Blood Money
by Holly
Chapter Nine
The room suddenly was lit by a flash of lightning that sent eerie shadows onto the walls. A terrific crash of thunder followed.
�All right, we need sleep. Take �em to the root cellar and make sure they�re locked up nice and secure,� Carlin ordered. �I�ll bring ol� Paul Revere and the kid after they�ve rustled up some grub.�
Anders nodded to Slim. �You heard the man. Pick up your buddy and get goin�.�
Slim bent down and carefully turned Jess over. His face was a mess. Blood matted the dark hair. As Slim lifted Jess into his arms, he was surprised at just how light he was.
As they stepped outside, the rain began, heavy and icy. It whipped through Slim�s shirt like cold needles. The wind was rising, banging the shutters and sending the loose scrub cart wheeling through the air.
Anders led the way across the yard. He bent down to lift the trap door to the root cellar. It was difficult because of the power of the wind, but he finally managed to get the door open.
�GET IN!� He yelled trying to make himself heard against the shrill howl of the wind.
Slim carefully climbed down. It took time to maneuver Jess through the narrow entrance.
Once inside, he lay Jess down on some gunny sacks and peered up at Greg Anders. �We need some blankets down here. It�s freezin�.�
Anders just laughed and slammed the trap shut.
It took a while for Slim�s eyes to adjust to the darkness.
Once he could see, he bent to Jess to make sure his airway was clear of blood and he was breathing without difficulty. Then he unbuttoned Jess� shirt. In the poor light he couldn�t tell if it was rainwater or blood that soaked the material. As he ran his fingers carefully across the ribs, checking for signs of fracture, Jess moaned and tried to sit up.
�Lay still, Jess,� Slim said gently, urging him to lie back down. �There might be something broken.�
Jess spat, and wiped his mouth carefully. �Water?� He mumbled finding it hard to speak with his mouth cut in several places.
Slim shook his head �No, there isn�t any. We�re locked in the root cellar,� he explained.
Jess forced himself up onto his elbows. �You�re wrong, Slim. There�s water tricklin� down my neck right this minute!�
Slim looked up. Sure enough water was coming in through the rough timber lined roof.
Carefully, he helped Jess change position so he could cup his hands and collect the steady drops of rainwater.
Jess then rubbed his wet hands around his face, cleaning the blood and dirt away as best he could. Slim saw, even in the half-light, how bruised Jess� face was.
�You all right Jess? Anders gave you a couple of kicks while you were down.�
�And here I was thinkin� it was a mule.� Jess replied. This time his voice sounded stronger. He looked up at Slim and grinned �OUCH!� It obviously hurt, so he stopped and said, �Help me up.�
Slim hesitated.
�I said help me up.�
Slim carefully took Jess under the arms and pulled him to his feet. He clearly heard the gasp of pain.
�I�m not sure you should be doin� this. Maybe something is broke.�
Jess took a deep breath. �I�m none too sure either, Slim, but I�m gonna get that Anders and tear his bloody head off!�
�We must protect Andy and Jonesy,� Slim cautioned. �Maybe when Carlin has had his fun, they�ll let us go.�
Jess shook his head. �No witnesses, Slim. Carlin is an evil bastard, don�t be fooled. When he�s had his fun, he�ll kill us all. And that includes Andy.�
Despite the strong words, Jess� voice faltered and he slumped back to lean against the wall.
Slim sighed. �First we�ve got to get out of here. I wonder if we could rush �em when they bring Jonesy and Andy?�
�Be better if we could get out before they come. Less chance of them getting hurt,� Jess pointed out.
�Easier said than done,� sighed Slim. �You rest awhile. There�s no way we�ll break out of here.�
Jess sat back down on the sacks, and slowly lifted his shirt to inspect the damage Anders had done to his ribs. He looked up to where Slim stood.
�How is it?� Slim asked.
�Sore, but I don�t think anything�s busted.�
�I�m sorry I slugged you so hard.�
Jess grinned, �Yeah, you sure you ain�t been takin� lessons from Andy?�
�Andy?�
�Andy! We was play-fightin� the other day. Nearly knocked my tooth out.�
�Serves you right. You egg him on,� Slim said, sitting down beside Jess on the gunny sacks.
�Who me?�
�Yeah,YOU! Don�t play the innocent with me, Harper.�
The rain seemed to have eased, but the wind howled like a banshee. Suddenly there was a terrible screeching and both Slim and Jess automatically ducked down even though they didn�t know what they were trying to avoid. The sound became a banging grating noise, then as quickly as it began, it seemed to stop. But the sound was replaced by a rushing of wind that nearly sucked the breath from Slim�s lungs.
He looked across to Jess who was hunkered down with his arms over his head.
Just then, the entire trapdoor disappeared, completely ripped from its hinges, and tossed away by the wind.
For a moment nothing happened. Then Jess slowly rose upright and gazed at Slim. A look of pure amazement passed between the two men as they looked at one another, then at the open space where the door had once been.
No one said anything while what happened sank in.
Slim turned to Jess. �I thought I told you to mend that trap?�
�I DID!�
�Well, you didn�t do much of a job� Slim retorted angrily. His hands on his hips.
Jess� eyes narrowed. �What?�
�How is it most of the jobs you do, I have ta chase on up behind you and put right?�
Jess turned and looked up at the night sky. �You know, sometimes Slim, you really hack me off. Here we are arguin� about a damn trap door that isn�t even there.�
The last words suddenly hit home as Slim echoed �isn�t there� and instantly both men scrambled up and out of the root cellar.
The wind made breathing difficult. Slim guessed Carlin and Anders hadn�t heard the trap rip off because there was so much other noise. The barn door had come unlatched and was banging to and fro which caused the horses to kick up a real fuss. The shutter on the kitchen window was also swinging loose. A big old tree in the far paddock was down and burning, probably struck by a lightening bolt.
Jess led the way to the side of the house. They hunkered down under the kitchen window. There was the dull rumble of voices, but nothing distinct. Any conversation was blotted out by the wind.
Jess turned to Slim. �We need a gun.�
�Carlin took �em all and got Anders to drop �em down the well�
Jess thought for a moment. "What about the fireplace?" referring to his hair-trigger colt that was put away when he decided to give up drifting.
�I don�t know. Andy was told to help collect them, maybe he took yours too.�
�Well, there�s only one way to find out.� Jess began to move.
Slim pulled him back. �Hey, what about me?� He hissed as loud as he dared.
Jess grinned, his white teeth a stark contrast to the blackening bruises that marked his face. �You�re the diversion.�
�Oh, thanks a bunch� Slim sneered. �And how am I supposed to do that?�
�You�re the one who had a education. You figure it out�
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