OW Virtual Ep
by Kris
Disclaimer: These guys belong to those that don’t appreciate them.
I do so I let them play together. I really do realize that they don’t belong
to me. Kristen named Chaucer.
Buck looked at his two companions and decided on another amusing
tale to entertain them. Taking these prisoners to Eagle Bend had been
difficult, both JD and Ezra had been ready to shoot them on several
occasions. So Buck distracted them with riveting tales of past exploits.
Buck had to admit that he loved to tell stories. JD said it was
because he loved to hear the sound of his own voice, but truth be told,
he
loved hearing the others laughter.
Buck was about to launch into another tale when Ezra interrupted him, "Mr. Willmington, are any parts of these stories true?"
"Why, Ezra, you wound me."
The dry look on Ezra’s face said that he very much doubted it.
All three noticed the upcoming riders and moved over to the right
side of the road to let them pass easier. But the riders pulled up in front
of them, guns drawn.
"That one there is Willmington." The bearded man in front nodded
and looked at Ezra a second before he pulled the trigger, shooting him.
Ezra fell to the ground unmoving.
Before Buck and JD could draw their guns, the five men had their
double weapons drawn, trained on them. They were flanked on either
side and relieved of their weapons. They were surrounded as the
leader pointed down at Ezra’s still body and said, "When Chris Larabee
finds his dead body, he’ll know we’re serious and will follow the
trail we leave right to us. Right into the trap we’ve set."
--------
The sun was on its downward slant when Ezra came to. He was grateful
that he had sucked in his breath and sat up straighter in the saddle
just before the bullet hit him. Not being exactly where the shooter
aimed, saved his immediate life. As it was, every movement was
painfilled. Ezra knew he’d die if he stayed there and waited for
help. He also knew that Chaucer was nearby. He wet his lips several times
and finally got a whistle off.
Chaucer arrived and nudged the human that was wavering between consciousness
and unconsciousness. With more inner will than most
realized he possessed, Ezra grabbed the stirrup and pulled himself
up. He gritted his teeth as he raised himself up off the ground and into
the saddle, hating the fact that he was dripping blood on the splendid
leather work. He whispered, "Home," and in that direction, they
went.
----------
Buck didn’t know how these things kept happening to him. Now Ezra
was dead and JD’s life was in danger and Chris was the target. The
bastard that had them was crazy as a loon and what his actual plan
was…well, anybody’s guess.
Buck kept a watchful eye on JD, hoping that the green kid wouldn’t
go all ‘sheriff’ on him and pull some fool stunt. He knew that if they
could keep their tempers down, they might live long enough for help
to arrive. The normally smiling man sat tied to a tree with a pensive
look on his face.
--------
Vin, Chris and Nathan sat outside the saloon drinking coffee and
playing cards. Josiah ambled across the street toward his friends. Chris
kicked a chair out for him and Inez brought out coffee refills and
an extra cup.
Vin folded as he looked up the street to the entrance of the town.
Keeping a lookout for the three fellow members of their group to return.
He knew they should have been back several hours ago. The tracker
and long range shooter of the group sat straight in his seat and
commented aloud, "Got a bad feelin’."
Nathan immediately jumped up and walked away.
"Where ya going all fired up in a hurry?" Josiah asked, puzzled.
Nathan paused and said over his shoulder, "To cut up some bandages.
When Vin gets one of his feelin’s, usually means two or three of us
needs tendin’." Nathan hurried to his office.
-------
"Hey, Wilmington, ‘member me yet?" The leader of their captures asked as he pulled Buck’s head up by the hair.
"Can’t say I do?" Buck kept his anger out of his voice.
"You just leave him alone," JD yelled at the leader.
The leader turned his dark eyed stare to JD just before he slapped
him hard across the face. "Shut up." He turned back to Buck, "Don’t ya
remember the men you shoot, you and Larabee?"
"Guess I didn’t do a very good job if your still standing," Buck said lazily. Which earned him a fist in the face before he lost consciousness.
---------
Ezra saw the town ahead and tried to sit himself higher in the saddle.
Appearances are everything. He could see Vin by the saloon and
headed for him.
Vin saw Ezra riding in and signaled Chris and Josiah, who in turn hailed Nathan. They converged on Ezra and Chaucer.
"What happened?" Chris asked almost as a demand.
"Five men approached us and took off with Buck and JD. The leader might have been southern." Ezra ran out of breath.
Vin thought there was something funny about the way the gambler was
sitting in his saddle as Nathan quipped, "They let you go? Or you
ran away?"
The disgust on Vin’s face mirrored that on Ezra’s as he said, "Not
exactly," as he lost his grip on the saddle and consciousness. He fell
to the
ground before anyone reacted.
Vin was the first to reach him, "Shot almost dead center."
Nathan pushed him out of the way, "Hell and damm. Help me get him to my place."
Josiah picked up the lifeless looking body and realized that the
red jacket was blood soaked. He grunted some as he made the top of the
stairs. He laid Ezra down on Nathan’s table and helped the healer
remove his bloody clothes.
Nathan chased Vin and Chris outside as he set to remove the bullet
that still lay lodged next to the sternum, close to the heart. Nathan
whispered aloud, "He is so lucky it missed his heart and lungs."
Nathan kept working at the wound as Josiah continued to blot up the
blood so Nathan could see. The clink on the plate as the bullet
hit released sighs from both men. Nathan quickly sewed the hole closed
after he cleaned it out.
He stepped outside, toweling his hands to let Vin and Chris know.
"He’s still with us, and if he can make it through without infection, he’ll
be okay."
Vin nodded, relieved, then turned to Chris, "Let’s get the bastards." He moved to the stairs.
Nathan called out, "It’s almost night.."
"Don’t matter, I can track with the moonlight." Vin continued on down the stairs.
"Good job, Nathan." Chris told him before he followed the tracker down the stairs.
Inez had some food in a box that she handed to Chris as he passed
by on his way to the livery. He nodded his thanks. Vin had just started
on his horse as he entered. Chris took over then asked, "Got enough
ammo?"
"Yeah, picked up more just now." Vin swung up into the saddle with purpose and determination. The two men headed out of town.
--------
Buck came to as the slap made contact against his cheek. "Wilmington,
come on you Yankee pig, I need you awake for Larabee. Wanna
watch your face when Larabee decides who lives and who dies. Jus
like you done to me."
JD looked over at his best friend and searched his face for a clue
on what he wanted to do. He could tell Buck was trying to remember this
lunatic, but hadn’t yet.
Their tormentor grew impatient, "Wilmington, you’re nothing but a
yellow cur. Using the war as a means to do murder. My brother
pleaded with Larabee, but he paid no mind. Shot him anyway. All
I could do was sit there as your bastard friend killed my kin. Now I aim
to do the same. You may not be blood, but you two are still together
and I aim to change that." He spit on Buck as he walked away.
JD looked over at Buck again, watching his face as his friend sifted through memories. "Buck, Chris’ll find us."
"Yeah, that’s the problem Kid, that’s just what this lunatic wants." Buck shook his head to clear it, working on a faint memory.
JD worked at his ties as his own frustration grew.
"Hell, he’s gotta be talking about Daniger. A Reb, he shot six cows
and a dozen pigs. When the kids and their ma came out he shot them
too. There weren’t any soldiers on that farm or in the area until
we came upon him. He was just killing to kill. If he had fellow troop
members about they never came out and helped him. Chris shot him,
plain and simple. All the blood, five kids and a women, their stock. I
think all of us wanted to empty our rifles into him." Buck shook
his head at the memory, one of many he had tried to forget about those
days. "Our commander had us bury the people and dress out the stock.
He didn’t want to see it go to waste."
JD didn’t comment on the story. This wasn’t Buck’s usual kind, wasn’t
told in his usual voice and suddenly JD longed for one of Buck’s
merry tales.
--------
Vin tracked silently all night. He knew they were close come sun
up. "Shit, Chris, this has been too easy. They want us to find them. It’s
probably some trap." Vin shared as he rubbed his rough face.
"Yeah, you’re probably right. I’ll go in alone and you circle high." Chris looked at Vin, who nodded and turned to remount his horse.
Chris watched as his friend silently rode off. The gunslinger climbed back on his horse and followed the easy trail into camp.
-------------
Ezra greeted the dawn with the slightest of fevers. Nathan was breathing easy. He told Josiah to go get some rest.
"You sure?" Josiah asked.
"Yeah. This is normal. He jus need rest. That’s the hardest part.
Go git some sleep." Nathan actually grinned at the big man. He left
knowing that Nathan wouldn’t be smiling unless the danger was past.
Josiah nodded and headed out of Nathan’s and down the stairs. But
he didn’t go to the church, instead, he headed to the livery and
saddled up his horse. He pointed it out of town in the same direction
that Vin and Chris had taken. When Vin had a feeling, they all took it
at face value. Right now, Josiah had one and he knew that he must
act on it. He found that the tracks were not difficult to follow.
------------
Vin saw the outcropping he wanted and he headed up rapidly, but quietly.
As he reached the base of the rocks, the tracker was very
focused on his upward route. It was quite unexpected when the ground
gave way under hid foot and he found himself falling into a large
dug out pit. When he hit bottom, he twinged his ankle, but that
swiftly became the least of his problems as he realized that he shared
the
pit with a bobcat.
-------------
Chris kept his eyes open but it wasn’t too long before he heard a voice stopping him.
"Stay where yer are Larabee. We’ve been expecting you."
Chris stopped on the command, half expecting it. "Well, now I’m here, what in the hell do you want?"
"I’m calling the shots here, Larabee." Two men rode into sight, guns
drawn. "Don’t be doing anything foolish, my gun is aimed right at
Wilmington’s head."
Chris offered no resistance as the riders demanded his weapon. He
tossed it on the ground as opposed to handing it over. As one of the
riders was about to dismount, the other said, "Leave it."
They took Larabee into camp and he found what he was seeking, Buck
and JD. They were tied to trees, very tightly and they were standing.
Both looked weary.
---------
Vin backed up into a corner, as wary as the cat. She growled as she
circled, Vin mimicked her movements, staying the same distance from
her. His ankle pained him and he knew he couldn’t keep this up indefinitely.
The sharp shooter looked about for his gun and figured it
didn’t make the fall with him. It was too steep to climb out and
impossible with his injured ankle. He worked a rock piece out of the wall
and carried it with him.
Watching the cat, he figured that she wasn’t hurt bad, just angry.
She probably figured he was the best target to take that anger out on.
Vin
knew that she was scared and he didn’t really want to kill her if
he didn’t have to. So he waited for her to make her move. Her shoulders
shuffled back and forth and froze a split second before she sprang.
Vin moved at the last second and clunked her on the head with the rock,
knocking her out.
Now he could relax some, or as much as one could, tapped in a hole with an unconscious bobcat and your friend’s lives in danger above.
----------
Daniger watched Larabee’s face closely, elated to pick up the distress
he saw there when he gazed upon his friend’s situation. "Well, Mister
Larabee, hope your memory is better than your friend’s. He’s had
trouble placing me. And I most definitely want you to know where your
pain is coming from…….you see, you won’t die here today, but one
of your friends will. You will choose who lives and who dies."
Chris blanched inwardly at that thought; Buck or JD, shit. Where
in the hell was Vin, Chris thought to himself, looking for an immediate
way out.
"I hope you aren’t depending on the friend you brought with you….by
now he’s trapped in a hole with a mountain lion, and possibly
dead. The longer you take, the least likely he’ll survive." Daniger
laughed aloud, a laugh that would have one think of the demented.
Buck spoke to Chris, "’Member that murdering butcher, during the
war on that Reb land? He killed the stock and then the ma and her kids?
This yellow belly here watched and never tried to help his brother
and he blames us….ha!"
Daniger moved to Buck quickly and slapped him on the left cheek and
then again on the right. "You lying bastard, my brother was a
soldier, nothing more. We were on Yankee soil." He turned his enraged
statement to Chris, "You remember your lily livered way of killing
my brother?" Sneering at the startled statement on Larabee’s face.
"Man I shot was a butcher. Killed five kids and their ma. Was no
man there tending the land and they were Rebs. That’s why we were sent
to investigate. That murderer killed all in his sight. He planned
on killing one of our men and I shot him. There were no others visible
at
that time. If you were there, you were in hiding. Buck's right,
you must have been a yellow belly."
Daniger, enraged, took out his gun and shot Buck first in the leg and then the same to JD. "Shut yer trap. You don’t know nothing."
Both men yelped in pain as the bullet hit their thighs.
Chris reigned in his temper, knowing that it wouldn’t do any good to lose it here.
"Now, Larabee. I want a decision now. Who dies. Your army friend or that snot nose kid?" Impatience driving his body and voice.
"I ain’t no kid. I can take you on." JD squeaked out. He hated being talked about as though he wasn’t there.
"Shut up JD." Buck growled at him. Buck turned his eyes to his oldest
friend, imploring him to let him die. Also letting him know that he
would never forgive him if he let JD die.
Chris was quite aware of Buck’s wishes. He loved that kid like his
own brother. He wouldn’t want to live in JD’s place. But Buck wasn’t
looking at JD’s face none. JD was telling him the same thing. No
forgiveness if he lived and Buck didn’t. Quite frankly, Chris would rather
die than choose.
Ezra may be dead back in town, Vin could surely be dead at the jaws
of a mountain lion and down here, he’ll earn the hatred of one he
calls friend as the other dies. This just made Chris Larabee madder.
"Fuck you. I ain’t here to play no stupid head game. You’re all fired up
to kill, you choose. You’re just as crazed as your brother. You
didn’t help him and now you think that by killing us that it will make
it all
better." Chris turned his face away from Daniger.
He stomped up into Larabee’s face. "You will choose. Or I’ll shoot’em both."
"Go ahead, better than me picking." Chris said without a care in his voice.
JD’s eyes nearly popped out of his head, but Buck smiled to himself.
Chris was riling the guy to shoot him instead. Always had to admire
how Chris got out of the tough decisions.
Daniger put the barrel of his gun to Larabee’s temple, "Choose now."
"No."
Daniger turned his gun to shoot both men when a shot cracked the air and Daniger’s eyes got big and round.
---------
Josiah didn’t have much of a problem following the tracks. Not only
of the kidnappers, but Chris‘ and Vin’s horses as well. He pushed his
horse on hard. He felt a pressure that it was imperative that he
get there.
He never thought of himself as a hero. Reckon he felt proud to be
able to say that he belonged to a group of unusual men that happened to
do some good along the way. He had too many sins to atone for to
ever reach hero status. But he knew sure as breathing that he was
needed today.
He didn’t much believe in his father’s ways, but he knew for certain
that four souls rested on his shoulders today. Possibly two more if he
failed. So there was no room for failure. Josiah spurred his horse
harder.
The sun was nearly overhead when Josiah spotted Vin’s horse. He climbed
up the rock face and found a large hole in the ground. He
looked down into it to see Vin sitting next to a bobcat, scratching
her ears. "You okay, Vin?"
"Be better iffin I were outta here. See Chris?" Vin’s voice alerted Josiah once more to the dire circumstances that brought him here.
Josiah looked about and saw Buck and JD tied each to a tree and Chris
standing by a man with a gun. Four others were spread about the
camp. He relayed this to Vin.
"That leader plans on shooting Buck or JD. My gun’s out there somewhere. Take it. I’m fine down here."
Josiah looked around and spotted the scoped rifle. He picked it up
and set himself down in position. He watched as the barrel of a gun
was placed at Chris’ temple and as Chris calmly replied in the negative.
Josiah kept his eye trained on the man gesturing his gun
everywhere. When he trained it on Buck, he knew this was it. He
looked through the scope, took a breath and squeezed the trigger. The
back kick was mighty, but he replaced himself to take out the next
one. The man closest to JD turned his gun and Josiah squeezed again.
Two down and now the other three scattered behind rocks. He watched
as Chris ran out of sight and then back behind a rock formation
closer to Josiah. He had his gun in hand and he ran shooting as
moved in to cover JD and Buck.
One of the last three peeked out from behind a rock, obviously planning
to shoot Chris in the back and Josiah shot again. With Buck and JD
loose, they retrieved some loose guns off the ground and pursued
the last two men.
Fearing death, they surrendered to Chris, Buck and JD.
Josiah went back to the hole and smiled down into it. "Job’s done."
Vin let out a big sigh of relief. "Think you can get us out of here now?"
Josiah went down and got the rope from both his and Vin’s saddles
and after tying them together sent down one end. Vin wrapped the
groggy cat around his shoulders and walked up the side gingerly.
Keeping hold of the cat and not placing too much weight on his injured
ankle. As he crested the top, Josiah gently removed the cat and
placed her away from the opening. He reached and plucked Vin up the rest
of the way and placed him next to the cat and backed off.
He tossed his canteen to Vin, who cupped his hand and poured some
water into it and offered it to the cat. She lapped it up and stretched.
She rubbed her face against Vin’s leg then bounded down the rock
face at a break neck speed. Josiah just smiled at what could have been
a
dangerous situation.
----------
Tying up the last two culprits, JD looked around and finally asked of Chris, "Was that Vin?"
Buck said from behind his horse, "Must have been."
"I’d like to think so. Caught with a lion in a pit, can’t be good." Chris said cautiously.
Buck found his and JD’s guns and rifles. They were just loading their horses as Vin and Josiah came around the hill.
"Josiah," exclaimed JD.
Chris looked Vin over and saw he was okay and his nod to Josiah, he knew then that Josiah had rescued them.
"Glad you could make it, Josiah." Chris said with a smile for the large man. The unexpected hero.
‘Yeah, me too." Josiah smiled and took in the whole group.
---------
Town was just in sight when JD asked Josiah to relay again what the
bobcat did before leaving. Vin blushed and Buck laughed. The best
sight for the five men was the two seated outside the saloon. With
Ezra being able to be up, either he was doing well or he was driving
Nathan nuts. Either way, it was good to see him up.
Vin looked over at his friend, "Glad to see ya don’t die easy." Connecting with the gambler’s eyes.
"Oh, have to stick around to exasperate Mr. Larabee." Ezra said with a grin, gold tooth flashing.
Chris just shook his head, Vin grinned at the truth of it and Buck just laughed.
JD smiled at the Southerner, "Well thank you Ez, for getting back
here and thank you Josiah. Your shooting was great. You and Vin should
have a contest…..…what…….it’d be exciting……Buck stop that." Reacting
to being slapped upside his head by Buck.
"Let’s just go get a drink, JD. I don’t know about you, but I could use one." Buck headed inside the saloon.
JD followed, saying, "Yeah, okay, but why’d ya hit me…Buck answer me….Buck.."
The laughter followed them in.
fini
Authors note: Vin’s interaction was unusual and shouldn’t be tried if you end up in a pit with a bobcat.