Chapter Text
It is peaceful; endless prairie lay before them like a never-ending ocean. Only him and Jolly Jumper in the vast wilderness under the scorching sun. It’s been weeks since they finished their last job; everything is going well—no telegrams about prison breaks, no war with native tribes, nothing. It’s quiet. Luke hates quiet; it never lasts and always ends in disaster and pain. Jolly doesn’t seem to share his sentiment, but again, no matter how amazingly smart Jolly is, he is a horse, though Luke thinks he understands him better than any human ever could. So they travel looking for another job.
As luck would have it, the nearest city at least has a saloon. Luke can drink lemonade while wallowing in his restlessness.
“Breaking news!!! The Dalton brothers escaped prison. They were seen robbing a train near Golden Valley. Read about it in today’s paper."
Screams newspaper boy. The saloon erupts in chaos; people are scared. Golden Valley is only a few days of riding away from their city. As fast as the noise started, it died down, and people stared staring at him. The sheriff stood up:
“Mister Luke…”
“Yes, yes. As soon as I finish my drink."
As it seems, his fame precedes him. He will go after Daltons after this drink. It’s a very hot day.
Sometimes he wishes he could just go about his day and rest when the sun is trying to melt everything it's touching. Going on another wild goose chase doesn’t sound appealing right now. But Daltons can be dangerous, and he can’t just ignore them; he can’t just let them hurt people when he can stop them. That’s the least he can do.
“It will do.”
“But Joe… It’s soo…”
“It's fine; this house is in the middle of nowhere. We are safe here. Do you want to go back to jail, William?”
“No, but how lo?”
“Joe, I’m hungry. What’s for dinner? I want soup."
“Shut up, you numbskull! If you want soup so bad, cook it. Just get away from me before I shoot you!”
Luckily Averell decided to listen for once and went away looking for food. How this idiot could be related to him is a mystery. Clarey got all of Averell’s smarts back when they were still in Ma’s stomach.
The house before them was in raw shape indeed. It's been a while since old Ma and Pa, bless them, used it, but it was still good enough. They needed to lay low if they wanted to avoid prison.
“We will stay for maybe a week and throw everyone off our trail.”
His brothers nodded and entered the building. With a little luck, they would avoid going back to prison.
Joe was wrong. Even if they stay unnoticed, it will end badly. If his brothers won’t stop whining, he will kill them himself. So it’s decided they will rob a bank in Cattle Den. Maybe after a good robbery and terrorizing a townful of farmers, his brothers will calm down.
Golden Valley is a nice city. Luke has been so tired lately; maybe a meal that’s not beans and a night in a real bed will help. He tried asking local folks about any leads on Daltons, but he learned very little. The whole town seemed uneasy, which is understandable when dangerous desperados are hiding somewhere near.
The diner didn’t help with the feeling of unease; people were staring at him. He was normally used to it, but it was different. Especially the man in the corner, with long black hair and dark clothing. He looked out of place. His eyes were cold and calculating; they seemed to look through his skin, searching for something in his soul. It made his skin crawl. He thought about leaving the city, but he had already paid for a night, and the barkeeper promised him no bedbugs. It's been a while since he slept in a real bed. What’s the worst thing that can happen?
It turned out a lot could go wrong. Luke was woken in the middle of the night by many hands gripping his body. He panicked and tried to get away, but as soon as he started to fight, something hit him in the head. The last thing he remembered was blinding pain and a feeling of dread. After that was only darkness.
As he woke, he felt just how hot it was. It must have been midday; the sun was high in the sky. The merciless heat was making it hard to breathe. He was kneeling on the ground, his hands tied to a wood pole. Trying to get free was pointless; whoever tied him knew how to do it. However, the movement did alert his captors.
“Did you sleep well?”
Luke was not going to answer it; he needed to figure out what the man wanted. It was the same person who was eyeing him with such intensity yesterday, but this time he wasn’t alone. There were three other men, all of them looking at him with hatred.
“Well, I’m sure you are wondering what I want from you. The answer is simple: your death. You see, there is a bounty on your head: 50000 dollars. That’s a lot, don’t you think, for one person?”
Not hearing any answer, the man continued.
“You see, I could just shoot you and be done with it, but…”
Luke knows whatever he says next won’t be good. Whoever that man was, he clearly hated Luke. He really needed to think fast if he wanted to survive.
“I don’t thi—”
The man slapped him. Trying to kick him only got him another hit. The man was so close that he could smell his breath. He tried to look away, but a hand pulling his hair made it impossible. It was worse than he thought; the enjoyment in his eyes was obvious. Luke was taped with no gun; no one was looking for him. He was going to die here, and it won’t be pretty. He can try to talk his way out of this, but the chances of success are minuscule. At least when he dies he will be able to rest, and maybe just maybe he will be forgiven.