The town of El Dego, New Mexico sat as a welcomed beacon in the dusty desert landscape. Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry had been riding for what seemed like a month when they steered their horses onto the main street of the town.
"Heyes, you ever think about us being stuck in a rut?"
"What?"
"You know, we ride into some dusty town, look for a job, go to the saloon, leave before someone recognizes us...same old, same old..."
"Well, what exactly do you expect us to do? We can't very well dress up and go to the theatre."
"I know that!"
"You mean you're getting tired of running from bounty hunters, working menial jobs for a few dollars?"
"You don't have to get sarcastic Heyes. Just forget I said anything."
Heyes surpressed a small laugh. They rode by the sheriff's office nonchalantly.
"Hmm, Sheriff Perry. Wonderful. We don't know him!" Heyes said.
They turned towards the livery stable. There was an old man sleeping outside the door.
"Howdy," Heyes said a little too loudly waking the man.
"Gal-durn it! Scare a body to death why don't you!" the old man exclaimed jumping up and slamming his hat on his head.
"Sorry. You the livery man?"
"Yeah, that's me."
Heyes and Kid dismounted, handing the reins to the man. "Here you go. Feed and water them please."
"I'll take care of them." The old man opened the livery door and led the horses in. Heyes and Kid started walking towards the saloon.
"I'm about parched," Heyes said going through the bat wing doors. They walked up to the bar and ordered two beers. Then they went to a back table facing the door and sat down. They had only drank about half the alcohol when another patron came in the saloon doors. He was a young looking lad, who walked up to the bar and rather loudly ordered a whiskey. Heyes and Kid noticed he wore his gun tied down. Another one of the barflies, who had had a little too much to drink, stumbled into the young man on his way out the door. He immediately drew his gun.
"You lookin' fer trouble mister?" he snarled.
The drunk righted himself, looking scared to death. "No sir Mr. Bonney. IIIII'm shorry. Please don't kill me."
Mr. Bonney looked the man up and down, then let out with a raucous laugh. "Get outta here old man. I got better things to shoot than you." He reholstered his six-shooter and turned back to his whiskey. "Give me another," he ordered the bartender.
Heyes had been watching the exchange at the bar. "Bonney, where do we know that name from?"
Kid studied Bonney at the bar. Realization then hit him. "Bonney...Heyes, you reckon that's Billy the Kid?"
Heyes returned his gaze at the man. "Billy the Kid? You know, you may be right. He is supposed to be around these parts. He looks young enough to be him."
From the bar, Bonney noticed the two at the back table staring at him. He picked up his whiskey glass and walked back to where they were seated. "What are you two lookin' at?" he asked.
"A young man drinking," Heyes deadpanned.
"Well, ain't you just the smart one," Bonney laughed. His expression turned serious. I don't like smart alecs. What's your name mister? I like to know a man's name before I put a hole in him."
Heyes smiled at Bonney. "Joshua Smith and this my partner Thaddeus Jones. And you are...?"
Bonney looked dumbfounded. "You don't know who I am? Where you been? Under a rock? I'm Billy...Billy the Kid."
"Well, pleased to meet you Mr...uh...Kid."
"Pleased to meet you too." He drew his gun and leveled it at Heyes. "Now, git up. Me and you gonna see who the faster man is."
"Now there's no need for that," Heyes replied.
"Yes there is, now GIT UP."
The commotion in the back had caught the attention of the whole saloon.
"Can't we talk about this?"
"My gun does my talkin'. Are you gittin' up or not?"
"Mr. Bonney, I think you should put your gun away," Kid intervened.
"And why's that?"
"Because I got my .45 pointed at you under the table."
Bonney considered this new information. "So, you want to be the one to draw instead of him?"
"I never said that. Now just put your gun down and we can discuss this like men."
"There ain't nothin' to discuss. I've decided to let your friend alone. I'm callin' you out for interruptin' me. Now git up and git out on that street."
Kid gave Bonney a steely-eyed stare that would've made the devil run for cover. Bonney stared back and smiled at him.
"Thaddeus, don't do this."
"Joshua, he called me out, you heard him." Kid slowly started to get to his feet. Heyes grabbed his arm.
"Thaddeus, DON'T."
"Better listen to your partner there. I'd hate to kill a man before lunch."
Kid's stare never wavered. "Let go Joshua."
Heyes had no choice but to let go. Once Kid had his mind made up, it was almost impossible to change it. Bonney gave a laugh and made a show out of walking out of the saloon. "I'll be back in a minute Sam. Have me a whiskey waitin'!"
Kid followed Bonney out into the street. They stood facing each other. Just then, Sheriff Perry walked out of his office and saw the standoff. He immediately recognized Bonney and sent his deputy to the telegraph office.
"Boys, what are you up to?" Perry asked from across the street.
"Why nothin' Sheriff," Bonnie said, never taking his eyes off Kid. "We's just gonna see who the fastest is here."
The two stood staring, one outlaw against one ex-outlaw. Kid's eyes blazed like blue fire. His hand rested on his gunbelt near his Colt, his face expressionless. Bonney was smiling with his hand hanging loosely next to his six-shooter.
"Any last words?" Bonney yelled.
Kid never answered. Bonney waited a few more seconds. Heyes watched with trepidation. Word was that Bonney had killed at least twenty one men. He always hated seeing Kid face off with somebody. Something Kid had once said always went through his mind; 'there's always somebody out there faster, always is'.
Kid never moved. He seemed frozen in his stance. Bonney finally reached for his gun. Before he could clear the leather, Kid had drawn his gun and shot Bonney in the arm. Bonney fell to the ground, a look of surprise etched in his face.
"He beat me!" he exclaimed to no one in particular. He just couldn't believe he'd been beat. He lay there clutching his arm.
Sheriff Perry walked over and knelt down at Bonney's head. "Boy, you had to know it would happen sooner or later." The sheriff stood up and to the crowd said," Somebody fetch the doc. Anybody know who started this?"
Most all the onlookers pointed to Bonney. Perry looked back at him and shook his head. He turned and walked over to Kid. "That was some mighty fine shooting there son. Never seen nobody that fast. What's your name?"
"Thaddeus Jones sir."
"Well Mr. Jones. You just earned yourself five hundred dollars. Bonney had a bounty on his head. I sent my deputy to telegraph Sheriff Garrett over in Lincoln County to come on over. Since you was the one that brought him down, you get the money."
Kid turned to face Heyes who walked over to join them. They had actually run into Sheriff Garrett once quite recently. He'd formed a posse and chased them all the way to Arizona before he gave up.
"Well Sheriff, that's real nice, but my partner here and I have to be going. We were just passing through on our way to a job," Heyes hurriedly said.
"Well, what about an address to send it to you?"
"We move around so much, we'd probably never get it. Why don't you keep it Sheriff. After all, you'll be the one actually turning him in."
"Well, that's mighty nice of you. Mighty nice."
Perry shook hands with Heyes and Kid and walked back up the street to where the doc was now looking Bonney over.
"Quit whining, you'll live," they heard the doc say.
Heyes and Kid went directly to the livery stable to pick up their horses.
"We better get put of here before Garrett shows up," Heyes said saddling his horse.
After both animals were tacked up, the two ex-outlaws took off towards the north.
"You know Kid. It'll be kinda neat when we get our amnesty to be able to say you faced down Billy the Kid."
"Yeah, I guess so."
"What's wrong?"
"I's just thinkin' about Bonney. It was sorta like lookin' back at a version of ourselves when we were that age just starting down the outlaw trail."
"Yeah, I guess so. Was I ever that cocky?"
The Kid laughed. "Heyes, you're still that cocky!"
They both spurred their horses and headed north, on to their next adventure.