Slocum and the Killers

by Jake Logan

  “Is that right?” Doc said. “How’d you do?”

  “Not so well,” said Slocum. “I’ve been laid up too long, I guess.”

  “Well, you’ll get better again,” said Doc. “You’ll live to kill again, I reckon.”

  “I will,” said Slocum.

  “I’m going to release you,” Doc said. “No need for you to hang around in here any longer. Just take it easy for a few days yet. Don’t do anything too strenuous. Come in and see me in the afternoons. You’ll be out on your own pretty damn soon now.”

  “Thanks, Doc,” Slocum said.

  Slocum moved into the hotel room that Billy was staying in. It was the same one that Old Jan had first occupied. The next few days were routine. They would get up and have breakfast, ride out for a morning of shooting practice, ride back in for lunch, hang around town in the afternoon, have supper, have a few drinks, then go to bed. One night when they had been drinking for a little while, Billy Pierce was feeling a bit woozy.

  “Slocum,” he said, “I’m going up to the room.”

  “Had a bit much, have you?” said Slocum. “Well, go on. I’ll be along in a little bit.”

  Slocum had a couple more drinks, then decided that maybe Billy had been right. He left the saloon, and was heading down the street when he heard his name called. He looked around.

  “Over here,” came the voice. “Across the street.”

  He recognized the voice of Jill McGee. Looking across the street, he saw her standing in front of her house. He turned and walked over to see her and find out why she had called to him. Approaching her in her yard, he took off his hat.

  “Good evening, Nurse McGee,” he said.

  “Mr. Slocum,” she said, “you’re out late.”

  “Just a little,” he said. “You’re still up, I see.”

  Ignoring his remark, she said, “How are you feeling?”

  “I feel pretty good,” he said. “I figure I’ll be leaving here tomorrow morning.”

  “On the killing trail?” she said.

  “Nurse McGee—”

  “Why don’t you call me Jill?” she asked.

  “All right, Jill,” he said.

  “What can I call you?”

  “Slocum’s just fine.”

  “All right, Slocum. Would you like to come in for a drink?”

  He gestured toward her front door. “In—in there?” he said. “Your house?”

  “I won’t be seen in a saloon,” she said.

  “No. Of course not.”

  “Well?”

  “Yes, ma’am—Jill. I sure would.”

  She led the way into the house and gestured toward a seat on the couch. He sat down, tossing his hat onto a table.

  Jill was pouring a couple of drinks across the room. She glanced over her shoulder.

  “You don’t need to keep wearing that gun in here,” she said.

  Slocum stood up and unbuckled his belt. He laid it on the table beside his hat. And sat back down. Jill walked over and handed him a drink. Then she sat down beside him and held up her glass. Slocum touched his glass to it, and they drank.

  Over in his hotel room, Billy Pierce was thinking about Slocum. He was also thinking about Old Jan and about Sluice. He hoped that Old Jan was all right, that he was doing what Slocum had told him to do, keeping his eyes on Sluice and Jigs but keeping himself out of sight. Billy was sick of losing his friends, first Trent Brady, then Charlie Gourd. Slocum had come awful close, too damn close, and Billy sure did not want anything bad to happen to Old Jan. He knew how Slocum felt about getting Sluice himself, but secretly he hoped that when they caught up with Sluice, he would already be dead. Billy could not walk out on Slocum, and he could not walk away from the hunt for Sluice, but he did want this all to be over with. He had an idea that Slocum was about ready to hit the road again. His shooting had improved much in the last few days. Well, Billy was nervous about resuming the chase, but he was ready just the same.

  Old Jan did not know exactly what had happened down in the town of Bascomb, but he knew there had been some shooting. He was pretty sure that Sluice and Jigs were both holed up in the general store. For some reason, Sluice had gotten himself crossways with someone else in the town. Old Jan thought that it was that Grimes from the saloon. A couple of men had been killed, but he was pretty sure that Sluice and Jigs were alive and well, and he knew damn well that Slocum would be after them soon. He thought about going back to North Fork and telling Slocum that they were safe and sound and appeared to be settled in at Bascomb for a spell, but then, he had promised that he would stick with Sluice and Jigs. And who knew what would happen? They might slicker out of Bascomb at any moment. They might get their asses killed at any moment. No, Old Jan figured, he had better stay put right where he was. He’d better keep his eyes on the situation.

  Slocum was stripped naked in Jill’s bedroom, and he helped slicker her out of the last of her garments. She turned naked toward the bed and threw the covers down completely. Then she crawled in on her hands and knees, displaying her ample butt to Slocum as she did so. He admired it as she moved, and then he crawled in behind her. She rolled over onto her back and spread her legs, and Slocum moved right on top of her. He let his weight down on her, and kissed her fully on the lips. She responded delightfully, her arms wrapping around his back and pulling him tight and close. Then she slid her hands down his back to his butt, and she squeezed the cheeks hard. Slocum humped downward. She let her hands move underneath him and feel for his cock and balls. The cock was hard and ready for action. She squeezed it in one fist and felt it buck and throb. Her other hand moved underneath his balls, and she held them in her palm as if weighing them.

  “Are you ready to go?” she asked him.

  “I’ve never been more ready,” he said.

  She moved the head of his rod to her waiting slit and rubbed it up and down. Her waiting cunt was slippery, wet, and juicy. At last, she guided the head into her waiting hole, and Slocum thrust, driving his tool deep into her cavern.

  “Ahh,” she moaned.

  His entire length was inside her. She raised her pelvis, grinding it against his, writhing herself against him. Slowly, Slocum withdrew until all of his cock but the head was out. Then he shoved it back in, still slowly, again all the way. He did this again and again. Jill was getting anxious for him to drive harder and faster. She dug her nails into his butt and humped hard against him. Then, at last, Slocum drove into her hard. He started pumping hard and fast, and she matched her movements to his. Their bodies slapped together loudly. Slap. Slap, slap.

  “Oh, oh, oh,” she moaned.

  “Ahh,” said Slocum, almost growling.

  “Give it to me,” she said. “Give it to me hard. Harder.”

  Slocum suddenly and unexpectedly withdrew his rod completely.

  “Oh?” she said.

  He grabbed her by the waist with both hands and turned her over, pulling her up onto her knees. Again, he had a view of that marvelous ass. He grasped his rod and found her hungry hole once again, and once again, he drove it in deep. Once again, she responded, shoving her ass hard against his crotch and belly. He slapped against her again and again. From his vantage point, he could see her pendulous tits bouncing as their bodies smacked together over and over. Slocum felt like he did not have much more in him, and he did not want to leave Jill unsatisfied. He pulled out again and lay down on his back, pulling Jill over on top of him.

  She straddled him as if she were mounting a horse and eased herself down on his cock, taking in the whole length as she slid. He took her by the waist again. She began a slow rocking back and forth, sliding easily on his belly. Then she moved faster and faster, driving him to a near frenzy. He moved his hands up to her tits, grabbing one in each hand and rubbing her nipples with his thumbs. They stood out large and hardened.

  Jill wore herself out and fell forward, her left breast touching Slocum’s face. He took the nipple in his mouth and sucked hard. She pulled it out and move
d the right one in. In a couple of minutes, she scooted backward just a bit, enough to allow their lips to come together. They kissed hard, parting their lips enough to allow their tongues to duel, to search around inside their mouths. Finally, Jill pulled away and sat up again. She started rocking again. Slocum felt his balls grow ready to explode. Before they did that, though, Jill began to groan low and long. She rocked harder and faster, and at last she stopped.

  “Oh,” she cried. “Oh, God. Oh, God, Slocum, that’s enough. That did it. Oh, damn, damn, damn.”

  Slocum was about to drive some more in order to get himself off. It wouldn’t take much. But before he could move, Jill had pulled herself off him. She wriggled back between his legs until her face was just above his desperate cock. Quickly, she slurped it into her mouth, and Slocum gasped out loud, sounding as if he had been hurt. Jill began bouncing her head up and down, slurping all the way. Slocum humped into her face. At last, the dam burst. He gushed forth into her mouth, and she swallowed each burst. When at last he had stopped, Jill got up and put on a gown. With her back to Slocum, she said, “I think you had better leave now.”

  Slocum sat up with a surprised look on his face. He was so stunned by her abruptness that he did not respond.

  “I expect you’ll be riding out of town soon,” she said. “Perhaps even in the morning. I see no reason to prolong this. Good night.”

  She went into the next room, leaving Slocum alone to get dressed and get out of her house.

  In the morning, Slocum and Billy had their breakfast as usual, except that they had their bedrolls along with them. They had checked out of the hotel. Finished with their meal, they left the eating place and headed for the livery stable. As they passed by the doctor’s office, they saw Nurse Jill McGee going to work. She gave a curt nod. Slocum and Billy each touched the brims of their hats. No one said anything, and they walked on. At the stable, they paid the man, saddled their mounts, and climbed into their saddles. They rode out of town headed south. They were a few miles out before either man spoke a word.

  “Slocum,” said Billy Pierce. “I wonder how far south they got.”

  “We’ll know that when we catch up with them,” Slocum said.

  “Yeah. I reckon Old Jan will see us coming first, and he’ll come out to meet us. Tell us what’s going on.”

  “I reckon.”

  In Bascomb, Grimes was in the saloon with his other men. He was planning an all-out assault on the general store. He had determined already that he was not going to make the same mistake as before. He was going to use fire this time. He was either going to burn them out or burn them up. Either way, he did not give a damn.

  10

  From his vantage point on the hill just outside of town, Old Jan watched as several men gathered at the saloon. What he could not know was that Sluice was also watching through the front window of the general store. Old Jan did not know that Sluice was surprised at the size of his opposition and that he decided to bail out while he had the chance. He did not hear Sluice tell Jigs to stay busy behind the counter while he checked something in the back room, adding that he did not think they would have any trouble from Grimes that day. Old Jan could not see Sluice slip out the back door and make his skulking way to the livery stable. He did see the gang gathering outside the saloon with Grimes at the forefront. He knew that something was about to happen, and he watched carefully.

  The gang walked toward the general store, and Grimes stepped out in front. He stopped within shouting distance and called out. “Callendar, you cheap son of a bitch. Step out here like a man, and let’s have a talk.” He received no response. Inside the store, Jigs heard him shout. Sluice was wrong, he thought. Grimes is out there wanting to start something. He grabbed a rifle and checked its load. Then he rushed to the front window.

  “Goddamn,” he said, taking note of the size of the force he was facing. Then he called out, “Sluice. They’re out there. A whole fucking bunch of them.” He waited a couple of minutes, and when he did not get an answer back, he called again. “Sluice.” There was still no answer. “Hey,” he called out to Grimes. “Hey out there. Give me a couple of minutes. I got to get Sluice.”

  “Sluice?” said Grimes. “You mean Callendar?”

  “Yeah,” said Jigs. “That’s right. Callendar.”

  So, thought Grimes, Sluice is Callendar, or rather Callendar is Sluice. Just as I thought. He turned to his gang and motioned some of them around the house to watch the back. As they moved out, he called out again. “Where is Sluice?”

  “He’s in the back room,” Jigs yelled. “It’ll just take me a minute to get him out here.”

  “You’ve got a minute,” said Grimes.

  Down at the far end of the street, Sluice rode his horse out the back door of the stable and headed out of town. No one saw him go. No one in town. From his spot on the hilltop, Old Jan saw him go. He was headed south.

  Jigs looked in the back room and found it deserted. He opened the back door and saw the members of Grimes’s outfit out there looking mean as hell. He quickly shut the door and bolted it. He stood for a moment confused. Sluice had done it again. He had deserted him. Goddamn it, Jigs thought, and me with my fucking nose shot off, too. He went back into the main room and back to the front window. He looked out. Grimes was still standing there in front of his gang. Jigs went to the front door and opened it a crack, careful to stand to one side.

  “Grimes,” he called out.

  “I’m here,” said Grimes.

  “Grimes, I, uh, Sluice ain’t here.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I just looked in the back room, and he ain’t there.”

  “What are you trying to pull on me?” Grimes said.

  “He’s run out on me,” said Jigs, his voice trembling with rage at Sluice and with fear at the Grimes bunch. “The son of a bitch has run out on me again.”

  “You expect me to believe that shit?”

  “If you’ll promise not to kill me,” said Jigs, “I’ll toss my guns out, and you can come in here and look around.”

  Grimes turned to one of his men and said, “Run down to the livery stable and see if that goddamned bastard has got his horse and left.”

  “Right away, Boss,” said the man, and he trotted off down the street.

  “All right,” said Grimes, raising his voice again. “Toss out your guns.”

  “You promise you won’t kill me?” begged Jigs.

  “You have my word,” said Grimes.

  Jigs swung the door wider open. He stepped back again and pressed himself against the wall. He waited. Nothing happened. He reached out and tossed the rifle out. Still nothing. He pulled out his six-gun and tossed it out. Then he stepped into the doorway with his hands held high. “Don’t shoot,” he said.

  “You got my word,” said Grimes. “Come on out.”

  Jigs stepped uneasily out onto the sidewalk, and Grimes motioned him forward. He stepped on wobbly legs out into the street and on up close to Grimes. Grimes punched him hard on the jaw, knocking him flat in the street.

  “You give me your word,” said Jigs.

  “I haven’t killed you, you little chickenshit,” said Grimes.

  Just then, the man who had gone to the stable returned. Coming up beside Grimes, he said, “He’s gone, Boss. He got his horse a while ago. Probably before we come out here. He rode out the back way heading south, according to the liveryman.”

  “The son of a bitch,” whimpered Jigs, still lying in the street. “I knowed that he had run out on me. Left me here all by my lone self to face the whole bunch of you. Never said a damn word. If ever I see him again, I’ll kill the dirty bastard. I’ll blow his fucking head off with a shotgun. I’ll—”

  “Shut up,” said Grimes. “You’ll have to get in line. Well, at least we’re rid of him here in town.”

  “Can—can I go now?” Jigs sniveled. “You won’t never see me again. I promise you that. I’m just going to hunt down that godd
amned Sluice. That’s all.”

  “Stand up,” said Grimes.

  Jigs managed to get to his feet despite his weak legs. “I’ll just pick up my guns and then go get my horse, and I’ll be traveling on then. Thank you, Mr. Grimes. I’m sorry for any trouble I maybe caused you, but it really wasn’t me. It was Sluice. I hope you realize that.”

  “Hold it right there,” said Grimes.

  “What?”

  “Circle around him, boys,” Grimes said.

  “What?” said Jigs. “What is this?”

  The gang moved in around Jigs. He backed up until he realized he was completely encircled. “You—you promised me,” he said.

  “All right, boys,” said Grimes. “You heard him. I made him a promise. He’s not to be killed. Remember that. Just give him something to remember us by—for a long time.”

  “No,” said Jigs. “That ain’t fair. You said you’d let me go. You said—”

  “All I said was that I wouldn’t kill you, you little weaselly son of a bitch. Have at him, boys.”

  One man reached out with a foot and kicked Jigs’s legs viciously out from under him. Jigs fell hard on his back. He felt like a couple of ribs might have been broken. For sure, all his breath was knocked out of his lungs. He tried to suck hard to get some wind back, but he could not get his wind, and the sucking hurt his ribs. Another man reached down with both hands, grabbing him by the shirtfront and hauling him back up to his feet. Standing him up, the man drove a fist hard into Jigs’s gut. Jigs doubled over. He felt as if he would die. He was not breathing. He could not get a breath. He knew that his head had turned blue. His legs had no strength. He would have fallen, but someone was holding him up. Whoever it was straightened him up again. He tried to talk. He wanted to tell them that they were killing him, and they were not supposed to do that. He wondered how long he could live without catching a breath.

  Grimes pulled one man out of the circle and sent him to the livery stable to fetch Jigs’s horse and bring it to them. The man hurried off. The circle closed up a bit. A man struck Jigs in the face, hitting his already injured nose. Jigs tried to scream with the pain, but he could not. He did not have enough air in his lungs to manage a scream. He staggered back, falling into the arms of two other men. They grabbed his arms and held them tight, keeping Jigs on his feet. A man pounded him several times in the gut, and another stepped up to punch him in the face a few times. The men who were holding him up let him fall.