SHILOH Rough Draft...The beginning "Foreword"

FOREWORD

This Book is a representative of my best efforts to remember my troubled past.

I have seen a lot and done a lot in my lifetime.

 Helping many people along the way.

And Killing those whose time had come.

I do not take pleasure in removing souls from this place, but these were souls that were lead by the Devil himself.

I have no choice in this fight between good and evil, I was marked by God to do his bidding and to carry out death to those who cause injustices to mankind......I am Michael.

The Angel of Death

Shiloh, Rough Draft Chapter 5 "Friends"

Friends,

Michael felt cool water bathing his face, as the dream fading, he finally opened his eyes to brightly lite room and a soft hand caressing his face.

Looking around his eyes finally adjusted and he saw a beautiful Blond woman bending over him...

"Your finally awake," she said to him

It took a minute for the words to have meaning to him and with a scratchy voice he said "Ya"

"Well you've been in and out for a few hours, first we had to sitch up that nasty cut on your head and then we had to break the fever.

Michael just stared at her, trying to remember what had happened.

The Doctor said you looked like you'd been through hell and back."

"My horse, Sheol"

'He is fine, he is at the livery stable" She said

As she talked she stroked his forehead with the damp rag as if she had been doing it forever.

"My name is Michael"

"I'm Gabriel"

Michael laid there for a minute before it registered ..."Gabriel"

Michael all of a sudden felt out of place...

Trying to sit up brought the feeling he was going to throw up...

Gabriel pushed him back down "Michael if you must get up do it slowly the Doctor said you might be dizzy at first"

Michael laid there for a minute before trying again slowly.

"Thanks, Gabriel"

Michael finally was able to sit up by himself.

Closing his eyes to chase away the dizziness he finally said.

"Do you a Ben"

A shadow felt over Gabriel's face... "Yes, Why?"

Michael wished he was anywhere but here...

"Ben came to my place badly beaten and gunshot"

Gabriel's hand went over her mouth as she gasped "Oh no"

"I helped him get better but when I was in town, some Men came and, well... Ben is gone Gabriel, there is no easy way to say this but those Men called themselves his brothers.

Gabriel burst out crying "Nooooo"

"I'm sorry," Michael said

"I should have known those men would be back"

Choking back a sob "Michael no one knows that"  Gabriel said.

She leaned into his chest sobbing more

Michael felt awkward but put his arms around her as she cried

Finally pulling back from her, Michael said, "Now they are after you"

Gabriel said, I don't care anymore, Ben was my life.

"Michael I don't think I can go on anymore without him."

"Gabriel you have too, we need to finish what he starts, if not for him then for you, this is what he would have wanted."

Gabriel looked up at Michael's concerned face, searching for some kind of hint finally she asked

"We?"

Michael looked away for a minute trying to hold back the fury he felt for those men who killed a mere boy and a brother.

Turning back to her he said "I made a commitment to help you get settled on the land that's on that Deed"

Gabriel gasped "That was his plan, he said he would give me a home"

"Yes, Ben was on his way back from Idaho City assayers Office with the Deed his mother had left for him when his so-called brothers caught up with him"

"What about you Michael, how did you get that cut to your head?"

"I was grazed by a bullet on the way here, some of the General Whitaker boys caught up to me"

"There is something I need to tell you, Michael"

Touching his head Michael felt a little woozy

"Are you ok?" Gabriel asked

"Yea, I'm just a little light headed"

"You were saying?"

"It's probably nothing but a few nights ago I saw a cowboy watching my room from the street"

Michael thought for a moment "It's probably the one they sent ahead to watch you"

"Watch me?"

"Yes they want to end it here, and get the Deed from us," Michael said

"Where is the Deed?"

It was in my saddle bags,"

Michael was concerned and started to stand

"Hush Michael sit, the bags are safe"

"Where are they?" he asked

"At the front desk they have a safe and they are in there with a bag," She said

"Thank God, Michael whispered"

"Why?"

"The Deed and some personal stuff are in those bags"

"Do you want me to fetch them?" She asked

"If you could Gabriel, Thank you"

While she was gone Michael did an assessment of the room, Checking window, field of vision, hallway for escape routes.

The old habit was hard to break and it felt good to exercise them again.

Michael was laying down again when Gabriel got back with the saddlebags and the front desk clerk was helping with everything.

Michael could tell the boy was smitten with her and who wouldn't be the girl was very pretty in the raw sense of the word, you could some hardline that you would see in any woman that grew up in the west as she had done.

As he watched her he felt guilty of even think what he just did...but she was beautiful.

After the boy had left, Michael opened the saddle bag that should of contained the Deed. 

               

Shiloh Rough Draft Chapter 5 "Hard Ride"

Rough Draft..  Hard Ride

Michael's head felt like it was made of lead, he had to stop several times to throw up.
Sheol kept moving as if he knew where he was going.
Michael faded in and out as he rode drooping over the saddle horn, several times he almost toppled out of the saddle.
He had lost track of time, until the night started to give way to dawn and on the horizon Michael saw the outlines of buildings against the dawn sky.

Smitty laid there looking up at the gray sky, "What the Hell"
Feeling his head his hand came back bloody.
Son of a Bitch dam near took my head off.
Turning over onto his stomach, he tried to raise to all four, but fell over from the dizziness
Trying again he made it to his knees, wavering in place Smitty moaned as he got to his feet, :Son of a bitch I'm going to kill that farmer.
Finding his Winchester he climbed the embankment to where Jake waas laying, "The farmer must of laid him down" Smitty thought.
He had some explaining about Jake but he would just lie and say the Farmer killed him.
Something was bothering him...a name that the Farmer had said...Michael, mmmmm
Smitty tried to shake the cob webs from his brain but all he got was a sharp spasm that almost but him on his knees.
Walking down the trail to where he had left his horse, was like walking 10 miles with his headache and to find his horse gone only made him cuss  even more.
Smitty yelled to nobody as he shook his hand to the heavens, I'm going to kill you
Farmer.
Smitty had walked about an hour when something hit him.
D'Angelio... Thats it Michael D'Angelio.
Smitty stopped in his tracked, No way, No how can that farmer be Michael D'Angelio, no way!
I must of misunderstood, I mean I was hit in the head pretty hard and my eggs must of got scabbled. Smitty thought
But I feeling of dread seeped into his thought and he found himself trying to figure out a way to just hit the trail and forget Horseshoe Bend...Placerville, General Whitaker, hell even Idaho.
The more he thought the better he liked the idea of Texas but he needed a horse and the closes town was Horseshoe bend.
I get in and out and no one will see me, make tracks to the livery station buy a horse and ride out of town, no one the wiser.
By the time Smitty got to HorseShoe Bend it was getting dark and he was thristy, no harm in a little drink he thought.

Sheol, took him as far as the hotel, Michael tried to ease himself down off the Sheol but he fell in a heap.
There was was rustling around him and then darkness.

Michael was swimming, he and some friends had grabbed their fishing poles and had rode to the lake to swim and fish, Ma always like fresh fish Michael thought.
They had swam for a while and finally the boys had colapsed on the wild grass laughing and telling stories, of course girls always came up and that talk make Michael nervous, girls where a strange breed that he hardly understood.
He liked that they always smelled nice and seem to like his shyness
As they laid on the dock with the sun high above them, they heard some horses approach.
Jimmy Michael's friend said "dang Michael it's that Thomspon Boy"
Michael didn't like the bully and he always tried to avoid him but it was going to be hard today.
Billy Thomspon was there with a chip on his shoulder, you could tell that by the way his face was screwed up into scoul.
D'Angelio, Hey D'Angelio I'm talking to you.
Michael laid there another minute before replying "What do you want Billy?"
"I want you to stay away from my girl"
"Who is your girl" Michael asked
"You know dang well who she is D'Angelio"
Billy spit his tobacco plug onto the ground and swung down from the saddle.
"I'm at a loss Billy, I didn't think any girl wound have you" Michael said
Jimmy let out a gasp and said "Michael shooosh, Billy will stomp you into next week"
Michael held his ground as the older boy walked up to him and punched Michael in the mouth.
"Don't back talk me boy"
Tasting the coppery blood taste in his mouth Michael spit out a mouth full of blood he said "I don't know anything about your girlfriend"
Billy looked up at his friends and then over to Jimmy and Randy, smiling he kicked Michael in the stomach.
"Boy I told you don't back talk me"
Holding his stomach Michael managed to say "I'm going to kill you"
That brought laughter from Billy "Yea well it's going to be pretty hard while your laying on the ground Boy"
"Come on Billy leave us alone we ain't done nothin'" Randy said.
"Shut your hole before I kick the shit out of you" Billy replied
"He is right Jimmy said"
Jimmy had brought out his pocket knife and was fliddling with it.
"What you going to do with that" Billy asked
"What needs being done if you don't leave Michael alone"
Michael was on his feet by then and before Billy had noticed him, Michael hit him hard in the back of the neck and Billy went down like a sack of potatoes.
Jimmy and randy hoop and hollared with excitement.
Michael spit more blood into the dirt and told Billy's friend to pick him up and get outta here.
That was the last time he let anyone touch him.

SHILOH...1st. Draft Chapter 5 "Hunted"

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.