It was mid afternoon, the miners were all congregated in their barracks, guarded by their fellow complacent townspeople. On the train station, the Edwards gang were guarding the total output of two weeks. Eugene was leaning against the crate which contained massive amounts of wealth a man could only dream of in his life. Thomas and Hugh were conversing as they smoked together, while Grayson watched in the distance. Stamp sat on a bench nearby, a bad of gold was in his punch as a reward for taking up arms with them.
"Edwards, the train was supposed to arrive about ten minutes ago, shouldn't we send someone out to see if it needs retrieving?" Asked Stamp.
"First of all, from now on it's boss. Secondly, there are always complications in the rail lines these days, it'll be best to just wait it out." Eugene dismissed.
The creaking of a nearby windmill gave way to the distant sound of approaching train cars.
"Better late than never, what did I say folks?" Eugene grinned.
The train appeared to be running on fumes, but luckily it had enough momentum to reach the platform. The five gunslingers watched as the hulking iron horse inched into the station, the engine groaned as it eventually ceased to move.
"Come on out there you lazy cripple!" Hollered Eugene. He held his hands to his belt as he approached the passenger car, waiting for his employer to step out with his guards and assess the gains.
Meanwhile, Thomas approached the engine to ask the engineer why he had taken so long to arrive. Before he saw something that made his gasp slightly in surprise.
"Eugene!" He called. Beckoning over the gang leader.
"The hell's going on here?" Questioned Eugene, his question answered as Thomas pointed into the train's engine room.
He peered into the engine room to see the corpse of Renee Haymond himself.
"...Looks like the old man finally bought it." He chuckled a little.
"What?" Hugh asked, approaching the other two to see Haymond's dead body.
"Think about it, boys. We run the mine until it's dry, make bank and get away with a profit and lastly retire someplace barren. Nobody would ever know."
All of a sudden. As Stamp stepped towards the cargo car, sliding the door open. There stood the two he tried to betray for a share of the Little Valley gold. They already had their pistols out and pointed at him, Stamp stood there shocked unable to express himself in any way.
"Tired, Stamp?" The boy asked.
The girl opened fire first, followed by her partner. Stamp's head flew back as his corpse collapsed onto the ground. Eugene and his remaining members instantly glanced to where they had suddenly heard a gunshot, a revolver peeked around the corner firing blindly towards the group. Thomas fled with Hugh into the town, shortly followed by Eugene.
Grayson was able to leap down from the tower he was perched on and followed along with the rest of the gang.
"Eugene! You and your sons o' bitches are dead!" The boy shouted as he reloaded his pistol, before holstering it and unslinging his rifle.
"Come get us, then!" Cried Thomas from a distance.
The pair advanced into the town as Thomas and Grayson waded into the armory. Hugh went into hiding to try and ambush the two as they entered the town. Eugene had left to gather the town's small militia in order to attempt a counterattack.
Hugh unleashed a hail of pistol fire from behind the hotel as the girl returned fire. The boy missed a rifle shot as he ducked to reload the spent bullet.
"You'll never leave this town alive!" Screamed Hugh from behind cover, blindly shooting off rounds.
Wading past the ammunition boxes, Grayson and Thomas approached an object covered with tarp. As Grayson grabbed some ammunition for himself, Thomas gripped his hand on the trags and tugged it off of the object.
A well minted and maintained hand-cranked gatling gun shined bright in all it's deadly glory, Thomas chuckled sadistically ro himself/ as he caressed all ten barrels with intent, grabbing a few magazines to feed it.
"Let's put this bad boy to good use." He smirked with delight. "Let's kill, mutie."
Grayson nodded in response as the two of them began to wheel their machine of death out of the armory.
Gatling, look out!" The girl warned, because of this the boy was able to peek out from behind his cover and catch a glimpse of Eugene's goons pushing the gatling gun out.
"I'll cover you from Hugh." She promised quietly, reloading her pistol. The boy nodded quickly and allowed her to fire above his head as he dashed towards the armory to intercept Thomas and Grayson before they were able to set up the gun and bog them down.
"Tom, Gray! He's heading to the armory!" Hugh called to his fellow gang members.
He reached the building just as the two gang members wheeled out their machine gun. Luckily, he was able to dive into the saloon before a hail of bullets was unleashed on his position.
"Take that!" Thomas screamed over the rapid firing of the gatling gun.
Hugh left his position to fortify himself somewhere better, giving the girl a good chance to grab her rifle and fire at the distracted gunners. Slamming a round into Grayson's neck as Thomas turned the gun towards where he had seen the attack come from. Reloading and firing off another barrage of bullets towards the girl.
But, unknown to him. This had caused him to become open to attack from his previous target. Who suddenly popped out of the saloon and fired quickly from his revolver at Thomas, shooting him in the shoulder and forcing him back into a wall.
"That's for Charger." He said, reloading his pistol as Thomas coughed out blood. "Any last words?"
Thomas struggled to sit up as the boy checked out the gatling gun that was used against them, removing a magazine in order to load a fresh one. Meanwhile, the girl caught up to him as she also reloaded her gun, standing beside him as they stared down the defeated Thomas..She looked to him, to the gatling gun, then back to him and nodded.
"... Fuck y-" Thomas was blown to bits as the two of them had positioned the gatling gun towards him and emptied an entire magazine.
"Good riddance." The boy said, as the mutilated corpse in front of him slumped over into a steaming, stench-ridden pile.
"Hugh ran off." Said the girl. "He's around here somewhere."
"We'll find him, then." The boy smirked.
As he rounded the corner, he sighted a quick muzzle flash from the church's clocktower. A split second after he ducked behind the bank, the bullet dashed past where his head would've been.
"Shit..." He hissed.
"You go after Eugene, can't let him get away after all that he's done." She urged. "I'll keep him busy."
"You sure?" The boy asked.
"Don't you go worrying about me now." She smiled at him a little, rubbing his shoulder a little before pushing him to go. "You want revenge too, for whatever happened to your dad. Go, I'll be okay."
He nodded a little, slinging his rifle over his shoulder and dashing to where he knew that coward Eugene would hole up. Where all of this started in the first place.
"Should've left when you had the chance! You killed Thomas and Grayson, you fucking whore! Once we have you back we'll do ten times worse to you than what you did to them!" Hugh called from the steeple.
"Swearing in God's house ain't doing you a very good image!" She called, popping off a few rounds from her pistol.
As the boy headed to the house which belonged to the previous mayor, which was quite a long way away on the owner's personal ranch. He ran into three townspeople, who had been riding horses into the town to try and support Eugene's gang. As they ran into the bounty hunter, they all stopped their horses and dismounted to meet him.
"Gentlemen, I got no quarrel with you." He said to them. "Y'all put down those guns and do the right thing..."
"Stop right there!" The one in the centre yelled.
"You don't want to do this, I'd prefer to believe you're good men backed up into a corner." He reasoned. "Make good your senses and go against this guy."
"The sheriff's orders are orders, and if this town becomes free... What's to become of us and our families when those we put down now live with us?! Something like that cross your mind?" The man on the left asked.
"No, but your help would be appreciated with freeing this place." He said, attempting to turn the men. "Please, do the right thing..."
The man in the middle looked like he was doubting himself, the one on the right hadn't said anything as of yet, the one on the right who had previously objected to him was slowly reaching for his holster.
"If that's what you want..." The boy said to the man on the right. His hand moved quicker than the wind, his revolver out of the holster just as the opposing man had grabbed onto his. One shot and the right man's corpse was stone dead before he had dropped onto the ground. His fellow mooks jolted away from the body as the boy pointed his gun at the remaining people.
"I was willing to give you three a chance, congratulations to your friend 'cause I'm hesitant about the two of you now." He said with a much less understanding tone.
"That guy was a straight up jerk." The left man said. "You know what, screw this. I'm not doing this anymore. This ain't worth it."
He pulled out his pistol from it's holster and dropped it onto the ground, heading over to where the civilians were held.
"Where are you going!?" The man in the centre called.
"Telling the others that this is whole thing over. The sheriff and his buddies are all dead." He called, his back still turned to his former colleague.
"Coward!" The central man called out to him, drawing his revolver and shooting him. An act so unexpected that the boy unfortunately didn't react fast enough to stop him.
Without a word he instantly raised his gun and peppered the shooter. Rushing over to the man who had turned against his masters and allies.
"You okay?" He asked, turning the man over to see that he was already dead. His anger boiled as he swore beneath his breath, heading over to one of their horses, mounting it and whipping the reins to get to Eugene quicker.
Meanwhile, in the town Hugh kept his sights to the streets. Waiting for his target to step out and attempt an attack.
"Come out and try me!" He cried out.
"First, face me like a man!" She shouted back. Then silence followed soon after, Hugh kept his eye on the road with one eye closed. Sweat had accumulated on his face, with his aiming eye twitching and almost unblinking in order to keep his window of opportunity as open as possible. Nothing but the wind accompanying him, adding a foreboding atmosphere to the situation at hand.
"You can't stay there forever! I'll get you!" Hugh called once more, no response came. He just chuckled to himself confidently, she couldn't compete with his range. Even if she tried with her rifle, he had his sights on the road and would be fast enough to out shoot her. She would have to aim and set her sights before she could fire.
"Come on, come on out..." He whispered. Keeping his eye trained towards the dirt road. When all of a sudden, a slight creak of the wooden floorboards behind him caught his attention.
"Hey Hugh." The girl's voice could be heard, but not from across the street. From right behind him.
"Oh n-" He said disappointingly, before being cut off by a bullet to the head. His dead body slumped forwards and fell out of the church tower onto the ground below in a twisted mess.
"Four down, one to go." She smiled as she took his rifle and took some pot shots at his fallen, mangled corpse.