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azombiewritesTitle: The Hunted
Nineth story in 'The Continuing Ezra Standish Saga'
Rating: PG
Warnings: Bad writing ahead!
Fandom: The Magnificent Seven
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Summary: The bank of Four Corners is robbed and when the seven hired gunmen go after them, the robbers set a trap and two of the lawmen are injured. The hunters then become the hunted.
Main Characters: Ezra, and the rest of the seven, and some OC's
Disclaimers: The guys are owned by CBS, MGM, Trilogy Entertainment Group, and The Mirisch Corp.
Beta: Not betaed – written in the early days when I didn’t know what the words grammar and edit meant. *is ashamed*
Notes: Nineth story in the ‘Continuing Ezra Standish Saga’.
Spoilers: None.
Total Word Count: 24,041
Part Three
"No thanks to any of you." Ezra gasped. He could still feel the fear, it wouldn't go away but he was still angry, very angry and he allowed it to grow even more hoping that it would take over from the fear that he was feeling.
Nathan ignored the remark. "You want some water, Ezra? And please don't say no because you need it." He knew that Ezra was angry and that he could also be very stubborn when he was angry and he hoped that he was not going to refuse to drink water. Even Ezra couldn’t be that stubborn.
Ezra nodded because he was thirsty. Nathan got the canteen as Chris tried to help Ezra up but he pushed Chris away. "I can get up by myself," he said harshly. Ezra struggled to push himself up onto his right elbow. He somehow managed to do it but he started to wobble, as he was too weak to hold his own weight. Nathan quickly allowed him to drink from the canteen but he only drank a small amount and then his arm collapsed under his weight.
"Ezra, I'm going to have to clean your side again as it has become infected. I need to get the mucus out." Nathan looked at Chris who nodded in return.
"Is there any particular reason you keeping cleaning it while I’m awake," said Ezra. He was tired of Nathan causing him all this pain. He didn't understand why he couldn't do it while he was asleep. Ezra was beginning to believe that Nathan was doing it on purpose.
"Are you going to stay still, Ezra, or will I have to hold you down?" asked Chris.
Ezra looked at him and remembered his dream, he could still feel some of the fear as it was yet to go away. He remembered Chris standing in front of the others laughing at him and Chris was the first one to turn away from him. "If you touch me, Chris, I’ll shoot you the first chance I get."
Chris was stunned and he looked up at Nathan. "It's his fever that's doing the talking, Chris," explained Nathan.
"Think what you want Nathan but I mean what I say," Ezra looked at him. "Do what you want now but next time wait till I’m not awake." He turned away from him then and closed his eyes waiting for the pain.
Nathan tried to be as gentle as he could but when he finished Ezra was trembling and the sweat was dripping off his body. He wanted to be quick as he recalled what Ezra said about doing this while he was awake. He only did what needed to be done at that time and he was then going to do more when Ezra was asleep. He then used another piece of material to wipe Ezra's face as the sweat was running into his eyes. He would have gotten Chris to do it but he knew that Ezra would have refused it.
Ezra then went back into the darkness while Nathan and Chris sat with him. "Nathan, what did you mean when you said it was the fever talking?" asked Chris after he noticed that Ezra had stop trembling and was now sleeping.
"He’s getting delirious from the fever and he will say and do things that he would not usually say or do. It’ll also make his anger stronger as well. We’ll have to watch him carefully as he may even become paranoid."
"Paranoid?" Chris raised his eyebrows as he was now confused.
"He’s angry at us, Chris. The fever may even allow him to think that we’re trying to harm him in some way. He may even begin to think that we didn't look for him on purpose."
"Well he'll be wrong," stated Chris.
"We know that, Chris, but with the fever he won't be thinking straight. Just remember that because he might get a lot more angrier and meaner. He might say things that he would not usually say and he won't mean any of it. He'll just say them to make us feel bad, to try and hurt us they way he thinks we hurt him." Nathan grabbed another cloth and put a small amount of water on it. "Chris will you hold him down please because I’m going to get more of the mucus out now that He’s asleep." Chris nodded. He looked down at Ezra and for the first time in a long time, he began to feel scared. Not for himself but for Ezra.
Ezra continued to dream. He had managed to get himself off the tree but he was still alone and beginning to feel frightened again. He closed his eyes but opened them when he heard a voice. He looked up to see his mother standing before him.
"What are you doing Ezra? You know that your friends are not going to help you," she sat down on the tree. "You have to look after number one Ezra, you have to take care of yourself."
Ezra didn’t say anything. He just stared at her wondering how she had gotten here and he felt better because he knew that his mother would help him get away from here.
"Look after number one Ezra. That’s what I’ve always told you so stop feeling sorry for yourself and do something." She gave him an angry look and he suddenly felt like a child again.
"Mother could you help me up please?" He made sure that he had a pleading look in his eyes as he knew that as a child it usually got her to soften up and help him when he needed it. But this time it didn’t work.
Maude shook her head at him in exasperation. "What did I just tell you Ezra, you look after yourself." she got up then and started to walk away.
"Mother, you can't just leave me here like this," he yelled at her. "Mother!"
"I can do what I want Ezra, I am your mother remember." She laughed as she continued to walk away from him.
Ezra knew that she was right. He had to look after himself. He had to take of number one and he was going to do that. He tried to get up but felt that same force pushing down again. Whatever it was, it didn’t want him to get up. He tried to push harder but each time he did that the pressure in return became stronger as well. He was frightened that whatever it was it wanted him to die here. He decided to try to use his fists and his feet to try and get rid of the pressure but he became too weak and his struggles soon stopped and when he knew that he couldn’t get away, he turned onto his side and curled himself up into a ball.
Chris had no idea what was happening. He could hear Ezra talking in his sleep. He heard him call out to his mother asking her not to leave him. Ezra had been lying still but he now tried to get up and Chris and Nathan gently held him down. They didn't have to use much force as Ezra had become weak. Ezra tried a second time to get up but when they pushed him back down again he started to struggle more. He started to lash out with his arms and legs. They held onto him as best they could and waited for his struggles to subside. Once they did Ezra rolled onto his side and then into a ball. Chris went to move him back on his side but Nathan told him to leave him be for a moment. They listened as Ezra began to whimper in his sleep.
Ezra was lying on his side still when Vin and Josiah returned. They took one look at him and turned away. They couldn't handle seeing him like he was. He was shaking and whimpering and they had no idea what to do or say. Chris saw that they were not going to come any closer so he went up to them.
"Well?" He asked them. He was glad to be away from Ezra for a moment.
"There are five of them. Four on top of the hill and one with the horses at the bottom of the hill and He’s injured so he won't be hard to take," explained Vin.
"They have plenty of cover and will probably see us coming," added Josiah.
Chris sighed and hung his head. "We have no choice," he turned around and looked at Ezra. "He's going to die if we don't get him back to town. Nathan says that they wound is already infected and his fever is taking control of him. He also said that he was becoming delirious and that could cause us some trouble."
"Trouble?" asked Josiah.
"Nathan thinks that it may make Ezra do things that he would not normally do especially when He’s so angry at us. He threatened to shoot me before." Chris smiled at that but when Ezra had said it, he was shocked. "Buck and JD aren't back yet so why don't you go and look for them, see if they needed any help," said Chris.
Vin nodded and started to walk away. But Josiah stayed where he was.
"I wouldn't mind staying with Ezra for a while if that's okay, Chris." Josiah was watching Ezra as he stood there. He suddenly felt the need to stay with him.
"Sure, Josiah, I'll help Vin look for the others." He walked away and joined Vin who had been waiting for one of them to go with him.
When Josiah joined Nathan, Ezra had quietened down and had stopped shaking. Josiah took the damp cloth from Nathan's hand and began to wipe Ezra's face while making sure that the tear that was in his eye didn’t fall.
Ezra could feel something damp against his skin and he tried to move away from it but it didn’t leave him. He asked whatever it was to go away but it wouldn't. He opened his eyes to see what it was and he saw Josiah leaning over him. "Are you going to leave me alone to die as well, Josiah?" Whispered Ezra.
As Josiah wiped Ezra's face, he tried to move away and then he saw Ezra's eyes open and then when he heard Ezra speak he was shocked that Ezra would even think that of him. "I'm not going to leave you Ezra and I’m not going to let you die," he told him.
Ezra just laughed though and grimaced at the pain in his side. He lifted his head and looked around.
"Where's my mother?" He asked Josiah and Nathan.
"She's not here, Ezra," Josiah said as he looked at Nathan. He remembered what Chris had told him.
"She left me to then," he smiled. "She always leaves me."
"She didn't leave, Ezra, she wasn't here, it was a dream. It's the fever," explained Nathan.
Ezra became angry then. "You're lying, she was here. I saw her."
"You were dreaming, Ezra," said Nathan.
"And was I dreaming when I was left alone out there with a branch in my side," he snarled at them knowing that it was not a dream. That he was on his own had he had to look after himself, he had to take care of number one. Ezra looked at Nathan and then Josiah. He knew that they were also going to leave him alone to die. It was only a matter of time. A thought occurred to him then. What if he didn't die, what then. He knew that they would be glad if he did die then they would not have to put up with him anymore. They would probably be disappointed. So disappointed that they may even decide to kill him themselves. He was suddenly scared and he realised that they could probably see that. He put on his poker face to hide the fear that he felt when he looked at them. He had to get away from them before they killed him.
Josiah continued to wipe the sweat off Ezra's face after he had fallen asleep again. He looked up as he heard a noise. He was about to draw his gun when he saw that it was Chris and the others. Buck, Vin and JD were with him, and they had four of the horses, which meant water for Ezra. Nathan got up as he recognised one of the horses was his but JD was already walking towards him with his saddlebags. He took the bag from JD and went back to Ezra. He took what he needed from the bag, herbs and balm.
"I can do something for him now, Josiah," Nathan smiled. He then removed the bandaged from Ezra's side and began cleaned the wound. The fluid was still yellow and tinged with the colour of Ezra's blood. The wound was swollen closed and Nathan had to use his fingers to open it. Ezra groaned and moved away from him. Josiah held him down so Nathan could keep going. When he had finished he put the herbs that would help with the infection on both sides of the wound. He then put a small amount of balm on it as well. He then asked JD for one of the canteens. He then placed some herbs that would help Ezra's fever into it so when he woke up he could drink some of it. And while he did, this Ezra dreamed.
Ezra woke up to find Chris Larabee standing over him. He tried to get up thinking that Chris had helped him but he still couldn't move. He looked up into Chris's face and saw him smile. Ezra's stomach tightened. He watched as Chris drew his gun and pointed it at him.
"What are you going to do Chris?" asked Ezra as he felt the fear build in him.
"You’re not dead yet Ezra so I thought I would help you along." Chris continued to smile.
"You’re going to kill me?" Ezra knew that he was. He thought that Chris had wanted to do this for a long time.
"I’m going to put you out of your misery and ours. You have been nothing but trouble to us Ezra. And it is about time you left the group and because you won't do it on your own I thought that I would help you."
Ezra's eyes widened as he watched Chris's finger squeeze the trigger. "No," he yelled at him.
Chris and the others turned around at the sound of Ezra yelling out. They saw him sit up as he continued to yell out. Nathan and Josiah used their hands to lie him back down but Ezra fought them off. Chris came over to help them, he sat in front of Ezra and took his arms and shook him awake.
"Ezra, it's just a dream," Chris said to him. Ezra stopped fighting them and he opened his eyes and saw Chris in front of him.
Ezra closed his eyes but he didn’t feel the bullet enter his body instead he heard it hit the tree next to him and Chris then started to laugh. "That's just a warning Ezra, next time I’ll shoot you." he kept laughing as Ezra opened his eyes. Chris was now sitting in front of him with his hands on his arms. He knew that Chris had come back to finish the job and he started trying to push him away and yelling at him at the same time.
Chris saw Ezra's eyes spring open and the only thing that he saw in those eyes was fear. He saw Ezra focus on him and then his eyes widened even more and Ezra then started to fight for his life.
"Get away from me," he yelled at Chris as he tried to push him away. "Get away from me," he yelled again. Even with the three of them trying to hold Ezra down, he still managed to push himself up against the tree. "Don't let him kill me!" Ezra was still yelling and the others stood by listening, confused as to why Ezra would think that Chris wanted to kill him.
Buck ran to Ezra's side and pushed Chris away. "Ezra, it's Buck, it's okay I won't let him hurt you." Buck managed to take Ezra's face in his hands. He felt the burning heat of the fever. He turned his head toward him but Ezra kept his eyes on Chris. "Ezra, look at me!" Ezra finally turned his eyes to Buck. "You’re okay, Ezra." Buck felt him relax a bit so he kept talking to him. "You’re okay, Ezra," he repeated.
"Buck?" Ezra looked at Chris and then back at Buck. "He wants to kill me, Buck. They all want to kill me. Don't let them kill me. Please"
Buck nodded to the others to move away. They left him alone with Ezra. They didn't know what to think or do. They were ashamed that they allowed this situation to happen. That they had even put the slightest thought in Ezra's mind that they didn't care if he lived or died. They knew that this was happening because they had forgotten about him when Buck was injured. They also knew that they would never be able to make this up to him. They watched as Buck took Ezra in his arms and kept him there until he fell asleep again. Buck then laid him down gently, stood up, and then joined the others. He felt the dampness on his shirt caused by the sweat coming from Ezra's body.
"What the hell was that all about?" Buck said to Chris.
"It's his fever Buck, it's got nothing to do with Chris. He's delirious." Nathan put a hand on Buck's shoulder to calm him down.
"We can't leave him like this." Buck said. He turned away from them as he tried to control his emotions. He watched his friend as he lay on the ground. He wiped his eyes roughly and then turned back to the others. "What are we going to do, Chris?"
"We’re going to leave one of us here with Ezra and the others are going up to that hill to deal with those guys and then we’re taking Ezra home," growled Chris. "Nathan, you stay here with Ezra." he walked away then and the others followed.
Ezra hadn’t fallen asleep. He lay there listening to what they were saying but he heard it differently. What he heard was that one of them was going to stay here to deal with him while the others went home. He had to get away before they killed him. Nathan went back and sat with Ezra not knowing that he was pretending to be asleep.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Chris and the others slowly made their way to the base of the hill. He motioned to Vin and Josiah to go around the side and take care of the man minding the horses. But they returned five minutes later saying that he was unconscious. Chris nodded and they carefully made their way to the remaining four outlaws on top of the hill. They got three quarters of the way up before they were spotted. They returned gunfire and because they knew that Ezra's was life was in danger they took more risks and kept going. Vin was able to shoot one of them and he then ducked behind a rock as the man rolled passed him. He then turned when he heard Chris cry out. He saw that he had taken a bullet in his arm. Buck had also seen this and he moved to another tree closer to him.
"You okay, Chris?" Buck yelled.
"I'm fine, keep going."
Josiah shot another one, which left two of them. They noticed the lack of returning gunfire and took the chance that the other two were dead or injured. They ran to the top of the hill without being shot at. When they reached the top, they saw one dead bank robber but the other two were gone.
"Nathan and Ezra," yelled Chris and they all turned and headed back to where they were, making sure they kept an eye out for the outlaws on their way.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Nathan listened to the gunfire in the distance and hoped that everyone was alright. He looked down at Ezra and saw that the noise hadn’t woke him up. He then turned to look back at the hill to see if he could see anything. But he couldn't, he could only hear the gunshots.
Ezra had also heard the shots and this moved him into taking action. He opened his eyes just as Nathan turned away from him. He looked around for a weapon and saw a thick branch lying just out of reach. He leaned towards it and gritted his teeth against the pain in his side. He picked it up with his right arm and with all the strength that he had he struck Nathan across the side of the head and watched him fall to the ground. When Nathan didn’t get up Ezra through the branch away and tried to get to his own feet. He managed to do this after a few minutes. He looked towards the hill when he noticed that there were no more gunshots to be heard. They would be coming back soon he thought to himself. He began to walk towards the woods intending to find a hiding place until they stopped looking for him. He didn’t think to take Nathan's gun with him.
Ezra stumbled into the woods and stopped to hold on to the tree that he fell against. He looked behind him to make sure that no one was following him. When he saw that, nobody was coming he took a moment to try and get control of himself. He had to think, he needed to find somewhere to hide so they couldn't find him because he knew that if they found him they would kill. He pushed himself away from tree ignoring the pain in his side and heading further into the woods. As he walked, he kept hearing a voice in his head telling him to hurry that they were not far behind him. He turned around to look and then stumbled and fell to the ground. He cried out but cut the cry short by closing his mouth against it. If they heard him, they would find him. He lay there for a few minutes listening for them but he didn't hear anything so he struggled to get up and kept going. Ezra was getting weaker with each step but he couldn't stop, he had to keep going, the fear that was building in him kept him going. He managed to walk for fifteen minutes before he collapsed. He couldn't get up, he was to weak. He began to panic, they were going to find him. He looked around and saw a thick bush. He dragged himself towards it. He no longer felt the pain in his side, the fear had taken control of him. He reached the bush to find it hollow inside where the sun didn’t reach it to allow it to grow. He crawled in there and when he was hidden by the bush, he finally allowed himself to relax.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Chris and the others returned to the area where they had left Nathan and Ezra only to find Ezra gone and Nathan struggling to sit up. They ran over to him.
"Nathan, what happened? Where's Ezra?" asked Chris.
Nathan looked around to find Ezra gone. "He was there asleep and I was facing towards the hill when something hit me." He rubbed the side of his head and brought his hand in front of his face to see if he was bleeding. There was no blood on his hand though.
"Do you think that it might have been Ezra?" Chris hoped so because if it weren’t then the two other bank robbers would have him.
"Yeah I do," grimaced Nathan. "You heard him Chris, he thinks we want to kill him. He must have been pretending to be asleep. Did you think that it was someone else?"
"Two of the bank robbers got away from us. We thought that they might have come down here," said Chris.
"We've got to find him," said Buck as he started to walk into the woods.
"JD, Vin, you go with Buck and I'll stay and make sure that these two are alright." Josiah said.
"We'll follow you shortly." JD nodded at him and started after Buck but Vin started looking around the ground.
"Hold on there a minute, Buck," said Vin as he looked around the tree.
"We haven't got a minute, Vin." Buck growled at him.
"I'm just trying to find which way he went, Buck, there’s no use running off after him if we don't know which way he went."
Buck stopped and looked at Vin. He was right. He watched him for a couple of minutes and then followed him as he went into a different direction than the one Buck had almost taken. JD silently followed them. He was afraid that they were going to be too late, that Ezra would be dead when they found him.
When they had gone into the woods after Ezra Josiah made sure that Nathan was alright. Nathan said that he was fine and proved it by taking care of Chris's arm. The bullet had left a deep graze that would need stitching once they got back. He put herbs and balm on it and bandaged it. Nathan and Josiah each led two of the horses as they followed the others into the woods. When they found Ezra, they were not going to waste time coming back for the horses so they brought them with them.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Ezra lay in a foetal position in his hiding place. His body had begun to shake which made the pain that he was feeling even worse. He was hot and cold at the same time. But he felt safe, as no one had found him. He heard a noise a short distance from him and he no longer felt safe. He could see out and was afraid that whoever it was could see into the bush. He tried to push himself further into his hiding place. He saw someone come closer to the bush. He recognised Vin, and then Buck as he joined him. JD then stood beside them. Ezra held his breath hoping that they couldn’t hear him.
Vin had followed Ezra to this area and by the signs on the ground, he could tell that Ezra had crawled into the bush to hide. He indicated to Buck that Ezra was in the bush. Vin used his hands to tell Buck that he and JD will step back and that he should go in there. Buck nodded and then got down on his knees.
Ezra watched as two of them moved away but Buck had bent down and looked into the bush. Ezra started to push himself further back trying to get away from him but he could only go as far as the scrub would not let him go any further. Buck looked into the bush and saw Ezra trying to get away from him.
"Ezra, it's Buck. Take it easy now, I'm not going to hurt you." He spoke quietly making sure that he also used a soothing voice. Ezra still tried to move away from but stopped. Buck thought that it was because he couldn't go any further. He moved into the bush himself. He could see the terrified look in Ezra's eyes, it was like he was a cornered animal that knew it was about to die. It hurt Buck to see him like this. "Ezra, can you hear me." He put out his hand hoping that Ezra would take it but he didn't. Buck watched as a change came over Ezra.
Ezra watched as Buck came closer. He was terrified of him. This man wanted to kill him. He tried to get away but they had found him. He heard the voice in his head but this time it was the voice of his mother. It told him to look after number one, to take care of himself. The sound of his mother's voice made him angry. He wasn't going to let this man kill him easily, if he could, he was going to try to take him with him. Ezra gathered all the courage he could and charged at Buck and as he grabbed him, they both exited from the bush and landed at Vin and JD's feet. Both of them stood there a moment watching Buck struggling with Ezra. They didn't expect Ezra to attack him. But then they moved to help Buck as they saw that Ezra was trying to get Buck's gun. They didn't see the two bank robbers come out of the trees beside them.
"Well then what have we got here?" said Silvers.
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four
Master Fan Fiction List
Nineth story in 'The Continuing Ezra Standish Saga'
Rating: PG
Warnings: Bad writing ahead!
Fandom: The Magnificent Seven
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Summary: The bank of Four Corners is robbed and when the seven hired gunmen go after them, the robbers set a trap and two of the lawmen are injured. The hunters then become the hunted.
Main Characters: Ezra, and the rest of the seven, and some OC's
Disclaimers: The guys are owned by CBS, MGM, Trilogy Entertainment Group, and The Mirisch Corp.
Beta: Not betaed – written in the early days when I didn’t know what the words grammar and edit meant. *is ashamed*
Notes: Nineth story in the ‘Continuing Ezra Standish Saga’.
Spoilers: None.
Total Word Count: 24,041
Part Three
"No thanks to any of you." Ezra gasped. He could still feel the fear, it wouldn't go away but he was still angry, very angry and he allowed it to grow even more hoping that it would take over from the fear that he was feeling.
Nathan ignored the remark. "You want some water, Ezra? And please don't say no because you need it." He knew that Ezra was angry and that he could also be very stubborn when he was angry and he hoped that he was not going to refuse to drink water. Even Ezra couldn’t be that stubborn.
Ezra nodded because he was thirsty. Nathan got the canteen as Chris tried to help Ezra up but he pushed Chris away. "I can get up by myself," he said harshly. Ezra struggled to push himself up onto his right elbow. He somehow managed to do it but he started to wobble, as he was too weak to hold his own weight. Nathan quickly allowed him to drink from the canteen but he only drank a small amount and then his arm collapsed under his weight.
"Ezra, I'm going to have to clean your side again as it has become infected. I need to get the mucus out." Nathan looked at Chris who nodded in return.
"Is there any particular reason you keeping cleaning it while I’m awake," said Ezra. He was tired of Nathan causing him all this pain. He didn't understand why he couldn't do it while he was asleep. Ezra was beginning to believe that Nathan was doing it on purpose.
"Are you going to stay still, Ezra, or will I have to hold you down?" asked Chris.
Ezra looked at him and remembered his dream, he could still feel some of the fear as it was yet to go away. He remembered Chris standing in front of the others laughing at him and Chris was the first one to turn away from him. "If you touch me, Chris, I’ll shoot you the first chance I get."
Chris was stunned and he looked up at Nathan. "It's his fever that's doing the talking, Chris," explained Nathan.
"Think what you want Nathan but I mean what I say," Ezra looked at him. "Do what you want now but next time wait till I’m not awake." He turned away from him then and closed his eyes waiting for the pain.
Nathan tried to be as gentle as he could but when he finished Ezra was trembling and the sweat was dripping off his body. He wanted to be quick as he recalled what Ezra said about doing this while he was awake. He only did what needed to be done at that time and he was then going to do more when Ezra was asleep. He then used another piece of material to wipe Ezra's face as the sweat was running into his eyes. He would have gotten Chris to do it but he knew that Ezra would have refused it.
Ezra then went back into the darkness while Nathan and Chris sat with him. "Nathan, what did you mean when you said it was the fever talking?" asked Chris after he noticed that Ezra had stop trembling and was now sleeping.
"He’s getting delirious from the fever and he will say and do things that he would not usually say or do. It’ll also make his anger stronger as well. We’ll have to watch him carefully as he may even become paranoid."
"Paranoid?" Chris raised his eyebrows as he was now confused.
"He’s angry at us, Chris. The fever may even allow him to think that we’re trying to harm him in some way. He may even begin to think that we didn't look for him on purpose."
"Well he'll be wrong," stated Chris.
"We know that, Chris, but with the fever he won't be thinking straight. Just remember that because he might get a lot more angrier and meaner. He might say things that he would not usually say and he won't mean any of it. He'll just say them to make us feel bad, to try and hurt us they way he thinks we hurt him." Nathan grabbed another cloth and put a small amount of water on it. "Chris will you hold him down please because I’m going to get more of the mucus out now that He’s asleep." Chris nodded. He looked down at Ezra and for the first time in a long time, he began to feel scared. Not for himself but for Ezra.
Ezra continued to dream. He had managed to get himself off the tree but he was still alone and beginning to feel frightened again. He closed his eyes but opened them when he heard a voice. He looked up to see his mother standing before him.
"What are you doing Ezra? You know that your friends are not going to help you," she sat down on the tree. "You have to look after number one Ezra, you have to take care of yourself."
Ezra didn’t say anything. He just stared at her wondering how she had gotten here and he felt better because he knew that his mother would help him get away from here.
"Look after number one Ezra. That’s what I’ve always told you so stop feeling sorry for yourself and do something." She gave him an angry look and he suddenly felt like a child again.
"Mother could you help me up please?" He made sure that he had a pleading look in his eyes as he knew that as a child it usually got her to soften up and help him when he needed it. But this time it didn’t work.
Maude shook her head at him in exasperation. "What did I just tell you Ezra, you look after yourself." she got up then and started to walk away.
"Mother, you can't just leave me here like this," he yelled at her. "Mother!"
"I can do what I want Ezra, I am your mother remember." She laughed as she continued to walk away from him.
Ezra knew that she was right. He had to look after himself. He had to take of number one and he was going to do that. He tried to get up but felt that same force pushing down again. Whatever it was, it didn’t want him to get up. He tried to push harder but each time he did that the pressure in return became stronger as well. He was frightened that whatever it was it wanted him to die here. He decided to try to use his fists and his feet to try and get rid of the pressure but he became too weak and his struggles soon stopped and when he knew that he couldn’t get away, he turned onto his side and curled himself up into a ball.
Chris had no idea what was happening. He could hear Ezra talking in his sleep. He heard him call out to his mother asking her not to leave him. Ezra had been lying still but he now tried to get up and Chris and Nathan gently held him down. They didn't have to use much force as Ezra had become weak. Ezra tried a second time to get up but when they pushed him back down again he started to struggle more. He started to lash out with his arms and legs. They held onto him as best they could and waited for his struggles to subside. Once they did Ezra rolled onto his side and then into a ball. Chris went to move him back on his side but Nathan told him to leave him be for a moment. They listened as Ezra began to whimper in his sleep.
Ezra was lying on his side still when Vin and Josiah returned. They took one look at him and turned away. They couldn't handle seeing him like he was. He was shaking and whimpering and they had no idea what to do or say. Chris saw that they were not going to come any closer so he went up to them.
"Well?" He asked them. He was glad to be away from Ezra for a moment.
"There are five of them. Four on top of the hill and one with the horses at the bottom of the hill and He’s injured so he won't be hard to take," explained Vin.
"They have plenty of cover and will probably see us coming," added Josiah.
Chris sighed and hung his head. "We have no choice," he turned around and looked at Ezra. "He's going to die if we don't get him back to town. Nathan says that they wound is already infected and his fever is taking control of him. He also said that he was becoming delirious and that could cause us some trouble."
"Trouble?" asked Josiah.
"Nathan thinks that it may make Ezra do things that he would not normally do especially when He’s so angry at us. He threatened to shoot me before." Chris smiled at that but when Ezra had said it, he was shocked. "Buck and JD aren't back yet so why don't you go and look for them, see if they needed any help," said Chris.
Vin nodded and started to walk away. But Josiah stayed where he was.
"I wouldn't mind staying with Ezra for a while if that's okay, Chris." Josiah was watching Ezra as he stood there. He suddenly felt the need to stay with him.
"Sure, Josiah, I'll help Vin look for the others." He walked away and joined Vin who had been waiting for one of them to go with him.
When Josiah joined Nathan, Ezra had quietened down and had stopped shaking. Josiah took the damp cloth from Nathan's hand and began to wipe Ezra's face while making sure that the tear that was in his eye didn’t fall.
Ezra could feel something damp against his skin and he tried to move away from it but it didn’t leave him. He asked whatever it was to go away but it wouldn't. He opened his eyes to see what it was and he saw Josiah leaning over him. "Are you going to leave me alone to die as well, Josiah?" Whispered Ezra.
As Josiah wiped Ezra's face, he tried to move away and then he saw Ezra's eyes open and then when he heard Ezra speak he was shocked that Ezra would even think that of him. "I'm not going to leave you Ezra and I’m not going to let you die," he told him.
Ezra just laughed though and grimaced at the pain in his side. He lifted his head and looked around.
"Where's my mother?" He asked Josiah and Nathan.
"She's not here, Ezra," Josiah said as he looked at Nathan. He remembered what Chris had told him.
"She left me to then," he smiled. "She always leaves me."
"She didn't leave, Ezra, she wasn't here, it was a dream. It's the fever," explained Nathan.
Ezra became angry then. "You're lying, she was here. I saw her."
"You were dreaming, Ezra," said Nathan.
"And was I dreaming when I was left alone out there with a branch in my side," he snarled at them knowing that it was not a dream. That he was on his own had he had to look after himself, he had to take care of number one. Ezra looked at Nathan and then Josiah. He knew that they were also going to leave him alone to die. It was only a matter of time. A thought occurred to him then. What if he didn't die, what then. He knew that they would be glad if he did die then they would not have to put up with him anymore. They would probably be disappointed. So disappointed that they may even decide to kill him themselves. He was suddenly scared and he realised that they could probably see that. He put on his poker face to hide the fear that he felt when he looked at them. He had to get away from them before they killed him.
Josiah continued to wipe the sweat off Ezra's face after he had fallen asleep again. He looked up as he heard a noise. He was about to draw his gun when he saw that it was Chris and the others. Buck, Vin and JD were with him, and they had four of the horses, which meant water for Ezra. Nathan got up as he recognised one of the horses was his but JD was already walking towards him with his saddlebags. He took the bag from JD and went back to Ezra. He took what he needed from the bag, herbs and balm.
"I can do something for him now, Josiah," Nathan smiled. He then removed the bandaged from Ezra's side and began cleaned the wound. The fluid was still yellow and tinged with the colour of Ezra's blood. The wound was swollen closed and Nathan had to use his fingers to open it. Ezra groaned and moved away from him. Josiah held him down so Nathan could keep going. When he had finished he put the herbs that would help with the infection on both sides of the wound. He then put a small amount of balm on it as well. He then asked JD for one of the canteens. He then placed some herbs that would help Ezra's fever into it so when he woke up he could drink some of it. And while he did, this Ezra dreamed.
Ezra woke up to find Chris Larabee standing over him. He tried to get up thinking that Chris had helped him but he still couldn't move. He looked up into Chris's face and saw him smile. Ezra's stomach tightened. He watched as Chris drew his gun and pointed it at him.
"What are you going to do Chris?" asked Ezra as he felt the fear build in him.
"You’re not dead yet Ezra so I thought I would help you along." Chris continued to smile.
"You’re going to kill me?" Ezra knew that he was. He thought that Chris had wanted to do this for a long time.
"I’m going to put you out of your misery and ours. You have been nothing but trouble to us Ezra. And it is about time you left the group and because you won't do it on your own I thought that I would help you."
Ezra's eyes widened as he watched Chris's finger squeeze the trigger. "No," he yelled at him.
Chris and the others turned around at the sound of Ezra yelling out. They saw him sit up as he continued to yell out. Nathan and Josiah used their hands to lie him back down but Ezra fought them off. Chris came over to help them, he sat in front of Ezra and took his arms and shook him awake.
"Ezra, it's just a dream," Chris said to him. Ezra stopped fighting them and he opened his eyes and saw Chris in front of him.
Ezra closed his eyes but he didn’t feel the bullet enter his body instead he heard it hit the tree next to him and Chris then started to laugh. "That's just a warning Ezra, next time I’ll shoot you." he kept laughing as Ezra opened his eyes. Chris was now sitting in front of him with his hands on his arms. He knew that Chris had come back to finish the job and he started trying to push him away and yelling at him at the same time.
Chris saw Ezra's eyes spring open and the only thing that he saw in those eyes was fear. He saw Ezra focus on him and then his eyes widened even more and Ezra then started to fight for his life.
"Get away from me," he yelled at Chris as he tried to push him away. "Get away from me," he yelled again. Even with the three of them trying to hold Ezra down, he still managed to push himself up against the tree. "Don't let him kill me!" Ezra was still yelling and the others stood by listening, confused as to why Ezra would think that Chris wanted to kill him.
Buck ran to Ezra's side and pushed Chris away. "Ezra, it's Buck, it's okay I won't let him hurt you." Buck managed to take Ezra's face in his hands. He felt the burning heat of the fever. He turned his head toward him but Ezra kept his eyes on Chris. "Ezra, look at me!" Ezra finally turned his eyes to Buck. "You’re okay, Ezra." Buck felt him relax a bit so he kept talking to him. "You’re okay, Ezra," he repeated.
"Buck?" Ezra looked at Chris and then back at Buck. "He wants to kill me, Buck. They all want to kill me. Don't let them kill me. Please"
Buck nodded to the others to move away. They left him alone with Ezra. They didn't know what to think or do. They were ashamed that they allowed this situation to happen. That they had even put the slightest thought in Ezra's mind that they didn't care if he lived or died. They knew that this was happening because they had forgotten about him when Buck was injured. They also knew that they would never be able to make this up to him. They watched as Buck took Ezra in his arms and kept him there until he fell asleep again. Buck then laid him down gently, stood up, and then joined the others. He felt the dampness on his shirt caused by the sweat coming from Ezra's body.
"What the hell was that all about?" Buck said to Chris.
"It's his fever Buck, it's got nothing to do with Chris. He's delirious." Nathan put a hand on Buck's shoulder to calm him down.
"We can't leave him like this." Buck said. He turned away from them as he tried to control his emotions. He watched his friend as he lay on the ground. He wiped his eyes roughly and then turned back to the others. "What are we going to do, Chris?"
"We’re going to leave one of us here with Ezra and the others are going up to that hill to deal with those guys and then we’re taking Ezra home," growled Chris. "Nathan, you stay here with Ezra." he walked away then and the others followed.
Ezra hadn’t fallen asleep. He lay there listening to what they were saying but he heard it differently. What he heard was that one of them was going to stay here to deal with him while the others went home. He had to get away before they killed him. Nathan went back and sat with Ezra not knowing that he was pretending to be asleep.
Chris and the others slowly made their way to the base of the hill. He motioned to Vin and Josiah to go around the side and take care of the man minding the horses. But they returned five minutes later saying that he was unconscious. Chris nodded and they carefully made their way to the remaining four outlaws on top of the hill. They got three quarters of the way up before they were spotted. They returned gunfire and because they knew that Ezra's was life was in danger they took more risks and kept going. Vin was able to shoot one of them and he then ducked behind a rock as the man rolled passed him. He then turned when he heard Chris cry out. He saw that he had taken a bullet in his arm. Buck had also seen this and he moved to another tree closer to him.
"You okay, Chris?" Buck yelled.
"I'm fine, keep going."
Josiah shot another one, which left two of them. They noticed the lack of returning gunfire and took the chance that the other two were dead or injured. They ran to the top of the hill without being shot at. When they reached the top, they saw one dead bank robber but the other two were gone.
"Nathan and Ezra," yelled Chris and they all turned and headed back to where they were, making sure they kept an eye out for the outlaws on their way.
Nathan listened to the gunfire in the distance and hoped that everyone was alright. He looked down at Ezra and saw that the noise hadn’t woke him up. He then turned to look back at the hill to see if he could see anything. But he couldn't, he could only hear the gunshots.
Ezra had also heard the shots and this moved him into taking action. He opened his eyes just as Nathan turned away from him. He looked around for a weapon and saw a thick branch lying just out of reach. He leaned towards it and gritted his teeth against the pain in his side. He picked it up with his right arm and with all the strength that he had he struck Nathan across the side of the head and watched him fall to the ground. When Nathan didn’t get up Ezra through the branch away and tried to get to his own feet. He managed to do this after a few minutes. He looked towards the hill when he noticed that there were no more gunshots to be heard. They would be coming back soon he thought to himself. He began to walk towards the woods intending to find a hiding place until they stopped looking for him. He didn’t think to take Nathan's gun with him.
Ezra stumbled into the woods and stopped to hold on to the tree that he fell against. He looked behind him to make sure that no one was following him. When he saw that, nobody was coming he took a moment to try and get control of himself. He had to think, he needed to find somewhere to hide so they couldn't find him because he knew that if they found him they would kill. He pushed himself away from tree ignoring the pain in his side and heading further into the woods. As he walked, he kept hearing a voice in his head telling him to hurry that they were not far behind him. He turned around to look and then stumbled and fell to the ground. He cried out but cut the cry short by closing his mouth against it. If they heard him, they would find him. He lay there for a few minutes listening for them but he didn't hear anything so he struggled to get up and kept going. Ezra was getting weaker with each step but he couldn't stop, he had to keep going, the fear that was building in him kept him going. He managed to walk for fifteen minutes before he collapsed. He couldn't get up, he was to weak. He began to panic, they were going to find him. He looked around and saw a thick bush. He dragged himself towards it. He no longer felt the pain in his side, the fear had taken control of him. He reached the bush to find it hollow inside where the sun didn’t reach it to allow it to grow. He crawled in there and when he was hidden by the bush, he finally allowed himself to relax.
Chris and the others returned to the area where they had left Nathan and Ezra only to find Ezra gone and Nathan struggling to sit up. They ran over to him.
"Nathan, what happened? Where's Ezra?" asked Chris.
Nathan looked around to find Ezra gone. "He was there asleep and I was facing towards the hill when something hit me." He rubbed the side of his head and brought his hand in front of his face to see if he was bleeding. There was no blood on his hand though.
"Do you think that it might have been Ezra?" Chris hoped so because if it weren’t then the two other bank robbers would have him.
"Yeah I do," grimaced Nathan. "You heard him Chris, he thinks we want to kill him. He must have been pretending to be asleep. Did you think that it was someone else?"
"Two of the bank robbers got away from us. We thought that they might have come down here," said Chris.
"We've got to find him," said Buck as he started to walk into the woods.
"JD, Vin, you go with Buck and I'll stay and make sure that these two are alright." Josiah said.
"We'll follow you shortly." JD nodded at him and started after Buck but Vin started looking around the ground.
"Hold on there a minute, Buck," said Vin as he looked around the tree.
"We haven't got a minute, Vin." Buck growled at him.
"I'm just trying to find which way he went, Buck, there’s no use running off after him if we don't know which way he went."
Buck stopped and looked at Vin. He was right. He watched him for a couple of minutes and then followed him as he went into a different direction than the one Buck had almost taken. JD silently followed them. He was afraid that they were going to be too late, that Ezra would be dead when they found him.
When they had gone into the woods after Ezra Josiah made sure that Nathan was alright. Nathan said that he was fine and proved it by taking care of Chris's arm. The bullet had left a deep graze that would need stitching once they got back. He put herbs and balm on it and bandaged it. Nathan and Josiah each led two of the horses as they followed the others into the woods. When they found Ezra, they were not going to waste time coming back for the horses so they brought them with them.
Ezra lay in a foetal position in his hiding place. His body had begun to shake which made the pain that he was feeling even worse. He was hot and cold at the same time. But he felt safe, as no one had found him. He heard a noise a short distance from him and he no longer felt safe. He could see out and was afraid that whoever it was could see into the bush. He tried to push himself further into his hiding place. He saw someone come closer to the bush. He recognised Vin, and then Buck as he joined him. JD then stood beside them. Ezra held his breath hoping that they couldn’t hear him.
Vin had followed Ezra to this area and by the signs on the ground, he could tell that Ezra had crawled into the bush to hide. He indicated to Buck that Ezra was in the bush. Vin used his hands to tell Buck that he and JD will step back and that he should go in there. Buck nodded and then got down on his knees.
Ezra watched as two of them moved away but Buck had bent down and looked into the bush. Ezra started to push himself further back trying to get away from him but he could only go as far as the scrub would not let him go any further. Buck looked into the bush and saw Ezra trying to get away from him.
"Ezra, it's Buck. Take it easy now, I'm not going to hurt you." He spoke quietly making sure that he also used a soothing voice. Ezra still tried to move away from but stopped. Buck thought that it was because he couldn't go any further. He moved into the bush himself. He could see the terrified look in Ezra's eyes, it was like he was a cornered animal that knew it was about to die. It hurt Buck to see him like this. "Ezra, can you hear me." He put out his hand hoping that Ezra would take it but he didn't. Buck watched as a change came over Ezra.
Ezra watched as Buck came closer. He was terrified of him. This man wanted to kill him. He tried to get away but they had found him. He heard the voice in his head but this time it was the voice of his mother. It told him to look after number one, to take care of himself. The sound of his mother's voice made him angry. He wasn't going to let this man kill him easily, if he could, he was going to try to take him with him. Ezra gathered all the courage he could and charged at Buck and as he grabbed him, they both exited from the bush and landed at Vin and JD's feet. Both of them stood there a moment watching Buck struggling with Ezra. They didn't expect Ezra to attack him. But then they moved to help Buck as they saw that Ezra was trying to get Buck's gun. They didn't see the two bank robbers come out of the trees beside them.
"Well then what have we got here?" said Silvers.
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four
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