FAITH
FAITH (after an idea by Nesciri)
Yellow Crane sensed someone was watching her. She may have been expelled from the ranks of the Kiowa but she had been raised to know when someone was following. Those white fools thought they were being stealthy. Every crackle of a leaf, every step, every breath gave them away. She would have to take care of them. It would be so easy. There were only two of them and no one else was around to protect them. At first, Yellow Crane thought she would kill them while they slept. She would leave their bodies unprotected and when the scavengers came for them, she would be long gone. But then she thought better of it. A more devious and diabolical plot formed in her sick mind. Yes, she would wait until nightfall and then double back.
"Where the hell is she?" Jimmy was frustrated. They hadn't seen Yellow
Crane for almost four hours and it was growing dark. They had been following
the main trail but now it seemed as if she had slipped off into the wilderness.
He looked around and saw no other sign of life. Even the birds were silent.
He didn't want to be out in the woods tonight but they had no choice. "We're
gonna have to camp here." Lou nodded and began to set up camp. "No
fire," Jimmy said when he saw Lou start to gather wood. "We don't
want her to see us."
Jimmy woke to the acrid smell of smoke and immediately began to gag. He felt
sick to his stomach and he started to retch violently. He couldn't catch his
breath and the few breaths he did manage to suck in were full of that burning
smoke. Jimmy tried to pull his Colt from his holster but his fingers wouldn't
work. His hands felt numb and he couldn't move his legs. He could see his feet
twitching uselessly as he tried to move. He saw Lou on the ground next to him
gasping and wheezing for air. Then he saw a truly frightening sight. He saw
Yellow Crane standing over them holding a bunch of smoking twigs in her hand.
She waved it through the air poisoning anything that inhaled the fumes.
Yellow Crane walked up to him and looked down at
him with the same pity one might have for a rabbit they were about to kill for
dinner. Jimmy thought maybe he hadn't prayed hard enough in the circle or maybe
he had done something wrong in his life that he was now going to pay for. He
tried to pray now and hoped that someone was listening. He flinched when he
felt Yellow Crane's rough claw-like hand touching his forehead. She flicked
a strand of hair away from his face and when she started to rub her thumb in
a circular motion, he felt his skin crawl with repulsion. "You are a man
that desires justice. Your death will come without." She turned to walk
away from him but she turned and looked over her shoulder. Her smile was plain
evil.
He could see Yellow Crane walk over to Lou now and
she whimpered on the ground. Jimmy tried to get up and crawl to her but his
legs wouldn't budge. If Yellow Crane hurt Lou, he would track her down and kill
her. Then he would show her what justice was really all about.
Lou watched as Yellow Crane left Jimmy and made her way over to her. She put her hand on Lou's forehead and held it there a minute. Yellow Crane threw back her head and laughed. Her hand began to travel down Lou's face to her neck. Lou tried to scramble away but she couldn't. Yellow Crane's hand moved slower down her chest and stopped when it reached her belly. Yellow Crane pressed her entire hand over Lou's abdomen and said, "I shall have your firstborn." Yellow Crane was done now. She turned and continued on to Sweetwater.
