Noir and I stood rooted in place just inside the doorway of the gold mine shack. The hellish figure in front of us was clothe in a black hat and trench coat. He called himself The Demon. It was a damn fitting name. I immediately pulled out the pistol I'd hidden on the small of my back.

The Demon ignored it.

"Heh, heh, heh. So you're the boy with the pendant, huh?"

I clutched at it with my free hand, but my gun arm didn't waver.

"The Chosen One who's destined to destroy him." He looked me up and down. "Huh...I doubt it."

"What are you talking about?" I yelled.

"Heheheh...and they didn't even tell you. How like them and their mysterious ways..." He held up Raven like a lifeless doll. "But enough of that...I 'reckon'. Hehehe. You're here for her, right? Well come and get her!"

The Demon turned and smashed through glass and wood. Noir and I clamored over to the huge hole in the wall and looked down. The Demon's coat fluttered around him as he fell over a hundred feet with Raven in his arms. He landed in a crouch, took a moment to reorrient himself and took off across the plain like a cheetah.

Noir and I stared, but then I snapped out of it.

"Quick! To the horses!"

Noir blurred and I flew out of the shack, down the mountain and across the gully to our horses. I landed just before reaching my horse, took two lumbering steps and vaulted into the saddle. I fought the reins briefly as my spooked horse circled, but then I drove my heels home and galloped off.

Noir had a little trouble. He jumped for the saddle and came up a little short. His foot got tangle up in the stirrups and he fell to the ground. He fumed for only half a second before turning to smoke and wafting up into the saddle that way. And we were off.

Our horses thundered after The Demon, their hoofs throwing up huge clots of dirt and dust. I leaned forward in my saddle as we drew closer. I pulled my pistol with one hand while holding on to the reins with the other. I pointed at The Demon, but feared shooting Raven by mistake. I cursed under my breath.

The Demon looked over his shoulder at us, sneered and ran even faster. Noir and I kicked our horses into a full gallop.

Suddenly, a lonesome whistle pierced the day and we saw black smoke coming from the horizon.

A train!

"Reckon I shoulda known..." I mumbled under my breath.

Despite the fact we were pushing out horses as hard as possible, The Demon once again pulled away from us. Sure enough, he headed straight for the train. He bounded beside it and, with a mighty leap, landed on the roof of a car. He turned to us and waved evilly with his free hand, still clutching Raven in the other.

"Noir, c'mon!" I shook the reins and dug my boots even harder into the horses haunches. Despite that, the train was slowly pulling away. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon..." I chanted to myself.

We pulled just within distance of the last car.

"Noir!" I pointed. "Go!"

My Indian friend nodded and blurred onto the roof of the last car. Not it was my turn. I took a deep breath and jumped as well-

"ACK!"

I boot slipped in the stirrup just as I was making my jump. My body pitched sideways and I just grabbed on to the back railing of the last car. My boots th-th-th-th-thumped across the railroad pines between the metal tracks, rattling my whole body. With a mighty heave, I managed to pull myself up over the railing and fall unceremoniously onto the back balcony in a heap.

Noir poked his head over the roof at me. He signed.

'What's taking so long?'

"...Shush."

I stood up, jumped and grabbed the edge of the roof. Noir stood aside as I pulled myself up. I dusted myself off.

"Where is he?"

Noir pointed up ahead. The Demon waited on the very front car like...like a boss on a Double Dragon level or something. Behind him, he had Raven tied to the smokestack. Noir and I ran forward, hopping the gaps between the cars without breaking stride. We skidded to a stop in front of the evil cowboy.

Inside the lead car, the gray-haired engineer looked into his side mirror and saw the three of his on his train.

"Aiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

He jumped out the window and rattled across the speeding ground.

Noir and I blinked.

The Demon ignored him and grinned at us with razor sharp teeth.

"Are you just gonna stand there or-"

BLAM!

I shot him with my pistol. He looked down slowly at the bullet wound in his chest...and then he laughed.

Noir and I sweat dropped.

I signed sidelong at Noir.

'Distract him while I untie Raven.'

"Rrraugh!" The Demon ran forward and swiped at us with his clawed hand. I rolled forward under it and Noir back flipped out of range. I knelt down next to Raven and started to untie her.

Noir backed up as The Demon lumbered forward. The Demon lunged forward and tried to grab him, but Noir teleported through him and materialized on the far side just in time to kick him in the back of the neck. The Demon grunted in pain and anger.

Meanwhile, the train would over a huge bridge that spanned a canyon and a river far below. I finished untying Raven and turned-

"DIIEEEEE!" The Demon connected with a huge backhand that flung Noir off the side of the train, screaming mutely.

"Nooooooooooo!"

Noir fell in slow-motion, his face tense and his neck-length black hair fluttering. A rope chased after him. The lasso loop went over his upthrust ankle just as I pulled taut.

JERK!

Noir bounced once...twice...and then hung limply over the gorge.

"Hurry up and climb up!" I yelled as I tied off my end around the smokestack. "The canyon's gonna end soon and-"

WHAM!

I skidded back first along the roof of the train car as The Demon rammed me with his shoulder. He jumped at me with his claws outstretched, but I rolled to the side just in time. His claws ripped through the roof and I heard people screaming in the cabin below.

I stood, spun and uppercut him back on to the lead engine car. I jumped on after him.

Meanwhile, Noir strained to climb the rope before he smacked into the other end of the canyon that was rapidly approaching. He pulled himself up hand over hand, sweating and shaking. He came level with the train just in time for the bridge to end.

WHOOSH!

The ground sped by just under his feet. With a sigh of relief, he leaned against the train car.

Inside, an old woman saw him through her open window.

"Ack! AN INJUN!" She slapped him hard.

Noir arced out on the rope and smashed painfully into a lever. He encased his legs in smoke, ran across the ground for a few steps and vaulted back on to the train. Up ahead, I heard the tracks shift.

I covered myself as The Demon lunged at me again. Noir teleported through me and smacked him across the teeth with a smoking tomahawk.

WHACK!

The Demon fell hard on his back. Noir went to follow up, but the pseudo-cowboy kicked him away with a powerful leg. I came in next, but he caught me around the throat. He looked forward and saw we were head for a tunnel. He smirked evilly and held me up as high as possible, waiting for the tunnel to decapitate me.

"Urgghh...hhh!" I struggled, but I could kick loose. Noir was back a car, just now getting up and too far away to help. The tunnel came closer and closer.

"Prepare to DIEEEEE!"

I grunted. I reared back my boot.

"Prepare for this!"

WHAM!

I kicked him solidly between the legs with the toe of my cowboy boot.

"ARGGHHHH!"

He let go of me and fell to his knees. We both fell just before the tunnel would have clobbered us.

WHOOSH!

We were thrust into blackness. Reluctantly, I made a tiny ball of fire so I could see...

The Demon was nose to nose to me, growling from behind sharp teeth.

The fireball fluttered out.

When we exited the tunnel back into the sunlight, I was bleeding from the lip.

CR-CRASH!

The train barreled through a pair of wooden baricades. I looked ahead and saw the tracks end...just in front of a huge cliff.

...shit.

"Noir!" I called. "Disconnect the cars! Quick!"

Noir went right to work. He blurred around The Demon and me and fell into the gap between the lead engine car and the passenger cars behind it.

I smashed my left fist into The Demon's face.

WHAM!

I formed a glove of ice around my other hand.

BAM-SHATTER!

The Demon reeled from the right hook. I pivoted to the side, shuffled forward and kicked him under the chin with my cowboy boot.

WHAP!

He finally fell. I swaggered over to him and suddenly found myself looking down the barrel of a pistol.

"!"

BLAM!

I made a mad dodge backwards. The bullet missed, but I toppled over the side of the train car. I caught myself at the last second, dangling over the side.

"Heheheheheh!" The Demon strutted over and stood over me, pointing the pistol in my face. "Consider your destiny unfulfilled, Angel Boy." His finger tensed around the trigger.

RUMBLE!

The train lurched as Noir unhooked the passenger cars. The Demon lost his balance and cut his arms futilely through the air.

"Nooooooooooooooo!"

He fell off the side, hit the ground and rolled painfully like a tumbleweed from hell.

I groaned and pulled myself back up on the car. I looked ahead. The cliff and the end of the tracks ended less than a hundred yards away.

"Noir! Get off the train! I'll get Raven!"

I didn't give him time to object. I got a running start and jumped from the rapidly slowing passenger cars to the lead engine car where Raven slumped unconscious. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Noir blur to the ground.

I looked up again. Fifty yards to the cliff and closing. I ran forward and gather Raven up in my arms.

The train arced off of the cliff.

I ran along the airborne car's roof with Raven in my hands. I reached the very edge and, humming the wind song, made a wild jump for the land. I held my breath.

"..."

THUMP!

Raven and I landed and rolled across the dirt. I cradled her underneath me until we finally slowed to a dusty stop with me on top. Slowly, Raven opened her eyes and looked up demurely at me. A goofy smile somehow found it's way onto my face.

"Um...could you get off me?"

I blinked stupidly.

"What? O-oh! Oops. Sorry." I scrambled up and turned to help her do the same.

She looked at me.

"You saved my life! How can I possibly ever repay you?"

A smirked appeared on my face. I leaned over and whispered in her ear.

Noir trotted up to us, signing.

'Are you okay?'

"Yep. Peach keen."

Noir nodded-

Raven grabbed him by the face and, before he could blink, laid a long kiss on his lips.

"There!" Raven grinned.

I laughed as Noir stood there, flabbergasted.

Raven suddenly begin to glow.

"What the-?"

FLASH!

She disappeared. In her place was a giant mirror...the same that had sucked us in here in the first place.

Noir regained a little of his composure and signed at me.

'I think this is the way out.'

"...Aw, man. We were supposed to ride off into the sunset like good little heroes."

'There won't be any sunsets for us.'

I looked at him.

"...That was deep, Noir."

'Shut up.'

Together, we stepped into the mirror.