Disclaimer - I don't own My Time At Sandrock. This is written for the last round of write to rank where I needed a 5-10k story of the action genre with a focus on setting, a clear protagonist and antagonist, and a plot twist. Not sure how well I pulled it off, but here it is.
Unopened Past
The blistering yellow sun heated the rusty red sands of the Eufaula desert. Any sane person without any business to attend to knew to stay inside during the noon time hours, thus leaving the sole member of the Civil Corps to make his rounds upon his horse only to discover utter silence. The heat which brought mirages of steam rising from the desert and desert oasis broke the tranquility of that utter silence as Justice made his rounds.
The hot sun beating down on Justice's black dreadlocks didn't make him any less alert. Instead, his morning started by passing the Sandrock train station on his way out of the small desert town where a slight breeze fluttered the corner of a wanted poster rather than bringing the relief of a slight breeze to cool the desert sands, reminding Justice of the reason he needed to remain alert as his horse beat a steady rhythm across the sands.
And at first, he thought it a simple mirage, a trick created by the sweltering heat of the desert.
Yet as Justice drew closer, he saw a young man lying on the ground out cold. A tug at the reins made his horse halt while Justice's eyes glanced around warily for any signs of that person, entirely prepared for that person to spring a trap on him. As he examined the young man, nothing happened, taking in the sun-blistered skin while nothing the stranger was unconscious.
There was something—
He didn't hesitate, lifting the young man, raising a canteen to the stranger's lips, getting nary a response before hosing the young man onto his horse. Justice expected to find himself bringing up the stranger to Owen—he didn't expect the wind to pick up and bring more than a cooling breeze.
Dust lay everywhere, leaving the Blue Moon Saloon in constant need of having the accumulative sands wiped away from surfaces, including the already clean drinking glasses at the saloon's bar.
Sometimes, though, Owen pretended dust lay everywhere in an attempt to give himself something to do, particularly when business was slow, and stepped outside onto the saloon's porch to greet individuals passing by the saloon, in part to present a friendly face to the tourists, but also to remain an active member of the community knowing full well nobody could survive out in the desert on their own.
" Logan tried that, and look where that got him, " Owen thought to himself as he continued wiping a glass, attempting to shake his memory of someone he once considered a friend who had let the desert sun addle his brain to the point he'd blown up one of the local buildings for some reason Logan never explained to him or Justice, as Logan went on the run after that. " Not sure I want to know the reason, to be honest, although— "
He glanced down, catching a glimpse of a letter that arrived via train, one addressed from his ma and left unopened. He'd not yet tossed the letter in with the rest of the letters to be forgotten in the same manner she'd forgotten them when she up and left Sandrock, having found life in the desert town too much to handle.
" Certain things are just better to forget, " Owen thought as he heard the familiar sound of a sandstorm starting up. He glanced up and saw the light outside the saloon doors fade, replaced by everything outside disappearing, including the light. He frowned, setting the glass in his hands on the counter. "Justice should be heading back from his rounds early," he muttered to nobody in particular.
Owen glanced down at the unopened letter, pondering whether he should go ahead and open that letter from his ma before going back to wiping the glass he might end up having to wipe again after the sandstorm, the winds bringing more than just a temperature drop. He'd finished carefully wiping the third glass with a towel when the door to the saloon opened, and he heard the familiar sound of Justice's boots.
"Howdy," Owen said, looking up with a grin.
"I need your help Owen," Justice said. "Found a stranger passed out in the desert. He's definitely in need of some first aid and some of your good old grub."
"I'll grab the kit and some takeout. The saloon can mind itself during the storm, particularly since there haven't been any tourists of late," Owen said, not hesitating in bundling up a few meat buns as he grabbed the first aid kit before following after Justice, carefully wrapping a scarf around his face so he might breathe. However, this did nothing regarding the sand stinging his eyes and skin as he followed Justice up the main street to the Civil Corps.
And there, on a bed in the jail cell, was a young man lying on a cot, starting to stir. Justice rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I've already given him some water when I found him and got him here."
"Ah," Owen said, stepping closer through the jail cell door as the stranger started stirring, except-
Owen startled before glancing at Justice, who tried smiling. "I know. I know."
Owen stepped forward, setting the kit on the edge of the bed as the young man glanced at the jail cell. Owen felt his mouth twitch. "There's a sandstorm outside. No place for you to go, kid."
Which earned him a stare. Not a glare, a stare.
He found that stare disconcerting, nor did he notice Justice stepping beside him and taking the kit from his hand, pulling out the ointment for taking care of sunburns before handing it to the young man. "You may want to put this on your face and arms. Ears as well. They're pretty badly sunburned."
The young man took the ointment, staring at the item in confusion before glancing up. "Is this the Civil Corps?"
"Yes," Owen said. " Why do you ask?"
"Why are you helping me?" the young man asked.
"Why do you think we wouldn't?" Justice asked.
"Logan," came the response.
And—
Owen couldn't stay, quickly handing the meat buns off to Justice before nodding his head. "I'll be back at the Blue Moon if you need me."
He left, letting the sand sting his skin and eyes, arriving back at the saloon and that letter. He remained there, looking at the unopened letter from his ma, infuriated with what had gone down—who he'd acted. Eventually, the storm cleared, leaving a mess in its wake.
And in that wake, Justice came in, leaning against the counter. "So?"
"So?"
"Heard from your ma lately?" Justice asked.
"Does it matter?" Owen asked. "It's the same thing every time."
"Is it?" Justice added. "Unsuur's doing fine, by the way."
Owen flinched.
"The kid, you know."
"I know."
"I've decided to take him under my wing," Justice said before asking. "You don't have a problem with that."
"Why would I?"
"Oh, I don't know."
"Logan?" Owen asked, watching Justice glance away. "It feels like he's always finding ways to ruin what's good. But I'll deal."
Click.
And a few minutes later, another click.
Another rock found its place on top of another rock which balanced on top of another block, forming a different pattern from the way they were arranged before the latest sandstorm, not that Unsuur minded having to rearrange his rock collection after every storm as he found doing so quite relaxing, and a distraction from still being a stranger in Sandrock despite so much time having passed.
"Why do you do that?"
The next rock went in the wrong direction and made the stack of rocks fall over. Unsuur turned to look at the mayor's daughter, who, for some reason, decided to visit him. "Hi."
"So," Jasmine asked, rocking back on her heels and smiling at him. "Why do you do that?"
"It's fun," Unsuur replied. "And I have to do it every time a sandstorm comes."
"But you don't have to do it every time a sandstorm comes," Jasmine replied. "And I don't see how it's fun. Can't possibly be as fun as hide and seek."
He didn't answer and instead started stacking his rocks again.
"Want to play hide and seek with me?"
"Don't recollect ever playing," he said honestly, not that there was much he could remember. However, there were vague memories of Logan he'd instead not think about, particularly those thoughts of a broken relationship and being abandoned."
"You haven't ever played?"
And then Jasmine was tugging him, forcing the Civil Corps member to follow her, as if there wasn't anything better for him to do once he finished staking his rocks. Jasmine also said far more than him, explaining the game and showing him one of the hiding spots she liked when—
He recognized the object someone took the time to hide in a sport nobody expected. He gripped the shoulders of the small girl firmly and yanked, making Jasmine let out a sound of surprise as Unsuur twisted around, putting himself between her and it—and in his mind, as the explosion went off, he knew where it came from.
"Beware the calm before the storm," Owen muttered to himself, unsure in the back of his mind why something his pa sometimes said yet never really felt applicable suddenly popped into his head. He took a deep breath before heading out to sweep the front porch of his saloon, having already surveyed that there wasn't any damage to the exterior that he would need to commission one of the builders to take on.
Life in Sandrock went on as if there were never a building bombed by one of their own, let alone a stranger joining the Civil Corps.
Owen let out a sigh, shaking his head. "Be sure to check in on how Unsuur is managing while Justice is away, particularly since this sandstorm is definitely going to delay him getting back sooner than we hoped." He shook his head, frowning as he did so. "At least Unsuur tries, but without Justice, his only direction is to follow his usual routine."
He continued sweeping off the porch when the sound of an explosion going off rattled the wooden buildings. Owen glanced up the main street, his eyes catching sight of smoke billowing up over the rooftop. He let go of the broom, letting it clatter onto the porch before dashing off, allowing the smoke to guide him to the spot.
" Logan. This is Logan's doing ," was the thought going through his head, an idea he couldn't escape. Logan, after all, blew up a building before. Owen rounded the corner, ready to help the younger member of the Civil Corps out since Justice wasn't in town, only—
He heard Jasmine, the daughter of the mayor, scream and turned the bend in the main street in time to see the person he dreaded seeing there of all places, but somehow Logan managed to get his hands on Unsuur.
" He betrayed us ," he thought, remembering how Unsuur, when Justice brought him in, brought up the fact Logan told him not to trust the Civil Corps, although he'd become a member shortly after. But then Owen mentally lectured himself. " No. That's not the case. "
There was something off about the situation.
" Who are you kidding? Of course, something's off." Owen thought to himself. " Nobody sane would want a gun pointed at their head. "
Logan stood there, arm around Unsuur's neck, partly because of the height difference and because Unsuur wasn't standing up straight, almost as if he weren't standing on his own two feet. The younger member of the Civil Corps kept his eyes closed as his fingers grasped at Logan's arm, attempting to pull it away. Logan glanced down, speaking with a slight hum to his voice. "Now, now, Unsuur. Be a good hostage so that I can get away."
Owen sucked in his breath, angry at Logan for his insanity; having taken advantage of the sandstorm, even the Civil Corps members tended not to venture out for their rounds.
"By the way, nice to see you again, Owen," Logan said as Owen imagined his former friend smiling behind that mask. "You don't mind me taking my leave? With my hostage, do you? Or would you like me to make a bigger mess than I already have, right here, right now?"
"And how are you going to escape?" Owen asked.
"Simple," Logan said before letting out a whistle which resulted in a horse—Logan's-running down one of the nearby offshoots of the main street, hurrying past him and getting between him and Logan.
And in a flash, Logan was on his horse, but before Owen could react, Logan made Unsuur get onto the horse before swinging up behind the younger member of the Civil Corps, not caring about the injuries Unsuur sustained to his back from the explosion that Logan set up, but the entire time Logan kept his horse and Unsuur between him and Owen, until he was finally on his horse and reined his horse in a circle as if to mock Owen knowing full well Owen wouldn't shoot if there were a chance of either the horse or Unsuur getting hurt.
"Do give me a good head start, Owen. No telling what I might do to Unsuur here, particularly since he's pretty much useless baggage outside of being a hostage, injured as he is," Logan said. "Ta-tah."
And then Logan was off, taking off out of town and heading for the bridge that spanned the canon while Owen glared at the retreating bandit.
A soft tug at one of his fingers made Owen look down, remembering the mayor's daughter was there, that he'd heard her scream. She frowned at him. "Mr. Justice isn't here, so will you bring Mr. Unsuur back safe?"
Owen let the corner of his mouth twist up. "I'll do what I can, Jasmine."
He didn't tell her he wasn't sure what he could do, given he wasn't trained like Justice.
"You know, it might have been easier for you had you just gone along with our plans in the first place," Logan muttered into his ear.
Not that Unsuur remembered what those plans were beyond the fact he'd objected to them, which was how he'd found himself dumped in the desert with a head injury while the sun left him with nasty sunburns.
"You might not have ended up injured as you are."
" Not that you care, " Unsuur thought to himself. " And to think I once thought you did. "
It was that thing he didn't talk about to anyone in town, although it wasn't simply a matter of formally being a member of Logan's gang. There was that definite feeling of there being something more to his and Logan's relationship, something he was missing in that amnesia-addled brain of his. Yet, there was no use worrying about what that might be when he found himself stuck being Logan's hostage.
And his back stung. The explosion had hit him full force as he shielded Jasmine from it. With every beat of the horse's gallop, the pain in his backside was driven home hard, just as he had his back pressed up against Logan's front side as the man cared more about having a hostage rather than the discomfort touching his back might bring about.
His vision blurred in and out, and his mind could not focus because of the pain, but eventually, they stopped. Logan dismounted, letting Unsuur fall unceremoniously from the horse, causing more injury, albeit thankfully not another head injury. Logan didn't give him time to move, let alone get an idea of where he was, instead choosing to yank him up by the arm and haul him into a nearby cave.
He heard someone come forward. "Where have you," the voice said, starting to slow his speech, "been Logan." And then, "What's he doing here?"
"I needed a hostage."
Silence, and then, "He's injured."
"And?"
"Unsuur used to be one of us."
"If you want to patch him up, Haru, have at it," Logan said, pushing Unsuur forward, so he stumbled onto what felt like a makeshift bed. He didn't attempt turning over onto his back, partly because of the injury but also because he didn't want to look Logan in the eye. And so he lay there, propping himself up on his elbows, unsure of everything going on around him.
Yet, there was one thing he knew: Logan wasn't someone to mess around with.
" In Sandrock, you become used to losing things ," Owen thought to himself as he followed Logan's trail through the desert.
He remembered quite well how Logan took off with the young member of the Civil Corps, almost as if Logan was waiting for Justice to be out of town to make his move, although that didn't much make sense.
" Nothing Logan does makes sense. This is his second bomb for no reason, " Owen thought.
His fingers tightly gripped the reins of Unsuur's horse which he'd taken the time to grab from the stable near the Civil Corps after speaking with Jasmine, who'd said with great gusto, " He grabbed me, then boom! Then that guy from those posters showed up and grabbed Mr. Unsuur, and you showed up, Mr. Owen. "
Which wasn't much to go on as others started gathering—they'd already started to gather after hearing the explosion go off. Yet, Owen hadn't noticed, as his focus was on getting to the scene to see if anybody was hurt, followed by his focus on Unsuur being held, hostage. When Logan was out of view, he grabbed the horse and started to follow the trail, knowing that this would be the only way to find the young deputy.
"He's really done it this time, hasn't he?"
Owen glanced up, seeing Cooper—the owner of the Wandering Y towering above him on his horse. He frowned. "Shouldn't you be keeping Elsie out of this, Cooper?"
"That's why it took me so long to catch up with ya, Owen," Cooper said firmly, tipping his hat. "Had to tie me, girl, down and have Mabel keep an eye on her, so she doesn't get into any trouble. Goodness knows having to rescue one person is bad enough as it is."
Owen nodded his head, turning his head to look at the trail.
"And what about you?" Cooper said that as Owen continued following the trail, he had to stop repeatedly to check he was still on the right track.
He swung himself up onto Unsuur's horse. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, first you lose your ma, then your pa," Cooper said as he urged his horse forward so that he might follow after him. "You know as well as I how hard life can be out here."
Owen clicked the reins, urging the horse into a steady rhythm as the desert sands churned under its feet. "That's life."
"And I think you know what I really mean," Cooper said, cutting his words off rather than going into his usual long-winded banter, for when the man got serious—he got serious. "Plus, if you run into Logan, don't you think you'll need an old varmint like myself?"
"I won't argue that," Owen said, continuing to urge the horse forward, stopping every so often to check the trail, thus catching the few times it managed to turn on him until they came to a rocky place where there were likely cave dwellings He dismounted the horse and Cooper quickly followed suit.
"Best be careful, bucko," Cooper said, creeping close and lowering his hat so he could see the rock face better under the beating sun. "If he laid a trap in town, he's likely laid one out here."
"I'm well aware of that," Owen said, urging the horse into a hiding place and tying it off so that it wouldn't run off. "This is Logan we're talking about, so it's best to be prepared for anything, but we very well can't leave Unsuur."
"No," Cooper said. "Justice would skin our hides either way. Hard to believe that boy used to be such a crybaby when he was younger, our sheriff. And too bad he's not here."
"Would this even have happened had Justice been here?" Owen asked, speaking low as he followed the edge of the rock, looking for any place Logan and his crew might be hiding while hoping he'd not bit off more than he could chew.
"If you're thinking Logan has the sense to wait until he'd left town," Cooper said from nearby, speaking slightly louder, though not loud enough, just anybody could hear him. "The kid's brains obviously became addled with the sun, so there is no sense in thinking anything that goes through that head of his makes sense."
" And there's yet another person I lost, " Owen thought to himself as he crept forward. " It's easy to blame it all on Logan, but he wasn't to blame for ma leaving. That's just the way of the desert, cruel as it is. "
That was when he heard voices coming from inside a cave.
"Seriously, how do you always get into messes like this?"
Unsuur couldn't see the other person, not that he cared.
Less was more.
There was also the realization that Logan hadn't yet taken his gun, not that he'd have been able to do much with it, given how difficult it was to move with whatever was going on with his backside. However, he did imagine turning over and pointing the gun at the person in the back of his head despite common sense somehow telling him that this wouldn't be a good idea.
"Are you really going to give me the silent treatment, Unsuur?"
The person was closer, although he couldn't tell where they were.
"Not that I blame you, after what I did."
"What you did?" Unsuur turned his head to look at the person, recognizing there was something familiar about their face, although he couldn't place it. "Don't you mean Logan?"
The person, who was smaller in stature than Logan, stared. "Do you remember me?"
"No," Unsuur said. "Sorry."
The person looked away. "I guess I deserve that, bringing you in as I did and not telling you to want we're up to. And now you've been caught in the crossfire." Haru paused. "That Civil Corps uniform looks ridiculous on you, by the way."
"I don't think so," Unsuur said, pushing aside the fact that he still didn't feel he belonged in Sandrock. Even Justice's best friend Owen tried to avoid him—was the worst, leaving him to talk to rocks and little girls who didn't seem to have any fear in the world. And cats named Captain, of course.
"Well, it's going to have to go."
"I don't care what you think," Unsuur said, unsure whether that was the right thing to say.
"Well, I do care what you think because I still care," Haru said. "And it's got to go because I've got to do something about your back."
"I'm fine."
"You're bloody, not fine! What is with you always coming back to me in more than one piece?"
Unsuur grimaced, then blacked out as the top of his Civil Corps uniform was torn away, although he was sure that he screamed when it happened.
"No, it's only one voice," Owen muttered as he moved closer to the cave.
"And it's certainly not Logan's voice," Cooper said from behind.
Owen turned his head, frowning. "He might not even be there, as I only see one horse by the caves, and it certainly isn't the one Logan road away from town."
"I'll give a catcall, similar to what old Captain might give off if I hear see anything," Cooper said. "But do be careful sneaking in there."
"When have I not been careful?" Owen asked.
"When," Cooper paused. "Well, I guess we could say that was Logan's fault even back then, you boys nearly burning down my barn. But the way we tell the story now is that it was just you and Justice doing the deed."
Owen sighed, rolling his eyes before sneaking forward, slowly moving across the ground so that he didn't make a sound approaching the cave, knowing he would need to be even more careful once he got in. He heard the voice continue, yet he recognized the voice as that of Haru, a member of Logan's gang that followed him everywhere, compared to the others who also followed Logan.
"There's not much I really can do, as I really don't have the first aide supplies I need out here," Haru muttered, yet as Owen got closer to the cave entrance, he wondered if Haru was speaking to Unsuur, who wasn't responding to whatever Haru was saying.
Owen continued creeping forward, his eyes taking in the makeshift camp for two people with a fire pit in the middle and the makeshift beds on the side, one of which Unsuur lay on while Haru continued bandaging Unsuur up, although given Haru saying there weren't any supplies there made him wonder whether this was a good thing or not.
"You weren't supposed to be in the crossfire for that explosion, you know."
Owen slowly came closer to them, hoping to catch Haru by surprise while wondering where Logan could have gotten to, let alone what Logan thought when he'd placed a bomb in town.
"Hell. I don't even know why Logan took one of my devices," Haru said, meaning even he didn't know what Logan was up to when it came to out-of-the-blue bombing Sandrock, nearly getting the mayor's daughter hurt, not that Owen thought Logan would care about such an outcome. He continued forward when his foot hit something, causing a ringing sound to echo through the cave.
At that moment, Haru turned on him, pulling his gun and glaring. "What are you doing here?"
Owen held up his hands. "I came for Unsuur."
"Well, Unsuur's not going anywhere."
"Unless Logan says so?" Owen asked. "He's not here right now, is he?"
"He's out getting food and other supplies. He'll be back," Haru said firmly.
"And there's me and one other outside," Owen said, stepping closer, hoping to see how Unsuur was doing."
"Don't step any closer!" Haru said, tilting his gun as if to indicate Owen should back off.
Owen didn't budge, instead looking Unsuur over and seeing the precarious bandages running around his middle with a few spots of blood already appearing. "He needs medical attention. Real medical attention."
"As if any of you folk in Sandrock would do anything for us," Haru said, still glaring at him.
And there it was, from one of the mouths of one of Logan's gang members, that Unsuur had been one of them. Owen smiled, putting on the charm as he usually did. "Wait? So are you saying Unsuur, a Civil Corps member is one of you, a gang of outlaws?"
Haru tensed, continuing to point the gun. "Unsuur hasn't ever done anything wrong. Logan kicked him out before he could." And then his eyes widened before narrowing again. "Did you do that to trick me? To out Unsuur?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Owen watched Unsuur start to stir, his eyes opening, looking right up at Haru. And then Unsuur muttered, "Not a spy?"
Haru glanced down, his hands starting to go down at what Unsuur said, only to snap up again. "No. Not going to be tricked."
"You seem," Owen tried to continue to smile. "To care, I guess? About Unssur?"
"I more than care. We're," Hary frowned. "As if you'd ever understand.
Not that Owen imagined Unsuur understanding, as from what he'd heard from Justice, was that the young man couldn't tell what was up and what was down from his time with Logan, let alone remember anything of any fundamental importance. "Look. If he doesn't get help—let me help him."
"I'm okay," Unsuur muttered, making Owen roll his eyes as Haru kept a gun on him.
"I've no reason to trust you," Haru said, making Owen think Haru had the same paranoia caused by being too much in the sun as Logan had. "Why should I?"
"Because he's got as much reason to help Unsuur out as you do," Cooper said firmly.
"He does?" Haru asked. "I don't think so."
"They're brothers," Cooper said. "And don't pretend to not know what I'm talking about, Owen. I remember your ma taking Unsuur away."
"So, can I take him back?" Owen asked.
He watched Haru slowly stand, backing away before pointing his gun at Owen, then at Haru. Quickly, Owen hurried forward, lifting Unsuur, so the younger stumbled after him. He spoke lowly. "Why are you in here and not out there?"
"Because Logan's going to get back soon, and we need to get Unsuur out of here before we're trapped," Cooper said, taking the other side so they could move faster.
"You saw him?" Owen said as they hurried up the trail to where they hid their horses.
"No. I just got a feeling in my bones," Cooper said. "And not a good one."
There was definitely—Unsuur couldn't put his finger on what he was thinking beyond the fact his back smarted.
And he heard snatches of the conversation around him, his mind attempting to make out what was happening around him
—like the fact that the other person cared, that stranger who patched up his back.
To which Owen also cared.
And Cooper was there saying something about the reason he cared.
He remembered Owen lifting him and helping him stagger away from the makeshift bedding towards the entrance of the cave, his feet not wanting to work the way he wanted them to—not to mention he was in a great deal of pain and one of Owen's arms wrapped around his backside which was in definite pain.
Cooper came to the other side and did the same thing, not that Unsuur had the energy to complain, and they continued along the path, hurrying to who knew where. Unsuur's head tilted. "Why are you helping me?"
"Because," Owen muttered, Unsuur nearly stumbling while the two other men kept him up.
Because wasn't a reason, Justice had told him as much. "You don't like me. Because of—well, Logan."
"Ah, could you two brothers just stop avoiding each other already," Cooper said. "And we don't ask questions around Sandrock. That's just the way we are. That's how we survived."
"Logan, though," Unsuur said.
"I know about your relationship, yes," Owen said. "And I don't hold it against you."
"Don't think it was with Logan, though," Unsuur muttered. "Got a weird feeling."
Owen shifted as if what Unsuur said confused him when—
"Going somewhere?"
Owen and Cooper stopped moving.
"Why don't the two of you just turn around now?" Logan asked. "Or should I say three?"
Slowly, they turned around. Owen let go of Unsuur and held up his hands. "Logan, I think there's been a misunderstanding."
"I don't think there is."
"We just want to get Unsuur help."
"And I'm not letting you go. He's mine."
"He's not yours."
"You don't think I don't know about his connection to you?" Logan said. "He kinda did spill the beans when he was with us."
"You just like messing with your former friends," Cooper said.
That was when the gun went off, and the other two pulled him behind nearby cover. Instinctively, Unsuur reached for his gun, yet found himself unable to grab onto the weapon, which meant—
It meant Logan had the upper hand.
He didn't know how he knew Logan would shoot at them, but then perhaps Cooper being there, the old coot who was rumored to be raised by yakmel, knew.
And so they hid behind a nearby rock, pulling Unsuur behind them
Owen grimaced, looking the young deputy over. His skin was clammy, the sweat on his skin not just because of the desert heat. Unsuur was in pain as he tried reaching for his gun to shoot out with Logan while Owen watched.
Another bullet shattered the rock nearby as Unsuur's fingers refused to get a grip on the gun, the upper part of his Civil Corps uniform destroyed so Hary could bandage him up. And then—
Owen reached for Unsuur's holster, knowing his fists wouldn't cut it in a gunfight. He shook his head. "Man, I hate guns."
"Oh, and I thought the reason you didn't follow Justice into the Civil Corps was that you had to run your daddy's saloon," Cooper joked at what felt like the wrong time.
Owen rolled his eyes before reaching for Unsuur's other gun and shooting around the corner, resulting in a curse from Logan. At the same time, Unsuur looked at his holsters in confusion. Owen ignored him and dived out, purposefully shooting at the rock face to not actually shoot Logan, although instinct told him to do so. And then he dropped the guns at his sides, surging forward while pulling his first back and landing a punch square into Logan's jaw.
He watched Logan fly backward and crash into the ground, losing his gun in the process.
He looked down, taking a deep breath, waiting for Logan to move, only to find he was unconscious.
"Leave."
Owen glanced up to see Haru pointing a gun at him, angry. "Fine! Fine! We're taking our own and leaving!" He slowly backed away and picked up Unsuur's guns, sliding them into his pouch. He took a deep breath, grabbing onto Unsuur again and hurrying him forward, not wanting Logan to wake up.
Cooper let out a chuckle. "You always were the toughest of the three, and now look at you."
This resulted in Cooper receiving a glare from Owen. "And I thought Logan was the worst."
"I said toughest, not the worst behaved. Justice was scared of his own shadow, and Logan didn't know how to be afraid. But now Justice isn't afraid of anything, and Logan's afraid of his own shadow. And you—you've not much changed."
Owen frowned, shaking his head. "I've changed as well."
They arrived at the horses, and Owen watched Cooper get onto his horse before boosting Unsuur up onto the back of his horse. Unsuur hadn't yet said anything to either of them, yet Cooper chose to speak at that moment. "Be sure to hold on for dear life. Owen's going to be following behind, but he doesn't want to pick up your broken body off the trail should you fall off, deputy. Got that."
Unsuur nodded, and they were off, with Owen swinging up onto his horse, glancing back briefly, wondering what would happen to Haru when Logan woke up, yet deciding he had a far more pressing issue on hand. The horses' hooves drove up the dessert sands as they hurried back to town, getting away from Logan.
And when they arrived-
Others were there to help Unsuur off the back of the horse; as Owen stepped over to Unsuur, Heidi frowned. "Get him to the Civil Corps for treatment?"
"No, my place," Owen said as the others in town helped Unsuur stagger over to Owen's place, where he gave up his own bed in the small place. First aide items were fetched, and Unsuur's back looked after, and Cooper noted that Justice should hopefully be back soon, as he had enough on his plate without doing the Civil Corps rounds.
"Although, we could ask Pen, that superhero wannabe," Cooper said.
"I'm sure he'd be more than willing," Owen said.
And for a few days, Unsuur was out of it, leaving Owen to open unopened letters from his ma, letters which were asking if he'd seen a certain someone—his younger brother that she'd taken away. It had been one of those things left unsaid that everyone knew yet acted as if they didn't, at least among those who'd been in town for some time.
" Certainly should have known ."
And Justice returned before Unsuur started sitting up on his own, to which a muttered apology came.
"Oh, don't be that way, kiddo. I mean, you got between the mayor's kid and an explosion, so I say you actually did your duty. Can't be expected for you to be on duty when you were injured in the line of duty, can we," Justice said. "And you're talking to Owen now instead of avoiding him as I suggested?"
"He knows," Owen sighed. "Cooper told him." He then looked at Justice. "Things ended well enough."
