Earthbound

by Adam Lewinson

  Becca seems mighty confused. She thinks things through for a second, and then she responds. “I want to watch. If you did this, I want to see justice done.”

  That makes Boze seem kinda sad. He walks quietly out the door. We all follow. I notice Birkin’s still got his finger on his trigger.

  “Fair fight?” I asked.

  Birkin chuckles and lowers his shotgun. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Outside Pace and Boze square off. “Here,” Pace says, holding out Boze’s revolver flat down in the palm of his hand. “We’ll switch. You can have the advantage of using your own weapon. You’ll need it.” I got my eye on Birkin, just in case he decides to take advantage of Pace’s sense of honor.

  Boze takes Pace up on his offer and they swap weapons. Pace examines Lister’s revolver, tugs back his coat and places it in his holster. Boze does the same.

  And then the two of them just stare at one another. Neither one moving. Neither one saying anything. I can’t exactly breathe, waiting to find out who will flinch first. Pace is an adequate shot. He’s been getting better. Lots of practice and all. But Boze is better. I find my hands reflexively going for my revolvers, but I forget they’re not there.

  I eye Birkin and Lister, just to make sure. So far they’re just bystanders just like me. Becca, though, she don’t look so good. But she’s still watching.

  The standoff lasts a good minute. Neither man moves an inch. Until finally, Boze’s arms just kinda collapsed in exhaustion. His shoulders slump over.

  “I can’t fight you, Pace.”

  “Coward!” Pace run at Boze, pulling the revolver out of his holster and ramming it in Boze’s forehead. Boze goes down on his knees. “You’ve always been a coward Boze, and you keep proving it over and over.”

  “Don’t shoot me,” Boze pleads.

  “Was it just the money?” Pace uttered through gritted teeth. “Or was it Rebecca?”

  Boze sighed. “I reckon it was both.”

  “She worth dying for?”

  “I think we both know the answer to that.”

  Boze closes his eyes. Becca is worth dying for. And we all know it. And he was gonna take a bullet for it.

  Pace redoubles his resolve. He pulls back the hammer. His finger starts to squeeze the trigger. I’m probably the only person who could stop him at that point. Not sure if I should interfere. Blood feud’s gotta run its course. Whatever happens next is justice as far as I’m concerned. Although I know it would change both of their lives forever. Pace just as much as Boze. Death would creep inside both of ‘em. Boze would die fast. Pace would die slow.

  Pace wants to pull that trigger. I know he does.

  So does Birkin.

  I eye Birkin raising up his shotgun to take a shot at Pace. Of course I wasn’t gonna let that happen. I grab hold of his shotgun and butt him in the face with it. That knocks him backward.

  “Fair fight, remember?”

  I quickly pounce on him and deck him. I’m way stronger than Birkin. His shotgun lands on the ground. Through the tussle I see Lister raising his shotgun. Not sure I can handle both of ‘em in time. But next thing I see is Becca, good old Becca, raising up her arm and taking a swing at Lister. And Lister goes down hard.

  “Get his shotgun!” I yell. Becca complies but in the distraction Birkin manages to crack me a good one in the jaw. I falter and he manages to get up and run off. I glance around. Pace seems to have Boze under control. And Becca, she obviously doesn’t need any help. She sure looks sexy holding a shotgun. I look in her eyes. She nods toward where Birkin ran off. We both know he’s a wild card. I nod, grab his shotgun and head off to find him.

  I’m at the corner of the house. I peek around the side. Nothing. I run as fast I can to try to get to the next corner. Before I do, I see Birkin. Course he sees me too. I leap out of the way again as he wildly shoots at me with a pistol. Several rounds. I hit the dirt. I think he missed. Don’t feel any holes in me.

  I take aim and take a shot at Birkin, but I only hit the side of the house. Wood splinters all over the place. Bad shot, I know better, and I don’t have any shells to reload. Now my only option is to stay alive until he runs out of bullets and needs to reload. I crawl up to the corner of the house. He’s gotta be around the corner. Maybe I can distract him. I see a rock. Also a pointy shard of wood that got blasted away from the house. I grab them both and roll around the corner. Sure enough, there’s Birkin. I throw the rock as hard as I can and it connects with Birkin in his side just as he opens fire again. It sends his shot off wildly. He should be out of ammo. I bolt up and leap at him. He manages to get another shot off that narrowly misses me. Guess my counting ain’t so good. But that’s okay. I take hold of that pointy wood shard and stab it into his side. That’s gotta hurt. But not as bad as what I’ve got planned next. I make a fist and pound him in the face. He’s dazed so I keep punching. A few to the jaw. One to the gut. And one to his side right where the wood shard got him. Yeah, I fight dirty. He loses his footing and falls in the dirt. But I’m not done. I pick him up by his neck and break his nose with my fist. Blood comes gushing out. Huh, that’s gonna make him look more like me. Lucky guy. He collapses on the ground. He’s down. Nope. I see something out of the corner of my eye. Birkin’s reaching for something. His boot. Uh-oh. He keeps a spare pistol in his boot. I lunge for his arm. He’s got the gun. He’s trying his best to point it at my skull. But I’m stronger. I break his hand and he screams like a baby. The gun falls from his hand. I pick it up. Check the chamber. Yeah, it’s loaded. I pull back the hammer and point it at his skull.

  Then everything gets real still.

  Birkin’s just looking at me with his cold eyes. He knows he’s beat. He just doesn’t know if he’s dead yet. I’ll let him know.

  “Go ahead and kill me,” he says. “I’m dead sooner or later anyway. Now that I’m wanted and all.”

  “Nobody wants you,” I say. “Dead or alive.”

  That kinda makes him laugh.

  I realize something. I’m going to kill him. I want to spill his blood. Shoot him in the head like a Mankin. Blast a hole open in his heart like a Bion. Slaughter him like a cow. He’s just meat. Worthless meat. And this settlement I’m leaving behind – the whole Great Plains actually – will be better without him.

  I’m taking too long and Birkin knows it.

  Birkin spits out blood. “Seen Gwen lately?” he says. “That whore who helped you out up in Conrad? Didn’t much like that she was your accomplice. I carved her up good.”

  Damned Birkin! Killed that poor girl who just wanted to find her own way out of a bad situation. No, it’s not true. Birkin’s just trying to get in my head. Get me to worry about Gwen. Distract me so he can make a move. I’m not gonna let him. But he keeps talking.

  “Carved up her little whore friend Sage too just for fun. After I had my way with her, that is. Heard you couldn’t get it up for her so a real man had to finish the job. She was used to that, but I made sure it was mighty painful.”

  I can’t breathe. He’s not lying. How else would he know I didn’t go through with anything with Sage.

  Well, if I need one more reason to put a bullet in Birkin, he just gave it to me.

  So how come I can’t pull the trigger?

  We look at each other for a second. Everything seems to get real quiet.

  “I know you’re gonna kill me,” Birkin says. “You’re just like your old man. You’re a killer. It’s in your blood. Same as me. You need it, don’t you? Kind of crave it? I know that feeling Asher.”

  “Don’t call me Asher,” I say, shoving the nose of the gun into his cheek.

  “Murder me,” Birkin says. “Turn me to dust. I have it comin’.”

  I start to squeeze the trigger. It’s vengeance for everything Birkin ever did. But more important, I want it. He’s right. I want to taste his blood. I am just like my father.

  Behold a pale horse, and his name that sat upon it was Death, and hell followed with him.
>
  I open fire.

  At the wall.

  I don’t know why. I just can’t kill him.

  Maybe I’m not that much like my father after all.

  “Pussy!” Birkin scoffs.

  So I deck him. Now he’s out cold. Probably won’t come to for a few hours I suppose.

  I stand up and realize that it’s completely quiet. That can’t be good.

  “Pace?” I yell.

  “Over here!” It’s Becca who responds. I follow the sound of her voice to the back of the house. I see Pace. He’s still got Boze down on his knees where he belongs, and he’s got the mouth of his gun shoved into Boze’s mouth.

  Becca’s still got Lister under control, pointing his shotgun at him. But Becca’s real concerned.

  “Pace isn’t listening to me,” she says.

  I go up to Pace.

  “What’s going on?” I ask, trying to be all nonchalant. But Pace doesn’t respond this time. His eyes are staring too intently at his prey. I sure understand it. I’ve been there. Like ten seconds ago. But I’m not terribly concerned. Pace was never the killer. That was me. He had his chance to kill Boze before and he didn’t take it. Cause deep down he doesn’t want to. But I get it. We’re leaving the Great Plains. He wants to settle his score. I offer a possible solution. “Why don’t you cripple him?” I figure that’s smart. Leave him with something he’ll never forget. But leave with a clean conscience too. “Take out his pecker if that’ll please you.” That pecker that’s probably been inside Becca. Okay, maybe that’s more my revenge fantasy than Pace’s.

  But my words aren’t getting through to Pace. I speak so seldom that my words always get through to Pace. I’m getting a little concerned.

  “Pace? You hearin’ me?” He’s not talking. Pace is never not talking. This can’t be good. I put my hand on Pace’s shoulder. “Let’s turn him in if you want. That lawman out in Augusta’s an honest man. He’ll dispose of him proper.” Pace responds by pulling back the hammer of the revolver. “Pace? I don’t want you to do anything you’ll regret. Killing weighs on a man. You won’t wear it well.”

  My eyes go to Pace’s trigger finger. He’s squeezing. There’s nothing I can do.

  The bullet flies out of the gun and down Boze’s throat. Boze collapses backwards in a heap.

  I’m stunned. I never though he’d do it. I’ve learned how to tame my darker instincts, and it seems Pace has learned the exact opposite. Boze had it comin’ – I don’t quarrel with that. But it’s Pace I worry about. Can’t walk something like that back.

  I look down. Blood and brains are sprayed all over us. Pace notices it too. Doesn’t seem too upset about it though.

  Pace drops the gun. Then he removes his pure white hat – and tosses it on top of Boze’s body. Guess he won't be needing that anymore. He turns around and walks away.

  I turn to Becca. Her eyes are fixated on the horror. I pry the shotgun out of her hands, turn her head away.

  Lister’s staring too, but I can tell he’ll be no more trouble to us. I pull Becca away.

  I walk her around the house toward the transport. We’re walking slow. I give Pace a minute to collect his thoughts.

  We walk past Birkin’s body.

  “Did you kill him?” Becca asks.

  “He’s alive,” I say. “He’s not worth it.”

  I feel Becca slip her arm around mine.

  Then she sees the transport.

  “What the eff is that?” she says. I laugh. She’s not one to curse.

  Pace is waiting in the passenger’s seat of the transport. He’s twirling his mother’s wedding ring in his fingers. I have Becca sit in the middle and I get in the driver’s seat and start up the engine. I’m not asking what’s next. I’m just doing it.

  I drive pretty recklessly through the settlement, attracting lots of attention of course. I think I hear a siren going off. Hope that’s not gonna bring out the robots. It takes a few minutes but we make it to Becca’s house. We’re making such a ruckus that they hear us comin’. Becca’s parents are standing on their front porch, glaring with shock at the transport. And when Becca and I step out, all covered in blood and guts, well… let’s just say they never liked me anyway.

  Becca’s father shouts at us. “Rebecca! Ash! What in the hell!” If he had access to a gun he’d be shooting at us right about now. But I don’t pay him no mind.

  Rebecca’s mother gets a good look at her daughter. “What on earth is all over you? Blood? Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine mom,” Becca responds reassuringly.

  Her father continues shouting. “Rebecca! Tell this hoodlum to get his… whatever it is… off our yard. He’s a wanted man! If we had a lawman worth his salt around here…”

  “Dad,” Becca says, silencing him with a word.

  “I aim to leave,” I say. “Won’t be seeing me again. The only question is whether me and Pace are going alone.” Becca’s father makes a sour face but doesn’t say anything, probably fearful Becca will silence him again. Her mother hides her eyes behind a bunch of tears. She’s smart like her daughter. She knows what’s coming. I turn to Becca. “Can’t go without you.” Probably the most romantic thing I ever said. Or will ever say.

  “There’s nowhere you can hide,” she says pointedly.

  “We hope there is,” I reply. “We’ll forge our own trail. It’s not quite the same as Pace’s dream of going to the stars but at least we’ll see sights that none of us have ever seen. Maybe New York, London, Egypt.”

  Becca’s eyes widened with both surprise and emotion. “That far?”

  “We’ve got a transport and not a lot of time,” I say, “before there’s a whole shitstorm falling on us. Will you come with us?”

  Becca can’t speak. She’s too much in shock.

  I get down on one knee. “I don’t have much to offer,” I say. “I couldn’t even think of proposing. I know all you’ve ever wanted was to be safe, and I can’t offer you that. I can’t promise to keep you safe. Although I’ll try ‘til my last breath. But I can promise you’ll be free, and that’s worth a helluva lot too.”

  Everyone seems kinda shocked I could put a sentence together.

  Becca’s overwhelmed, I can tell. Tears start flowing out of her eyes.

  “Maybe that’s really what I’ve been wanting all along,” she says.

  Then, miraculously, she starts nodding her head

  “Yes,” she says. “If you’re leaving the effing Great Plains, I’m coming with you!”

  Her father is staring at Becca like she’s insane. “Rebecca, get inside the house,” he orders.

  “Quiet dad,” she responds. Becca takes my hands, pulls me off the ground and hugs me. I can just hug her all day. But that’s not meant to be. I ease up.

  “We gotta go,” I say.

  Her father is about to protest mightily but her mother interferes. “It’s time to let her go,” she says.

  I stand by as long as I can while they have their tearful goodbyes, but I’m worrying about those Mankins and Bions. Not sure how far away they might be.

  “Sorry there’s no time!” I say, grabbing Becca and pulling her into the cab of the transport. I jump into the driver’s seat and gun it. It almost feels like a kidnapping. But she’s willing. As I drive, she slips an arm around each of ours. Tears are still flowing, but she’s also laughing.

  “Oh my God!” she yells. “We’re in a car!”

  I’m going as fast as we can down Main Street. I see the entrance to the settlement up ahead.

  “What’s that?” Becca yells.

  Uh oh. They’re small. Metal. And they’re firing at us.

  “Mankins!” I yell. And then I run over their little bodies. As if they can block a transport. I turn a hard left and head toward Rainbow Falls. I figure that’s our best escape route. Head back toward Billings. Connect with route 90. And just keep going east.

  “There’s more of them!” Becca says. She’s right. There’s thousands of ‘em. More
than we’ve ever seen before. I’m running over them but it’s more bumpy than I’d like. I’m getting concerned one of ‘em might pop a tire or something. So I use my head for a change. I lower the razor sharp edge in the front of the transport, and that cleanly slices those Mankins apart before we even get to run them over. Becca seems pleased. She squeezes my arm tightly.

  An explosion blasts a gaping hole in the ground in front of us. I swerve to miss it. It’s Persuader fire. I’d recognize it anywhere.

  “Bions!” I shout, pointing to the right. There they are, rows of ‘em. Not feeling good about their weapons fire. That’s likely powerful enough to blow a gaping hole in the side of the transport.

  “This is gonna be difficated,” I say.

  Becca looks at me all scolding. “That’s not a word. Something can be difficult or complicated, but not difficated!”

  “Is now really the time to scold me over my vocabulary?” She kinda smiles at me.

  I turn to Pace. He’s still kinda out of it. But there’s no more time for that. “Pace, I need you!” I say. “Got any good ideas?”

  Pace looks up from that wedding ring and slips it into his pocket. “Sideswipe them,” he suggests matter of factly.

  Great idea. I swerve toward them and let the side of the transport smack into them before they can shoot at us again. But there’s more of them dead ahead. Let’s see if the blades in the front of this thing will do their trick. I feel bad though. There’s people in there. Probably innocent victims of Shādo Shay. But what can I do. They’re being ordered to shoot us. And they can’t disobey that order. So what choice do I have? The blades work too well. It’s kinda horrifying if you really think about it. So instead I just keep driving.

  We’re clear for a mile or so, but as we come up against Rainbow Falls there’s another wall of ‘em. Both Mankins and Bions this time, side by side. I don’t like the odds ramming directly into them, so I swerve and try to drive around them. I’m doing it, but as I swerve back around I hear an explosion. Pace and Becca look back.