The basement

Jesse and his two companions, Peter and Thomas, who were twins, got on the horse; John and Billy were walking beside them on foot. On the way, Jesse, without looking behind himself and moving, said to Billy, where are you coming for, kid?

"Me? Sir, please let me work for you. I am skilled in shooting, and I can serve you as one of your people" Billy stopped and said in a broken sound.

"Very well, you will be my informant. You will bring me the news and important events in the city. Do you understand this"? Jesse said.

Billy, who didn't expect such a mundane position, paused a bit, and the excitement and taste in his sound disappeared, he said slowly: Yes, sir, I understand; he lowered his head and continued on his way. When Billy was eight years old, he went to the lake with his parents, his mother suddenly fell into the water, and his father jumped into the water to save her, but they both never came out and drowned. After that, he lived with his violent grandfather and, for a while, with his bad-tempered aunt. Billy's family and relatives did not have good moral and mental health, that's why Billy didn't stay with them anymore and ran out of the house and sought his destiny until he found it among the criminals and since then, he tried to prove himself with Killing and committing crime. But he has never had the opportunity to kill, and he has been in the police station several times just because of fighting with others. John thought to himself that Billy had never worked with Jesse James and that his arrival in time made him the informant of Jesse James; he hoped to himself that this was not a big deal and it was not going to ruin the history, although John was more selfish and ambitious to care about this, he only cared about his collection. Anyway, he continued on his way behind Jesse James. John did not know what he was going to say to Jesse James And how can he save himself from this predicament? Jesse James may have shown a good face to him, but he was more like a prisoner for him, and Jesse James's companions, who had even chosen their horses exactly the same, were looking at john like wardens So he couldn't even think of running away, he continued walking, they were leaving the city little by little and entering a dirt road without any inhabitants. The air was hot, and the dirt was rising from the ground. Jesse James, the twins, and Billy raised their neckerchiefs and covered their mouths with them. John looked at them and imitated them. Billy was looking at John in a special way, he was checking his clothes, and he was surprised by the newness and cleanliness of their sewing. John noticed his look and looked at Billy under his eyes and acted as if he didn't care.

John, who was tired, said: "Do you treat your guests like this, Mr. James? Do I have to walk all the way"? Billy gave John a surprised look, and the twins on either side of Jesse James turned their heads to John at the same time. The looks were like meteorites that fell on John and loosened his body. He had forgotten that this was not modern times, and this was Jesse James, whom everyone was afraid of. John lowered his head when the sound of a sudden gunshot shook him and Billy out of their states. And they both raised their heads to see what was going on, Jesse James shot a bird from a long distance with his gun in the sky, and the bird fell to the ground. Jesse asked Billy to bring the bird, this show of authority of Jesse James was enough for John to understand that he should not mess with Jesse James. It was like the villain character introduction scenes in the movies. John thought he was going to play the leading role, but now he was in the shadow of Jesse James, and it bothered him that he was quickly captured by Jesse James without a bit of adventure and show off!

_Did you just say something, stranger? Jesse turned to John and said.

_"Ah... nothing"John nodded and said.

- OK, then we will continue on our way.

- John

- What?

- My name is John, sir, don't call me a stranger.

- But I didn't ask your name, stranger!

- That's right, sir; I said you might never ask, so I told you myself.

Everyone, even Jesse James, remain silent and didn't say anything, it's like telling a ridiculous joke or saying something in a crowd that would annoy the people in there, and they tell you that with the language of silence.

Finally, a house appeared from a distance like a mirage; little by little, as they got closer, two big apple trees in a beautiful garden on both sides of the house, like the same garden and the tree where John had hidden his belongings, were next to Jesse James' house. The similarity between the two trees could be a coincidence, and there were four horses in the stable; Jesse James's house had beautiful architecture as if it was designed in a modern way; there was also a windmill behind Jesse's house, slightly to the west. Billy, who saw Jesse James's house for the first time, looked at the house with surprise, and passion and enthusiasm were clearly seen in his existence. Jesse James and his companions got off their horses. First, Jesse, then John entered the house. Billy wanted to enter the house, but the twins stopped him, telling him that he do not have the authority to enter the house of Jesse James. Billy told them that he was the one who found the stranger, and now the stranger was allowed to enter but not himself. Thomas put his hand on Billy's chest and pushed him to the side. Billy felt incompetent again; his facial muscles loosened, he lowered his shoulders and sat down on a rock on the side, and frowned at the twins, who grinned at him, and they entered the house.

Jesse James's wife and daughter came to welcome him. Jesse James kissed them and lifted his daughter from the ground, and hugged her. He joked with her a little and tickled her. The sound of his daughter's laughter filled the air. The twins looked at Jesse's play with his daughter and smiled. John was thrilled by these paternal feelings of Jesse James, and he was surprisingly thinking that jesse knew about these family things too!. Jesse's wife came with tea and biscuits and placed them on the table. Jesse gave his daughter to his wife and asked her to leave, then asked John to sit down and help himself; John slowly took a few steps forward, looking at the twins and Jessie with hesitation and caution, and sat on the chair. Jesse was looking at him as if he was reading John's mind. Without saying anything, he pointed to the tea and complimented it. John hesitated at first, then he slowly and cautiously reached for the tea and took it, and brought it to his mouth, but he didn't drink it. He wasn't sure what he was doing or what he should do. He looked at the twins, and they both nodded their heads in confirmation. John then looked at Jesse, and Jesse nodded his head with the same message as the twins; an interesting scene had been created; three people were waiting for another person to drink tea; John felt that he wanted to drink his death drink, anyway he took a sip of it and then put it down. Jessie complimented John's biscuit. Now that John was sure that there was no death in the tea, he was relieved and had just remembered how hungry he was, so he confidently reached for the biscuits to take one when Jesse James plunged his knife into John's hand with lightning speed, and nailed it to the table. Because of the speed and suddenness of this move by Jesse James, John's brain did not know to what reactions hould shows to ; John's eyes were bulging out of the socket, his mouth was half open, his face was pale, and his head was shaking. After looking at Jesse James and the twins, he looked back at his hand and just realized what happened and how he should react at this moment, so when he saw the blood and his pierced hand, he let out a loud scream that lasted for 10 seconds. Billy, who was sitting outside and was scamping with his knife, got up when he heard John's scream and looked towards the house with horror. He created different scenarios in his mind and didn't know which one was true, that what happened in there that John screamed like that?! For a moment, he felt better not going in, Jesse was known to be unpredictable, and no one could guess what fate he would find next to him.

John was scared and terrified; nothing like this had ever happened to him; he had always lived in prosperity and having fun, and what was his situation now? He had been stabbed by the famous criminal Jesse James a few hundred years ago, and it was natural for him to have that reaction.

Jesse, who was leaning on the back of the chair and waiting for John's reactions to finish, pulled himself forward towards the table, locked his hands together, and said: Well, John, you were saying, what did you want with me?

John swallowed hard and looked at his hand with fear, then he looked at Jesse James and said in a trembling sound: I... I... I just …

_What, John? just what? Speak quickly; otherwise, I will let you talk in a different way!

John took a deep breath and looked at the twins with fear, then his eyes turned to Jesse and said with fear and haste: I am an author; I wanted to write your biography. I value and respect you very much, that's all.

Hearing this, Jesse James smirked, then turned to the twins and then started laughing. The twins started laughing along with him. Jesse James's laughter stopped, and this time he looked at John with a mocking smile. He got up and went toward John. John panicked and saw that death itself was coming towards him. Jesse approached John and squeezed John's throat, and said in a heavy and thick sound:" YoU ArE OnE Of ThEm; you thought I didn't know? , from the beginning, it was clear from your face; I don't know why I always find you people in the middle of your troubles"!

_ What? No, I don't understand what you are talking about; please let me go; I promise not to write your biography!!" John said while his sound was changed due to the pressure of Jesse James's hand. He started to cough as if something was stuck in his throat; Jesse cleared his throat and returned to his place, and said:" OK then, I have to treat you in a different way so that you tell the truth".

With Jesse James's hint, the twins went to John, grabbed his shoulders, and asked him to get up. John looked at his hand in horror, which was still nailed on the table, . Jesse pulled his knife out of his hand, and John screamed in pain again. The twins took John to the other side of the house, and then they opened a small door on the floor; there was the basement of Jesse James's house, where he hid his secrets, no one except Jesse James had the right to enter there; the twins knew that too. So they just pushed John into the basement, closed the door and locked it, then turned to Jesse. Jesse was watching them the whole time. When the twins returned, Jesse dismiss them. They went outside the house. As soon as they stepped outside, Billy approached them and said: what happened? Why was John screaming? What's the matter? Is he dead?

Thomas, who was 48 seconds older than his twin brother Peter, said: What are you saying, kid? don't disturb us; you're just an errand boy; these issues are non of your business, go away.

_"You can't talk to me like that; you work for Jesse too"! , Billy got angry and said.

_"But our work is more critical and severe than yours" Peter said.

Then the twin brothers both laughed.

And they left Billy's side, humiliation after humiliation; this day for Billy was like a separate cloud moving only above Billy's head and humiliation raining from it just at him.

The twins used to be bounty hunters from another city and were never empty-handed. They always delivered their hunts dead, so every criminal who fell into their hands quickly surrendered and begged for his life. But they enjoyed killing, and in fact, their main goal of being a bounty hunters was the experience of killing without punishment, and that was more valuable to them than the bounty, so they always sent their victims to the world of the dead without hesitation or pity.

Their last victim was a blad and middle-aged man who the sheriff wanted. When they were going to kill him, Jesse James stopped them; he offered them to work for him and told them that in his business , they would get what they were looking for, instead, don't kill their prey, they hesitated at first, but after realizing the fame and grandeur of Jesse James, they accepted and have been working for him ever since.