Full Circle



He stood there studying Martin Keatchum, pacing back and forth like a nervous cat, and before the words even came out of Willie Coopers mouth he already suspected the answer that he would get, and no amount of bullying or beatings was going to change them. They had Martin tied to a chair in the backroom of his own establishment, beating on him trying to obtain the whereabouts of Jack Macleod. Of course all that Marty would tell them of his dear friend is that Willie was going to meet him soon enough, and that only having four men with him wasn’t going to be enough to stop Jack from killing them all. Unknown to Willie and his cohorts Martins wife Esmeralda had already seen the strange men enter the store earlier and was already on her way to get Jack, and she’d ridden her animal to the point of exhaustion to reach him and rain. Jack was out and about at his usual early hour when he seen Esmeralda round the top of the hill, her animal on a dead run, he immediately recognized the smell of trouble. She related the entire thing to him, about how she’d seen the men ushering her husband into their store, and how the name of Willie Cooper immediately came to mind.
“You two had best stay here.” he told Rain and Esmeralda.
“Not a chance in hell Jack!, That’s my husband they have and we’re coming with you!”
Rain looked at her and nodded in agreement. He knew that he was playing against a stacked deck as soon as he looked in their eye’s.. he rested his hand on her shoulder for a moment as if to comfort her.
“Alright Esmeralda, take it easy. Rain? baby Girl, you do Jack a favor?”
She nodded to the affirmative trying to contain her excitement.
“Go and Round up two fresh animals from out back for you and Esmeralda while uncle Jack loads his Colts.”
She bolted out of the door and disappeared around the corner of the house, and before Jack and Esmeralda had barely enough time to step off of the front porch she had not two but three animals saddled up and waiting for them. Jack smiled at Esmeralda.
“She always likes going to Hells Bottom to visit you and Marty.”.
They all mounted up and began the trip back to town. Willie Cooper was waiting.

Willies Last Ride.



When they rode into Hell’s Bottom it was getting towards twelve Pm, Jack dismounted and instructed Esmeralda and Rain to find shelter somewhere, while he tended to Willie Cooper and his band of merry men.
He walked into the saloon and told Ed Carpenter to go and fetch Willie cooper from the Keatchum’s store, and to tell them that he would be waiting in the saloon for them. Ed walked into the store just as Willie was coming from the back room where they had Martin tied up. He did as instructed and Willie told his boys that they would be taking a break to go and have a drink. When they exited the store Ed Carpenter tended to a badly beaten Martin Keatchum.
“Don’t you worry Marty, they’re walking over to meet the devil right now!”
They entered the Saloon just past twelve thirty, only to find a hat and a shot glass full of whiskey sitting on a table in front of them, and immediately Willie knew that they’d been had.
“Alright boys, he drew us out in the open, now spread out and find him.”
the first man got cut down as soon as he stepped back out the door, the thunder of one of Jack’s navy colts ripped through the air as the man came flying back in through the swinging doors of the saloon. One down, four to go. they scattered out drawing their weapons looking for any sign of Jack, Willie motioned for his three remaining men to move through the door, and none of them would budge two were staring down at the dead body of their friend until finally the third man stepped forward.
“We ain’t dying for you Willie. You want this man dead? Kill him yourself.”
as they walked out into the street they told Jack that it was between him and Willie now and that they just wanted to go home, they rode from Hells Bottom unharmed. Willie Cooper was inching his way towards the back door of the Saloon when he heard Jacks Voice echo through the empty Saloon.
“It’s a funny thing Willie, about death I mean. when you know that your going to die, without a doubt, the end is a breath away, knowing and waiting for that last second to come, is a scary thing, waiting for death is actually worse than dying don’t you think?”
“I figured you would try to take me alive Jack, bring the bad man in alive to stand trial. Ain’t that how it works?” he turned to the small hallway that lead to the back door to find Longshadow Jack waiting patiently.
“Do not flatter yourself Willie boy. I have no intention of taking you in alive.”
The last second of Willie Coopers life arrives with Jack’s Navy Colts coming alive to deliver their gift to him, the plum of smoke waffling through the air as the bullet rips through Willie Coopers skull striking him dead. He returned to the front of the saloon to find his baby girl Rain standing there alone, her innocent eyes searching his as if to say “What now uncle Jack?”
He smiled and pulled his little girl up to him to protect her from the cold.
“Its cold here Rain, cold and hard, what do you say we go someplace warm?”
She looked up at him, her eyes still full of wonder.
“Home uncle Jack?”
“Yeah baby girl.. Home.”

Scratch © 2006