not upset with you. Just this whole damn situation, that's all."

Lou walked over to check on Buck. Even though he had tried to kill Lily, and she knew that if he were given the chance he would kill her in a heartbeat, she still felt like she had to take care of him. Maybe that's part of the loyalty test too, she thought to herself. That reminded her…

"Lily?" she asked, as she got up and walked back over to the others.

"What?"

"I assume this means we passed the second test, right?" Lily nodded yes. "Are there any others that we should be preparing ourselves for?" Again Lily nodded yes.

"Just one more."

"Oh good, one left and then we graduate Lou!" laughed Jimmy as he playfully hit Lou's arm.

"Don't celebrate just yet Jimmy. This test I know about. In fact, this is the test that I was originally sent here to guide you through."

"Well, it can't be much worse than what we've already been through." Jimmy said. "What with Lou tryin' to seduce me and us almost killin' Buck, I can't see how it could get any worse."

"James Butler Hickok, why do I have a feelin' you're goin' to regret sayin' that?" asked Lou as she stared at their little campfire which was slowly but surely growing and creeping around them until it formed an enclosed circle with flames six feet high. And Jimmy, Lou, Lily and Buck were trapped in the center of it.

"What the hell is happening?" yelled Jimmy, as the flames roared up past his head.

Lily looked at the two riders. "The final test. You have made it this far and proven your loyalty to each other. Now you must battle the demons deep within your soul."

"Lily, what are we supposed to do?" cried Lou.

"Sit down." she replied as she sat down on the ground, folding her legs underneath her body. The two riders followed suit and Lily continued. "You must now decide which one of you will take this test."

"One of us?" asked Jimmy. Lily nodded. "How are we supposed to do that if we don't even know what we're supposed to do?"

"I can't answer that for you. You have to decide yourselves."

"I'll do it Jimmy," Lou finally answered.

"No Lou!" Jimmy exclaimed. "Lily said that this was the hardest one of them all, and if anyone is not going to make it I want it to be me." When Lou started to protest, he continued. "Lou, you have to think about Kid. If anything happens to me, it'll be dealt with. If anything happens to you, it'll destroy him," Jimmy reasoned.

Lou dropped her head and said nothing for a minute. When she finally looked up, there were tears in her eyes. "Be careful Jimmy."

Jimmy walked over to Lou and gently brushed his lips across her cheek. "I'll be fine." He then turned around to face lily, who was still seated in the same position on the ground. "Now what?" he asked as he raised up his hands in question.

Lily looked up at him and stood up. "You must travel to the outside of the circle, where you will be met by your demons," she motioned toward the fire.

"You want me to walk through the fire?"

"Don't worry, you'll be safe," Lily continued. Besides, it'll be nothing compared to what you'll encounter on the other side, she thought to herself as she shivered in anticipation.

Jimmy turned to look at Lou, who was still crying silently. Deep down inside he wasn't sure if he was ever going to see her again, so he figured it was now or never. "I love you Louise."

"Jimmy!" Lou called out, but it was too late. Jimmy took a running leap through the flames. Lou closed her eyes and expected to hear him scream out in pain, but there was only silence. "Lily? What now?" she asked, slowly opening her eyes.

Lily offered her an attempt at a comforting smile. "We wait."

Jimmy closed his eyes as he leapt through the flames, expecting to feel his skin melt off of him the second the fire touched his flesh. But instead, he was enveloped in a cool mist, almost as if there was a protective film over his skin. Amazingly he made it to the other side without even a singed hair. When he opened his eyes he was startled by the absolute blackness that awaited him. Not even the moon was visible, it was like he was locked in a room without any lights, doors, windows, or even cracks. Jimmy, for the first time in a very long time, felt a sensation he wasn't used to. Fear. Suddenly he sensed a slight movement next to him, but as he turned to see who was there he was knocked to the ground. As he struggled to get up he heard someone call his name.

"James Hickok," called a voice. Jimmy knew that voice… he just couldn't put a finger on it. "C'mon Hickok… ya already killed me once… what're you afraid you can't do it again?"

Suddenly Jimmy knew who that taunting, mocking voice belonged to. "Longley! Why don't you show yourself and fight like a real man?" he called out to the notorious gunfighter that he had killed. But before Jimmy could answer him, Longley called out again. "See, you walk around thinkin' your so tough, but y'know what? You're not. You ain't nothin' but a yella bellied fool who hides behind his guns!" Longley laughed a long maniacal laugh.

Suddenly Jimmy was surrounded with the sounds of dozens of people laughing and taunting him.

"Coward!" "Wild Bill Hickok! What a joke!" You ain't nothin' but a yella bellied fool who hides behind his guns!" "Coward!" "Wild Bill Hickok! What a joke!" You ain't nothin' but a yella bellied fool who hides behind his guns!" "Coward!" "Wild Bill Hickok! What a joke!" You ain't nothin' but a yella bellied fool who hides behind his guns!"

The voices and laughing seemed to completely take over all of his senses. He wasn't aware of anything else except the words that kept repeating themselves. Coward, joke, yella bellied fool who hides behind his guns! Jimmy closed his eyes and tried to will it all to stop, but it didn't work. Everything just grew louder and seemed to grow closer around him.

"Please! Stop it!" Jimmy screamed out as he felt the firey hot hands of insanity start to take over his mind. I am not going to lose it, I am NOT going to go crazy, he kept repeating to himself. Finally the laughing seemed to die down and the voices subsided. Jimmy slowly opened his eyes, praying to see the light of dawn. What he was met with was the worst sight he'd ever seen.

There, standing before him, were the ghosts of every person that he had ever killed. They all had the same expression on their faces as they slowly began to make their way over to where he lay on the ground.

"No, no please, no… NO!" Jimmy screamed as he felt their icy hands start to grab at him.

"No, no please, no… NO!"

"JIMMY!" Lou screamed when she heard Jimmy's anguished words echo in the night. She started to move towards the fire wall when she felt Lily grab her and pull her back.

"This is not your fight!" Lily tried to reason with Lou. "If you try to go out there the fire will kill you before you even reach other outside of the circle!" Lou slumped back down to the ground and sighed. Suddenly a soft murmuring caught Lily's attention. "Lou? I think Buck's awake! Lou? Lou?" she asked again as she turned to where Lou had fallen into an unconscious slumber. Poor thing, she thought to herself. But then her attention was suddenly on Buck again where he was starting to stir.

"B-Buck?" she called out tentatively. She was so terrified that it was going to be her father again, and that he was going to finish off what he started. She reached up to touch her shoulder.

Buck started to open his eyes, all the while moaning softly. "Jimmy? Lou?"

Lily sighed to herself and began to inch herself over to Buck. She leaned over him and noticed that his eyes were the most entrancing shade of brown she had ever seen, not at all the horrible red that they had been since the first time she saw him.

Buck looked up to find a beautiful Indian girl leaning over him, smoothing his hair out of his face. He knew this wasn't Lou, but who was she? And why was she leaning over him and taking care of him? Suddenly the girl smiled and spoke his name.

"Buck? Buck, can you hear me?"

Buck tried to move his head to the side, but the pain was too much. It felt like his head had been stomped on by a hundred horses. "W-where's Jimmy and Lou?" he finally asked. The last thing he remembered was being thrown from his horse in the middle of the Indian burial ground. He feared that this maiden was going to tell him the news he dreaded. Buck started to say something, but he couldn't get the words out. He felt as if someone was controlling his thoughts and actions. In fact, he didn't feel like himself at all. Suddenly everything went black as Running Wolf took over.

Lily sensed something was happening, but she couldn't figure it out in time to move out of the way. Suddenly the entrancing brown eyes turned to a red glow again, and the handsome face that she had been admiring turned hard and cold.

"Oh no..." Lily cried as she realized what was happening. Not again, she thought to herself.

Buck/Running Wolf had risen up off of the floor and was now standing at his full height with his head thrown back in a deep laugh. "You thought you could win, did you? You thought that you and your friends could beat me, did you?" He turned to look at where Lily was cowering on the ground.

In all the commotion Lou had woken and was holding on to Lily with fear in her eyes. This is it, she thought to herself. We're going to die.

"Oh my dear daughter, you have a lot to learn if you think that I will allow you to betray me! It is too late! Your friends, they failed the final test and now I am free!" Running Wolf raised his arms to the sky and blue lightening shot from his fingertips into the onyx sky.

Suddenly a voice cried out in the night, a voice that had never been heard before tonight.

"No." cried a soft, but determined voice.

Lily and Lou looked behind them to where the voice came from and noticed a figure illuminated in white light walking towards them. As the figure grew closer, Lou's heart stopped beating for a moment. "It can't be…" she cried. "Ike?"

"You're wrong. Dead wrong if you think that I am going to allow you to do this," Ike addressed Running Wolf.

Running Wolf looked at Ike and laughed. "Allow me? My friend, you alone can not stop me."

Lou hadn't taken her eyes off of Ike since she first realized who he was. She was shaking her head in disbelief. It can't be, she kept repeating to herself. He's dead….

"Running Wolf, I will not sit back and watch you kill my friends," Ike trailed off. This was the hardest thing he'd ever have to do. To see the body of his best friend possessed by this evil spirit that he knew he had to stop no matter what - it was almost too much to bear.

"Then don't watch!" howled Running Wolf as he lunged towards Ike. Ike jumped out of the way just in time and Running Wolf landed hard on the ground. "You're going to pay for that!"

"I don't think so." uttered a voice that sounded like it had been to hell to and back.

It was then that Lou realized that the fire around them had died down, and there was Jimmy standing on the border of the ashes. He had his legs slightly spread, his hands on his hips, and a look that Lou had never seen before in his narrowed eyes. Jimmy slowly entered the circle and reached down with both hands to help Lily and Lou up. Lou looked at Jimmy with a smile of relief on her face.

"I thought you were dead…" she said softly.

Jimmy's eyes twinkled and he laughed. "You can't get rid of me that easy Lou." It was then that Jimmy noticed the new addition to their group. "My God, is that?"

Lou nodded. "Ike."

Running Wolf interrupted them. "Isn't this sweet. Such a happy reunion. Too bad you aren't going to live long enough to enjoy it," he said as his face hardened.

"Hey Running Wolf," Jimmy called out. "A few minutes ago you said something that wasn't quite right..."

Running Wolf turned towards Jimmy with fierce hatred in his glowing eyes.

"You said that we failed the last test." Jimmy smirked. "You were wrong." Jimmy smiled again as he noticed the glowing figures coming up behind Running Wolf. As if Running Wolf knew what Jimmy was looking at he turned around.

"NO!" he screamed as the ghosts of the Medicine Men and Tribal Chiefs that were buried in the graveyard approached him. "You can't take me!"

The figures surrounded Running Wolf chanting in Indian tongue. Jimmy and Lou recognized White Feather as one of the figures. As their chanting increased Running Wolf let out another howl.

Ike quietly approached Lily and reached out towards her bandaged shoulder. "May I?"

Lily was frozen with fright and didn't understand what he was asking for. "W-w-what do you want?"

Lou understood and gently untied Ike's bandana from Lily's shoulder. She smiled up at Ike as she handed it to him. "Thank you," she said softly.

Ike smiled back and then turned his attention back to where Running Wolf was surrounded by the Indian spirits. They parted ever so slightly to allow Ike to pass through, and then closed the circle again. Neither Jimmy, Lou nor Lily could see what was happening inside of the circle. All they could hear were the relentless bloodcurdling screams of Running Wolf and the intense chanting of the spirits. With a final scream, and an explosion of white light, the spirit of Running Wolf was forced out of Buck's body.

As the air began to clear, Lou wiped at her eyes and tried to make sense of the scene before her. Ike was sitting on the ground a few feet away cradling Buck's exhausted body in his arms, the wound on his head wrapped gently in Ike's bandana.

"How is he?" she asked.

Ike looked up at Lou and smiled. "He's asleep for now, but he should wake soon."

Jimmy and Lily slowly inched their way over to where Lou was sitting.

"Lou? Jimmy?" Ike asked. When the two riders looked at him he continued. "Will you do me a favor? Will you tell Buck that I miss him too, but I don't want him to walk around carrying this guilt anymore? Tell him that I want him to get on with his life and free himself of his pain…" Ike's voice cracked as he trailed off.

Jimmy's face fell. "Can't you stay a little longer? At least until he wakes up?"

Ike nodded sadly. "No, I have to return. Besides, it would be harder for him to have to say goodbye to me again."

As Ike slowly lowered Buck to the ground and stood up, Lou felt as if her chest was going to explode with the heartbreaking pain she felt at having to see her friend leave her again. The tears flowed freely down her cheeks as Ike turned back towards them one last time, smiled and lifted his right hand in a wave.

"Ride safe my friends," he said as he turned away and started walking away until the darkness enveloped him.

To Be Continued...Epilogue