This chapter and the next one are set in 1876, and then we move back to 2006 for the final two chapters. Sorry this took so long to post, I actually have written all the chapters now, just fine tuning the rest. I wanted to make sure everything was covered and all the pieces fit. I hope you enjoy. Thanks so much for taking the time to read my story.
Chapter Eighteen – Gunfight
The air was filled with tension and anticipation for the coming fight as Deke descended the stairs to the lobby of the hotel to join the others. Jake and Scott had gathered there with Cain and David Elkins to discuss the impending battle.
"Morning Glory." Scott teased as his brother rolled his eyes at him. "You and Gaby have a memorable night?" Scott continued on, forgetting her uncle was standing beside him.
"Get your mind out of the gutter, Scott. Gabrielle's a respectable woman, ain't nothin' happening there." Deke's expression a familiar one, the one of exasperation at how childish and immature his little brother could sometimes be.
David Elkins released an audible sigh, one more worry off his mind, for now. Scott remembered his manners then and extracted his boot from his mouth.
"Sorry Mr. Elkins, just trying to relieve some of the tension. No harm meant." Scott offered.
"None taken. So when do you think they'll strike?" Elkins inquired. He was willing to fight to reclaim his town but he had limited, make that no, experience in fighting period, let alone fighting vampires and gunslingers.
"They'll be coming shortly. Cain you stay close with Elkins and both of you stay off the main street. I need you as lookouts and long range cover. You've got our rifles, so get on up on the roof and shoot anything with a gun drawn that's not a Winchester." Jake declared.
Jake and his sons had been testing the new Winchester Model 76 rifle for Jake's Uncle Oliver, but had decided to go with the tried and true Model 73. After all, its durable steel construction had never failed them and it was known as "The Gun That Won the West." He hoped it would continue its fine tradition and help them win this battle.
They had found it very fortuitous in their work to be related to the owner of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company and Uncle Ollie had also greatly benefited by having them do extensive field tests on his newest models. After all, new models need to be thoroughly tested and who else could put them through such a grueling trial run?
After sending Cain and Elkins off to the roof, Jake went to confer with his sons. The unease in the room was releasing an electricity into the air. Even though they had fought many battles and God willing would fight many more, they would be lying to say the calm before the storm wasn't nerve wracking.
Deke took in a deep breath of air filling his lungs and concentrating his mind on the job at hand, releasing the air slowly, steadying his nerves. All thoughts of Gabrielle and the possibility of another life were cast aside with the butterflies that rumbled in his gut. He absently drew his gun, feeling the weight in his hand, checking the balance before giving it a once over and slipping it back into his holster.
He wasn't experiencing fear exactly, more the heightened senses of a man on the brink of something: victory, defeat, life, death. It was always the same. Every fiber of his being was coming alive and all his instincts and senses were amplified as every act became crucial. One wrong move and it could all be over.
It was a familiar feeling, yet it still held him enthralled, chomping at the bit to just get out there and engage the enemy. In his mind the worst part was waiting for the action to start. Once he was in the battle, his training and reflexes took over and carried him through. Thank God for Jake's belief in training and preparedness.
Now was not the time to be regretting not spending the time to practice and perfect your fighting skills. No, Jake had seen to it that his sons were ready for times like this. This was their life, what they knew best, their purpose in living all coming together in a perfect scenario. Evil was going down, good would once more triumph.
"Hey Scott, remember that time in Tombstone when that witch had you down for the count?" Deke reminisced.
"As I recall, you were the one who needed my rescuing."
"Naw, I had it under control. You were the one choking from her wrath. Good thing I was there to save you."
"Yeah, you saved me after I saved you."
"Boys, I believe I saved both of you that night. Can we please not have a repeat of that little adventure? Aggie and I made plans for tonight. Think you boys could insure nothing ruins them?" Jake requested.
"Yes Sir." Deke and Scott replied in unison.
"Dad, you got the colt?" Deke asked.
"Yeah, right here."
"You gonna use it?" Scott questioned.
"Only as a last resort. Those bullets are valuable; when they're gone that's it. That gun is only to be used when all else fails." Jake instructed as his sons nodded in agreement.
"Too bad ol' Sam Colt didn't make more of those special bullets." Scott noted.
"The story goes he made as many as he could on that one night. After that, the spell or whatever it was broke. Whatever enabled him to make that gun in the first place never fell into place again. We should just be thankful we have possession of such a weapon. There are some evil sons of bitches that would love to get their hands on that gun." Jake responded.
"Sure does put the responsibility on us. Don't it Dad?" Deke added.
"Fighting evil always carries a certain responsibility, but yeah, that gun just ups the ante." Jake agreed.
Scott handed out the arrows soaked in dead man's blood that would stop and sicken the Carpenters and their foreman and they slung bows across their backs. They checked their guns and supply of ammo before strapping their machetes in their sheaths to their sides. Armed and ready for battle they took a moment, glancing into each other's eyes, knowing this could possibly be their last time together.
"All right, let's kill us some vampires." Deke proclaimed.
"Too bad all these wanna-be gunfighters won't ever see their rewards." Scott added.
"Man should know what side to fight for. A man gets the reward he deserves. I'd say these bastards deserve to die." Jake stated.
Soft footsteps approached from the stairway and Gaby appeared in the lobby, hoping for one last glimpse of Deke before he headed off into the fight. Aggie was by her side, the two women finding they had more in common that either of them would have dreamed of just a week earlier.
Jake stepped aside for a brief word with Aggie and Deke took his chance for one last moment with Gaby. He took her in his arms for a tight embrace, proclaiming all his love and passion with one lingering kiss, a kiss to hold them both over until tonight.
"You got the gun I gave you? You keep hidden until this is all over, you hear?"
"Yes sir." Gaby replied with a wink, a wink that told him he wasn't really in charge, but she would humor him this one time. "Don't you do anything foolish, like getting yourself shot, you hear?" She added with tender concern.
"I think I've got enough bullet holes to do me."
"I don't want any more scars."
"Yes, ma'am." He smiled.
And with one last look he turned and walked out to join his family for this showdown.
Jake walked down the boardwalk on the right side of the street and his two sons walked side by side down the walkway on the left towards the bank. The street was quiet with the solemn reverence of a town just waiting to explode into battle.
"Carpenter, your time's up." Jake yelled.
The shades on the windows were still drawn and silence met them as they stood waiting. Suddenly gunfire erupted all around them as all hell broke loose. Jake ducked behind a horse trough and returned fire.
Deke and Scott dove for cover and joined in the battle. Gunmen on the roof had them pinned down, unable to move from the safety of their temporary refuge. Wood from the building splintered covering them with debris as the onslaught of bullets pelted the area.
Suddenly a scream pierced the air as one of the gunmen holding them in their spot fell from his high perch, crashing onto the dirt street in front of the hotel. Deke looked up to see Cain taking aim on the other sniper on the roof across from him, easily taking the second man out with his steady hand.
Deke smiled at Cain's expertise with a rifle, remembering long sessions as his dad and his good friend schooled him on the finer points of the Winchester repeating rifle. Uncle Ollie certainly knew how to design a gun and Cain certainly knew how to use it.
As Cain and Elkins cleared the roofs of snipers, Deke and Scott moved from their position to check out the rest of the town. They split up, each ducking into the back alleys, looking for gunmen.
Meanwhile, Jake had moved off the street and was entering the saloon, having spotted two gunfighters slip in during the skirmish outside. The saloon appeared empty until one appeared to the side, gun drawn ready to plow him down. Jake turned and fired, his bullet penetrating his gut before the man could fire his own gun, the gunman's finger finally finding the trigger with the reflex of a dead man, shooting the floor as he fell.
A reflection in the mirror at the end of the bar revealed the other gunman creeping along the back side of the bar toward the door. He was hoping to ambush this Winchester and gain his reward, unfortunately he only gained the reward Jake was willing to give him: a six foot plot on boot hill.
Deke spied a gunman slinking along the back of the mercantile and stealthily crept up on him. He was almost upon him when he paused and softly whispered "boo" to the surprised young man who whirled around gun drawn only to be cut down by Deke's bullet. The youth of the gunman disturbed Deke, but this was a harsh land and if you fought on the side of evil, you died with evil. The West was not a place for second chances.
Scott was tracking his own gunfighter and was almost in a position to drop him when a bullet grazed his left arm. He spun around and fired one deadly shot into the perpetrator's heart. The original gunfighter he had been tracking heard the commotion and ducked into the livery.
Scott followed and walked steadily between the horses stabled there. The horses were nervously stomping about, sensing danger and snorting their disapproval of the invasion into their sanctuary. He ran his hand alongside the rump of one horse and knelt down looking between the legs until he spotted the gunman at the far end.
He was slowly moving towards the man when suddenly the man opened fire repeatedly into the air, waving a blanket at the skittish horses that broke free of their stalls and stampeded out the stable doors. Scott leaped to the side away from the horses' hooves and landed face first in a mound of hay.
He heard the gunman's approach and rolled to the side taking aim and firing before his opponent had a chance. One more for boot hill.
Deke had crept back to the front of the street looking for more of Carpenter's paid assassins when he heard the stampeding horses barreling down the main street of town. Just as he saw the horses fast approaching, he noticed a four year old boy, standing in the middle of the street playing with a wheel rim and stick. Why a child so young had gotten loose and encroached into this deadly scene was a question for another time.
Deke reacted without thinking or considering any other option; he simply raced for the boy. He grabbed the boy up, but had no time to reach the safety of the walkway. The horses were upon them so he threw down flat with the street, his own body shielding the boy, holding him tightly as the horses jumped over them. When the dust settled the crying boy was shaken but uninjured. His frantic mother came running to tear him from Deke's arms and usher him back into the safety of the building.
Jake witnessed Deke's heroic actions and marveled again at the bravery and protectiveness of his older son. With little time for reflection, Jake offered Deke cover fire as three more gunman took aim against him. Deke drew his own gun, firing repeatedly as he made his way across the street to meet up with his dad. Between Jake and Deke's fire, they managed to kill two of the gunmen, the other retreating back into the alley.
"Nice work there son."
"What the hell is a kid like that doing out on a day like this?"
"Probably like my sons, always looking for trouble."
"Well, at least we had a dad who taught us how to handle it."
Another shot rang out against them and the wood building behind them splintered and rained down wood fragments.
"You see 'em?" Jake asked.
"Over there, two of 'em." Deke answered nodding towards the side of the hotel. They couldn't quite get a shot off from the position they were in. They watched the men move along until they were just to the front of the building. As they slowly passed by the front window, shots rang out and the two men dropped dead in their tracks.
"What the hell? Scott's down at the other end of town. Who shot them?" Deke questioned.
"I'll give you two guesses, seeing as how they were shot from inside the hotel." Jake answered.
Deke's eyes grew wide as the realization sunk in.
"Damn those women. I told Gaby to stay hidden."
"I figure they've got minds of their own and you and me son might as well get used to the idea."
"I knew I shouldn't be giving her no gun." Deke grinned, all the while considering how impressive this lady of his truly was.
"I think it's about time for Carpenter to join the party." Jake stated.
"Yeah, no need him playing the shy host. He started up this fracas; he might as well join in."
They moved out again towards the bank down the street. At the back of the bank Deke hefted himself up to the railing on the second floor. One of the back windows was opened and he saw an opportunity to sneak inside and surprise Carpenter and his henchmen assigned to protect him.
Jake covered his son as he made his way inside the building, then turned and proceeded to the back door. He pulled out his tools and quickly picked the lock, entering on the first floor. Voices from deep inside the bank confirmed Carpenter was still present.
Jake maneuvered through the hallway until he was just at the main section of the bank and saw Carpenter pacing nervously back and forth in front of the vault.
"How many of them have been killed?" He asked one of his returning gunfighters.
"Them or us?"
"Them, you idiot! How many are left?"
"Well…, all of them."
"Eighteen gunfighters against three Winchesters and they're all still alive? Are you going to let them take over my town?"
"Appears like."
"Well get back out there and kill some of them or don't come back here again. Someone's going to die here and if it's not them, then it sure as hell is gonna be you. You understand idiot?"
Deke pulled his bow from his back and placed an arrow in the string. Taking aim he released the arrow, Carpenter turned and attentively listened to the hiss of the arrow as it approached its target, hitting him in the chest bringing about the sinister vamps downfall.
"Damn it." Carpenter proclaimed as Deke appeared on the balcony overlooking the bank lobby.
"Guess your time is up, Carpenter." Deke declared as he smirked at the doomed vamp.
"Deke, I knew you were a formidable man. Too bad you have such misplaced devotion to good. You would have made a great ally." Carpenter praised as he slowly sank to his knees.
Jake appeared behind him and drew and fired on one of the gunfighters there with Carpenter to provide protection as Deke took out the other.
"Maybe you should have spent the money and gotten some gunfighters worth their salt. No time to be pinching pennies, considering your unlife is on the line. Huh, Carpenter?" Jake chided.
"Well, the labor pool has been a little depleted lately. A man does the best he can with what's available."
"Where's your bitch daughter?" Deke yelled.
"Lila will avenge me. She'll tear your heart out and show it to you as you die."
"Yeah, I bet you're real proud of your little darling, huh?" Jake asked, not waiting for an answer as his blade connected with Carpenter's neck.