Chapter 2: Campfire
In Pike's Basin the night sky was shimmering down on the camp, the Ballard gang all sat around the fire smoking, drinking, and chewing tobacco. The gang was different than it was three years ago, the men that were in the gang were killed by the Armadillo police force in 1911. Now the gang consisted of teenage boys all testosterone fueled and angry at the world, they no longer rustled cattle, their business now was banks. Jessica Ballard the leader of the gang walked out of her tent, she wore skin tight leather pants with a holster belt wrapped around her, a white button up shit unbuttoned just enough to show cleavage, her long blonde hair flowed freely down past her shoulders. All the boys both lusted for and feared her, as she was a savage gunslinger. At the age of 6 she shot her father who tried to molest her, after that she spent her life on the road, robbing people and killing lawmen. She found the Ballard twins at age 15, the brothers adopted her as one of their own and taught her how to fight. At 16 when the Ballard twins were killed in Pike's Basin by Marshal Johnson, his deputies and famed outlaw John Marston, she assumed control and founded new members. Angry young boys and orphans, similar to Dutch van der Linde.
She looked at her gang of young ruffian, then at the stars. She reached into the pocket on her button up shirt and pulled out a cigarette, she put the cigarette in her mouth and struck a match. She lit her cigarette and threw the match down, she inhaled the smoke and took the cigarette out of her mouth. She sighed as she exhaled and walked over to the fire, one of the gang members, a young hood named Sam Price, took a swig of whiskey. He felt the burning sensation of the alcohol as it went down his throat, he handed the bottle which was half full to his boss. Jessica turned up the bottle and chugged the rest of it, when the bottle was finished she threw it on the ground hard, shattering the empty bottle to pieces. Sam opened another bottle and took a drink, the gang passed the bottle around and swapped stories of their exploits before they joined the gang. The boys telling their stories tried to impress Jessica, but she was unimpressed by their petty exploits. She stood up and spread out her arms, the group hushed as she spoke. "You boys are amateurs, I got a tale for ya that will put your tall tales to shame." She exclaimed drunkenly.
She paced back and forth, staring at her men as she did so. "The year was 1908, I was 13 years old. On the outskirts of Nuevo Pariso, I ventured into Chuperosa fixing to take down the bank which I was told by a peasant had well over $1,500." She told the group. "The desert heat beat down on my skin, the unforgiving son punishing me. I rode into town and dismounted my horse, as I walked through the town I can feel the locals eying me up, the peasant men undressing me with their eyes. I got cornered by five local men, one grabbed me from behind, the other four started tearing at my clothes. Suddenly I heard a gunshot, one of the locals fell dead. When the one behind me let go I turned around and grabbed his knife from his holster, I stabbed him in his eyeball and seven times more in the face. I then grabbed my revolver and shot the other three in the head, after they fell I holstered my weapon." She kept telling her men. "An old man with a big mustache, a hat, and long coat stood before me. I spit on the corpse ge shot and looked at him. "Thanks", I said. "Don't mention it." He replied. "What's a young girl like you doing so far from home?" He asked me. "I have no home." I replied. "Not since I killed my father." I told him. "You look like you want something to eat." He told me as he put away his weapon. "C'mon, they serve good food here." He told me. "Thanks stranger." I replied. "Call me Ricketts….Landon Ricketts." He told me. "And what's your name?" He asked me. "Jessica." I replied. We ate and talked, then he paid for me a room to sleep in. The next day he taught me to shoot, after a month pf training I decided to leave. He gave me some money and said his goodbyes." As she finished her story. The gang stood impressed that she met THE Landon Ricketts.
