The Last of the Light (part four)

The twilight has settled into deep blue shadows. Lily’s combed her hair and smoothed her dress, waiting in the gathering dark for the sound of Ethan’s horse on the road. It’s finally quiet again, so quiet . . .

The sky is vast and filling up with stars. Behind her, Scout leans against the wall. The baby lies calm in his arms, playing with the eagle feather in his hair. Tia Rosa sits on the edge of the porch, rocking and smoking.

Hoofbeats thud on the road beyond the palo verde trees. A minute later Ethan rounds the curve by the gate. Lily springs up.

“Don’t worry, mija,” says Tia Rosa. “We is with you.”

Lily walks out to meet her husband. He swings down from the horse, panting, dusty, sweat-stained and wearing a wild grin.

“Lily! Lily, you’ll never believe it! Such luck –“

“I don’t see any bull, Ethan,” says Lily calmly. “Let me smell you. Do you smell like the saloon? Or the cathouse?”

The smile drops from Ethan’s face. “What? No, listen to me, I met this man, he had a good animal up for sale. Took more money than I thought, but if it gets us goin – look! Look what I got for you and the boy.” He rummages in the saddlebag.

Tia Rosa leans in to Lily’s ear. “Ask him where that bull got to then.”

“If you bought a bull," Lily repeats dutifully, “where is it?”

“Hastings’ll be bringing him up in the morning. Going to run a herd on up north, right by here." Ethan opens his hand. "It's going to be all right, Lily. See? Look what I got you. Pink ribbons.”

Satin gleams in the moonlight, rosy pink like the dress Lily wore on her wedding day. She reaches for the ribbon, but Tia Rosa steps between her and Ethan.

“Ribbons is goin to make up for it all?” Tia Rosa sneers. “Get him gone too. You don’t need him. You got us now.”

“I’d take care of you, Lily,” puts in Scout. "And the boy, like my own.”

“I know you would,” says Lily. “You’ve been so good to me.”

Ethan reaches for Lily’s arm. “Who are you talking to? Where’s my boy?”

Lily waves toward the porch. “Right there. See? He’s so happy. That’s my friend Scout taking care of him. Come see. You’ll like him.”

The baby gurgles, pulling at Scout’s hair. His blanket lies in a heap at the tall man’s feet. Tia Rosa smiles at them both.

“Scout’s going to help us, “ Lily tells Ethan. “ And Tia Rosa too.”

Ethan’s face stills. He starts toward her, eyes on the blanket, on that motionless little lump beneath it. “Oh my Lord, Lily, what’s wrong with you, what’s happened here –“

“He is goin to interfere, Lily.” Tia Rosa’s voice is harsh. “He don’t want you to be happy. You belong to us, not him. See? He hates Scout holdin that baby. Do you know what you need to do?”

Lily glances back at Scout, who nods fiercely. “He don’t love you, darlin. Not like I do. I’ve loved you since you come here. He ain’t goin to stand in our way. You won’t let him.”

Ethan lurches toward the porch, still staring at the blanket. Lily reaches for the rifle at Tia Rosa’s feet and levels it at Ethan’s chest. He freezes.

“Lily, listen, it’s all right. Just put that gun down." He speaks softly, as if to the baby. "Let me go see to the boy. We can sort it out together.”

“You showed that preacher man what you could do,” Scout says, jiggling the baby to make him laugh. “Only this time" - and his voice is hard as the silver stones that flash the sunlight into Lily’s eyes - “you better not miss. Take care of that vermin before he takes care of you. Make me proud, Lily!”

Lily glances at him, at Tia Rosa, smiling nastily at the corner of the porch. Stillness howls in her head. The vast open sky, speckled with its first stars, is waiting for her.

Ethan walks slowly toward her, hand outstretched, murmuring her name over and over. “Give me the gun, Lily. I won’t hurt you. Don’t be afraid.”

“I’m not afraid,” says Lily to no one in particular. Tia Rosa and Scout are laughing, and the baby’s laughing too. So good for him to be happy, and not crying all the time.

She squeezes the trigger.

The shot takes Ethan square in the chest, slamming him backward. He sprawls among the sparkling rocks by the fence, blood pooling in the sand. Cradling the rifle, Lily turns back to the porch. It’s all done now. Tia Rosa will help with the baby. And Scout, oh Scout will love her so.

But where have they gone?

The laughter fades into the night. Lily tiptoes up the steps to the empty porch, cautiously so as not to disturb the silence roaring inside her: that blessed, terrifying silence that swallows all the voices echoing in her bones.

This is Part Four of four parts. Read Part One, Part Two, and Part Three to get the full story.

Behind the Scenes: This concludes my tale of madness and murder in the desert. "The Last of the Light" will also appear in my upcoming collection of Borderlands stories, due out in August 2024.

Want to read more stories of the weird wild West? Let me know in the comments.