A Town Called No Hope (A Steampunk Western)

by Izzy Hunter

‘Want me to come back afterwards?’ Sam asked, as Matthew begrudgingly stood up and crossed the room to join him.

  ‘Napping is usually a solitary pursuit,’ Mona remarked.

  ‘Come on, kid,’ he said to Matthew, ‘let’s leave the lady to her beauty sleep.’ He glanced across at Mona. ‘You know where I’ll be if you change your mind.’

  Yes, hopefully knee-deep in whores, thought Mona.

  After they left, Mona waited ten minutes before she ventured out her room and took in the view on the top deck. A couple of crew members were sitting playing cards as she passed them. They asked her to join them but she politely declined and went on her way.

  Taking in the miles of wild land below them, Mona thought of Henry and felt her heartbeat increase at the thought of being reunited with her lover. She also wondered how Connor was coping without her. Sure, he had the hulking figure of Henry to take care of any physical demands but she still worried that he would panic and do something silly. One day she’d have to train him up. Make deputy sheriff material out of him. As much as it pained her to think about it, Henry would not last forever. It was a miracle he’d survived this long. And even if he was good for another few decades, Sanders was getting old. Who would be around to mend Henry if he died? Wesley? The boy was good at his job, and had a love of new technology, but would that be enough?

  ‘Well that was a quick nap.’

  Mona rolled her eyes before turning to face Sam. He was fast becoming a nuisance, now. Could he not leave her alone? What had happened to the whores who were meant to be occupying his time?

  ‘What do you want, Sam?’ Mona asked in a tired voice. Was there no escaping him?

  Sam shrugged and walked up the steps to join her on the balcony. He viewed the scenery below them. ‘Just wanted some fresh air.’

  ‘Surely you’ve got a window in your room.’

  ‘I do indeed. Was that a hint?’ He asked, eyes sparkling with mischief.

  ‘A hint for you to leave me alone.’

  His smile faded. ‘What is with you, lady? You blow hot and cold on me all the time.’

  Mona faced him, hands on hips. ‘Fine. Let me make it perfectly clear. I want you to stay away from me. Now and when we land. If you try anything when we get back to No Hope, I will arrest you.’

  He stared at her for a long time, and then said. ‘When you say try anything….’ And broke into a grin.

  Quick as a flash, Mona had unholstered her gun and pressed it between Sam’s legs. ‘Don’t act the fool.’

  Whatever Sam was going to say in response was lost as a cry went up from the other end of the deck. Mona put the gun away and watched, with Sam, as a couple of the crewmen stood grappling with something, or someone. With the crewmen’s’ backs facing them, Mona couldn’t see what they were struggling with, so moved forward to get a better look and offer her assistance if necessary.

  ‘You!’ she cried, taking in the sight of Hubert, trying in vain to escape the clutches of the strong crewmen. ‘What the hell are you doing here? How did you get on board?’

  ‘Well, if these oafs let go of me, I’d tell you,’ said Hubert gruffly.

  Northam, who had joined the group, nodded once at her crewmen who dropped him to the floor with a thud. ‘Talk,’ she said, ‘or you’ll be flying with the birds.’

  Hubert glared at her before looking up at Mona. ‘I had to get away. The theatre owner was sniffing around, asking questions. Said if they didn’t find Oscar, I’d get pinned for the blast and hanged.’

  Mona heard the gasps from everyone listening. No one else had been privy to knowing who was behind the theatre blast, but there wasn’t a person on board who didn’t know about it, or hadn’t been there at the time.

  ‘Bastard!’ The youthful cry could only belong to one person, and Mona was almost knocked over by him as he pushed past her and proceeded to strike Hubert repeatedly. ‘You blew up the theatre! You killed my friends!’

  ‘Get off me!’ yelled back Hubert, now using the crewmen as shields, as he tried to hide from Matthew’s fists. ‘Get him off me!’

  Sam took hold of a clearly upset Matthew and pulled him away from the small man. Matthew didn’t try to fight back but he remained glaring at Hubert.

  Northam spoke next. ‘I don’t much care for stowaways on my ship. Usually if I find any, I chuck them over the side of the ship if we’re mid-flight.’ She turned to Mona. ‘What do you think?’

  ‘Why ask her?’ Hubert piped up. The crewmen had let go off him. He stood there, rubbing his sore arms.

  ‘Not that it’s anything to do with you,’ said Northam, but she’s the only law enforcement officer on the ship.’

  Judging by the man’s face, he hadn’t been aware of this little fact. A moment later, he fell to his knees and looked up at Mona. ‘Please. I didn’t have the money to pay. I needed to get away. Tell them. Please.’

  ‘You little piece of shit,’ said Sam. And before Mona could stop him, he had picked up Hubert like a small piece of furniture and stalked over to the side of the ship. Holding his feet, he dangled the - by now, screaming - man over the side.

  ‘Sam, what are you doing?’ Mona asked, horrified by his actions.

  ‘Getting rid of rubbish,’ Sam replied. He glanced back at the observing group with a smirk Mona wanted to slap off his face.

  ‘Let go of him right now,’ she hissed.

  ‘My pleasure,’ said Sam, and proceeded to lower Hubert who was both trying to wriggle out of his grasp and grab onto the ship.

  ‘Don’t you dare! If you don’t put him back onto this ship right now, I will arrest you for murder. And don’t think that I won’t.’

  A moment or two passed where all was silent, no one moved. And then Sam, swearing, grabbed hold of Hubert’s flailing arm and brought him back on board, dumping him to the ground. Sam looked at Mona. ‘You should have let me do it. Saved us all the grief.’

  Ignoring him, Mona stepped forward and bent down. ‘Hubert, I’m placing you under arrest until we land in No Hope. Northam, you got a free brig?’

  ‘Sure,’ said Northam from behind her. ‘Free and inviting. Someone take him down.’

  The two crewmen who had manhandled Hubert before took an arm each and carried him down the steps to the lower level. The group of watchers dissipated. Sam took Matthew away for something to eat. Mona told them she’d join them in a bit and stayed to speak to Northam.

  ‘I’ll make sure someone’s keeping guard outside the cell,’ Northam promised her when they were alone.

  ‘Good. Hey, listen, about those whores you mentioned earlier. Can you maybe send them to Sam sooner rather than later? He’s beginning to really annoy me now.’

  ‘I already did,’ said Northam. ‘I sent three of the best but he sent them away again. Wasn’t interested.’

  ‘Damn.’

  ‘Look, why don’t I take him on as a crewman? I don’t really need an extra pair of hands but his payment can be his room, and well he’ll be nice to look at when the heat gets to him, if you know what I mean.’ She winked then laughed. ‘No, but seriously, I can take up his time with work. You won’t have to see him much for the rest of the voyage.’

  ‘Nice idea, but Sam’s already paid for his presence on the ship, hasn’t he?’

  ‘Yes,’ conceded Northam, ‘but my ship, my rules.’

  Another full day passed on the ship and Mona found herself utterly bored. True to her word, Northam had taken on Sam as a crewman and had set him to work almost as soon as they’d finished their discussion the previous day, so he had not been around as much to annoy her. Northam was busy doing captain things, and Matthew, who was still discovering the delights of airship travelling, spent his time watching the view from the top deck, eating his weight in food in the canteen, or generally annoying the crewmen with constant questions.

  But Mona had noticed something about Matthew that wasn’t right. Needed sorting out pronto. So she got hold of him that afternoon when he’d just finished having someth
ing to eat and was heading for the top deck.

  ‘So, where’d you say we’re going?’ Matthew asked, following Mona along one of the corridors.

  ‘It’s a surprise.’

  They continued along until Mona found reached a room at the end. The door was unlocked, just as she had agreed with its usual occupier, and she pushed it open, standing aside to let Matthew in.

  ‘This aint your room,’ Matthew remarked, looking around the big, tidy space. And then he clocked the tin tub sitting by the lit hearth.

  Steam rose from the freshly-poured water. A fresh towel, folded, and a bar of soap sat to the side of the tub. Mona didn’t know which crewman had done this, but they’d made a good job. Mona closed the door just as Matthew tried to make a run for it. What was it with kids and not wanting to be clean?

  ‘You’re not getting me in that thing,’ said Matthew, struggling to get past her.

  ‘The hell I aint,’ said Mona, aping his accent, momentarily. ‘You, Matthew Reedus, are going to have a bath or I’ll leave you to the angry folks of No Hope. You know, the people whose money you stole?’

  Matthew stopped and stood looking at her. ‘Just because I wouldn’t have a bath? No way.’

  ‘Try me,’ said Mona, arms folded

  Matthew copied her stance and folded his arms. ‘Why should I get in that thing?’

  ‘Because you smell worse than horse manure. And if you want to show your father, and everyone else, you ‘re capable of looking after yourself in New Moray, you’ll have to learn about the magic that is self-hygiene. Now get undressed and get in that bath.’ She turned around, giving him some privacy. She just knew he was making faces behind her back, but she stood her ground, waiting until the grumbling had stopped and she heard the unmistakable sound of someone sitting down in a tub of water.

  ‘I do know how to clean myself,’ he said, as Mona turned round and sat down on the edge of the bed. ‘I just don’t like doing it.’

  ‘Just use the goddamn soap and quit moaning,’ she told him, with a sigh.

  Matthew glared at the white bar of soap before making a grab for it. Unfortunately, because he’d put his hands were wet, the bar slipped from his grasp and jumped across the room, landing at Mona’s feet. Suppressing a laugh, she silently picked it up and handed it back to him. He took it carefully in both hands, scowling at her as if it had been her fault.

  As Matthew started washing himself, Mona got up again and crossed over to the window. The sky was clear of clouds and the blue sky was strong.

  ‘Hey, what are you doing with that?’

  Mona turned around. Matthew had paused his washing and was looking warily at her. She looked down at her hand. Without realising it, she’d taken her gun from her holster. She quickly put it back and gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

  ‘Force of habit. Sorry.’ She returned to the bed again and sat down. ‘So,’ she began, and stopped, struggling for a conversation-opener. ‘What exactly made you run away? Are things that bad at home?’

  Satisfied he wasn’t about to get shot, Matthew continued soaping his arms again. ‘Pa’s never gonna change. He’s a waster. And I don’t want to end up like him.’

  ‘So you thought, hey, I’ll just rob the bank and run away. Didn’t think maybe education is the way to have a better life?’

  Matthew actually guffawed at this. ‘School’s no good. I’d learn a lot more by getting out there in the world.’

  Jesus, kid, you remind me of me when I was your age, Mona thought to herself.

  ‘Sheriff?’

  ‘Mm?’

  ‘Can you… come with me when I see my pa?’ His voice was timid, lacking the bravado he’d had since she’d found him in New Moray.

  ‘That was the plan,’ Mona replied. She stood up. ‘Listen, kid, I’ll let you finish up here. And I know you’re such a good boy that you wouldn’t dream of stealing anything from the Captain’s room.

  Matthew looked around. ‘So this is whose place it is,’ he muttered, and then looked at Mona. ‘I promise I won’t take a thing.’

  ‘Good. Now, once you’re done here, meet me top deck and we’ll go for something to eat.’

  A lot of the passengers were already basking in the sunshine when Mona joined them on the top deck. Coats had been discarded, trousers and sleeves rolled up, and heavy dresses replaced with light undergarments. Mona smiled. There was something about Northam and The Red Jenny that made people’s inhibitions take a back seat. Mona would have taken off her own jacket - she was particularly warm - but were it not for the fact that the jacket concealed her holster and gun, and she didn’t want to scare people with her weapon on show. She crossed to the starboard side of the ship, still in view of the staircase where Matthew would eventually appear from, and leant over the ship wall. She loved being this high up, surveying the country below her. Her first time on the air ship had been a troublesome, chaotic, worrying occasion so she hadn’t had the time to stop and view the incredible sight. She had made up for this on subsequent journeys.

  Three crewmen passed her, carrying crates of goodness knows what. Recognising them by sight only, she greeted them as they passed. It was then she saw Sam across the ship, near the sunbathers. He was mopping up a spillage of something, his back facing her. Mona’s gaze drifted to his ass, tight in those trousers.

  ‘Not as good as Henry’s,’ she said in a low voice. At the mention of her lover’s name, she turned away from Sam and thought about Henry. God, she had missed him. Since coming to the new world, they’d never spent longer than a day or two away from one another. It wasn’t that they couldn’t bear to spend any time apart. They didn’t have a lovey-dovey relationship. Hell, despite Henry’s… predicament… they could still have blazing rows. And hot make-up sex afterwards. Well, as near to sex as they could.

  She glanced back around, a final glance at Sam as she looked to the staircase, waiting for Matthew. Her gaze jumped back to Sam. Mop handle leaning against his legs, he was taking off his shirt.

  Dear god, she thought, unable to take her eyes off him. The back was smooth, broad, muscular. Just ripe for running her hands over and trailing her nails… Sam turned around quicker than she could and he saw her gaping. She spun round in reply and faced away from him, her face flushing. How in the hell did he do this to her? Turn her into some silly girl with a crush.

  ‘Enjoying the view?’ He stood behind her, and Mona felt no option but to turn around, but not before first promising herself to keep her eyes above neck-level. She failed as soon as she turned around, catching sight of a faded yet horrible scar just to the left of his right breast.

  ‘How’d you get that?’ she asked, nodding at the scarring. ‘Did you get on someone’s nerves just once too often?’

  Sam looked down, regarding the scar for a moment. ‘Yeah, I guess he didn’t like catching me sleeping with his wife.’

  Mona tried to think of a witty reply, failed, so just shook her head and walked off, telling Sam he’d better get back to work or she’d tell his boss.

  She found Sam’s boss coming out of one of the side turrets of the ship, where the fuel for powering the steam-powered airship was kept.

  ‘How’s our little stowaway?’ she asked the captain.

  Northam rolled her eyes. ‘Whining like an old lady, but my crew are just ignoring him the best they can.’

  ‘Well, as soon as we land, I’ll be taking him straight to the jail.’

  ‘And what then?’ asked Northam.

  ‘To be honest, I’d like nothing more than to tie him to a tree for what he did, but unless I can prove he had anything to do with the blast, I might have to let him go.’

  ‘So there’s no chance of evidence suddenly appearing like magic?’ Northam asked. Mona knew what she was implying. Despite her past, Mona was a law-abiding Sheriff now, emphasis on the law-abiding part especially. She shook her head. ‘Well, you’re definitely not the same woman who pleaded with me to take you away from England.’

 
‘That’s a good thing, though.’

  Northam pretended to weigh up the options. Then she grinned and patted her friend on the shoulder. ‘On the whole, yes.’

  When Matthew eventually appeared, smelling much better than before, Mona took him for something to eat, just as promised. After filling their bellies with pork, potatoes and carrots, she let him go off, while she paid a visit to the ship’s sole prisoner. In fact, as she walked the corridor leading to the prison cell, she could hear him complaining. The crewmen who had been posted as make-do guards gave her long-suffering looks.

  ‘Oh, it’s you,’ Hubert said, as Mona stood in front of the barred door. ‘Suddenly remember I was here, Sheriff?’

  Mona didn’t respond. She stared at him, arms folded. This seemed to unnerve Hubert and he babbled on, to fill in the silence.

  ‘Yes, well, I can’t say this is the best cell I’ve ever been thrown into. No bed. Not even a bundle of straw to lie on. The food is pitiful, if you can call it food. An animal would be treated better. I am a human being, you know.’

  ‘Really?’

  Hubert stared back at her. ‘So I guess you’ll be moving me once we reach Hope.’

  ‘No Hope,’ corrected Mona. ‘You’re right. You’ll be moved from the inside of a ship’s brig to a jail’s cell.’

  ‘On what grounds? Being a stowaway?’