Smog filled a cloudless sky, a bleak visage framed by the window into a little girl's bedroom. The current year was 2112, 254 years since the arrival of the system. The world was a peaceful place now, humanity had, had time to adjust to the changes caused by the system and the world had once more regained its dull, dreary monotony. But this was not always the case, and legends are still told of the time of upheaval directly after the system's coming. One such instance was playing out in the before mentioned room.
"Mummy, mummy, please tell me a story." Said a little girl as she bounded toward her bed, silk nightgown flowing behind her and twin pigtails bobbing with each movement.
"Alright honey slow down." Said a worn out mother bemusedly as she chased after the small girl in a subdued manner. "What story do you want to hear darling?" She said smiling as she tucked her daughter into bed, her brown eyes sparkling with happiness as she looked at the smaller girl.
"I want to hear the story of Silas Horne!" The girl proclaimed proudly, her eyes blazing with both wonder and curiosity in equal measure.
With this proclamation, the face of the mother fell, her once happiness filled eyes were glazed over in worry and shock as she nearly spat out the words, "where did you hear that name!" The little girl looked startled at this, looking away and fiddling with her blanket before answering meekly.
"I heard some of the bigger kids at school talk about him." She said softly, almost a whisper.
With this, the face of the mother softened and she began to lovingly stroke her daughter's hair. She looked at the little girl's face and became conflicted, she is only a child, too young to be hearing such things. She thought before sighing loudly.
I guess if she already knows then it can't be helped. She thought.
"Alright darling, I shall to you the tale of Silas Horne." She said with contempt, practically spitting out the final few words.
-----
A man sat languidly at a bar, sipping a drink as if he had not a care in the world.
He wore a beige duster coat and had a ten-gallon hat of the same colour resting on the bar's counter, and along with simple leather breeches and worn leather boots with polished spurs, he looked the epitome of a cowboy.
The fact that he was currently sitting in a saloon didn't help the stereotype either.
But there he did sit, his scarred, closely cut bearded face sporting a look of pure contentment, that was until...
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
"Silas Motherfucking Horne, you remember me?!" Yelled a voice provocatively from the street outside the bar in a clear southern drawl.
"Who am I kidding, of course, you bloody do! Anyway, for all those kind folks in the bar let me in-tro-duce myself." He said pronouncing all of the syllables of the word separately.
"I am Bloody Bob Carwhittle, yup I can practically feel the recognition from all the way out here, that is what I love about you South Carolina folks, you know how to show respect. Now I am going to give you an offer, leave the saloon and me and my what, 20 friends here will let you walk free, all you have to do is leave that coat wearing fuck in there to me. Savy?" He said and the reaction was immediate.
From inside the bar, almost everyone's eyes swiveled toward the direction of U.S Marshall Silas Horne, as he sat there nursing his drink, then, almost all at the same time the got up to leave, mouthing various apologies toward the mysterious figure at the front of the bar.
Silas put down his drink and brought out his single revolver, whatever people tell you about dual wielding don't listen to them, it is highly ineffective and will probably get you killed, especially with the kick on these bad boys. Silas thought amusedly as he checked the bullets in his gun, waiting for the response from the Carwhittle Gang.
"Poor, poor Silas, all alone, no friends to help him. You know what, I want you to know something before you die, that man you gunned down, he was my brother. Now we're going to give you a choice, either come out here and let us shoot you down like a dog in the street just like you did him, or, stay in their, have a last stand, just know that if you choose that route we're going to make your death slow and painful." He said eliciting a round of chuckles from the men around him.
"So what is it going to be Silas, quick, or slow?"
-----
"What happened, next mum?" Asked the girl with stars in her eyes, with such an innocent excitement for a murder that only a child could have.
"Next? Oh yes, he walked out there and died, the end, story over, time for bed." She said waving the little girl under her covers while starting to stand up.
"What, no that can't be what happened Silas is a hero!" Cried the little girl before pouting, causing the mother to stop in her tracks before turning around to face her daughter, a grim expression on her face.
"If I ever catch you using the word 'hero' to describe Silas Horne again I will smack you do you understand?" She said as her daughter just looked at her hands not responding.
"I said do you understand?" She said slightly more loudly, but before the girl could reply she was cut off by a bespectacled man currently leaning in the door frame.
"Ah come on babe we can't stop the story now can we?" Said the man with a slight smile on his face.
"She is just a child John, I won't have her hearing of these things." Said the mother with her best scathing glare focused on her husband.
"Mary, we can't let your political beliefs get in the way of the truth can we?" He said teasingly.
"Yeah mum, please keep telling the story." Said the little girl now sensing that the argument was about to swing in her favour.
The mother turned to look at her daughter, and then back to her husband before throwing her arms up and sitting back down on the bed.
"Arrgh, I can't win with you two!" She said in exasperation before her husband hugged her from behind while whispering in her ear.
"We'll tell her the story, the true story, unburdened of the political views that she would usually hear it with in school, and then, when we are done, she can form her own opinion on the infamous Silas Horne.