The Trail To Paradise

Bump In The Night

An hour before sunrise, Junior woke with a start. Had he been having a bad dream? A glass of water seemed to be what he needed. Climbing out of the wagon, he went for the bucket. Looking over, he noticed the man was gone, though there was a shadow dancing through the moon's beams and Junior decided to investigate. He knew that curiosity killed the cat, but the itch for adventure was too great a pull to be ignored.

Moving slowly in the direction he had seen the shadow project from, he attempted to quietly follow. After wandering out a bit, he stopped to look around. Had it been his imagination?

Suddenly a man came towards him out of the shadows. "Well what have we here?" The man seemed amused, "It appears to be a lost child. Did you lose your mommy young man?"

Junior froze. He had never encountered a stranger before and had no clue what to do. The man walked closer as if to grab him, but pulled up short when he heard the familiar click of a piece of iron at the back of his head. It was the stranger.

"Tad! He's over here!" The call into the night was quiet but hinted at urgency.

Tad was there in a blink. "I knew there was someone skulking around. Mister, you're depriving me of my beauty sleep. What's your business here in the middle of the night? You better hope we like your answer. "

"Easy fellas. Let's not be too hasty. My name's Tim Grainger. I was part of a caravan that was trying to make it through the open plains. We were ambushed by Hunters. I had fallen into a hole as I was trying to escape. I caught my head on a rock, and was knocked out. By the time I woke up, everyone was gone. They left our wagons, but took all the horses. I held off a few days, but there was no shelter to be had. I saw these mountains in the distance and walked this way. It took me days to get here. I was sneaking through the trees when I ran into this young man over here,” he nodded towards Junior, "And then you fine gentlemen wandered upon me as well."

Tad and Nameless traded looks as Tad asked, "Who was your caravan leader? Keep in mind I know most of them."

"It was Liam Thatcher. He ran the route out of Beaver Springs. My farm used to be outside the town's boundaries."

"Well, you know your facts, mister. That's all undeniably true, but it seems to me that a man traveling with his family might've been trying to get them back. Not sneaking around at night."

"I heard horses. I was going to liberate one of these said horses so I could continue without having to walk." He flashed an out of place smile at Tad, while waiting for a decision.

"I don't trust him, Tad,” the original stranger said while shaking his head as Junior looked on. “You know damn well farmers don't just walk away from their families. He should've been looking for them."

"I know. You're not wrong, but I can't just cut him loose or kill him without proof." Tad focused back on Tim. "Well Mr. Granger, this is your lucky day. I'm not ready to put a man six feet under without provocation. I can't exactly let you run free right now. If you're willing to stay with us for the time being, I'll get you wherever you need when I get these people to safety."

"Well sir, that sounds like a fair trade considering the alternatives. I reckon we have a deal."

"Alright. You go with my friend here and he'll show you where to stay for now. We might even try to salvage your wagon on the way through. Let's just move on, all nice and quiet."

Nameless put his gun away. Junior wasn't sure what else to call him, but he led that Tim guy back to camp. Before Junior could begin heading back himself, Tad stopped dead in his tracks.

"Alright, Junior!” Tad exclaimed, “You wanna tell me what in the hell you're doing out here?? You could've been hurt. There'd have been no consoling your Ma or Pa if you disappeared. You have to stick to the rules, son. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir..." Junior couldn't make eye contact with him.

"Well let's get you back before you're missed. Can you keep this a secret? I don't want to scare everyone. Some will call it a bad sign that we found this guy out here. Once I figure out what to do with him, I'll let everyone know. Sound good?"

"Yes, sir. I didn't see a thing!"

Seemingly satisfied, Tad started back to camp with Junior in tow . By the time they got back, the other two men were talking quietly around the campfire. They seemed to be bedding down to get in a little sleep.

Tad walked closer to Junior and spoke softly. "Don't worry, lad. Grant may look like he's asleep, but there's no one more aware of things than he is. He's saved my life quite a few times. It's almost unnatural. Damn! I just realized I said his name. Do me a favor and pretend you didn't hear that. He might stop helping me if he thinks I've grown so loose-lipped. He prefers to stay anonymous in all his adventures. Says he's no hero, but I'm a hundred times more confident with him around. You best get to bed before your folks start stirring. Still a couple hours left before we need to get moving. Try to rest."

Uncertain how anyone could rest after something like this, Junior nodded. Though, looking over toward Grant and Tim, he shook his head. They obviously had no issues with it, because they already seemed to be sleeping. Glancing back toward Tad, Junior saw he was headed for his own wagon. Was this trip more dangerous than they knew? Plans were circling in Junior's head as he laid back down. He was determined to learn all he could about everything.

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When Tad started getting the caravan ready to move at sunrise, it did not take long to notice the new edition addition. Tim was very cordial to everyone, but they seemed to be more suspicious of Grant as his shadow. The stranger NEVER interacted with the families. After a few moments, they didn't even worry about Tim. He was peculiar, for sure, but in their eyes, he was just another farmer trying to escape subjugation.

As unsettling as the sight was, they continued to prepare for departure. Tad had wandered outside the camp to check to make sure they were clear before giving the order to move out. Running into a party of Hunters was not his preferred breakfast.

Looking out of the copse, everything seemed to be clear. He started to turn when he thought he heard horses. Things were getting interesting. Barely visible, was what looked to be another caravan appeared. Tad wasn't fooled. This particular caravan was headed towards his own. They looked like they would miss them, but Tad ran to get Grant, slowing to a walk as he got back. He knew the other man to be the better scout, and he would need to keep the people calm to avoid detection. In a whisper, he told Grant what he had seen, then took over guarding Tim.

Tim was far too observant. "I'm guessing you found some trouble out there? I'd hate to play cards with you. That poker face is the best I've ever seen."

"What makes you assume there's a problem? I'm not much of a hunter. My friend can walk quietly enough to slit a deer's throat without being seen. He's like a ghost when it calls for it. I'm willing to admit that his skills surpass mine. Pride doesn't keep people alive."

Tim smiled in response. "An amazing poker face for sure."

Tad motioned for the people in sight to come in closer. He'd have to keep them calm.