Chapter Text
After a second of holding, he blew the smoke out from his lungs. Leaned up against a rock studying the wanted poster and copying the bounty’s face to his memory, he put the cigarette in his mouth and took a deep breath in through his nose. He sucked another drag from it, tapping off the ash and taking the last puff before stubbing it out on the rock behind him, then he flicked it away after he was sure it was out.
He cleared his throat and licked his lips as he read the bounty poster for the hundredth time.
“Beck Everly..” He read softly, a bit of indifference to his tone. The gentle wind blew through the surrounding yellow grass and orange dust trailed along with it, moving the bright clouds across the pink and purple painted sky. The sun had been setting for some time now and the wind had brushed by him hard enough that he was able to take his eyes off the poster and look at the vista. His camp was on the edge of a cliff, land wide open aside from scarce trees. It was on some Great Plains lands, fairly easy to set up a camp and rest for the night, unlike some spots up north or down south where there were either too many trees or not enough shade. It was warmer where he’d set up, closer to the south than north.
He watched the sunset for a while before another log in his fire cracked and broke down, sparks flying up to join the stars that began showing themselves.
A day or so from here is the nearest town; Red Sage, a small town closer to the desert, on the border of plains and sand. It had a small but decent population, the folk there were mostly traders, but there was decent livestock as well, along with the basic necessities. Despite its size, it was a rather bustling town, with the people that come in off the train and the people that ride in on good old fashioned horses.
That was how he preferred to get around, it was rare he was away from his horse.
Speaking of which, along with a sassy nicker, the big Clydesdale horse reminded him that it’d been a while since she’d last eaten anything special by poking her nose against his head and shoulder, making him laugh gently as he folded the poster and stuffed it in his satchel. He reached up then to hold her face, giving it a nice scratch.
“I know, I know, it’s been all of thirty minutes since I last fed you, huh?” He asked her, then he shook his head and pushed her big head away from him with a smile, “Go on ‘nd eat the miles of grass you got here, I ain’t stopping you, Aoife.”
She gave up willingly, surrendering and walking off to begin eating said grass, the sound of it being ripped from the ground and eaten was oddly always really cute to him.
He looked at her and watched her for a moment. She was big, a strong body and firm stature. Stubborn and sassy once she had opened up to him, and extremely patient despite all of it. She was a great horse, and he never felt more lucky. Her coat was a flea bitten grey underbelly and legs, with a splashed brown top. Her bright mane was usually long but he kept it either braided or neatly trimmed. Then she had a white muzzle that showed off her pinkish nose and lip, all going up a thin white line on her nose to her forehead. She was a beautiful horse. And sort of big for him, but he’d rather die than give her up for a smaller horse.
“See? I told you you’d survive without any of your treats.”
After getting a dismissive grunt in response as if he were arguing with another human being, he chuckled and took his chestnut brown hat off, running a wide hand through his long red hair with a deep sigh.
He laid back on his bedroll and turned his back toward the fire to warm up a bit as the night got closer and as did the chill of it. He looked off the cliff and admired the last bit of sun before he watched it finally leave for the night.
“Alright, ol’ girl..” He yawned and got snug on the blanket of his bedroll, “Don’t wander off and you’ll get that morning treat.”
He got nice and comfy before facing the fire, then he closed his eyes and listened to the crickets and wind as they lulled him to sleep for his busy day tomorrow.
At a trot, he and Aofie rode into Red Sage together. He held onto the reins with a loose grip and looked around at the town. The sun was hot and the sand was worse. The people were busy but that didn’t stop them from looking at him like he was some stranger.
Well, perhaps to them, he is. He visited Red Sage often but not enough that he was looked at with fondness. He never did quite understand why the folk around here looked at him funny, but he didn’t have the time to care.
He walked Aofie toward the sheriff’s office, at least there he was well known.
He was known there as “The Underdog,” and “kid,” but for the most part, he was known as Rodrick O’Malley, the newest upcoming bounty hunter with wind in his hair and shine in his spurs. Eager to do a job well done as often as he could. What little friends he had called him, “Roddy.”
Roddy led Aofie to a hitching post before holding the horn of his saddle and swinging his leg over, carefully hoisting himself down and bringing the reins over Aoif’s head to tie her to the post. He gave her a pat before mumbling for her to stay.
Then, with his guns rattling quietly at his sides, he walked into the sheriff’s office.
“Sheriff Reid?” Roddy had called as he walked in, looking around the wooden building and the stairs that led down to the jail cells, where it was all stone.
“At my desk, kid.” The heavy southern accent came from his left and Roddy peeked over the door and saw the old sheriff, “And how many times have I told you, you can call me Cliff?”
“Oh, plenty, sir.” Roddy answered, closing the door behind him and walking over to take a seat, causing the older man to chuckle before taking a deep breath in.
“So what brings you back to Red Sage, kid?”
Roddy smirked and patted his thighs excitedly, “You know it ain’t like me to turn down a good chance at putting my name out there. I’m here for—“
“Beck Everly.” Both he and the sheriff finished together, though the old man looked up at Roddy from his paperwork with a risen brow.
“Figured as much.” The old man chuckled again with a shake of his head, then he opened a drawer next to him and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. He opened it and put one in his mouth, offering one to the younger, who politely refused.
“Poster said he was last spotted way down here. He traded grass for sand in hopes it would cover his ass.” Roddy spoke, relaying what he knew, “He came all the way from Amberly after he and his gang botched that bank robbery.”
“Rumour is, he left his gang.” The sheriff added as he listened to the younger enthusiastically ramble.
“Mhm, I’m thinkin’ he’s gonna try to slip away, maybe to Mexico or somewhere other.” Roddy explained.
“And you’re sure you wanna be the one to bring him in? Every other hunter I’ve tried to ask has turned me down or been.. unsuccessful. What makes you think you gots what it takes, kid?”
“Because I’m the only one for the job.” Roddy boldly put, abruptly standing up and putting his fists on the sheriff’s table, “I know I got this, who else is crazy enough?!” He laughed.
“Thomas Ross.” The sheriff pointed out and watched the young boy visibly tense up, “I know you two are well acquainted.”
Roddy’s mouth gaped like a fish out of water for a moment as he stammered, “Tomcat?!” He asked, “When did he—?!”
“A day ago. He’s here for Beck Everly, same as you. He’s from Amberly so I ain’t surprised he would wanna add Everly to his wall of outlaw heads.” Sheriff Reid chuckled, tapping ash off his cigarette into his ashtray, “But.. though, to be honest with you, kid, I don’t much like him.”
“So—“
“So,” Reid put a hand up to shush Roddy, “I’m hopin’ you could get Everly before he does. But you also know I cannot deny his skill on the subject matter at hand, Roddy.” He watched the young man slump back into his chair and cross his arms with a rather unhappy look on his face, “He’s been doing this for—“
“Twenty two years, I know.” Roddy bitterly finished with a huff.
The two sat there for a moment before Roddy sighed and looked up, “.. I know he’s got skill and years on me, but shouldn’t I be allowed to try..? If we all sat by and waited for the professionals to do everything, then what happens when we run out of professionals?!”
Roddy sat up again, elbows on his knees as he looked Reid in the eye, “You’ve seen my track record, Hell, I practically trained under you! You know I always deliver, and that’s by myself!”
Sheriff Reid looked at Roddy for another quiet while, looking like he was working something out in his head. He knew all that Rod said was true, and just because Roddy was young didn’t mean he was stupid. He knew the risks and Reid guessed he just.. had to trust him.
So with another drag of his cigarette and tapping the ash, he cleared his throat and stared at the burning tip. Then he nodded, “You’re right, kid. You’re right..”
He looked up at the younger as he perked up in his seat, “Alright then. Tom told me he was gonna be up huntin’ tomorrow an hour before high noon, so if you get up before that.. well, I reckon you’ll have a better chance at pickin’ up this English bastard.”
Roddy huffed a relieved sound and grinned, leaning back in his chair and smiling to himself, then he looked at the sheriff, “I promise you, sir. You will not regret this.”
The old sheriff hummed amusedly, moving some papers around before pulling up his documents on the bounty at hand. He cleared his throat before he read, “He was last reportedly seen near Whitewood Canyon.. been camping there, most likely plottin’ his next move.”
Roddy nodded as he committed the location to memory to map out his plan for tomorrow.
“He’s a sharpshooter so he’s highly dangerous. Don’t go runnin’ up on the son of a bitch without some cover or plan.”
“I know, Sheriff. There’s a reason his bounty is so high.”
“Ah, I see. In this for the money?” The old man teased.
Roddy snorted and shook his head, “Yes and no.. I mean, 4,000 dollars..” He trailed off and puffed his cheeks out with a wondrous sigh, then chuckled, “.. I can’t even imagine that much money.”
Reid nodded, reading over the documents again, “He and his little gang of punks robbed the largest bank this side of the county and killed over fifteen people in the process, six of them women. Reports say it was mostly his call or his own gun that did the job. Nasty bastard.” He shook his head and rested it on his hand, then sighed as he put the papers down, “Now, kid.. you’re absolutely sure this is the bounty you wanna go with? There’s plenty others that’ll do the job just—“
“I have to do this. You know I do.” Roddy told him, cementing his decision, “Plus, the bastard deserves to swing. I wanna be the one to make it happen.”
Reid nodded and tapped more ash off, taking the last drag and stubbing it out, “I know. Well.. good luck. Bring ‘im here once you got him, and you’ll probably make the papers in plenty of different states.”
With that, Roddy stood up, fixing his hat, “Whitewood Canyon, an hour before high noon. Beck Everly, a sharpshooter. Have a plan.” He summed up confidently, smiling a bit, “.. thank you, Sheriff. For helping me.”
Sheriff Reid smiled up at the enthusiastic kid, waving him off, “That’s my job, kid, now you better go get yourself a room at the inn or something. You got one hell of a day tomorrow.”
Roddy grinned and backed up toward the door, grabbing the knob and opening it up, “Have a good one, Sheriff!”
As soon as the town’s church bells had rung early in the morning, Roddy was up and getting dressed. Buttoning up his brown plaid shirt tucking it into his ol’ faithful pair of faded blue jeans that had some rips and patches here and there but were too loved to throw away, some brown leather suspenders thrown over his shoulders. He pulled on his socks and boots, and stood in front of his room’s mirror as he put his hat on. He turned his body side to side to find any imperfections.
He was out of the room after grabbing his satchel and guns, eager to be the first to find Everly.
His pocket watch read 7:37 am, plenty of time ahead of Tom.
He ate some salted meat he had packed in his satchel as he walked out the door and to the hitching post where Aofie had obediently stayed through the night.
“Hey, my lady!” He greeted her as she spotted him and nodded her head up and down. He gave her a pat as he approached her, scratching her neck and ears. He tossed the reins over her head and fixed her bit, hearing her bite down gently on it, lipping at his fingers and making him laugh softly.
“Yes, yes, I know,” He kept a hand on her as he reached into her saddle bag and pulled out some treats for her, a sweet apple and some herbs he had picked the previous day on the journey to this small town. Then he wiped his thumb over one of her eyes to clean it up before he gave the tough horse a hug around her neck. She sniffed at his shoulder and nickered softly, always confused and intrigued by this display but never hating it.
He huffed a big sigh as he let go, giving her another pet, “Alright,” He grabbed the horn of her saddle and the cantle before fitting his foot in the stirrup, then he hoisted himself up with a bit of a hop, settling in the seat. The leather creaked as he did and he stretched the last of the sleep from his upper body before grabbing the reins and turning her to the road, then with a click of his tongue and a gentle kick of his heels, she picked up speed, “Let’s go, girl! Up!”
At the command, Aofie picked up into a run, trusting Roddy to manoeuvre her big body through the town that began to wake up. He avoided folk walking and apologized to those he disturbed, but he ultimately couldn’t help the joyful laugh that left him as they rode faster out of the town toward Whitewood Canyon.
Eventually, they ran into more and more desert, more cactus replacing the trees and dust kicked up behind every set of beats from Aofie’s hooves.
“Y’aw!” He urged her, hearing her grunt in response and pick up to her fastest. He tucked close to her body and held the reins solidly but still loose enough that she didn’t accidentally throw him. His hat just barely stayed on his head as the wind blew through his hair and Aofie’s.
The giddy pound in his heart made itself loud and clear as he rode, his hips moving with her strong body and grinning the whole time. The air was dry but by god it was beautiful. The sun peeked over the horizon and shone through the scarce plants and made the cactus needles look like fuzz, the shadow of a condor flew overhead.
Roddy eventually got into the rhythm and made sure they followed the route he’d studied last night on his map before he’d gone to bed. But right now, they were just on an empty stretch of land, so the young man let himself sit up a bit and breathe in, closing his eyes and letting the determination of his mission set in. His hands squeezed the leather strap of the reins but were careful not to signal anything to his horse.
This was it!
He was going to get this bastard and bring him in, and he’ll be a legend! Finally, respected and known, liked. The money wasn’t too bad either. Anywhere he’d go, this would be on his record!
Roddy The Underdog was a title he was quite fond of and ready for, maybe everything would be finally worth it all.
An electrifying shiver ran through his body before he raised a hand to hold his hat to his head, shouting a howl of excitement into the desert dawn and laughing a bit before he opened his eyes and got ahold of himself again. He chuckled one more time as he lead Aofie to take a right to continue their journey for the hunt.
The canyons were huge now that he was here, walls and walls of orange rock and sand. It was cold under the shade but it was a welcome change. Roddy swallowed and gripped the reins he was holding in one hand as they approached the canyons, staring up at the cliff edges and dangerous looking suspended bridges that sparsely littered through its maze.
Roddy gently pulled Aofie to a stop and took a deep breath, licking his lips and letting it go.
“.. pretty big now that we’re here, huh?” He laughed weakly as he fidgeted once more before he squeezed Aofie’s sides with his legs and clicked his tongue. She wasn’t nervous about the maze like he was, so it was nice one of them was better at keeping their cool.
They entered in a trot. Roddy kept his eyes peeled for any movement, any clues; smoke in the sky, prints in the dirt, hell even bullets on the ground. Anything that would lead the young hunter to his prey. It was looking pretty bare from what he could tell. His stomach began to turn at the thought of Everly moving, or of actually succeeding and leaving the country already..
That is until a murder of crows cawed as they were disturbed in the distance. It peaked both Aofie and Roddy’s attention, eyes wide as they stared at where the murder had flown out from.
“Shit..” Roddy mumbled but bucked up and urged Aofie down the path that seemed to take him to where he needed to be. He took a look behind him just to be sure, and then they were off.
As they rode, Rod inspected the ground but all he saw were multiple boot prints in the sand. It was hard to make sense of which way they were going, and the freshest seemed to lead up ahead. He hummed curtly as they followed the tracks in hopes it would lead to something.
And lead them to something they did; to the dead body of a stranger. Roddy pulled Aofie to a stop and hopped off the saddle in a hurry, silently praying this stranger wasn’t who he thought. He ran to the body and kneeled as he pushed it over, gasping at what he saw. Before him laid, thankfully, not Beck Everly, but a man. Blood trailed down his nose and into his long moustache, his body was limp and skin was pale. He smelled horrible and looked almost unrecognizable, picked to hell by birds and other creatures as if he’d been here for some time. But what stuck out the most to Roddy was the clean single shot through his forehead.
Then Roddy remembered what the bounty poster and Sheriff Reid had both warned him about.
Beck Everly had a 4,000 dollar bounty for a reason. He was a dangerous man with a sharpshooting record.
Of course there weren’t any bullets to find, they were probably lodged in the ground or in other ex bounty hunter’s heads.
Roddy shivered as he pushed the body away from him and got up, dusting his gloves off by patting his hands together as he looked around perhaps a bit frantically, then he walked a little fast to Aofie and hopped up. For as uneasy that had made him, he wouldn’t let this shake him off this bounty, he was not going to lose another score to Tomcat.
“Up.” Roddy urged Aofie, riding forward and finding more bootprints in the sand but nearly fifty feet away. Those had to be Everly’s. They looked to have started in a sprint but had turned and stopped, probably to fire that killing shot before he ran again. He hit that man cleanly from fifty feet away and still ran off.
“What was your plan here..?” Roddy mumbled as he played the scene out in his head.
Roddy urged Aofie into a trot once again and leaned over a little to follow the boot prints, carefully focusing and making sure he didn’t miss a single detail.
Roddy now stared at the weak plume of smoke rising into the air just a bit more ahead. He was nervous, for lack of a better way to phrase it. Was that really Everly? Was he ready for this like he promised he was?
If he doesn’t do it, he doesn’t have a chance to die. That’s a good point.
But.. if he does do it, then it’s plastering his name in the community and money. Lots of it. Lots of money, lots of respect.. everything he deserved was in this bounty. And if he didn’t buck up and make a decision now, then Tomcat was going to steal it all from him only to throw it in the pile.
Roddy’s features hardened as everything fell into place. He took a deep breath in and out and gave Aofie a small nudge, loosening his hold on her reins and running forward until he was a good enough distance away from the small camp to observe what it looked like. He pulled her to a stop and hopped off, grabbing his lasso. He held the rope in one hand and rested his hand on his sidearm gun as he approached.
The camp looked small, like it was only him. That was good, it gave Roddy a better chance at this working out. The smoke was weak so that meant the fire was probably more char than flame, meaning Everly had set up beside a boulder a while ago. It was.. really quiet though. Roddy kept his guard up no matter what but as he got closer, his heart began to pound a little louder. He crouched a bit as he reached the corner of the boulder, risking a peek and looking around frantically for any threats.
But—
Wait, what?
Roddy brows furrowed as he peeked out more, looking directly at Beck Everly, one of the most wanted men right now, sleeping on a bedroll next to a fire. He didn’t even have a horse with him.
There was no way this was happening. There’s no way it could be this easy.. could it..?
Roddy swallowed and cautiously approached the sleeping outlaw, looking at him.. he looked so weird, so real. All Roddy had ever seen of the man was his drawn picture on wanted posters and now here he was, without that cocky smirk.
“You fool..” Roddy thought as he pulled his lasso off his arm and got it ready.
He walked as slowly as he could before he finally pounced the man. Everly yelped as he was shot awake by a grown man sitting his full weight on his back unexpectedly, barely able to keep up as his wrists were bounded by tight rope that stung once it was knotted, “Hey!!” He cried out but it was futile, he tried to look back but could barely see who had finally caught him.
“Beck Everly.” The bounty hunter spoke as he tightened the knot around Beck’s ankles, completely immobilising him, “What’s a big city bank robber doin’ way out here?”
“Get these off me!” Beck thrashed and struggled but the hunter’s hogtie was too well done.
Then he was being picked up rather effortlessly, causing him to widen his eyes as he was lifted off the ground and thrown over the shoulder of whoever caught him, “You squirm like a wet rat, it almost makes me feel sorry for you.”
Beck scoffed, still attempting to fight like a fish out of water, but the grip and rope was too strong. He looked around frantically and noted his guns and hat were still on the ground next to his bedroll. He also noted that he wasn’t too far off the ground right now..?
Didn’t matter though, as soon he was hoisted over the ass of a tall horse with a heavy oof as the air was knocked out of him. The horse just grunted as she was given a pat.
“My stuff!” Beck said, trying to make sure he wouldn’t fall off the horse but also trying to make himself heard.
“Don’t worry,” The hunter laughed, “I’m getting them.”
Beck felt his face go a little warm with such a humiliating feeling, being caught so easily all because he was asleep. He heard the hunter casually walk off and return, coming around the horse to finally meet Beck face to face. The red haired man had a smirk on his face, real pleased with himself.
He held Beck’s decorated gun belt in one hand and his hat in the other, “I’d like a souvenir anyway.” The Hunter taunted as he brought the gun belt up and waved it side to side with a grin, then he stood up straight and plopped Beck’s hat on his head harshly, “You can keep your hat though.”
Beck grimaced at the rough action but then glared at the smirky hunter with every ounce of hate he had.
“Careful with those!” Beck warned the outlaw as his precious guns swayed in their holsters attached to the belt.
“You talk funny for an outlaw.” The hunter teased as he rolled up the gun belt with the weapons still in their holsters and tucked them into a saddlebag that was much fuller now.
“You're short for a bounty hunter.” Beck quipped back, wit as sharp as his draw.
Roddy snorted, pulling the brim of Beck’s hat over his face as he stepped aside, grabbing the cantle and horn of the saddle and hoisting himself up, “Yet you’re still on the back of my horse,” Roddy patted Aofie’s neck before sucking his teeth twice and giving the reins a quick whip to start them off in a run toward Red Sage. They would get there by nightfall if things went well.
“Seems we’ve got a while to get to know each other! Might as well start with my name so you know who you can damn to hell before you get—“ Roddy made a choking noise and laughed cruelly, making Beck scoff, “Rodrick O’Malley. My friends call me Roddy, but I suppose you can call me whatever you want, like asshole, fool, bastard, whatever until I throw you in the sheriff’s jail cell!” He spoke loudly as they rode.
Beck’s chest and stomach hurt from the large animal running under him, each beat of the hooves on the ground uncomfortably swaying him and bumping him up and down, puffing huffs of air from his lungs. He didn’t squirm as much out of fear of falling off the horse, but he did continuously try to free his hands, which proved to be difficult. This knot had been done up tight. Like the hunter was afraid he’d slip out.
The outlaw couldn’t deny that he was beginning to feel nervous, a little out of his element as he didn’t get caught so often —and so easily—. He wasn’t sure what to expect when he was going to arrive at the sheriff’s office, was he going to be given trial? Or was he going to be the town’s entertainment the following day?
He swallowed as he thought about a rope around his broken neck.
It was an hour later. They had to ride a little slower, from a gallop to a canter, since Roddy didn’t want his cargo to fall off and didn’t want his cargo to throw up on his horse. It was near three in the afternoon, so Roddy was thinking they might actually make it before it got dark!
“Y’know, you made it real easy.” Rod told the outlaw as he rode with one hand holding the reins, the other in a rested balancing state, “A 4,000 dollar bounty just sleeping in the desert. Hell, I’ve done thirty dollar bounties that put up more of a fight!”
“I could kill you.” Beck threatened emptily, making Roddy roll his eyes.
“Why do you think I have you tied up on the back of my horse?” He replied snarkily, “Usually now I’d be hearing the whole please let me go! Or the it weren’t my fault, I swear! You ain’t got nothing like that for me, Everly?”
“Go to hell.” Beck spat, grunting as the horse’s coup dug into his lower stomach.
“Not a beggar?” Roddy asked, having fun playing with his easy food.
“Not a fool.”
“That’s why you’re, as I said, tied up on the back of my horse, right?” Roddy chuckled, leaning down to pat Aofie on the neck.
After that, Beck had stopped replying.
“Aw, c’mon, I was only teasin’ you.” Roddy grinned, eating up every delicious second of Everly’s embarrassment, “But hey, I’ll grant you one last wish before you’re the law’s problem again, if you want a quiet ride then let’s have one.”
Beck’s face was warm and it wasn’t because of the sun. This was so humiliating.
Roddy basked in this victory, thinking of how sheriff Reid will be so impressed with him and how everyone will know Roddy O’Malley is just as capable and big as Thomas Ross, Tomcat.
That bastard had hated Roddy from the moment he brought in his first small bounty. Roddy had no idea why either, Tom had money and skills, respect and women. Why did he care so badly whether or not an underdog wanted to try howling at the moon as well? Tom had stolen a few scores off Roddy in the past, as aforementioned. He would go after bounties that Roddy had failed and seemingly effortlessly bring them in on the first try. Tom was usually the person people called first to get a job done quick, Roddy wouldn’t be surprised if one day Tom had somehow become a Pinkerton agent or a marshal.
Though as a child, Roddy had been told never to talk ill of anyone if he couldn’t also back himself up, because it would always come to bite him in the ass in some form, so he tried not to dwell on that big bastard. Roddy, instead, was enjoying the ride until in the distance he saw some dust being kicked up, birds flying up in flocks, and as the dust cloud got closer, the ground felt like it was rumbling. A huge group of men all rode together side by side, taking up the entire road. There seemed to be about ten men, no.. wait, eleven.
“Thomas..?” Roddy whispered in confusion as he barely made out the familiar face but felt his stomach drop, “.. son of a bitch.”
Thomas fucking Ross was in the middle of the group, leading them no doubt. There was a reason why Tom was rich and got his bounties in one go. This wasn’t the first time Tom had ridden with a gang of hired guns to assist him on the missions, but they were never usually that big. How dangerous did Tom think Everly was..?
“Poppy!” Roddy heard Thomas yell as they got closer, making Roddy pull Aofie to a halt. Poppy was a rather unappreciated nickname Tom had given Roddy, though he was never sure why. Perhaps it sounded like Roddy..? He never cared hard enough to ask.
Soon enough, the men all skidded to a halt ten feet in front of the underdog. All big men with mean looks in their eyes. They all observed Roddy and what he had tied up behind him, but Tom seemed the most intrigued.
“Should’ve known you were in town!” The older man greeted but Roddy refused to let his body shudder at the fake niceties. Thomas was a 5’11 man, 47 years old with greying hair to prove it. Streaks of grey pencilled through his black hair he kept mostly combed back, letting a lock of it curl over his wrinkled forehead. He wore mostly a monochrome colour set, a black pair of pants with grey pinstripes and a dark blue paisley vest to go over his white shirt. Usually he’d wear a grey coat made from satin but perhaps it was too hot for it right now. His face was clean shaven aside from the long moustache that was pomade curled up at the ends. What pulled it all together was the striking blue eyes with dark bags underneath.
“Thomas..” Roddy greeted in return, keeping his guard up, “I got in just last night.”
“Ah, brilliant..! And.. what do you have there?” He asked, his voice posh. It was obvious that he’d always been around money just from hearing him speak.
Roddy hesitated in telling Tom, not trusting of the man whatsoever, especially with his little gun show was behind him. Roddy chewed on the inside of his cheek as he tried to think of a response that would get Tom to leave without his bounty.
“What does it look like?!” Suddenly, Beck had yelled out, still unable to see due to his hat blocking his sight, “Beck Everly!”
Roddy instinctually threw his hand back and whacked Beck in the head, “Shut up!”
“Beck Everly..?” Tom repeated, suddenly very interested, walking his horse around Roddy’s to take a look, “How’d you manage that, Poppy?”
Roddy grit his teeth and blinked a few times, he hated being so undermined by this asshole. He bitterly mumbled something under his breath, and Tom perked up, “Sorry?”
“Roddy. Rodrick O’Malley, you son of a bitch.” He spat, not turning his head to face Tom.
It was clear Tom didn’t like being talked to like that.
The older man was quiet for a moment before he hummed, comfortably resting his reins on the horn of his horse’s saddle, “Right, right.” He began, getting off his horse and looking at all his men, “Rodrick O’Malley!”
He laughed, then turned back to Roddy, putting on an mocking Irish accent and waving his hands around like a fool, “I’m a fuckin’ O’Malley,” He said, “Me da came all the wey down from the motherland, stowed away like a wee plagued rat on a ship!”
Roddy’s jaw was tense and his face began to heat up as he took the taunt, trying to keep his cool.
“How is your father?” Tom asked as he dropped the accent, his men all chuckling at such a display, “Did he die how he lived? With a bottle in his hand?”
Roddy blinked a few times as he glared up at Tom.
“Old bastard was so soaked, any animal that ate him would have a hangover the next day!” Tom nailed on, getting a real laugh from his men and watching Roddy’s hands squeeze his reins tight.
“Enough!” Roddy ordered with a shout to stop the men laughing, “Get out of my way!”
Roddy made a move to urge Aofie forward but Tom stepped in front of him, making Rod pull Aofie’s reins back and put her a little on edge, “Move, Tom..!”
“No need to get so emotional! You can’t take a joke or what?” Tom asked, clearly toying with the young man.
Roddy then heard the rattle of a few guns, looking up and seeing all their aim steadied on him. He swallowed a little nervously as he looked around at all of the barrels focused on him.
“Listen, kid,” Tom began again, making Rod look down at him and watch him as he got back up on his horse, “It sounds like you’re a little.. well, upset.” He feigned an innocent and concerned voice as he fixed the cuffs of his thin shirt.
“I’m fine—“ Roddy managed to say before Tom spoke again.
“Maybe we should take Everly off your hands.” He looked Roddy in the eyes now.
Roddy’s eyes widened and he sat up a little straighter, “Excuse me—?” His fingers twitched as one of his hands slowly moved closer to his holstered gun on his hip.
“Don’t go reachin’ for that gun, boy.” Tom warned, “Hand over the bounty.”
“I-I caught him..!” Roddy argued, flinching Aofie back and grasping his gun when a few of the men behind Tom stepped forward with their own horses, guns still aimed at the young man, “You can’t just—“
“I can do anything I want, boy.” Tom snapped sternly, “Including take Everly. Even from your cold dead hands.”
The sudden mood change had Roddy completely tensed up, dread filling his brain and stomach as Tom stared him down.
“How would the sheriff react? Poor Poppy, shot straight through the head by sharpshooter bounty, Beck Everly.” Tom went on, one hand on the reins and the other laid lazily to his side, too many men with him to bother lifting his gun, “My, my, just think of the headlines.”
“Back up, Tom.” Roddy warned, voice wavering a bit as he began pulling Aofie’s reins backward to step back a bit, “I caught him. Fair— fair and square.”
“Last chance, Poppy.” Tom told him.
Roddy swallowed again and shakily shook his head, grasping his gun and backing Aofie up.
Tom sighed with disappointment before he shrugged, nodding off to the side as a signal.
From there it felt like things moved in slow motion. Roddy reacted purely on instinct as he heard a gun click to his right, drawing his own gun and shooting out of fear. He hadn’t fully even realised what he’d done, even as the birds flew up into the air and the man fell to the ground with a cry of pain, he just knew he had to get out of there. Roddy whipped Aofie’s reins and gave her a kick to get her going as Tom’s men shot, just missing him.
“After him!!” He heard Tom order. Roddy whimpered slightly as he looked back for a moment and his heart jumped upon seeing the posse chasing him. Sure, this wasn’t his first time having to fight for his bounties but it sure was the first time he’s had to fight Tom for one. He looked ahead of him to steer as Aofie galloped along and gasped as a bullet zipped by his head, then he looked back and aimed to shoot back.
He fired three times and heard another man cry out and fall to the ground, getting trampled by Tom and the other hired guns that viciously chased him down. More bullets flew by as more blasts rang through the desert air. Roddy knew he had two more shots before he had to reload so he waited for a moment of clarity before looking back and returning fire, this time killing two men. Adrenaline flowed through his veins so fast that he was barely even keeping track of where he was going.
“Come back, Poppy! We can work something out!” Tom yelled out behind him.
“What the hell is going on?!” Beck asked, confused and a little worried with how vulnerable he currently was. The horse bones digging into his stomach made him feel a little sick but he held out.
Roddy didn’t even answer him, tucking close to Aofie’s body as she grunted with each set of beats her hooves made, kicking up dirt and sand as they ran. More bullets flew by not as frequently as before, Roddy was thinking maybe he had a chance of losing them after all. He chanced a glance back and saw that they were far enough away that if he kept going, he might be able to get away.
Might.
Okay, he was lying. They were actually gaining on him a little faster than he’d like. The only thing that brought him out of his worry was the distant sound of a train whistle, steel screeching against steel and a large engine chugging along.
“That’s it.” Roddy thought to himself and booked it toward the sound.
“C’mon, girl!” He panted and encouraged her to keep running and running. The ground still felt like it was rumbling and that’s how he knew he was close to something; whether it be the seven men still chasing him or the train. Either way, he couldn’t afford to look back, he had to find the tracks.
“Poppy!” He heard and felt his whole body flush with fear due to how much closer it sounded.
But then he heard the whistle again and saw the smoke in the near distance, huffing and whipping the reins, “Y’aw!” He commanded and Aofie obeyed.
As they rounded the corner of a path, he finally saw the train. It was close to passing and Roddy knew there was no time to hesitate, “Get! C’mon!!” He cried out, pushing Aofie to her limits. The train’s whistle blew as the conductor spotted the young man getting close to the tracks, not being able to stop in time if this kid didn't turn around. Roddy panted as he rode hard, just barely threading the needle and crossing the tracks as the train flew by with a terrified warning blast of the whistle.
He skidded Aofie to an immediate halt, much to her annoyance, and turned around. He saw Tom and his men just approaching the tracks, the men looking at the train and each other mostly but Tom’s eyes were right on Roddy’s. Pure venom glazed the daggers he glared, piercing Roddy and letting it be known that this was not going to be good for him without even saying a word.
Roddy panted as he sat in disbelief of what he just did, fixing his hat with trembling hands. But what shook him to his core was Tomcat and the daring smile that grew on his face before he turned to his men and his mouth moved as he spoke to them, then the posse rode away as the train continued to drive by. Leaving the underdog and his bounty alone.
“Hello?!” Beck’s voice finally got through to the young hunter, “What the hell just happened?! Is that a train?!”
Oh right, Roddy swallowed as he looked back and saw that Everly’s eyes had been covered the whole time by his hat. Maybe with an act of mercy, Roddy leaned back and moved the hat off of the bounty’s eyes.
“Are you insane..?” Beck asked, voice on the verge of blowing up, “I feel sick, what the hell is wrong with you?!”
Roddy could barely bring himself to answer, too stunned by what just happened. In his gut, he knew he couldn’t go back to town, not while Tom was there.
Then it finally set in; Roddy had killed four men. And there were seven witnesses, all their word against his own. Especially Tom’s.
Roddy also suddenly felt sick.
He redirected Aofie to continue down the path as the train finally drove by, the guard at the end glancing at him as the locomotive moved on. Roddy heard Beck ask what was going on numerous times but he couldn’t bring himself to answer. Not yet.
What was he going to do now?
He couldn’t go to town, he couldn’t just camp around this area.. he just trotted forward as the sky began to change. Their shadows were tall on the ground and the desert wind blew by. He had to find a place to stay, the nearest other town was almost a two day trip away. But then he remembered there could be a place he could stay—
No.. no, he would never allow it. But.. what if..?
No.
Roddy took a deep breath in and finally heard Everly ask again, “Where are we going..?!”
Roddy looked up at the sky and then forward before nudging Aofie with his legs and shortly answering, “North.” And leaving it at that.