Rachel walked out into the deserted front room and flopped down in a chair. The boys and Teaspoon had long ago left to escort a very shaken Doc Whitmore to his house. Callie was still sleeping away the fatigue of her blood loss. Rachel sighed and looked around at the mess that had been left behind from the short but violent gunfight. Shattered glass was lying on the floor and bullet holes riddled the walls. Rain was pouring in from the holes in the wall and through what was left of the window glass. She sighed as she placed some pots and pans under the leaks to hold the water until the holes could be stopped up. Then, she grabbed a broom and started to sweep up the glass. She had barely started when she noticed that there was someone else working along side her. Callie was sweeping up glass and wood chips right there with her.
"Callie, you really should be resting." Rachel told her.
"Well, I figured I'd better do what I could to help you. Maybe try and make up for lying to you and getting you all mixed up in this. Also, to make myself feel better for skipping out on you." Callie ended under her breath.
"Skipping out? What do you mean?" Rachel asked.
"I..... well..... Listen, Rachel, I really do appreciate all that you and the others have done for me. Honestly, I do. But, you took me in because you thought that I was blind, and now, there's no reason for me to need your help. Also, I've gotten you all in enough trouble as it is and I don't want to cause you any more worry than I already have."
Rachel raised an eyebrow and stared long and hard at Callie. "If you think you can just walk out like that, then you are sadly mistake Ms. Callahan."
Callie leaned against the broom that she was holding and stared at Rachel like she'd just grown two heads. Callie was not used to being told that she could not do what she wanted. Even though she had been a gunslinger for the past few years, she had been raised by parents who had been socialites and she had been taught that she could do as she wished no matter what it was she was going to do. Now, to be told that she couldn't leave when she wished, that was too much. Callie's eyes flashed cold, blue fire and Rachel knew that she was straddling the thin line that separated Callie's friends from her enemies. When Callie spoke, her voice was as cold and as unforgiving as the storm that had begun to rage outside.
"Rachel, I will do as I please and I will do it when I please. I will finish helping you sweep, and then I will get my things and I will leave. If you have a problem with that then I'm very sorry, but I will not stay here against my wishes or my better judgment. I know full well that if I stay, I will only bring trouble to you all. I do not want to do that. You are all good people and I have no wish to hurt you. That is why I'm leaving. Now, the sooner I get through sweeping, the sooner I can leave."
With that said, Callie once again started sweeping up the mess in the floor. When she was finished, she walked into the back room and picked up her coat and her guns. She buckled her gun belt low across her hips and put on her coat. As she was walking out the door to the barn she turned to Rachel and held out her hand. "If you ever need anything, just call on me." Rachel took her hand and smiled. "Same to you. You take care of yourself." Callie smiled and ran to the barn. She led her horse out of one of the stalls and mounted. She squinted back towards the house. She could barely see Rachel for all the rain. She cantered as close as she could to the house as she could without climbing up on the porch. She tipped her hat at Rachel and then turned to go. "Wait! Where're you going?" Rachel asked. Callie shrugged. "I think I'll go to Sante Fe." Then, she turned and disappeared into the pouring rain.
Rachel turned to go back into the house when she heard hoof beats pounding towards the house. She turned, looking to see if it was Callie returning. It wasn't. It was Teaspoon and the other riders returning. They were riding hell bent for leather, it was almost as if their horses had wings. Rachel shrugged and went back into the house. About ten minutes later, Teaspoon and all of the boys rushed into the house like a whirlwind. They were dripping wet, but that didn't do any damage because the floor was already under a half an inch of water from the rain that was leaking in from all of the holes.
"If you boys will wash up I'll have supper on the table soon." Rachel said.
Cody glanced around and grimaced, "I think I'll eat in the barn tonight, Rachel. I don't really like the idea of getting any wetter and the barn is the driest place around here."
Rachel looked at Cody out of the corner of her eye and shook her head. "William F. Cody, you are turning into a wimp. I would think that if Colleen can ride from here to Sante Fe in this driving rain, you can certainly sit here under a few tiny drips!"
Teaspoon jumped up out of his chair. "Sante Fe!" He yelled. "Yes, Sante Fe." Rachel told him. "Oh no!" He groaned. "What?" Rachel asked. "The road to Sante Fe is washed out. She'll never make it. Somebody's got to catch her and warn her. Somebody's got to go now!"
"Let's see, Lou, you and Kid can't go, you've both got runs tomorrow. Buck, you've got a run in a few hours. Cody and Jimmy, you're needed to replace some injured riders at Blue Creek. Noah, you're needed to help at Sunset Creek. That just leaves you, Ike. What do you say? Will you go?"
Ike nodded and stood up to get his coat. "Be careful, Ike." Buck said. Ike grinned and walked out the door. Moments later, they all heard his horse gallop out of the yard. "Please, God. Don't let him be too late." Teaspoon said.
Meanwhile, several miles away Callie was carefully picking her way through brush and briars. The road was flooded for as far as she could see and the rain was coming down harder. "Awww, devil take it all!" she muttered under her breath as her horse slid down yet another muddy embankment. Much more of this and she knew her horse would probably injure itself enough to have to be put down. She glanced around and sighed. She knew that if she kept on going, she would wind up lost or drowned in the downpour.
Grumbling and cursing the rain she led her horse to an indention in the hillside. It was just high enough that it should be above the rising water, and it curved over enough to offer plenty of protection for herself and her horse.
Once she was under shelter she pulled her saddle bags off of Cantina and began searching through them. Finally, she pulled a small wooden box out. Sitting down on the ground, she spilled the contents of the box out on the ground. Letters and pictures lay scattered on the ground. Humming to herself, she searched through the letters until she found what she was looking for.
The letter was well worn, as if it had been read many times. She unfolded it and a picture fell out into her lap. She picked the picture up and smiled sadly. Trust Scarlet to have her picture taken with her horse. God, she loved that horse. Scarlet had named him Stormy, and the name fit perfectly. The horse ran the a whirlwind, leaving destruction in its path. Gathering up all the other pictures, she laid them carefully in the box. With one last glance, she laid the picture of Scarlet and Stormy on top. When she had done that, she began reading the letter that she held in her hand.
Tears flowed freely down Colleen's face. Scarlet had indeed been like a sister to her. God only knew where she was now. Colleen hadn't heard from her since this note, and that had been over two years ago.
Carefully, she laid the letter back in the box and placed the box back in the saddle bags. Just as she was laying down on the ground to go to sleep she heard the sound of a horse galloping above her. Sitting up, she pressing in closer to the wall of earth. That was how she finally noticed the cracks in the dirt bank. The heavy rains had weakened the earth and now, with someone galloping around on top of the bank it would soon give way. "Oh crap!" She thought.
As quickly as she could, she saddled Cantina and mounted to ride to a safer spot. She didn't make it. With a mighty rumbling groan, the bank gave way and came down in one giant heap. The last thing Callie saw was a huge mound of dirt, rocks and plants cascading down on top of her. She screamed and then everything went black.
Ike was riding slowly across the slick ground of the plain. He had been forced to leave the road when he had come to a wide track of deep water. He figured Callie must have left the road too, because there was no way she could have made it across. After a few moments, he reached sturdier ground and urged his horse into a gallop. At this rate, he should catch up to Callie some time tonight. He smiled and urged the horse to go faster. That was when he felt the ground give way beneath him. He heard a scream and then he and his horse pitched over the edge of an embankment right into the middle of a large mudslide. "This is bad." was his last though before the mud closed in over his head.
More Coming Soon!
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