Chapter Fifty-Five camouflage
July 1st 1887
Wyoming Territory
The days passed quickly and rather uneventfully which Colt was thankful for. There was not an overabundance of rabid and those they did come across were simply stragglers or small groups that were easy to deal with.
They reached the train tracks they'd been searching for only three days after leaving the brothel and for nearly two weeks they'd been following them. Colt knew he was pushing the group too hard, covering between twenty and thirty miles per day. The horses were wearing down quickly and so were the people.
He could see the fatigue deep in their eyes and their postures, though no one dared complain. While Colt missed Frankie, he had to admit that things seemed more peaceful now without someone bitching nonstop. Colt grinned, Frankie had certainly been a good bitcher. Nowadays even Rachel kept her mouth closed and did as he said.
Though that may have more to do with the fact that everyone was too exhausted to do much in the way of complaining. They were once again running low on food, the horses were out of oats and were living strictly off of grass and bits of hay. Water was low as well and while it was only midday every person and animal was bordering on heat exhaustion.
"Colt..." Evangeline whispered as she sat behind him on the saddle and laid her head on his shoulder.
"What?" Colt asked, hating the drawn quality of her voice. His wife was tired. Dammit so was he. He wanted to take a few days off but he didn't want to do that out in the open. His hope that towns would be plentiful along the railroad was quickly proving baseless.
So far there had been nothing.
"I don't want to complain but—"
"You're tired." Colt finished with a sigh. "I know. I am too."
"We all need a break, Colt. I've caught sight of a river over the horizon several times today and there's a patch of trees over that way too. Why don't we try to settle down and camp for a day or two?"
"What about food, sweetheart? We're running low..."
"Yes and it's summer. There are plenty of berries, wild onions and herbs growing and I've seen lots of critters running around—"
Colt turned his head and kissed her nose as he smiled. "My proper lady just said the word critters."
"Don't you mean hardened criminal wife?"
"Yes of course."
"So we can camp for a day or two and let everyone recover?"
Colt felt his resolve waver as she pleaded with him and then it completely crumbled when her lips brushed his ear. "Please?"
With a grunt, Colt held up his hand to bring everyone to a stop. He looked around at the group and felt a pang of guilt when he realized just how tired and run down everyone was. "There's a river and a patch of trees over that way," Colt pointed across the plains. "Evangeline here thinks we should stop and camp for a couple of days and let everybody rest up and I reckon I agree with her. What do y'all think?"
Colt couldn't help but chuckle at the hearty nods and the show of hands from the group. Ox must have wanted to ensure Colt saw that he agreed because the man raised both hands and waved them in the air.
Colt adjusted his hat and clicked his tongue. "Well alright then. Let's head that way."
***
"I wish it was deeper." Katherine lamented as she and the other women stood in the river which did not reach to any of their knees, not even Evangeline's.
"At least it's water." Charlotte reminded her as she took a sip and moaned. "Nice cool water." She added.
"It's cool because it's coming down off the mountains." Colt said as he walked by with an armload of wood he'd gathered. "We'll be reaching those mountains before you know it."
"Have you been this far west before?" Susette asked as she plopped herself down in the water and giggled as the water soaked through her clothes.
Charlotte smiled at the girl and then looked over at Colt who was watching Susette with an amused grin. "Yeah I have. I've been everywhere there is to be in this fine country. Been to parts of Canada and Mexico too."
"A well-traveled man." Evangeline winked.
"More like a man on the run." Jedidiah cut in with a laugh as he walked past them with green tinder.
"Are we going to make a fire out on these plains?" Charlotte asked with a frown.
"A small one." Colt replied. "You'd be surprised how much cooler it gets up here at night—that and there's wolves, mountain lions, coyotes and bears around. Mostly it's just gonna be smoke."
"What if those monsters come?" Susette whispered.
Colt crouched down and offered the girl a comforting smile. "Well then I'll kill 'em of course." Charlotte studied Colt as he stood back straight. He would be an amazing father. He had all the qualities that made a man one. She thought of the daughter he had lost, which made her heart fill with sadness as she remembered her own angel.
"You ladies enjoy your swim." Colt said with a tip of his hat.
"We can't swim." Evangeline sighed. "It's not deep enough."
Colt studied the river and the bank a moment and Charlotte wondered what he was thinking. "Hey Ox!" he called. The big man jogged over.
"What is it, Colt?"
"See them big ass rocks?" Colt asked. Ox nodded. "Move them into the river and dam it up a bit so they have a nice little wading pool here."
"Colt, y'all don't have to go through that kind of trouble—" Evangeline began but Colt shook his head to cut her off.
"Did I not vow to do everything I could to keep you happy?" he asked. A blush colored Evangeline's cheeks as she nodded. "And it'll make me happy too. You need a bath cuz you smell like a horse's rear."
Laughter erupted as Evangeline gasped and stooped low to throw water at Colt's retreating back. "Yeah you had better run." Evangeline called out with laughter.
"While Ox is busy why don't we go gather some berries, onions and anything else edible?" Rachel asked as she stepped out of the river.
"That's a wonderful idea." Charlotte agreed. "I'll go with Rachel and Katherine and Evangeline can go together. Who do you want to go with Susette?"
The girl instantly ran to Katherine's side.
"Where y'all going?" Colt called from beneath the patch of trees as Evangeline and Charlotte each grabbed empty burlap sacks from the back of one of the carts.
"To gather what we can to eat." Evangeline replied.
"Weapons?"
Evangeline rolled her eyes. "Of course."
"Be careful and don't wander too far."
"Yes daddy." Evangeline called back.
"He takes so much worry on himself." Charlotte noted with a shake of her head. "It's really not good for him."
"Well let's get these things gathered up and show him he has nothing to worry about." Katherine replied and the two groups of women went their separate ways.
***
"So you and my brother seem to be closer these days." Evangeline said knowingly as she knelt beside a patch of wild onions and dug at them with her hands. She knew the girls at that fancy etiquette school she had attended would never recognize her—then again they were more than likely pretty unrecognizable themselves these days.
"Your brother is an amazing man." Katherine replied honestly, joining in the onion digging.
"I don't need to know all the ways he is amazing." Evangeline teased with a wink which made Katherine laugh.
"Where are you going?" Katherine called out to Susette who was wandering a short distance away.
"There's a berry bush." She replied. Evangeline followed her gaze and saw that the girl was right.
"Don't go any further than that bush." Katherine warned.
"I won't." Susette assured them with a grumble.
"Instant motherhood." Katherine sighed.
"She loves you." Evangeline noted, dropping several onions into the sack.
Katherine smiled. "The feeling is mutual."
"I'm glad that you've made my brother so happy, Katherine."
"He's made me happier." Katherine countered, her eyes taking on a faraway look that had Evangeline laughing lightly. Then Katherine looked at her. "Thank you for talking Colt into stopping today. I don't know if I could have kept going at the pace he was keeping."
"He's just worried." Evangeline admitted. "He's worried about making it out to California before winter hits the mountains. Hopefully we'll find a town soon and be able to restock some supplies—I know that will take a lot of the worry from his mind."
Evangeline glanced at Susette who appeared to be eating the berries faster than she could fill her sack. ""Susette, you're supposed to be gathering some for the rest of us!" Susette flashed her a purple blackberry smile and Evangeline simply laughed.
"What do you think we're going to find when we get to where Susette is sending us?" Katherine asked quietly.
"I don't know." Evangeline replied, swiping her arm over her sweaty face. "A cure would certainly be nice."
"Yes it would." The women fell silent as each of them thought about what could be waiting for them in northern California. The silence was shattered when Susette's ear piercing scream of pain split the hot afternoon air.
***
Colt and Jedidiah were discussing setting up snares to catch fresh meat when Susette's scream shattered the peaceful camp.
Colt saw Ox leap to his feet and take off running over the small rise that the women had disappeared behind and Colt raced to catch up to him.
Susette was still screaming and they were loud, pain-filled screams. Evangeline and Katherine were crying out for help.
Colt topped the rise and saw them. Katherine had Susette laid across her lap and was trying desperately to calm the girl. Evangeline was standing over something in the tall grass with her knife clutched in her hand.
"What happened?!" Ox demanded.
"She was bitten." Evangeline replied, just as Colt reached his wife and saw the half-bodied rabid dead at her feet.
"Bitten?" Colt asked with dread and Evangeline shook her head forcefully as she looked up at him.
"By a snake!" she replied quickly. She tipped her head toward the rabid. "He showed up just after and tried to get her but I stopped him before he could."
Shit, a snake bit her?" Ox whispered as he crouched down beside Katherine.
"All the monsters in this world and we still have to worry about snakes?" Katherine gasped with tears on her cheeks. "It's just not fair."
Colt pulled his knife and walked to Susette. "Am... I.. gonna die?" the girl asked, sucking in huge gulps of air between sobs.
"Not if I can help it." Colt replied comfortingly. "Where did it bite you?"
Susette held out her arm and Colt saw the bite on her hand. "I was trying to get some berries on the ground... I didn't see it until it started rattling and then it was too late."
Colt smiled as he pulled his shirt out of his pants and ripped off a strip of fabric. "It's gonna be okay, Susette. I'm gonna take care of you." Colt tied the fabric tight around her wrist, ignoring the way she winced as he finished tightening it. He then removed his gun belt and put the leather against her lips.
"What...?"
"Put it in your mouth, Susette, so you can bite down on it. You can't be screaming anymore or you're gonna draw those rabid in."
"Colt do you know what you're doing?" Katherine whispered. Colt looked into her scared eyes and hoped the look he gave her was one of reassurance.
"Sure do. I've been rattler bit a time or two."
Without wasting any more time, Colt pulled Susette's arm straight. "Hold her tight, Katherine."
"I'm scared!" Susette whimpered as she tried to pull away from him.
"Don't you do that, Susette! You gotta keep calm." Colt warned.
"Rabid!" Ox yelled and Colt glanced over his shoulder to see a small group of rabid heading their way.
"Deal with them!" he growled. "I'm busy."
Colt held Susette's wrist tightly and then brought his knife blade down, slicing it against the bite wound twice and creating a cross over the top of it.
A gush of clear venom ran from the wound and Colt pressed his lips against the cross he'd drawn with the blade before sucking deeply.
He could hear the groaning of the rabid and the sound of the group fighting them off. He prayed that Evangeline would be okay but right now his focus was Susette.
Colt spit the horrible taste of venom and blood from his mouth and then went back to sucking. He had to drain the wound, even though Susette was screaming and trying her hardest to get away from him. Katherine was grunting with the force she was using to hold the terrified girl in place.
Colt spit out another mouthful and swiped his sleeve across his face. He untied the strip of fabric from around Susette's wrist and wrapped it around her hand to help stop the bleeding.
He glanced around just in time to see Evangeline deliver a kick to the head of a rabid and send it stumbling backward to where Ox was standing with his knife, ready to drive the blade into its temple.
"It hurts!" Susette cried as Katherine tried hard to soothe her.
"Ox, carry her back to camp. Everybody else let's drag these rabid to camp and tie them from the trees—"
"Why?" Rachel asked.
"Because they stink and hopefully that'll keep more rabid from coming. You know cuz it will camouflage our scent."
"Colt, that's genius." Rachel admitted.
Colt raised a brow as he looked at the woman. "I have my moments."
***
"Colt, she doesn't look good." Ox whispered as he joined the other man beside the river that evening. Charlotte, Rachel and Evangeline were cooking supper. Jedidiah and Silas were keeping watch on the other side of the trees and Ox had been sitting with Katherine beside Susette but had needed to get away for a moment.
"I know." Colt replied.
"Shit, Colt, is she gonna make it?" Ox feared the answer but he figured if anyone knew it would be Colt.
"I don't know." Colt replied. "She swollen and bruising bad. She might end up losing that hand."
"Colt, shit, don't say that." Ox heard Susette let out a whimper from beside the fire. Colt had slipped the girl a small bit of laudanum so she could rest through her pain but clearly it was wearing out. "You said you got bit before and you're okay."
"Yeah but I'm a bit bigger than her, Ox. She's just a child." Colt sighed. "Go get some rest now. It could be a long night."
Ox sighed and stood straight. He stretched out his back and stared at the wide pool he'd made by damming up the river. No one had been able to enjoy the pool—it seemed they weren't allowed to have peaceful days. Not anymore.
Ox went back to the fire, forcing a smile when Evangeline smiled comfortingly his way. He took a step on the ground next to Katherine who was lying on her side beside Susette. Katherine was smoothing the girls hair from her sweat slicked forehead.
"I don't want to lose her, Ox." Katherine whispered. "I kind of like being a make-shift mama."
"You're not gonna lose her, Miss Kate." Ox promised, hoping he wasn't lying. "She's gonna be just fine."