Droplets of water fell from the sky, the cold rain soothing his feverish body, Alfred groaned, laying on his back, his mind half expecting another blow in the gut and a cry for mercy almost slipping from his tongue. Instead, he pressed his tongue on the gap a missing tooth had left and hissed, his eyes fixed on the north star while his hands worked on untying the half assed fastened rope that kept his hands tied.
Lady luck was on his side, though he couldn't blame her for favoring him, this crew of idiots couldn't tell the difference between a shiny pot and actual gold. All he had to do was cross the wrong part of the town, and these three had followed him without hesitation. He would have loved to go unscatted but if he wanted to pay his debt, he'd have to pump up his numbers, even if that meant going against the odds.
One of the men approached his horse, while the other two rummaged through his pockets, sharing a stupid smile as they inspected his revolver. Not happy with the trashing, they thought they could steal from him. Alfred chuckled, he only had to wait a bit more.
"Those are some nice boots," One of the men said, motioning at the other with his head.
Alfred frowned, how much of an asshole do you have to be to steal another man's boots? As soon as they reached out for his feet Alfred whistled, the horse kicked back making one of the men stumble to the ground.
He cursed as his body protested his movements, how pathetic he must look wriggling on the floor as if he were a worm, the commotion gained him enough time to stay away from their grasp but not enough to set himself free, his attempts at escaping were cut short as the sound of a gunshot made his ears ring.
"Ah come on," Alfred winced as a creeping coldness settled on his back while his neck protested against the slightest move. "Don't waste my bullets like that,"
The man frowned, taking a look at the gun before replying. "The next one won't be wasted,"
"Yeah, I know." Alfred said, a smile growing on his face as a howl resounded in the distance, the smell of smoke enveloped them.
The horse grew uneasy, neighing and tugging on the rope that bound it. Pawns scraped against the soil as a black dog emerged within a cloud of smoke, barking at the strangers.
"Don't shoot the dog," Alfred warned, closing his eyes and wincing as another gunshot was heard. The dog snarled, and the men wailed, now he had four bullets left and two scared men to chase.
A wet tongue graced his cheek, and a heavy weight settled on his chest. Alfred sighed, opening his eyes, the hound lay on top of him, red eyes and sharp fangs opening to show a serpent like tongue, the animal wagging its tail excitedly as he pushed it away.
The remaining warmth of his body was ripped away from him as the animal moved, the rope tying his hands fell to the ground and with swift movements he stood up, his feet sinking on the wet soil as he retrieved the gun, raindrops hammering on his face.
One bullet for the man on the ground three left for the cowards stumbling over their steps, Alfred didn't have to imagine the paleness of their faces for he soon would be meeting those scared fellows. A thunder resounded on the dark sky, followed by another as he galloped down the prairie.
Alfred hastened his pace, the sounds growing closer and closer intertwining with the howling of the dog beside him. Taking aim even though he didn't need to and firing, an ear wrenching scream cut through the air as one of the cowards fell, a string of apologies and wails leaving the remaining one as his companion turned into ashes.
"I told you not to waste my bullets," Alfred said, halting the horse and aiming once more but a fuming chain enveloped the man dragging him away.
Alfred cursed, drawing back his gun and turning back, a herd of faceless men with tattered clothes approached, the jingling of chains and the crack of a wip setting a steady rhythm. Behind the moving multitude, an ominous beast adorned with colorful harnesses hauled them down, its fuming nostrils mirroring the tobacco puffs of its rider.
"That one was mine," Alfred huffed, squinting his eyes as a cloud of smoke enveloped him. Several bony hands grabbed and tugged at him, desperate cries filled his ears, they begged for help, for something to satiate their hunger. One of the hands reached for his neck, only to be enclosed in the dog's sharp fangs, a crack, and the exposed bone in the arm was ripped in half, the animal growled as Alfred pried away the skeletal fingers from his neck.
"Déjenlo, a este ya lo chupo el diablo*" The foreign words spoken by a familiar voice graced Alfred's ears, a wide black hat adorned with golden flower embroidery hid the other's face from his gaze, leaving him to rest his sight on the two long ribboned braids of brown hair that hung on her back. The crack of the wip resounded again, the cloud of smoke dissipated as the rider spoke, "You can't own when you're indebted."
The sight sent a pang of guilt to his mind, it had been too long since he saw those braids, what a cruel trick to play on him. He shook his head, giving a scornful smile. "Well, I can't pay if you steal my hunt."
Another crack from the wip and the multitude wailed, dragging their feet and fighting against the mud that entrapped them while the hound stopped its barking.
"María," Alfred muttered, the name felt strange on his tongue."You don't want me to pay that debt, do you?"
"How naive," The figure in front of him chuckled, unmounting the horse and extending a bony hand towards the dog. "I hope the lucky strike was worth it."
Alfred's blood ran cold at the sight of those bare bones moving, the empty sockets of the skull and the jaw moving as it talked. "You have to remember that I'm not María," it said, untying one of the braids to retrieve a red ribbon. "You only see what you want to see, though it is amusing that you fear the face of another human. Remorse is a delightful punishment."
"A couple more and I'm done. You can't get me just yet, I still have time." He said, frowning as she interrupted with a thunderous chuckle.
"One, you had one left," She said, placing the ribbon around the dog's neck and tying it lightly. "I've waited for too long."
"What's that ribbon for?"
With another crack of the wip, the dog wailed, sprinting away from them as if the artifact had touched it. The skeletal figure whistled as it mounted the horse, ignoring Alfred's questioning and herding the multitude away. In his haste to get an answer, Alfred ended up caught in between the lamenting group, pushed back and forth as the horse stumbled on the muddy ground and the heavy bodies walked upon him.
A strenuous laughter echoed as Alfred scrambled away, following the uneven trail of pawns the hound had left. He walked and walked until his legs ached, until his eyes caught sight of the black dog wagging its tail, but he didn't dare to look back, fearing that if he did so, he'd meet the searing burn of the wip on his flesh.
A/N: * "Leave him alone, this one's been sucked/licked by the devil." It's an expression, used for food that has fallen to the ground and therefore is unfit to consume, something in the likes of the five seconds rule.
This was written for Wild Westalia Week 2022
The prompt was Ghost riders.
María is the human name used for Mexico.