In the Hands of Evil

PART 1

Alfred Treadly stood next to the display of cigars in the General Store of Eagle Bend, watching unobtrusively as the young man bought an apple from the store owner's wife. The youth's face glowed with warm friendliness as he smiled at the woman and handed her money. His easy manner and polite attitude obviously appealed to her and she gave him a maternal pat on the arm.

"Thank you, ma'am." He tipped his hat politely and her mouth widened in a smile.

"You're welcome, Mr.?"

"Dunne. J.D. Dunne."

"So what brings you to town, J.D. Dunne?"

"Just pickin' up something from the Sheriff. Me and some other men run things back at Four Corners, and I had some business to attend to here." He puffed his chest a bit when he talked, and the pride he felt in his dealings with the law showed in his voice.

"Oh, that's a shame. I was hoping you were thinking about settling here in Eagle Bend."

"No ma'am. I'm only staying 'till noon, then I'm heading back home. It's sure been nice visiting with ya'll, though." With another polite tip of his hat, J.D. bid the woman good-bye.

Treadly's eyes traveled up and down the kid's form as he mentally took his measurements. Average weight, a little on the short side, but that doesn't matter. Nice, polite, normally socially developed young man. He looks to be around 19, give or take a year. Yes, he'll do perfectly.

He turned as J.D. walked past him and watched him step outside and greet two women as they walked by before continuing across the street.

He's leaving at noon, that barely gives me time. Keeping his head low to avoid eye contact with those around him, Treadly hurriedly left the store. Stealing a glance over his shoulder to make sure he held no one's interest, he walked around to the back where he'd left his wagon. He climbed up quickly and snapped the reins, urging the horses forward, careful not to draw attention to his urgency as he drove out of town.

+ + + + + + +

The air was warm enough to feel good against his back, without being uncomfortably hot as J.D. traveled at an easy canter toward home. A few miles from Eagle Bend he saw a man standing beside his horse in the distance. Curious, he clicked his teeth and touched his mount's sides, urging his horse faster.

The older man stood in the middle of the road, a helpless look of loss on his face. One foot was raised in a halfhearted attempt to climb into the saddle, but it was clear he would need some help.

"Howdy, Mister" J.D. greeted him politely and dismounted beside him. "Need some help?"

"Thank you, son. It took me nearly an hour to get atop her this morning, you'd think I'd have enough sense not to get down till I got to where I was going." His soft, trembling voice reminded J.D. of the elderly stable hand he’d befriended back in Boston.

"Here, I'll boost ya up." J.D. grinned as he bent down on one knee, offering his hands laced together in a makeshift stirrup.

Sharp pain exploded through the base of his skull as his legs collapsed beneath him. He fell to the ground then rolled to his side, squinting up at the old man through a red haze of near-blinding pain. Years fell off the man as he smiled and reached down to squeeze J.D.'s shoulder. "And again I thank you. As soon as I saw you I knew you'd be perfect."

Blackness swirled inside the red and J.D. helplessly closed his eyes and gave into the darkness.

+ + + + + + +

Treadly smiled and trembled with excitement as he saw the boy’s body relax on the ground and he motioned for Elmore to finish what he’d started. The huge, muscle-bound man stepped out of the bushes beside the road and picked up the young man as if he were a rag doll. J.D. melted bonelessly into the giant's arms, his head whipping back with each step Elmore took.

"Take him to the house, Elmore and be quick about it. Tie him up like you did the others. I have a few more herbs to gather, oh, and bring his horse with you."

Elmore grunted an inarticulate reply and turned to tramp through the underbrush toward the small wagon they had left hidden beside the road.

Treadly watched, unable to wipe the silly grin off his face, his heart hammering in anticipation of all the things he hoped to accomplish with his new subject. He hurried to get on with his business and stepped on the boy’s ugly hat. Treadly picked up the bowler and felt the smooth felt along the brim, and catching a fleeting glimpse at Elmore as he dumped the kid into the wagon.

"Ah, yes, perfect indeed." Treadly laughed as he spun the hat under a thick clump of underbrush and walked away.

+ + + + + + +

The young man in his arms grew heavy, and Elmore hefted the body higher against his chest, uncaring of the dangling limbs that bumped carelessly into his thighs. He dumped his father’s new toy into the bed of the wagon and covered him with a thick, dirty blanket, then walked back to get the boy's horse. After he'd tied the animal to the wagon, he climbed atop the seat and urged the horses forward.

They arrived at an old and unkempt rambling two-story house about an hour later. Elmore stopped the wagon and pulled the boy from the back, then entered the house. He quickly stripped most of the subject’s clothes off, then threw him atop the table like he would a sack of potatoes. The hard thud of a head hitting wood didn't disturb his thoughts as the big man deftly pulled the kid's wrists up, stretching his arms toward the metal rings sunk into the table's corners. He pulled harder and ignored the weak groan from the young man. Elmore secured the ropes tight and looped the thick cord through the rings before tying them off. He did the same thing to the boy's ankles on the other end of the table.

When he was finished, he stepped back and raked his eyes over his charge, making sure all was as he'd been ordered to do. The young body lay taunt before him, unmoving except for the gentle rise and fall of his chest. Ribs showed in stark relief and his belly hollowed inward from his stretched position. Smiling to himself, Elmore stepped up to his prisoner and laid his hand on the boy's abdomen, watching in fascination as his spread fingers and palm almost covered the kid’s entire abdomen. Elmore grinned and pressed the tips of his fingers gently into the boy's ribs.

The subject flinched and Elmore jumped back as if he'd been burned. Turning quickly, he left the room and locked the door behind him.

+ + + + + + +

J.D. woke up disoriented and dizzy and carefully turned his head. He was lying down, but it took him a moment to realize he was on top of a wide wooden table instead of on the floor. From what he could see, the surrounding room was small and dingy. Spent candles stood in puddles of hard wax and dozens of lamps lined cluttered shelves on every wall. Glass containers and bowls were shoved into crevasses and filled the spaces between the candles, but from his position he couldn't see what they held. His perspective took a moment to catch up with his brain and he squeezed his eyes shut when the room seemed to pitch and roll around him.

His arms were over his head and a quick tug let him know his wrists were caught and tied to the corners of the table. Experimenting with his legs brought the same result and his heart began to pound as fear started a small fire in his chest. It wasn't until he lifted his head slightly to look down at himself that he realized most of his clothes were gone. No jacket, no vest, no suspenders, and no shirt. Only his pants had been left to offer him dignity, and he shivered in the room's chill. An unseasonable warm spell had persuaded him lately to go without his long underwear, but the night's chill made him wish for the extra protection.

Remembering the stranger he'd stopped to help made him look around in panic. That old man -- he'd seemed so kind, so helpless on the trail. J.D. looked around himself and wondered where the old man was. His frantic thoughts turned to Buck and the rest of his friends, and he wondered how long they'd wait before one of them grew worried and came looking for him.

The muffled sound of a door opening somewhere in another section of the house alerted J.D. he had company, and he stiffened on the table. Tugging at his restraints only brought discomfort, so he held still and waited.

Before long the door opened and the old man stepped into the room followed by a giant of a man that made J.D. swallow hard with fear. My God! Where'd he come from?

"Look, I don't know what you think I may have done, but --" The man and his minion shuffled about the room, ignoring him and placing more containers and small bags on the shelves lining the walls. "Can't you let me go now and let's talk about his?" He craned his neck to get a better look, but couldn't see what they were doing.

Finally, the older man finished and walked over to stand next to J.D. He smiled down at him and reached out to rub one hand down his exposed flesh. J.D. flinched and pulled away as far as the ropes would allow.

"Get your hands off me, mister! I don't know what you think you're doing, but my friends will be looking for me soon, and you best let me go."

The man frowned and lifted his chin in an obvious command to the man beside him. "Elmore." The name sent the giant to action and he clamped one huge hand against J.D.'s mouth. The young man struggled to breathe as thick fingers nearly blocked his nose and he pulled his head back in an effort to draw in air. "Not too tight, son, we are in need of a live subject."

Elmore loosened his hold but kept his hand firmly against J.D.'s mouth.

"Time for introductions, I suppose. Must remember our manners, despite our barbaric surroundings." Bending at the waist, the old man smiled at his captive. "I am the famous Professor Treadly, and this is my assistant and son, Elmore. You may call me Professor."

Elmore's hand slipped away and J.D. took the opportunity to shout. "Let me go, you son of a --"

A backhanded slap whipped his head around to slam hard into the table and emptied his brain of coherent thought.

"I will allow none of that vile language in this house, boy. Watch your tongue or I will cut it out."

Insistent buzzing in his aching head distracted him, but J.D. heard the threat and clamped his jaw together. His simple world had turned inside out and dumped him into a hell beyond his imagination. The very real glint of a steel blade caught his eye and he turned gasping back to his tormentor. The Professor held a thin knife in his hand and leaned over him and J.D. did his best to sink into the table.

"Do not try me, boy, I do not make threats lightly. One slice of the knife and no more shouting from you. I have other things in mind, though, and I would like to hear your thoughts as you go through some of the... 'trials' I have planned for later. It would be a pity to deprive science of the subject's observations."

Fear climbed inside his heart and exploded in his head. He tugged feebly at the ropes that bound him and was unaware of the pitiful moan escaping from his throat.

"Keep still, now, or I will have Elmore teach you a lesson." Shaking his head like a parent toward an errant child, the old man backed away from the table. "Children should be seen and not heard. I will let you know when I want you to talk. Understand?"

Trembling with frantic horror that numbed his tongue, J.D. simply stared at the man.

"Elmore."

The giant reached down and carefully enveloped J.D.'s neck with one huge claw like hand. He squeezed gently, and J.D. grunted, then gurgled as air was trapped in his throat.

"I said -- Understand? Answer me, boy!"

"...yes...."

"Good enough. Let him go."

Elmore seemed reluctant, but he removed his hand from J.D.'s throat and he gasped in air, his body arching with the effort to breathe. J.D. felt a touch on his naked belly and he looked down to find the Professor rubbing him. "What--?"

"Rest, my boy. We have a long night ahead of us, and I wouldn't want you tiring too quickly." J.D. felt a gentle pat on his abdomen before the Professor and his idiot son left the room.

The warmth of his palm lingered and J.D. shuddered with the unnerving memory of that old man rubbing his flesh. His eyes were drawn unwillingly to the room's shelves and the mysterious containers they held, and his imagination came alive. What had he gotten himself into this time? The man had called him his 'subject' more than once. Visions of unspeakable pain and torment clamored inside his head and now, alone with his waking nightmare, J.D. began to panic.

PART 2

Buck Wilmington frowned as the card he tossed toward the old hat sitting between his feet missed its target and floated to the dusty boardwalk. He paused to gaze up the street and returned his attention back to his game when he still saw no sign of who he was searching for.

"Well, well, Mr. Wilmington, I see you have found an industrious way to wile away this lazy afternoon." Ezra Standish walked up next to the hat, but Buck didn't look up. "Pray tell me why you are destroying a perfectly good deck of cards when we could be utilizing them in a much more auspicious way down at the saloon?"

"I don't feel like playing, Ezra."

"Ahhh. Would your dark and somber mood have anything to do with the absence of our youngest member?"

"I'm not worried." Another card missed the mark and Buck sat up with a grunt, then stood up and stretched. "Think I'll go check things out with Chris, see how the prisoner's holding up."

"I'm sure Mr. Larabee will appreciate your help with the ferociously inebriated Mr. Miller. One can always use an extra hand with an unconscious prisoner."

The gambler's dry sense of humor was lost on Buck as he jogged across the street and entered the jail. Chris Larabee sat behind the sheriff's desk, his feet propped upon its surface. His hat was pulled down low enough to hide his eyes from visitors but not hinder his view of the front door.

Buck turned and nodded toward Vin where the tracker stood leaning against the wall, then casually rested his hip on the desk next to Chris's outstretched feet. Tension pulled him tight as a wire and Chris looked up as if he sensed Buck's unease, then adjusted his hat farther back on his head.

"Looking for something to do, Buck?"

Wilmington shook his head and braced his forearm on his thigh. "Nope, just wondering what's keepin' the kid."

"He's not supposed to be back till later this afternoon. What are you so worried about?"

"I ain't worried, dang it!" He stood up and turned to face the window, his hands on his hips. "He's a man, he can take care of himself."

"So what's got you riled?"

Vin's quiet question pulled him around and Buck stared at his friends. His shoulders slumped and he pulled his hat from his head and began worrying at the brim. "I just got a bad feelin' is all. I got this shiver up my spine like someone walked across my grave."

Chris stood up and traded a look with Vin that Buck missed. J.D. was the youngest of the seven, but he'd proven he could take care of himself. Maybe Buck was just being paranoid, but then again . . . Vin took a step toward the door.

"What's say you and I ride out and meet him halfway."

Buck's face opened as hope replaced worry, but he hesitated as he shoved his hat back on his head. "What do we tell him when we see him? We can't say we was worried and decided to come check on him."

"We'll work on that on the way." Vin's easy smile restored Buck's waning confidence, and he nodded as he stepped out the door. Vin followed.

"I'll expect you three back here by this evening sometime. Don't make me come lookin' for ya." Chris stepped out onto the small porch and touched his hat brim. Buck turned and waved, then fell into step next to Vin as they made their way to the livery stable.

Within minutes they mounted their horses and left the town, riding toward Eagle Bend. Buck began practicing excuses in his head, hoping despite the knot of fear balled tight in his gut, they'd find J.D. healthy and alive.

+ + + + + + +

Sunlight shown dull through the dirt encrusted windows, but flickering candle and lamp light lit the room brightly. J.D. strained against his bonds. The ropes pulled tight, not giving an inch as the desperate young man did his best to escape. Treadly had unbuttoned J.D.'s pants and pulled them open, exposing his lower abdomen and he was dangerously close to displaying much more of his body. Mortification burned hot on his face and he tucked his chin against his chest to look over at Elmore. The big man was standing in the corner, just watching, his slack face holding no emotion. Shadows fell over his brow and J.D.'s tormented imagination turned the shaggy edge of his hair into horns.

"Let me go, dammit!" He'd been warned to keep silent, but the irrational command couldn't mute J.D.'s horror-filled voice. He watched as the Professor lifted his head and nodded toward Elmore, then the giant came toward him until his huge bulk blocked out the flickering lamp light.

His next shout was cut off by Elmore's smothering palm and J.D. writhed on the table, desperate to breathe. The Professor hurried over and gently adjusted his son's grip, then stood back to remove something from his work table before stepping back to J.D.'s side.

A flash of steel opened J.D.'s eyes wide but his scream of terror was muffled by Elmore's hand. A long needle attached to a glass syringe was held in front of his face and the Professor smiled down at him as if he were reassuring a worried patient.

"Not to worry, young man. I've had plenty of practice, and I never miss my target." The room practically danced with shadows that flickered off the walls, and J.D. began hyperventilating in the stifling heat cast off from the close bodies and the open flames.

"Let him breathe, Elmore. I want him conscious for this. I need to know what he's feeling."

Elmore's hand slid away, but lack of air had nearly pushed J.D. too far to the side of oblivion for him to take notice. He didn't register the feel of the professor's fingers as they pressed against his belly, flattening an area between the man's thumb and forefinger. Awareness returned in a flash as a piercing pain shot through him and he jerked on the table. He craned his neck to look down at his body.

"Oh god." His moan was ignored as Professor Treadly plunged the long needle into J.D.'s flesh about two inches below his navel.

J.D. felt detached from his body and watched in fearful anticipation as the needle sunk farther into his abdomen, dimpling the skin when the pressure from the professor's touch pushed it in. His senses magnified until he could feel the cold steel invading the warmth of his body. The man's thumb moved and curled through the ringed plunger then depressed it. A burning sensation flared to life deep inside his bowel and J.D. groaned breathlessly.

"Yes. You feel it, don't you, boy? Like the finger of Satan himself, digging into your body, searching for that portal between sanity and insanity."

"Oh god.....I -- uhhhnnn --" A flaming shaft of torment stabbed through his belly and J.D. arched helplessly on the table. The finger of pain drove deeper and he threw his head back and screamed from the torture. The building wave of distress roiled through him and he desperately pressed back into the table and pulled his gut in, trying to escape the needle. It wasn't until he turned his head and saw Treadly and Elmore watching him from a few feet away that he realized the needle was gone. He looked down at himself to find his flat belly unencumbered by any syringe or weapon, and yet the heated throb remained, twisting inside his stomach and scorching, as if something were trying to brand its way out of his body.

Hitching breaths pumped through his lungs and J.D. lay gasping on the table. Treadly stepped forward, his hands clasped behind his back. "Tell me what you feel, son. Is the pain talking to you?"

"You son of a bi--" Another hot wave of agony twisted through his insides and J.D. clenched his teeth as he desperately held onto his sanity. His knees and elbows jerked as his body fought to curl in on itself to protect his cramping stomach. "Oooohhhhh--" Eyes squeezed shut so tightly his tears could barely find a way out, J.D. wailed in his suffering.

Again his body arched and the bow of his back lifted him from the table. He could feel the tension in his neck when he threw his head back but was unaware that his skull rebounded sharply off the wooden table. He screamed again. Pain was his master and he was defenseless against it. Agony seared his insides and he jerked and fought on the table, but could find no respite.

"Feel the pain, boy. Let it reach for your limits and go beyond."

The strong voice of the Professor spoke right next to his ear and J.D. flinched away from the man. "Help me!"

"Let it control your mind, let it consume you from the inside and reach your brain. Let it find that point where you can't control it anymore, and it controls you."

Swirling colors burst against the black of his eyelids and J.D. gasped when the burning in his stomach built to a crescendo and seemed to devour his insides. Cold oblivion called to him and he surrendered, falling into welcome darkness where there was no pain.

His head rolled gently to the side as his body relaxed from its rigid position and the professor reached desperately for his head. "No! Wake up!" He held J.D's face between his hands and shook the boy roughly. "Too soon, it took affect too soon." He let go and wiped his hands down the front of his white coat. "I'll have to use a less potent dosage next time." Looking up at his son, he gestured with his chin toward the door. "Help me upstairs, Elmore, I need to be ready the next time he wakes up."

PART 3

Buck and Vin rode side by side toward Eagle Bend, keeping their horses at an easy canter. When they passed the halfway point and still hadn't met J.D., Buck pulled his horse back, then allowed it to walk up to where Vin stopped just ahead of him.

"We shoulda met him by now."

Vin nodded and squinted into the distance. "He just coulda been delayed, Buck. We'll head into town and talk to the sheriff, heck, he may not 'ave even left yet."

Buck nodded. "Well, if he hasn't, the sooner we get there, the sooner I can ring his scrawny neck for worryin' us to death." Buck urged his horse forward into a fast gallop. Vin shook his head.

"Thought you weren’t worried." Vin smiled as he quickly caught up to Buck’s speeding horse. They arrived a few hours later and stopped in front of the jail. Buck dismounted quickly and tied his horse to the hitching post, then hurried into the sheriff's office.

The man looked up quickly when Buck entered in a rush.

"Sheriff." Buck nodded a greeting to the lawman as Vin followed him in. "We're looking for a friend. J.D. Dunne. He was headed this way to pick up those wanted posters the express riders left behind."

The Sheriff stood up. Yeah, he was here. Picked up the posters and told me he was going across the street to get a bite to eat before heading back to Four Corners."

"What time today was this?"

"Today? No, that was yesterday. Said he decided to go back a day early."

"You sure?" Vin winced at the worried look Buck shot him.

The older man shrugged. "That's what he said. You might check over at the hotel in case he changed his mind. Let me know if you find him."

"Much obliged." Vin touched his hat brim and reached over to pull Buck out with him. "You go check the saloon, I'll ask around at the hotel." Waiting for Buck's acceptance, Vin strolled across the street toward the hotel. He could see the tension building in his friend and knew it wouldn't be long before panic set in.

"Evenin'." Vin nodded toward the man behind the desk at the hotel and leaned on the counter. "I'm looking for a friend of mine, goes by the name, J.D. Dunne."

The man pulled the open book around and ran down the names listed, then looked back up at Vin and shook his head. "Nope, sorry, no Dunne here."

"He might nota stayed here, but the Sheriff said he ate dinner here yesterday. Young man, dark hair, about --" Vin held his hand about eye level "--this high. Wore a bowler hat."

"Oh yeah! I remember him. He sure enough did eat here, then paid me and said he was heading back to Four Corners. I just happened to be sweeping the front porch about the time he left, too."

"Yesterday?" Vin's heart dropped when the man nodded. He thanked him and left to find Buck.

When they met again on the boardwalk just outside the saloon, Buck's face showed his disappointment. "He didn't go in the saloon."

"Man at the hotel said he ate there yesterday, then left for home. Even seen him ride off."

Buck's frown grew deeper with worry. "Something's happened then. He should have made it back to Four Corners by now. Let's go." Buck took a step away, but Vin grabbed his arm.

"Not now, Buck. It's gettin' too dark, I won't be able to see well enough to track for too much longer. We can wire Chris, then get started at first light."

"I got a bad feeling, Vin. I don’t think we got any time to waste here, he’s been missing too long." Buck yanked his arm from Vin's hand and strode toward his horse.

"Buck! Listen to me!" Chagrined at having to chase his friend down, Vin hurried over and held Buck's horse by the bridle. "If you go out now, I'll be lookin' for both of ya come morning. If J.D.'s really in danger like you think, then I ain’t got time for that. Kid needs us to be rational. 'Sides, once the wire reaches Four Corners, Chris will send someone to help, and we'll need it with this large a territory to cover."

Vin read the conflict running through his friend’s mind as he weighed reason against instinct. Buck fingered the leather reins he still held loosely in his hands, and gazed up at the darkening horizon.

"I just hope he has till morning."

Quietly, they led their horses to the livery stable and walked to the telegraph office. Later, after a quick, silent supper, they retreated to their rooms, knowing they'd be up before dawn to start tracking their friend.

+ + + + + + +

The late evening sun glowed through the room when J.D. opened his eyes. The familiar gloom surrounded him and his stomach rumbled with hunger. Movement to his left caught his attention, and he turned his head to find the professor walking toward him with another syringe.

"W-why are you -- doing this to -- m-me?" His voice shook and he trembled as he looked up at Treadly. The man grinned down at him and lifted the syringe higher as if making sure his victim could see the instrument.

"For the good of science, my boy. This is simply an experiment for the betterment of mankind. No one's ever discovered the line between sanity and insanity, and I intend to find it. There have been others before you, but they succumbed to the madness. You can be the first to open the portal within your mind."

J.D. groaned and rolled his eyes shut. Oh, my God, he's done this to other people! J.D. pulled his arms tight against the ropes and gasped when a hot dry palm rested on his belly. He opened his eyes and found the old man leaning over him and he shifted his hips, trying to dislodge the repulsive touch from his body.

Treadly seemed to sense his victim's unease and leaned closer, then looked at J.D. and moved his hand farther down. Powdery fingers spidered across his flesh and he froze when the man's touch drifted too close to his groin. The professor smiled, then moved his palm back up to caress across the painful bruises he'd made. J.D. helplessly squeezed his eyes shut as he was soothed and rubbed like a favorite pet.

"Skin like velvet . . . satin under my hand . . . "

The slurred words made him open his eyes again. The professor still smiled at him.

"Get your hands off me, you bastard!" J.D. bucked against the table and screamed defiantly as Elmore rushed forward and backhanded him viciously across the face. "Uhhhhnn!" J.D. felt his cheek bone crack under its mass and prayed he'd just black out.

Elmore's haste knocked the syringe from his father's hand and it shattered on the floor. J.D. hoped it would buy him some time and he struggled harder until a flash of pain caught him in the gut. The punch left him weak and gasping for air as Elmore stood over him, his meaty fist ready to strike again.

"No, that's enough." The big man stood down, his face as expressionless as a child's doll as he moved behind his smaller father.

"Why --" J.D. coughed and swallowed hard as the words strangled him. Fear threatened to tear his thoughts from his mind and he took a deep breath, determined to get through this time. "Why are you hurting me?"

"Oh, rest assured, young man, your hurting has a purpose." Treadly's voice held a note of insolence and he stepped back to his worktable and J.D. hitched in a painful breath as the man filled another syringe. "Your suffering has a purpose. Everyone's suffering has a purpose. My poor Velma couldn't see that, she --- well, no matter." He cleared his throat and stared grimly at J.D. "What we learn here will benefit mankind."

The syringe was held up and waning sunlight from the windows sparkled against the glass tube, shining dull through the yellow liquid it contained.

J.D. shook his head, fighting the tears forming in his eyes as he squirmed on the table and twisted his body in a futile attempt to widen the distance between himself and his tormentor. He tugged at the ropes holding his wrists and kicked his legs in the desperate chance he'd break free this time. "NO! Wait, please!"

"Think of it, boy. You're helping advance science. We'll go down in history as changing the course of human life." J.D. watched as Treadly lifted the syringe and pointed it needle down on the top of his bare flesh, pushing his cold palm into his belly. J.D. writhed beneath his touch, muscles rolling and clenching as he vainly fought against his captor.

The insane man’s eyes danced with amusement as he glared down at him. "Fight it if you want, boy, it won’t do you any good!"

J.D. knew he didn’t have much fight left, but overwhelming fear kept his exhausted body moving as Treadly laughed and poked him lightly with the needle. "Now, be a good boy and hold still now." Treadly’s voice strained with sudden impatience and he grunted in frustration as J.D. dislodged his aim again.

"Elmore! Hold him still!"

The giant moved forward with the speed of a man half his size and pinned J.D.'s hipbones to the table. J.D. gasped as a cramp shot through his pelvis and lanced through his thighs, his body felt as if he was being ripped apart. Helpless against such powerful strength, J.D. succumbed and the professor lay the needle in a sore spot on his lower abdomen. He held the vile instrument steady for a beat, then slowly stabbed it deeper.

J.D. screamed and strained against his holder. The foreign object sinking farther into his body became his focus and the silence in the room allowed him to concentrate on the feel of the perverted intrusion into his belly. His head fell back with the horrible sensation of layers of muscle and tissue popping as his body yielded to the inexorable stab of the needle. Burning followed as Treadly depressed the syringe and whatever potion the man had concocted flowed into him.

"Nnnnnooooo!"

"Tell me! Does the fire reach your mind? The pain that begins here --" Treadly pressed one palm to J.D.’s forehead placed his other hand on his abdomen, pushing his point home by compressing J.D.’s tender belly "--can travel up through your body and burst inside your brain. Can you feel it?"

The man leaned over and drew within inches of J.D.’s, his fervent words hammered against his face and J.D. cringed away. "Get away from me!"

"Tell me what you feel! Is insanity clawing at your mind, begging you to yield?"

Madness hovered over him and J.D. screamed then jerked his head away from Treadly's touch. Spasms racked his body as the blooming pain injected into his belly spread upward. The drug slid through his veins, sending the flaming potion through his limbs and chest, exploding in his already pounding heart. His head felt tight as he fought the digging torment that reached for his sanity.

J.D. began to pant, gulping in air as his vision tunneled with fright and agony. A low, animal-like wail echoed off the walls as J.D. begged for the darkness he sensed was just within his reach. As the pain flared again, he allowed his weakened body to give in to the beckoning oblivion that promised relief from the evil around him.

+ + + + + + +

Elmore watched as the boy’s suddenly limp body collapsed onto the table and his father shook his head sadly. Treadly's thin shoulders slumped in defeat and he turned to his son, but his discouraging words were only for himself. "He's still succumbing too quickly. I need him to stay awake longer and experience the pain, so he can tell me what he's feeling, what his thoughts are."

"When he wakes up, untie him, let him relieve himself, then put him back."

Elmore watched his father leave, then stood silently studying the pinched features etched on the unconscious boy's face. The young man mimicked J.D.'s expression with the intensity of a child. He glanced down at the exposed body and lightly wiped across the blood oozing through the last puncture wound, staring at the red streak left on his fingertip. Elmore roughly probed the other marks left by the needle, seeing if they also bled.

J.D. jerked back to consciousness, his eyes wide with fear as he looked up into Elmore’s face. "Don't . . . . please, don't."

Elmore didn’t like the sound of the boy’s sad voice and he hurried to finish the task his father had entrusted him with. He swiftly untied the ropes holding J.D. and lifted him effortless into his arms and carried his charge up the dark staircase.

+ + + + + + +

Cold night air raised goose bumps on his skin and J.D.'s heart thumped wildly in his chest. Elmore set him down beside a small outhouse and pushed him through the open door. J.D. hurried to do his business, worried that if he lingered, that creature would just come in after him. He finished and tried to button his pants but even the slight pressure against his bruised belly stopped him. He took a deep breath and prepared to try again, but his strength was waning and he couldn't force himself to withstand the pain the attempt at modesty would cost.

Tears of misery and frustration welled in his eyes and were wiped angrily away when he realized this might be the perfect opportunity to escape. Just as the door began to open, he reacted and threw his entire weight forward. The surprise more than the force knocked Elmore off balance and J.D. heard the big man cry out when the door slammed into his nose. A deep bellow of anger echoed through the woods and followed J.D. as he ran.

He tried to hurry but the ground stabbed at his tender feet and he felt like he was wading through waist-deep mud because he couldn't get up his speed. Gasping for breath already, he was too afraid he'd see Elmore or the Professor behind him, so he didn't look back. Abused stomach muscles worked against him sending spasms that made him clinch his teeth to stifle his screams when flashes of pain spread down through his belly and legs. He wrapped one arm around himself in an effort to try and find some relief from the torment and kept running. The terrifying alternative of returning to what had to be the bowels of hell behind him dampened his fear of dropping dead in his tracks, so he kept pushing, kept going despite the spear of agony each step sent through his body.

He was more or less just staggering from side to side by the time Elmore caught up to him, and his heart dropped when monstrous hands clamped around his shoulders. Motivated by fear and determination, he fought with more strength either could have thought possible and struck out at his opponent; kicking, hitting and finally biting, sinking his teeth into the giant's forearm as he tried to hold him still.

Elmore yelled like a stricken child and lashed out sending J.D. staggering from a backhanded blow. He felt his head jerk back as his hair was yanked, then felt the immense arms as they closed around his chest in a suffocating embrace. J.D. let out a weak grunt as the breath was expelled forcefully from his lungs then he collapsed limply in his captor's arms.

The ambiance changed and he opened his eyes to the lab just before he was dumped onto the table's surface. His wrists and ankles were quickly tied in the same position he held before, his shoulders ripping in their sockets as despair swelled in his chest and tears continued to stream down his face. "Why are you doing this?" he demanded, his voice raw and shaky.

J.D. flinched and moaned as Elmore touched the tear-streaked skin on his bruised cheek. The simpleton reached up slowly and touched his own face, hissing when his thick fingers moved across his broken nose and he stared at the blood from his own body this time.

"I hurt too." J.D. whispered in desperation. He'd become aware that this man-boy didn't understand what he was a part of. In the brief moments of lucidity between injections he'd caught glimpses of the simple, innocent expression Elmore wore, and he suspected the Professor merely used his son because of his ignorance. But J.D. wanted to make him understand his actions were wrong. If he could get through to the son, maybe he had a chance of escape.

Elmore stared at J.D., blinked slowly, then turned and left the room.

J.D. let his head loll to the side and squeezed his eyes tight against the hopelessness he felt invading his soul. He wanted to stop thinking and instead convince himself it would all be over soon, but he couldn't. He shivered as the cold settled into his bones. Even if he weren't half-naked, scared to death and lying on what felt like stone, the growing discomfort in his gut wouldn't allow him a moment's rest. He felt sick, violated and helpless and he prayed someone would find him before the Professor did any more vile experiments to destroy his body and take away his will to live.

He heard heavy footfalls and held his breath. No, God, no more.Elmore's huge shadowy form stood over him and J.D. bit his lip and trembled. Just as he thought he would go insane with worry, he felt warm softness and opened his eyes to watch Elmore spread a blanket over his legs and his bare chest. The big man gently tucked the edges under J.D.'s body, then turned and left the room. Confused and numb, J.D. laughed weakly then closed his eyes and allowed his weary mind to slip into a restless sleep.

+ + + + + + +

Elmore Treadly walked quietly out of the house and through the backyard. Darkness shrouded the trees and turned familiar landmarks into hideous shadows, but he navigated through them easily. He'd traveled this route many times when his thoughts began to trouble him, so the way was well known to him.

Irregular shapes showed up as darker forms against the ground at his feet and he stopped and knelt by one. He ran his thick fingers over the rough wood, and though he didn't know the letters, he knew the name by heart. It was the only marker with a name.

"Mom."

Velma Treadly, RIP. The first victim of his father's demented experiments had died in retched agony in her own home. Elmore had stood back and watched, his simple mind unable to connect with what he was seeing and offer the help she so desperately called for. The woman was dying, eaten alive by a sickness no one knew about, or knew how to cure, but to have her last moments filled with unbearable pain was enough to send anyone over the edge. Intrigued with the mind's response to pain, the Professor had withheld the laudanum she so pitifully begged for. She'd died with a curse on her lips, the last words to her husband.

Elmore stood up and tenderly brushed away a leaf that had fallen onto the wooden marker. Blood on his hands shown darkly against his skin and he lifted his fingers to touch his nose. Pain shocked through his system and he twisted his face with the discomfort he felt. The hand that rested on his face traced the creases in his brow and he remembered a similar expression on the young boy laying in his father's lab. The boy was in pain. Until now, the comparison had been unreachable, but after experiencing it for himself, Elmore began to realize what his father was doing was wrong.

The thought of defying his father sent fear through his heart, and for the moment, the courage needed to help his father's subject was buried beneath fright. Slowly, the simple giant turned and lumbered back to the house, his shoulders slumped with a sadness he couldn't understand.

PART 4

Pre-dawn found Buck and Vin leaving Eagle Bend. They knew J.D. had left yesterday, but neither wanted to risk missing any signs of tracks, so they traveled down the road slowly. They bent over their horses as far as they could and began searching the dusty road for anything than might help them figure out what had happened to J.D. or lead them to him.

Just as the sky began to lighten, Vin pulled his horse up and dismounted. Buck followed.

Vin kept his eyes on the ground. "We're a couple of miles from town and I don't want to chance missing somethin.'"

Buck nodded in agreement and stood silently watching the tracker as Vin walked carefully around the area. He pulled bushes back with his hands and searched the ground for any sign of struggle, or that someone had left the main trail. When he was satisfied he'd missed nothing, he walked carefully forward, his eyes constantly scanning the earth.

Several minutes passed before Buck's impatience got the better of him. "This is going to take awhile, ain't it?"

Vin didn't look up, but he pressed his lips together and nodded. "Yep. I told you there's a lot of territory to cover. When I wired Chris, I told him to look for signs along the way, so whoever he sends will be searching from Four Corner's way. That'll help some."

Another few minutes dragged by before Buck sighed heavily and adjusted his hat farther back on his head. He shifted the reins in his hands and reached back to pat his horse. "You ever get the feeling something bad's going to happen?"

Vin stopped and looked at his friend. "Yeah, I've had that feeling a few times in my life. Used to know an old Indian that swore he could tell when somebody was gonna get hurt, or killed. He said he could read the signs in the clouds."

Buck looked up at the dark sky above. The sun was just beginning to brighten the distant horizon and color was seeping into the world as if God were pouring it in from above. "Kinda like Josiah's crows, huh?"

"Yeah, kinda."

Worry had settled in his stomach like a cold rock and Buck clenched his jaw in frustration with his inability to see into the future. Something told him J.D. needed help *now*. A hand rested on his arm and he turned to find Vin watching him with an expression of deep understanding on his young face. "We'll find him, Buck. Don't you worry."

Buck smiled even though his worry didn't lessen with Vin's sincere words. "I know. I just got this feeling of urgency, like we need to find him soon."

Vin nodded once in quick acceptance and dropped his hand to his side. "Then let's get to work."

The sun rose to warm their backs as they worked on opposite sides of the road, looking for signs that would lead them to J.D.

The thundering of a rider coming in fast arrested Vin and Buck's attention. They both reached for their guns but relaxed when the familiar figure of Josiah arrived.

He pulled his horse up sharply and held a hat out for their inspection. "Found this about five miles down the road." J.D.'s hat, dusty and a bit bedraggled, was clutched in his hand and Buck reached for it.

"Damn it, something's happened to him." He looked up at the ex-preacher, his face hard with determination. "Can you remember exactly where you found it?"

"Yep, marked it."

"Then let's ride."

Buck and Vin mounted their horses and the three men urged their rides forward. Several minutes later, Josiah pulled his horse to a stop and dismounted by the time Buck and Vin caught up. The ex-preacher hurried to the bushes and pushed them aside then held up the colorful wrap he wore when the weather turned cold. "This is where I found it."

Vin pushed past him and studied the ground, then moved farther into the overgrown weeds and bushes. A few yards away, he stopped and sank to his haunches. Buck and Josiah came closer, but didn't join him for fear of disturbing the signs he'd obviously seen.

"Someone hid a wagon here, but there's only one set of footprints."

"You thinkin' J.D. went with this person?" Josiah's brow creased as he frowned, apparently trying to follow Vin's train of thought.

"No." Vin stood. "I think he was carried to the wagon and took away. There's only one set of footprints, and they're too big to be J.D.'s"

"But what makes you think he didn't go willingly? Maybe someone was sick on the side of the road, and J.D. stopped to help, went with them?"

"You found his hat, he wouldn't have left that. Besides, I just got a feelin' is all, kinda like Buck."

Josiah stared at him grimly, then suddenly craned his neck and looked up into the sky. Buck followed his gaze and shivers ghosted down his spine when he caught site of a lone crow, high over their heads. The bird circled lazily then rode the thermal away, shrinking into the distance.

Buck caught a glimpse of the uncertainty in Vin’s eyes before the tracker averted his glance.

"Let's see where these wagon tracks lead us." Vin adjusted his hat on and began to follow the slight marks the wagon wheels had made in the dirt. Buck and Josiah followed silently behind. None of the men voiced their worries, but Buck felt the urgent tension that held them all and he said a silent prayer that J.D. was or would be all right.

+ + + + + + +

The Professor bent over his subject and pulled the blanket away. Some of Elmore's doing, no doubt. That boy was simply impossible.

The syringe was cool where it rested against his palm and he ran his thumb back and forth over the glass, enjoying the smooth surface. He liked soft, smooth things. They made him feel comfortable and calm. Frantic, disquieting thoughts had kept him up lately, stolen away his sleep, and he craved rest.

The youth who lay before him was an endless supply of smooth textures. His skin, his hair, even the pants he wore felt satiny soft against his palm. It looked as if the boy was sleeping peacefully. But instead, the pain he'd inflicted had driven his victim into oblivion and the thought sent shivers of unmerciful power through his soul. He reached out with one trembling hand and rested his palm on the young man's forehead. His skin felt slick and warm and Treadly smoothed over the curved brow to J.D.'s cheek. Though he judged the boy to be at least 19, the look of innocence he wore in his sleep and the unaged quality in his face made him appear as a child.

The boy flinched and opened his eyes and immediately drew back when he saw who was touching him.

Stubbornly, the old man followed his movements and kept his hand on his victim's face. "You can't get away, boy. You're helpless. I decide whether you live to see another day. How does it feel to have your delicate young life held in another person's hands?"

"You don't hold my life." J.D. spat defiantly. "*I* decide whether I live or die."

Professor Treadly lifted his eyebrows in surprise. "We shall see about that."

He pulled back from the boy and held the syringe up in both hands, turning the glass container so that J.D. could see the pale amber liquid within. "My purpose is to find your center. Once I discover that, I shall be on my way, and nothing can stop me. I'll be able to control the mind."

He leaned over again, his face inches from J.D.'s. The boy turned away and his neck curved dramatically as he tried to hide from the professor's view. Chuckling softly, Treadly placed his hand on the kid's belly. The soft flesh rolled beneath his palm as he drew circles on J.D.'s body. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, almost losing himself in the calm that settled in his brain with the sensation of velvet softness against his skin.

"Stop! Don't touch me!" J.D. bucked on the table, his strong back bowing his body up and then down again as he struggled to dislodge the professor's touch.

"Keep still!" An overwhelming sense of superiority swept through him and he curled his hand into a fist and brought it down like a hammer into the boy's abdomen. J.D. grunted and his body lunged the few inches the ropes would allow off the table, trying to double over with the pain. He groaned and drew in deep breaths that kept hitching through his billowing chest.

Treadly hurriedly rubbed a spot on the boy's quivering belly with his fingers and plunged in the needle.

"Yes! It works faster when the subject is highly agitated!" Cackling with glee, he thrust the needle up to the hilt of the syringe into his victim's body and shoved the plunger home. J.D. pulled in a sucking breath. His chest expanded and his ribs swelled and he arched off the table.

The professor held the syringe like a knife, pushing it like he would a blade deeper into J.D.'s body, uncaring of the deep impression he was making in the boy's abdomen.

The boy cried out, his spent voice merely a hoarse whisper and fell limply back to the table. His head lolled over and he stared out at the professor, but didn't pass out.

"Now you feel it, don't you?" Treadly leaned in close and wiped his free hand across J.D.'s brow, pushing heavy dark locks away so he could look into the boy's eyes. "It starts in the belly, but soon it will warm your spine and explode into your brain. You must stay awake, boy. You must tell me how it feels."

J.D.'s brow creased and he squeezed his eyes shut. "Oh, God - hurts!!"

"Yes? what else?"

"BUCK, please help me......Buck, PLEASE!"

"Nobody's coming for you, boy! No one can find us here or hear your screams. I have a whole graveyard full of proof. Scream all you want, call for your friends all you want; they'll never hear you!"

Treadly drew back and cruelly yanked the needle from J.D.'s body. The boy jerked up with the abrupt removal and a scream was forced from his raw throat as he fell back to the table.

"Buck will." With those quiet words, the boy breathed deeply and passed out. Disappointed, Treadly walked over to his worktable. His shoulders drew up tight and he clenched his fist around the empty syringe in his hands.

Suddenly, he threw the vial across the room, ignoring the spattering of broken glass when it smashed into the wall. "This isn't working!" His anguished cries echoed through the house and he began snatching up small sacks and bits of herbs in his hands.

Treadly's head spun, he'd tried so many different mixtures, none were ever just right. He stopped suddenly and turned to look at J.D. The boy wasn't moving, but the professor could see the nightmares attacking him behind closed lids. He's still feeling it. That's it! Treadly's brain screamed to him and he laughed outloud. Take him to the brink of death! Why hadn't he thought of this before? All he had to do was add more tensia root, keep him awake then administer a stronger second dose!

With renewed vigor and a giggle he couldn't contain, Treadly picked up more containers from his worktable and stumbled with his load to the door.

PART 5

The white washed boards of the two-story house showed briefly through the branches, and Vin held up his hand for the others to stop. He gestured with his chin to the wagon next to the porch. "There it is."

"Let's go." Buck stepped forward, but Vin held his arm.

"Wait, Buck. Don't go rushin' in halfcocked."

"There's the wagon you been trailing for the last hour and half, so J.D.'s got to be in there!" Buck's voice was tense with worry and it was taking every ounce of self-control he had to keep from storming the front door.

Vin shook his head. "Yeah, and maybe men with guns, holding him against his will." His jaw sharpened when he ground his teeth together. Blue eyes usually soft and friendly turned hard as he looked past Buck's shoulder to the house.

"No sense puttin' the boy in any more danger, brother." Josiah's logic cut through Buck's impulse and he reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"Come on Buck, we'll check inside, Josiah you might wanna make sure nobody else is lurkin' around out here."

"Ok." Buck agreed and quickly took the lead, carefully making his way through the underbrush. Dried leaves and shaggy bushes crackled underfoot, but the three men did their best to keep quiet. They reached the house without incident and watched as Josiah circled around back.

Vin pushed open the front door, both men stood ready, pointing their weapons inside, but saw no one. "I'll check upstairs."

Buck nodded at Vin's whisper. "Yell if ya need me." Not waiting for an ok from Vin, Buck stepped into the house and followed a windowless corridor to his left. He spread his arms out and touched walls and felt his way down the hallway until it abruptly ended in a door. His hand shook as he reached for the handle and Buck drew his pistol as he eased it open.

+ + + + + + +

After leaving the others, Josiah made his way to the back of the house. He saw an old barn off to the side, nearly covered with overgrown weeds and bushes. Signs of neglect layered the grounds, giving the place an eerie feeling of abandonment. The old home and the stables were probably once considered regal judging by their size and he wondered how it had fallen into such a sad state.

Cautiously moving forward, he searched through the old stalls, but found no one. The smell of manure and livestock still permeated the air, and the sight of two draft horses grazing in the mostly dirt paddock let him know the stable was still in use. A whinny of greeting met him as he moved farther inside and his eyes stopped on the gelding, still wearing its saddle, standing patiently waiting for his rider. Josiah suppressed a shudder when he recognized it as J.D.'s.

Josiah's heart hammered in his chest as he grabbed the reins and led the animal quickly out through the barn and back toward the house. His sharp eyes caught sight of a crude wooden marker just inside the tree line and he stopped for a closer look. His mind began to wander as he scanned the grounds and counted seven markers.

"Graveyard." His voice whispered quiet through the small glade, his solemn air lending reverence to the place of death.

What killed these people? Sickness? Madness? Were they all family? He knew they couldn't have been buried long because the wood hadn't rotted. A sick feeling washed over him and he searched for signs of a freshly covered mound, finally letting out a sigh of relief when he saw none.

+ + + + + + +

Pale yellow light bloomed into the hall, revealing a narrow staircase leading into a basement room. Buck cautiously took a step down and was instantly assaulted by suffocating heat and the stench of human fear. Buck's heart pounded in his ears as he continued his descent and he gasped breathlessly when he ducked his head and peered into the room. Perspiration broke out around his face as the flickering candles and hissing kerosene lamps shone their light on an indescribable display of inhuman agony.

J.D. lay stretched full length on a table, his wrists and ankles caught with rope and tied to each corner. The kid's hair was matted to his head and his eyes were wide with undisguised fright. J.D.'s limbs strained and his body arched as the old man standing over him grinned like a maniac, his wrinkled hand clasped around a syringe buried deep in the boy's belly.

What in God's name? Shock froze Buck for a heartbeat as the vision of fear on J.D.'s face tightened into pain and the boy's mouth opened wide and he let loose with a hoarse scream that sent ice plunging into the gunslinger's heart. The syringe was withdrawn and J.D. collapsed back to the table but his body remained in motion; the trembling in his muscles sent shivering ripples down the boy's form. The old man put one hand on the kid's chest and Buck watched in anguish as J.D.'s heaving breaths lifted and expanded his rib cage.

It wasn't until the man reached for another syringe that Buck was jolted out of his trance and realized he'd stopped halfway down the staircase. His gun, almost forgotten in his hand, aimed straight at J.D.'s tormentor.

A primal moan escaped both Buck and J.D. at the same time as the old man lifted the needle tipped vial and prepared to stab again.

"STOP! You son of a --" Buck had already reached the last step when the old man turned crazed eyes on him and moved the syringe from J.D.'s abdomen to a point just over the boy's chest.

"Don't come any closer, I'll kill him!"

Buck's body swayed forward, but he kept his feet planted and tightened the trigger on his drawn pistol.

"Drop the gun now!" The old man bent forward over J.D., making a smaller target of himself as he scraped a path up the kid's skin with the sharp needle.

Buck kept his eyes drilled into the stranger, but his ears caught every hitching breath billowing out of J.D. He wanted to look at the kid, to reassure him, but the fear of what would happen if he looked away held his gaze on the demon in front of him.

"I will sink the needle into his heart and there's nothing you could do that would save him."

Buck swallowed hard, seeing the reflected candle light dance like fire in the man's dazed eyes. Insanity grew from those dark orbs and his heart skipped a few beats as he realized just how far gone their situation was. The gunslinger still refused to drop his weapon, instead he holstered it quickly and held his empty hands up in front of him.

J.D. began to whimper, the pitiful sound moaned through the room like the cry of a wounded child. Instinctively, Buck glanced at his young friend. The kid's body was drenched in oily sweat and his agony drawn face seemed ghostly white under the flickering lights. The smooth surface of his skin rippled as muscles spasmed and drove the already blood smeared rope deeper into the ripped flesh of his wrists.

Grief and fury simultaneously contained Buck's tenuous control. "He's comin' with me or we'll all die here." His threat broke through the silence. "Put it down and I won't rip your heart out through your teeth!"

The old man laughed and nodded behind him. "Elmore, take his guns."

Buck jerked in surprise when he noticed the huge man standing in the shadows and his heart sunk at the realization he was desperately overpowered. His mind raced trying to come up with an alternative plan, knowing he wasn’t leaving this place without JD.

"Ah, I have every intention of allowing you to join us. This young one is not cooperating to my satisfaction, perhaps your presence will inspire him to indulge this old professor." The old man's gloating voice reverberated through the room, but Elmore still hadn't moved. The simple expression on his face remained unchanged, but his eyes grew moist as he stared at J.D.

"Boy! Do as I say! He wants to take him away from us!" The words were obviously meant to scare his helper into action, but instead, Elmore turned his nearly blank eyes up to look at Buck before turning to face the professor.

"No."

"Don't make me have to discipline you." The quiet threat sent chills down Buck's spine as he watched the old man try to hold onto his composure. Elmore moved forward and the gunslinger sucked in a panicked breath as the giant stepped out into the light.

The professor turned back to face Buck, but the man's self-satisfied grin disappeared as Elmore grabbed the hand that gripped the syringe. The giant yanked him away from J.D. and the professor's eyes widened in shock. The old man struck at his attacker with his free fist. "Stop! You're ruining everything!"

Buck immediately lunged forward and reached the boy in two long strides. He tried to set his emotions aside, but his hands shook so badly he couldn't release the knots in the blood slick ropes. To make matters worse, J.D. began to fight him.

"J.D., it's okay. It's Buck." He tried to calm his friend but the panic in his voice belied his comments and the kid continued to pull away.

Buck risked a quick glance at Elmore and the old man as they continued to struggle, the huge man holding the professor in the far corner of the basement, the older man's screams of rage echoing off the thick walls.

"Pleeeaaase. No more, please!" Buck returned his attention to J.D. as the boy's pleas faded into hitching breaths and he cupped the young man's face between his hands.

"J.D., nobody's gonna hurt you again." His voice broke as he tried to get through to his friend. "Open your eyes, kid, please."

Tremors ran through the boy's body as he opened his eyes and his resistance tapered off. Buck paled when he stared into J.D.'s glazed and terrified eyes, and saw no recognition in their depths.

A loud clattering boomed across the room and Buck jerked his head around to see. The professor had been shoved into the wall and had landed on his knees. The old man pulled himself to his feet, insanity glowing brightly from his eyes as he lunged at the giant, stabbing the syringe he still held toward the younger man like a knife.

Buck didn't have time to yell out to him, and watched as the big man turned gracefully with the attack, allowing him to sweep past him, then grabbed the old man's bony wrist and pivoted, thrusting the needle into the professor's abdomen.

The professor grunted with the impalement and his eyes bulged in pain as he stumbled back into the wall. His expression slackened and he looked down at his body, then he smiled at his attacker and curled his slim fingers around the holder and carefully depressed the plunger.

"The only way to truly know." His soft voice held satisfaction as he fell to the floor and curled in on himself, half-screaming, half-laughing as the poison took effect.

Buck watched in fascinated horror as the old man's feeble body flopped like a dying fish and his guttural wail of agony was muffled as he convulsed face down on the floor. Suffer, damn you. Suffer 'til I can kill you.Buck's thoughts of revenge were put on hold as he looked from the professor to J.D., his heart squeezed tight with grief as he realized the extent of the boy’s suffering in the madman’s hands. He absently stroked J.D.’s wet hair, relieved the simple gesture had managed to quiet him down enough to stop his struggles.

The sound of heavy footsteps drew Buck's attention and he looked up to see Elmore standing behind him and automatically reached for his gun. Buck stopped when he realized the big man was untying the ropes around J.D.'s ankles and kept silent, watching, as Elmore moved to release the bonds from the boy's battered wrists.

When J.D. was free, Buck carefully picked him up and cradled him in his arms like a small child. Elmore reached out and placed his wide hand atop J.D.'s bare midsection and looked at the boy's rescuer.

"No more." The big man's soft tone surprised the gunslinger.

"No more," Buck repeated, tears of conviction in his dark blue eyes. "No more." He said louder, the second time for both himself, and for the semiconscious boy in his arms.

Leaving Elmore behind, he carried J.D. up the stairs and out of the house.

+ + + + + + +

"Vin! Josiah!" Buck screamed for his friends as he bolted from the house. Vin met him at the front door, immediately watching for anyone who might be following. Josiah caught up to them, J.D.'s mount trotting at the big man's heels.

"Let's get outta here." Buck ran another yard, before his legs gave out and he dropped to his knees, still holding the kid tight against his chest.

Vin and Josiah stopped beside him. "What happened?" Vin's voice was edged with panic as he touched the boy's fevered face.

"We..gotta...get him...outta...here." Buck gasped, his body spent.

Josiah handed the reins to Vin and took J.D. from his exhausted friend's arms. Buck tried to get up, but the events he'd just witnessed had drained his energy and his spirit. Josiah had J.D., he was safe, that was all that mattered.

"Git up!" Vin's voice shattered Buck's thoughts and he felt himself being roughly pulled to his feet. Buck started to comply when a loud boom shook the earth beneath them and all were thrown to the ground.

He felt someone touch his shoulder and looked up. Vin was beside him, but the tracker's gaze was locked on something behind them. "You all right, Buck?"

"Yeah. What was that?"

"The house. It just exploded."

Buck turned to find a wall of fire where the house had stood. Old dried boards acted like kindling and a wave of heat billowed outward as the flames grew. "Let's get out of here." He let Vin help him up again and was relieved to see Josiah still holding onto J.D. and made his way over to them.

"He's OK." Josiah's deep tone calmed Buck's unspoken fear.

"Anyone else in there?"

Vin's voice sounded distant to Buck's ears and he looked back over his shoulder at the house and shook his head. "It's too late for them. Just let 'em be."

The tracker looked at him with a question on his face, but Buck ignored it. He felt unspeakable evil in this place, and destroyed or not he wanted to be far from it before nightfall.

PART 6

The men reached the thicket where the horses were hidden just as the sun began to sink into the horizon. J.D. struggled in Josiah's arms and the ex-preacher quickly found a soft spot to lay him down. Moans vibrated deep from within the boy's chest as he instantly curled into a tight ball, his gasping breaths disturbing the long hair that fell across his face. Buck swallowed a lump in his throat as he reached out to finger away the strands from the kid's eyes, then dropped his hand to J.D.'s shoulder.

"He's shivering. We need to get him out of this night air."

Vin knelt beside them and carefully rolled J.D. to his back. "J.D.? Can you hear me?" The boy's arms were wrapped tight around his middle and his pants were still open enough to reveal the dark bruises and dried blood on his lower abdomen. "What the hell?"

Buck's eyes met Vin's and he quickly looked away from the tracker's puzzled gaze. Buck leaned over the kid, subconsciously sheltering his abused body from Vin and Josiah's questioning stares.

"The old man had one of those needle contraptions full of somethin', and he..." Buck caught his bottom lip with his teeth as the chilling memory resurfaced and another wave of sorrow threatened to take over his words. "He was stickin' J.D. in the stomach with it."

"In the belly? Why? Nathan's never given a shot there before."

"Hell if I know! I didn't stop to ask him what his business was, Vin!" Anger stretched Buck's words thin as he desperately tried to mask the helplessness he was feeling. His voice carried harshly through the quiet surrounding them and J.D. flinched beneath his hand. The gunslinger squeezed his eyes shut in mortification and moved his touch to J.D.'s head.

"Shhhh. Sorry, kid." He smiled weakly and looked up at Vin. "Sorry, Vin. J.D.'s hurtin', and I just need to do something to make it stop."

" 'S okay." The tracker returned the smile and placed his palm on J.D.'s burning forehead. "Then it seems to me he's been poisoned, and the best way to get poison out of the body is to sweat it out."

"Yeah, that might work." Josiah's deep voice came from above them and Buck craned his neck to look up at his friend.

"Like a sweat tent? Wait, can't you just give him some roots or somethin'? Nathan always comes up with an anti -something?" He lifted his pleading eyes to his friends, hoping to spare J.D. from anymore suffering.

"Antidote." Josiah finished and Buck nodded.

"Yeah, if we knew what he gave him, but we don't." Vin's eyes glanced toward J.D. and Buck knew he was just as desperate to help the boy. "I don't know what else we can do for him."

Vin turned to Josiah. "How 'bout giving me a hand to help build it?"

Buck settled in next to J.D. as the two men went in search of what they needed. The boy lay quietly but his arms were still pressed to his belly and he frowned and jerked in his sleep every now and then. Buck kept his hand on the kid's head like a benediction and added his own prayer that J.D.'s salvation hadn't come too late.

+ + + + + + +

Josiah and Vin returned quickly, managing to put together a fairly accurate imitation of an Indian sweat tent.

Josiah helped Buck carry their young friend's unconscious form inside, his arms still clutched around his body. As soon as he was settled on the mat, Buck knelt beside him and began wiping his hand across the boy's brow as Josiah used his saddle blanket to bring in the steaming rocks. Buck's world had narrowed to this small space and J.D. was his focus.

Sticky dampness broke out around Buck's neck and face, reminding him that he was still fully dressed. He shed his shirt and boots quickly and tossed the extra clothing aside, then reached to close the flap, only then noticing that Josiah had left. He returned to J.D. and soaked a clean cloth with water, then tenderly ran it over the boy's forehead.

The kid shifted restlessly. Buck remembered Vin saying the poison would just have to work its way out and until then, bathing him in cool water was about the only thing they could do to make him rest easier.

J.D. muttered and turned his head on the makeshift pallet they'd made from Josiah's bedroll. Sweat already covered him like a second skin, glistening and dripping down his body. Softly bulging curves of developing strength in his arms and shoulders gleamed and flexed as the boy's muscles tensed and quivered. Beads of wetness gathered and trickled down the line of his ribs, then continued around the curve of his side to fall to the bedding.

The thought of what had been done to his friend drew Buck's eyes down to those horrible marks and he cringed in sympathy at the purplish bruises spread along the boy's belly. Glistening tracks against his pale skin lead to a pool of sweat that had gathered in the shallow hollow of his navel and Buck gently mopped the rag over J.D.'s abdomen, mindful of the painful area he was working on.

J.D. jerked away and half-rose from the ground. "Get your hands off me! Please!" His plea was all the more heart wrenching because of the hoarseness of his voice and Buck hurried to reassure him.

"Take it easy, kid. It's me...Buck." He pressed down on J.D.'s shoulders, urging the kid to lie down, but the young man was caught in a nightmare.

"NO. Leave me alone!"

"J.D.!"

Buck's frantic need to get through to the kid was interrupted when J.D. suddenly lunged forward, heaving on his friend's crumpled shirt. Buck knelt by his side and wrapped one arm around him as the boy convulsed in his arms and his back humped from the effort of being sick. Buck could feel muscles tighten under his palm where he held the boy around his abdomen, and he frowned with concern.

Finally spent from the illness, J.D. slumped into the older man's arms and wiped a shaky hand across his mouth. "Buck?"

"Right here, kid. I got you." Buck carefully pulled the boy back to the pallet and J.D. dropped wearily onto the bedroll, his limbs splayed out as if he had no control over them. After seeing him pulled into a tight ball for so long, Buck smiled at the look of relaxed slumber on his friend's face. He carefully rearranged the boy's arms and legs to make him more comfortable, then gently slid a hand under his neck and lifted him up. "Here ya go. Drink some of this."

He pressed a cup to J.D.'s bottom lip and the kid opened his mouth and sucked at the water like a child. As carefully as if he were a newborn, Buck laid him back down again. "Go back to sleep. I'll be right here."

After an obvious struggle, J.D. opened eyes heavy-lidded with weariness. " . . . thanks . . ."

Buck smiled and wiped the cloth gently over the sick boy's mouth. "Any time, kid."

Josiah peeked into the tent and Buck handed him the soiled shirt, whispering a brief explanation. Buck ducked back inside and flipped his blanket over before sitting down and resuming his place beside his young charge. Weariness and worry sat on his shoulders like twin weights of lead and he continued to wipe his friend's face with cool water as his own body slumped with the heavy burden of guilt and regret.

+ + + + + + +

Josiah pulled back the tent flap and crawled inside carrying a fresh canteen. Buck had stayed with the boy all night and by the next afternoon he and Vin had finally forced the man to get some rest. The only argument that worked was telling him he'd be no use to J.D. when he finally woke up if he continued his grueling vigil.

Josiah sat down near the pallet and understood why Buck was so resistant to leave. J.D. was curled into a tight ball again, his earlier ease gone as he muttered incoherently. An occasional plea made it through as he begged to be left alone. The ex-preacher removed the tepid cloth resting on the boy's forehead and drenched it in cool water, then continued wiping his heated face and neck.

J.D. trembled when the chilly material touched his burning skin and his fever bright eyes opened. Josiah smiled at him, but the glassy stare confirmed that J.D. still wasn't lucid. The boy's face creased in a frown and he groaned as he clutched his belly and drew his knees up tight. Sweat broke out on his face as quickly as it was wiped off. Josiah watched helplessly as J.D.'s body grew tight with tension and muscles bulged as spasms wracked his slight frame.

The kid lifted an arm that shook with weakness and grasped Josiah's wrist. "Please. Make it stop!" The gravelly whisper brought tears to the big man's eyes and J.D.'s eyes filled and overflowed while he struggled against the pain.

"Try and relax, son." He leaned in and rubbed the wet cloth in circles on the boy's sweat-slicked back, praying he could take away some of the agony he knew the young man was suffering. Another spasm jerked through J.D. and he curled in even tighter, his forearms pressed to his abdomen.

"Uhhhhh -- can't live like this --"

The broken plea touched Josiah's heart and he lifted the suffering youth in his arms. Sliding one hand through J.D.'s hair, he cradled his neck and drew him close, gently massaging the knotted muscles at the base of the boy's skull. Josiah looked down into the pinched face as a mournful howl escaped from deep within J.D.'s throat and made it clear to the ex-preacher the struggle his young friend was going through.

"Don't fight it, John Dunne. Let it go. Just let the pain go." His words tumbled from his tongue and his heart. He knew the boy was wrestling with demons and was determined not to let them overtake his young friend's soul or mind.

"That's it, let it go. Don't hang onto the pain, son." His baritone voice rumbled through the small space like a lullaby and he felt the young man slowly relax at his words. The welcome release made Josiah smile. "That's it, J.D., let it out."

J.D.'s body gradually went limp and after assuring himself the boy was still breathing, Josiah sighed in relief. He continued to hold him like a baby, the sturdy youthful body sprawled out across the floor and in his arms. J.D's earlier pain-filled gasps were now the deep inhalations of sleep. Josiah looked heavenward and whispered a brief thank you as he pulled J.D. into his chest and rested his chin on top of the kid's head.

+ + + + + + +

Watery light broke through the thick covering of trees overhead and Buck blinked his eyes open as he woke up. Birds called to each other and fresh air filled his lungs as he drew in a deep breath. He raised his arms and stretched, then rubbed his fists into his eyes. As much as he loved civilization, and the pretty citizens of any town, he loved being away from the crowd and noise even more. He'd never told anyone that, and he doubted anyone would believe him if he did, but it was true.

Imagining himself trying to explain that to someone like J.D. who believed his only purpose in life was to satisfy and be satisfied by the ladies made him smile. J.D.

Oh god, J.D.

Memories returned with the new day's light and Buck lunged from the ground. He'd slept beside the tent. Josiah was still with the boy, but he wanted to be near in case J.D. called out for him. The flap was open and he dropped to his knees and crawled inside.

Josiah was curled against the wall, his compact body forming a large mound that rose and fell with the big man's easy breathing. One arm was tucked around J.D.'s body; the other outstretched, his palm offering a nest for the boy's smaller hand. J.D. lay on his side; a blanket pulled up around his shoulders to keep away the chill of the morning.

A muffled moan drew Buck's attention and he looked over to find Josiah looking at him. "He awake?"

Buck shook his head. "Not yet. I can take care of him, Josiah. Why don't you go stretch your legs?"

Nodding amiably, the big man untangled his limbs and slipped from underneath J.D.'s weight, carefully moving him back onto the bedroll. As Josiah stiffly crawled past him, Buck reached out to touch his arm.

"Thanks." Buck's eyes shone with gratitude deeper than mere words. Josiah answered him with a slight nod and a silent smile, then disappeared outside.

Buck noticed J.D.'s fever had broken and he was finally sleeping peacefully. He was reluctant to wake him, but couldn't stop himself from smoothing the hair from the boy's face, just to be sure. J.D. jumped slightly, and dark eyes looked up at the gunslinger. Buck immediately leaned closer to his friend. "J.D.? How you feeling, boy?"

J.D. blinked, his mind trying to comprehend what his eyes saw. He closed his eyes and frowned, then opened his eyes to look at Buck. "All right, I guess. I'm not sure -- where are we?"

Worry beat a steady cadence in his head as Buck settled back on his haunches. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Uh . . . . I went to pick up those wanted posters." The youth's face contorted with concentration as he tried to remember what he was asked. "I came back early and I stopped to help this old man--" His eyes widened in obvious panic, then he quickly squeezed them tight to shut out the horrible memory. "Oh god!"

"It's okay, J.D. You're safe now. He's gone." Buck reached out and encircled the kid's arm and pressed gently to let him know he wasn't alone this time.

J.D. opened his eyes, the haunted look still there made Buck shiver, and he pressed his lips together as he shifted to sit up. Immediately he cried out and curled forward, both arms wrapped around his body.

"Take it easy! Come on, J.D., relax now." Buck came closer and put his arm around the boy's shoulders, offering support and J.D. leaned into him. He could feel the heat of J.D.'s panting breath against his chest, but the boy was still curled in tight, his arms pressed to his belly.

"Come on, J.D., let me see." The kid shook his head and pushed Buck away.

"No, I'm okay. It just all came back to me sudden like."

"Can you tell me what happened?" His quiet voice demanded no quick answers and Buck settled back to wait.

J.D. stayed slumped over, one hand resting on his abdomen as he pulled the other one through his hair. "I don't remember. I stopped to help that old man, someone hit me on the head, knocked me out, and the next thing I knew, I came to in that room."

Buck waited, but J.D. stayed silent. "That's all?" He gestured toward the kid's stomach. "Those are some pretty painful looking marks. Any idea how they got there?"

"No."

"J.D., you can tell --?"

"I said I don't remember!" The explosion seemed to leave J.D. breathless. Grunting with the effort he made it to his feet then straightened up as far as he could in the small tent. "I'm fine, Buck, and I'm ready to go home."

The pale, shaky figure before him was a thin imitation of the usually vibrant boy he knew, and Buck wanted to tell him he was far from fine, but the slumped shoulders and weary expression on the kid's face kept him from it. "Okay, J.D. I'll tell Vin and Josiah, and we'll break up camp. Just sit back down and I'll get you something to put on."

Buck reached out his hand, helping J.D. ease himself back onto the pallet. The kid looked like he was about to pass out, but Buck realized his need to get away from this place. Hell, he was itching to get home himself.

He stepped out of the tent and met Vin sitting outside the entrance. "How's the kid?"

"Better." The simple answer was bitten off, but Buck couldn't fight the anger gnawing in his gut. J.D. was hurting, and he felt nearly as helpless now as he did two days ago finding him tied to that demon's table. He wished there was a way to reach into the boy's head and take away the horror he knew he'd suffered through, but first he had to find a way to force it out of his own mind.

Accepting Buck's sour attitude, Vin nodded. "I went back to the house."

Buck's head snapped up. "What?"

"The place was burned down to the ground, but I found two sets of footprints."

"Any chance of tracking them?" Buck's eyes narrowed as he glanced over his shoulder at the tent behind him.

"No. I followed them out a ways, but there's a fairly good sized river about a mile east. I found scrape marks on the shore from a boat. They're gone, Buck."

Buck shook his head and tried to lock away the fear he felt clutching at his heart. "Let's pack up. The kid's ready to go home."

PART 7

Everyone was hovering, dang it! J.D. frowned and tried not to show his frustration when Buck asked him *again* how he was feeling. "I'm fine, Buck. Just ready to get home."

"You sure you're strong enough to ride by yourself? I wouldn't mind doubling with you."

"No, I'm fine. Now leave me be and let's get going."

J.D. knew he looked comical in Josiah's colorful wrap. The long piece of clothing hung down to his knees and the shoulders drooped almost to his elbows, but at least he was warm. His feet on the other hand, were freezing. Stones dug into his heels through the thick socks Buck had given him to put on over his own pair. He'd asked where his boots were, but the horrible memory came back almost as soon as he'd opened his mouth. Buck had tried to avert his eyes, tried to hide the sympathy written there, but there was no mistaking the stricken look on his friend's face. J.D. knew Buck had seen more than he'd let on, more than J.D. had ever wanted him to.

The boy reached under the wrap to rub the soft cloth of the shirt Vin had loaned him, absently fingering the buttons. It felt good to have on clothes, to be in control of who touched him, who saw him, who... A shiver ran up his back and he felt his body begin to shake from deep inside his gut. He pushed aside the terror his thoughts threatened to drag him into, grateful as Vin's voice pierced through and shook him from his reverie.

"Let's ride." Vin towered above him, already atop his horse.

J.D. nodded, determined to hoist himself into the saddle even if it killed him. He lifted his foot into the stirrup and bounced. Fire blazed through his insides as he clenched his teeth against the pain, grabbed hold of the saddle and pulled himself the rest of the distance. Weariness spread through his limbs and he doubled over the saddle horn to catch his breath and he felt a large hand resting on his arm.

"No, I'll be ok." J.D. shook off Buck's hand.

Buck grumbled and walked over to his own animal. "Dang stubborn fool."

J.D. let out a small chuckle, closing his eyes from the effort. He could still hear Buck mumbling under his breath and he hid his face from the gunslinger's view as a faint grin crossed his lips. J.D. opened his eyes and Vin looked over at him, a smile creasing the corners of the tracker's mouth too.

Vin shook his head in amusement and slowly led the others through the dense woods.

J.D. fought his own weakened body, trying to keep himself from sliding off one side or the other. Truth was he could have used another day or two of rest, but he had an urgent need to get home. Or just to be away from here.

The hot stabs in his belly grew more intense, relentlessly poking outward with each step the horse beneath him took. His head felt for the whole world like it was about to explode off his neck and scatter unnoticed into the clumps of underbrush. Every shadow, every sudden noise made his heart flutter and he desperately longed to just bawl his eyes out.

J.D. looked over at Vin, his vision becoming more and more blurry from unshed tears, but he refused to break down now, not in front of these men he so admired. So he blocked out the vivid flashbacks that insisted on popping into his haunted mind, but he couldn't concentrate on holding himself upright at the same time and he started slipping again.

This time he felt a strong hand grip his arm and push him back into the saddle. Buck removed J.D.'s foot from the stirrup, replacing it with his own, then heaved himself behind the boy.

"Don't want to hear one word." Buck's whisper was dead serious, but J.D. could easily read the concern in the man's tone.

J.D. didn't have the energy to argue anymore. He pitched forward as Buck pressed into the horse's ribs, tensing for a moment as the gunslinger pulled him back against his chest. J.D. let go and relaxed, allowing himself to lean into the security his friend was offering. And for the first time in what seemed like forever, he felt safe.

+ + + + + + +

"Riders coming." Vin's warning stopped the other men and they waited, relieved to see Chris and Nathan meeting them on the trail.

"Boys." Chris touched his hat brim in way of greeting and pulled back on his horse's reins when the animal danced sideways.

"J.D.?" Nathan dismounted and hurried to the boy's side, reaching up to place his hand on J.D.'s thigh. Nathan stared worriedly as he looked at the kid. His pale face was upturned on Buck's shoulder and the older man held the boy's arms in place around his waist. Deep bruises marred J.D.'s cheeks and neck and the healer's gaze moved to the makeshift bandages wrapped around the boy's wrists.

"What happened?" Nathan looked up at Buck, anguish written in his dark eyes.

Buck remained silent and Josiah answered for him. "We don't know, exactly. Found him in an old house about seven miles or so off the main road. Buck's the one that pulled him out."

"Buck?" Chris questioned his old friend, but still no response from the gunslinger.

"Josiah found a graveyard behind the house." Vin answered for him. "I think the old man was murdering people, torturing them or something. J.D.'s got some marks--"

"That's enough, Vin." Buck's quiet voice drew all their attention. "We don't know what happened. We need to get this boy home, so how about stoppin' all this jawin' by the side of the road and let's go."

The gunslinger's dark mood only increased Nathan's concern and he let out a frustrated sigh as Buck urged his horse on, leaving him standing.

Nathan quickly mounted and caught up to the men and after several minutes of watching J.D. shift restlessly in Buck's arms he couldn't hold back any longer. He positioned his horse next to Buck's and reached out his hand to feel the boy's forehead.

J.D. flinched and opened his eyes, panic and weariness mixed in a heart-breaking combination. "Nathan?"

"Yeah, rest easy, son. I just wanted to see if you had a fever."

The youth turned his head from the healer and pressed in closer to Buck. "I'm all right."

"J.D." Nathan moved toward him again to examine the split covering his cheekbone.

"No." Buck's voice was low, but firm. The healer looked up into teary, yet determined blue eyes and a wave of sympathy coursed over him as he looked into those devastated features. "Not now, Nathan. He's had enough, it can wait 'til we get into town."

Swallowing hard with the empathy that swelled in his chest, the healer nodded slowly and moved away, allowing the two friends their privacy. He looked over once and saw Buck tuck his chin against J.D.'s dark head and whisper something. The older man let go of his reins with one hand and reached up to slide his arm around J.D.'s shoulders and pull him in closer. The image of protection was moving and Nathan looked at J.D. just before averting his eyes. The look of despondency on the boy's face froze the feeling of warmth that had started in his soul. What in God's name had the boy been put through?

PART 8

They arrived in Four Corners by late afternoon. J.D. sagged weakly in Buck's arms and the older man struggled awkwardly to dismount. He saw Nathan rush forward to help and he gratefully lowered the boy into the healer's arms. Chris and Vin stood to their left, ready to step in if they were needed.

"We need to get him to the clinic." Nathan said as he helped Buck steady their friend. "Somebody want to get J.D. some clean clothes and maybe somethin' to eat?"

Josiah clapped Vin on the shoulder, gently pushing him toward the hotel. "We'll be right back."

"I'll wire the sheriff in Eagle Bend, let him know what went on." Chris spoke softly, his gaze still on J.D. as he led away the horses.

Buck turned J.D. toward Nathan's. He felt the boy tense, then pull away. "No."

"Whoa, whoa, J.D. Come on. We're trying to help." Nathan gripped the kid's arm and tried to steer him back the clinic stairs. J.D. violently jerked out of the healer's grasp.

"NO! I gotta get rid of this smell!" J.D. tried to stumble toward the bathhouse, but Buck held him in place.

Nathan looked at Buck, total confusion written on his dark features. "What smell, J.D.?"

Buck's face blanched as he remembered the suffocating heat, the unfamiliar stench of rotten plants and potions mixed with the familiar odor of human sweat and fear. He had only been subjected to it for a few minutes, but he shuttered to think the kid had endured it for almost two days. Now J.D.'s eyes pleaded with him and he stepped between the boy and Nathan.

"Come on, Nate, he'll be all right. I'll see to it he won't be long." Nathan sighed heavily, obviously not wanting to delay J.D.'s care, but Buck was just as determined to take care of the boy's emotional wounds.

"Well, if you won't go to the clinic, then I'm going with you." Nathan took J.D.'s other arm and Buck felt the kid stiffen with indignant anger.

"I don't need company." J.D.'s insolent voice grumbled out hoarsely and the boy tried to pull away but he suddenly bent forward and swayed in his friends' grasp. Buck tightened his hold and Nathan automatically moved in front and supported the boy's sagging frame, worry written clearly on his face.

Buck had a tight smile on his face and he chuckled gently. "Kid, you're gettin' your way, so don't push it."

J.D. nodded and gave in to their help. Together, the three walked slowly to the bathhouse.

+ + + + + + +

Much to J.D.'s dismay, his two over zealous friends didn't let up even after they reached the bathhouse. The tub was filled with warm water and he waited impatiently for the men to leave, but they were obviously not planning to.

Resigned but hopeful, he turned his back and began pulling off his shirt. "You can get out now." His voice was low and weak in his own ears, but couldn't help that. He wanted to be alone, get away from their sympathetic stares and forever wash away the old man's lingering touch from his body. He was desperate to replace the dirty stink of sweat and blood in his hair and clothes with the clean scent of soap and water. His legs felt as weak as a newborn foal's and when he moved forward to lean against the tub, his limbs wobbled in different directions beneath him and he lost his balance.

"Let me help you, kid." Buck's quiet voice startled him. He didn't realize the older man had moved so close. A gentle touch rested against his shoulders and steadied him until he found his balance. When he was standing on his own again, Buck let go to grab a sleeve and ease it off. J.D. gasped in sudden pain with the pull against his sore joints and Buck stilled his movement to place a warm palm against his bare shoulder.

"Sorry." J.D. turned to his friend and blinked when he sensed the fury radiating from Buck's tense form. "I forgot, J.D. I forgot how --"

"It's okay, Buck." He mustered his strength for a smile, but that seemed to make Buck grow more emotional, so J.D. turned back around quickly. He felt Buck reach for the shirt again, and this time being more careful as he peeled the material from the boy's stiff back. The seasoned gunslinger's gentle touch moved him and J.D. bit his lip when a helpless moan escaped from the depths of his chest with the discomfort the actions caused.

Heated pain made him aware of the bruises that swathed his shoulder blades and dotted down his neck. When his shirt was removed, he heard Nathan gasp and J.D. held still but trembled as cool fingers pressed gently into his back. The memory of cold hard wood beneath him and hot stabs piercing into his stomach made him flinch away and he leaned against Buck.

"This can wait, Nathan. Let him finish here first."

Nathan must have agreed, because the touch withdrew and he sighed gratefully as Buck unwrapped the bloody bandages around J.D.'s wrists. The youth winced as the dried material pulled against the raw skin and Buck looked questioningly at the healer behind him.

"Let 'em soak first." Nathan's anguished voice broke the silence. Buck nodded and reached for the waistband of J.D.'s pants as if he were helping a child undress.

"I can do this by myself." The determination he was shooting for ending up sounding like vulnerability instead and J.D. swallowed hard as he pulled away from Buck.

"I know, kid, sorry. We'll turn around and you get in." Buck sounded happy with his solution but J.D. was having none of it.

"How about you guys leave and then I get in? I've been doing this alone since I was a kid." He was beginning to get agitated.

"No, J.D., not this time." Nathan's words cut through him like a knife, and he tried to summon enough anger to argue, but he just didn't have the will to fight them both.

"Turn around then."

He waited until both men complied then turned his back to them and leaned against the tub. Pulling off his socks proved to be almost a greater challenge than he could handle and he tripped on his own feet twice before he succeeded. Working much slower than normal, he carefully finished unzipping his pants, stifling his harsh breathing as best he could when his thumb knuckles pressed into the bruises in his lower abdomen. He shoved the trousers down and bent over to pull them away, but nearly cried out in pain. Instead, he straightened and kicked them off then moved as quickly as he could manage to get into the tub before his waning strength gave out. The small feeling of triumph plummeted as his legs gave out and he pitched forward. Just before he hit the ground, Buck and Nathan both caught him.

Hot tears of embarrassment ran down his cheeks and dripped from his chin. He wasn't so much bothered with Buck and Nathan seeing his nakedness, but by the sick feeling of helplessness that came crashing back into his soul.

"It's okay, J.D." Nathan's strong voice stirred the hairs over his ear and he felt himself lifted effortlessly and helped into the tub.

"We gotcha." Buck's reassurances matched Nathan's tone as if they were assisting in an everyday occurrence, but J.D. wanted to slip under the soapy water and disappear.

Nathan dipped a tin cup into the water and began wetting the boy's dirty hair. The healer stopped and put the cup aside, then reached for the soap. He worked the rough bar between his hands, building up a lather. When he was satisfied, he let go of the soap and gently began massaging J.D.'s scalp. He seemed to sense the boy's unease when J.D. curled forward and hung his head. "Sit up straight, J.D." His voice teased and Nathan paused when his fingers brushed against an abrasion and J.D. flinched. "Sorry, son."

J.D. didn't answer, but he straightened his back to allow Nathan better access.

"Hey J.D., how 'bout I get Inez to make you up some biscuits and gravy, eggs, and bacon." Buck was rambling, and J.D. knew the older man was just trying to cheer him up, but he remained silent. The only movement he made was when Nathan occasionally touched a tender spot or open cut on his scalp, and he couldn't help but wince.

J.D. felt Nathan's fingers probing the bumps and cuts as he worked the soap into his hair, sensing the healer's sudden need to hurry.

Nathan gently pushed him forward. "Close your eyes, J.D. Don't let any soap get in there."

He hung his head and closed his eyes obediently. Warm water poured over his scalp and ran down the sides of his face, washing away the soapsuds. His hair became a curtain and shielded his face and J.D. allowed himself a moment of raw grief. He felt Nathan run his fingers through his hair and stiffened unconsciously. "All done. You can lean back now."

Feeling like he was floating, J.D. leaned back and opened his eyes with shock when he pressed into something soft. Nathan moved to his side and smiled at the look of wonder on J.D.'s face. "I put a towel behind you, make it a bit more comfortable for your back."

The healer picked up a rag and dipped it in the water near J.D.'s hip, then worked the soap into the cloth. He lifted it and wiped J.D.'s shoulders causing the boy to jerk and shudder from the touch. The black man realized his discomfort and handed him the washcloth. "Here, you can do this if you want."

He took the rag and Nathan moved away to give him a little privacy, but he could feel both sets of eyes on him as he bathed himself. A shell of sullen disinterest seemed to harden around him and J.D. felt detached from his surroundings. He had no idea how long he was in the tub, but decided he was finished as he felt the water growing from tepid to downright cold.

"I'm done." He wished he had the strength to get out by himself, but he knew every ounce of his reserves had been spent and he no longer had a choice.

Buck brought over a large towel and turned his head to the side so J.D. could stand up. He wrapped up the shivering youth and he and Nathan supported him as he climbed out.

"You ready to lay down now?" J.D. didn't answer as Buck continued to gently dry his dripping hair. "Tomorrow - a shave and a haircut."

J.D. lifted his head and followed Nathan's gaze to the gunslinger. Buck's features were almost as haggard as he felt. Disappointment shrouded his usual happy expression when his joking still aroused no reaction and J.D. felt a stab of guilt.

Buck continued to tousle his hair dry with the towel as if nothing were wrong. Josiah stuck his head in and handed Nathan a clean nightshirt he had retrieved from J.D.'s room. When Buck was satisfied J.D. was sufficiently dry; he and Nathan helped J.D. get dressed. The long white shirt hung to his knees and seemed to swallow the boy. J.D. fiddled self-consciously with the top button that held the shirt together around his neck while the two other men stared at him. He didn't realize the picture of innocent hurt he presented with his dark hair plastered to his head and the bruises that stood out on his pale face.

Josiah was waiting just outside the bathhouse and took over for his exhausted friends. "Just lean on me, son."

J.D. gave in and leaned into the big man and felt Josiah's arm enclose around him. New strength seemed to flow into him and he carefully placed one foot in front of the other. Silence followed the two as they walked from the bathhouse toward the clinic. J.D. kept his head down, too ashamed to even look up.

They reached the first step to the clinic stairs and J.D. tried to lift his foot enough to climb by himself, but it proved too much. After the third step his legs collapsed beneath him and he felt Josiah's strong grip keep him from hitting hard wood. Without complaint, J.D. let himself be picked up and carried the rest of the way up the stairs and into the room. Groaning with weariness, J.D. relaxed as he was placed on the mattress, until he saw the healer coming toward him and he turned his head away.

+ + + + + + +

He saw J.D. turn away and knew he didn't want to endure the exam, but Nathan could no longer keep his worry at bay. He drew up a chair and sat beside the bed.

"I'm gonna have a look at you, J.D. I want you to tell me when somethin' hurts, ok?" When the kid didn't answer, the healer took a deep breath and reached out to unbutton J.D's nightshirt. He unfastened it all the way down past the boy's abdomen and stopped as he felt J.D.'s muscles tense under his touch.

"Josiah, heat up some of that tea, please." Nathan never took his eyes off J.D. as he gave his instructions and he could feel Buck's gaze locked on them.

Nathan pulled open the shirt and placed one large hand atop J.D's belly. The boy's flesh looked so stark white next to his dark skin and he flinched a little when J.D. gasped. Moving carefully, he gently palpitated the area just below the boy's rib cage where he knew the stomach to be located, searching for signs of serious injuries. The dark fear that had encased his heart ever since he'd first seen J.D.'s hunched over posture in Buck's arms melted away when he encountered no firmness that would indicate internal bleeding.

He lifted his other hand and enclosed his fingers around J.D.'s waist and sides, squeezing gently into the kid's body with his thumb and fingers and checking his lower ribs. He glanced up to gage the boy's reaction. J.D.'s eyes were squeezed shut and his bottom lip trembled with distress. Resigned to the unpleasant necessity of probing farther, the healer pulled open the nightshirt wider and glanced at the marks on the boy's lower abdomen.

He stopped when J.D. moaned and winced from his touch. Nathan looked up with worry. "That hurt?" He hadn't even touched the wounds yet and he looked over at Buck. The gunslinger's face was hidden in his hand as he roughly scrubbed his face.

J.D. shook his head, but remained silent and kept his eyes closed. His breathing was harsh and his chest lifted with each intake of air. He wanted to stop and soothe the kid, get him calmed down, but the sooner he finished, the sooner J.D. could rest. As Nathan continued his exam he remembered Vin telling him Buck caught the old man standing over J.D., injecting him with some kind of poison. Needle marks surrounded by bruises, suggesting rough handling, dotted J.D.'s lower abdomen. Nathan grimaced as his mind provided images of pain and terror that demon must have subjected on J.D. Nobody deserved that, least of all J.D.

"Let me know when I press against something that hurts, ok?" He put as much concern as he could in his tone but J.D. still didn't respond.

He pressed in the center of his belly and J.D. let out a slight hiss. His breath hitched in his chest and Nathan hesitated then gently slid his fingers down and compressed J.D's abdomen near the bruises.

"Nathan--" Buck's shocked voice alerted him and Nathan glanced up to see tears rolling from J.D.'s closed lids. Buck moved forward and knelt beside the bed. His voice gruff with emotion, he began whispering to the boy and he draped his arm across the top of J.D.'s pillow, over his head, looking as if he were trying to shield him from the terrifying images forming behind those closed lids.

"J.D." Nathan's voice was stern but kind as he spoke over Buck's soft reassurances and tried to break through the barrier the youth was erecting right in front of them. "You have to tell me when you feel pain, son."

J.D. nodded slowly, his eyes still shut tight. Nathan unconsciously clenched his hand into a fist and slowly uncurled his fingers before reaching out again for J.D. He continued his exam, this time touching the bruises around the boy's throat and the ones scattered along his cheekbone and jaw. He felt the strained ligaments in J.D.'s shoulders and redressed the wounds encasing his wrists. Finally, Nathan dipped a clean rag into the basin on the nightstand and wiped J.D.'s tears from his battered face.

The boy's eyes were still closed, but Nathan knew he was far from sleeping. "Can you tell me what happened, J.D.?" His tone was soft and soothing, but J.D. reacted as if he'd been slapped.

The boy's head shook adamantly and new tears spilled freely down each side of his face.

"Ok, ok, I'll leave you alone for a bit." The kid seemed so tense, so near breaking that Nathan didn't want to push. Perhaps after a few days of rest J.D. would be willing to answer some questions. Moving deliberately in order not to startle him, the healer began to gently button up the boy's nightshirt. Buck reached out and stopped him.

"I'll do that."

Nodding, Nathan rose and allowed Buck to take his place. He bent over J.D. and patted his shoulder affectionately. "Just rest easy, son. We'll be right here." Looking up at Buck and then Josiah, he saw the same display of uncertainty he felt on his own face.

Buck's fingers worked with buttons that looked tiny in his grasp. His look of intense concentration and genuine concern wrenched Nathan's heart and he turned away to find a fresh cloth to dip in the basin of water beside the bed. When he returned, Buck was finished and J.D. seemed to be asleep. The older man turned to face Nathan..

"How can I help?" Buck's question was heart wrenching in its sincerity, but Nathan had no answers.

The healer looked down at J.D. and touched his cheek with the cool cloth. The boy jerked his head away but settled back against his pillow to allow the man's ministrations. Nathan kept his voice low while the boy slept. "I don't know, Buck. J.D. will have to let us know. He needs to talk about it first, then he can start to heal."

J.D. groaned in his sleep and turned to his side, his arm wrapped around his body, his forearm pressed into his gut. The boy's face twisted and he cried out weakly and Nathan's dark eyes met Buck's haunted ones.

"What in God's name did he do to this boy?" Nathan whispered under his breath and this time Buck turned away.

PART 9

J.D. slept fitfully in the clinic. Though his fever was gone, nightmares still plagued his battered mind. Buck wouldn't leave J.D.'s side, and the others found themselves as worried about the gunslinger as they were about their youngest. Chris finally talked him into a much-needed bath and a hot meal and he agreed reluctantly after soliciting a promise that he would be summoned when J.D. woke up.

Josiah was with J.D. when the boy screamed in his sleep and sat upright in his bed. The ex-preacher approached him carefully. "J.D., you're all right." His voice soothed through J.D.'s loud breathing and he gently touched the boy on his shoulder.

J.D. gulped air and tried to steady his nerves and wildly thumping heart. Biting his lip to hide the trembling, he looked at Josiah, still frightened. "Where am I?"

He'd asked the same question all three times he'd woken up since they'd returned to Four Corners. He couldn't seem to grasp that he was home.

"You're at Nathan's. You're safe, son." Josiah reached for him and cupped the back of his head gently and J.D didn't resist when the big man pulled him close. He leaned into his friend and fought against the tears that clogged his throat. Despite the ex-preacher's words, he was still scared. Why did he see that hellish man and the glint of a steel needle filled with poison every time he closed his eyes?

In all the dime store novels he'd read, he'd never thought there could be such evil. He always assumed the good guys wore white and bad guys had hideous scars you could spot a mile away. Evil shouldn't come in the form of a grandfatherly old man. One person's pain and suffering should never bring another person pleasure.

As his thoughts overtook him, he didn't realize he was sobbing into Josiah's shirt. The memories were just too vivid. The ghost of Treadly's hands pressed against his abdomen and cold fingers slid down too close to his groin. He could still feel the needle sinking into his belly followed by burning, clawing agony in his gut. he pain climbed into his brain and threatened his sanity and J.D. wondered if the Professor’s plan had already worked. He felt like he'd never be free from the torture.

"Son." Josiah's deep voice broke through. "You know we all want to help you."

J.D. raised his eyes to look at Josiah and wiped his nose with his sleeve. Words caught in his throat and threatened more tears and he shook his head in mortified defeat.

He felt Josiah place a finger under his chin and lift his head. "God doesn't mean for us to suffer alone."

He stared at the older man and gently shook his head. He drew his brows together in helpless pain and despair rang in his voice as he tried to explain. "I just want to forget."

"Only time can heal that wound for you, J.D. You can't just forget, that's not how the human mind works."

J.D. nodded and pulled away. "I know. I wish I could, but then I think I want...." He looked up at Josiah; his eyes filled with unshed tears. "I want to kill him."

"Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord. He'll get his just due, son. But don't let your need for revenge consume you or you've lost."

J.D. nodded, but the question that lay so heavily on his mind came off his tongue. "Why couldn't I see it?"

"See what, J.D.?" Josiah cocked his head in confusion.

"That he was evil, I guess." J.D.'s voice lowered to barely a whisper.

"Sometimes the devil has a good disguise." Josiah leaned closer. "It's the only way he can lure in good people. And you're a good person, J.D., don't ever doubt that."

A warm blush of color tinged J.D.'s cheeks at Josiah's soft words, but confusion pulled his mouth into a frown. "What..." He choked on his words, but his eyes begged the ex-preacher for an answer. "What makes somebody like that?"

"Sometimes they're not right in the head, either born that way or because of something that was done to them."

J.D. shuddered and fear radiated from his dark eyes. "You think what he did to me can make me like him?"

"No." Josiah shook his head and smiled. "That's not exactly what I meant. You can get through this, son. There's no evil in you."

J.D. settled onto his side. One hand rubbed absently at his belly but his eyes were glazed, his thoughts far away. Josiah remained silent and after awhile, the boy closed his eyes and his hand grew still to rest against his body. The older man reached out and patted J.D. gently, then rose from the bed and moved to a chair across the room.

+ + + + + + +

The door squeaked open and Buck entered. "He asleep?" He tiptoed across to the bed when he saw Josiah's nod, then turned. "I'll stay with him now. Thanks."

Buck sensed Josiah's hesitation. "Hey, I've ate, had a beer, hell, I even took a bath, so I'm ready to rest a spell."

Josiah smiled; the unspoken understanding that J.D. was Buck's charge pushed him to his feet and out into the night.

Buck sank down on the bed near J.D's hip. The boy looked so peaceful. Smokey eyelashes lay against his pale face, lengthened by the contrast of dark against light. His clean ebony hair shined like a newly polished buckle. The nightshirt he wore lay open at his neck, and the beat of his pulse vibrated the tender skin near the hollow of his throat. Breaths parted his lips and his chest rose and fell in gentle rhythm. He looked so young. So unbelievably young.

Yet J.D.'s respite didn't last long. Buck's heart dropped as the boy's head jerked on the pillow and his easy breaths turned into panicked gasps.

"Shhh, calm down." Buck soothed, but the muscles in the boy's face twisted and his shoulders twitched as he fought the demons lurking in his sleep.

"Noooo. Please." J.D. begged, a soulful moan escaping from the depths of his chest and his knees and elbows met as he curled himself up into a ball.

Buck rested his palm on J.D.'s cheek. Soft, warm skin moved as J.D.'s terrified eyes flew open and he immediately latched onto Buck's arm. "Buck? What's wrong?"

"Nothin'. You're all right...just watching you breathe."

J.D. frowned and he pushed himself up in the bed, still struggling to slow his ragged breathing. "What? You hit your head or something?"

Buck smiled and withdrew his hand, though he ached to stay in touch with the boy. "No." He looked down at his hands, then looked back at J.D. "We need to talk, son. I need to tell you something."

"What?" When Buck didn't answer right away and J.D. tugged on to his friend's wrist. "Buck? You're scaring me. What is it?"

Shame burned hot on his face as Buck quickly reassured the kid. He grasped the boy's shoulder and squeezed. "You know you're not alone now..."

He broke off and let go of J.D. to press his hands on his knees. The gunslinger's muscles tensed and he almost stood up to leave, but his face hardened with resolve and he returned his hand to J.D.'s shoulder.

"I know this has been really hard on you, J.D. and I know you don't want to talk about it, but Nathan said it might help if you did."

J.D. shook his head and turned his gaze to the sheet he now clutched in his fists.

"Please. I need to help you, son." Buck ducked his head and looked into the kid's eyes. "And I need you to tell me what happened so I can." His voice rough with emotion, Buck unconsciously tightened his grip around his friend's arm, as if he were afraid the young man would bolt.

J.D. bit his upper lip and visibly shrunk back into his pillow. Buck loosened his grip from the kid's arm. "I don't remember all of it." He brought his eyes up and turned his head sideways as if he were trying to recall the events without reliving the memory.

"You were there, weren't you?" J.D.'s voice was so quiet and strained; Buck had to lean closer to hear him. "You took me out of that place." The last word was more a sigh than a sound and the devastated look on J.D.'s face made Buck almost turn away from the agony written there.

"Yeah." Buck nodded encouragingly and squeezed down the sorrow in his chest so he could speak. "I was there, J.D, but not 'til the end. We know you were taken on the road and I found you in that house, but I don't know what happened before I got to you."

He watched as J.D. swallowed hard, intense grief making his face look as if it were about to shatter. "You ever think you're going crazy?"

The question caught Buck off guard, but he considered his answer carefully as he slowly regained control over his emotions. "No - I don't believe I have."

"Knew a boy back home who had a cousin that was insane. He'd sit up in a tree-naked -- and throw rocks at people, shouting about giant horseflies or something." J.D. clenched his hands absently and the far away gleam in his eyes told Buck he was remembering more than the boy back east.

"He was trying to make me go insane." J.D. sat up and began to rock slowly, his arms crossed protectively across his waist.

Buck picked up the thread and realized J.D. had switched back to the old man with the syringe. A flash of memory nearly made him gasp out loud. Sweltering heat, flickering lamplight, J.D. helpless, tied on a table, while a mad man stood over him. Shaking his head to rid himself of the memory, Buck stood up. He disguised his unease by walking across the room and pouring a glass of water.

"Thirsty?" When J.D. shook his head, Buck gulped the liquid down, then returned to sit in a chair beside the bed. "Did he tell you who he was?"

"Called himself Professor Treadly. Said it like he was famous or something." J.D.'s voice was still low and fragile as he continued to stare at his hands.

"And the big guy?"

J.D. looked up as if seeing the giant before him. "That was his son. He was addle brained, didn't know if he was coming or going."

"He helped me at the end, y'know."

"He did?"

J.D.'s wide-eyed wonder pulled at Buck's soul, tore off another piece of his heart and stole it away. "Yeah, he untied you." Buck paused for a moment, then pushed on even though he was afraid of the fear and pain he was bringing back for both of them. "J.D., what'd he...? What did he do to you?"

Terror and grief replaced the wonder in the kid's eyes, and J.D. pushed the bed covers back and stood up. He swayed and caught himself on the headboard. Buck reached for him, but J.D. shook his head.

"No, don't. I can do this." His voice caught and he lifted his hand to push back bangs that had fallen in his eyes. A tear slipped from the corner of one eye and he quickly wiped it away with the back of his hand. "I can't be laying down while I tell you this."

Buck quickly retrieved the extra chair and pushed it behind J.D. The boy sank gratefully onto the wooden seat and held one hand on his belly as he shifted to get comfortable. Buck knew he was struggling, the uneven breaths and his eyes gave away the unresolved emotions deep within his battered soul. Buck fought his own emotions as he felt his chest swell with the realization of how much loved this boy.

"He was giving me shots...in my stomach." J.D. licked his lips and held his breath for a beat before continuing. "I didn't know what was in it, but it felt like he'd made me eat gunpowder and a lit stick of dynamite. Buck, I ain't never felt pain like that, not ever." J.D.'s face crumbled as a sob hitched through his chest. Buck reached forward and put a comforting hand on the boy's knee, afraid the boy was about to collapse.

"I didn't think anything could hurt that bad -- he'd put his hands all over me - and he'd -- hold the needle where I could see -- see when he stuck it in me --" J.D. voice quivered as beads of sweat broke out on his upper lip and tears filled his tormented eyes.

"Slow down, kid. Take it easy." Hovering close, Buck dropped down on one knee in front of him and gripped J.D.'s shoulder.

"Why was he doin' it, J.D.?"

J.D. drew a shaky hand across the front of his nightshirt and sucked in a deep breath. "I don't know, Buck, I don't know!" Standing abruptly, J.D. groaned and folded over but Buck caught him.

"Ok, that's enough." Concern strained his voice as Buck wrapped his arm around his friend and helped him back to bed. The kid melted into the mattress and curled onto his side, pressing his face into the pillow.

"You all right? Want me to get Nathan?" Buck hated the thought of leaving him alone, but he was afraid the kid needed more help than he could give him right now.

"No -- no, just stay with me." His voice, small and quiet, broke Buck's heart and the older man sat beside him. Short, strong fingers wrapped around the back of Buck's hand and the gunslinger reached down and smoothed the hair from where the strands had fallen across J.D.'s anguished face.

The young man turned his head with the touch and looked at Buck. "I'm sorry, Buck, it's not you I'm mad at. It's just, he kept hurting me and telling me my pain had a purpose, that he was searching for what drives somebody out of their mind..." J.D. stopped, catching his breath.

"For a while, I thought he'd found it. I thought I was going crazy. Nothing made sense in my head. I called for you --" His voice broke and J.D.'s lips quivered as he pressed them together. "I prayed for someone to help me, and then I just prayed for it to end . . . I didn't care how."

"Oh J.D." Buck released J.D.'s hand and pressed both palms to the boy's face. J.D. struggled with his tears and his lip trembled as his eyes filled. "I'm sorry, son. I woulda gone through heaven and hell to get to you if I could. I wish I coulda gotten to ya sooner, you know that right?"

Regret squeezed and hurt through his chest as if he'd been kicked by a mule and Buck slid his arms around and under J.D. and held the boy close as J.D. brought his own arms around to hold him back. The emotional battle J.D. fought broke through his defenses. Buck's shoulder grew wet with quiet tears as he rocked slightly as he held on the kid with his arms and his heart.

The door creaked open and Buck glanced up to see Chris and Vin step into the room. Chris moved quietly over to the bed, his face etched with concern as he looked at J.D.'s trembling form.

"He all right, Buck?" Vin peered around the taller man's shoulder and whispered.

Buck nodded but didn't speak as he continued to hold the young man in his arms. He didn't feel uncomfortable or awkward being caught comforting J.D. It seemed only natural and he knew his friends understood the brotherly bond between them.

After a moment, Vin turned and walked to stand next to the window. Chris moved back and reached for the chair J.D. had recently vacated. Twisting it deftly around, he straddled the chair backwards and waited.

When J.D. grew quiet, Buck pulled back a little and settled the boy on the mattress. J.D. looked spent, his eyes were closed and his face was swollen, wet tracks crossed his cheeks and Buck wiped them gently away. One hand still cupped the back of J.D.'s head and he carefully withdrew it to allow J.D. to rest, but the youth opened his eyes and reached for him.

He seemed startled when he caught sight of Chris and Vin, as if he hadn't been aware the two other men had stepped into the room.

"J.D." Chris' rough voice was uncharacteristically soft and he inclined his head carefully toward the young man in the bed. "Just wanted to check on you, see how you was feeling."

Vin touched his hat and ducked his head with his usual shy attitude. "Nothin' happenin' out there tonight, we thought we'd stop by."

The boy smiled and Buck could tell he was pleased with his friends' concern. "I'm doing better, thanks. Just tired is all." He turned his smile on Buck and tugged on the older man's sleeve. "What did you want to tell me, Buck?"

The question reminded him of what he'd come into the room for, but an instant change of heart brought a smile to his face that he hoped looked genuine.

"Just wanted to tell you that house where we found you, it's gone, burned to the ground. It took Treadly and his son with it so you can rest easy, J.D., they ain't coming back."

J.D. pressed back into his pillow and blinked his eyes in relief. "Thanks, Buck. Thanks for tellin' me, now maybe these dreams will go away, huh?" A faint grin creased the boy's puffy face.

"I'm sure they will, kid."

The lie twisted inside him but Buck stubbornly refused to let it show and stretched his smile wider and touched J.D. gently on the forehead. "Get some sleep. I'll be right here if you need me."

" Thanks, Buck. . . ." The sleepy word faded into a deep breath. J.D. closed his eyes.

Buck glanced nervously at Chris and Vin.

Chris shook his head. "We all do what we gotta do, Buck."

Tears blurred Buck's vision for a moment as he sat back in the chair next to the boy's bed. He'd be damned if he'd let Treadly or anyone else bring harm to J.D. again. They'd have to go through him and the rest of the guys first. Breathing a prayer that God and J.D. would forgive him the untruth, he settled in for the night. He made himself a promise that he'd tell J.D., someday when the boy was stronger, after he'd had a chance to heal. Someday.

Buck looked over at his young friend as he slept. His heart ached and he hoped J.D.'s innocence hadn't been destroyed by what he'd been through. He couldn't tell him the truth now, wouldn't do the boy any good anyway. Buck closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair and promised himself again. Someday... when I'm strong enough.

The End