DELIVERED

Sickness and healing are in every heart.
Death and deliverance are in every hand.

-
Orson Scott Card

UNCERTAIN, TEXAS

SUMMER, 1881

“Heyes tell me again how we let Mac talk us into this?” Kid Curry asked with a heavy sigh as he macheted through the thick jungle like underbrush of the bayou. They had long since left any sign of Texas behind and now were surrounded by a wilderness of moss shrouded marshlands completely foreign to them.

“You wanted to eat and $500 a piece pays for a lot of suppers,” Hannibal Heyes sighed back and slapped a mosquito.

“Texas/Louisiana border in summer, we should have made it a 1000 a piece.” Kid said mournfully. “Why would Mac want this land anyway its all quicksand and gators.”

On the word Heyes looked around warily. So far they had only seen the large creatures from a distance slinking into the water or lurking in the mud.

He shivered despite the heat. The animals had always seemed somewhat unreal, even when he had been told about them as a child.

Kid had been so wary of the whole thing he had made Heyes look the creatures up in Mac’s library and give him a run down on what part to shoot first. Normally Heyes would have taken his partner’s caution as amusing, now he was just grateful they had taken the trouble to read up on where they were going.

“All I know is he foreclosed on this Kettling family that own this swamp and we’ve got to go in and move them out. I think they will thank us.”

“I don’t. If Mac is paying us $500 a piece and can’t get his own men to do the job there is something he isn’t telling us.”

“He said he couldn’t spare them with round up and all,” Heyes said, but he didn’t sound convinced either.

“So he can’t find anyone local? He has to send for us two states away? No Heyes something is definitely wrong here and…”

The six guns clicked back at the same moment.

Both outlaws glanced at one another and cautiously raised their hands.

“Well that ole McCreedy gone done and sent us some more fertilizer,” laughed a tall, unshaven man of about fifty as he stepped out of the mist rifle cocked and eyes narrow with something slightly close to madness. “Drop ‘em boys for we kill ya dead and that ain’t no fun.”

******************************

“I’m gonna kill Mac for this,” Heyes swore silently as his hands were roughly tied behind his back. And to make matters worse he was kicking himself for letting these Rebs sneak up on them. Mac would never let them hear the end of it, if they lived to tell him about it.

It had quickly become clear these were the Kettlings. Father and five sons ranging in age from 15 to 30. They were tall, muscular and clad only in overalls, worn boots and a lifetime of dirt.

“We done told this McCreedy this is our land,” the oldest one said pulling out a rope and expertly tossing it over a limb of a tree jutted over the water. “But seems were gonna have to give him an example of how serious we are.”

Grabbing Kid three of the men tied the end of the rope around his waist and suddenly with a yank he was hauled up in the air.

“What the hell are you doing?” Heyes yelled struggling to help his partner.

“Making us an example. I figure one or two legs chewed off should get the point across,” the man smiled and nodding to his boys they slowly began lowering a kicking Kid towards the water.

The first gator practically leapt a foot in anticipation as his shadow crossed the water and Heyes froze in horror.

“Your crazy,” he whispered his throat dry.

“Oh Pa sure is,” one of the men holding him laughed. “You should see what he gone done to them government men they send down here.”

No wonder Mac got the land so cheap from the state, Heyes moaned. Even the government didn’t want to deal with this bunch. He turned his eyes up to his partner who was being teased up and down above the water.

There were at least three alligators waiting now and more were slithering into the water sensing food.

“Look we can help you, cut my partner down and I’ll tell you what McCreedy’s plans are,” Heyes said desperate. “You don’t think he sent us in here alone do you? Why he’s got an army back there waiting and I know how they’re coming in. Cut him down and I’ll tell you everything.”

“He is purty Pa, might be fun to keep,” the oldest boy smiled up at Kid. “Why don’t we keep them both and have us a dance tonight!”

“Something to think about,” the older man said thoughtfully. “But what if he’s lying?”

“Then when they get too broken in we send them back like that other fella,” the man shrugged.

Heyes steeled himself trying not to think what the man was implying. For the moment all that mattered was keeping Kid alive. Together they would think of a way to escape. As long as they were together…

The crack of the limb surprised them all.

Kid crashed, for there was no other word as high as he was, into the water and sunk below its murky depths and was gone.

“Aw Pa look what he done!” one of the men said slapping the one with the rope. “Now we gotta share this one.”

“Yea that’s a real shame,” the man said watching the alligators sink beneath the surface quickly, enjoying it with an almost sadistic pleasure that was almost sexual in its intensity. “Won’t be enough left of him to bait hook with.”

“You bastards,” Heyes said breaking free and diving for the water only to be hit with a heavy stick from behind and collapsing at the edge unconscious.

“If you killed him I’ll skin your hide,” the father said slapping the man’s ear. “Pick him we need to find out if he’s lying.”

“And how we gonna do that?” the son asked with a sully snarl.

“By making him feel like one of the family!” the man smiled wickedly.

*****************************

I’m gonna kill you Mac, I’m gonna take you out and shoot you dead and then I’m gonna dig you up once a week and do it again until I start to feel better, Kid swore silently as he tried to keep his feet up above the water. The rope on his hands kept them tied behind his back, but they were loosening thanks to the moss he had managed to rub on his wrists before being tied. He heard Heyes spinning a tale and hoped to be ready when they brought him back to land. He still had his knife up his sleeve and all he needed was access to one gun and this would be over. Come on Heyes keep talking partner….

He hit the water as surprised as the alligators. He had come from such a height that he fell deep amazed at how far down the lake went.

Knowing he only had seconds before the animals recovered and came after him he freed his hands with one last desperate tug and pulling out his knife took off like a shot in the direction he thought closest to shore. The lake was muddy, stirred up even more by his entry and it made seeing nearly impossible.

Instinctively he moved to almost the surface of the water allowing the sunlight resting on the top to give him a chance to see. The gator was waiting.

He sensed it before it reached him, years of being on the run alerting him to a predator and he turned ready his mind forcing what Heyes had read him to come to his aide. Needing air he surfaced for a moment took a deep breath and went on the attack.

This surprised the animal that was not used to dinner fighting back and Kid’s knife instantly found its soft belly and with a swift vicious swipe sliced it open horizontally.

Blood instantly clouded the water drawing the other animals and Kid let out a silent scream as something caught hold of his foot, Turning he saw a massive creature tearing at his leg and it was all he could do to hold on to the knife and bring it up hard into the chin of the creature who immediately let go.

Seeing his chance as the other animals turned on their dying comrades the made a move to swim to shore. The tale of a third creature caught him hard along the temple just as he surfaced and with a cry of pain he reached out to catch the branch that had fallen and heard a yell from shore that seemed distant and far away.

They had seen him.

*********************************

Heyes awoke and the first thing he was conscious of was the smell. It pushed him up from the vomit stained urine reeking burlap too quickly and he leaned against the wall of the shack willing his head to stop spinning.

“He’s awake Pa.”

Heyes blinked trying to remember and when he did he closed his eyes and begged his mind to close back.

“Took you long enough boy,” Pa said looking up from where he was cleaning his gun. “You’ll be happy to know that pretty partner of yours ain’t dead, chewed on real good, but he did kill him two gators first. We call that mighty fine fightin in these parts. You boys from around here?”

“Kansas,” Heyes said suddenly brought back to life. Kid was still alive and hurt and he needed him.

“Make em soft in Kansas, usually. Boy done good, hope my young uns can find him alive enough to be useful. Right now just you and me and Little Bo, but don’t be getting ideas or I’ll teach you real quick I don’t take no bother from no one.”

Heyes looked around desperate for a hook; he had to have something this man needed, something to get the upper hand.

“Pa its stuck agin!” the youngest boy said coming in the door. He was a greasy, slight fair-haired boy with dull stupid eyes. A poster child against inbreeding. He glanced over at Heyes like he was dinner and Heyes got the impression his being there moved the boy up the food chain.

“Damn it Bo ain’t you got a lick of sense, I told you ya gotta keep them tubes clear…”

“Still?” Heyes asked trying not to look too excited.

Pa stared at him, “Maybe.”

“My grandpa had the biggest, bestest still in all Kansas and Missouri combined,” Heyes said sitting up and doing his best to look cocky inspite of how his head felt.

“That so,” Bo sneered, but Pa was clearly interested.

“You grandpa huh? Irish?”

“Yup. Made the best Irish whiskey known to man. Smooth and deadly.”

“Hmmm, you know anything about stilling?”

“Might.”

“What’s that suppose to mean?”

“Means I ain’t helping for nothing, I want a cut and I want you to stop looking at me like you want us to pick out curtains. I fix that still for you and you’ll make a brew you can sell to buy you a cathouse of women.”

“Real women!” Bo was clearly excited. “I ain’t never had me a real woman. All the ones we caught and brought here don’t last long…”

“Shut up Bo, all right mister you show me what you can do and we’ll talk.”

“Nope I’m dead either way, here’s the deal, I’ll make you a batch of shine so pure, so fine you can sell it for a pretty penny, but I won’t show you how to do it unless you let me and my partner go.”

Man considered this and finally nodded, “Fair enough, got yerself a deal, now lets see what you can do pretty boy!”

Heyes stood up slowly and swallowed down the nausea rising up in him. He had to keep his head, Kid needed him and they were both dead unless he could make this work.

Pa sneered as Heyes gingerly walked out the door. Stupid Yankee, did he think he couldn’t pick up any tricks he did? He’d be stilling all his life. With a grin he picked up rifle and shuffled after him. He wouldn’t let him out of his sight.

What he didn’t realize was that was just what Heyes was hoping.

********************************

Kid sat down and just let himself breathe. Every inch of his body was screaming out in anger at the treatment he had shown it and never moving again seemed a possible option in response.

Sighing he slowly pulled off his shirt noting the rope burn around his waist. One more thing to get payback for he grimaced and slit open his trouser leg to see how bad the bite was.

Fortunately the boot had taken the worst of it, but he still had some deep gashes from where the teeth had penetrated his jeans and boots and using the shirt he tied the wound up to halt the bleeding.

Frowning he delicately touched his temple. It was sticky, he had taken a serious wallop there and probably looked like death warmed over.

Suddenly from behind him he heard voices and cautiously slid up behind he tree. Four of the Kettling clan, oldest boys, making no effort to hide their advance.

“Look careful boys must have dropped by now with all this blood,” one yelled.

“Yea well lets hurry up and find him and get back before Pa and Bo don’t leave us enough of that other fella to dance with.”

Kid tensed, Heyes was in trouble. He tightened his grip on his knife.

Outnumbered 4 to 1 they were hunting him with the assumption that wounded he did not pose any kind of threat.

Kid Curry suddenly felt a rush of renewed energy shoot through him.

And a desire to prove them very, very wrong.

*******************************

“What the hell you need to look around the ground for?” Pa Kettling said grumpily as Heyes knelt down before the marshy pool and smiled to himself. This would do perfectly.

Mac had laughed at them reading up on the land they would be traveling in. But Heyes had learned long ago that a little knowledge could not only make you the most successful outlaw gang in history it could also save your life.

“You need a water source.”

“We got a well!” Bo said scratching his head.

“Yea, but this is back up,” Heyes said feeding the tubing down through the marshy greenery covering the water and praying the gas wouldn’t rise too quickly.

“Yankee is plum crazy,” Pa said scratching his head.

But Heyes, ever the showman, instantly turned his movements into an orchestrated spiel of banging, measuring and tightening. He had no idea what he was doing, but he looked like no one could do it better.

“The trick is,” he smiled innocently convinced enough of the colorless, odor less swamp gas had been allowed to escape. “In what you can’t see.”

***************************

Kid had often been the hunted, but the experiences had made him all the more deadly when the tables were turned.

He had no time for caution or a plan. He simply had to take down these four men to reach his partner. Heyes needed him and that galvanized him like no other motivation could.

The first one was easy. He brought him down as he passed a low hanging tree with one punch. A blow to the back of the head ensured his hunter would not be rising again soon.

Kid kicked him over and smiled with a look of pure pleasure.

The man was carrying his gun.

********************************

“So what you gonna do now?” Pa said inching closer.

Heyes smiled like a magician about to pull a rabbit out of his hat.

“Oh nothing…” Heyes said innocently.

“Yea that’s what I thought, your trying to poison us aren’t you? Here get up against that wall and don’t move. Bo, check what he added to that boiler. Must think were idiots…” Pa went on as Bo lifted the iron lid and pulling a match out scraped it against the metal to peer in.

Heyes threw himself behind the woodpile as the methane gas found the spark.

The explosion shook the entire landscape and Heyes found himself covered in cords of lumber. When he at last pushed free to look up the still was gone, so were the two men, but the trees above were littered with parts of each.

“That’s why my mother never let my grandfather have a still,” Heyes smiled and hurrying to the house picked up his gun.

Hang on Kid, I’m coming.

*******************************

The explosion rocked the swamp sending the animals into terrorized flight and almost knocking Kid off his feet.

Heyes was alive and the thought made him exhale.

“Turn around boy! I don’t know what the hell that was, but I’m gonna make you and yours pay hard for it hear?”

Kid turned slowly and the man’s eyes opened wider as he saw the gun in his belt and desperately moved to bring his weapon up.

He didn’t.

Two down, two to go.

***********************************

Heyes heard the shot and listened judging the distance and direction. Kid was close, or at least he prayed it was Kid. He had enough faith in his partner to know if he thought he was in trouble four to one wouldn’t mean much, especially if he got his hands on a gun.

Determined to return the favor he hurried after the echo.

********************************

“You killed him you Yankee bastard!” the man ran from the trees into the clearing holding his shotgun like a club and Kid found himself whirling and firing in response without thinking. The man stumbled at the shot and to Kid’s amazement kept going.

Kid moved to fire again and groaned as the gun clicked on an empty chamber. The idiot who had taken his gun had used it and not reloaded.

The man reached him and swung the weapon viciously just missing Kid but causing him to pivot wrong on his leg and go down with a cry as it gave way.

With a roar the man slammed the gun against the back of him sending him down flat on his stomach in agony.

“You gonna regret this boy, you gonna regret this bad.”

The man leapt on him, but Kid was ready turning over and plunging his knife into the man with a desperate groan of pain.

For a moment Kid just lay there with the man’s heavy weight on him and then disgusted pushed him off not sure he could do much else.

Finally he found the strength to rise to one knee.

“That’s right boy beg!” the 4^th brother said cocking back his gun.

Kid looked up out of ideas and strength.

“Gonna send you straight to hell,” the man said gleefully.

“You first,” Heyes answered and fired.

*******************************

“God you’re a mess,” Heyes said an hour later as they sat by the stream of clearing running water.

“Heyes will quit fussing!” Kid said angrily pulling away as Heyes tried to clear the blood off his face.

“Fine, let’s get that infected, won’t be hard in this climate, just let’s be clear I’m not carrying you,” He said firmly and then frowned. “How’s that leg? You gonna be able to walk?”

Kid suddenly laughed, “I thought you weren’t carrying me out?”

Heyes failed to bite back a smile, “Should have known you’d be too tough for even an alligator eat. I imagine they don’t spit back much.”

“Aw Heyes you were worried about me.”

Heyes scowled at him and re-wet his bandanna and winced when he saw the state of the younger man’s leg.

“No, only 4 to 1 and I knew you would be worried about me so I…”

“I wasn’t worried about you,” Kid said poker faced.

“Then why didn’t you just hide out until they went by?” Heyes said smugly.

“They had my gun.”

“You were more worried about that gun than your own cousin?”

“Gun cost me 40 dollars,” Kid said sincerely.

Heyes shook his head in mock despair not missing the pain in his friend’s eyes as he finished tying up the leg.

“So you gonna tell me what that explosion was?” Kid said through gritted teeth.

“Proof a little book learnin’ is worth its weight in gold. “Can you walk?”

“No problem.”

Heyes sighed, “Here give me your arm. I’m gonna take every inch of this job out of Mac’s hide,” he growled as he helped his friend to his feet.

“Heyes I’m fine,” Kid lied shrugging off his arm to lean on and checking his now reloaded gun. “Not too far to the horses now, just hope we see some more of those gators.”

Heyes turned to stare at him. “Have you completely lost your mind?”

“Nope, hear they grow to 8 feet.”

“And you want to run into another one?”

“Yup, figure I got just enough rope to take it back to Mac and you know how he enjoys his baths!”

Heyes stared at him and Kid started to laugh, his partner joined him.

And delivered up once more they wearily walked back into the living.