This is a continuation of a longer, episodic piece.  The earlier installments can be viewed at the following links
Episode 1
Episode 2

My toe shoulda been my next stop after Cocker’s but after I snapped it off with my hatchet the morning after the slaughter site (and the five Creatures), life’d gotten a bit easier. It hurt still, fuckin-straight, but at least it weren’t like walkin around with a potato in your shoe. And it didn’t seem anxious to infect.

So instead I went to see Wyatt, nervous a bit to tell him of my complications, and feelin admittedly lost without Chuck snortin away by my side. A few people recognized me, even Elsie-Beth the whore from Madame Le Claire’s (the only woman-run tricks in town!), and asked about Chuck. I was a little proud so many people got gushy over Charlie. He was a damn fine horse after all. Cocker’d said that he would be fine after a little rest, horse milk, and a steady diet of oats. With a nudge Cocker’d even told me he’d allow Charlie a warm beer as long as the horse didn’t get too deep in his stash. I knew Charlie would appreciate that. See what I mean? Cocker aint a bad man.

Wyatt had set up his little business office not far from where the Roaring River, or fuck-all whatever they called it, spilled into the Grand. The Roaring was my guidepost for the southern route. ‘Foller it up and up and up till you find the ice it came from,’ was how Wyatt had put it the first time he’d sent me that way, ‘climb up and over and foller the water down the other side.’ I knew the route now better than I ever cared to but it was nice to have that river to pull me out if I ever got lost.

There was a small row of two-story buildings pressed side-by-side close enough they could be thought of as one down by the rolling waters of the Roaring River. The Williams Express was based near the middle. Wyatt’s last name wasn’t Williams. It was McGregor. Only story he ever told as to why the Williams was simply that the sound of it rang pretty damn good in his ears.