Rad twirls his poncho away to his back, revealing the solid Magnum revolver kept in his old-fashioned Holster composed of shiny leather. The two opponents have now entered a standoff. It was the Lone wolf versus the greenhorn. A deadlock that can only be broken based on who makes the first move. This kind of duel was all about precision and speediness, any reckless move could lead to your immediate death. The wind dies down, reducing the dusty ambiance. The ringing church bell dawdles as each interval becomes increasingly longer. Rad and Danny stared each other down right at the center of the town. How many other unfortunate souls met their end on that same spot in days long past? Victims of their ambition. Rad kept an upright posture, right hand against his hip above his gun, moving his fingers in a wavelike motion. Concurrently, Danny had a more aggressive stance, hovering his hand like a claw right above his handgun. Rad remained steady and still whereas Danny was the opposite. He was trembling. He was starting to regret what he had gotten himself into, but it was far too late to back out now. Rad's goons and Danny's restrained friends kept looking side to side. They look at Rad, then to Danny, back to Rad, and again to Danny. Everyone awaits to see who makes the first draw.
Danny was starting to feel the pressure. Seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours. His quivery builds up after each passing second. Sweat builds upon his head. He quickly pulls out his gun but it falls right to the ground. As he dives to pick it back up, Rad fires three quick shots. They do not hit Danny but they narrowly miss. So much so that they leave thin lines on the fabric of his jacket. Danny wastes no more time and gets his gun back in hand. He runs behind a wrecked carriage for cover. He leans against the hardwood trying to ease himself but is interrupted by the slam of the .357 rounds that punctured the wood as if it was paper. Danny peeks over several times trying to shoot back, but with each attempt, he is forced back down as a bullet always comes flying right above. Rad was keeping him pinned down. One wonders how someone like Rad, who is distinguished for his deadly accuracy, hasn't hit a shot, let alone at a teenager who is far inadequate as a gunslinger. Perhaps seeing Danny cower was Rad's way of getting exhilaration. Feeding into his sadistic nature.
"What's wrong Little Boy?! I thought you wanted this!" Rad shouts from a distance, deriding Danny's wimpiness. He loads more cartridges into the cylinders of his revolver. Danny looks over the wagon and takes the chance to run into the Saloon. Rad follows at a snail's pace. Danny made it inside, it was a mess. The remaining pieces of furniture are laid out everywhere. Tables flipped over, chairs shattered, shards of glass on the floor, and other undesirable debris. Danny goes to hide behind the old bartender's table. Rad then enters the saloon. The noise of the swinging door pushed open by Rad echoes in the quiet dim room. His shadow looms over. He intensively scans the room to see where Danny had gone. He starts to walk forward with his gun at hand, each step of his boots producing a faint thud on the wooden boards. Danny doesn't make a sound.
"Show yourself, boy." Rad says. "I only see two ways this is gonna end for you, either you give yourself up, remember your place and things can go back the way they were, business as usual. Or I shoot you dead in this shithole right now and leave your body out for the crows!"
Danny sneakily moves over while behind the table. He sees the entrance wide open, he takes the chance and makes a run for it. Midway, Rad quickly turns over and pokes a shot at him, causing Danny to flinch and trip at the stairs. He falls and bumps into one of the barrels that was right outside causing it to topple over. What came out of the barrel was a black substance, it looked like raw oil. Danny runs towards a stack of old crates out in the middle of the road and takes covers once again. Rad exits the saloon. He heads down the small stairs and stands back on the road.
"I will admit this has been fun, boy, but I'm starting to grow tired of it now." Rad says. He then aims his gun in Danny's general direction. "One last chance, little man. Accept my offer or else you're gonna see what the devil looks like!"
Danny stays behind the crates. He isn't sure what to do next. He knows he can't beat Rad head on, he would get killed instantly. At that moment, a thought came to his head. He remembered the barrel that he spilled over. He figured what was inside was oil, which he knows is flammable. He peeks through a crevice on one of the crates and he notices Rad was standing right next to it. He knows what to do now. It will be risky, but it's either take action now or die later. Danny quickly swings himself out of cover, aims his gun right at the barrels, and shoots. Rad fires back but Danny is too fast for him to hit. Suddenly fumes come out of the barrels, Rad looks over to see the smoke but before he can even react, the pile explodes. The blast causes Rad to plow onto the ground. He laid there motionless. Everyone was stunned at what had just occurred right before their eyes.
"Sweet Jesus! Did you see that shit, Joseph?!" Said one of Rad's henchmen.
"I sure did, Billy!" Said the other.
"He done killed Quickdraw Rad!"
"Forget these kids! Let's get!"
The two henchmen quickly let go of Brandon and Jesse. They run as fast as they can out of town.
Danny recollects himself after the intense fight. He couldn't believe he had done it, he defeated the one and only Quickdraw Rad. He then goes back to the jailhouse. After walking up the stairs he goes to ensure his pals aren’t hurt. He goes towards Brandon.
"Are you alright man?" Danny asked.
"Yeah- Yeah, I'm okay." Brandon replies.
Danny looks over to Jesse. She was rubbing the left side of her face where Rad had hit her. Her cheek had already started to bruise and get slightly swollen.
"What about you?" Danny says irresolutely.
"I'll live." Jesse says in an agitated tone.
"It's best that we all get the hell out of here." Danny tells the group.
The three start to walk down the old dirt road out of town. They stroll past Rad's body. Some of the oil was still smoking and burning nearby. It smelled awful. They glanced at Rad, examining the aftermath of the recent shootout. They continued to walk down the road but then something unexpected happened. They started to hear groaning. It seems the dead had risen. Danny looks behind and sees Rad standing back up. He grabbed his revolver and aimed it at Danny, but when the trigger was pulled there were only clicks, the gun was empty. Rad throws the gun away. Danny lowers his guard and looks at the deteriorated gunslinger. The right side of his body was all torn and ripped. Half his face was burned with blood dripping down. He starts to rant and limp towards them.
"You good-for-nothing ratbags! You think you all can just get to fucking walk away, huh?!" Rad shouts.
Danny stood there undaunted by Rad's verbal onslaught. Brandon and Jesse were a bit shaken up and what they were seeing., more so for Brandon.
"You are the worst of the lot, boy! You ungrateful scum!" Rad yells specifically at Danny.
"It's over Rad. Just shut up already and get outta here." Danny says.
"Walk away? WALK away?! I can't go back anywhere now! Not after what you did to me!" Rad replied with anger.
Rad then gets onto his knees in front of Danny. "Finish the job you son of bitch... Put me down! Think you're some hotshot? End this now!"
Danny was now presented with a choice…
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author