Cont. "Well. We might have us a problem. Ain't no place to hide to speak of. Looks like twenty or thirty of 'em. Can't out -gun that many. Can't tell nothing about 'em from here, but they're a'comin' right fer us." Lonnie said. As the group of mounted men got closer, Lonnie and the others stopped and waited for them to close in. They could see many of them holding pistols now and some were withdrawing long guns from the leather scabbards attached to their saddles. The men stopped about ten yards in front of them and it was now obvious that these men were Mexicans. Lots of them. Guns were pointed at them now in a determined show that meant to resist would be most futile for the four riders. The lead rider spurred his horse closer to Lonnie and began to speak in english. " You fuckin' gringos are very unlucky today," the mexican said, accompanied by snorts of laughter and smiling agreement from his cohorts. " I am Procopio, nephew of Joaquin Murrieta, the scourge of gringo pieces of shit like you who have taken more and more of Mexico from us Mexicans for your own uses. Yes, very unlucky for you today. We're going to kill you , take your horses and whatever else of value you might have and leave you here to rot in the sun." No one had moved from either group yet, but the play had been called. It looked as if this might be it, Josh thought, as did Billy. Becky gently nudged the flanks on her mount and moved slowly past Billy and then Josh. She came up even with Lonnie and continued on until she was exactly next to the Mexican that that had made the intentions of the large contingent known. Josh was almost to panic and Lonnie was not far behind. Billy was pretty much resigned to his fate. The silence was almost too much to bear. Becky sat and stared at the Mexican and said nothing. A full minute passed and something in the super charged air noticably changed. The Mexican said something in Spanish very slowly and started backing his horse away from Becky and her mount. Guns were being slowly moved from pointing at Becky and were being placed into holsters. It was happening in slow motion and was very confusing to Josh. The Mexicans were now parting and moving around and beyond the four slowly. Well, this was the damnest thing -----Something began to stir in the back of Lonnies mind. Something that had happened eight or ten years ago. When those Mexicans rode in to the Pearson 'stead and camped there one night. It was Becky. The Mexican had said something about 'azul solo' and that would be Becky, of that he was sure. AS the group of Mexicans rode away from them, Becky stared at their backs and occasionally when one turned to look back at her, he made the sign of the cross that was such a part of the lives of so many adherants to Catholicism. "What in the hell was that about?" Billy asked no one in particular. " Why in gods name are we still alive?" "Don't matter. We are. That's what matters. And shut the fuck up. I don't like you or your voice", Becky said. " Let's go",she said, and they moved off towards the north, undoubtedly into more trouble. Lonnie was thinking now about that group of Mexicans that camped in the yard long ago. What was it? It concerned Becky, that was for sure. It was also for sure that she had caused her involvement. It definately had to have something to do with what them Mexicans did just now. Have to think on it some. Josh relaxed and went back to the slough in his mind, as he fell in behind Lonnie. Much better to think about those lazy intimate days than what might have happened a short time ago. To be cont.---------
Cont.------- The four rode steadily north and east. The country was getting somewhat familiar to Lonnie, as he had been in the area previously selling some of the stock that had been broken to the saddle at the Pearsons. He had been to the Lancasters to deliver a couple of horses some time back. The terrain changed slightly as they got somewhat closer to the foothills of the Sierras. The imposing high and mostly forested boundry that had accounted for so many lives lost after those heading west with wagons and livestock, lay to their east. Many of the pioneers had misjudged the ease of crossing them badly by judging them from the high desert to the east, which inevitably led to tragedy for many of them. They now rode through groves of large oak trees absent the sloughs of the lower valley and the land that now lay before them, was in rolling hills leading into the giants in the east. Lonnie figured that they would soon be approaching the Lancaster homestead and were about three miles from the old friends that had undergone the same hardships as they had, on the way to California. " I've been here before. We're close, so we better tie the horses off and go on foot," Lonnie said. Josh indicated a patch of dark green foliage and ground cover in the distance that he thought may be a place with some water. He rode over and determined that a small spring that caused the new growth, was running and therefore did create a good place to put the animals to picket. "Now what in hell we gonna' do with the snake, while we move off to the 'stead?" Josh asked. Tie the fucker up to one 'a them oak trees is what I'd do", he said, answering his own question. Lonnie asked Josh to cut some rope off his saddle loop and he did so. Lonnie did the tying with a fancy knot that Beckys uncle Amazon had shown him. He had learned many when he was a seafaring man. Firmly tied to the trunk of a large oak tree, Billy tested the knot, realized he was going nowhere, settled in and wondered what his captors were going to find when they reached their destination. Hoped they'd find another god-damned buncha' rebs shot and burnt to shit, is what he hoped. They came to a rise adjacent to the 'stead, that hid them from being seen from the Lancasters and cautiously crept up to get a look-see. " "Sonuvabitch. There they are, all six of 'em. Looks like they got the folks tied up to them posts," Lonnie whispered. " Shit--they got wood piled up around 'em like they's gonna' burn 'em up.! The Lancaster family, which was comprised of Jeff, Alma and their three children were tied to some fence posts directly in front of their house. The posts appeared to be some of those that were put around the garden in order to keep deer and other critters out, but the wire was torn away from them and thrown to the side. Their barn had been burned to the ground and their stock was milling around after one side of the corral had been pulled apart. The family was tuckered out---that could be seen from the way they slumped in front of the posts to which they were bound. No telling how long this had gone on for them, but too damn long--that's for sure. The three slithered back down the rise on their bellies, stopped and looked at one another for a bit, in silence. Lonnie could see in Beckys face that a change was coming on to her. "Got to plan now.," he said quickly. "Those bastards got that cord wood piled around each of 'em, so I reckon we know what they got in store," Lonnie said by way of trying to preclude any immediate action from Becky. Josh said--"What you figure, Lonnie?" "Well, I figure they ain't a'gonna light that wood 'till dark, but we can't be sure. We got to keep watchin' 'em and figure out the best time to hit 'em." Becky spoke up- " Do you fellers mind stayin' here? I want to go back and check on the horses and make sure that fucker's still tied up. I'll leave the shotgun in case you have to make a quick move while I'm gone. And here's the double aught loads fer it," she said as she handed the gun and shells to Lonnie. " Well, I reckon that'll work. We can't let 'em out of our sight-- they might begin somethin' real bad. As if they ain't started already." Becky touched Josh's leg gently as she moved off. He touched her hand. Becky quickly made the three miles back and went directly to the horses, moved them to a new spot with good grass and strode over to the bound man at the base of the tree. She took the big knife that she usually carried, hidden in it's holster on her boot, and cut the bounds on the man. The ropes fell away and she tossed the knife on the ground in front of Billy, took a few steps back and put her hands on her hips. Waiting. Billy stood up and rolled his shoulders to loosen up some and looked at the knife and back at her. " Pick it up." "I 'believe I will." He reached down and picked the big knife up , moved it around in his hand to get the feel of it. " You fucked up, bitch. I'm not a'gonna kill 'ya right off though. I'm a'gonna cut you up some and then take me a closer look at what you got under them clothes. I might even get me some of it--if you act real nice," Billy snarled. Becky said nothing. Billy began to move toward her flipping the knife from left hand to right hand. " C'mere, bitch and get some 'a this." Becky did not move. To be cont--------
Cont. "The best place would be fer one of us to circle around behind the house and the other'n to come at 'em from almost the opposite. But the family's tied right in front of the house so that ainta' gonna ' work. They'd be right in the line a' fire," Lonnie whispered to josh. Josh nodded and waited for Lonnie to continue. The six men were about seventy yards away and about twenty yards below Lonnie and Josh's position. They had somehow gotten the big table that was most likely the table on which the Lancaster family took their meals, out in the yard. The men were eating what was probably the food the Lancaster family had dried and put up for the winter and drinking the wine he made every summer from the tidy row of Muscat grapes next to the garden. Or what used to be the garden. It was now just an indeterminite mass of waste, as the men had ridden their horses through it again and again for their amusement. They had of course, remembered to stock up on what they needed before it was torn up, as they had much more riding to do after they were done with these damn rebs. They had no way of knowing that a few of the names on that list had been put there by mistake. The kind of men these were--they had no way of caring about that, even if they had been told. "Alright, alright. The hell was I thinkin? We stay below the ridge line and crawl around behind the house, the both of us, and then when I signal, we bust out, you on one side and me on the other. Thing is ,we don't run straight on out--we go at a forty five degree angle when we charge 'em so's any return fire won't hit the family." "OK, Lonnie. Let's go. I unnerstand." The little ridge ran about three quarters around the homestead and rose to ten feet in one spot and then dropped to a foot in another, then rose again, then dropped again, as it continued on around behind the house. It seemed to repeat this pattern as it went on around behind the house. At least they hoped so for concealment purposes. They started to move bent over at their waists to keep below the line of sight and after some twenty yards came to a low place where it looked as if they'd have to crawl. They were on their bellies , flat as they could get and still manage to wiggle forward. They looked at one another and Josh whispered " I feel like a damn worm!" Like kids in a church, they tried not to laugh, but snuffled in the dust, kicking up little puffs of it that got in their eyes and mouths some. When they stopped, Josh whispered "Shouldn't Becky be back by now?" Lonnie looked at Josh. They continued to look at one another and then Josh said--"shit, Lonnie. We gotta get Becky. I'm startin' to worry. Why did she give me her Colt after she gave you the scatter gun?" "She did? I didn't see that. Huh. Let's squirm outa here and go back and git 'er. If we make it quick, we can be back in a hour or so. Those bastards are occupied and they aint got no idea we're a' chasin' 'em. Last time I looked over the top, they was a'laughin' and carryin' on, the murderin' bastards. Take it slow gittin' outta here, but let's git on back. To be cont.
Cont. Billy had noticed that her holster was empty, otherwise of course he wouldn't have said a word. Everyone's so afraid of a damn woman--it was pathetic, he thought. Other than her eyes being weird, she wasn't nothin' but another bitch needin' a good lesson. And he was just the feller to git that done. He started circling around her tossing the knife from one hand to the other and so far the damn fool woman hadn't even moved. He moved a little closer fixin to make a move and then--the knife was gone! It lay thirty feet away. She said "pick it up." without moving. He warily moved toward the knife ,which lay in a patch of grass, as he kept his eyes on her. Shit. I gotta be carefull and quit foolin' around with this bitch. She caught that knife with her foot and I couldn't even see how she did it. I still don't---------. He picked it up and came right for her and still she hadn't moved. "What the hell" he said as he advanced--" you got a hankerin' to die, bitch?" He was close now and jabbed the big knife at her belly and brought it across to his left and caught a little of her shirt and cut a slice in the front. He jerked it back across to his right and caught the shirt again with the same results. His hand was extended to his right after his thrust and for a split second ,he thought she was turning to run as she started to turn to her right. For about a half split second, he knew he had her. She did not run. She spun clear around and when she was almost facing him again her right boot caught him in the side of his head and he went down, the knife falling harmlessly in the dry grass. She watched him as he tried to get up and fell over sideways while his eyes were doing a dance of their own. " Pick it up." He had not even seen what had knocked him silly, but his head throbbed as he tried to re-orient himself to a standing position. He wasn't having much luck at it--but he picked up the knife again and was very quiet now, no more foolish bitch talkin'. This is serious shit, he thought. "Who in the hell are you", he queried unsteadily. "I'm Becky Pearson, motherfucker. Now c'mon. You a man or a god-damned mouse? Your kind likes to sneak up on innocent folks and do 'em harm an' more. Killing kids and all. Now c'mon big man--how 'bout me? You still want some 'a me? He wasn't sure , but he half heartedly moved in on her. She thrust a kick at his knee from the direct front and the ligaments in the back of it stretched beyond what any ligaments were supposed to do. " Oh, jesus--you fucked my leg up." he whined as the pain hit him while he hobbled around and away from her. "Yeah? That's a real shame now, ain't it Billy. I'm tired 'a foolin with you," she said as she took several of her long strides directly at him. He made an attempt at striking at her with her knife , which she easily blocked and delivered a hook to his jaw, which put him down again. She straddled him,pinning his arms to ground and put her hands around his throat and began to tighten her grip. "Wake up, you piece of shit. Wake up!" He was awake now and frantically struggling to free himself. This had not gone at all like he had planned. Not at all. He tried to raise his legs up and catch her head, but the only result he got with that was that she reached back and grabbed his privates and gave a good hard squeeze. He yelped as she put her hand back on his neck and the two strong hands began to tighten and tighten until he gurgled and tried to speak. "This is fer them two little twins yall' killed. Look at me!! Look at me ,motherfucker!! Of course he had no idea what twins she was talking about. Didn't matter much now. She went and got her horse and led her back to where the man lay still in the grass. She tied a few loops around his ankles and then a few more around her saddle horn and drug him off about two hundred yards and stopped. She untied him, gave him a hard kick to the side and rolled him down a shallow embankment and into a blackberry patch. After she retrieved her knife and replaced it in it's hidden holster, she started back to the 'stead to see what the others were up to. That's another one a' those fuckers down, she said out loud to no one but herself. To be cont.
cont. As Becky ran back toward the Lancaster 'stead, she noted to herself how good it felt to open up and run again. It had been a while since she had run with abandon as she had done a couple of times a week back at her place. Seemed a long time, what with her mind being occupied with the current situation. Three quarters of the way back, she came upon Josh and Lonnie running in the opposite direction, but considerably slower than she was capable of. They stopped as they met and the men bent over trying to catch their breath as she watched them with amusement, breathing almost normally. The three started walking back to the Lancaster place and Lonnie asked Becky if Billy was secured. "Yup," was all she said and the subject was dropped in favor of discussing what needed to be done when they got back. The plan, as was understood by the three was for Lonnie and Josh to attack the revelers from the back of the house at an angle and from the side by Becky so as to preclude any accidental gunfire to the settlers. That agreed upon, they continued back to take their positions. The men started to work their way around to the east behind the ridge, eventually to come up behind the house and when they charged out shooting, Becky was to advance from the west toward the men around the table and hopefully they could eliminate any threat soon after the shooting began. Squirm and stoop. Repeating the same method as before, the men were about halfway around the ridge as Becky looked over the top of her hiding place to the west. She knew it would take them some time to position themselves, so she checked the shotgun and her Colt to make sure she was ready, when the men started in shooting. As she looked back over the top of her chosen spot, she could see the six men laughing and carrying on like a bunch of drunken murderers, which of course she knew they were. Just then Becky saw a cat with several kittens running from one of the small out buildings towards the house. They were down low as if they were frightened and probably were because of all the noise and disruption that had gone on. They were hurrying to get where they felt it might be safe, which was most likely under the house. One of the men noticed the cats slinking across the yard and pulled out his pistol and started shooting at the little group of frightened felines. Another joined in and one of the kittens was suddenly blown back from the group and lay still. Dirt was kicking up around the now confused kittens from more shots. Becky immediately got up and started toward the men at the table with her long strides and hollered "HEY"!!! The hell with the others--that shit stops NOW!! She brought the shot gun up and fired into the middle of the bunch as she moved toward them. Two went down and the others were scrambling to get up from the table and pull iron at this unexpected turn of events. She fired the second shot as she closed the distance and two more went down. Josh and Lonnie heard the shots and immediatelty stood to see what had taken place. They saw Becky calmly loading two more shells in the shotgun, while the two remaining men were firing at her. Dirt was kicking up around her in little puffs when the men shot at her, but she seemed to ignore the shots completely and continued to load. "Shit---let's go," Josh hollered, and they started down the hill firing at the remaining gunmen. They almost needn't have bothered, as Becky dropped the shotgun, pulled her Colt and took a firing stance. She shot one and either Lonnie or Josh shot the remaining one and just like that--it was over. Becky went to tend to the cat and her kittens and the men untied the family from the posts. The Lancasters remembered Lonnie from the times he had been there to bring them stock from the Pearsons. A few hours later, everyone had settled in the house, the children were finally calm and the kitten had had a proper burial, thanks to Becky. The errant stock was rounded up and the corral repaired. The story was told of the recent developments --the killings, the list and so forth. It was agreed that when this was over, people would be recruited to come north to help the Lancasters rebuild their barn and help with some food for the coming winter. Missouri business, it was. The sun had set, the stars had made their appearance and the three had picked their spots to lay their bedrolls out for the night. They refused sleeping in the house. The family needed time together now, in order to get some semblance of normalcy back from the near fatal events of the day. Becky was off somewhere with the cat and her kittens. Lonnie and Josh were lying on their 'rolls and looking up at the night sky. " Hell of a day, eh," Lonnie said. Josh was quiet for a minute or so and finally spoke. "Yes. It sure was." Another minute passed. "Lonnie, what was that story about them Mexicans camping in the Pearsons yard some years back. You said it had to do with Becky"?? Another minute. Finally, "Yeah. It was about Becky,alright. I ain't never told anyone, not even her folks. Even though it was empirical, I still don't know what to make of it." "Empirical"? "Yeah. Means I experienced it, not just heard it." That Lonnie, thought Josh. He's a reader alright. To be cont.
I wish that the edit button would stay on for at least a week or two. Not that my story is any big deal, but I keep seeing redundancies and other little things I'd like to improve upon. Any fix to this?
("...if you only post your works to one forum then you will be unable to to improve it much, for few go back to read the work twice, moreover, many forums have time limits to editing, plus if anything happened to either your status on that forum, or to the forum itself, then the work would be lost..." mentioned the goblin proposing the idea of posting the work across forums for extra feedback, adding "...I post my stuff here on this forum not often enough, but I also post it across many other forums too, and all in an air/edit/backup basis where most posters here no me from somewhere else now, just google my username to see what I mean...")
Cont. The night had brought welcome relief from the searing heat of the day. It always seemed somewhat cooler in the foothills of the Sierras at night and most often it was. Josh had asked Lonnie to relate the story of the Mexicans and their stay at the Pearsons some years back. He was being mighty mysterious about it though, which raised his curiosity level considerably. He appreciated hearing the stories Lonnie had told him over the years, but hearing a story about Becky was his favorite kind of story. She was still off with the animals, which was where she prefered to be much of the time. " I believe it were about six or seven years ago", Lonnie began, "and Becky must have been around eight years of age. She had been off with her uncle Amazon doing what they did most every day when she was done with her chores. That is, beating on one another, which I recently found out about. I can see now how that made Becky how she is. In some ways anyway. It were late afternoon one day and about twenty mexican fellers rode up into the Pearson yard lookin' to water their horses and buy some feed. They asked Mr Pearson if'n they could set up camp just to the east of the house under the big oak tree there. He said it would be OK, but he'd appreciate them stackin' their firearms up agin' the front of the house so's to show there wouldn't be any trouble. Well, they did so and a few of 'em commenced to takin' care of their mounts. The Pearsons had a good deal of alfalfa hay stacked up, so it weren't no big deal about havin' enough. 'hit were a nice clear evenin', so I sat out next to the small shed over by the pump and listened to the sounds the windmill made as it brought the cool water up and deposited it in the trough. Kinda' like to hear that. Soothin' and all. Musta' been 'bout ten at night and the mexicans were under the oak tree in a circle with a fire a'goin' and one of 'em was speakin' in spanish to 'em. He were a little fella, but there were something about him. He seemed differant than the rest of 'em. They were hangin' on his every word. Made me kinda' curious as to how this little feller was holdin' their attention so strong-like. One of the men in the circle got up to go relieve himself away from the others, so I mosey over to where he's a'takin' a piss and ask him about the little feller. He didn't speak much english, but when I pointed to the little feller--he said the word bru-ho several times. Now I know somethin' about spanish, so I know them Mexicans like to put Js where we put hs, so I figure it were Brujo. That's a thing --that brujo--that I know a little about. These brujos--they are revered in the mexican culture, but they seem to be 'specially important in the indian culture. There's stories of strange incidents that happen when these little fellers put their minds to doin' certain things. That mex, he goes back to the circle and I get curious about what's goin' on , so I stand up and decide to go over and see a little more of what's happenin'. So, I take me a piss and when I'm done, I look over at the mexicans---and Becky is standing there on one side of the circle. Now, I never saw her go there or walk through the yard or nothing. She was just there. Then --and this worried me some--there was dead silence as the mexicans were all a'lookin' at her. She was standin' there with her arms outstreched to her sides and everything kinda froze up-like--I mean it even seemed like time had stopped---------
cont. So, odd as this all felt, I was frettin' some on that little gal being over with all them mexicans. I mean, she be only eight year old and there she were over there among all them grown men just a'standin there with her arms up and out to her side. I get over there and sit down quietly next to Becky who's standing there lookin' at this brujo man. It felt like , and I don't know why---that I should be quiet and observe. This little brujo guy is speaking softly and lookin' right at Becky when he did. He stopped then and reached into a little cow hide pouch he had tied around his waist and withdrew somethin. No one had said anything to me or even looked at me, so I sat there quietly --hell I could'na understood 'em anyway ifn' they had--and the little man got up and came to where Becky and me were sittin'. He took Beckys hand and put something in it and indicated that she should put it in her mouth. She did. He did the same with me and I put the stuff in my mouth and began to chew it up as he indicated I should do. . It were a handfull of something dried up and damn if it weren't the worst thing I ever had to chew on. Becky was a'standin there a'chewin' on her mouthfull without changin' her expression and I'll be damned if'n I knew how she could handle chewin' on it. I finally had to git me some water to kill the taste that stuff had, but I did chew it on up and swallow it. I went over to the trough and washed that taste out some, but it were rough to get it out. This evenin' was gettin' real strange. I decided to take my seat back by the pump shed and watch them mexicans to make sure --well---that Becky was gonna be alright. I set there awhile --don't know exactly how long, and I soon started noticing that things around the yard began to change a little." Josh interrupted the flow of the story and asked what Lonnie meant by what he had said. "Well, everything started having bright edges. I mean the house, the little shed, even the windmill was kinda making some kind of humming noise and ---uh--colors. I mean colors was --intruding on everything I could see. Bright colors. And objects began to--I don't know Josh--shift around and sort of--bear with me now--change their shapes and become --differant objects. I was about to panic --this was not the way things were. Hell, I spent an hour studyin' up on the striations on the boards of the shed. The little ridges. The little valleys. They just were some of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. Or maybe it was a minute. I honestly didn't know. Well, I didn't panic. I knew this sudden change in everything I understood was --had to be--due to the bad tasting stuff I had eaten. Time meant nothing at that point and I was actually kind of enjoying myself--my lord it was interesting. When I tore myself away from the --whatever it was, I looked over where the mexicans and Becky were the last time I looked. Now I'm willing to say that I had lost track of time, but when I looked over to see what might be happening, all the mexicans were on one side of what was the circle behind the little guy and not a word was being said. They were all looking across at Becky and she was still as silent as before, with her arms up and out. Now---I didn't then and I still don't know now what in the hell I actually saw, but I can tell you,son--that it scared me stiff! That little gal was still in the same position as she had been for---hell---I don't know how long, what with the distortion in time that had ahold of existance. She appeared to be-- four feet off the ground-- holding the same position just staring over at the mexicans that were starting to edge away from her towards their camp site." Josh was looking at Lonnie and trying to figure out what in the hell he was talkin' about. Lonnie had told him some tall stories over the years, but as he told this story--he was dead serious. " Now I don't know what I actually saw, but I can tell you, them Mexicans gathered up their weapons, got their horses and rode outta' there like they was being shot at!! When I looked back to where the mexicans had formed their circle---Becky was gone! Just gone. Now you might see why I didn't mention this to anyone. Hell, theyd'a thought I was plumb crazy. Maybe I am---I ain't ever sure when I think back on that night, but I think that might'a had somethin' to do with them mexicans leavin' us be on the trail. I know and I think most everyone else that meets Becky, knows there's somethin' differant there. Boy, I don't want this repeated to anyone. Let's keep this between us. We're liable to see anything around that gal---she never fails to surprise me, I'll tell you. Josh thought about Lonnies story as he lay back to try and get some sleep. Interesting, no doubt. He knew she was tough, but what else was there about her that he didn't know? What a day. What a day it was.
Sorry Scratcho. You should write it in a word document and paste it in here. That way you won't lose it. Still waiting for whenever. I am missing the main characters.
