Paco Valdez
DT
As quickly as you can manage, you stuff the bundles of cloth, key, and iron into your vest. You do your best not to look suspicious.
"Here you are," He says when he reaches the bar; "I should've figured I'd find you here."
You nod. "Truly you should have."
Gus sits on the stool and strokes at his mustache with his fingers with one hand, while pulling a cigar out of its container with the other. He stops stroking his mustache when the bartender returns with a glass of whiskey. He takes a sip of it before he pays for it, a habit of his which has always struck you and the bartenders found rude. Smiling appreciatively, he lays down a coin and asks for matches.
"Good is it?" You ask.
"It's better than that bull piss they try to pass for whiskey back there in Fullton," He says. The bartender brings a box of wooden matches and hands it to Gus who strikes a match and lights his cigar in three quick puffs.
A hand claps on your back and you turn around to see Annies sour face staring at you. "You didn't get any goddam supplies, did you?"
"Sadly, no." You tell her.
"Figured as much," She says, pulling up a stool on the other side of you. "You're getting up early tomorrow for that shit, so don't drink too much."
You reluctantly agree. "Where exactly are we headed?"
"I was thinkin' about that. What do you think of the wagon trail? It's safe and easy." She says.
"Ah hell," Gus says, "We need to do one and retire. The wagon trail won't give us enough money to last us a year."
"Do you think we could talk about this quieter?" You ask.
Gus directs the two of you with his head and the three of you go to a table in the back of the bar. When everyone is seated, he continues.
"The railway isn't far from here, and it will only take one bust and we're done. New money from the mint down in Washington." He tells the two of you.
"You really are a crazy old bastard, aren't you?" Annie comments.
"What's wrong with that?" Gus asks.
"The train will have an armed guard. There's never been a successful train robbery on that track." She says.
"Not if we strike with a coordinated attack," He explains. "The problem with the previous attempts is that no one ever coordinates anything. It's always a bunch of crazy kids hootin' and hallerin' and shootin' their guns up in the air. We will strike with precision, and we will be successful."
"Precision?" Annie asks. "You been readin' again?"
"It means we have a plan." He tells her.
"I don't know," Annie says. "I still think there's less risk on the trail."
"What's the kid think?" Gus asks you indirectly.
"I don't know," You tell them. "Both sides have good points. Since I have to make a decision, though..." You touch your chin and look up in thought.
"I really don't know," You say at last. "Why don't you two just drink over it? Last one standing wins."
Gus and Annie look at one another intensely. They agree and the three of you go back to the bar to buy the bottle of whiskey from the barkeep. He sets two shot galsses down before you and you pour them, putting one in front of each of your companions.
They take down the shots and slam the little shot glasses down on the bar. You pour them more and they do the same. The first five shots are taken in silence, after that the alcohol seems to be taking affect. The sixth shots are taken down and Gus lays a hand on your shoulder. "You've always been a good kid," He tells you as you pour them another round. "I hope them Vigilantes don't kill ya, boy."
"Me too," You say. They each take another shot. Annie points an unsteady finger at you as you pour yet another for them.
"Lemme tell you somethin'," She says. She and Gus take down their seventh shots and you start pouring a forth while Annie continues to say whatever she had started before doing the last shot. "If you wasn't such a damn man-whore, we wouldn't even be in this damn mess."
"Shut up and take your shot," You tell her. Gus laughs at this but Annie fixes you with an angry gaze from her glassy eyes. They each do take down their next shots.
"Lighten up, Annie," Gus says to her, "Normally we would be fighting over a decision like this. I think he done came up with a good solution."
Annie snorts a short laugh. You pour the next shot. Shortly after the eighteenth shot, Gus falls from his bar stool and Annie holds her arms up in victory.
"Girl can drink," Gus says as he does his best to clamber back onto his unsteady feet.
"The wagon trail it is," You say.
Gus leans heavily upon you and speaks loudly into your ear. You think he is trying to whisper as he says, "Hell, kid. I'm going to pass out."
You look over at Annie to see her face down in her arms at the bar, sleeping or doing something very much like it.
"Come on," You tell them, nudging Annie as you speak, "I'll go get a room for us."
The three of you walk to the inn and pay for a room. The innkeeper hands over a key and you lead them to the room. You watch as they stumble in, Annie passing out in the bed and Gus laying down on the ground.
"I'm gonna have a few drinks," You tell them. Closing the door behind you, you walk into the lobby and take the cloth bundle out of your vest, unrolling it carefully and holding the cloth map up to the light.
After studying the map for a few minutes, you stuff it back into your vest and exit the hotel in search of the stables. You eventually find the horse pens and locate your mount, Betty.
After patting Betty on the neck, you saddle up and lead her out of the stables along the road out of town. It is as you pass through the quiet night town that you notice a light burning in the old man's shack.
The old man knows the area you are going to, and you've never been particularly good with directions, but he is a crazy old bastard and you're more than a little wary of him. He offered to go with you, but can you trust him?
You stare at the light in the shack for a few moments trying to make a decision. Do you stop and ask the old man to join you, or do it on your own?
As quickly as you can manage, you stuff the bundles of cloth, key, and iron into your vest. You do your best not to look suspicious.
"Here you are," He says when he reaches the bar; "I should've figured I'd find you here."
You nod. "Truly you should have."
Gus sits on the stool and strokes at his mustache with his fingers with one hand, while pulling a cigar out of its container with the other. He stops stroking his mustache when the bartender returns with a glass of whiskey. He takes a sip of it before he pays for it, a habit of his which has always struck you and the bartenders found rude. Smiling appreciatively, he lays down a coin and asks for matches.
"Good is it?" You ask.
"It's better than that bull piss they try to pass for whiskey back there in Fullton," He says. The bartender brings a box of wooden matches and hands it to Gus who strikes a match and lights his cigar in three quick puffs.
A hand claps on your back and you turn around to see Annies sour face staring at you. "You didn't get any goddam supplies, did you?"
"Sadly, no." You tell her.
"Figured as much," She says, pulling up a stool on the other side of you. "You're getting up early tomorrow for that shit, so don't drink too much."
You reluctantly agree. "Where exactly are we headed?"
"I was thinkin' about that. What do you think of the wagon trail? It's safe and easy." She says.
"Ah hell," Gus says, "We need to do one and retire. The wagon trail won't give us enough money to last us a year."
"Do you think we could talk about this quieter?" You ask.
Gus directs the two of you with his head and the three of you go to a table in the back of the bar. When everyone is seated, he continues.
"The railway isn't far from here, and it will only take one bust and we're done. New money from the mint down in Washington." He tells the two of you.
"You really are a crazy old bastard, aren't you?" Annie comments.
"What's wrong with that?" Gus asks.
"The train will have an armed guard. There's never been a successful train robbery on that track." She says.
"Not if we strike with a coordinated attack," He explains. "The problem with the previous attempts is that no one ever coordinates anything. It's always a bunch of crazy kids hootin' and hallerin' and shootin' their guns up in the air. We will strike with precision, and we will be successful."
"Precision?" Annie asks. "You been readin' again?"
"It means we have a plan." He tells her.
"I don't know," Annie says. "I still think there's less risk on the trail."
"What's the kid think?" Gus asks you indirectly.
"I don't know," You tell them. "Both sides have good points. Since I have to make a decision, though..." You touch your chin and look up in thought.
"I really don't know," You say at last. "Why don't you two just drink over it? Last one standing wins."
Gus and Annie look at one another intensely. They agree and the three of you go back to the bar to buy the bottle of whiskey from the barkeep. He sets two shot galsses down before you and you pour them, putting one in front of each of your companions.
They take down the shots and slam the little shot glasses down on the bar. You pour them more and they do the same. The first five shots are taken in silence, after that the alcohol seems to be taking affect. The sixth shots are taken down and Gus lays a hand on your shoulder. "You've always been a good kid," He tells you as you pour them another round. "I hope them Vigilantes don't kill ya, boy."
"Me too," You say. They each take another shot. Annie points an unsteady finger at you as you pour yet another for them.
"Lemme tell you somethin'," She says. She and Gus take down their seventh shots and you start pouring a forth while Annie continues to say whatever she had started before doing the last shot. "If you wasn't such a damn man-whore, we wouldn't even be in this damn mess."
"Shut up and take your shot," You tell her. Gus laughs at this but Annie fixes you with an angry gaze from her glassy eyes. They each do take down their next shots.
"Lighten up, Annie," Gus says to her, "Normally we would be fighting over a decision like this. I think he done came up with a good solution."
Annie snorts a short laugh. You pour the next shot. Shortly after the eighteenth shot, Gus falls from his bar stool and Annie holds her arms up in victory.
"Girl can drink," Gus says as he does his best to clamber back onto his unsteady feet.
"The wagon trail it is," You say.
Gus leans heavily upon you and speaks loudly into your ear. You think he is trying to whisper as he says, "Hell, kid. I'm going to pass out."
You look over at Annie to see her face down in her arms at the bar, sleeping or doing something very much like it.
"Come on," You tell them, nudging Annie as you speak, "I'll go get a room for us."
The three of you walk to the inn and pay for a room. The innkeeper hands over a key and you lead them to the room. You watch as they stumble in, Annie passing out in the bed and Gus laying down on the ground.
"I'm gonna have a few drinks," You tell them. Closing the door behind you, you walk into the lobby and take the cloth bundle out of your vest, unrolling it carefully and holding the cloth map up to the light.
After studying the map for a few minutes, you stuff it back into your vest and exit the hotel in search of the stables. You eventually find the horse pens and locate your mount, Betty.
After patting Betty on the neck, you saddle up and lead her out of the stables along the road out of town. It is as you pass through the quiet night town that you notice a light burning in the old man's shack.
The old man knows the area you are going to, and you've never been particularly good with directions, but he is a crazy old bastard and you're more than a little wary of him. He offered to go with you, but can you trust him?
You stare at the light in the shack for a few moments trying to make a decision. Do you stop and ask the old man to join you, or do it on your own?