Gunslinger

Chapter 2

Kate slowly walked toward him. "That was a test, wasn't it?"
"Come with me. I want to show you something," Rick told her as he waited for the door to open and walked through it.
Kate followed him and found herself in an abandoned building. "What are we doing here?"
"Look out there. Tell me what you see," Rick asked her. Kate stepped over to stand beside him and looked out the window.
"What am I looking at? All I see is a Chinese place, next to a dry cleaning place, and I think, next to a TV store." Kate wasn't sure just what it was.

"You don't see it?" Rick asked her.

She looked again. "No, what am I looking at?"
"The Dark Tower," he replied. "I think it's standing right there, but you don't see it, nor can you touch it. You can't get inside it. You can't even smell it. Nothing tells you it's there, but it is."

Kate looked once more and then looked up since according to him it was a mile high. But she didn't see anything. "What makes you think it's there? I mean, here?"

"Come on, it's time to leave before the door closes." Rick walked to the door, opened it, and let her go first.
Then he went to the next door and the next and the next until finally she found herself back in his cabin.
"You hungry? I can make burgers, I think," Rick said.

Kate nodded. "A greasy cheeseburger would be nice."
"Now you're talking. One greasy cheeseburger coming right up. I might have some chips if they're not stale by now." Rick removed his gun belt, put it on the table, and walked into the kitchen.
"You didn't answer my question. Why do you think it's there?" she asked him.

"Because if you get around enough, there's nowhere else it could be. The problem is that the door that leads to it could be anywhere: someone's bathroom, even someone's front door, someone's closed bedroom door. It could be in Paris, France, for all I know, or anywhere in the USA or even Russia.
"Damn it." Rick stopped trying to cook them dinner and sat down on his bed. "I'm looking for a needle in a giant-sized haystack. Hell, I could have gone through the door already, and it took me somewhere else that time."

Kate sat beside him. "You'll find it. You have to have faith."
"You don't understand. The Gunslinger before me tried all his life. And the Gunslinger before him and the one before him. …Don't listen to me. I'm a Gunslinger, and my job is to protect the Tower." He got up and moved into the kitchen to resume work on dinner.

"So this Tower is the Nexus of all Universes. What makes you think it's here?" Kate inquired. "I mean, it could be anywhere in the Universe."
"Because the Gunslinger before the last Gunslinger said it was, and Gunslingers don't lie. That leads to evil thoughts, and then you're no longer a Gunslinger."

ǂ

Kate's eyes lit up after one bite. "This is really good. Nice and juicy, and the juice even drips off my chin." She wiped her chin.
Rick was pleased. "Thank you. All complements are greatly appreciated."
"So you left me standing there as a test?" Kate questioned him.
He nodded. "Which you passed with flying colors."

"You would have left me standing there trying to think of something I could use as a reason why I'm surrounded by dead bodies?" Kate demanded. "Well, blood anyway."

All she got in return was a smile from him. Kate growled at him for that.
She pointed a finger at him and then shook it. "I'm going to get you for that," Kate warned him, and all he did was sit there and smile at her.

ǂ

Rick was sitting there cleaning his guns. He had taken them apart and was cleaning every piece.
"Why the old-fashioned weapons?" Kate asked him. "I haven't seen them since I don't know when."
He looked up at her. "They're hand-me-downs. The first Gunfighter used them. At least, I think he was the first Gunfighter. These babies are Uberti 1875 Outlaw Revolver 45 Colt (Long Colt) 7.5" Barrel 6-Round Blued Walnut, to be exact."

"1875?" Kate questioned him.
"What did you think I meant by Gunfighter, previous Gunfighter, and the previous Gunfighter?"

"I don't know. I guess I never thought about it. You've been looking for a way into this Dark Tower since 1875?" she asked him and saw the look on his face. "Of course, you have. This Tower, this Nexus of the Universe, just how long has it been around?"
"I have no idea." Rick saw the look on her face. "Well, I don't. I only know how long Gunslingers have been protecting it. But it can't be all that long. After all, a door is necessary to reach it. So when was the very first door?"

"The first recorded history of doors was in Egyptian tomb paintings 4,000 years ago. Although most ancient doors were primitive, a bronze hinge from Egypt in the eighth century B.C. has been discovered," Kate replied and saw him staring at her. "I read a lot."
"I can assure you that the Gunfighters don't go back that far," Rick told her. "Eighth century B.C.?"
Kate shrugged.

Rick had another question for her. "How many clips do you carry?"
"One, why?" Kate asked him.
He shook his head. "Not enough. You'll need more than that, and you've emptied one of them already, shooting at tree twigs."

She raised an eyebrow. "How many do you carry?"
"I carry eight changers and some loose shells," Rick answered.
"That's, that's…48 rounds and change." Kate was shocked.

"I learned early on that you can't have too many on you," he told her. "You never know when you'll need them. But I like my weapons. They have stopping power. Not just injuring them like yours, but stopping them."
"That depends on where you hit them. I put a round in his heart or his head," Kate said.
Rick eyed her. "And how many people have you shot? Not just killed but shot?"
"None, but I'm ready." Kate saw the look on his face. "I am."
"We'll see, but we need to find you some more rounds, and soon, which means more clips for you," Rick told her.

ǂ

"I don't know about you, but I need sleep. That little nap I had wasn't enough. Help yourself to half of the bed." That said, Rick took off most of his clothes. He was standing there in his boxers. "Oh, the bathroom is outside. So is the shower." Then he got into bed.
"Outside. You mean an outhouse, don't you?" She sighed. "Joy." Kate went outside and looked for it. Sure enough, it was an outhouse. She unbuckled her belt and took it off, lowered her pants and panties, and did her business.
"Gross," she told no one but pulled her panties and pants up, carried her belt, and found the shower. It was outside, totally outside. She made a face and went back inside, where she found Rick on the bed on his back.

Kate looked around. She wasn't even willing to sit on the sofa, let alone sleep on it. "Oh, what the hell." She put her belt on the table next to his. Then she took off her shoes and socks, unbuttoned her top, took it off, and pulled her pants down.
It left her standing there in her bra and panties. She looked at Rick, who had his eyes closed. She got in bed and put as much space as possible between them. She laid on her back and closed her eyes.
"Good night," Rick murmured with his eyes still closed.
"Night." Kate closed her eyes again and tried to go to sleep.

ǂ

Kate's eyes snapped open, and she tried to figure out where she was. She was in bed, she was in his cabin, she was nearly naked. She went to bed that way. He was on her side of the bed. His arm was over her, holding her in place.
She tried to wake him up. "Rick… RICK!"
"What?" Rick was sort of awake but not completely.
"You're on my side of the bed."
"No, you're on my side of the bed. Go back to sleep." He adjusted his arm over her, holding her in place.
Kate turned her head and saw that, indeed, she was on his side of the bed. She was way on his side of the bed, practically on top of him. Since she was here, Kate did what he told her and went back to sleep.

ǂ

Kate woke again and realized she was in the same bed and cabin. But there was a difference. She was alone in bed. She heard the door open, and she turned to look. She watched him walk in with a towel wrapped around his waist.
"You're awake. It's about time, sleepyhead. There's nothing like a cold shower in the morning to invigorate you," Rick told her.
Kate watched as he dropped his towel; she covered her eyes with her hand. But she peeked, and she saw his butt until he put on his boxers and pants, then his shirt, then she stopped peeking and just watched him.
"Your turn." He picked up a towel and threw it at her. "I'll turn my back." And he turned around.

Kate slowly took off her bra while watching him to see if he peeked, but he didn't. So she removed her panties, wrapped the towel around her body, and went outside. She found the shower without trouble.
She set her towel aside and turned on the shower. "COLD!" Kate yelped. She found a bottle of shampoo and soap nearby and used them, suffering through a cold shower.
She used the towel to dry herself off and went back inside and saw him sitting at the table. "Feel better?" Rick queried.

"That's one way of putting it," Kate answered. "Turn around... Please."
"Party pooper," Rick teased, but he turned around, allowing Kate to get dressed quickly. She was wearing the same clothes as yesterday, but from the look of it, he wasn't, save for his long leather coat.
Kate put on her belt. "Now what?"

"We find you some spare clips," Rick replied. He took her through four doors until he walked through a door into a gun store.
"I'm looking for some 45 caliber rounds and some clips for her," he told the store owner.
"I don't have many 45 calibers. Don't get much of a call for those," the store owner told the man as he reached for the lone box. He didn't think anything of it since a cop in uniform was with him.

Kate drew her weapon and pointed it at Rick. "You're under arrest."
"Put that away before you hurt yourself," Rick told her, and the store owner froze, not sure just what was going on here.
She shook her head. "Not this time."
Moving lightning fast, Rick drew his weapon and fired, knocking the weapon from Kate's grasp.

"OW!" Kate shook her hand. She didn't believe it. It just happened again.
Rick drew his other weapon and pointed it at the store owner as he reached for a shotgun. "Don't. I'll take those 45s now."
The store owner placed the box on the counter. Rick put one of his weapons away, grabbed the box, and put it away. Then he reached into a pocket and took out two gold coins.
"I don't steal. I think these will compensate you nicely." Then he turned his attention to Kate. "I tell you the truth, and this is how you treat me?"

"You told me a fairy tale," Kate insisted. "That's all it is, just a fairy tale."
"Believe what you want." Rick put his other weapon away and headed for the back door. "I'll be seeing you." Rick went through the door.
"No, you don't!" Kate ran for the door, holding her hurt hand. But once she reached it and went through it, it was plain that he wasn't there. "Damn it."
Rick retreated to his cabin in the woods and reloaded his loaders.
Kate picked up her now-damaged weapon and left the store, heading for the 12th Precinct. She didn't know what she was going to tell them. She had been gone for days, and she had another damaged weapon.

ǂ

It was now two weeks later.
"What do you think, Dad?"
"I don't know. That's quite a tall tale – a Gunslinger who's trying to protect a Dark Tower that's out of phase with reality. Not to mention the doors you talked about," Jim told her. "Then there are the people who disappear after being shot save for the blood they leave behind."
"Yeah, but what do I do, Dad? They suspended me for two weeks after disappearing for days and losing my weapon again."

"A weapon shot right out of your hand, no less," Jim commented.
"Don't remind me. My hand still hurts." She held it to reinforce the point.
"But he didn't shoot you, and he could have. And he paid for his ammunition with gold coins," he reminded Kate.
"No, he didn't, did he." Kate thought about that. "But he's going to hate me now. I tried to arrest him. I was just doing my job."

"Then tell him that the next time you see him. I'm sure he'll forgive you. Besides, you told me he was handsome, even if he had long hair. Longer than yours anyway," Jim told her.
"Daad..." Kate didn't want him to get any ideas.
"Admit it, you like him," Jim said.
Kate was firm in her denial. "I do not."

"When was the last time you went on a date?" her dad asked her.
"What has that got to do with anything?" Kate fired back.
"Alright, when was the last time you talked about anyone the way you talk about this Gunslinger? Answer me that, Katie," Jim challenged her.
Kate defended herself. "I don't talk about him like that, Dad."

"Don't lie to yourself, Katie, please don't," Jim asked her, but all he got back was a glare from his daughter. Jim glared right back at her.
"Fine, I like him. Especially since I slept with him."
"KATIE!" Jim was shocked.
She rolled her eyes. "Not like that. I slept in the same bed with him. There wasn't anywhere else to sleep, and I wasn't sleeping on that thing he called a sofa." Kate made a face of disgust and shuddered.

"And?" Jim asked, waiting.
"I took a cold shower outside. But he turned his back while I got dressed."
"So he's not just a Gunslinger, he's a gentleman. That and he didn't shoot you; he only shot the weapon out of your hand. When are you going to see him next?" Jim asked her.
Kate shrugged. "No idea. I don't understand how the doors work or why he knows which door to use. For all I know, your bedroom door will take me somewhere."

"Then you have a challenge on your hands. I'm sure you can solve it if you want to. Do you want to?" Jim inquired.
She looked away when she answered him. "I don't know."
"Katie?"
"He's going to hate me, Dad."

"He will, at first, but you can change his mind. Think, Katie, what does he like? What do you think you can say to change his mind? Cook something for him," Jim suggested. "I know you know how to cook. Your mother taught you."
"I wasn't listening," Kate told him.
"Don't lie to me, Daughter."
"Fine," she huffed, "but I don't know how to reach him."

Jim thought for a moment before saying anything. "How did you meet him the last time? Just do it again."

"I suppose I could do that, assuming I'm fast enough and if he'll stop to listen to me. He could step through a door and be gone again," Kate told him.
"Then you'll have to be fast," Jim said. "Think. What would be the first thing you say to him to get him to stop? Long enough for you to apologize."
Kate glared at him.

"You want to see him, then you apologize, Katie. Swallow your pride and apologize. You're in the wrong here," Jim chided, "so you need to apologize."
"Fine, I'll apologize when I see him. Happy now?" Kate grumbled.
"I am if you are. You have to sound sincere. Not simply apologize like you're saying hello, but tell him from the heart. Open up a little. It won't kill you. Don't forget the man could have killed you if he wanted to," Jim pointed out.

"I know, trust me, I know." Kate flexed her hand a little. She knew he was fast. Amazingly so.
"Good, then you know what to do. It's up to you if you want to see the man again, and it sounds like you do." Jim was proud of her. "You'll have to introduce him to me."
"I'll see what I can do, Dad. Promise."