Cowboys & Ghosts

6. The Gang Of No Outlaws

The following morning after refreshments, Slim and his gang, including Daisy, had begun their journey horseback. Wherever they were going, Daisy just had to follow her new boss's lead. The night before, she had herself cleaned up after the mob experience. She rode alongside Slim, with his men close behind. "From Batesville, you say?" Slim asked. "What would a child like you be doing alone with no one else to turn to?"
"I'm an orphan," Daisy said. "The woman who took me in said to call her 'master', but she went away in handcuffs." She had her eyes on the saddle horn, but Dollar didn't stop walking. "She killed my parents, when I was an infant. I only found this out a week ago." She looked up, having noticed Cody riding on Slim's left side. "I don't mean to make comparison, but my own family was killed by Native Americans." American Indians was what he meant, Daisy thought. "Now, I'm here," she said out loud. "Looking for him." She took out the $1,000 reward paper, with this boy's picture. "We're looking for him as well," Slim said. "If we find this boy and get the reward, we will be more rich than we ever realized. If you join us, Daisy, we'll give you what you've always wanted; freedom." The gang all rode together through a thick forest, avoiding interaction with those who were not apart of them. Their next stop would be Hot Spring, Arkansas, where Slim had told Daisy was their actual home. It was in Grant that they remained before Daisy, as he was the richest man in the Arkansas territory. It was mid morning, with storm clouds moving in. The gang stopped their horses near a thick area of trees, where those trees would conceal them from the storm. As Slim and his men dismounted, Daisy remained, writing in her journal. "I want that boy," she heard Slim saying. "More than the money?" Asked Cody. Slim had picked up a cigarette, smoke softly flying out of his mouth. "It's the money that this boy carries to let us keep chasing him."
"That is what I'm saying!" Slim snapped. "You're the gang of no outlaws, where we don't kill; we bring back alive." The old man continued smoking, with Daisy having known that he was addicted. Clearing her throat, she said, "Would anyone like to hear a story I wrote about the ghost riders?" Slim's men turned, nodding their heads. Cody's eyes were as if saying yes. After they all begged, Daisy gestured for silence, opening her journal. Slim just stood in the back, now drinking a bottle of whiskey. "An old cowboy went riding out one dark and windy day," Daisy read. "The clouds had formed into what seemed like riders who were dressed in black clothing. Their black horses had glowing red eyes, screaming like banshees in the air. As for the cowboy on the ground, he heard his own name being called from the ragged skies. They all screamed, 'yippee-yi-yay' and 'yippee-yi-o' racing across the clouds that remained endless. The cowboy rode along with them, despite himself and his own horse remaining on the ground. The lord himself, Dead Skull, had pointed out that if he rides, he will go along with them. Riding together in the sky forever. He says they are all called Ghost Riders." Daisy closed the journal, expecting feedback. "Ghost riders," one of the men said. "I've heard stories. And Dead Skull, he is the lord himself. Have you not seen his face?"
"You can't see it," Cody replied. "It's been cloaked and never revealed. They have been riding non-stop for almost ten years." Daisy had heard of this before. When she was younger, there was nothing more than riding the skies for all eternity. "It's called riding for eternity," she said. "Which is silly if you think about it." She saw Slim approaching the left side of her horse. "That is one excellent story," he mused. "You're an orphan and author?"
"Not that I plan to," Daisy replied. "Very well, then," Slim went on, changing the subject. "Cody, water the horses. Rest of you, carry on." So, they did.