A Ride Into Reality
A Ride Into RealityDisclaimer: Some of the characters in this fiction have been borrowed from the TV show The Young Riders and are the copyright of Ed Spielman and Ogiens/Kane Production. The other characters are created by the author. Some characters may be based upon today living persons but the author have no connection with these persons, nor does the author claim to have any specific knowledge of these persons. This story is written for the enjoyment of TYR fans and are posted without any economical gain for neither the author nor the siteowner.
© Charla
They all awoke at the exact same moment, startled, as if awakened from a nightmare. Each of them sat upright in their bunk and looked around frantically. Everyone's face mirrored the same alarm, the same certainty that something was very wrong. Their breath was coming in ragged gasps, like they were being chased and riding for their lives. The collective sound of their heavy respiration only punctuated the silence in the room.
"I don't know about ya'll, but I feel like I've been asleep for days." Cody's voice was the first to interrupt.
Just then, Lou threw her legs over the side of the bunk. "Yeah, I can't remember the last time I slept so hard."
"Wait a minute," Kid said yawning, "if Lou is here, who's out on a run?"
Jimmy scratched his head. It was downright odd for them all to be at the station at the same time. Meanwhile, Cody cupped his palm, rubbing it up and down on the front of his face, trying to wipe off the groggy feeling that would not release his mind.
Buck visibly shivered, but not from cold. He felt a chill, like an ancient spirit passing over him, as he tried to figure out what seemed odd.
Kid stood and stretched as Lou jumped off the top bunk. They all started pulling clothes over their long johns.
"If one of us missed our run, wouldn't Rachel have told us?" Kid
asked.
"Let's go ask her. It's nearly time for breakfast." Lou replied, trying to appear much calmer than she actually felt.
Jimmy strapped on his weapons. "I don't know what is going on here, but…"
He was interrupted by Cody's raised voice. "What in the…? Would you look at this!"
All four of them turned to stare at the object that Cody was approaching. It set just inside the bunk door and none of them had seen anything like it. Cody tapped it with his foot, then lifted it up to study it closer. It felt almost weightless and made a crinkling sound as he squeezed it.
"Just looks like a new tin can to me." Jimmy commented. "Probably from Tompkin's store."
"This ain't like no tin I've ever seen. A shot would completely destroy it. Even Kid wouldn't get a second shot."
Buck felt that shiver again as walked over and took the item from Cody. He turned it around in his hand, looking at all the words. "Co Ca Co La," he read slowly.
"Sounds like an Indian word," Kid remarked, "anything you recognize Buck?"
Buck shook his head and continued to study it. "It says Charlotte, North Carolina right here on it too. Ya'll know anyone from around there?"
"Give me that." Jimmy snatched it from Buck. The can crushed even more in Jimmy's strong hands. He tossed it in the air and caught it. "Yep, it's light as a feather and it sure is shiny."
"Look at you boys, " Lou snapped, "you're tearing it up, ruining it!"
Cody, meanwhile, noticed something else on the floor next to where he found the can. He bent, studied it a moment, and picked it up. "Look at this, it's like paper, but you can see right through it! It's kinda sticky too." Cody looked irritated at having got it on his hands. He shoved the flimsy object at Buck.
This time Lou moved over for a closer inspection. "What's that written on it?"
Buck studied it carefully, "Twin Key? 'Cept they spelt it wrong."
"You think it's some kind of surprise from Teaspoon - like that baseball stuff?" Kid asked hopefully.
Jimmy looked grave as he moved to the door, tossing the can toward Kid. "I'm going to find out what is going on."
Kid gingerly placed the can on the table as they all moved to follow Jimmy out the door and into the early morning sun. The eerie silence and utter stillness baffled them all. Jimmy's long legs carried him to the station house as Kid headed to the barn and corral.
"Where's all the horses? Where's Katy?" Kid shouted.
Lou rushed up behind him. "Someone stole all the horses?"
Jimmy walked into the barn, his face furious. "The house looks like it ain't been lived in for years. Years I tell you! Ain't no one around, including Rachel."
"What in the hell is going on?" exclaimed Cody. "No horses, no Rachel!?"
"Let's go find Teaspoon. Maybe he can tell us what is going on."
Jimmy's face still looked confused and angry. "The way Rachel's looked,
it's like we been asleep for a year. This just ain't making any sense."
The five Pony Express riders took off toward town only to find empty streets
and vacant buildings. The marshall's office was void of everything but a beat
up old table. Tompkin's store was full of dust and a few empty boxes. Even the
saloon was deplete of customers.
Cody's stomach growled loudly. "Cody," the other riders said with
exasperation. "Are you always thinking of food?" Jimmy demanded.
Cody looked wounded. "Hey guys, it's not my fault. I didn't say a word."
"Thanks to your stomach, you didn't have to!" Lou retorted.
"Hey, ya'll look at that." Buck motioned to a cemetery across the road. Slowly, the group walked toward the familiar site.
"Now wait just a second…how did the cemetery from Sweetwater end up here in Rock Creek?" Jimmy didn't like being puzzled; he was getting madder by the moment.
Kid put his arm around Lou, as if to reassure her, but he was feeling the need for comfort too.
Buck alternately studied the sky and the grounds, walking around all the graves. "I found another one of those cans," he said, holding it up. "This one says Dr. Pepper. Must be some kind of white man's medicine."
As they looked over the markers, unable to believe what they were seeing, no one spoke. They each tried to assimilate what was going on until a voice broke into their musings.
"Hey now, we aren't open yet? How did you get in here?"
They all turned to see a strange man standing there. He wore black pants and boots like they had never seen before. A tight black shirt fit his chest and a strange looking gun and holster went around his waist. Even his hat was odd; it looked like someone had tore off most of the brim leaving only a little in the front, over his eyes.
"Security," Buck read across the front of the hat.
"Yes, that's me and I want to know how you got in."
Jimmy's hand hovered over his gun. "You trying to rush us, Security?"
The guard looked baffled a moment. "No, my name isn't Security, I am Security! I don't know who you think…" the man began. "Wait a second, I know you are! I can't believe I didn't recognize you. What is this, Candid Camera?" The man in the funny hat started looking around. " Mr. Brolin, are you all here to do some kind of reunion show they didn't tell me about? I see you are in costume, but…"
Jimmy cut him off, irritated. "My name's Hickok, not Brolin."
"Is Security the new firm? Is that why everything has moved?" Cody asked.
The man shook his head, clearly confused. "Why don't you guys follow me back to the trailer. I'll get you something to drink and you can fill me in on what is going on?"
"We'd be much obliged," Kid spoke up, "if you would fill us in."
Cody turned to Buck. "You think The Trailer is a new saloon?" Buck just shrugged his shoulders as the other riders considered that possibility and moved to follow him.
"I just hope this man can tell us what in the hell is going on around here," Jimmy declared. They all nodded in agreement.
As he turned, motioning them to follow, he spoke over his shoulder. "My name is Sam, by the way. Sam Kane."
"You are not Sam Cain," Buck replied emphatically. Sam Cain was an old friend, the marshal of Sweetwater before Teaspoon took his place. The riders had not seen him since he and Emma had married and moved away, but they knew what he looked like.
But the man called Sam just laughed, "Well now, I must admit I took quite a bit of kidding when I first started working here, especially since your show was filmed here, but that's really my name."
The speechless group followed Sam. Words that they did not understand floated in their minds: show, filming, costume? What did any of that have to do with them? As they continued to walk behind Sam, they all looked around, alert and ready for any trouble. Stopping several feet away from The Trailer, they studied it warily. It didn't look anything like the lumber and log buildings they were used to.
Lou edged closer to study the wheels. Instead of wood, they were made of something completely different. They were black circles and the material moved a little when she pushed at it with her finger. The shiny center was a bit like the spool of a wagon wheel, but that's where all similarity ended.
"Guess we need to air those up; this trailer hasn't been moved in a while. It works as the Security office for the set," Sam explained. Lou just looked at him and Kid ran his hand through his hair.
Buck had squatted down to study the ground. He saw too many footprints to count, a few horse tracks and many very strange tracks he did not recognize. Then he spotted a shiny coin and he scooped it up to examine it. It didn't look like any money he had ever seen, so he studied it with greater intensity. He saw the number 1-9-9-8 on the silver circle in his palm, but before he could question Sam about it, a loud noise startled the group.
They all jumped back, closer together. Jimmy drew his gun, aiming it at the moving metal. It looked a lot like The Trailer, but smaller. The wheels were the same and they moved as it pulled up next to The Trailer. "Where's the horses?" shouted Jimmy. By this time, all of them had their guns pointing at the metal buck board.
Sarah Stallings opened the door and jumped out of the Jeep. "Sam, what's
going on?" She turned to look at the riders pointedly, "You think
you could holster your guns? Is this some sort of prank?"
Sarah was in her late thirties and medium height; she wore her honey blond hair
in a short bob and her clothes were professional yet comfortable at the same
time. Her dark blue eyes were framed by light eyelashes, forcing her to deal
with mascara on a daily basis. Sarah's nose was straight and narrow and sat
upon a full mouth. Her very attitude and demeanor was strictly no-nonsense.
Sam looked relieved at her arrival. "I was hoping you could explain this to me. No one told me the lot was going to be closed for filming today."
Lou stood there, her mouth agape at the woman in front of her. If she was working for the new firm and trying to hide her gender, she was doing a poor job of it. The black pants were tight on her legs, her blouse only accentuated her breasts instead of concealing them and she wore enough paint on her face to look like a saloon girl. Lou decided she must work for The Trailer Saloon and not the new Pony Express firm, Security.
In fact, all the riders were looking at the woman before them. Cody's eyes were twinkling with blatant interest as he looked her up and down. Kid gave Cody a shove, "We got more important business to tend to than that!" They all lowered their weapons slowly.
"Josh, I thought you were in New York doing a play? What are you doing here?" Sarah asked, looking at him.
"How many times do I got to tell you, my name is Hickok, Jimmy Hickok, not Josh or Brolin or anything else!" Jimmy's agitation was evident in his voice.
Sarah shot an amused glance over at Sam. "Are they serious?"
"Ma'am, I'd say we are very serious and we want to know what's going on," Kid tried to explain.
Sarah's look turned from humor to incredulous impatience. "This is Sarah you are talking to, Sarah Stallings! I've run this lot for nearly 15 years! I was here back when you guys were filming! Are you saying you don't know me?"
The riders looked at one another and collectively shook their heads no. Sarah, frustrated, jerked open the door of the trailer and motioned them all inside. Lou, closest to the door, jumped back in surprise as the cold air from inside the trailer swept over her. "It feels like winter in there," she exclaimed.
"Ohhhh," Sarah groaned, "would you just come in and have a
seat?!"
"Could be a trap, what do you think Buck?" Cody turned to look at
the Indian beside him.
Buck craned his neck to peer inside. "Maybe, but I don't think so."
Kid, ready for answers, stepped up, grabbed Lou's hand and pulled her to the door. Jimmy was close on their heels, his hand near his gun, ready to fight if necessary. Cody and Buck followed them inside.
