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azombiewritesTitle: A Dark Past
Second story in 'The Continuing Ezra Standish Saga'
Rating: PG
Warnings: Bad writing ahead!
Fandom: The Magnificent Seven
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Summary: The seven hired lawmen are asked to escort a stagecoach and witness to Rock Falls. Amongst the passengers is Ezra's Uncle who has a dark past.
Main Characters: Ezra Standish and the rest of the seven
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. *shamed*
Notes: Second story in the ‘Continuing Ezra Standish Saga’.
Spoilers: None.
Word Count: 19,173
Part Five
Later that afternoon they finally reached Rock Falls. Josiah stopped the stagecoach in front of the jail. The Sheriff came out and shook hands with Chris. After introducing himself to the group, he told them who the witness was. It had been Forster. The sheriff then told them that he was going to keep Forster in the jail but he would appreciate it if they could stick around until the trial, which was in two days. Chris agreed it would give them the excuse to allow Ezra a few days to rest. They then left Jack Standish by the coach and headed to the saloon. They all needed a drink and Chris wanted to talk to Ezra. Jack followed them in to get a drink but once he had his bottle, he took it outside. He no longer wanted anything to do with these men. Only Ezra and that would come later now that they were going to be in town a few more days.
Chris got a bottle of whiskey and nodded to Nathan to follow him to the table that Ezra had sat down at. Ezra had hoped to be left alone but Chris had other ideas. Ezra didn’t look up when they sat down.
"Here we go again," he thought to himself.
"What are you doing here, Mr. Larabee, you know that I don't want to talk about it," muttered Ezra.
"We know that it’s your Uncle that is causing you to be like this," said Chris.
"Oh really and what brought you to that conclusion?" Ezra asked still keeping his gaze down.
"We also know that you didn’t fall the other night because you were drunk, you fell because your Uncle hit you." Nathan watched for a reaction and he got one.
"What the hell gives you the right to keep butting into my personal business like this?" He nearly yelled at them.
The others had heard Ezra's outburst as they had sat at a table near him. They looked up in concern.
"We’re your friends, Ezra, and that gives us the right," Chris kept calm. "And we’re not going to leave until you tell us."
"Then I’ll go," growled Ezra as he got up.
Chris grabbed his arm and pulled him back down.
"No, you’re not," Chris said back to him.
"And what are you going to do to stop me, are you going to use physical force," Ezra smiled.
"If I have to."
Ezra looked at him and stayed in his chair. It only took him a moment to decide. He had enough. If they wanted to know then so be it. He won't tell them, he was still not ready for that so he decided to show them instead.
"Fine then, if you really want to know then come with me."
Chris and Nathan frowned at each other but got up and followed Ezra out the door where they were joined by the rest of the group. Ezra looked around until he saw his Uncle near the stagecoach. The rest of the group were confused and Chris was beginning to worry about what Ezra was going to do.
"If you’d wait here you’ll be enlightened to the situation in a moment’s time," said Ezra as he moved away and headed towards his Uncle.
Jack Standish glanced up as he heard someone call his name. It was Ezra. What did he want? As he got closer, Ezra drew in a deep breath and prepared himself. He walked straight up to him and stood facing him hoping that the look on his face was enough to get his Uncle angry.
"I believe that you lied about what you told me in regards to my father," said Ezra hoping that this would get a reaction so his 'friends' who would not stop pushing him could find out what the situation was. He saw his Uncle clench his fists. Ezra knew that he now had to push harder to get a reaction in public. "Because I think that you’re a liar and a coward."
That did it. Ezra saw the raised fist and waited for the blow. It came hard and it knocked him off his feet. Chris and the others dropped their mouths open in shock. They didn’t expect this. Ezra got up and stood in front of his Uncle who then knocked him down again. Ezra hit the ground three times before the others reached him just in time to stop Jack Standish from using his feet.
"You good for nothing son of a bitch!" Jack yelled at him. "Your father was no good and neither are you. You got what you deserved as a kid and if your friends were not here to help you I would teach you a lesson that you’d never forget just as I taught you when you were a child!"
Ezra hung his head. He knew that what his Uncle just said would be enough for them to understand what the problem was. He actually felt better now that it was out in the open. As he wiped the blood from his split lip, he turned towards the others. He looked directly at Chris.
"Now you know," he began to walk away.
"Ezra, why didn't you just tell us?" Muttered Chris. He couldn’t believe what had just happened. From what Jack Standish said and done tell them that he had beaten Ezra when he was a child.
"Because, Mr. Larabee, it’s easier for me to do this than it’s to tell you," Ezra headed back to the saloon with every intention of getting drunk.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
While all this took place, the rest of the DeAblo gang rode into town. They saw what was going on and stayed back so they would not be seen.
Langton pointed out Jack Standish. "That's the one that helped me escape. We’ll contact him later and find out if he’s willing to help again."
Chris went to say something to Jack Standish but the others held him back. Jack smiled at him.
"I take it that the little show that Ezra had me put on was for your benefit?" he asked.
"Yes it was and I assume from your reaction that you use to do that sort of thing to him a lot. Do you always beat defenceless children?" growled Chris wanting to wipe the smirk off his face.
"Only when they disobeyed me and that was something that Ezra did a lot of. Could never do what he was told for some reason. Always so stubborn, just like his father was."
Chris struggled to get away from his friends. He wanted to do to this man what he had done to Ezra. He could only return the physical pain and not the emotional pain Ezra had gone through as a child and is now being made to go through again thanks to this man.
Standish walked away with his own intentions in mind - to pay Ezra back dearly for what he had just done.
That's what's been bothering Ezra, he has been going through his childhood again?" enquired JD glad to know that his childhood was a good one.
Nathan nodded. "I just don't understand why he had to tell us this way instead of just using words."
"I think that we should find out," stated Chris.
"I’ll go and talk to him," said Josiah. "He won't talk if everyone is standing there listening."
"Okay," agreed Chris. "But I want answers Josiah, Ezra is not going to go through this on his own this time; I don't care how often he refuses to talk to us."
Josiah had watched Chris talk to Ezra after he had healed physically from the wounds that both Hanley and Chris had inflicted upon him, but Ezra hadn’t opened up to Chris. Josiah hoped that his luck would be better.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Langton watched Standish walk away from the group of men towards the hotel. He followed him inside and confronted him in the lobby. "What are you doing here, Langton, someone might see you?"
"I thought that maybe you might want to help me again," he smiled.
"You already owe me one Langton. Don't you think you should return the favour?" he asked, a plan already developing in his mind to get back at Ezra.
"I'll owe you two then won't I."
"Why don't I go and get a room and then we can discuss the matter," Jack couldn’t help himself. The grin couldn’t be wiped off his face by anyone at that moment.
When Jack got his room key, he motioned to Langton to follow him. They entered the room that he had been given and Langton began to tell Jack how he could help him. After he had finished Jack told him exactly what they could do and who they could use to get the job done, but he wanted Langton to do one thing for him first.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Josiah walked into the saloon and saw Ezra sitting alone at a table in the corner of the room. He walked over and sat down in one of the empty chairs.
"Ezra," he said.
"You’re not going to go away are you, Josiah?"
"No I’m not, Ezra," he said in firm voice. "Why didn’t you just tell us, Ezra?"
"It's just too hard to talk about," Ezra wiped his hand across his eyes. "It's just too hard."
"But you need to talk about it, Ezra. Look what it's doing to you. It's eating you up inside."
Ezra smiled at that thinking back to when Chris had said that in the saloon in Four Corners. "Now where have I heard that before? Did they make you come or did you volunteer?"
"It was either me or all of us," answered Josiah.
"I’ve never had friendship like this before, Josiah. All the concern everyone keeps showing. I’m not use to it, I don't know what to do with it," muttered Ezra. He kept his face down because he knew that if he looked at Josiah he wouldn't be able to say anymore.
"Why don't you just accept it, Ezra," Josiah smiled. He was not going to have to force him to talk after all. Ezra finally wanted to tell someone. "Now why don't you tell me what happened between you and your Uncle."
Ezra winced at the thought but he began to give Josiah the whole story. Once he started, he couldn't stop himself, he gave him every detail and when he was finished, he looked up at Josiah who was sitting there in stunned silence.
"Ezra, why don't we see if the saloon has room, I think you should get some rest? I’m going to talk to the others."
Ezra looked at him. "I seemed to have given you an even worse impression of myself."
"No Ezra, I was just too stunned to say anything. I don’t think any different of you. In addition, I know that you’re not a coward. You can't blame yourself for what he did or the way you’re reacting now. Anyone of us would react the same, I’m sure of that. The fear that you had as a child is what’s controlling you. It's that fear that you need to stand up against. Now come on, we’ll go and get you a room."
Once Josiah got Ezra into the room, the gambler fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Josiah looked at him in sympathy wondering why a man would put a child through that sort of torture; he was beginning to understand Ezra a lot more now. He turned around and left the room, locking it after him. He went to look for the others intending to tell them everything.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Josiah had found the others waiting for him outside. They all looked at him waiting for answers.
"Well?" asked Chris.
"Why don't you come inside, I could use a drink after that," said Josiah as he turned around and headed back inside.
The rest of the group followed him waiting for Josiah to tell them what happened. They saw that Ezra was not in the saloon.
"Where's, Ezra?" asked Nathan.
"I got him a room upstairs. He's sleeping. He told me everything. Didn't even have to push him. Finally wanted to get it off his chest I suppose." Josiah looked at each member of the group wondering how each one of them was going to react once he told them Ezra's story. He took a deep breath as Ezra had been doing the last couple of days and began.
"Maude left Ezra with his Uncle for six months when he was twelve years old. He said that the beatings started after one week. His Aunt was very strict and thought that just about everything he did was wrong. If she thought that, he needed to be punished for something she would tell her husband when he got home who would then go up to Ezra's room and beat him until he thought he had convinced Ezra that what he had done was wrong. Apparently, this could have been anything from spilling a glass of milk, breaking a plate, not doing his chores correctly or even not eating his meals. Sometimes it was just the expression on his face. On weekends when his Uncle was home during the day, Ezra would be punished as the day went along. A punch here, a kick there, it didn’t matter to his Uncle just as long as he taught him his lesson." Josiah paused here and looked at the others, their faces showing the anger and sympathy they felt for their friend. They couldn’t understand why a man would beat a twelve-year-old boy like that.
"Ezra said that during those six months he almost died once because the beating was so bad. They got worse the longer he stayed with them. I think this was one of those times in his life where he learnt to use his words to hide his fear. He did his best to show his Uncle he was not afraid of him by using his sarcastic comments and this made things worse. But he was stubborn, he wouldn't give in, he wouldn't show him his fear." Josiah kept his eyes down. They all looked ready to kill.
"He didn't tell Maude what happened. He thought that it was his fault and that she would blame him. He knows better now but he has still never told her. He said that he couldn't tell us as he thought that we might think him a coward for not standing up to him now as an adult."
"He's wrong," growled Chris.
"He knows that, but he also finds it too hard to express his feelings. Maude always taught him to hide them. It has become a way of life for him. A habit that he finds hard to break. Now that he has told us we’ll probably never hear another word about it."
Chris, Vin and Buck stood up. All with the same thought in their minds. Josiah knew what they wanted to do.
"Chris, you have to let Ezra deal with him or he will never be able to face his fear."
"We can't just sit here and do nothing, not after what he has done to Ezra."
"You beating him or even killing him is not going to do Ezra any good."
"Fine, but as soon as Ezra does face him, I’m going to kill him," promised Chris.
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. They all knew how they would kill him. They were going to beat him to death. Give him his own punishment.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Ezra had slept through until the next morning. They had checked on him through the night just like they had before. The routine was beginning to repeat itself. He awoke with a bad headache. He got out of bed wincing at the pain. "I need a drink," he thought to himself.
He made his way down to the saloon and saw the others sitting at a table in the corner. The same one that he was sitting at yesterday. He remembered his talk with Josiah and thought that it would be the main topic at that table. He decided to go over there anyway. He couldn't put it off any longer he had to face them. He just wished that he could face his Uncle as easy as it was to face his friends. He was still not comfortable with that term; he would just have to accept it as Josiah had said.
"Gentlemen," he said as he sat down. He waited for the questions but was relieved when no one asked him one.
They had seen Ezra come down the stairs and expected him to sit on his own but were surprised when he headed their way and sat down at the table with them.
"Ezra," Chris said gently, "Josiah told us what happened. It took a lot of guts to open up like that and tell him the things that your Uncle did," he saw Ezra wince but went on. "We just want you to know that we’re behind you with whatever it’s that you want to do. It's up to you."
"Thank you," Ezra replied quietly. It was then that the questions of concern started, but they didn’t make him angry. He knew that they were showing concern for a friend so he answered them as best he could. Yes, he did sleep well. No, he was not hungry. Yes, he was still tired. The questions stopped after a while and they all sat in a friendly silence and drank together.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
"Well did he agree to help us?" DeAblo wanted to know.
"Yeah he did, he even had a plan for us. Wants us to grab one of them for him. Said we can then demand an exchange. The lawman for the witness. Seems to think that they’re concerned about one of them at the moment and thinks that they would not say no to an exchange," said Langton.
"Really now. And which one does he wants us to grab."
"The same one that pulled a gun on me," smiled Langton. He was going to get his revenge after all. "The fancy dressed one they call Ezra Standish."
"And when does he want us to do this?"
"Today," he answered. "And then we keep quiet for a day so they can worry, then make our demand for an exchange."
"Sounds good to me," said DeAblo. "But how are we going to do it."
"Standish said that he would get him on his own and then we grab him."
"Standish?" questioned DeAblo.
"Yeah, he wants us to take his Nephew. Would you believe it?" laughed Langton.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Jack Standish had no idea how he was going to get Ezra on his own. He had thought about it all day. They had kept a watch on the saloon to see if he would come out on his own but he hadn't. One of the other lawmen had always been with him. There was only one other thing to do but he didn’t want to do it because it was too risky. Time was running by and if they didn’t get him tonight, they might not get him at all. They decided to wait until later that night and grab him from his room. He hoped that the others at least left him alone there.
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six
Master Fan Fiction List
Second story in 'The Continuing Ezra Standish Saga'
Rating: PG
Warnings: Bad writing ahead!
Fandom: The Magnificent Seven
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Summary: The seven hired lawmen are asked to escort a stagecoach and witness to Rock Falls. Amongst the passengers is Ezra's Uncle who has a dark past.
Main Characters: Ezra Standish and the rest of the seven
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. *shamed*
Notes: Second story in the ‘Continuing Ezra Standish Saga’.
Spoilers: None.
Word Count: 19,173
Part Five
Later that afternoon they finally reached Rock Falls. Josiah stopped the stagecoach in front of the jail. The Sheriff came out and shook hands with Chris. After introducing himself to the group, he told them who the witness was. It had been Forster. The sheriff then told them that he was going to keep Forster in the jail but he would appreciate it if they could stick around until the trial, which was in two days. Chris agreed it would give them the excuse to allow Ezra a few days to rest. They then left Jack Standish by the coach and headed to the saloon. They all needed a drink and Chris wanted to talk to Ezra. Jack followed them in to get a drink but once he had his bottle, he took it outside. He no longer wanted anything to do with these men. Only Ezra and that would come later now that they were going to be in town a few more days.
Chris got a bottle of whiskey and nodded to Nathan to follow him to the table that Ezra had sat down at. Ezra had hoped to be left alone but Chris had other ideas. Ezra didn’t look up when they sat down.
"Here we go again," he thought to himself.
"What are you doing here, Mr. Larabee, you know that I don't want to talk about it," muttered Ezra.
"We know that it’s your Uncle that is causing you to be like this," said Chris.
"Oh really and what brought you to that conclusion?" Ezra asked still keeping his gaze down.
"We also know that you didn’t fall the other night because you were drunk, you fell because your Uncle hit you." Nathan watched for a reaction and he got one.
"What the hell gives you the right to keep butting into my personal business like this?" He nearly yelled at them.
The others had heard Ezra's outburst as they had sat at a table near him. They looked up in concern.
"We’re your friends, Ezra, and that gives us the right," Chris kept calm. "And we’re not going to leave until you tell us."
"Then I’ll go," growled Ezra as he got up.
Chris grabbed his arm and pulled him back down.
"No, you’re not," Chris said back to him.
"And what are you going to do to stop me, are you going to use physical force," Ezra smiled.
"If I have to."
Ezra looked at him and stayed in his chair. It only took him a moment to decide. He had enough. If they wanted to know then so be it. He won't tell them, he was still not ready for that so he decided to show them instead.
"Fine then, if you really want to know then come with me."
Chris and Nathan frowned at each other but got up and followed Ezra out the door where they were joined by the rest of the group. Ezra looked around until he saw his Uncle near the stagecoach. The rest of the group were confused and Chris was beginning to worry about what Ezra was going to do.
"If you’d wait here you’ll be enlightened to the situation in a moment’s time," said Ezra as he moved away and headed towards his Uncle.
Jack Standish glanced up as he heard someone call his name. It was Ezra. What did he want? As he got closer, Ezra drew in a deep breath and prepared himself. He walked straight up to him and stood facing him hoping that the look on his face was enough to get his Uncle angry.
"I believe that you lied about what you told me in regards to my father," said Ezra hoping that this would get a reaction so his 'friends' who would not stop pushing him could find out what the situation was. He saw his Uncle clench his fists. Ezra knew that he now had to push harder to get a reaction in public. "Because I think that you’re a liar and a coward."
That did it. Ezra saw the raised fist and waited for the blow. It came hard and it knocked him off his feet. Chris and the others dropped their mouths open in shock. They didn’t expect this. Ezra got up and stood in front of his Uncle who then knocked him down again. Ezra hit the ground three times before the others reached him just in time to stop Jack Standish from using his feet.
"You good for nothing son of a bitch!" Jack yelled at him. "Your father was no good and neither are you. You got what you deserved as a kid and if your friends were not here to help you I would teach you a lesson that you’d never forget just as I taught you when you were a child!"
Ezra hung his head. He knew that what his Uncle just said would be enough for them to understand what the problem was. He actually felt better now that it was out in the open. As he wiped the blood from his split lip, he turned towards the others. He looked directly at Chris.
"Now you know," he began to walk away.
"Ezra, why didn't you just tell us?" Muttered Chris. He couldn’t believe what had just happened. From what Jack Standish said and done tell them that he had beaten Ezra when he was a child.
"Because, Mr. Larabee, it’s easier for me to do this than it’s to tell you," Ezra headed back to the saloon with every intention of getting drunk.
While all this took place, the rest of the DeAblo gang rode into town. They saw what was going on and stayed back so they would not be seen.
Langton pointed out Jack Standish. "That's the one that helped me escape. We’ll contact him later and find out if he’s willing to help again."
Chris went to say something to Jack Standish but the others held him back. Jack smiled at him.
"I take it that the little show that Ezra had me put on was for your benefit?" he asked.
"Yes it was and I assume from your reaction that you use to do that sort of thing to him a lot. Do you always beat defenceless children?" growled Chris wanting to wipe the smirk off his face.
"Only when they disobeyed me and that was something that Ezra did a lot of. Could never do what he was told for some reason. Always so stubborn, just like his father was."
Chris struggled to get away from his friends. He wanted to do to this man what he had done to Ezra. He could only return the physical pain and not the emotional pain Ezra had gone through as a child and is now being made to go through again thanks to this man.
Standish walked away with his own intentions in mind - to pay Ezra back dearly for what he had just done.
That's what's been bothering Ezra, he has been going through his childhood again?" enquired JD glad to know that his childhood was a good one.
Nathan nodded. "I just don't understand why he had to tell us this way instead of just using words."
"I think that we should find out," stated Chris.
"I’ll go and talk to him," said Josiah. "He won't talk if everyone is standing there listening."
"Okay," agreed Chris. "But I want answers Josiah, Ezra is not going to go through this on his own this time; I don't care how often he refuses to talk to us."
Josiah had watched Chris talk to Ezra after he had healed physically from the wounds that both Hanley and Chris had inflicted upon him, but Ezra hadn’t opened up to Chris. Josiah hoped that his luck would be better.
Langton watched Standish walk away from the group of men towards the hotel. He followed him inside and confronted him in the lobby. "What are you doing here, Langton, someone might see you?"
"I thought that maybe you might want to help me again," he smiled.
"You already owe me one Langton. Don't you think you should return the favour?" he asked, a plan already developing in his mind to get back at Ezra.
"I'll owe you two then won't I."
"Why don't I go and get a room and then we can discuss the matter," Jack couldn’t help himself. The grin couldn’t be wiped off his face by anyone at that moment.
When Jack got his room key, he motioned to Langton to follow him. They entered the room that he had been given and Langton began to tell Jack how he could help him. After he had finished Jack told him exactly what they could do and who they could use to get the job done, but he wanted Langton to do one thing for him first.
Josiah walked into the saloon and saw Ezra sitting alone at a table in the corner of the room. He walked over and sat down in one of the empty chairs.
"Ezra," he said.
"You’re not going to go away are you, Josiah?"
"No I’m not, Ezra," he said in firm voice. "Why didn’t you just tell us, Ezra?"
"It's just too hard to talk about," Ezra wiped his hand across his eyes. "It's just too hard."
"But you need to talk about it, Ezra. Look what it's doing to you. It's eating you up inside."
Ezra smiled at that thinking back to when Chris had said that in the saloon in Four Corners. "Now where have I heard that before? Did they make you come or did you volunteer?"
"It was either me or all of us," answered Josiah.
"I’ve never had friendship like this before, Josiah. All the concern everyone keeps showing. I’m not use to it, I don't know what to do with it," muttered Ezra. He kept his face down because he knew that if he looked at Josiah he wouldn't be able to say anymore.
"Why don't you just accept it, Ezra," Josiah smiled. He was not going to have to force him to talk after all. Ezra finally wanted to tell someone. "Now why don't you tell me what happened between you and your Uncle."
Ezra winced at the thought but he began to give Josiah the whole story. Once he started, he couldn't stop himself, he gave him every detail and when he was finished, he looked up at Josiah who was sitting there in stunned silence.
"Ezra, why don't we see if the saloon has room, I think you should get some rest? I’m going to talk to the others."
Ezra looked at him. "I seemed to have given you an even worse impression of myself."
"No Ezra, I was just too stunned to say anything. I don’t think any different of you. In addition, I know that you’re not a coward. You can't blame yourself for what he did or the way you’re reacting now. Anyone of us would react the same, I’m sure of that. The fear that you had as a child is what’s controlling you. It's that fear that you need to stand up against. Now come on, we’ll go and get you a room."
Once Josiah got Ezra into the room, the gambler fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Josiah looked at him in sympathy wondering why a man would put a child through that sort of torture; he was beginning to understand Ezra a lot more now. He turned around and left the room, locking it after him. He went to look for the others intending to tell them everything.
Josiah had found the others waiting for him outside. They all looked at him waiting for answers.
"Well?" asked Chris.
"Why don't you come inside, I could use a drink after that," said Josiah as he turned around and headed back inside.
The rest of the group followed him waiting for Josiah to tell them what happened. They saw that Ezra was not in the saloon.
"Where's, Ezra?" asked Nathan.
"I got him a room upstairs. He's sleeping. He told me everything. Didn't even have to push him. Finally wanted to get it off his chest I suppose." Josiah looked at each member of the group wondering how each one of them was going to react once he told them Ezra's story. He took a deep breath as Ezra had been doing the last couple of days and began.
"Maude left Ezra with his Uncle for six months when he was twelve years old. He said that the beatings started after one week. His Aunt was very strict and thought that just about everything he did was wrong. If she thought that, he needed to be punished for something she would tell her husband when he got home who would then go up to Ezra's room and beat him until he thought he had convinced Ezra that what he had done was wrong. Apparently, this could have been anything from spilling a glass of milk, breaking a plate, not doing his chores correctly or even not eating his meals. Sometimes it was just the expression on his face. On weekends when his Uncle was home during the day, Ezra would be punished as the day went along. A punch here, a kick there, it didn’t matter to his Uncle just as long as he taught him his lesson." Josiah paused here and looked at the others, their faces showing the anger and sympathy they felt for their friend. They couldn’t understand why a man would beat a twelve-year-old boy like that.
"Ezra said that during those six months he almost died once because the beating was so bad. They got worse the longer he stayed with them. I think this was one of those times in his life where he learnt to use his words to hide his fear. He did his best to show his Uncle he was not afraid of him by using his sarcastic comments and this made things worse. But he was stubborn, he wouldn't give in, he wouldn't show him his fear." Josiah kept his eyes down. They all looked ready to kill.
"He didn't tell Maude what happened. He thought that it was his fault and that she would blame him. He knows better now but he has still never told her. He said that he couldn't tell us as he thought that we might think him a coward for not standing up to him now as an adult."
"He's wrong," growled Chris.
"He knows that, but he also finds it too hard to express his feelings. Maude always taught him to hide them. It has become a way of life for him. A habit that he finds hard to break. Now that he has told us we’ll probably never hear another word about it."
Chris, Vin and Buck stood up. All with the same thought in their minds. Josiah knew what they wanted to do.
"Chris, you have to let Ezra deal with him or he will never be able to face his fear."
"We can't just sit here and do nothing, not after what he has done to Ezra."
"You beating him or even killing him is not going to do Ezra any good."
"Fine, but as soon as Ezra does face him, I’m going to kill him," promised Chris.
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. They all knew how they would kill him. They were going to beat him to death. Give him his own punishment.
Ezra had slept through until the next morning. They had checked on him through the night just like they had before. The routine was beginning to repeat itself. He awoke with a bad headache. He got out of bed wincing at the pain. "I need a drink," he thought to himself.
He made his way down to the saloon and saw the others sitting at a table in the corner. The same one that he was sitting at yesterday. He remembered his talk with Josiah and thought that it would be the main topic at that table. He decided to go over there anyway. He couldn't put it off any longer he had to face them. He just wished that he could face his Uncle as easy as it was to face his friends. He was still not comfortable with that term; he would just have to accept it as Josiah had said.
"Gentlemen," he said as he sat down. He waited for the questions but was relieved when no one asked him one.
They had seen Ezra come down the stairs and expected him to sit on his own but were surprised when he headed their way and sat down at the table with them.
"Ezra," Chris said gently, "Josiah told us what happened. It took a lot of guts to open up like that and tell him the things that your Uncle did," he saw Ezra wince but went on. "We just want you to know that we’re behind you with whatever it’s that you want to do. It's up to you."
"Thank you," Ezra replied quietly. It was then that the questions of concern started, but they didn’t make him angry. He knew that they were showing concern for a friend so he answered them as best he could. Yes, he did sleep well. No, he was not hungry. Yes, he was still tired. The questions stopped after a while and they all sat in a friendly silence and drank together.
"Well did he agree to help us?" DeAblo wanted to know.
"Yeah he did, he even had a plan for us. Wants us to grab one of them for him. Said we can then demand an exchange. The lawman for the witness. Seems to think that they’re concerned about one of them at the moment and thinks that they would not say no to an exchange," said Langton.
"Really now. And which one does he wants us to grab."
"The same one that pulled a gun on me," smiled Langton. He was going to get his revenge after all. "The fancy dressed one they call Ezra Standish."
"And when does he want us to do this?"
"Today," he answered. "And then we keep quiet for a day so they can worry, then make our demand for an exchange."
"Sounds good to me," said DeAblo. "But how are we going to do it."
"Standish said that he would get him on his own and then we grab him."
"Standish?" questioned DeAblo.
"Yeah, he wants us to take his Nephew. Would you believe it?" laughed Langton.
Jack Standish had no idea how he was going to get Ezra on his own. He had thought about it all day. They had kept a watch on the saloon to see if he would come out on his own but he hadn't. One of the other lawmen had always been with him. There was only one other thing to do but he didn’t want to do it because it was too risky. Time was running by and if they didn’t get him tonight, they might not get him at all. They decided to wait until later that night and grab him from his room. He hoped that the others at least left him alone there.
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six
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