Thief of My Heart (Watty Awards Finalist 2012)

Chapter 42

She strolled silently, seductively out of the shroud-like mist.  She moved determinedly towards him.  If seduction was her intent, she had realized it.  He was seduced.  He couldn't control his body's reaction to her warm naked form as it moved closer to him.  Her moist lips parted in invitation.  Her long glorious hair billowed out around her, begging him to run his fingers through its silken length. He reached for her, longing to feel her soft, fragrant skin against his. She was so beautiful.  His beautiful Evie. "Heyes."  She called out his name as she came closer. The inviting and alluring scent of her wafted into his nostrils,  intoxicating him. "Heyes,"  she said again as she stretched her arms out to him.  One more step and she'd be in his arms.  But she walked past him.  He turned and watched her walking away.  Every step she took flowers sprang up in her path.  Beautiful fragrant flowers of all colors.  She reminded him of the Lady Godiva with her hair flowing down to cover her breasts.  She turned to face him.  She stretched out her arms, beckoning him.  "Come to me,"  she said.   He wanted her so much.  He moved to join her.  But when he took a step onto the pathway of flowers, they turned black and gray and withered.  He looked at Evie.  So sweet and beautiful.  Her eyes filled with longing.  "Hurry, my love,"  she beckoned.  He waded further into the stream of flowers.  More withering.  More decay.   He looked to her again.  Her eyes were filled with tears as she beheld the decaying flowers.  "I can't come to you.   You will have to come to me,"  he called to her. "Or else the flowers will die."   She moved to come to him and her face wrenched with pain.  They both looked down.  Where there had been flowers now there were tall wicked thorns.  Their eyes met.  Hers were filled with pain and sorrow.  "I'm sorry.  I'm sorry."   She turned to leave.   "No, Evie, don't go!"   He reached for his gun.  He would shoot them down.   His gun was gone.   He grabbed at them.  He would tear them up by the roots.  But he recoiled in pain, as the thorns tore at his skin, bringing blood.  "Wait, Evie, don't leave.  I'll find a way to get rid of them.  I'll make it right somehow.  Don't go!"  But it was too late.  She was already disappearing into the mist.  He tried again to follow after her but found he was surrounded by the thorns.  They now towered over his head.  They quickly changed into hard cold bars of iron.  "Evie!" he screamed, reaching for her but only darkness surrounded him.


"Heyes, wake up.  You're falling asleep in the saddle again."

Kid's voice jarred him out of his dream.  He was glad.  He didn't like that dream.  Hunger and exhaustion were beginning to take their toll.  He didn't usually  have dreams like that.  At least it wasn't so cold today.   He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to rid his head of the images from the dream.  He tried to picture his sweet Evie as she had looked that morning before they had set out for Cold Springs,  her beautiful face beaming with love and excitement after he had asked her to be his wife.  What a fool he felt like now.  To think that he, Hannibal Heyes, could ever hope to have anything as good and pure as Evangeline Webb.  Had it really only been three days since he'd seen her?  It seemed like weeks. 

"Look, Heyes.  There they are.  The mountains.  Just a couple more hours and we'll be there.  I can't believe we've made it this far without seeing so much as a lone scout from that posse."

"Me either.  It's almost too good to be true.  Makes me nervous."  Heyes turned in the saddle and searched the horizon from all directions.  Nothing.  Stillness and quiet.  He didn't like it.  All he could think was this is the calm before the storm.

"Sorry for dozing off like that, Kid.  I guess I'm just exhausted."

"Me too, Heyes.  But hopefully, in a couple of hours we'll be able to eat and sleep without worrying about the cold or that posse."  Kid spurred his horse into a gallop.

Heyes shook his head and smiled.  Not even running from a posse could keep Kid Curry from thinking about food and sleep.  He was glad that some things never changed.  He knew that no matter what else may change in his life, Kid Curry would always be there.  He snapped the reins against Odin's flanks and the stallion took off like a shot.  Despite the pace they had been keeping this horse seemed tireless.  He overtook Kid's horse with ease.    Heyes pulled up and turned his stallion around to face his partner who was urging his horse to catch up.  When he finally did, Heyes couldn't keep the smug grin off his face. 

"See, Kid, I told you, you should have kept one of those mustangs for yourself.  We'd already be in Rising Gulch by now."

"Maybe your right.  This poor guy's been put through it in the last three days."   He reached down and patted the side of his horses neck.  "But that horse of yours just ain't normal, Heyes.  I think he could go at a full gallop for three or four miles at a time.   I've never seen a horse with that much speed and stamina."

"Yeah, he's one of a kind all right.  Maybe  if we make it out of all this mess, I can enter him in a horse race.  You could bet on him and we could make some big money."

"And we're going to need big money if we get out of this mess.  This time I mean it Heyes.  We're going to South America.  And another thing...."

As Heyes listened to Kid's latest rant he couldn't help but think that it almost felt like old times.  Like before he'd met Evie.  When it was just him and the Kid riding to the next town, looking for honest work.  But he had met her.  And he had been forever changed.  A broken hearted smile crossed  his face as he thought of her.  Where was she at this moment?  What was she doing?   He could hear the Kid talking but he didn't really hear what he was saying as he stared off into the distance with visions of his beautiful Evie appearing in front of his eyes.  And then...

"....and if that don't work, then...."   Kid saw the expression on Heyes face change.  He was staring off into the distance behind him.  Kid twisted in the saddle to see what had caused the stricken look to come over his partner's face.  Rising over the hilltop was the posse of about ten men riding hard and fast in their direction.  The ex-outlaws exchanged brief knowing looks before kicking their mounts into a gallop.

A shot was fired.  But the posse was too far away to hit anything.  But the sound of gunfire sent Odin into a flat out run.  Heyes bent low over the horse's neck and just let him run.  But he looked back and saw that the Kid was getting further behind.  He slowed the big stallion and waited for Kid to catch up.  Heyes could feel the power of the animal beneath him.  He knew it wanted to split the air wide open and run as hard and as far as his legs could carry them both.  He knew the horse sensed the urgency of the man who held his reins.  But he also knew that that man was in control and so he pranced as he waited.