Chapter seven
The Gypsies
Gypsystick - hey!
Lift me and play!
Logan heard the Gypsy song as he and Jessica finally reached the top of Crazy Horse Mountain.
"Get down!' he shouted.
He waved his hand and Jessica hid in the tall grass. Logan felt the burn as a gypsystick raced past him. His gun was knocked from his hand and in seconds he was in the middle of a ring of fire. Gypsies stood around the fire, laughing.
"If he cries, let's cook him!" they shouted.
Logan didn't say a word. He knew about the Gypsies. The first one was an Apache Indian who went crazy after the Little War. Other crazy young men and women joined him and formed a new group, the Gypsies. The Gypsies lived away from the cities, high in the mountains. They made their own rules. They were beautiful, wild young people who lived only for fun. There was no fear of death in the Gypsy world. They didn't run from Sleep or Sandmen, because they died the Gypsy death. They killed themselves when their flower was still red.
One of the Gypsies got down off his gypsystick and walked toward Logan. He was tall, strong, and very handsome, with long hair. He was dressed completely in white. He was Rutago, King of the Gypsies, Logan stood tall and looked Rutago in the eye. The Gypsy walked through the ring of fire, took Logan's hand, and turned it over. "So, it's the Sandman's Last Day," he said. He smiled and looked around at the others, A beautiful girl with long hair, black as night, moved next to Rutago. She was Graygirl, Rutago's woman, "We're going to give you a wild time, Mr. Sandman," she said. Her eyes burned into Logan.
There were fourteen Gypsies in the group: seven men and seven women. The youngest was fifteen and the oldest was seventeen. The women were dressed in beautiful colors; blues, purples, reds. Their hair was styled and their faces shone with make-up. They wore gold and silver on their necks and arms and they smelled of flowers. Graygirl was different. Her shining black hair fell straight down her back and she was dressed all in white. Her beautiful black eyes shone. The men were all in brown, with long hair and tall, strong bodies.
Two Gypsy girls came out of the tall grass, pulling Jessica behind them. "We have a runner girl!" they shouted.
Logan wanted to help her but he couldn't get past the fire. There were the gypsysticks, too. These weren't the playsticks that he rode as a small boy. These were fast and very dangerous. They could burn a man to death in seconds.
"Tie them to gypsy sticks" Rutago said. "Take them on a ride. " Three of the men stepped into the circle of fire. They took Logan and tied him to Rutago's gypsystick. The Gypsy girls tied Jessica to Graygirl's stick. Then all the gypsies got onto their gypsysticks and started shouting.
"Gypsysticks go! " The sticks raced up into the sky with the noon sun burning down on them. They flew around and around in circles and then raced along. The world was flying past. After some time, they arrived in a small town. The gypsies untied Jessica and Logan's feet but not their hands. They then pushed them into a bar.
"Now we're going to have some fun, said Rutago. He showed Logan a large gold ring on his finger. He took the top off the ring and held it under Logan's nose. Logan knew that smell - Hemodrone, a Gypsy death drug. Gypsies used it on their enemies. Death with Hemodrone wasn't fast. The drug took time to get into the blood. Death was slow and painful. It sometimes took days.
Logan closed his mouth tightly. Rutago smiled and turned to Jessica. The Gypsy girls held her while Rutago pushed her mouth open. Logan tried to attack Rutago but was knocked to the ground by one of the men. Rutago poured the drug into Jessica's mouth. She cried out and coughed.
"You'll have to be a good Sandman or the runnergirl will die," said Rutago. "You do the right thing. Then I'll give you the medicine to stop the drug. " Logan was terrified. He had to stop the drug. He couldn't take Jessica away from here like this. He had to stop the drug from working first.
"What do I have to do?" he asked Rutago.
Rutago smiled and looked around at all the Gypsy girls.
"You give my girls fun!" he said.
"And runnergirl is going to give me fun! " The Gypsies took Jessica and Logan upstairs. Logan could only think of Jessica. How much time did they have? Was she in pain? The Gypsy girls took his clothes off.
In the other room Rutago kissed Jessica but she was as cold as ice. Her eyes looked in front of her but she didn't see. "What's wrong with you, girl?" Rutago shouted.
Jessica did't laugh or cry. The drug was working in her. Rutago kissed her hard. He pushed her down on the bed. Nothing.
Logan heard Rutago's angry shouts in the next room. Suddenly Rutago was at the door.
"Bring him down!" he shouted angrily.
When they got downstairs, Rutago was walking around Jessica.
"She's no good!" he shouted.
"We did what you wanted!" shouted Logan. "Now give me the medicine! " "No! " Rutago's face was red with anger. "She's not a lover girl! You have to give me some fun! You have to do something! " "Cut her, Rutago!" shouted the other Gypsies. "Pull her teeth out! " Rutago suddenly smiled.
"No," he said slowly. "He's going to do it." He looked at Logan. "You're going to cut her. Take some of her meat. " "No!" shouted Logan. But he looked at Jessica. Her face was like stone now. She was dying. This was the only way to save her. "OK," he said quietly. The Gypsies threw Jessica up onto the bar and held her. Logan's hands were wet with fear. Rutago was holding his knife out for Logan, smiling. Logan took it and moved toward Jessica. Quick. It has to be quick. He couldn't look into Jessica's eyes. He took the knife and cut a piece out of her leg.
Rutago watched him and shook his head. "No good," he said. "I don't give medicine for a bad job. " Logan suddenly caught Graygirl and held her by the neck. The other Gypsies backed away.
"You give me the medicine or I'll break her neck!" he shouted.
Rutago didn't answer. Logan took hold of Graygirl's hair and pulled her head back hard. "It's in the other ring!" Graygirl cried.
"Give it to her!" shouted Logan. "Now! " Rutago couldn't refuse. He poured the medicine from his second ring into a glass of water and walked over to Jessica. He turned to look at Logan and Graygirl. Then he lifted Jessica's head and poured it into her mouth. As Jessica began to wake from the drug, she felt the terrible pain in her leg.
"Move! Now!" Logan shouted to Jessica. "Get on a stick and go!" He held Graygirl while Jessica walked slowly to the door. The Gypsies stood and watched. Logan waited to give Jessica a good start. He then backed slowly out of the bar, holding Graygirl.
When he was all the way outside, he jumped onto a gypsystick. Up, up it flew; strong and fast. He was scared. At the same time, he felt the excitement of riding this wonderful thing. He raced through the sky like a bird.
The Gypsies followed. Six of them. Right behind him. He flew to the right, then down. They still followed. Suddenly Rutago was there, coming for him! Logan got ready to fight. But no! Rutago raced past, toward Jessica! He crashed into her side and Jessica's gypsystick went down. She was crashing! No! She was up flying again, but there was something wrong with her gypsystick. It wasn't flying straight. Rutago was getting ready to attack again.
Logan had to stop him. He had to kill him. He flew down... down... faster and faster... into Rutago's back. He hit Rutago and took his head straight off.
The crash threw Logan off his stick and he fell through the sky into the river below. As he went into the water, he saw Jessica's broken gypsystick falling
