Knife

Vasily approached the soldier cautiously, his hand on the hilt of his knife. He had been wandering the countryside for days, searching for any sign of Sarah, the runaway slave he had been tasked with finding. When he spotted the soldier on the road, he thought he might have finally found someone who could give him some information.

"What's your name?" Vasily asked, eyeing the man warily.

The soldier looked at him with suspicion. "My name is Henry," he said.

"Why are you here? You don't look like a soldier," Vasily said, trying to make conversation.

"I'm on leave," Henry said tersely. "Now, what's your business?"

"I'm searching for a runaway slave named Sarah," Vasily said. "Have you seen her?"

Henry's expression hardened. "I don't know anything about that," he said. "And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."

Vasily tensed, sensing a confrontation brewing. He drew his knife, and Henry did the same.

The two men circled each other, knives flashing in the sunlight. It was a fierce battle, but after a few minutes, they both realized they were evenly matched. They backed away from each other, panting and sweating.

Suddenly, they heard a loud click. Vasily looked up to see a woman standing a few feet away, pointing a revolver at him.

"Drop your knife," she said, her voice cold and steady.

Vasily hesitated for a moment, sizing up the situation. He knew he was outnumbered and outgunned. Slowly, he lowered his knife to the ground.

"Who are you?" he asked, eyeing the woman warily.

"I'm Rocky,"(Sarah). she said. "And you need to leave."

Vasily nodded, his mind racing. He turned and walked away.Rocky and Henry mounted their horses and galloped away, hoping to put some distance between themselves and Vasily. They knew that he was a dangerous man, and they didn't want to take any chances.

Vasily, however, was determined to catch up to them. He knew that he had to find Sarah, and he wasn't going to let anyone stand in his way. He took out his Berdan 2 rifle, a weapon that he had used many times before, and scanned the horizon for any sign of his quarry.

After a few minutes of riding, he spotted Rocky and Henry in the distance. They were still far away, but Vasily knew that he had the advantage. He took aim with his rifle and fired a shot at the horse that Rocky was riding.

The horse reared up in pain and confusion, throwing Rocky off its back. Henry tried to help her up, but Vasily fired another shot, hitting the horse in the head and causing it to collapse.

Henry and Rocky fell to the ground, stunned and disoriented. They looked up to see Vasily approaching them, his rifle still in his hands.