Epic

by Alexander Strijewski

  The men burst into glorious applause and cheers. The townsfolk came on and joined in. Out of the fray, three more decided to volunteer, two men just recently sobered and a boy. The Sheriff put them on their assignments.

  The afternoon was filled with gunfire and heavy drill. The town, despite its sparse population, was set ablaze with the fanfare of rifles and flying cans of soup as well as other targets. They shot right at the spot the men would be standing so everyone could get accustomed to their exact spots, no surprises.

  They had four good distance shooters among them, and to them were given the most crucial targets. All men were given side arms including the women, at least those that asked for them. Things were going well so far as Mark wended his way to his office.

  Upon stepping inside he saw quite an unexpected sight, the Lady Bingham had taken it upon herself to wrest one of the rifles off the rack and start fooling with it.

  “AND JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING WITH THAT!?” bellowed the Sheriff.

  “We’re outnumbered! I just can’t stand around and let good men die. I can help fight them Mark, I swear!”

  “The HELL you can! Put down that rifle right now! If one of the outlaws saw that you were armed, you would become a prime target. You would die ahead of anyone else. Even if we don’t live through this they will not kill the women and children, no group of outlaws would do such a thing. You will be safe AS LONG AS YOU DO NOT BEAR ARMS!”

  “But Mark! What are we gonna do!? We have thirteen untrained, uncertain men taking on a small army! It’s going to be a slaughter! We have to do something!”

  “We sure are going to do something, but not by your hand.” He approached her and took the rifle away from her, “we will be smart and we will live. Oh and we have fourteen men just for your information.” He looked over at Kachi and winked.

  “Listen here’s what I want you to do, here’s what I want all the women and children to do. There will be quite a lot of gun play to come. Once you hear the first shot, you will hit the floor, climb under the bed and stay there. Just one stray bullet could end your life or do serious harm. Do you understand me?”

  The Lady’s fire started to quaver, “All right Mark.”

  “Just let me handle this. Yes we are outnumbered. But our enemy is stupid and not courageous. We will surprise them and quite possibly spook the lot of them into runnin’ for the hills with any luck.” He embraced her and held her head in his arms. “It will all be over by morning. I love you Mary.”

  The Lady shed a tear, “I love you too.”

  * * *

  The men were midst their shooting practice as Sheriff Mark was about to wheel over to their next stockpile of ammunition. Things were moving aling, but he realized he had something else he had to attend to. He made his way back to the Marshals office. Inside he found a quivering Kachi all alone.

  “Hey buddy.”

  Kachi didn’t answer.

  “I thought I might find you here. Guess what my friend? I have the most important job of all for you.”

  Kachi seemed to perk up.

  “Yup, that’s right. You are to protect the Lady Bingham.” He announced proudly, “she will be in the study on the second floor near the back of the town in the Harris residence where no one would suspect in the dark and I leave you this.” He drew forth an ornate walnut handled Colt .45 and laid it on the table, “When the gunfire starts, you stand guard by the entrance slightly out of view, if anyone comes through that door that you don’t know or looks suspicious, you open fire! You don’t even ask any questions or say anything, just let loose!”

  He let little Kachi be and went back to his men.

  Nightfall was beginning now in what was normally a lamplit town, but as per the Sheriff’s decree, tonight Glimmer Rock did anything but glimmer as it was enveloped in jet black. It was now only three hours to the moment of truth and the arrival of thirty-five or so unwelcome men. It took everyone a while to get accustomed to it, many of the men or boys were usually asleep at this time and it was decided that some of them would have cat naps so they could be fresh for the encounter. Sheriff Mark Fenner took his post just behind the parapet, clear where everyone within the village could see him, but not from without. An embrasure of sorts within the town false front was enough for him to maintain his vigil over the Northwest. He lengthened his brass telescope and skimmed through the hills several miles away.

  He had trained his men well, in an hour from now they would begin to train their guns, but he tried to play out the battle in his mind before it happened to see what he could have missed. Gunfights were chaotic affairs, anything could happen.

  His second in command, Porter Davis, a heavy set brute of a man with his standard issue buscadero belt he had given all the men clambered up to him, “Sir, the two old men are nodding off already. They can’t hold out as they’ve never stayed up this late.”

  “All right, that’s as I expected. Which ones, it is Garner and old man Berringer?”

  “Yessir.”

  “Right. Let ‘em sleep for now. You position yourself next to Garner, and get Harvey next to Berringer. When the time comes and I give the signal that I see the bandits, just pinch them into wakefulness. With what’s to come, I don’t think they’ll have much trouble staying awake.”

  “Yessir, there is just one more problem.”

  “That Garner can’t see?”

  “Yessir, Garner and a few of the others still can’t make out anything in this accursedness blackness. If we don’t do somethin’ their gonna unleash their bullets on a whole lotta air.”

  “Right. When the time comes, you train their guns for them. Tell them not to move a hair and fire when asked, and then to keep firing at the same spot as best they can as the enemy will be bunched up. Just tell ‘em we’re counting on them and to do the best job they can ok?”

  “Yessir.”

  Those things he had thought of. Everything depended on that first volley, they would have to clip as many men as possible and break their spirits, if they didn’t and the gang decided to make a stop far out of range of his shooters, this would turn into a free for all, and the odds were not in their favor in the slightest.

  * * *

  It was now close to midnight and the inevitable telltale puff of smoke emerged from a hilltop, seen only to Mark’s telescope. They were still a good mile and a half away, but he raised his hands to alert the men. Everything went still and quiet. High above the vultures spiraled slowly across the plains in wait of the savory leftovers of the battle.

  They were coming from the proper angle as anticipated. The boy had been absolutely right, as he always was. It was just a waiting game now as the puff of smoke grew itself into a cloud and finally became that tiny band of misfits Kachi had detailed.

  The next moments were crucial. They would have to pull up in front of the town. But how far away would they be?

  He looked back at his men, they were all in place, and all the guns were at the ready. Sure, a town in complete blackness could look suspicious, but it was a gamble they had to take.

  Gradually they lessened their pace to a trot and came to a halt as Hanley raised his fist in the air. While the bandit’s stride slowed, Mark and his men’s hearts began sprinting at a mad dash in contrast. They were in luck, they had pulled up only fifty feet from the outskirts of town.

  Mark tried to calm himself and breathe. All his men were waiting for him to drop his hand. To his surprise, the outlaw Hanley had decided to make his presence known.

  “Citizens of Glimmer Rock!” he yelled as loud as he could.

  Mark had him right in his sights. But wasn’t interested in what he had to say. He savagely chopped down with his arm and brought the bullets of all his men down on him and his crew, simultaneous with his own shot.

  Mark made his Jack and just before he began his sentence, Hanley was chopped down. A whole cannonade followed and took out seven other men form what Mark could see.

  “Second volley FIRE!�
�� yelled Mark.

  Another cannonade fired directly into the fray. The outlaws were still trying to gather themselves, but a smoke screen hid the results. There was some return gunfire and Mark’s men hid.

  “Don’t let up! Third volley FIRE!” he threw down his arm as if that could add force to the bullets.

  Mark had to duck as there was shooting directed to his voice. He carefully snuck down off his perch, the remaining engagement would be equal, now was time to find out how many were left in the passel.

  He could hear hoof beats getting closer and he made eye contact with two of his men across the way as he readied his sidearm. He aimed in a way so as not to engage in friendly fire which would allow him to pick off the rider.

  A flash and he instantly fired three shots in the space of a second. Two of them hit their mark and the outlaw attempting to pass the town line was quickly unmounted and fell into the dirt. Two more men attempted their entrance with a waiting Mark. As quick as he could Mark fanned his pistols at the shadows the moment they appeared with similar results. One of the riders was finished by Porter from the other side.

  The Sheriff took the brief respite to glance around the corner in attempt to determine whether the remaining men stayed to fight. If they did he knew the town would be overrun. But it was too dark to be sure. There was a lot of yelling and ruckus now, he tried to focus while also not getting shot up. He couldn’t be sure.

  He raced back up to his vantage point among the parapets. There were several gun fighters still milling about. After a moment, five of them seemed to decide to take the town from the flank and spurred on towards to the right, a spot Mark had left completed unguarded.

  Hurriedly he reloaded his pieces, yelped to Porter to follow him and went after the men. It was only a few seconds before he had a good angle on them. He had his man shoot simultaneous with himself and they unleashed their fury on the oncoming stampede.

  It was met by an equal number of shots and Mark and Porter had to take cover. Two of them fell, but Porter was winged by a stray and the Sheriff took a glancing bullet off the shoulder.

  He braced himself against an overturned wagon and held tight, if he could cut off these men, they might have a chance, but there was still quite a melee happening behind him, he had to keep his attention forward however and hope the townsfolk could keep them at bay. He prayed for his men.

  * * *

  Kachi heard the initial yell of the man they called Hanley coming from the far side of town. It was a chilling yell to be sure, but the voice was quickly snuffed out by a far louder, far more powerful outburst. It wasn’t long before the entire town was awash in the grips of a midnight pyrotechnics.

  It unnerved Kachi to say the least, but Mark had left him in charge of the Lady and he would do his best to protect her. Oddly enough, the Lady Bingham had nothing to say to little Kachi, perhaps stricken with a crippling sense of fear herself. Once the first shots were fired she simply threw herself to the floor and snuck under the bed until it was over, just as Mark had commanded.

  Several minutes passed and the shooting continued, Kachi stood right behind the door where no one would notice him, especially anyone entering the room. The thought that someones life was held in his hands served to embolden the little boy, and he dutifully held his post, with his very own pistol at the ready.

  Many more minutes passed. Gradually the firing tapered off. He had no idea who was winning, perhaps they had lost and the town was now run only by the bandits. He prayed. There was less sound now, but no one had come for them, there was only the sound of the Lady sobbing under her bed.

  Assiduously he concentrated on the smallest noises he could, so he could try to get an idea. If they had won, Mark would want to check on the Lady and himself. Then he heard foot steps coming towards them. They were furtive steps, calculating, as if attempting to avoid detection.

  They were closer now, the steps were coming up the staircase to the room, there was no mistaking it. Kachi was too wrought with fear to ever think of using his second sight. He held his gun tight, he would not fail Mark, not for something as critical as this. The next few seconds would tell the tale. The sound of sobbing would be audible to anyone nearby.

  The door crashed open, Kachi looked at their guest, IT WAS A STRANGE MAN WITH A HOOD!

  “Come on out pretty lady!”

  Kachi opened fire!

  He missed. He fired again, Kachi was afraid that he had somehow mishandled the gun or that it wasn’t loaded. He missed again!

  “Come on out or I’ll shoot you out pretty lady!”

  Kachi tried once more. He had no effect on the man whatsoever. Was his pistol a dud? Should he have used the Sheriff’s Colt!?

  “Lady I got a party to get to, and if you don’t come out I will shoot!”

  The lady just continued sobbing.

  The man fired three rounds under the bed. The sobbing stopped. Crimson flowed out from underneath the bedspread. The man abruptly left.

  The Lady Bingham was dead.

  * * *

  Mark finished off the last man attempting to get through his lines and slued around to survey the battle. Many men had fallen or been severely wounded, including Mark. He held his arm as he sauntered back to the town’s front archway. Five of his men were dead, the rest wounded. But what remained of the Hanley gang was now in retreat. They had done it!

  With what energy he had left, he raced back to the residence where he had left the Lady and the boy. Apprehensively he ran up the stairs and threw open the door. His heart sank when saw the blood.

  “NOOOOooooooooo!!!!”

  He looked under the mattress and found exactly what he hoped would not happen. The Lady, Mary, was lying still, her gown soaked in a pool of her own blood. She was motionless.

  He broke down and was about to cry when he heard a voice. It was a boy’s voice, weeping.

  “I’m sorry. I tried to stop him, I did. I just don’t know how I coulda missed.” he fought back more tears, “He was right there! I shot him three times and nothing happened.”

  Mark looked at him, “I know boy. It is I who am sorry.” he said contrite.

  “I couldn’t use your gun Mark, it was too heavy. But mine was a dud.”

  The Sheriff only shook his head, “No boy, that’s not it. No”

  “What?”

  “Well you see son, how should I explain…” Mark was grief stricken at his loss, “I… “ he shuddered. “You didn’t miss.” He just shook his head.

  “What?”

  “You didn’t miss. It was my fault, I didn’t think anyone would make it to this room.” He said through tears. Forlorn, he took the Lady out from under the bedstead and held her in his arms, the blood staining his vest. He stared at her for several minutes. Then he looked back at the boy, “Kachi, do you remember a horse named King?”

  The boy was a little startled by the question and thought about it.

  “No.”

  “No I didn’t think so. Well fifteen year ago you did. He was a mean bronc, but you see you saddled him and…”

  “Wait fifteen years ago? But I’m only eight.”

  “Yes well that’s what I’m tryin to tell ya is that, fifteen years ago, you decided to fork this bronc in order to help break him. You wanted to be like your father. But King was not a forgiving mare. You were thrown. You broke your neck.”

  Kachi was taking it all in.

  “You were badly hurt but you did not pass, not for many days. It was only after a week that you finally cashed in your chips and fell into the afterlife. We had always been very close, you and I, and it was with some shock that I heard you speak to me that night while I was half asleep. Ever since that day, you’ve hung around and I’ve been the only one able to talk to you. Son, haven’t you ever wondered why no one else ever talks to ya?”

  Kachi thought it over, “It never occurred to me, I just thought I was an unimportant Indian boy.”

  “No, it’s just that no one else can see or hear you.
Only myself”

  Kachi was shaken to his core.

  “You’ve been terrified of horses ever since. Flies always get into the leftover food because you can’t eat. But most importantly, your ability to see from a distance and provide me with detailed information on any and all threats to this here town, is the only reason why Glimmer Rock was able to attain opulence. Before that, it was just another shootin’ range. You’re my little Ace in the Hole buddy. You let us prosper.”

  “But…” Kachi shed a ghostly tear, “But… my father.”

  “Your father was a good man, but he died when you were two. He was a horse tamer. However the gravestone you visit on boot hill, is the one we made for you. The gravestone belongs to you.”

  Kachina tried to digest the truth. He somehow had an uncomfortable feeling on the back of his neck, or at least what seemed to be his neck, he didn’t know anymore. What the Sheriff said somehow rang true.

  “I’m sorry.” was all Kachi could say.

  “There’s no need to be sorry. It was because of you we were able to defend the town this night at all. And defend it we did, with a ragtag bunch of good fer nothin’ nobodies against forty men. After this gets out, believe you me, no one will want to raid us again for aeons. You did good my lil’ buddy.”

  The End

  Drone

  He was one of the most deified soldiers of our generation, striking fear into the hearts of millions who had the unlucky qualification of being on the wrong side of his battle line. To say he was a skilled combatant would be somewhat of an understatement. To say he was strong, quick witted, tactically minded, all those adjectives you could think of, would do little to illuminate the vignette in the proper light. I, being your humble narrator this evening, will try my best to provide an accurate depiction of he, who would play the role of protagonist today. I hope you’re having a nice day so far, because things are about to get heavy. So don’t say I didn’t warn you. As a mercenary, he was sought after by every military in this sector and his valuation was well into the tens of millions. A lot to pay for one soldier, I know, but you’ll soon see why. As he, oh wait, he’s about to say something, hold on…