Once Upon a Time in the West

Once Upon a Time in the West Chapter 9

9: Midnight's Train to Georgia

"Is that him?" The melodic accent reached my ears, and I stood there dumbfounded as the hooded man pointed a double-barreled shot gun dead in my face.

Sweat began pouring off my brow, and my heart slammed in my chest as Miriam nodded her head rapidly. She looked drunk and seemed like she could barely stand up.

"Yep that's him. Mooney wants him good and gone. You got to kill him somewheres and hide his body. Make sure you make it look like he run off." Miriam slurred her words.

"Is that the full of your instructions Madam?"  

"Yep! Shoot him. Bury the body? Make sure Kid can't find him."

"Thank you Madam!" With that the hooded man slammed the butt of his rifle hard in Miriam's face. I winced when I heard her nose crack. She was dead weight when she hit the ground.

I stared at her bloody face in shock, then turned my attention to the stranger.

"Is she dead?" I asked him.

"Dead? No. A little worse for wear perhaps, but very much alive. Would you like me to kill her?"

"No!" I shouted.

The hooded man quirked a dark eyebrow in inquiry. I could see his face better now, and I sort of wished I couldn't. This man was devastatingly attractive.

The stranger's face was sort of longish with a well-defined jawline. His nose was also long without being hawkish and ended as it should above two perfectly shaped lips. They were plump and pinkish, but wide and strong. Soft silky sideburns nearly joined a soft mustache and goatee, further accenting his lips.

But what really had me spellbound was his electric bluish green eyes. At least I thought that was the color. They were beautiful jewels accented by lashes longer than the average woman. He was a deep tan in his complexion. Not white, not black, not red or brown, but some beautiful combination that made his skin look like something I wanted to touch. Or Kiss.

I swayed towards him, and just caught myself when I finally heard him address me.

"Doctor?"  He asked in that beautiful accent.

"Huh? Oh! No. No, don't kill her. I...I have a...sentimental affection for Miriam."

I shook my head to clear it of feeling like any second I was going to attack this man. My erection was so hard in my trousers that it felt constricted. I was literally throbbing.

"We...we..." I panted, "We need to move her. We can't just leave her here."

"Of course. Where would you like me to move her?"

"Maybe the livery. But first, tell me why you're helping me?"

"That may be difficult to explain my friend. But allow me to introduce myself. My name is Dom Joaquin Ricardo Calvanho de Villiango`.  You may call me Joaquin." He bowed to me with a flourish.

I couldn't help myself but to respond in kind, "My name is Doctor Season Samuels."

"So you say."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Let us move your `sentimental one' and I will tell you of my journey." He leaned his rifle up against the alley wall and crouched over Miriam. As he touched her, he sighed and dropped his head.

"Joaquin, Joaquin! Such a sucker for big brown innocent eyes"   

"What?" I questioned the back of his head.

"Not so innocent my sweet doctor. By the way, I forgive you."

"Good!"

With that I slammed the butt of his rifle to the back of his head and dropped him cold. I rolled him off Miriam and checked his pulse to make sure he was still breathing. He was, so I grabbed him by his ankles and dragged him further into the alley.

Miriam was just coming to when I reached for her. There wasn't as much damage done to her as I first thought, but she had blood all over her.  She started moaning as I scooped her up in my arms.

"Damn Miriam! How the hell could you fuck up something so simple!" I couldn't help scolding her.  

She let out a wail and I clutched her to me as I hurried down the alley. I looked over my shoulder to make sure no one had followed me, and stopped dead in my tracks when I realized Joaquin was no longer on the ground, and nowhere in the alley as he had been seconds ago.

The hair on the back of my neck stood up, but I literally had no time to think about it. I turned the corner and slipped behind the Opium tea house. There were stairs to a cellar, and I got us down them as quickly as I could before banging on the door.

A short Chinese man opened the door and I sputtered in broken Chinese, "Zhè shì Miriam. Wǒ xūyào sīrén jiē tā!

He opened the door wide and I followed him past tables of Chinese women massaging naked men. The smell of opium thick in the air. He took me to a small window less room with a cot, and I laid Miriam gently upon it.

"Wǒ xūyào wǒ de yīliáo yòngpǐn. Nǐ néng dài wǒ di yào ma?"

The man nodded to me and left the room at a trot. I closed the door then leaned over Miriam. She was weeping softly.

"I'm sorry honey. I'll get you fixed up in a minute." I told her and stroked her long hair softly.

Miriam began crying in earnest then. I've seen her cry many a time, but it'd been a while since I'd seen her looking so defeated.

"I'm tired of this!" Miriam wailed.

"I know honey. But it will be over soon. I promise."

"This is going on too long!"

"I know. I know honey! But everything's going to plan. We just have to be a little patient."

I shut up as the shop clerk brought me my medicine bag, fresh towels and a pail of warm water. I thanked him and shut the door again. 

"Miriam what happened to our plan? Where's Petey?"  I started gently washing her face so I could see the damage.

"I don't know. I can't remember. One minute I was waiting for your signal, and the next I was in the alley with that man."

"Well did you ever catch up to Petey? Did you see him at all?"

Miriam winched as I packed her nostrils. "I don't remember. I guess he's still waiting over at the Livery. Ouch!"

"Sorry! How is it that you went off with Joaquin?"

"Who?"

"The man in the hooded robe. How is it that you started talking to him instead of signaling Petey like we planned?"

"I don't know. I was drinking my tea at the window. I could see you watching. Then he was just there. There was something about the way he spoke to me. It made feel...You know. All womanly and wanting him to touch me. I swear to God, I don't know what happened to me. I wanted him to touch me like...like he was Midnight. OUCH!"

"Sorry sweetie!" I apologized after readjusting her nose. I probably should have waited a few days, but I couldn't risk it being permanently crooked. I cleaned up more blood and gave her common aspirin to ease the pain. That with a few sips of mild opium tea, and Miriam was soon looking sleepy.

"What are you going to do now?" She asked drowsily.

"I don't know. I gotta think of something quick. I'm supposed to look like somebody who's been ambushed and roughed up."

I picked up the rifle and headed towards the door.

"Ya know," She called out to me, "in a strange way, you really are my favorite husband Nene."

"That's sick you know."

She giggled drowsily, "Send Midnight when you can. Tell him, I need him. Bad."

"I will. Go to sleep now baby. It'll be over soon."

~

I still had no idea what the hell I was gonna do when I walked into the saloon. Decided I couldn't get to the livery to warn Petey. Who knew where Judd was, but with him following me like he does, I couldn't take chances.  

Mooney was expecting me to be dead by now. I probably should have let him think it, but my encounter with Joaquin changed all of that. No pretending to be dead if the contract killer knew you were still alive.

The piano man was playing gayly when I walked into the saloon and the room was full of card players and painted ladies. There were a few dandies about as well, but I knew Puckering Pete was probably still laid up with Maverick and Mooney.

I passed the tables and headed to the private back saloon. I steeled myself for what I might see and opened the door slowly.

Naturally the first person I saw was Maverick. He was laying back on a paisley settee without his shirt on. The button fly of his wranglers splayed wide open while Puckering Pete slurped away at his semi-hard cock. Mooney was in between Pete's legs shoving a bottle of whiskey in his ass.

I sharply turned my head away and looked to the back bar. Mahogany was on a bar stool with a doxie between his legs. She was slurping away on his shiny black tool. I looked away from that as well. I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

To my surprise, Yant also had a woman on his lap, his face buried in her boobs.

"Ow! Ow! Mooney please. Not so hard! Ow!" Puckering Pete was whining. I couldn't blame him. Mooney was jamming that bottle up his ass like he was putting it away in a saddle bag.

"Back off will ya! Trying to get my nut here!" Maverick barked at Mooney.

Mooney stumbled back, laughing his fool head off, until he turned around and stared down the shaft of my double-barreled shot gun.

"Whoa! Whoa there boy what are you doing?" Mooney dropped his bottle of whiskey and put his hands in the air.

"Fixin to blow a hole in your evil black heart!"  I primed the lock.

"Now wait a minute there Doc!" Yant started.

"Shut up Yant! You haven't spent the last hour fighting for your life!" I snapped at him.

"Well what the hellfire does that have to do with me!" Mooney was so drunk he could barely stand up, but I could tell he was shaking in his boots.

"What's this all about Doc?" Mahogany pushed the woman from between his legs and quickly stuffed his fat cock back in his trousers, as if to erase what I'd just seen.

"Mooney sent somebody to kill me!"

"That's a lie! If'n I sent somebody you'd be dead!" Mooney slurred. He stood before me swaying. His greasy cock flopping limply through his trouser opening. Thought about shooting him just for that.

"Miriam told me everything, so there ain't no sense in trying to deny it Mooney."

"Miriam! Mariam is just a step above a two-bit whore! The bitch is lying!" Mooney spit out.

I readjusted the rifle and pointed at his head.

"Oh she's lying huh? Huh? Why is Yant here then?"

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about?!"  Mooney sputtered.

"Yant and Gideon are supposed to be checking out Miriam's house. Ain't you supposed to be looking for a map Yant?"

Yant had the good sense to look embarrassed. He couldn't look me in the eye, "I'm sorry Doc. Had my orders..."

"What about you Mahogany. Thought you and your boys were supposed to be waiting to ambush Miriam on the way back to her house? Why aren't you there?"

As dark as his skin was, I could have sworn he was turning red in the cheeks and his ears looked like they were on fire.

"Aw come on boy! She ain't come back to the house...So I took off and come back here. Swear to God Doc. I wouldn't lay a finger on you." 

Mahogany sounded sincere enough, but I couldn't make out like I trusted him. Not yet.

"Well what about the 10 timers. Where's this gang that's supposed to be protecting Miriam? There isn't any 10 timers is there?"

"There is!"

"Then where were they when I was kicking her ass in the middle of the goddamn street?! Nowhere! She ain't got no protection because she hasn't got the map! You do!" I screamed.

"What the hell's gotten into you Doc?! You ought to have more sense than to beat on a woman. That ain't right!" Yant shook his head at me disapprovingly.

"That sure ain't right." Says Mooney, who probably beat on more women than I have fingers to count.

"Yeah well Miriam got a bigger problem than the bruises I gave her. I'm about to make her a widow!" I doubled my grip on my rifle.

All of the sudden Maverick was standing in front of my gun, and it was his chest I was pointing at.

"Put the gun down Doc." He said quietly, like he was tired of all the drama I was creating. He couldn't even look me in the eyes.

"No! He tried to kill me!" My arms started shaking.

"Stop being stupid and put the gun down. Come on now. You ain't even supposed to have a weapon in here."

"I'm telling you he tried to kill me. Maverick he has the map! Miriam told me everything. She said Mooney told her the map is of some place in Georgia. I'm telling you Mooney knows where the Sea Dog's body is!"

"Put The Gun Down." Maverick ground out.

"Are you even listening to me!" I shook my head in disbelief. Tears came to my eyes as I realized Maverick could care less what I was saying.

"He already has the map Maverick! He has it! He's not trying to help you. Do you understand that? He could care less what's happening to you!!" I cried.

"I SAID PUT THE GUN DOWN!" Maverick shouted at me.

I lowered my gun slowly and Maverick snatched it out of my hands and threw it to Mahogany. Then he grabbed me by the throat and backed me up against the wall.

"Ya know what your problem is? You're spoiled that's what!" He slammed me into the wall again.

"But Maverick..." I blubbered.

"I told ya how it was going to be once we got here didn't I? DIDN'T I?" Maverick yelled right in my face.

"Now you want to act like a jealous little cunt because I want spend time with my buddies!"

"He's the cunt! He's a backstabber! Mooney is a piece a... "

"Shut your mouth!"

I don't remember seeing him do it, but the next thing I know, Maverick has his belt in his hand, and is whipping me with it. I broke from him and ran into the larger saloon with Maverick hot on my tail.

Maverick caught up with me and slammed me down on the bar. He grabbed onto my neck and held me in place while he delivered a few more welts to my already stinging rear.

By this time all the patrons where watching the show, and some wanting to join in on the action.

"Is that the Hexer?!"

"Yahoo! Whip that boy's ass!"

"He ain't feeling it! Take dem britches off!"

Maverick was all too accommodating, and he yanked down my britches, and tore a hole right through my underwear, tearing them to shreds to expose my bare ass. Then instead of hitting my legs, he was now tearing strips off of my ass!

"Don't you Ever," Twack! "Ever" Twack! "Ever!" Twack! "Hold a weapon on me again!" Twack!"

By then folks were calling on Maverick to fuck me in the ass. He had no problem accommodating them there either. Maverick shoved his full length in me, and unprepared it felt like he tore my ass in two.

I managed to pull away from him. Grabbing a whiskey bottle, I slammed it against the bar and sliced Maverick across the chest.

He pulled back and a thin line of blood trickled from his chest.

"Oh you gonna cut me now you little bitch!"  Mavericks eyes were blazing at me. "Go on! Do it! Do it and I'll break your ass in two!"

I backed away from him and managed to get my pants up and to the stairs before Maverick swung his belt at me again! I jumped when his belt buckle slammed into the post, and dropped the broken bottle as I ran for my life.

As soon as I reached my room I slammed the door behind me. Maverick was hot on my trail though, and swung the door open a scant second later. But by that time I had a vase in my hand and was aiming it at his head.

Maverick narrowly missed getting hit, ducking as the vase crashed against the door. He wasn't so lucky when I started throwing anything else I could get my hands on.

My eyes were blazing now, with pure anger!

"You sadistic son of a bitch!" I sent an astray sailing at his head.

"Honey..."

"Fuck you!"

"I'm sorry..."

"Go to hell!"

"Keep your voice down!"

Maverick batted away a shaving mirror, wash basin, paperweight, bar of soap, my drying towel, every picture I could rip off the walls. Frustrated I couldn't find anything else to throw at him, I yanked off my boots and threw those at him!

Like the hell borne bastard he was, he just stood there batting away objects, like he was just waiting for me to tire myself out. And I was right.

"Are you done?"

"Am I done? Am I done!" I ran at him and popped him in the face. Not satisfied with that I slapped him hard twice more before he grabbed my arms and tried to restrain me.

"Get off of me!" I broke free and socked him in the mouth, causing his lip to bleed.

"You wild assed buck! Knock it off already!" Maverick grabbed me and swung me on the bed. I flipped over on my back and kicked at him. He grabbed my legs before I could do any damage, and yanked my pants down. I flipped over again and tried to crawl off the bed, but he had my ankle in a vice grip, and he pulled back before I could get far. He had my pants off and completely shredded my drawers before ripping them right off my body.

Holding me down, Maverick begin to kiss the sore parts of my burning ass cheeks.

"No! Get off me!" I wiggled my ass, but Maverick was pressing firmly on my lower back, keeping me in place as his tongue stroked what I was sure was going to be a bruised ass by morning. I wanted him to stop, but it wasn't long before I was wiggling my ass because Mavericks tongue was lapping at my ass lips, teasing me with little kisses and licks.

Maverick spit in my asshole a couple of times and then he placed just the bulbous head of his cock at my ass lips.

"No!" I still wasn't ready to forgive him for whipping my ass in front of everyone. He was just plain showing off.

But then Maverick started teasing my ass lips with his juicy wet cock head, and I couldn't help moaning in need. Maverick was playing with my hole, making it wet and slippery with our juices.

I still wasn't ready to admit defeat, and I reached back and punched him in the thigh. He grabbed my wrists and pressed them into the mattress as he filled me inch by inch. I couldn't wait for him and I arched my ass up like a cat in heat to capture all of him.

Maverick lay on my back and begin kissing and licking my neck. I stubbornly refused to allow him to kiss my lips until he sunk another inch of his man meat in me, and then I couldn't help but turn my head to him in surrender.

He plunged his tongue in my mouth, lapping at my mouth like it was a delicacy. As he begin moving in me, slowly pumping in and out, I sucked on his lips. Drawing hard on the side of his mouth where I'd split his lip with my fist.

I taste the coppery mixture of his blood and saliva, and I drank his blood like a starved vampire, sucking on it till it could give me no more.

Maverick pumped his cock in and out of me rhythmically. His Matawee organ vibrating and going wild inside me. As our lovemaking intensified, Maverick released my wrist, and we clasped our palms together, panting, moaning and sucking each other mouths, tongues and lips.

"Cumoso!" I scream his name as my cum shoots up my stomach  

"Wumaris!" He shouts in my ear "Mon Homme Kuwumaris!"

I fall asleep in his arms, at ease for the first time in days.

The next  morning I woke alone in my bed. Maverick's absence hit me sharply, and I don't want to think about his returning to Mooney's arm. I swung my legs over the side of the bed, and was just heading to the washroom when I spotted a note on the night table,

"Pack up.  We're heading to Georgia."

                                                            -M

~

It took us a little over a month to travel the 2300 miles to reach Georgia. Don't think we could have done it any sooner, even if we hadn't taken the stage coach part of the way. Or at least Miriam did. Stage Coaches were just as partial to who it's riders were as most trains, and Mahogany, Gideon, Maverick and myself, now that I looked more Indian than white, weren't allowed to ride in the box.

We made out a little quicker once we reached Missouri. At least the railways would let us hold up in a box car, some even allowed us to sit with regular passengers. Now on our last leg of the journey, things were moving a little quicker than I expected. Georgia had just added an interstate railway that picked up passengers, although segregation was still the order of the day.

Maverick, Mooney, Gideon, Yant and Judd were playing cards in the corner of the boxcar. We had been allowed to ride along in the livery car with our horses. Miriam and Bobby were in the passenger section of the train. Mooney, Yant and Judd could have ridden with the other whites, but Mooney declared he wasn't going anywhere without Maverick, and Yant figured he didn't want to miss out on any of the action. And Judd. Judd seemed to be here just to stare at me.

I'd been sleeping most of the day. It was mid-December and I was freezing in our drafty box car. Mahogany had been keeping me warm most nights. When we couldn't get a bed, Mahogany would roll out his blankets and I would crawl in right next to him, falling asleep with his big barrel arms wrapped snugly around me.

I woke up feeling a draft, and knew that Mahogany was no longer lying next to me. I found him sitting on the side of the train. His legs hanging out the boxcar as it travelled it's top speed of 30 miles per hour. We still had at least a day of travel ahead of us to reach, Liberty County, it being near the southern most tip of Georgia.

But Judd, Gideon, and  Maverick were watching me as I stretched and shook the hay out of my long hair. My hair had grown to the middle of my back now, and I was careful to keep it clean and free of lice. I was brushing my hair out when I caught Maverick cutting his eyes at me on the sly. Judd could care less who caught him. He was openly drooling at me. Yant however was a little bit of a surprise, and I shook my head at him in inquiry.

"Ya'll gonna play or you spending your time twat watching!" Mooney barked at them. Mooney's hair was nearly as long as my own, but who knows when he washed it last. It hung around his head in greasy clumps, turning what was probably a wheat gold color to mousey brown. I'd seen Maverick fucking him. He never grabbed onto Mooney's hair as he did mine.

"Keep your bloomers on Mooney! Your cheating ass ought to be happy these fools are otherwise occupied!"

Maverick laid down a straight flush, and Mooney started cussing as Maverick swept up his winnings.

I finished plaiting my hair and moved to the boxcar opening to sit with Mahogany. I thought he'd been looking at the passing landscape of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Northern Georgia, but I was wrong. Mahogany was holding a paper in his hand. I read it over his shoulder.

Let it be known that the Negro buck, "Mahogany Bah" is now declared by the state of Texas, to be a free Colored man of his own welfare, this date of June 21 the year of our lord, 18—.

"They killed my brothers, right over there, in the dead of the night. Never forget them mountains. Never wanted to see them again."

I leaned my head up against Mahogany's rough wool coat. I could feel his body heat and feel the tremor of his anger through the material.

"I don't even know if this is worth the paper it was written on."

"They got to honor it. It's from the state of Texas. Sides you served in the revolution to earn it, and Sam Houston signed it himself."

Mahogany smiled to himself, "Yeah ole Raven. He ain't nothing but fair. I believe when he says he aims to keep slaves out of his territory. He might be only white man I ever believed in. The rest can go to hell."

"What about Yant?"

"Who you calling white. Yant's blacker than I am!"

We both looked at Yant. He was twisting on his handlebar mustache, which probably meant he had a good hand. Something must have made him look up though, because he caught us looking at him, and shook his at us like we were crazy.

We burst into  laughter, and I hugged onto Mahogany while we laughed away a bit of our tension.

I shivered a bit, both from the cold, and memories I wished I could forget. But cold and starvation are powerful shades, and their haunting left a lasting impression.

"Cold?" Mahogany asked. When I shook my head, He unwrapped the huge scarf his wife had knitted for him, and wrapped it around my shoulders. I'd lost my leather duster somewhere in our travels, and Maverick had whipped my ass in earnest for losing something so valuable and vital.

I shifted the scarf to my legs and shoved my hands in the pocket of my Mackinaw. At least my short jacket kept my arms warm, but my ass was really suffering the brisk chill.

Mahogany pulled another letter from his pocket. He squinted at it, but I could tell he had difficulty reading the words. Mahogany could read, but he needed glasses in the worst way to see the small print.

"You want me to read it to you?"

"Miriam already did. I don't want her to read it no more, but I want to hear it again."

I picked up the letter and read,

"Dear Negro,

As we have come to an agreement on price, and you have given presentable reference, you may come collect your picaninnies at your leisure.  Until then as they are good strong bucks and gal, I will continue to enjoy the production of their labor.

Your gal is fair and is companion to my granddaughter. I have told my son if you do not collect her in due time, he can have her.

I have no shame in saying I am  fond of your gal. It would be a great relief to me if you should come get her before my son does.

Your bucks are strong-willed, but simple-minded.  My overseers are anxious to break the curse that protects their hides. I employ you to retrieve them before an accident should befall them.

Bring to me your coin, as I cannot accept the credit of a Negro and I will deal fairly with you.

God's faithful servant,

Mrs. Mary Louise Baker

There wasn't much to say after reading that. I can understand why he didn't want Miriam reading it again. My stomach was turning over, and I felt like retching.

A couple hours later, the train pulled into Whistle Stop to fill up with water, and we all jumped off to stretch our legs and change out the livery hay.

Judd had gotten all juiced up on the train, and when he wasn't swaying on his feet, he was leaning on my shoulder and trying to sniff on me. He was making an ass of himself, and drawing more attention than was necessary when he grabbed me from behind, and started grinding up against me lewdly. I pushed him away just as Maverick dumped another bale of hay onto the boxcar.

He glared at me. Hard. I don't know what his problem was. He'd been snapping at me, and just being an all around bully since we'd left Missouri. Some of it was for show, but even when we had a moment alone, he seemed distracted and irritable.

I picked up a bale of hay and walked after him to the boxcar.  "We met on a train. Remember? Funny we end up together back on the train..."

"Oh are we together?" Maverick cocks his eyebrow at me.

I was caught a little off guard. When I looked around, everyone near us seemed to be occupied with something else. Maverick wasn't speaking very loudly, so I couldn't figure out if we were staging a fight or if he was actually pissed at something.

I mean what could he be pissed about. Since we got to the East, I really had to tone down my activities. No fucking anybody out in the open. First of all it was too damn cold, secondly, this was hanging country for our kind. We were strange fruit walking.

"What are you talking about?" I whispered to him.

Maverick just glared at me again and said, "We don't have time to talk about it."

I wanted to force the issue again, but Judd came up behind me and swung me around.

"Judd stop it!" I swatted at him. The station master and the train conductor was giving us the evil eye.

"What do you want?" I moved an arm's length away from him.

"I'm thirsty." Judd whined.

"Than get yourself some more whiskey."

Judd drew himself closer to me. "I need something darker."

Judd sniffed at my neck.

"Well you're not getting any from me!" I snapped.

"Why not? You going to mine soon anyway." Judd leered at me.

A sharp chill ran down my back, and my hair stood on end. I'd actually put my deal with the Sea Dog in the back of my mind. I couldn't think on it now. We had other, more important fish to fry. Besides, I was pretty sure when the moment came, I could talk the Sea Dog into waiting. Why not? He'd already been dead a hundred years. What's another 20 to him?

"I'm not yours yet. So take your hands off me Judd."

~

It took us until the next day to reach Tide County. The good news is the further south we went it grew warmer, but rained more. The bad news...Well there's mostly bad news for colored peoples this part of the south.

Indians had been banned in the state of Georgia, and no Indian could legally travel in the state without permission of the state officials. But Maverick had that covered. Me and Maverick were identified as Mooney's hired games trackers. Mooney loved lording over me that I could go nowhere without his permission.

Mahogany was a free colored man, but at every station he had to show his papers, and prove he could write his own name, something that pissed officials off, and many of them gave his papers back to him with the warning to behave himself, as if being free and black was crime in itself.

As soon as we reached Tide county, Mooney wanted to go searching for the gold immediately. But surprisingly, we were able to bunk down at a bed and breakfast in town.

I was surprised when Mooney checked him and Miriam into one room. He hadn't been spending time with her since he and Maverick hooked up with each other. I don't think she really minded the neglect, and I overheard her telling him he needed a bath.

I was expecting to have to bed down in the stable, but the kindly woman who owned the place said she had room for all God's creatures, and she gave us all rooms. I expected Maverick to stay with me, but he took off with Mooney, Mahogany, and Yant to who knows where.

Bored, I climbed out on the slanted roof and smoked a cigarette. Moments later Gideon joined me. We were quiet for a time then Gideon stared at me.

"What are you gonna do after we get the Sea Dogs body."

I hadn't thought about it. I didn't want to think about it.

I shrug, "Reckon we split the treasure. Live rich off land."

"While you're reckoning, you think the Sea Dog will just nancy up the cash?"

"Well, yeah, or he'll get a true bullet."

"And then what?"

"Huh?"

"After your bullet, then what? You know he can't really die right. This is not Judd or Mooney or anybody else who thinks they really know what's going on. I spoke to the vampire. I know what and who he wants..."

"Alright! Alright, I don't want to talk about this."

"You're going to have to at some point. You say you love Maverick, and I'm learning to accept that but you don't have to accept a lifetime with a vampire. I can save you from..."

"I don't have time to talk about this." I said. Jumping up from my seat, I crawled back into my room as Mooney, Maverick, Yant and Mahogany came tearing into the court yard.

"Doc!" I heard Yant yelling for me. "Doc! Come quick and bring your bag!"

I looked out the window, and I could see Mahogany clutching onto someone. Carefully laying him on the ground.

I ran downstairs, and burst out into the yard. Lying on a ground was a young black boy. He was bleeding from the arm and thigh.

"What happened?" I knelt down over the child and began administering to his wounds.

Maverick was silent and grave. He had a little girl in his arms, she was whimpering but it didn't seem like she was hurt.

"What happened?" I asked again.

Yant stepped forward.

"We rode out to Ms. Baker's land. That's where the map said the Sea Dog's body was buried. But when we got their, all she had was the children with their papers. Well we explained to her that we come for the gold. Mooney shows her the map, and she tells him that her overseers won't touch that boy there cuz he's got a strange marking on his back that looks just like the map, but she won't let us see, until we paid her the money."

Yant stopped talking as I took time to soothe the boy who was trying his best not to cry out. Mahogany was doing enough crying for him, as he leaned over him, and brushed the boy's hair down with his hand.

"How did he get shot?" I asked, confused.

"Mooney! Mooney shot my boy!" Mahogany wailed.

I looked over at Mooney. He was looking sort of shell shocked, and kept saying, "I just don't get it."

Yant came forward and continued the story, "Well we took the kids outside, but Mooney wanted to see the boy's back. Sure enough, there's a scar on that boy's back that looks just like the map, or more like the other half of the map. His back has got writing on it though."

I needed to look for the exit wounds anyway, so I carefully turned the boy over on his side. Carved into his back like he'd been branded, was a map of some type. Underneath was branded the words.

Moreen Is.

I didn't have time to marvel over what I was looking for, I needed answers.

"How did he get shot?" I ask for the third time.

"Well it was Mooney." Yant continued, "Somehow he got in his head that the child was the Sea Dog. And he shot him."

I couldn't believe the stupidity of that action. Both Mooney's eyes looked swollen, and I'm guessing one of these boys already took their anger out on him.

"Well the good news is that these are clean wounds. There are no bullets in him. I just need to patch him up. He'll be okay in due time."

I was expecting an all around sigh of relief, but instead my announcement was met with tense silence. I looked at Mahogany who was still weeping, than to Yant who avoided my eyes, then finally to Maverick.

"You don't get it. Mooney didn't just shoot him, he shot him with one of your hexed bullets. We were able to get away from it for a while. Maybe it hit a tree or something. But's it's coming. And it's coming for Elias Bah. Mooney shot him with a hexed bullet and he's as good as dead."

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