After several weeks, life in the valley had settled into a new routine. Every day they expected the uncle's men to ride into their valley, but until they did, life needed to go on. Hunting, firewood, trade goods, cooking, cleaning, tanning hides, it all needed to be done. Every evening was a celebration of having lived another day.

They ate together most nights and would all end up at the half-log bench talking and looking at the stars. Sometimes Rud would wish the uncle's men would come on and get it over with, but was always glad when the day was over and they had not.

Rud was hunting along the ridge on the east side of the valley. Billy was cutting wood just off the central trail. Both heard the sound of shod horses crossing the rocky hill at the entrance to the valley. It sounded like maybe twenty horses at a walk.

The number of horses was what concerned both Billy and Rud the most. Not even Charlotte had that many riders. Rud sprinted to intercept the central trail, hoping to catch Billy heading back towards the cabins.

Rud broke out of the woods and onto the trail about a hundred yards ahead of Billy. Billy clanked his knife against his hatchet as soon as he saw Rud break out of the woods. The quick clank of metal on metal could be heard a long way off and caused Rud to stop and look back towards the sound. Billy caught up, and they both continued running for the cabins.

Alice had heard the riders too, had grabbed her pistols, and ran to Patience's cabin. Patience was waiting when Alice arrived, and they made sure all the guns were loaded and by the windows in case the intruders were not friendly.

Both women stepped outside as the group of riders came into view, there were fifteen to twenty of them. Seeing both cabins, the group stopped, four riders went towards Alice's cabin, and four riders headed towards Patience and Alice. The remaining riders stayed where they were.

The first group stopped in front of Alice's cabin, drew their pistols, and with the door left open, walked right in. After only a few seconds, they came back out, signaled to the rest there was no one home. The men at Alice's cabin mounted their horses and rejoined the main group. The other four riders, seeing the women were armed, approached slowly, coming to a stop just in front of Patience and Alice.

Alice recognized these men as the four she and Billy had encountered on the road. They recognized Alice too. Their pistols already out, one of the men said, "Well, little Missy." Alice raised her pistols, pointing one at the man who spoke and the other at Joe. Alice, whose iron will and steel for a backbone would give Charlotte a run for her money, gave them a look letting them know she would not back down.

Alice said, "Hello, Joe, you die first. Then I shoot your mouthy friend in the face." Joe was not feeling very well at this point. Alice had honestly scared him that day on the road, and the last thing he wanted was to have her pistol pointed at him again. Joe, voice faltering, said to the talker, "Your mouth will get us killed." Joe's eyes shot back to Alice and felt her stare through him to his bones. Joe's "mouthy" friend, now with Alice pointing a pistol at his face, was beginning to think Joe might be right.

* * * * *

Rud and Billy had seen the riders and changed direction. They ran through the woods to come out behind the blacksmith shed. Rud said, "Billy, get over behind those logs with your sling ready. If they start shooting, kill any that we don't get, then meet us at the cabin." Rud headed towards the blacksmith shed. Billy grabbed his arm and asked where he was going? Rud smiled and said, "To fulfill a promise I made to Alice."

Rud went into the shed, pulled "Alice's necklace," as he called it, from a shelf. Rud pulled up his outer shirt to get the necklace around his neck, pulled his shirt back down then put on his heavy leather work apron. Rud picked up a hammer, and with his big knife and woodsman's hatchet on his belt walked out of the shed towards Patience, Alice, and the men.

Rud hoped looking like a blacksmith would allow him to get close enough to the leader to strike first if need be. Rud rounded the corner of the cabin just about the time the leader said, "Patience Morrow, or should I say Patience Billings, where is William?" Rud walked up next to the leader's horse, hammer in hand, and said, "My name is Rud Morrow, what is your business here."

The leader smiled and said, "Boys, it's our lucky day, it looks like we hit the jackpot. William has to be around here somewhere." The leader looked at Rud and said, "This is for my friends you chopped up on the dock that day" and shot Rud at point-blank range in the center of his chest. It was Rud who was surprised this time. He had tried to bring the hammer up in a defensive move, but the ball hit Rud in the chest and threw him backward. Rud hit the ground face down, arms and legs splayed in different directions. It had never occurred to Rud the men would be looking for him too.

* * * * *

As soon as the leader shot Rud, Joe wheeled his horse, dug in his heels, and started riding away as fast as his horse would run. Alice had so terrified Joe he was running before Alice had a chance to fulfill her promise as he knew she would. As he rode, Joe threw his pistol down, pulled his rifle from its sheath, and tossed it to the side all the while praying the ball from that little girl's pistol was not on the way to his head.

Joe's departure distracted the remaining three riders just long enough. True to her words, Alice shot the talker in the face. Patience, still in shock from seeing Rud shot, acted without thinking. She raised her rifle and shot the leader at close range. The ball had sufficient energy to take the top of his head off and blow brain matter all over the fourth rider, who was directly behind him.

By the time the fourth rider had wiped some of the blood and gore from his face and started to raise his pistol, the stone from Billy's sling hit him in the side of his head, penetrating his skull. Alice fired her second pistol into the man's chest as he fell just for good measure. Three riders were now on the ground dead near where Rud's body lay.

Joe, face white with fear, heard the gunfire behind him and rode past the main group as fast as his horse would run. Joe was saying, "I didn't want this," over and over. Alice had already begun pushing Patience into the cabin. Billy ran up as they made it inside. Billy said, "Help me get Rud in." Alice screamed back, "You can't help Rud now." Billy had seen the shot and knew it was true.

The main group of riders, including those who had gone to Alice's cabin, had seen their friends killed, and Joe ride by as if death itself was chasing him. They pulled their guns and rode quickly towards the cabin where Patience, Alice, and Billy were now safely inside. Rifles bristled from the cabin windows, ready for the men to come.

Billy heard another large group of riders enter the valley, this group coming on fast. The sound of the horse's iron shoes on the rocky hill echoed through the valley. Billy's heart sank, soon there would be even more men to fight. Billy wished Rud was alive. They would have a chance if Rud was alive.

* * * * *

Patience looked at Rud's body. She felt nothing now. There was nothing to feel, she was hollow inside. Her Rud, her life, was dead on the ground just feet from the window she was defending. She would kill every one of the approaching riders, then she would be as good as dead herself. Her heart had turned black as the darkest night, there was only death now, and she would kill them all. It would seem the beast did not just live within men.

Patience's face was blank of any expression as she fired, striking the lead rider in the chest, throwing him from his horse. Billy and Alice looked on as Patience grabbed another rifle and killed the second rider. Billy handed Patience his rifle, she was unrecognizable even to her brother. Billy grabbed the ramrod and started reloading her rifles as Patience shot a third rider square in the chest.

Alice fired, and a fourth man fell. Patience fired again, and a fifth man fell. Alice killed the sixth. With almost half their total number now dead, the remaining riders made it to the cabin and dismounted to find cover. Two moved around the cabin and made it on top. Inside, they could hear them try to break through the hard-packed sod and dirt of the cabin roof.

Shots from the uncle's men started hitting the boards in the cabin windows. Both Patience and Alice were getting showered with splinters. With Billy reloading for her, Patience never stopped firing. The uncle's men were all around the cabin, and at least one was trying to break down the door.

Alice yelled, "The door." Billy finished loading a rifle, then lifted one end of the board that barred the door from opening just enough for the door to open slightly. When the man hit the door again with his shoulder, the door opened a couple of inches, and he was staring down the muzzle of Billy's rifle. Billy pulled the trigger, and the man disappeared in the white cloud of burnt gunpowder. Billy pushed the door closed, placed the board back fully in its cradle, and resumed reloading for Patience.

Alice had just leveled her rifle when she heard a different sound, it was a shot but from further away. A man fell in front of her window. It was one of the men from the roof. A crescendo of shots rang out. The uncle's men turned to face the second group of riders coming on fast and firing at them. Alice yelled at Patience not to shoot the men on horseback. Billy grabbed Patience's arm when it did not appear she was going to heed Alice's words.

Billy saw pure hate in his sister's eyes, and he felt so sorry for her. He could only look in those once familiar eyes now lifeless and black. Patience held her fire as the men on horseback rode through what remained of the uncle's men. It took only seconds, and all of the uncle's men were dead. The new group of riders circled the bodies looking for life.