The Trail

Chapter 25 | A thief's oath

The voice came from a woman with wrinkles deeply impregnated into her dark skin. It had the look of leather, smooth but with a rough surface. Her voice spoke of the thousands of cigarettes that had been smoked, and her hands trembled from abstinence. Golden rings covered her fingers and she wore a green shirt together with a pair of blue jeans. On her feet were a pair of leather boots with brass buckles. Her dark hair hung lifelessly over her shoulder in a thick braid, longing to be washed.

Then there was the child by the name of Koa. I realised that he must be of Aboriginal descent. He now clung to the lady's leg, smearing the blood from his eyes onto the dirty denim. It was clear that the boy was sick, yet the woman did not seem bothered.

"The spirits have told me of this day, when thieves of the land would come and rob us of what little we have left... And here you are", the woman said and adjusted her aim. "In the time of fire and blood."

By her movement, Juniper's growl intensified. It only aggravated the woman further.

"Make the dog shut up or I'll blast its damn head off", she said and pointed the rifle towards Juniper.

"Kill her, Charlie. She's nothing but vermin, a parasite. Kill her, and we'll let you keep your precious Juniper", the voices whispered.

"I can't", I whispered, my knuckles turning white as I clutched Juniper's leash with my closed fists.

I saw Owen looking at me, and the woman's face turning dark.

"What a shame, you could have used it for trade...", she said and took a step closer.

I stepped in front of Juniper, and in a split second, Owen drew his gun, now pointing it at the woman.

"Drop the rifle", he said in a hoarse voice.

The woman gave up a strange laugh.

"Have you not seen the skies? The spirits are on my side, boy. I'm not dying today."

"You might not", Owen said, before pointing the gun towards the child. "But he might."

"The boy's sick, won't live for long anyway", she said, without the slightest bit of emotion in her voice, and shrugged her shoulders.

The barrel of her rifle was nearly pressed into Owen's chest. I could not make out the expression on his face. All I saw was the back of his head.

He's bluffing, I thought. He would never actually shoot. Right?

The boy, terrified, slipped behind the woman's legs.

"I'll bet this bullet will go right through the two of you, so put down the rifle", Owen said in an unsettlingly calm tone.

"And you can bet your ass this will rip the two of you open", the woman said and nudged him with her weapon. "You've stolen from me, either you pay up or I'll kill you both. That simple."

"Fine, what do you want?", I said and put a hand on Owen's shoulder, hoping that he would not do anything stupid.

"It depends on what you're offering", she said and eyed me up and down with hungry eyes.

It felt as if I had seen that look before, observing me as nothing but prey. The walls, drenched in red, roaring flames slowly began to billow towards me.

"She isn't offering shit. Drop the damn rifle", Owen growled and put the gun against the woman's head.

"Then there's just you and the dog left, sweetheart. We could use a strong willed man around here", she said and slowly moved her head away while hinting at a smile. It was not a pleasant one. "The dog looks as if it got more flesh on it, though. My children are starving."