First Draft...always looking Beta Readers
Hunted
Smitty said, "come on Boy show yourself, I know your down here"
Smitty moved causally down the shore line using the moon light once his eyes adjusted to not having the fire light, he could actually see pretty good .
His foot hit something soft but giving Smitty reach down touching a hat.
Bringing it up to see it closer, It was wet with blood.
I got him, Smitty smiled, as he yelled again "Farmer give yourself up we only want the Deed, once I have that I'll let you go.
Smity was checking the underbrush as he went looking for any signs of blood or something being dragged.
"You've got my word on it Farmer"
The night had a chill to it, Michael laid there half in and half out of the water.
Touching his head he felt a long deep gouge where the bullet just about blew his head off.
It sure didn't feel like a close call, he thought
The water was starting to put his legs a sleep with the cold.
Michael was about ready to drag himself out of the river, when heard crash of something coming down the embankment.
Michael froze, whoever it was, they were mumbling to themselves.
Michael knew his head felt like it was on fire but he had to get to Horseshoe Bend before before Noon, So he could save Gabriel's Life..
In the Moon light Michael could make out a lone man about 75 feet up river...
The shooter, Michael Thought.
Brings back old memories, that he just as soon forget.
Finally after listening to the night noise for a few minute Michael felt he could pull himself from the small sand bar onto the shore without being detected.
Waiting for the rhythm of the night noises to continue, before he tried to stand.
He heard the shooter yelling more about letting him go.
Yea right, Michael thought.
Pulling himself to his knees, a dizziness took hold for a minute but soon his head cleared.
"Hey Farmer come out now and we can discussion a reward for that Deed, I'm sure you could use some cash to rebuild your home"
Smitty laughed at that.
Smitty plowed ahead figuring maybe the Farmer had got to the river and floated down stream.
Picking his way along the rocky shore he thought he heard a splash up head.
"Is that you Farmer?"
God dam bastard better come out soon or I'm going to start blasting away, Smitty thought
Michael grasped a short log that was about 3 inches around and about 3 foot long.
Still unsteady, he moved into the brush that lined the narrow shore line.
He could hear the clicking of the shooters boots as they searched for a foot hold on the rocky surface.
Come on Farmer I know your close, come out and we can talk about this.
I didn't mean to shoot you, I thought my partner was going to kill you, I was trying to shoot him.
The shooter shuffled past Michael swinging his rifle back and forth in front of him.
After he had pasted Michael stepped out from the brush.
Smitty's hair raised up on the back of his neck as he felt the breath of death.
Swinging his Winchester in a wide arch, Smitty heard and felt the crunch of the log as it knocked him to the ground.
Somehow he lost his rifle and most of his senses but not enough to deaden his instinct to live and he pulled his Long knife, trying to fend off the attacker as he tried to wipe the blood from his eyes that was pouring from the head wound.
"Son of bitch you want to play that shit, I'm going to cut you into dog meat" he raved
Michael stood back watching the shooters feeble attempts to stab him.
Michael thought "In his mind he probably think he is on his feet and fighting off a 100 men"
But Smitty was barely poking at the air as his brain tried to catch up from the brian bruising it got from the short log Michael held...
"My name is Michael D'Angelio"
With that said, Michael turned and left.
Climbing the embankment was just about all Michael could muster.
Feeling his head, his hand came back with cloded blood and it was tender to touch"Probably an concussion" Michael thought
Reaching the top, he walked over to the cowboy that had sat back down before he died.
The front of his shirt was soaked with blood.
He was dead, Michael didn't expect anything different.
The night was quiet again, it was like the darkness could surround anything, taking into it's arms until there wasn't anything left.
Except for quiet.
He wished he had time to bury him, but he couldn't waste a minute getting to Gabriel.
Michael said a prayer for Jake and whistled for Sheol.
The horse came from the treeline, Stopping in front of Michael shaking it's head up and down.
Michael patted his head and said I know boy, Let's get going.
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