“Listen here, you good-for-nothings,” Sheriff Jake pointed at them, while the town’s guests cheered. The rest of the locals didn’t attach much importance to it, though they watched with interest.
“Brother, we’re just standing here like those two from that book with the fat guy and the skinny one.”
“Of Mice and Men?”
“The very same. Except neither of us is holding the gun— that lunatic over there is.”
Someone nearby laughed. It wasn’t one of the locals.
“When we get those badges, I’ll show them.”
“Where are your weapons?” The sheriff’s tone was serious.
The two stayed silent, and Jake kept staring at them. It’d be easy to trick him. After all, his mind wasn’t entirely human, and these robots could be manipulated, but there were too many people around, and they had to play this out somehow.
“Why do we need weapons?” Jasper was clearly trying to buy them some time.
“We’ll shoot. If you outshoot me, you win.”
“Shoot at what?”
Jake turned toward his house in the distance and pointed upward. At the top of the house stood a piece of iron, and atop the iron was an arrow, spinning with the wind’s force. Today, though, there was no wind, and it barely moved. Only a faint breeze nudged it gently in different directions.
“See that arrow? You need to hit it so it spins three full times.”
“That’s easy. My friend here…”
“Yeah, yeah. He’s shot a bear from a hundred paces.” The sheriff cut in, repeating their own words. “Spare me that story again. I don’t want talk—I want action.”
“Alright, Jake. You go first.”
“Whether I go first is my call,” Jake growled. A few locals let out sounds of admiration. The guests, meanwhile, chattered excitedly among themselves.
Even so, the sheriff took a rehearsed step, planting one of his brown boot heels firmly, then spun around. Jasper glanced at Daniel and shrugged. Daniel got it. He didn’t know what they were going to do either.
The sheriff aimed at the sign, extending one arm with the revolver while steadying it with the other hand around the grip. His black gloves blended together, nearly swallowing the revolver in their darkness. Jake tilted his head slightly and raised his nose.
“Looks like he’s gauging the wind.”
“Even if you told me which way it’s blowing, I still wouldn’t figure it out, brother.”
“Have you ever shot a gun?”
“Nope. My best shot was throwing a glass at some guy’s head. Hit him from the bar while he was almost at the door.”
“That’s something, at least. I’ve only held a gun in video games.”
“And this is kinda like that.”
Daniel glanced at the crowd. There were a lot of people. Even some he hadn’t seen before. The whole town had come out. Just like in the movies.
While he was distracted, scanning the crowd, a shot rang out. It sounded real enough. The gun in Jake’s hands recoiled slightly, but he controlled it with ease. Everyone gasped and looked toward the sign. It had been hit. The arrow spun once, twice, and stopped just shy of a third full turn.
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
“Two and a half,” the sheriff turned to them, holstering his revolver in his belt. “Accurate as always.” Jake boasted about himself. “You boys don’t stand a chance. But don’t worry—” he chuckled—“I can always find you work cleaning the jail.”
A few locals laughed at his joke louder than seemed natural. One of three gentlemen standing side by side dropped his hat and had to bend down to pick it up.
“Now it’s your turn. Which one of you is shooting?”
Daniel nudged Jasper’s arm, hoping he’d come up with something.
“And where are your weapons, for God’s sake? Your belts don’t even have holsters.”
Daniel couldn’t recall how long they stood there, but he remembered the voice that saved them.
“Here are your weapons, gentlemen.”
Both turned around, as grateful as they were surprised. A boy, no older than twenty, stood before them holding two revolvers.
He reached out and handed each of them a gun, then stepped back.
“Yann?” Daniel was as shocked as Jasper.
“We couldn’t recognize you with clothes on,” Jasper’s laugh cut in.
“Who are you?” Jake drew his weapon and aimed it at the stable boy. “I haven’t seen you in my town.”
“I take care of Mr. Reed’s horses.” The boy turned and scanned the crowd. His movements were sharper, smarter than the others’. He was looking for someone.
“Mr. Reed’s? I haven’t seen you there.”
“I’m mostly with his horses, Sheriff. I’ve seen you, though. Especially that last time you were talking about the gold mine.”
Jake flinched. Some locals gasped again and started whispering.
“Whoa, another story,” Jasper winked at Daniel.
“Alright, stable boy. Step back. These two need to prove themselves. Who’s first, gentlemen? I’ll give you a big chance—both of you can shoot. If the sign spins more than two and a half times combined, you win. Total. I don’t even care about individual shots.”
Jasper stepped forward. He looked confident. He examined the revolver, gripped it by the barrel, and balanced it in his palm. Then he tried to hold it the way the sheriff had. He shot Daniel a look, his eyes screaming for help. Daniel had nothing to offer. He was just as clueless.
“Is that how you hold a revolver?” Jake laughed, a bit forced but loud enough for everyone to hear.
Daniel could see it was getting to Jasper, who tapped one foot nervously. Then he pulled the trigger.
The sign twitched, but more from the breeze than anything. The bullet had sailed off into the sky somewhere.
Jake roared with laughter. When he stopped, he approached them.
“Well, you said you fought a bear with your bare hands. Maybe guns aren’t your strong suit. Now you’re up,” he pointed at Daniel. “I don’t expect much, but at least we’ll get a laugh.”
As they passed each other, Daniel heard Jasper mutter, “Just aim for his head, brother. He’s starting to annoy me.”
He wouldn’t do that. Even if they lost this little game, the story would take them somewhere. Daniel glanced at Silver. The dog stood off to the side, watching with interest. It really didn’t act much like a dog. How hadn’t he noticed that before? Who was on the other side of the camera?
He raised the revolver. It didn’t seem hard. Line up the sights, wait for the wind to settle, and… shoot.
There was a clang against something, but the sign didn’t budge. Instead, the second-floor window of Jake’s house shattered. Laughter erupted. This time, it wasn’t just Jake.
“Idiot!” someone—maybe Jake, maybe the crowd—yelled. Daniel swallowed hard and slowly lowered the gun. He didn’t care that they’d failed to prove themselves, but he wasn’t sure what to expect now.
“Brother, we blew it.”
Sheriff Jake approached. He wasn’t as amused as the others.
“Well, you failures. How am I supposed to hire you when you couldn’t even hit the sign? I’m starting to wonder how you killed that bear. Or if you lied to me.” Jake put his hands on his hips. “You know what? For wasting my time, I’ll lock you up for a night in the jail. With Big Bill.”
“Big Bill?” Daniel jolted. Someone behind them clapped.
“Oh, you’ll like Big Bill. He’s bigger than you, fatty,” Jake said to Jasper. “And hairier. You might even hit it off.”
“Rolled-up sleeves, big hairy arms?”
“Yeah, yeah. That’s him. Already met him?”
“My friend killed him,” Daniel stepped forward. “With his bare hands.”
Jake’s smile vanished. He took a step back.
“How’d you kill Bill? He’s massive. Liars!”
Jasper raised his hands. They were big, but not as big as Bill’s. He clenched them into fists and bared his teeth. It was Daniel’s turn to speak.
“Jasper turned out stronger than him. We’re not great with revolvers, but we’ve got hands like steel.”
Daniel clenched his own scrawny fists. Some of the guests laughed, while the locals stood silent.
Jake stepped back further.