Back at the outskirts of Bill's City…
Kinski had his right hand up to shield his eyes from the sun as he searched the skies. The sun started to set, which made his stomach turn. Then he turned back to the small army. They all averted their eyes from him, but Kinski knew they were thinking of killing him. He didn't belong with these people, he was different, they would never accept him, even if he was the only living thing for miles.
Beans told the small army to just sit, it was the only thing they could do right now. They couldn't go back and get weapons, couldn't find a place to hide; their only option was to sit on the ground and wait for Rango and Banshee to come back. Kinski didn't say anything, he just let her give orders. He turned back, shielding his eyes from the rays of light, and looked up at the sky once more. He lightly rubbed his face where he got hit with the whip. The blood was dried up, and a scar was forming. He stopped rubbing it when a small stab of pain streaked across his face.
-Beans noticed the nerve twitching hunchback jackrabbit still standing alone on the hill. She hesitated before cautiously walking up to him. She noticed Kinski's ears twitch at the sounds of her footsteps. He slowly brought his right arm down and stiffened when she approached him. His left was still crossed over his wound.
Kinski has known Beans since the first day he arrived into town with his friends. She despised him, especially when he pestered the citizens. He thought it was hilarious, but he remembered her enraged face, and her sharp tongue. He always felt small around her, but never showed it. He narrowed his eyes at the sky, pretending that she wasn't standing next to him.
-Beans looked up at the sky as well. Curious on what the deranged hunchback jackrabbit was thinking. She never liked the rabbit. She always thought he was obnoxious and acted like a child. Always drunk, always giving others misery. He was a strange creature…Who the hell would consider him attract- Beans bit her tongue. Right, she thought. Banshee thought different about him. He was different…is that what made him attractive? Or was it something else that she couldn't see? Why didn't she see it when Banshee brought the creature into the Rebel home?
Suddenly, Beans' thoughts were interrupted when she heard something behind her. She turned and noticed Petunia walking up the sand hill to Kinski. Kinski felt Petunia's hand touch his pant leg. He jolted and looked down at her. Petunia smiled and touched his hand. Beans looked at the five year old girl, then up to the hunchback jackrabbit. She noticed Kinski's face flicker different emotions. She saw his eyes shift from the girl, then to her. Beans quickly looked away, pretending not to notice. At the corner of her eye, she saw Kinski relax his furry hand. Petunia reached up and held his hand. Beans smiled. Kinski slightly turned his head, noticing Beans smiling.
The cute awkward moment was destroyed when the two adults and child heard the sounds of screeching, yelling, and excited shouts. The small army behind Kinski, Petunia, and Beans started cheering excitedly. "They're here!" someone shouted happily.
The mixture of mutants, prairie dogs, and bats landed in front of the approaching crowd. Rango jumped down from my back. Beans ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his decomposing body. I stayed in my Nightmare form as people cautiously came up to observe my transformation. They were hesitant at first, but then reached up and ruffled my fur. The citizens recognized me through the masked form and continued to pet me as if I was a creature at a petting zoo. I looked up and noticed Petunia pulling Kinski's hand over to me. I smiled when they approached me. The citizens moved away when Kinski appeared. Petunia smiled up at me with amazement. "Wow! That's a big bat!" she said. Kinski nodded. Petunia came up to me and ran her fingers along my mane, then along my face.
"That's Banshee, right?" she asked, turning back to the hunchback jackrabbit. Kinski nodded again. Petunia smiled, then broke away and pulled Kinski closer to me. "Come on Kinski! Touch her fur, it's soft," she giggled and ran her fingers over my mane again. Kinski looked up at me, hesitant at first, but then reached up with his free shaky hand and lightly ran his fingers over my neck, close to my right ear. He smiled a small smile. His phalanges sank deeper in my fur, he seemed transfixed with the touch.
Instantly, he snapped out of his reverie and noticed everyone else who was petting me, looking at him. He quickly snapped his hand back to his side and moved away. I changed back and wrapped the purple shawl around myself. Everyone stopped petting me, but were still fascinated about my ability to transform.
...
Later on, the night came, the clouds covered the sky, thus covering the stars and moon. Balthazar, Rango, Beans, Kinski and I, all gathered around in a circle, away from the others. We all sat around an old cactus stump, and sitting on top of it was a lit lantern, letting off enough light to reveal everyone's faces in the pitch black night.
"All righ' now," started Balthazar, "I want to first know abou' this "hotel," want to know what the hell this thin' is," he said. There was an awkward pause for a split second, then Rango finally spoke. "Well, its…a hotel, a huge tall building, almost as big as a canyon…well in my point of view, and it has all these strange rooms with monstrous long tongues comin' out wantin' to eat you!" Rango gestured his hands around frantically and his voice raised in the process. We all stared at the zombie sheriff for a minute. Beans rolled her eyes, Kinski spat the ground, I looked down at my wings, and Balthazar's eyes behind the cloth seemed to be narrowed. "That doesn't help us in the least!" snapped the blind mole rat. Rango closed his mouth.
Kinski blew his long bangs from his eyes and glared at us. He sighed angrily, "Is thirty stories high, it holds a collection of ze wild kind, zere are about one hundred security men, it has over six hundred rooms, and zere's a pool on ze roof," he said in one sitting. Beans, Rango's and my eyes widened in surprise. Balthazar's blind glare disappeared and his cracked mouth turned upward into a sneaky evil grin. "Now that gets us somewhere," he said, "anythin' else?" he asked. Kinski looked down at his hands and licked his lips, thinking. "…no, not at ze top of my head," he said. Balthazar nodded. "That's fine."
"Are there any servants or slaves in the hotel?" asked Beans. Kinski shook his head. "No, ve don't allow servants, Bill's afraid zey may listen in on 'is plans and possibly ruin it by tellin' everyone else," he said. Rango scratched his head, and as he did, little green and brown flakes fluttered down to the ground,
"What happens if you want yer clothes washed or your food prepared?" he asked. Kinski didn't answer him right away. His bangs fell over his left eye. "Ve don't care fer zat, ve-er-zey have food all laid out fer zem on zat table, Banshee knows," he added. I looked up from my wings. Balthazar frowned, something in his face said that he caught something in Kinski's words.
"You were one of them, weren'tchya boy," said Balthazar, not a question. Kinski stared at the blind mole rat. "…Maybe," he said. Balthazar gripped his walking stick tightly. "Yer that annoyin' one, aren'tchya, yer not soundin' like it now, but I can tell," he said. Kinski growled. I knew what Balthazar was talking about. Just because he was blind, didn't mean he couldn't tell one person from the other.
Beans interrupted the quarrel. "It don't matter none anymore, Kinski is on our side, and we trust 'im," she said firmly. The two male adults turned their heads away, but each still had a scowl on their faces.
"Where are Bill, Stump and Chorizo going to be when we are blowing up their hotel?" I asked. Kinski's scowling face changed. He rolled his eyes. "Oh, if ve're lucky, zey'll be outside ze hotel golfin'… I hate golf," Kinski muttered under his breath. "Where?" asked Beans. Kinski pointed out toward the open desert. "Somevhere over zere," he said. Balthazar placed both dirty hands on his walking stick and leaned on it. "Well, that's fine an' all… but my concern is the hotel. We're gonna need more ammo if we want to take down this thirty story building," said Balthazar. Kinski's ears perked up. "Take it down?" asked Kinski. Balthazar jerked his head to where he heard Kinski's voice. "Yeah, I plan on takin' that thin' down," he explained. Kinski blinked. Balthazar continued.
"You and Banshee I'm thinkin' should be teamed up. To be part of the let go of a big drop. Right when y- what's yer name, boy?" asked Balthazar, interrupting himself. "…Kinski," said Kinski. Balthazar repeated his name, thinking for a minute, then shrugged and continued on. "Kinski and Banshee fly over and drop the…dynamite, or something e-" started Balthazar. "fireverks?" asked Kinski. Rango and Beans exchanged confused glances. What was the crazy loon talking about?
Balthazar turned his head back to Kinski. "If it blows things up, then yes, bring it along too," he said. Kinski flashed me a mischivous grin. "Let's go," he said to me. I got up and we both walked toward Market Street...
At Market Street…
"Ah hello Miss Banshee and-" started Gerald. "Yes, hi Gerald, we need to talk to you about something," I said, interrupting the old rodent. Gerald stopped smiling, knowing that I was serious about this. "What?" he asked. Kinski slammed his hands down on the table. "Vere are yer fireverks?" he asked firmly, but the corner of his mouth twitched. Gerald's eyes widened as his eyes shifted to the back of his little stand. "I…I h-have no idea what you s-" started Gerald nervously. He was hiding something.
Before I could say anything else, Kinski jumped over the table, pushed Gerald aside, and went to the back where he was looking. "No! Stop!" screamed Gerald and followed after the hunchback jackrabbit. Kinski looked around in the back. Suddenly he stopped and stomped his foot where he stood. He looked down and removed the rug from under his feet, revealing a trapdoor. Gerald began speaking in rapid Chinese angrily. He tried pushing Kinski away from the trapdoor. Kinski sighed in annoyance and grabbed the scruff of the short rodents collar.
"Kinski-" I started. Kinski staggered over to me and dropped the yelling rodent. "Vatch 'im, he needs a babysitter" he smiled and winked at me. I just stood there with my mouth slightly open, but then it closed and changed into a smile. I shook my head. Then Kinski went back to the trapdoor. Gerald stopped screaming and went quiet. We both watched.
Kinski gasped in excitement and pulled out crates and crates of fireworks. "Zis is gonna be fun, yeah?" Kinski turned and asked me in his German accent. He had a huge grin on his face. I saw his left eye twitch. I smiled, then turned to Gerald, who stared down at the ground, "I bring great disappointment to my family," said Gerald sadly. "What do you mean?" I asked. Kinski came up to me and handed me a box of fireworks. He was snickering excitedly the whole time.
Gerald looked over at the overexcited jackrabbit as he got more boxes of explosive fireworks. "Please dont turn me in...Those illegal fireworks, I promised parents I would get rid of them by selling them in America," he said. I looked down at the box Kinski gave to me. Illegal fireworks? Gerald was trying to get rid of illegal fireworks? I never knew that. What other secrets was Gerald hiding from us? I shook the thoughts from my head and looked down at the old rodent.
I smiled, "Don't worry, you wont bring disappointment to your family," I said. Gerald looked up at me. "What do you mean?" he asked. Kinski came back with another box of fireworks. "Ve're gonna to git rid of 'em for ya!" answered Kinski for me. Gerald gave us a confused look. I looked around to see if any of the Security men were around before giving out classified information to the old rodent. "We are starting up a rebellion," I whispered. Gerald's eyes widened.
"Really?" he asked. I nodded. After a couple seconds, Kinski broke the serious discussion when he started to touch my ears and laugh mischievously. I flicked his hand away from me. Gerald scratched his head. "What do you plan to do with fireworks?" asked Mr. Shing. Kinski answered him by making loud exploding noises. I shushed him. Gerald looked at the deranged hunchback, then looked up at the dark, looming hotel. He looked back at us. "Where are others?" he asked. I pointed back over to the desert landscape. "We're hanging over there," I said. Gerald thought for a moment, smiled and nodded.
...
Kinski and I said goodbye as we left Gerald's stand and walked toward the desert wasteland. Good thing Mr. Shing's stand was at the end of Market street and was the closest to the desert or we would have had some problems. Kinski had three boxes. Two in his arms, and one teetering on top. I carried two boxes, one stacked on top of the other. I looked up at Kinski, suddenly realizing he wasn't wincing in pain or anything. I looked down at his wound...or where his wound once was. The blood and open bullet hole where his guts opened up was gone. His shirt was fine…as if it never happened. Even the scar from the whip. It was gone as well. I stared at him for a minute, then shook my head. I decided not to worry about his wounds. The important thing was, that they healed...
When we came back with the boxes of fireworks, everybody was sitting on the ground. Tired and hungry. I noticed Petunia petting Kaliah. Balthazar was talking to Rango and Beans. Ricochet was talking to Priscilla. Stub was picking at the dirt on the ground. The rest of the posse was scattered everywhere among the mix of prairie dogs, mutants, and bats. We dropped the boxes of fireworks in front of Beans, Rango, and Balthazar. Balthazar's head jerked up. "What was that?" he asked.
Everyone's head snapped up as well and turned in our direction. Kinski picked up a firework and tossed it up and down in his hand. A huge grin spread across his face. A couple people came over and looked in the boxes. "Fireworks?" asked the puzzled undead sheriff. Beans frowned. "What are fireworks gonna do?" she asked. Kinski glared at her angrily, "Zey aren't just fireverks," he snarled angrily. Rango looked down at them again, rubbing his cracked, peeling chin.
" Well…what are they then? Are they like dynamite?" the zombie asked. Kinski took a deep breath and calmed down. He dropped the firework back into the box. He looked down at the fireworks and smiled. "Jes, zey are like dynamite. Zey do the same damage as dynamite," he said in his German accent. Balthazar came up to the boxes. He bent down and ran his fingers along the edge of the box, then picked a firework up. He turned the red cylinder around in his hands. A smile curled up on his face. "This could work, just enough," he said. Kinski smiled a pleased smile.
Just then, Ezekiel came up to Balthazar, behind him were a mixture of prairie dogs, mutants, and some Dirt citizens. "Um, pappy?" asked the little aviator goggle- wearing rodent. Balthazar got up and whipped his head around. "What is it, boy? Spit it out," he said angrily. Ezekiel hesitated then finally spoke. "W-we's was wonderin,' all of us," he gestured to the group behind him, "If there's was any food? We're all kinda hungry," he said. Balthazar opened his mouth, but then closed it.
Rango, Kinski, Beans, and I searched the sea of animals. Everyone was hungry. No one has had a decent meal in a couple days. We had to feed them, but there was no food. "We don't have any food to feed them," whispered Beans sadly to us. I looked down at the ground. Trying to think of a way to get food. Suddenly Kinski nudged my shoulder. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up at him.
"What?" I asked. Kinski didn't look at me. He pointed where he was looking. I turned my head where he pointed. The City glowed dazzling colors, faint music flowed out of it, but that wasn't what Kinski was pointing at. I gasped happily and smiled up at Kinski. Kinski smiled back. It was Gerald, in the front of a group of traders from Market Street to where we were, all each carrying a box or two of food. It was a miracle. Everyone finally noticed them when they were seen in the lamplight. "Thought you'd guys need food," said Gerald smiling, handing us a box of food. Kinski held the box and looked down in it.
"Thank you Gerald," I said smiling. Gerald bowed. Kinski and I looked back and watched as the market traders handed boxes and crates of fruit, vegetables, meat, and other assorted goods to the army of misfits. My eyes scanned through the hungry army. They all were seen wolfing down fruit, gobbling down vegetables, devouring dairy and cramming meat into their dry mouths and filling their stomachs.
I found Ezekiel in the crowd, chewing sweet, fresh rations and smiling happily. He shared the box of fruit with his recent group that was with him. I looked around through the scattered dim light from the lanterns, eyeing my friends: Balthazar was handed a crate, he instantly felt around inside the box and pulled out an apple. "Kaliah, here girl," he called. Kaliah instantly came to her master and accepted the apple. Balthazar smiled and scratched behind her ear as she ate the apple.
Priscilla and Petunia shared a box, then Ricochet and Stub came along and they shared with them. Ricochet pulled out a handful of freshly washed strawberries, and instantly handed them over to Priscilla. Priscilla blushed, and ate them, and gave a couple to Petunia.
Rango accepted a box, but then handed it over to Beans. Beans raised her eyebrow. "You don't want any?" she asked. Rango smiled and shook his head, "I'm dead, I don't have to eat," he said. Beans gazed up at Rango and smiled, then gave him a kiss on the cheek.
Gerald signalled for all the traders of Market Street to head on back home. Gerald said goodbye to us one last time and left with the traders till they were gone. I turned my head back to Kinski, who was now sitting cross legged on the ground. The box of food was in his lap, as he pawed through the assorted provisions. I sat down next to him and looked into the box as well. Kinski kept moving the fruit and vegetables around until his furry fingers finally closed around an apple of his delight. He grinned and instantly attacked it. He ate the whole thing, core, seeds and all.
Then he turned to me, finally noticing me there. Silently, he nudged the box, offering me to take anything from the box. I hesitated, then decided to eat something. I fished an apple out of the box and took a bite. I gazed out upon the huge misfit army before finally deciding to sit down and finished the rest of my apple.
...
After everyone was done eating, the Rebel army tried to sleep, but were too anxious and nervous to lay their heads. I just paced around, waiting for the morning to come. I yawned and rubbed my tired eyes. My stomach was twisting into thick knots. It was like waiting for your death sentence. We were all going to go into a war, and I was scared that everyone else and I, may not make it out alive. I turned my head and noticed Kinski standing alone, away from everyone. I didn't notice that he moved away from me, but I didn't care. I watched him as he pulled out his jacks and fumbled with them for a while.
Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I jumped and turned around. Beans faced me. "You should get some sleep," she said. My shoulders sagged and I looked down at the ground. "I can't," I said. Beans shook her head, "I don't believe that, yer gonna be tired tomorrow, you have to be ready," she said. I sighed, "I know, but…the thought of everyone getting into this battle. A lot of lives are going to be lost," I pointed out. Beans didn't say anything. She knew what I was meaning and felt the same way. Beans took a deep breath and exhaled. She placed a hand on my shoulder and looked straight into my eyes. "Everyone would be much obliged to give up their lives just so Bill wont be the ruler any more. We all want to make sure he never takes over our lives again."
With that, Beans took her hand off my shoulder and walked away. I looked over toward the bright, colorful city. The dark clouds hung over the beautiful city like thick curtains. Patches of sky started to come out and show parts of the starry sky, but disappeared again. I turned my head and looked over at the sea of misfits that we called an army. Their little campfires all burned out and sizzling in their little bundled stick homes. I found a couple members of the posse, laying their heads and drifting off to sleep.
In another section of the sleeping crowd, I found Petunia and Priscilla, curled up together for warmth. Rango and Beans slept next to each other as well in a different section. I shivered as a cold breeze rustled through my fur. I pulled the purple shawl tighter around me, but it wasn't that useful for the cold. My body shook as I stood there.
Suddenly, I felt something wrap around me. I eyed my shoulders and noticed a longsleeve shirt being placed over my cold wings. I turned around and faced Kinski. He took a step away from me and looked down at the ground. The top part of his orange jumpsuit was revealed. I could make out the words and the faded numbers on the orange material. My whole body burned from his kind gesture. Without saying anything, Kinski turned and walked away from me.
His longsleeve shirt that hung there on my shoulders didn't really help cover my wings, but it was big enough to wrap around me, almost like a blanket. I pulled it closer around me. The ripped openings and bullet holes on the longsleeve shirt didn't help much as the cold breeze weaved in and out through them, but I didn't mind. I could smell the faint foul smells of alcohol and dirt. Waves of heat washed over me. I suddenly felt like I was roasting in the longsleeve shirt, but I didn't take it off. I looked up at Kinski's silhouette where he stood atop the dune, and smiled.
Apologies for the long chapters. I know this is a pain, having to read all these chapters... Hope you enjoyed and tell me what you thought. :)