The nights in the West are dangerous. Especially in winter, even more so.
The pitch-black darkness that makes it hard to see even an inch ahead and the biting wind that cuts through your skin would make even the toughest person struggle.
Yet, there were those who pushed through all of this and stubbornly marched forward.
That would be me and Emma.
“Haa… haa….”
“Emma, are you cold?”
“Yes, a little… I think so.”
I heard the sound of Emma warming her hands with her breath, and when I turned around, I saw her cheeks as red as plums.
“Hehe….”
“Heeheehee.”
No Name and Bonnie, who were carrying us, also seemed to be struggling.
But it’s no wonder…
We had been riding west for a week without proper rest since leaving Justice Town.
Under normal circumstances, we would’ve taken it slow considering it’s winter, but Sophia is probably still chasing us.
Especially since that woman has an uncanny sense of tracking.
So, I had no choice but to push us a little harder to avoid being caught by Sophia.
But it seems we’ve reached our limit now.
“Sophia probably won’t be able to catch up at this point.”
Looking at Emma and the horses, it was clear that pushing any further would cause problems for our future plans.
“Emma, let’s spend the night around here.”
“Yes, understood. But… will we be able to find a place to rest?”
Where on earth are we?
We’ve been riding for a week, so we’ve probably left Utah by now.
All around us were pitch-black trees, making it even harder to scout the area.
Whoosh—.
Meanwhile, the snowstorm continued to blow.
“What should we do….”
Just as I sighed and fell into deep thought…
“Boss, over there…!”
“Huh?”
Following Emma’s urgent call, I looked where her finger was pointing…
“There’s smoke rising.”
“Oh, good.”
There was a small but clear plume of smoke.
Smoke means there’s a fire.
A fire means there are people.
People mean there’s a place to rest.
“Let’s head there, Emma.”
“…But is it okay, Boss? They probably won’t welcome us.”
“We have no choice. We can’t freeze to death here.”
Of course, in the West, people are the most dangerous thing to watch out for, but we had no other options.
“What if they’re outlaws….”
“Even better. We’ll just kill them all and take their stuff.”
“…Typical of you, Boss.”
“Yeah, so let’s hurry. I’m freezing to death.”
Fortunately, the smoke wasn’t too far, and we quickly reached the spot.
“Boss, over there.”
“Ooh… what’s this? I thought they just lit a fire, but there’s an actual house here?”
A log cabin in this remote place.
After a week of sleeping in short bursts on the roadside, nothing could’ve been more welcoming.
Emma also smiled faintly, probably thinking she could finally sleep in a warm place.
But…
“Stop right there!!”
As expected, the people who were already there didn’t welcome us.
Click.
Even amidst the howling wind, the sound of rifles being loaded was unmistakable.
“This is private property! Who are you?!”
I tried to sound as harmless as possible in response to the wary voice.
“We’re just travelers passing through. Could we warm ourselves a bit? We’ll pay!”
“No!! We don’t need payment! Just turn back…!”
“It’s just a man and a woman. Please, show us some mercy!”
“…….”
At first, the owner tried to chase us away upon hearing we were travelers.
But just two people.
And one of them being a woman seemed to ease his mind…
“…Come over here first.”
He called us closer.
Clack, clack.
“…….”
“…….”
Soon, we were close enough to see each other’s faces.
The man looked to be in his mid-40s.
He held a torch close to inspect our faces.
“…What brings a young couple out here?”
“We came from Justice Town. We’re heading west to relocate.”
“Justice Town… I think I went there about ten years ago. You look freezing, so come inside.”
“Thank you.”
Perhaps reassured by our youthful appearance, the man didn’t turn us away.
I followed him and quickly asked a few questions.
“Do you live here alone? It’s surprising to see a house in a place like this.”
“No, not alone. My family’s here. My father, wife, and two sons. We live a simple life, running a small ranch.”
As he spoke, he pointed to a somewhat shabby but decent-looking barn.
“May I ask your name? I’m Noah, and this is my wife, Emma.”
“Just call me John.”
Swish—.
As soon as John finished speaking, I subtly turned around.
Click.
“…….”
Emma was…
As soon as I saw it, I shook my head.
So, I quietly followed John inside.
Creak.
“Honey, we have a guest.”
As John opened the door, a warmth I hadn’t felt in the past week enveloped Emma and me.
‘…Ah, this is nice.’
How long has it been since I last felt the warmth of a fireplace?
But what was even warmer was the reaction of the people inside.
“A guest… It’s been a while since we had one.”
“Come on in, it must be cold outside.”
The first to greet us were a middle-aged woman who seemed to be John’s wife and an old man who appeared to be John’s father.
And then…
“…Hello.”
“……”
John’s two sons.
By the way, John’s sons weren’t young.
People here marry early, so John’s sons looked older than Emma and me.
“You probably haven’t had dinner yet at this hour. Sit down.”
After greeting the family, John seated us at the table.
And as soon as we sat down…
“We happened to slaughter a chicken today.”
John’s wife kindly served us a warm soup.
The soup, filled with chicken, smelled similar to samgyetang.
“Here, don’t be shy, eat as much as you want.”
“Is it okay for just us to eat? What about the rest of you…?”
“Of course, we already ate earlier. It’s fine, go ahead.”
At the family’s urging, I lifted the bowl and gulped down the soup.
Seeing me nod in approval, Emma finally picked up her spoon.
“Then, we’ll eat well.”
Slurp.
John’s wife was quite a good cook.
The soup was packed with meat and vegetables, and the seasoning was excellent.
After leaving Justice Town, I hadn’t had a proper warm meal, so I devoured the chicken soup, and Emma, who must have been hungry too, eagerly worked her spoon.
“Haha, it’s good to see you eat well. We have some alcohol, care for a drink?”
“Oh, that would be nice.”
“Alright, I’ll pour you one.”
John, seemingly pleased with our appetite, brought out a bottle of alcohol from somewhere.
“Ah, Emma can’t drink. Just me, please.”
“Got it.”
Since Emma couldn’t drink, only I received a glass.
It seemed to be homemade wine, and though a bit sour, it was quite tasty.
“Ahh, this hits the spot.”
With the warm fireplace, warm food, and now alcohol, my body quickly relaxed.
“I feel so spoiled, I don’t know what to do.”
“Make yourself at home. This place doesn’t get many visitors, so we’ve made it a habit to treat our guests generously when they do come.”
“I see.”
As I kept drinking, John’s wife brought out some cheese she made on the farm.
Using it as a snack, I shared drinks with John, his father, and his sons, and before I knew it, the night deepened, and the distance between us grew closer.
“Ah~ It’s been a while since I met such good people and got tipsy. Feels great.”
“Hahaha, this guy’s drunk already? Better get some sleep.”
As it got late, John suggested we retire for the night.
“We’ve prepared a room over there. You can sleep there tonight.”
John helped me, who was drunk, by supporting me with his arm…
“…There’s a loft upstairs. We’ll show you the way.”
Emma, on the other hand, was approached by John’s sons, who had been quiet until now.
“……”
At first, Emma stared at John’s sons reaching out to her, then called out to me.
“Boss.”
“Yeah, what’s up, Emma?”
Drunk and tipsy, I smiled and responded to Emma’s call.
But Emma, with a cold expression, simply said,
“I want to sleep soon.”
“…Oh, want to sleep? Alright, let’s wrap this up and get some rest.”
That was all I needed to understand what Emma meant.
So, I smiled slightly and said to John, who was supporting me with his arm.
“John. Our Emma is tired. Let’s finish this quickly.”
“…Huh? What do you mean by finish?”
John was still playing dumb, so I pointed to a photo on a far corner table.
It looked like a wedding photo, with a young couple in it.
And no matter how kindly I looked at it, the couple in the photo didn’t resemble John and his wife in the slightest.
“If you’re going to pull a job, you should’ve done it cleanly. The details are too sloppy.”
“……”
A cold silence fell over the house.
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