Zach IV

Death wasn't always so easy for Zach, there were times...

On The Trail

"The heat from the floor was worse, it felt like my flesh was searing off but I couldn't get up or stop the dream from playin out. I had me a friend once by the name of Billy, quiet, good-natured and handy in anything we put our hands to. We did a bank job once and the getaway didn't go too well. The word got out and Billy got shot headin out of town. He kept to his horse and we made good time then his horse went lame. We doubled up and kept on. He was losin a lot of blood, we had to find somewhere to fix him up soon. When I saw the lights of the posse I said, 'The posse's gonna catch up to us soon, Billy.' He groaned, 'Don't leave me, Zach.' I told him I had to. He got real quiet while I looked for a place to hide him. We came to a stand of trees and I helped him inside. 'Keep quiet, Billy, I'll come back for you when I lose the posse.' I knew I wouldn't be back, he was dying. Billy grabbed me, 'Don't leave me, Zach.' I pulled his hand off and said, 'Stay quiet, I'll be back.' I got back on my horse and rode off leaving Billy to die alone."

"That dreamed burned worse than the floor and it burned itself into me over and over again. Then things got hotter, a new dream began."

"I was settin up another bank job, don't know why, they always seem to go sour. There was a good dude in the area by the name of Kyle and I went to see him. He was all for it but he asked me a favor, he wanted me to take his brother Vince on. I'd met Vince before and I wasn't too keen on the idea. 'He still drinkin?' I asked. 'He's been dry for a week, now. He'd do ok on lookout. He needs this, Zach, give him a chance?' He was practically begging. I took him on against my better judgment."

"Ole Vince was lookin pretty shaky by the time we got into town and I rode up beside him, 'You ok, Vince?' He was sweatin but he said he was fine. No matter, I kept my eye on him. While we were in the bank I took my attention away from Vince for a minute then I heard shooting outside. It was Vince, shootin all over for some reason, he looked plumb loco. I ran out of the bank to stop him when I saw him shoot at a woman across the street. In the lady's arms was a baby. I saw that baby's brains blown all over her white blouse. I turned to Vince and blew his brains out."

"Kyle's face was set as we rode out of town but his eyes were bleak, his brother was all he had. We split up like we planned and were going to meet up in three days to split up the money. On the night we were supposed to meet I was waitin for Kyle by the fire. When he rode up he didn't say a word, just got off his horse and came up to me. He stood starin at me with those bleak eyes for a minute then said real low, 'Don't want to do this, Zach, but I'm gonna have to kill you.' I got up, 'I understand, Kyle, I'd do the same for my brother.' He knew he was going to die and he did."

"The dream burned through me over and over. First I was me then I was Vince all loco and shooting everyone up, then I was Kyle seein his brother killed by his Pard, then I was the lady seein her baby shot for no reason, then I was that baby seein my life end before it ever got started. Over and over, hotter and hotter, then it all stopped."

Excerpt from The Godz of Earth by S.E.Estes