Bookshelf Battle

Slade had been using his regular voice for a year, but now the rasp was back with a vengeance.

“Who the fuck are you?” Sawbuck asked.

It’d been twenty years since Slade had last seen Sawbuck. The outlaw’s hair had turned gray. His face was wrinkled and leathery, but Slade still recognized him.

Slade puffed on his cigar. “I’m the man that’s going to kill you.”

“Is that so?” Sawbuck asked.

“Yup,” Slade replied.

Clovis and Slim wrenched their hooks out of the zombie, allowing it to drop to the ground. They stepped aside.

“Do I know you, bushwacker?” Sawbuck asked.

“Nope,” Slade replied. “But I know you.”

Sawbuck sneered and tossed Tobias aside. “Lots of people know me. You a bounty hunter?”

“Nope,” Slade replied.

“The law?”

“Nope,” Slade said.

“Then who the hell are you?” Sawbuck asked.

“An interested party,” Slade said.

“Huh,” Sawbuck said. “Well, Mr. Interested Party, if you want to challenge me, it’s your funeral. Here are the rules. You step back fifty paces that-a-way. I’ll step fifty paces back and on the count of three we…”

“Draw,” Slade said as he raised his rifle and shot Sawbuck right through the throat. The outlaw’s face could not contain his shock as he collapsed.

Along his journey, Slade managed to find two Colt pistols to replace the one he’d lost. He dropped his rifle, then drew one of the pistols and walked over to Sawbuck’s carcass and kicked him over onto his back.
Sawbuck clutched his throat as blood sprayed out of it.

“The…rules!”

The last thing Sawbuck ever saw was Slade pointing his Colt at his face.

The last thing Sawbuck ever heard?

“You don’t get rules.”

One…two…three…four…five…six.

Sawbuck was beyond dead and his face was the same consistency of raw hamburger.

“Hey!” Clovis yelled.

Annoyed, Slade holstered his empty pistol, then drew a fully loaded one and pointed it at Clovis and Slim, who instantly threw their hands up.

“Oh shit!” Clovis shouted as he and his hefty accomplice beat a trail out of town.

Slade holstered his pistol and stared down at Sawbuck’s corpse until Miss Bonnie joined him.

“Feel any better?” she asked.

“Nope.”

“Did you think you would?”

“Kinda.”

“I’m sorry,” Miss Bonnie said.

“It’s ok.”

“I thought you weren’t going to use that dumb raspy voice anymore,” Miss Bonnie said.

Slade returned to his regular tone. “Oh. Right.”

Tobias dusted himself off. “Holy shit, Mister! I never thought I’d see the day that someone stood up to Sawbuck Sam. Thank you.”

The young mayor stretched out his hand. Slade took it and tried not to stare at top of Tobias’ ridiculous hat as it flopped up and down during the handshake.

“You travelers or something?” Tobias asked.

“Traveled all the way to be here,” Slade said.

Tobias smiled. “More people? This town sure could use them.”

“Good,” Slade said as he picked up his rifle.

“What’s your name, friend?” Tobias asked.

“Slade. Rainer Slade.”

Tobias didn’t just smile. He glowed. He wrapped his arms around Slade and attached himself to his new hero like a barnacle.

Slade and Bonnie traded confused looks.

“Welcome home, brother!” Tobias cried.