Chapter 18
Lou saw Jimmy's determination. She desperately shouted at him and wriggled, trying desperately to loosen Kid's hold of her. Kid didn't seem to notice. He had disappeared into another state of mind, his main concern to get Lou out of danger. Her violent moves only made him take a tighter grip around her. In horror she watched Jimmy's take aim at Kid's heart, and she knew as soon as Kid took another step, Jimmy would fire. She hit the Kid hard on his injured shoulder, making him lose his footing and with a cry of pain, fall backwards, her landing hard on him as the shot rang out.
In the corner of her eye she saw Jimmy stand up, gun still pointing at the Kid. She whimpered "No" as she laid her body on the Kid's to cover him. Praying that Jimmy would realize his mistake before it was too late. Her mind raced as she watched Jimmy come closer. She didn't know what it would do to Jimmy if he shot Kid. It would probably kill him just as much as it would the Kid. Watching Jimmy's pale face, bloody scratches emphasizing the whiteness, she realized he was in a daze too, not really aware of what he was doing. She prayed he'd come out of it in time.
Jimmy had taken only a few steps before he realized what he had almost done. He felt a wave of nausea as he lowered the gun and ran towards his two friends. One of them which he had almost lost due to his own hand on the gun. His side was aching, making it hard to breathe, but he didn't mind the pain.
"Goddammit!" he growled as he knelt besides them. "Damn you!" his voice almost broke as he covered his face with his shaking hands. Lou moved away from the Kid to come closer to him.
"Jimmy!" she exhaled relieved, her voice full of surprise and disbelief. "What are you doin' here? Are you alright?"
Jimmy nodded, face still enfolded in his hands. She took hold of his arms to make him look at her. She was shaken but her face radiated a comforting smile. Jimmy turned his eyes to the man on the ground. He was staring at the Kid, now moving to get up from his position. As their eyes met he was shocked at the Kid's blank expression.
In total bewilderment he watched the Kid stand up, swaying and coughing.
"She's hurt Jimmy, take care of her for a while" Kid said as he tried to gain control over his body. Lou's stunned eyes followed the Kid as he turned around.
"Kid, where you goin'?" Jimmy asked, watching Kid's behavior with squinted eyes. There was something wrong about him, he seemed like he didn't even know where he was at.
"Gotta go help the others," he said and made his way up the slope, stumbling and crawling.
"Kid NO! Are you out of your mind?" Lou was yelling at him, trying to run after him. Her attempt made her fall into a heap, sobbing, holding her ankle.
"Lou, you Ok?" Jimmy's eyes fell on Lou and he swept her up in his lap from the icy ground.
"I'm fine Jimmy. It's just my ankle that's hurt." She was sobbing into his chest.
"What's wrong with him?" Jimmy had to ask, having seen the oddly blank expression in Kid's eyes.
"Jimmy, please go after him, he's hurt!"
Jimmy's eyes searched for his friend, but he had already disappeared behind the trees. "Lou, will you be alright?"
She nodded in his lap "Just leave me one of your guns" she spoke, her voice steady now.
Jimmy rose with some difficulty. As he went after his friend the morning light painted the sky in a faint yellow.
Kid was moving towards the hell he just had left, determined to help the others. His feeling of guilt, him having survived, added to his determination. He never saw Buck as he went right past him, and he just noticed Natalie as she took a hold of him. He saw her mouth move, but he couldn't make out what she was saying. The roar in is head drenched her words. He motioned in the direction where he had left Lou. Then he made his way past her and out of the woods.
Buck watched Kid walk past him, calling out his name. He didn't react. Buck's desperation grew, he needed help! Then he blinked in surprise as Natalie showed up in front of the staggering Kid. She stopped him and asked him where he was going. Kid just pointed behind him, and pushed himself past her. Natalie stood for a moment staring after him, then she turned and came in Buck's direction.
"Buck," she cried as she saw him with Dawn in his arms. He couldn't talk, tears dimming his sight and a lump in his throat prevented him from uttering a word. "Let me see!"
He heard Natalie speak softly as she tried to loosen his grip on the girl in his lap.
"Let go of her, Buck, I can't see!" Natalie's fingers were on Dawn's wound. She examined it thoroughly and let out a sigh of relief, it wasn't that bad. The bullet wasn't inside the girl. It had just ricocheted on her ribs, breaking a few of them.
"Buck, she's gonna be alright." He heard her, but couldn't believe her. "Buck you did fine stopping the bleeding, she just needs the wound cleaned and bandaged now. She was lucky!" Natalie's words finally carried trough to him.
"But she's unconscious," he stammered.
"It's the shock Buck, it's nothing to worry about. Just keep her warm!" Buck nodded and swallowed, his tears threatening to flow uncontrollably again.
As the morning light lighted up the plain Aganti realized the devastation. He had lost count of the dead men, he had stumbled over. The hail of bullets had ceased, and the aggressors were lying among his brothers. He had received help from the hillside, he knew that. The gunshots had been answered by somebody, but he didn't have the time to wonder by whom. Taking the still living but terrified to shelter in the one still standing teepee, he wondered if he was going to come out if this with his sanity intact? He hoped Natalie had stayed in the sheltering forest, he dreaded the thought that he might stumble over her dead body too.
As he reached down to touch one of his brothers, lying face down near the creek, he heard footsteps behind him. As he turned he saw Wahani approach.
"You did this?" Aganti remarked as his brother took a step closer "You lead them here?"
Wahani's grim smile gave him the answer.
"Why?" he urged, not able to understand a man that could do something like this.
With no answer Wahani leapt toward Aganti, the knife he was holding glimmering in the morning light.
Kid had reached the frozen plain, the fires still burning around him. The gunshots had been silenced but he didn't notice. He scanned the area, his being filling with disgust over what he saw. There where dead bodies everywhere, some of them scorched. The sight and the smell brought with them a revolting sense of utter hopelessness. Who would do a thing like this, and why? he thought as he stepped over yet another body. He lifted his eyes from the bloody ground, not able to take in any more of the signs cruelty had left on the ice covered plain. He noticed snowflakes fall on his face. As if nature itself was crying frozen tears over mankind's brutality. Kid wasn't sure if it was the snow or his own tears that dampened his face.
He heard somebody talking not far from him and he turned to see if he could be of aid to them. His hopelessness changed into rage as he witnessed Aganti being attached by another Brave. He ran towards them as he watched the Indian's knife find it's way into Aganti's leg.
"No!" he yelled "It's enough!"
The Indian had jerked the knife out of Aganti's leg and was about to slit his throat open. Kid's whole being filled with a blood-red sense of rage that made him throw himself at the Indian. The impact sent the Indian away from Aganti. Kid landed at the aggressor's side. With a sound Kid never heard any man let out before, the man rose and turned to Kid. Kid jerked shakily into a standing position but before he was fully erect the man kicked his ribs, sending him into the frozen creek.
Jimmy was close to Kid as he witnessed him charge at the Brave. He drew his gun, hesitant to shoot, remembering what he'd almost done earlier. Then he felt two hands on his back tugging at his sleeve.
"Don't shoot him!" A voice wailed behind him. Surprised he turned around and stood eye to eye with Natalie. Her eyes were wide open and directed at the wounded on the ground. "Dont shoot him Jimmy, don't!"
He stared at her, not believing his eyes. "Natalie?" he finally asked. The girl in front of him had nothing of the calm subtleness he had witnessed in Rock Creek. The feature that had made him look twice. Jimmy took a hold of her shoulders, trying to steady her. Her hair was tangled, pine needles sticking out. Her face was painted with terror as she frenetically tore at his sleeve. A scratch on her cheek sent blood dripping down her collar. Then she stiffened and whimpered helplessly. Pushing Jimmy backwards, she freed herself and started running. Jimmy was afraid what he was going to see when he turned around.
When the ice-cold water hit Kid's upper body, and his head went under, his blood-red rage vanished and a stonecold need for survival took it's place. He was up in a sitting position in a split second. His left hand found a stone. Instinctively he threw, with all the strength he could muster, the stone at the man coming after him. The stone hit the man in the chest with a sickening thud. Kid watched as the man stumbled backwards, gasping for air. The man stumbled on Aganti, helplessly falling backwards, right on the knife Aganti was holding with the edge directed at the man . Kid noticed Aganti close his eyes as the man fell on him and on the knife he was holding, pushing it into his own heart as he fell. Then he convulsed and laid still. Kid felt he had seen all the cruelty and all the needless dying he could take in this lifetime. Knowing he was partly to blame made him shiver. With a blurred vision he saw Natalie run to Aganti's side before he turned and immersed his face back into the icy water, hoping it would rinse everything he had seen, away.
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