WANTED: A beta.

Chapter 17) Loco in Las Tivã

.-.-.

The humble group of fugitives made there way into the large building: Las Tivã Bank. The first line got a few strange looks. Sands entered the building, still with some blood running from his nose and arm in arm (well chained) with Djessy.

Then it was time for Lizz and Julio to get a questionable glare. The boy was pale as the wall behind him and the girl kept giving him angry looks.

The large bank was quit busy. All sorts of people run around, stressed and irritated. Tourist started to yell at the workers behind the desk. Employees at there turn cursed back in Spanish, while keeping cool with a big bright smile on there face.

"You NEED to CASE IN! Is that so hard to understand?! CASE, práctico?!"

"You disgusting little pig, now it's ganna cost you extra. I understand señor, how much?"

Lizz gulped. 'An angry mass of people, stress, heat, irritation. How on earth am I keeping him from committing a massacre.'

"Lizz, what the fuck is happening in here?!"

She winched, that tone didn't predict anything good. "It's busy."

"No kidding!"

"O, chill. We just have to wait in line."

"O chill, we just have to wait in line!" He mimicked her with a high voice. "Did it accrue to you there is a big pissed angry drive somewhere out there who want's to run a bullet through our head because that little sissy of you crash his car?!"

"Don't call me a sissy!" Julio interfered.

"Or what?! Sissy! Sissy! SISSY!"

"SHUT UP BOTH OF YOU!" Lizz squealed. "This is no time to get angry at each other! We have to keep focus or else we, which means you Sands, will do something very stupid!"

"Sure blame it on the sanity-issue. That's just to easy!"

"SHUT UP!" She grabbed Sands by his shirt and pulled him to a line. "You two stay here, me and Julio take the line left from you. And don't freak out!"

.-.-.

'Yeah, that's easy said!' Sands thought angrily. 'She's not the one who can't see a fuck while he has to stand in a sweat-stinking-over-crowded-bee-nest! I swear if one of those fuckers even bumps at me, I'll commit at least one felony. I beat his nose so far up his ass he-'

He stopped making threats and lifted his head. He heard something, something familiar. It was to crowdie to catch it and translate it into something useful. But it was there.

Somewhere in that big pile of people. Something soft and probable unrecognisable for people who hadn't there eyeballs drilled out and had to live on sound for almost a year now.

He felt the Doc tug on the cuffs and he took a small step forward, not even making a deal out of the fact she ordered him what to do.

Something was wrong. Something was there and it was too familiar. Yet not familiar enough to make out the meaning of the sound.

'What the fuck…' Slowly he slide his head from left to right, focusing to ban all the other noises. Practically impossible, but necessary.

"Lizz?" He whispered. Turning his head again.

"She stepped into another line." The Doc told him. "Do you want me to call her?"

Her kind words got him tense. It made no sense. 'Something is wrong.'

He got another tug. 'Something is very wrong.' "No, I'm fine." He snapped at her, feeling the urge to take more breaths then necessary. 'Don't lose it right now. Everything is fine, she's there I just can't reach her. That's no big deal, probably.'

And there was the thing, probably wasn't good enough. A deal was never good enough is there was a probably, or maybe. The what if's.

His ears picked up the sound again. 'Fuck it's coming.' Slowly he pushed his hand under his jacket and reached to his back. 'Fuck her, I'll freak out if I want to.'

He got tugged forward, sudden and rough. It got him of guard and he stumbled to keep on both his feet. "Watch what your doing bitch." He hissed and massaged the place where the cuffs had sunk into his skin. He got no response. 'That's it.' "Where is she?"

"What do you mean?" She asked worried from the dark.

"Listen Doc, I can do very nasty things to a person and not even have to use both hands. You better stop the act and tell me where she is!"

Again, his hand disappeared under his jacket. He stopped and tense. 'That sound!' All the sudden he froze and felt his blood run cold. In a flash he reached for his gun.

"Don't think so amigo." A cold barrel pressed in his back. "Pull your arm back where I can see them."

He wanted to hit himself in the face, real hard. The jingling how could he have missed that?! How could his hearing leave him down like that?!

"El Mariachi." He hissed.

"The one and only." The barrel dug deeper in his back. "Hands where I can see them."

"Just shoot me, fuckwit." He snapped and didn't move a inch. "You got me, do it."

"I think it will be wise of you to do what I say, that way no one get's hurt."

He could feel the hot breath of the Mariachi in his neck, the husky grunts, the gun. It made his rage roar. He was not going to give in this easy, not without a fight.

"I'm not doing anything." He growled low.

"Sands just do what he says!"

For the second time he played marble. 'O fuck, the three seconds I leave her alone.' "Lizz for God sake!"

"I'm sorry!" She muttered.

"O I bet you are! Stupid little bitch!" He cursed out loud. "I swear next time you'll be the one cuffed!"

"Quit the act Sands, lower your arm and stand still." The Mariachi grunted.

Rage started to lit up like a flame, all the focus started to break down. Not good, not good at all. His jaw clutched, he lowered his hand and he gave in.

Finally!

"So El Mariachi, your going to shoot me or what?" He mocked, grinning tight.

"No, I'm going to save three lives from your evil mind, turn around."

He spun around and locked his feet on the ground, still grinning wickedly. "Then you have to shoot me 'cause I like the game I'm playing." His grin curled into a smile. "Like it a lot."

"Your sick." El stated disgusted.

"I am." Was all he said.

It seemed to hush the Mariachi and he liked that, a lot. Even though he was the one at aim, even though everything could be over in a few moments. He felt good, fucking out of his mind.

"Take her cuffs off." El ordered, to Lizz.

"I don't have the keys." She told him and he could feel her gaze burn. Her voice didn't tremble but he could sense she knew.

Doesn't matter.

'I know.' "I have the keys. There in my back pocket Lizz."

"Okay." She said soft and got pushed against him. Her hand clutched around the fabric of his jacket. She was scared and had every reason to be.

Doesn't matter!

'It does.'

"Keep your hands where I can see them." El snapped. He only nodded with a smile.

Lizz's hand run to his back and he hoped she got his hint. Her left hand dug in his pocket, her elbow shifting his gun to the right.

'Sweet Jesus Maria Christ, thank you.' His smiled grew bigger when he felt her pull the gun from between his belt while her other hand fumbled with the cuffs.

"El, you think you'll ever learn?" He asked blunt.

"What might that be?" The frown was so easily to hear.

"Never to underestimate your enemy." He clacked his tongue and moved his arm from his thigh, revealing the barrel of his own gun. Lizz quickly shifted the safety off and grabbed his arm.

'Good girl.'

"Arms up, Mariachi and sing us a song." He sniggered.

"She won't shoot me."

He razed his eyebrow. "Won't she?"

"No." The Mariachi said firm.

He has a point.

"True. She won't shoot you El. Well not right now, she's to innocent to do that. But think again, what about me?"

"Your not the one armed." El hissed. "And I can shoot you if you try to reach of the gun. Believe me."

"Ah, I do believe you El Mariachi. I know you think you know me. And I think you know me good enough to know what I do to stay alive. Do about everything to slither my way out. So here is a question El and I want you to take your time to answer it. And think for fucks sake. I know you'll shoot me the second I reach for a weapon. And I know you won't miss me. I'm a open target. But do you see all these people around me? I hope you do, I hope you will remember every face. Because if I think right I know you have a pretty strong gun. Very strong. You won't miss. You'll probable blow my all guts out as well." He smiled amused and wished he could see the face of the Mariachi. It must be brooding, frowning. That thought alone made his heart speed up. Rush, adrenaline finally back.

"You gatta know what a bullet from your gun does, look at the beautiful faces from both woman standing behind me. Of course I'm not sure what weapon you have, seeming the fact I can't see zip. But even your basic equipment will be able to blow me away and at least one of the fine ladies behind me. Bullets piers easily through flesh, you know that, I know that. See, I can understand you don't really care if Lizzy over here dies. She's always a pain in your ass, never does what you want her to do. I know, you know. But what about that little missy cuffed around my wrist? You remember her don't ya? The same sweet sugar you met in the nuthouse. She never did anything wrong, was even kind enough to take a shot of fixing me up. Cute, stupid but cute. She may die, only because you wanted to kill me. Another beauty dead because you had to stick your nose in business long fought. And what about all the other poor souls in here? Even if you shoot me I'll try to make it a show. My show. A freak show. Look around El Mariachi, looky looky and gamble with me. Who will die? That lovely brunet? That pretty blond? Or a few dark Latina's? Your call Mariachi."

He flexed his neck and waited for the response. O he loved this, he pulled the strings and The was in his web.

"Your bluffing!" A sneer, or a question? He went for the last one.

"No you're the big bluff El. Did you really thought I would do tricks and follow you outside like a stray? Your kidding if you think that, but I'm not. I kill, ask them. Ask the Doc, who by the way is still linked to me. Think of what I can do in the few seconds I've left in this dark world."

"Just so you know." Lizz whispered. "He is not bluffing. Hand me your gun El."

'Good girl.' His lips parted and he chuckled soft. 'Got you know bastard.'

"Why do you keep doing this Lizz?" El snapped, trying to avoid the order.

"You know why, the gun now, please." Lizz stepped aside him, keeping his gun covered under his jacket. He heard her snatch the gun out of El's hand and she winched back, handing the weapon over. 'Two against zit stupid.'

"You don't have to do this Lizz. You don't have to-"

"SHUT UP!" He screamed and swung forward, colliding the butt of the gun into the face of the Mariachi. Glory for him, the Mariachi ended on the floor.

The only minus was, the downfall of the Mariachi cost some commotion around the other people in the bank. For a split second it was silent.

Then a woman started to scream. "O MY GOD HE HAS A GUN!"

Lizz let him go and rose her hands, trying to ease the woman. "NO! NO, it's not what you think we just want money-"

Another woman got hysteric, and only therefore Sands felt the urge to pill the trigger.

"THERE TRYING TO ROB THE BANK!"

Well. At least that flattered his ego.

Go for it.

"YEAH! I AM!" He screamed. "GET ME SOME DOUGH!"

The girl yanked on his jacket. "Sands what the hell are you trying to pull off?"

He hushed her and yanked her wrist away from his jacket, annoyed by the fact she hold him like a little boy. "Ease up, girly. This is a Mexican bank, what could happen?!"

"What do you think about the army?" Clearly the Mariachi gain back his consciousness.

"Because the damaged you both cost outside I bet there close by!"

He paled. 'FUCK!'

Shut up and stand your ground!

He gulped and aimed his gun at the body of the Mariachi. "Get up, don't say a thing. Lizz, you get the money from that nice lady and then get the fuck back!" He let her go and moved to El. "If you try anything. And I mean anything I'll shoot her. Fuck I break her arm first and then I'll shoot her!" He grabbed the cuffs and yanked the Doc closer, pinning his gun into her neck. "I don't care, I'll kill her. Do you understand that?!"

The Mariachi crawled up. "Si."

"And don't think just because I'm blind I won't be able to know if your trying. I'll know El, I'll know!"

Around them everyone had turned silent. Good, he liked that. Made the whole hearing problem a lot easier. It really nagged if you weren't able to see, but having no clear hearing was hell.

Good boy

He grinned wickedly, liking the compliment. Once more he begged to get his sight back. To see them, all of them. Scared because of him. So scared, because he had a gun and they didn't. Power, O the fine smell of power so strong he could practically taste it.

He heard her tiptoe back to him. "I got the money." She whispered. "But the army is indeed coming, I heard the staff whisper. What should we do Sands?"

He petted her shoulder and pulled her close, pressing her between him and the doc. "Now we wait."

.-.-.

I missed writhing psycho. I like this Sands so much, it's easy to write and plot along the way. I was puzzled, I had a few plots and I was stuck. I mixed everything together and I'll see where it ends.

Great strategy…

X Nuky