Fiction • Aug 24, 2024 • 9 min read

Example of things to come...

Jake, West, and Bill find themselves in a perilous situation when a cheating cowpoke named James inadvertently shoots a member of the notorious Hanks gang during a gunfight with West in the local saloon. In the chaos, West is compelled to defend himself, killing the remaining 2 gang members who mistakenly believe he fired the fatal shot which killed their partner. Bearing the weight of a troubled past marked by a scar on his cheek, West seizes the reward money for the fallen gangsters and departs that night, dismissing Jake's plea to accompany him. Determined to evade the wrath of the Hanks gang seeking revenge for their dead comrades, Jake decides to trail West from a safe distance. Three days later, the gang catches up with West, but Jake's skilled marksmanship with his lever-action rifle provides the distraction West needs to escape, leading him to reconsider having Jake as a companion on the journey. Meanwhile, back in town, the bartender and the Sheriff are brutally murdered, the saloon is set ablaze, and the bank is plundered by the gang. Two bar girls are abducted and passed around among the gang until they grow weary of them and dispose of them as well. Bill sets out to find West, knowing that he is the only man fast enough with a six-shooter to take on the gang leader and put an end to the terror that has gripped their town. Ultimately, West and Jake realize they are the last hope to halt the gang's violent spree and salvage what remains of their town, and they return with Bill to confront the gang once and for all.