Lisa realized now that giving him a stern speech about how she would never join him was a big mistake. Taking up his offer then arresting him when she had the opportunity would have been much smarter.
The leader of the Black Lynchers pulled the rope that was tied to Lisa's wrist tight and tied it around the stake. Lisa was now tied spreadeagle to four stakes that had been beaten into the ground, a few miles out from town where nobody was likely to come by any time soon. She was almost naked, having nothing but a strip of cloth tied around her chests, just thick enough to cover her breasts, and some torn up bloomers that were, at this point, basically serving as a loincloth.
Each rope was taught, leaving her little room to struggle. The man bent over and placed her hat half over her face, covering her eyes and resting on the bridge of her nose.
“Ok, I'll join you, alright?”
“I'm sorry, but we can't have members who we don't know are loyal to us, as such.”
Lisa was scared now, and was breathing fast while she tugged at the ropes.
“You can't just leave me here. Please, I'll leave here and never come back.”
The man sighed, and ran his finger down her body. “Such a waste. Too bad.”
He got up and grabbed his horse, leading his men away as Lisa begged him to come back.
The hot sun stated to make Lisa delirious. She couldn't tell if she had been there minutes or hours. Then something snapped her back to attention, at least as much as she could manage. Something was near her. She shook her head, dislodging the hat, and looked up. A coyote was slowly approaching her.
Her first instinct was to yell at it. The coyote was unimpressed, and sauntered right up to her, and then, onto her, sitting on her stomach like a dog waiting for a treat. Then it spoke to her.
She stared at the animal, dumbfounded. She hadn't understood what it said, but it had clearly spoken. The language sounded like a Native American dialect, but not one that she knew. Then it spoke again. |