Cha'Nara's Gift

Chapter 30

Chapter 30 Deakstown Redemption

Emily Continues

I looked at Annie who seemed determined to "save" this girl, "Emily" she said, "let me talk to her, I'm sure I can convince her to come with us." It occurred to me that Annie was trying to do for "The Wren" what I was trying to do for Annie and the others as well, both of us were seeking redemption for our lives, or that's what we were telling ourselves anyway. Annie's grit and determination had impressed me greatly, "All right Annie, but I'm not going to let you do this on your own. Here's the deal, we do this together, we make a pact right here right now, we do whatever it takes to put "The Wren" through college in the 21st century, we see to it she makes something of her life, for her, for us, for all the women forced to live short brutal lives working for the Binford's of the world." Annie looked at me tears streaming down her face; she reached out and hugged me tightly. "Emily you are an absolute saint, Yes! Together we will do this, just let me talk with her, I'll get the others to speak to her as well." I suddenly had a thought, "Annie, speaking of "others" introduce her to Cha'Nara, ask her to perform one of her little "mind melds." Cha'Nara has an ability to enter a person's mind and help them to sort things out, probably can do a lot of other things as well, but she'll be able to talk to this girl, and help her sort things out."

Since our return, I had started school again, teaching the women basic educational skills. I also taught the Stillwater's son Ted, as well as Ned's son Hardy. At first, the Stillwater's balked at having a "madam" teach their son, but I invited them to attend my "classroom." My office was a bit crowded but I convinced them my "girls" were always on their best behavior, always fully dressed and absolutely no foul language. As far as Ned's son went, once things were explained to him, he really didn't care, Ned was just glad to see his son get an education. Three hours a day six days a week, I taught class. Soon we would have another pupil, Annie and I saw "The Wren" as our "project" "The Wren" was to be our redemption.

Later that day Annie took "the Wren" up to see Cha'Nara, since she understood neither the usage or reason for it we dropped "The" from "the Wren" and simply called her Wren. She was a bit horrified at Cha'Nara at first, but Ben joined in on things and together the three of them came to a sort of youthful understanding. Cha'Nara performed her little "Mind Meld" on Wren leaving her with the usual headache.

Cha'Nara liked the girl and told me later the torment she saw in this poor girls mind made her cry. She performed another meld on Wren's mind two days later, giving Wren the same ability I had to converse with Cha'Nara without speaking, telepathically. Annie and Cha'Nara spent a great deal of time with Wren exorcising her demons and getting her to see "the light" It was at this point when Wren was back to full health and clarity of mind when Binford paid us a visit.

Wren saw him first, bursting into my office in terror. "He's here to take me back, please! don't let him take me back." I grabbed my Armalite and took Wren to Cha'Nara's room, where she and Ben were looking at pictures. "Cha'Nara, Ben, take Wren here and sneak out the rear door, hide in the woods, Ben, kill anybody that comes for her." The three of them ran out the back door into the nearby woods. I charged the rifle and went out to meet Binford. A bull necked swarthy Irishman a nasty expression on his face stood in the middle of the saloon two of his thugs stood next to him. The "girls" were hiding, they knew what I was capable of, I held my short-barreled Armalite in my right hand ready for instant use.

"I believe you have something of mine!" he growled. "If you're talking about Wren she doesn't "belong" to anyone, she's under my protection, turn your ass around and head back to the gulch, nothing for you here." Binford and his men kept looking at my Armalite. Thanks to Deak's tinkering, it was a wicked looking thing. Knowing what was coming, I flicked on the laser, "I'm only gonna ask one more time b***h, I want my girl back!" I swung the rifle up, the laser beam playing across the men's chests. "Leave now Binford, leave now or die, you're way in over your head."

This was it, strangely, I wasn't scared, I was angry, angry as hell! The men didn't understand what the red light was, they were about to find out. Binford started to turn, that's when I saw hands start to move towards their guns, I opened fire squeezing the trigger as fast as I could. I shot left to right, the man on the left caught a round in the chest, Binford turned and ran but a shotgun blast caught him full in the gut, I just kept firing catching the second thug in the stomach then again in the head, I fired until all twenty rounds were gone. I was so pumped on adrenalin and focused attention I didn't even notice the incredible noise. It took me a second or two to realize I was out of ammunition, "Cease fire! Cease-fire! Screamed Deak. I just stood there in shock not comprehending what I had just done. Deak stepped around the entrance, moving quickly up to me carefully removing the rifle from my grasp. I was now aware of others moving down the stairs and behind me. "Fun's over babe," Deak guided me to a nearby chair and sat me down, "Holy f**k! You sure did a job on these guys, but you remembered, aimed accurate and sustained fire, you're training really kicked in there Marine I'm proud of you." My ears were still ringing from the gunfire so I really didn't hear what Deak said I just stared at the three dead bodies lying mangled on the floor, pools of blood forming underneath them.

I don't know how long I sat there my mind in a total blank, I was aware of people talking, I saw sheriff James talking to Deak he was saying something to me but I couldn't hear him. I became aware of Wren Cha'Nara and Ben standing there, Annie and the other girls talking to James and Deak. Finally he came to me and gently pulled me out on the chair, as we walked past the c*****e on the floor, I looked down and suddenly vomited all over the floor, everything came up, my knees started to buckle, Deak picked me up and carried me to our bedroom in the back of the hotel. I vaguely remember somebody giving me a pill and water then nothing. When I awoke the room was dark, I could hear Deak's breathing next to me I looked up and saw Binford standing there holding Wren in front of him, an evil smile on his face, in slow motion he produced a knife and proceeded to slit Wren's throat, blood gushed all over, I began to scream.

"Emily! Emily! Wake up, wake up babe! You're having a nightmare!" I woke to someone shaking me it was Deak, suddenly Cha'Nara was next to the bed, she grabbed my head and pressed her forehead to mine. I felt like I was floating in a black void, for some reason I felt at peace, totally relaxed, like I was high or something, I imagined voices speaking to me, soothing sweet voices I felt myself completely relax, I felt my eyes open and I seemed to be standing on some pinnacle, beautiful images and smells filled my senses I had no words, the beauty surrounding me made my spirit rise, the last thing I remember was a total feeling of peace and contentment. Slowly I opened my eyes, the room was visible so it must me daytime, Cha'Nara and Deak were standing next to my bed, "She's waking up!" As my eyes focused, I saw Annie, Rachel Sarah Wren and Jenny smiling down at me. "W-w-w-hat's all this? Why is everybody in my bedroom?" Deak knelt down next to me, "Babe, you had a total breakdown, do you remember what happened?" I looked at Wren and began to cry, "I saw Binford slit you're throat, Oh my God! You're alive!" Wren reached over and hugged me, "S-s-s-h-h-h, everything's fine, I'm all right, Binford's dead, thank you for saving my life Emily, Thank-you so much!" Annie bent next to me and said, "You rest some more Emily, what you did was incredible, we have been praying for you all night, Cha'Nara here, pulled you back, you just rest now, we'll talk some more later, C'mon ladies, Emily needs rest. With that, they left, leaving only Deak and Cha'Nara.

I smiled weakly at Deak and Cha'Nara, I held out my hand to Cha'Nara "Thank you Cha'Nara, I don't know what you did but you saved me, I felt myself falling into blackness, but then you stopped it, come here," Cha'Nara smiled in her special way and bent down to me, I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her, "I thank you as a true sister, you are so precious to us sweetie, thank you!" I kissed her on the cheek. Without saying a word, Cha'Nara conveyed to me her happiness that I was OK, and that my thanks were appreciated. "We are indeed sisters, you have a warmth I bask in, everything is better now, the one you call Wren is happy she and I talk many times, she and I are now sisters as well, rest now, we will speak again later."

Deak Picks Up the Story

I was walking up the street when Jenny came running up to me, "Emily's in serious trouble, Binford and two of his men are here to get Wren back, they're in the saloon right now!" I told her to go get James, I ran to "Hanger 51" and got my shotgun, I no sooner stepped on the saloon porch when Emily opened up with her Armalite, a man started to come out the door when I shot him in the gut, his belly blew all over the porch, Emily was going through the whole magazine, I screamed "Cease fire, Cease fire!" When I was sure she was empty I took a peak, two men were completely shot to s**t all upper body shots they weren't going anywhere. Emily just stood there holding her rifle, from the way she fired, and her position, she just let her Marine training take over, aimed, sustained, and accurate fire. It looked like a slaughterhouse floor, blood everywhere; those 5.56's make a hellva mess. Emily was in shock the noise and rush of adrenalin pushed her into it, from previous encounters, I knew she was prime for a total breakdown. Seeing the bodies, flipped her completely, we got her to bed, I gave her a sedative, which seemed to work, until she woke up screaming around 2:00am. Pip came to the rescue and did her "thing" saving Emily from total collapse.

Emily sure has one hellva crew, those girls maintained a vigil all night long, I finally collapsed from sheer exhaustion on the bed around 1:30am only to wake to Emily's screaming. We thought she was into a total collapse at that point. Between Pip's efforts and the "girls" Emily owes her life. I was scared to death I was losing her getting down on my knees and praying to God. All the women prayed with me, It's something I don't want to admit, even to myself, but at that point, I almost lost everything myself. Certainly, Annie and the others saw a side of me I'm ashamed to admit I have.

Cha'Nara's efforts permitted Emily's mind to stabilize, the worst was over, for the next three days we made her rest, her crew treated her like a queen, she's given so much of herself to them, they felt badly they couldn't do more. Wren and Cha'Nara became an amazing team; I think it was around this time that I first heard that Wren was also coming with us when we headed home for the last time. I never said anything to Emily and I suppose this admission is the first she's ever heard of this, but once word got out, her notoriety became well known, I would hear things and her "girls" would pass bits of information to me concerning things they would hear as well, but she became a real "unsung" hero to all the working girls in the area, doors "opened" to her that I don't think she was aware of. It was because of her bravery and what she did for Wren that allowed me to hear "things" and in the end, be ready for "the Killing Floor" a term Annie, Emily, Wren and I use for a day we wish we could forget. On the flip side of the coin, I also received information concerning a juicy strike I was partially aware of from the data we dug up at the Denver library.

For about two weeks after Emily's recovery, her "girls" "screened" every visitor, it was worse than trying to see the president. Cha'Nara and I were the only ones who could walk right in. When I was sure, Emily was her old self again, I decided to follow up on the information concerning the gold strike, Ben and I would go, the fewer people who knew the better. This time we would be taking plenty of MRE's moving fast, plenty of bags and pouches for the "loot" Sarah was the one who "entertained" the prospector who spilled the beans; I promised her a generous cut for her efforts.

Ben and I decided to leave on a Tuesday morning, that night Emily and I made love, I left a very contented wife, with the promise I would return in one piece, Annie Cha'Nara Wren and the others swore to me Emily would be safe, Ben and I hauled out of Deakstown around 5:00am on a blustery Tuesday morning.