The Girl in the Gang (Young Guns)

Chapter 8

"Court adjourned." Billy smiled.

     "Moron!" Dick yelled. "You're a lawman, you son of a bitch!" He turned his horse so he was facing Billy.

"Richard, he was right!" Doc shouted, speaking quickly, blood on his face.

"McCloskey was acting strange." Micheala added.

"Well that mean we just killed three more Murphy's men, right?" Dick's voice was still risen.

"Right." Doc confirmed.

"Oh, Christ Jesus!" Charley's voice was filled with worry.

"Brady's gonna hang us now for sure!" Steve said, worriedly.

     "Wanna close those fucking lips for a goddamn second and let me think." Dick said more as a command  then a question.

     A short silence filled the air.

"We better skim outta here." Doc said.

"Okay everybody, skim up the river." Dick jutted his chin in the direction he wanted us to go.

     Everyone on horses turned and took off in that direction besides me. I stayed back to wait for Doc.

     "You!" Dick pulled out his gun and pointed I at Bill, causing me to tense up, my mind racing. "You better stop believing the newspapers. You ain't no captain and you sure as hell ain't no Robin Hood."

Billy gave Dick a curt nod. "Fairly said, Dick."

     Dick put his gun away causing me to let out a sigh of relief. He turned to me, "Put that idiot on a horse." I nodded at him and watched him ride away. I saw Doc wipe at the drying blood on his face and I watched Billy get on his horse. Doc walked over to the edge of the river and took one last look at McCloskey's dead body, his dead head being moved by the river's current.

We now were all scattered around an area, sitting down around a fire that was cooking what would be tonight's dinner. except Chavez who went on a walk. Dick was cooking which was a nice change. A pan was balanced on a little contraption, holding our simmering food. We were in a higher elevation seat on rusty coloured rocks.

     "Advices from Lincoln say the young lad 'of lightening rapidity, iron nerve and marvelous skill' apparently single-handedly, 'took down Morton and Baker of the Murphy-Dolan faction' including a miraculous shot of fifty yards." Doc was seated a  little bit away from me, reading the paper. "There's a picture here. It says 'Billy the Kid' but it ain't Billy." 

 I looked over at Billy an exchanged a glance with him. "Then who?" I asked, quietly. 

     Richard stood up and walked over to Doc, eyeing the paper with a confused look plastered on his face. "Let me see that." He took the paper rom Doc. "Well, that's me. That's bullshit, the papers don't get anything right." Dick tossed the papers back on Doc's lap and walked away. I let out a light laugh.

     We all stood up and jogged to where Doc was to see.

     "Advices from sources say that 'the Kid', a left-hander, is tall, handsome and unequalled in the elements that appeal to the holier emotions." Doc read, amused. "Jesus Christ, this country needs a hero." I was leaning on Doc, standing behind him, reading over his shoulder. I took the cigarette that was hanging from his lips and took a drag of it before giving it back, hoping to relieve some stress.

     I looked over at Dick who was in the branches of some trees near the edge of the cliff we were on.

     "However, Murphy of Lincoln has hired none other than John Kinney and his Dona Ana Bunch to help hunt down Billy the Kid and 'the gang.'" Doc finished reading. My eyes widened when he said the last name 'Kinney'. Doc looked over at us.