The Girl in the Gang (Young Guns)

Chapter 7

We weaved our horses through a slightly winding trail that had trees and brush lining it. Richard was leading the way unsurprisingly with the rest of us trotting behind him.

"Lugar peligroso," Chavez said. "Bad medicine, my friends."

"You got that right." Doc replied, eyeing the building down the hill from where we stood.

     "What the hell, Doc, you grew up in a hole worse than that, didn't you?" Dirty Steve looked over at Doc. As you probably knew, like usual he was chewing on a wad of chewing tobacco. I have always been disgusted by the stuff.

     "Yeah, but I've been cultured ever since." Doc answered. Dirty Steve saying this brought up memories of younger Doc and I sitting on my bed, him on the foot of the bed, me closer to the head, talking about this topic. We have always been close like siblings.

     "Okay. Henry Hill's supposed to be buried in there with a lady since noon. I'm gonna show him the warrant and take him home." Dick said, I nodded at him curtly.

"Yeah, we gotta take him in."

"Yeah, I'd say we do." Doc turned to look at Dick.

     "Hey, yuh Billy." Dick got Billy's attention, who before looking at Dick locked eyes with me. "Why don't you go inside and have a little looksy?"

Billy turned and looked at the other boys who gave him little nods.

     "Go on Billy. See if Hill's in there, and if he is you'll bring him to us." Dick  urged Billy. Dick handed a paper to Doc who handed it to me and I handed it to Billy. Our hands brushed each other and I quickly pulled back. I watched quietly, having a gut feeling Billy wouldn't bring us Hill alive.

     We all watched Billy enter the building. I was having a slight anxiety attack due to the circumstances, I mean, wouldn't you? I looked over at Doc who was on my left and he gave me a reassuring smile. I could only imagine what lay inside that shack of a place. Probably some hookers with pushed up breasts and drunken men playing cards or flirting with the hookers. We all saw Billy walk out of the building empty handed and look around, a confused look on his face. I exchanged glances with Doc than Dick and returned my gaze to Billy who was fast walking to the side of the building where he disappeared again.

"What the hell?" I asked, confused.

     "We have to trust he will get Hill, Mic." Doc said and some of the boys nodded or grunted in agreement. I let out a sigh, but knew he was correct.

     We all heard a gunshot go off, my eyes widened along with the other's. Pretty much in sync we all pulled out our guns and got ready to shoot them. People came out of the little shack with guns drawn and it became a battle. We kicked our horses to a gallop, firing, sometimes blindly. I saw Billy jump out of the window onto the dust ground and fire at those firing at him . I grabbed his horse and led it to him so Billy could get on and escape. I shot a guy in the foot who was trying to shoot at us.

     "Bonney! Bonney!" I heard Dick yell from somewhere. "You weren't supposed to smoke anybody. We got warrants! We're the law!" He sounded pretty angry. Billy only shot his gun a few times, laughed,  and we all took off. I was near the lead because my horse was the fastest, but I kept behind Dick so he could show us where to go.

     "Nine men lay dead or at death's door yesterday noon following a gunfight between Lincoln resident Henry Hill, forty-five, and what patrons have called 'the Kid'." We were all sitting  or standing by a wall, Doc leaning against reading the paper. "A local miner has identified 'the Kid' as one Henry McCarthy also known as William H. Bonney, nineteen or twenty. In a flaming shootout 'the Kid', Billy, killed Mr. Hill then took on an onslaught of Hill's partisans bringing the damage to six verified slayings. Bonney is believed to be the captain of a deputized gang, and curious enough, one of them is a girl." Doc finished reading, quickly. I scoffed at the last bit of the paper.  I was sitting in between Chavez and Dick while Doc read, Billy walking to stand beside Doc.