Joe and the other man at the table were bringing their weapons to bear, Joe a revolver, the other man a sawed-off shotgun.
Blade crouched, swinging the Commando in an arc, the slugs ripping into Joe and the other one, their chests erupting in spurts of flesh and blood.
The barman had his hand on the automatic, trying to aim it, but too late.
Hickok’s Pythons roared and the barman’s eyes vanished, the back of his head bursting outward.
The man with the rifle was stupidly attempting to raise his rifle and sight at Blade.
The Commando cut him in two at the waist, doubling him over, toppling him to the floor.
“Not bad,” Hickok said in the quiet that followed. “Five men in about four seconds. Omega Triad, eat your heart out!”
Feet pounded on the outside steps, and both men swung to cover the door.
Joshua ran in, holding a bag of food in his left hand, out of breath.
“Dear Father, no!” He surveyed the carnage, stunned, his senses faltering.
“No! No!”
Hickok moved from one fallen foe to another, rolling them over, face up, insuring they were finished.
“Why?” Joshua turned to Blade. “Why did you do this?” His voice was rising, cracking, strained with emotion.
“We had no choice, Joshua,” Blade said quietly.
“Had no choice?” Joshua repeated, dazed.
“Besides,” Hickok said, pausing next to Joshua, “I can’t abide people who make fun of cows.”
Joshua spun on Hickok, his face contorted. “Make fun of cows?” he shouted. He grabbed the front of Hickok’s buckskin with his free hand.”
Don’t you realize what you’ve done?”
“Messed up the room a bit.”
“You’ve killed five men, five sons of God!”
“Josh, I think you better calm down. You’re starting to get hysterical.”
Hickok spoke gently.
Joshua released Hickok and slumped against the wall. His left foot slipped on something, and he glanced down at the floor, at a piece of human flesh lying in a puddle of blood.
“Joshua,” Blade began, “I’m sorry, but…”
The blast of three shots, from a shotgun, from outside, stopped him short.
“Geronimo!” Hickok was already in motion, racing out the door.
Geronimo was standing over a prone figure lying behind bushes at the edge of the town park.
Hickok, Blade on his heels, raced up to him.
“You okay, pard?”
Geronimo nodded. He pointed his Browning at the man on the ground.
“Tried to sneak up on me. Imagine that! A whitey trying to sneak up on a red man! That’s like a cat trying to teach a dog to bark.”
“It’s the one from the roof.” Blade recognized him.
“I heard the shots inside and was coming to help,” Geronimo explained, “when he popped up and let loose. His shot was hasty. He missed. I didn’t.”
“Yuck.” Hickok grimaced. “That Browning sure did a number on his face.”
“What face?” Blade asked.
Geronimo hefted the Browning. “This thing’s something! It’s like carrying a portable cannon.”
“Knew you’d like it when I picked it for you.” Hickok beamed.
“Where’s Joshua?” Geronimo wanted to know.
Blade and Hickok realized Joshua had not joined them.
“We better get back to him,” Hickok stated.
Blade put his hand on Hickok’s arm. “Let me have a few moments alone with him.”
“We should secure the area,” Hickok reminded him.
“You two stand guard outside,” Blade directed. “Let me have some time with Joshua, then we’ll sweep.”
“Old Josh did look a little bent out of shape,” Hickok agreed.
“I’m beginning to have my doubts about the wisdom of Plato sending Joshua on this trip,” Geronimo confided to his friends.
“If he’s going to get upset every time we kill someone,” Hickok added, “he’ll spend this entire trip miserable.”
Blade went inside.
Joshua was sitting at the table, his face in his arms, weeping.
Blade walked up to him and put his right hand on Joshua’s shoulder.
“Feel like talking?”
Joshua spoke without looking up. “I don’t know if I can take much more of this.”
“You can take it.”
“Do you realize,” Joshua said, sniffing, “in two days you have killed six men?”
“Seven,” Blade reluctantly corrected.
“Geronimo shot one outside?”
“Yes.”
“Seven brothers shot dead in two days,” Joshua said bitterly. “That must be a new Warrior record.”
“We don’t like killing, Joshua, any more than you do.”
Joshua lifted his tear-streaked face. “How can you say that, Blade? I would never kill another son or daughter of the Spirit.”
“They were planning to kill us.”
“They told you that?” Joshua demanded.
“Not in so many words. Their actions gave them away.”
“I didn’t notice anything!”
“You weren’t looking.” Blade paused, searching for the right words.
“Joshua, you only look for the best in everyone, and you completely overlook the worst. Those men were planning to catch us off guard and kill us in cold blood. Could we allow that to happen? What would the Family do without the supplies we’re supposed to get? It was either them of us.”
“Maybe we could have talked to them, reasoned with them,” Joshua protested. “Surely there was something we could do?”
Blade shook his head.
“But we’re required to love one another! Not kill. ‘Thou shalt not kill,’”
he quoted again from the Bible.
Blade sighed. “Joshua, what would you have us do? Should we have let them kill us? Not resisted? Submit without a fight? What would that prove?”
“I don’t know,” Joshua said sadly. “I just don’t know anymore. I’m so confused.”
Blade recalled a quote. “Didn’t the Master tell us not to cast our pearls at swine, or something like that?”
Joshua thought a moment. “‘Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.’”
“Wouldn’t that apply in this case?”
Joshua was struggling to regain his shattered composure. “I don’t know, Blade. I apologize if my behavior disturbs you. I never expected this to happen. I thought friendliness and love would prevail in every contact we made.”
“Is that being realistic?”
“I need time to reflect,” Joshua said to himself.
Blade squeezed Joshua’s shoulder. “I recognize the past two days have been a shock to your system, to your soul. There’s no need for you to apologize. We’ll bear with you for as long as it takes. If it’s any consolation, I thought you did a real nice job.”
“I did?”
“Sure. You were as open and friendly to these guys as you could possibly be. The fault for what happened doesn’t lie with you.”
“Where does it lie?”
“When you find out,” Blade replied, “would you let me know?”
“I’ll commune with the Spirit, see if I can perceive an answer.”
“Good. Now we’ve got work to do. You sit here for as long as you need.”
Joshua stood. “I’m ready to assist in any capacity you require.”
Blade smiled. “Good.” He walked to the door and motioned for the others.
Hickok glanced at Joshua as he entered. “You okay, Josh?”
Joshua nodded.
“How do you want this handled?” Geronimo asked Blade.
“You stay outside with the SEAL,” Blade instructed him. “We can’t afford to have anything happen to it. Keep your eyes open.”