Cowboys & Ghosts

10. The Encounter

It had been approximately twenty-four hours since Daisy's departure away from her 'uncle'. It was mid morning, riding firmly through the forest. She was on a trail, which was the one Slim had told her to follow. As long as it was on her map. It was dark and cloudy, and through the thick branches of the trees, Daisy could see the clouds morphing into what seemed like riders on their horses. Like she had predicted in that story she wrote. She firmly pulled on the reins, prompting Dollar to stop. The more she listened, the more she could see the ghost riders coming from the sky on a road made of clouds. Indeed, the riders were half skeleton. Their horses' eyes were as red as blood. Their cattle was alongside them. Leading the pack was a man, cloaked in black, as his horse, and a wielding weapon had appeared. Dead Skull. Daisy didn't think she had ever seen anything that was indeed so real, rather or not it sounded surreal. "Rafael Prescott," he growled beyond reason. "Where is he?"
"Father," said a rider beside him. "He is out there somewhere. He fell from the sky, to have a word with the devil himself." The rider seemed to have died in his early twenties, but to Daisy, his name and immortality was another story. "Korte," Dead Skull said. "If he is not found, we must leave him behind."
"Father..." Korte began. Dead Skull let his horse rear up, screaming like a banshee. The movement made Daisy remain motionless, despite Dollar shaking and stomping his hooves underneath her. Suddenly, she looked back and saw that from under his hood, Dead Skull had his unseen eyes on her. "Find Rafael Prescott," he said. "If so, you will ride with us across these endless skies. Do you understand, girl?" He lassoed his reins, and turned his horse around. His fellow riders, including Korte, followed him. Daisy did so as well, even if she remained on the ground. Then, it all led to a rocky ledge, where Daisy pulled on the reins, halting her horse. The cloud the ghost riders stampeded upon was like a road back to the heavens above the rest of the earth. Daisy watched powerlessly, as they all disappeared from there. Even if she wasn't one of them, she still felt stuck in between returning this boy to the sky and getting the reward from him. She took out that paper, that beheld the picture of the boy's face. He had brown hair pushed back, with glowing blue eyes, and pale skin like her own. However he was found once or whoever put the reward out, it had to be worth the girl's while. She took her revolver out, shooting an echoing bullet into the air. After a matter of seconds, nothing. Daisy had never seen the ghost riders this up close in her whole life; up until now. She had to make a choice; claim the reward from the boy or return him to the sky where he belonged. That was when it caught her eyes. From such a long distance, Daisy could see someone stranded on the surface of the mountain. With no horse; no boots. She signaled her horse to carefully continue downward. Halfway there, Dollar tripped over a large branch, causing him to throw Daisy out of the saddle. She let herself roll and didn't stop until she felt what seemed like freezing cold water. She had fallen in a little stream, which soaked every part of her. Coming to, she pushed herself up to a sitting position, gasping for air. Her horse had caught up with her, holding his rider's hat with his mouth. Daisy brushed her wet hair back, before putting her hat on. "Hey, you!" Someone called out. Daisy turned towards the voice, and this familiar boy made his first approach. "Yeah, you! Are you alright?" Daisy's eyes widened, pulling out the wanted paper. The boy who checked on her; he was the one. Rafael Prescott. She opened her mouth, when Dollar neighed, galloping towards the abandoned ghost rider. "Whoa, whoa!" Rafael soothed. "Easy boy." Daisy reacted quickly, grabbing the reins, holding her horse back. "You're the ghost rider everyone's been searching for," she said. "They could've found you first and taken you back themselves."
"You've heard the tales; have you not?" Asked Rafael. "If so, then someone else like you has to be responsible. I've got to get home, but I need a horse." Daisy smirked a little. "But first; I need my reward." She took Rafael firmly by the arm, gesturing him into her saddle. She took his hands and tied them with part of the reins. "$1,000," she mused. "Name's Daisy Martinsen, and it's a lot worth from a rider like you." She took one part of the reins, leading her horse with Rafael remaining still in the saddle. "Rafael Prescott," the boy introduced himself. "This don't look right for you. If you collect money from an immortal, the devil himself will have you before him."
"Someone's been through hell a lot more than me," Daisy replied. "But you have no idea." She was leading her 'reward' the way she had come. It was silent for a few moments, followed by rumbles of thunder and a few drops of rain. "Daisy, huh?" Rafael asked. "Where are you from?"
"Batesville, Arkansas," Daisy said. "I've been lied to my whole life. No parents, no home. Well, eventually a new life for me anyways." To avoid the rain, both teenagers were now in a thicker part of the forest. "I died in a crossfire over a year ago," Rafael said. "And how does God repay me? He sends me back here to face my worst fears." Daisy paused, halting her horse. She turned to look at the boy. "What exactly made you disappear from Dead Skull?" Rafael sighed. "I was lost. I don't know how it happened, but it was so fast."
"Oh." Daisy continued the walk, leading her horse with her kidnapped victim in the saddle. On foot.