"What's happening?" Monica cried, clutching the rifle and keeping Tate close to her side.
"I don't know, just get to the bunkhouse." Lloyd told her, quickly dismounting his buckskin steed and running with the reins in hand.
Everything seemed to slow down as the woman sprinted with a firearm and her son, both being held close to her fearful frame.
In that moment, her pace declined as she took in the chaos and destruction around her.
A riderless horse loped in front of her, his hooves thundering across the gravel.
Ryan dragged a man by the arms as Teeter battered into him like a rabid opossum with Colby following close behind.
Walker held a rifle, effortlessly firing, the shot sending a shiver down Monica's spine.
Laramie sat against the wall of the bunkhouse, red-faced, wailing and sobbing.
A distraught Mia was peering around, calling for Jimmy.
Monica then hid her son's eyes with a hand as Ryan and Teeter tossed a rope over a pole and strung up the man they had been dragging, his body spasming in a disturbing manner.
"There's more in the field!" Lloyd's voice boomed throughout the scene.
More hoofbeats rang in Monica's ears as Ethan and Elisabeth galloped by, reins draped loosely through their fingers and armed with rifles.
Her mind then wandered back to Kayce's situation and the fact that they hadn't heard from Beth.
*~*~*~*~*
A bloodied and burned Beth hobbled out of the rubble of what used to be the Schwartz And Meyer building, ears ringing and vision blurred.
Her skin was bruised and her hair color was nearly unrecognizable due to the singed and crimson tainted strands.
She managed to place herself on the curb, hanging her head, the ringing in her ears beginning to make her temples pound.
A curly-headed brunette approached her, worry clear in his eyes.
"Ma'am, are you alright?" He spoke, earning no response due to her state.
Sensing that there was someone near, Beth turned around and met his eyes, still unable to hear what he was saying as he once again asked if she was ok.
Her eyes then fell to the cigarette that was perched between his trembling fingers.
"Can I have one of those?" Her voice was raspy and unpleasant, but neither of the two seemed to mind.
The man quickly fumbled through his pockets, handing her what she'd requested.
"And your light, too." She added.
The man obeyed, walking off shakily and leaving her alone once more.
Beth leaned down and lit the cigarette, taking in a deep, generous drag.
An police officer then approached her with an outstretched hand, seeming to ask if she was alright, just like the man before him.
She paid him no attention, as she could still barely hear and the pain of her wounds was beginning to set in.
The pain began to gnaw at her body, sending her into a weakened state, which she hated.
Her pale eyes were alight with hatred, as she soon realized what had truly happened.
It wasn't just an unlucky coincidence.
It was an attack.
An attack on her, and her family.
YOU ARE READING
Yellowstone
FanfictionBeing practically raised by the Duttons seems like a dream for some. But Elisabeth had it rough. Her dad was a runaway and her mom was never around. When she turned 12, she found work all the way up in Montana at the Yellowstone Ranch. Not only did...
