Chapter 10 is finished. I apoplogize for the slight delay, and any mistakes. Hope you enjoy :)
The next morning I woke up from the ground again. My wings were still sore. I rubbed them gently as I got up. I yawned and looked around. The gangs couches and bed were empty. The outlaws were already up. I bundled my thin scratchy sheets together and tossed them next to my pillow.
Just as I was leaving, I noticed Bill coming in from outside. In his hands, he held a box. He noticed me eyeing the box and kept walking. "Hey, Bill. What's in the box?" I asked. Bill slowed down. He hesitated for a minute, then kept walking. "Nothin' of yer concern," he said through clenched teeth. I closed my mouth. He grunted and disappeared through another tunnel.
I stared at the tunnel Bill went through. Does that tunnel lead to the place Priscilla mentioned? I wondered. I thought of the small storage room full of the strange boxes Priscilla told the Rango and his posse. Cautiously, I walked over to the tunnel. The yawning mouth of the tunnel blew cold air. I stopped. Goosebumps crawled up and down my shaking wings as I stared down into the pitch black hole.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps. Bill was coming back. I quickly turned around and headed outside. I heard Bill come out from the tunnel but I didn't turn back. I still had to convince Bill that I wasn't a fraud and trust me.
I decided to explore the tunnel later when he wasn't around. I squinted in the morning light as I came out from the mines. Kinski, Chorizo and Stump were outside. Stump and Kinski were seen setting up a couple whiskey bottles on a wide flat rock, while Chorizo sat on the ground ten feet from them.
"What are you guys doing?" I asked as I approached them. Their heads turned. Stump smirked, "setting up bottles to shoot at," he said and got up when the bottles were all standing up. There was ten in all, and lined up five inches apart from each other. Kinski got up after Stump and they both walked away from the bottles. Chorizo got up and followed after the two jackrabbits.
I followed after the outlaws. They stopped about forty feet from the lined up bottles. The rising sun was to our backs. Chorizo sat down again. The two jackrabbits didn't seem to notice as they whipped out their own guns. Stump clicked his hammer. Kinski was busy placing some bullets in his gun. Stump went first. He aimed his gun at the bottles. The sun baked our backs as it rose higher and higher in the sky. Stump took his time, he kept his right hand steady, arms length away.
Then he pulled the trigger. Bang! My ears went back in annoyance. In the distance, I could hear Kaliah screeching. The bottles didnt break. Stump cursed and lowered his gun. Kinski went next. He aimed his gun, and pulled the trigger. Bang! Bang! Bang! One bottle shattered. Kinski cursed and spat the ground. Stump stepped up again and aimed his gun at the bottles. Kaliah was heard flapping and screeching.
"Banshee, have you ever shot anyone?" he asked me and fired. Bang! No bottles shattered. My ears screamed in pain, but I ignored it. "No, I don't need to, I have my scream ability," I said. Kinski had his gun arms length away and was aiming at the bottles. He lowered his left hand with the gun and turned his head to me. "So, you've never used a gun," he said. I nodded.
Stump placed an arm around my shoulders. "Well, I think you should at least know how to use a gun. Never know if that scream thing you have may suddenly disappear," he pointed out with a mischievous grin on his face. I looked away from Stump. He might have a point, I'll never know if I may suddenly lose my scream ability, I thought. Chorizo got up and tossed his gun to me.
"Here, you can practice with mine," he said revealing a smiling row of rotting yellow teeth. Then he sat back down. I looked down at Chorizo's gun in my wings. I fumbled with it till a had a good grip. I held it in my left wing. Stump snickered. "Oh how nice, another lefty," Stump teased, jabbing Kinski. Kinski shoved the stumpy jackrabbit away from him and walked over to me. He showed me how to hold the gun properly.
I felt my face heat up when his furry fingers touched my wings. I looked up to him. His eyes were narrowed. He muttered to himself as he finally got my wing to hold the gun the right way. After that, Stump placed his hands on my shoulders and showed me where to stand.
When Stump and Kinski were done helping me, they took a step back and motioned their arms for me to go ahead and shoot. I stared at the gun in my hands. It was heavy. My sore wings were in so much pain. I looked up at the bottles. They looked like they were a mile away. I took deep, slow breaths as I aimed the gun at the bottles. My heart was pounding fast. I squeezed the trigger. Bang! I was jolted backwards, but I regained my balance. The gun fell from my wings from the impact. I heard a bottle shatter, but I didn't care. My wings folded under me and I went down on my knees in pain. My wings throbbed and felt like they were on fire.
I felt a pair of furry hands grip my shoulders. "Banshee?" asked a familiar voice. I blinked back the tears as I was carefully lifted up. Kinski looked down at me. I looked up at him, then down at my shaking wings. Stump came over and picked up Chorizo's gun. He looked over at the bottles. The top half of the bottle I shot was gone. Stump looked back over to me.
"Not bad…for a girl, but, I think you should stick to that scream ability of yours," he said with a hint of jealousy. I smiled weakly and nodded. With that, Stump walked over to Chorizo and handed his gun back. Kinski led me over to where Chorizo was sitting. I sat down next to the shrew and watched the two jackrabbits shoot.
Kinski aimed his gun and fired. Bang! Bang! Bang! No bottles shattered. Kinski cursed. Stump fired a couple times, but wasn't able to hit any either. Five minutes went by and they still weren't able to shoot any bottles. After watching Stump and Kinski not hit any bottles I turned my head to Chorizo.
"Why aren't you shooting?" I asked him. Chorizo pulled out his gun with a smile on his face. "Because, I know how to shoot. These long-eared dim wits don't know how to," he said laughing. The two jackrabbits stopped shooting and gave the shrew a glare. "We know how to shoot!" snapped Kinski. Chorizo snorted. "Oh yeah, I can see that," he said sarcastically. The two jackrabbits growled. "Have you tried shootin' forty feet away with yer eyes closed?" asked Stump through clenched teeth.
Chorizo grinned mischievously up at them. "Lets, find out, shall we?" With that, he got up and stood where the two jackrabbits were. Stump and Kinski took a step back from the shrew. Chorizo placed his left hand over his eyes and aimed his gun blindly with the other at the remaining lined up bottles. Chorizo's hand stood out arms length away. His gun quivered in the air. No one spoke or said anything.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! All the bottles shattered and exploded into a million pieces. Stump and Kinski's mouth dropped in shock. My eyes widened. "Whoa," I said, impressed. Chorizo grinned. Smoke trailed out of the end of his gun. "Been practicin' since I was a little nino," he said
The two jackrabbits snapped out of their surprised state. Stump spat the ground angrily and Kinski sneered. "Show off," muttered Stump as he walked away. Chorizo snickered as he twirled the gun in his hand before placing it back into its holster. He flashed a grin to me. "I never miss," he boasted. Kinski rolled his eyes before following after Stump.
After shooting practice, Bill got the wagon around and we all jumped in for a ride to Dirt. I rubbed my raw, red wings carefully. It was such a pain to have wings. Everytime something bad happened, my wings were always getting damaged. I sighed and gingerly rested them in my lap. No one talked during the ride. Kinski and Stump were busy placing more bullets in their guns. Chorizo fell asleep in the back. His sombrero covered his face.
The wagon jolted and rocked. I held on to the sides. I was slowly getting used to the wagon. I never liked when it would jolt or rock everytime it went over a rock or a dead plant, but i just lived with sun glared down on our heads. I placed one wing over my head to keep from dying.
Kinski looked up from his gun. He hesitated to say something, but then just shook his head and looked back at his gun. His light colored hair fell over his face. I looked out to the desert scenery. Dust and dirt picked up as the wagon pulled on. Bill whipped the reins, making the boar trot a quicker pace.
When we arrived, we all jumped out and headed to the saloon. Ricochet wasn't at the saloon, only Buford. Buford finished cleaning a glass and lifted his head. He narrowed his eyes at us when we walked in. When we all sat down, he calmly poured us our usual drinks and continued cleaning glasses. "Hey, bartender, where's Skrewhead?" asked Stump, snickering. Buford didn't answer him right away as he continued cleaning glasses. "Leave Ricochet alone. I gave him the day off today because i knew you guys would be comin' back to harass him," he said. Kinski tensed up. He growled a low growl. Buford ignored him and poured him another glass.
I drank my water in small gulps. The gang went quiet after that. Just then, the squeaky saloon doors were heard. We all swiveled around in our seats. Standing right in front of the swinging saloon doors, was someone I have never seen before. He was a strange looking mouse. His fur was a light brown color and his hair was short and dark. He wore dirty blue jeans and a dirty white shirt under a black coat. His dish like ears twitched and listened to the strange sounds in the room. His tail swished underneath him as he casually walked in and sat next to us at the bar. The gang exchanged glances. They have never seen him in town before, so he must be a new person. "Whiskey," he said to Buford. Buford silently got out a bottle of whiskey and poured the stranger a glass.
Stump jabbed me in the shoulder. He grinned mischievously as he started to pickpocket the stranger. I blinked. Stump's talent was pickpocketing. That's when I realized that the gang had little talents. Chorizo was able to hit his target, Stump was able to pickpocket...what about Kinski? Did he have a talent? I quickly turned my head to Kinski. He tilted his head back and gulped his drink down. He set the glass down when he was done and hunched over it. I turned back to Stump who just pulled out a silver pocketwatch. Bill and the other gangmembers snickered as they watched their short friend pickpocket the mouse.
Stump was almost done pocketing the stranger's pocket when the stranger turned and noticed him. "Hey! What the hell are you doing?" he shouted as he grabbed his pocketwatch back. Stump gave the stranger a glare. The stranger narrowed his eyes. At lightning speed, he pulled his arm back and socked Stump in the face. Stump was knocked off his stool and crashed against a couple tables. His head slammed up against the side of a table. Stump groaned as he slipped in and out of consciousness. Bill, Chorizo, and Kinski stopped snickering when they noticed Stump on the floor. They got up from their stools. The stranger got up from his stool too.
Suddenly, the mouse started to shake in fear. Seeing that the odds were three to one, and he had no gun on him. "I-I don't want t-to fight," the mouse stuttered. The gang burst out laughing. I sat on my stool, not sure what to do. Kinski and Chorizo grabbed the newcomer by the shoulders. They snickered as the stranger trembled in their grasp. Bill loomed over him. He growled. "I'm afraid you have no choice, boy. You see, in my town, no one gets away with it, and since you're new here, I'm gonna have to teach you some manners," said Bill with a creepy grin on his face.
With that, Kinski and Chorizo led the the male mouse toward the saloon doors and shoved him. The stranger stumbled out and fell onto the dusty dirt road. Kinski and Chorizo laughed as they followed after him. Bill looked at me and then to Stump. "See if he's ok," he said to me and walked out of the saloon. I got off my stool and helped Stump up. He groaned and rubbed his head. "You ok?" I asked him. Stump stopped rubbing his head. "Yeah...I think so..." he said. He moved away from me and staggered toward the saloon doors. I followed after him.
When we walked out of the dark saloon, we found Kinski and Chorizo harassing the poor mouse. The two outlaws stopped when they noticed Stump and me standing near the saloon doors. The mouse quickly got up on his feet and started to bolt, but then tripped over his own feet. The gang laughed at the shaking mouse.
"How many people did you say you have killed?" asked Bill to me. I stiffened. "I-I didn't," I said. Bill smiled slyly. "How many?" he asked. "Thirteen," I lied. "With only your freak screamin' yes?" he asked. I nodded. Bill snorted. "Have you ever used a gun?" he asked. I nodded, "This morning," I said. Bill eyed his henchmen. "You guys saw her shoot?" he asked them. They nodded. "She shot a bottle," said Chorizo. Bill's expression didnt change. "Have you ever seen her shoot someone?" The gang exchanged glances. "No," said Kinski. Bill faced me. I slowed my racing heart down as I stared up at Bill. He was still testing me.
Just then, Stump piped up. "She's fine without a-" he started. Bill whipped his head around. "Was I talking to you?" he shouted at Stump. Stump jumped. He shrunk down low in fear. "N-no, b-boss-" "Then shut it!" screamed Bill. Kinski and Chorizo flinched. They took a step back. Bill turned his head back to me. He grinned, revealing a row of sharp rotting teeth. Bill lifted his hand and snapped his fingers. "Kinski, yer gun," he said. Obediantly, Kinski came forward and handed Bill his gun, then he walked back to where he once stood.
Bill clicked the hammer back. A series of clicks was heard. Bill's evil grin widened. "Here," He said, handing the gun to me. I hesitated. Bill's eyebrows knitted together. "Take it!" he snarled. I took the gun from his claws. The gang stared at me. "Now," he said as he whipped around and pointed down the street. The stranger had slowly moved twenty feet from us. I felt all the blood drain from my face. "Shoot him," Bill said. I gulped. The stranger, who was exhausted and out of breath from the gang harassing him, turned around.
I raised the gun. My wings shaking in the process. The strangers eyes widened. He stood frozen in his tracks. My mind raced. I can't kill him, he doesn't deserve this...Oh why does this always happen to me! I screamed in my head. I stared at the staranger. He didn't move. Just then, an idea popped into my head. I calmed my shaking wings, and carefully tilted the gun to the left. Bang!The stranger screamed in pain as he clutched his right shoulder and collapsed. The gun dropped from my hands and I fell to the ground. My wings screamed in pain.
The gang laughed at the fallen mouse. Bill grabbed me rouphly by the scruff of the neck and lifted me up, helping me to my feet. "Not bad, girly," he said to me with a sly grin. Stump slapped me on the back with one hand and rubbed his sore head with the other. "Yeah, shot that bastard good," he said with a grin. Kinski flicked the tips of my ears, laughing maniacally.
When they were done laughing and rough housing with me, Bill started walking back to the wagon. "Come on, lets go," he said. The other male gunslingers followed after him. I looked over to where the mouse fell. Rango and his posse were there, helping the wounded mouse up. I sighed with relief. I only intended to nick him on the shoulder. I watched as Elgin, Spoons, and Sergeant Turley helped the bleeding mouse to Doc's office. "Come on, Banshee," called Kinski. I turned around and walked back to the wagon.
The sun started to sink low as we rode back to the Abandoned Mines. When we arrived, we all jumped off. The gang laughed and slapped me on the back as they walked into the hideout. "Hey, Banshee, you wanna play cards with us?" asked Chorizo as he pulled out a deck of cards. Kinski and Stump nodded. I shook my head, "No, I have to feed Kaliah," I said as I got a crate of food and headed out to the stable. "You can join us when you get back," said Chorizo. "Ok," I said and left the hideout.
Kaliah was sleeping upside down from the rafters. She instantly woke up when she heard me. "Hi Kaliah, guess what I did today?" Kaliah came down and accepted the crate.
"Well, from what I know from this morning, you guys kept freaking me out when you were shooting bottles," she said, baring her teeth.
I smiled, "Yes," I said, remembering back when I heard her scream everytime a gun went off. Kaliah ate out of the crate. Her mouth covered in bananas and mangoes. I continued, "Well, this afternoon, Bill wanted to test me again. He made me shoot someone," I told her. Kaliah stopped eating.
"What happened? Did you kill him?" asked Kaliah.
I shook my head. "No, I just nicked him on the shoulder, the posse helped him after that," I explained. I sighed and sat down on the ground. "This is getting too out of hand," I said. I rubbed my sore, raw wings carefully. If this still keeps up, I might murder the whole town, I thought to myself. Kaliah finished the crate and dropped it to the ground.
"Don't worry, the time will come. Bill has to reveal his plan sometime." she said.
I sighed. "I don't know, I don't think the time will ever come," I said. I thought for a minute. Just then, Bill came out from the hideout. "Oi! Banshee! Come in! I want to talk to you!" yelled Bill from the mine entrance. Kaliah's ears perked up and she sniffed the air. I looked at her. She blinked.
"...I think the time has finally come..." she said slowly.
I felt my heart stop. "You mean..." I started. Kaliah nodded. Bill's plan. I took a deep breath and exhaled. I got up. "Well, I hope this all works out in the end...see you later, Kaliah," I said.
"Good luck, Banshee," Kaliah said.
I walked down the hill toward the Abandoned Mines. My heart raced. This was it, I could feel it. I entered through the entrance to the hideout. When I came inside, I found Kinski, Chorizo, and Stump standing on the other side of the room. They looked at me, then at Bill. Bill grunted. "All right, we're all here. Follow me," he said and headed down the tunnel, the same one Bill went through this morning with a box. Kinski, Chorizo and Stump followed their leader. I hesitated before following them into the dark tunnel.
Kinski, Chorizo, Stump, and I, followed Bill as we entered into a different area of the mines. My mind raced as we entered. It was the room Priscilla mentioned when she went to the mines. Kinski and I looked around. "Right then, I never got to finish my plan, but I think today's the day I should," Bill said as he stopped in the middle of the room. We stopped as well and faced Bill.
"I'm gonna have to start at the beginning since Kinski was in the jail…and Banshee just joined our gang," said Bill. Kinski and I stopped looking around and faced Bill. Bill cleared his throat and continued. "I have been forming a plan to take over Dirt for months, and now, the time has come," he said as he showed us the door. He opened it. My heart skipped a beat. Inside was hundreds and hundreds of boxes.
I felt my legs weaken. I faltered a bit but regained balance. Bill grabbed a box and placed it down on the ground for all of us to see. He dug his sharp claws under the lip of the lid and pried it open. We all peered inside. Inside were weapons. Kinski, Chorizo, and Stump's eyes lit up at the sight of the different kinds of weapons. I turned my head to the arsenal room. All those boxes contained weapons! "That's a lot of weapons, boss," said Stump as he pulled out a gun and examined it with a grin on his face. Bill grabbed the gun from Stump and placed it back into the crate.
"Ya need a lot of weapons when you have an army," said Bill with a smirk on his face. I looked up at him. "An a-army?" I stuttered. Bill nodded, "That's right. I have called in all the outlaws from different areas of the desert to help me with this plan," He said. Kinski, Chorizo and Stump looked up from the weapons. "What? How did you get them to accept the job?" asked Chorizo. Bill didnt answer right away as he pulled out another box. Instead of weapons, the box was filled with money. The gang gasped.
Bill continued, "I told them I would "pay them," if they helped me with my plan," he said with an evil grin. The gang stared at their leader with wide eyes. "What are we going to be doing?" asked Stump as he pointed to each of us. Bill pointed to all of us. "You guys are going to help me make sure this plan works out," he said. "You're gonna first help me by taking the boxes out of this room to outside when the outlaws come," he said. My stomach twisted. This was too much. Rango and the posse can't take down a whole army of outlaws by themselves.
"When are we going to do this?" asked Chorizo. "First thing in the mornin'" said Bill, "they won't see it comin'" The gang exchanged glances, then they all laughed, they loved the plan. I was shocked and appalled. I had to warn the town. Tonight.