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Bill stood, half glaring, half grinning at Maria, his nose wrinkled as if he had smelled something horrible. His stench was far worse, the putrid aftermath of fermented alcohol and tobacco resin. His jaw opened and Maria saw tons of yellowing teeth meeting her direction. Apart from his grotesque appearance, the one thing that made him look decent was a black bowler hat perched like a sparrow on his skull. Maria recognised him as a gila monster-a poisonous lizard. Her father had picked one up before; it had squirted bright mossy excrement all up his arm as well as pus from it's venom. If this Gila was as dangerous as the rest of them, she was going to guarantee that her legs were not going to quit on her.

"Looks like a human, boss," came a German accent from one of the rabbits. "He's a big one!" remarked a razorback.

"You bloody idiots!" snapped Bill, "it's female. Look at the chest!"

Maria felt herself flush with rage and embarrassment. She had a the beginning of a chest, yes, but what pubescent child didn't?

"We're goin' to be gettin' a new set of tables an' chairs tonight boys-from all the bones in her neck. Oo's wiv me?"

At this, Maria ran straight around the corner tripping over barrels of cactus juice in the process, looking like a giant amongest the wooden structures and planks.

"What are you standin' there gawping for?"

"She's really big boss!"

"Ja, really big!"

"Do I look like I could give two shits?! Get after her!"

The gang ran like the wind around the corners of the houses Maria was trying hopelessly to duck under, shooting at her. Her size wasn't exactly helping her to blend in or find a secure hiding place. She just kept going, telling herself she was not going to let Bill's clammy fingers grab hold of her ankles.

She heard the sounds of their revolvers and tried to crawl away, feeling a sharp pain embed itself in her calf as though a knife had been plunged imto it. . She crouched down into a ball and put her hands firmly behind her head, as though a gigantic hawk was going to swoop down from the sky and carry her off. Her cramps were beginning to return to her body, as she heard the sharp voice of Bill and his cronies turning the corner.

"There she is!"

"Get her!"

Maria felt the horrible sensation of Bill's scaly arms lifting up her own, his thug's hands covering her mouth so she couldn't scream.

Bill approached her, carrying a large hunting knife. She tried to scream but she was gagged by a large rag that two of them had crammed into her mouth.

"Allo darlin'. You ready to meet your maker?"

Maria's eyes showed fury. She stared at this ugly face, the bottle green hide, the beady eyes. If this was her death this time, shevwasn't going to accept it. Not the same fate her parent's suffered; at the hands of violent thugs who watched your brutal end.

"Any las' words love?"

Maria just managed to struggle to allow the gag to slip slightly and spat in his face. "Bastardo aqueroso! Voy a venger a mi madre y padre incluso si la muerte me lleve!"

Bill's knife pressed against her neck, "Don't' speak your weird language love. But if I'm feeling lucky enough I'll let you live an' let ya polish my boots later." Maria's glare bore into him. "An' if I'm feelin' really generous I'll give ya a job. How 'bout the-Soiled Dove?"

The rest of Bill's gang gasped and burst out laughing. Maria struggled not knowing what the hell a paloma sucia was, but she guessed it was something vile. As she struggled, she heard a gun shot, loud and clear like a clap of thunder.

Rango stood, his sherrif badge polished, his eyes hidden under a ten gallon hat and his pistol pointed upwards.

"Put her down Bill."

"Oh well. Look who it is. Sheriff Rango, the town idiot."

"Ja Sheriff Rango!"

"I didn't know there was a fancy dress party goin' on today," said Bill mockingly. "I would've worn my tutu." The other gang members laughed, but Rango just stood his ground . Maria looked on in wonder at how such a tiny chameleon could stand up to one of the largest desert reptiles.

"I'm gon' give you fellars one last chance to reconsider."

"Save yer breath mate, uf you think I'm runnin from a pathetic little fool like you, you are seriously mistaken."

"I'm not expectin' ya to run," said Rango with a slight smirk, "I'm expectin' ya to let her go. Then ya'll can come after me." Bad Bill considered this for a moment, then gave the most sickening grin. "Deal." He montioned for his cronies to release Maria and she fell the gag falling away leaving her gasping for breath.

"Alright then." said Bill.

"Allll-righty then," added Rango, outstretching his arm, "Wait-What's that?!" Bad Bill turned only for a second, before Rango's pink tongue shot out and stuck to Bill's eye. The Sherrif bolted away as fast as as his legs would carry him.

"Hey! Gah! Get 'm!"

They left Maria who struggled out of the last of her ropes and crawled slowly around the other corner and grabbed the first object she saw to defend herself-a frying pan. Out of guns, knives, and discarded planks of wood with nails poking out of them, she had chosen a cooking utensil.

She peered around the corner of the gun shop, pan in hand, to see Rango jabbing a webbed finger at Bill who had him lifted up by the throat whilst the others poked at him with sticks.

"Now you listen here! I'ma give you folks ten seconds. If ya do ya might escape with a fine, but if ya don't, yer bein' thrown in jail for attempted kidnap an' murder."

"Is that so, why don' you call on your little human friend for help-if she's such an ally?"

"Maybe I will-" he opened his mouth wide-"HEELLLP. MISS MARIIIA!" It came out so strangled and pathetic, that Maria coukdn't help putting a palm to her forehead. She leaned to the side and ended up knocking over other planks of wood and pans. The sound of clanking metal echoed withen the earshot of one of the Kanichen. "Mierda!" she cursed, as she heard him run over, giggling gleefully.

"Hey Boss, boss I've found her-I found her, I found her, I-"

There was a loud clash of something hard hitting something soft. Tin meeting fur. The rabbit went flying, landing with a thud on the dusty ground. Maria remained where she sat, checking her frying pan for blood, in shock at how fast her reflexes were. Still in his chokehold Rango laughed nervously as Bill glared and tightened his grip, squeezing the chameleon's neck. "Ma-ri-aah!" he gasped out in small syllables.

"If she's such a special little thing to you, where's she hidin' eh?"

"Right here."

Bad Bill turned in anger to see Maria standing like a giantess over the small gun shop, a frying pan in her hand, looking like it belonged in a toy shop compared to her hands. She raised it above her head, a determined look on her face and in her eyes.

"You gonna hit me girly?"

"Maybe. Unless you put my friend down."

Bill dropped the chameleon to the ground in an instant but never onve shifted his gaze from her, instead he took his gun from his belt and loaded it, pointing it straight at her. Surprisingly she remained unafraid and began to walk towards him. His facial expression changed from pride to sudden fear as every step she took made the ground underneath him shudder. This was only a baby human?

Maria never stopped moving, even though she was amazed herself that she had found the courage to do so.

The gila monster dropped his gun as the other monster towered over him. His yellow eyes now showed downright terror as she raised the frying pan ready to swing. The gila monster held up his arms but it was too late.

"Disfruete de su vuelo," she muttered before swinging her weapon and hitting the reptile at full force, sending him soaring. The other gang members watched in horror and in awe as their leader disappeared from sight. The sound of his screams sent them flailing towards their roadrunners and riding away.

"Yeah!" Rango shouted after them, "And don't you come back! Cause if you do, I will blow that ugly right off your face!"

He quickly snapped out of his gloating when he saw Maria bent on one knee, clutching her leg.

"Miss Maria! Are you alright?"

Maria lifted her head slightly. She was about to say something when she caught sight of her hand. It was tinged scarlet. When she looked down, she realised she had been hit with a stray piece of bullet. Her face read panic, and her heart was beating like a drum.

Rango gasped. "Doc's office-now!" he said, motioning for her to take his webbed hand. She gladly took it, a sudden wave of nausea and dizziness overtaking her, as she dragged herself over to the other side of the street, leaving her red ribbons behind.