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The moon slid behind the clouds, plunging the landscape into complete darkness. A light rain had fallen, leaving the woods smelling of damp earth. Somewhere in the distance, an owl screeched, shattering the oppressive stillness that had settled over the towering pines.
Nicole Haught pressed her back against a tree trunk, listening intently for any sound that would reveal the location of her target. Adrenaline surged through her as whispered voices drifted through the crisp autumn air. They were close. So close. She adjusted her grip on the gun clutched in her gloved hands.
Carefully, she peered around the tree, inwardly cursing the darkness that enveloped everything. Of course, she reasoned, if she couldn’t see them, then they probably couldn’t see her either. A slight shift in the shadows several yards ahead caught her eye, and she squinted, trying to make out shapes in the blackness.
She took a step, partially emerging from her hiding place, and froze. There was someone crouched behind a massive log. Someone with glowing red eyes that stared back at her. The good thing about revenants? Those eyes always gave them away.
“Shit!”
Nicole dove back behind cover just as a gunshot hit the tree, showering her with splinters and bark. Her heart pounded in her chest. That was way too close.
“Baby? Are you okay?” Waverly’s worried voice sounded through the earpiece in her right ear.
“Shhhh! They’ll hear you!” Nicole hissed back. “Where are you?”
“To your left,” Waverly replied in the faintest of whispers.
Nicole turned her head in the indicated direction. She could just barely make out a familiar silhouette flattened against another large tree.
“Okay. I see you. Stay there. I’m coming to you.”
Nicole drew in a deep breath, judging the distance between her location and Waverly’s. A soft crunch of footsteps on pine needles told her that she had to move. Now.
Ducking low, she ran. Shots rang out, and dirt and debris sprayed up around her feet. More shots whizzed past coming from the other direction, and Nicole realized that Waverly was firing back, providing her with cover. She grinned. Best girlfriend ever.
A thud and a muffled cry told her that one of Waverly’s shots had hit its target. She reached her girlfriend’s hiding place and grabbed her hand without stopping, pulling her along in a mad dash for survival.
“C’mon! We gotta go!”
Hand in hand, they ran, throwing themselves behind a jagged granite boulder. Nicole knelt, trying desperately to catch her breath as she kept her weapon raised and ready. She could hear Waverly panting beside her, but nothing else. Satisfied that they were no longer being pursued, she lowered her gun.
“You’re okay? You’re not hit, are you?”
Waverly’s hands traveled all over her body, checking for injuries.
“Uh-uh. I’m fine. Although, if you really want to keep feeling me up, I guess I have no objections.”
Waverly swatted her in the stomach with the back of her hand.
“This is so not the time or place for that, Nicole.”
Her tart reply was softened by the fact that she still had one hand firmly planted on Nicole’s butt. The tall redhead leaned in for a quick kiss, brushing her lips against Waverly’s. An exasperated sigh sounded in both of their earpieces, and they jumped apart guiltily.
“Seriously. We do not have time for this. We have armed and dangerous assailants in the field. Get your heads in the game!” Xavier Dolls barked at them.
“Sorry, Dolls,” Waverly apologized in a singsong voice.
“Yeah, sorry,” Nicole mumbled.
“Okay, listen up,” Dolls continued. “We have one suspect down. Nice shooting, Waverly. But that still leaves two unaccounted for.”
Even in the dark, Nicole could see the proud smile that lit up Waverly’s face, and she couldn’t help grinning back. Good job, baby, she mouthed at her silently, giving her an enthusiastic thumbs up.
“Got a location on those suspects?” Nicole asked the deputy marshal.
A long pause greeted her before Dolls finally answered.
“Negative. I had eyes on one of them, but...”
“You lost him?” Nicole interrupted incredulously.
“I was distracted by all the shooting. He used the opportunity to evade detection,” Dolls protested defensively.
“You totally lost him,” Nicole repeated.
The moon chose that moment to reemerge, bathing the woods in its pale, eerie light. Waverly sucked in a sharp breath, and Nicole followed her gaze, noting the splashes of red that dotted the thick carpet of pine needles. Cautiously, Nicole stepped out from behind the rock. Once she was certain that there was no one else in sight, she beckoned for Waverly to follow.
They followed the bright red trail, senses on high alert. To Nicole, it seemed like danger and death lurked behind every tree. And judging from the way that Waverly was squeezing her hand, her girlfriend felt the same.
They reached a small clearing, and Nicole stopped abruptly, frowning at the ground. The tracks they had been following just...disappeared. How is that even possible? It was a revenant, right? Not a frickin’ ghost! It can’t just vanish!
“Nicole? Where did it go?” Waverly whispered nervously, echoing her own thoughts.
“I don’t know. This doesn’t make any sense!”
Turning slowly in a circle, Nicole surveyed the entire clearing. Nothing. There was nothing. But a prickling feeling that raised the fine hairs on the back of her neck insisted that they were not alone. Someone or something was definitely watching.
A rustling sound came from above, and dried pine needles cascaded down around them. Nicole’s eyes widened in horror. The one place she had forgotten to look was up.
“Oh, shit! Waverly, look out!”
She gave Waverly a hard shove, sending her sprawling, while she leapt in the opposite direction, wincing as the edges of her body armor dug into her sides. The shot hit the ground where Waverly had just been standing. Oh, hell no! Shoot at me if you want. But you do not get to take shots at my girlfriend! Anger boiled in her veins as Nicole rolled to her back and fired upwards into the branches.
There was a cry of surprise and pain, and then a body toppled out of the tree, hitting the ground with a loud thump. Nicole quickly scrambled to her feet, keeping her weapon trained on the unmoving body. She kicked their attacker’s gun out of reach before crouching to examine her more closely. Not moving, but still breathing, she noted.
It was definitely a woman — that much was super obvious. But her face was hidden beneath a black knit ski mask. A dried red stain marked her thigh where Waverly had wounded her earlier. Two more fresh red splotches spread across her abdomen.
“Wow, nice shooting.” Waverly knelt beside her, slightly out of breath. “That was kinda intense. And really, really hot.”
Nicole glanced sideways at her, arching a skeptical eyebrow.
“So...violence turns you on? Feel like that’s something I should’ve known.”
“No, silly. Not violence, in general. But watching my super-sexy girlfriend do her Haught cop thing? That’s kinda my jam.”
“Okay, I’m starting to get why Wynonna finds you two so annoying,” Dolls’ voice interrupted them again.
The two women shared a look, grinning at each other. Waverly winked, and Nicole felt a familiar flush creeping up her neck. It was the same dizzy, breathless feeling she got every time Waverly looked at her like that. She’s definitely got me wrapped around her finger, and she knows it too. I am in soooo much trouble!
Nicole cleared her throat and attempted to put on her best “serious adult” face.
“Uh, Waves? We’ve got a mission here,” she gently reminded her girlfriend as she turned her attention back to the figure lying before them.
She pretended not to notice the annoyed pout thrown her way.
“This one’s definitely down this time,” she told Dolls, reaching for the mask that covered the unconscious woman’s face.
Her hand froze and the woman in front of her was forgotten as gunfire and angry shouts filled her ears. The sounds came from the northeast, and she turned that way, anxiously scanning the shadows for the source of the noise.
“Dolls?! What’s going on?”
“Son of a bitch tried to ambush me!” Dolls exclaimed. “I think I hit him, but he’s on the run. I’m in pursuit. Get ready, Haught! We’re heading towards you!”
Quickly, Nicole stood, pulling Waverly up with her. Gripping her gun with both hands, she raised her weapon. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Waverly lift the barrel of her shotgun.
She could hear them getting closer, crashing through the underbrush. She listened carefully to the sound of the pounding footsteps. Two men. One of them seemed to be limping slightly. Nicole braced herself, licking her lips nervously as she waited.
The shadows ahead shifted and moved, coalescing into shapes. Was there someone hiding behind that tree? Nicole blinked. When she looked again, the shadow was gone, and she frowned in confusion. They’d been running around in these woods for hours, and Nicole wondered if her eyes were beginning to play tricks on her.
“Did you see that?” She whispered.
“See what?” Waverly whispered back.
Nicole shook her head. “Nothing. Forget it. Think I’m starting to go a little crazy out here.”
Waverly started to say something more, but then two shapes did emerge from the darkness. Even from this distance, they could recognize Dolls as he closed the gap between himself and the man he was chasing. Reaching out, Nicole pulled Waverly behind her, putting her own body between her girlfriend and the armed and dangerous man charging towards them.
The other man was definitely favoring one leg, and Nicole could hear his labored breathing as they drew nearer. Though he wore a wide-brimmed hat and the lower half of his face was covered by a black bandana, Nicole could easily see the glint of desperation in his eyes.
Sweat dripped from his forehead and he was hunched forward slightly, panting heavily. He slowed, and then stopped, both arms outstretched, a gun in each hand. Keeping his weapons trained on Nicole and Waverly, he spoke over his shoulder, his voice muffled and distorted.
“Not one step closer, Deputy Marshal,” he growled. “I would hate for any harm to befall either of these lovely ladies.”
“Drop your weapons and turn around. Slowly,” Dolls commanded.
“I’m afraid that is not an option.”
The man’s eyes met Nicole’s and he winked at her. His fingers tightened on the triggers, and she held her breath, waiting for him to fire. She was fairly confident that the armor she wore beneath her shirt would bear the brunt of the impact. Still, she grimaced, remembering the first time a bullet had buried itself in her bulletproof vest. She’d been bruised and sore for weeks afterwards.
Nicole lifted her chin and stared at him defiantly, daring him to shoot. She felt Waverly’s hands at her waist as her girlfriend stood on her toes to peer over her shoulder.
“We should’ve just shot you when we had the chance,” Waverly told him angrily.
Even in the darkness, Nicole could see the twinkle in the man’s eyes.
“Darlin’, you really should have,” he agreed.
The sound of the gunshot was deafening. Nicole squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the force of it. Anticipation gave way to confusion when instead of feeling her own breath rushing from her lungs, she heard a strangled cry in front of her and Waverly’s shocked gasp. She opened her eyes in time to see the man crumple to his knees and fall forward.
“You shot him!” Waverly exclaimed, disbelief and disapproval written across her face.
Dolls shrugged. A thin tendril of acrid smoke drifted lazily from the barrel of his gun. With the toe of his boot, he nudged the body in front of him, getting a faint groan in response.
“He'll live,” Dolls replied curtly.
“Okay, but...you shot him in the back! That is sooo not cool!” Waverly folded her arm across her chest in a huff.
“Baby, wait,” Nicole found her voice again. “This guy was going to shoot us. I mean...he literally had a gun pointed at us. Dolls did what he had to do.”
Waverly whirled to face her girlfriend, and Nicole felt her heart lurch in her chest. The petite brunette had her are-you-kidding-me-right-now look that she usually reserved only for her sister, and Nicole gulped, faltering under the onslaught of that withering stare.
“Uh...what I mean is...he kinda saved us?” Nicole lamely attempted to clarify herself.
Waverly's foot began tapping out an impatient and annoyed beat against the ground. Nicole sighed and held up her hands in defeat. This was a battle she had no hope of winning.
“You're totally right though, Waves. He shouldn't have shot the guy in the back.”
“That’s great, Haught. Thanks,” Dolls said dryly.
Nicole shrugged. Technically, what Dolls had done was against her moral code, but the guy was the enemy, after all. And he did have a gun pointed at them. Even more importantly, he was threatening Waverly. If it meant keeping Waverly safe, she couldn’t honestly say she wouldn’t have shot him herself. In fact, she wondered, why didn’t I? I had a clean shot.
Frowning, she stepped closer to the masked man lying prone before them. His head was turned to the side and his eyes were open. As she approached, he gave her a reproachful look and tried to speak, but only a faint croak emerged.
“What do you think?” She asked Dolls.
“I think Target Number Two has been neutralized and incapacitated. One more and our mission will be complete,” he replied.
“Okay,” Nicole said thoughtfully. “So how do we find the third target?”
None of them saw the figure slip out from behind a thick tree trunk until it was too late. With almost unnaturally quick reflexes, the assailant grabbed Waverly from behind, placing the barrel of a handgun to the side of her head.
“You guys are really dumb.”
The third assailant’s voice dripped with disdain. Nicole was pretty sure it was another woman, but she couldn’t be absolutely certain underneath the layers of heavy clothing, the black leather jacket and the motorcycle helmet.
“I mean, seriously dumb,” their opponent continued. “Even dumber than those two. And that’s really saying something.”
She jerked her head towards her two partners on the ground. Or, at least they were on the ground. The woman that Nicole and Waverly had shot was sitting up now and lazily lounging against a tree. That wasn’t terribly surprising, given that the woman was a revenant.
And the man that Dolls had eliminated was slowly picking himself up, dusting pine needles and bits of damp earth from his clothing. Nicole sighed. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen dead things resurrect themselves. In fact, it was just another Saturday night in Purgatory.
“You don’t have to do this, you know,” Nicole said placatingly as she lowered her weapon. “Let Waverly go and you can just walk away. We won’t stop you.”
The woman laughed, the sound echoing strangely inside the helmet that she wore.
“Pretty full of yourself there, Red! As if you could stop me!”
“Will you please just do this so we can go home? It’s getting cold out here and there’s an America’s Next Top Model marathon on TV,” the female revenant complained.
Waverly rolled her eyes, and despite the tense stand-off, Nicole could barely suppress her grin. She sensed Dolls moving into position behind her. Two against one. The odds were obviously in their favor, but only if she was willing to risk Waverly’s life. And that was something she could never do.
“We can take her, Haught,” Dolls murmured. “Just say the word.”
Nicole shook her head. Sure, they could open fire, and at this extremely close range, they were practically guaranteed to hit their target. But the victory would be a hollow one if it meant possibly losing Waverly in the process. She sighed, prepared to surrender.
Fortunately, Waverly had other ideas. Waverly looked at her, slightly raising both eyebrows in wordless communication. Nicole’s eyes widened, recognizing the look of obstinate determination on her girlfriend’s face. Waverly definitely had a plan, and something told Nicole that she needed to be ready.
It happened in a blur of frenetic motion and startled shouts. Waverly stomped down hard on the instep of her captor’s foot, causing a pained yelp. At the same time, she threw her elbow backwards, catching the woman solidly in her midsection. Waverly spun free from the woman’s grasp.
“Nicole! Now!” She shouted.
Nicole didn’t need to be told twice. Instinct took over, and she raised her gun, firing twice. Another shot rang out. Dolls had also discharged his weapon. All three shots struck the woman squarely in the chest and she flew backwards, landing on the ground with a loud thud.
“Yes! Take that!” Waverly threw her arms in the air and let out a victorious cheer.
“Uh, Waves? Didn’t anyone ever tell you it isn’t nice to gloat?” Nicole teased her, smirking as she watched her girlfriend dance around their last opponent’s prostrate body.
“You shot me! You fucking shot me!” The woman groaned, propping herself up on her elbows.
“You put a gun to my head, Wynonna!” Waverly said, lightly kicking her sister’s leg.”
“Yeah, well...I wasn’t gonna actually, you know...shoot you,” Wynonna grumbled, removing her helmet and glaring up at her sister.
Waverly huffed, clearly skeptical about her sister’s intentions, though she still held out a hand and helped haul Wynonna to her feet.
“Does this mean that we are done with this truly ridiculous competition? Because I can surely think of more entertaining ways to spend the remainder of this evening,” Doc said, pulling the bandana away from his face.
“You just can’t admit you lost,” Dolls needled him.
Doc flexed his shoulders, grimacing.
“Oh, I can admit when I’ve been vanquished fairly,” he said. “However, being shot in the back by a lily-livered coward such as yourself, is an entirely different matter.”
“Seriously guys, put those things away before somebody loses an eye,” Rosita admonished them as she removed her ski mask. “We are done though, right?”
Cocking her head to one side, Nicole grinned expectantly at the eldest Earp.
“I don’t know. Wynonna? Are we done here?” She asked.
Wynonna rolled her eyes dramatically, eliciting an amused snort from her sister.
“Yeah, we’re done,” she grumbled.
“Because?” Nicole prompted.
Wynonna sighed. “Because you won, okay?”
“And?”
“And I lost. You happy now?”
“Not quite,” Nicole replied, winking at Waverly. “Annnnnd?”
Silently, Wynonna glared at the redhead until Waverly playfully poked her in the ribs. Scowling, she swatted her sister’s hand away.
“I think she’s wants you to say it, Wynonna,” Waverly said, barely containing her laughter.
“Fine,” Wynonna huffed, throwing up her hands in exasperation. “Congratulations, nerds. Haught’s Heroes are the official winners of the first annual Purgatory Paintball Tournament.”
Their triumphant cheers bounced off the rocks and trees surrounding them, as Nicole, Waverly and Dolls exchanged congratulatory high fives.
“Whatever. My team’s name is still way better than yours,” Wynonna muttered under her breath.
“Whiskey-Soaked and Reckless isn’t a team name, Wynonna. It’s a bad lifestyle choice,” Nicole retorted.
“Speaking of whiskey, perhaps we could continue this conversation back at Shorty’s?” Doc suggested. “And to prove that I am most gracious in defeat, the first round is on me.”
A chorus of agreement greeted his idea, and they all began to make their way out of the small clearing. It was a short hike to the finish line where the rest of the ousted tournament participants waited. Nedley and two of his officers came over to congratulate them. Upon seeing them up close, Wynonna recognized the paint splattered across the sheriff’s chest.
“Woohoo! Check it out! I shot the sheriff!”
“Yeah, but you didn’t shoot his deputy,” Nicole quipped, getting a giggle from Waverly, an eye roll and a few crude gestures from Wynonna, and a groan from everyone else.
Nicole reached out and wrapped her arms around Waverly’s waist, pulling her in close. Gently, she rested her chin against the top of her girlfriend’s head as she surveyed the scene before her.
Doc and Dolls continued to bicker like rowdy teenagers, their war or words escalating into an impromptu wrestling match that forced Rosita to step between them. Wynonna got caught sneaking a beer from Nedley’s cooler and was currently on the receiving end of a lecture about personal responsibility. Jeremy, the organizer of the tournament, chattered excitedly as he handed out t-shirts to all the participants. The trophy presentation, he promised, would come later.
Waverly stifled a yawn, and Nicole squeezed her tighter. It was late, and they were both cold, tired and more than a little bit dirty. Nicole stretched her stiff and aching back, wincing at the loud cracks and pops. She smiled as Waverly lifted her hand and kissed the palm.
“Poor baby,” Waverly said soothingly. “We need to get you home and into a nice, hot bubble bath.”
Nicole laughed softly, ducking her head to brush her lips against her girlfriend’s ear. Waverly certainly seemed to have a knack for reading her mind.
“Mmhmm,” she agreed. “And maybe I could convince you to join me?”
Waverly turned to face her, looking up at her with a positively devilish grin.
“Well...you are the hero, right? And I’m pretty sure that in these stories, the hero always gets the girl.”
Nicole grinned back. This was turning out to be a first-rate night. She’d impressed her boss and notched a big win in her ongoing competition with Wynonna. Now, a bubble bath for two awaited her, and she was fairly sure she knew where that would end up. Yep, she thought as Waverly practically dragged her to the car, all things considered, not a bad way to spend just another Purgatory Saturday night.