He Goes On All Fours - A Western Monster Romance

Scorned

Jesús Hidalgo scribbled on the letter before him, his rough face reflecting the light from a lantern that sat off to the side.

The room was dark and cool, and he could faintly make out the laughs of his brothers guarding outside. It would have been a peaceful moment, was it not for the raging thoughts in his mind. He felt the bitterness seeping into his fingers as he ended up dropping his writing utensil and crumbled the letter.

That would have been the 38th one in a series of only a few months, and still no news from the one he was sending it to. He ended up standing, kicking his wooden chair aside as he frustratingly removed his hat.

The dark hair that trickled down to his shoulder covered a large scar across the side of his face. It was caused by an unexpected attack which left his face permanently damaged- but it did not deter him. He had a mission to complete, and he had the aid of a higher being. A man and a god in one body...and by the smell of death growing he knew he had finally come back with news.

The door to the man's small hut burst open, revealing one of his men. A red bandana was securely fastened around his face as if to block the putrid odor, though to be honest it didn't work.

"Oye, Hidalgo. Aquí viene el jediondo."

"Cállate, Francisco. Insultas a una bestia que puede arrancarte la cabeza. Guárda tus estúpidos comentarios para ti mismo."

Francisco gave an apologetic nod, stepping aside for his boss to come outside.

The two men exited the establishment, whilst a group of others started to step away from the entrance of their fort. It had been abandoned for quite some time and appeared to be worn down, but it was the perfect place for a temporary shelter. The whole group was always on the move and therefore didn't have somewhere to call home. At least not yet.

"No lo mires a los ojos." Jesús gave one more final warning to his men as he noticed a large, hairy creature starting to emerge from the darkness before them.

The leader stepped forward, unafraid as his men cautiously grasped on tightly to their rifles.  Jesús had no weapon of his own, but he knew he didn't need it. After all, the creature was indebted to him, and wouldn't harm a hair on his head.

"Mira. Parece que tus hombres todavía me tienen miedo."

"Ignóralos." Came the curst response. The human stayed focused on the forehead of the creature, not at all tempted to look into those round, black eyes that glowed with fiery intent. It seemed the beast had something pressing to address, as it impatiently scratched the side of its dark head where the pelt connected to his opaque skin.

"Bueno. Dime."

Ezekiel's thought returned to Colt, whom he refused to speak to after their last encounter two days ago. He didn't even catch a glimpse of him walking the streets and guessed that perhaps his sickness had gotten worse.

"Me eligieron como el nuevo Sheriff. Pero... hay algo más que tengo que decirte. Hay un hombre. Es el hijo de Horley Townsend y no parece tener ni idea del secreto de su padre."

"¿Y?" Jesús responded, clearly not caring if his enemy had a son or anything of the sort. "Todos deberían pagar."

Ezekiel huffed loudly, causing the other to furrow his brows in disappointment.

"Está enfermo. Va a morir de todos modos."

"¿Por qué te preocupa el hijo?" Jesús crossed his arms over his chest, not happy with the hesitation he could sense off the beast. He wanted a job done and wanted it done with the whole family's blood put to an end. Just because Horley suddenly had a son changed nothing.

Ezekiel glared daggers at his companion, emitting a low grumble before relaxing into a rather cocky and arrogant state, "I aint worried. I'm more concerned about you. How far will you go to accomplish your goals? Will you allow innocent people to die?"

"And what do you care if I do? You don't even care about anyone," Jesús responded in a heavy accent, unphased and uncaring.

"That is true. My soul is already damned- but yours aint. At least not yet. Now I know just what type of guy you are, Hidalgo."

"A man who will do anything for his family."

"And willing to kill anyone who gets in the way of what you consider justice."

Jesús wouldn't have it. He lifted a finger, pointing it at the monster before the other grabbed a firm hold of his hand. The creature's large, cold claws squeezed the grip of the human ever so slightly, causing a commotion to build from the other men.

"I aint your puppet, boy. Just because I can't hurt you don't mean I can't mess with your head."

Jesús's eyes widened, and he had to look away quickly before he was inclined to meet the dark being's intense gaze.

"That's right. I've seen what plagues your mind at night, and I can make it oh so worse."

"¡Basta!" Jesús snatched his hand away, combing back his hair as he attempted to regain some control of the situation. He quickly turned to signal to his men he was okay and then proceeded to whirl back at the creature he had hired.

"Go. Do what must be done. I will pay for the consequences."

Ezekiel grinned, revealing a row of sharp teeth that glowed in his darkened face.

"I'm sure you will, Jesús Hidalgo. I'm sure you will."

With that, Jesús watched as the monstrosity hunched down on all fours and bolted out of the fort. He was left mulling over what the monster had said and his conscience, debating on whether the path he was taking was one that was better left untouched.