Due to the uncertainty of our readership demographic and the fact that our story is rated PG, it was decided this chapter by NehpetsEnal would not be included for maturity reasons.

The quality of both the story and the writing are great as you can determine here.

We crawled for what seemed like miles across the rocky plateau and now lay spread-eagled on the cliff edge overlooking an old Indian village that had long since been repurposed as the Comanchero's hideout. It was serviced by those they'd captured and enslaved during their raids on whites and Indians alike, they only had loyalty to the highest bidder.

During our arduous journey, Kurt had made it quite clear where I fitted or didn't fit, in the battle he expected to unfold, telling me I would be little more than an inconvenience.

"Denver, I mean you no disrespect, but my men are battle-hardened veterans with nothing but their lives to lose, having already lost everything and everyone of importance to them and chosen the life of a mercenary, craving nothing more than an honourable death and loose women, whose only interest is their money and no emotional attachment.

If one of them were to die as a result of your mistake, you would be the next to die, so please when the time comes to take action, do exactly as I say and don't get in their way, let them do what they do best.

'Kill the enemy.'

They won't let us down and remember the price of failure for each us is the same, certain death, your father is not a forgiving man and failure is not an option."

On the face of it, the atmosphere in the village was relaxed, kids were playing in the street and just like any other kids were making the most of what little they had whilst everyone else was going about their business. However, they'd gone to great lengths to place lookouts in numerous obscure and out of sight vantage points, to ensure they weren't taken by surprise, but they'd not anticipated or experienced anything like Kurt's mercenaries. Kurt and his men spent an entire day surveying the area with eyeglasses and the planning of both their assault and escape route in the minutest detail.

By the time twilight arrived and began to illuminate the morning sky with a deep red hue, Kurt's men had already systematically eliminated the lookouts, most of whom never knew they were dead, throats slit whilst asleep, those who remained diligent were rewarded, with the sight of silent ghostly shadows and a painful, but quick death.

Ches and Berger had busied themselves deploying ordinance throughout the Canyon and at its entrance, Balkan and Hogg had secured the stables and the slaves who tended it, few were prepared to sacrifice their lives to warn their slave masters, in the main most submitted with apparent pleasure, objectors were rewarded with a long sleep.

At this time no sign of Treasure had been seen in the village, but we couldn't afford to delay any longer as a change of lookouts was due and then the cat would well and truly be out of the bag. With charges set and a safe route marked out Balkan and Hogg joined us in the village. It was now time to begin our assault on the abodes of the Comanchero leadership and cut off the snake's head before it could strike back. There were one Longhouse and many lodges of size and quality, Kurt, Russel and I were assigned to the Longhouse, Ches n Berger the largest of the Lodges, whilst Balkan n Hogg took on the smallest of the three, with strict orders that no slave women were to be harmed at any cost.

All teams attacked their targets simultaneously to ensure no premature warnings were inadvertently given. In the dark seven shadows moved with the silence of door mice and with no resistance crept through loose shutters into the lion's dens. Peering through the smoke of smouldering campfires and dull lamplight, the places were a stinking mess of and uneaten food and cheap French perfume. The floors and cots were strewn with naked men and women, many of the men had smooth hairless skin and were often only recognisable by their body parts. Swiftly and silently each was terminated as they were passed, Balkan n Hogg had killed six men, bound and gagged a dozen women before they left to clear another. It was somewhat more difficult for Ches n Berger as one of the slave women, must have been hungry and decided to bite a slice out of Berger's left ear, making it difficult not to kill her, but he was a professional and controlled himself. However, half choking her with one hand to keep her quiet he revelled in gagging and binding her naked body face to face with that of the dead Comanchero she'd been sleeping with. Thank god there were no dogs, we'd managed to move relatively unhindered through the Longhouse, systematically terminating the savages one, two or three at a time until reaching an area separated from the rest by a curtain.

Pulling the curtain open revealed the sight of a huge hairy body lying face down on a bed, the only real bed in the build, it was obvious that this was the leader of the pack, it was only when moving closer we realised he was strewn across a woman, only her arms and feet could be seen, our common thought was that she must be dead. As I reached forward to cut his throat, I saw her tortured face, eyes open wide and staring straight at me. I hesitated only for a moment, it was long enough for him to be disturbed by her sudden body tension, he spun and leapt to his feet in one swift movement, but before he'd made a sound my blade was in his open mouth and resting on his tongue, with the pressure of my blade I eased him back to his knees.

We were shocked to see it was a badly beaten young girl, not a woman that lay beneath him, her eyes were still transfixed on my face. It was only when she rose, I noticed how beautiful she was even with her body battered and bruised. In silence, she slipped the Comanchero's blade from his sheath that was strapped around his naked waist. Without expression on her face, she looked once more into my eyes and then moving with the speed of a Rattler she parted him from his manhood and smashed it into the butt of my blade forcing it through his skull. I guessed she was gaining some rightful some restitution before she broke and sobbing threw herself into my arms, but not a tear did she shed.

Kurt whispered in her ear.

"Child, what's your name."

Her reply was clear.

"Talulah Grey."

To that he replied.

"Come on Treasure, grab some clothes it's time to go."

We raced from the Longhouse and gathered the men before making our way to the horses, it wasn't long before the place was in an uproar, we twisted and turned repeatedly as we rode rapidly through the marked chicanes, avoiding the charges set by Balkan n Hogg. It was a frantic race to get clear before the cliffs were brought tumbling into the narrow canyon. The explosions chased us up the Canyon. I was taking up the rear when the last munition exploded, taking out me and my stead, the team rode on regardless, leaving me for dead. Now no longer their primary concern, the mercenaries had secured the treasure, their job appeared all but done. I watched their dust trail disappear, trapped and broken beneath my means of escape, the world turned to darkness and I was alone.