country_who | The Travelers (8/24-ish) (Reply)

Title: The Travelers
Author of Chapter: country_who
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Summary: Unseen dangers come back to haunt him, and they could endanger the life he was just getting into.

Chapter 7: Two Outlaws and a Small Town

The Sun rose over the sleepy town of Stonewall like it did every day. It warmed the faces of young children and young women who were already strolling in the bustling streets. The cloudless clouds were streaked with shades of orange and pink, as if the good Lord himself had run his paint brush through the heavens and composed its beauty.

Laughter circled from a group of children playing jacks on the wooden porch of the general store. The town gossip ran from the lips of the McGrady sisters sitting on straight leg chairs outside of their little shop, where one could pick up little trinkets along with the happenings of the town.

They were so blissfully unaware of what was coming.

~//~

Over one of the rolling hills, a pair of silhouettes rode in the direction of the small town. Their eyes scanned the terrain with a hatred that could not be fathomed. They were adorned with blue jeans and flannel shirts, their backs were dry, where they should have been drenched in sweat and their brows unburned.

One’s face was cut with a long scrawling scar that ran from his left temple and under his eye to the top of his lip. His yellow teeth were bared in what appeared to be a perpetual scowl, as he lifted the rim of his Stetson and ran a hand through his grimy hair, slicked back with oils. He threw a side way’s glance at his partner.

The second man was swathed in the same clothes as his partner. His slightly larger build and rotund belly bragged strength and power. His face was free of scars, but his left hand, covered by a thick leather glove hid the disfigurement of what could have been from a thousand battles.

The second man glanced up at the first, returning his stare with the smile of a snake oil salesmen. He touched the brim of his hat in a mock salute and took point as they headed to the small town.

“Time to take back what’s ours.”

~//~
Samantha woke early in the morning, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and sliding out from the covers. Her summer nightgown rode high on her, almost above her knees. She smiled at the feeling of less constriction. But she knew that neither her mother nor father would ever approve of her wearing something so exposing.

She looked out the window to see the sun just beginning to rise, as she ran her hungry eyes over the horizon, wanting to join it. She stared for a moment longer, when she caught a sight what look like two riders on the horizon. She rubbed her eyes and stared again, but this time there was nothing. Samantha shook her head in frustration and silently admonished herself for being so childish.

She quickly pulled open a drawer and pulled out a pair of jeans and a shirt, as she tugged them on in a rush and hurried out of her room.

She was almost sprinting when her mother caught her with an outstretched arm and forced them both into a whirling motion in the middle of the kitchen. Her eyes glanced up and caught her mother’s.

“Chores,” she stated, jerking her head out of the house.

“Church,” June said, jerking her head across the room to the table, where Buck and an uncomfortable looking David sat, as they nursed cups of black coffee.

Buck wore a clean shirt and a pair of cream colored pants (the least worn in his wardrobe, Samantha guessed.)

David was also dressed up nicely, his torn shirt and dusty jeans were replaced with an ill-fitting, but clean shirt and tan colored slacks. His unmanageable hair was wet and beginning to stick up in every direction. Samantha thought he looked like a bit of a fool, but she kept her giggles suppressed for only her ears.

Samantha’s shoulders slumped slightly, at the thought of waiting more than a minute to get out there. She turned back from David and her dad and turned to her mother.

“Couldn’t I just…” Samantha started.

June held up a hand.

“No,” She replied sternly.

Samantha thought about arguing more, but she eyed her mother’s crossed arms decided against it. Defeated, she trudged back to her room to obey her mother; while she thought about their often changing relationship. It wasn’t that they didn’t get along; it was just that they never seemed to mesh anymore. Their ideas were so different and changing constantly that no matter what the other one said the other would certainly oppose it, and yet, it felt so completely natural.

“Get changed into something nice,” June called after her.

“Yes, Ma’am,” Samantha muttered from inside her room.

She quickly pulled out her only dress. It was yellow with white lace around her waist and the hems. June had given it to her as one of her old dresses, where it was starting to tear at the bottom. Fixing head meant lobbing another three inches off of it; which had it far too small for June’s tall body, but a perfect fit for Samantha.

June really had fixed it up nice, the white lace tying in around her waist and flattering some of her curves. But, Samantha frowned at how she looked in frustration.

“I feel like a child’s doll,” she muttered to herself, as she looked down at feet which were stocking clad.

“Good,” June’s voice floated in from the doorway.

“Mom, can’t I at least wear…” Samantha stopped. “Dress like a lady, right?”

June winked at her.

“Right,” June told her, as she motioned for Samantha to sit down on her bed. “Besides, you might find someone. I think David is…”

“Mom!” Samantha exclaimed, as she shot to her feet and stared at her mother in shock.

“Oh, I’m only kiddin’,” June said, getting to her feet and brushing a piece of hair behind her ear. “You’re growin’ up Samantha, whether you like it or not, you are.”

“I know, but David’s…” Samantha stuttered. “He’s…he’s…not right.”

‘Mother’s,’ Samantha thought irratibly to herself. ‘Always assuming what wasn’t true.’

“But he’s not wrong either?” June asked.

What was that even supposed to mean?

Samantha’s mouth hung open stupidly for a long moment before she worked up the presence of mind to close it. With a confused face (and a mouth now firmly shut), Samantha rocked back and forth on her heals. Suddenly she felt almost uncomfortable seeing David while she was in a dress. It just didn’t seem right. After all, the first time they had me, he had called her a cowboy. How could David ever be more to her than just a farmhand (or the lowest species on the planet…a boy? Samantha shuddered at the shear thought of it, and gave her mother a pleading look.

June only gave her a sly grin and turned her around by her shoulders, so Samantha could lead the way out of the room and into the kitchen.

~//~

Buck was driving June back home, while Samantha and David hung behind. They had hitched up a couple horses and decided to ride back home from town; it would give David a chance to see a bit more of this place and Samantha a chance to take a break and still ride—it was Sunday after all.

At the moment, David was standing with two horses, Trek and Trojan, the dapple gray that had it in for him. David kept shooting glances back at the horse and scratching the back of his neck subconsciously.

“Hi,” David told to the Trojan. “I’m David, and I know we didn’t get off to great terms, but I mean…”

Trojan shot his head forwards and knocked David off his feet. He let out a less the manly scream and scrambled away from the hitched horse. Trojan nickered to Trek, who returned it.

“It ain’t funny,” David muttered to the horses, as he cocked his head back to see Samantha returning, legs now properly adorned with jeans and trying to stifle giggles.

David shot to his feet at the sight of her. He quickly brushed the dirt off of his pants (He had managed to change into his original jeans as well.) He tried to regain his sense of composure as he back up a bit and crossed his arms.

“Hi, erm Sam…” David stuttered. “I was just…”

Trojan snorted behind him and David let out another yelp, as he hopped away and seemed to fall into Samantha. Samantha caught him, as he stumbled and hauled him up on his feet by his shoulders, but not releasing him.

David was muttering something frustrated to himself; as he raised his lowered head met Samantha’s eyes. His heart seemed to skip a beat, as he realized how close he was standing to her, but he didn’t back away.
Neither of them spoke for what seemed like an eternity.

David slowly moved his hands up to Samantha’s shoulders, keeping his grip firm but gentle. Samantha swallowed and looked at David in confusion. She searched his eyes for guidance, but his features held the same.

They leaned closer together, their arms entwining around each other’s waists, as they neared. Samantha closed her eyes and leaned her head up towards David. David was mimicking her motions, but as he was lowering his eyes; he caught something beyond her shoulder in his sight.

He quickly pulled back, grabbing her hand, and rushing them over to the horses. His hand was clenched tightly around hers, as he gave her a leg-up so she could get on faster; before, swinging into the saddle of Trojan himself.

“We have to leave, now,” David said urgently, as he lead his horse and backed away from the hitching post.

He stopped briefly so that Samantha could catch up, but he soon led her away at a trot outside of town.

“What’s goin’ on?” Sam cried from behind him, as they reached the road that led out of town.

“I’ll explain later,” David called back. “But, right now, we have to leave.”

Samantha didn’t question him. She shot a glance behind her shoulder but she didn’t see anything out of the obvious. However, when David looked back, his eyes grew wider with fear and he pushed Trojan into a gallop on the winding dirt road.

“This way,” David called back as he pointed to a break in the path that led into the relatively thick trees that had greeted David when he first arrived.

Sam quickly pushed Trek into the lead, not knowing why, but trusting David that there was danger, but not trusting him to know the area as well as she did. She had ridden this path so many times growing up she could name every rock and dip of it.

Feeling the power of both their mounts surging beneath them, the two riders ran from the danger only seen by one.