The Savage

Twenty Nine

"Jaynie..." he slid off the bale and hit the ground, gasping for breath as he groped for the handle of the knife buried in his ribs. "Jaynie..."

"Al told me everything, and even though he is a loathsome human being, I believe him. You're a maggot, Toby Whitney! You shot me! You shot me and then lied about it, and the result was the killing of fine Indian warriors by those blue coated dogs! You are not fit to walk the same earth, or breathe the same air-" I was shaking with restraint, wanting to drive the blade all the way in then twist it around, but all I could hear were the words of my father...'A man is only as good as his heart, his self-control. Without that, we are savages.'

"You-" His voice was hushed as his eyes bulged with the effort to speak. "You gonna h-haaa..."

I waited, but he couldn't speak, fighting for breath talking all the energy needed to form words. Moving off the bale, avoiding his grasping hands, I stepped around where he lay on the ground and walked slowly from the barn, ignoring his weak rasps behind me. In the corral was Al Baily, ignorantly stripping his mount of riding gear, and I suddenly headed that way. I couldn't explain to myself why I was doing this, for Al Baily was the last human in the world I trusted, but I couldn't stop the words from coming to my lips.

"If you wish to release yourself from debt to Toby, go into the barn. Your freedom awaits you."

"I ain't got time for games, squaw, I've had a long day." He growled at me.

"And I would not play with you if there were no other humans within a thousand miles, pig...but do what you want."

Walking away, I heard him eventually swear loudly as he headed to barn, where his loud exclamation of shock echoed to me. Whatever I was expecting was not what happened, for as I reached the stairs I heard Al laughing, and he laughed for a long time. Opening the door to the house, I found Frank sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee eating a piece of cake, my mother at his side. Whatever they'd been saying died as I appeared, and Mamma's face went ashen.

"Jaynie!" Leaping to her feet she nearly upset the table. "What happened?"

"What?" I was startled, but she rushed over, grabbing at my hand. My fingers were coated with a crimson stain, Toby's blood soaking into the cuff of my sleeve unnoticed until now.

"Are you hurt?"

"No, no I'm fine."

"What- what is this then? What happened?"

I let her lead me to the sink but knew I'd have to admit what I'd done, and why. This was by far the worst transgression I'd made, and Frank would doubtless be furious for my not telling him sooner. Steeling myself against their anger, I sat at the table and calmly told them everything, start to finish. I left nothing out, and by the time I was through Mamma was red from anger and shock, but Frank...the look in his eyes was terrifying.

Storm clouds raged, lightning flashed while lethal fury burned at me from gray eye so dark they looked black. His normally tan skin was pale from anger, his skin drawn down tightly over his features. With cold deliberation, he moved to the wall and took the pistol from his gun belt that hung there, a weapon he'd not worn in over eight years. Looking at me, his voice was thick when he spoke.

"How are you certain it was Toby?"

"Al told me-"

"An' you believe him, just like that?" his voice rose to a shout. "What proof do you have that you just knifed the right man?"

"Why would Al lie about it?"

"That ain't the point! You don't take the law into your own hands!" Struggling to reign in his temper, Frank raked fingers through his hair. "Without proof you're just a vigilante, or worse- blast it...Toby still in the barn?"