Chapter 4 – Half Hills
December 3rd, 1884
Alicetown, Free West
Luck sat still while the town doctor, Gloria Gilmore, applied his mother’s balm to the wounds on his shoulder.
“Are you sure you don’t want any more treatment? Antibiotics, morphine?” She asked, securing a bandage to his shoulder by wrapping it around the front of his chest and back.
“It’s fine, doctor. I should be at a hundred percent in a few days.”
Dr. Gilmore looked at him skeptically.
“I’m not trying to sound tough or anything. That’s just the truth. This cut here is almost healed, and I got it this morning.” Luck waved his right hand at her.
“Well, if you say it works as good as it does, then I’ll have to get that recipe.” Dr. Gilmore put away her tools and walked over to a water basin. She pulled on a handle, and water poured from a hidden spot in the wall.
A knock at the operating room door pulled Luck’s attention. Standing on the threshold was an attendant from the Twin Waters Bath House. She had a bundle of clothes in her arms.
Luck sat up straight. He was shirtless, and the borrowed clothes were torn and dirty. “I know Mr. Waters said the clothes might get dirty, but if I need to pay for this, I will.”
“Mr. Waters is aware that you helped defend the town. The conditions of the clothes lent to you matter none. Though I must still take them.”
“Right,” Luck nodded. He took his clean clothes and stepped behind a partition to change. He grabbed a yellow shirt, brown pants, a blue bandana, socks, underwear, worn brown boots, and finally, his grey knee-length wool coat.
All of his clothes looked almost brand new. Tears had been stitched up, and stains that Luck believed were beyond removal were now gone. Worth every damn dollar. Luck smiled and changed. He bundled up the borrowed garments and handed them to the attendant, who left as quietly as she arrived.
“Tell me, doc, how much do I owe you?”
“Nothing. The services I provide are funded by the town's residents, though the Allison brothers pitch in the most. Also, I only used bandages since you refused stitches.”
Luck smiled and thanked Dr. Gilmore. This town was starting to appeal to him even more. He could count on both hands how often he’s had a doctor try to swindle him with fees that made no sense or treatments they swore were miracles.
Leaving the clinic with his gun and clean clothes in hand, Luck appeared to be finished for the night. But up the street, the tall man in the black duster was still waiting – standing in the same spot where he had last seen him, a few yards from the front of the blasted brothel entrance. He had introduced himself as Michael McKinnon before he sent Luck off to the clinic.
Also at the brothel was Wayward, who was without a saddle. The old man who watched the stables was trying to lead her away.
Wayward nudged him with her head. “Easy, girl. I’m alright.” He said, rubbing her head, “but I hope you got some rest ‘cos I got a feeling we’ll have some tonight.”
“She went nuts!” The old man yelled as he ran to Luck. “The damn beast unlocked her door and took off runnin’.”
“I apologize for her behavior; she can be a rowdy one. Can you take her back, please?”
“Saddle her George. Mine and some Allison horses too.”
George turned and nodded. “You got it, Mac. C’mon, you wily beast.” George put a hand on Wayward and returned her to the stables.
“So, do I call you Mac?” Luck asked.
“Everyone does, shouldn’t stop with you. Now c’mon, I need you for this.” Mac waved him over.
“What exactly do you need me for?”
“I need people who can shoot, and so far, I only have you. Now I just need a few ladies.”
Luck followed Mac to the front of the brothel, where most of the debris had fallen to. No one was anywhere to be seen. Still, Mac shouted at the building. “Madam D’Arcy! I’ve come to ask for a favor!” His voice was deep and rough, and when he shouted, he did so so loudly he could’ve woken up the town if anyone was asleep.
A few moments passed, and there was no answer.
“Madam D’Arcy! I need some girls!”
Luck cleared his throat, “Um, this isn’t what I expected.”
“Relax, kid, it isn’t what you think.”
Shortly after shouting, the sound of footsteps from the inside began to grow. Then from the stairs inside appeared the Asian woman he had seen in the burgundy dress earlier. She was flanked on all sides by a cadre of men and women wearing clothes that advertised what was on offer for visitors of D’Arcy’s Palace.
“Madam D’Arcy.”
“Shut your mouth, Michael!” The Madam said, crossing over the blasted remains of the front entrance, stopping a few feet from Mac and Luck. “First, you convince me to let Benny go. Then he gets taken the moment he comes back, and now you want me to let you take some of my girls? For what?!”
“To get Benny back,” Mac said. “He told me where they were ambushed, and he said he knew their hideout because they were actively avoiding it when they were caught. If I can get some trustworthy guns, I can get him and the others back.” Mac put a hand on Madam D’Arcy’s shoulder.
“I saw what came for him, Michael. If the things you told me about them are true, some girls won’t be enough.” Madam D’Arcy moved his hand away and turned her back. “You’d need more than trustworthy guns to bring Benny back.”
“Maybe we just need some luck.”
Luck narrowed his eyes and looked at Mac. He whispered, “Are you talking about me or the phenomenon?”
“Introduce yourself, kid.” Mac ignored Luck’s question and nudged him forward.
Luck awkwardly said hello to The Madam’s entourage, then introduced himself, “Evening, Madam D’Arcy. I’m Tomas Luck. I just came into town this morning. However, I was here when everything happened. Now, I may not know your Benny, but I know that those who took him don’t seem like good folks. Though Mac hasn’t directly asked for my help in this particular matter, I’d be more than happy to help bring your boy back. Which seems like something good for me to do.”
Madam D’Arcy turned and looked directly into Luck’s eyes.
“I – I don’t mean like, this is giving me something to do other than lounging around; I just mean that it’s a chance to do something decent for someone else, which I don’t often get the chance to do. Also, I was thinking about living in this town, and this might just earn me some favor with y’all.”
Madam D’Arcy inspected Luck from head to toes. She then walked up to him, reached up, and placed a hand on his cheek, looking deeply into his eyes. “Selfish and selfless. Like everyone else. Honest. Like very few people.”
“Thank you. I think.”
Madam D’Arcy pulled her hand away and spoke to Mac, “Do you think he meant a person?”
“The old man said, ’When luck finds us.’ And here he is, Tomas Luck, having found us.”
“If I may interject for a brief moment. Um, what, old man?” Luck asked.
“You’re forgetting the last part,” Madam D’Arcy said, ignoring Luck. “’ When luck finds us, the world will change.’”
“You believed him just as much as I did, D’Arcy.”
“That was a long time ago.” Madam D’Arcy exhaled and straightened her back. She turned to the women, then back to Mac and Luck, “I believed him only a little. But that’s not important right now. We’ll have to send a wire to Yucati. They’ll want to know that their people were taken. With some of my girls going with you, the rest will remain and patrol the town. The last thing we want is another surprise attack. Now, Michael, who’s going with you.”
“Elodie and Denise.” He said without hesitation. “Yucati is six hours away, and Half Hills is two. I wouldn’t want to leave you with so few guns.”
A short woman with brunette hair took the arm of a blonde-haired girl, “We’ll go get ready.” She then turned to Madam D’Arcy and said something to her in what sounded like French, then kissed her cheek.
Madam D’Arcy smiled faintly, then ordered the remaining women and men to their new tasks. She turned to Luck and Mac, “You bring back my boy, understand?”. She said quietly and firmly.
Both men nodded.
Madam D’Arcy’s voice cracked slightly, revealing a level of vulnerability not previously heard. She put a hand on Mac’s chest and got close to him to whisper, “please.” She left the two men outside and disappeared into the brother past the blasted entryway.
As she disappeared back inside, Luck turned to Mac, confused about what he has to do with evening the odds. “How has an old man involved me in all this?”
“C’mon, let's walk and talk.” Mac started towards the stables. Luck followed next to him. “What do you want to know?”
“I’d like to know what I have to do with all this, but I got a feeling that’ll just confuse me. In the meantime, tell me about what’s going on with all that.” Luck pointed his thumb to the back.
“Fair enough. The place we’re going to is Half Hills. It used to be a coal-mining town ‘till about five years back. Now it serves as a place for bandido’s and general ne’er-do-wells to hide from pursuing lawmen and bounty hunters.”
“I thought there were no lawmen in the Free West.”
“There ain’t. But every town and city-state in the Free West has their own keepers of the peace that are more than willing to go after folks who have done ill-deeds in their respective towns.”
“So, what we’re doing.”
“That’s right. And the folks we’re going after are what I call, The Blackened.” A proud grin appeared on Mac’s face.
“That’s some good branding. But, what the hell are they?” Luck said through his teeth.
“They ain’t human. You should know that much. Well, they were human once, but not anymore. I first encountered similar blackened twenty-something years ago. A town called Clearview had a priest that did something to the people, turning them into something similar to what we saw today. I only know because he told me.”
“How is that possible?”
“No clue. But the priest needed someone at his side to help keep outsiders outside. When I refused, a fight broke out. All the townsfolk attacked, and I barely escaped. When I returned a few days later to scout, I found it burned to the ground. The bodies there had cavities in their chest as if their hearts had exploded out from the inside.”
Luck stopped in his tracks and turned to Mac. “Their exploded hearts?”
“I know. I wouldn’t have believed it either if they hadn’t been cut open.”
“Damn. A hell of a way to go.” Luck said as he started moving. “Any clue how it happened.”
“None. But over the next eight years, I encountered a handful of ‘em. Folks like farmers, housewives, bankers, miners, and even kids. Every time, they were caught doing something violent. Soon after, their chests went boom. When it stopped, I assumed someone had put a stop to it .” Mac paused. Regret crept into his voice, “I assumed, and now they’re back.”
Luck thought about saying something to ease the man’s guilt but instead pressed him with another question, “I know the Free West is free – but did you try raising concerns about this matter to the towns these people were in? Maybe put a group together, like tonight, but bigger?”
“I did. But the towns and the people affected usually just wanted the matters to be put to rest.” Mac stopped and put a finger up. “But,” he said, “that was not the end of strange occurrences.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I think it’s best if I show you. Otherwise, I do not think you’d believe me.” Mac finished as they arrived at the Allison estate.
Before getting their horses, Luck asked one more question, the one that had confused him the most. “What did you mean when you said that the old man told you, ‘when luck finds you, all will change?’ What old man said that?”
“His name is Paxlom. Founder, head shaman, and revered divinator of the Yucati city-state. He told me this a while back, shortly after encountering the blackened. He said it with such conviction that I thought about it for years. When the blackened stop appearing, I thought that was the luck he spoke about .”
“Except now, the blackened and I show up on the same day.” Luck rubbed his chin, “I can see why you want me to come with you.”
“It’d feel like an ill-omen if I were to leave you behind. Also, I needed an extra gun hand.” Mac said, grinning.
-------------------------------------
Leading the group to Half Hills was Mac. Not far behind him was the short-haired blonde, Denise. Then it was the brunette that spoke French, Elodie. She carried an interesting-looking long rifle with an almost equally long telescopic sight. Thomas Luck brought up the rear.
He could feel a strange predicament was afoot, and Luck wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it. However, his curiosity wasn’t what made him join this rescue. It was the pain he could feel in Madam D’Arcy’s voice when she talked about Benny. Like Sir Emerson said, giving out kindness is one of the easiest things anyone could do. Though, Luck wasn’t sure if that included killing non-humans to rescue a boy.
While on the trail, Wayward whinnied and snorted, then stopped walking. The horse in front of them responded and stopped to go to Luck.
“Why did you call them over?” Luck whispered.
Elodie pulled on her reins, but her horse didn’t respond, “What’s the matter?”
Mac and Denise stopped and turned to see what was happening.
“What are you up to, Wayward?” Luck whispered again.
Wayward kicked a hoof a few times into the ground and shook her head.
“If they need to know, then I’ll bring it up. But I don’t think it’s important – ”
Wayward bucked, tossing Luck up off his saddle a few inches, and snorted hard.
“Alright, alright! I guess you’re right.” Luck sighed, and Wayward calmed herself.
Mac, Denise, and Elodie rode over to where Luck was.
“What’s going on with your horse, kid? She alright?” Mac asked.
Wayward blew air from her nose, the hot breath appearing like steam in the cold air.
“Something that my horse, Wayward, thinks I should mention is that I,” Luck paused and looked away before turning to the group and continuing, “ I can communicate with animals.”
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Wayward nodded, and silent eyes fell on both of them.
Elodie raised a hand, “What?”
Luck sighed, “I can communicate with animals. It’s something I’ve been able to do since I was a kid.”
“So you talk to them and talk back?” Denise asked, looking as confused as the rest.
“Almost,” Luck shook his hand in front of him. “I talk, and then they respond in various manners. Noises, movement, stuff like that. It's like a feeling that I get from them, and I understand what feeling it.”
“A feeling?” Can you show us?” Mac asked.
Denise and Elodie nodded in agreement.
“Alright,” Luck thought for a moment. “How about I ask each of your horses a question or two, and I’ll tell you what they say. Fair?”
Mac adjusted himself in his saddle, “Go for it, kid.”
Luck asked Elodi’s horse their name. It had a dappled grey coat and responded with a whinny and a nod. He then turned to Mac’s horse and asked the same question. The response he got from the chestnut-colored horse was a few stops of the hooves and a nod. Lastly, he turned to Denies’ horse and asked. They were a mouse gray color, and the response he got was snort and whinny that sounded like a laugh and a nod.
“I will say that gettin’ some kind of response and a nod from every horse was impressive,” Mac admitted.
“Well, they understand me, and I understand them.” Luck shrugged his shoulders. “I never understood why, but I know that I can. Elodie, your horse's name is Chip, and he doesn’t like carrots. Prefers beets.”
“It’s true!” Elodie’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Beet’s are his favorite.”
“Mac, your horse’s name is Ramses, and unlike the others who belong to the Allison brothers, he yours. And he’s loyal to the bone.”
“Damn, he is loyal, and he is a good horse for it too.” Mac patted Ramses on the neck.
“Last but not least, Snowheart. Denise, she wants you to know that you need to kick your heels and pull the reins harder. She said she’s a sturdy beast and can take it.”
Denise's cheeks went a little red, “I never liked kicking and pulling on the horse hard. I always felt like I was hurting them.” Denise patted Snowheart.
Luck looked at everyone who appeared to be delighted by the revelation. “Now then,” Luck turned to Wayward, “happy?”
Wayward trotted in place.
“I gotta say, I am impressed. As far as strange experiences go, this had been a pleasant one. Any more tricks up your sleeve that you’d like to share?” Mac asked.
“Not as far as I know.” Luck shrugged.
“In that case, let’s keep on moving.”
------------------------------------
With night growing colder and the moon getting higher, the group pressed on to Half Hills shortly after Luck revealed his ability. It didn’t take them long after that to reach the edge of Half Hills. They dismounted their horse before going up the southern hill and stayed low to the ground, making their way to a vantage point. Once at the top, they all went prone on their belly.
Before they had arrived, Mac explained everyone’s duty. It was pretty simple. Elodie and Denise would stick to the high ground on the south half hill. Luck and Mac would go down and search for Benny and the others from Yucati.
“What were they doing all the way over here?” Luck had asked.
“Every year, prospective Yucati warriors go on a two-month-long journey to visit the sister settlement of Yucati further north and visit sacred sites. They do other things during this journey, but the exact details are a guarded secret.” Mac had explained.
He then explained how each half of the hills had a coal mine but that the southern one had a series of cave-ins over the years that it was operational, always killing or trapping people. So, it was eventually sealed off. That meant that if they weren’t in the town, they’d be in the only accessible mine. But before Luck and Mac could go into the town proper, they had to scout it out. It was an obvious move for everyone, but it still seemed pertinent to put it into words for the plan.
If all went well in the town and they could make it to the mine, then Elodie and Denise would make their way down to the mine entrance, leaving the horses somewhere nearby to be ready to go – and if there were any extra horses, they’d take them too.
However, if things were to go sour, Elodie and Denise would ride back to Alicetown with the news and wait for Yucati to send people.
Luck explained the plan to all the horses, and Luck tasked Wayward to convince any horses in Half Hills that she came across to ask for their assistance if possible. She responded with a resolute nod.
To Luck, the plan sounded solid enough. During the shooting in the town, it appeared that The Blackened didn’t have decent aim. Which meant that they relied on quantity rather than quality. And sure, he and the barkeep may have suffered a gunshot wound, but no one else had got hurt.
He turned his left as he heard whispers. It was Elodie, who was a couple feet away from him. She said something as she analyzed the town with the long scope on her rifle. Next to her was Denise, sketching something in a leather journal. Luck looked over to his right, where Mac was. He was looking through the broken binoculars that Luck had handed him.
“Anything?” Luck whispered. The town wasn’t too far down. They had strip-mined only two layers down, with the mouth of the mines on the town level.
Mac handed Luck the binoculars, “look.”
Luck grabbed them and peered through the unbroken lens, “What am I looking at?”
“Near the other mine entrance, there are two guards. You see ‘em?”
It was hard to see, but he could make out two figures. “Yeah, I see them.”
“It’s hard to tell, but they appear to be motionless. They ain’t leanin’ on anything. Doesn’t look like they’re swaying or shifting their weight.”
“They do look motionless, but I don’t know if I can tell if they are or aren’t swaying.” Luck swept the rest of the town with the binoculars. It was a bit smaller than Alicetown, and the buildings were not in any kind of organized pattern. It all looked like they had been built wherever there was space. “I see horses.” He said, landing his sights on a structure not too far from the mine entrance.
“I didn’t see them. Where?”
“Well, I didn’t really see a horse, but I saw a tail. It came from behind one of the buildings to the left.” Luck passed the binoculars back to Mac. “There are three buildings near each other. Their backs look like they form a triangle covered by a canvas.”
Mac looked again. He stayed steady on the spot that Luck described. He looked away after a few moments, “yeah, I see a tail.”
“So we got extra horses if we need them. Should we get them loose when we get down there?”
“Nah, we’ll leave that to the ladies.” Mac returned the binoculars to Luck, who put them in his satchel. “Speaking of ladies. Here comes one.” Mac nodded past Luck.
Denise closed the gap while keeping low to the ground. She crawled over Luck and squeezed in-between the two men. “Alright, boys, listen closely. The town may look empty, but Elodie spotted some footprints between some of the buildings closer to the mine entrance. That means there might be some more of The Blackened in the tow, aside from the two guards at the entrance, who are still as a damn statue.” Denise turned to Mac, “am I right to assume that’s normal behavior for them – or am I missing something?”
Mac let out a sigh and shook his head. “Not that I remember. Aside from being similar to the ones I’ve faced before, some somethings are different.”
“Such as?” Luck asked.
“They seem far more gone. The ones I faced spoke in somewhat coherent sentences, but these – all they do is grunt and say gibberish. They’re also more decrepit looking, though that doesn’t slow ‘em down much.”
“Well, shooting them in the head works best.” Luck mentioned. “I say we avoid body shots if we can.”
“I agree. We know seven left on horseback from the town, two to a horse. If there are more than seven in there, we might have some trouble.” Mac took his hat off to reveal his short hair, nearly shaved to the scalp. “How quiet can you be?”
Luck thought to himself briefly, “I’m honestly not sure. But if quiet is the approach,” Luck raised his sawed-off and Lightning revolver, “I’m a bit under equipped.”
“I’ve got an extra dagger on my horse. You two get ready while I go get it,” Denise shimmied down the hill until she could stand up and walk to her horse.
“Listen, kid.” Mac said, his tone turning serious, “Old man prophesies aside, I was impressed with how you kept your composure back in town. Now you don’t know me, and I don’t know you, but we'll be outnumbered when we get down there. Can I trust you to not turn tail and run when things get tough?” Mac’s dark brown eyes shone in the moonlight. There was an intensity in them as if he was looking directly into Luck's mind.
“I said I was gonna help you get Benny back, and I will stand by my word.” Luck hoped that Mac could pick up on his honesty. Everyone needs some kind of code or creed to live by, and for Luck, part of that creed was to keep his word to anyone he’d say he would help.
Mac nodded, and his mind probing gaze disappeared. “Good. Let’s get ready to move out.”
------------------
Luck steadied his breath, and he followed Mac. They moved quickly and quietly down the right side of the hill. When Luck had taken his coat off, he had started to shiver. But as soon as they started moving, his body began to warm. But he had yet to break a sweat.
Mac slid a short distance before getting back up on one knee as they reached the bottom. He put a hand up, and Luck stopped in his tracks. He could see Mac move his head left and right, scanning the town and the top layer of the strip of mine. After a short pause, Mac waved Luck over. On his way to him, Luck also slid, accidentally. He didn’t get on one knee as gracefully as his companion.
“It’s a ten-foot drop from this layer to the town layer. When we get to the edge, you’ll go first while I cover your descent.” Mac whispered while his eyes stayed on the town. “Let’s move.”
Luck took the lead this time, his eyes darting throughout the town. When he reached the edge, he sat on his ass and twisted to grab the ledge while facing it. He lowered himself to the extent that his arms would allow him and then let go. He bent his knees and rolled backward, shooting up and twisting to face the town, revolver in hand. Then there was a heavy thud a second later, and Mac appeared on his right.
“Nice landing,” Mac whispered.
“Thanks. Which way?”
“Around the left side, let's get to where the horses are. Need you to question them.” Mac patted Luck on the shoulder as he went to the left from behind him.
Before following, Luck quickly unsheathed the dagger from his left boot. It was a twelve-inch, double-edged blade made of blackened steel with a wooden handle. According to Denise, it was the first dagger she had made that was blackened steel, and it was also made recently. Best I don’t lose it.
Luck followed every move that Mac did. When he looked between buildings, so did Luck. When he looked into buildings, so did Luck. When he stepped over a few rocks, so did Luck. Even with his large size, Mac moved fast and quietly. He knew his own size and how to quiet himself. The only noise he had made so far was when he landed. This man was experienced, and Luck was getting a front-row seat to the show.
The two men stopped at the edge of a small house and hugged the wall with their backs. The house had a collapsed roof, and the windows had all been broken. The flapping of torn curtains began to snap in the air as the wind picked up. Mac turned and put up two fingers, pointed at his Schofield, and then waved the two fingers from his eyes due west.
Two blackened, armed, facing our direction. Luck wiped the sweat from his hand and dagger to get a better grip.
Mac peeked around the corner, then turned and pointed at Luck. He waved his finger until it landed on the other side of the house and then held up his bowie knife.
Go around to the other side, take them out. Luck understood and saluted with his dagger.
Luck turned on his heel and moved to get to the other side. The space between the roof-filled house and the building next to it was wide enough for Luck to go in-between. When he got to the end, he peeked out both ends. The wind sent walls of dust and dirt down the narrow spaces between the rotting buildings. The occasional whistle between wooden cracks filled the otherwise quiet town. With one last look around, Luck emerged and proceeded quietly. He holstered his Lightning and took the dagger in his right hand. He approached the edge cautiously. A few feet from where he was, two blackened stood. Motionless.
No sway, no ticks, no unintentional movement, not even the sound of breathing. Luck approached from behind them, taking his steps slowly, his eyes on the left one. He twisted the dagger in his hand and pointed the tip to the ground.
Once he was a few feet away, Luck launched forward as quickly as possible. Both blackened reacted.
Their heads turned around like an owl, then their bodies followed. Luck reached his mark, putting one hand on their throat and a dagger through the top of their skull. At the same time, the other blackened had a bowie knife plunged from the back of their head out the front of their face.
Luck and Mac lowered them down to the ground quietly. Luck wiped his dagger on the blackened’s tattered clothes, then looked around.
“Good work, kid. Let’s keep moving.” Mac whispered.
Now in between the buildings, Luck felt the watchful eye of their guardian angels disappear. Once again, he switched the dagger to his other hand and pulled his revolver. Up ahead, Mac stopped. He pointed at his boots and then at the ground ahead without turning.
Tracks?
Mac continued, and Luck followed. When he reached the point that Mac had pointed at, Luck saw the tracks. Bare feet and footwear tracks that went from where they were towards the direction of the mine. He couldn’t tell if it was a lot of people or maybe just a few who were walking in the area. But there was no one in sight.
When they arrived at the horses, they counted five in total. They were bony and dirty. They were all tied to a singular post, forcing them to stand close to each other with no room to move. Luck could feel their anguish, and his heart ached.
Mac made way for Luck, “Do your thing.”
Luck sheathed the dagger and approached the horses. He spoke to them calmly and asked them to respond as quietly as possible. First, Luck inquired about their well being. Each horse responded about the same. They weren’t being mistreated, but they weren’t being taken care of properly. Lack of food, proper sleeping space, and cleaning were their gripes.
“I’m really sorry,” He said, petting a few of them. “Listen, we’re looking for some people that were captured recently. Have you seen them?”
One of the horses kicked his hoof a few times, and another exhaled hard.
“Are they all in the mine?”
A different horse moved its head around slightly, struggling with the reins tied to the post. Then that same horse whinnied.
“So they’re not alone in the mine. Good to know. Before we go in, will you come with us after we get our friends back? I can promise you good food and care.”
All of the horses responded with a definite yes.
Luck patted one on the neck and moved closer to Mac. “So, there are more. They counted about 16. But half of them are sleeping.” Luck said the last part in a confusing tone.
“What do you mean, sleeping?” Mac mimicked Luck.
“A few buildings down, the ones across from the mine entrance, is where half are sleeping. The horses said they just stand there while the others work.”
“That is strange, but if they aren’t a problem, best we leave them be. What about our boys?”
“They’re in the mine with the other half.”
Mac squinted past the horses towards the mine. “Well, let’s get these horses loose and get moving.”
Luck untied the reins while asking the horses to stay put until they came out of the mine or until Wayward arrived. Some appeared hesitant but were all in agreement. Luck gave a thumbs up to Mac, and together they moved to the edge of the makeshift stables.
Luck pulled his broken binoculars to get a closer look at the entrance. The two guards at the front had their eyes open, displaying black voids like the others.
“How do you want to play this?” Luck asked, putting the binoculars away.
“Hm. Elodie and Denise have good eyes on the entrance. We could rush ‘em from here or get closer. But if we get closer – ”
“We’ll be closer to the sleeping ones.”
“Exactly. Then could be light sleepers and catch us near them.”
“But if we rush from here, even if we get into a gunfight, the sleepers will have to get closer or shoot from a distance. And we both know they can’t shoot worth a damn.”
The two men looked at each other, a silent agreement on what they needed to do. Each readied themselves, digging their boots into the ground to try and get an explosive start. And on Mac’s word, the two bolted towards the mine entrance.
--------------------------------------
From the top of the hill, Elodie watched as the boys had crept from building to building until they disappeared. Everything she saw, she whispered to Denise. The plan was for Denise to make her way down first when the time came, and Elodie would follow with the horses. As she watched the town with her scope, she had a feeling that time was approaching.
Through her long telescopic sight, she saw Mikey and Lucky emerge from beneath the canvas, sprinting towards the mine entrance. “They’re moving to the mine now.” She said, her voice calm. She heard Denise getting prepared. Elodie saw as the boys made it a little over halfway before the blackened noticed them. Two shots popped off, the echo reaching her soon after seeing it. Then, Mikey turned in her direction and pointed at the town to his right. Elodie moved her sights, and she saw two blackened emerge and give chase.
---------------------------------
Luck turned to shoot only to see half of a blackened’s head explode off after the sound of a distant gunshot. The other one that was also chasing went down a second later from a shot to the head. Damn, she’s good.
Luck pressed forward, his sawed-off shotgun leading the way.
Mac followed close behind Luck, his height making it easier to aim over him if he crouched slightly. Dim, electrical lights lit the corridor forward. A musty smell combined with moist dirt filled the air. There was something else, though, that smelled like it was burning. More shots echoed from the outside.
“Where are the rest?” Luck asked.
“Good question.”
The pair soon reached a fork in the mine. One path went to the right and was devoid of light the deeper it went. The path on the left is where the dim electric lighting continued.
“I’m going to guess left.” Luck said. A bead of sweat formed on his brown and began to slowly trickle down the side of his face. He ignored the urge to wipe it away, not wanting to take his eyes or guns off the path.
It didn’t take them long to reach a sharp turn in the mine. Light from something spilled around, casting a shadow of the dirt corner across the ground. Luck leaned near the edge of the wall. From where he was, he could hear fast murmurings. He turned to Mac to see if he could hear it too. Mac squinted, and his eyes moved around, trying to understand the murmurs. He looked back at Luck, confused. Mac nodded towards the continuing path, signaling to Luck that they should move.
He readied his weapons and turned the corner, moving quickly and scanning everything he could see. Though his eyes searched for Benny and the Yucati boys, his curiosity tugged at him to look at everything in the cavernous room while worry filled his mind.
Copper tanks were scattered along the curved walls. Copper pipes could be seen connecting the tanks to various other apparatuses. From the connecting piped and devices, electricity shot out like the branches on a tree. Along the left side of the circular space were glass jars the size of a water bucket filled with a viscous black and red-hued liquid. Next to those same glass tanks were bodies on tables covered in sheets. Rubber tubes connected them to the glass tanks, either feeding into the people or draining them. And in the center, there was an operating table, surrounded by smaller tables with many kinds of tubes. Luck tried his best to take it all in before a blast from across the room shook the space they were in. Loose dirt fell slowly from the ceiling.
Puffs of smoke seeped out from behind a handful of stacked wooden boxes as the echoing subsided. Luck stood upright and turned to Mac, “I think whoever was working down here just got away. Think we could give chase?”
“No, I do not. Sounded like they collapsed a tunnel. We’d need shovels and manpower to dig through. By then, they’d be long gone.”
“We could head outside. See if they come out of elsewhere.”
“If they do, the girls will make sure they don’t escape. In the meantime, let’s check these bodies. I got a bad feeling that it’s who we’re looking for.”
Mac led the way to where the people lay and checked on one of the covered individuals. Luck followed suit on a different table and pulled the white sheet back to reveal a young woman. Her hair was short and black, her skin was brown, and her cheeks looked gaunt. Bloodied bandages on her body like a patchwork quilt.
Luck licked the back of his hand under the woman’s nose and held his breath.
A sigh of relief escaped his lungs once he felt a little air coming from her nose. He pulled the sheet further back and saw her skin tight on her bones as if she had been starved and even more bloodied bandages. Luck could now see that the rubber tubes he saw led to needles in her arms and legs.
“I got a live one, Mac, but she’s looking rough,” Luck said. “Starved and sick is the best I can tell.”
“Yeah, this fella is looking the same way. Listen, why don’t you keep checking on the rest? I’ll double-time outside and signal the girls to come down here.”
“Sure thing.” Luck said, moving on to the next body.
There were six total stations with bodies. Luck checked each one the same way that he had checked the others. The third person on the table was another young woman; fortunately, she too was alive but in a similar condition as the previous two. However, the fourth and fifth ones had not made it. Another young man and woman, further gone than the others. They were thinner and paler than their compatriots. Still, Luck removed the needles from their body. He wondered if he would even find Benny there. All the Yucati folks were young, just not teenage years young, and Benny was only 15 years old.
Luck walked over to the last table and noticed that the glass tank connected to the rubber hoses was empty. The only thing inside was the remnants of the liquid on the glass. He noticed symbols wrapping around the glass tank, written in black ink. Some of them were blocky, and others were geometric in shape. Similar symbols were on the tubing, though they were harder to see, even with the inside of them being empty. Luck took a note of it and then turned his attention to the person on the table. He pulled the sheet back with both hands, then dropped it quickly. Taking a few steps back, he stopped when he felt the glass tank behind him.
Luck approached the covered person again and pulled the sheet back slowly. Before him was a boy who appeared to be in perfect health. But Luck was unsure. The reason for his doubt was on account of the boy’s bronze-reddish skin color and the two small spiraling horn protruding from his forehead, with the tips curving back. He started breathing quickly, blinking his eyes a few times, and tried to comprehend what he was seeing.