Carter pulled back hard on the reins, stopping his horse just outside of the small farm house. When he caught his breath, he saw the silhouette of a man through the open door on the porch.

"Meadows, get out here." He stepped from his saddle and held onto the reins, "Boss !" He called out again."

"What is it." Bo Meadows replied as he stepped outside onto the porch. Realizing it was Carter, who was calling his name, he brought the quirley from his lips and waited.

"The shooting's started." Carter said. "Their attacking the train from the bluffs."

Meadows smiled and dropped the quirley, at his feet, then he pressed his boot onto it. "Carter, tell the men to get their horses..."

Carter began to turn away,

"...and tell Marks I want to see him."

"Will do boss." Carter said as he turned his horse and walked away.

Bo Meadows looked into the small house and wondered about Alvin Marks, he was beginning to show a little too much compassion and Meadows was questioning his loyalty.

He walked inside and poured a shot of whiskey, then another, as he waited. One by one, his men gathered outside, then he saw Marks walking up to the house. Meadows looked at the door to the back room where the elderly couple had been tied to chairs, whenever they weren't needed. He knew they were waiting, wondering what their fate would be.

"You wanted to see me, boss." Alvin Marks said. He had looked into Meadows eyes many times, but what he saw at that moment was different. His expression was cold and distant, "Are you ready to ride?" Meadows asked.

"Yes sir."

Meadows caught Marks glance over his shoulder. He was looking at the door to the back room. Then their eyes met again, "What about them?" Marks asked. Meadows walked past Alvin Marks and stopped just short of the front door, before turning around.

"I want you to kill them."

The young outlaw stared at Meadows for a brief moment, "Is there a problem?" Meadows inquired. The young man turned on an impulse, glancing at the closed door behind him. Then he faced Meadows again.

"Boss!"

"What is it, Marks?"

"Boss, I never questioned things before, but ..."

"You tellin' me you ain't got the sand to kill a couple of witnesses."

"I ain't never killed no woman before. That just don't seem like the right thing to do."

Marks voice was shaking, and Bo Meadows could sense the weakness. He stepped forward and stood very close, so close that Alvin Marks could smell the whiskey on his breath. He leaned forward, his face, just inches away from the young outlaw.

"You come with me." Meadows said, then he walked past Marks and beyond the closed door.

Alvin Marks stood just inside the room, when Meadows walked up to the old man and pulled his revolver from the holster. Holding the revolver in place for several seconds, wanting to study the fear on the old farmers face, then he pulled the trigger one time. The bullet blasted into the old man's chest and tore open his heart. Then his body went limp in the chair.

The old woman stared in horror as Meadows turned and took two steps, placing himself in front of her. Tears left the corner of her eyes and began running down her cheeks, as she looked at her husband.

Meadows waited, but she refused to look at him, She could only see the man she had spent the last forty years with. Disappointed, Meadows fired once again, her head jerked backwards and Meadows listened as her last breath left her body, before he put the colt revolver back into the holster.

His eyes shifted to the doorway where Marks was standing. "They said they wanted to be together for eternity."

He walked up to the young outlaw and stopped. "I reckon they got their wish."

Alvin Marks couldn't say anything, there were no words in him to describe what he had witnessed. Meadows had crossed one of the moral lines that Marks had drawn for himself when he started down the owl-hoot trail. Now he stood in silence looking into those cold eyes of Bo Meadows.

"Saddle-up." Meadows said, "We have a job to do, and make sure there are two horses with empty saddles, ready to ride."

"Yes sir, Boss." with that said, Marks turned away. His hatred for this man was growing, he knew this would be his last ride with Bo Meadows.

Meadows gathered his gear, and started to leave when he noticed there was one last cookie left on a plate from the night before. He picked it up and tipped it towards the door at the back of the house, then he smiled and said, "Thank you ma'am, right friendly of you," Turning, he walked out of the house and closed the door.




The train was moving about thirty miles an hour, there were bluffs that appeared naked except for a few trees and high brushes with a few draws that wound their way upward, to thicker trees and small lakes and streams.

The forested landscape was turning into dry sand and sagebrush, as the train moved east-bound towards the Blalock train station. On the other side of the train, was the Columbia River, with the night sky above, and moon-beams bouncing off of the ripples in the water.

Levi and Casper heard the Sharps rifle as they moved between cars. Another blast from the Sharps and Levi motioned for Casper to climb the steal ladder to the top of the train-car.

The air was brisk as it moved through the gorge, along the river, and Casper found the metal ladder was damp with moister. When he peered over the top, the cold air made his eyes begin to water, but he could see Badger lying prone on top of the car. Holding onto the metal frame, with one hand, and his rifle with the other, he offered the cuff of his pants to Casper. It was something dry to hold onto, helping him to the top.

Badger called out, "Where's Levi?"

The train rocked to one side, then the other as it moved down the tracks, and Casper grabbed the rail of the ladder with one hand and held onto the cuff of Badger's pants with the other. Just when Casper began to answer Badger's question a bullet hit the top of the train-car and one of the prison guards aimed his rifle and fired in return.

"Levi's right behind me, Badger." Casper said over the noise of the train, as he secured his position on top of the car.

He turned and saw Levi's hand grasp the top ring of the ladder. Casper gripped Levi's other hand and helped him to the top of the train-car. As they watched the trail along the tracks from the back of the train, it was hard to make out the riders as they moved in and out of the dark shadows.

Levi watched for several moments, when he noticed that even though the train was slowing down, the riders were keeping pace with the train, but they did not seem interested in trying to close the distance.

Suddenly one of the riders healed his horse as the train began a strait stretch along some high bluffs on the opposite side. In the darkness of the night, in the passing moonlight and shadows, and the swaying of the moving train, Levi couldn't be sure how many riders were closing the gap.

Casper heard the ping of a bullet ricocheting off the opposite side where the bluffs were. Then another, and this time Badger heard it as well. He was looking at Casper when the rider fired several times from his horse.

Levi knew the men on horse-back could not get a clear shot with all the movement, but that caused some curiosity and a great deal of concern. The riders appeared to be shooting at random. Trying to draw their attention away from the bluffs.

"Badger !" Levi called out. "Pass the word, and get everyone inside the train now." In that instant Badger replied, " The riders are a decoy."

"That's the only thing that makes sense." Levi said, when two more bullets ricocheted off the metal frame sending sparks into the night. Badger began to move down the ladder, between the train-cars. Casper told one of the prison guards to pass the word on to anyone left on top of the cars, to get inside.

Ty Morgan and Matt Corey could feel the train slowing down, they began to pick the broken glass from the frame next to where they were sitting. Piece by piece they pulled the glass shards from the frame and tossed them outside as the train moved down the tracks.

It didn't take long for them to remove all of the sharp edges, and then they stopped to check on the prison guards, who were still more interested in what was going on outside the train, then what was going on inside.

"It's time to prepare for our exit, Ty." Corey whispered. Ty Morgan reached into the pocket and took out the key.

"Don't take them off Ty, Just loosen them so we can slip them off quickly when the time is right. If they make rounds to check on us, it has to look like we are still secured in our restraints."

Morgan agreed, and began to do as he was told.

"Casper," Levi called out, then he stopped mid-sentence, and they looked at each other, just for a second.

Levi smiled, the train was starting to pick up speed. "Casper, make sure all of the lights inside the train are put out. They can't kill what they can't see, and their bullets alone will not stop this train."

When Casper climbed down from the top of the train-car, Levi turned to check on the three riders at the back of the train.

He could make out two of them, their horses were winded, and they had begun to slow down. But the third man, where was he? That rider had disappeared. Then in a beam of moonlight, Levi saw the third horse standing along the tracks. He also noticed the saddle was empty, and the rider was nowhere in sight.

If there was even a slight chance that outlaw made it onto the train, he had to warn the others before someone else got killed.