Shot Seven

On Lust, Puppies, and Bandits

The air was hot and dry. There was very little wind, but every time the slightest breeze moved through, it kicked up a cloud of dust that hung in the air persistently. Jack hadn't been anywhere near New Haven since he'd ordered Wilhelm to destroy the place. It looked as though some rebuilding had been done since, and in his personal opinion, it looked better flattened. It was filled with bandits the last time he paid a visit, and as he took aim with his sniper rifle from just inside the entrance to the train station, it was clear it was filled with bandits again. He took his shot and was greeted immediately following by the satisfying sight of a dead marauder in front of the makeshift pharmacy.

It didn't much matter to him whether the town was unlawful or not. If everyone who'd gathered there abided by the laws, sure, he'd have less to worry about, but there was something exciting about the fact that so many of the people he wanted dead were all flocking to one place. He would destroy New Haven over and over again if he had to, and as long as the outlaws kept coming, he'd keep killing them. Taking aim again, he waited for yet another cloud of dust to disappear, but before he could fire, a gunshot sounded from behind him and his target dropped dead.

"Hold it, Handsome," commanded a sultry voice from a few feet behind him. He turned around to see a dark-haired woman in a long trench coat and black leather pants; her skin was tan and she was covered in the red-brown dust that filled the air. She lifted her pistol and pushed it right up against his chest over his heart and he brushed it away, laughing.

"Did you just tell me to 'hold it'?" He laughed again, harder this time. "Do you have any idea who I am?"

"Of course I know who you are, Jack." She lifted the pistol again, this time resting the cold metal against his neck. "Do you know who I am? Despite what you may think, you're not exactly well-liked… and killing you would make me the most famous woman on Pandora."

Jack smirked at her, but her gaze didn't falter.

"You would be more intimidating if that gun was ready to fire."

She moved the gun just barely to his left and fired it, then proceeded to reload it and put it back against his skin, proving that it was. She lifted his chin with it and moved closer, and he eyed her as she spoke into his ear. He could feel her breath on his neck.

"Round these parts, they call me the Sheriff. Do you know why? Because no one here kills bandits but me. Got it? I shoot them. I hang them. I blow them up. I strangle them. You might not know it, but the rewards you hand out for the bandit kills in this town go to me. You pay me, and I like it that way."

"Good to know," Jack told her, sounding bored. She'd backed him up against the concrete wall and a wry smile had formed on her lips. "But you know what? This planet is under my control. I don't care how big you think you are around here… we both know you're not a real sheriff."

"I like you," she said, lowering her gun. "We could get along. Come with me and I'll show you my latest catch… not counting yourself."

He followed her into the center of the town, kicking up dust as they went and enjoying the way windows shut and people hid as they walked by. He had to admit she knew what she was doing, and he liked it. The way she spoke and walked screamed that she was in control, and even though she had no real authority, no one challenged her. No one challenged him either, and he got the feeling both of them were looking for a challenge.

"You ever thought of doing anything with this place after you burnt it to the ground?" she asked, walking ahead of him. "It's become nothin' more than a bandit-trap. Somehow, they always show up here… but I like it. It gives me something to do. And a way to earn a living."

"If you like this dust-bowl that much, you can have it," Jack muttered, continuing to watch her walk.

"You just skip the flowers and charming and go straight to the city-giving, huh?" she said nonchalantly. "Sarcastic or not, I'll be sure to take you up on that."

She walked through the entrance to a small building and put a hand on her hip as she came to a stop in front of a jail cell that was using electrical fields in place of bars. There was a huge brute of a man sitting inside, looking like there was nothing going through his mind other than the word 'kill.'

"He's been in here for about a week now," said the Sheriff without taking her eyes off him. "Says he's gonna kill you for what you did to this place. Can't have that, can we? I'd never get paid again. I've got no problem keeping him in here, really. It's just that the guy has the loudest voice… he'll be heard when he wants to be heard, which honestly just doesn't work for me when I'm trying to sleep."

"This guy again, huh?" Jack asked. He smiled through the electrical barrier and the man growled at him. Like an animal. Disgusting. "What's up, Brick? How you been holdin' up, buddy?"

He could see the hatred in Brick's expression, but it only made him laugh.

"If you wanna treat me like a bandit," he growled, "I'll be a bandit. And I swear—when I am, I'll rip you to pieces with my bare hands."

"Ooh." Jack winced, getting a little closer. "Sounds like a lot of fun for someone like you. It's a shame you and your Vault Hunter friends won't get the pleasure. You're weak, uneducated and filthy. It takes more than brute force to deal with someone like me. I sit back, and I figure out your weaknesses one at a time, and you can bet I'll use them against you."

"I've already figured it out," the Sheriff stated matter-of-factly. She reached under the lone desk in the corner and unlocked a much smaller cage, pulling out a small, shaking puppy. It was a chocolate brown with big eyes, and its fur was still fuzzy, indicating its young age. It whimpered as she held it by the collar, letting it dangle in the air.

"No!" Brick yelled, standing. "Put Dusty down!"

"Dusty, huh?" She turned the struggling dog around and looked at it, grinning. "Cute. Well I say Dusty here is mine now, considering you're stuck in there. We can't let him go without an owner, can we, Jack?"

"That would just be cruel," Jack replied.

"I know I don't have a place for the poor thing, do you?"

"Even if I did, I can't say I want it."

"What a shame," she pouted, dropping it. It yelped as it hit the floor, and she caught its tail with her boot before it could run. It nipped at her ankles, and she cackled at its pitiful attempts to hurt her. "I guess that makes this little guy homeless."

"Stop!" Brick bellowed as she kneeled down and wrapped her hands around Dusty's neck.

She laughed quietly as she squeezed, and Jack watched Brick's expression turn from rage to horror in a matter of seconds. The dog continued to yelp and scratched her forearm with its back paws, and the Sheriff immediately gave its head a twist, snapping its neck. She stood up and kicked the body to the side, wiping her hands on her coat. Brick was sobbing uncontrollably, shaking with rage and hysteria, yelling incomprehensible things at the both of them.

"Looks like I finally got to you," she said, casually turning and sauntering out the door.

After walking just a few feet, she grabbed Jack by his vest, and shoved him through another doorway, smirking at him.

"Look," she started. "I'm gonna be honest with you, Handsome. You're the only one who would enjoy breaking that idiot down as much as I did, and it really turns me on. The sooner you leave, the sooner the bandits will come back out, I can forget all about it, and you can keep on paying me for my work. It's been real." She turned on her heel, but stopped suddenly when he spoke.

"Hold it," he said, drawing his own pistol and pointing it at her back. She slowly turned back around, expressionless. "Two can play at that game."

"Are you mocking me?"

"Of course not," he said in a low voice, moving closer. He lowered the gun and pressed it against the bare skin just above her belt, and she eyed him as he slid it over and tapped the barrel against her buckle. "I never caught your name."

"You don't need to know my name just yet," she told him. "Not for the reasons I want you here."