Keyboard Shortcuts
Likes
Search
Re: High Moon Tales. Tales of the Wicked West.
¿ªÔÆÌåÓý[Sicilien] "I've got everything I need, so whenever ya'll are ready," Sicillien answered both Chase and Etienne.? His coat concealed enough ammo to put down a small village, though a town was certainly stretching it.? "So guess we'll head off soon as they're back, but where to?? I don't know this area and Callie seems quite adamant on _not_ going to Cullenville.? Man, I wonder what ya'll did to piss off the devil."? He kept surveying the town, looking over to his right as Flynn and Callie set off to pick up their luggage from the inn.? Turning his gaze towards the sky, he tried to get a feel for whether or not the manikin was still watching them even now.? Does it ever tire and? what was its source of power?? Could it pull from it endlessly?? There were still remnants of the dark magic that was cast last night, but it was all over the place, as if to throw him off the scent.? "While we're
waiting...Chase...you seem to be in the know as much, if not more, as the other
two," Sicilien stated, turning to face the man with a beastly secret,
motioning with his thumb towards Callie and Flynn's receding backs.?
"I know what I'm here for, but I'm not privy as to why all of you want to
get to Miller's Crossing and why that offense against nature is so hellbent on
keeping you out of it.? It seems like we're stuck together for better or
for worse, so I'd like to not tread through dark waters with both eyes
blind."? Though not apt to trust someone that he's just met without
measuring their grit, these people seemed to share a common goal and if the way
they all banded together to get out of that amalgam, well, he knew they'd watch
his six o'clock and that was good enough for him.? But what about
Etienne?? How did she fit into all of this? "Then there's this damsel in distress, which I highly doubt is an innocent bystander in all of this.? Just who the hell...are...you...no...no..." the bounty hunter turned to face the woman who was determined not just to get the hell out of dodge, but to get the hell away from all of them.? However, when he was finally able to get a clear look at her face, his heart dropped.? The realization of it all hit him like a speeding train, dragging him along the tracks and then discarding him like a ragdoll.? He stood frozen in place, in disbelief, as his one unpatched eye furiously scanned her entire body.? Her hair, her face, her eyes, her lips, her neck, shoulders, arms, and the rest of her body.? How could he not have this seen this...seen her before?? He felt his body going rigid, all muscles painfully clenching head to toe.? He felt like his throat was being constricted, opening his mouth but nothing coming out, or going in.? For what seemed like an eternity, Sicillien stood frozen in time, not moving, not breathing, until a spasm wracked his body and the involuntary flinch broke him out of his stupor.? Shaking his head to try and clear the pain, he looked back up and before he knew what he was doing, his feet took him forward towards Etienne who was now backing away from him.? "You...Etienne...no..." he
breathed, his voice sounding quite raspy as if he spoke for the first time in
his life.? He firmly grasped her by her shoulders, fingers squeezing and
feeling as if he never touched her before.? Moving his hands up, he gently
cupped her face as his thumbs brushed across her cheeks, moving her hair out of
the way so he could get a clear picture of her visage.? This could not
be...she could not be...how many years has it been?? He has lost count.?
He was sure she was...so sure...that he even went mad, and then he cut that
piece off himself and locked it in the deepest, darkest recesses of his heart
and mind.? But yet here she was, whole and alive.?
"Etienne...no...R-rosalie...you are alive....after all this time.?
You are alive, Rosalie...? This cannot be...have I gone insane?" He questioned his whole entire being, his whole entire life at this point.? Nothing seemed to be as real as this moment when he stood in front of her, but even now he could not be sure of what he was seeing and what he was feeling.? There was only one way to tell, so he pulled her in and kissed her.? He kissed like he's never kissed before.
(Charity, Millers Crossing) In the center of Millers Crossing,
in the town square, the 'Mayor' confronted the nude form of his wife, who had
finally finished her latest dance. "Why are you doing this, wife?"
Charity's husband asked, "why could we not rest in the Spirit World? Why
would you bring me, all of us, back to this World, this place?" "Because," Charity replied coldly, "you are MY people, MY husband, and this is now MY town." She gazed out over the foothills towards Bendo. "Soon I will have other towns, and other people. Even now, husband, the dead yearn to dance for me!" Her head tilted back and she howled. In the distance her howl was answered, and then again from a different direction, and then again. Nine times was she answered, and she laughed and laughed. An unseen tear formed in the corner of the Mayor's eye.? In Bendo the first of the scavengers crested the surrounding hills, wolves, and then coyotes. Vultures began to circle overhead, waiting for their turn. Several bear lumbered towards the town, and hundres of thousands of insects crawled out of every conceivable crevice. Every single being was focused on one thing, all of the free, ripening flesh offered on the streets of Bendo. (Chase) Chase deep down still held out some hope¡even though he knew Etienne held no feelings or interest for him, but now that door was truly closed.? He was silent as he listened to the Sicilien¡¯s reflection on Etienne that Sicilien seemed to not only know him but knew her in a more intimate ways.? He knew passion and some of that was there.?? It was unmistakable even for him.? He found it amusing¡¡¯think you dost protest too much.¡¯ ?He looked at her when she pulled back and slapped him.? ¡°Very strange.? Whatever it is we are supposed to do¡we need to get to it¡all of us to get to Miller¡¯s Crossing.? There is that point that means we have to get there.? I am not sure about stopping it but whatever the issue is¡it is trying to keep us from getting there!? So it might be more of what or who.? The longer we are here¡the longer whatever it is, would be able to build up power.? So we going in circles is more of a delay.¡±? He said as he checked his weapons and wondered about being a scavenger, not sure if money would be of any use if they didn¡¯t get rid of whatever was there for them¡or delaying them. ¡°Maybe whatever it is, is using them for power.? Now that we are aware¡no longer in the dark¡no need to hide¡or better for us¡its power is not as strong during the daylight hours¡it would be best for us to travel now¡wherever we are going?? We might need to get a move on.¡±? He said loud enough for everyone to hear. ¡°So now we have to deal with the wildlife as well as townspeople!¡±? He said as he looked at the creatures that were there with them now. (Callie Carson) ? ?The trip up the stairs of the hotel to their room was uneventful. They stepped over the bodies of the dead and found everything where they'd left it. Callie quickly packed her bag, grabbed her things up and headed out the door. On the way out the bar, she stopped and grabbed a rifle out of the hands of one of the dead men on the floor, then seized a bandoleer of rifle shells and led Flynn with her back out into the street. ? ?"I know we can't travel to Miller's Crossing easily, but if we go anywhere else this thing is going to spread, more people will die and whatever is in Miller's Crossing becomes more powerful," the redhead told Flynn as they headed back toward the sheriff's office."We won't get another chance at this. You know that as well as...." ? ?Callie stopped in mid-stride and looked around as a pack of wolves appeared across from Acton's General Store, not far up the street from the sheriff's office. They were tearing apart the body of a fallen resident of Bendo. They then heard a loud growl, and back up the street from where they'd just come, a bear wandered in from behind one of the wooden buildings and began sniffing around a couple of bodies. ? ? "...fuck!" she muttered. "That ain't normal. Animals don't just wander into town and start eating people within minutes after they die." She looked up and saw vultures, maybe a dozen or more, circling overhead. ? ?She started to run toward the others, bag slung over her shoulder, rifle in her hands ready to use if necessary, "We've got another problem!" she yelled to the others as they approached. (Flynn) "I know, I know," Flynn said, running alongside Callie, carrying his saddle bags and rifle case slung over his shoulders.? "But we still have to _find_ the damned place. "Look," the pookah said as they reached the spot where Chase and Sicilien were standing. "I've got one last trick we can try.? But we'll need horses.? Now. I figure we've got maybe a couple of minutes before these gathering beasties decide we're better eatin' than all them dead folks."? He grimaced with annoyance as he saw Etienne running off away from the rest of them.? "And someone get that deranged woman back here before she gets turned into a chew-toy for them wolves 'n bears!"? With that, he made a dash for the stables, disappearing inside and reappearing moments later with two horses in tow, muttering something to them in a strange language as he headed back to rejoin the others. Tag: Chase, Callie, Flynn, Sicilien, Etienne, Charity (jumping in) |