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 Rascals - Part 1 by Nightwalker

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royannahuggins
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royannahuggins


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Join date : 2013-10-13

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PostRascals - Part 1 by Nightwalker

Starring

Rascals - Part 1 by Nightwalker Duel_a10
Pete Duel and Ben Murphy as
Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry


Guest Starring


Rascals - Part 1 by Nightwalker Bright10
Brighton Sharbino as Kathy McCarthy


Rascals - Part 1 by Nightwalker Mazzel10
Joe Mazzello as Thad McCarthy
& Brad Renfro as Tim McCarthy


Rascals - Part 1 by Nightwalker Jared_10
Jared Padalecki as Bill McCarthy


Rascals - Part 1 by Nightwalker Mary_s10
Mary Stuart Masterson as Jane McCarthy


Rascals - Part 1 by Nightwalker Daniel10
Daniel Craig as Seth


Rascals
by Nightwalker



Two horsemen rode over the prairie, heading for higher ground.  As they drew closer, they could be recognized as Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry, riding hell bent for leather.  A trailing dust cloud far behind them hinted that they were not alone out on the plains.

-o-o-o-

With the falling night, the scenery changed.  Boulders and rocks were scattered over stony ground, forcing the friends to slow down the pace of their horses.

-o-o-o-

As the sun rose again, the weary riders halted their mounts on a ridge.  They took a look around and noticed that the dust cloud was still following their path up to the hills.  They exchanged a short glance before they turned their horses in unison and kicked them into a heavy-footed lope again.

-o-o-o-

The sun stood high in the sky, indicating it was about noon, and burned down merciless on the boys and their tired horses.  They looked pretty worn by now; riders and mounts both covered with dust and sweat as they arrived at the foot of another rise, a steep wall reaching up for the sky.  The ground was rocky and dry without any sign of water.  Dry weeds and bushes were spread all over the place, and only intensified the repellent impression of the inhospitable terrain.

As Kid Curry’s horse stumbled, a jackrabbit jumped up, hightailing it towards the bluff, where it disappeared behind a curtain of dried vines.

The boys exchanged a surprised look.  Kid Curry slid off his horse and followed the tracks of the small animal.  As he pushed his hand between the vegetation, a low thud sounded.  The blond gunslinger frowned, clenched his fist and bumped it a couple times against the hidden wall again, producing two more dull knocking sounds.  He brushed a handful of vines aside, revealing the remainders of wooden boards, which had mostly become victims of the ravages of time.

The Kid turned to his partner.  For a moment, the two friends locked eyes, initializing a short and nonverbal communication, which ended with a twofold smile.  Simultaneously, they took off the saddlebags and scared the horses away.

“Let’s hope the posse follows their tracks to the next water hole,” Hannibal Heyes said.  “If we’re lucky, they’ll lead them a couple of miles astray.”

His partner squinted his eyes.  He nodded, his look following the disappearing horses.  “Let’s hope so.  It’s about time our luck turns again.”

As the hoofbeats faded away, the boys turned around and entered the dark tunnel leading into the hill.  Now the place was deserted and quiet again.  Nothing announced the presence of the tunnel or the fugitives.

As the posse passed by a while later, they didn’t even slow down their pace.

[Fade out]

[Well known Trailer]

[Fade in]


A small fire tried to scare the darkness away and illuminated the dead end of a tunnel.  Vaguely visible at the edge of the light range was a fork where the old mine shaft split into two branches.  Now and then dust trickled down from the ceiling.  Heyes was pacing the rough ground while Kid Curry sat close to the fire, listlessly picking at a helping of beans.

“The waiting’s just trying our nerves,” Heyes stated.  “We should get outta here; the sooner the better.  If only the dang posse wasn’t around here anymore.  But every time we peek out of this hole, we find new tracks.  I’m just happy they don’t know the place well enough to find us here.”  He reached the wall and whirled around.  “We’re staying put way too long.  We only found moldy water, and sooner or later we’re going to run out of supplies.”  He paused and threw his friend a meaningful glance.  “Rather sooner, I suppose,” he added before he turned around and resumed sizing the tunnel.  “Just sitting around and waiting isn’t a good plan – no plan at all.  We should have done better...”  Heyes went on with his complaints.

“How?” Kid Curry replied stoically between bites.

“We should’ve changed directions on rocky ground.”

Rascals - Part 1 by Nightwalker Pic_110

“There was no rocky ground when we needed it.”

“Then we should’ve circled back and tried it the other way around!”

“The horses were almost finished and the posse was too close.”

“Though...”

“Stop it, Heyes!” the Kid finally busted out, tossing his plate to the ground.  “Just stop it!  Or the posse will be satisfied by findin’ your cold dead body out there!”  He jumped up and glared at his friend.  “Two days of endless, senseless babblin’.  Two endless days!  There was no other way or we would’ve taken it!”

“But, Kid -” Heyes began again just to be cut off.

“SHUT UP!”  The strong, growling voice of the angry gunslinger echoed throughout the dark veins crossing the hill and sent small rivulets of dust from the ceiling to the ground.  Kid Curry froze and frowned while his suspicious eyes panned the ground.

Heyes shook the dust out of his hair and grimaced.  “Now that was helpful!” he snapped sarcastically.  “Come on!  Do it again!  Either they hear us and drag us outta here or the ceiling will come down and end this!  Whichever happens, I won’t have to stand your bad temper anymore!”

My bad temper...!?” the Kid growled, about to explode, but a small sound silenced both of them:  two stones hitting one another.  Alerted, they startled.  They stared beyond the range of their fire, trying to penetrate the darkness with their eyes.  As one, they turned their heads, listening to the left, where faint rays of daylight indicated the entrance.

They exchanged a short glance and drew their weapons.  It was silent again, but not silent enough.  Little sounds, too low to identify their origin, disturbed the quietness.  Cautiously avoiding any noise, the Kid covered their small fire with a dented tin bucket.  Spare rays of light seeped out of the pail’s cracks and along the ground.  Criss-crossed sticks made it impossible to hide it completely, but most of the light was covered.

Again, they strained their ears, listening.  More low sounds were to be heard.

“Shuffling feet?” mouthed Heyes.

Kid Curry shrugged his shoulders.  “Somethin’s out there.”

“Something alive?” Heyes whispered and Curry shrugged again.  It was hard to say if the sounds were really there, but the atmosphere had changed.  A distinct feeling of tension filled the air.

Cautiously the friends moved closer to the tunnel’s fork, instinctively choosing the best position to cover each other.  Heyes acquired an advanced position close to the corner; Kid Curry at the other side of the tunnel to gain a clear shot range and back him up.

More shuffling sounds, clearly identifiable now, not too far away.

The boys froze and held their breath.

Footsteps, more than one pair, accompanied by low whispering.

There were at least two voices, maybe more, but the echo off the stony walls distorted the sound, making it hard to be sure.

“You’re sure this is the place?” one voice asked.

“We've searched everywhere else,” another one answered.  “This is the only hideout left.”

“You sure there was no chance to pass us by?”

“We would've seen ‘em.  At least there would've been tracks.  Have you seen any tracks?”

“No, but you sure-”

“I’m the sheriff!  Ask me one more time and you’ll never be my deputy again!”

Heyes leaned forward to take a peek and saw the shapes: two of them.  Pretty small shapes.

When he noticed details, he lifted his brows in surprise.  The thoughts beginning to race through his mind were mirrored on his expressive face, as he hunted for a plan.

Rascals - Part 1 by Nightwalker Pic_210

The sound of a cocking gun cut him off.

“Hold it, Kid!”

Heyes' warning was followed by a threefold high-pitched scream.  He leaped forward and stopped their uninvited visitors.  They spun around and ran into Kid Curry, who blocked the way back to the entrance and herded them towards their makeshift camp.  Heyes turned around and kicked the covering bucket off the fire.  Light flooded the area.

Three small figures appeared, the Kid rising up behind them like a silent giant.  His blue eyes widened in surprise before he applied his poker face again.  Slowly he holstered his weapon and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“What are you doing here?” Heyes asked the intruders sternly.

He was answered with big scared eyes, shuffling feet and low whimpering, not sure who of the threesome was the source of the latter.  His eyes lingered on the tiny one on the left.

Two young boys and a tall girl faced him.  The lower lip of the youngest trembled; he seemed to be close to breaking into tears.  The girl nudged her elbow in his side, followed by a short resolute gesture of her head before she turned around, following Heyes’ movement as he stalked towards his partner.

“Nothing, sir,” she answered.

Heyes spun around and raised his brow.  “Nothing?”

“We’re just playing-”

“Playing?!”

“Sheriff and outlaw!”  She nodded towards the older boy.  “Tim’s the robber.  Thad and I are the sheriff and the deputy.”

“Never heard of deputizing girls before,” Heyes replied.

“That’s why I’m sheriff!” the girl countered cockily.

“Oh, I apologize, ma’am.”  Heyes bowed towards her, addressing her with a half-dimpled smile.

The Kid tilted his head towards his partner and whispered, “What do we do now?”

“They haven’t seen anything suspicious yet,” Heyes answered sotto voce, “but we can’t let them go that easy.  Kids talk, parents ask questions.  The posse is too close to take a risk.”

He fixed his scrutinizing eyes on the girl again.  Curry, who knew his partner, saw the reflection of his somersaulting thoughts in his eyes, as he tried to find a way out of their situation.

Rascals - Part 1 by Nightwalker Pic_310

Meanwhile, the Kid’s protective streak took over.  “Didn’t your ma ever tell you to keep away from dark and scary places?” Curry asked.

The girl stepped forward towards Heyes and returned his glare, but answered the Kid’s question.  Heyes smothered a smile away as he noticed it.

“This place isn’t scary!  We’ve been here before.  It’s exciting!  You know-”

“Excitin’?” the Kid growled.  “It’s dangerous!”

Again, the ground seemed to respond to his anger, but now it was more noticeable.  There was some sort of vibration in the rocks, accompanied by a low rumble.  A quick glance towards Heyes and the frown on his face told him that he sensed it, too.

He received a questioning look from his dark-haired friend and nodded acknowledgment.

“Alright, keep calm,” Heyes took over again.  “There’s nothing to fear.  We’ll all get out of here and talk outside.  Just-”

He was cut off by a deep low growl raising off the ground, which trembled visibly now, much stronger than before.  They all were fighting to keep their balance.  More dust and small stones rained down on them.  One of the kids let out a scared squeak.  The Kid and Heyes exchanged another glance.

“Out!  Now!”  Kid Curry took the lead to the exit, the two boys were right on his tail, followed by the girl whose longer legs would let her catch up to them soon.  Heyes grabbed their saddlebags and brought up the rear.

Another shock shook the earth; the ground bucked hard and left all of them staggering.  More rock slid off the ceiling.  Clouds of dust filled the air.

“Too far, get cov-” But Heyes' warning came too late.

The next wave nearly sent all of them off their feet.  Heyes grabbed the kid closest to him; it was the girl.  He pulled her against his chest, cupped her head with his hand and turned the girl back towards the tunnel wall to cover and steady both of them.

Another shock ran through the earth.  The girl screamed and struggled against Heyes' firm grip.

Following her look, he turned his head and noticed the unfolding drama.  From the corner of his eye he saw Kid Curry on his knees, hunched down, both boys hidden under his outspread arms, sheltering them with his body.

Blue eyes and brown eyes locked.

Just then a part of the ceiling finally lost its hold and crashed down on Curry, covering him from further sight with stone shards and dust.

Heyes instinctively turned to help his partner, but something hard hit his head and his world went dark...

-o-o-o-

It was dark.

He moaned in pain.

As hard as he tried to breathe, he couldn’t.

“Wake up!” an unfamiliar voice told him.  He refused to open his eyes, instead he slowly rolled over to his side.

“WAKE UP!”  The second call was followed by a slap in his face.

Hannibal Heyes tore his eyes wide open.

Rascals - Part 1 by Nightwalker Pic_410

It was dark.

He moaned in pain.

As hard as he tried to breathe, he couldn’t.  Thick clouds of dust filled the air.

He sat up and coughed.  His face distorted in pain, he curled himself up and held his aching head.

“Kid?” he asked.  He was answered with a relieved sigh.

“I’m here, sir,” the unfamiliar voice told him.

Heyes squinted his eyes and poured out a stream of questions as one: “Where am I?  Why is it dark?  Where’s the Kid?”  A sequence of pictures flashed up in the darkness of his mind: Kid Curry on his knees, blue eyes fixed on him, the collapsing tunnel!

Instantly, Heyes jumped onto his feet, or at least he tried.  He bumped into something soft – a body.  Vertigo and the lack of balance sent him down on his knees.  He let out a painful groan which was accompanied by a high-pitched scream.

“Stop that!  What are you doing?”

“Who is it?” Heyes asked.

“Katherine McCarthy.  Kathy.  You remember me?”

They coughed in chorus.

“Yeah.  I guess.  The girl.  The cave-in.”

They shared another coughing fit.

“Are you alright?” he asked into the darkness.

“Yes, I think so.  But the dust...”

Thinking was a difficult task with the lack of air.  The strain of it showed on the ex-outlaw’s face.  Suddenly his face lit up.  With stiff movements, Heyes stripped off his shirt and tore it into pieces.  He reached his hand out towards the voice, offering one of the strips to his invisible companion.

“Here, take this.  Cover your nose and mouth.”

It took several tries before their hands eventually met.  When the girl took the cloth out of his hand, he picked up another one and tied it around his own head.  It took a moment to adjust, but soon the breathing came easier and the coughing fits faded.

Heyes tucked the remaining cloths behind his belt, murmuring, “I sure hope we’ll need ‘em soon.”  Louder he declared, “We need light.  There’s a candle in my saddlebag.  It has to be somewhere behind me.  I dropped it when I covered you.”  Cautiously he started groping the ground.  “If I could only be sure where ‘behind me’ is.”  While he was searching, he resumed the conversation with the girl.  “You better now?”

“Uh-huh.”

“How are you?  Are you hurt?

“I... no.  I don’t know,” she sounded a bit uncertain, but there was no pain in her voice.

“If you don’t know, it can’t be serious.  Just stay where you are.  I’ll try to make some sort of light.”

“But Tim and Thad!  We have to help them!”

“I know, but we can’t if we don’t see what we’re doing.”  Suddenly his fingers touched leather.  He pulled the item out of the gravel and shook the dust off saddlebags.  “Let’s hope that it's the right one.”

Quickly he browsed through its contents.  Just a moment later he held a candle and matches in his hands.  Another blink later, he struck one of the matches and blinding light scared the darkness away.  It took a few attempts until the candle caught fire but then it burned steadily and spread a small range of light.

Opposite of him appeared the dirty face of the girl.  He noticed some abrasions and bruises but no serious injuries, at least not at first sight.  As soon as he lit the candle, she was about to jump up.

“Easy, Kathy!  We have to be careful,” he admonished her before he called for his partner.  “Thaddeus!?”

Heyes listened carefully, but didn’t notice any response.

“They don’t answer!  They can’t!  I called them while you were still sleeping,” she told him ungraciously.

“Thanks, ma’am.  Very kind of you, letting me take my nap in peace.  I just wouldn’t call it sleep,” he snapped back and cautiously touched his head.  Even the brief touch made him wince.  Then he stiffened and knit his brow.  “Did you really slap me?”

The girl looked a little bit contrite and nodded.

“Well done,” Heyes said and patted her shoulder, showing the hint of a smile in the corner of his eyes.

Turning around, he studied the place where he had seen his partner the last time.  There was no sign of him or the boys to be seen, only a solid heap of soil and gravel that reached for the ceiling.  The exit was blocked; his partner was buried underneath the debris.  The shock was unmistakably displayed on his face.  But within a blink he had composed himself and was focused again; his eyes panning the surroundings.

“We have to keep calm; panic wouldn’t do any good for anyone,” he told the girl.  “First we have to get better light and tools.  I guess we can find what we need in the dead end.  Come on, Kathy, you can help me!”

In the dead end Heyes found embers of the suffocated campfire which he cautiously shoved into the metal bucket while Kathy picked up wooden boards and splinters.  “That’s for the light problem,” Heyes stated.  “Let’s see if we can find tools.”

In a corner they found a rusty pick axe and a partially broken shovel.  Heyes gave the tools a doubtful glance, but as nothing else was available, they would have to do.  Hastily the compulsory companions hurried back to the cave-in.

“Kathy, can you start a fire?  We need as much light as we can get.”

“Sure, I can,” she answered cockily.  “It’s part of my daily chores.”

Heyes grinned.  When he reached the foot of the heap, the flames already blazed behind him.  “Alright, you’re pretty fast, I’ll give you that,” he admitted.

A short look revealed no sign of the missing.  Quickly, but cautiously, he started to remove gravel and boulders where he recalled the last place the three had been seen.

Kathy approached him from behind.  “What can I do?”

“I’ll need your help as soon as we know where they are.  ‘Till then you can get us more firewood.  And water.  We’ll need both.  There were a few ponds-”

“I know them,” she cut him off.  “And I know where to find clear water, too!  I’ll take the bucket and the canteen I’ve seen in the rubble.  I’ll be back soon.”  Voice and attitude resembled a teacher more than a girl.

Heyes raised his brows and pursed his lips.  “Yes, ma’am,” he mumbled while she was already making off.  He then resumed his work and didn’t interrupt it anymore.  Sometimes small aftershocks trembled throughout the ground, but he ignored them.

“I just wish I knew how much time we have,” Heyes told no one in particular.  “How long have I been out cold?  How much air do you have down there, Kid?  I’d be real upset if you’d let me dig like that only for you to disappoint me!  You can’t scare me by keeping silent.  You can’t!”

As fast as possible he dug his way deeper through the debris, knocking on larger stones now and then, calling for his friend...



Last edited by royannahuggins on Thu 06 Feb 2020, 9:48 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Rascals - Part 1 by Nightwalker :: Comments

royannahuggins
Re: Rascals - Part 1 by Nightwalker
Post Thu 06 Feb 2020, 9:06 pm by royannahuggins

It was dark.

He moaned in pain.

As hard as he tried to breathe, he couldn’t.

The place was narrow.  Something pressed down on his back.  He tried to move, but he couldn’t manage more than a few inches.  His left arm was stuck.  He suppressed a yell and let out a groan that turned into a coughing fit.

As the Kid's focus retreated from himself, he noticed two small bodies close to him, halfway covered by himself.  Memories returned.  “I remember the boys, the ground was tremblin', then the tunnel collapsed, and Heyes was in the middle of all the mess!”

Concern showed on his face along with the strain it took him to concentrate his thoughts.  “What happened next?   Heyes was close to the wall.  I remember he was close to a supportin' wall, there was a supportin' beam and he had that girl – Kathy? – and she was safe in his arms.  I remember that look in Heyes' eyes – he looked so worried and scared – and it wasn't him that put that look in his eyes.  It was me.” Curry sighed.  “I bet you’re up and about again,” he murmured, fighting the panic which was about to rise from his guts.  “Why'd it have to be me who's trapped in here!?”

“You awake, mister?” a young voice asked.

“Yeah, I am,” he answered.  “How are you?”  Still trying to rein himself in, he labored a slow deep breath which made him cough again.

“Well, it’s dark, it’s scary and we’re hurt,” the same boy answered while the other just sniveled.

“You’re the older one, Tim, right?”

“Yeah.  How could you know that?”

The hint of a smile was audible in Kid Curry’s amiable voice.  “Your voice sounds older and your little brother was mighty scared.  I doubt he’d speak to me, would he? How bad are you hurt?”

“Not that bad, I guess.”

“Can you move?”

“It’s too tight in here but we can, at least a little bit.  But I can’t move my leg.”

“How about you, Thad?  Are you alright?”  Long minutes passed by, but he received no answer.

“You don’t have to be scared; I won’t harm you, son.  We have to talk to each other if we wanna get outta here, huh?”

Something rustled and a small amount of dust rained down on them.  One of the boys let out a little cry.

“Will ... will we get out?” a faint voice asked.

“Yeah, we will,” the Kid reassured him in a low soothing tone.  “I know how you feel – I know very well – but together we’ll find a way.”

“I’m, alright,” little Thad told him.  “What... what can we do?”

Silence spread.

They raised their heads and listened.  A muted sound could be heard, like metal striking stone.

“Joshua!” Curry called out.  “Joshua, can you hear me?!”  He tried hard to listen but wasn’t able to notice any reply.  Nevertheless, he heaved a sigh of relief.  “Don’t be scared.  My partner will get us outta here.  Trust me.  All he needs is time.”

“Do we have time?  It’s stuffy in here and it’s hard to breathe,” Tim protested.

“Yes, it is.  But he’ll save us.  We have to stay calm and don’t talk that much.  That will save us air.”  He paused.  “The closeness is a problem, the lack of air.  Let me see if I can do something about it...”

With his right arm he reached up and behind.  Something large and plain above his back had given them some space and had protected them from loose soil, but it seemed to trap him, too.

He tried to free his left arm, but to no avail.  When he resumed the examination of their prison, he noticed a place slightly above his right shoulder that seemed to be yielding.  Cautiously he started to work his right arm through the rubble.

“I’ll try to dig a hole so we get more air and some light in here,” he told the boys.  “But take cover, in case somethin’ gives way...”

He didn't even finish the sentence before it happened.  He had removed just a small stone, but it started an avalanche.  Somewhere above him the debris lost its hold and slid down, carrying loose soil, rocks and more dust.  Something hard hit his head and knocked him out again.

-o-o-o-

On the outside, a couple of stones gave way and led a small rivulet of dust and little stones to the ground.  Heyes stopped for a moment, pushing his shovel in the way of the slide before it could get out of control and cause larger damage to his work.  Intently he looked out for the source of it, but all motion had ceased.

“Probably aftershocks,” he murmured before he continued his attempt to free his friend.

-o-o-o-

When Kathy returned, the heap had imminently changed.  Some of the larger rocks had been moved.

Heyes used them to steady the debris and prevent the rubble from giving way.  Now he was working horizontal about two feet above the ground.  It was just a small probe to find hollows.

Two further holes showed that it wasn’t his first attempt.  They both ended in a solid compound of dust and small stones.

Cautiously he poked the shaft of the shovel into the yielding grit and suddenly he felt no resistance anymore.  A small amount of dust slid down and then he heard faint coughing.  Heyes held his breath, listening tensely.  “Can you hear me?” he called then.  “Thaddeus?  Thaddeus, is it you?”

“Yes, it’s me!  We’re here!” the voice responded; its tone too high-pitched for the voice of the blond gunman.

“Thad!  Thad!   Are you alright?  All of you?” Kathy yelled, while a shadow of fear found its way in Heyes' eyes.

“Yes, we are,” another juvenile voice replied.  “But that man – he isn’t talking anymore.”

Heyes' face lost all expression.  “But he was?  He did?” he asked quickly.

“Yes, but then some rocks slipped down and he fell silent.”

“Is he breathing?”

“I... I don’t know.  He’s not coughing.”

“Can you move?”

“Yes... no, just my arms.  It’s too tight in here.  But Thad can.”

“Alright, Thad.  Are you with me?”

“Yes, sir,” a sniffing voice answered.

“Thad, can you see the light?  Can you reach for it?”

“Yes.  I’ll try...”

Seconds later small fingers appeared at the end of the narrow tunnel.

“That’s great.  I see you!” Heyes told him.  “Listen now, I’ll pass cloths to you.  You cover your nose and mouth.  Try to cover my friend's too, if you can.”  He took a pause and shoved the remainders of his shirt through the channel.  “Kathy and me‘ll get you out, but it’ll take some time.  More dust can come down on you.  Better you cover your heads with your hands as good as you can.  Call me if something gives way, alright?”

“Alright.”

“Come on, Kathy, take the shovel and steady the rubble while I expand the hole.  We’re almost there!”

“Alright, sir!”

Feverishly they took on their work again.  As fast as possible, they enlarged the narrow channel, carefully trying to prevent another avalanche.

-o-o-o-

After a while the dust had settled for the most part.  The air was stuffy, but breathable now.  Relieved, Heyes and Kathy took the covering cloths off their faces.

The ex-outlaw was about to lose his patience, but eventually the tunnel was large enough for the captives to crawl out.  At least little Thad made the way on his own, but Tim couldn’t get out without help.  He was able to move, but couldn’t stand the pain it caused to his leg.  Cautiously, Heyes dragged him out and carried him to the fire.  He left it to Kathy to care for her brothers.

“Just keep them calm for a while, alright?” he asked her.  “I have to check on my partner first.  There’s still a lot of motion and I don’t know how long our makeshift tunnel will last.”

“It’s alright, sir.  I’ll care for them,” Kathy assured him.

He turned around and lay down in the dust once more.  Working with his bare hands now, he dug his way as quickly and cautiously as possible.  It was a difficult balance but finally he reached the small cavern.  A couple of wooden boards and a stone plate had wedged and built a relatively stable ceiling.

It was very tight in there and the light from outside was almost blocked by Heyes' body; it was enough to illuminate the dismay on his face.

Kid Curry was stuck in an odd position.  His left arm was trapped in the debris.  Dust and stone debris covered his head.

Rascals - Part 1 by Nightwalker Pic_510

“Kid!?  Kid, you hear me?” Heyes asked him and gently brushed the rubble off his partner’s head and shoulders.

But the Kid didn’t respond.

“Come on, Kid,” Heyes told him.  The phony impatience in his voice couldn’t cover the underlying fear.  “You’ll have to help me.  I can’t get you out of here alone!”

Heyes felt for vital signs and found shallow breathing.  He relaxed somewhat and slightly drew back, studying the surroundings.

“I don’t know how to get you out of here, partner.  I need your help.  No matter which way I approach it, I’ll need at least a third hand.  There’s just no way, Thad...” his voice trailed off, then a smile lit up his eyes.  “Thad!”

Slowly Heyes moved backwards through the tunnel, trying to cause no damage to the unstable walls surrounding him.  When he was out again, he patted the dust off his clothes while he moved towards the kids.  

They sat around the fire and quietly talked together.  When he approached them, they silenced and looked up to him with big dark eyes, one pair filled with unspoken questions, two pairs filled with fear.

Heyes noticed that Kathy had cleaned them up and bandaged their injuries.  Another shirt was a thing of the past now.  The bright blue color of the fabric indicated it once belonged to Kid Curry.

“Are you alright?” he asked the children.

Kathy nodded.  “For the most part.  I cared for the wounds, but I need help with Tim’s leg.  I ... I know it needs a splint, but I don’t know how to do it properly.”

The admittance came out labored and seemed to choke her throat.  It was obvious that she was proud and it took her a good deal of willpower to ask a stranger for help.  Heyes gave her a genuine smile.

“Don’t worry, I’ll splint it.  But I have to ask for a favor, too.”  Heyes' eyes fixed on the smallest of the threesome.  “I need help and only you can do it, Thad.  I can’t free my partner alone and nobody but you are small enough to work with me together in there.”

The boy paled and involuntarily moved backwards.

“I know what I’m asking for.  It’s hard,” Heyes continued and hunkered down in front of him.  “You’re scared and you don’t know me.  You don’t want to go back in there.  Honestly, I don’t want to either, but there is no other way to help my friend.”  Heyes paused and looked at him seriously.  “It is the only way he can be saved.”

The siblings exchanged glances.  Kathy nodded towards Thad, who firmly shook his head.  She lifted her brow and addressed him with a resolute gesture of her head.  The little boy heaved a sigh and struggled to his feet.

“I’ll help you, mister...” he stated hesitantly with a squeaky voice, certainly not happy with the decision that had been made.

“Call me Joshua,” Heyes offered, and extended his hand.  “We have to work as a team if we all want to get out of here safe and sound.  Partners use their given names, huh?”

The boy accepted his hand and a brief smile flashed his face.

Heyes returned it.  “You’re very brave, Thad.  Come on, now. I’ll tell you what we’ll do, alright?”

-o-o-o-

It took some time, but with combined efforts they were able to free Kid Curry and drag him carefully out of the debris.

As his partner finally rested close to the small fire, Heyes checked on him.  Most of his injuries were just bruises and abrasions.  The most serious damage he noticed was done to his left arm.  Under Kathy’s curious eyes, Heyes straightened and splinted it.

When he took care of Tim’s broken leg afterwards, she was well prepared and gave him a hand.  Heyes smiled gratefully at her.  “You learn pretty fast, Kathy.  Well done.”  He rose, stretched his tensed muscles and looked around.  Their little makeshift camp gave the impression of a field hospital by now.

Heyes regularly checked on his partner, his concern obvious.  The Kid had been unconscious during the rescue operation as well as the treatment of his injuries.  The only cause for his unconsciousness that Heyes found was a big lump on his head.  Now he sat beside his friend, cooled the goose egg and watched for any signs of response.

Heyes was almost relieved when the Kid flinched as he changed the compress on his partner's head.  As if the treatment had triggered something, the patient became restless.  He stirred several times, wincing and groaning, just to lay still again a few moments later.

Rascals - Part 1 by Nightwalker Pic_610

Heyes stayed at his side all the time, aware that the children grew impatient.  But his own patience was running out, too.  “Don’t look at me like that, Kathy.  I don’t like being caged in either.”

Kathy still stared at him and finally asked, “How long?”

“Huh?”

“How long will it take ‘till he wakes up?  Do we have to stay that long?”

Heyes sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.  “That’s a good question, Kathy,” he answered her.  “I just wish I knew.”

“So, you're just gonna sit here and wait?  All the time?”

Heyes frowned and rose.  His dark brown eyes fixed on her.  “Just sit here, huh?  You’re pretty fast when you make up your mind!”

“But that’s what you’re doing!  We’ve gotta get outta here!” Kathy complained and stomped her foot on the ground.

“Do you know a way out of here, Kathy?”

“No, I wouldn’t just sit and wait if I knew one!”

“Fine, that makes two of us!  We can’t get out that easy!  We need a plan!  That’s what I’m doing – planning!” Heyes countered.

“You don’t look like it!” she accused him.

“How am I supposed to look?!” Heyes asked her, his voice dripping with sarcasm.  “In your humble opinion, I mean...”

She raised her chin, but didn’t back away.

Silently they glared at each other, fighting a visual duel.  Kathy squirmed, but she stood her ground.

“Why we don’t dig a bigger tunnel with them tools?” one of the boys asked and Kathy took the chance to break the uncomfortable eye contact.

Heyes whirled around and fixed his eyes on Tim.  “'Cause, we don’t know how far we have to dig.  The entrance is a couple dozen yards away.  If the entire tunnel has collapsed, we’d never make it that far.  And there’s nothing that we can use to stabilize the walls.  Would you like to get buried again when something gives way?”

The boy paled and quickly shook his head.

Taking in a deep breath, Heyes reined himself in and continued, “Look, we have to be careful so we don’t make it worse.  We have supplies and water, we just need to figure out the best way to get out of here.”  He paused and started pacing.

“We can’t move my friend and I won’t let him lay here wounded and helpless.  I’m not able to carry him and Tim, who’s leg is injured, too – at least not far.”  Heyes turned around.  “We could leave both of them here.  But they wouldn’t be of any help to each other if something happened.  The earth still isn’t quite calm yet.  So, we'll keep that in mind as plan B for now, alright?”

Kathy nodded and her brothers followed her example.

“Waiting gives the ground time to settle again,” the ex-outlaw explained.  “The intensity of the shocks has been decreasing as well as their frequency.  I’d say we wait about another hour and hopefully my friend will be awake then.  If not, we’ll fall back on plan B.”

Heyes paused and studied his young audience.  He seemed satisfied with what he saw and continued.  “We can build a crutch for Tim if you find a piece of wood that is long enough and neither too rotten nor too splintery.  And we'll need reliable light, too.  That’s one thing you and Thad can do, Kathy, search for whatever could be helpful: wooden boards, sticks, poles, cloths, maybe a forgotten can with oil or something like that.  But be careful and keep within earshot.  Call me if you get into trouble, alright?  As I said, the ground still rumbles now and then.”

His suggestion was answered by threefold nodding.

“Tim, can you take over a while for me?” Heyes asked the older boy.  “You can sit next to my friend and cool his head.  If he wakes up, call me.  I’ll have a look at the open tunnels, but I’ll stay close enough to hear you, alright?”

“Alright.”

“Thank you, Tim.”  Heyes rose and stretched his back.  “I’ll be back soon.”

He threw a last glance at his partner before he walked cautiously deeper into the remaining tunnels, examining their current condition.  Cautiously he tested the stability of walls and braces with the rusty pick axe – poked here, dug there – always prepared to make a quick retreat.

A few minutes later, he stopped his efforts, obviously pleased with the result of his research.  He licked the index finger of his right hand and held it up in the air, slowly turning around.  A frown appeared on his face and replaced the contented smile.  Heyes dried his finger on his dusty shirt and headed back to their camp.

-o-o-o-

Meanwhile, Kid Curry’s state hadn’t changed.

Heyes checked on his partner before he sat down, taking over the watch at his side again.  “Thanks, Tim.  You’ve done a good job.  Try to get some sleep.  Once we get started, you'll need all of your strength.”

“Don’t you want to sleep, mister... Joshua?”

“Maybe I’ll take a short nap later.  Better you take your rest now.”

“I could watch a little longer for you.  You know... he was good to us.  And I understand that he saved us.  I don’t want him to be that way – so silent.  It scares me.  Aren’t you scared?”

“Oh, no!” Heyes said, beaming a full dimpled smile at Tim.  “He’s a fighter and he’s stubborn, he’ll make it!  To be honest, there’s barely a way to stop him.  He just needs time to get well again, that’s all.”

His remark earned him a relieved smile from the boy, who nodded.

“Can I stay a little longer with you?  I’d be here if you need some help...”

“Alright, Tim.”  Heyes shifted into a more comfortable position.  “Why don’t you tell me what you know about those tunnels?  As I understand it, you were playing here before?”

Tim smiled again and started his explanation.  Heyes listened to him attentively but never took his eyes off Kid Curry.  Despite his confident words, his concern was evident.

-o-o-o-

When Kathy and Thad returned, they were loaded up to their chins and beamed with pride.  They brought a good selection of long wood, a fistful of rags and a broken lantern which made promising rich swishing sounds as they shook it.

Heyes was pleasantly surprised by their findings, praised the children, and patted their shoulders.  He checked their stuff and sorted out what seemed usable to him.  While he assembled rags and wood to a makeshift crutch, he questioned Kathy.

“I checked on the tunnels.  They look stable enough, but there’s not even the hint of a draft, giving us a sign where’s the best chance to find a way out.  But Tim mentioned some interesting details about this here prison.  He told me about that cavern deep inside the hill.  He said it was light there.  Do you know what he’s talking about?”

“I know what he means.  What about it?”

“When there’s light, there has to be a way out, too.”

She shook her head.  “No, no way.  There is a hole to the outside, but it’s in the ceiling high above and we can’t reach it.  We explored it a couple of times, but never found a way to get that high.  It would be too small anyway.  There’s not much light shining in there...”

“Since you don’t know of another exit, we should at least check it out.  Maybe the earthquake has changed things.  Seems like it’s the best chance we’ve got.  Our light won’t last for a thorough search of the whole mine.  They're not known for their multiple number of entrances anyway.”  Heyes turned around.  His eyes wandered over to his friend.  “It’s about time we get on our way...  The aftershocks are hardly noticeable now.”

He hunkered down beside his partner and ran his fingers through the blond curls.  Kid Curry was restless, but still didn’t respond.

“I’ll be back as soon as possible,” Heyes told him gently.  “We’ll get help and get you outta here.  Don’t start any more trouble, you hear?”

As Heyes rose, his partner groaned and tossed around, his hands flailing, jerking.  In his desperation he tried to get up, stretched his injured arm, but couldn’t use it.  With a yell, he tore his eyes open.  He looked around in confusion, obviously not able to recognize his surroundings.

Immediately, Heyes was on his knees, laid his hand on his friend’s shoulder, steadying him and calming him down.  “Easy, Kid, easy...”

“Where am I?” the blond man asked no one in particular, still trying to focus his eyes.

“We’re in a mine, caved-in.  You remember the earthquake?” Heyes told him gently.

Rascals - Part 1 by Nightwalker Pic_710

“Earthquake...?”

“Yeah.  There were some kids with us when the tunnel gave in.”

“Kids?  Yeah... kids.”  A brief smile appeared on his face.  “Playin' sheriff and outlaws.”  Then he frowned.  “Wasn’t I one of the outlaws?”

Heyes chuckled.  “One could say so.  At least you’ve kept your sense of humor.  Are you alright?”

“I... no.  I don’t know.  Everything hurts.  And my head...”  He shook his blond head briefly and grimaced in pain.  “I don’t know, it feels wrong.”

“You’ve got a mighty bump on your head, Kid, no wonder you feel dizzy.  Just take your time, alright?”  Heyes gave him an encouraging smile.

The Kid nodded.  Then he looked around, his eyes searching.  “Where’s Han?”

Heyes' eyes widened in disbelief and the happy smile dropped off his face.  “Han?

“Yeah, where is he?”

Now it was Heyes' turn to frown.  He took a quick look over his shoulder towards the kids, who were far enough away not to overhear their talk.

“I’m here,” he hissed.  “What’s wrong?  Don’t you recognize me?”

Kid Curry stared at him but didn’t show any sign of recognition.  Eventually a smile lit up his face and Heyes leaned back, relaxing and returning his smile.

“Uncle?  Is it you?” his partner asked him.  “What're you doin’ here?  Where’s Han?  Is he alright?”

Heyes froze and his expression changed, not lightning fast, but in slow motion.  His relieved smile faded away, replaced by disbelief and shock.  At the same time, it was as if someone pulled the rug out from under Heyes' feet.  He slumped back and landed hard on his backside.  His jaw dropped and his whole stance showed confusion.

What the heck...?!” he murmured under his breath.  “What happened to you, Kid?  And who do you think I am?!?”

-o-o-o-

Kid Curry’s question left Heyes speechless.  As he watched his partner taking in the surrounding tunnel and their makeshift camp, Heyes’ expression merged from joy into confusion, which blended with concern in the end.  Squaring his shoulders, he composed himself again, before he carefully started to assess the extent of the unfolding problem.

“Kid, hey, Kid, listen to me.”  Heyes tried to catch his partner’s attention.

“Huh?”

“Who do you think I am?”

“You’re my Uncle, Han’s dad.”  Kid Curry’s eyes wandered off again.  “Where’s Han?”

“Hey, Kid... Jed, stop that for a while.  Keep him out of your mind.  This is important!  Do you remember where we are?”

“Yeah, we’re in that cave.”

“Good!  Do you remember why?”

“Hidin’.  From the others.  They were the sheriffs.”

“Yeah – no.  Not really.  How did we get here?”

“Han led us in.  Where is he?”

“No, no, stop that, let’s not talk about him now.  What... uh... do you remember?  What happened when we got here?”

“We got in here.”

Heyes nodded.

“We hid.”

Heyes nodded again.

“They found us.”

Heyes shook his head.

“Somethin’ hit me.

Heyes nodded.

“I fell.  It was dark there.  Dark and narrow!  I... I was scared.  And then... I... I don’t know.  My head hurts...”

Heyes laid his hand compassionately on his friend’s arm.  “It’s alright, Jed, you’re doing just fine.  Just one last question: how old are you?”

Blue eyes looked at him in puzzlement.  “Why are you askin’?  You know how old I am.”

“Just tell me, alright?”

“I’m eight next week, don’t you remember?”

“Yeah,” Heyes murmured.  “Yeah, I remember.  I remember that day...”  Heyes sat back again, his mind obviously in turmoil.  He beamed a reassuring smile to his partner that didn’t reach his eyes.  Instead, his dark eyes were filled with concern and he stared past his partner for a moment before shaking his head and returning to their current situation.

Rascals - Part 1 by Nightwalker Pic_810

Heyes ran his hand through his hair and pursed his lips.  He turned his head, panned over the kids nearby and the surroundings.  Then his eyes focused on his friend again.  Big, blue, innocent eyes held his gaze.

“I don’t know how to put this.”  Heyes turned his head, nodded towards the waiting children and addressed his explanation to them as well.  “We're here in an old mine.  We're caged in and we have to get out.”

His eyes returned to his partner.  “Ki- Jed, you’ve been hurt and I can’t help you yet.  I know you’re in pain and you lost part of your memory.  I can’t explain everything now, but I’ll help you.  You know me.  You have to trust me and do what I’ll say, alright?”

“Alright, Uncle.”

Heyes squirmed and screwed up his face.  “Jed, please don’t call me that.  Call me Joshua, alright?”

“Joshua?  But why?”  Jed frowned and grimaced in pain as he tried hard to concentrate.

“It’s my... uh... middle name.  It’s kind of a game, you know.  Will you do that, at least as long as we’re not alone?”

Jed pondered it for a while and eventually nodded.

“Fine, Jed.  You’re a good boy.”  Heyes patted his friend’s arm and then rose.

“For now, we’ve got to get started and find a way out of here.  Come on, Jed, let’s see if you can walk on your own.”

The blond man accepted Heyes' offered hand and struggled to his feet.  It took a moment until he found his balance.  Something seemed to confuse him.  He looked at his hands, his feet, the ground and then over to Heyes, who watched him carefully.  Then he tried a few steps.  He stood precariously but was able to move by himself.

Heyes smiled at him.  “That’s fine, partner.”  He gestured towards the kids.  “Jed, I want you to meet Kathy and her brothers, Tim and Thad.  They were in here with us and we’ll get outta here together.  Kids, this here is my friend.  You can call him Jed.”

The Kid nodded towards the children.  “Hi!”

Kathy took a deep breath, but before she could voice her objections Heyes cut her off.  

“I know you have questions, Kathy, but let’s talk later.  For now, lead us to that part of the cave we talked about.  Take the lantern and go ahead, the boys will follow, and I’ll bring up the rear, alright?”

“Alright, Joshua,” she replied and Heyes addressed her with a warm smile.

“Thanks, Kathy.”

One after another they left the site of the accident and started their march into the bowels of the hill, not knowing what they would find.

-o-o-o-

END OF PART ONE




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Penski
Re: Rascals - Part 1 by Nightwalker
Post Sat 08 Feb 2020, 5:18 pm by Penski
YAY - What a wonderful story for a first time Virtual Season writer! Very intense story, Nightwalker, throughout the story. Heyes and Curry are in character and a nice development of character for the children. Kathy is a small version of Heyes with her attitude. And a part one? You're leaving poor Jed like that? I have to wait a week to find out what happened? sigh... If I must. Excellent beginning, Nightwalker! goodjob
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Re: Rascals - Part 1 by Nightwalker
Post Sat 08 Feb 2020, 10:02 pm by calicole
Awesome story, you capture Heyes and the Kid so well and I love Kathy and the boys. Heyes has his hands full and poor Kid is hurt and confused, I can hardly wait to read the next part. Excellent job!
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Rascals
Post Sat 15 Feb 2020, 6:41 pm by LittleBluestem
What a cliff-hanger! Can't wait to read Part 2!
moonshadow
Rascals - Part 1
Post Sun 16 Feb 2020, 2:29 pm by moonshadow
study After reading through your VS story, I have to admit that I would never have guessed this was your first time writing one!  goodjob

You did a terrific job in describing each scene so that I felt like I was there.  goodjob

Your characters were all well-developed and interesting enough that I wanted to know more about them. By your writing, I felt sympathy for them in their situation.

Heyes and Kid were always so good with kids in the series; you captured that same interaction in your story. Having Kid Curry think he was an eight-year-old only reinforced that relationship between the ages.


Again, kudos  clap  for a very entertaining first VS story. I look forward to reading part two and finding out how all the conflicts are resolved.
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Re: Rascals - Part 1 by Nightwalker
Post Thu 27 Feb 2020, 6:32 am by Dan Ker
This exciting story of Shade Night walker is her first contribution to the VS. The introduction is written like the first part of an episode followed by the trailer. You can easily imagine the focus of the camera zooming in, showing us the boys acting simultaneously as they so often do without using words. Very typical, with matching music....
The main part is lively written in detail to visualize the plot. Nightwalker's usually style of writing involves a lot of emotionally description.
I can't help myself, it's interesting to take a look "behind" the plot.

Incarcerated in a cave with not knowing how long it takes til the situation is safe enough to leave is hardly bearable, especially for Heyes. The enforced inactivity ends in frustration. Nightwalker wonderfully describes Heyes' streak to blame himself because he isn't capable of finding a solution. His bristling and going on the attack is very enjoyable.
Kid's behaviour is in character, too. First he manages to keep calm, but finally he explodes " Shut up!" ; Night walker writes his outburst in big letters to make it vivid.
There's another scene in the story where the author does the same thing: When Kathy tries to wake up Heyes. And by doing this, two loose ends combine....Kid wants Heyes to stop to complain and Kathy wants him
to wake up to help them out of their current predicament... Both want him to give him a kick in the pants..Sweet the way Heyes appreciates her determined behaviour when she slapped him: "Well done!" Sometimes he knows what's lacking..
Awakened in this way Heyes can continue to act like the outlaw leader he is, taking the lead.
I very much like the way Nightwalker describes Kathy. She has a lot of bleadership in herself, caring for her younger siblings. Therefore, she has enough courage to "replace" Heyes' partner. Heyes quickly notices Kathy isn't a weak girl but she is equal to Kid in every way. Wonderful her complaint that he was "sleeping" instead of doing something. Heyes surely has his reasons to mumble 'Ma' m'.
The frustration Heyes has felt before the partly collapse of the cave is now replaced by his worry about his injured partner.
Now, very interesting, the atmosphere of frustration changes once more. Heyes can do nothing about Kid's unconsciousness but wait. And again it's Kathy who's the trigger :" You're just gonna sit here and wait?" And
Heyes takes the bait and argues. Sitting beside Kid doing nothing won't help, so he makes up his mind and starts to plan.
But despite what he's trying, it's no use. He has to cope with another problem....

For me, your story is characterized by the two main expressions *Shut up and Wake up*, which emphasize the atmosphere of the story and the emotions perfectly.
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Re: Rascals - Part 1 by Nightwalker
Post Sun 22 Mar 2020, 12:12 am by Laura
This is off to a great start. Running from a posse yet again. They have a great hiding place. Frustrations with their situation, complicated by the children showing up, then the cave in. Heyes has a lot to handle on his hands. Kathy is a really big help to him and he does realize that. It's good thing that the children have been in the cave before. Kid thinking he is 8 years old more than scares Heyes.
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Rascals - Part 1 by Nightwalker

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