Chapter 7

"Hey," Charlie muttered, confusion played out in her voice.

The man we know to be Johnny Ringo pushed past her without thinking twice. Why didn't she close the door on him right when she saw him? The answer to that is that she was indeed shocked to see him. For him to confront her. Especially after so many years. "You know, I didn't recognize it at first," he stated nervously, occasionally bringing his hand up to massage his chin and cheek, "...Why are you in town? Now. All of a sudden?"

"I..." She didn't know what to say. He finally recognized her. "I'm so sorry Johnny, I had to do it. He was going to kill me, back in Savannah!" She pleaded, hoping that he would forgive her.

"You know it was me... back in the Oriental? Did'nt you?" Johnny accused of her. "Why didn't you say anything?" He screamed this last part and brought down a clenched fist on the nearby dresser. She didn't flinch.

Charlie opened her mouth to speak but couldn't get out a word because the next thing she knew she was jammed up against the wall with Johnny Ringo's arm across her neck yielding a sharp knife. Her hat fell to the wooden floor rightside up. "Why shouldn't I kill you now?" He hissed through clenched teeth, "I loved you."

"But I didn't love you. Not like that. You were like a brother. My own brother's best friend. But your brother chose the wrong side my dear Johnny," She held her head down and whispered, "I don't want to hurt you... unless I have to."

Johnny Ringo released Charlie, and just as he did she relaxed her self. Once this happened he claimed his grasp on her once more. Apparently, he made up his mind. "You gotta do what you've gotta do... But my brother!.. You're goin' get what was coming to you," He was breathing heavily while Charlie stared at him, "You and that lunger.. I see how he looks at you! And I've got someone very close to him, who happens to feel the same way...as I do." He grinned sheepishly.

It's official, he's gone psycho, Charlie thought. At the same time a very beautiful lady walked into the room, and spoke, "Hello, Charlotte," Her Hungarian accent thick, "I'm Kate, and that's all you need to know." She looked at Ringo with a fire in her eye. "I want to do it."

Ringo stood where he was not relinquishing his grasp on Charlie. "No. Let me... play with her for a while. You know how I feel about her..." All of a sudden he felt a blow under his chin while he was looking at Kate. He fell to the floor and rubbed in the area he was hit, by Charlie. "Bitch..." he muttered. "Kill her!"

Kate hesitated realizing she forgot her weapon. "Uhh..."

"You forgot a gun? Stinkin' prostitute! So Stupid and idiotic..." Johnny mummbled the rest of it and tried to get up from the floor. Meanwhile, Charlie took her knife from her belt and held it forward, and kicked Ringo so hard in the head he fell unconscious.

Kate looked terrified. Charlie rushed forward and elbowed her in the face and drawing the knife across at the same time. Blood oozed from the cut that had just been implanted on her cheek and from the tip of her nose. Kate rose her hands to her face and at the same moment had been punched in the stomach. She fell to the floor gasping from the recent blow to her stomach, and blood dripped to the floor. Her hand went to her nose and realized her nose may have been broken, blood was pouring.

Charlie ran to the door trying to open it, and fumbled with the knob. She was too shaken, not that she was hurt or scared, just because of the sudden shock and her hurry to get out of there. She just couldn't get it open. So she ran over Kate and Ringo to the window. She pushed back the drapes to either side and drew the window up as far as she could. She took hold of the window sill and stuck her head out the window, judging the height. She decided to take a risk and hung her legs out the window, being three stories up, and flung herself to the ground.

She hit the ground on her side after trying her hardest not to land on her feet or have her hands land down first from stopping her. She couldn't risk getting her wrists broken. She was breathing hard and all the while smiling. That really got her blood pumping. She stood up, looked up at her window and soon figured out she was in an alley way.

Charlie brought her right hand to her left arm, began massaging it to ease the pain and started walking. This is so going to bruise later she mused. She ran her fingers through her auburn hair. It was messy all over again. But she quickly tried to straighten it out to make it more... presentable. so she kept walking down the street, and finally decided to go and buy herself a stud abd get the hell out of dodge.

"Hey!" Charlie was pulled abruptly from her thoughts. She turned around to see a very red Ike, gun drawed.

Ike cocked his gun and Charlie drew and cocked hers just as quickly. "Now, now Ike. Don't bite off more than you can chew. Aren't you bein' a bit biggity, what makes you think you can beat me?" She teased him.

"Well, aren't you a sweet talking thing? Yea' I reckon so." You could hear the fear in his voice."But I'm gonna hurt you so bad, gonna get my money back, that you definitely don't deserve, you and that lunger and them lawdogs are gonna get it so bad, get what you deserve, get what you deserve alright-"

"Don't let your mouth overload your tail, I got what you're saying. Just cut the crap and let's do this thing, hm? What do you say? Or are you just gonna sit there like a bump on a log?" Charlie grinned with her gun still pointed at Ike squarely.

"W-wh -y...why y-you, I-I'm g-gonna..." Ike began but was cut off by Charlie.

"Gonna stop stutterin' any time soon?" She wagged her gun at him, her patience being short.

Ike was now sweating, dripsod perspiration rolling down from the tip of his hairline. He was shaking. He lowered his gun, perhaps thinking twice of what he was about to do. Then, there was a look on his face, like he just found the strength. He then again raised his gun, pistol already being cocked and pulled the trigger...