A nightmare from the past (Editing)

Chapter 13

Kid sat at their usual table in the saloon, the corner table with a fair view over the entire saloon and it's customers. He nursed his beer, taking his time. He had observed a badly played poker game, talked to both Claudia and Rose and had politely declined to both of them when offers had come to invite him upstairs. It was the usual people, the usual smell of whiskey, stale beer and cigars, and the usual tone, coming from a music mashine, standing next to the bar.

He hoped that his friend and partner had untied his silver tongue, and that he finally had gotten it to work. Having to observe him these last couple of days had been utter torture for the Kid. Chyenne seemed to have become some sort of poison for Heyes, leaving him speachless. Though sometimes Kid prefered him to shut up, this had been a scary ailment. Taking another sip from his beer, he scanned the room as he leaned back in his chair.

The two men dismounted with painful expressions, the ride being long and weary on the backside.

The slim one of them chewed on a piece of tobacco he immediately spat it out as his feet touched the ground. He glowered around, pouting his lower lip in a disappointed grimace as he tied his horse to the rails outside the towns saloon.

The more round one of the two, seemed to be at ease with just glowering at the surroundings, as he did the same to his horse.

They simultaniously took their first steps up onto the sidewalk outside the saloon, then they entered through the swingdoors with fairly good timing.

Curry saw them at once, the familiar feeling of trouble coming his way, made him alert and observant to every move they were about to make. Leaning forward against the table with his elbows carrying the weight, his eyes focused as his brain tried to do it's job, tried to remember.

Both of the men approached the bar, just being a few steps away from Curry, and they ordered beer. They leaned heavily at the bar, giving the women lustful stares, as the women every now and then had to pass them by in order to get to and from the bar.

Both of them turned and stood with their backs to the bar, glowering around unabashedly. The skinny one reached down in his pocket for yet another round of tobacco to stuff in his mouth, the chubby one was quite satisfied with just staring, and gulping down his beer.

Curry watched with tense anxiety, hoping that his gut feeling was way out of line, way wrong. That this was just two ordinary men on their way through town, heading for the big cattle drive forming up north on the big Derrington Ranch. But off course, he knew better..he could smell trouble a mile away, and now it was standing right in front of him.

And be darned, as the two men could have chosed any table to walk over to and sit at, they chosed the one in the corner, heading straight towards Kid Curry.

Instinctively he reached down, resting his hand on his gun strapped to his right thigh. He gave them a pending smile as the approached.

"Are these taken? " the skinny one bleated out pointing at the chairs next to Curry, holding his beer steady. The chubby one had already begun to sit down, and he recieved an annoyed stare from his partner. He rose back up again.

Curry steeled himself and with hesitation he tipped his at.

"Nahh, I seem to be drinking alone tonite..." he murmured, sinking his eyes down the glass.

Both of the men slammed their glasses down at the table, drawing each chair back with a squeaky noice, and seated themselfs promptly.

"Long ride?" Curry said questioning, taking a few more sips from his beer.

"Yeah! You could say that! " the chubby one muttered as he tried to get eye contact with one of the saloon girls. As he eventually got it, his face lid up and his stained smile exposed a big void right in the middle.