The Following Storm

Chapter 2

She awakened to the sound of a knock on her door. "Who is it?" she asked.
"The sheriff wants to speak with you in the lobby."
"Awright, I'll be down in a minute." She listened to the receding footsteps of the messenger; then she got out of bed, dressed, and walked down to the lobby. Looking around, she located the sheriff and walked over to him.
The lobby was filled with photos of a pincanto, a wreek, a herd of ogrises, and two dinhyers. The pincanto was standing in a field of tall white grass which was bizarre because pincantos weren't native to the Translucent season villages that were located in the mountains. The wreek was standing, looking at the painter, as lightning struck in the background. Red walked over to the painting and read the inscription.
"This painting was found near the mangled body of an unknown human."
Red shook her head. Of course, a human would be the only one stupid enough to paint a wreek when it was staring directly at you.
The ogrises were walking in front of the painter. They were walking through a field of purple grass that had been eaten short.
"More'n likely moving on to allow the grass to grow back," Red thought to herself.
The two dinhyers were very hard to see because the painter had painted these birds in a cave. There wasn't really any way to confirm that they were dinhyers. However, Red doubted they were because dinhyers didn't live in caves. Instead they lived in everorange trees so they could blend in with the trunk and branches which were black.
Where the sheriff was sitting there was a picture of a group of tribals and a minca. She smiled. The mincas had been a fierce group of people, similar in fact to wreeks; they were complete opposites of tribals. The sheriff was sitting with his back to the wall which allowed him to view people without having to worry about getting shot in the back. Red walked over to him, ignoring the stares from all the people who were eating.
"Have a seat," the sheriff said, "I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Sheriff Jim Butler." Red nodded and sat down across from him. This move brought a smile to his face.
The waitress came over and brought the sheriff his breakfast. Turning to Red, she asked, "Did you want something to eat?" Red shook her head.
After the waitress left, Red leaned back and watched the sheriff for a minute.
"Why did you take the long route?" he asked.
"I wanted to avoid the town."
"May I ask why?" Jim asked.
"To stay out of trouble," was her reply.
"Why do you think avoiding town would keep you out of trouble?"
"Because I had been asked to stay out of trouble," she said.
"You didn't answer my question," the sheriff protested.
"Have you ever heard of the Killer Arrow?"
"Yeah, she was the most wanted outlaw in Sliick-ick. However, she disappeared over five years ago and no one knows what happened."
"Well Fred knows."
"How does Fred know?" He asked.
"He was there when the decision became final. Is Killer still wanted?" Red asked.
"Not here," he answered.
"I know where she is."
"Really? My friend says that not even the members know her location."
"Who said that?"
"My deputy, Alfayfa," Jim answered. "Was Fred involved in any of the things the gang did?"
"Fred's job was to watch over me."
"Were you a member of the gang?"
"Actually, I'm the Killer Arrow. Alfalfa used to be in my gang."
"You're the Killer Arrow? My, it's an honour to meet you," Sheriff Jim said excitedly, shaking her hand. "Just to let you know. Alfalfa talks about 'cha with the greatest respect." She raised an eyebrow. "You know he comes over to my place every night to eat dinner. I want you to come over tonight, just to see his reaction about you being here. Say six o'clock? Will you be there?"
"Friday night," she replied. He nodded, trying to hide his curiosity, and left.
As he walked away, she heard him mumble, "I wonder what her reaction would be to his reaction." Red smiled, stood up, and went back to her room to read her Bible.
She read the third and final chapter in Ruth; and then left the hotel. She mounted Buffalo and began visiting neighboring farms. She asked them each one question, which was usually answered with a story. She had lunch at one of the farms and they told her of a Macoiun in the area. When she asked them what they meant, the father replied, "It is two stories tall with lots of windows and each window is covered in glass. It sits on a hill about two hours ride from here."
She decided to save the Macoiun for last. Night had fallen by the time she got done with the visits, not including the Macoiun. However, it was then she remembered the abandoned looking farm that she and Apache had ridden by.
The visits gave her a lot to ponder over; and answered a lot of questions and doubts she'd been having after seeing the bodies, especially the question, "Why?" These men had been headed to hire private investigators to put a stop to the runner hold-ups. In the other hold-ups, no one had died. This explained why the posse thought she was the one who'd shot the two men.
The abandoned looking farm came to mind once more. She pulled up sharply, causing Buffalo to turn and snap at her. She scratched behind his ears and apologized. She went over in her mind what the farm had looked like. The abandoned looking...
"Looking," she exclaimed. "Someone was looking out the window when I rode by."
She sat still wondering why she hadn't noticed this earlier.
Buffalo snorted. She loosened her grip on the reins, allowing him to have his head.
She rode for a while searching her brain for the answer. She smiled to herself when she figured it out. "Why were they staring like that?" she wondered out loud.

"Shawn, I want you to keep an eye on her," Al whispered, watching Red from the top of a hill.
"Yes, sir," Shawn replied and rode off.

Meanwhile, Buffalo found an old trail that stirred some old memories and turned to follow it. It was a trail that led into the mountains. It was also a trail that outlaws had used before; although, this generation didn't use it. To them it was a route that had too many openings and not enough cover.
She looked up and noticed the sky was too dark to travel; so she pulled up when the trail came to a stop at the face of the cliff. She made a dry camp because it was a warm night. Deciding to wait until morning to try climbing up the cliff, she fell asleep.

Shawn struck a match, located her tracks, and tried to follow. However, he lost them near the mountains. He remembered that one of the farmers had overheard her mentioning heading to the Macoiun, so he turned to head that way.
An arrow flew through the air and exploded when it hit the ground. Rock pellets flew in every direction. He hit the ground on his stomach. His konderike, frightened by the pellets, ran off.
"More'n likely sniffing for shelter," Shawn thought to himself. Konderikes didn't have eyes, but their sense of smell and hearing were phenomenal.
Shawn stood up when his konderike disappeared from sight and cursed his luck. He began walking toward the Macoiun, which he knew was the closest. No more arrows flew.
"Someone wanted me afoot," he mumbled to himself.

In the morning, she set Buffalo free. He walked off and she began climbing. She chose her way carefully and slowly; sensing that she'd lost her would-be stalker. She lost her footing halfway up and had to feel for another. A hand grabbed her foot and moved it to a hole. Red looked around to thank her helper but didn't see anyone.
"Lord, please bless the one who helped me," she silently prayed.
When Red was three-fourths of the way up, she lost her grip. She swung her arm to another spot and continued climbing.
Once she reached the top, she rested there, lying on her back. The grass tickled her neck and she smiled. A sound from nearby caused her to sit up. She turned her head and looked into the eyes of an old Incain. She smiled at him. He grunted and turned away. She watched him walk away. Little clouds of dust lifted into the air but the wind quickly blew it away.
He turned when he got to the edge on the other side and motioned for her to join him. She walked over. A gust of wind almost knocked her over. When she reached his side, he turned. She followed, with her eyes, past his finger into the canyon below, turning her head slightly. A whole village of Incains had made their home there. Buffalo was standing next to a tepee facing them. He shook himself and then went back to eating. Red smiled again.
Ogrises were friends to this group of people. Incains were known as a gentle group before, as their history claims, monsters on wreeks tried to drive them from their home. They had hidden themselves until they found out that wreeks had an enemy. They had then made friends with the ogrises and had used their help in stopping the wreeks and their monstrous riders.
"It is a box canyon only to those who give up," the old Incain said, interrupting Red's thought. Red looked back at him. He was looking at her. "You did not see this location as unreachable. Why?" Red looked back at the village and giggled.
"God said in his word, 'I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.' Christ is with me. I knew he would give me the strength to uncover the hidden secret."
"Hidden secret?" the old Incain inquired.
Red smiled again, but did not reply. Instead, she turned around and followed a path down the cliff. However, this path did not take her to the Incain village. Instead, she entered another canyon located on the other side of the mountains.
There an old cabin was located in the canyon. When she entered, she saw that everything was the way it had been left, following the disbanding of the Arrow gang. She walked through the living room into the kitchen. Everything looked neat and orderly. There were two bedrooms; each one was located at opposite ends of the cabin. The beds were made and there was a chair in the room located closest to the wind breaker for the creatures outside. She entered the office Fire had used as leader. Every spot they used as a hideout had one office. The boss of the gang holed up there would use it. This also meant don't leave anything behind you don't want others to find. However, this place had mainly been used by the Arrow gang. Everything was covered in dust except the office. "Someone is using this," Red commented.

Red spent the night in the cabin. The next morning, she woke up feeling refreshed. She heard pincantos and left the cabin, heading to a nearby stream. There, a herd of pincantos had gathered for water. This spot also had lots of trees. Fire's favorite places to leave the best pincantos always had plenty of trees. He told her once that since he and his men got to live in luxury then so should the pincantos. She smiled at the thought and then turned her attention back to the herd. From far away, they looked like any other wild herd. However, as one got closer, a brand would be seen. The brand was an arrow through a heart. Fire used to joke that Red was the only girl who had pierced his heart. As a joke, when Red turned four, the gang had gotten together and branded their pincantos with that brand. Fire had gone into town the next day and registered the brand in Red's name.
Red checked the position of the sun and noticed it was nearing seven. She whistled and one of the pincantos lifted his head. She whistled again and the pincanto turned to look at her. He was blue with black spikes along his neck.
Slowly he began walking toward her. She stretched out her hand to him. His nostrils flared at her scent. Then, as an old memory pushed through the fear, he calmed down.
"Howdy, Casey." He nuzzled her hand, like he'd done years ago when he was young. She giggled and withdrew her hand. "Time to go," she said, grabbing hold of one spike at the base of his neck and swinging aboard his back.
He bucked a little. Having a rider on his back brought a lot of memories to mind and soon he stood still, awaiting orders. They exited the canyon through the entrance of a cave hidden unless one knew about it or came upon it by chance. She headed for Kore.

She hid Casey on the outskirts of town. It was near a bridge and so was a good spot for Casey to hide. There weren't many trees but it made up for it with the rich red spike-like grass and small stream that ran under the bridge. Red walked to the hotel, entering through the back door. She had lunch at the hotel and spent the rest of the time in her room. She read the story of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10 and the Prodigal son found in Luke 15. She liked those stories the best because of how personal they were to her life.
Later, she read Luke 11: 9-10. Then she got on her knees and asked the Lord to start opening the doors to the mystery of what was going on in this town. She also prayed for the Lord to reveal whoever it was that was behind it all.
When it was almost an hour before the Butlers' expected Alfalfa, she rode over to their house and hid Casey in amongst the everorange trees behind the house. Then she walked over and knocked on the back door. Mrs. Butler allowed Red to enter through the kitchen. Then she and Red got to work, preparing the meal.
At five, they heard the door open as the sheriff let Alfalfa in. Red smiled at the sheriff's wife and nodded. Mrs. Butler nodded back and went out to greet Alfalfa. Red started baking the brownies that she used to bake for the gang. The scent was hidden by the other overpowering smells of the other foods she had prepared. Mrs. Butler had taken notes, wanting to use the recipes later.

Alfalfa entered the room and saw Mrs. Butler come in from the kitchen. "Howdy," he greeted.
"Hello, Alfalfa. Dinner will be ready soon. Sit down and relax. I'll get you when everything is ready." Mrs. Butler said with a smile and headed back to the kitchen.
Alfalfa turned to the sheriff and smiled. Jim smiled back and then walked into the living room/ library. Alfalfa followed. They sat down in the big chairs Jim had made after they'd arrived years ago.
"Alfalfa I'm going to need your help in clearing someone's name."
"Who is it?"
"Well she's a young lady. I'd say about six feet tall. She has light brown hair and always seems to wear dark clothes."
"That doesn't tell me who she is," Alfalfa replied, curiosity beginning to form. Sheriff Butler wasn't the type who'd beat around the subject.
However, before he could satisfy his curiosity, Mrs. Butler came in and told them that it was time for dinner. They got up, walked to the table, and sat down. Deputy Alfalfa had built this table for the Butlers as a thank you gift a year ago. Alfalfa had carved a different creature on each leg.
Dinner was quiet. Alfalfa was trying to figure out why Jim hadn't right out told him; Jim was trying to figure out what Alfalfa's reaction would be when he saw Red; and Mrs. Butler was trying to figure out where Red Arrow had learned to cook such great food.

Red waited until they had eaten dinner then grabbed the brownies and waited for Mrs. Butler to come in. When she did, Red handed her the tray of brownies and three small plates. Mrs. Butler smiled and took them out to the two waiting men. Before the door closed, Red saw the back of her old friend. Her heart raced with excitement. After four years, she would be able to talk to her friend again.
She placed her ear against the door and listened to what was being said.
"Wow. These brownies are delicious, dear. Did you make them?" asked Sheriff Jim.
"No. The young lady in the kitchen did," Mrs. Butler said cheerfully.
"What's her name?" asked Alfalfa in a strange voice.
"Turn around and you'll see her." As he was about to turn, Red stepped from behind the door.
"Hi, Alf," she said. Alfalfa froze in mid-turn. After a few seconds, Red spoke again. "Been a long time since I saw ya."
"Boss?"
"That's what y'all used to call me." Alfalfa finished his turn and stared at Red.
"Well, I'll be darned. Ain't seen you in ages." Red smiled. Although she really wanted to walk across the room and give Alfalfa a hug, she stayed where she was. Alfalfa stepped away from the table and walked toward her. Finally, he stood before her. He had grown older since the last time Red had seen him; his hair was still dark brown but she could see some strands of his hair had begun to turn gray.
"Boss, I know most men don't think this is manly, but I'm gonna give ya a hug." With that, he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed. Red's smile got bigger as she hugged him back. When they stepped back both of them had tears running down their faces. Alfalfa was one of the few ex-gang members who knew about her life after the gang. Red had told him the last time they'd met four years ago. She had also asked him to keep it a secret.
"So that's what y'alls reaction would be." Sheriff Jim said with a smile.
Red and Alfalfa wiped away the tears and laughed a little.
"So this is what you have to put up with," Red said.
"Well I'm going to find a way for you to have to put up with him," Alfalfa teased. "By the way, how did you meet the sheriff?" Red looked at the sheriff.
"Yeah, how did you two meet?" Mrs. Butler asked.
"Do you remember Rodro and Stephen?" Jim asked.
"Yes," Mrs. Butler replied.
"I'm being accused of murdering them," Red whispered.
"Did you?" Alfalfa asked. She shook her head. "Then I don't believe you killed anyone." Red looked at Alfalfa.
"Then I don't believe you killed anyone, either," Mrs. Butler chimed in.
"Then it's settled. We'll try and help prove you're innocent and find the real killer," Sheriff Jim said.
"I have a plan," Red said a smile stretching itself across her face. They all looked at her.
"Already?" the sheriff asked.
"How long has she been here?" Alfalfa asked.
"Today is her fourth day," the sheriff replied.
"I've been speaking with the farmers," Red pointed out.
"What's your plan?" Mrs. Butler asked. Red's smile got bigger.
"Sit down and I'll tell ya." They sat down and Red relayed her plan to them. They agreed and decided to prepare, since the plan wouldn't start until a week had passed.
However, Red did not tell them about the abandoned farm. In order for this plan to work, that place had to be left strictly alone. Besides, she'd glimpsed Jason on the Double H and preferred to have him handle that part.

Meanwhile, in the office of George, a meeting was being held.
"We should kill her before she gets any more allies," Al said. The door opened and Shawn walked in. "Where have you been?" Al demanded.
"Somebody put me afoot. I had to go to the Macoiun to borrow a pincanto," Shawn replied.
"See this is what I mean. We need to either put her behind bars or kill her before she figures out who we are," Al said. The people in the office mumbled their agreements.
"How do we know that it was Red who put Shawn afoot?" George interrupted. The room fell silent.
"Let us wait a week before we decide what to do," Dave chimed in, standing up. The others nodded and went their separate ways.

Al and Shawn walked out together.
"Well?" Al asked. "Where was she headed?"
"I lost her trail near the mountains," Shawn replied. Al nodded his head and they went to their rooms.

"Well, George," Mary said, "What do you think about Red?"
"Well, I don't think she's the type to put Shawn afoot."
"No, I mean, what do you think we should do about her?"
"I think we should wait a week and see what happens," Dave interjected. Mary fell silent and looked over at Dave's back as he was stoking the fire in the fireplace.
George watched them both and had trouble hiding the smile. He remembered Red better than any of them. She was too smart for any of this to be her fault. He'd seen the wounds the two bodies had; but both had been shot with a rock pellet. He doubted Red still owned that type of gyun.
Fire had gotten his nickname because his weapon of choice had always been a fire type gyun. That was also how Fire had come up with a name for her. Looking at Red, one wouldn't think of fire. In fact, Red's hair was brown and she had ocean blue eyes. Besides, even though everything showed this person had blunt confidence; Red had always had a gentle, silent confidence.
By the time Dave got the fire going, George and Mary had set the table and both were waiting to eat. Dave joined them and they dug in. While they ate each was lost in their own thoughts.
Dave wanted Red to go to jail even though he knew Red could not have killed his brother.
Mary was wondering why Red had not recognized Stephen and worried about what she would do to them when she did.
George was wondering about the change that had come over Red. From what he remembered, Red would not have been this patient. She would have already taken out the one or ones responsible. He was also wondering why Red had broken up the gang. She had been one of the best leaders and would have gotten a lot of fame for it. However, at the age of fifteen, Red had suddenly broken up the gang and then disappeared for five years. Now that she was back, George wondered where she could've been during those five years. She was taking similar action like he'd seen Rangers take.

The others that had been at that meeting didn't know who Red had been, nor did they know how smart Red was. They were certain that they were already ahead in their planning and were expecting Red to make a mistake so they could lock her away for good. Although they did not understand why the others wanted to wait, they trusted in Dave's and George's judgment. They decided they would wait for Red to make a mistake.

After leaving the Butlers' house, Alfalfa rode to his house and pondered over Red's plan. He was certain she was hiding part of what she had discovered from them. However, even as their leader, she had done the same thing. She would only tell what they needed to know. If they tried to complete the plan without her, they always ended up failing. He smiled to himself. "If Red had not gotten saved, the world would be in trouble from the greatest planner in the world," Alfalfa thought to himself. He wished he could have been the one who had decided to go with her when she made her decision. However, only one had actually supported her decision, and he had died giving Red the chance to get away.
He pulled to a stop at his house and swung down. His sisters came out to greet him.
"How is Mother?" he asked. They shook their heads.
"She has gotten worse," the older sister, Anna, replied.
"The doctor came but he said only a miracle could save her," the middle sister, Jewel added. The youngest, Violet, nodded in agreement.
"Well, miracles can happen. Red is proof of that," Alfalfa said as an encouragement.
"Red is here?" Violet asked. Alfalfa nodded. The girls cheered up. "We should ask her for help."
"We will. We shall ask her tomorrow. Okay?" The girls nodded. "Good. Now off to bed. It's late."

The next morning, Alfalfa visited Red at the hotel. She was packing her things in preparation to go to the Double H.
"Red, can I talk to you?"
"Sure," Red replied without looking up.
"It's about my mom," Alfalfa began. Red straightened and looked at him. "She is very ill. Was wondering if you would be willing to see her?" Red nodded, her eyes filled with gentleness.
They left the hotel and Red followed Alfalfa to his house. When they arrived, Anna, Jewel, and Violet ran out to greet them. After the greetings, Alfalfa led Red to his mother's room.
"Mother? Are you awake? I have a guest here who wants to see you. Her name is Red. Do you remember Red?"
Red walked past Alfalfa and entered the room. She sat down in the chair next to the bed and looked at Mrs. Fritch, Alfalfa's mom. She was lying on the bed, breathing heavily. She was very skinny which worried Red the most. She could understand why they were worried. It looked like Mrs. Fritch had the skeleton disease. Red looked at Alfalfa. "What have you been feeding her?" Red asked.
"Mainly soup. It's the only thing she seems to be able to keep down." Red nodded and looked back at Alfalfa's mother. The face of her parents flashed before her eyes.
"She has the skeleton disease," Red said. Alfalfa gasped and dropped his head.
"What is the skeleton disease?" Violet asked.
"It is a disease that eats at a person from the inside out. This is why she is getting worse, why she can only hold down soup, and why it will take a miracle to cure her at this stage," Red replied, trying to keep her voice calm. Her real parents had both died from this disease when she was three. The fact that Red hadn't gotten it was a miracle in itself. Red knew there was no way to cure their mom at this stage. Red silently prayed that Mrs. Fritch wouldn't have to suffer anymore. She sat still for another minute and then stood up.
"There is nothing more I can do here," Red said, turning to leave. She kept her head down as she walked past Alfalfa and his sisters.
"What about this God you believe in? Why don't you ask him to heal Mother? If he is so powerful, why can't he heal her?" Violet yelled at Red.
"Vi, stop," Alfalfa whispered. Red turned and looked at Violet.
"My God is all-powerful. Why he does some of the things he does, I cannot explain. He is all-knowing. He knows what he is doing even though I don't," Red replied.
"What do you mean? Why won't God heal Mother?"
"Maybe it was her time," Red said to Violet. Then Red thought, "Praise God she didn't have to suffer like my parents did."
"Time to what?" Red ignored the question and walked to Apache. She mounted and rode away.
During that time, Violet kept yelling, "Why? Why? Time to what? Answer me!" Alfalfa silenced her as the other two hung their heads. Violet looked up at Alfalfa. "What did she mean by that?" she asked.
"Mother is dead," Alfalfa replied. Violet began to weep.