[Fanfic] Red West III. - Chapter twenty two
Title: RED WEST III.
Author: Kasumi
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Western, Drama, Romance, Adventure, Historical fiction
Warning: AKame pairing - AU; vulgarisms, violence, explicit content
Beta-reading:
atago4
Summary: A direct sequel of Red West II. - Masterpost
A strange company of three young gunslingers and one Indian is on their way to Montana, while the infamous Black Riders continue their fight against Silver King of Colorado… Will they succeed or fail in the clash with the cruel environment and heartless Governor? Will their friendship, brotherhood and love persevere or be destroyed by greed, bloodshed and vengeance?
Thank you: To Kamenashi Kazuya and Akanishi Jin, because this story wouldn´t have existed without them.
A/N: Recently, I try to write anytime I can. I just hope this pace will stick with me for upcoming months... Just as anyone who keeps reading this story. I hope you still like it.
I´m grateful for any opinion or advice, you help me hone my writing skills with them.
Thank you for taking time to read this story. I´ll be happy if you reward me with a comment for it.
Previously:
Prologue // Chapter one // Chapter two // Chapter three // Chapter four // Chapter five // Chapter six // Chapter seven // Chapter eight // Chapter nine // Chapter ten // Chapter eleven // Chapter twelve // Chapter thirteen // Chapter fourteen // Chapter fifteen // Chapter sixteen // Chapter seventeen // Chapter eighteen // Chapter nineteen // Chapter twenty // Chapter twenty one //
Ignition
The loud crying of a small child disturbed the so far lasting peace of the southernmost city street. It sounded from the veranda of a neat house with beige façade and green wind shutters, which stood on the largest plot of land in the area. The layer of dry leaves rustled under the boots of parents who rushed across the front yard to check what was their dearest baby missing.
John watched the worried couple leaning over the cradle with sympathetic amusement. Apparently, it would take some time before Nathaniel Tabor and his wife got used to their new role, but after half a day spent in their household, he strongly believed they would handle it just splendidly.
“If my dear grandson is about to be anything like Nathaniel was, those two will have their hands full with him.”
He returned his attention to the woman standing by his side, who just predicted the highly possible future for this young family with a soft smile, which smoothed out her usually strict features. The gentle autumn sun flattered her skin and even though she had already combed her hair into a proper bun, she never looked younger. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he would have never guessed Augusta was already a grandmother.
Internally kicking himself to stop adoring her, John took a breath to reply: “That´s why I´m sure they´ll appreciate every advice you can give them in the upcoming days.”
Sighing, she turned to face him: “I certainly hope so,” Augusta said and her expression grew serious. “Thank you for everything, John, really. Without you…”
“Please,” he interrupted her politely and took the woman´s hand, raising it up. “No thanks needed, I´ve told you,” he assured her, placing a soft kiss on its back.
“And I insist you´re wrong about that,” she opposed him with shining eyes.
Their fingers intertwined for a short, warm moment, before they both let go.
John had to force himself to say it: “I should go now…”
“Yes, I know,” Augusta reacted with a sad smile. “We´ve already delayed you a lot.”
He shook his head, denying it right away: “I´m glad I stayed for a while. Not to mention that lunch was great.”
“I will convey your praise to my daughter in law then.”
“Good, thank you.”
With his feet feeling heavy like lead, John finally turned to his horse, untied him and mounted, careful about not looking at that woman who was worth any trouble to him, until he sat in the saddle properly.
“Have a safe rest of the journey, John,” with soft rustling of her dress, Augusta stepped back a little.
It almost hurt him to leave her now, when they finally reached the civilization, which allowed them to freshen up and get clean after the long trip. He could think of plenty things he´d love to do with that new, dark blue dress she was wearing. Nevertheless, he nodded, gloomily wondering how to say goodbye. He didn´t actually want to, not at all, so he couldn´t find the right words.
How was he supposed to bear the fact that he wouldn´t be able to see her anymore? He hated just the idea.
In the end, Augusta spared him the bother.
“Will you let me know before you return to your duties?” she asked quietly, with hope in her eyes.
Hearing the question, something damn heavy dropped from John´s back - she did want to see him again too. Now, he couldn´t even say why he was so uncertain about it before.
“Absolutely,” he promised and lowered his voice. “And if you´re not against it, I´d like to get in touch with you even sooner than that.”
Only then, Augusta´s tense expression melted away and a bright smile replaced it: “That would be great. I´ll be looking forward to your message, John.”
He smiled back at her meaningfully: “And I´ll be looking forward to you.”
***
Early in the morning, after picking up the correspondence for Mr. Cameron, Danny McFly left the post office building in a hurry. It seemed that the important message, which his boss had been expecting for a while, finally arrived and he wanted to get back to the farm with it as quickly as possible. Yet, he remained rooted to the spot, as his eyes fell upon the couple leaving Franko´s Store on the opposite side of the street.
The brown-haired young man was hugging the blonde girl around the waist, as he helped her up to the saddle of a well-built gelding. Then he mounted his horse as well and soon, they passed the post office trotting, heading out of town in a visibly good mood.
They were Kazuya Kamenashi and Lena Brice.
Danny stared after them until they disappeared from his sight behind the corner. Up until now, he didn´t believe all those talks about the two of them having a love affair. Nevertheless, now he could see them himself. He didn´t get how it came to that, but it really seemed that they were dating. In comparison with how Kamenashi had been treating the girl before, it made quite a difference. Not to mention Akanishi´s behavior that was included in the usual daily gossip recently. Some said he was fucking one girl from the brothel after another, including its very owner Cora.
What in the hell changed between them so suddenly? Danny pondered dumbfounded.
Every time he had managed to catch a sight of them, Akanishi and Kamenashi had always spent their free time together. There was something about the two of them, which made him feel nostalgic and happy at the same time. And he realized he missed that feeling…
Strangely aggrieved, Danny attached the leather bag with the correspondence to the saddle and got ready to ride. At least he had something to report to Mr. Cameron, even though he was not happy about it at all.
*
It was shortly after lunchtime and the warm afternoon naturally tempted everyone to sit down somewhere and sunbathe lazily, but Cameron noted that no one dared to do it in sight from the main building. Either remaining reconstruction workers or new household servants seemed to be doing their job just as was expected of them. Even if there were some who did not pay attention to their responsibilities, he could count on that his handy assistant Danny would see to remedy it soon enough.
Satisfied with the view outside, Cameron turned away from the tall window of his workroom and took two thick glasses - already filled with quality whiskey - from the small table next to it.
“Quite impressive, this one,” his visitor evaluated in a tense voice, which revealed he was a little nervous.
Cameron joined him in the middle of the room and looked up to the distinctive painting on the wall as well.
“It was made to order, delivered from Boston a week ago,” he commented the newest decoration, which happened to be also the reminder of his motivation.
The man whistled shortly: “Must have cost a small fortune!”
“It did. Though the result is worth some spending, don’t you think, Sheriff?”
“Of course!” he received a hasty assurance.
“Here,” Cameron handed him over one of the glasses.
“Smells great, thank you,” the sheriff grabbed the drink more eagerly than was necessary, but he pretended not to see it.
“I appreciate you found time in your schedule to come over, Sheriff Harris,” Cameron said and with a short gesture, he invited the man to sit in the comfortable armchair.
“No need to mention it, Mr. Henderson,” Harris shook his head. “Your invitation was a pleasant surprise, it was. It is a miracle what you did with this place. I wouldn´t imagine I´d see Karnaka´s farm standing in all its glory ever again,” he mused and sipped a bit of whiskey, nodding appreciatively. “Very good, let me say.”
Obviously, Cameron didn´t have to encourage the man to speak openly at all. Harris talked a lot by himself, and most of it was complete rubbish. However, from time to time, even in the pile of dung you could find yourself a diamond, so he moved on in the useless conversation.
“Thank you. I just followed in my late master´s footsteps, that´s all.”
The sheriff shook his head vigorously, so that his double chin shook like jelly: “Nah, this result is only thanks to hard work, believe me. I wouldn´t dare to imagine you´d rule over these lands one day… No offense meant.”
Cameron noted that not a very nice remark and remembered it, but on the outside, he just nodded indulgently: “None taken. So, please, tell me… Are there any news in the city?”
“Not sure what do you need to hear. No serious problems, really,” the sheriff assumed, sipping from the glass again.
“No?” Cameron raised his eyebrows. Since the sheriff was apparently in his no-problem mood, it seemed he had to mention the specific subjects. “What about those cattle thieves then? Have they found them yet?”
“Yeah, the bastards were arrested in Livingstone. They should be given some new tight ties, if you know what I mean.”
“That´s great. I heard they had been quite persistent,” Cameron noted. “Are there any troubles with Indians?” he asked about the next topic, while pouring the man another drink.
Sheriff Harris waved his hand recklessly, though his eyes focused on the liquid gave him away - he cared for alcohol much more than he´d like people to know.
“Nothing worth mentioning. It seems our Agent´s handling his job well enough. It had been quiet ever since Kamenashi took the position.”
“That´s good to hear,” Cameron reacted with a faked smile. “But unfortunately, it might change soon.”
The sheriff stopped moving with the glass in front of his lips and looked at him surprised: “Why you say so, Mister?”
“I´m in contact with leaders in Fort Ellis and it seems some reservation provisions are missing.”
The man frowned: “Huh, haven´t heard of it.”
“Then it´s convenient I can tell you now. Not to mention that I´m sure you´re aware Kamenashi has some infamous acquaintances.”
The glass with whiskey ended up back at the table: “Sorry, I don´t follow you, Mr. Henderson.”
Cameron eyed the anxious man seriously: “Well, haven´t you heard about the Black Riders?”
“Sure I did. The tough bunch of bandits,” Harris evaluated right away. “They´ve got their spots on wanted posters secured. Though it seems they´ve changed their field of activity.”
That almost surprised Cameron, considering the sheriff´s casual attitude: “So, you´ve noticed it as well?”
“Yeah, I check up the news regularly. There has been no sign of them in Colorado or anywhere else for that point, for quite long time already.”
It seemed that reading newspapers on the veranda of Sheriff´s Office - and drinking along with it - was the only real activity of this man in his post. Though naturally, Cameron kept this thought for himself.
“That´s right… And you don´t think that their leader might head back to Montana?”
“Not really. Why should he bother to come here?”
“If nothing else, his brother lives here. He might seek help and refuge at his place. Which is Kamenashi´s place...”
“Ah, that´s what you mean,” the sheriff drank the whiskey in one go and then rubbed his bearded chin. “As far as I know, Jin Akanishi even helped the US Army to search for his stupid brother. I doubt they´ve got any connection.”
Cameron suppressed his annoyance with this man. Most of the time the sheriff´s reluctance to any action whatsoever fitted his plans, but in this case, it would be better if Harris showed some lawful activity at least.
“I must correct you, Sheriff. I had to deal with Black Riders before and according to my investigations in Colorado, the two brothers are more than close. You should keep an eye over Akanishi. Who knows?”
“Really?” Harris seemed to be thinking it over and Cameron could almost literally see those dollar marks in his small eyes. “That is very valuable information, Mr. Henderson. I´ll surely follow your recommendation then.”
“Indeed valuable,” Cameron agreed. “Mr. Tabor promised quite a reward for catching them right?”
The sheriff played with his beard again, in an attempt to keep his face: “Sure, but first and most important is to stop this gang from doing any more felony, isn´t that right?”
Cameron smiled and poured him one more drink: “Of course. Anyway, in case you find out anything related to Riders, may I count with you informing me? It´s quite a personal request, but they caused me many problems and I´d like to see the end to them, you know what I mean?”
Grabbing the glass, Harris nodded willingly: “Sure, you can count on me, Mister.”
***
Almost a week after the unusual evening in Harada´s Saloon, Kame sat down in the kitchen with a cup of strong herbal tea. He was damn tired and felt quite gloomy.
The days were gradually getting shorter and it was already completely dark outside. The strong, cold wind was rustling with the half-bare treetops above the house, which was empty except for himself. Jin was working at brothel and Koki drinking in one of the new pubs in the city, so there was no one he could talk to - and mainly complain - about the issue he was called for to the Fort Ellis, where he spent the whole day trying to figure it out.
Some provisions for Montana reservations were missing again, at least according to the official documentation and he had no idea what could have happened with them this time. Not to mention the anonymous notice delivered to the fort, which accused him from mishandling the provisions and trading on from his position as Indian Agent.
He could not remember the last time something upset him so much. After he revealed that mess in the Fort Benton, he was the one to blame now? He was sure that slandering message came from somebody who bore an ill will towards him. And there were not many people in Bozeman, who would hate him so much to bother, were there?
Now, right before the winter season, missing food supplies were quite a problem. If that mess did not stop, it would have catastrophic consequences mainly for the Blackfeet tribe. Considering the great numbers of new refugees in the reservation, half of them would not last until next spring.
Kame sipped on the hot liquid carefully, suppressing an urge to add something stronger to the mug. He just had to figure it out as soon as possible.
He searched for each document he had gathered ever since his appointment, determined to go through all of them again, in case he overlooked something. He planned to make a list of those who signed the papers and check the situation with them personally. It would take time, since he had no additional help for Montana territory yet, even though he had asked the Office in Washington for sending someone a couple of times.
Jin would not be happy about him being away again all the time, but he had to remedy this situation. If there were someone meddling with the supplies for Indians, he would find out who it was and get him to jail quicker than they might say Manitou.
*
What was too much was simply too much.
Jin had enough of those stupid talks about the sex life of his boyfriend, which got incredibly on his nerves. He was riding home more than prepared to face Kame and solve this matter. There had to be some borders to their agreement about that stupid show they were supposed to perform for the whole Bozeman to watch.
He stabled Kuro with the morning sun already flooding their back yard. There was an unpleasant chill in the air and he could not wait for a cup of hot tea or coffee. He stomped inside the house, expecting to see Kame already up and handling the usual morning stuff and he was taking a breath for a sharp greeting, when the view in their kitchen calmed him down a little. Kame was sleeping on the table, which was covered with some documents, his hand under his forehead, the morning light making his skin pale.
Jesus… How tired he must have been to end up like this?
Jin sighed, wiped his stinging eyes from the long night at Cora´s place and walked over to the table slowly. With much more gentle approach than he was planning for, he touched his boyfriend´s shoulder.
“Hey… Turtle, this is no good place for sleeping.”
Kame opened his eyes only for a narrow cranny.
“Jin? Oh, shit…” he murmured and slowly raised his head and scowled. “It´s morning already?”
“Yeah, I´m pretty sure about that.”
“Why didn´t Koki wake me up before he went to work?”
“That would be ´cause he spent the night in Bozeman. He seduced and persuaded one woman to let him sleep over and went to the mine right in the morning. Though I can imagine he won´t get much done today,” he added gleefully.
“I see… I thought I´d hear him coming back from the saloon, so I just… dropped out, I guess.”
Kame yawned and it took a while of stretching for him to straighten up. Meanwhile, Jin put his coat on the hook and started a fire in the stove.
“How long are you back?” the younger one asked, seeming to be still a bit confused.
“I´ve just arrived… Would you like some coffee?”
“Hell, yes. But you… Don´t you want to take a nap instead?”
“Nah, I managed to sleep at Cora´s tonight,” he lied swiftly. “And… I need to talk to you,” he added a bit hesitantly. Now, when he saw that Kame was apparently busy with something, he was not sure it was such a good idea to start with it.
“Sure,” the younger agreed willingly. “One big cup of coffee then, please. And I´ll tidy this mess up…”
Kame started gathering all the reservation reports and his notes, while Jin brought some fresh water and prepared the full kettle of black coffee. He saw Kame doing it so many times that he did it the very same way without even noticing it. It was Kame, who did, and observed him with a soft shine in his eyes.
“So, what is it?” Kame asked once they both sat by the table again, both of them a hot liquid under their noses and a few slices of bread with butter.
“Hmm… Is everything all right?” Jin asked first. “You don´t usually dig in so many papers.”
Kame sighed: “Well, a certain letter arrived to the Fort Ellis, accusing me from mishandling the provisions.”
Jin gaped at him: “What?”
“You heard me.”
“That´s rubbish.”
“Nicely said, thank you.”
“Who wrote that stupid letter? I bet Creepy Cam´s fingers are in this.”
“I think the same, but I´ve got no proof.”
“Jackass…”
“Don´t worry about it, Jin. I´ll figure it out.”
“Yeah, I´m sure you will, but still…”
A short silence followed.
“So? Jin, what is it?” Kame asked seriously, already noticing there was something on his mind.
He took a breath: “It´s about… about what people say.”
“What do you mean?”
“Look, we agreed on that we´re gonna play this comedy with being interested in women, I know. But that doesn´t mean you have to start dating.”
Kame eyed him surprised: “What? You mean with Lena?”
Jin stood up from the table and threw his hands up in the air: “Who else?”
The younger one chuckled: “Jin, I´m not dating her…”
“Don´t bullshit me,” he cut him off. “Even Cora´s girls know you do!”
“Wait, wait, that´s not the case. I just took her on the horse ride and picnic.”
“Ah, you did… And that´s not what couples do at all!” Jin reacted caustically.
Kame frowned and got on his feet as well: “You´ve got no right to reproach me about Lena. Do you really think I don´t know what you´re up to with that blonde harlot?”
“Nothing happened between me and Dana!” Jin fumed. “And even if it did, there would be nothing serious about it!”
“The same counts for me and Lena!”
“I am not so sure about that. She´s head over heels for you. The whole city talks about the two of you being such a lovely couple.”
“Is that so? Well, they also talk about you being a womanizer!”
“It´s just an act!”
“Which you enjoy pretty much, I dare say.”
“Neither you seem to be annoyed with that girl clinging to you!”
“Hey, hey!” the amused voice was heard, cutting off their intense argument. “That doesn´t sound like the two love birds at all!”
Both of them flinched in surprise and turned to the unexpected guest, standing in the doorway.
“Ryo!” Kame breathed out first.
“Bloody hell,” Jin commented the appearance of black-haired Rider in their kitchen.
“Hello, guys,” the Rider raised his hand in a cheerful greeting. “I´m sorry to disturb, but you probably overheard me knocking…?”
In unspoken agreement, they both ignored Ryo´s curious hint about their fight.
“So, it was true, what Jack wrote us,” Jin noted and approached their friend to welcome him.
“He had given us away in advance? Traitor,” Ryo rolled his eyes and shook hands with Jin and then also with Kame.
“Where did you leave others? What about Leo?” Jin asked, already pretty much excited about seeing his brother again.
“They stayed in one inconspicuous tavern in the outskirts and I went to check the situation myself. Just in case there would have been a trap, you know?”
“Whom did you ask about our house?” Kame wondered. “I doubt you found it by chance.”
“Unfortunately, my abilities are not that great. Yet,” Ryo flashed a confident smile at them. “I simply asked in Harada´s Saloon. I remembered you mentioned it before.”
Kame chuckled: “And Harada believed you´re our friend?”
The Rider shrugged: “Once I said that you two talked only in superlatives about him and his saloon, then yes. He even invited me to stay for a morning cigar,” Ryo laughed. “I probably seemed trustworthy enough.”
“That amazes me though,” Jin noted.
“Still the same sarcasm, buddy?”
Jin grinned: “You can bet.”
“Do you want some coffee?” Kame offered readily.
“That would be absolutely splendid. Leo couldn´t wait any longer and woke me up deadly soon to search for you two.”
Kame turned to the shelves to pick up an additional cup, while Jin invited Ryo to the table.
“How about your trip? Was it all right?” he asked.
“Well, how should I…?” Ryo started and froze, just as the other two.
*
“So, listen… A cowboy´s ridin´ his horse in a desert. Suddenly, he sees a fellow lyin´ down with his ear to the ground. This man says: ´A carriage. Six horses. Three black, two brown, and one white.´
The cowboy on that: ´Wow! You can hear all of that?´
And the man replies: ´No, they just ran me over.´”
One mineworker from their little group actually laughed shortly at the joke, while Koki yawned widely. They were the last to enter the mine for that shift. They were late from all the various reasons, already scolded by the foreman for it and that stupid jerk was in the mood for joking about cowboys. Needless to say - it was Theodore´s favorite activity.
“You don´t seem exactly fresh, man,” Luke, the closest one of Koki´s co-workers, walking in front of him, noted mischievously. “Don´t tell me that chick kept you so busy all the night.”
“Shut up,” Koki brushed him off and lowered his head in the unusually low spot of the tunnel. “You´re just jealous.”
“I happen to have a quite willing woman at home, you jerk,” Luke informed him haughtily.
“I know. You tend to flaunt about it every other day.”
“Who´s jealous now, huh?”
“Your chubby wife is not my type.”
“My chubby darling is definitely more fuckable than that skinny whore you did last night.”
Before Koki could object something to that, they reached the sharp bend, where some of their fellow miners were digging and their mocking calls welcomed them.
“Hello, sleepy heads!”
“Let´s see who dared to come to work!”
“Ned will tear it off your salary!”
Stopping by, Koki showed them a rude gesture: “He´s quite efficient today, so he already did.”
“Mind your own vein, Calvin. Why are you slacking here?” Luke commented their unusual position.
“Orders, man. Checking the possible new golden spot.”
“Ah, so good luck with that.”
“You too!”
They continued further, more carefully now, since uneven surface of excavated tunnels got slippery with moisture.
“Hey, guys, I´ve got another one, you must hear it!” their joker, the last one walking spoke, his voice echoing in the space.
“Here we go again,” Luke sighed, altering the pickaxe on his shoulder.
“How did the cowboy know his cattle were following without turning around?”
“You´ll surely tell us,” Ron - another miner in his thirties - reacted annoyed.
“He herd them!”
Koki snorted and raised a hand with the lantern higher for the rest of men in their group to see better: “Hilarious…” he commented caustically.
“Can´t you shut it, man?” another one turned to laughing Theodore.
“But this one is the best! What does it mean when a cowboy finds a horseshoe? His horse is walking around in his socks!” along with the point of the joke, the man burst out in loud guffaw, while Koki rolled his eyes.
“No more of your stupid jokes, okay?” Luke looked back over his shoulder almost pleadingly.
“You´ve got no sense of humor. Haven´t slept well?” Theodore mocked.
Luke snorted: “Tanaka maybe, but I just miss what´s so funny about it.”
“Just wait, you´ll be begging me to tell some jokes once we´re down in the hole,” the persistent joker predicted.
“You really think that your delightful voice is the only thing which keeps us going?” Luke opposed. “You´re such a dreamer.”
Their group of five reached the wide spot of two tunnels connection and stepped into the light of a few kerosene lamps.
“So, Ned said the two of us should take the south pit, who´s going with me?” Luke asked.
“Me!” Koki took the spot right away. “Anything to let my ears have some rest.”
“Thank you for nothing,” Ron noted gloomily on that.
“You´re welcome,” Koki grinned.
“You´re jerks, guys,” Theodore complained. “No appreciation for my huge effort to lift your spirits.”
“Try again next time, man,” Ron recommended him.
“Great! So tomorrow…!”
Groaning annoyed, they split and Koki with Luke went on heading deeper to the mine. There were some hundred meters of the tunnel in front of them to go. But suddenly, Luke stopped by the alcove for carts, which were used for ferrying the crushed stones and other mess outside the mine.
“Hey, what are you doing there?”
Koki stood on his tiptoes to see over Luke´s shoulder, whom he was talking to. There was a red-haired man, who usually worked as a guard outside, squatting between the two carts. And he was messing with some big box with suspicious content there. It was like he didn´t notice their presence, as he searched his pockets for something with no reply.
“Hey!” Luke leant down and touched his shoulder, earning quite a hateful stare.
“Don´t touch me!”
Koki´s eyes moved further and he spotted the inside of the box - the dark red tubes.
“What the hell… We mustn´t use explosives here, idiot!”
“Don´t come any closer!” the thin, pale man suddenly yelled and stood up, holding the matches in one hand and revolver in the other.
This is no good, both miners realized at the same time.
“What´s your problem, man?” Luke asked, trying to keep his voice calm.
“Everything! You! This mine! That fucker who runs it! He would be alive if not for this damn hole!”
If anything could be deduced from his words, then it seemed the man lost someone during the gold mining.
“Okay, we get it,” Koki assured him, showing him both his hands empty. “Why don´t you solve this directly with Henderson?” he suggested.
“I won´t ask anything of that bastard!” the man shouted again.
“Look, this is a bad idea,” Luke tried to persuade him reasonably. “There are many innocent workers here! Don´t you care?”
“Yeah, that´s exactly right,” the red-haired one yelped. “I don´t give a shit about any of you!”
“No matter what happened to you, that´s not fair, man,” Koki blamed him harshly, while Luke reached out to him. “Don´t be stupid and give it to us.”
“Back off!”
The gun in his hand fired and the bullet dug into the wall behind them. Both Luke and Koki stepped back half deaf and in cold sweat.
“Jesus, just calm down!” Luke requested anxiously.
“We can figure this out!” Koki tried again. “We´ll go to Henderson with you, what do you say?”
But it was as if the man didn´t hear them. For him, there was no other way to unburden his pain. He ignited the match against the wall.
“He was the only one I had!” he cried, his hands shaking and his cheeks sparkling with tears. “Screw you and this fucking mine!”
“No! Stop!”
“Get out!”
“Fuck! Stop it!”
“I´ll shoot you otherwise!”
“Shit!”
“Luke! Run!”
*
Something invisible and unnatural rushed through the woods, startling all the animals - either those walking on the ground or those hiding in the treetops. It grumbled as an angry beast and was quicker than the fastest hare. It shifted the angle of sunbeams penetrating inside their house through the windows and the wooden floor under their feet trembled as if in fear.
Three friends in the kitchen stood completely still, with their senses on high alert. Jin and Kame exchanged an alarmed look. The menacing sound came from the usual direction, but there was nothing familiar about it at all.
The booming wave moved on, leaving behind the landscape silent in horror.
“What the fuck was that?” baffled Ryo asked, breaking the silence first.
Kame gathered some breath to speak: “It came from the gold mine…” he said and headed outside, followed by Jin.
Ryo had no choice but to rush in their steps. They stood on the veranda, looking to the west.
“So, they´re digging so deep they must use explosives?” he asked them.
“Yes. But it didn’t sound right,” Jin replied this time.
“What do you mean?”
“Dynamite detonations are usually quieter, controlled,” Kame explained. “This was…”
“Explosion,” Jin completed him.
“Yes.”
Ryo stared at them: “Since when you became such experts?”
“Try living a mere mile from it for weeks,” the older one murmured.
“Look,” Kame pointed on something on the horizon.
“Damn…”
Ryo could find nothing unusual about the scenery in front of him, which included the deep woods and mountains in the background: “Hey, what do you see?”
“A smoke,” Kame said frowning worriedly. “I don´t have a good feeling about this, Jin. We should check it out.”
His partner nodded seriously: “I agree.”
Ryo stared at them baffled: “May I ask why you care about it, guys? It´s not your business, right?”
They both turned to look at him with deadly serious expressions, none of them saying anything.
Ryo gulped down heavily, suddenly feeling a really bad hunch: “Come on… You´re scary like this.”
It was Kame, who explained the reason to him in a strained voice: “Koki´s in there on his morning shift.”
- To be continued -
Author: Kasumi
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Western, Drama, Romance, Adventure, Historical fiction
Warning: AKame pairing - AU; vulgarisms, violence, explicit content
Beta-reading:
atago4
Summary: A direct sequel of Red West II. - Masterpost
A strange company of three young gunslingers and one Indian is on their way to Montana, while the infamous Black Riders continue their fight against Silver King of Colorado… Will they succeed or fail in the clash with the cruel environment and heartless Governor? Will their friendship, brotherhood and love persevere or be destroyed by greed, bloodshed and vengeance?
Thank you: To Kamenashi Kazuya and Akanishi Jin, because this story wouldn´t have existed without them.
A/N: Recently, I try to write anytime I can. I just hope this pace will stick with me for upcoming months... Just as anyone who keeps reading this story. I hope you still like it.
I´m grateful for any opinion or advice, you help me hone my writing skills with them.
Thank you for taking time to read this story. I´ll be happy if you reward me with a comment for it.
Previously:
Prologue // Chapter one // Chapter two // Chapter three // Chapter four // Chapter five // Chapter six // Chapter seven // Chapter eight // Chapter nine // Chapter ten // Chapter eleven // Chapter twelve // Chapter thirteen // Chapter fourteen // Chapter fifteen // Chapter sixteen // Chapter seventeen // Chapter eighteen // Chapter nineteen // Chapter twenty // Chapter twenty one //
Ignition
The loud crying of a small child disturbed the so far lasting peace of the southernmost city street. It sounded from the veranda of a neat house with beige façade and green wind shutters, which stood on the largest plot of land in the area. The layer of dry leaves rustled under the boots of parents who rushed across the front yard to check what was their dearest baby missing.
John watched the worried couple leaning over the cradle with sympathetic amusement. Apparently, it would take some time before Nathaniel Tabor and his wife got used to their new role, but after half a day spent in their household, he strongly believed they would handle it just splendidly.
“If my dear grandson is about to be anything like Nathaniel was, those two will have their hands full with him.”
He returned his attention to the woman standing by his side, who just predicted the highly possible future for this young family with a soft smile, which smoothed out her usually strict features. The gentle autumn sun flattered her skin and even though she had already combed her hair into a proper bun, she never looked younger. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he would have never guessed Augusta was already a grandmother.
Internally kicking himself to stop adoring her, John took a breath to reply: “That´s why I´m sure they´ll appreciate every advice you can give them in the upcoming days.”
Sighing, she turned to face him: “I certainly hope so,” Augusta said and her expression grew serious. “Thank you for everything, John, really. Without you…”
“Please,” he interrupted her politely and took the woman´s hand, raising it up. “No thanks needed, I´ve told you,” he assured her, placing a soft kiss on its back.
“And I insist you´re wrong about that,” she opposed him with shining eyes.
Their fingers intertwined for a short, warm moment, before they both let go.
John had to force himself to say it: “I should go now…”
“Yes, I know,” Augusta reacted with a sad smile. “We´ve already delayed you a lot.”
He shook his head, denying it right away: “I´m glad I stayed for a while. Not to mention that lunch was great.”
“I will convey your praise to my daughter in law then.”
“Good, thank you.”
With his feet feeling heavy like lead, John finally turned to his horse, untied him and mounted, careful about not looking at that woman who was worth any trouble to him, until he sat in the saddle properly.
“Have a safe rest of the journey, John,” with soft rustling of her dress, Augusta stepped back a little.
It almost hurt him to leave her now, when they finally reached the civilization, which allowed them to freshen up and get clean after the long trip. He could think of plenty things he´d love to do with that new, dark blue dress she was wearing. Nevertheless, he nodded, gloomily wondering how to say goodbye. He didn´t actually want to, not at all, so he couldn´t find the right words.
How was he supposed to bear the fact that he wouldn´t be able to see her anymore? He hated just the idea.
In the end, Augusta spared him the bother.
“Will you let me know before you return to your duties?” she asked quietly, with hope in her eyes.
Hearing the question, something damn heavy dropped from John´s back - she did want to see him again too. Now, he couldn´t even say why he was so uncertain about it before.
“Absolutely,” he promised and lowered his voice. “And if you´re not against it, I´d like to get in touch with you even sooner than that.”
Only then, Augusta´s tense expression melted away and a bright smile replaced it: “That would be great. I´ll be looking forward to your message, John.”
He smiled back at her meaningfully: “And I´ll be looking forward to you.”
***
Early in the morning, after picking up the correspondence for Mr. Cameron, Danny McFly left the post office building in a hurry. It seemed that the important message, which his boss had been expecting for a while, finally arrived and he wanted to get back to the farm with it as quickly as possible. Yet, he remained rooted to the spot, as his eyes fell upon the couple leaving Franko´s Store on the opposite side of the street.
The brown-haired young man was hugging the blonde girl around the waist, as he helped her up to the saddle of a well-built gelding. Then he mounted his horse as well and soon, they passed the post office trotting, heading out of town in a visibly good mood.
They were Kazuya Kamenashi and Lena Brice.
Danny stared after them until they disappeared from his sight behind the corner. Up until now, he didn´t believe all those talks about the two of them having a love affair. Nevertheless, now he could see them himself. He didn´t get how it came to that, but it really seemed that they were dating. In comparison with how Kamenashi had been treating the girl before, it made quite a difference. Not to mention Akanishi´s behavior that was included in the usual daily gossip recently. Some said he was fucking one girl from the brothel after another, including its very owner Cora.
What in the hell changed between them so suddenly? Danny pondered dumbfounded.
Every time he had managed to catch a sight of them, Akanishi and Kamenashi had always spent their free time together. There was something about the two of them, which made him feel nostalgic and happy at the same time. And he realized he missed that feeling…
Strangely aggrieved, Danny attached the leather bag with the correspondence to the saddle and got ready to ride. At least he had something to report to Mr. Cameron, even though he was not happy about it at all.
*
It was shortly after lunchtime and the warm afternoon naturally tempted everyone to sit down somewhere and sunbathe lazily, but Cameron noted that no one dared to do it in sight from the main building. Either remaining reconstruction workers or new household servants seemed to be doing their job just as was expected of them. Even if there were some who did not pay attention to their responsibilities, he could count on that his handy assistant Danny would see to remedy it soon enough.
Satisfied with the view outside, Cameron turned away from the tall window of his workroom and took two thick glasses - already filled with quality whiskey - from the small table next to it.
“Quite impressive, this one,” his visitor evaluated in a tense voice, which revealed he was a little nervous.
Cameron joined him in the middle of the room and looked up to the distinctive painting on the wall as well.
“It was made to order, delivered from Boston a week ago,” he commented the newest decoration, which happened to be also the reminder of his motivation.
The man whistled shortly: “Must have cost a small fortune!”
“It did. Though the result is worth some spending, don’t you think, Sheriff?”
“Of course!” he received a hasty assurance.
“Here,” Cameron handed him over one of the glasses.
“Smells great, thank you,” the sheriff grabbed the drink more eagerly than was necessary, but he pretended not to see it.
“I appreciate you found time in your schedule to come over, Sheriff Harris,” Cameron said and with a short gesture, he invited the man to sit in the comfortable armchair.
“No need to mention it, Mr. Henderson,” Harris shook his head. “Your invitation was a pleasant surprise, it was. It is a miracle what you did with this place. I wouldn´t imagine I´d see Karnaka´s farm standing in all its glory ever again,” he mused and sipped a bit of whiskey, nodding appreciatively. “Very good, let me say.”
Obviously, Cameron didn´t have to encourage the man to speak openly at all. Harris talked a lot by himself, and most of it was complete rubbish. However, from time to time, even in the pile of dung you could find yourself a diamond, so he moved on in the useless conversation.
“Thank you. I just followed in my late master´s footsteps, that´s all.”
The sheriff shook his head vigorously, so that his double chin shook like jelly: “Nah, this result is only thanks to hard work, believe me. I wouldn´t dare to imagine you´d rule over these lands one day… No offense meant.”
Cameron noted that not a very nice remark and remembered it, but on the outside, he just nodded indulgently: “None taken. So, please, tell me… Are there any news in the city?”
“Not sure what do you need to hear. No serious problems, really,” the sheriff assumed, sipping from the glass again.
“No?” Cameron raised his eyebrows. Since the sheriff was apparently in his no-problem mood, it seemed he had to mention the specific subjects. “What about those cattle thieves then? Have they found them yet?”
“Yeah, the bastards were arrested in Livingstone. They should be given some new tight ties, if you know what I mean.”
“That´s great. I heard they had been quite persistent,” Cameron noted. “Are there any troubles with Indians?” he asked about the next topic, while pouring the man another drink.
Sheriff Harris waved his hand recklessly, though his eyes focused on the liquid gave him away - he cared for alcohol much more than he´d like people to know.
“Nothing worth mentioning. It seems our Agent´s handling his job well enough. It had been quiet ever since Kamenashi took the position.”
“That´s good to hear,” Cameron reacted with a faked smile. “But unfortunately, it might change soon.”
The sheriff stopped moving with the glass in front of his lips and looked at him surprised: “Why you say so, Mister?”
“I´m in contact with leaders in Fort Ellis and it seems some reservation provisions are missing.”
The man frowned: “Huh, haven´t heard of it.”
“Then it´s convenient I can tell you now. Not to mention that I´m sure you´re aware Kamenashi has some infamous acquaintances.”
The glass with whiskey ended up back at the table: “Sorry, I don´t follow you, Mr. Henderson.”
Cameron eyed the anxious man seriously: “Well, haven´t you heard about the Black Riders?”
“Sure I did. The tough bunch of bandits,” Harris evaluated right away. “They´ve got their spots on wanted posters secured. Though it seems they´ve changed their field of activity.”
That almost surprised Cameron, considering the sheriff´s casual attitude: “So, you´ve noticed it as well?”
“Yeah, I check up the news regularly. There has been no sign of them in Colorado or anywhere else for that point, for quite long time already.”
It seemed that reading newspapers on the veranda of Sheriff´s Office - and drinking along with it - was the only real activity of this man in his post. Though naturally, Cameron kept this thought for himself.
“That´s right… And you don´t think that their leader might head back to Montana?”
“Not really. Why should he bother to come here?”
“If nothing else, his brother lives here. He might seek help and refuge at his place. Which is Kamenashi´s place...”
“Ah, that´s what you mean,” the sheriff drank the whiskey in one go and then rubbed his bearded chin. “As far as I know, Jin Akanishi even helped the US Army to search for his stupid brother. I doubt they´ve got any connection.”
Cameron suppressed his annoyance with this man. Most of the time the sheriff´s reluctance to any action whatsoever fitted his plans, but in this case, it would be better if Harris showed some lawful activity at least.
“I must correct you, Sheriff. I had to deal with Black Riders before and according to my investigations in Colorado, the two brothers are more than close. You should keep an eye over Akanishi. Who knows?”
“Really?” Harris seemed to be thinking it over and Cameron could almost literally see those dollar marks in his small eyes. “That is very valuable information, Mr. Henderson. I´ll surely follow your recommendation then.”
“Indeed valuable,” Cameron agreed. “Mr. Tabor promised quite a reward for catching them right?”
The sheriff played with his beard again, in an attempt to keep his face: “Sure, but first and most important is to stop this gang from doing any more felony, isn´t that right?”
Cameron smiled and poured him one more drink: “Of course. Anyway, in case you find out anything related to Riders, may I count with you informing me? It´s quite a personal request, but they caused me many problems and I´d like to see the end to them, you know what I mean?”
Grabbing the glass, Harris nodded willingly: “Sure, you can count on me, Mister.”
***
Almost a week after the unusual evening in Harada´s Saloon, Kame sat down in the kitchen with a cup of strong herbal tea. He was damn tired and felt quite gloomy.
The days were gradually getting shorter and it was already completely dark outside. The strong, cold wind was rustling with the half-bare treetops above the house, which was empty except for himself. Jin was working at brothel and Koki drinking in one of the new pubs in the city, so there was no one he could talk to - and mainly complain - about the issue he was called for to the Fort Ellis, where he spent the whole day trying to figure it out.
Some provisions for Montana reservations were missing again, at least according to the official documentation and he had no idea what could have happened with them this time. Not to mention the anonymous notice delivered to the fort, which accused him from mishandling the provisions and trading on from his position as Indian Agent.
He could not remember the last time something upset him so much. After he revealed that mess in the Fort Benton, he was the one to blame now? He was sure that slandering message came from somebody who bore an ill will towards him. And there were not many people in Bozeman, who would hate him so much to bother, were there?
Now, right before the winter season, missing food supplies were quite a problem. If that mess did not stop, it would have catastrophic consequences mainly for the Blackfeet tribe. Considering the great numbers of new refugees in the reservation, half of them would not last until next spring.
Kame sipped on the hot liquid carefully, suppressing an urge to add something stronger to the mug. He just had to figure it out as soon as possible.
He searched for each document he had gathered ever since his appointment, determined to go through all of them again, in case he overlooked something. He planned to make a list of those who signed the papers and check the situation with them personally. It would take time, since he had no additional help for Montana territory yet, even though he had asked the Office in Washington for sending someone a couple of times.
Jin would not be happy about him being away again all the time, but he had to remedy this situation. If there were someone meddling with the supplies for Indians, he would find out who it was and get him to jail quicker than they might say Manitou.
*
What was too much was simply too much.
Jin had enough of those stupid talks about the sex life of his boyfriend, which got incredibly on his nerves. He was riding home more than prepared to face Kame and solve this matter. There had to be some borders to their agreement about that stupid show they were supposed to perform for the whole Bozeman to watch.
He stabled Kuro with the morning sun already flooding their back yard. There was an unpleasant chill in the air and he could not wait for a cup of hot tea or coffee. He stomped inside the house, expecting to see Kame already up and handling the usual morning stuff and he was taking a breath for a sharp greeting, when the view in their kitchen calmed him down a little. Kame was sleeping on the table, which was covered with some documents, his hand under his forehead, the morning light making his skin pale.
Jesus… How tired he must have been to end up like this?
Jin sighed, wiped his stinging eyes from the long night at Cora´s place and walked over to the table slowly. With much more gentle approach than he was planning for, he touched his boyfriend´s shoulder.
“Hey… Turtle, this is no good place for sleeping.”
Kame opened his eyes only for a narrow cranny.
“Jin? Oh, shit…” he murmured and slowly raised his head and scowled. “It´s morning already?”
“Yeah, I´m pretty sure about that.”
“Why didn´t Koki wake me up before he went to work?”
“That would be ´cause he spent the night in Bozeman. He seduced and persuaded one woman to let him sleep over and went to the mine right in the morning. Though I can imagine he won´t get much done today,” he added gleefully.
“I see… I thought I´d hear him coming back from the saloon, so I just… dropped out, I guess.”
Kame yawned and it took a while of stretching for him to straighten up. Meanwhile, Jin put his coat on the hook and started a fire in the stove.
“How long are you back?” the younger one asked, seeming to be still a bit confused.
“I´ve just arrived… Would you like some coffee?”
“Hell, yes. But you… Don´t you want to take a nap instead?”
“Nah, I managed to sleep at Cora´s tonight,” he lied swiftly. “And… I need to talk to you,” he added a bit hesitantly. Now, when he saw that Kame was apparently busy with something, he was not sure it was such a good idea to start with it.
“Sure,” the younger agreed willingly. “One big cup of coffee then, please. And I´ll tidy this mess up…”
Kame started gathering all the reservation reports and his notes, while Jin brought some fresh water and prepared the full kettle of black coffee. He saw Kame doing it so many times that he did it the very same way without even noticing it. It was Kame, who did, and observed him with a soft shine in his eyes.
“So, what is it?” Kame asked once they both sat by the table again, both of them a hot liquid under their noses and a few slices of bread with butter.
“Hmm… Is everything all right?” Jin asked first. “You don´t usually dig in so many papers.”
Kame sighed: “Well, a certain letter arrived to the Fort Ellis, accusing me from mishandling the provisions.”
Jin gaped at him: “What?”
“You heard me.”
“That´s rubbish.”
“Nicely said, thank you.”
“Who wrote that stupid letter? I bet Creepy Cam´s fingers are in this.”
“I think the same, but I´ve got no proof.”
“Jackass…”
“Don´t worry about it, Jin. I´ll figure it out.”
“Yeah, I´m sure you will, but still…”
A short silence followed.
“So? Jin, what is it?” Kame asked seriously, already noticing there was something on his mind.
He took a breath: “It´s about… about what people say.”
“What do you mean?”
“Look, we agreed on that we´re gonna play this comedy with being interested in women, I know. But that doesn´t mean you have to start dating.”
Kame eyed him surprised: “What? You mean with Lena?”
Jin stood up from the table and threw his hands up in the air: “Who else?”
The younger one chuckled: “Jin, I´m not dating her…”
“Don´t bullshit me,” he cut him off. “Even Cora´s girls know you do!”
“Wait, wait, that´s not the case. I just took her on the horse ride and picnic.”
“Ah, you did… And that´s not what couples do at all!” Jin reacted caustically.
Kame frowned and got on his feet as well: “You´ve got no right to reproach me about Lena. Do you really think I don´t know what you´re up to with that blonde harlot?”
“Nothing happened between me and Dana!” Jin fumed. “And even if it did, there would be nothing serious about it!”
“The same counts for me and Lena!”
“I am not so sure about that. She´s head over heels for you. The whole city talks about the two of you being such a lovely couple.”
“Is that so? Well, they also talk about you being a womanizer!”
“It´s just an act!”
“Which you enjoy pretty much, I dare say.”
“Neither you seem to be annoyed with that girl clinging to you!”
“Hey, hey!” the amused voice was heard, cutting off their intense argument. “That doesn´t sound like the two love birds at all!”
Both of them flinched in surprise and turned to the unexpected guest, standing in the doorway.
“Ryo!” Kame breathed out first.
“Bloody hell,” Jin commented the appearance of black-haired Rider in their kitchen.
“Hello, guys,” the Rider raised his hand in a cheerful greeting. “I´m sorry to disturb, but you probably overheard me knocking…?”
In unspoken agreement, they both ignored Ryo´s curious hint about their fight.
“So, it was true, what Jack wrote us,” Jin noted and approached their friend to welcome him.
“He had given us away in advance? Traitor,” Ryo rolled his eyes and shook hands with Jin and then also with Kame.
“Where did you leave others? What about Leo?” Jin asked, already pretty much excited about seeing his brother again.
“They stayed in one inconspicuous tavern in the outskirts and I went to check the situation myself. Just in case there would have been a trap, you know?”
“Whom did you ask about our house?” Kame wondered. “I doubt you found it by chance.”
“Unfortunately, my abilities are not that great. Yet,” Ryo flashed a confident smile at them. “I simply asked in Harada´s Saloon. I remembered you mentioned it before.”
Kame chuckled: “And Harada believed you´re our friend?”
The Rider shrugged: “Once I said that you two talked only in superlatives about him and his saloon, then yes. He even invited me to stay for a morning cigar,” Ryo laughed. “I probably seemed trustworthy enough.”
“That amazes me though,” Jin noted.
“Still the same sarcasm, buddy?”
Jin grinned: “You can bet.”
“Do you want some coffee?” Kame offered readily.
“That would be absolutely splendid. Leo couldn´t wait any longer and woke me up deadly soon to search for you two.”
Kame turned to the shelves to pick up an additional cup, while Jin invited Ryo to the table.
“How about your trip? Was it all right?” he asked.
“Well, how should I…?” Ryo started and froze, just as the other two.
*
“So, listen… A cowboy´s ridin´ his horse in a desert. Suddenly, he sees a fellow lyin´ down with his ear to the ground. This man says: ´A carriage. Six horses. Three black, two brown, and one white.´
The cowboy on that: ´Wow! You can hear all of that?´
And the man replies: ´No, they just ran me over.´”
One mineworker from their little group actually laughed shortly at the joke, while Koki yawned widely. They were the last to enter the mine for that shift. They were late from all the various reasons, already scolded by the foreman for it and that stupid jerk was in the mood for joking about cowboys. Needless to say - it was Theodore´s favorite activity.
“You don´t seem exactly fresh, man,” Luke, the closest one of Koki´s co-workers, walking in front of him, noted mischievously. “Don´t tell me that chick kept you so busy all the night.”
“Shut up,” Koki brushed him off and lowered his head in the unusually low spot of the tunnel. “You´re just jealous.”
“I happen to have a quite willing woman at home, you jerk,” Luke informed him haughtily.
“I know. You tend to flaunt about it every other day.”
“Who´s jealous now, huh?”
“Your chubby wife is not my type.”
“My chubby darling is definitely more fuckable than that skinny whore you did last night.”
Before Koki could object something to that, they reached the sharp bend, where some of their fellow miners were digging and their mocking calls welcomed them.
“Hello, sleepy heads!”
“Let´s see who dared to come to work!”
“Ned will tear it off your salary!”
Stopping by, Koki showed them a rude gesture: “He´s quite efficient today, so he already did.”
“Mind your own vein, Calvin. Why are you slacking here?” Luke commented their unusual position.
“Orders, man. Checking the possible new golden spot.”
“Ah, so good luck with that.”
“You too!”
They continued further, more carefully now, since uneven surface of excavated tunnels got slippery with moisture.
“Hey, guys, I´ve got another one, you must hear it!” their joker, the last one walking spoke, his voice echoing in the space.
“Here we go again,” Luke sighed, altering the pickaxe on his shoulder.
“How did the cowboy know his cattle were following without turning around?”
“You´ll surely tell us,” Ron - another miner in his thirties - reacted annoyed.
“He herd them!”
Koki snorted and raised a hand with the lantern higher for the rest of men in their group to see better: “Hilarious…” he commented caustically.
“Can´t you shut it, man?” another one turned to laughing Theodore.
“But this one is the best! What does it mean when a cowboy finds a horseshoe? His horse is walking around in his socks!” along with the point of the joke, the man burst out in loud guffaw, while Koki rolled his eyes.
“No more of your stupid jokes, okay?” Luke looked back over his shoulder almost pleadingly.
“You´ve got no sense of humor. Haven´t slept well?” Theodore mocked.
Luke snorted: “Tanaka maybe, but I just miss what´s so funny about it.”
“Just wait, you´ll be begging me to tell some jokes once we´re down in the hole,” the persistent joker predicted.
“You really think that your delightful voice is the only thing which keeps us going?” Luke opposed. “You´re such a dreamer.”
Their group of five reached the wide spot of two tunnels connection and stepped into the light of a few kerosene lamps.
“So, Ned said the two of us should take the south pit, who´s going with me?” Luke asked.
“Me!” Koki took the spot right away. “Anything to let my ears have some rest.”
“Thank you for nothing,” Ron noted gloomily on that.
“You´re welcome,” Koki grinned.
“You´re jerks, guys,” Theodore complained. “No appreciation for my huge effort to lift your spirits.”
“Try again next time, man,” Ron recommended him.
“Great! So tomorrow…!”
Groaning annoyed, they split and Koki with Luke went on heading deeper to the mine. There were some hundred meters of the tunnel in front of them to go. But suddenly, Luke stopped by the alcove for carts, which were used for ferrying the crushed stones and other mess outside the mine.
“Hey, what are you doing there?”
Koki stood on his tiptoes to see over Luke´s shoulder, whom he was talking to. There was a red-haired man, who usually worked as a guard outside, squatting between the two carts. And he was messing with some big box with suspicious content there. It was like he didn´t notice their presence, as he searched his pockets for something with no reply.
“Hey!” Luke leant down and touched his shoulder, earning quite a hateful stare.
“Don´t touch me!”
Koki´s eyes moved further and he spotted the inside of the box - the dark red tubes.
“What the hell… We mustn´t use explosives here, idiot!”
“Don´t come any closer!” the thin, pale man suddenly yelled and stood up, holding the matches in one hand and revolver in the other.
This is no good, both miners realized at the same time.
“What´s your problem, man?” Luke asked, trying to keep his voice calm.
“Everything! You! This mine! That fucker who runs it! He would be alive if not for this damn hole!”
If anything could be deduced from his words, then it seemed the man lost someone during the gold mining.
“Okay, we get it,” Koki assured him, showing him both his hands empty. “Why don´t you solve this directly with Henderson?” he suggested.
“I won´t ask anything of that bastard!” the man shouted again.
“Look, this is a bad idea,” Luke tried to persuade him reasonably. “There are many innocent workers here! Don´t you care?”
“Yeah, that´s exactly right,” the red-haired one yelped. “I don´t give a shit about any of you!”
“No matter what happened to you, that´s not fair, man,” Koki blamed him harshly, while Luke reached out to him. “Don´t be stupid and give it to us.”
“Back off!”
The gun in his hand fired and the bullet dug into the wall behind them. Both Luke and Koki stepped back half deaf and in cold sweat.
“Jesus, just calm down!” Luke requested anxiously.
“We can figure this out!” Koki tried again. “We´ll go to Henderson with you, what do you say?”
But it was as if the man didn´t hear them. For him, there was no other way to unburden his pain. He ignited the match against the wall.
“He was the only one I had!” he cried, his hands shaking and his cheeks sparkling with tears. “Screw you and this fucking mine!”
“No! Stop!”
“Get out!”
“Fuck! Stop it!”
“I´ll shoot you otherwise!”
“Shit!”
“Luke! Run!”
*
Something invisible and unnatural rushed through the woods, startling all the animals - either those walking on the ground or those hiding in the treetops. It grumbled as an angry beast and was quicker than the fastest hare. It shifted the angle of sunbeams penetrating inside their house through the windows and the wooden floor under their feet trembled as if in fear.
Three friends in the kitchen stood completely still, with their senses on high alert. Jin and Kame exchanged an alarmed look. The menacing sound came from the usual direction, but there was nothing familiar about it at all.
The booming wave moved on, leaving behind the landscape silent in horror.
“What the fuck was that?” baffled Ryo asked, breaking the silence first.
Kame gathered some breath to speak: “It came from the gold mine…” he said and headed outside, followed by Jin.
Ryo had no choice but to rush in their steps. They stood on the veranda, looking to the west.
“So, they´re digging so deep they must use explosives?” he asked them.
“Yes. But it didn’t sound right,” Jin replied this time.
“What do you mean?”
“Dynamite detonations are usually quieter, controlled,” Kame explained. “This was…”
“Explosion,” Jin completed him.
“Yes.”
Ryo stared at them: “Since when you became such experts?”
“Try living a mere mile from it for weeks,” the older one murmured.
“Look,” Kame pointed on something on the horizon.
“Damn…”
Ryo could find nothing unusual about the scenery in front of him, which included the deep woods and mountains in the background: “Hey, what do you see?”
“A smoke,” Kame said frowning worriedly. “I don´t have a good feeling about this, Jin. We should check it out.”
His partner nodded seriously: “I agree.”
Ryo stared at them baffled: “May I ask why you care about it, guys? It´s not your business, right?”
They both turned to look at him with deadly serious expressions, none of them saying anything.
Ryo gulped down heavily, suddenly feeling a really bad hunch: “Come on… You´re scary like this.”
It was Kame, who explained the reason to him in a strained voice: “Koki´s in there on his morning shift.”
- To be continued -