“Do you really think there’s a ghost?” J.D. asked, as the men prepared to set off. He and Buck were filling the canteens from a puddle that used to be Rocky Creek.

“Nah. Just an old story, Kid.”

“Josiah seemed pretty sure.”

“He was just joshin’ ya.”

“Did you make it up then?”

“Not really. The locals believe there’s a ghost. I’ve been to Peter’s Gap a lot of times and I ain’t seen her.”

“It’s a sad story.” Buck’s eyebrow arched curiously.

Back under the tree, Chris reached down and pulled Vin to his feet. Tanner held his breath for a few seconds.

Vin? “Nathan, I want you to take a look at him.”

Vin cursed quietly, but didn‘t argue. The healer raised his hand to Vin's brow and then lifted his patient's shirt to examine the wound caused by the jagged glass.

“J.D.’s worried about the Peter’s Gap ghost,” Ezra chuckled, attempting to take Vin’s mind off what was happening.

“They told him about it?” Tanner asked.

“Yes indeed. Our young Mr. Dunne swallowed the story hook, line and sinker.”

Nathan eyed Ezra. “I’ve heard there is supposed to be some truth to it.”

“Bullshit,” Vin grunted.

“Josiah believes it,” Nathan argued.

“He was just saying so to scare J.D.,” Ezra disputed.

“No he wasn’t. Josiah believes it. He told me about the ghost months ago.”

Ezra glanced back to Josiah, who was standing with the horses. “You can’t be serious?”

“Nathan?” Chris inquired as Jackson nodded for his patient to button his shirt.

The healer and gunfighter walked several paces away from Tanner.

“He’s sick. Getting what we had. Fever’s just starting, but he’s well and truly got the headache. Three hours in the rain...” Nathan was shaking his head. His friend would be chilled and no one who was getting this particular influenza could afford to be. “The wound looks like it’s becoming infected, too. As soon as we get to Peter’s Gap I can drain it, get some decent food into him and put him to bed... tie him to it if I have to! He’s gonna get wet and cold, though. Not a good combination.”

Chris nodded. He was concerned about the journey ahead too. Larabee had ridden in the sort of rain they were about to enter. Rain that was so heavy a man had to lower his face because it stung. It wasn’t going to be a comfortable ride. The ground ahead was uneven and the horses would struggle for every step in the conditions. Hypothermia would be a constant threat because they would be cold and wet and if the winds picked up, staying in the saddle would be all the harder. The earth, which rain had neglected for so many months, would transform into a mucky and slippery carpet very quickly. Chris had seen it all before. The mud would be inches thick, the solid component losing the battle against liquefying. The driving rain would reduce vision to less than six feet. The conditions would be dangerous.

Chris hated riding in such weather. He flicked his eyes to Vin. It would be a hard ride for his ill friend.

**********

“Well?” Sheriff Brewer asked as his deputy entered the room.

“No sign of the Larabee Gang, Sir.”

Brewer frowned. The town’s population had quadrupled and there were more travellers arriving every hour. It was only a matter of time before the overcrowded conditions caused trouble.

“Maybe they decided to turn back to Purgatory Hill.”

“No, not after what happened there.”

“Maybe they got caught out in it”

Sheriff Brewer scowled, watching as another group of riders entered town. Unfortunately, they were not the party he was hoping for. Brewer felt certain that Larabee and his men would come here. “We better hope they get here soon. We’re going to need them if this lot start to carry on.”

**********

The rain was torrential. It was falling not in drops, but in sheets. The day had rapidly transformed to night as the men moved under the billowing cloud form. The lone figures were the only sign of life in the area. Every other creature had sought shelter. A streak of lightning flashed across the dark sky. Thunder rumbled and the wind picked up, buffeting the group.

Ezra pulled his hat further down. The driving rain was so heavy it was actually stinging his face! Standish reached forward and rubbed his horse’s neck. It had stumbled several times, but the faithful animal continued to press on without complaint.

The group of seven was travelling in single file. The only person the gambler could make out was Josiah, who was riding directly in front of him. Larabee, Tanner and Jackson were somewhere ahead and J.D. and Buck were at the end of the line. Vin had made it very clear that they had to keep sight of the man immediately in front.

“If ya lose him, shoot twice in the air. We’ve got to stay together.”

Standish lifted his eyes briefly, trying to make out the trio ahead of Josiah. There was a blurry patch which Ezra decided must be his companions.

The wind lashed the young man, trying to force him from the saddle. Standish had never seen weather like this. He was freezing, but he'd given up trying to draw his jacket further around him. After all, he’d been drenched through to the skin after less than three minutes in the monsoon.

Abruptly, Josiah’s horse came to a stop, Ezra‘s following suit. Standish peered through the sheets of rain trying to make out what was going on. Chris took shape, riding back along the line of men.

Larabee paused and said something to Josiah and then moved on to Ezra.

“You okay?” the Seven’s leader shouted over the rain.

“Am I okay in comparison to what exactly?” Ezra snapped back. “In comparison to someone sitting in our quaint little saloon in front of the hearth, I am doing quite poorly.”

Larabee smiled a genuine smile. “At least the rain has washed all of the dust off you.”

“Thank the Lord for small mercies. How is Mr. Tanner?”

“Still in the saddle.” Without elaborating further, Chris moved on to J.D.

Moments later, Chris rode back to the front of the line and led the group off again.

“What am I doing out in this?” the gambler muttered under his breath. Until he had met these six men, his life had been happy, safe and predictable. Well, perhaps not safe. After all, he had always had to have one eye over his shoulder to watch his own back. At least he didn’t have to do that anymore. Predictable? Not really. He never knew where he’d be at the end of any given day. Happy? He had thought he was, but now he knew the true meaning of happiness.

“Happiness,” Ezra reflected with affection. “Happiness is enjoying a leisurely ride with one‘s friends on a beautiful day.” Ezra smiled, wiping the water from his face. He was uncomfortable and he was cold but surprisingly, he felt contented.

“How long have we been riding in this?” J.D. shouted ahead to Ezra. Standish picked up the faint cry carried on the breeze.

“About an hour and a half.” The time wasn’t important. It was the distance they had covered that was significant. Ezra decided they had to be over half way. “About half way I should imagine!”

“What?”

Ezra swivelled in his saddle. “ABOUT HALF WAY!”

At the front of the line, Chris glanced back at Vin. The tracker had slumped in his saddle. Larabee knew his friend was beginning to flag. The influenza had come on quickly and weakened him considerably. “Vin?” The single word carried with it two questions.

“Yep.” One word that answered both inquiries. ‘Yes‘, he was okay, and ‘yes’ he felt like he could continue without a rest - for the moment.

Larabee nodded and returned his focus to the trail. He could barely make it out. Normally this was Vin’s job, but after half an hour in the tempest, Tanner had recommended that Chris take point. “I’m gonna have to concentrate on stayin’ in the saddle,” the tracker had stated quietly.

Over the next eighty minutes the conditions improved. The rain eased a little and the wind dropped. Ezra could now see Larabee’s horse out in front plodding along. The trail had evened out and the animals were finding their footing more easily. Standish stood up in his saddle to stretch his back. He was starting to feel tired and the cold was getting into his bones.

Ahead, Vin brought his horse up alongside Larabee’s.

“Chris.” The plea was soft but firm.

Instantly, the gunfighter stopped and dismounted. “Vin?”

“Need... to... rest a bit,” Tanner panted. The tracker lowered himself down onto Peso’s neck, a grunt of pain escaping his pale lips. His head was hammering and his side throbbing, which was making him feel disoriented and dizzy. Chris reached up and grabbed a handful of his friend’s coat, ensuring he didn’t fall out of the saddle.

“Do you want to get down?“

Tanner shook his head. “Just need a minute,” Vin whispered. He was content to stay in the saddle, resting his upper body against Peso‘s neck.

“Take as long as you need,“ Chris encouraged, taking a firmer grip of his companion‘s coat to make certain Vin didn’t overbalance and tumble from his horse.

The other men collected around the pair.

“The rain’s getting heavier again,” J.D. pointed out, shielding his eyes.

Nathan alighted quickly and rushed to Vin’s side.

“He’s okay,” Chris informed the healer. “Just needs to rest.”

Nathan reached up to feel Vin’s brow. He could detect a burning fever. Nathan patted his friend’s back. “Hang on, Vin. It’s not far. Chris?”

“Only about five minutes,” Larabee answered, inclining his head. Nathan could see the outline of the town in the direction Chris had indicated.

“He okay?” Buck demanded, stepping up beside Nathan.

“Fever.” Nathan knew that getting wet and cold had probably accelerated the onset of the illness. “We‘re almost there.”

Vin lay listening to his friends while waiting for his strength to return. His side and head were pulsating with pain and he was dead tired, but the disorientation was passing.

“The ground’s firmer,” Buck mused. “I could ride with him. Support him in the saddle.”

Larabee nodded his agreement. “Vin, Buck is going to climb up there behind you.”

“No,” Vin disagreed. He was starting to get his second wind. “Peso’s tired. Can’t carry two.”

“You could use a hand, Vin,” Nathan argued.

“It’s only five minutes,” Vin growled, attempting to sit up. Both Jackson and Larabee assisted him as much as possible. Chris and Vin’s eyes met once Vin had straightened up “I‘m feelin‘ better.”

Chris’ brow furrowed.

“Chris, Peso’s tired. He can’t carry two. I can make it,” Vin insisted more firmly. Finally, Chris nodded.

Nathan shook his head, but knew arguing was pointless.

Buck on the other hand... “This is ridiculous! My horse is okay. Let’s get Vin up onto my mine with me,” the scoundrel insisted. Vin shook his head. “Look, Vin...”

“Thanks, Buck, but if I get down, ain‘t no one gonna get me into the saddle again.”

“Come on,” Chris urged, water streaming down his face as the rain intensity increased. “Let’s get going.“

Reluctantly, Nathan and Buck returned to their horses. Larabee wiped the rain from his face with the back of his hand. He glanced up at Vin with appraising eyes.

I’ll make it, Chris. “Actually, I don’t feel so bad. Just a bit tired.”

Chris smirked at Vin. “Yeah, and I’m ‘just a bit’ wet. You‘re full of crap, Tanner.”

*********

Peter’s Gap was thronged with people all sheltering under verandas. The three saloons hadn‘t reached their full capacity, but it wouldn’t be long at the rate people were still pouring into the town. Those content to be outside were the families who had ridden in to avoid being cut off once the waters started to rise.

Three recent arrivals shouldered their way though the people. “So how do we find him, if we don’t know what he looks like?”

“Note said he’d find us.”

The group entered one of the saloons and searched for a table. There was one free in the centre of the room and so they made their way to it. “I’ll get us a drink.”

The other two sat and surveyed the room. There was some woman lounging near the piano singing but you could barely hear her above the noise. On the landing leading to the private rooms was a deputy, his rifle resting on the banister ready to deal with trouble. Most of the occupants were men, which wasn’t surprising. A few were playing cards. All were drinking.

When their companion returned, the trio toasted one another. “To more money than we’ve seen in a long time.”

“I’ll drink to that.”

“You fellas from Lisbon?”

The trio glanced up, their hands falling to their holstered weapons. “Who’s asking?”

“Doug Barwick. I sent you a note about hiring you.”

The trio relaxed and indicated for the man to take the fourth and final chair at the table.

**********

“Sheriff, what are you going to do about all of these people?!”

Brewer glanced up from the papers he was reading. A crowd of locals had just entered his office, red-faced and angry. “Just calm down.”

“Calm down?!”

“What are you going to do?!” the blacksmith cried. There was no doubt he had instigated this. Alberts always did.

“It’s only a matter of time before fights break out!” another man claimed.

Brewer rose to his feet and raised his hands for calm. “I’ve got seven men on their way to help.”

“Seven?! Seven! You need seventy!”

Brewer shook his head and retook his seat. “These seven should be enough.”

“I think we should contact the army!” the blacksmith demanded.

“It’s too late for anything like that. We’ll be cut off within a couple of hours,” Brewer pointed out.

“So what are you going to do?! You can’t just sit there and let these thugs tear our town apart!”

“Now, hang on a minute!” Brewer growled, rising to his feet. He understood their concerns but he had always protected the town in the past.

“Sorry, Sheriff, but there are a lot more this time. We need help!”

“I’ve already told you, I have help on the way.”

“Seven men? What good will they be?!”

“They’re the seven peacekeepers from Four Corners.” This brought instant silence.

“The Larabee Gang?” one woman inquired with surprise.

“Yes.”

The group of shopkeepers began to mutter. They had heard of the regulators hired by Judge Travis.

“Larabee and his men are on the way,” Brewer claimed. “Should be here any time. I am certain that with their help, I’ll have no trouble keeping control.”

**********

When the regulators entered town, few people took any notice of them. They were just another bedraggled group looking for a warm bath and somewhere to get out of the torrential rain.

Larabee led his men into the overcrowded livery. The stable hand strode up to them with a beaming smile. He loved the wet season. Money continued to roll in as strangers brought their horses to be housed and usually fed and cared for.

“Welcome to Peter’s Gap, boys. Bit wet out there isn’t it?!” He laughed at his own joke.

Without comment, Chris dismounted and moved toward Vin. Before he got to his friend’s side, a young man strode into the livery, his hand resting on his holstered gun .

“You the Larabee Gang?”

Chris whirled around, drawing as he did so. Behind him, Buck, Josiah, Ezra and J.D. did also.

The newcomer swallowed. “The sheriff asked to me wait around and greet you when you arrived,” the young man explained quickly.

Chris frowned. “When we arrived?”

“You were expecting us?” Ezra inquired.

“Yeah. Sheriff said you were coming.”

Buck stepped up beside Chris. “How the hell would he know?”

“Let’s go and ask him,” Larabee growled in a hushed tone. No one was supposed to know about the secret signing of the lease. There were numerous parties opposed to the land being leased to a sheep farmer.

The young deputy licked his lips. He had heard so much about these men and he truly wanted to befriend them. “Sheriff Brewer likes to know what’s happening in Purgatory Hill. He knew you had left a few hours ago. Stands to reason that you’d come here,” the boy stated helpfully.

“Your sheriff is very well informed,” Buck muttered.

“Yeah, he is. Sheriff Brewer said for me to ask you if you’d drop in and see him after you’ve had a warm bath and booked a room. Oh, I’m David Flynn, by the way. I’m a deputy.” Proudly, the boy offered his hand to Chris.

Larabee continued to glare at the younger man.

The youth withered under the infamous Larabee glare and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’ll let the sheriff know you’re here,” he mumbled, turning and racing from the livery.

“I don’t like this,” Buck murmured.

“So you boys really the Larabee Gang?”

The seven regulators ignored the question and returned to their faithful steeds.

Vin, who was the only one who hadn’t dismounted, glanced down at Nathan. The healer had not taken part in the confrontation. Rather, he had moved to stand directly beside his patient, ready to get Vin out of the way if bullets started to fly.

Nathan reached up and took the injured man’s arm. Tanner swung his leg over his horse, lost his balance and fell against the healer. Jackson helped to steady his friend on his feet. “You okay?”

“Yep. Just a bit weak.” He began to cough, the force of the action almost causing him to lose his balance again. Nathan waited until he was sure Vin wasn’t going to fall and then stepped away from his companion. There was little sense causing a scene. Vin looked steady - of course, Nathan knew the young man had to be struggling. Still, Vin would ask for help if he needed it... wouldn’t he?

Buck and Josiah approached Peso and removed the animal’s saddle, sharing out Vin’s belongings between them. The livery hand watched as the men led the horses toward the only free section of the stable.

“Take good care of them,“ Buck ordered, placing several bills into the man’s hand.

“Thanks mister! Don’t worry, I’ll look after them as if they were my own.“

“Anything happens to them...“ Buck left the statement hanging. The stable hand swallowed. They both knew what Buck meant. Some livery hands liked to make a little money on the side by selling the odd horse and claiming it had been stolen.

Once the horses were tied, the men hefted their saddles and bedrolls onto their shoulders. Tanner walked toward Larabee, who was standing at the opening of the livery surveying the town with a critical eye.

“Anything wrong?”

Larabee shrugged. “A lot of people.”

“Yep.”

Chris waited until Vin was at his side and then the pair strode off shoulder to shoulder, leading their companions out of the stable.

“A room?” Chris asked quietly.

“Reckon it would be best.” Tanner preferred a room to a cot in a room of a dozen or more beds. It was difficult to see anyone sneaking up on him in a room full of people.

The regulators jogged to the nearest building and then kept under the overhangs as they made their way toward the only one of the four boarding houses that didn’t have a ‘full’ sign on the door.

As the men moved down the street, they noted that the town was getting close to bursting at the seams. There were people everywhere.

“Wow! Place really is crowded.”

“Gonna be interesting once they get liquored up,” Vin muttered.

“Which is probably why the sheriff wants to see us,” Josiah commented. “A little back-up.”

“You could be right,” Buck agreed.

“This is the only place with any beds left,” Nathan stated as the group stopped in front of one of the most dilapidated buildings in town.

“Here?” Ezra asked appalled. “I think I would prefer a cave!”

The men shouldered their way into the boarding house. The entrance room was a hallway that had beds along each wall. Every space in the building had been filled with cots.

Seated at a table just inside the door was a burly man. “I only got four cots left. Them two and two in the room through there,” the manager growled, inclining his head toward the open doorway. Ezra glanced into the room. There were cots everywhere and people draped over them. The smell wafting out of the room was putrid - a mixture of alcohol and unwashed bodies.

Standish swallowed. “Where is that charming livery in Dusty Nowhere when I need it?

“Rooms?” Chris asked.

The manager’s brow furrowed as he looked the bedraggled men up and down. “Rooms cost money.”

“That isn’t a problem,” Ezra stated quickly.

“Only got three rooms left.” At that moment, two men stumbled down the hallway, one with a gun pressed into the back of the other.

“Go on! You got two minutes to be out of town!”

The manager stared back at the men in front of him. “Only got four rooms left.”

“We’ll take them,” Ezra stated, placing several bills on the table. The manager’s hand darted out, covered the money and withdrew it so quickly that had any of the men blinked they would have missed it.

“Up the stairs,” the manager grunted.

“Keys?” Ezra inquired.

The seated man looked up at the Seven as if they were daft. “Keys? There’s a bolt on the inside.”

“What numbers are our rooms?”

The manager shrugged. “The ones that are empty.”

“Thank you, you have been exceptionally accommodating,” Ezra grumbled sarcastically.

The men moved to the internal stairs on the left and made their way to the second floor. Vin found his legs trembling. Walking on a flat surface was one thing, but climbing stairs... The tracker reached for the banister and leaned on it, trying to steady himself. He focused on putting one foot in front of the other. The further he went, the more his legs trembled.

The other men poured out into the hallway. Every couple of metres along the corridor was a wooden door.

“Rooms must be small,” Josiah commented.

Buck stopped next to an open room. Inside, there was a single bed against the wall, a beat-up chest of drawers opposite and three feet between them. “Two to a room is going to be squeezey.”

“Well, as there are four rooms, I think it is only fitting that...”

“That Josiah has a room on his own,” Nathan finished.

“Thank you, brother.”

“I do not see why. I paid for the rooms. Josiah...”

“Josiah snores... unless you want to share with him?”

Ezra twisted his face with disgust.

“Find your rooms and then head down for a warm bath. We’re all chilled,” Chris stated quietly.

“Come on, J.D. We’ll take this one.”

Vin swallowed. He needed to sit down. His world was beginning to fade in and out as fatigue and his skull splitting-headache attacked him from within.

“There isn’t room for your blond, brunette and red-head,” J.D. claimed.

“Oh, yes there is.” The pair moved into the room arguing playfully.

“Ezra, here‘s one for us,” Nathan called, several doors up.

Vin was no longer aware of what was going on around him. He kept his eyes firmly in the middle of Larabee’s back. Where Chris went, he would also.

Standish entered the squalid room with his hand over his heart. “To think I have sunk to this level. By the way, I want the bed.”

“We’ll take turns.”

“I’ve got it tonight.”

Further up the hallway, Chris found another empty room. The Seven’s leader entered and walked to the far end, dumping his saddle and bending to unfold his bedroll. He needed to lay it out to dry.

Vin followed his friend into the cupboard-sized room. The tracker pulled his coat off, clutching his side as he did so. The buckskin was soaking wet, but it had kept Vin’s upper torso dry. Dumping the coat on the ground, Vin walked across to the bed, sat down and started pulling his boots off. He found it difficult, the very act of bending causing his head to reel.

Finally, the tracker freed himself of his boots and then fell back on the bed. As he did so, a long groan escaped his lips.

Chris turned and glanced down at his friend. Tanner’s eyes closed immediately. Chris stepped closer to the bed and reached for Vin’s brow. His friend felt warm and clammy. Larabee frowned and moved to the door to wait. Seconds later, Jackson stepped out into the hallway with his black bag. Spotting Chris, he entered the room.

The healer placed his bag on the ground and leaned over Vin.

“He’s warm,” Chris informed Nathan.

“It’s to be expected. Vin? Vin, we have to get you out of those wet clothes.”

“I’m dry,” Tanner mumbled, without opening his eyes.

“Your pants are soaking wet and your shirt is damp.” The buckskin coat had indeed kept out the rain, but Vin had been perspiring considerably due to the fever. “Come on, Vin.”

“Go away or I’ll shoot ya.” Again the response was mumbled.

Nathan nodded to Chris and the pair dragged Vin up. Chris maintained a grip of his friend’s arm. “Aww, hell. Leave me to die in peace.”

“We need to get you out of these clothes,” Nathan repeated, starting to unbutton the tracker’s shirt.

Vin opened his eyes, glared at Nathan and brushed his hand away. “I ain’t got no others with me and I ain’t gonna lay here naked.”

“Yes, you are,” Nathan growled, attacking the injured man’s shirt again.

Vin pulled himself away from Chris and again slapped the healer’s hands away. “Nathan, if a bounty hunter comes through that door, I need my pants on!”

“No bounty hunter is going to come through that door,” Chris snarled.