Chapter 8! and Part 2! Enjoy!
My ears rang definingly loud and I couldn't get my bearings as I tried to collect myself on the ground. I looked up and saw The Stranger carrying an unconscious Ari to shelter. He laid her behind a hill out of sight as I started getting back to my feet. I got my bearing and hearing back, glaring at this bastard with blood dripping down my mouth. "You son of a bitch, GO TO HELL!" I said furiously as I lined up my shot and took it. My bullet hit him center mast and exploded causing him to lose his balance and fall a few feet. He caught himself a few feet before the ground landed, aiming the cannon at me again.
I saw the light swirl within the giant barrel, knowing I had no time to move without getting hit. At that moment, I decided I would rather die fighting than running. I stood my ground, raising my revolver and firing off 3 more shots. I watched them miss as his cannon was rapidly struck by 6 projectiles and veered off course. I looked to my right and saw The Stranger standing, gun in hand, reloading. "Val!" I said as I tried to run to him. My legs worked fine by my knee had a jagged piece of flint stuck in it so I was in no shape to run. I saw him click his gun closed and point it at me, then raise it above my head and fire 6 more shots so fast, it sounded like a single shot.
I dropped to the ground out of instinct, hearing a huge explosion go off 30 yards to my left. I looked back and saw this little piece of shit stripping off his cannons as they had both been broken at the hinges by The Strangers' bullets. I rose to my feet and opened the cylinder of my revolver, replacing the spent shells and saving the rest. I clicked it shut and pointed it at the little fucker, feeling a sense of justice wash over me. "You don't know how long I've waited for this day you motherfucker. Do you know why I'm going to kill you?" I asked as he threw up his hands.
"Please man, we can talk about this!" He said, visibly scared. "Talk about this?" I said curiously. "Talk about this! Do you have any idea what you took from me you son of a bitch!" I yelled as I rushed toward him. I felt no more pain as adrenaline pumped through my body. I grabbed him and began beating him, releasing all the pent-up anger I had felt over these 6 months. "You murdering son of a bitch! You killed my fucking daughter! You Killed all those fucking people in July! God damn you Vash the Stampede!" I screamed as I beat him. He was black and blue by the time The Stranger managed to get to me, pulling me off him with a remarkable amount of strength.
"God damn you let me go! I'm gonna kill him!" I yelled trying to get free. "Billy no! I let this go too far! I thought I could talk you out of it by now but I didn't expect him to be so close,!" He said holding me back. "Let me go!" I said getting an arm free. "Please, you can't kill him!" He said trying to control me. "He killed my daughter god damn it!" I yelled. We struggled for a moment before a cocking sound was heard from behind us. "Let him go," Ari said pointing her shotgun at his back. "Miss please, this isn't right. Don't do this," He said calmly, making me calm down a bit as well.
"Val, please! This bastard deserves to die for what he's done!" I said with tears in my eyes as I tried to get free again. He was silent for a few seconds before he finally spoke again. "No, he doesn't," He said with regret. I was caught off guard by his tone and looked back to see him lowering his head. "This man is innocent of the crime you're trying to kill him for," He said sadly. "H- How the hell do you know?" I asked extremely confused. He sighed and released me, lowering his head further and putting on a pair of circular orange glasses. "I know... because I'm the man you seek," He said sternly as he looked into my eyes.
I looked confused at first but as I looked into his eyes I could see he was telling the truth. This man, whom I had met hours after I hit town, who paid for an entire night of fun and had been kind, generous, and a good friend to me, was indeed Vash the Stampede. This man was the vilest and vicious killer on the entire planet and a so-called Humanoid Typhoon. I felt a deep sense of sadness wash over me as I had spent so much time with this guy. He couldn't be Vash but his eyes told the story. He was The $60,000,000,000 Man in the flesh. I stood and looked at him, my hands shaking at my side, and pulled my gun. I pointed at his head and he didn't move an inch. "You bastard. You really are a cruel heartless spawn of hell," I said in disbelief.
I couldn't believe it. I had him at the edge of my gun. Fuck the bounty, my daughter and wife's deaths were going to be avenged. At that moment I felt a combination of hate, betrayal, and pity. Vash the Stampede was a good person, but he was also a mass murderer and he had to die. I stared into his non-blinking eyes and saw the faces of all the dead. He was responsible for each and every one of them, and he was going to die.