Sinter's Cross, Part II

...A warrior shrieked, pitched sideways, bled when he hit the ground, the Apache spurred their horses, looking to flank around. But John expected such a thig, he looked right and saw one, the Indian jerked violently, bullet through his eardrum. Just them a blast slammed into John, a round shot from behind, he rolled to see a man on foot, swung his pistol inline. At the same moment they fired, John’s shot caught the man’s head, the Indian’s broke Sinter’s ribs, his vest covered in red. The leader of the band stalked up, face a mask of hot rage, John lay there, seeing death draw close, half-paralyzed with pain. The man took out a tomahawk, swing it hard at John’s skull, Sinter jerked his head to the side and felt the impact dulled. His head was grazed, the skin was gone, but he was still alive, with fading strength he drew his knife and plunged it in the man’s thigh. A red plume poured out from the wound, he’d slashed the artery, the last two let loose with their guns, Jake met eternity. Now this all may sound impressive, a defiant last stand, not something you might expect from an untrained farming man, but John did not go down fighting for anything like that, John rushed in and went down swinging in order to distract, to buy his wife some time to hide, for she was with child, to save the both from being slain, or something more vile. She ran and hid beneath that bluff, where it juts, overhangs, popping up jus to take quick breaths as her foes search the land. But having lost so many friends, the last two stayed not long, and she emerged to destruction, seeing what had gone on. She found the camp torn up, of course, she found her husband’s corpse, and in tears dragged him from the camp to the bluff on the shore. With no real strength to dig a grave she piled river rocks, with two sticks she managed to make a rude but steady cross. She carved his last name with a knife, quite crude, but plain to see, then finally set out upon her own trying journey. Eleven miles, all on foot, to reach the nearest ranch, when the cowhands saw her rough state even the men did blanch. Riders went out to fetch the troops, posses were also formed, it wasn’t but a week until those rocky peaks were stormed. Within three days the two were found, in a lopsided fight they were cut down and sent to join John in that final night.... CONCLUDES IN PART III.