The Ocean’s City

Without thinking, I turned on my heel and ran. First, I was headed toward that house with the sweet little girl, but then my brain caught up with the rest of me and gave me some sense. Too dangerous for the children.

So I just ran, but I could hear the footsteps of men chasing me and the pounding of hooves gaining up on me. The more I ran, the more trouble I registered I was in. I ran all the way to the edge of town. Past the town was nothing but miles of desert. I had lost my chances of hiding.

I thought about the safety Dalton and Hutson would have provided me if I ran to them instead of away from where they were. I pleaded they were also a part of the group chasing me.

It wasn’t long before a cracking smack hit the back of my head. I fell forward to see only darkness. I could hear the chaotic rush of the mob. It was the only thing pulling me from my sweet sleep with darkness.

I needed to survive. I rolled to my back, somehow missing the butt of a man’s rifle, but as soon as I moved away from his hit, he had his gun raised and swung it back down. My hands protected my face as I silently pleaded, “Help! Dalton!”

Nothing happened.

My eyes stayed clenched shut until I realized there was complete and utter silence. Still, I let a few seconds pass until I decided no one would hit me. I looked up. The unforgiving sun scorched at my eyes. I raised a hand to shade myself. I noted the heat on my skin.

The butt of the barrel was frozen mid-swing. Two rough hands held the gun in a stance that showed all the muscles were in this one motion. His face was locked on mine with a malicious expression, but even though his eyes glistened, his face didn’t twitch.

I slowly turned my head to see the mob formed around me. They all had hungry expressions of ill intent. Yet… not one moved nor swayed like they were playing a game. They stayed completely still.

I slowly stood up. My eyes searched every detail like a maniac. Horses in mid-run, a bird in the sky flying as if in a picture. Not a single movement. Not a single sound. Except for me. I checked my hands as if checking if I were dreaming. Each finger wiggled, and I was aware of my breath and the beating of my heart.

Did Dalton help me?

“Silvestia!!!!” The familiar roar echoed through the town. Everything else was so quiet it was like an empty room for sound to travel. Dalton cried for me in an almost angry, urgent plea.

“Dalton!” I cried back as I weaved through the men and horses right into his arms. It wasn’t until then that I felt my relief and cried. “Thank you! Thank you for saving me.”

He petted my hair and gave me a comforting shush. “You’re okay now.” But his voice fluttered like it was lacking confidence. I pulled back to look at him. He wiped a stray tear away from my face. His expression was utterly unreadable. “Are you hurt?” He asked, but something was off about him.

“What is it?” My fists were clenched at my side, half expecting him to lie.

“It wasn’t me who stopped time.”

I tried to read his expression and understand what Dalton was saying. I looked to Hutson as if it were him that saved me. Maybe Dalton felt guilty taking the credit. Hutson, with a similarly severe expression, simply shook his head no.

“Then who?”

Dalton pressed his lips together, thinking. He opened his mouth to speak, but the sound didn’t come from him.

“Brother?”

I turned to the sweet, familiar voice, my heart warming to see a friendly face. Ian matched the scenery; he was dressed and looked much like his older brother. He gave me a friendly smile from his horse as he greeted me, tipping his light brown cowboy hat.

Then his expression fell. He turned to Dalton and Hutson with an accusing tone of voice. “She’s hurt!”

Ian reached for my hand. I grabbed it before I realized he would pull me onto the horse with him. I went to yank my hand away, but Dalton was behind me, lifting me like I was a toddler. They swiftly placed me in front.

“Get her to the Doctor. We will be right behind.”

Ian grunted a response as he held onto me like I’d pass out and spurred the horse into a canter.

We made it to a building with the words burned into it saying Doctor’s office. Ian jumped off first before bringing me down, shocking me with his strength. “How bad does it hurt?”

I walked with him into the office, completely confused. Nothing hurts. We walked past a man who appeared to be terminally ill, frozen in one bed, sitting in a position mid-sneeze. The Doctor leaned over to hand the man something in a dark brown bottle.

I went to scratch my head in confusion. “I’m not in any pain...” I froze, only half aware of Ian pushing me onto a cot. I felt the warm liquid on my fingertips and instantly looked at my hand to see the red glistening. Then the sting came. Slowly, at first, it was a barrable feeling, but then it increased and continued to grow.

My hands shook, and my voice murmured as worry rushed through me. I freaked out while the Doctor became unfrozen, and Ian seemed to control the Doctor in a way that made him not worried about the frozen bodies throughout the town or the patient caught in a mid-sneeze.

The Doctor rushed to me to examine my head. An uncontrollable reaction gushed through me as I went to stand up. Dalton scurried through the door to me, urging me to sit back down. “It’s alright. You’re alright. He’s gonna look at your head.”

I couldn’t think straight as the pain pounded continually. I just saw a cloud of white and Hutson grabbing my shoulders. “She’s passing out.”