Paco Valdez
DA
"I liked you better when you were sleeping." You say to him as you walk over to him and land a solid punch on the bridge of his nose. His nose begins to bleed and his eyes roll into the back of his head. He is, thankfully, quiet again. "Bastard," you mutter to yourself before walking away to the unconscious form of your prisoner.
You walk over to the mass of sandstone and lean your back against it, absorbing all the shade you can. The sun is a bit of an over-achiever today, making you ridiculously overheated with barely any activity necessary. It's beginning to piss you off.
Hours pass and you hear nothing more from your prisoner. Watching the horizon you see two riders approaching from the direction of town. You figure it's your friends and after several minutes they are at a distance where you can make them out. It is indeed them. You drink a bit from your water skin and give a little to Betty, your horse. You wait for several more minutes before Annie and Gus arrive. Annie dismounts immediately but Gus is a bit slower. Annie takes the horses over to the shaded area near the rock while Gus hangs back.
"What the hell d'ya got on the back o' yer horse, boy?" Gus asks you with a sinister edge.
"Oh, that?" You say, glancing at your unconscious prisoner rather casually, "That's some Vigilante that tried to stop me from leaving town. I took him as a prisoner."
Gus doesn't look pleased at this news. In fact, he looks down-right angry. He isn't saying anything about it, though. Annie walks over, having taken care of the horses and observes the tension.
"What's goin' on?" She asks.
"This damned fool..." Gus begins, almost too angry to form sentences, "He got a damn prisoner! What the hell we need a damn prisoner for!! I swear to God I'm-a gonna kill this son of a bitch!!"
Annie places her hands on his shoulders; "Settle down now, Gus."
"Get yer hands the hell off-a me!!" He shakes her away and walks off, his face redder than ripe tomatoes dipped in blood. You can hear him grumbling to himself in the near distance.
Annie walks over to you and speaks, barely above a whisper. "What the hell were you thinkin' takin' on a prisoner?" She asks.
You shrug a little. "I didn't want him going back to the other Vigilantes an' tellin' 'them which way I went."
She lets out a long breath and shakes her head. "I guess yer thinkin' isn't so bad on it. But you know what Gus is gonna say to that, don't ya?"
She walks over to the prisoner and examines him while you respond. "Sure," you say, "He's gonna tell me that I shoulda killed him."
Annie doesn't say anything for a while, just looking at the Vigilante on the back of your horse. Gus returns, calmed a bit but still furious. "One more thing from you, an' I swear I'm gonna kill ya." He says to you shaking his finger at you. "Just one more thing." He repeats.
Annie walks back over to you. "This might not be the best time to bring this up, but the prisoner back there is dead." You glance at Gus and swear there is steam coming out of his ears.
"I'm going to kill you." He says matter of factly.
He's dead. Maybe you should have given him some water. Gus is screaming at the top of his lungs about how worthless you are. About how you blew their chances at the bank and about how stupid you were for taking a prisoner in the first place. "You took a corpse for a prisoner?!? What the hell good is a dead prisoner anyway?!" He says finally at the end of his tirade.
"I didn't know he was dead." You say as a half-hearted defense.
"Goddamnit if you ain't the stupidest son of a bitch I ever did meet." He says to himself before stomping off to the other side of the rock to curse and swear about you to himself.
You stand there silently for a little while, thinking about how much of a disaster all of this is, and sending a silent, sarcastic thank you to Claire. (Paco Valdez's woman)
Annie breaks your thoughts. "What are we going to do with this Vigilante?" She asks. "Are we stayin' here for the night or leaving?" She asks.
You help her take down the body and prop it up into a sitting position against the rock while you consider whether to stay here for the night or press on to the next town. The next town is half a day off and it is only a few hours until sunset.
"I liked you better when you were sleeping." You say to him as you walk over to him and land a solid punch on the bridge of his nose. His nose begins to bleed and his eyes roll into the back of his head. He is, thankfully, quiet again. "Bastard," you mutter to yourself before walking away to the unconscious form of your prisoner.
You walk over to the mass of sandstone and lean your back against it, absorbing all the shade you can. The sun is a bit of an over-achiever today, making you ridiculously overheated with barely any activity necessary. It's beginning to piss you off.
Hours pass and you hear nothing more from your prisoner. Watching the horizon you see two riders approaching from the direction of town. You figure it's your friends and after several minutes they are at a distance where you can make them out. It is indeed them. You drink a bit from your water skin and give a little to Betty, your horse. You wait for several more minutes before Annie and Gus arrive. Annie dismounts immediately but Gus is a bit slower. Annie takes the horses over to the shaded area near the rock while Gus hangs back.
"What the hell d'ya got on the back o' yer horse, boy?" Gus asks you with a sinister edge.
"Oh, that?" You say, glancing at your unconscious prisoner rather casually, "That's some Vigilante that tried to stop me from leaving town. I took him as a prisoner."
Gus doesn't look pleased at this news. In fact, he looks down-right angry. He isn't saying anything about it, though. Annie walks over, having taken care of the horses and observes the tension.
"What's goin' on?" She asks.
"This damned fool..." Gus begins, almost too angry to form sentences, "He got a damn prisoner! What the hell we need a damn prisoner for!! I swear to God I'm-a gonna kill this son of a bitch!!"
Annie places her hands on his shoulders; "Settle down now, Gus."
"Get yer hands the hell off-a me!!" He shakes her away and walks off, his face redder than ripe tomatoes dipped in blood. You can hear him grumbling to himself in the near distance.
Annie walks over to you and speaks, barely above a whisper. "What the hell were you thinkin' takin' on a prisoner?" She asks.
You shrug a little. "I didn't want him going back to the other Vigilantes an' tellin' 'them which way I went."
She lets out a long breath and shakes her head. "I guess yer thinkin' isn't so bad on it. But you know what Gus is gonna say to that, don't ya?"
She walks over to the prisoner and examines him while you respond. "Sure," you say, "He's gonna tell me that I shoulda killed him."
Annie doesn't say anything for a while, just looking at the Vigilante on the back of your horse. Gus returns, calmed a bit but still furious. "One more thing from you, an' I swear I'm gonna kill ya." He says to you shaking his finger at you. "Just one more thing." He repeats.
Annie walks back over to you. "This might not be the best time to bring this up, but the prisoner back there is dead." You glance at Gus and swear there is steam coming out of his ears.
"I'm going to kill you." He says matter of factly.
He's dead. Maybe you should have given him some water. Gus is screaming at the top of his lungs about how worthless you are. About how you blew their chances at the bank and about how stupid you were for taking a prisoner in the first place. "You took a corpse for a prisoner?!? What the hell good is a dead prisoner anyway?!" He says finally at the end of his tirade.
"I didn't know he was dead." You say as a half-hearted defense.
"Goddamnit if you ain't the stupidest son of a bitch I ever did meet." He says to himself before stomping off to the other side of the rock to curse and swear about you to himself.
You stand there silently for a little while, thinking about how much of a disaster all of this is, and sending a silent, sarcastic thank you to Claire. (Paco Valdez's woman)
Annie breaks your thoughts. "What are we going to do with this Vigilante?" She asks. "Are we stayin' here for the night or leaving?" She asks.
You help her take down the body and prop it up into a sitting position against the rock while you consider whether to stay here for the night or press on to the next town. The next town is half a day off and it is only a few hours until sunset.