Isaac remained crouched behind the broken down gazebo, unsure of what he could do to help. First the sheriff, now the mayor. Both were dead, along with who knows how much other townspeople. He had never felt so helpless as he was feeling at that moment, staring at all the people he cared about in mortal danger and nothing he could do that could save them. Tears streamed down his face as he tried to keep his composure. He knew that even the smallest sound might lead to his discovery and death. Suddenly, he felt himself being grabbed on the shoulder with one hand as another covered his mouth. They spun him to face his captor in her beautiful emerald eyes. Nat ended her grasp of his shoulder, bringing her index finger to her lips to ensure Isaac's silence. She looked as though she had gone through hell and back, covered in mud, soot, and blood.Isaac realized that he was not doing much better, and remembered that he had in fact been shot in the arm. Looking over he could see his shirt sleeve soaked in blood, and that everything seemed to be spinning into complete darkness.
He came to in what felt like just a few moments, his arm now bandaged by what used to be his other shirt sleeve. Nat was working hard to provide pressure to the wound before noticing Isaac's return to consciousness. Quickly, she brought him up into a low crouch and lead him away from the town center where who knows what other travesties were being committed. As they moved, both remained vigilant, as it seemed a few of the riders were making rounds to make sure there were no stragglers. Dodging their torchlight and gazes, the two worked their way to Nat's family's farm at the edge of town, one of the few spots within a hundred miles that was green with life. Once there, the two hid in the barn and waited and watched for any riders who might come by. After enough time had passed to show a level of relative safety, the two kids embraced one another and sobbed. The gravity of the situation had finally taken hold of them and would not let go.
It would be several minutes before they would utter a single word.
Until then, the two spoke only in shared pain and misery, cruelty and malice, and love and hope.
"Thank the gods, you're alive," Isaac whispered as he held Nat tightly.
"You should thank them for keeping you alive too, while you're at it. By all rights you should have been dead from how much blood you lost," Nat replied as she squeezed him back. As she continued speaking, the two of them sat next to each other, tightly gripping one another's hands. " It terrified me that you might have been one of those who had gotten killed. It all started so fast. Suddenly houses and buildings were burning and people were screaming as they were being dragged out into the streets. It was horrible."
"It was. I found myself waking up surrounded by burning buildings, and that crazy leader of those horseback riders shot me as I tried to understand what insanity was unfolding around me. I ended up running and hiding."
Nat nodded, "that's what I did too."
"I'm glad you did," Issac said as he once more embraced her in his arms.
"I'm glad you did too, Zack," she answered, returning the embrace.
They held each other for another moment before going back to facing each other. Isaac felt a cool night breeze hit the side of his face. The two had taken up a position behind some equipment that concealed their position while allowing them to look out both ends of the barn. The air inside the barn felt stifled, though Isaac wondered if that was just an effect of the evening's events. The air felt nice, though he soon realized that the air wasn't hitting the side of his face that was facing the doors. Slowly he moved his head to see the source of the wind. Isaac observed a small hole in the barn's side that looked to result from some untreated wood rot. It was about the size of Isaac's fist. Quietly, Isaac inched his face to the hole, hoping to see if he could make anything out. He peered through the aperture, taking in the evening's carnage once more. Smoke was still billowing from much of the town, though any fires were likely running low on fuel at this point. He couldn't see a single soul out there.
As it satisfied Isaac with what he had seen, he pulled back from the opening, intent to cover it with something he would scrounge nearby. An eye appeared in the opening, suddenly, looking straight into Isaac's. Isaac lurched backwards, falling onto his posterior and right forearm. Isaac watched as the eye pulled back to reveal the face of the strangely perfect man smiling contentedly. "Did you think I forgot about you?"
Isaac scampered to his feet, pulling Nat hard enough to almost dislocate her shoulder.
"Who was that?" she cried as she ran for her life.
"That's the guy the shot me!" Isaac replied as he hoped he could figure out how in the name of Sam Hill they would get out of this without ending up in a mass grave. His brain struggled to come up with anything, his body moving on instinct. They headed out towards the fields of the farm where beyond would be nothing but open desert grassland. If they just make it to the fields, they could cut to left and maybe make it to Widow Thomsons' house. Though they would have to leave the fields and cross the road to get there, which presented issues at the moment. Isaac could hear hooves closing in on the two, along with enough whistling and whooping to mean at least one of the other riders would likely come heading their way.. They were almost into the fields. It would be close.Isaac could reach out and touch the tall grass. But he didn't get there. Instead, he felt his arm jerk backwards as Nat's suddenly gripped his wrist. She screamed as the leader of the horse riders ripped at her other arm as he attempted to pull her up towards him on his horse. His horse peeled off, bringing Isaac's arm to the side as Nat's grip faltered and let go.
Nat was being held by the leader, having been swung up onto the horse, struggling to break his grasp.The horse soon came to a stop before circling back to face Isaac.
"You really thought you could get away?" the perfect man laughed sinisterly, "And to think you found another brat to team up with. Doesn't seem to have worked out too well for either of you. It's a shame, really."
"Let her go!" Isaac barked, indignation swelling within him.
The flawless man laughed.
"Okay!" he said as he threw Nat down off the horse to the ground below, where she landed in a thud. "You asked for it. So here you go. What now hero?"
Isaac froze. He had nothing. His eyes looked to Natalie's to find them deadened by the totality of her pain. Her left arm hung limply, dislocated by being grabbed. She struggled to push herself up off the ground with her good arm as Isaac tried to come up with something, anything that could save them.
"That's what I thought, hero. Now give up, and I might not have the two of you drawn and quartered. I think you could talk me down into just a small burning at the stake," the flawless man grinned sadistically. Isaac's eyes drifted back to Nat, hoping to look upon her for what might be the last time before whatever gruesome fate was about to befall them. He gazed upon her, hoping to take in every part of her. Starting with her eyes, he could see her looking down at her still working arm, and in her hand he saw a glimmer of silver metal. Suddenly, he realized what she had done, and that he was a fool for ever even thinking of giving up hope while Natalie Davis still drew breath. The two of them locked eyes before Nat wordlessly told him it was time for things to get more interesting.
Suddenly Nat flung herself onto her side with the dislocated arm, facing her body towards the man on the horse. She brought her right arm to bear, leveling the six shooter she had swiped from the holster of flawless man during her very brief kidnapping. Cocking the hammer, she fired as true as she could. The bullet tore through the chest of the man on the horse, crimson blood staining his shirt. Another cocking of the hammer signaled yet another shot to ring out into the night, and another wound to form. As quickly as she could, Nat unloaded shot after shot after shot into the man until there were no more shots to be taken. Meanwhile, Isaac moved to be able to lift Nat by her sides and back onto her feet once she had finished her volley.
As he choked on his own blood, the no longer flawless man laughed and said, "now wasn't that interesting?" before falling off his horse to the ground below. Quickly, Isaac and Nat ran to the field, making their way to the widow's house. From the broken doorway, the raiding party ha been sure to visit even here. Pausing in the entryway, Isaac worked Nat's arm back into its socket before the two would press on. Inside, they found the remains of the kindly widow who always seemed to have a smile for everyone, though they were nearly unrecognizable at present. Isaac found a nearby sheet to cover her with, having met her demise in her own bedroom. Next, the two scrounged through the house for whatever they could find that might be of any use. For Isaac, he found some of the late widow's husband's clothes, even finding a jacket and hat that looked to be above his size, but not enough to be unmanageable. Nat also found clothes that seemed to be a close enough to fit in the widow's wardrobe. The two quickly disrobed and re-robed into their new outfits, having first promised one another they would keep their eyes to themselves. Isaac tried his best to be a gentleman, though his eyes wandered. Natalie quickly scolded him for trying to peek at her, though she went silent when Isaac asked her how she could notice so quickly.
Next, the two took stock of the supplies they could scrounge up in their searching. The pickings were slim. There was a large amount of preserves, a handful of chits, an old rifle with a decent amount of ammunition, a compass, a map, and a handful of odds and ends. It was not exactly a garrison of soldiers, a few cannons, and a Gatling gun. Instead, the two would have to figure out a plan that didn't involve being able to fight back. "We need to get help," Isaac finally said as the two considered their options. Nat nodded in agreement. "We'll try to form a posse or something. It won't take long. We'll be back soon to save everyone."
Natalie glanced away before meeting Isaac's eyes. "I think I should stay."
"Are you crazy?! You want to stay here while those scoundrels run roughshod over our town?"
"I think someone needs to keep watch. Try to figure out who these creeps are and what they are doing here. This doesn't seem like just some run-of-the-mill bandit attack. It's different. Darker. Like something is truly not right here."
"Of course it's not right! You nearly had your arm torn smooth off! That's why you need to come with me to get help. We'll be safer together," Isaac said vexedly.
"Isaac. Please. Let me do this. I know I can," she pleaded earnestly. Isaac looked into her eyes and could see their resolve. He would never in a million years be able to change her mind now.
He looked down at his feet as he gave his honest answer, "But I don't know if I can. I do not know who's out there, willing to help us. I don't know if I'll be able to find anyone, and if something happens to me, that means..." Isaac trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought. Natalie tenderly grabbed his hands and squeezed them.
"Isaac, you are one of the strongest people I know and you have one of the finest heads on your shoulders. You will go out there, find help, and come back here to save the day like the big damn hero you are," Nat smiled.
Isaac gave a small chuckle, "Well now, I guess I have to."
"That's right. You know better than to ever let down a lady. Especially one you are so keen on courting. You just might lose her favor," Nat said haughtily.
Isaac smirked, "So what you're saying is: I currently have your favor?"
Nat blushed as she brought her hand up to play with one of her curls, pretending not to hear the question. "Isaac, you better get some rest before you head out. Let's go to the cellar and you can sleep there while I stand guard."
"What about you? You are just as tired as I am. You sleep and I'll stand guard. You need to rest if you want to keep watch around here," Isaac protested.
"Fine. We'll take shifts," Nat compromised. "I'll sleep first. Then you."
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