A few small-time bandits were no match for Arthur and Hosea.

  In fact, just as Stephen was about to draw his gun to help, Arthur had already drawn his.

  In a blink, Arthur pulled out his Schofield Revolver, so fast that even Stephen couldn't see it clearly.

  By the time the gunshots rang out, Arthur had already blown the brains out of the two idiots in front of him.

  But Stephen's concern wasn't for the bandits or Arthur, but for Mrs. Sadie.

  Just now, the instant Arthur moved, Mrs. Sadie let out a yell and charged forward with her gun.

  This scared the hell out of Stephen, who immediately followed her, gun in hand, afraid she'd get hurt.

  Mrs. Sadie was too reckless. Those bandits weren't dummies.

  The remaining bandits immediately returned fire, bullets whizzing past her.

  But she showed no fear, recklessly charging forward to fight them.

  Stephen clearly saw her drop one bandit with her rifle, then pull out her knife and stab another.

  Luckily, these guys weren't pros. Surrounded by Arthur, Stephen, and Mrs. Sadie, they were quickly wiped out.

  "Mrs. Sadie, you're too impulsive," Stephen said to Mrs. Sadie, who was covered in blood, once the fight was over.

  She had just stabbed a bandit in the gut, and the blood had splattered all over her.

  She wiped the blood from her face, glaring at Stephen. "I want to avenge Mr. Yake myself, so I won't die until I do."

  Stephen's fears were confirmed...

  When someone is consumed by revenge, it will destroy them.

  He suddenly didn't know what to do.

  Was this Mrs. Sadie, consumed by revenge, really better than the depressed one before? Stephen started to worry.

  "We were wondering how to haul all this game back, and someone sends us a wagon," Arthur said, chuckling, looking at the beat-up wagon.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  "Wooo..." A strange noise came from the back of the wagon.

  Curious, Arthur pulled back the tarp, revealing a man tied up in the back.

  "Looks like a robbed fella. Maybe we should let him go," Hosea said, cutting the ropes with his knife.

  "Thank you, thank you so much!" the man said to them, relieved.

  The man looked young, maybe in his early twenties, and wasn't bad-looking.

  "You're safe now, sir," Hosea said with a smile, looking like a kind old man.

  "Who were these people?" Arthur asked, looking at the bodies on the ground. "They look like savages." They were wearing rags, and their weapons were rusty axes and knives.

  Two of them even had rusty axes and knives.

  "I... I don't know, but they said they were the Murfree Brood," the man said, terrified. "Oh, God, my wife, my children, they took them all!"

  The man panicked, shouting, "Please, save them! I can't lose them!"

  "Calm down, sir, calm down," Hosea said, patting the man on the shoulder and handing him a water skin. "Have some water. Tell us what happened."

  The man gulped down a big mouthful, then said shakily, "We came from the East, on a ship to Saint Denis."

  "The company sent me to work in Annesburg. I brought my family, my children..."

  Another poor soul, Stephen thought, shaking his head. He had nothing to say about this messed up world.

  "Maybe we should help him," Hosea said, looking at Arthur and Stephen. "Does anyone know what this Murfree Brood is?"

  Stephen slowly said, "I know they're a bunch of cannibals, but I don't know where they hide. We'd have to ask around."

  "Cannibals?!" The man almost fainted at the news.

  Arthur quickly helped the poor man up, patting him on the back.

  "I bet you know where to ask," Hosea said, seeming intent on helping the man.

  Stephen nodded. "Yeah, Annesburg isn't far. We could ask at the black market to find those guys."

  He looked at Arthur and Hosea. "Should we all go? What about the game?"

  "No, I'll go with you," Arthur said. "They are just small theives."

  "Hosea, Mrs. Sadie, take our game back to Camp. Stephen and I will take this man."

  Hosea and Stephen agreed; it was a task better suited for them than for Hosea and Mrs. Sadie.

  Mrs. Sadie, however, disagreed. She said, "I can fight. Don't treat me like someone who needs protecting."

  It was clear from her expression that she was unhappy.

  "But old Hosea needs someone to watch him," Hosea said with a smile. "You don't want me driving that wagon all that way by myself, do you?"

  "It's dangerous on the road. Who knows what other bandits might be lurking? You have to protect me."

  "Mrs. Sadie, you should take Hosea back," Stephen said. "Those guys are small fries. Arthur and I can handle it."

  Seeing them so insistent, Mrs. Sadie reluctantly agreed, then sulkily went to pack up.

  Stephen looked at her with concern.

  Hosea came up to him and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry. I like to think I have a way with words. Let me talk to her."

  "Thanks," Stephen said gratefully. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

  "You're welcome. We're friends, aren't we?" Hosea smiled, then climbed onto the wagon and headed toward the lake.

  "Let's get going. Leave these two to it," Stephen said to the man and Arthur.

  He whistled, and his horse, Little White, came running from the lake.

  "First, we'll go to Annesburg and find out where they're hiding, then decide what to do."