Chapter 4

Silence.

Dead silence grew amongst us all.

Emile: You think … you think they kill us all?

Jack: I don’t know

Emile: I’m not going lie, I’m scared, scared as hell

Jack: Me too

Emile: You know? They told me you the experts in rifles and you have the fastest hands and all that, they even said you can shoot an army down with the skills you have

I laughed softly.

Jack: I wish, the outlaws I shot the other day were my first time shooting someone

Emile: Really?

Jack: Yes

We sat for a few minutes when Emile asked if we can do a quick prayer, I agreed, but that does not mean I’m quite religious.

Emile: Wonder what’s going on out there?

Jack: Don’t let it bother you, they’ll find their way here eventually

A few more minutes passed when we saw all thirty men riding their horses down the road in our direction, all of their guns were out ready to shoot. We both ducked. The men on the horses stopped in front of the house. One of them spoke, he was their leader’s right hand, he is called Redeye.

Redeye: My name is Redeye and I don’t want to make this long, let’s make this quick, we don’t want the bounty hunter, we want the man who killed two of our members two weeks ago, the man who was with the bounty hunter, we want him, the bounty hunter will just be a bonus, so give that man we know he’s here, the town already told us that, that man we seeking is a stinking nigger, give the nigger or we will shoot this house down and kill everyone within this house, hand over the nigger it’s that simple.

Fear went through my body, knowing that they came for me.

Emile: They came for you

Jack: I know

Redeye: This is your last chance, give the nigger or you all die!

Emile looked at me and I to him, fear hanging all over our faces.

Redeye: Give the fucking nigger !!!

Their leader’s name was Robert Nelson.

Robert: Shoot the house down.

They opened fire, me and Emile both lay on the floor covering our heads. It was crazy, these guys shot for all hell could care, and the women screamed in the next room. The shooting stopped, I and Emile looked up and listened to how some of the women were crying. I heard how men crashed through the front door. I was scared, didn’t know what to do so I started to crawl across the floor with a rifle in one hand, I heard Emile asking where I’m going, I answered …

Jack: Don’t know (whispered)

But I kept on crawling until I reached the door and went to sit against the wall. I knew Charles has more guts than me but what he did then was stupid, he aimed from the window and opened fire himself and then these guys react and shot the poor house further in pieces. Glasses are shattered everywhere. Someone cried and screamed in the next room, clearly someone got hit. I heard footsteps in the passage, I saw my position was awkward so I laid the rifle down slowly and went on my knees and withdrew the two Colts at my side, should anyone barge in now I’ll do whatever I can. My back was still against the wall even though I was still on my knees. Suddenly I heard guns shot blazing in the next room, my ears were singing and the shots echoed through the house, I heard a bastard shout at Big Steve

Outlaw: Where’s the nigger?!

Poor Emile’s eyes were filled with fear until the door where we were swung open Emile knew he had to shoot but he froze, they shot him eight times, I was more a bit behind the door with the two Colts in my hands waiting on the man who shot Emile to enter. Two men entered slowly and cautiously, one of them wanted to look behind the door, I waited for him cause I was still on my knees with my back against the wall, the Colts facing directly at his chest. The man made a horrible mistake by wildly pulling the door open just because he’s in a hurry to find a nigger, never expected the nigger to be there, and fear played a great part too, my hands were quick, shot him four times, his friend turned and with his turn, fell to his back, tried to shoot, but his shot missed and I got him between the eyes and the forehead. Now I just moved by myself, jumped to the nearest corner away from the door, half laying on my left hip pointing to the door. I don’t know if these guys are zombies cause they know a man is waiting with a gun but they just came to the room. They never had the chance, all three of them were put to sleep. Further, I could hear men hiding in the passage. I made a quick desperate count, five down, and then it depends how many men fell off which I don’t know off. At that time I hope more than ten has fallen. I noticed the curtains were tied but because of all the fireworks, they closed. I arouse slowly to my feet, thinking ’I’m just going to shoot, hope I can drop as more as possible. I opened my arms up wide, my right arm pointing to the North, and my left arm pointing to the South. If they shoot me they just have to shoot me, I was just thinking wild. I waited for more men to enter the room and at the same time, I moved slowly to the window. Reaching the window was a success.

Outlaw: That bastard!

I slowly slid the point of the Colt through the curtain, opened it a bit to see and I know I’m not missing, just as I promised myself I shot and never missed, a few guys fell. I hid somewhere against the wall while they tried to shoot back. I heard Robert Nelson order his men to split up and hide. Now there was no me standing in front of the house, they all were hiding. Then a nightmare started, someone shouted from the other room.

Outlaw: Boss? I got the bounty’s daughter !!!

Redeye: Excellent job! Bring her to throw her down!

I heard Redeye bossing the others around to catch Rose. There was nothing I could do, men were waiting for me in the passage. While still waiting I heard Redeye shouting …

Redeye: Leave the house! Come on! We leaving! He’ll come after us you’ll see!

The men in the passage started to run from the stairs, I rushed to the stairs and shot one in the leg, going back to the room to fetch the rifle. I heard the horse's hooves, a clear sign that they were leaving. I tried to be quick as possible, went to the window and opened the curtain and aimed, took one, took another, in the end, I almost took eight. They shot back by all means but left in the end. Redeye Looked behind him while riding away, he was shocked, I could see it on his face. I went to the room where Big Steve was, he was still alive, he and the ladies. Charles and Emile didn’t make it.

Big Steve: They got Rose

I took the rifle and ammunition from others laying.

Big Steve: Don’t go alone

I ignored the old man, saddled up a horse, and was about to leave when some other slaves came running to me.

Lena: Jack? May the Lord be with you Jack

Peter: Never in my life did I see a black man so handy with a gun you go get Rose son you hear me

Wesley: I’ll go with you

Nathan: Me too

Lena is a young black girl, Peter is a black old man, Wesley, and Nathan are young men, and both are his sons. All of them were against me, but what they saw on that day, suddenly made them So we were thee, slaves, in pursuit of The Bandits, we were chasing after them, through the main road of St. George Town we sprinted with the horses. The road was packed with people running around helping injured men and carrying corpses. While we tried cautiously to ride through the main road, two men stood on the road, they tried to stop us. We stopped, and to my surprise, they wanted to go with help. They were Christopher and Ralph

Chris: Hey I’m Christopher, I know this sounds surprising but I can help you I know my way around this continent very well so I’ll be useful.

Ralph: And I’m Ralph, I on the gun shop, do you need ammunition? I’m the man

Jack: Thanks a lot sir it means a lot

Chris: You can thank us later, let’s get on the road we need to hurry

Jack: Agreed

It’s not good news yet as I still weren’t sure how many men The Bandits were at the time, a couple of men fell but they were still too many, but at least I wasn’t alone. And because I’m a born Hottentots Strandlooper, I know how to track someone, we Strandloopers used to track animals on our land. The others were surprised at how I did the tracking thing. It cost me to get off the horse I was riding and look at the horse's footprints, but I also knew they won’t rush cause I heard them saying they want to lure me out of the town. Another thing was, they wanted me dead. I learn by listening to how they were looking for me that the guys I shot died.

Jack: They’ll be waiting for me

I shouted to the others letting them know what to expect, but Chris answered …

Chris: You see mountains ahead?

Jack: Yeah

Chris: I know these mountains like the back of my hand

Jack: Good, then we should use it

It was great to have someone like Chris on my team cause it would be of great help, especially with my rifle skills, and the rifle Ralph gave is a monster, a piece specially designed for snipe purposes. So we rode until we reached the Red Hill mountains. Just as we were about to climb the mountains with the horses, Chris warns us …

Chris: Just saying, we about to enter the Comanche territory

Jack: The what?

Wesley: Indians, they’re native people who live in the wild the only tribe you won't get as a slave, and they dangerous, with their bowl and arrows, and spear

Jack: Like back home, sounds …

Nathan: Scary

Chris: Well? Unless you’ll let me be the lead

Jack: Sure