Scene 7
"You wretched piece of tribal filth!" Carter screamed as he hurled the guide by her collar to the floor. "You think you can draw blood from me, you shit?"
"Carter, what the hell is going on here?" Kees stepped on deck, his cane clicking on its surface as he rapidly made his way to intervene.
"The bitch is gonna pay! That's whats happening, Kees."
He began beating her, furiously, his fists drawing blood where he pommelled her beautiful face.
"Stop him," Kees called to the other Cazadors who were clustered anxiously around the scene. They hesitated, eyes darting from Carter to Kees. Vyatch made a point of shoving his gun further into his holster.
"Did you fucking hear me?" Kees seethed. "Fucking stop this madness now."
However the group of mercs were obviously split on whether to do as Kees instructed or whether to stick with Carter. Katherine turned to one side and muttered, "Fuck's sake…" as the guide wailed.
"That guide is of the utmost importance to this expedition," Kees informed, drawing a steadying intake of breath to calm himself. "Harming her unnecessarily is detrimental to our objectives. So will you lower your fists, you goddamned philistine!"
Carter turned.
"Or what are you gonna do, Kees?" He rested his hand on the handle of his revolver as he stepped towards Kees. "My men aren't stupid enough to turn on me. You may be the one dishing out the coin at the end of this trip, but I ain't smelled none of it yet and as far as I'm concerned that means I'm not yours to give orders to."
"You know the terms of your contract with Oswald, Carter."
Carter cackled. "You're the only son of a bitch who'd draw a piece of paper at a gunfight, Kees. Did you hear me? My men do as I say. I will shoot and kill anything that stands in our way but that don't make you my boss, Kees."
Carter pulled up to Kees and overshadowed him with menace. Kees could smell the tobacco that the vicious son of a bitch had been chewing on moments before. There was blood dribbling down Carter's chin from a gash on his lip.
Kees tried a different tack. "What do you want, Carter? You want to kill our best chance of survival on this expedition?"
"I want to hurt her, like she hurt me…"
"The hell she do to you, Carter?" It was Lawman. He strutted up to them, the mist swirling around his silhouette as the lone flash of a lit cigarette illuminated his face.
"She bit my lip."
"She must have been real hungry." Lawman's voice was low and deadly despite the beguiling wit.
Carter sneered. "You must be angry, Lawman. Seeing as I got there first."
"You got where first?"
"All the bases."
Lawman said nothing, but his face turned white with cold anger as he seized his cigarette in his fist and crunched it up, scarcely feeling it burn his palm. He dropped it, smouldering, to the deck.
"Draw, you sick twisted animal."
"Lawman, step back. That's an order," Kees intervened, stepping between the two gunslingers.
"What did you fuckin' say to me?" Carter hissed.
"You know what I said," Lawman seethed. "It's what will be written on your gravestone."
"Lawman!" Kees barked. "I require you both to stop this now. Carter, stand down!"
Carter just shoved Kees out of the way however. There was nothing between Carter and Lawman now.
They both drew. A single shot resounded through the night.
There was blood everywhere.