Cogs Of Fate

The Sound Of Courage

1822

Flynn and Rowan rushed through the dimly lit back streets of St. Louis. Despite the lack of light, they managed to spot the occasional streaks of blood against the building's walls, leading them further away from town.

As they rounded the corner, a junction between three different buildings, they skidded to a stop. Panting for air, they glanced up and down the different routes.

"Which way?" Flynn asked, eyes darting around in search of obvious clues.

Rowan shook his head as he scanned the area. "I don't know..." As he turned to ask Flynn a question, Rowan saw quick movement in the shadows behind Flynn. "Look out!"

Flynn whirled around to defend himself but felt Rowan's hands shove him out of the way just as the spear came rushing for his head. Rowan dodged out of its path a bit too slow. The crack against the side of Rowan's head caused the rod-iron spear to chime with the contact.

Rowan collapsed onto the dirt with a hard thud. Flynn's eyes zeroed in on him but the man didn't move. Before he could call out to Rowan, the man with the spear spun around to attack Flynn.

Flynn turned dodged out of the way of the man-made spear coming for his torso. His hands grasped the rod-iron spear, trying to pull it away from the dirty half-naked man before him.

The man was stronger than his lanky frame appeared as he jerked the spear from Flynn's hold, slicing the palms of his hands. The man swung it around quickly, trying to strike again. Flynn leaned out of the way, ducking to avoid it smacking him across the face. His attacker didn't relent as he continued to impale Flynn.

Flynn evaded out of the way again, one hand grabbing the spear while the other slammed into the man's face. The man jerked the spear to the opposite side of Flynn, causing Flynn to fall off balance. Once Flynn got his feet back under him, he felt searing pain pierce the side of his thigh. He collapsed to the ground, rolling in the dirt away from his assailant.

As Flynn rolled to a stop, his back pressed against the wall of a nearby building, one hand gripping his injured leg while the other raised protectively to brace for the impending attack. Before the spear could find its home in Flynn's chest, the unmistakable sound of a gun firing echoed loudly within the dead of the night.

The man with the spear stopped, slowly looked down to his abdomen to watch a trail of crimson trickle down his left side. He whirled around to see Rowan standing there with his modern gun aimed at him, a patch of blood and dirt soaking his blond hair on the injured side of his head. The man snarled and hissed at Rowan as he raised the spear to strike again. Rowan fired two more rounds into the man's chest, bringing him to the ground for good.

Flynn staggered to his feet, his eyes locked onto the half-naked man on the ground, watching the blood pool around the body. Rowan asked, "Ye all right?"

Flynn nodded as he took a couple of unsteady steps forward. "Yeah," he replied, "thanks." Bending over the dead man, he flipped him onto his back to study the man's face. He stared at the lifeless expression, eyes narrowing at him suspiciously.

Rowan noticed the look of recognition on Flynn's face. "What is it?"

Multiple voices shouted in the night, echoing through the back streets toward them. Glancing up, they could make out the faint glow of torches approaching. Flynn shook his head as he stated, "We cannot stay here. Let's get out of here before the mob shows up." Rowan grabbed Flynn's arm, tossing it over his shoulder to help him move quicker.

Just moments after Rowan and Flynn fled the scene, the deputy and the unruly mob arrived.

Lucy and Rufus paced the front of the general store as they worried about their missing friends. Lucy chewed on her thumb as her eyes darted around the vacant dark street.