Timecachers (67 page)

As they were securing their prisoners, a sixth man entered the clearing, pushing Alice roughly by the scruff of her neck and holding a pistol tightly against her back. “I found me the gran’ prize!” he announced, beaming lustfully.

“You keep it in yer drawers,” said Goldtooth. He strutted over to Alice and grabbed a fistful of her hair, desirously rubbing it between his fingers. “’Sides, if anyone’s gonna taste this sweetmeat it’s gonna be me.”

Adam strained against his bindings, stilled only when John Carter gave him a barely perceptible shake of his head. He looked at John frantically, feeling the
déjà vu
of his helplessness during Rebecca’s attack. John’s eyes did nothing to reassure him.

Alice jerked her head away in disgust and received a painful yank of her hair for her effort. She raised her hand to strike at Goldtooth’s face. He was quicker, catching her wrist and twisting it with a painful wrench. “Get some rope on this one,” he said. “I like ‘em spry but I don’t want her scratchin’ my eyes out. I’ll tame her quick enough.” He rubbed his groin as he leered at Alice.

Her captor started to protest, but Goldtooth exerted his dominance over the man with a hard stare. “Don’t worry, you all ‘ll get your turns. We’ll get paid just as much for ‘em even if we all have a little fun first.”

John Carter spoke up. “You should release these two,” he said, nodding at Alice and Adam. “They are obviously not Cherokee and will bring you no bounty.”

“I ain’t so sure. You injuns don’t always look like injuns. And it wouldn’t be polite not to show this here cutie some of our warm hospitality.” He winked at Alice, whose hands were now tied behind her back. Goldtooth tore open the front of her shirt, grabbed her breast and began kneading it painfully in his meaty paw. She attempted to twist away from his assailment, but was still being held by her captor. She writhed in disgust, and spit into his face as he groped her.

Goldtooth released his grip on Alice and backhanded her across the face, splitting her lip. He used his sleeve to wipe the spittle dribbling down his cheek, and then stuck out his bulbous yellow tongue, making a show of running it over his lips and across the gold tooth. He thrust his hips backwards and forwards, the bulge in his groin plainly revealing his arousal, and then let out a thundering guffaw.

“Leave her alone, you piece of garbage!” Adam shouted.

Goldtooth turned his smile toward Adam. “Oh, it’ll be a long time before she’s alone, me chum. And when we’re done with her, a few o’ the boys might give you a go. Then we’ll see who’s a piece of garbage!”

“Let these two go,” John Carter repeated. “In return, the rest of us will give you no trouble.” Guwaya snapped his head toward him, not inclined to enter into such a bargain. He glanced at Alice, blood dripping from her lip onto her torn shirt, and reluctantly nodded his agreement to John Carter.

“Well, that’s mighty nice of you to offer,” said Goldtooth, “but I don’t see how ya’ll would give us much trouble. Tell ya what, how ‘bout you all just sit there quiet like whilst we have our fun with these two, an’ maybe we won’t start in on that other squaw.” He jerked his thumb toward Woyi. “Make sure they’re tied up tight,” he directed his men. “An’ if they keep squawkin’, stuff something in their mouths and gag ‘em. Make yerselves comfortable, boys. I might be a while.” He grabbed Alice by a handful of hair and hauled her off into the woods.

“No!” Adam yelled. He continued to plead, curse, and rage against the departing Goldtooth until one of the other men punched him in the face, rendering him unconscious.

Chapter fifty-six

A
t first, Tom thought Woyi’s scream might be the cry of an animal. He had wandered far from the camp, searching for the chickweed and wood sorrel plants Alice said he was sure to find in the damp, shady spots on the east side of the mountain. The sound of her scream distorted as it reverberated against the trees and rocks before reaching their ears. He thought it was most likely only a bird, but he decided to head back to the camp just to be certain. Anyway, he had already collected enough wild plants to compliment the fish that Adam offered to provide for their meal.

Tom enjoyed the solitude, and had readily agreed to go in search of the wild plants Alice had specified while she gathered others that grew near the brook. He knew she would never admit it, but she was obviously making an effort to appease Sal with a special meal, still feeling guilty about the altercation at the river. Or perhaps she was trying to head off a reprisal by Sal. Whatever the case, he didn’t mind getting off on his own for a while, and everyone would benefit from one of Alice’s appetizing meals.

Before he was halfway back to camp, a sharp whistle caught his attention. The whistle came from Yonah, who was just reaching the bottom of the trail coming down from the mountain. He signaled Tom into the cover of the bushes, urgently putting his finger to his lips to command his silence. A moment later he saw Sal, who was easing down the mountain behind Yonah, clutching the rifle as if it were his most precious possession.

Yonah told Tom that he spotted him heading toward the camp and had hurried to intercept him before he unknowingly stumbled into danger. Tom’s jaw clenched as he gave Yonah his full attention while he relayed what he and Sal had observed from the mountaintop. Tom’s serene mood from his walk evaporated.

“It is good we caught you before you got any closer. They have already captured the remainder of our party and have been searching for others. We must act quickly and cautiously to free them.”

“Sal and I could try our hillbilly hunter routine again,” Tom offered.

“I fear that ruse will not work against these men,” said Yonah. “They are anticipating a bounty for their captives, and are not about to give up their prize. More than likely they will assume you are after the same, and will not hesitate to eliminate competition. I believe that violence is the only thing that will deter these villains.”

Tom and Sal weighed Yonah’s words, comprehending the gravity of his statement, but neither offered a less severe course of action. Yonah told them they must silently creep to the place where the captives were being held, observe the positions of everyone, and formulate a plan of attack. “We must catch them by surprise. Our numbers are unequal, and they are better armed. We should expect that each one will at least carry a firearm, and perhaps a knife.”

Their own cache of weapons consisted of Sal’s rifle and Yonah’s bow. Additionally, Yonah had his hunting knife, and Tom carried a digging stick he had been using to harvest the plants. To Sal’s relief, Tom swapped his digging stick for Guwaya’s rifle, him being more proficient with it than Sal. His relief vanished when Yonah handed him his hunting knife.

With the weapons distributed, Yonah led them quietly through the woods. Before they were in sight of the others they heard Adam’s desperate yelling. They followed the sound of his voice, arriving just in time to see one of the men punch Adam in the face, abruptly silencing him. Yonah cast an anxious glance at Tom and Sal, hoping neither would react rashly to the violence against their friend and spoil their advantage of surprise. To their credit, both of them looked on in horror at the bleeding, unconscious Adam, but kept their wits and held their positions.

Yonah gathered them into a huddle and whispered. “They no longer appear to be searching for more of us; that is to our advantage. I did not see Alice, or the sixth man. It may be that she was not captured, or she escaped her captors and one is in pursuit. Adam may have been yelling a warning to her, and that is why they silenced him. We must know the final man’s position and prevent his interference after we begin our attack.”

“I’ll try to find him, Tonto,” said Sal. “Adam’s yelling was coming from that direction,” he indicated with his chin. “That’s where I’ll look.”

Yonah nodded agreement. “Proceed with caution, Squirrel-man. When you locate him, return and report to me. Tom and I will prepare for an optimum attack, but I will remain in this spot until you return.” Yonah was encouraged by the change in Sal’s demeanor. The act of violence against Adam had removed Sal’s reluctance to the use of deadly force. He hoped he would retain his pluck. Bloodshed was likely, and they could not afford hesitation when the time came.

Once Sal set off on his mission, Yonah conveyed his plan of attack to Tom. He directed him to a position opposite his own, with the men and hostages between them, where Tom would silently wait for the signal to attack.

Sal had no difficulty finding Alice and Goldtooth’s trail. He could hear Alice’s cries and curses, punctuated by gruff rebuffs from Goldtooth. Evidently she had not escaped, and Sal dreaded the meaning of her being taken to a secluded spot away from the others. He kept back far enough to prevent his presence from being detected, but closed the gap when he heard a dull, vicious slap causing Alice to momentarily go silent. Closing in, he paused at a point where he could observe Alice and her attacker. What he saw confirmed his fears. The brute of a man had thrown Alice to the ground, and was ripping at her clothing as well as his own—his intentions plain. The assault renewed Alice’s screams. She flailed uselessly against his advances, her bloodied face contorted in desperation. Her defense was formidable, but she was crushingly overpowered and no match for her brawny assailant.

Sal did not hesitate. He lunged toward the unsuspecting Goldtooth with knife drawn, clearing the distance between them in less than a single beat of his racing heart. Goldtooth however, surprisingly nimble for his bulk and in spite of his preoccupation with Alice, reacted quickly enough to Sal’s charge to partially twist his huge frame in the direction of the attack. He managed to parry the knife thrust, receiving a deep gash in his forearm for the effort, but saving himself from a potentially fatal injury. While still atop Alice, using his weight to keep her pinned to the ground, he grabbed the wrist of Sal’s knife hand in one burly fist and dealt him a hammering blow to the jaw with the other. Sal’s head jerked backwards from the force of the blow, presenting Goldtooth the opportunity to seize him by the neck. Goldtooth kept Sal’s knife arm pinned uselessly to the ground as he applied pressure to his throat, cutting off Sal’s air supply. He was helpless in Goldtooth’s unbreakable grasp, Alice still somewhere next to him under the weight of the man’s prodigious body. Unable to move, or even cry out for help, his fear was overshadowed by frustrating humiliation. Not only had he botched Alice’s rescue, his own life would be lost in the feeble attempt. He believed he had just faced the most significant, and probably final, test of his life, and failed miserably. As darkness enveloped Sal’s oxygen starved brain, a looming object growing in size behind Goldtooth’s head captured his attention.

Sal’s attack had given Alice a precious moment free from Goldtooth’s attention, which she used prudently, clawing about the ground around her for something to use as a weapon, until at last her hand closed upon a softball-sized rock. Using all of her remaining strength, she wind-milled her arm, bringing the rock down on Goldtooth’s head with a satisfying thud. His thick skull prevented him from losing consciousness, but it momentarily rendered him senseless, and caused him to loosen his grip on Sal’s throat. Sal gulped in the revitalizing air, returning him to his senses and renewing his confidence. He knew he would only have a moment before Goldtooth shook off the blow and resumed his assault. In a single, swift movement, Sal wrenched his arm holding the knife free from Goldtooth’s grasp, and plunged it deeply into the center of the man’s chest. Goldtooth went still, his eyes staring at the knife protruding from his chest in disbelief. To Sal’s amazement, Goldtooth peered at him and smiled evilly, flashing the gold tooth one final time. Slowly his smile faded, then his eyes fluttered and he fell backwards onto Alice, dead. Sal jumped to his feet and lugged the hulking body off of Alice, hearing her gasp for breath as he relieved her of the crushing weight. He sunk back to his knees in exhaustion, staring in shock at Goldtooth’s lifeless form.

For several moments Sal and Alice remained motionless, with only the sound of their heaving breath disturbing the silence surrounding them. Regaining her strength, Alice pulled her tattered clothes back into place as best she could, and placed her hand on Sal’s shoulder, who was still staring at Goldtooth’s body. “Thank you,” she murmured.

“I killed him,” Sal replied without looking up.

“He would have killed both of us if you hadn’t. You had no choice.”

“I hate this place. Why the hell are we even here? We can’t help any of these people. I just want to go home.”

“So do I, but we’re here and have to deal with it. You were wonderful, Sal. You saved my life, and from an even worse fate at his hands. He and his friends would have…” Her tears began to flow as the horror of the attack overwhelmed her.

Sal looked at her battered and bruising face, her tears running red with the blood from her wounds. “Of course, Alice. I’m sorry you had to go through that.” He retrieved Goldtooth’s huge flannel shirt from the ground and draped it over her shoulders. The long shirt hung to her knees, covering her better than her ripped clothing. She continued weeping, hugging Sal tightly. Feeling her tremble, he returned her embrace to calm her. “It’s okay now, Alice. It’s over.”

“I’m glad you killed him,” she sobbed. “He deserved it.”

Sal bent over Goldtooth and pulled the knife from his chest, releasing a flood of fresh blood. He wiped the blade on Goldtooth’s pant leg, and stuck it into his belt. “We should go now if you can. Yonah is waiting for us. We still have to deal with the rest of them and release the others. We have to be quiet.”