Vengeance Is Mine (by MonicaSJ)

Chapter Fourteen

 

Getting comfortable in his new accommodations, Adam sat against the back wall of the shelter, looking at everything around him as he listened to Kane work outside on the raft.  Sitting was going to be much easier than standing since standing would mean he’d have to stay bent. The shelter was only five feet high.  The best he could do to stretch out would be to lie corner to corner, and even that was too small a space.  He had come in through a narrow door with a window about a foot wide and about three inches high that was covered with a metal door.  There was a smaller door on the roof of the shelter, though not big enough to crawl through.  It appeared to be latched on the outside.  Both sides of the shelter had several holes no bigger than 2 inches in circumference.  He would be able to see what they were passing, but he wouldn’t be able to see where they were going or from where they had come.  There were no holes in the front and back walls.  Lastly, there was one four-inch hole in a corner of the floor.  He looked down into it.  Apparently, the raft was sitting on larger timbers along the sides because there was a gap between the floor of the shelter and the water.

 

After he had entered the shelter, Kane hadn’t said another word to him, but he could hear a boat being loaded, he assumed, somewhere behind him.  The thuds of what sounded like bags and boxes mixed with the sound of water sloshing.  Then he heard…was that a goat?

He heard the clop of small hooves on the wood of the raft, moving around behind him, then to the side and finally in front of the shelter.  Then he heard the unmistakable bleat, and next the smell of a billy wafted in.

 

Adam blew out a breath.  It seemed that whatever Kane was up to was something beyond anything Adam had imagined.  Still, he was convinced that Kane wasn’t going to kill him.  Killing him would put an end to whatever suffering Kane wanted him to feel.  He was prepared for mistreatment, even cruelty.  For now, he would collect information to plan his escape, but would wait to make an attempt until all his questions were answered.

 

The raft began to move, dipping slightly from side to side.  Kane had pushed away from land.  He could hear the rhythmic rush of water being pushed by oars, and now felt the backward movement of the raft; backward only because the raft was moving as if the back of the shelter was forward, and he was still sitting with his back to the back wall.

 

The move away from dry land apparently upset the goat.  He had butted the walls of the shelter several times, and now was standing at the side, looking into the holes, bleating continuously.  Adam wished him to move to the front or back where the breeze wouldn’t carry his stench inside.

 

“Do I get to know where you’re taking me?” Adam shouted to be heard where he thought the boat that was towing the raft might be.

 

“One man’s desert, Cartwright.  In what we all think of as the desert, the land consists of sand, gravel and little vegetation.  It’s hot.  But what makes it a desert is the absence of those things that make us comfortable; water, food, shade.  Here, there’s nothing but water; no food besides what I choose to give you, no trees, no solid ground, and for you, no wide open spaces.  Just the inside of that box.”

 

Kane paused to give Adam a taste of what he would be hearing for as long as this would take; the sound of the water against the raft and the bleating of the goat.

 

“No freedom.”

 

“For what purpose?”

 

“Vengeance is mine, Cartwright.”

 

“You’re not God.”

 

“That may be true for the rest of the world.  But for you…your fate is in my hands,” Kane said, his low chuckling turning to boisterous laughter.

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Author: MonicaSJ

I'm an Primary Software Engineer who writes technical manuals and was talked into writing fan fiction. I love all things outdoors, including my horses. I also love that I live in the mythical Cartwright stomping grounds and roam all the way from Virginia City to San Francisco looking for old roads, ghost towns and stagecoach stops. My favorite pastime is taking a 'no technology' weekend on horseback with a pack horse into the area around Lake Tahoe and the Desolation Wilderness. I do, however, take a GPS with me, so I don't get lost.

4 thoughts on “Vengeance Is Mine (by MonicaSJ)

    1. Thank you, Hope. There have been a lot of WHN stories for The Crucible. When I wrote this I wanted to write something equally as uncomfortable, and I think this one is, but here you do get closure. Thanks so much for reading and review it.

  1. This is an incredible and excellent piece of writing. It pulls you along with its energy and good storyline and presents both sides of the story with empathy and understanding. By the end of the story, you have had a really good time. I felt like I was out on the lake with friends.

    1. I thought about writing a WHN for The Crucible, my favorite Bonanza episode. There are so many WHNs for The Crucible, I wanted one that was unique. Thank you so much for your kind words. Lake Tahoe plays a big role in my writing. I live only 2 hours away, so I go often to see the areas I’m writing about. I’m so happy you had a good time through the story. Thank you again. Monica

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