By the time Maddie and Jack got back to El Presidio, it was nearly dawn. Their horses were dripping with sweat and their sides heaved with exertion as they pulled their mounts to a stop before the perimeter fence. The soldiers stationed there held up their hands and beckoned them to come no further.
"¡Detener!" one of the men shouted. "¿Dónde estabas tú? ¿Dónde ir?" He glared up at them with suspicion.
"¡Ellos han traicionado a nosotros!" the other soldier proclaimed and went for his pistol. "¡Ellos son espías de la Phantasma!"
"¡No somos espías!" Maddie proclaimed. "Venimos con información acerca de La Phantasma. Estábamos espiando a ella. Ahora, bajar su arma. Tenemos que ver al Presidente."
The soldiers exchanged dubious looks. "¿Cómo podemos confiar en usted?" the first one asked.
Maddie sighed with irritation. "¡Paso de lado, idiota! Este es un asunto del Presidente."
After another moment of deliberation, the soldiers stepped aside. "Muy bien," the first soldier said. He motioned them to ride forward through the make-shift gate and onto the main gates of El Presidio. "Proceder."
"Gracias," Maddie said, inclining her head in appreciation. She nudged Gypsy's sweat-soaked sides; her tired mount walked forward. Jack urged Sundance to follow as the gates opened. Once inside, they unsaddled their horses, fed and watered them, then went in search of the President.
He found them before they were not even ten feet away from their horses. The bounty hunters flinched and halted the second they laid eyes on Reyes, who was marching straight towards them with his generals following right at his heels like a pack of obedient dogs. The outrage that enveloped the President seeped into Jack and Maddie as he approached.
"¡TRAIDORES! ¡ESPÍAS!" Reyes roared as he stopped in front of them. Since his injured arm was held in a sling, he pointed harshly at the two with the other, his finger inches from their faces, as he spat, "HOW DARE YOU LEAVE THIS FORTRESS WITHOUT MY PERMISSION! YOU MET WITH LA PHANTASMA, DIDN'T YOU?!" Abreast of him, his generals rested their hands on the butts of their firearms, ready to shoot if need be.
Maddie was the first to retaliate. Before Jack could hold her back, she boldly stepped forward and shouted, "¡No somos traidores o espías! We are bounty hunters! We're just doing our jobs!"
"You left without my permission! You're conspiring against me!"
"Like hell we are!" Maddie retorted. "We've been spying on La Phantasma, not you, you idiot! We left last night without your permission because we knew you wouldn't let us go anyways, and we knew you wouldn't go spying on her yourself! You're marching into this battle unprepared! It doesn't matter how many men you have over her; you need to go into a fight with a plan, Reyes, not just your ego!"
"¡SILENCIO!" he screamed. "I AM THE PRESIDENT, AND I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I'M DOING! I WILL ATTACK HER TOMORROW WITH ALL THE FORCE OF MY ARMY, AND I WILL DESTROY HER!" He pointed once more at her and her husband and added, "AND YOU WILL FIGHT ALONGSIDE MY ARMY!"
Livid, Jack stepped forward and glared at the President with a countenance that could make a rattlesnake quiver with fear. "We're not a part of your army, Reyes," he boldly declared, looking him firmly in the eyes. "Like my wife said, we are bounty hunters, and we'll do as we damn well please. So go ahead and storm that place; kill as many soldiers as you want, yours and La Phantasma's alike." He pointed harshly at him and spat, "All that blood is on your hands." He gestured back to Maddie and himself. "We will not be a part of that massacre. We have one job, and that's to stop La Phantasma by any means necessary. ¿Comprende, amigo?"
Reyes mouth twitched and contorted into a hideous scowl. He shoved his face into Jack's and hissed, "So long as you're in my country, you will be under my orders and do as I say. I am the President!"
Maddie began to shake with outrage; she knew there was no reasoning with such an egotistic man. Throwing Reyes a nasty glare, she turned on her heel and stormed off. Jack followed her after lingering for a second to glare back at the President.
The second they retired to their room, Maddie began to pace furiously in front of the bed. Jack stood by the door, glaring down at the floor in silent contemplation. His attention was caught by his wife's sudden rant.
"That stupid fucker doesn't know what he's up against! He's so hell-bent on saving his pride and ego that he fails to realize just how large the collateral damage will be! HE'S AN IDIOT!" Not knowing what else to do with herself and her rage, she continued to pace back and forth. "Es imposible razonar con un tonto," she growled to herself. "¿Cómo puede un hombre ser tan estúpido? ¡Que el hombre y su maldito orgullo!"
"Um…Maddie?"
She paced faster and grumbled on in furious Spanish. To Jack, it all sounded like a mad jumble of words, words he couldn't and didn't want to understand.
"Darlin'?"
Her cursing rose in pitch and speed.
"Maddie!"
She stopped in mid-stride and whirled around. "What?!"
"Are you okay?"
"Does it fucking look like I'm okay?! I'M PISSED OFF! That stupid prick is leaving us with no choice, Jack! We can't not be a part of this battle—it's the only way we're gonna be able to get to La Phantasma! He has no right to claim his power over us!"
Jack approached her with open arms. Gingerly, he placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in her fiery brown eyes. "He doesn't have any power over us, darlin'. Our little stunt we pulled off last night proves that, and that pisses him off. He knows he can't boss us around—we're an asset to him, something he can't afford to lose. It's all for show; he's trying to save face in front of his people."
"That arrogant asshole can go f—"
He cut her off by raising a hand to her mouth and giving her a stern look. "Maddie, please." He gently cupped her face with both hands, still staring deeply into her eyes. "He's got no control over us, you hear me? He may be the President, but we are the Marstons. Come tomorrow, we're settlin' all of this."
Maddie calmed slightly at his words and gentle touch. She blinked twice, then asked, "So what are you saying, Jack?"
"I'm sayin' he can go ahead and think he controls us—hell, we'll even give him the satisfaction of riding alongside him into battle, but the second we get a chance, we're chasin' after the bitch ourselves. To hell with him and his psychotic plans! What matters is that we end this tomorrow, with or without the President's help."
She smiled up at him. "Sounds like a plan to me, my love." She kissed him lovingly. "You're quite the schemer, aren't you?"
He smirked. "I do what I can. Now, let's get some rest. Lord knows we're gonna need it for tomorrow."
Before the grey of dawn caressed the walls of El Presidio, Reyes' army was scampering around and within the fortress, hastily making last minute preparations. Campfires were doused after an early breakfast; guns were loaded and holstered; horses were brushed and saddled; Gatling guns and cannons were loaded into wagons. A strange silence hovered over the last great stronghold of Mexico—it choked every man, woman, and child, as they all knew it was the misleading hush of peace before the unbridled, bloody rampage of war.
At four o'clock, Jack and Maddie rose groggily out of bed. Without a word, the couple got dressed, ate a quick breakfast, drank their coffee, and prepared for battle. They loaded all their firearms and strapped them to their person; they refilled their bandoliers before shrugging them on over their dusters and tugging on their hats. Silent like the rest of the fortress, they walked out to face the day.
It was a bustling, grey world that greeted them. The citizens of Mexico huddled in the farthest corners of the fortress, trying to not get in the way of the army while the soldiers hurried about making final preparations. Troubled over the hush that fell over the people, Maddie and Jack hurried to their horses. Gypsy and Sundance stood quietly and calmly as their owners hastily saddled them up—even the horses could sense what was about to happen. As the sun slowly peered at the world in the distant horizon, the bounty hunters mounted their horses and rode them out of El Presidio.
The perimeter fence was still erect, to their surprise, and the camp that the army had made around the walls was now empty. The ground was so upturned from all the hoof and boot prints that it made it somewhat difficult for their horses to walk; the army had all but destroyed the grass in their haste to assemble outside the fence. Jack and Maddie rode their horses out of the perimeter and joined the cavalry at the head of the army's assembly—Reyes had the army set up in a sufficient way, with the cavalry riding up front, then the foot soldiers, and finally the wagons bearing the Gatling guns and ammunition. At the head of the army, Reyes sat atop his proud Andalusian stallion dressed in his finest attire; the adornment of metals shined and sparkled, making him glisten atop his proud dapple-grey charger that pranced valiantly in place.
Jack was the first to break the silence that morning. He scoffed as he glanced over the President and shook his head. "Look at that jackass."
Maddie followed his gaze and rolled her eyes at the sight of Reyes' gaudy appearance. "He's a bit overdressed for battle, don't you think?" she chortled as she looked back at her husband.
"I don't know who's worse: him or his horse. Jesus, does he think he has to stand out that much?"
Maddie snorted and sarcastically replied, "Oh, but don't you know, Jack? He's the President."
The couple shared a soft laugh as they sat atop their horses and waited for the army to move out.
Within ten minutes, Reyes ordered his army to finally start marching. Reyes lead the army at a fast walk; his steed pranced the entire time, with his rider sitting in the lavishly decorated saddle with his back straight and his chin raised, his metals jingling all the while. Behind him, the cavalry followed. The plodding of horse hooves filled the ears of the bounty hunters as they followed the gaudy President's lead. They rode towards the back of the cavalry, but even at their position, Reyes' pretentiousness shown clear and bright—he was a blinding beacon of hubris, despite the fact that his injured arm was in a sling.
By five o'clock, they reached Casa Madrugada, and within half an hour, they crossed the desert that stood between them and Torquemada. Reyes didn't bother to lead his army as discreetly as possible; instead, he led them right down the road that led to La Phantasma. It was only when he was below the imposing fortress that housed the anarquista that Reyes turned and stopped his army before the ridge that overlooked the desert, right in front of Torquemada. To the left of them, the only path that lead up to the fortress curved up and around to Torquemada. By the President's order, and carried out by his generals, the Gatling guns and cannons were unloaded from the wagons and set up along the ridge, pointing directly up at the fortress. By the time that all was in place, the sun had just begun to peak over the horizon.
A hush fell over the world. With the break of dawn came an impending swell of anxious anticipation. The soldiers shifted their weight from one foot to the other; the horses blew, tossed their heads, and pawed at the ground. Above them, Torquemada loomed, staring them all down and daring them to make the first move.
Accepting the challenge, Reyes made the first move. He spurred his horse forward, only to spin the dapple-grey around to face his army. Like before in El Presidio, he spoke to his people then in uplifting Spanish, shouting so that all could hear as he rode Hidalgo back and forth alongside the front line. He brandished his sword as he spoke, rallying his men and heightening their bravery and conviction. The soldiers stood more erect and proud in response to his speech. As he rode back to his original position, Reyes bellowed, "¡Ahora luchar conmigo, mi compañeros! ¡Destruyamos este espíritu malign con toda la fuerza de Dios mismo!" He spun Hidalgo back around and faced the ravine. Pointing his sword directly at the path leading up to their foe, he proclaimed, "¡VAYA CON DIOS Y CONQUISTAR!"
On his signal, Reyes' second-in-command shouted, "¡Primer Batallón! ¡Marcha adelante!"
In synchronized motion, the first battalion of foot soldiers marched forward and began streaming through the ravine. In perfect formation, they advanced with unrelenting resolve…until everything quickly turned to chaos and a frantic fight for survival. Out of nowhere, forty of La Phantasma's men materialized from above them on both sides of the ravine and opened fire. The battalion didn't stand much of a chance against the surprise attack, and even though they were able to smite some of the men, they weren't quick enough to save themselves from the storm of bullets that rained down from above.
Before his first battalion was completely decimated, Reyes ordered a second battalion to charge and overtake the snipers. The Gatling guns were turned and pointed up at the enemy soldiers as well, and with the combined force and firepower, the first of her men were obliterated within a matter of seconds. With the snipers wiped out, the second battalion stormed through the ravine, jumping over and skirting around their fallen comrades as they made their way up to the rocks and ruins of a settlement long since destroyed. Immediately, the men took cover as more enemy soldiers jumped out from behind the jagged stones and foundations of stone and opened fire at them, halting their advancement. For several long minutes, the two opposing forces exchanged gunfire, deafening the ears of any living creature within a ten-mile radius. The cacophony of battle was almost unbearable to Jack and Maddie as the fight raged on: pained screams of men tore through the clouds of gun smoke as they uttered one despairing sound before they fell to the ground; bullets sprayed back and forth from one battalion to the other, cutting through the gun smoke and dust that billowed all around the battle field; incoherent shouts from the soldiers were barely audible amidst the gunfire; Reyes' Gatling guns spat streams of bullets at La Phantasma's men. Blood stained the upturned grass and dirt, dotting the battle field with red puddles.
As if to exacerbate his warmongering, the President ordered a third battalion that was twice the size of the first two to charge forward. Like a tidal wave, the men flooded the ravine and overtook what was left of the opposing army. They stormed forward like an impenetrable wall, firing their weapons constantly and quickly thinning out the asesina's ranks. Hundreds of bodies littered the ground; men from both sides of the battle stained the earth with what had now grown into a river of blood. As the last of opposing men fell, Reyes' army surged onward through the ruins and rocks towards Torquemada.
Their victory was short-lived as Gatling guns appeared both at the base and at the top of Torquemada. A startling number of Reyes' men were instantly and mercilessly mowed down by the hail of bullets. Immediately, Reyes shouted a command at the men operating his Gatling guns and cannons; in the next instant, his heavy artillery was turned and pointed up at the fortress. The ground and the air quaked from the explosive, raw power as the cannons and machine guns fired off. The sound of the cannon balls crashing into the sides of the fortress and the screams of the opposing Gatling gun operators was deafening. Jagged holes quickly appeared all across Torquemada, exposing its insides to Reyes and his cavalry down below. The fortress bled profusely as the soldiers from within its monstrous belly spilled out in a frantic dash to escape certain death. With the aid of the cannons and machine guns, the rest of Reyes' men charged forward, firing wildly at what was left of La Phantasma's army. Victory was in sight, and as the fortress was quickly becoming decimated, Reyes finally ordered the cavalry to charge in and finish the fight.
Abraham spurred his dapple-grey charger; the magnificent stallion reared up before bolting forward, leading the charge. The cavalry followed their leader into battle; the thunder of hoof beats roared. Maddie and Jack urged their horses to follow; Gypsy and Sundance loped alongside their fellow equines. The cavalry crossed the plains in no time and charged through the body-littered, blood-soaked ravine and up the path leading to the rocks and remains of the settlements. Torquemada lay crippled and broken before them with soldiers from both armies slaying each other like mad men. Blood quickly soaked the horses' legs, bellies, and chests as they stumbled and trampled over the bodies of the fallen—several horses tripped and fell, causing their riders to fly out of the saddle and add to the body count as they were trampled by the cavalry.
Reyes and his cavalry were nearing Torquemada when disaster struck. Out of nowhere, the rest of La Phantasma's army materialized from behind the cavalry. They stormed up the ravine, chasing after them on horseback. Reyes and his men were unaware of them as they neared the dilapidated fortress; it was only when her cavalry began shooting his men down from behind did he turn in the saddle and look over his shoulder.
Immediately, he halted his mount. The dapple-grey tossed his head at the sudden jerk of his bit and slid to a stop before whirling back around. The rest of Reyes' men quickly stopped and turned their horses as well at the sight of their leader abruptly stopping the attack. Reyes looked over both his shoulders at his men and shouted, "¡Reformar la línea! ¡Reunión para mí, mis compañeros! ¡Reformar la línea!" Once his men were in position and had formed a line behind him, he turned back in the saddle and faced the enemy.
La Phantasma's cavalry was quickly shortening the distance between them—there was no escaping their advancement as they swiftly rode toward their opposing cavalry. To Jack and Maddie's surprise, the asesina herself was nowhere to be seen—she wasn't even leading the charge.
"Where the hell is she?!" Jack shouted over the cacophony of war that screamed all around them.
Maddie opened her mouth to respond, but she was cut off by Reyes as he pointed his sword at the charging cavalry and roared, "¡ATACAR!"
The cavalry charged forward with Reyes leading them; Maddie and Jack lingered behind and swiveled their heads around as they searched for their target. She was nowhere to be seen. Gypsy and Sundance tossed their heads and pranced in place beneath them, yearning to gallop after the other horses and join the fight. With no other choice, the bounty hunters let their horses leap forward and sprint after the cavalry. As they neared their comrades, the two cavalries converged in a clash of swords, firearms, horses, and men. The rage of war was all that could be heard for miles around as the cavalries combined: firearms sounded off, bullets pierced the hides of their chosen targets, screams of men and horse alike cut through the air as they fell to their deaths, horses whinnied and shrieked, the thunder of hoof beats shook the ground and reverberated the air, the clanging of swords rang out, the incoherent shouts and war cries of men mixed in with symphony of battle. Many men and equines were slain; more blood was spilt and drowned the ground.
It was all a blur of blood and violence for Jack and Maddie. All around them, human and horse scrambled about and fought each other in a crazed, warmongering frenzy. They didn't have to look very far to find an opposing target—La Phantasma's men were everywhere, intermixed with Reyes' men and swarming all around them like insane insects. Bullet by bullet, man by man, the bounty hunters took down their enemy, all the while trying to keep an eye out for their main target.
Amidst the cries of men and horses and the blasts of gunfire, Jack glanced over at his wife and shouted, "Do you see her anywhere?"
Maddie shook her head and, pausing to terminate the life of yet another enemy soldier, she yelled back, "No. It's like she just fuckin' disappeared!"
Jack gritted his teeth and snarled with frustration, partly because they had yet to find the main reason they were a part of this battle for, and that his pistol was out of bullets. As he started to reload, he was bombarded by two men, and were it not for Sundance's height and Maddie's quick draw and keen eye, he would've been pulled off his horse. Maddie quickly dispatched the men and reined Gypsy closer to him.
"Watch your back, damn it!"
"I am! You do the same!"
"Quick, reload! I'll cover you!"
He did as he was told as fast as he could, and by the time the magazine was full, Maddie had begun to run low on ammunition as well. They took turns covering each other whenever they'd run out of ammunition; they took great care in keeping watch over the other, even in all the chaos of war.
It was almost all for naught as they fought on—both they and their horses were becoming exhausted, and La Phantasma was nowhere to be seen…
Until…
Across the battlefield, Maddie spotted her target at last.
Through the cloud of dust and gun smoke, La Phantasma appeared like an apparition, her black robes billowing around her, and her ghostly-white stallion Muerte floating across the ground as he galloped. The anarquista swiveled her painted head to and fro; her long dark hair fanned out as she assessed how well her army were fairing against the President's while the battle raged around her. Her face grimaced; whether it was out of horror or euphoria Maddie could not tell.
"¡PHANTASMA!" Maddie roared and reined Gypsy around. She kicked her mare into a gallop, put the reins in her mouth, and reached for both pistols.
The woman's attention snapped right to her; her eyes narrowed to slits of rage.
Simultaneously, the women drew their firearms.
Nearby, Jack paused in his relentless pursuit of killing all who opposed him. He stopped Sundance as he turned in the saddle and pointed his pistol at a charging soldier. After shooting the man in the head, he paused to reload his pistol and looked back over his shoulder to shout at Maddie to cover for him, but he gasped and began to panic. He spun Sundance around in a circle as he searched for his wife.
"MADDIE!" he roared, but there was no answer.
It was only when he looked over at the ruins of Torquemada did he spot her riding Gypsy at a full gallop away from him towards the destroyed fortress. On the long, narrow stretch of path leading to it, he gasped as he spotted La Phantasma spurring Muerte forward with her pistol pointed at his wife.
Out of all the other gun shots fired around him, only three pierced through the air and caused his heart to ice over in dread. In horror, he watched his wife fall off Gypsy and tumble to the ground. La Phantasma leaned forward in the saddle, clutching her left shoulder and stomach. With little concern over Maddie's motionless body, she reined her horse around.
Adrenaline, horror, and rage blinded Jack. He jammed the full clips into the butt of his pistol, reined Sundance around, and spurred the palomino into a wild gallop towards La Phantasma, screaming, "YOU BITCH! I'LL KILL YOU!"
La Phantasma must've somehow heard him: she spun Muerte back around and met gazes with him before spurring her white stallion into a gallop, charging straight at the man who dared to challenge her. She raised her pistol and aimed for his chest. Teeth bared, rage exploding, Jack aimed his sights on her as well and started firing.
The first bullet missed her head by mere inches; the second struck her in the stomach, almost causing her to topple sideways off the saddle had she not have grabbed the saddle horn; the third tore through her right shoulder, finally throwing her off her mount and causing her to tumble to the ground. No longer under her control, Muerte veered away and continued galloping blindly on, streaking through the battle like a mad spirit.
Jack pulled Sundance to a stop as he neared the woman who had finally stopped rolling. With his gun still aimed at her, he emptied the rest of his ammunition into her body. A puddle of blood quickly seeped out of La Phantasma. With his revenge exacted, he hastily dismounted Sundance and stumbled over to where Maddie lay still and silent.
It wasn't until he stood over her that Jack realized he too had been shot. Panting, he finally felt the searing pain, now that his vengeance was fulfilled and the adrenaline subsided. His legs buckled underneath him, and he fell forward, catching himself at the last instant before his face struck the dirt. Gasping from exertion and excruciation, he looked down at himself and saw blood trickling out of his right shoulder and left bicep. He didn't care that he was hurt; all that mattered was his wife, who lay lifeless beside him.
"M-Maddie?" he croaked, his throat tightening painfully. His hand trembled as he reached over and grabbed her gently by the shoulder. Though it was excruciating now to move, he rolled her over, dreading what he would see.
Her eyes were closed. She didn't appear to be breathing, and if she was, he really couldn't tell. Blood trickled out of a single bullet wound—it was on the left side of her chest.
"No," Jack uttered. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" The tears spilled freely then as he shook her, desperately trying to wake her up. Over and over, he said her name, yet she didn't wake. When his attempts appeared futile, his voice rose in pitch and volume, until he was nearly screaming and relentlessly shaking her. His vision became blurry from the waterfall of tears. Finally, when he knew all hope had been lost, Jack hastily gathered her in his arms and cradled her to his chest, weeping heavily into her long dark hair.
The battle raged on around them, but to Jack, the fight had been lost.