The Decision

As I rode up on the coach I decided not to just shoot her in the head as I had done many other times, this time I simply unhooked the pin holding the horses to the carriage. It wasn't the most gentle stop but it didn't matter to me. She had screamed the whole time I was stopping the carriage and it didn't stop when I drug her out of it either. I held the peacemaker to her head and told her to quit crying. To seem fair I asked her if she had any final wishes. "Any final wish you want to miss, but I'm not going to spare your life," I told her lowering the colt. "If you won't spare me then how about you kill someone for me?" She asked between sobbing. "There was a man who had done me wrong, we were engaged to be wed and he slept with another woman. After that, he threw me into the streets which made me work as a dancer for a place to stay." "If I do this then you will travel with me the whole time, and after he is dead I will shoot you, understood?" I asked her, knowing that it would only mean an extra collection for the devil. She agreed to the terms and we set off. Riding toward Texas where she said he lived, to help the process I simply hooked my horse to the carriage so I could keep an eye on her. I told her it would be about three days since we would need to stop for her to be able to eat. I wasn't crazy about taking care of someone who I was supposed to kill but it would get the contract done and give me a bonus kill which could mean some time home for bringing an extra. "So are we going to have a quiet ride the whole time mister Marshall?" she asked looking at me expecting an answer. "Not much for talking miss, I've been killing people for 15 years and its right around 70 kills now. The only question I have is why it matters if he is killed before you." I said looking her in the eyes. "I've heard your story, Marshall, I know why you carry this curse. The real reason, it's because the love of your life had another lover. So you killed him, I thought you would feel be able to understand." She said as if she cared about my curse. "I did kill that man, and I made a deal with the devil. It doesn't mean you will be spared because I might feel a little bad for you." I looked out the window and remembered the day I made the deal. "It isn't about me wanting you to feel bad for me, I just want redemption. Or if you get me there then I will kill him myself, and sell my soul to the devil." She had a twisted look in her eyes as if she would be okay with that. "Listen, Miss, you don't know what this curse does to you, you will become nothing you have ever seen before. Even if you keep a shred of humanity it won't be the same." I told her, trying to convince her. Past this conversation she just kept asking me about things before the curse, and if I had a home or anyone I loved now. I told her that anytime I got close to someone the devil took them. When she asked why I simply explained that as long as I was alone I wouldn't question killing as many people as I have to. Then she asked about the girl whom I had loved before. "After killing the man she had been lying with and accepting the deal, the devil said I needed to kill her. That was my first contract, and it took all I could to try to not do it. Any time that I tried to reason with the devil he would tear me apart and put me back together again until I finally pulled that trigger. On that day something in me grew that was darker than anything I've ever was known." Reflecting on all of that as I said it, I never really realized how it still bothered me. Over the corse of the next two days, she continued to ask me the same types of questions, as if she felt bad for me. I could see in her eyes that she really did, but I couldn't get close to her or he would take her too. "You ever think about asking the devil for a partner?" "Now why would I do that," I asked. "Well if the contract is in my soul then why don't I give it to him and sign my own deal?" She asked. I had never had anyone ask me that before, she had a point. The contract was only for her soul so if she gave it up willingly and swore her service then he might let her live. Before I asked him though I still had to fulfill her final wish, then she gets a chance to talk with him if so chosen. We would find out in two days whether or not it would be allowed.