I tucked the revolver into my waistband and stood up from the table. I thanked Phil for all the help he'd given me. Despite his crazy appearance, he seemed like a nice person.
"Thank you for everything, Mr. Phil. I must be going now."
"You're welcome, young Jonah. If you'd allow me, I can walk you out."
"Ah... I-I guess so."
The old man got up from the table, and so did Jill. I felt uncomfortable with her presence, but I didn't want to judge her too much. We left the house. I was finally able to see the whole place. It was as lonely as it was desolate. Nearly dead trees, ramshackle houses, the ground cracked and covered in dust. The smell was a suffocating mix of smoke, old wood, and rancid meat.
Jill walked behind me. I could feel her gaze fixed on my back. Every so often I'd turn my face slightly, and I'd see her staring at me with those hollow, deep eyes. She didn't seem like a normal little girl. There was something unsettling about her. Sometimes I thought she wanted to attack me, or maybe she just didn't like me. But if anything happened, I trusted Phil to defend me—and, just in case, I still had my revolver with me.
I shouldn't have been thinking so negatively. I was leaving that cursed town, and that was enough. Calling it "cursed" wasn't an exaggeration. Nothing in that place seemed normal. The houses were ruins, the air was toxic, the silence almost total. All I could think about was getting on my horse and leaving as quickly as possible.
But then...
The horse…
I stopped dead in my tracks.
"What's wrong, lad?" Phil asked.
I just looked at the spot where I'd tied him up. He wasn't there.
"My horse... he's not there."
"Horse?" Phil repeated.
"Yeah, the one I tied up yesterday. Right there. A gray horse."
Phil frowned and scratched his jaw.
"I'm sorry, but I don't remember seeing any horses there."
"I'm sure. I rode it all the way here. I escaped from the Unionists. I wouldn't have gotten this far on foot."
"Lad... maybe you imagined it. You were badly hurt when you arrived. You were bleeding all over. It could have been a hallucination."
"No... it can't be..."
"The truth is, I never saw a horse in that place. Jill, have you ever seen a gray horse tied up here?"
Jill whispered silently, slowly shaking her head.
"No... no..."
"You see, lad. There was no gray horse tied up in this place."
I clutched my head in frustration. Had I really hallucinated it? I clearly remembered the gallop, the heat of the sun, the pain in the wound with each jolt. All of it… was it a delusion?
"Maybe... I imagined it," I murmured.
"Don't worry, it's understandable. Your condition was critical yesterday," Phil said, his voice calm.
I sighed. If I didn't have a horse, I'd have to continue on foot. It wasn't ideal, but I had no choice.
"So... is there a safe way back to Texas without running into the Unionists?"
Phil shook his head slowly.
"There's no safe way now. Not from the Unionists... nor from the Hohhotep."
The Hohhotep? Again with that.
He didn't believe in demons, but he did believe in enemy soldiers. If he was careful, he could avoid any confrontation by taking the utmost precautions.
"So you're from Texas," Phil said, changing his tone. "Interesting. I spent some time there, decades ago. Nice place."
"Yeah… it is."
"Interesting," he smiled. "I was in Texas for a long time, several decades ago. They have some very interesting places."
"If I have time, maybe I'll go visit your family," he said, laughing.
I didn't know how to respond to that.
"Thanks. That's… kind of you."
I tried not to feel awkward after hearing his words. That old man was getting stranger and stranger.
Phil extended his hand.
"Safe journey, kid."
After a moment's hesitation, I accepted the gesture.
"Thanks. Anyway, take care."
"Jill," the old man urged. "Say goodbye to the young man."
The little girl approached slowly. She raised her head. She no longer looked at me with hostility. She took a step closer… and hugged me. Just for a few seconds. Then she walked away without saying anything.
I didn't know what to think. Jill, the same one who had scared me with a saw in her hand, had hugged me. It was... strange. But I didn't say anything. I turned and started walking away.
"Bye," I said without looking back.
"Bye, farmer. Safe journey," I heard in the distance.
I walked with firm steps, though sometimes I turned my head. I didn't completely trust their. I'd met a disturbed old man who talked about demons and witchcraft, and a girl raised in that environment who barely seemed human. But, I couldn't deny that Phil was kind. He saved my life. If it weren't for him… I probably would have died, or worse, Jill would have done something horrible to me with that saw.
Now, the important thing was what was to come. The road home.
I walked without stopping. My abdomen was starting to hurt again. I couldn't allow the wound to open. I decided to rest a little. Luckily, the sun wasn't as strong and the path was quiet.
I sat on some stones next to a stream. This time, the water seemed clear. I took the opportunity to drink a little and think about which direction I should take.
It would be faster to travel on horseback, but… I imagined it, I don't know how, but it felt quite real.
Then... I saw it.
Something was coming down the road. A... stagecoach.
What was a stagecoach doing in such a rural and deserted place?
I sat up cautiously. It didn't look like a military carriage, either from the North or the South. It was moving slowly. I raised a hand to get its attention. Against all odds, it stopped.
I approached with slow steps. All the windows were closed. The silence was absolute. My fingers touched the grip of the revolver. I didn't know what to expect.
I moved closer and knocked gently on one of the windows three times.
"Is anyone there?"
Nothing.
I knocked again. Three times. Before I could repeat the question, the window flew open. I stepped back, alarmed.
I reached for my gun, tense. I didn't pull it out, but I was close.
I took a step forward. My forehead was drenched in sweat.
And then, as I looked out the window...
"How can we help you?"
A group of peasants watched me from inside.