Apache on the loose

"What's the story with the Indians? I've had some dealings with the Apache." Lisa didn't remember her past experiences fondly.

The Sheriff shook his head sadly. "We got word a bunch of Apache braves ambushed an army patrol south of here. Killed every one of those blueshirts. I sent three deputies out to warn the ranchers to the south and east. We had a bunch of settlers in wagons headed out to California come through here two days ago. They were headed west. You want to go out and warn them?'

Lisa figured that it wouldn't be hard to track a bunch of slow moving wagons. "Yeah, I ride out and see how they are doing."

"You be careful, girl." The Sheriff pointed down the street. "Grab some supplies from the General Store over there and tell Harvey to charge it to me."

Lisa rode out on the rough road headed west. It was about noon the next day when she came upon the small wagon train. Six wagon lay in a tight ravine; it was clear that the settlers had run into some bad trouble. The wagons were smoking ruins and there didn't appear to be any movement except for a couple buzzards.

As Lisa rode closer. she came across two men shot dead and scalped. A pair of buzzards worked on one corpse. The contents of the wagons appeared to be tossed everywhere. Two more men lay dead beside one of the wagons. Lisa moved toward a smoldering fire; she gagged and then lost her breakfast. Two men were spread across a pair of wagon wheels. They had been stripped naked. Their cocks had been sliced to ribbons. They obviously had been roasted alive over the dying fire.

Lisa was concerned that there was no evidence of the women and children who had been with this party. Searching a bit further down the ravine, she came across two older women, both were tied down to some cactus, their naked bodies covered with knife slashes. Animals had gotten to them during the night.

Lisa knew the dead need to be buried, but she was more interested in the fate of the missing. She continued down the ravine slowly and carefully.

It was just before dark when she came upon the Apache camp. Crawling up s rise, Lisa looked down on them and their captives. There were about a dozen children sitting in a roughly made corral. The Apache, eight braves, were having some fun with five younger women.

Lisa figured if she rode hard, she could get back to Deadneck by dawn. She hated leaving this party with the savages, but she was just too outnumbered. As she started to get up, a pair of powerful hands grabbed her by the neck.