“So… I need to grab a hostage from the gang… wait, I thought I was the hostage?” Jim asked. His sister, once again, explained the situation to him as Logan pondered on whether Jim is smart enough for such a job. “Okay. So, I will grab Mac, well… he is very well liked by the gang and they should surrender to us.”
“Should?” Logan face remained worried.
Logan seen Jim walking towards them, and walking behind him was Mac, he presumed. Logan’s heart pounded as they walked closer towards them, yet he enjoyed the nerves and adrenaline that coursed through his veins. He couldn’t wait to get started.
They both arrived. Logan walked to the back of Mac while Annabelle walked to the front of him. Before he could grab his weapon, she took her pistol from behind her back and swung the pistol like it was a rock in her hand. Instantly, he began to fall in slow motion; although, Logan was there to catch him, ready for the man to be a hostage.
“Once we have the hostage, we head to the main saloon but don’t let anyone see the hostage.” Annabelle quickly reminded them, “and we have to enter from the back. We have to stay calm and composed, if any of you lose your bottle, you’ll be dead. So, eyes sharp, mouth closed and hands on the prize.”
Jim knocked on the door as they all put their dusty, black bandanas on and prepared to show the gang their friend who was now awake. The hostage compiled as he acted like no one was there, yet Logan could see the sweat from a mile away. He just hoped It would work.
The door exposed a golden light that shined upon them. Logan rushed the man who opened the door and used his pistol as a fist, the man covered his bleeding nose. Logan improvised, grabbed the man, whose nose was bleeding and used him as a hostage. He stood, gun facing his crowd while holding the hostage, and Annabelle followed him, grabbing another hostage while Jim followed her. They were all pointing their guns as sweat poured onto the floor.
“What do we do when we are inside the poker game?” Jim asked.
Logan replied, “That’s the simple part as long as we follow the plan and just keep our heads.”
They stood, hostages in hand as pistols was the only thing their eyes seen, yet Logan could see the panic in the gang members’ eyes. Yet he wanted that, needed that.
The room was big for just a poker game, he thought. He could see the men, who were wearing suits, playing poker, and he knew they were their targets. But he ignored them as his attention went to the standing gang members who were protecting the game. The gang stood shaking as the guns pointed at the hostages did the talking.
Annabelle took charge, to Logan’s surprise, yet he let her have the stage. She walked closer towards the gang with her hostage protecting her and his bloody nose. The gang’s guns increased their shaking as she spoke confidently, “put your guns down or both of your friends will get it to the head. Do ya hear me, fools?!” Her words resonated to them as they began to put their glossy guns down.
Logan’s heart climbed a mountain as he watched her. He waited for them to change their mind and start shooting at them but they continued to put their weapons down as Annabelle eyes matched logan’s eyes. They must have cared for their people, logan thought, surly not, that was far too rare these days. His disbelief was hidden behind his bandana. She continued to threaten the gang, using the hostage she had in her arms and they listened perfectly. So, he faced the gang and chucked his hostage to Jim.
Jim nervously caught him in his arms as he actively watched Logan. Logan, once he was near the gang, started to knock them out, one by one, using his pistol. Each member looked confused before their chin would feel hard metal. He knew the gang hadn’t a clue on what to do as he knocked another one to the floor. The body slammed against the hardened, wooden and dusty floor that made the other gang members wince. Logan watched Annabelle copy him like a shadow, even with a hostage in her arms. His mouth extended with both sides going upwards, wishing she could see it. He left them for her to deal with as other gang members began pleading to them, yet he walked to the poker game, seeing nothing but money within his grasp. Although, as he reached a wooden, golden table, a rich looking man stood in front of Logan. The rich fellow shouted, “this isn’t your money, bottom-feeder! That’s right! I can see your eyes, eyes of a coward, I say. Give up now while you can, varmint.” He stood proud while other rich looking men around the table agreed louder with him. Logan’s silence turned into laughter. The brave old fools, Logan thought. Suddenly, Logans laugh was no more as his right fist dented the rich man’s fat belly.
He was ignoring the falling man as he used his pistol to ask for the money. He was packing the cash that was on the table and putting it into his bag; though, he spotted a fancy looking watch on one of the gentlemen and thought about asking for it but was it worth his time, he thought. Once again, he looks to the gang members and sees they are no threat to them anymore. He quickly tells Jim to drop his hostage and to focus on the cash. Jim listens as he starts grabbing cash and Logan felt pride, his eyes couldn’t believe he was seeing harmony and trust and, yet he still doubted it.
All he could think about was how they would backstab him. He was sure of it. Nothing felt safer than trusting his gut in the moment, even with the cash gleaming at his eyes. Though, the drive to continue with them had to appear soon.
“Give me that watch, or I’ll whack ya with this pistol!” The rich man was too easy to scare, Logan thought as the panic-stricken wimp passed over his watch. Time, he had all the time in the world, Logan thought. Logan hated these type of people, rich men that bathed in their cash, yet didn’t earn it through getting dirty. He snarled as he moved on to the next coward.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Annabelle was intimidating the gang members that were still conscious. She was calling for their heads for what they had done to the town. He thought, she must really care for the town; it was all she went on about too. He just hoped she stayed composed. Though, every second that went by, the more likely he felt she would let her trigger finger go.
The sack felt like heaven in his hands, full to the rim of cash and expensive ornaments, and it shined as he stared at it. Logan had part of his El Dorado. This would complete him, he thought. This and maybe a bit more, he continued to think. He walked with his heavy sack which satisfied him as it banged against his moving leg.
He was heading towards Jim, avoiding gang members that were lying on the ground and he heard Annabelle mention, “bank” as she continued torturing the distraught hostage. Logan ignored her and continued walking to Jim who was now holding his hostage and sack. Jim was stood tall for once, Logan thought, yet he knew it wouldn’t last.
Logan told Jim to knock the hostage out as they waited for Annabelle. Logan, who instead of watching Jim, was keeping an eye on Annabelle. Her passion roared like a lion. She was as nasty as nature; although, he had seen her kind nature and beauty that shined upon him.
She seemed to be satisfied with what the hostage had told her, he thought. She dragged the hostage towards them. He couldn’t understand why, they had just had a great take, yet her eyes said otherwise. He thought it was because she was planning to kill him. It made sense, not many people enjoyed killing, he thought. He wondered if he would have to take her down. Yet, why would she kill someone who helped her? He would still be ready, he continued to think.
The heavy sack softly whacked Logan’s leg multiple times as he watched her walk past him. Her eyes contained no life. He readied his gun. She began to speak to Jim as he dropped the sleeping hostage on the floor. Logan scoffed at how gentle the coward was.
Suddenly, Annabelle signalled Logan to go outside as she continued to aim her weapon at the hostage’s head, forcing the gang to act like mice. He cautiously listened to her, slowly walking with his saviour in his hand which he was holding tightly, but she quickly snapped, “just hurry!” His face wanted to kill her, the eyebrows on his face were the arrows that pointed her way and his mouth dropped to the ground; yet his feet kept him moving as her pistol continued to stay on her hostage. As he made it outside, he was sure someone was losing their soul tonight.
But as he turned, a light appeared in front of him and his ears began ringing. His heart raced but not for death. He turned, held his sack like it was more important than his life and ran. He was running through the town as gun shots flew past his ears. The footsteps behind Logan became louder and louder, until Jim shouted, “turn left, logan!”
“Why listen to you?”
“Trust us.”
Logan trusted his heart as he turned into the alleyway. Yet, they quickly reached the end and Logan pinned the coward against the wall. “Leave him alone,” Annabelle shouted as she pointed to a rope, “get off him and start shooting, fool.” He seen her climb up the rope like an animal, so he let go of Jim and walked, pistol in hand and got behind cover, waiting for the gang to make a noise. He waited. Waited. And waited. The sound of silence haunted him. He could see Jim was watching Annabelle continue to climb up the rope, using every fibre of her being as he hoped for a sound.
The wind majestically moved through the air, dusty dirt crawled across the floor and a tapping sound that echoed through the alleyway. As his body weighed against the wall, a sound came from the gang’s direction, someone standing on a twig, he thought. Quick as a whip, Logan peeked out of the alleyway, pulling his trigger, sending lights and sparks straight towards where the sound came from. He pulled his head back behind cover and the returning bullets impacted the wall near him, sending chunks of wood flying everywhere, and Logan shouted, “hurry and climb that fucking rope!” His heart pounded as he returned fire. The gun was shaking as it came back behind the wall. He tried to compose himself but his whole body remained tight as his heart was on the verge of exploding. Yet, he enjoyed the feeling, the feeling of living life on the edge, but for how long?
He retaliated with more fire power, shouting at his enemies as spit was flying out of his mouth. One of the shooters suddenly fell silent and Logan knew it wasn’t because he needed to reload too. He taunted the gang.
He rested his pistol on his chest as he seen Annabelle reach the top of the rope. Jim was about to go next but Logan rushed towards him. “I’m next. You can hold them off.” Yet, Jim didn’t move. “If you don’t move, I’ll shove my pistol up your ass, do you hear me?”
“You’re the better shot,” Jim pleaded as sweat dripped down his forehead, “come on, please? They are coming.” Logan knew they would leave him; though, time wasn’t on his side and death would come sooner rather than later if he didn’t make a choice. His mind was rattled.
A man shouted, “quick… They have run out of bullets.” Logan pushed Jim towards the rope and ran towards the same cover, hoping that they had not advanced too far.
He made it to the wall, and without a second thought, emptied his pistol towards the gang. The hit and hope tactic worked as screaming was all he heard. He could hear the gang pulling the wounded men through the dirt. The power hit his head as he could serve mercy.
Without any thought whatsoever, he faced them, exposing his whole body and fiercely pulled the trigger multiple times. The bullets flew into the men that were helping; though, others were more fortunate.
He continued firing, until he hit his last bullet and went back behind the thick, wooden wall. He was looking at the rope and saw Jim was still climbing up it, so he began to look around the corner of the wall, seeing no one, but only hearing screaming souls. He felt numb to it and he knew it was him or them. He signalled to Jim to hurry as new, incoming footsteps could be heard.
Jim climbed the rope, at last, Logan thought. He quickly left his post as his stomach dropped to the floor. Logan knew what was to come next, death or betrayal.
He made it to the rope and as his head looked up, he expected to see only the black sky. Yet, he smiled when his eyes met hers. One climbed and one pulled. Jim was doing his best at shooting the incoming gang members; though, the gang wasn’t trying too hard and Logan could not blame them; his shot was on fire tonight, he thought.
The edge of the roof was insight as he reached for it and pulled himself up. He looked into her tired eyes like he was seeing inside her soul. Although, she quickly pulled away from his eyes and ordered them to run as the moonlight shined on their backs.