I think I'm going for another warning, there will be some graphic things… well not very graphic but kinda icky and Sands won't shut his mouth so you just know that.
Enjoy,
Chapter 14) Bang Bang, I shot you down.
The small group of fugitives sneaked out of the hotel. It was near dawn and the first few pink beams of the sun climbed over the mountains surrounding the small village. There weren't many people awake, which was a very good thing. The two Gringo's of the group where armed with guns, easy to spot. The male gringo dragged along a woman in a white coat, with both her hands cuffed. The boy seemed the only one normal person in the group. He wasn't very much awake yet, yawned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.
"It's not that far anymore." The youngest of the group put forward, trying to cheer up her tensed and tired fellowship.
"You said that fifteen minutes ago." The man snapped, giving a hard toss on the cuffs.
The blond shrugged and looked around the edge of a corner. She made a small gesture it was safe, paused and coughed. "It's safe."
"Swell." Was the only answer, the rest of the group kept quiet. "They better have a car that works this time."
"The guy from the motel said they would. It's a garage, they better have something that works."
"This is Mexico, the country that sticks with selling you trash until you shot the bastard. Remember that salesman? I should have smoked the fuck."
The girl rolled her eyes and didn't react. They crossed the street. When they passed a shop the girl hold halt. She muttered something and went inside. A few minutes later she came back with a few paper bags full food and other things. She quickly handed a coffee to the boy and the man, pressed a cupcake into the hands of the woman and took another out for herself.
Then they continued there travel through the still sleeping town.
Or was it?
BANG,BANG,BANG,
Three quick gunshot, with made the man duck down, spill all the coffee and pull out his own gun. The boy had woken up in a flash and dragged the girl behind a car, so clumsy that the bag of groceries landed next to the coffee on the ground.
Meanwhile the man had took hold of the woman's neck and cocked the gun from left to right.
"There not shooting at us, smartass." The girl commented after checking the streets and whipping away the coffee stains.
"If someone is shooting I don't want to miss the fun, kiddo." The man answered back.
"In that case we better check who is shooting." The girl decided. "But lets not make it to long."
.-.-.
He thought he'd set them on a wrong trail. He'd cleaned up his footsteps after last silent battle in the night. It had been a fast one, taking down only the top man of the newest Cartel. He had no choice, the new Barillo Cartel was on the hunt for him again. He didn't know why, he thought he let them believe he was dead.
'But The dead keeps living.' For how long, nobody knew. But he kept coming back, every time everyone was sure he was gone. Somehow he owned that to his country. To his faith to his-
BANG
He duck down at a stone pillar from the local church. Quickly he grabbed his gun and reloaded it. He had to work quick, like always. And he had to win, like always.
And he would because-
BANG! Another shot scratched the pillar and score along his shoulder. He crushed and yanked away from the side. While he whipped away the small bloodstream he checked the wound. It wasn't deep, just cut. He would live.
Because legends never die.
.-.-.
"Do you see something?" The girl asked curious, trying to look over the wooden fence that kept her from watching the scene herself. Some screaming people came running by.
"There is a gunfight happening around the church." The boy answered, standing on a trash can. "It seems there after one man."
The girl pouted. "Let me see, let me see!" The boy and her changes places but she was still to small to look over the wood.
"Kid, we could just go there." The man growled annoyed.
The girl jumped down. "And get shot by some local? Hello, that's worse plan ever."
"There not local." Three faces turned to the boy, who flushed a little bit by the sudden attention. "T-they look to rich to be local."
The man and girl exchanged looks.
"CIA?" The girl asked.
"More like Cartel, if you ask me." The man growled holding back his anger. "CIA wouldn't make it into a big scene, that can get them into a bad picture. Cartel don't give a shit about that."
There sounded another few shots, followed by screaming and yelling. The small group was silent for the few noisy moments. There where more gunshots, a bullet shot through the fence, taking a fist size wood with it. The girl was the first one who jumped back in place and peeked thought the whole.
"Bummer! To late!" She yelped.
"The guys is dead?" The man asked rather cheery.
"No… the fight went inside. I can't see anything. Just the shots." She answered disappointed.
"Well that was it, shows over, let's get back to walking along this shit-town to find our self a even shittier car."
The gringo was the only one of the group that moved, he noticed. "I get the feeling I wasn't clear enough about the were leaving part."
"There is a man in trouble, we can't just leave him there all by himself against the Cartel." The girl told.
"I can, we can. If that moron is stupid enough to get the Cartel on his ass he won't live long no matter what we do." The gringo snapped.
There was a silence. The girl crossed her arms and tapped with her feet.
The gringo curse loud and muttered something to himself. "Fine let's save some nameless Mexican't, get our life in danger. Why not…!"
.-.-.
He got a smack in the face with the butt of a shotgun. Somehow his yelp in pain was reason to laugh. Furious he looked up to the gang member who did it, just to earn another kick in the stomach. His arms where tied on his back, his gun was taken and his bicep started to burn. He could feel drips of blood leak from the leather of his jacket on the marble floor.
"Not so legendary anymore, now are we?" The shotgun-guy sneered. He didn't answer and throw a repulsed glare at him. It made the other six laugh again, standing high and mighty above him.
He drawn out his feet and whipped the feet away from the two Cartel, standing closest.
'Now look who is talking.' He grinned while he watch the two get up ashamed.
The shotgun-guy screamed some nasty curses at him and raze his weapon again. He turned his face away to prevent the man from breaking his nose.
The second blow came hard, on his temple and everything went blurry. Close to passing out he blinked his eyes. He saw the shotgun-guy in a blur reloading his gun and aim.
Then the doors opened. The shotgun-guy hesitated and turned around.
Frowning he lifted his head and watched as a couple walked in. He couldn't see clear but by the reaction of the Cartel he knew it wasn't according to plan.
"I hope me and my honey-pie aren't interrupting something." The man in the doorway said, stepping inside, arm in arm with his woman.
The shotgun-guy was a bit blown by the blunt appearance, but readjust quickly. "If you are wise you turn around and walk away right now. Seeing you have still a long happy life to live."
The man clacked his tongue and took another step in. "Well your not so very right about that. You see me and this fine looking piece of woman are getting married in a few days. She got pregnant, I felt screwed. You're a guy you know the drill. So now we have a itsy bitsy little problem. We need to check this place, see if it's any good for the ceremony, savvy?"
The shotgun-guy marched forward. "I ordered you to leave, be glade there is a lady around your arm else I would have shot you!"
Not impressed the man sighted. "Well, that would make stains in the carpet. We can't have that. Her family is flying in from Vegas."
"Stains?!" The shotgun-guy yelled. "Your worrying about STAINS?!" Then he stated to laugh and turned to his buddies. "This Gringo is insane!"
BANG!
The shotgun-guy stopped laughing and turned back to the couple. His eyes met the gun between there hands that had fired. The gringo pulled him close and whispered.
"Sorry my dear friend, you stood on the wrong side of the bullet." Quickly he took the shotgun from the tense fingers and stepped aside, letting the Cartel drop on the carpet.
He let his woman go and took hold of both weapons. "So sorry sweet-cheeks, I knew how bad you wanted our day to be perfect." He grinned and blew a kiss to his bride.
He looked into the hall, pointing the shotgun and the handgun to the two man standing close by.
"So gentleman what will it be? Ruin the day of this lovely lady or just waltz away?"
The five reaming Cartels took better grip around there gun and pointed to the gringo. He seemed a little disappointed. "Thought so."
.-.-.
Her fingers toyed with her bracelet, her eyes where focussed on Julio. Somehow he had decided he was keeping guard, well if he wanted to play macho, fine.
"What's happening in there?!" She hissed for three times in a row.
"Nothing, Lizz. Nothing!" He snapped and pushed her further away from the fence. She glared at him. 'Since when is he so bossy?' She didn't very much like guys with that attitude. You had Sands with his very incorrect point of view about woman ( coming close to, cook, fuck and fuck off.) but she wouldn't listened to him if she didn't want to.
Without giving him another reason to get all touchy she peaked around the edge of the fence. There was no-one around, except in the church. But it also had become very quiet in there.
'That can't be good.' Suddenly she got swung around and pushed against the fence. Before she could react to the harsh and insensitive way of treat a girl she stared into the serious eyes of Julio.
"Don't stand that close, you might get shot!" He snapped and cocked through the whole in the fence. "Stay here, don't move. You might get killed!"
She was to shocked to react on that. Caring if she lived or died was cute. But demanding what she was suppose to do was a whole other thing. 'That's it, I'm going.'
After giving Julio one last look she took off and sprinted towards the church.
.-.-.
He nearly got a heart attack when he saw her run to the Church. "LIZZ NO!" Doubting, stepping right to left he peeked around the fence. "LIZZ COME BACK!" She didn't stop, she didn't even look around, running straight at the door.
'Maldito!' Julio took made a cross and made a quick pray. Giving himself a mentality kick in the ass he started to hurry to the church. Before he let her have the chance of running inside he grabbed her shoulder and yanked her back.
"What are you doing?!" He hissed furious.
"Checking out what's going on inside!" She whispered back irritated by his rough way of keeping her outside. "Now, shut up and move!"
"No! I'm going in first." He demanded.
She nearly giggled. "You? You don't even have a gun." She pulled out her tiny weapon to kill. "And ladies first, or did you forget your manners?"
Sighted in annoyance and defeat he stepped aside and let her open the door. Both of them peeked there head around the doorway. She was the first on to react on the whole scenario.
"Shit."
Of the eight people who where still alive, three had there gun pointed straight at the loco. On of the man had dropped his gun at his feet and hold his arms up. The loco stood right behind him, one gun pressed against the mans temple, the other to the man on his right, who had took advantage of the Doc. His gun aimed on the cuffed woman.
Now that Lizz amazingly had screwed up there silent entry, the five Cartel members, the doc and the loco quirked slightly to the both of them.
"Lizz we might have found ourselves a little problem." The loco hissed.
Lizz didn't dare to move. "No kidding."
Julio looked from gun barrel to gun barrel. 'Mio dios, I'm never getting out of this alive…' It was four against four. Well, more five against three, since the loco would kill him without doubt if it wasn't for Lizz. Or, six against two, because he wasn't that found of Djessy. Now he thought about it he was pretty much on his own… Without a gun.
Lizz slowly razed her hands up, which made the Cartel have a few tense reactions with the there guns.
"Can't we just come to a agreement?" She said with a tiny voice.
The man who had the gun aimed at Djessy gave her a dirty look. "That Gringo just killed my cousin, this cannot be settled until he bleeds enough to repaint this whole church!"
"Friendly kind 'o people the Mexicans." Sands snored. "And wee creative with home decorating, awesome culture."
"Shut up!" It came from two different sides in two different languages.
"I'm just saying I dig this culture, much more real than the Americans. I mean if you hate someone's guts in the USA most people just ignore the fact that that person is alive. Here you tie them down and beat the sit out of them until they pop like a piñata."
The cousins hands started to shake from rage. "Shut up! You killed a member of my family and you disrespect my country! One more word and I will shoot your wife."
The loco clacked his tongue. "Do your thing, I don't love her that much anyway. Not the family type 'o guy. And talking about your country, now that we are on the cultural tour. What's with all your pride and faith. Give it up, you fuckwits. Give it op now you still have the ability to run."
The cousin started to laugh. "Give up?! Why would we do that. You still have no clue who your talking to."
The loco grinned. "Insects."
"WHAT?!"
The grin grew. "You heard me correct amigo. Insects. Your all insects, let's give you some biology. Bees are be better left alone. You can whip one away and squash a couple more. But it does the real problem no good. You see, soon as one little bee escapes, that tiny little thing flies back to the buds." He made a quick but clear motion around. "And right now your standing in it's nest."
The Cartel seemed a bit stunned after the loco went silent. One by one they exchanged gazes.
The loco only smiled, still holding the gun against skin. He looked invincible, so convinced. Like he was the puppeteer of the show, holding the strings. 'Dance little puppets, dance before I cut your lifelines.' His bearing seemed to say.
"Hear them buzz, amigo?"
Julio heard it first because he stood closed by the door. "There are people coming this way."
"Ah!" The loco made another motion with his gun. "Wrong, not just people shitty-kid. A angry mass. A very angry mass. Because you fuckshits ruined there community shit of pray place. And before you think it'll all backfires on good little me, let's make that a no-no. You see, I'm the brave-heart that run fearless into the claws of the Cartel, with that little bride of mine but forget about her, she was just there for the show. I did kill one of the Cartel leaders, members, or whatever you want to call that corps on the ground else then cousin. And I did it all to save the life of a lonesome Mexican. Now that even makes a dirty Gringo earn a golden star, savvy?"
Julio was sure his jaw hit the marble. By the looks of the Cartel they had to feel close to the same. Lizz turned her head a bit into his direction. "They say there is a fine line between insanity and brilliancy. He's that line."
"So, gentleman." The loco continued. "In a few moments, or slightly less then moments… There will be a angry crowd cheering my name." he chuckled. "Guess there is a first time for anything, people who cheer for me and viciously crush some Cartel, this time by someone else's hands, but still my work. 'Cause I throw the shapes, won't see you fall. But sometimes knowing is good enough."
The cousin frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
The loco gave him a playful purr. "Let's just say I'm very familiar with your roots, compadre." In a flash his hand yanked his glasses of. Before any of the guys could recover from the shock and distress the second body hit the floor. Quickly the loco placed the glasses back and bow his head to the jolting, bleeding piece of man. "Say hi from me to your cousin, since your such into family matter."
Julio didn't even see the body on the floor. He hadn't even heard the gunshot. Everything had became very blank and silent after he'd saw what lay behind the black reflection glasses. Emptiness, darkness, like the death. In complete horror he let out a soft moan and for a moment he could swear the loco stared at him, but that wasn't possible.
The loco bit his lip and rammed the man he was holding forward, by the force he tripped and crashed also on the floor. Now he was a clear target, but non of the man surrounding him seemed fearless enough to shoot. The loco seemed to enjoy the power he hold over his entire audience. He started to move, his boots clacking alarming on the white floor. He looked from his right, to his left. Smiling, simply smiling. Enough to keep another out of his way.
He could feel his heart beat faster and his breath get less. His eyes where only focussed on what was happening right in front of him. The rest of the world was gone, all what mattered what was going to happen next. What the loco want to happen, what dance he wanted his puppets to perform.
In the middle of the church, normally a place to be calm and modest, the loco stopped not more then a few feet from the man he pushed down. Another look towards his spectators almost daring them to react. But non of them did, so he continued.
Surprisingly he started to hum and calmly took a better grip around the shotgun. "He didn't even say goodbye…" He said on singsong tune and glared down on the man trying to get back on his feet.
Then he drew out the gun and hit the man with full strength against the jaw. There was a crack and a outcry, followed by a thumb of the limb body.
Again that chuckle, that faint smile. "Bang, bang, you hit the ground." He stretched his arm. "Bang, bang, I shot you down."
"T-that's enough!"
Shocked Julio turned to Lizz who took a step forward. In reflex he reached out but stopped before he touched her. Every since soul in this room could die and somehow she seemed to have some control over his actions.
Else that man laying unconscious on the ground, would be dead with his head everywhere but attached to his neck.
"That's enough Sands. They get it. Don't- It's enough, you did enough." She said not very hard, not very powerful. But the loco didn't pull the trigger.
"Did you hear me?" Her eyes shot nervous from side to side, to scared to look the Cartel in the eyes. But somehow she had not problem with taking more steps into his direction. Her voices had lost that familiar sense of confident. "That's enough. You don't need to kill one more."
He cracked his neck and rose a eyebrow. "Who said I have to listen to you… You little… you little piece of…Lizzy-"
He stopped and took a deep breath. There followed a long silence.
BANG!
Julio, joined with the remaining Cartel winched back and Lizz cried out, she hold her gun protectively in both her hands, but not aiming yet.
The loco blew away the smoke of his barrel, he gestured to the gap close by the unconscious body.
"He could have been dead. You can call yourself some lucky fucks, better pray some grace to this kid tonight she saved your sorry lives." He reached out his hand, the same hand he hold the gun with.
Lizz kept silent and took his, he swung his arm around her shoulder the metal of the gun brushing her cheek slightly.
"Djessy get up, where going." She looked motionless into Julio's direction, he didn't know what to see in her eyes.
Before the loco walked out he rose his other hand and mimicked a gun. "My baby shot me down."
I started this chapter with one idea. Something inside a church. Three times I had no clue what was going to happen, four times I felt like stopping. But somehow I can't, that little piece of insanity always takes over the story. Sands always knows to slither his way out, making a show. And after, send them straight to fucking Broadway. I think Lizz had a good point, brilliant and insane. A mixture many people had died for.
It took me an endless night to write this all down, but it was worth it. I'm happy with it all, even if some of you find Sands a bit to cruel. Don't worry I will get over that fact.
Better review before I send that fine line after you,
Cheers and love,
X Nuky