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Good and EvilBy Denise Craig
“Nice bruises.”
Kid slowly raised his head from the sandwich in front of him. He had expected to find a teasing grin on Heyes’ face, but met concern in the brown eyes instead.
“If you say so,” he replied, with a tired sigh.
Heyes’ eyebrows shot up. “They go well with your sunburn,” he added. Kid smiled at his best friend standing there with both hands wrapped around a steaming cup of coffee. Heyes looked tired; a few unruly strands of hair had fallen down on his forehead.
“Seat won’t bite you,” Kid said, grateful for the company. Heyes’ mouth twitched with a smile as he sat opposite Kid. “Tryin’ to put somethin’ in my stomach,” Kid added, shifting the food around on his plate. “Doctor’s orders.”
“No good restaurants out in the desert?”
“Didn’t see any.”
Running his fingers through his hair, Heyes looked over at his partner. “I take it you didn’t immediately get along with…?”
“Ned Bailey,” Kid supplied.
“Ned Bailey,” Heyes repeated. “I hope you returned a few of those blows.”
“Is that all you can think of?” Kid bit out, feeling a surge of irritation. He watched Heyes’ eyes grow confused and definitely hurt and then the impenetrable wall was up again. Heyes didn’t deserve that. He certainly wasn’t the type who enjoyed the use of violence. Taking a deep breath, Kid blew it slowly out of his mouth. “Look, I’m sorry. That was a stupid thing to say.” He rubbed a hand over his eyes. “It’s just, I’m beat,” he looked at his friend, “no pun intended.”
Heyes smiled, “It’s all right,” he said, quietly.
“IT’S NOT ALRIGHT!” Kid yelled in frustration. He looked around and then said more quietly, “Nothin’s all right.” The brown eyes held understanding. Kid shook his head. “Why are people so bent on shootin’ each other?”
It was a rhetorical question, but Heyes put down his cup and prepared to answer his partner. “I suppose there is some kind of, inborn aggression in man. A desire to dominate, to be more powerful than the next person.”
He looked up. Kid studied his friend. Heyes was the one person he could talk to like this. Heyes liked to tease Kid about his skills in the art of conversation, but when he really needed to talk, Heyes was always there. He never berated or looked down on Kid, talking to him as an equal, which Heyes had always thought he was, although he would never admit it to Kid. Kid appreciated it. Heyes seemed to bring out his more philosophical side. He in turn was able to bring out the kid Heyes had once been. It didn’t happen often but when it did… Their friendship made each of them a more balanced individual. “But why are people like that?” Kid insisted, thinking aloud.
“You’re touching on some rather weighty questions my friend. The mystery of evil.”
Kid tore a piece off the bread and raised it to his mouth, “It sure is confusing,” he said.
Leaning back in his chair, Heyes stretched his arms so as not to lose hold of his cup, and Kid watched his focus turn inward. Heyes always liked a deep subject of conversation. “No one will ever know, I suppose,” he eventually said, in that smooth baritone of his. “But I believe that we are all born with both good and evil in us.” He took a breath. “Two sides warring. The important thing is, not to let evil win.”
It was something Kid had thought on a lot recently. This struggle of sides in every person. Sure, people were all capable of acting civil or not, but as far as he was concerned people were, in general terms, either good or bad. Might be a simplistic view of the world but he had never really considered the fact that a callous criminal, for example, might also have some good in him. Or that there might be a real evil side to himself for that matter. He lifted his eyes and found Heyes watching him closely. “Ya don’t believe in the ‘noble savage’? he threw at him, secretly delighted at the look of disbelief that briefly appeared on his friend’s face. After the way Heyes had teased him about his reading material, he thoroughly enjoyed it when he got a chance to drop a nonchalant hint that dime novels weren’t the only type of books he’d spent time on. Okay, to be honest, he had overheard it in another conversation, but the look was still there nonetheless.
“Ah, well, that’s an interesting theory,” Heyes replied, quickly hiding his surprise. “Good by nature when in the state of nature and corrupted by society.” His brown eyes narrowed again. “Can’t say I agree with it, though. Evil is just too…I don’t know. I just can’t see it as being a product of society. It feels bigger than that.”
Kid put down his sandwich, giving up for good on his meal. He wasn’t hungry. “You believe in the devil?” he asked directly. An image of his sister whining ‘the devil made me do it’ had flashed through his mind.
Heyes shook his head. “Not as the deformed figure many paintings depict,” he said with a soft snort. “If anything, I think he would be just the opposite, very attractive.” He sounded as if he had given the matter quite a bit of thought before today. “Evil is a definite force, and a very powerful one,” he added pensively. “One that can have a lot of allure: whatever it is, I believe it hides behind beautiful appearances, the better to trick us.”
Silence fell, as Kid pondered the words. Evil as something treacherously attractive was an interesting concept. He was glad his partner had come to seek him out. Heyes had a quiet way of being his friend, of knowing when to be there for him. Like tonight, for example. The tension of the day and the sweltering heat of the desert had left him drained, but not quite in the mood for sleep. A chat with a friend was just what Kid had needed.
“So, good and evil in each of us, huh?” Kid wondered, leaning back and rubbing his neck. “Now that ya mention it, Heyes,” he quipped, “I’ve noticed the evil glint in your eye once or twice.”
“You have no idea how wicked I can get,” Heyes replied.
“Actually,” Kid admitted a little self-consciously, “When I said that, I think deep down I was mad at myself.”
There was a puzzled pause. “How’s that?” Heyes was studying him with eyes that were penetrating and Kid winced. He wasn’t too proud of what he was about to say.
“I guess it’s because I did just what I was accusin’ other men of. I applied myself real passionately in givin’ Ned a good beatin’.” Maybe there was an evil side to everybody, himself included. There had been a moment when Kid had really hated the man. In the heat of their fight, he had taken a, well, a wicked pleasure in landing him a few hard punches. It had felt positively good. And that, later, had left a bitter taste in his mouth. He had never thought of himself as a brutal man.
Heyes’ eyes bore into him. “You are not feeling guilty about that, are you?” he asked. “I don’t endorse violence for its own sake, but that man had shot at you, Kid. Without provocation and without warning.”
“He thought he had a good enough reason. I wasn’t who he thought I was, but he didn’t know that.”
Heyes gave a little laugh, “Must be the first time Kid Curry wasn’t who someone thought he was.”
“I know.” Kid winced again. “But in the end we came to an understanding. Why did it take beatin’ each other? Couldn’t there have been a less... crude, more intelligent way?”
Heyes paused, averting his eyes in thought. “Sometimes things work out in a strange way,” he said eventually. He licked his lips, hesitating, before adding, “Adversity brings out the best and the worst in people.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Kid squeezed his eyes shut. “I hate it when I’m a poor judge of character,” he breathed out darkly. “It shouldn’t happen. But it’s happened again today. That man wasn’t really bad, just… misled.”
He heard Heyes shift on his seat. “Perhaps. In any case, no need to feel guilty. Today the good in you has won out.”
“And how do you know that?” Kid said in a tight voice, reopening his eyes. “You weren’t there; you didn’t see what happened.”
“Because I know you Kid. You don’t like leaving anyone behind, good or bad. Kid frowned.
“I’m not sure how much of a friend Ned’s become to me, but I suppose he’s no longer my enemy,” he commented. The batwing doors to the saloon opened to admit a couple of cowboys who walked to the bar, too deep in cheerful conversation to be aware of their presence. They watched the pair silently for a moment, Kid wishing he could steal a bit of their light-heartedness. As the cowboys were leaving again, Kid turned and saw that Heyes’ head was propped up by his hand.
“Long day, huh?” he said softly.
Heyes slowly lifted his head, blinking his eyes open, and heaved a deep breath. “You put me to the test today,” he murmured, passing a hand over his eyes. “I was worried about you, and when I finally found you, and you said you wouldn’t leave that man behind, you would ride double if you had too, I was tempted to tie you up and drag you out regardless.”
The corners of Kid’s mouth curved up of their own accord. Heyes’ eyes grew steely. Then he picked up his cup and buried his nose in it, taking a slow sip. He looked positively mad.
“Heyes?” Kid ventured after a moment of surprise. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Heyes predictably bit back, his voice revealingly tense. “You’re right; it’s been a long day. Perhaps it’s time we got some rest.” He pushed his chair back and stood. Kid sat up, ready to stop him.
“What happened wasn’t your fault,” he said firmly, searching the brown eyes. They flickered; then looked away. Heyes crossed his arms over his chest. “I decided to split up; I decided to take both jobs.”
“That’s exactly what I’m sayin’: you’re not responsible.”
“Perhaps not. But it doesn’t matter.” Heyes’ facial muscles clenched.
“You did all you could to find me,” Kid said gently. “I know that.”
“If you hadn’t rigged up that signal, you’d be dead by now.” The words rang with restrained emotion. Heyes held Kid’s gaze for a moment; then let himself drop tiredly on the chair again. “I really feared I had lost you for good,” he breathed out. Kid knew Heyes had been concerned.
“It wouldn’t have been your fault,” he insisted, even though he knew the words were wasted. “Just like it wasn’t your fault my horse got bit by the rattler, or Ned lost his falling down the hill.”
There was no mistaking how tense a day this had been for both of them. Kid watched his friend try to drown his troubles in his coffee; but the drink had obviously grown cold, for he grimaced and put the cup down. “Well, I honestly thought that my time had come, three days in the desert takes a toll on a body,” Kid murmured. He waited until Heyes met his eyes again and let his gaze go softer. “You mad at me, for insisting on bringing Ned back?”
“The man almost killed you, he shot at you, he almost got you too,” Heyes blurted out.
Kid mulled over the words. “Somehow, in the end, after he and I had stopped fighting’… I couldn’t leave him behind.” He swallowed. “After all, he risked dying too.”
“I was going to make sure he did,” Heyes muttered, dangerously.
A bittersweet grin tugged at Kid’s mouth. “Ya were gonna let your evil side win?”
He watched Heyes flounder and this only made his mouth shape into a more distinct upward curve. “Definitely,” Heyes finally replied, and a small smile appeared on his own lips. “I wouldn’t have been so generous, in your place.”
Kid suddenly felt his chest constrict. “I came close to shooting him,” he admitted hoarsely, all lightness gone. Heyes silently leaned back in his seat, too respectful to enquire openly, but Kid could see clearly that he was wondering what had happened; well, he wondered himself what had stopped him. Eyes on the table, he replayed the scene in his mind. “We fought like madmen,” he croaked out, getting lost in his memory, “Till we had no breath left in our lungs. No one was gettin’ the better hand, and in the end, we collapsed to the sand, too spent to go on. Then I dragged myself up to my feet, picked up the gun and...” Kid saw himself in slow motion, casting the weapon as far away as his over-exerted muscles had allowed. What had gone through his mind? Why had he not used it? He had been so furious… Suddenly he knew. “I saw the fear and despair in his eyes,” he said, refocusing on Heyes. “It was the same fear and despair that I was feelin’.” Kid shrugged. “I realized we were just two fellas stranded in the desert. We weren’t all that different. If the guy couldn’t see that we needed to work together to get out of it, then I was gonna find a way to make him understand. So, instead of pointing the gun at him, I threw it away, far enough that neither of us could reach it.”
Lowering his eyes, Heyes slowly swirled the liquid in the cup he was holding. He could be cool and impenetrable, but right now Kid felt sure he knew what the man was thinking.
“There isn’t much to be proud of, actually,” Kid said. “Part of it was that I really wanted to get out of there, and needed his help.”
“You didn’t leave him behind,” Heyes repeated, pinning him with an intense gaze. “It made me curse a blue streak, but it is something to be proud of, Kid.” He pursed his lips. “You let good win.” They held each other’s eyes for a long moment, and Kid’s heart felt lighter.
“If you say so Heyes,” he replied with a big grin. “You seem to be the expert on more than bruises.”
Heyes pressed two fingers on his eyes; then pushed tiredly to his feet. He hid a yawn behind a hand. Kid’s chuckle turned into a groan as his battered body protested his attempt to rise from the chair. He groped for Heyes’ shoulder, his other hand on his own back while he slowly straightened to a standing position.
“As soon as you’re better I’ve got to teach you a few moves.” They were trudging towards their hotel room, with Kid making a show of leaning on Heyes more heavily than he really needed. They entered their room and got ready for bed.
As Heyes was about to put out the light he said, “I’ll see you tomorrow, partner.” The words were not as insignificant as they might have sounded: Kid heard it in the low octave and read it in the unexpected depth of Heyes’ eyes. Something along the lines of ‘it was a close shave but you’re still here, I’m glad’, was hidden in between them.
“I’m glad you felt in the mood for a late cup of coffee,” Kid ended up blurting out. “A bit of company is just what I needed tonight.”
Heyes cleared his throat. “I do enjoy a good conversation,” he said, eyes darting away. A note of mischief entering his voice, he added, “Although I wasn’t expecting to discuss the evils of man.”
“Ah, maybe you’d have preferred The Adventures of Daniel Boone” Kid commented innocently. “I’ll save that for the next time.”
Heyes shot him a narrowed-eye look. “I’m hoping there won’t be a next time. A next time of this time,” he specified.
“Well, up to you. It’s your job to keep an eye on me.” He flashed Heyes a wicked smile.
“Now that’s evil,” Heyes grunted.
THE END
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.