John
This is the first draft of a short that is supposed to be the start of a collection of short stories. Non betaed, no proofreading. Just a taste. ;)
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"Who's that man?"
"Who?"
"The man, riding into town..."
"Shit!"
"What, daddy, what?"
"That's John. Run inside, ask your mama, BUT GO INSIDE, NOW!"
Marian runned inside at the same time her daddy ran down the main street. If her daddy was scared, she was scared too. Her daddy was the sheriff, and fearless, after all. But that didn't mean she wasn't curious. Peeking from behind the window curtains, she watched as John entered the city, swaying gently over his horse, his hands limply holding the reigns, as if he actually enjoyed how slow his horse was walking.
John looked straight in to the window, into Marian's eyes and tipped his hat, respectfully, to the child inside. Then he slowly faced the street and kept on his way.
Marian felt if her soul had been frozen for a second, the very moment he looked into her eyes. She had never felt so scared in her life.
"Mama, who's that man?" Marian asked, wide eyed.
"That's John. When he comes into a city, bad things happen."
"Bad things?"
"People die, darling." Marian's mamma caressed her hair. "Usually by bullets."
"He's an outlaw?"
"Nah. That man never killed a man in his life. But he's a sign. He a herald."
Marian stared at the window, watching the man leading his horse away.
***
John got himself a room in the city and stayed. He stayed until the city forgot he was there and then some. When he showed himself outside once more, he calmly watched the commotion as people ran away.
People ran from John and didn't see the band of outlaws coming into the city. John moved his horse slowly in their direction.
As they reached the city, they slowed their horses, the leader looking around, until he finally laid eyes on Marian's house.
The leader placed his horse in front of the house and dismounted. John watched, slowly moving in their direction, as the outlaws dismounted and kicked the door in. They dragged the screaming woman and Marian outside and threw them on the street.
"Bring the Sheriff." The outlaw leader said to the empty streets. "If you don't bring your coward Sheriff here, I'll start by his daughter. Y'all won't be happy to watch what I'm gonna do."
Marian was silent as death itself, her face a stone cold expression of fury.
"You think you can do something, little lady?" The Outlaw leader asked.
She just stared, with her cold, cold eyes.
John watched as the Sheriff tried to run, unseen, to a place where he could shoot the outlaws. He shaked his head and lept approaching the Outlaws, still too far to interfere.
"You have the devil eyes, kid. I'll kill you now, do your dad a favor."
"Not today." John screamed, facing the group, his old, dusty trenchcoat open to show a pair of the shittiest pistols anyone had ever seen. Rusted, dirty, they didn't look like they could shoot a bullet, let alone five, one for each outlaw.
The outlaws laughed, then Marion threw herself on the outlaw leader, who kicked her away, square in her chest. But the man's gun was already in her hand.
With one shot, she blew the Outlaw leader's face, not a second of hesitation beofre the shot, not a moment of fear, not a blink of remorse.
Her dad, running from the side of the house, two guns in his hands, started shooting the outlaws. Without their leader and under fire, they took their horses and ran away, arms and legs nicked by the bullets.
John held his horses reigns and walked to the family reuniting in the middle of the street. He watched as the girl was hugged by her parents, a mix of fear and relief in their eyes.
"John." Marion said softly, blinking, as something nefarious was lifted from her tiny soul. "Can I ask you a question?"
He nodded, looking once more straight into her eyes. Her family hugged her tight, obviously afraid of him.
"Why are your pistols... Like that?"
"Never had to use them." John smiled and cocked his head, amused. "Never will. But they work perfectly, believe me. Until another time." He nodded goodbye to the family and walked his horse around them. A few steps away he mounted an kept on his way.
Sometimes he had his work cut for him. He couldn't really complain. He often wondered if being a Wrath demon would some day be a harder job.
But it didn't matter. All that mattered was that the sheriff Daddy was now set in his path to self destruction.
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"Who's that man?"
"Who?"
"The man, riding into town..."
"Shit!"
"What, daddy, what?"
"That's John. Run inside, ask your mama, BUT GO INSIDE, NOW!"
Marian runned inside at the same time her daddy ran down the main street. If her daddy was scared, she was scared too. Her daddy was the sheriff, and fearless, after all. But that didn't mean she wasn't curious. Peeking from behind the window curtains, she watched as John entered the city, swaying gently over his horse, his hands limply holding the reigns, as if he actually enjoyed how slow his horse was walking.
John looked straight in to the window, into Marian's eyes and tipped his hat, respectfully, to the child inside. Then he slowly faced the street and kept on his way.
Marian felt if her soul had been frozen for a second, the very moment he looked into her eyes. She had never felt so scared in her life.
"Mama, who's that man?" Marian asked, wide eyed.
"That's John. When he comes into a city, bad things happen."
"Bad things?"
"People die, darling." Marian's mamma caressed her hair. "Usually by bullets."
"He's an outlaw?"
"Nah. That man never killed a man in his life. But he's a sign. He a herald."
Marian stared at the window, watching the man leading his horse away.
***
John got himself a room in the city and stayed. He stayed until the city forgot he was there and then some. When he showed himself outside once more, he calmly watched the commotion as people ran away.
People ran from John and didn't see the band of outlaws coming into the city. John moved his horse slowly in their direction.
As they reached the city, they slowed their horses, the leader looking around, until he finally laid eyes on Marian's house.
The leader placed his horse in front of the house and dismounted. John watched, slowly moving in their direction, as the outlaws dismounted and kicked the door in. They dragged the screaming woman and Marian outside and threw them on the street.
"Bring the Sheriff." The outlaw leader said to the empty streets. "If you don't bring your coward Sheriff here, I'll start by his daughter. Y'all won't be happy to watch what I'm gonna do."
Marian was silent as death itself, her face a stone cold expression of fury.
"You think you can do something, little lady?" The Outlaw leader asked.
She just stared, with her cold, cold eyes.
John watched as the Sheriff tried to run, unseen, to a place where he could shoot the outlaws. He shaked his head and lept approaching the Outlaws, still too far to interfere.
"You have the devil eyes, kid. I'll kill you now, do your dad a favor."
"Not today." John screamed, facing the group, his old, dusty trenchcoat open to show a pair of the shittiest pistols anyone had ever seen. Rusted, dirty, they didn't look like they could shoot a bullet, let alone five, one for each outlaw.
The outlaws laughed, then Marion threw herself on the outlaw leader, who kicked her away, square in her chest. But the man's gun was already in her hand.
With one shot, she blew the Outlaw leader's face, not a second of hesitation beofre the shot, not a moment of fear, not a blink of remorse.
Her dad, running from the side of the house, two guns in his hands, started shooting the outlaws. Without their leader and under fire, they took their horses and ran away, arms and legs nicked by the bullets.
John held his horses reigns and walked to the family reuniting in the middle of the street. He watched as the girl was hugged by her parents, a mix of fear and relief in their eyes.
"John." Marion said softly, blinking, as something nefarious was lifted from her tiny soul. "Can I ask you a question?"
He nodded, looking once more straight into her eyes. Her family hugged her tight, obviously afraid of him.
"Why are your pistols... Like that?"
"Never had to use them." John smiled and cocked his head, amused. "Never will. But they work perfectly, believe me. Until another time." He nodded goodbye to the family and walked his horse around them. A few steps away he mounted an kept on his way.
Sometimes he had his work cut for him. He couldn't really complain. He often wondered if being a Wrath demon would some day be a harder job.
But it didn't matter. All that mattered was that the sheriff Daddy was now set in his path to self destruction.
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