Making his way along an old deer path, Willy finally made his way home. He ran to the main house, yelling as he went. Everyone came out of their cabins, rubbing sleep out of their eyes. Henry left Mary and went up to the house, he was followed by Victor, Ben, Carl and Charlie. Upon reaching the house, they heard of the eight hooded men who were chasing them.
Theo ran back into the house and called for Drake to stay with the women. He grabbed his colt and several old muskets and ran back out to the porch, handing the men the guns. Tall Tom was there and Theo told him to watch out for the other two young men. They mounted the horses bareback, and tore off down the darken road, still in their night clothes. They went to the fork in the road and split up, riding around looking for the two missing men. They met back sometime later still unable to find them. They headed west and then east, they backtracked and headed north. In the distance they saw torches and kicked their horses to full speed.
Theo nearly fell from his horse at the sight that greeted the men. Charlie and Carl’s agonizing scream rented the air, raising the hackles on Henry, Ben, Victor and Theo. Before them was an abomination to human kind. Henry leaned over and vomited, tears of rage flowing from him. Carl fell from his horse and crawled to his son, Thomas. Thomas was tied to a tree, a rough rope bound him by the neck and arms, cutting deeply into the flesh. His tongue protruded from his mouth grotesquely. The eyeballs had been cut from his head. His torso was covered with knife wounds, the skin nearly filleted from his body. His manhood had been completely removed and his life blood puddle before him.
Carl pulled at the rope helplessly, screaming his son’s name, vomiting and crying as he pulled. His hands becoming raw as they grazed the tree. Theo staggered over with a knife and cut the bindings from the tree. Thomas’ body fell into his father’s arms, lifeless and still. Theo went to help Charlie who was cradling his son’s head. Teddy was still alive, his soft moans blended with his father’s cries.
The hooded men had gutted Teddy, pulling his innards out and hung them on the tree he was tied to. He too had been castrated and blinded though he didn’t have a rope around his neck, they had bound his hands and feet to the tree. Charlie eased his son to the ground, his voice soft and gentle. He kissed his boy telling him that his daddy was there. Teddy managed to ask about Willy and his father quickly assured him that Willy was safe. Theo crouched near Teddy and asked him if he recognized any of the men who had done this to them. Teddy spoke three names before he died. Charlie sending up a blood curdling howl, as he watched the life drain from his son. He held the young man, rocking him and chanting his name over and over.
All the men stood silently, their tears falling like rain. Theo looked up into Henry’s dark eyes. Henry nodded, they would find the men who did this and they would make retributions. The law would not help them, they could not prove it. Even if they could, Theo knew the sheriff would turn a blind eye, his son-in-law, Red Porter, was one of the culprits. Byron Grover’s boy, Jimmy and Johnny Rutledge were the other two Teddy had named.
Henry lifted each young man to his father’s arms and they road back to the farm silently, each in his own thoughts. When they reached the property, Carl and Charlie stopped, they didn’t want their wives to see the boys so mutilated. Victor went to the barn and fetched several shovels to dig two graves. Near dawn the grizzly task was complete, the men walking back up to the house. Mary Beth had fixed a pot of coffee and poured each man a steaming cup. She didn’t know that her brother was dead yet. The men looked tired and worn and the worse was yet to come. The mothers had not heard the news of their sons, but they soon would. Victor took Mary Beth back to their home; he would tell her there.
Ellen was the first up to the house, Mary could not keep her in the cabin any longer. A primal scream rented the morning air, spurring Jane to quicken her pace. When she walked into the study, she saw Ellen prostrate on the floor. Her eyes going to Charlie, hope dying in her liquid brown eyes. A wavering denial was pulled from her throat, she sat down hard in a nearby chair. She asked where her sons were and Charlie could not bring himself to tell her. Theo cleared his throat and told her that the Thomas wasn’t presentable and that they thought it best he was laid to rest quickly. She was told that Willy was safe, but had gone into hiding. Jane didn’t ask again, she didn’t want to know, the look on her husband’s and Carl’s were enough to still her tongue.
Mary, Ida and Ginny took the women to their cabins. Sue was sent to make a sedative to give the women, she
