It is a hot day in West Gamma. The deserts of this country are at the height of their torturous existence. 

But in the midst of it, there is land to live on. Down there, tucked a few miles south of an imposing red mountain, is a farm. Six acres of farmland, and currently they all seem to be devoted to corn, potatoes, and tobacco. 

Inside a light blue three story home is a humble, hard working family. A young man named Jimmy helping his father with the farm. Two pretty daughters named Davina and Susan playing a board game with their beautiful mother Sarah. And of course, the father himself. William Taylor.

A tanned middle aged man with deep wrinkles. He has thinned black hair, deep dimples on the rare occasions he smiles, and brown eyes. He’s strong, with a slight beer belly. He wears a blue jean jacket with a dirty white button up shirt. Black pants with a large belt buckle of his country’s flag, West Gamma. A white and red striped flag with a black square in the top right, studded with sixty nine blue stars in a large circle. And black boots.

William is sitting on a bench on his white front porch, smoking a cigarette and taking the occasional sip of whiskey from a small aluminum canteen. He’s enjoying his afternoon break. His mind is on simple matters, like what chores to give to his son the next day.

But that all changes when he sees a small dust storm ahead of him. And hears the heavy pounding of horses galloping towards his home. 

William’s eyes stare at it for a few moments, then decides to get his shotgun. He heads inside his home to his bedroom. The double barrel shotgun is hanging over his dresser on iron hooks. He picks it up, and starts heading outside. 

His wife and daughters watch him with concern. Sarah moves to the door to look outside, and fear washes over her.

“William, were you expecting company?” she asks fearfully.

William moves roughly past her with a stoic face.

“No, all of you stay inside.” he says firmly.

William steps outside, and closes the door behind him. 

“Jimmy! Get inside!” William yells sternly.

Jimmy comes out from the stables with confusion painted across his face.

“What’s going on pa, I’m almost done milking-” Jimmy asks concernedly.

“Get inside! There’s a posse coming!” William growls angrily.

Jimmy turns around and almost immediately spots them. He turns pale, and rushes inside. 

William watches his son until the door closes. Then he turns to the posse and readies his shotgun. 

Within minutes, they come into clear view with their own thunderous clatter. Six men in all black on blood bay horses. And leading them on a white horse is a white man in a black suit with a crimson tie. He has thick blonde hair that hangs down to his shoulders, and a neat goatee. And hanging on his hips are golden revolvers in black holsters.

They come to a stop a dozen feet before William. Their leader gets off his horse, and approaches William with a friendly smile.

“Good day farmer. My name is Lawrence Catoman. And I can’t help but notice you’re on some prime property.” Lawrence explains warmly.

William looks tensely between Lawrence’s men and Lawrence. He shuffles in place for a moment.

“This doesn’t look like a typical business deal. Regardless, I’m not interested in selling this land.” he says firmly.

Lawrence clicks his tongue repeatedly and shakes his head. 

“That’s not a good answer. You’re right when you say this isn’t a typical business deal. It’s more of aaaaaa hostile takeover. Now you see my men.” he says confidently.

He points at his men. They pull their rifles off their backs.

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“There’s more of them than there is of you. Now we can be nice about this. You take this hundred dollars, pack your things, and go find a nice place in the city.” Lawrence says confidently.

William growls angrily and points his shotgun at Lawrence. Lawrence’s men point their rifles at William. And Lawrence laughs.

“A tough man. I respect that. But this is the real world. And in this world, six rifles beat one shotgun.” Lawrence says warmly.

Lawrence approaches William. William tenses up and shakes his shotgun at Lawrence in a futile attempt to intimidate him. Lawrence’s spine is made of cool steel. Lawrence makes William backpedal into his porch railing. Then he gets close to William with a cocky grin, with a glint of bloodlust in the corners.

“You and your family will die here. Unless you accept this money.” Lawrence threatens confidently.

William pulls both triggers. Bullets fly into Lawrence’s chest. But they do not strike a mortal’s body. They strike something alien. They dig into Lawrence’s flesh by half an inch, pinning his suit to his chest. And dark blue blood leaks out into his suit.

Lawrence chuckles at the sight of William’s shock.

“You poor mortal. Even this minute moment is enough to drive your mind into a corner. What are you gonna do? Did you bring spare shells?” Lawrence taunts smugly.

William didn’t bring anything to spare. He stared at Lawrence with fearful shock clear in his eyes. 

“Beg for your life.” Lawrence orders smugly.

… 

“Don’t fucking stare. Get on your knees and beg.” Lawrence says amusedly.

William tries to look away as the thought of running enters his mind. But he feels something compels him to do as Lawrence says.

Beg.

Now William is a tough man. He’s lived a long life in the west already. He might not understand his reality, but you don’t need to be smart to look death in the eyes. You just need to be able to look past it, and focus on surviving.

Or in William’s case. The sight of his daughter Davina peeking through the window. The need to protect family.

He gets on his knees.

“Sir. I will accept that hundred dollars and you may-” William says sadly.

Lawrence smacks him across the face. His eyes light up with sadistic glee.

“I may have your home!? You’ve lost the right to that money. Beg for your lives!” Lawrence hisses with glee.

“Dad! They’re gonna kill dad!” Davina cries fearfully.

“What!?” Sarah gasps.

The girls rush to the window, brushing aside the curtain to be met with the terrible sight. And Lawrence loves to have spectators. 

He pulls a bullet off his chest, and flicks it into William’s shoulder. It pierces cleanly through, leaving a dime sized hole behind. William grits his teeth, and groans with pain.

Lawrence chuckles while the girls scream. 

“Leave my husband alone!” Sarah yells angrily.

Lawrence swings his fist through the window, and it connects with Sarah’s jaw. A loud, meaty thud, and Sarah falls to the ground. Her daughters rush to her side, and shake her. But she’s unconscious.

William stands up and tries to swing a fist at Lawrence. But-

“KNEEL AND BEG!” Lawrence shouts furiously.

William is compelled to kneel on the spot, inches from Lawrence’s feet.

Lawrence slaps William, and chuckles quietly to himself.

“Tell me why you deserve to live.” Lawrence orders smugly.

He smacks William again. William takes it, and tries to look up at Lawrence. But he smacks William’s face. Then he forces him to look at the ground. And pushes him down until William is on all fours. He stays on his back, a heavy presence on William. Figuratively and literally.

“Tell me why you deserve to live.” Lawrence orders annoyedly.

William struggles to breathe. But he finds the strength to speak.

“Please. Let me and my family go. We’re good, honest folk.” he begs quietly.

Lawrence laughs, and starts smacking the sides of William’s head with wild abandon.

“Good. Honest. Folk. Oh man, I’ve heard that one before. But that’s probably not true. How’d you get this land? Did you kill a Native Gamerican for it?” Lawrence asks smugly.

William stays silent. And that speaks to Lawrence.

“Oh, you did something to get this land. I can smell the bloodshed here.” Lawrence says confidently.

William musters up his courage, and spits at Lawrence. Lawrence gapes with amused shock.

“You can go fuck yourself. I did what I had to.” William says with righteous anger.

Lawrence claps his hands together and makes a big grin filled with sadistic glee and frustration.

“Alright fucker. It’s time for you all to die. Men, shoot this place the fuck down!” Lawrence yells angrily.

Lawrence begins walking back to his men. They begin firing their rifles in rapid succession. Bullets first shred William’s body to bits. His daughters scream for their father, then for mercy. Then they are silent as their blood flies. 

The men enter the home in the next few moments. They find Jimmy with a bullet through his stomach. He’s attempting to pick up his mother, and carry her out the back. 

Jimmy doesn’t even get a chance to beg. A gunslinger fires a bullet into his skull. And then he presses his rifle’s barrel against the mother’s forehead, and finishes her off.

Lawrence laughs maniacally at the sight. Then he pulls two large black sacks off his horse, and throws them at his men.

“Spread this gunpowder throughout the buildings and set it all aflame. I want there to be no proof a white man lived here when we’re done.” Lawrence orders firmly.

Within half an hour, the entire property is aflame. Even the crops.

On the surface, this is a tragedy. And one man remained in this moment, standing over his own corpse.

William Taylor. His miserable, furious form. He cries in place while screaming in rage. And almost no one can hear him. A dead man. To do that, they’d have to at least be able to hear and see in the Dead’s Plane. The final stage of existence for all mortal beings.

Or at least, it should. But that’s not what happened today. 

Today a…important event takes place. Whether it’s good or ill, that’s up to William to decide.

Today Edlic Jiza heard William’s cries for Justice.