“Well get back out there.” -Chuck ordered.
This time Bill looked outside, and allowed his sight to adjust to the darkness, and that’s when he saw the horror, corpses everywhere, of both men and steed alike. The dismembered body parts of dead horses and people scattered everywhere, and their mangled bodies bloody and grisly scattered all around the cemetery. He then put his head back inside, closed the door in stupor, and without hesitation dragged the piano back to barricade the door, before he promptly walked backwards and away from the door.
“What?” Chuck asked.
“Gruesome. It was… a massacre.” -Tom replied stuttering.
“What exactly did you see?” Chuck asked impatiently.
“Every son of a gun out there is dead.” -Tom answered still shocked.
“Was they missing their scalps?” -Ted asked.
“No, I don’t think that was the doing of no savage in my opinion!”-Tom added.
“Holy cow!” -Bill exclaimed as he peeked through the little opening of the barricaded window.
“What do you see?” -Ted asked.
“Your horse is dead Chuck. It looks pretty… mangled.”- Bill continued.
“Oh no, no! not thunderfoot” Chuck lamented as he walked over to see what Bill was seeing.
“What kind of evil man would do that to a horse?!”-Bill exclaimed.
“You fools, that was no man!” -Esperanza retorted with a vengeful gaze.
“What are you talking…” -Chuck’s words were cut off, as a loud bang was heard, and one of the windows broken. They all observed in horror as a black creature broke in through the window, it was as big as a coyote, black, hairless, with spikes protruding from his back, with a dog-like figure, but uglier, much uglier. Pointy ears and fangs, red eyes, claws bigger than a mountain lion’s. wrinkly skin, and a face that only a mother can love. But of mother of what, no one had ever seen such creature before, in fact, before shooting at it, most could only help, but to stare powerlessly, curiously, as they tried to figure out what were they looking at. The monster ran around like a cornered wild animal, desperately trying to find its way back outside. Once the first shock went away, the group of outlaws recognized the threat, and without hesitation began shooting at it, however in a laughable display of incompetence, Bill shot at Chuck’s right foot, while trying to kill the elusive, and sneaky cryptid.
“Goddammit! I’m gonna kill you boy!” Chuck exclaimed Bill tried getting away from his limping boss.
“Look!” -Tom exclaimed, as he observed the dead creature laying on a pool of its own smelly blood.
“Now, what am I looking at?” -Chuck asked forgetting for one brief second about his bleeding foot.
“It looks like a cross between a Gila monster and a coyote.” -Tom added.
“This is no dog.” -Esperanza added. – “And there is no way out of this one.”
After a few hours had passed, boredom had settled in this circus of a surviving camp. Still grumpy, and rightfully so about his shot off foot, Chuck sat on the floor in a circle with his buddies to play a good ol’ round of poker.
“Now isn’t this just daisy. How come some of you be getting a dead man’s hand twice in a row.” -Bill complained.
“You best hold your tongue there boy, don’t be insinuating nothin’ you can’t prove.” Ted replied angrily.
“Hey, I ain’t holding it against you there partner. As matter of fact kind of impressed by such skill, your reputation after all proceeds you.” -Bill replied, trying to calm the animosity.
“Hold your tongue I said. Now I can’t cut you some slack, young and stupid as you are. But it’ll only be fair to let you know that in the old times we used to shoot sumbitches that accused another man of cheatin’ without any proof.” -Ted concluded.
“Oh, I mean no disrespect there partner, just bluffin’ that’s all.” -Bill concluded.
“For the love of god pal do you ever shut up!” -Chuck said with his patience clearly exhausted completely.
“Just trying to lighten up the mood around here that’s all, I mean we only see ourselves surrounded by some kind of flesh-eating, hellish monsters, so I think a little chatting wouldn’t do us any bad, being the which-a-why I can’t seem to stop talking… I’m just nervous that’s all.” -Bill concluded.
“So that’s it!” -Chuck exclaimed as if reacting to getting hit by a bolt of lightning. _” That’s where I know you from!” -He exclaimed excitedly, as he turned to see Esperanza who was still sitting quietly in her corner.
“You’re the conjugant of that Sumbitch stock rustler John Higgins! I did a few runs with him back in the day. Mighty fine man I can tell you that.” – Chuck finished.
“High praise coming from such a reputable man such as yourself.”-Esperanza said with a sardonic tone of voice, and with a grimace.
“Yeah I remember seeing you before, it was just that my memory was a little hazy.” -He explained.
“Yeap, and now here you have me as your prisoner.” -She complained.
“Well given our current predicament, and this unexpected turn of events. Being that your husband was a close buddy of mine back in the day, (may god have mercy on his soul). I don’t see any reason to keep you here any longer against your will.” -He concluded as he stood up, and limp closer to her.
“So, you are letting me go? Now?” -She asked with indignation in her voice.
“Please I insist.” -He added.
“And if’n I don’t?” -She asked.
“Then feel free to stay.” -He said with a smile on his face. – “That’s what I thought.” -He whispered as he turned around ready to go back to his gambling. However, before he could react, she sprung up and ran as fast as she could for the exit. While the others stood up to stop her, Chuck signaled them to let her go. She struggled to move the heavy piano out of the way, and she desperately pushed and pull to no avail. The four men just stood there and watched her bemusedly. Then she was finally able to create an opening big enough to fit through, then she ventured outside without hesitation. She looked around, and the gruesome scene was unbelievable. She covered her mouth as if to stop herself from puking, but as she looked up, she noticed a lonesome steed still standing there loyally waiting for his cowboy. She didn’t think it twice and went for it, she tried to mount the horse. But he quickly shook her off, and sent her flying back to the ground, before she could get a good grasp of the saddle.
The men all flinched in pain as they saw the whole adventure.
“Jesus Bill what the heck is wrong with your horse?” -Chuck asked.
“It’s Indian broke, it can get a little rowdy if it gets mounted the wrong way.” -Bill answered. Suddenly the loud growling and roaring coming from the darkness of the night, was enough to make the woman stand in panic, and run for safe cover, meaning back inside the chapel. As she burst in the church, the men quickly closed the door and blocked it with the old piano.
“You bastard! You runt! You sent me out there to die!” -She exclaimed angrily as she punched Chuck’s chest.
“Me? I told you that you were free to walk out whenever you wanted. I was just playing some poker during the whole goings on.” -He answered with a smile.
“How could you smile you ruffian? We are surrounded by monsters out there. Those are Chupacabras! And they will not leave until they have us!” -She said explosively.
“Chupa-what now?” -Chuck said jokingly. “Listen, don’t you see the opportunity we have here? We still have a horse, and the monsters aren’t necessarily right outside, if one of us can get a head start, make a run for it, and get out of here, and come back with back-up, the rest of us can hold it until the lucky one gets back.”
“Well who we sending?” -Ted asked. And almost immediately every one turned to look to ol’ scrawny young Bill.
“Well damn.” Bill exclaimed with worriedness and sadness in his voice at the same time.
“Remember Bill we have limited supplies in here, and by limited I mean not a doggone thing, so we’re gonna need you to hurry back with the help. Oh, and one more thing, be very quiet when going out there, don’t draw any attention to you, or to us.” -Chuck said as he and the other man stood in front of the door giving him a farewell.
“Well fellas, I suppose if I don’t see you again, it has been a pretty good run.” -Bill said with a broken voice before he stepped outside, he walked slowly, and carefully, as if not to alert the monstrous creatures. He looked back at his fellow outlaws, and then back at the path ahead, he then noticed his horse calmly grassing on a few dried-up weeds not too far. Once he was close enough, he hurried and ran towards the horse. Once he was next to his horse, he grabbed the horn from the saddle but noticed something cushy underneath the fender. He palpated it for a bit, until he remembered what it was, those were money bags, the last of the loot from their previous bank robbery.
Mounted on his horse, and lit only by the faint moonlight Bill waved back at his fellow thieves who watched them from inside the chapel with the ajar door.
“So long losers!” -He exclaimed before galloping away. And the thundering sound of the hoofs as they galloped, and the resounding echoing sound of his voice in the desert, drew out the black hounds of hell in droves, which trampled over each other as they rushed to attack, but the man in the horse was to far for them, in the chapel however, there was plenty of food for them all, and the best part, the door was open.
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