{"id":2453,"date":"2011-08-22T21:05:08","date_gmt":"2011-08-23T01:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2453"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:25:13","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:25:13","slug":"dying-alone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2453","title":{"rendered":"Dying Alone (by VCLS)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0<\/b>Adam and Joe struggle to avoid the unthinkable . . . dying alone!<\/span><\/p>\n

Rated:<\/strong> \u00a0T \u00a0WC \u00a08800<\/p>\n

Story Notes: \u00a0<\/b>A summer 2011 Round Robin Challenge. \u00a0BB writers were invited to submit an opening chapter. \u00a0Members voted on their favorite with the top three vote-getters becoming the first chapter in their respective chains. \u00a0Additional authors joined to complete each story.<\/span><\/p>\n

The participants in this story were (in alphabetical order): \u00a0AnnieK, BnzaGal, Dancediva, Destiny, Frasrgrl, MicheleBE, Patina, and sklamb.<\/span><\/p>\n

Disclaimer:\u00a0All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Dying Alone<\/strong><\/p>\n

Adam was with him.<\/strong> He hated that fact and yet was comforted by it at the same time. He wasn\u2019t alone. He wished he were, but he was glad he wasn\u2019t. Joe had always been afraid of dying alone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It wouldn\u2019t be much longer now. Joe could feel his strength ebbing out of him. Adam lay next to him, the harsh rising and falling of his chest was the only thing that let Joe know his brother hadn\u2019t already gone on before him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Was it selfish to want to go first? Adam hadn\u2019t opened his eyes in nearly twenty minutes. He wouldn\u2019t even know if Joe slipped off without him, before him. Joe, on the other hand was still awake, still in torment. How he longed for black unknowingness, and yet fought against it with all his remaining strength. He would know. He would watch Adam die, and then it would be his turn. Only he would be dying alone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Would they ever be found? Would they ever receive a proper burial? He doubted it. Doubted he would be laid in the ground next to his mother on that beautiful point looking out over Lake Tahoe. Pa and Hoss would search franticly, maybe for weeks, but how could they find him and Adam all the way out here so very far from where they were supposed to be?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Most likely their bodies would be covered in leaves as fall came and slowly go back to the dust. Isn\u2019t that what the preacher always said at funerals?\u00a0Dust to dust.<\/em>\u00a0Maybe someday a hunter or a trapper would stumble across their remains and wonder at them. He would probably draw a scenario in his mind as to the events that had brought two young men up onto this mountain to die. Joe was sure that no matter how horrifying the scenario he came up with was it would still be far from the truth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why hadn\u2019t he listened to Adam? Why? Joe felt tears of anger against himself well up in his eyes. At his insistence, they had come here. It was his fault that he and Adam would die; his fault that Pa and Hoss would have to eventually give up searching and accept that they were forever lost.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam groaned in his unconscious state. Joe turned his head to watch and listen to his brother\u2019s ragged breaths. Reaching out a hand, Joe grasped Adam\u2019s fingers. Joe could barely feel his arm anymore, but the action calmed him anyway. They were together.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe, if God was as merciful as the preachers claimed, he would allow them to die at the same time, so neither of them had to be alone.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam knew that something was wrong.\u00a0 He knew it before he knew anything else.\u00a0 Something had happened, they had been doing something and it had gone wrong.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He was cold.\u00a0 That wasn\u2019t unusual though, he had spent a lot of time being cold in his life.\u00a0 He remembered the trip west when he was just a boy, hours huddled in the back of the wagon, not even Pa\u2019s body heat or the thick quilt blocking out the chill.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Then again, it was kind of strange; Hop Sing usually did a good job of keeping the house warm, always keeping the fires going, even in the coldest months.\u00a0 And something had happened, he could feel it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He suddenly felt icy fingers grab his own.\u00a0 He tried to pull away, and then realized that he couldn\u2019t; his arm wouldn\u2019t move.\u00a0 Feeling the first rise of panic, he tried to open his eyes; he had to see what was happening.\u00a0 Why wouldn\u2019t his arm move, and more importantly, who had grabbed his hand?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Opening his eyes took a lot more work than he expected, and it was painful.\u00a0 He groaned as his head protested.\u00a0 He felt like he had been slammed into a tree headfirst.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy won\u2019t you just listen to me for once?\u00a0 Why do you always think that you\u2019re better than me? This is important, and it won\u2019t take that long.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDid you even think that maybe this\u00a0<\/em>would\u00a0take too long, Joe?\u00a0 No, you didn\u2019t, because you never do.\u00a0 You never think at all!\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Adam briefly realized that he sounded a bit childish only a second before he felt hands grabbing his jacket and he was shoved.\u00a0 Pain laced through his head and it collided painfully with the wheel rim on the wagon.\u00a0 \u201cWhat the \u2013\u201c<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Okay, so it wasn\u2019t a tree after all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s exhausted and pain-filled voice confirmed Adam\u2019s suspicion.\u00a0 Joe was hurt.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

His eyes finally opened, he opened his mouth to call for his brother, but he couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 Frustration wormed through his mind.\u00a0 He had to help Joe, he had too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam . . . you awake?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>He tried to say it but it wouldn\u2019t come out.\u00a0 He blinked, and saw Joe\u2019s worried face huddled over his.\u00a0 He looked about as bad as Adam felt.\u00a0 \u201cWhat happened?\u201d he tried again, and was rewarded when he heard sound.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe looked away and didn\u2019t answer. Adam caught a brief glimpse of guilt in his brother\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s breath caught as the memory came back to him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam!\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Adam groaned, pain spiking through his head.\u00a0 He shrugged away his brother\u2019s attempts to help him up.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d he grunted.\u00a0 This was all Joe\u2019s fault anyway.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t we just get this stupid job of yours done and get back home.\u00a0 Pa will be really angry if we\u2019re late for supper.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Joe bristled at Adam\u2019s tone.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>Fine.\u00a0 If the jerk didn\u2019t want help, it\u2019s not like he could force him.\u00a0 He hopped onto the wagon seat and waited as Adam got to his feet, hand briefly going to his head, before returning to his side like he didn\u2019t want Joe to know that his head hurt.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMove over, Joe.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

His brother gaped at him.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, you just hit your head on the wagon wheel, you can\u2019t drive!\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, it\u2019s just a bump, I\u2019ve had far worse, now move over!\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Adam looked at his brother, grimacing as his head complained.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, did I drive us off the road?\u201d he whispered.\u00a0 His head couldn\u2019t handle anything louder.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe reluctantly nodded.\u00a0 \u201cWe were . . . going \u2018round a curve an\u2019 . . . the wheels slipped in . . . the mud,\u201d he gasped.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam gently pulled Joe down so that he was lying down again; the kid looked like he was going to pass out.\u00a0 \u201cWhere are the horses?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGone.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam could see that Joe was fading fast.\u00a0 Though it took a couple of minutes, he managed to prop himself up on one arm.\u00a0 With his other arm, he felt along his brother\u2019s body, looking for injuries.\u00a0 He felt something sticky on Joe\u2019s lower left leg and pulled back his hand.\u00a0 Blood.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, what happened to your leg?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But Joe didn\u2019t answer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

The route was familiar: ten steps from the desk to the stairs, five steps to the fireplace; nine steps to the door and finally, seven steps back to the desk.\u00a0 After all the time he had spent pacing it in the last twenty years, he was surprised there wasn\u2019t a path worn in the wood.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben glanced at the clock in the corner again.\u00a0 Joe and Adam should have been home over two hours ago.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam often told him that he worried too much, and he was often reminded that even Little Joe wasn\u2019t so little anymore and that he could look after himself.\u00a0 And if he was honest with himself he would admit that most of the time the boys were just fine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s no need to worry, they\u2019re just running a bit late.\u00a0 They\u2019ll be home before long.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Ten minutes later, when Hoss came in with the report that the horses came back with no sign of Adam and Joe, Ben realized that he had been right to worry after all. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

Once the sun set, the warmth of the day was snuffed out like a candle leaving the brothers feeling much the same . . . used up and cold.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam had long ago stopped trying to rouse Joe from his half-dead sleep, and instead he sluggishly joined him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For sleeping let them get away from their hurts, but not always their fears.<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

They moved on, encouraging Chub and Buck into a lightning gallop, until finally there was no choice but to stop for a rest.<\/span><\/p>\n

The fire roasted them, warming up their healthy bodies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben stared off into the flames, worry sketched across his face.\u00a0\u00a0Where can they be? Are they hurt?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss eyed his father\u2019s expression and innocently spoke up. \u201cPa. Why don\u2019t ya have somethin\u2019 ta eat? It ain\u2019t goin\u2019 ta help any if you\u2019re on an empty stomach.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben snapped out of his thoughts, and glanced up at his son. A grin appeared on his face as if nothing had been happening.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI guess you\u2019re right, son,\u201d Ben replied. Taking Hoss\u2019 advice, he picked up a bowl and filled it with the last of the cooked beans.<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam moaned in his sleep. His fears kept creeping into his imagination; the terrors attacking him like death. He couldn\u2019t forget the pain of it, the emotions gnawed at him this way and that until he couldn\u2019t handle it any longer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam!\u201d Joe yelled trying to get a hold of the reins. \u201cAdam, would ya slow down!\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know what I\u2019m doing Joe!\u201d Adam argued back at his brother, who had a pale look to him. \u201cWhat\u2014\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Joe flew off the wagon. Blood surrounded him the moment he landed.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe!\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Adam broke free from the remembrances of what happened to him a day ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

He ignored the headache that still throbbed involuntarily and instead focused his attention on his brother.<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss scrubbed the pot with sand and stole a sideways glance at Pa.\u00a0 The dancing flames cast his father\u2019s face in light then shadow, the worry lines etched across his brow like narrow trails.<\/span><\/p>\n

The horses didn\u2019t have any blood on them, so that had to be a good sign.\u00a0 Well, maybe not\u00a0good<\/em>\u00a0but at least it didn\u2019t mean his brothers were dead or dying.\u00a0 Knowing Adam and Joe, they were probably walking home right now, arguing over who didn\u2019t check the harnesses or make sure the hitch was tight.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A log popped and both men nearly jumped out of their coats.\u00a0 Hoss snorted and said, \u201cI\u2019m as jumpy as a rabbit near a wolf\u2019s den.\u201d\u00a0 Silence quickly returned.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa, you know Adam and Joe can take care of themselves.\u00a0 Those horses don\u2019t mean . . .\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben picked at the beans, moving them around rather than eating.\u00a0 \u201cI know,\u201d he whispered as he set the plate near the fire.\u00a0 He pulled the collar of his coat up before retreating to his saddle to lie down.\u00a0 Staring at the heavens, he prayed silently for his boys to be kept safe from harm.<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam lightly squeezed Joe\u2019s wrist in hopes of hearing a moan again.\u00a0 They had to stay awake, or at least take turns in case someone was searching for them.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He tried to catalog his own injuries as a way to pass the time.\u00a0 The headache was probably from banging into the wheel before they\u2019d got started but the throbbing was most likely from a concussion.\u00a0 Did he hit a rock? \u00a0Good thing his skull was made of granite.\u00a0 Breathing caused pain in his left side but stopping his lungs wasn\u2019t an option.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

His eyelids closed in attempt to lure him into sleep but he couldn\u2019t give in\u2014he had to stay awake until he had the strength to get help for Joe.\u00a0 Adam recited the alphabet in Greek, suppressing a chuckle at the thought of the hands telling him there was no use for his \u201cfancy education\u201d on the Ponderosa.\u00a0 He said\u00a0eta<\/em>\u00a0through a yawn and shifted in discomfort.\u00a0 A few more minutes of rest and he\u2019d see what could be salvaged before getting Joe home.<\/span><\/p>\n

A distant memory of Joe flying through the air surfaced through the haze of pain.\u00a0 His brother launched himself from the loft, arms spread wide, a large smile plastered on his cherubic face. \u00a0Gravity seemed to lose its hold on the boy for a full minute even though it couldn\u2019t have been more than a fraction of a second.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s throat choked off his voice as a dam would hold back a river while a gale of childish laughter rained down on his ears.\u00a0 The loud rustle of hay brought Adam out of his trance and he climbed over the side of the wagon to see the devilish gleam in Joe\u2019s eyes as the boy looked up at the dark opening under the barn\u2019s eaves with thoughts of leaping again.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The sound of rustling leaves was carried on the still night air.\u00a0 Adam awoke with a jerk and let go of Joe to draw his pistol.\u00a0 The familiar weight wasn\u2019t there\u2014it must have been lost with the wagon.\u00a0 His body tensed and he whispered a prayer for strength in Latin as the noise grew louder.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

He’s coming after us.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The thought surfaced without any warning and snapped Adam’s mind into clarity like a bucketful of cold water. His cloudy memories acquired new meaning in the same instant.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe hadn’t jumped from the loft the way he used to as a child, but been thrown down, to wind up folded over the tail-gate of their waiting wagon, screaming, “Go! Go now!” as Adam tried to get between the wagon and whatever had attacked him. There’d been a momentary glimpse of someone larger and broader than Hoss, though savage as Hoss at his angriest had never been, before the monster had picked Adam up and tossed him head-first after his brother, crashing into the wagon’s iron-rimmed wheels. Joe’d shrieked in pain, but somehow managed to catch hold of Adam’s collar, pulling him up into the back of the wagon as the panicking horses leapt forward. Hot blood was pumping from Adam’s scalp, but everything else was so cold . . . .<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Then before Adam could pull himself together and crawl forward to the driver’s seat had come that first slick curve in the trail, and the wagon swinging wide to smash against a tree . . . and a second hard fall, this time away from the wagon instead of into it, but no less violent than the first. No wonder neither one of them was moving much.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He tried to think further back to why they’d been at the old deserted barn in the first place, but drew a blank. Joe’d refused to tell him anything beyond, “It’s important, Adam, honest it is,” and his brother’s obviously genuine anxiety had finally worn him down into agreement. Oh, there’d been an argument along the way, when one of the horses had started limping a little and he’d got down to take a stone out of its hoof, but an argument with Joe was hardly the same thing as\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

Hands on his jacket, picking him up as if he’d been a child. Throwing him like Hoss could throw a forty-pound bag of potatoes. Joe had sailed through the air so lightly, and landed so hard, and the blood . . . and now the monster was after them again, not satisfied even now\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Adam pulled his thoughts back from that nightmare to the urgent present. A gun. They needed a gun. Maybe Joe’s pistol? Adam rolled over gingerly, trying not to jar his bruised ribs or his brother’s injured leg, and felt for his brother’s holster.\u00a0There<\/em>\u00a0it was . . . and there was something hard and cold within it . . . with cautious fingers Adam worked the gun free. The feel of its weight in his hands gave him back some badly needed confidence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Come on, then. See if I’m so easy to surprise a second time.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

But the leaves had stopped rustling again. Maybe it was only some scavenging animal that he’d frightened away with his movements.<\/span><\/p>\n

Somewhere nearby, a twig snapped.\u00a0Maybe it’s not<\/em>, Adam admitted a little ruefully, and braced his elbows against the ground so he could keep the pistol steadier.<\/span><\/p>\n

The voice that whispered, “Joe?” wasn’t at all what he’d been expecting. It was a grown man’s voice, though a young one’s, and it was flat terrified. Not an emotion Adam had ever expected to recognize in the man who finally emerged from the shadows, face bruised enough it looked dark even in full moonlight.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe had heard his name and was stirring again, eyes blinking up from a face every bit as battered as the newcomer’s. The sight of his brother wrung Adam’s heart so much he found himself snarling protectively, “Didn’t I tell you never to get mixed up with the Bonner brothers, Joe?” But even as he spoke another part of his brain was insisting,\u00a0That wasn’t any Bonner you saw back there in the barn. Even Rick’s not that big<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss didn’t even bother to lie down; he knew he wasn’t going to be sleeping any time soon. Instead he squatted by the fire, poking its coals from time to time with a stick and staring into the sullen flames without really seeing them. Now that he wasn’t straining after the faint imprint of a hoof, or a fragment of wagon, or an oddly broken shrub, he was beginning to wonder why a simple trip hauling lumber to be sold in Virginia City had ended almost on the other side of the Ponderosa. Frightened horses, in his experience, always headed directly for home. Something didn’t add up\u2014Joe and Adam must have taken a very roundabout way home, but Hoss couldn’t think of any reason why.<\/span><\/p>\n

They’d made camp in a patch of open land and the skies were clear enough for Hoss to confirm his bearings. It wasn’t exactly the route they used for driving cattle into California, but close enough that the mountains had their familiar shapes once his eyes had adjusted from the firelight.<\/span><\/p>\n

He put a lot more thinking into their location before he was ready to test his theories out. The fire had died down to embers when he finally said, “Pa?”<\/span><\/p>\n

His father sighed, but not in the way of a man just awoken. “What is it, Hoss?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I been remembering . . . when Joe got back from town yesterday\u2014no, day afore that now\u2014he started talkin’ ’bout places you could hide out if you was watchin’ for the\u00a0 Placerville stagecoach, and then he shut up again right quick when Adam came in. You don’t suppose they got themselves mixed up with bandits or something, do you? \u00a0\u2018Cause that’s the way we’re heading\u2014up towards the pass to Placerville. If’n them horses hadn’t left such a clear trail I’d never have come this way looking for ’em.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben sat up slowly. “You’re right, Hoss\u2014they had no reason being out here. Bandits . . . well, that seems a little unlikely, but . . . there used to be homesteaders on some of this land, before we bought it. \u00a0Quite a few of the old cabins are left. \u00a0Maybe the boys heard in town that someone needed help out here, and came to see what they could do.” He looked up at his remaining son, almost pleading for agreement.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Which way’s the nearest of them cabins?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Up near the top of that mountain.” Ben pointed without hesitation. “More of a farmstead, really. Not much left of the house any more, but the barn’s in good shape. Been thinking of using it for the campsite when we come to log this section.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss knit his brows with the effort of memory, then nodded. “Why don’t we just head up there soon as there’s light enough to travel by?”<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

Old man Bonner and his sons had been ranching their land almost as long as the Cartwrights had the Ponderosa. There had been a time when the Bonner brothers’ free-and-easy attitude towards life\u2014not to mention good manners and the law\u2014had seemed refreshing to the more tightly wound Adam, but it was ancient history now. He’d suspected for a long time they’d be the worst kind of companions for his youngest brother; he hadn’t guessed that his youngest brother might discover that they were every bit as susceptible to a hare-brained scheme as Hoss could be. \u00a0If things hadn’t turned so dangerous, Adam would have found it hard to keep from laughing at the explanation Jeff Bonner was trying to provide.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Look, this bunch of crooks\u2014the Jameson Gang\u2014were mouthing off about robbing the stagecoach from Placerville the next time it’s carrying bullion for the banks, and Rick ‘n I figured we’d do us a good deed and rob the robbers.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“It never occurred to you to pass the word on to Sheriff Coffee and let him handle things the way he’s paid to?” Adam interjected.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Now, Adam, what would have been the fun in that?” Jeff protested. “Rick had it all planned out, sweet as sugar. And don’t go glaring at me like that; we wasn’t planning for your precious brother to be running any risks. All you two was gonna have ta do was bring it all back t’ town in your wagon. Hell, we was even goin’ ta split the reward with you!”<\/span><\/p>\n

“How generous,” Adam said dryly. “And when did you discover the giant at the top of the beanstalk\u2014or in the hayloft? Was he one of the robbers?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Hell, no. Never saw that brute afore today. You think we’d ‘a\u00a0wanted\u00a0<\/em>ta tangle with him?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“He might not have seemed so dangerous when he wasn’t trying to tear someone apart\u2014when he was calmer,” Adam pointed out in an attempt to be fair\u2014or at least rational.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Trust me, he don’t\u00a0come<\/em>\u00a0calmer,” Jeff grunted, echoing Adam’s private thoughts. “He needs to be locked up somewhere . . . someplace a sight more solid than old man Coffee’s jail.<\/em>“<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe blinked up at them both and let out a pitiful attempt at his usual cackle of laughter. Adam glanced at his brother reprovingly before turning back to Jeff Bonner. “Maybe you’d better tell me what this sweet-as-sugar plan of Rick’s involved.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Jeff cautiously eased himself to the ground. “Wasn’t what you’d call anything fancy, I guess. Rick figured out where they was holed up, and he was gonna draw off as much of the gang as he could an’ get them chasing him over towards Virginia City. I was ta stay around here an’ deal with whatever guards they left with the loot in th’ barn, and all you two was gonna do when ya got here was load the bullion in the wagon, drive it back downtown, and tell old man Coffee how we found it.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, that makes sense,<\/em>\u00a0Adam admitted to himself. \u00a0Joe had taken a quick glance around the bare boards of the main barn and said firmly, “It must be up in the hayloft,” but still wouldn’t say what “it” was. And then, of course . . . Adam hastily wrenched his mind away from the memories that still troubled him more than the pain in his side. Jeff was rambling on, gradually seeming to get a tiny bit more hopeful himself.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Rick’s gonna be mighty angry we ain’t shown up in Virginia City yet. Maybe he’ll come find us.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Rick’s sitting in Sheriff Coffee’s jail with a bullet in his leg, madder ‘n a whole nest of hornets at you,” Joe mumbled faintly. “Saw him there this afternoon, while Adam was selling our lumber.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Didn’t say a word of it to me, of course<\/em>, Adam reflected.\u00a0And Hoss says I’m the sneaky one!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

“Reckon he’s better off ‘n us, at that,” Jeff sighed, from which it was clear there was no fight left in him. Up until then Adam had never heard of anything one of the Bonners considered worse than being put in jail. Not even hanging\u2014or so they’d said often enough. Looking him over more closely, Adam could tell Jeff was holding his right arm funny. Dislocated shoulder, it looked like\u2014most men would be howling with pain.\u00a0Say what you like about them, no one ever accused the Bonner boys of not facing up to a licking. And any man could be forgiven for not outwrestling a human grizzly-bear<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

But if Jeff’s our best hope of getting out of here, then we aren’t going anywhere<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

***\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Adam. I never meant for this to happen,\u201d Joe apologized and he tried to push himself up into a sitting position.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStay put, Joe,\u201d Adam instructed as he put his hand on Joe\u2019s shoulder to keep him from moving. He looked over at the other man huddled across from them. \u201cYou want to tell me what happened, Jeff? Why were we attacked?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, Adam, none of this makes any sense. Near as I can figure that Jameson found out what we were gonna do,\u201d Jeff paused, looked at Adam then at Joe. \u201cRick was shot, they found where I was hiding and attacked me, and then you two were attacked.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam looked out into the inky, black night that surrounded them. The only light they had was from the half-moon overhead. It was getting colder and that added to Adam\u2019s already long list of worries.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to figure out how to get help. But for now we need to get a fire going or we\u2019re not going to need that help.\u201d Adam surveyed Jeff\u2019s injuries and took due note of the damaged shoulder and battered face. He also cataloged his and Joe\u2019s injuries and knew Jeff was the only one able to fulfill their needs. \u201cDo you think you can gather some wood, Jeff?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can do it, A\u2019am,\u201d Joe volunteered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSure you can, and pigs can fly,\u201d Adam said dismissing his brother.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can get the wood, but how are we going to start it?\u201d Jeff asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have some matches,\u201d Adam grunted as his body protested against his movements when he tried to reach into his pocket.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou \u2018kay, A\u2019am?\u201d Joe slurred.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine, Buddy.\u201d Adam didn\u2019t like how Joe was starting to sound, and he reached over to feel Joe\u2019s forehead.\u00a0Oh, God, he\u2019s burning up.<\/em>\u00a0\u201cJeff, see if you can find the canteen we had in the wagon as well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA\u2019am?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m right here, Joe. Everything\u2019s going to be alright,\u201d Adam reassured. \u201cYou just rest.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jeff was soon back with a load of wood. \u201cI lucked out. The canteen was lying over next to the rest of the wreckage.\u201d He handed it to Adam, who took it gratefully.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, I need you to drink some water.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019Kay,\u201d Joe mumbled. With shaking hands, he took the canteen from his brother and took a deep drink while Adam supported his shoulders.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lowering Joe back to the ground he pushed the sweat soaked curls off of his brother\u2019s forehead. \u201cGo to sleep, Joe, tomorrow\u2019s going to be a long day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With a sigh, Joe closed his eyes and drifted off into the warm, pain-free arms of oblivion.<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe woke with a start, confused to find himself sleeping on the ground. Looking around he tried to get his bearing, the fire had burnt down to little more than embers, but it was still enough to cast a golden glow over the sleeping men.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA\u2019am?\u201d Joe\u2019s voice was no more than a whisper. He could hear Adam\u2019s ragged breathing and knew his brother was still with him. \u00a0By the sound of it, Joe suspected his brother had some broken ribs. Painfully, he pushed himself up onto his elbows to get a better look at Adam. A gasp of pain escaped him as pain tore through his left leg. He looked down, and for the first time got a look at his ripped, blood soaked pants. Pushing his own pain aside he turned back to Adam. In the dim light he could see Adam\u2019s ankle, it didn\u2019t look broken, but it was swollen.\u00a0A fine pair we make.<\/em>\u00a0There was also a lump and some deep bruising on Adam\u2019s forehead.<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking across the fire, Joe could barely see Jeff lying there fast asleep.\u00a0Jeff?<\/em>\u00a0What\u2014?<\/em>\u00a0Memory of the attack and subsequent crash came flooding back to Joe. He remembered lying next to his brother waiting for death to take him and hoping that he would be the first to go. He knew he was being selfish, but he just couldn\u2019t bear the thought of being alone when he met death.<\/span><\/p>\n

We need help. I gotta get help for A\u2019am,\u00a0<\/em>Joe thought to himself.<\/span><\/p>\n

Painfully, Joe rolled over and pushed himself first to one knee, making sure he kept his left leg as straight as he could, then finally to his feet. He had to bite his lip to stifle his groans of pain, for if either Adam or Jeff woke up they would never let him do what his fever-ridden mind told him he needed to do. He took a step and almost collapsed, the only thing that kept him on his feet was the famous Joe Cartwright stubbornness and determination. From the pain and the way it hurt to breathe, he knew he also had some cracked ribs.\u00a0 Looking around the crash site he could see where the wagon was lying in pieces. Knowing he needed something to help him walk\u2014or he wouldn\u2019t get very far\u2014he limped over to the wreckage, dragging his injured leg behind him, and started looking for a suitable piece of wood to use as a crutch, finding one, he braced it under his arm and painfully hobbled away from the makeshift camp.\u00a0If I\u2019m going to die, it\u2019s going to be trying to get help for Adam.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

It was late morning when consciousness slowly returned to Adam; his first thought was to see how his brother had faired through the night. He started to turn in that direction when a blinding pain shot through his head causing him to clench his teeth and squeeze his eyes shut until it passed. After what seemed like hours to Adam\u2014but in reality was only a couple of minutes\u2014he cautiously opened his eyes and slowly turned his head to the side. Blinking several times didn\u2019t change what Adam was seeing.<\/span><\/p>\n

The ground next to him was empty.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Forgetting about the pounding in his head and ignoring the pain lancing through his ankle, Adam pushed himself up to look around. \u201cThere\u2019s no way he could have gotten up, not in his condition.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJOE!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The only answering sound was that of the birds in the trees. He looked across the now dead fire and saw Jeff huddled on the ground fast asleep.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJeff! Jeff, wake up!\u201d Jeff didn\u2019t even flinch no matter how loud Adam yelled.<\/span><\/p>\n

Determined to find his missing brother, Adam started pushing himself to his feet. He didn\u2019t get very far before collapsing back to the ground.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDamn that boy!\u201d he muttered in defeat.<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

Pure determination and nothing more kept Joe on his feet; it was all he could do to put one foot in front of the other. His shirt was drenched with sweat and it was also trickling down his face, mixing with the dried blood from the gash on his cheek, which had started bleeding again. Reaching up once again Joe wiped his sleeve across his face, adding more blood to the already soaked sleeve.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stumbling over something on the ground sent Joe crashing to the forest floor. He grabbed his leg as unbearable pain shot through it, and he could feel the warm flow of blood seeping through his fingers. He tried to push himself to his feet, only to collapse to the ground again. As darkness crept in on him, one thought kept repeating itself before he surrendered himself to the warm arms of oblivion.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m going to die alone after all.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

When Ben and Hoss reached the cabin, the sun had just cleared the treetops painting the the yard in a crimson haze.\u00a0 All was quiet around them; too quiet.\u00a0 Ben, who was a little ahead of Hoss, pulled Buck up short.\u00a0 What they saw made the blood freeze in their veins: four bodies lying in various positions all with horror-filled unseeing eyes that stared up at the sky.\u00a0 Dismounting and tossing Chubb’s reins over the hitch rail, Hoss knelt by the nearest corpse.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNeck’s snapped.\u201d\u00a0 With a gentle hand, he closed the man’s eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis one’s, too.\u201d\u00a0 Ben called from his position near another still form.\u00a0 Blood covered everything and even the water trough was filled with the scarlet liquid.\u00a0 Peering at each of the dead men, neither of them found any sign of bullet wounds, knife cuts or anything else to explain the gory mess.\u00a0 A trail finally presented itself and the two Cartwrights followed it until the smears of red lead them to the door of the barn. They glanced at each other, knowing what they were about to discover would not be pleasant, but it must be done. Taking a deep breath, Ben pushed the barrier wide; he nearly gagged at the gruesome scene before him.\u00a0 As Hoss took a step forwards to look into the room, Ben put a hand out.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don’t want to go in there.\u201d\u00a0 He closed the door quickly, turning about and taking several deep breaths before speaking again.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBurn it.\u201d\u00a0 Without a word Hoss obeyed, lighting a match and tossing it onto the dried out pine planks. The flames swallowed up the small building within minutes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey must’ave robbed the stage.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss murmured, holding up a smashed crate with the words\u00a0Wells Fargo<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0emblazoned on the rough surface. Ben nodded.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but who would do this?\u201d He gestured to the figures strewn about in the tall brown grass.\u00a0 He wanted answers just as much as Hoss did, yet at the same time he didn’t want to know. It was an odd feeling and one that Benjamin Cartwright never wanted to feel ever again.<\/span><\/p>\n

* * *<\/span><\/p>\n

Burying the other bodies took a great deal of time, but once the task was completed and the nameless crosses were pounded into the earth, father and son stood silently before the graves.\u00a0 No words came, no prayers flew heavenward; only the cry of a mockingbird broke the stillness around them\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0a mockingbird and the echoes of a far off gunshot. Jolted by the noise, Hoss searched the surrounding woods, trying in vain to figure out where the firing had come from.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA hunter?\u201d He said, doubt creeping into the words. A moment later and another shot filled the air.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA hunter doesn’t use a .45, not unless he has to.\u201d Hoss tried desperately to tamp down the fear edging its way into his heart and failed miserably.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam, Joe\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0where are you?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

* * *<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJOE!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam bolted upright and instantly regretted it.\u00a0 Pain laced through his skull sending a hoard of black spots dancing before his eyes and he groaned. The dream had been so real and he knew that he had to find his brother before the nightmare became reality. Dragging his bruised and battered body over the rough ground, he slowly eased himself next to Jeff, intent on waking the sleeping man.\u00a0 A branch snapped and Adam’s head jerked towards the noise, heart in his throat.\u00a0 Relief flooded through him as he recognized the unexpected visitor.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cChristopher Bonner!\u00a0 What are you doing sneaking around? I thought\u2014\u201d Adam’s voice trailed off as he saw the muzzle of a gun slowly swing in his direction.\u00a0 Puzzled, he stared straight into the youngest Bonner’s eyes and what he saw chilled him to the bone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cChris?\u201d\u00a0 Jeff\u2014awakened by his companion’s voice\u2014leaned on his good elbow, confusion written all over his handsome face.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJeff, get outta here before he comes.\u201d The young man’s hands trembled violently, yet the barrel never moved away from Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI will not! Tell me what the heck you’re doing before I take you over my knee!\u201d Anger kindled in Jeff’s eyes as they bored holes into his little brother, pinning him where he stood.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can’t, there’s not enough time!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou better!\u201d Something in his older sibling’s tone must have struck a chord, for Chris opened and closed his mouth several times before words poured out tumbling over one another.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn’t supposed to be like this! They said no one would get hurt if I just told them.\u00a0 I\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The bushes rustled violently. Whatever was coming their way terrified the sixteen-year-old.\u00a0 His frightened gaze locked with the oldest Cartwright boy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, I’m sorry.\u201d And then he pulled the trigger.<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

Just as the gun went off, Chris was tackled from behind.\u00a0 The bullet whizzed by Adam’s right ear and harmlessly lodged in a tree behind him.\u00a0 Joe\u2014determined no one should die alone\u2014had found the strength to drag himself back to Adam and Jeff just in time to observe Chris ready to murder Adam.\u00a0 With one last spurt of adrenaline, he had knocked Chris to the dirt and collapsed on top of Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gosh little brother, when did you get so heavy<\/em>, Adam thought as he tried to dislodge himself from under Joe’s dead weight.\u00a0 Adam was pinned to the ground, the only time Joe could do that to Adam conscious or unconscious.\u00a0 \u201cJeff . . . give me a hand with Joe, will you?”<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam pushed as Jeff rolled Joe off, then he gingerly reached for Chris\u2019s gun which had fallen close to him and Joe.\u00a0 At least the Bonner kid was no longer a threat.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Is Chris all right?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u00a0 He\u2019s out cold, but he seems okay.\u00a0 Musta hit his head,\u201d Jeff responded.\u00a0 He retrieved the canteen and both brothers set about tending their younger siblings.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe’s breath was ragged, but he was breathing.\u00a0 Adam forced some water into his brother and was relieved when at last hazel green eyes stared at him\u2014fevered though they were.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a damn stupid thing you did, wandering off like that,\u201d Adam growled as he wiped the sweat from Joe\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cWhat were you thinking?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cG-get help f-for you,\u201d Joe mumbled, brushing the back of his hand against his brother\u2019s chest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam grabbed Joe\u2019s hand and held it firmly in his own. \u201cYou came back.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cC-couldn\u2019t let you d-die alone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo one\u2019s going to die, Joe.\u00a0 I know you feel like it right now\u2014hell, we both feel like it\u2014but we\u2019re going to get out of this . . . you, me, the Bonners.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever you say, A\u2019am . . . .\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Jeff, what was Chris talking about?” Adam asked after Joe settled down.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“I don’t rightly know, Adam,” replied Jeff.\u00a0 “As near as I can tell, he must have gotten in with them bank robbers.\u00a0 They must have promised him a cut of the money, saying it would be easy and no one would get hurt.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

“But why kill me?\u201d Adam asked. \u00a0He was beginning to believe his head ached more from trying to figure out this convoluted mystery than from his injuries.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“I don’t rightly know, unless there’s more to it.\u00a0 Let’s see if we can wake my little brother up and get to the bottom of this.”\u00a0 Try as he might, however, Chris was still unconscious.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNone of this makes sense. Let\u2019s go over it again,\u201d Adam sighed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRick drew the robbers off as planned and sure enough, you predictable Cartwrights heard the shootin’ and came to see what was going on.\u00a0 You helped me with them guards, but one of them must have escaped and warned the rest of the gang.\u00a0 We didn’t notice him cuz we was too busy loading the wagon with the bullion to take back to Virginia City.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about those other bodies; they couldn\u2019t have all been a part of Jameson\u2019s gang,\u201d Adam asked doubtfully.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDunno.\u00a0 Not likely, I guess.\u00a0 Mebbe they was some dumbass passengers on the stage and got theirselves kilt doin\u2019 somethin\u2019 stupid.\u00a0 We, that is, Rick and me, never counted on you Cartwrights goin\u2019 after the robbers with that wagon of bullion.\u00a0 Talk about a dumb ass idea!\u00a0 You were driving that team hell bent fer leather.\u00a0 I had to stop you, so I forced you off the road at a full gallop.\u00a0 I never expected the wagon to tip over, honest! \u00a0What jackass decided to go after them robbers anyway?”<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam groaned!\u00a0 It all came back to him!\u00a0\u00a0JOSEPH!\u00a0 &*#$<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Jeff was right.\u00a0 Of all the idiotic ideas of Joe’s, this one took the cake!\u00a0 Joe had grabbed the wagon reins wanting to chase after the bank robbers.\u00a0 He must have hoped to turn in not only the bullion but the robbers as well!\u00a0\u00a0JOSEPH! &*#$<\/em>. \u00a0Only his little brother could come up with an idea like this.\u00a0 Adam had expected they’d bring the bullion to town.\u00a0 But Nooooo!\u00a0 Joe wanted to be the hero so all the girls would swoon over him later on.<\/span><\/p>\n

If Adam hadn’t been so badly hurt, he’d have hit himself in the head for allowing Joe to grab those reins.\u00a0 Adam could hear Hoss in his head:\u00a0\u00a0“Sucker!”<\/em><\/span>
\n***<\/span><\/p>\n

Chris\u2019 eyes didn\u2019t open slowly like a man\u2019s normally did after whacking his head real hard. They flew open like a man fearing for his life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jeff tried to hold his brother back as he bolted up in terror. \u201cSlow down there now, Chris.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t let him get me.\u201d The plea was a pathetic one, escaping through his lips like a whimper.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t let who get you?\u201d Adam frowned.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chris looked into his brother\u2019s eyes, \u201cI ain\u2019t lyin\u2019, Jeff, honest.\u201d He licked his lips, \u201cThere\u2019s this man bigger\u2019n Hoss and meaner than . . . than anything.\u201d A shudder ran down his back and he reached up to grasp his older brother\u2019s arm.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean he ain\u2019t on your side?\u201d Joe moaned from where he lay near Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe ain\u2019t on any side.\u201d Chris closed his eyes, fighting against the anvil that pounded in his skull. \u201cHe showed up just after the robbery. The gang was storin\u2019 the gold in the barn and he tore in like something mad. \u00a0He ripped two of the guys to pieces before he just up and disappeared.\u201d Chris was pale more from the memory than from the blow to the head. \u201cWe tossed the bodies into an old barn. No one wanted to look at them long enough to get them in the ground.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI swear if we make it out of here alive I\u2019m going to turn myself in, Jeff.\u201d Chris opened his eyes and focused in on his brother. \u201cJust don\u2019t let him get me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s the rest of the gang?\u201d Jeff covered his brother\u2019s hand with his own.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey lit out after that big guy came back a second time. Jameson swears he shot him but the guy wasn\u2019t actin\u2019 hurt at all. They was runnin\u2019 scared. Didn\u2019t even care about the gold, they was so scared.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy did you try to shoot me?\u201d Adam couldn\u2019t hold back the question any longer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tears welled up in youngest Bonner\u2019s eyes. \u201cJameson said there was only one way to get rid of that monster of a man, if he really is a man.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat in tarnation are you talking about?\u201d Jeff glanced over at Adam and Joe and saw the same confusion in their eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a legend in these parts about a beastlike man who will only be appeased by a human sacrifice, killed especially for him. Otherwise he\u2019ll kill everyone himself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPerfect.\u201d Adam rubbed a hand wearily over his eyes. \u201cJust perfect.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

Every bush seemed to come alive shaking its leaves with an imaginary presence. Every twig on the forest floor seemed to snap beneath a weight that wasn\u2019t there. At least, that\u2019s what it felt like to the four young men as they listened for signs of a giant lurking nearby.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s rational mind worked overtime to explain away a mysterious mountain giant who easily tore men apart, if Chris was telling the truth, that is.\u00a0 He seemed to be. The poor kid was shaking. \u201cIt was probably just some miner. We\u2019re probably too close to his claim. Some guys go a bit crazy over the hidden location of their mines.\u201d Even as Adam said it he knew it sounded ridiculous. The more he thought about it the more he decided it might have been the most ludicrous thing he had ever said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe looked at his brother incredulously, \u201cYou saw him. He threw you against the wagon wheel. Don\u2019t you remember the size of him? The smell?\u201d Joe rolled his eyes, \u201cHe wasn\u2019t a crazy old miner.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen what explanation do you have?\u201d Adam nearly growled.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I come up with one I\u2019ll let you know, older brother.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou reckon your Pa is out looking for you yet?\u201d Jeff\u2019s eyes took on a measure of hope. \u201cYour Pa\u2019s got a way of showing up just when you need him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A smile started on Joe\u2019s lips, faint at first but then growing into a grin. \u201cAdam, how many bullets do you reckon we have?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben and Hoss tensed as more shots echoed through the dense woods. \u201cWhere\u2019s it coming from?\u201d Ben searched for a path that might lead them to where the shots were fired from.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss frowned as he listened to the shots, \u201cIt\u2019s Adam and Joe.\u201d The realization failed to bring a smile to his face. \u201cThey\u2019re in trouble.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben looked at his middle boy incredulously, \u201cYou can discern all that from a couple of gunshots?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot a couple, Pa, four.\u201d Hoss mounted his horse and pointed him in the direction he was sure the shots had come from.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFour?\u201d Ben followed his son.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTwo shots spaced in real quick together followed by five seconds then two shots sorta further apart.\u201d Hoss reined in as the same succession of shots were fired again. This time the direction they had come from seemed clearer and Hoss led the way forward.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does it mean?\u201d Ben felt helpless as he followed his son.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt means it was Joe that fired it and . . .\u201d Hoss didn\u2019t have to turn back to look to know the effect his words would have, \u201cthey\u2019re hurt.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou and Joe have more than one signal?\u201d Ben sent a prayer heavenward for his sons, the knowledge that they were hurt making him itch to spur Buck into a dead run.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou always said you could never be too prepared.\u201d Hoss turned back to look at his Pa. \u201cJoe must have come up with a signal for everything from \u2018I\u2019m over here,\u2019 to \u2018I\u2019m powerful hungry.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben gave a faint smile, \u201cJoe came up with\u00a0all<\/em>\u00a0of them?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, maybe not the powerful hungry one.\u201d Hoss could close his eyes and see the way Joe had rolled his eyes when he had suggested that signal. One shot. A pause. Two shots. Another pause. One shot.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss raised his gun in the air and fired a sequence of shots into the air.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d Ben watched Hoss re-holster his gun.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI said we were coming.\u201d Hoss kicked his horse\u2019s sides. His brothers were close and they needed him.<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWas that Hoss?\u201d Adam looked down at Joe, hope lingering in the corners of his eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe smiled, \u201cTold you it would work.\u201d Joe saw Jeff relax at the news of their coming rescuers. \u201cFire some more so they can be sure not to miss us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam raised the gun above his head again to fire the pattern his brother had instructed him in.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, wait.\u201d Joe grinned. \u201cGive Hoss a different message.\u201d He talked Adam through the next series of shots. One shot. A pause. Two shots. Another pause. One shot.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe settled back and imagined his brother\u2019s grin as he heard the message.<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

Roy Coffee was still confused. No matter how hard Hoss had tried to explain the mess that had resulted in much injury and the recovery of gold stolen from the stage, the sheriff still had a perplexed look on his face.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m supposed to believe that the Bonners and your brothers stole the gold back from the murderin\u2019 mess of heathens that killed all the people on that stage?\u201d He shook his head. \u201cI\u2019ve known you a long time Hoss Cartwright, but how on God\u2019s green earth am I supposed to believe that. Adam\u2019s too sensible a person to try somthin\u2019 that crazy. Now if it had been Joe alone . . .\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe kinda tricked him into it. Adam didn\u2019t know what was happening until it had already gone haywire.\u201d Hoss raised his eyes to the ceiling and hoped the sheriff wasn\u2019t going to ask him to repeat the whole story again. It had taken them hours to sort out the mess themselves. With so many knocks to the head, Hoss was surprised his brothers\u2019 stories fit together at all.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow are those brothers of yours anyways?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDoc said with a lot of time and rest they should both make a full recovery.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Roy nodded and took the hat off his head, his mind switching from concerned friend back to sheriff. \u201cAnd what about that big man who wreaked havoc?\u201d Roy sank down in the chair behind his desk.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss dropped his hat on the desk, \u201cI don\u2019t know about that, Roy. All four of them saw him and Pa saw what he did to those fellers in the barn.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat Chris claimed the guy did to them,\u201d Roy interrupted. \u201cHe is the one I would suspect most of lying.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if it weren\u2019t for what Adam and Joe told me I\u2019d think he was lying too. It is a pretty wild story.\u00a0 But besides all that . . .\u201d Hoss hesitated and sat down on the corner of Roy\u2019s desk.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat, Hoss?\u201d Roy frowned questioningly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I got back with the wagon to where Pa was waiting with the four of them I was almost sure there was somethin\u2019 watchin\u2019 us. I didn\u2019t want to say anything. Chris seemed about as spooked as a turtle in a stampede.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDid you see anything?\u201d Roy leaned toward Hoss.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t be sure.\u201d Hoss scrunched his face. \u201cI thought for sure I saw these eyes. Big brown eyes watchin\u2019 me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCould have been an animal.\u201d Roy suggested.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe.\u201d Hoss stood. \u201cGuess we\u2019ll never know.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe could go out looking for it.\u201d Roy grinned. \u201cMan or beast it should leave a trail easy to follow, if it is as big as they claim.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss frowned briefly. \u201cWhatever\u2019s up on that mountain you\u2019d better leave it up there, Roy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut from Chris\u2019 story it\u2019s a dangerous, attacking murderer and I\u2019m bound by law to bring him or it in to face trial,\u201d Roy grimaced.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can go up there if you need to, Roy.\u201d Hoss headed for the sheriff\u2019s door. \u201cBut I doubt you\u2019ll find a trace of it.\u201d He paused, his hand on the door. \u201cThis may just be one of those cases when only God knows.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Roy watched Hoss leave then sat staring at the door of his little jail house for a while, his mind pondering the story he had no doubt would expand in magnitude and ferocity amongst the drinking partners at every saloon before the day was out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThose Cartwrights,\u201d the sheriff murmured to himself as he took up a pen to write out his report, \u201cthey sure do stir up trouble wherever they go.\u201d He shook his head and touched pen to page.<\/span><\/p>\n

When he was finished he leaned back in his chair and read what he had written. His eyes lingered briefly on one statement and he unknowingly said it aloud. \u201cOnly God knows.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Could it possibly be . . .<\/span><\/p>\n

THE END?<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0Adam and Joe struggle to avoid the unthinkable . . . dying alone!<\/p>\n

Rated: \u00a0T \u00a0WC \u00a08800<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":77,"featured_media":12352,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[23,40],"tags":[14,16,916],"class_list":["post-2453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-challenges","tag-adam-cartwright","tag-joe","tag-rrc","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-40-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":2378,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/AdamJoeHP7.jpg?fit=399%2C299&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12750,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12750","url_meta":{"origin":2453,"position":0},"title":"A Modern Cartwrights Story #3 – A Quarter\u2019s Worth of Glory: Joe in the Infernal Machine (by Robin)","author":"profrobinw","date":"January 23, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 Headlines ripped from the daily newspaper in this modern era tale of the Cartwrights. Rating:\u00a0 K+\u00a0 (775 word) A Modern Cartwright Story Series, links to stories within the series are included.","rel":"","context":"In "Alternate Universe"","block_context":{"text":"Alternate Universe","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6768,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=6768","url_meta":{"origin":2453,"position":1},"title":"A Deadly Day (by rosecartwright)","author":"rosecartwright","date":"November 4, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0Joe is home sick, but things go downhill for this young Cartwright. \u00a0 Rated:\u00a0K+ (635 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/2-joe.jpg?fit=237%2C221&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5404,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=5404","url_meta":{"origin":2453,"position":2},"title":"Man in Black (by BnzaGal)","author":"BnzaGal","date":"May 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0Explaining why Adam became the Man in Black. \u00a0\u00a0 Rated:\u00a0K (715 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Humor"","block_context":{"text":"Humor","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/adam-hoss.jpg?fit=746%2C573&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/adam-hoss.jpg?fit=746%2C573&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/adam-hoss.jpg?fit=746%2C573&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/adam-hoss.jpg?fit=746%2C573&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7307,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7307","url_meta":{"origin":2453,"position":3},"title":"Home Alone (by Sibylle)","author":"Sibylle","date":"May 7, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0\u00a0Hoss and Joe\u00a0alone at home. A prequel \u00a0 Rated:\u00a0K \u00a0 WC 600","rel":"","context":"In "Family"","block_context":{"text":"Family","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1008"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Joe-Hoss.jpg?fit=505%2C638&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7350,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7350","url_meta":{"origin":2453,"position":4},"title":"Seafarer Blood (by Sibylle)","author":"Sibylle","date":"May 7, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0It\u00b4s a\u00a0brief\u00a0glimpse\u00a0at a time Joe needs his oldest brother to prevent him\u00a0from a big mistake. \u00a0 Rated:\u00a0K \u00a0WC 600","rel":"","context":"In "Adam \/ Joe"","block_context":{"text":"Adam \/ Joe","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1091"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6742,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=6742","url_meta":{"origin":2453,"position":5},"title":"Grazed (by Jayne)","author":"Jayne","date":"May 4, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0When Adam finds a slightly injured Joe, they share a strangely special moment. \u00a0A Young Cartwright short story. \u00a0 Rated:\u00a0K+ \u00a0WC \u00a0767","rel":"","context":"In "Adam \/ Joe"","block_context":{"text":"Adam \/ Joe","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1091"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bonanza7.jpg?fit=720%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bonanza7.jpg?fit=720%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bonanza7.jpg?fit=720%2C477&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bonanza7.jpg?fit=720%2C477&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/77"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2453"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2453\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}