Pale and Helpless

Kansas, 1860

"Dad, do you think it's safe?" Gabriel asked his father, while they were fast-approaching the farm house.

"I see nothing that says otherwise." Ivan said to his young boy and continued signalling to their horse to carry her pace. "Come on girl, not long now."

Their horse was reaching her limits carrying them and the wagon. She was exhausted after having to take another long trip in such short notice. Little Gabriel was exhausted too. He often complained of his hunger and thirst during their journey. Ivan was not far behind from the same levels of fatigue and hunger, but he had to remain strong, and more importantly to keep a clear and focused mind. The dangers for both of them were many in this county. They were fugitives from justice and their faces featured in wanted posters in most of the bigger cities. This is why Ivan always insisted on travelling at night and choosing smaller towns for short stays. Little farms like this were ideal.

They were close to the farm house now. Hopefully, whoever lived there, they would be generous enough to spare them some food and water for them and the horse. In terms of beds, they didn't really have high expectations. They could settle for a corner with straws in the barn, next to the rest of the animals if needed. The rocky ground and smell didn't bother them.

They noticed a sign next to the gate door. "NO TRESPASS" Gabriel spelled out, giving his father a worried look.

"Let's hope it's just a friendly warning." Ivan said in a low voice and continue signalling the horse forward.

Suddenly a loud shout pierced through the night. "Halt! You there, stop right where you are and raise your arms so I can see them. And no funny business, I've got a shotgun that still works perfectly." The voice was rough and came from a man standing firmly in front of the house entrance. He seemed to be wearing a cowboy's hat and a plain shirt.

Ivan gave a sudden pull to the reins and the horse stopped immediately, taking deep breaths. He raised his voice so the man could hear him from that distance. "Kind Sir, don't be alarmed. We're two unarmed travellers, just me and my boy" He said while raising his arms. He gave a side look to Gabriel and his arms were raised too. Gabriel was quiet, but he didn't look frightened. "So brave you are, my boy." Ivan thought proudly. "We kindly seek for a small part of your hospitality, Sir." He said to the man.

"Stay right there, I'm coming to you now." The man said and walked towards the wagon. He had a long beard and looked older than he probably was. He continued holding his shotgun high enough to show he meant business.

He looked at Ivan and said. "What are you thinking? Travelling in the middle of the night? These parts are not safe for you and especially for your boy."

"I know, Sir, but you see, we're farmers ourselves, or at least we were." Ivan said. "Our farm was burned down by bandits only a few nights ago. Me and my son managed to escape just in the nick of time. His mother, though, was killed during the raid." Ivan's voice now sounded broken. "So, you understand. We had no other choice but to flee. This wagon and this horse are all we have left. Please Sir, we only seek the spares of your supper, some clean water for us and our horse."

"Oh, I...I'm sorry about your wife Sir" The man said and lowered his shotgun. "Nasty business, these bandits. These parts are full of them and those damned Indians. You said you're farmers too. Which county if I may ask?"

"We're not from this state, Sir. We're from Missouri. Well beyond the borders." Ivan replied pointing vaguely to the horizon behind them.

"And your accents." The man said. "You're clearly not from around here."

"No, no, Sir, my family made us travel all around the world, before we settled in this land almost a decade ago now." Ivan replied almost instantly.

"I see." The man said and put the shotgun around his shoulder, like he meant the interrogation was over. And that they passed it. "Well, providence has not made us rich yet, but we can spare some potato soup. As of water, we have plenty for all of you. For beds though, you need to settle for the barn. We have no room in the house."

"Of course, Sir, we understand and we thank you warmly for your generosity. God bless you, Sir." Ivan sounded grateful.

"Yes, yes..." The man said and waved them forward. "Follow me. You can leave the wagon over there, next to the barn and tie the horse to the fence. What do we call you both?"

"I'm ... Arthur and this is my son, John." Ivan said with a slight hesitation.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Thomas and that little one over there is my nephew Adam." Thomas pointed to a little boy standing to the front entrance. "Come on out now Adam, it's alright, they're good people, no need to worry." Thomas said loudly with a sound of relief.

"Adam..." Ivan whispered to himself and looked at Gabriel with a faint smile. "Can John and Adam play while we're waiting for supper?" Ivan asked.

"Sure thing, and there's no need to wait for supper. The soup is almost ready." Thomas said. "Care to give me a hand with the stove while the kids are playing?"

"Sure, no problem, it's the least I can do." Ivan moved the wagon next to the barn as instructed and tied the horse. He took a look around the farm. "Nothing special out here, but it seemed they are doing alright nonetheless." he thought.

Adam walked down the stairs and greeted Gabriel. Adam offered to show him around the farm and Gabriel nodded. Before distancing themselves, Ivan gave a stern look at Gabriel and said casually "Have fun now ... John and remember. Be patient."

Ivan followed Thomas into the house. He gave a quick look around, while Thomas rest the shotgun next to the door behind them and walked to the kitchen. "The kitchen is right this way. Care for some coffee?" Thomas asked.

"Coffee would be nice, thank you". Ivan said.

"You must be tired Arthur, have a seat." Thomas said and opened the kitchen drawer to grab two cups.

"Indeed, we've been travelling all day and night." Ivan said and took a seat at the dinner table.

"Your kid," Thomas started asking, while pouring coffee in Ivan's cup. "is he ... alright? He looks a bit pale, like more than normal. I hope he's not sick, is he?"

"He's fine, just hungry and thirsty." Ivan said. "We barely had anything to eat for days now. We're fortunate that you..."

A sudden scream of agony teared through the night and made Thomas drop the coffee kettle. "What was that? Did it come from outside? It sounded like Adam." Thomas sounded horrified and stared at Ivan.

"Oh no..." Ivan said calmly, like almost nothing happened.

Ivan's response scared Thomas even more. He rushed to the door and grabbed the shotgun. As he reached the door handle and turned it, he felt a cold breath at his neck. As he was starting to turn around to look behind him, he felt two teeth, like sharp knifes, biting into his neck. His body went numb almost instantly. He couldn't move his arms or legs. His strength left his body in a matter of seconds and the shotgun dropped to the wooden floor.

Ivan took a good swallow of blood, in order to satisfy the worst of his hunger and put Thomas' lifeless body gently to the floor. Then, he rushed outside to see what caused the scream, although he was almost sure of what happened. "This damn boy can't restrain himself for a few minutes." he said to himself.

He went behind the house and soon enough he found a trail of blood. The trail led him to Gabriel who was down to the ground on top of Adam. Gabriel had still his teeth in Adam's neck, who looked as lifeless as his uncle.

"Gabriel!" Ivan shouted at him. "Couldn't you hold it for a few more minutes? For once, I wanted us to have a quiet supper without any trouble."

Gabriel stopped feeding on Adam and turned his head to look at his father. Adam's blood was dripping from Gabriel's mouth, whose teeth shined bright in the dark, like newly-forged daggers. His shirt was soaked in blood.

"I'm sorry father," Gabriel said "I was too hungry."