Chupar

Ocho

Brushing the dirt off her machete, Catalina eyed the cluster of hairless canines standing only a few feet away from her. None of them made even the slightest movement as she raised her blade up in front of her. They just continued staring at her with their bulging red eyes.

So she waited with her arm poised in the air, ready to send these beasts back to whatever pits of hell they emerged from. 

After what seemed like an eternity, the crowd started to part backward as a dark shape crouched forward. It was the largest one out of all them and not as skinny as the rest. But it was just as hideous, if not more so. Its lips were pulled back in a snarl, exposing its bloodied fangs from below its wrinkled snout.

Coming to a stop just inches from her, the creature stood up on its bony hind legs and growled down at her. Pushing herself up off the ground, Catalina staggered onto her feet, nearly matching its towering height. If this had taken place a few hours ago, she could have never stood so close to it, feeling its warm breath over her face. But now, with nothing left to lose but her miserable life, Catalina could match the creature's glare with a sneer of her own.

Abruptly breaking its stare, the creature turned its round, black head towards the east. Catalina followed its gaze towards the streak of gold painted across the inky canopy above them. The girl could only gape at the brilliant beam of light, thinking it looked more like a fireball than a rising sun.

A sudden wail from the side drew her attention back to the creature.  It was no longer standing upright and had returned to its crouching position on the ground- its head turned back behind it. Following its stare, she saw that the smaller creatures had their jowls open in the form of a painful howl. As each ray of light hit their backs, they collapsed to the ground, shuddering and shrieking. In a matter of seconds, they were nothing but shriveled corpses.

With a loud bark, the large canine scurried back towards its remaining companions. Never taking its eyes off her, it retreated into the darkness from which it came. One by one, the pairs of blinking eyes slowly vanished into the fading night with their leader.

Catalina blinked, feeling her legs begin to wobble. Realizing she could no longer stand, her body bent into itself and crumbled to the dirt below. She had to wonder if those eyes had even been there at all.

"C-Catalina!" A hoarse voice shouted as a pair of boots trotted over to her. The girl turned her head over her shoulder, seeing the Viper running towards her. His face and torn clothes were stained with blood, but whether it was his or one of the creatures, she had no idea.

"I thought you were dead," she muttered, turning her gaze back towards the sky.

"Nearly am." He looked at the strewn bodies around him. "I tried to save your mother... I'm sorry..." The man lowered his head with a weary sigh. "I was too late."

Catalina nodded as her shoulders slumped forward. "And the baby?"

The Viper shook his head, keeping his gaze on his scuffed-up boots.

Although she wasn't looking to see his answer, Catalina knew what it was. And yet, she did not shed a tear at this knowledge- at this sudden revelation that she was now an orphan in the world.

She was alone in the world and she felt nothing but a deep pit of emptiness. Almost as if she had once been a well filled to the brim that had long gone dry.

"Hey, kid." The Viper dropped to his knees beside her. "You okay?"

Catalina's lips parted as if to say something, but no words came out. Not even a breath. She could only watch with a blank stare as the yellow orb rose out from the horizon in front of her.

He looked off towards the ribbon-like streaks spreading across the sky, letting a moment of silence pass between them before whispering, "My name's Austin."

Her ears perked up, unsure if she had heard him correctly. "What?"

"You asked me what my name was. My real name," he said. "I come from a small town in East Texas. I grew up there if you couldn't tell by my accent. I made my life there." A glassy look had come over his eyes. "I was a sheriff once."

"You... were a sheriff?" Catalina finally turned to him, seeing a wistful smile spread over his face. 

"Hard to believe, I know. But it's true." The Viper glanced down at his calloused hands. "I was once a good man, a man of the law. But then, the law turned on me." He shut his eyes and sighed. "Got caught with another man. Townsfolk called me a sodomite after that. I was stripped of my badge and thrown in jail. No one wanted a 'pervert' as their sheriff."

Completely rapt, Catalina held onto every word that left his mouth. There was nothing else in the world except for the man beside her and the story he told.

"Once I served my time, I skipped town and went as far as I could. Became a hired gun because what else could I do?" He shrugged. "Earned the name 'The Viper' and decided to keep it. Better than what I used to be called."

Another silence fell between them as Catalina waited for him to continue. But it seemed that he had finished his tale, having risen to his feet with a groan. She listened as his boots shuffled over the dirt, growing softer and softer with each step.

Catalina remained rooted to the ground with her legs bent out from under her, figuring he might have left. He had every reason to. She had already given him the ring. There was nothing for him here except the sight of mutilated corpses waiting to be buried.

A flash of silver on the ground suddenly caught her eye. Furrowing her brows, Catalina leaned forward and lifted it off the dirt. As she held it up to her face, pinching the object between her fingers, she realized it was her turquoise ring.

But this was the Viper's now-

Hearing his approaching footsteps, she snapped her head around, surprised to see a pair of shovels in his hands. As he drew closer, she saw his blue eyes flicker to the ring in her hand before quickly resuming their steady gaze. Without uttering a word, he set the shovels aside with a clank and offered her his hand.

After sliding the ring down her finger, Catalina grabbed ahold of his hand, returning his knowing look as she was hoisted onto her feet. Wrapping her hands around the shovel he handed her, she felt the familiar wooden handles that oftentimes left splinters in her palms. 

Swinging the shovel over his shoulder, the Viper started for the stretch of desert before him. Catalina followed from behind, limping as she dragged her shovel over the dirt.

It had never felt so heavy.