Chapter Nineteen
April 1887
Charlotte was not happy with the new living arrangements that she, Silas and Grace found themselves in the last two days. That man, J.B., glared at them and had taken to calling Silas a 'negro' since the word 'nigger' had earned him several harsh and painful reactions from Colt....
And Colt was something that Charlotte didn't understand.
He wouldn't speak to her and he almost seemed to be in physical pain whenever he saw Grace or the child made a noise. And yet he and Silas had formed an almost friendly alliance and Silas seemed certain they could trust Colt and since Charlotte respected Silas's opinion, she trusted the tall man with haunted blue eyes.
And then there was Katherine. Now Charlotte had worked hard in her life to never hate but between J.B. and Katherine it was a hard way of life to maintain. J.B. hated Silas and his harsh treatment of the man Charlotte loved caused her to want to hate him, and Katherine.... Well she seemed to like Silas too much.
Brushing up against the man, flashing her long tanned legs and awarding him far too much of her chest to view. Silas, true to character, had been kind to the woman and nothing more but Charlotte still felt that green monster of jealousy deep in her gut.
Charlotte glanced over at Silas as Grace nursed her breast beneath the cover of the sheet. Silas was staring into their small fire and Charlotte wondered what he was thinking.
"Silas..." she whispered and he looked over at her, a smile tugging at his lips as he did.
"You've been very quiet since we joined these people. Are you okay?" he asked. Charlotte smoothed out her skirt and nodded, her eyes automatically going to Katherine as the blond came out of the woods followed closely by J.B. who was adjusting his pants.
Charlotte realized that Silas had followed her gaze and when she looked back at the man he appeared angry.
"You're worried about that woman." He stated as Katherine waved at him and he turned away from her in response.
"No, I'm not." Charlotte lied. Of course she was! Katherine was beautiful, desirable and clearly open to lying with any man who wanted to lay with her. She had long legs and thick golden hair, no stretch marks were visible on her tight tummy and her breasts wouldn't be full of a baby's milk.... And she had no child for a man to worry himself with taking care of. What woman wouldn't worry if a woman like that came after her man?
"Have more faith in me than that." Silas grumbled as he pushed himself to his feet and slid his shot gun over his shoulder.
"Where are you going?" Charlotte asked guiltily and Silas sighed.
"To patrol." Silas replied. "It is my turn."
"Be careful." Charlotte urged and Silas smiled comfortingly. He crouched down and laid his hand against her cheek.
"I love you, Miss Charlotte. Only you."
Charlotte was ashamed of her own jealousy and insecurities. She bit her lip as she nodded and felt tears burn her eyes. She had never been with a man who was loyal, faithful and actually cared about her.
Instead of replying, she feared she may cry if she tried to speak, Charlotte turned her head and kissed his palm. She saw his dark eyes narrow in the firelight and his throat bobbed as he swallowed hard.
"Alright then." Silas stated hoarsely and then he turned and headed off into the woods, nodding at Colt as he went.
Charlotte felt a shiver pass over her spine and she turned to see J.B. watching her from the second small fire about twenty feet from the one Silas had built for him to share with Charlotte and Grace.
She met J.B.'s eyes and could recognize evilness in them. It was the same evil nature that had been in the eyes of the man who had tried to rape her in the cellar. Why was a man like Colt, a man who seemed mostly good, riding around with a man like J.B.? It just didn't seem right.
Charlotte realized that Grace was done feeding and she moved the infant off her breast and redid her dress, keeping herself covered with the sheet until she was done. She gasped with shock when she looked back up and realized that J.B. was now standing in front of her.
"Sorry, ma'am." J.B. sneered with a snort. "I didn't mean to scare you none."
"You didn't scare me." Charlotte lied as she used the sheet to wipe a drip of milk from Grace's cheek. She glanced around and saw that Katherine had perched herself in a nearby tree so she could watch for rabid and Charlotte didn't see Colt any longer. Did that mean she was alone down here with J.B.? That thought was enough to terrify her.
"That's a pretty baby you got there, Charlotte." J.B. stated, crouching down and rocking back on his heels beside her. "Where's her papa? I can tell it ain't that negro."
"I won't speak to you while you're talking that way about Silas." Charlotte stated firmly as she turned away from the horrible man. She reached down and let her hand close over the handle of the knife that Colt had insisted to Silas that she wear in her boot. The thought of killing someone with that knife, of sinking that sharp blade into living flesh, caused her stomach to turn but she would do it if she had to. Charlotte was finding that a person would do nearly anything in order to survive.
"Easy does it now, sweet thing. Don't be hateful. I got eyes and it's clear that girl ain't got no negro in her. So tell me, where's her papa?"
"Dead." Charlotte snapped. "Now I'd really rather be left alone."
"You know I've always wondered something." J.B. said, leaning in so close to Charlotte that she could feel his breath on the back of her neck. Her stomach rolled as her grip on the hilt of the knife tightened. "I've always wondered what makes a perfectly good white woman such as yourself suddenly love her some nigger cock."
Charlotte was so shocked by his words that she released her hold on the knife, turned and smacked J.B. hard across his face.
"Why you stupid bitch! I'm gonna show you what a real man is." J.B. growled as he grabbed her arm roughly.
"Leave me be!" Charlotte exclaimed, trying hard to tug her hand away as Grace began to whimper, sensing her mother's tension.
"I'm gonna......"
"You're gonna listen to the damn woman and leave her be." Colt's voice suddenly came from behind J.B. and the man released his hold on Charlotte instantly and turned to face the other man. Charlotte stared up at Colt and was certain she was looking at knight in shining armor. A dirty, angry, bearded knight in shining armor.
"Colt, I wasn't...."
"Swear to God, J.B., I ain't in no mood to hear that mouth. Get on over there and keep an eye on that stew. Do somethin' useful with yourself." Colt snapped and J.B. stood up, standing toe to toe with Colt. Charlotte looked back and forth between the men. Colt was more than likely around thirty years old though it was clear by the lines around his eyes and the scar on his lip that he had lived a hard life. He was six and a half feet tall and seemed to have been built for living on horseback and surviving. J.B. was younger, probably only around twenty, and he lacked the rough edges that Colt had and was a good few inches shorter.
The most major difference was in their eyes. Colt's dark blue eyes held intelligence and a goodness that Charlotte could see... J.B.'s light blue eyes lacked both.
"I'm getting real damn tired of you thumping your damn chest, Colt. Who the hell died and made you chief?" J.B. demanded loudly.
"Pretty much the whole world as far as I can tell." Colt replied with a calm shrug. "And you should keep your voice down before you let every damn flesh eater from here to Georgia know we're around."
J.B.'s fists clenched and a muscle in his jaw twitched. "Your damn day is coming, Colt."
Charlotte had no idea how Colt kept so calm with this man threatening him but he didn't bat a lash as he stuck his thumbs through his belt loops. "I reckon we all gotta die someday, J.B., but today ain't my day. Now get on over there and tend to the stew. There ain't no point in all of us starvin' to death just because you let dinner burn."
J.B. turned and stormed away across camp to the other fire where pot of soup was cooking. "Thank you, Colt." Charlotte said quietly.
"I apologize." Colt replied, surprising Charlotte. He normally made it a point to not speak directly to her. "A man like that shouldn't be around you women."
"Why are you running with him?" Charlotte asked. "You seem to be so different."
Colt shook his head as he sat down on the log beside Charlotte and she saw his blue eyes lock on Grace's face. He seemed to be in pain as he looked at the infant and his fists clenched against his thighs.
"Not so different." Colt countered. "Wasn't too long ago when I was a lot like J.B."
"I don't believe that." Charlotte argued. "I don't see you threatening a woman the way he did me."
Colt looked away from Grace suddenly and focused on the dirt at his boots. "Naw I never did that." He conceded. "Just steer clear of that man. I don't like him being here with us but dammit it's better than him being out there where I can't keep an eye on him."
"Katherine seems to like him."
Colt sighed and pushed himself to his feet. "Katherine is a product of her raising, ma'am, just like the rest of us I reckon. You shouldn't judge her to harshly for that."
With those parting words, Colt walked away toward the tree Katherine was perched in leaving Charlotte to wait for Silas to return.
***
Katherine sighed when she realized Colt was standing at the base of her tree and seemed to be waiting for her to come down. She had seen his confrontation with J.B. and she knew he was probably going to lecture her again about bedding the other man.
Dreading the scolding, Katherine jumped from her branch and landed on her feet in front of Colt, adjusting her blouse to cover a bit more of her stomach as she stood there.
"What is it, Colt?"
"You need to stay the hell away from J.B. No more sneaking off in the woods together." Colt warned. Katherine glared at him and put her hands on her hips.
"It really ain't none of your business who I take into the woods." she reminded him and Colt nodded.
"You're right, it ain't. And to be honest with you I don't rightly care who you spread your legs for just so long as it isn't that man."
"And what's so wrong with that man?" Katherine asked, trying hard to act as if his words hadn't hurt her feelings. She wasn't even sure why her feelings were hurt. She was a whore so why would it hurt to be talked to and treated like one?
"You know what's wrong with him. He don't care about you or anybody else other than himself. You deserve someone who cares about you, Katherine."
"Not your business." She snapped, tired of the way Colt seemed to like to tell her what she needed and yet he wasn't willing to be that man for her. Colt grumbled under his breath and then pointed back toward Charlotte.
"Do you know what that man was doing over there?"
"No."
"Threatening Charlotte." Katherine's eyes widened with surprise as she glanced over at J.B. who was stabbing furiously at the stew with a dented metal spoon.
"What do you mean threatening her?"
"Surely I ain't gotta spell that out to you." Colt said with a shake of his head. "Now like it or not I care about you Katherine and I don't want to see you hurt. That man right there ain't nothin' but trouble and trouble is all he's gonna bring with him. I don't want to see you caught in the middle when it happens."
Katherine watched Colt walk away to the other side of camp and she looked at J.B. and suddenly saw him in a new light. Colt was not a liar. If he said that J.B. had threatened Charlotte then the man had threatened Charlotte.
Katherine never had liked J.B. but she had figured she needed to lay with him in return for the help he was giving the group but now....... Now she was going to take Colt's advice and stay clear of him. J.B. was a loose cannon and loose cannon's tended to do a whole hell of a lot of damage.
***
Silas was almost finished making his rounds outside of camp and was preparing to head back in when he heard the moaning in the distance and the sound of branches breaking.
Instantly he crouched down and scanned the darkness and what he saw out in the trees had fear clawing at his chest.
Rabid, countless rabid, wandering aimlessly through the forest around him. Any thoughts of how he was going to show his love to Charlotte tonight vanished from his mind and instead all he could think about was how in the world he was going to protect his woman and Little Grace from all these rabid.
There was no way they could fight this many. There was easily one hundred rabid walking all around him now as he crouched beside this tree. It was like a big lumbering herd of cattle all around him, only these cattle were bloody, rotting and moaning as they searched for a meal.
As of now the group of rabid didn't seem to be heading toward camp but Silas knew that all it would take is for one to catch a scent or hear a sound and the entire horde would be on their camp within minutes and Silas knew if that happened then he would lose Charlotte and Little Grace.
Silas had to get back to camp and he had to do it quickly and quietly.
Staying low and slipping through the shadows Silas made his way back, wincing every single time his foot cracked a twig and nearly peeing in his pants several times when he nearly ran into the backs of rabid.
Somehow though he remained unnoticed and the instant he entered camp he went straight to Colt who stood and looked concerned as Silas neared him.
"We gotta get out of here." Silas whispered. "And we gotta do it quickly and quietly."
"Why?" Colt questioned. Silas was aware of Charlotte coming to stand next to him and he licked his lips nervously and glanced at her.
"Rabid. At least a hundred of them."
"A hundred?" Katherine exclaimed as she walked over and Silas shushed her.
"Quiet!" he whispered sharply. "They are close... They're just wandering around like a herd of cattle or something but if they hear us or smell us...."
"We'll shoot 'em!" J.B. yelled as he too walked over. "I ain't afraid of no damn rabid."
"You should be." Silas replied simply and then he turned away and led Charlotte back toward their small fire to gather up their belongings.
"Are there really that many?" Charlotte whispered with fear and while Silas would have loved to have been able to lie to her and sugarcoat the truth, he knew that now was not the time for that.
"Yes there really are." He replied. Keeping Charlotte close to his side, Silas went to the cart and quickly hitched his mule to it. His attention suddenly going back to the camp when he heard J.B. laugh.
"Look at you all running scared just cuz the negro tells you to!" he called out. Silas saw Colt and Katherine gathering up their few belongings and bringing their horses toward the cart.
"Shut up, J.B." Katherine warned and J.B. laughed.
"I ain't scared of no stupid rabid!" he declared. "Bring it on, rabid!" J.B. pulled his revolver and fired a shot into the air before anyone could stop him. "I ain't scared."
"You should be." Colt growled as Silas quickly helped Charlotte and Little Grace onto the cart. Katherine gasped and Silas realized that Colt had drawn his gun and had it aimed at J.B.'s head. "You goddamned fool. You probably just killed us all."
Colt squeezed the trigger and J.B. cried out but instead of the bullet striking him, it slammed through the forehead of the rabid that had been coming up behind him. J.B. turned and let out a scream when he saw the wave of rabid coming out of the trees.
"Run. Run. Run." Colt cried, and Silas needed no further urging as he snapped the reins and sent the cart on a wheel rattling pace down the dusty road they'd been camped beside. He was aware of Colt, Katherine and J.B. firing shots as they rode their horses beside the wagon.
"I've never seen so many!" Charlotte cried out as she looked around them. Silas nodded in agreement and sent up a million prayers that somehow they would all live through this.
"Ai! Ai! Ai!" the sound of an indian battle cry pierced the air and suddenly an indian brave on a paint horse and a skinny woman wielding two guns at once while holding her horses reins in her teeth rode into view, firing shots at the rabid all around them.
"Damn y'all stirred up a hornets next." The woman exclaimed around the reins in her mouth.
"We realize that." Colt shouted over the sound of gunshots.
"Well come on then! There's a house up ahead and we can take cover there." The indian assured them and Silas nodded at Colt's questioning look and the group followed after the indian and the woman.
Farmlands spread out on either side and then they rounded a bend in the road and a house and barns came into view.
Instead of heading for the house, Silas drove straight into the barn and everyone else followed suit. Colt and the indian slammed the barn doors closed and secured them by sliding a wooden beam through the iron supports.
"What now?" J.B. demanded and Colt sighed as the rabid pounded on the wooden walls, moaning and hissing with their irritation.
"Get up high, Miss Charlotte." Silas urged, helping Charlotte from the wagon and leading her to the ladder that led to the loft.
"I'd say we should all head up there." Colt stated. "Just in case."
Everyone settled up high in the loft, though Silas noticed that J.B. remained as far from everyone as he could. Silas worked hard in his life to avoid hatred but hatred was sometimes hard to keep from feeling. And right now he was feeling the beginnings of hatred toward the other man.
"Frankie?" Colt suddenly asked and the skinny woman who had helped lead them here stared at him a moment before her dark eyes widened.
"Well I'll be damned! Never thought I'd see you again! Nice beard."
"Thanks." Colt muttered. "Good to see you've made it this long."
"The feeling's mutual." Frankie replied with a nod. "This is Comanche."
"I'm Colt." Colt replied. "And this is Katherine, Silas, Charlotte, baby Grace and that son of a bitch over there is J.B."
J.B. grumbled but said nothing as he stared out the window at the angry rabid horde.
"Well we might as well try to rest. I reckon we ain't gonna be going anywhere 'til this herd wanders off." Frankie stated and Silas agreed. He led Charlotte and Grace to a back corner of the spacious loft and pulled off his coat to give Charlotte something to lie upon on the hay.
"Hold me, Silas." Charlotte asked and Silas knew he wouldn't turn her down. She was scared, trembling as he stretched out beside her and she laid Grace on his chest before curling herself around him as well.
"I thought we were going to die...." She whispered and Silas kissed her dark hair, her bonnet had come off somewhere during their wild ride in the dark.
"I wouldn't let that happen, Miss Charlotte. Now get some rest. Tomorrow is probably going to be a pretty long day."