Joe moaned as she came to on the damp mud covered floor. Her head was swimming and her stomach was knotted with nausea but she quickly pushed that away and sat up in a rush as her eyes flew open and she looked around the dimly lit cellar in a panic for her son.

                “Calm down, mama.” Clayton’s voice came from behind her. Joe tried to move but her hands were tied tight behind her back and her ankles were tied in front of her. “Mama, quit movin’ ‘fore I cut yer hands off!” Clayton grumbled and Joe stilled.

                She looked over her shoulder and felt a tangled, jumbled ball of emotions all slam into her heart at once. Relief, fear, desperation, rage…… A lethal combination which would end with Bear and Scarlett dead if Joe was given half the chance.

                Then she realized that Clayton was doing something with the ropes around her wrists. He had his tongue out and held tight between his teeth, his forehead was scrunched and his eyes were focused with concentration.

                Suddenly her wrists came free and Joe quickly pulled her arms around her, tugged off the remaining rope and then turned and pulled Clayton into her arms.

                “God, Cowpoke, ya ain’t got no idea how much yer damned mama missed you.”  She gasped as she squeezed him with everything she had. He let out a whimper of pain and she released her hold and frowned.

                “I probably have a idea, mama.” He replied with a forced smile.

                “How bad are ya hurt, Cowpoke?”

                Clayton shifted and tossed a piece of broke glass aside. “Just my ribs hurt a little bit.” He replied with a shrug. “Bear kicked me.”

                “That stupid cow humpin’ bastard. I’ll take care of him.” Joe ground out as she quickly undid the rope around her ankles. Her stomach clenched tightly as her head filled with a pulsing throb and her vision went blurry.

                Joe closed her eyes and breathed deep to combat the waves of pain and nausea and she felt Clayton’s hand rubbing her back comfortingly. Joe opened her eyes and smiled at him.

                “Don’t worry, mama. I got his fat backside back fer it.” Joe remembered the lump on Bear’s head and nodded.

                “Where are we?” she asked, glancing around again at the empty cellar they were currently sitting in. Nothing but empty crates and glass jars. Several oil lamps cast glows over the cellar and created dark shadowed corners.

                “Cellar. I was locked down here earlier. I had some broken glass stored ‘neath a crate and that’s how I cut my hands free and then got your’n.”

                “That’s a good boy.” Joe said with pride. Clayton beamed.

                “Pa was teachin’ me how to find things around me and use ‘em…..” Clayton stopped talking then and his face became sad. “Where is pa?”

                Joe swallowed hard, forcing herself to remain strong for her son. “I don’t know, Clayton. He’s around somewhere gettin’ the bad men.”

                “Is he gonna get us out of here?”

                “We’re gonna try to get out of here ourselves so we can help him.” Joe replied. She pushed herself to her feet and then grabbed the wall next to her to keep from falling back down. Bear had obviously kicked her head real hard.

                “Mama, did Uncle Bart really die?”

                “Yes, Cowpoke, he did.” Joe replied, her heart hurting. It was one thing to be angry at the man and never want to see him again but quite another to actually watch a bullet take his life.

                “You look funny, mama. What’d ya do to yer hair?”

                “I dyed it to fool Scarlett.” She replied, as she walked slowly across the cellar and picked up a smaller crate.

                “Ya ‘bout fooled me too! I didn’t know who ya were ‘til we was sittin at the table.”

                “How did ya figure me out?” Joe questioned.

“The way ya chew. Ya sure didn’t chew like ya talked.”

“And how was that?” Joe asked with a frown.

“Ya know… Like a lady.” Clayton replied with a shrug. Joe grumbled and shook her head before rearing back and slamming the crate against the wall hard. It broke apart and the pieces flew across the cellar.

                “That was neat, mama! I never thought to do that.” Clayton exclaimed.

                “Yer pa ain’t the only one who can teach ya things.” Joe replied. She gathered up a long sharp piece that had splintered and handed it to Clayton. “There ya go.” She said and then she found a longer, flatter piece for herself.

                She went to the shards of glass her son had stored, cursed as she wished that she had some gloves, and then picked up a sharp piece and drove it into the widest end of the board. She quickly found another piece of glass and drove it in as well, ignoring the blood and pain as the glass cut into her own hands.

                “I never thought of doin’ that either.” Clayton mumbled.

                Joe continued putting glass in her board. “Where did Scarlett and Bear go?” she asked.

                “They’ll be back. Scarlett said somethin’ ‘bout her office and ol’ Bear Bear is her damned little lapdog so he goes wherever she goes.”

                “When we get outta here and are back home at our cabin safe and sound then you and I are gonna have to talk ‘bout your language, Cowpoke.”

                Clayton grinned guiltily. “Yes ma’am.”

                Joe looked back at her homemade weapon. The board would be easy to swing and those shards of glass were guaranteed to put one hell of a hurting on whoever she swung at.

                “Time to check the door.” She stated and Clayton shook his head.

                “It’s locked tight, mama.” He warned. Joe climbed the rickety staircase and tried the door anyway only to find that Clayton had been right.

                “Told ya so.” Clayton mumbled and Joe threw him a warning glance as she came back down the stairs. “There ain’t no other way outta here neither. I checked.”

                “I guess we’ll just have to wait fer somebody to come on down here then ain’t we?”

                Clayton nodded in agreement and the two of them crouched down on either side of the staircase, hidden in the dark shadows, and waited for whatever was going to come through that door.

                They didn’t have to wait long. Heavy footfalls neared the door and Joe saw fear on Clayton’s face. She gripped her board tighter and then nearly cried out with a mixture of relief and joy when she heard Jonah.

                “Joe! Clayton!” It was clear the man was near panic and Joe quickly stood up.

                “Jonah! We’re down here!”

                “Damn am I happy to hear that voice.” Jonah’s voice came back and Clayton smiled.

                “What ‘bout my voice, pa?’

                “I’m damned glad to hear it too.”

                The door shook as Jonah tried to open it and then he cursed loudly. “Y’all get back. I’m gonna have to shoot the lock.”

                Joe raced to Clayton and held him tight against her, covering his ears as a gunshot sounded and the door came open with a splintering of wood.  

                Jonah came racing down the stairs, leaping over the fallen door and he swept Joe up into his arms so quickly and with so much force that it completely stole her breath, but she didn’t care. She dropped her homemade weapon and held him right back, shuddering against him as she fought back a sob.

                “Shhh…” he cooed into her ear as he cradled the back of her head with his hand. “It’s alright now, Josephine.”

                Joe forced herself to pull away from the warmth and comfort of Jonah’s arms and she squared her shoulders.

                “Took ya long enough.” She muttered.

                “Sorry about that, honey.” He said as he reached out and caressed her cheek. “There were quite a few folks that didn’t want me in here and I had to take care of them first.”

                “Howdy, pa.” Clayton spoke up and Jonah smiled so big that Joe worried his face would split. That face….. Handsome, rugged, covered in dirt, ash and blood. Clayton ran into Jonah’s arms and Jonah scooped him up and hugged him tight. It was then that Joe noticed the blood on Jonah’s arm and more on his side and leg.

                “You’re hurt!” she accused and Jonah shrugged and he propped Clayton on his hip.

                “Scratches.” He assured her. “I’m just fine.”

                “How is it up there?” Joe asked, wondering just how many guards were left. She could hear faint gunfire but it sounded like it was far away. Mostly she smelled smoke and she realized that since the door had opened the cellar was becoming a little smoky as well.

                “There a pretty good fire burning in the dining room, but it’s having trouble spreading too much because most everything here is stone….. The dining room’s a mess.” Jonah added with a shiver. “What the hell happened?”

                “Dynamite.” Joe replied, forcing her eyes to stay open because if she closed them she knew she would see Sheriff Phillip’s running to his death. “But we’ll talk about it later.” She added, glancing  at Clayton. Jonah nodded.

                “The Sheriff and Bart?” he asked.

                “Dead pa.” Clayton replied sadly and Jonah squeezed him tighter. Joe saw pain enter Jonah’s eyes but he didn’t say a word.  

                “Reb?” Joe questioned and Jonah tipped his head toward the staircase.

                “Outside keeping what few guards are left from coming in here.”  Joe nodded, that must be the faint gunfire she could hear.

                “Scarlett and Bear?” Jonah growled and Joe shrugged.

                “Clayton said Scarlett said something about her office and he assumed Bear followed her.”  Jonah’s fingers traced the lump on the side of her head and he raised his brow.

                “Who did that to you?”

                “Bear Bear did, pa. He’s a big bastard. Likes to hit people.” Jonah looked at Clayton and Joe knew he was taking stock of the boy’s injuries. Clayton laid his hand over his ribs. “Likes to kick ‘em too.” He added.

                Joe saw something settle over Jonah then. A calm quiet that made even her uneasy. He looked deadly and dangerous.

                Jonah sat Clayton down on his feet and nudged him toward Joe. Then Jonah handed Joe his .45 and Clayton his .38.

                “Y’all are gonna get your asses on out of here.” He said as he picked up the carbine that he’d tossed down before taking Joe into his arms.

                “What ‘bout you?” Clayton asked and Jonah shook his head.

                “I’m going to find Scarlett and Bear.”

                “Are ya gonna kill ‘em pa?”

                Jonah nodded slowly. “Yes.”      

                “We’re coming with you Jonah.” Joe argued and Jonah opened his mouth to argue but she stopped him by pressing her fingers to his lips. “We’ve been apart enough. No more. We’re doing the rest of this together. Partners. A family.”

                “The family that slays together stays together.” Came Reb’s voice from above them.  Joe looked up at Reb and saw the blood covering his side as he stood there gingerly at the top of the steps. He noticed her gaze and adjusted his eye patch with a grin.

                “It ain’t as bad as it looks, Joe. I’ve had worse.”

                “You sure it’s alright?” Jonah questioned with concern and Reb snorted.

                “Yer shot three times and yer worried ‘bout my one!?” he scoffed. “It’s just fine. It missed all the important stuff.” He shrugged. “It mighta hit my liver but the damn whiskey done had that thing all shriveled up.”

                Joe found herself laughing though she suspected it was more from stress than anything else. She just wanted all this over. She wanted to be back at their little cabin with Clayton cursing at Chief because the pony wouldn’t lay down on command and Jonah teasing the boy about it with every breath.

              Jonah’s next question toward Reb broke Joe from her daydreams. “Guards?”

                “Dead.” Reb replied and then he chuckled. “And the other folks that Scarlett has here are all holed up in the kitchens and say they don’t want no part of none of this…. I was kinda disappointed really. I still got three sticks of dynamite and I ain’t got nobody to chuck ‘em at.”

                Clayton giggled but then he sobered up and blinked up at Reb sadly. “Uncle Bart died.”

                Joe saw that same pain on Reb’s face that had been on Jonah’s but, like Jonah, Reb said nothing in response to the news.

                “Well let’s get you out of here, Clayton.” Jonah said. “Reb get him back to the horses and wait on Joe and I. We got a couple more folks to find.”

                Joe saw Reb give she and Clayton a good once over and the man nodded. “I’d say you do.”

                “I ain’t goin’ with Uncle Reb!” Clayton argued loudly. “I wanna stay with you!”

                Joe shook her head. “Clayton it’d be better if ya went on with Uncle Reb now. Yer ma and pa are gonna make sure Scarlett and Bear pay fer what they did to you but we don’t’ wanna have to worry ‘bout you while we do it.”

                “But I’m tough!” Clayton insisted. “Hell ya saw them cuts on Bear and that big ol’ lump on his head. How ya reckon he got those? It was me!”

                “And I’m damn proud of how tough you are.” Jonah said as he crouched to be more on Clayton’s level. “But I’m your pa and it’s my job to do what I have to to make sure you stay safe. This place is on fire and there are people here who want you dead. Now what kind of pa would I be if I let you stay?”

                Clayton plastered a big grin on his face. “The best kind!”

                Jonah raised a brow as his lips jerked. Clayton sighed and kicked at the ground. “Not a very good one, I reckon.”  Clayton turned and headed up the stairs with the gun in one hand and his splintered piece of wood in the other.

                “Come on, Uncle Reb. Let’s get ya back to the horses ‘fore ya bleed to death.”

                Joe shook her head and watched Reb and her son move out of sight.

                “Alright, Joe, you ready? We got some walking dead folks to find.”