Disclaimer: This story is the copyright of nesciri and are published for others to read. Any abuse or infringement of the author's rights will be governed by Swedish law. The characters have been borrowed from the TV-drama "The Young Riders" . This has not been done in order to violate the copyright of the authors of that show, however, if an infringement has been done, please notify nesciri and this page will be removed. Any drawings are the copyright of nesciri and may not be used without the written permission of nesciri.

Continous Stories

 Part 13

Lou closed the door to the outhouse behind her as she yawningly made her way back to the bunkhouse. I shouldn't have drank so much coffee, she thought tiredly when a sound from the barn made her look up. She stopped and when a horse and rider emerged from the barn it took her a few minutes to understand what was going on. It wasn't until the rider had headed out from the station she found herself.
"Jimmy!" she called out. "Where are you going?"
But Jimmy was already too far off. All thoughts about sleep suddenly forgotten, Lou rushed back into the bunkhouse only to find the others sound asleep, apparently unaware of Jimmy's departure. She made a quick decision and put on her clothes. She grabbed her coat and sneaked out of the bunkhouse. A few minutes later she was heading out in the same direction as Jimmy had taken. She wanted to know where Jimmy was heading.

Buck stared at Jimmy as if he had lost his mind. Then Jimmy's word seemed to get to him and Buck frowned at Jimmy as his face darkened.
"You think I killed him," he stated as he stared Jimmy straight in the face.
"I think you might have."
"Why? I thought you trusted me." The bitterness in Buck's voice was obvious although he tried to hide it.
"I did. Until I learned that it took you nine hours to get to Ft. Laramie."
"So? That doesn't mean I killed Craven."
"It gives you the time."
"I didn't kill Craven," Buck said shortly. "But you obviously decided not to believe me, so I suppose me telling you that won't change anything."
"You could tell me what you did on your run to Ft. Laramie."
"And if I don't feel like it?"
"Why can't you tell me?"
"It's none of your business, Jimmy," Buck sneered angrily.
"You killed him." It wasn't a question. Buck clenched his fists in anger. If Jimmy chose not to believe him, it was Jimmy's problem, not his. But it hurt him that Jimmy had so little faith in him that his word wasn't enough.
"Maybe I did. What are you gonna do in that case?"
"Dammit, Buck, what's wrong with you? All I asked was for you to tell me what you did on your run!"
"I told you I didn't kill Craven. That should be enough, shouldn't it?"
Jimmy held his tongue.
Buck turned to leave when Jimmy grabbed his arm.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Buck spun round with disappointment, anger and tiredness showing in his face. Jimmy let go of him when he realised that he wasn't leaving. Yet.
"There's no reason to discuss this, Jimmy. If you don't believe me I s'pose there ain't much more for me to say," he said weakly, trying to hide his emotions from shining through in his voice.
"You're not gonna tell me?" Jimmy said frustrated. He wanted an answer, no, he needed an answer. He felt torn by indecision and doubts. As much as he wanted to believe the boy, he didn't want to believe that Buck had killed Craven.
"No."
For what seemed as an eternity, but in reality wasn't more than a few seconds, they stood there eyeing each other as two fighters estimating the others strength. Then Buck opened his mouth.
"I don't want to fight you over this, Jimmy."
Jimmy fought with himself. What could he do? He couldn't force Buck to come back with him, could he? What good would that do? Jimmy wasn't stupid enough to believe that Buck would be given a fair trial in town. Nobody would take a half-breed's word over that of a twelve-year-old boy's, no matter who was right.
"You're gonna stay here?" Jimmy eyed him suspiciously.
"I ain't running away," Buck said, anger back in his voice. "I'll stay here 'til Teaspoon tells me otherwise."
"Just wonderin'," Jimmy murmured.
Then a hint of suspicion showed in Buck's eyes.
"How did you know what time it took me to get to Ft.Laramie?"
Taken by surprise by his question, Jimmy answered before thinking.
"Teaspoon sent Lou after you. Why you're asking?"
"Teaspoon asked Lou to check on me?" Buck could hear how disappointed he sounded and he scorned himself for not keeping himself better in control. He was not inclined to let Jimmy see his weakness.
Jimmy shrugged. He didn't understand why Buck made such a big deal out of it.
For a second Buck felt dazed and had to look down. Teaspoon didn't believe him either. That Jimmy didn't, that was one thing. He'd taken a liking to the boy and Buck could understand that. But Teaspoon. Buck couldn't believe it. He had promised Teaspoon not to go near Craven's land. Teaspoon should know that he never strayed from his promises. Jimmy saw his disappointment and suddenly he felt a pang of remorse. But nevertheless could he believe that the boy was lying.
"I don't think you murdered Craven," he started somewhat uncertain to Buck's reaction. "I'm sure it was self-defence---"
"What?" Buck looked up at him with angry eyes. Before Jimmy could say anything he continued.
"I don't believe you," he spat. "Why don't you head back home and play big brother." Buck stressed the word home with an irritated tone, not sure that it was his home anymore.
"Buck, if you don't tell me what happened --- dammit, then there's nothing we can do to help you! Don't you see that?"
"Maybe I don't want your help."
That was it for Jimmy. He had really tried. If Buck didn't want to say anything, it was his problem. He decided to head home.
"Then you're on your own," he remarked and turned to his horse. Buck didn't say anything as Jimmy mounted and urged his horse into a gallop.
"I've always been on my own," he mumbled silently as he watched after the disappearing rider. He didn't see the need to use the cover of the small bushes that grew along the side of the arroyo as he slowly started to head back to his hiding. Not until the first bullet struck up dust close to his feet.

Jimmy was angry and disappointed. He had only meant well. He couldn't see why Buck just couldn't tell him what had happened. The more he thought of the more certain he became that Buck indeed was behind the killing, but that it must have been self-defence. Buck was not a murderer, but if Craven had threatened him, then it was a different matter. Then he had the right to defend himself and nobody hanged you for it. He'd even seen men go free who'd claimed self-defence and who had no witnesses to prove it with. But then they had been white and not half Indian. Maybe he had done the wrong thing? Torn by doubts he flanked his horse only to pull it into an abrupt halt as he nearly rode down a rider appearing in dark before him. In the vague light it took him some time to recognise the rider.
"Lou?" he asked slightly confused. "What are you doing out here?"
"I should ask you that," she sneered. "I saw you leave the station. What have you been up to?"
"I needed to talk to Buck."
"But only Cody knows where he is," she said with a frown in her face.
"He told me," Jimmy replied seeing how a shadow crossed her face.
"You saw Buck?" Lou asked tensely.
"Yes. Why are you so upset about it?"
"Because you just rode out there with Emery's posse at your heels! I saw them!" she replied angry and urged her horse forward. As the horse started to run, she turned in the saddle. "What are you waiting for? We've got to warn Buck!"
Cursing his own stupidity for not being more careful, Jimmy swung his horse around and headed after the girl.

Buck crouched low as he tried to avoid another bullet. He didn't waste time to get a look at his pursuers. There was no need, it was obvious that their aim was to kill him. Darting from side to side he finally reached the shrubbery which provided some cover. He was just about to dart into it when he was hit. The bullet grazed his side opening up a large wound in his side. He managed to get into the shrubbery before the impact and shock brought him to the knees. I mustn't faint, he mumbled between his teeth as he fought the feelings of shock and pain that threatened to take over. Slowly he got to his feet and stumbled further along the shrubbery. He could feel the blood oozing from the wound and soon enough the world around him started to spin. But he stayed on his feet, fighting his way back to his horse. His horse, that was his only goal for the moment as he could hear people shouting and steps following behind him in the shrubbery. He seemed subconsciously aware of horses running alongside of the shrubbery. He felt as if he was walking in nightmare. He tried to get to higher ground when the sound of breaking twigs and voices told him that retreat was closed. Instead he was forced to continue forward, towards the end of the shrubbery and his only cover. But he no longer cared. Clasping the wound in his side he finally emerged from the shrubbery, looking for another cover. He hadn't more than taken two steps until a rope was thrown around him and he was dragged off his feet. Gasping with the pain he looked up only to look into the hateful eyes of Ambrose Emery.
"It's time to pay, In'jun!" the man scoffed.

Teaspoon poured himself his third cup of coffee. There was no way he was going to get some sleep to night, so he had decided to stay at the office. Somebody had killed Craven, and if it wasn't Buck, then someone else was out at Craven's place that night. But who? He was interrupted by some shouting outside and with a sigh he rose and reached for his gun belt. Apparently the town wasn't as quiet as he had hoped for.

The skirmish was outside the saloon and the owner sighed with relief at Teaspoon's arrival. In the middle of the room a man was waving with a bottle asking for a challenge. He was dead drunk and Teaspoon recognised him immediately as one of the town's notorious drunkards.
"All right, Dunn, the fun is over."
The man spun around and tried to fix his eyes of the newcomer. When he discovered whom it was he let out a yell.
"Marshal! You've got to arrest these people. They're threatening me!"
"I bet they are. Come on, Dunn, let's head over to the station where you're safe."
"I'm not going anywhere - this is my saloon!"
Teaspoon shook his head and without any great effort he soon managed to get the man tied up and dragged back to the station. Dunn would have to sleep himself sober in one of the jail cell, something the man was used to by now. Unfortunately the man was notorious for not being able to keep his mouth shut and Teaspoon knew from experience he was in for at least twenty minutes of Dunn's rambling before the man would fall asleep. Truthfully enough, he hadn't more than locked the door before the man started on one of his tirades. Returning to his desk, Teaspoon tried to shut out the whining voice of Dunn by placing his feet on the table and his hat over his face, pretending to be asleep. But he was wide-awake a few minutes later when a familiar name reached his ears. He was immediately on his feet and over by the cell.
"Repeat that, Dunn?"
"What?" The drunkard looked bewildered at him, then he found his mouth again. "I won that saloon in that card game---"
"Before that - when you told me you were with your friend?"
"He ain't my friend anymore," Dunn mumbled.
"The night of card game - what happened?"
"He left! That's what happened - we were winning and then he left and I lost - I should have won!" Dunn cried out indignant.
"What night was this? Can you remember?"
"Not sure," the man mumbled.
"Try."
"There was this big fuss the morning after." Dunn frowned. "Some farmer being killed." Then he seemed to remember something and he looked questioningly at the marshal. "True, it was the night before that In'jun killed the farmer."
Teaspoon let the remark pass.
"Again - the card game."
"As I told you, Emery and I was winning big time, when the fool says he had to leave."
"Did he tell you where he was going?"
"Emery is an important man now," the drunkard continued, ignoring Teaspoon's question. "Always hanging out with that Craven fellow. Can't imagine why he had to go there when we were winning---" The man voice sank into a mumble.
"You're telling that the night Craven was killed, Emery was out there?"
"That what he told me. And now he ain't got the time for an old friend."
Teaspoon's mind raced. Emery! Was it possible that the man had killed Emery? No wonder if he was eager to put the blame on someone else then. He didn't know how the boy fitted into all this, but at least now he knew that someone besides Buck had been out there.
"Dunn, do you where Emery is now?"
"Playing big shot - thinks he's leading all those men," the man mumbled.
"Dunn!" Teaspoon said sharply and the man seemed to come out of his reveries.
"He left town earlier with those other men," he said absentminded as he tried to figure out what it was he had said earlier.
"Did he say he was going?"
"Nae, but I overheard them. They were going to watch the station to get hold of that half-breed. Hey marshal, you can't leave me here!" he called out as Teaspoon left the office.

For the second time the same night, Cody felt somebody shake him awake. Moaning he opened his eye only to see Teaspoon standing beside him.
"You too, Teaspoon? What will it take to get some sleep around here?"
"Stop that nonsense and get up," Teaspoon replied shortly as he woke up the others.
"What's this all about?" Kid wondered as his eyes searched for Lou.
"Emery's got a gang watching the station. I thought we'd give them a surprise."
"Emery's watching the station?" Cody asked, still not awake.
"Yeah. Luckily you didn't ride out to see Buck or they would have followed you."
"But you sent Jimmy out there," Cody said still trying to figure out what was going on.
"What?" Teaspoon fastened his eyes on Cody. Cody looked miserably back at him.
"Jimmy woke me up saying something about how he needed to talk to Buck."
"And you told him where Buck is hiding?"
"I thought you sent him," Cody defended himself.
"Where's Jimmy?"
The riders looked at each other. None of them had seen Jimmy.
"The damn fool," Teaspoon muttered. "All right, we better head out there. Where did Buck tell you he was hiding?"
"South entrance of the arroyo north of Thunder Mesa," Cody replied as he pulled his boots on.
"You think there's trouble, Teaspoon?" Noah asked but before Teaspoon could answer, Kid, who had already left the bunkhouse, stormed back in again.
"Lou's gone and she's taken Lightning!"
"Not her too," Teaspoon mumbled.

"They've been here," Lou stated. It was not necessary since the number of tracks already told them that. Lou looked up at Jimmy.
"Think Buck got away?"
Jimmy kept his eyes to the ground. He didn't want to tell Lou, but on their way back he had heard something that sounded like a shot although the sides of the arroyo had muffled the sound. Something dark over by the shrubbery made him curios and he walked over to it, ignoring Lou's question.
"Jimmy?" she asked and followed him with a frown in her face.
"I think we better find them. Fast," he said and turned to her, his hand outstretched with his palm open. Lou didn't need any explanation to the dark substance on his fingers. Blood.
"Buck?" she asked.
"Can't see how it can be anyone else. Come on."
They quickly mounted and following the tracks the continued as fast as the landscape allowed them.

Buck stumbled when the man holding tugged at the rope to which his hands were bound. He still felt dazed and the wound in his side caused him pain although the men roughly had bound a dirty rag around it. For a second he had wondered why they went to the trouble, but then he realised that they weren't doing it to save his life. They only wanted him to live long enough for them to hang him. The rag would probably give him an infection, but then he wouldn't live long enough for that to be a problem, he thought bitterly as the men dragged him off to the northern part of the arroyo. He knew why. There was a group of trees there, some of them large enough for a man on a horse to stand under. It didn't take a genius to figure out their intentions. He hadn't exactly imagined this to be the way he would end his life. He hated that his life was going to end because of a stupid lie and the hate of a drunkard. He knew he had no chance of getting out of this. The men Emery had chosen, or who had chosen to go with Emery, all looked as if they wouldn't give in to anything. They had that determined look in their face that told Buck that they thought they were doing the right thing and that they were saving the town a expensive trial. The only one that was close enough to help him was Jimmy and Buck seriously doubted that he would return, even if he had heard the shots.

When the men reached the trees, Buck was worn out and longed for nothing more than to sink to the ground to rest. But he remained on his feet, determined not to show these men any weakness on his part. Standing there, still with his hands tied to the horse and fuming with anger, Ambrose Emery, rode pass him, smirking. Buck would have done anything to wipe the smirk from the man in that moment. Instead three other freed his hands only to tie them behind his back before he roughly was pushed to his knees.
"All right, get that rope and a horse and let get this over with," one of the men called and soon, to soon for Buck, a rope was thrown over one of the branches of the nearest tree. Buck saw in the corner of his eye how Emery approached him. He clenched his teeth. He didn't need Emery's taunting. If they were going to kill him, why couldn't they leave him alone? He moved his eyes to where the rope with the noose already swung lightly from the branch. He tried not to think of it, but it didn't help. He didn't want to die this way. He didn't want his friends to find his body hanging from the tree when the morning came.
"It's gonna be a pleasure seeing you swing, half-breed." Emery's voice sounded in his ear, but he tried to shut it out. Instead he concentrated on a chant that he had learned but never really used as a child. It was chanted before going out in war, in case the warrior would not come back. It had been a long time since he'd uttered the words and they felt strange in his mind, but soon his memory caught up and the words flowed from his tongue. Emery watched him, surprised by the soft, musical words emerging from the young man.
"That ain't gonna help you," he spat, backing of a little in case there was some curse or spell in the words that could hurt him.

Seeing that the rope was secured, one of the men brought forward a horse. He hadn't taken more than a few steps when a firm voice shattered the silence.
"Don't move! Drop your weapons and step away!"
Buck looked up towards the solitary figure that emerged from the shadows. The moonlight reflected in the barrel of the gun slowly covering the men. A ray of hope flickered through Buck's mind. Jimmy had returned.
"This is none of your business, Hickok!"
"When people try to hang an innocent man, I make it my business," Jimmy replied. "Drop your guns."
"He ain't innocent," Emery yelled, seeing some of the men exchange glares, "the boy witnessed to the murder!"
"He's innocent until found guilty by a court of law," Jimmy replied through his teeth.
Suddenly, fearing that Buck got away, Emery acted for the first time in his life. He had held his gun in his hand since Jimmy emerged from the shadows and now he aimed it at the back of Buck's head. He was so closed that the gun actually rested on Buck's head. Emery could even feel how the young man flinched when he felt the cold steel against his skin. A sudden urge of power came over Emery and he turned to Hickok.
"No, you drop it or your friend die!"
"Think again, Emery." Lou stepped out from her hiding place aiming her gun directly at Emery. At the same time several of the men rose their guns and aimed it the two riders. Lou glanced over at Jimmy, her eyes betraying what she was thinking: What do we do now? Nobody moved. An eerie silence settled, only disturbed by the sound of a soft breeze going through the trees, rattling the leaves.

To part 14