Chapter 1: Where the HELL am I?
Dream: "No!" I heard my younger brother scream. Our mother quickly dropped to her knees and bent over our father's body. We could barely hear her scream "You BASTARD!" from the front yard. But the second shot could be easily heard. "No!" My brother screamed again as our mother's body fell limp on top off our fathers.
People around us were racing for cover. My brother was crying and trying to run to our parents. I grabbed him and pulled him into my arms and said, "Not now. We have to get away. Come! This way!" Reluctantly, he followed me. Of course, I held onto his hand to make sure we don't separate.
I helped him onto his horse, jumped onto mine, and told him to hang onto that horse like his life depended on it. Even though he didn't know it, it did. I looked back towards the scene, and saw those men spot us, and start running our way.
"Shoot!" I shouted under my breath so not to frighten my brother any more than he was. "Hurry! Follow me, and whatever you do, DON'T LOOK BACK! Understand?!" His tear stricken face shook up and down to show he did. I kicked my horse into a run closely followed by my brother. Shots were fired and flew past us. Digging into the dirt. But then, BOOM!
End of Dream: I woke up to my damn dog biting at my leg while I was on my horse. I look up to see that we had stopped in some town. To be honest, I was glad that that stubborn dog woke me up. From my horse's reaction, Sam (name of dog) was only doing it so that horse wouldn't buck me off.
"Let go." Sam still had yet to let go. Even when I got off, he still had a good grip of my pants. I stood straight, looked at him and said, "Let go." One more time. But this time, Sam let go with his usual low growl.
I looked up and around to see a whole bunch of people starring. I didn't care though; I just looked around for the closest saloon. I slightly smiled. "Good girl." I said to my horse while giving her a couple of good pats. She took me straight to one. Man, that's one smart horse. As I walked toward the saloon, Sam followed, stopping at the steps. When I reached the top, I could hear his low growl. I turned slightly so that I could see him. He laid down, showing me that he'll be right there when I came out.
I walked into the saloon called The Oriental. It was very nice on the inside. It was awfully quiet though. I ignored all the stares I was receiving. That's what I get for falling asleep on my horse. I walked up to the bar and took a seat. "Shot of whiskey please." The man behind the bar gave me a shot glass, and filled it with the liquid I had asked for. "Thank you." I drank it with ease and lightly placed the cup back on the bar. "You're not from around here, are you?" The bartender asked me.
"How could you tell?" I slightly smiled, looking up at the man. He let out a small laugh.
"Sorry. My names Milt. What might your name be son?" Holding my small smile and his eye contact I said, "Hello Milt. It's nice to meet you. I suppose you can just call me stranger."
"Okay Stranger. Would you like another shot?"
"How kind. Yes, I would, thank you."
"Oh, it's no problem at all."
I drank the second shot and paid him. I was still pretty tired, although I dreaded the sleep that was to come. I decided to put sleep off for a bit and get my horse taken care of.
"Pardon me Milt, but can you point me to where I can take my horse?"
"Yes, right across the street to your right. Can't miss it."
"Thank you." I got up and walked out the door. I stopped and looked for Sam. There he was, right where I left him. He picked up his head, and waited for my next move. I walked down the steps and up to my horse. "Come on Pair; let's get you a place to stay." I gave her a couple of good pats, and started to walk in the direction Milt had told me, with both Pair and Sam following behind. Most people have to hold onto the rein when leading a horse, but then again, they don't know how to train a horse to follow their owner.
Milt was right, you couldn't miss it. A boy taller than I came running up to me. "How can I help you Sir."
"I'd like a stall for my horse here please. Also for her to be fed and watered. She just got done with a long ride."
"Okay, right tis way." I smiled at the way he said the word this. The way people spoke was always so interesting. He showed me the stall where she would be staying and went through the process of feeding and watering her. I gave him what I owed and a good tip. I would give her a nice grooming tomorrow. I grabbed my things and asked the boy where I can find my self an inn. He told me that there was one down the rode to the right.
Sam kept his distance when following me. He always did. It was just his way of keeping his eyes on me I guess.
It didn't take all that long to get to the Inn. The Grand Hotel. Sounds nice, hopefully I can get me a room with a kitchen. I was lucky that day. They had one room left with a kitchen, and I got it. The room was huge, and the bed was large. There was a nice table with a couple of matching chairs around it. And one of the best parts was that it had a balcony with a nice chair on it.
Sam searched the room, and to show it was all clear, he laid down on the nice bed. "Is the bed as comfortable as it looks?" I asked while I put my things away. He let out a low growl and yawned to say yes. I separated my cloths as I put them in the dresser. My men clothing in one drawer, and my dresses in another. I had a good reason for my dressing as a man. For one thing it allowed me to do things easier than it would be in a dress. But also it drawled less attention to me, which is a good thing at the moment seeing as there was a group of men out there somewhere trying to kill me. But they have to be alive in order to do that. It's kind of funny if you think about it. I'm trying to kill a man who is trying to kill me along with a bunch of men he offered an award to get me dead or alive.
I sighed when I finished. I still didn't want to go to bed. Perhaps I'll go back to The Oriental and have a bit to eat with a few more drinks. I don't feel like cooking tonight. I'll send for water to be brought up to my room when I get back. I found that drinking water when you drink liquor helped keep away the hangovers in the morning. Sam didn't look too happy about me wanting to leave again, but he followed any ways.
"Hello Milt. It's nice to see you again." I greeted with a small smile. "Aw, hey there Stranger. I didn't expect you to be comin' back taday. How can I help ya?" I continued to smile at him. "Well, I'm a little hungry for a snack with a side of some whiskey. May I have a sandwich? Also, can my dog Sam have some meat? He deserves a little treat."
"Of course, where's your dog?"
"He's outside; I'll give it to him. He might not like it very much if some strange man walking up to him with meat." Milt let out a laugh and said "okay, I'll have your meat in just a minute."
"Take your time. There's no need to rush on my account." Milt went to the back to get the meat. As he did that, I decided to take a look around. There was a man standing next to me drinking what looked to be coffee. He was talking to two other men. One looked older while the other looked younger. They looked to be brothers. I continued to look around and saw a man staring at me from one of the poker tables. I didn't let my eyes linger on him. At first I thought it was a coincidence and swept my eyes across the rest of the room before sweeping them back, making it look casual. But his eyes were still on me. This might be bad. Was he one of the men that were after me? How could he see through my disguise so quickly?! When I was facing the bar again, Milt was coming back with the meat. "Thank you Milt, I'll be right back." He smiled and nodded his head while I took the meat out to Sam. I quickly looked at the window while walking to the door and saw that the MAN, was still looking! I just continued and act natural. "Hey Sam, eat up." I gave him the meat and he started eating it. I lowered both my head and voice. "Keep an eye out Sam. I'm not too sure what is going to be happening tonight." He stopped eating long enough to look at me and let at his all so famous low growl to show that he understands. I stayed there until he finished his meat.
Wyatt's POV (Point Of View): The boy walked out of the saloon with the meat Milt had just given him. I waved Milt over. "Hey Wyatt, how can I help ya?"
"Who was that boy that just walked out with some meat?"
"And how do you two know each other?" Virgil voiced in.
"I don't know. He came in here earlier taday. Told me to just call 'im Stranger. Nice boy though. Gentlemen I guess ya could call 'im." Milt answered back.
"He's the boy that came riding in on his horse while asleep Wyatt." Doc said. It looked like he was taking a break from the table. "Is that right?" Morgan joined in.
"Yes Sir. He seems to be an interesting fellow." Doc said as he raised his drink to his mouth.
"Doc. Don't think of starting any. . ." I began to say when Doc cut me off.
"Now, now Wyatt. There's no need to worry. I will behave myself." As he said that, he rolled another cigarette and placed it in his mouth. He lit it and took a deep puff as he turned his head to look at the door. But the boy outside must have been kneeling down cause we couldn't see him.
Doc's POV: Ever since I saw that boy riding into this town sleeping on his horse with his dog following behind, I had a desire to walk up to him and introduce myself. I saw his horse stop right in front of The Oriental. She waited for a moment, but then stomped her front hove. It seemed she didn't like to be used as a chair. The dog seemed protective of the boy and barked at the horse a couple of times. Then, the dog stood on his hind legs and took a bite at the boy's pants, waking him up. The dog didn't let go until the boy was off the horse and told him to let go. Then he walked straight into the saloon! Yes, this boy was definitely interesting.
Heather's (main character) POV: Milt had given me a dissent piece of meat for Sam. It took him a bit to finish it. I'll have to make sure to pay Milt properly for it. I stood and walked back into the saloon so that I could eat. I was just too tired to cook for myself and I wasn't all that hungry. But when I walked in, I saw the three men who appeared to be brothers, talking to the man who was staring at me, up at the bar. Milt was standing by them but didn't look to be in the conversation. He looked up at me and smiled. I gave him a small smile back along with a nod. I wanted to avoid the Poker man so I walked to one of the back empty tables, with my back facing the wall so that I could see who ever comes toward me.
It didn't take Milt very long to bring me a sandwich with some whiskey. "Thank you Milt. Here, thank you for the meat too." I gave him the money. "You're quite welcome Stranger. Is there an-ai thang else I can get ya?"
"No, this will be all"
"Alrighty than. Enjoy the rest of your night."
"I will. Thank you." I nodded once to him letting him know that he can leave back to the bar. "Oh, wait! Milt?"
"Yes?"
"I know it's a bit late to be asking but, what's the name of this here town?" He laughed. "Well, Stranger, You're in Tombstone!"
"Am I now?"
"Yes you are. Is that all?" I smiled at him and said, "Yes, that is all, thank you."
Milt walked back to the bar. As he did so, I lifted my sandwich to take a bite, and glance at the bar to see if the Poker man was looking my way. I was met with relief when I saw him grab a drink and go back to gambling. I set my sandwich down and took a drink. That's when two men wearing red cloth around their hips came in. Cowboys. That's what those stupid overgrown boys called themselves. I had a run in with a couple of them a few times. The one that wore boots with Ace cards on them looked my way, and smiled. I ignored him and took another bite of my sandwich. He walked over to me and stood there. I looked up at the man, "Can I help you?" I asked him while taking another drink. "Does that dog outside belong to ya?" I narrowed my eyes slightly at him. "Yes, he's mine. What about him?" He chuckled, which only made my anger rise. "Well, my friend Ike is out there and is messin' with that dog. Sayin' that if he attacks, he'll kill him."
"Is that so?"
"Yep. Just thought to tell ya that dog ain't worth losin' your life." And he had the nerve to chuckle again.
"Sir. If your friend even hurts my dog, I WILL, kill him." He raised an eyebrow, not believing a single word I said. But that just proves his ignorance.
"Like I said, it ain't worth the risk kid."
"There won't be any risk Sir. And if there was, it would be your friend Ike's."
"Hmm, whatever ya say kid." As he walked away with a man following close behind like a tail, I continued to eat. As I finished, I noticed that the Ignorant man's tail kept looking my way. I finished my drink and stood up. I didn't want to stay much longer. But then I heard a shout and a gun shot. I narrowed my eyes and looked at the man I spoke with and he was SMILING at me! That son of a . . .
My train of thought was cut short when a second shot was fired. Quickly I ran to the door. In the middle of the street I saw some bastard pointing his gun at my DOG!
"Damn dog! Die!"
"Fire another shot and you will DIE where you stand!" He stopped and looked at me, then laughed. "An who do ya suppose is gonna do that?" Sam made a mean growl at him, not liking the tone he was using toward me. "Shut the hell up!" He said to Sam. I stepped down onto the street. While I walked to Sam's side I said, "Don't you DARE, speak to my dog like that. And to answer your question, me." I was tired and angry at having two guys look at me while I'm trying to eat and relax. Adding this idiot to the night only pissed me off more. But I tried to sound as polite as I could.
"You scrawny little punk! Who the hell do you think you are?" I slightly smiled, knowing that I was getting to him. "That is none of your business." That seemed to have tipped him over the edge. He raised his gun to fire, but as soon as I heard him cock his gun, I swiftly and quickly pulled my gun and shot his out of his hand before he could pull the trigger. "I can tell that you are slow on taking hints, so I'll have to be blunt. If you hurt my dog in any way, I will kill you. You understand?" His legs were still shaking from the close shot. "Come Sam, I do believe he finally understands, don't you?" Sam did not growl in return to show that he disagreed. "Hmm, Sam here doesn't think you understand." I looked back up at the guy who looked frozen from shock.
"I'm afraid I am goin' to have to confiscate your guns." This came from the man that looked like the older brother of the coffee drinker. "And why is that? It was in self-defense? Are you even the sheriff?" This caused him to get a little red. He showed me his badge, "I am the sheriff, and I saw that it was in self-defense, but I also saw that you had a bit much to drink. I don't want you goin' out and killin' this man no matter how stupid he is."
"Then how do you suppose I defend myself if he takes the opportunity of me being unarmed to kill my dog and I?" I was getting frustrated and it showed in my tone. "Calm down. I'll be putting him away tonight. You can come by tomorrow to pick up your guns. Now hand them over." Damit! At least I still have my knife and rifle up in my room. I handed him my guns. Sam seeing this exchange did another mean growl. "Quiet Sam. It's alright. This man just wants to make sure everyone in this town is safe." Sam didn't seem to care. He barked once. "Sam, quiet." He stayed quiet. I looked to the sheriff, "I'll see you tomorrow then." With nothing else said, I began to walk toward my room. So much for low profile. Sam, as always, followed from a distance. When we got back to our room, I showed him that I still had my rifle and he calmed down. I took off my boots clothes and hat, changed my underwear and put on a comfortable shirt and finished my cup of water. I brushed all the tangles out of my hair. It was getting long. About three inches past my shoulders. It needed to be washed. When it's clean, it's a pretty medium brown color. To hide my hair I would twist it up, fold it over my head, and tuck it under my hat. It seems to help hide my gender, along with wearing dirt on my face. The dirt helps hide my facial features. I put out the light and laid down on the bed, staring up in the dark, wondering how I got into this situation.
Doc's POV: "Why Virgil, was it really necessary to take the boys guns?"
"Yes Doc. That's the law." Doc got a little angry that Virgil would leave the poor kid defenseless. But when the kid walked away, he seemed strangely calm. Tomorrow. Tomorrow would be the day that I will introduce myself to the boy. And figure out who he is, and why he's here in Tombstone. My small group of friends and I wanted to know. And decided when given the chance, we will try to figure it out.