Tellin' the Tale

A history of Post-Holocaust Deadlands.

The 'Poclypse

In the long ago a star fell from the heavens and the world burned.

The Four

This is the tellin' of things come long before. It is the Tellin' of the four and how they came to be. First came the Preacher out of Eden to wander the wastes as he read in the word. Then from Eden came Szander and Lena. Szander and Lena were still little ones under the care of Ethan and Rebekah. Parents and children cast out from Eden for reasons known only to Ethan and Rebekah.

Learnin' to survive in the surface world was difficult for the family of Edenites. Fortunately for them they crossed path with the Preacher, who recognized Ethan and Rebekah from times before. He helped them with the knowin' of Livin' on the surface and then returned to his wanderin'.

Then on a dark day the family crossed paths with The Black Diamond and his Rattlers. Ethan and Rebekah were killed and Szander was left for dead. Only Lena, hidden and overlooked, survived. Szander lay hurt and dyin', but he was able to tell Lena what they needed for Livin'. The Rattlers were still nearby and little Lena was able to sneak in to their camp many times to filch the things they needed for survivin'.

The Black Diamond was crafty and he knowed that somethin' was up when things kept goin' missin'. So he set some of the Rattlers to watchin', and after a bit one of 'em spotted Lena. They followed Lena right back to the hole where Szander was hidden'. Seein' that they were just two kids, they snatched 'em up and brought 'em back to The Black Diamond in chains. The Rattlers were runnin' low on gas, so The Black Diamond decided to sell Szander and Lena instead of Killin' 'em. The Rattlers headed for the city of Law where tradin' is the way of life. On the way they crossed paths with El Circo Asombroso del Desierto and sold Szander to them.

Things were certainly lookin' dark for little Lena, but when the Rattlers arrived in Law to trade her, the Preacher recognized her and brought her salvation. Rallyin' others around he started a ruckus over the sellin' of an innocent child. Humiliated and threatened by the righteous rabble raised by the preacher, The Black Diamond agreed to quietly trade the child into the Preachers custody. The Preacher was full of sad when he heard of what had happened to Lena and her family.

The Preacher heard tell of a gatherin' in the desert, a festival of music in a great natural amphitheater. Knowin' there would be crowds he reasoned that El Circo Asombroso del Desierto may be there and that they may be able to free Szander. Now Szander had been nursed back to health and put to work by El Circo Asombroso del Desierto, and as fate was feelin' kind, El Circo had come to the festival to entertain the crowds.

To the festival came Frankee, a wanderer from nowhere. When Frankee arrived at the festival he smelt somethin' funny. Some no good mischief makers had set fire to El Circo. In the fire a beam fell and Szander was trapped beneath it. Despite the fear he felt, Frankee knew he had to do somethin'. Without a second thought he rushed into the fire and freed Szander.

After makin' sure Szander would live, Frankee set out to perform. Now Frankee was always a touchy fella. When a Rattler started hecklin' his performance, Frankee called him out and challenged him to a six string duel. Frankee bet his six string and the Rattler bet his horse. Frankee won the duel, but the Rattlers were never good losers and never played fair. The Rattlers at the festival went off to sulk and drink and soon they got to talkin' about how Frankee didn't deserve that horse and how Frankee really deserved to be skinned alive and left for the buzzards to pick his bones.

Meanwhile the Preacher and Lena had arrived and heard how El Circo had burned. Things were still in chaos, so they weren't knowin' who had survived and who hadn't. The Preacher left Lena to watch the horses and listen to music while he investigated further. It was just by chance that the Preacher came across the Rattlers while they were plotting against Frankee. The Preachers ears burned to hear their evil plots. the Rattlers laid in wait and would of jumped Frankee, except the Preacher jumped the Rattlers first and warned Frankee of the ambush. Szander had been wanderin' the festival lookin' to thank the man who saved him, Seein' that man and the Preacher Fightin' rattlers, he waded in and helped run 'em off.

As they ran one of the rattlers turned and called down to the Preacher. He told the Preacher that The Black Diamond hadn't forgot him and that someday soon all the rattlers would come and kill him and his friends. Now Lena and Szander were reunited and the four were together. At this time, The Black Diamond and his Rattlers were the largest most fearsome gang in the wastes. The four knew they would not stand a chance against an army of that size. So they set out for Law.

In Law the preacher went to talk to the Cassidys and McCalls. He convinced them that the Black Diamond and his Rattlers were a threat that needed to be hunted down. The Cassidys and McCalls agreed to help form a posse and send the Marshal along, but the Preacher would be obligated to help them in the future. So the four set out with the posse and the marshal. The battle was long and brutal. Many died on both sides. All of the four saw action that day. When the dust cleared, The Black Diamond was dead and the remaining rattlers had scattered. That's the tellin' of it like I heard from my Ma and she from hers and she from hers and so on all the way back to the long ago.

The Festival

The four decided to head to Law for the founding celebration. There would be food and drink, a display of The Marshals abilities, and sky flowers after dark. On the way to Law they were passed by a convoy of large trucks from Eden. It looked like fresh produce would also be available. As they watched the convoy heading away they noticed buzzards circling something in the distance. It was decided that Frankee would ride out and investigate while Father Preacher, Szander and Lena continued toward Law. Frankee found the remains of a few people and a campsite. The corpses were a few days old but it was still clear that they had been Massacred. Whoever killed them had used a very sharp blade and seemed to have a knowledge of human anatomy. Even more curious was the fact that all 3 were missing their heads. Frankee also wondered why buzzards and other scavengers had not been at the bodies earlier. Frankee scavenged a bit around the campsite and a ways off in the general direction of Law he found a few things that he believed had been discarded by the killer. Frankee caught up with the others and told them what he had seen. Father Preacher decided that the victims should have a proper funeral, so they all returned to the site. Father Preacher said a prayer for the deceased and then burned the bodies. The rest of the trip was uneventful.

They arrived in Law four days before the Festival. Frankee, Szander and Lena explored the Bazaar Known as Swaps which was located outside the city walls. Father Preacher went into the city to find Sheriff Cassidy and tell him what they found in the desert. The Sheriff told Father Preacher that there was a Law Dog in town who could probably be found at the Red Eye Saloon. Father Preacher headed over to the Red Eye. The Law Dog introduced himself as Robert Kinsman. After being told about the murder sight in the desert Robert left om his cycle to investigate. As Father Preacher headed back to Swaps to meet with the others he was approached by Sheriff Cassidy about a job helping to keep the peace in the days leading up to and during the festival. Father Preacher agreed to take the job and headed out to tell the others. Frankee and Szander agreed although Szander was worried about who would watch over Lena while he worked.

Frankee headed straight to the Saloon for some drinking and gambling. Skinny, the owner of the Red Eye agreed to let Frankee entertain the patrons in exchange for a room. While there Frankee also met an old drunk who was drinking from the swill barrel. The drunk asked Frankee to buy him a drink promising to pay him back when his friends from Go arrived. Frankee, having been in similar situations, took pity on the old guy and bought him a few drinks. Meanwhile, Father Preacher took Szander and Lena to talk to Sheriff Cassidy about finding someone to watch Lena during the day. Sheriff Cassidy told them that there was a lady who was starting a school and suggested that Lena be put under her care during the day. Father Preacher, Szander and Lena headed over to the school where they found the teacher and two young ones cleaning up for the day. The teacher introduced herself as Miss Donna and was more than happy to have another student. She introduced the two children as Joe and Martha. Miss Donna was very pleased to learn that Lena already knew how to read. Father Preacher looked over the large collection of books and finding a copy of Tao Teh Ching asked if he could borrow it. Miss Donna was not to be persuaded but told Father Preacher that he could come by the school any time and read.

Father Preacher, Szander and Lena headed up to the bunk house to get settled in. One glance and Father Preacher decided it was no place for Lena. They returned to Sheriff Cassidy to ask about lodgings for Lena. Sheriff Cassidy, told them that the blacksmith, Colleen McCall loved children and would be glad to have Lena stay with her. Coleen was more than happy to board Lena and immediately started stuffing her with sweets. Szander asked if he could stay with colleen as well so he could watch over his little sister and offered to help work in the smithy in exchange for the room and board. Colleen agreed to let Szander stay as well and told him they would be guests and that he would not have to work. Szander and Lena headed for the Red eye Saloon to watch Frankee perform and Father Preacher headed back to the Bunk House to get some rest. As they were headed inside Miss Donna passed by and scolded them for even thinking about taking a little girl into the place. Szander and Lena agreed not to go into the Saloon and instead sat outside on the boardwalk listening to Frankee play. After a bit Szander and Lena headed back to the blacksmiths house to go to bed. Frankee stayed up playing late into the night. When the Saloon closed, Frankee and skinny dumped the old drunk in his room, locked him in and slid the key under the door. Frankee commented on how the old drunk could afford a room but drank swill and mooched drinks. Skinny told Frankee that the old drunk had arrived a few days ago and payed for the room for a week and then proceeded to go on a bender spending the rest of his money on drinks for himself and others.

The following day Lena went to school and the others patrolled Law. During the patrol they heard some yellin' and went to investigate. A mutant was lying in the street surrounded by a small gang.One man claimed the mutant was not looking where he was going and had run into him. He then proceeded to rant on about the mutant being a thief and threw insults at him until the mutant took a swing. The boys stepped between the two and tried to calm everyone down. The gang leader stepped up and introduced himself as Aaron Kavanaugh. He apologized for his hot headed brother and then asked about pressing charges seeing that the mutant had been the only one to take a swing. Suspecting something more was going on they sent the Gang away and escorted the mutant back to the hotel. There they learned that the mutant was named Artie Albert and that he was a chemist. Apparently Artie had just finished selling sky flowers to the city and was coming back to the hotel when Mark Kavanaugh jumped him. Artie apologized for losing his temper and taking a swing at Mark. Artie explained that he and the gang were from Machine and that in Machine Mark had a reputation amongst mutants as a bully and a mutant hater.

After the boys were done patrolling for the day Frankee retired to the Saloon while Father Preacher and Szander went to pick up Lena from school. On the way to the school a town deputy approached father Preacher and told him that the sheriff wanted to see him. They picked up Lena and were headed over to the sheriff's, when they heard a heated argument. Investigating they saw one of the saloon girls slap a man and stalk off. The man said,"she got all hot headed when I told her I told her that I didn't think the price she was asking was worth what I wanted her to do, if you know what I mean." Szander was curious about what the man had meant and asked Father Preacher to explain. Father Preacher's attempt to explain only led to more confusion and more questions until he told Szander to just stay away from women of that type. Wondering what Father Preacher meant by " women of that type" but knowing from Father Preachers tone that he was tired of questions, Szander dropped the subject. They continued to the Sheriff's office. The Sheriff explained that Aaron Kavanaugh had issued a complaint against Father Preacher and asked them to come by the following afternoon so the Sheriff could here from both sides and sort out the truth. Father Preacher, Szander and Lena had dinner listened to Frankee play a bit and then headed for bed. Frankee continued to play late into the night.

AS things were winding down in the Saloon there was a loud scream from upstairs. Skinny grabbed a club and ran up to protect his investment, I mean to help out his lady friend, and Frankee followed. When Frankee arrived Skinny was in the hall retching and saying,"it's awful just awful" over and over. Frankee went into the room and saw a freshly butchered man chopped up and missing his head. Frankee vomited on the spot, ran out into the streets and vomited some more. Someone else ran to the sheriff's and started ringing the Alarm bell. At the sound of the Alarm the town came alive. Szander and Lena woke to the alarm and headed out to see what was up. Learning there was trouble at the Saloon they headed over. Frankee was still sitting on the boardwalk retching. Frankee told the two that someone had been killed inside, that it was terrible, and they should just stay out. Szander left Lena with with Frankee and headed up to take a look. Upon seeing the freshly butchered corpse Szander ran from the building and blew chunks in the street. Frankee gave him a little grin and said, " I told you so." Soon the sheriff and deputies arrived on the scene. by this time Frankee accompanied the sheriff upstairs while Szander stayed with Lena to protect her. Soon after the Sheriff was in the streets spewing up his supper. Frankee, having regained his composure, investigated the scene. First he tried talking to the saloon girl, but she was wide eyed with fear and unable to say anything. Examining the corpse Frankee noticed that other organs as well as the head was missing. The work looked like it had been done quickly but precisely and whoever had done it had to be extremely strong. The only other clues were huge bloody footprints leading to an open 2nd story window. The sheriff arrived with the doctor, who had the saloon girl taken to his office and started examining the corpse. As they escorted the saloon girl out of the saloon Szander and Lena saw it was the same girl they had seen arguing earlier in the day. Meanwhile, Frankee pointed out the footprints to the sheriff and noticed the sheriff take some papers off the corpse and slip them into his pocket. Frankee let the sheriff know that he had seen it happen and the sheriff asked to talk with him about it later.

Father Preacher arrived late on the seen having slept through the alarm bell. The four went and checked the area outside the saloon girls window. They found a few tracks indicating that the perpetrator had jumped down from the window, but beyond that they could not find a trail. Lena, clever little girl that she is, had a better idea. Retrieving her trained horse, Atreyu, She told it to track the killer. Atreyu did not like what it smelled at all, but followed the tracks anyway. Following Atreyu, Lena discovered a hole in the corrugated Iron wall at the edge of the town. Lena alerted the others who gathered up a posse to head to the bottom of the cliff and try and track the killer further. Lena was commended for tracking the killer to the wall, but forbidden to come along with the posse. Despite Lena's Protests everyone agreed that following the killer out into the desert was too dangerous for an eight year old girl.

The Posse gathered up dogs and horses and headed to the cliff bottom to see if they could pick up the trail. The dogs found the trail right away but refused to follow it out of fear. Frankee agreed to act as tracker and led the pursuit. As they tracked the killer they noticed he had an unusually large gait. They spent the rest of the night following his tracks, but lost them in a rocky area. Frustrated the posse returned to Law. Now Lena was steaming mad about being left behind. She decided that she would use Atreyu to track the killer on her own, show everyone her worth and be the hero. Unfortunately Atreyu lost the scent along the way. Lena looked and saw she could not see the lights from the Posse's torches or any lights from Law. She ordered Atreyu to take her to Szander and then to take her home, but Atreyu was just as lost as Lena.

The next morning Szander discovered that the carefully arranged pillows in the bed were not Lena. After looking around the town and talking to some people he started to panic. Szander told Father Preacher that he had lost Lena and Father Preacher chastised him for losing his sister. They asked the men who had been guarding the city gates the night before whether they had seen Lena. The guards told them that they had but she had looked like she knew where she was going so they had let her pass. Quickly they ran to the sheriff's office and explained the situation. Then they got Frankee and headed out into the desert to find Lena. Tracking Lena during the day was not difficult and they found her after a bit sun burned and parched. Father Preacher Scolded her harshly and slapped her sun burned skin. They took her back to town and school where Miss Donna also scolded Lena and set her to work copying a book as punishment.

After bringing Lena back home it was time for the sit down with the sheriff and the Kavanaugh Gang. When they got to the sheriffs office they were surprised to see the the Kavanaugh Gang in a cell. The sheriff explained that while Father Preacher, Frankee, and Szander were out looking for Lena, the Kavanaugh Gang had attacked Artie beating him severely, breaking his arm. Mark Kavanaugh yelled at Father Preacher from his cell, blaming him for interfering with their business. Just as Father Preacher lost his patience and started to argue with Mark, the sheriff stepped in giving everyone a look that caused them all to clam up. Curious, Szander asked what business The Kavanaugh Gang had in Law. Aaron Kavanaugh apologized for his little brothers behavior and , after giving Mark a dirty look, explained that something very important had been stolen in Machine and a bounty had been offered for the perpetrator and the return of the stolen item. Aaron Kavanaugh believed that the perpetrator would more than likely head for Law since Law was the best place to go to sell things. Upon arriving they saw Artie, who they recognized from Machine, wearing fancy clothes and spending lots of money and assumed he was the man they were looking for. The Kavanaugh Gang thought it obvious that Artie had sold the item but figured they could take him back to Machine for part of the bounty. Now they knew that they were mistaken as the Sheriff had explained to them that Artie had got the money selling his sky flowers to the city for the festival. Artie had also signed a contract making him a probationary citizen of Law and that a fine had been levied against mark Kavanaugh for breaking Artie's Arm effectively putting him out of work for awhile. Mark Kavanaugh refused to pay and refused to let his brother pay stating, " i would rather die than give anything to that mutant freak." Mark's lynching was scheduled for the following morning before the festival started. The rest of the gang was being held to keep them from doing something foolish like trying to break Mark out. Shocked by the outcome Szander told Father Preacher that he didn't think he liked city life. As they left the Sheriff pulled Frankee aside for a little talk about what Frankee had seen the night before. Frankee left the Sheriff's looking pretty proud of himself. Whatever happened only Frankee and the Sheriff know.

Wanting to get to the bottom of things the boys set off to the hotel to talk to Artie. Outside the hotel they saw that a small mob, led by Miss Donna, had gathered. Two deputies were having trouble fending them off. Father Preacher stepped in and demanded to know what was going on. Miss Donna said they knew Artie was the murderer from last night. the word around town was a Mutant had done the killing and it had to be Artie since he was the only mutant in town. Father Preacher chastised Miss Donna for succumbing to rumors and dispersed the mob. Miss Donna was clearly embarrassed and ashamed for getting caught up in the hysteria and apologized.Father Preacher convinced Miss Donna that the best way to make up for her mistake was to quell any rumors she heard. Miss Donna readily agreed. Talking to the deputies the boys found out that all sorts of rumors had started about Artie. Along with Artie being the killer there were also rumors about multiple victims and the victims being children. The Sheriff suspected the Kavanaugh Gang of starting the rumors but nothing could be proved. The boys went up to Artie's room and found him heavily under the influence of whatever the doctor had given him to ease his pain. Artie claimed to know nothing about the theft in Machine. Father Preacher still had his suspicions but thought it best to leave Artie top get his rest and question him again at a later date. As they were leaving Artie asked them to thank the man that helped him and to deliver five Law Dollars to him. When asked who that was, Artie told them that it was the old drunk at the saloon. Artie drifted off before he could say more and the four left him to rest.

Frankee wandered over to the Saloon to talk to the old drunk while Father Preacher and Szander went to check on Lena. The old Drunk was drinking good liquor and offered to buy his friend Frankee a drink. He said his friends from Go had arrived with the money they owed him. As the old drunk offered to buy his friend Frankee another drink Skinny laughed and said everyone was the old guys friend today and predicted that by tomorrow he would be drinking swill and mooching drinks once more. Frankee gave the old guy the five Law Dollars and told him Artie was grateful. The old guy had no idea who Artie was, but chuckled when reminded. "I helped that guy alright", he slurred, "Doc said I set that Arm perfect. Good to know I still have the touch." Frankee left the old drunk to his drinking and got up on stage to earn his keep.

Back at the school the Father Preacher and Szander found Lena dutifully copying the book. Miss Donna told them that Lena was a well disciplined girl despite her earlier mischief. Apparently when Miss Donna had left to join the mob she had told Lena to keep on working and Lena had obeyed. Miss Donna stated that with that kind of self discipline and her excellent penmanship, Lena would make an excellent scribe. When Father Preacher explained to Lena what a scribe was Lena groaned and said she would never want to do that. Miss Donna decided that Lena had been punished enough and said she could go. Tuckered out Lena, Father Preacher and Szander headed toward bed. they did not get far before a man came stumbling out into the street pale and panicked. Father Preacher asked him why he was so upset and the man replied, " in the outhouse. He's a bloody mess and he's got no head!"

Father Preacher told Lena to stay put while the men ran over to check out the latest victim. Lena, wanting to prove herself, followed anyway. After some vomiting they discovered that the kill was fresh and tracks were scarce. Szander got the idea to look on top of the outhouse and found the killers giant bloody footprints there. The four deduced that the killer was using the rooftops. While the others headed to different buildings to check the rooftops, Frankee decided to climb the water tower and get a birds eye view of the scene. As Frankee came to his decision he noticed the bulky form of the killer crouched on top of the water tower. Frankee surreptitiously alerted the others. Father Preacher, Frankee and Szander spread out so they could watch the killer and attack if need be. Szander sent Lena back to Coleen's place to retrieve weapons.

At Coleen's, Lena ran into a bit of a snag. Coleen insisted that it was too late for a little girl to be out running around. She did not want to give Lena the chance to run off and get lost in the desert again. Lena quickly tried to explain that Szander was in trouble and she needed to take the weapons to him. Coleen was not about to let a little girl run off into a troubling situation involving weapons. Coleen took Lena in hand sat her at the table and told her she was going to have dinner and then go to bed. Lena, exasperated, got nasty. Lena used every word Father Preacher had forbidden her to use plus some choice insults she made up on the spot. Having reduced Coleen to tears, Lena grabbed what she needed and headed out.

While Lena was at Coleen's, the men began shooting at the killer. Upon being shot the killer let out an inhuman sounding scream of pain, fear, and outrage. He jumped down from the water tower and onto the roof of another building. The men put a few more shots into the killer's hulking form and he fell. Szander climbed onto the roof to see what condition the killer's condition was in just as Lena arrived from Coleen's.

Lena wanted to make sure Szander was safe and tried to climb up on the roof with him, but Father Preacher was having none of that. Up on the housetop Szander cautiously approached the killer. The first thing he noticed was that the figure lying face down on the roof was a lot smaller than the one they had been shooting at. Szander turned the body over and was astonished to see the deformed face of the old drunk staring up at him. The old drunk's eyes were black and shiny like oil and his jaw protruded unnaturally. As he started to relay the information to the others Szander began to stammer reeling with shock and disbelief. Szander watched in horror as the old drunks head detached itself from the body extended six legs and ran off the roof and down the side of the building like a bug.

The others closed in, but were momentarily taken back by the horror before them. The head thing continued to crawl away. Reaching down into their guts, the four found the courage to pursue. Lena threw her hubcap and it ripped away the things scalp revealing a carapace. They all opened fire.It was not long before the thing was dead and Lena was spattered with bug guts. At Father Preachers suggestion they all headed out to tell the Sheriff about the thing and explain the gun play. The four did not get far before they heard screaming and shouting coming from the saloon.

Heading for the saloon they saw Skinny, the patrons, and the entertainers running from the Saloon in near panic. When they asked Skinny what was up he told them, " Crawling heads, at least half a dozen inside. I ain't ever seen anything like it in my life." After that Skinny vomited and fainted dead away. The sheriff and deputies arrived to calm the crowds while the four prepared to go in. Father Preacher volunteered to stay outside and guard the front in case any came out, while the others headed inside. Inside everything was still and quiet. Szander and Frankee headed up the stairs while Lena headed for the bar. Now Lena was not getting herself some liquid courage, instead she had a brilliant idea. Lena grabbed a couple bottles of alcohol and a broken chair leg. Lena began wrapping the chair leg with bar towels to create a makeshift torch. As she was wrapping the torch one of the head things dropped from the rafters onto the bar in front of her. Lena let out a shriek and began backing away her eyes wide with fear. Father Preacher hearing this ran in gun drawn but was afraid to take a shot fearing he may hit Lena. From the stairs Frankee and Szander had a better angle and blew the thing to pieces spattering Lena with more bug guts. After some reassurance from Father Preacher Lena regained her composure grabbed the alcohol and lit her torch. Everyone headed upstairs. Frankee suggested they check out the old drunk's room on the second floor first. Inside they were met with a strange and gruesome sight. 4 large jars lay spilled on the floor a puddle of a strange viscous awful smelling liquid around them. Bloody organs filled the wash basin, many of them partially eaten. Bits of flesh and blood lay on a table making it look like a butchers block. An old bag held a stethoscope, syringe and other medical supplies. Although the window was wide open the smell from the spilled jars permeated the room. Barely keeping themselves from retching the four headed out of the room. Unfortunately they had neglected to look under the bed. As they left one of the head things leaped out from under the bed and onto Lena' back. Lena shrieked and Szander reeled seeing a familiar face on the head thing. It was the first victim, the man Father Preacher, Lena, and Szander had seen arguing with the Saloon girl during their first day of work. Frankee wanted to shoot but was afraid of hitting Lena. Father Preacher, gun in hand, said a very brief prayer asking Lord Jesus Buddha Zoroaster to guide his bullet and took a shot. The Lord Jesus Buddha Zoroaster, was with Father Preacher that day and the head thing exploded covering Lena's back from head to toe in bug guts. As goo ran down Lena's back they heard a shot from upstairs followed by a man yelling, "I got one." Heading upstairs they heard the man scream and a few shots followed by a loud thump. Upstairs the four found the man lying face down in the hall blood pooling around his corpse. A few feet away the remains of another head thing were spattered all over the wall. After Father Preacher said a brief prayer over the corpse the four proceeded to search the rest of the saloon. The four cautiously searched room to room. just as they were about to give up and head back to finish searching the second floor another head thing dropped from the ceiling and onto Lena's Chest. Lena screamed, "God damn it why do these things keep picking on me !", earning her a brief stern look from Father Preacher. Szander Leaped into action, hauled off and punched the thing as hard as he could. Szander backed away cradling his hand. The blow stunned the head thing and it dropped off Lena and onto the floor. Immediately Lena emptied a bottle of alcohol on the head thing and brandished her torch. Frankee shot the head thing blowing off one of it's legs. The head thing recovered and skittered across the floor toward Lena. Screaming with rage, Lena brought the torch down on the head thing, smashing it into little fiery pieces. The four quickly stomped out the small fires and continued to search the Saloon.

They did not find anymore head things in the saloon. They did, however, find evidence that one or two had escaped out the back. They tried tracking the head things to no avail. After a sit down with the sheriff, everyone was tuckered out and headed to bed. Coleen, deeply hurt by what Lena had said asked Lena and Szander to find another place to stay. Lena and Szander headed over to "Miss Donna's" orphanage and asked to stay there for the night. Miss Donna was very amiable and made a big fuss over Lena getting her some clean clothes and a bath. Frankee, uncertain about staying in the saloon, headed for the barracks with Father Preacher. No one in town slept easy that night.

The day of the festival started out on a grim note. Coleen had erected the gallows the previous day and Mark Kavanaugh was going to hang. Crowds gathered to watch the spectacle as Mark Kavanaugh was brought out. The Sheriff gave Mark one last chance to take the lesser sentence of paying compensation to Artie and leaving town. Stubborn to the end, Mark Kavanaugh refused to pay and spewed forth obscenities about mutants and mutant lovers before the trapdoor opened. The rest of the festival went well. Frankee busked while Lena and Szander explored swaps. Lena, curious about her origins, struck up a conversation with some of the Edenites.Lena did not mention she was from Eden at that time, but she did endear herself to more than one of the convoy members. Lena traded some things for a pretty brooch and took it to Coleen as a peace offering. After Lena apologized, Coleen gave her a big hug. Smiling with tears running down her face Coleen told Lena, " I could never stay angry with such a beautiful little girl, but if you ever talk to me like that again I will wash your mouth out with soap."

Given the events of the previous night, the patronage at the saloon was small. Frankee was set up outside on the boardwalk trying to drum up business and accepting tips from the festival goers. Skinny had Frankee announce a discount on drinks for the festival and soon the saloon was filling up again. Szander and Lena headed over to listen to Frankee play. As they were listening to Frankee a saloon girl ran up, threw her arms around Szander, kissed him and said, " How about a freebie for the big strong hero." Szander turned red awkwardly detached himself from the saloon girls embrace and muttered something about just doing what anyone would do and having to take care of his sister. The saloon girl laughed, flashed her garters, winked and said,"you don't know what you're missing." before heading back inside.

In the afternoon the Sheriff activated The Marshal. The Marshal was directed outside of town to a designated area near by. There, some of the deputies, had set up some wrecked vehicles. Frankee, Szander, and Lena joined the crowd and watched as the Marshal used it's full arsenal to demolish it's targets. The crowd cringed at the noise of The Marshal's autocannon and gasped in awe at the beam of light it shot from it's other hand. The sheriff ordered the Marshal to gather up the debris and take it into the city for scrap. The Marshal sprayed the wreckage with white foam that doused the fires, then it picked up all the wreckage and brought it into the family compound. Then, on orders from the sheriff, The Marshal returned to it's pedestal and shut down.

The festivities continued into the night. Frankee returned to the saloon to play and Szander and Lena climbed onto the roof of the orphanage to watch Artie's sky flowers. Szander and Lena watched the display with awe and wonder. As the sky flower display was coming to an end, Szander realized that they had not seen Father Preacher all day long. Now, Father Preacher was known to sleep late, but never all day. Worried Szander asked around a bit , but no one had seen Father Preacher. Frankee joined Lena and Szander and they headed to the bunkhouse to see if Father Preacher was there. Father Preacher was in his bed looking sickly and pale. The three could barely rouse him. Szander ran to get the doctor, while Frankee examined Father Preacher.

Frankee found a nasty wound on Father Preachers leg. One of the head things had bit him and left a piece of itself aside. The infection was bad and Frankee could see the poison slowly making it's way up Father Preachers leg. Szander and the doctor arrived with a stretcher. After a cursory glance the doctor had them put Father Preacher on the stretcher and take him back to his office. The doctor removed the piece of head thing from Father Preachers leg and put it in a jar. The doctor spent the rest of the night trying everything he could to treat the infection while Frankee assisted. Szander drank coffee and stayed up worrying. Lena tried to stay up as well, but she was exhausted. Come morning Frankee and the doctor were exhausted as well. The doctor told the three that he was able to slow the progression of the infection but not stop it completely. "Only a miracle can save him now." Frankee asked, "How long do you think he has ?", to which the doctor replied, "It depends on how badly he wants to live."

Strange Acquaintances

The day after the festival, word had spread about Father Preachers condition. Miss Donna came by the doctors office and seemed strangely curious about the injury. Although she seemed to know what she was doing, Miss Donna said nothing about Father Preachers condition. Miss Donna took Lena off to school while Frankee and Szander got some well needed rest. Szander told Coleen that he was to worried to sleep and asked to do some work instead. Coleen told him to try laying down for a bit and if he still couldn't sleep she would find some work for him. Doubtful, Szander headed to bed and was soon snoring away.

At the school Miss Donna was strangely quiet. Lena told Miss Donna not to worry and that Father Preacher would be fine. Miss Donna told Lena she was not worried, just deep in thought. As midday approached, Miss Donna asked Lena to go get Szander and Frankee and bring them back. When they arrived she told them of someone named Vincent who she believed could give them what they would need to cure Father Preachers infection. When asked why she had not spoken up earlier, Miss Donna explained that She was a member of The seekers and that Vincent and his location were a secret and she had to take sometime to consider the situation. Miss Donna gave instructions on how to find Vincent and told them he would want something in trade for the medicine. When asked what Vincent would want, Miss Donna replied, "I can't say, he has varied and unusual interests."

The journey to see Vincent and return would be well over a month so the three headed out right away. As they departed they passed a convoy from Go heading into Law.The next day, Szander noticed that someone was trailing them, but was unable to make out who it was. Seeing that they were on a regularly used trail, Szander reasoned that it could be anyone headed in the same direction. Still the group was cautious and prepared just in case the others were trouble. Each night Lena slept while Szander and Frankee took turns standing guard. One night a rattler crawled into the tent. Frankee went in to wake Szander and saw it slithering into the warmth of Lena's sleeping bag. Frankee cautiously drew his Katana so as not to alarm the snake. Then with a swift and quiet blow he separated the rattler from it's life. The snakes death rattle awoke Szander who panicked momentarily. Lena slept on oblivious to the events. The next morning they had snake for breakfast.

The three arrived at John's Corner. After seeing it was a lawless place with not much more than a saloon and livery, the three decided to camp on the outskirts. As they were setting up camp Szander noticed that the riders that had been following them had left the trail on the opposite side of the three's camp as if to avoid detection. The riders continued around the outskirts of town and entered from the opposite direction. The three used the telescope they had borrowed from Father Preacher to get a better look. It was the Kavanaugh Gang and they were headed into the saloon to get their drink on.

The three figured the Kavanaugh gang was after them. The Three did not want the Kavanaugh gang to find out about Vincent or his location, so they decided to write a threatening note and leave it in the saddle bags of one of the gangs horses. Lena being small and fast agreed to plant the letter. Approaching the saloon she saw the guard out front was asleep. Still, Lena had a problem. There were a lot of horses tied to the hitching posts outside the Saloon. unable to remember which horses belonged to the gang, Lena took her best guess, left the note on a random horse, and went back to camp.

The three decided that they would go to bed early and get up before dawn to try and shake the Kavanaugh Gang. Szander stayed up for first watch and near midnight the Kavanaugh Gang left the saloon making all sorts of noise. They rode out to the other side of the trail and noisily set up camp out of sight. The noise woke everyone up. Lena settled back in while Frankee stood guard and Szander sneaked across the trail and spied on the Kavanaugh Gangs camp. After watching a bunch of drunks sitting around the fire singing, Szander returned to camp for some shut eye.

The three rose before dawn and set off, taking their time to try and cover their tracks. They eventually got to Vincent's place. Vincent was able to offer a serum to cure Father Preacher and what he asked for in exchange was certainly strange. Lena and Szander were both very curious and asked Vincent lots of questions. Even though they were still curious, the three realized that they had to hurry back to Father Preacher. Saying good-bye to Vincent they departed.

The three returned to where they had tied their horses only to find that they were gone. While they looked around Frankee stepped on something that made a loud click. With lightning fast reflexes, Frankee jumped back avoiding a bear trap that nearly closed on his foot. the three were certain the Kavanaugh Gang was behind the theft and the trap. Szander took to high ground to try and spy them out while Lena and Frankee chased after them. As they headed after the Kavanaugh gang, Atreyu and Leanne came running back. Szander spotted the Kavanaugh gang riding away, one of the stolen horses in tow. Taking out his rifle, Szander took careful aim and blasted one of the fleeing gang members off his horse. One of the gang members stopped to scan the hills while the others picked up their pace. Taking advantage of the situation, Szander fired on the gang member scanning the hills blasting him off his horse as well. The rest of the gang was out of Szander's range, so he began to climb down. Lena and Frankee caught up to the remaining gang members. A sharpened hubcap to the head and a few bullets dissuaded the remaining gang members from fighting back. Instead they let go of the stolen horse and galloped away. To more shots and two more fell. The third escaped into the desert. While Lena gathered up the remaining horses, Frankee and Szander looked over the fallen gang members. One was clearly dead and two had crawled off. Another was playing possum and tried shooting Frankee in the back. The shot went wide and Frankee instinctively spun around and shot the man dead. There was no sign of the other two who had been shot.

it was getting dark and the three reluctantly set up camp. Spirits were low. They had promised Miss Donna to keep Vincent and his whereabouts a secret. Although the remaining Kavanaugh gang members that got away did not know where Vincent's place was at, they could return and find it later. To try and raise their spirits Frankee played at the campfire. Suddenly they heard a rattle from nearby followed by a scream. Rushing over they found Jake Kavanaugh gasping his last breath. Apparently he had hid himself well in a cleft of the rock and had tried to sneak away after dark only to disturb a snake. A few hours before dawn, Frankee was standing guard when he heard some rocks fall. At first he thought they were just noises, but the sound kept growing and getting closer. Yelling landslide to wake the others he shooed the horses away. Szander awoke and snatched up Lena and started to run. A large amount of small rocks and dust fell from the side of the ravine sliding right up to the edge of camp. Looking up they saw a gigantic boulder precariously perched at the ravines edge. The three suspected that one of the remaining gang members was behind the near landslide. Szander headed up the side of the ravine while Frankee and Lena moved the camp to a safer location. At the top of the ravine Szander found a stick used as a lever at the base of the gigantic boulder. A little bit away he found another gang member newly dead from a previous gun shot. Szander returned to camp and stayed up with Frankee while Lena slept a few more hours.

The three located the tracks of the one who got away. The gang member was headed in the general direction of Law so they decided to try and track her along the way. They followed the tracks for 3 days before losing them. Unable to pick up the trail the three could only hope that the gang member would not be any trouble in the future. The rest of the journey back to Law was uneventful. When they arrived they went straight to father preacher with the serum. The doctor administered it and Father Preacher was awake and talking after a few days. In another week Father Preacher was able to get out of bed and walk around but he was still very weak. After a couple of months Father Preacher had regained his full strength. Then one morning he was gone. Father Preacher left a note behind. "Szander: I know you can't read this and I strongly suggest you learn how. Still, you have proven that you are no longer a boy, but a man who can take care of himself and his loved ones. Keep Lena out of trouble and do not worry about me. While I was in the grip of that terrible poison, Lord Jesus Buddha Zoroaster came to me and told me to return to my wandering in the wilderness. May Lord Jesus Buddha Zoroaster watch over you and if it is his will we will meet again someday. Father Preacher."

Mystery at Mad Jack's Cave

For some time there had been a lack of produce from Eden. According to the Edenites, someone was stealing the majority of the shipments when they stopped at Mad Jack's Cave. Now Lena had been curious about her birthplace for a long time and decided this would be the perfect opportunity to get to know some Edenites and get some questions answered. The Edenites were in poor spirits. As they had little to trade they were barely able to get enough gas to return home, let alone any supplies Eden might need. So Lena put on her cute little girl act. She hung around being helpful, showed off with Atreyu and offered the Edenites things to lift their spirits that only a child might find valuable. Lena charmed the folk from Eden good and convinced them that Frankee and Szander would be ideal for looking into the troubles at Mad Jack's Cave.

Lena was not the only curious little girl running around swaps. A feral desert child named Orchid had found her way to Law and was living on the outskirts of swaps. All the people fascinated and frightened her. Most olders she had known were brutish and abusive. It was the olders that had run her out of her former pack. Orchid was excited when she spotted a little one her own age. She was amazed at how Lena fearlessly interacted with the olders and delighted watching Lena show off her horse. After awhile Orchid's curiosity got the better of her and she began approaching Lena. Lena and Orchid became fast friends and soon Orchid was even interacting with the olders a bit. Even though the olders here were unlike the ones in the pack it was still hard for Orchid to trust them. From time to time Orchid had missed being part of a pack. Now she was starting to feel she had found a new pack with the three. Although Frankee seemed didn't seem to take much notice of her, Orchid loved listening to Frankee play. Szander's size was intimidating at first, but Orchid soon learned he was like the few olders in her former pack that had watched out for the little ones and the wee ones. Orchid had a new pack and the three were once more four.

The Edenites were packing up to leave Law and head back home. Szander had a little talk with them and the Edenites agreed to take the four to Mad Jack's Cave so they could look in to the thefts. Bob, a local Law Dog, approached the Edenites that evening and told them he would be coming along to Mad Jack's Cave to launch an official investigation. The Convoy left the following dawn. Orchid was very wary about getting into one of those big loud monsters, but she was not about to let fearless Lena see it.

While riding to Mad Jack's Cave, Lena took time to ask the convoy leader about Eden. The convoy Leader was not very forth coming with information, so Lena informed him that she and Szander were originally from Eden. The convoy Leader met this statement with incredulity. Lena persisted and the convoy leader took note of their names and agreed to look into it once he returned to Eden. The convoy arrived at Mad Jack's Cave and the five were introduced to the keeper of the Eden Compound, Gethsemane. The five were told they could stay in the compound bunk house while the convoy was away. The next morning, the convoy departed leaving the five 3 months to investigate and prepare.

Three months is quite a wait, but the five managed to keep themselves busy. Szander had heard tell of some wreckage located just south of Mad Jack's Cave, so they headed out there to pick it over. They spent some time exploring the area. They learned that the locals were a surly lot that did not like the Edenites at all and that they were charging people for access to the old cave that contained the cold water spring.

One day, while exploring the hills, Szander heard cursing and cries for help. Investigating he found the oldest man he had ever seen pinned under a rock fall. Szander helped get the old man out of his predicament and was in turn invited back to the old man's cabin. The old man introduced himself as Cooter and claimed to have been there longer than anyone else. He told Szander that he has known Mad Jack and that he had indeed been Mad. He laughed and said Jack was a good enough fella if you did not mind him runnin around naked screaming curses and throwing his own fecal matter at strangers. Cooter had a low opinion of both the locals and the Edenites. Cooter claimed the Edenites were stuck up and that they made too much noise when their convoy came through. Cooter's complaints about the locals were that they were too noisy and they had the audacity to try and charge for access to the spring. Cooter was very grateful to Szander for saving his life and liked how Szander didn't talk to much. Cooter told Szander he would help him out however he could.

The natural amphitheater where Szander, Lena, And Father Preacher had met Frankee was not far off from Mad Jack's Cave. Frankee decided to head out there to perform and the others went with him. It was a pleasant and uneventful concert.

Back at Mad Jack's Cave Szander was getting to Know Gethsemane. Apparently she was not born in and had never been to Eden. Gethsemane told Szander that she had befriended some Edenites and after some consideration had been posted at the compound at Mad Jack's Cave. She had been there for 7 years and had finally earned her citizenship. She was excited about going to Eden and looking forward to her replacement coming so she could finally go.

Frankee took some time to try and get to know the locals. The locals made it plain that they wanted nothing to do with anyone from the Eden compound. Frankee convinced them that he did not like the Edenites and was only staying there because his companions felt safer inside the walls. Convinced of his contempt for the Edenites, the locals let Frankee play in the saloon. Much to Frankee's surprise the gal playing the piano began a burlesque once Frankee started playing. The locals told him he should stay at the hotel where the beds were more comfortable and the company better than anything the Edenites offered. Frankee headed over to the hotel and after seeing the beds and the company headed right back over to the Eden Compound.