Four whips of smoke drifted into the black fumes of the bandit’s dying campfire, coming from four freshly fired six-shooters.

Bilk and his gang stared down at Brand, who now lay on his back with his clothes tattered with bullet holes. The double-crossing deputy let a chuckle escape his lips, before breaking out into a fit of mad, malicious laughter. He walked up to the prone form of the sheriff, relishing in the painful, pitiful state he had reduced him to.

“You got no idea how long I’ve been waiting’ to do that!” Bilk cackled with sadistic glee, before giving Brand a swift kick in the ribs.

The frenzied former deputy continued to boot the old man’s body, while Gap-Tooth, Pot-Belly, and Lazy-Eye watched with a pit of unease opening up in each of their stomachs as he laughed.

After a few more swift kicks, the turncoat decided to stop, heaving heavy breaths from punishing the lifeless old-timer. Bilk then spotted the sheriff’s silver star on his chest, which miraculously survived the hail of lead.

“Well…reckon you won’t be needin’ this anymore…” Bilk reached down and took the badge, ready to pluck it from his old partner’s bleeding chest…

Until a thick, wrinkled hand shot up and grabbed his wrist!

“HOLY…!” Bilk yelped in fright at the hand grabbing him, looking to see that, against all odds, Brand was still alive. The old sheriff glared at Bilk with wide, furious eyes as he gripped his former deputy’s wrist tight, refusing to let him take his badge.

“Let go, you stupid, stubborn, old…!” Bilk fought to wreck his hand, and the sheriff’s badge, away from the dying old-timer.

Brand held on for as long as he could, but his strength quickly began to wane from his life slowly leaving. He lost his grip, allowing Bilk to rip his hand away, along with the sheriff’s badge, tearing it off of the old man’s coat.

“Boy, Brand…you are one tough old goat!” Bilk smirked as he admired the silver star in his hand. He then took his deputy badge off his chest, before tossing it onto Brand’s and replacing it with the sheriff’s. “You took a hail of gunfire, an’ here you are, still kickin’!”

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Brand couldn’t choose between snarling at Bilk, or groaning in pain when he noticed something bright and blue whizzing over Bilk’s head. The shooting star was followed by many more, drawing Brand’s attention away from his pain, at least for a moment.

“What’re you starin’ at?” Bilk grew confused and annoyed as he followed Brand’s sight to whatever he was looking at. He then saw the blue streaks shooting across the night sky. “What in tarnation…?”

Gap-Tooth, Pot-Belly, and Lazy-Eye also stared dumbfounded up at the shooting stars overhead, oohing and awing at the streaks of bright lights.

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“RAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!”

Cole Hauler roared with righteous fury, wrestling with an outlaw who tried to point a gun in his face. He threw his massive gloved fist into the outlaw’s jaw, knocking him out cold before he hit the ground. The giant miner heaved haggard breaths after the struggle when a gunshot and a scream caught his attention.

All the miners, the men he grew to know as brothers, were either running for their lives, fighting for their lives, or dying merciless, underserved deaths. All at the hands, and guns, of John Carver, who laughed like the madman he was as he fired wildly at the miners, along with his gang of like-minded murderers.

Cole began heading towards Carver to put a stop to his massacre when he caught sight of Houston, the old man hobbling away with Radcliffe leading him away, no doubt back to their stagecoach.

Rage filling his every being, Hauler rushed for the mining baron, intent on making him pay. “HOUSTON!”

The old businessman stopped and turned about, his face going pale at the sight of the furious giant stampeding towards him. The assistant aced fast, drawing a gun from his jacket and aiming for the oncoming miner.

Hauler stopped in his tracks, putting his hands up at the sight of the six-shooter. All he could do while he was held at gunpoint by the two scoundrels was snarl.

“Appears you’ll be leaving this mortal coil before I do, Mr Hauler!” Houston declared spitefully before a cough erupted in his dry throat once more. The mining baron hacked up more of his blood before he was finally allowed to give Radcliffe his order. “Kill him…”

Radcliffe cocked the barrel of his gun, ready to do as he was ordered.

Cole gritted his teeth, bracing himself for the coming shot when he caught something bright and blue flashing out of the corner of his eye.

The light flashed over Houston and Radcliffe, causing the two to look up and see the meteor shower up above.

The scramble between the miners and the outlaws came to a sudden stop. Everyone found themselves stooping and looking up to see the swarm of stars shooting across the sky.

“Well, would’ya look at that…” Carver mused to himself, turning his hat up with the barrel of his revolver to get a better view.

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The shower of meteors came raining down from the cosmos, the burning blue rocks parting ways as they hurtled towards the lands of the New World.

The folks of a no-name boomtown walked out of their homes, looking up at the spectacle with awe.

The settlement of natives deep within a forest was alive with life, many hollering and dancing to the lights flying overhead.

Farmhands gazed up at the light show above them, too stunned by the spectacle to continue their late-night labours.

All who could see across the nation were entranced by the shower of blue lights flying over their land, completely unaware of what changes they would soon bring to the land and their lives…