Stump and Chorizo looked over to Kinski, who stared down into his lap. His jacks clinked in his furry hands. His dishevelled hair ruffled a bit in the warm breeze, but still hid his face. Stump and Chorizo exchanged sad glances. Stump turned his head back to Kinski. He opened his mouth, but then closed it. The two decided to not talk to him, leave him to his thoughts.
Kaliah felt tears come down her face as she thought of Banshee, slowly dying. She lifted her head to Kinski, who sat next to her. She could sense his sadness, his pains. She sniffed the air. She was hesitant at first, but then nudged his shoulder with her head. Kinski turned his head to Kaliah. She blinked blindly up at him. Kinski stared back.
Silently, Kaliah moved her head and rested it on his lap. Over his hands and jacks. Kinski's eyebrows lifted at Kaliah, not sure what the bat was doing. Kaliah moved her head a bit, trying to get into a comfortable position. Kinski tensed up, but then relaxed. He remembered when Banshee told him she could understand the bat, and how she always hung out with her. Kinski slowly moved his left hand from under Kaliah's head. Hesitant, his furry hand gradually lowered on top of Kaliah's head. He ran his fingers over her fur, petting her. Kaliah smiled a small smile.
Kinski felt somewhat comforted as he ran his fingers over Kaliah's head. His heart that sat in his stomach lifted a bit. The wagon slowed to a stop as it reached the Abandoned Mines. Bill jumped off. Stump and Chorizo made their way around Kaliah's huge body and jumped off the wagon. Their eyes widened when they noticed Kaliah's head resting on Kinski's lap.
Before Stump and Chorizo could say anything, Bill came around. "Git that bat off the wagon and git to work!" he snapped. Kaliah's head lifted. Kinski's head was still down, and had his hand on her head. Stump and Chorizo helped Kaliah down. Kinski didn't move from his spot. Bill grabbed the hunchback jackrabbit by one of his droopy ears and pulled him off. Kinski yelped in pain as he crashed to the ground. "Get up and go get those boxes out here!" he yelled to Kinski. Bill walked off. Kinski narrowed his eyes. He got up and wiped the dirt off the front of his longsleeve shirt.
Kinski turned his head where they left Banshee. His dirty pink nose twitched. A cool breeze ruffled his light colored fur. He noticed something riding across the way. Dust picked up as it ran across the horizon. Kinski blew some strands of hair out of his face. He squinted a bit, trying to make out what it was. His eyes widened.
It's Rango's posse! They were on roadrunners. They were going to save Banshee! Kinski's heart lifted from his stomach. A small smile formed on his face. The posse will help her…but then, Kinski felt his stomach twist. What if it was too late? What if she's already dead? Kinski pulled out his jacks again and fumbled with them.
Meanwhile…
I twitched on the dirt ground, curled up in a ball. A pool of blood started to form around me. The bullet sunk deeper and deeper into my gut. I whimpered in agony as I tried prying the bullet out, but it was no use. I was going to die a slow, suffering death. I thought of all the citizens in the town of Dirt. I was given a mission to save the town that cared so much for me, and I'll never be able to repay them.
I closed my eyes. An imaginary battle played through my mind. Rango's posse was captured. Rango was being shot down by a gang. Everywhere, outlaws rode through the town with their guns raised high over their heads, chasing citizens. Bill stands at the entrance of the town with his henchmen, laughing hysterically at the bloodshed. My mind goes black for a minute, till it pulls up an image of Kinski. My eyes opened again as more tears trickled down my face at the thought of him. I cried. I cried for the citizens. I cried for Rango. I cried for Kaliah. I cried for Kinski. More blood spilled out. The bullet felt like it was twisting inside of me. I groaned.
Suddenly my ears perked up. Something was coming. I lifted my head. Waffles, Doc, and Wounded Bird stopped their roadrunners and came running up to me. "Banshee! Are you ok?" asked Doc as he went down on his knees and examined my wound. "Banshee! I'm so happy to see you again!" said Waffles excitedly and hugged me Doc gently pushed the horned lizard back. "Stand back, she's wounded," he said. Doc opened his black doctor's bag. He pulled out a couple instruments and placed them on the ground next to him.
Wounded Bird handed me a jug of water, which I instantly gulped down. Doc pulled out his own jug of water and poured the water over my wound. I screamed and thrashed in pain. Doc moved out of the way in time from my sonic screech. When I was done, he went right back to work. "Here, bite down on this," Doc said as he gave me a chunk of wood.
Wounded Bird and Waffles watched Doc as he used the tools to take out the bullet. My screams were muffled by the chunk of wood I had in my mouth, but it helped. My teeth bit down hard as the bullet was carefully scraped out. When the one eared rabbit was done, he placed medicine over my wound and wrapped fresh white bandages around my stomach. "Now, take it easy, ok?" he asked me. I nodded. Waffles helped me up. I spat the piece of wood from my mouth.
"H-how did you g-guys know I was h-here?" I asked them, wiping my mouth with the back of my wing. I was also very happy to see them. "Priscilla and Ricochet saw you get attacked by Kinski, Chorizo, and Stump," said Wounded Bird. "They instantly thought that they followed you to the town," said Doc. "They must've heard you confess, must've heard you confess!" repeated Waffles excitedly. "They instantly told Rango, and he told us to go and save you," said Doc. I smiled weakly up to them. "Thank you," I said. The three men helped me up on a roadrunner and we all started heading back to town.
At the Abandoned Mines…
"Come on you bloats! Move it!" screamed Bill as he watched his gang carry the boxes of weapons out. Stump pulled Kaliah along by a rope tied around her neck. Two boxes of crates were tied to her back. "Sorry boss, the bat wont cooperate, and she's hurt," said the stumpy jackrabbit. "I don't care! Git going!" Bill yelled. Stump lowered his head and pulled Kaliah along. Kinski and Chorizo came out after them. Kinski carried two heavy boxes. He placed them down on the ground and groaned.
"How do you know if they're coming?" he asked. Chorizo placed his box down next to Kinski and sat on top if it. "Si, boss, what if they-" "Shut it!" roared Bill. The two outlaws flinched. "They're coming!" yelled Bill. As if on cue, the sound of a hundred stampeding roadrunners was heard behind Bill. Bill smirked at his wide eyed gang. He turned around and was face to face with an army of outlaws. "Ah, perfect timing," said Bill.
The outlaws sneered. "Where's the money, Bill?" asked an outlaw. Bill slid a box over to the outlaws and pried it open. "Right here, Gerome, just as I promised." Bill grinned to Gerome. Gerome, a black rat, revealed his sharp yellow teeth. Bill lifted the lid. The sea of outlaws stared down at the rolls of money. Bill closed the box. "But first, you must help me take over Dirt," he said. A couple members of a certain gang snickered. "I don't work like that, Bill. You pay me the money first… and then I'll work for you," said an outlaw, who was the leader of that certain group. He was a dark brown colored lizard, who wore a black coat and black hat.
Bill snorted. "I wasn't born yesterday, Hector, I know how you guys are," he said. Hector narrowed his eyes when the other gangs laughed. Bill smirked, "How about this, I'll have one of my gang members watch over the money." The outlaws stopped laughing. Hector got off of his roadrunner. His gang followed suit.
Hector snarled. "I wasn't born yesterday either, William. Let's leave the money with someone whom we could all trust? Yes?" asked Hector as he turned around to face everyone else. Everyone grunted in agreement. Bill bared his teeth. "Fine, who do you reckon we choose?" the Gila Monster asked. Hector rubbed his chin, thinking.
"How about Loyal? One of Blade's men?" offered Hector. Everyone turned to the mouse named Blade. Blade turned his head to his men behind him and snapped his fingers. With that, Loyal came out from the crowd of men. He was a light colored dog. He was short and wore a vest and a pair of dirty blue jeans. His gun sat snugly in its' holster as he came up to Bill. Bill shot Hector a silent glare before jerking his head over to his gang. "Git those boxes of money over there," ordered Bill. Kinski, Chorizo, Stump and Kaliah moved all the boxes that were filled with money over to where Bill wanted them. He turned back to Loyal.
"You stay here with those boxes and guard them, when the plan has been accomplished, you can go home with your share of the money, and that goes for everyone else," he said, looking up to all the other outlaws. The outlaws laughed as they raised their guns and shot a few rounds into the air. Bill grinned. When the army settled down, he pulled out another box. He pried it open. "And if you gents feel a bit light on weapons, I have enough to fill a chasm," said Bill. The outlaws eyes widened. Hector crossed his arms over his chest and gave Bill a look. "How bad do you want this little town?" he asked. Bill's evil grin widened, "very bad," he said.
Armed and ready, the army of outlaws headed toward the town of Dirt. "Don't kill the citizens, and if you see the sheriff, bring him to me alive, I want to kill him myself," ordered Bill as he watched the gunslingers pass by him on their roadrunners. Two outlaws exchanged confused glances, then shrugged and left the abandoned mines. Each gang with half the amount of weapons Bill offered to them, were strapped down to their waists and roadrunners.
Seconds later, Kinski, Chorizo, and Stump came up to their leader and stood next to him. They watched the army till they were out of their sight. "Do you think the plan will work?" asked Stump Bill nodded. "Yes, it will work,," he said.
Meanwhile…
I wrapped my wings around my bandaged stomach. Doc and I shared a roadrunner as we made out way back to the town. Waffles looked over to me. "Are you all right, Miss Banshee?" he asked. I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," I lied. Wounded Bird gave me a look. His roadrunner made its way over to us and rode alongside Doc's roadrunner. He pulled out something from his dark colored Poncho and handed it to me.
"Eat," he said. I accepted the strange looking piece of food. "What is it?" I asked him. He pointed to the food. "Eat, help with pains," he said again. I blinked and shifted my eyes back to the piece of food. I shrugged and popped it into my mouth. I felt my eyes water and my throat close up. I choked and stuck my tongue out. "Ugh!" I said trying to spit it all out.
"No. Don't spit out. Eat," commanded Wounded Bird in his somber voice. I closed my mouth. My tongue instinctively pushed it forward, but I swallowed it down. My tongue lolled out of my mouth in disgust. The pains in my stomach lessened. I took a deep breath and exhaled. My mouth tasted like rotten apples. Waffles gave me a smile and handed me his jug of water. I accepted it and washed the taste out of my mouth.
"What was it like? Bein' with those gunslingers?" asked Doc. I sighed. "Horrible. Everyone hates you, you are close to death, and the only thing you can trust is your own gun," I said, biting my lower lip. Being an outlaw was tough. I was glad I didn't have to pretend to be one anymore. "We're sorry you had to be the one to join their gang," said Doc.
"Bill didn't know you," said Wounded Bird. Waffles smiled, "You were the only one!" he said happily. I nodded. "I know, but you guys have been so nice to me. You helped me start over, you have given me a name, and a home. I owe you guys my life," I said. The three men smiled.
We all turned our heads toward the town and gasped. My heart stopped. Oh no! I screamed in my head. A hundred outlaws were seen riding their roadrunners right into the town. "The army," gasped Doc. Waffles started to panic. "The army! They're in the town! They're in the town!" he shouted. Wounded Bird calmed the short horned lizard down. "Don't scream, take deep breath," Wounded Bird instructed. Waffles obeyed and took a deep breath, and exhaled, slowing his breathing.
I stared at the town. My ears twitched at the faint sounds of screams and gunshots. The town was under attack. I narrowed my eyes. "We have to help them," I said, baring my teeth. My fangs jutted out. Wounded Bird, Waffles and Doc's eyes widened at me. "W-what?" asked Doc. I growled a low growl. My ears went back. "We're going to end this," I said through gritted teeth.
At the town of Dirt…
The army of outlaws silently got off their roadrunners and scattered. Surrounding the town. Hector's men made their way along the back left side. Being cautious to not wake the sleeping citizens. "Why do you think Bill wants this stupid little town? It's small, the citizens are pathetic, and the bank has barely any money in it," said one of Hector's gang members. Hector sneered.
"He probably just wants something to gain control over, and this is the easiest town to take over," guessed Hector. The gang made their way around a building and "Then why does he have all of us do it?" asked a voice behind Hector and his gang. Hector turned his head. "Sneakin' up on us, Gerome ? Not a good idea," he teased.
Gerome smirked as he came up to Hector with his men tagging along behind him. "Why do you think he is making all of us do his dirty work? Why doesn't he get his men to do it?" asked Gerome again. Hector shrugged, "Dunno…but I know one thing," said Hector. Gerome turned his head. "What?" he asked.
"He was smart enough to get all of us to go against each other, for the money," said Hector. Suddenly, Hector's men whipped out their guns and fired at Gerome and his men. The gunslingers didn't have time to react as they were shot down. Gerome collapsed to the ground. His men faltered before collapsing with their leader. A pool of blood formed around the group.
Hector grinned mischievously. Just then an outlaw came up to the bodies. He gasped in horror. "What happened?" he asked Hector. Without answering, Hector lifted his hand. Instantly, his men fired at the outlaw. He collapsed on top of the other outlaws. From the sounds of the gunshots, all the citizens woke up and came out of their homes. The scattered out gangs made their move. They ran out onto main street and attacked the citizens. Rounding up as many as they could capture. The citizens screamed as they bolted in all directions, trying to escape the outlaws, but were instantly lassoed and tied down. "Put down yer weapons and no one gets hurt!" yelled Blade. A couple citizens dropped their weapons.
Just then, Rango, Beans, Spoons, Elgin, Mr. Furgus, Buford, Sergeant Turley, and Ambrose came running out of the jail/sheriff's office, each with a rifle in their arms. They fired as many bullets as they could. Twelve outlaws collapsed to the ground, but fifteen outlaws took their place with their weapons held high over their heads. Ambrose fired a couple more times till his rifle ran out of bullets.
"There's too many of them!" he shouted over the loud gun fires. "Retreat!" yelled Rango when his gun ran out of bullets. His posse didn't hesitate as they turned around and bolted down the street. Instantly, a whole crowd of outlaws blocked their way with their weapons aimed right at their faces. Rango and the others stopped dead in their tracks. They dropped their weapons and raised their hands over their heads nervously. "Git the sheriff!" snarled Blade, pointing to Rango. His gang obeyed and lassoed Rango down. One of Blades men jumped off and shoved the sheriff face down into the ground. Beans gasped and moved over to him. Bang! A bullet nearly grazed Beans' cheek. She screamed and looked up. Her eyes met Blade's gun. Blade growled. "Git back with the others!" he roared. Beans looked over to Rango before moving back to the posse.
Within minutes the whole town was being held hostage. Each gang stood in a different part of the town with a certain number of citizens. "Shut that brat up!" yelled an outlaw to the Rodent family. Mrs. Rodent tried to quiet down her little Petunia. Petunia cried and screamed in fear. Gunshots rang throughout the town, shutting up every group of citizens. "Is that all of them?" called a gunslinger to all the others. The outlaws looked around.
Just then, Hector turned his head to the sound of scuffling feet. He noticed a citizen running down the street. Behind him was an outlaw. Hector turned to one of his men. "Rye," he said the man's name. He silently jerked his head. Instantly, the man, named Rye ducked his head and made his way around the buildings, down the street after the two men.
The outlaw caught the man and shoved him up against the side of a building, away from the other gangs. He pulled out his gun and brought it close to the citizen's face. "Thought you could escape? you pathetic ass!" snarled the gunslinger. The citizen froze in terror. His eyes widened, but then flickered to behind the outlaw.Rye appeared behind the outlaw. He put a finger to his lips, silently telling the scared citizen to be quiet. With that, he raised his gun and fired. The outlaw dropped dead. The citizen moved away from the dead outlaw and sighed with relief.
"Oh, thank y-" "Shut it!" snapped Rye as he grabbed the man's wrist. "If anyone askes, you shot him," said Rye, pointing to the dead outlaw on the ground. The man didnt answer. Rye sneered and dragged him down the street, back to Hector. He shoved the man down with the other citizens. Hector grinned. "The money is as good as ours," he said in a low voice to his men.