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THREE
"What happened?" Nathan asked, kneeling between the two injured men, looking at Chris for guidance as to who he should treat first.
"They were ambushed," Chris responded. "Then they were tortured," he added, pulling away the blanket that covered Vin.
"Sweet Jesus," Nathan breathed, seeing the cuts and burns on the tracker's lean body.
He reached his hand up to Vin's face and felt for fever. He pried open his eyelids and looked at the dull orbs beneath.
"I bandaged them both up as best I could...," Chris said quietly, his voice trailing, overcome by the horror he'd seen.
Nathan nodded to Chris, taking stock of all the various wounds, deciding which would need immediate care and which could wait. It looked like Chris had done a good enough job bandaging, considering what he had to work with. Several would need stitches to keep them from bleeding again. He unwrapped the pant leg around Vin's lower left leg wound. He gently lifted the leg to see if there was an exit wound and was disappointed, finding none.
He moved over to JD, where Buck and Josiah had been tending the boy.
"He's been beat up and cut pretty bad," the preacher reported.
The healer looked at the young man, afraid to see what was under this set of makeshift bandages. He was again shaken by the extent and nature of the injuries he saw.
"What the hell happened?" the healer asked to no one in particular.
Josiah, who had backed away from JD to check on Vin, answered him.
"I have an idea," he said as he walked towards the women's bodies.
They watched the big man as he kneeled down next to one woman, horrified at first when he took out his knife, not knowing what he was going to do. The preacher reached down with the blade and pulled the necklace away from the woman's breast with it. They saw Josiah examine the pendant as it reflected in the firelight and then let it drop.
"Devil worshipers," he said standing, moving away from the women. "Vin and JD were to be their sacrifices to the Satan."
As if on cue, as Josiah said the Devil's name, Vin and JD both let out painful moans, returning everyone's attention to them.
"What's the word, Nate?" Chris asked.
Nathan looked to their leader and at the others, then issued his orders.
"Ezra, head back to town and get a wagon," he began. "Buck, get some water boilin', we're gonna need lots of it. Chris, we're eventually gonna need more firewood. Josiah... pray," he finished.
Ezra quickly agreed with his assignment. He'd been appalled by the sights before him. While he had by no means been immune to the realities of life, having seen injuries of war and gun battles, been in a few predicaments himself, he was in no way prepared to see injuries resulting from out and out torture. And done by female devil worshipers, yet! He needed to get away from the site and the sight. Before he left, Nathan also told him to bring more medical supplies, as well. Yes, acquiring the wagon and medical supplies was just the job he needed.
Nathan reached into his medical bag, took out a jar and handed it to Chris.
"Start puttin' some of this on them burns," he told him. "When they're all coated, cover 'em up with some clean bandagin' from my bag. I gotta start closin' the cuts on JD's legs, first. They're bleedin' the worst."
The healer hoped he had enough thread. He didn't think he'd ever had to close a wound this big.
Chris accepted the jar of salve and looked down at the injured man next to him. He'd start with what he deemed the worst of the tracker's burns, the brand. Pulling back the blanket, he bit back the sorrow he felt and turned it to anger. How could anyone be so cruel? And how could Vin have survived this? But then, this was not over. The leader reached into the jar and filled his hand with the salve. Lowering his hand to the ugly wound, he gently began to spread the ointment around. He was surprised when Vin reacted.
"NO!!" the young tracker wailed, blindly batting away the hand on his abdomen. "Leave me the fuck alone," he growled, trying to turn his body away from Chris, curling into a protective ball.
"Vin, it's alright," Chris soothed, trying to pull him back. "Vin, it's me, Chris," he added.
Josiah had come to help Chris out, but found that his assistance was not needed. Vin was unconscious again and no longer fought Chris's ministrations.
It seemed like forever to Chris before Nathan returned to Vin's side. While the healer was caring for JD, Chris finished putting the salve on the tracker's burns and also used some of the water Buck had gotten to start cleaning up the wounded man. He looked and saw that Buck was doing that for JD, now.
"How ya doin', Chris?" Nathan asked upon his return.
"He ain't good, Nate," the leader returned, ignoring the healer's question.
"I know, Chris," he responded. "Let's start by sewin' these knife wounds up. Then we'll think about diggin' that bullet out."
About an hour later Nathan sat back on his heels and wiped the sweat from his brow onto his sleeve. He didn't realize that all he'd done was mix it in with and smear blood all over it and his forehead. Vin's blood. JD's blood. It was all mixing together in his mind, anyway. Looking back down at the man below him, wrapped in too many bandages, yet at the same time, not enough. He was startled by Josiah's hand on his shoulder.
"Here, brother," the preacher said, nudging him with a canteen of water. "Or would you like something a little stronger?"
"This is fine, thanks," Nathan replied, taking a swig of the cool liquid.
"How is he?" Josiah asked, turning his gaze to Vin, now.
"Sewn up," was all the weary healer would say.
He did not know how Vin was. Or JD, for that matter. Like many of these men, he'd seen the horrors of war and seen men so full of bullet holes that they were barely recognizable. He'd also seen the types of torture the white man had inflicted upon the black. Been on the receiving end of it, even. But he thought that that was all past him, now. And this - this was somehow worse. Women inflicting this damage. Inflicting it in the name of Satan himself! How much worse could it be? There weren't any part of these two men not covered with blood and cuts or bruises or burns. 'Well, one part was untouched,' he remembered. The women must have had an aversion to that part of a male's anatomy. Vin's penis was the only part of him that was clean and not covered in blood, he recalled, remembering how odd it was.
"Nate? Nate?" Chris was calling, trying to rouse the healer from his thoughts.
"Hmmm? Oh, sorry," he responded, weary. "Just thinkin'"
"Yeah, we all are," the leader agreed, scrubbing his hands down his face. "Why don't you rest up some," he continued. "We'll keep an eye on them for awhile."
Nathan nodded. He was tired. Both men were no longer bleeding. Both had been induced to sleep with some heavy doses of laudanum. Chris and Buck were each keeping watch over Vin and JD. And Josiah would keep watch over all of them. The healer found a spot nearby for his bedroll and collapsed onto it. He tried to sleep, tried to burn the images of these bloody broken men from his eyes, hoping slumber would bring brighter images. But the nightmares that took him when he slept were anything but bright.
Josiah came back from the streambed, wiping his washed, wet hands on his poncho. He sat and poured cups of coffee for himself, Chris and Buck. He handed each man their drink and sat between them.
"Thanks, Josiah," Chris said to the man.
"Thought you could use some," he replied.
"No, for taking care of the bodies," Chris explained. "Don't think I could have been too kindly," he added.
"Took the five of them out a ways," he said pointing to the north. "I'll start the fire just before we leave."
"Five?" Buck asked, joining the conversation. "There was six of them bitches when we first saw 'em."
Chris began looking around, worried now about that sixth woman. Upset that he and Buck had been careless enough to let one get away.
"Was any of them five redhead?" Buck asked warily.
Josiah shook his head in reply.
"Shit!" Chris whispered. "She was the ringleader."
Vin began to stir, rolling his head back and forth, mumbling. Chris's hand immediately went to the tracker's forehead.
"Sssh, easy now, Vin," he soothed. "You're safe. I'm here," he whispered.
"No! JD! No! Leave us alone!" the injured tracker pleaded. "Chris!" he screamed, continuing to thrash about.
"Vin, lie still," Chris spoke gently, trying to hold his friend down, prevent him from pulling out any stitches. "It's alright. I'm here."
Suddenly becoming aware, Vin's eyes opened. He looked up through swollen lids at his friend and relaxed, seeing that he was indeed safe, now.
"JD?" he rasped.
"Holdin' his own," Buck reassured the tracker.
Nathan had woken up from his too short nap and returned to the injured men's sides. He checked them both over, making sure they hadn't gotten any worse. The only thing left to do now, was get the bullet out of Vin's leg. He'd put it off, hoping that Vin would gain some strength and rest. Him, too, he realized. But since Ezra hadn't returned with the wagon yet, there was no use putting it off any longer.
He went to his nearly empty medical bag and got out the bottle of laudanum. It was nearly empty. He hoped it would be enough. Grabbing the pot of water Josiah had boiled, he returned to the tracker's side.
"Time to get that bullet out," he said to no one in particular. "Here," he said to Chris, handing him the bottle of laudanum. "Give it all to 'im."
Chris took the bottle and uncorked it. He put his hand under Vin's neck and lifted the tracker's head up, pressing the bottle to his lips. Vin looked up at the intense green eyes and swallowed the liquid. Not caring what his other friends thought, the man in black did not place Vin's head back down onto the bedroll, but maneuvered himself so that the tracker's head would rest on his thigh. He took Vin's hands gently into his own and nodded to Nathan before returning his gaze to the blues below him.
Josiah positioned himself at Vin's feet, ready to hold them down. Nathan cleaned the wound, eliciting a painful groan from the tracker, but nothing more.
JD reacted to the groan, fearing once again for his friend's safety. Buck quickly went to his side to reassure him.
"It's alright, JD," he soothed. "Nate's takin' care of 'im. They're takin' out the bullet right now, but he's gonna be fine," he went on.
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