A Fresh Journey

Sly was the first to wake in the morning. He took the liberty of preparing everyone’s rations before nudging Mabel awake. He had tried to wake Curtis first, opting to give the young girl more time to sleep, but Curtis refused to get up.

Sly sat down by the remains of their fire from the night before and shoveled spoonfuls of beans, dried meat and fruits, and biscuits into his mouth. Mabel dragged her feet along the sandy ground as she made her way to Sly to collect her breakfast. She thanked the Ranger and sat opposite the burnt branches, her head still fuzzy from the early wake. The two of them were quiet as they ate. Curtis still slept soundly with his back to his new companions.

***

Curtis rolled his knapsack and tied it to the side of his horse’s saddle. Sly stretched and prepared for the long walk to the next town over. Mabel was bouncing excitedly in anticipation of the journey ahead of her. She was just happy to be off the streets of Coyote Run.

“How ‘bout Shooter?” Mabel suggested. She had been tossing out names for Curtis’s horse all morning, none of which Curtis took a particular liking to. “Dusk? Crash. Dazzle. Oh, Silver!” Curtis groaned at each one.

“No, no,” Sly added. “It needs to be something fierce! Something to strike real fear in anyone who opposes us. Like…Fury! Or, Shadow! Meteorite!”

Curtis shook his head and pull some parchment from his pack. He drew a small stick of charcoal from his bag, as well, and laid the sheet on the ground.

“Here’s the plan,” Curtis said as he drew a crude map on the sheet of parchment. “If you’re to be travelin’ with me, y’ought to know what’s ahead.”

Curtis flipped the parchment around for Mabel and Sly to view it right-side-up. He pointed with the charcoal at the lowest point on the drawing, saying “That’s Sunnyville, where I first ran in to Sly.” He gestured to below the map and added, “Down there’s the Southern Slick, where I spent most of the 18 months after leaving Midnight’s ranch. I’d hoped that’s where he’d have escaped to since it’s hardly even considered government territory, but I saw no sign of ‘im.”

“What’s down there?” Mabel asked.

“Only the grimiest, filthiest lot in all the Valley Strip,” Sly answered. “Not even Rangers go that far south. Just not worth the hassle.”

“If we’re lucky,” Curtis said, “we won’t need t’go back there.” He drew an imaginary circle around the main map. “If we can stick here in the Mesa Frontier, that’d be ideal. I’d like to avoid going to the Big City if we don’t have to.”

“But if Midnight isn’t in the Mesa Frontier anymore…” Mabel trailed off.

“That’s my territory,” Sly boasted. “I could guide us through the Big City, no problem. That’s where I want to end up, anyway.”

Curtis nodded.

“If you’re serious about what you said last night, Sly,” Curtis said, looking at the Ranger. “Then your knowledge will come in real handy as we head north. We’ll zigzag across the Valley as we make our way up. Here we are between Coyote Run and Onyxlanding.” Curtis pointed to the lower-middle of the page. “Once we reach Onyxlanding, we’ll continue east toward Proudkeep, then north to Tangate, and back west to Yellowtusk, so on and so forth.

“Contrary to what you might think, as we get closer to the Big City, in other words, where the Government and Ranger HQs are, the concentration of Outlaws’ll become denser, up to a certain point. Then, there won’t be any Outlaws in or immediately ‘round the Big City—none stupid enough to make their presences known, anyway.”

Sly nodded in agreeance as Mabel listened intently to Curtis’s explanation. Curtis rolled the parchment and handed it to Sly, telling him to be the navigator. He also returned the seven-shot revolvers to the Ranger. He then hoisted Mabel onto his horse’s back before leaping up himself. He turned to Sly who stood next to the metallic steed.

“Sorry, Sly, there’s only room for one big and one small passenger. We can find you a horse in Onyxlanding.”

Sly whipped his arm toward Curtis with a big thumbs-up. He smiled and winked at the Outlaw. “Don’t you worry about me, Dawn. First impressions might not tell you this, but I’m quite the athlete! I ran all the way here from Coyote Run, and to there from Sunnyville. I’m a speed demon myself!”

Sly took off running in the direction of Onyxlanding. Mabel leaned from behind Curtis and mumbled, “That guy’s weird.”

Curtis chuckled. “Yeah, you meet plenty of strange folk on the road.”

“I still don’t entirely trust ‘im.”

“But you trust me?”

Mabel thought. “Good point. I’m keepin’ an eye on both of ya.”

“Hmph, whatever you say.” Curtis spurred his horse which began to canter toward Sly, quickly catching up.

The three traveled in relative silence; the sounds of the horse’s heavy steps and Sly’s confident stride were accompanied only by the rhythmic clatter of Curtis’s supply pack and bedroll as they dangled from each side of the saddle, shaking with every sway of the machine-like beast’s hips. The sun beat down on the wanderers; Curtis placed his hat upon Mabel’s head when he noticed her shirt dampening from the sweat of her face and neck.

Sly’s focus was less on the heat and more on the crudely drawn map Curtis had put him in charge of. Sly knew the Valley Strip fairly well, but the region called the Mesa Frontier was infamously sparsely populated with cities and towns being at least a day apart from one another, if not farther. The Ranger had spent most of his time in the Valley Strip in and around the Big City, so he’d only navigated the desert—the real desert—for one-off jobs, and he had always had a more detailed map to work with.

Still, Sly was managing with what Curtis had given him, and he was sure the three of them would be able to make it to Onyxlanding by night if they kept a steady pace. Sure enough, however, making the trek on foot was no easy task, and after only a couple of hours, Sly needed to rest.

“We’ll stop at the next tor,” Curtis said. “We can try to catch some shade before the sun’s too high.”

The band continued for another quarter hour or so before a couple of rocky mounds appeared in their view through the wavy reflection on the sand. Sly’s expression lit up and he yelped with joy. He began jogging over to the jagged stone hills; Mabel breathed a sigh of relief. She had grown considerably tired solely from sitting under the sun.

Even with Curtis’s hat covering her face and shoulders, the sun’s rays still cooked her frail, little body. Curtis breathed steadily as he commanded his horse to pick up the pace. A bead of sweat crawled from behind his ear and down his jaw to the point of his chin where it began to dance through his beard.

The shining droplet hung from a few hairs for a moment, and just as the bonds between water and keratin broke, a thunderous boom echoed across the landscape. The droplet of sweat barely had time to contact the saddle between Curtis’s legs before the Outlaw was forced from his horse’s reigns by the blow of a high caliber bullet to his left shoulder.

Mabel shrieked as the horse recoiled from the sudden jolt. Curtis, whose feet were still knocked into the saddle’s stirrups, dangled on the side of the saddle, writhing in pain. He groaned as he tried to grab hold of the reigns once more, blood pouring from his sleeve and onto the dry, yellow sand. He commanded Mabel to get down as Sly turned back following the sound of the shot.

“Take cover, Sly!” Curtis shouted, then grunted terribly. Curtis couldn’t feel his left arm or hand, but he managed to find the reigns and commanded his horse into an excited gallop. Sly turned back toward the tor and began racing at a full sprint. He tried to glance around the surrounding area to find out where the sound could have come from.

Unfortunately, the only place for cover was the rocky hills up ahead, but that was also the only place for a shooter to hide. Knowing well the possibilities, Sly continued on toward the hills with Curtis and Mabel in tow. Mabel held onto the saddle with one hand while keeping her head low and holding Curtis’s hat to her scalp with her other hand. Curtis used his position off the saddle to cover himself as best he could from another shot.

Somewhere, someone peered at Curtis through a lens. Without a clear shot, the sights aimed at Sly. The distant shooter blinked to clear some dust from their eye and fixated their gaze on the Ranger.

“Interesting,” they said. “Is that…?”

The Outlaw’s thoughts scrambled about as he tried to consider his options. He needed to bandage his wound soon; he could already feel the lightheadedness from blood loss. Whatever had hit him, it hit him hard, unlike anything he’d ever experienced before. Curtis hadn’t seen anyone approaching from the surrounding land, and they were too far out from the tor for anyone to get an accurate shot on him.

Sly bared similar thoughts as he arrived at the tor just ahead of Curtis and Mabel. He took a quick survey of the area before finding what seemed to be a sufficient hiding spot—a large outcrop of stone which blocked a view from the rest of the rocks. Curtis’s horse met the Ranger there. The moment he was behind cover, Curtis unstrapped himself from the saddle, plopping to the ground.

Sly rushed to Curtis and helped him lean against the outcropping of stone serving as their shield. Mabel dug through Curtis’s supply bag and found a roll of gauze. She tossed it to Sly who began unraveling the stringy fabric.

“Alcohol,” Curtis coughed. Mabel looked confused in her panic.

“For disinfectant,” Sly called. “He probably has a bottle in that bag.”

Mabel looked through the satchel and fetched the dark bottle while Sly helped Curtis to remove his tunic. Mabel fumbled off the horse and handed Sly the bottle. He hurriedly unscrewed the cap and poured far too much of the clear liquid onto Curtis’s shoulder. The wound was horrid. Such a large hole for a single gunshot, the origin of which the band still did not know.

The alcohol washed away the blood only briefly before more gushed from Curtis’s shoulder.

“What the hell—” Curtis winced, “was that?”

Sly pressed the wound as heavily as he could. Curtis’s breathing was rushed, but controlled. Mabel watched in shock.

“Mabel, sit down,” Sly commanded. “Don’t move, okay? We don’t know where the shooter could be hiding.”

“Shooter?” Mabel whimpered, following Sly’s orders.

“There’s only one thing I know of that could do something like this to a man,” Sly thought aloud. “Only one person…” Curtis groaned as Sly continued with the pressure.

“Man, this sucks,” Curtis growled.

Sly mended Curtis as Mabel and the horse held their positions. The little shade that was left from the sun’s morning angle had disappeared. The heat was more intense than before, but neither Sly nor Mabel was focused on that anymore. By the time Sly finished wrapping Curtis’s wound, the sun had begun its decline, though the sky was still blue.

Sly slumped against the rock next to the then unconscious Outlaw. He shared several chugs of water alongside Mabel, and they trickled a little down Curtis’s throat.

“Sure did take a while to stop the bleeding,” Sly said, sounding exhausted, “and he is looking quite pale, but he’ll make it…I think.”

Mabel paid no mind to the uncertainty of Sly’s statement. She sat with her knees to her chest, serving as support for her head. She rested her chin and watched the horizon. She hadn’t moved for over an hour except to take a drink occasionally. Her mouth slowly opened.

“What was that, Sly? What got Curtis so bad?”

Sly sighed.

“I don’t know for certain, but if it’s what—or who I think it is, then we’re in a tight spot. It’d be best to wait for Dawn to wake up before we take any action.”

“So, we just have to wait here an’ hope that whoever it is doesn’t come fer us?”

“They won’t. They’ll wait, too. But we won’t be making it to Onyxlanding tonight.”

Mabel whimpered softly and sunk her head into her lap. Curtis’s horse huffed and adjusted its footing.

***

Curtis’s breathing was slow and rhythmic as he rested. Sly’s worry became impatience once it seemed Curtis would not succumb to an endless sleep that day. By then, the Ranger was anxious for the Outlaw to awaken so they could devise a plan to stop whoever was hunting Curtis.

No, Sly thought. It’s best to assume that whoever shot Dawn is after me, too. We might even consider the girl a target, as well.

Sly looked at Mabel who, at that point, was curled up on her side, still holding her knees close and resting her head on Curtis’s rolled knapsack. Sly turned to the unconscious Curtis and prayed that the Outlaw would regain consciousness before nightfall. The sun had reached the horizon already, turning the sky an intense orange to the west and a deep purple to the east.

Sly felt confident in his earlier guesses as to who the shooter was, but he began to worry that once night consumed the desert, they might attempt to approach the group. Sly was no martial combatant, and he was sure Mabel wouldn’t pose much of a deterrent, so he hoped that Curtis would be awake and just slippery enough to succeed in an up-close conflict.

During his days at the Ranger Academy, Nathan “Sly” Bowman—though he hadn’t been given a nickname yet—had met a whole slew of unique individuals. Sly, while skilled in many regards, was somewhat mistreated by those around him because he was from outside of the Valley Strip. The areas above the Valley were considered “more proper” and “prissy” by many residing in the Valley.

Sly was seen as entitled or pampered, and his attitude certainly hadn’t dissuaded anybody from thinking that. Sly’s early days as a Ranger Candidate were full of trial and error in terms of learning how to act in the Valley Strip. Eventually, however, he came into his own, and although he didn’t come into the name “Sly” until after graduation, Nathan Bowman had become a fine Ranger.

That’s when the real characters started introducing themselves. Those who successfully joined the ranks of professional Rangers were even more extraordinary than the litter Sly attended class with. His fellow alumni ranged enough in height, weight, age, skin tone, skills, and sanity. Some of them had already come into their own and found out their “shtick” as Sly usually put it.

Most graduates were given nicknames before leaving the Academy. Some even had years of prior experience through partnerships with established Rangers, or amateur work. Sly, of course, was unable to fit in enough to be given a good nickname before graduation, or receive tutelage from a veteran Ranger, but it didn’t take too long for his name to become known in the areas surrounding the Big City.

As Sly reminisced about his days as a young Ranger, one name stuck out in his mind: Payton Serrano. Also known as “the Hunter.” Just then, Curtis winced. The outlaw took a few deep breaths before opening his eyes to the sky spattered with a few early stars. Sly kneeled over him and helped him sit up. Curtis groaned.

“My shoulder’s still killin’ me,” he said.

“Yep, it’ll definitely ache for a while. Think you can stand yet?”

“Give me a few minutes.”

Curtis clutched his wound and winced again. He breathed slowly and tried to get comfortable against the rocks. Mabel sat up and wandered over, relieved to see Curtis doing okay, all things considered.

“My memory’s a bit fuzzy,” Curtis said. “What the hell happened earlier?”

“You were shot. The shooter’s probably in the tor somewhere. We need to be careful; they’re probably still watching this spot, waiting for someone to poke a foot out or something.”

“I’ve never been hit like that before. What was it, a damn trebuchet?”

“The wound was horrible,” Mabel broke in. She looked at Curtis’s shoulder, but seemed to be seeing the memory of the fresh bullet hole. She tried to push it from her mind.

“No, but I have a feeling I know what,” Sly answered. “And who.”

“It’ll be totally dark soon,” Curtis stated. “We could slip out after that. Though, with only one horse, that could be pretty tricky.”

“Yeah, I think that’s probably too risky, especially if it’s who I think it is. They’ll be patient and know how to target us in the dark.”

“Is it another Outlaw you could bag?”

“No, a Ranger.”

“Another Ranger, huh? Just great.”

Curtis adjusted himself and peeked ever-so-slightly around the rock. When he couldn’t make out any obvious signs of where the shooter could be hiding., he leaned back behind cover.

“Think they saw you and know you’re workin’ with me?” Curtis asked.

“Not sure,” Sly replied. “They had plenty of time to aim, but never took a shot at me. It’s possible they assumed you were in my custody after the first shot, but if that was the case, they most likely would’ve come over by now to meet with me.”

“So, who is this guy, do you think?”

“Payton ‘the Hunter’ Serrano. We met after I graduated from the Academy. What you were shot with is certainly a long-ranged rifle modified with a magnifying sight and one-hell-of-a-chamber. Only holds one shot, but doesn’t take more than a few seconds to reload. I’m honestly surprised you were shot at only once, but Payton’s like that I suppose. The real efficient type. You were a more unsteady target after that initial hit.”

“What kind o’ bullets do that thing take?”

“Much bigger ones than a revolver,” Sly joked.

“That’s some gimmick. Never seen anything quite like it. The Hunter, huh? Guess that makes us the prey. What’s a more accurate comparison: eagle to some snakes or shark to some barracudas?”

“I’d say more like an owl to some mice.”

“Come on, Sly, we’re not that defenseless.”

“No, but Payton’s on a totally different level right now. That rifle is far more reliable at a distance than our revolvers, and with the advantage of knowing our location, I don’t see us getting out of this one without injury.”

“Well, I already got my scratch,” Curtis groaned as he tried to stand, using the large rock serving as their cover to assist him. “If I can get in close enough to talk to ‘em, I can try using my Spell.”

“Getting close will be the hardest part. That, and actually finding our hunter.”

“We can try and bait another shot from ‘em, like what I did to you in Sunnyville.”

“That could work. Not sure, though. Payton’s one of the most successful Rangers I know of. Not easily fooled.”

“How about my horse? We could use it as cover, again, like I did in Coyote Run.”

“Sorry, Dawn, but I think those bullets would tear straight through that metal belly of hers—I mean its.”

“Damn! Well, what about you, mister Ranger? Don’t you know more about this Payton than I do? What are your suggestions?”

Sly pinched his chin and thought hard. Mabel walked to Curtis and gave him a gentle hug.

“Glad you’re okay,” she whispered.

“Uh, yeah, I’m glad, too,” he replied, somewhat confused by the girl’s affection.

After a minute, Sly raised a finger. Mabel helped Curtis stand away from the large rock and supported him while he took small steps. Curtis still felt a bit light-headed, but was comfortable moving slowly.

“I might have a plan,” Sly said. “It’ll be incredibly risky, but it’s all I can think of in this situation.”

Curtis and Mabel listened intently.

“Payton may be skilled and smart, but she can’t do the impossible.”

“She?” Curtis inquired quietly.

Sly continued. “We can try to bait her attention, except the bait will actually be us; Curtis and myself, specifically. Meanwhile Mabel can watch for where the shot comes from and try to make her way over to the origin. There, she could distract Payton to allow us to converge and take Payton down.”

Curtis’s expression was concentrated, but a little unsure. Mabel’s eyes widened. Her tongue fumbled around in her mouth as she tried to piece together a sentence.

“Y-you want me to do what?” she exclaimed.

“That sounds a bit too risky, Sly,” Curtis pitched in. “I mean, she’s just a kid. Even if she isn’t blown to bits on her way over, what could she do once she’s one-on-one with Payton?”

“I know it’s insane, but it’s all I’ve got,” Sly explained. “We don’t have to do it, but I don’t see another way. I doubt you or I could sneak over without being noticed. Mabel’s smaller and could use your poncho to blend in with the rocks in the dark.”

Curtis pondered the idea, then shrugged. He looked at Mabel who was still visibly distraught at the idea.

“Kid, listen,” Curtis said as softly as he could. “You knew things would be dangerous if you came with me.”

“Yeah, but—how—I never—this is…”

“Hey, I know it’s scary, but we need you right now. I’ll be frank with you: there’s a good chance we might all die tonight. If things go south and Sly and I are taken down, then you take my horse and get the hell out of here. I doubt the shooter cares much for your head. That’s also why if she sees you sneaking through the rocks, she probably won’t worry too much about it. So, do you think you can do this?”

Mabel swallowed and looked Curtis in his eyes. They were harder to see as the sun fell below the horizon, but she felt a warmth in them. Curtis didn’t act particularly fatherly or anything, but Mabel felt safe around him. She nodded. Curtis turned to Sly.

“Okay,” he said. “What do we do, Sly?”

***

The night was still warm from the sun. A slight breeze gave Payton goose bumps on her sleeveless arms. She shivered, but never looked away from the outcropping of rock serving as Curtis and the gang’s cover. She watched patiently as she had all day into the night. In her early days as a Ranger, she would have tired herself out straining her eyes this long, but now she could go hours and hours and hours without moving a muscle.

Payton’s wide hat, which laid on the ground next to her, fluttered almost imperceptibly when the breeze flowed through the frame of stone she had nestled herself into. The arching rocks above her provided constant shading from the sun throughout the day and kept any part of her rifle from glaring too much. Ideally, the moon would be out, providing a little light to help Payton see, but she was used to total darkness, too. She could make it work.

She took a deep breath, reminding herself that she had to breathe and blink every once-in-a-while. As she caught up on her normally automatic functions, she caught sight of some movement in the dark near the jutting rocks. She quickly took aim at whatever was creeping through the dark. A small figure wandered out and began stumbling along the jagged hills to the east.

Payton remembered seeing someone else on the horse with the Outlaw, but she wasn’t sure who it was. A little girl, maybe? she had thought. That’s who must have been trying to flee then. Payton thought for a moment before deciding not to shoot. She didn’t want to waste any ammunition and didn’t care about the girl. She wanted Curtis “Dawn” Conrad, and possibly the man with him.

She had thought about it for the rest of the day and determined that the other man in the group was Nathan “Sly” Bowman, another Ranger she’d met a couple years after graduating from the Ranger Academy. He was less experienced than she was at the time, and quite foolish. Judging by the fact that he seemed to be traveling with an Outlaw now, Payton assumed the foolishness never wore off.

Curtis watched Mabel as she took her first few steps out from protection. He glanced at Sly and whispered so Mabel couldn’t hear.

“If this doesn’t work, that girl’s death is on your hands.”

Sly shifted uneasily on his feet.

“If this doesn’t work, I’ll also be dead, so I’m really hoping it does.”

Mabel disappeared into the dark behind other jagged formations. Curtis’s dark poncho certainly helped the girl blend in to her surroundings. No shot from Payton. Curtis and Sly shared a sigh of relief. Sly nodded at Curtis. Curtis breathed steadily as Sly helped him place a bundle of rags from Curtis’s supply bag on top of the Outlaw’s head. They used a few to raise the shoulders of his tunic, as well, to make it appear as though Curtis’s head was higher than it really was.

The two of them prayed that Payton wouldn’t go for another shot at his shoulder—which was really his head then—and Curtis took his first step out from protection. Curtis grabbed his horse’s reigns and used the steed to cover most of his body, but left his “head” exposed above the horse’s shoulders.

Payton held her breath as soon as she saw the Outlaw guiding his horse from cover. She guessed by the silhouette that her target was, in fact, Curtis Conrad and not Nathan Bowman. She didn’t let Curtis make it more than a few yards from his hiding spot before taking the shot. A loud boom was immediately followed by an incredible impact atop Curtis’s shoulders.

Pain ripped through Curtis’s left shoulder again as he was knocked to the ground behind his horse. Payton had hit the Outlaw’s fake head in the dead center, even in the dark. Curtis’s horse flinched slightly, but held its position in front of Curtis, blocking his “corpse” from Payton’s view. Payton found the horse’s response queer, but ignored it for the time being.

She couldn’t give up her position yet. She still had to worry about Nathan Bowman. She had thought of simply introducing herself after noticing another Ranger with her target, but she worried that the two could be working together for some reason, so she played it safe. Even the girl that was with them earlier could be a potential threat, but Payton still wasn’t too worried about her.

Payton figured she was probably safe from Sly’s gunfire at this range, but if she could take him out without her fellow Ranger finding out her location, that would be ideal. Sly, who was lying on the ground on the other side of the protruding rocks to watch for where the shot came from, then turned back toward Curtis.

“Dawn,” he whispered loudly. “Are you okay?”

Curtis groaned and lifted a thumb on his hand which rested on the ground, out of Payton’s sight. Sly exhaled gratefully. The Ranger thought to himself.

I still couldn’t tell exactly where the shot came from, but judging by how Curtis fell just now, and the angle that he had fallen off his saddle earlier, Payton must be somewhere on that small ridge.

Sly focused on a rugged peak stretching between the highest point of the tor and a large boulder resting high on the hill.

She’s probably tucked away in a little hidey hole or something; somewhere real hard to see from here, I bet. I just hope Mabel can find her and give us a sign somehow. Was one shot enough?

Sly whispered to Curtis again.

“You just stay there, Dawn. Don’t move, okay? Let’s let her think she got you.”

Curtis erected his thumb again.

Meanwhile, Mabel carefully walked up the tor. As soon as she heard the gunshot, she looked down to see Curtis fall. She had thought about rushing back to make sure the men were okay, but she knew she couldn’t yet. She told herself it was all part of the plan. She had to find the shooter and signal to Sly. But how? She wasn’t sure for either.

Mabel looked up the rocky slopes.

I can get higher, she thought. That’ll help me spot her.

Mabel began climbing the rocks, being careful not to make herself obvious amongst the sharp edges of the ridge. She guessed Payton was toward the center of the hill with how her party’s earlier cover seemed to work completely, and she hadn’t run into anyone on her excursion around the side of the tor.

Mabel reached high on the rocks and peered down. She strained her eyes to see clearer in the dark, but with no moon, it was incredibly hard for her to make out more than basic shapes. She thought, however, that she could see an outstretched body resting under a thick arch of stone.

Yes, Mabel thought, something is definitely jutting out from the rocks there. The rifle’s barrel?

Mabel made her way down from her vantage point and quickly, but as quietly as she could, scrambled toward the archway. Sly and Curtis waited patiently, and Payton watched the horse and hiding place. Mabel approached the arch from the direction opposite where she started at the bottom of the hill. Hopefully, Payton would still be facing Mabel’s band, so Mabel could potentially sneak up on her.

What are you thinking, Mabel? Mabel thought. There’s no way you’ll get close to a Ranger without them noticing. Oh, what do I do? She’ll kill me for sure as soon as she realizes I’m here.

Mabel peeked very slowly around the rocks she was hiding behind. She caught sight of Payton’s legs and waist before jolting back behind cover. It didn’t seem like Payton knew she was there yet; or maybe she just didn’t see Mabel as enough of a threat to look away from her targets. Mabel thought. She looked around her, seeing rocks, sand…that was it.

She could do this, she thought. She picked up a sizeable rock off the ground—small enough to chuck with one hand, but large enough to be seen and heard as it tumbled down the hill. She stepped lightly under the archway. Payton didn’t move. Mabel didn’t move closer to Payton, but raised her arm high above her head. Then, an idea occurred to her.

Mabel could throw the rock at Payton, hit her head. Maybe that would be enough. The thought terrified her. Could she really? She liked the swiftness of resolution with that plan, but what if it didn’t work? Payton would kill her for sure. But maybe Curtis and Sly could get away. Would they save her? Does she mean that much to them? They did send her on her own, knowing well she could die.

No, Mabel thought. Stop thinking so much. Just do it. Just throw the rock!

Mabel took a deep breath and flung her arm. She released her grip on the stone. It flew far out from the arch and tumbled down the rocky hillside. Sly saw the rock fly from under the arch and watched it roll.

That was definitely thrown, Sly thought. That had to be Mabel. Oh, yes! Did you really find Payton? You’re an amazing little girl, aren’t you? But wait, now Payton will—.

Payton flipped around as soon as she saw the rock fly overhead. She drew a small pistol from her belt and aimed it where Mabel stood when she threw the rock. Nobody was there now. Payton’s eyes darted left and right in the darkness.

The girl, she thought. She couldn’t ignore Mabel’s presence any longer; she was too close. I’d have seen Bowman if he tried to sneak up here. If he crawled, he couldn’t have made it here this quickly. It has to be that girl.

Payton stood and glanced back at the rocks serving as Sly’s cover. She didn’t see anything move. She faced under the arch again and slowly stepped forward.

“I know it’s you, little girl,” she spoke to the wind. “Come on out and I won’t hurt ya. Those men you’re travelin’ with, they’re bad people. I’ll take you to Onyxlanding and someone there’ll take care o’ ya.”

Mabel snuck around the rocks. Payton turned her hips at the slightest sound, but couldn’t make out the small figure in the darker shadow of the archway. She knew Mabel was there, though, and closing in. Payton turned around and lifted her gun toward a bend in the rocks. The girl’s eyes peeked around, but slinked back behind cover when Payton turned.

Payton lowered her pistol slightly and held out a hand.

“I really don’t wanna hurt ya,” she said in a calm, comforting voice. “Just come out here with yer hands visible, then we can head into town tomorrow morning. I got enough supplies fer us both.”

Mabel emerged from the extra dark shadows with her hands raised in fists. Payton lowered her gun to her side and stepped toward Mabel, who then quickly flicked her hands forward releasing sand she’d been hiding in her fists. Payton recoiled and rubbed her eyes, yelling obscenities. When she could squint and see Mabel, the girl stood with a revolver aimed at the Ranger.

Payton started to raise her gun, as well, but stopped when Mabel jerked hers forward in warning. Payton lowered her gun again and watched Mabel carefully. The girl was shaking, just slightly. Mabel had never shot anyone before, never stabbed anyone. The worst she’d ever done was use her fists, and maybe some teeth once or twice.

Curtis’s poncho cloaked most of Mabel’s body, but her frightened expression made it obvious that her little arms which protruded from the cloak were shaking out of fear. Still, if she thought Payton was going to hurt her, she might just be twitchy enough to pull the trigger. Payton saw Mabel’s finger hovering over it.

“You poor thing,” Payton said softly. “Put the gun down, honey. I know you’re scared. I won’t hurt you if you just calm down. Let’s work this out.”

“You shot first,” Mabel said shakily.

Payton kept her gaze on Mabel’s eyes which twitched all around.

“I’m doin’ my job. The man I shot, is he yer friend? Do you know he’s a wanted criminal? He’s done a lotta bad things, you know.”

“I don’t care. He’s a good man.”

“Good men don’t do bad things.”

“They do if it means they’ll survive. I lived on the streets for years. You wouldn’t blame me for lyin’ and stealin’ if it meant I had food to eat every night, would ya?”

Payton gave a slight smile.

“No, I wouldn’t. But lyin’ and stealin’ some food doesn’t compare to killin’ innocent men.”

“No… Curtis is a good man. He took me off the streets just ‘cause I asked him to.”

“That’s sweet, darlin’, but the bounty he’s earned over the past year-and-a-half tells me another story.”

Mabel continued pointing the gun at Payton, shaking more then. Payton tried to calm her with a gentle expression.

“Don’t be stupid, girl. Neither of us wants to get hurt. Just put. The gun. Down.”

“Do as she said, Mabel,” Sly said with a click of the hammer on one of his revolvers. He approached from behind Payton and planted the barrel of his gun between Payton’s shoulder blades. Mabel knelt on her knees and let the revolver she’d borrowed from Curtis drop on the rocky ground.

“Why don’t you do the same?” Sly suggested to his fellow Ranger. He kept his revolver aimed at Payton as she, too, knelt and tossed her gun a few feet away. She then placed her hands behind her head with her elbows out, and stood again.

“Good,” Sly said as he yanked a pair of metal cuffs off of Payton’s belt. He grabbed her wrists and locked the cuffs tightly around them with a triumphant smirk.

“Now down on your knees. You’re no—” Sly was cut off by a sudden tug from Payton to break herself free of Sly’s grip. She swiftly turned and kicked Sly’s gun from his hand, and with another speedy kick, knocked Sly off balance causing him to fall onto the hard ground. She scooped her small pistol off the ground and cocked it as she took aim on Sly. Her grip was awkward, though, with her hands still behind her back.

Sly reached for his other revolver, but before either of them could get a shot off, Payton grunted and fell to the ground, out cold. Mabel stood over Payton’s limp body while holding a large rock and breathing heavily. Sly wore a shocked expression.

“Hmph,” he snorted. “Nicely done, kid.”

“Oh my—is she dead?” Mabel asked hesitantly.

Sly stood and rested a hand on Mabel’s shoulder. He patted the girl’s back.

“No, but you knocked her out good. She won’t be up again until morning, that’s for sure. And she won’t have the key for those cuffs.”

Sly grinned and tossed the key among the rocky hillside. With a few clings, the key disappeared into the darkness. Mabel and Sly made their way back down the tor and met Curtis at the base of the hill again. Curtis sat with his back against the large rock the group used for cover and stood when he saw his companions approaching.

“It didn’t feel like anyone was starin’ at me anymore,” Curtis said, “so I moved back over here.”

“We took care of her,” Sly said proudly.

“That was horrendously terrifying,” Mabel muttered.

“Yeah,” Curtis chuckled. “I sure would’ve missed yer mature vocab if somethin’ happened to us.” Mabel kept her eyes low. Curtis sighed and moved slowly toward her, resting an arm around her shoulders once he reached her, partially for support since his head was still fuzzy. “I’m glad you’re alright, kid.”

“We probably shouldn’t rest here,” Sly pointed out. “I locked Payton in some cuffs, but I’d still like to get some distance on her before settling down for the evening.”

“Mhm,” Curtis agreed. “Also, why ain’t she called ‘the Huntress?’ Seems a bit misleadin’.”

“Gendered occupational titles are so outdated in the Big City, Dawn,” Sly teased. “Get with the times.”

Curtis shrugged as he struggled to lift himself onto his horse with one arm, then gestured for Sly to help Mabel up.

“Call me old fashioned, I guess,” Curtis replied.

The three made their way away from the tor, still in the direction of Onyxlanding. Once the rocky hills were no longer in sight, they set up camp. They didn’t bother with a fire; they were all exhausted and ready to sleep, and they didn’t have enough rations to go around for dinner. Plus, they didn’t want to attract anymore unwanted attention in the open desert.

The group couldn’t find anywhere that would provide shade from the morning sun, but luckily for them, the sky was overcast by the time they awoke. It was clear that a storm was headed toward the next town right behind them.

Payton was woken up in the morning by a few drops of rain tapping against her face. She peered up at the darkening sky and pondered the previous night’s events. She had a terrible headache. The Ranger snickered to herself as the rain began to fall more heavily. Her light hair dampened and fell over her face. Her sleeveless arms were textured with goose bumps.

“Nathan ‘Sly’ Bowman: traveling with Outlaw Curtis ‘Dawn’ Conrad. Very interesting.”

To be continued…