It was close to dusk out in the middle of nowhere. The sun was still scorching hot but close to being extinguished by the dead of night. The sandy land is covered with cacti and bushes. On the old dirt road was occupied by the young Danny. He followed the path to an old ghost town that used to be a place full of energy and opportunity. Once Resilient like the numerous towns that were scattered throughout the vast frontier. But now the lonely haven was a place of ruin. All traces of its former glory are nearly nonexistent. Danny was a young teenager. He has involved himself in a life of crime. A fresh new face to enter the streets of crookedness. His main objective in approaching such an odd place out in the desert for someone his age was to confront a saboteur: the nefarious Quickdraw Rad.
Rad was a mentor-like figure for Danny. Serving under him to commit various crimes and jobs. Helped him learn the ropes of being a street hustler. However, this partnership did not last. Danny learned of Rad's true intentions. Danny was used like a tool, a puppet attached to very tight strings. He saw past the delusion of being a student. After learning of this revelation, Rad retaliated by kidnapping his friend Brandon, along with his new ally Jesse. Brandon was Danny's lifelong friend. They first met back in Elementary School and have been close companions ever since. As for Jesse, she was once an adversary. The boys encountered her several times in the past, sometimes resulting in a short fight before she swiftly vanished. Like Danny, she too was a victim of Rad's manipulation before him. She greatly contributed to assisting Danny in finding out the truth. Unfortunately, the consequence was being held back into the clutches of the deceiver she had once defected.
Danny had made it to his destination. He stood right under where the town sign would be. Only one support post stood up while the other crumbled down. The plank of wood that should have the town name was withering away, the text was all but faded. The only thing barely readable was the date the town was established: "Est: 1874". Many of the structures still stood up. Their paint had all dissolved. The only colors are different shades of brown and black. Windows that were mostly cracked or shattered. There were many barrels laid out across the town, who knows what could be inside them. On the opposite side of the old dirt road was the jailhouse. It was the only structure that had signs of recent upkeep. Danny was able to make out a figure lodging at the place from a distance. He knew right then and there that was his target.
Danny marched his way toward the jailhouse. Each step crunching beneath him. A gust of wind would hit every so often. Causing small fragments of debris to fly creating a dusty aura. The aged church bell that remained intact after so many years of isolation would chime after each breeze. One would expect an audience whenever a stranger comes into town, but this time there were no spectators. Only emptiness thrived on the other side of those window frames. This was a showdown strictly between two men, or in this special case, a man and a boy. Danny drew near the jailhouse, he took a few more steps then stopped walking. He looked up to see that it was him. The one and only Quickdraw Rad was there on the porch sitting on a wooden chair, leaning back with his signature hat lowered to cover his eyes. He had a straw of wheat between his lips. Danny dead centers his eyes to lock onto the cowboy.
"Rad!" Danny shouts. "I've come for you!"
Rad remains unfazed by the shout from the teenager. He slowly looks up at him with a small grin not saying a word.
Danny stays focused on any move Rad makes. Knowing him, he could make any sudden move. "You betrayed us, Rad!"
Rad chuckles then stands up off his chair and slowly steps onto the edge of the stairs. He rests his arm on the support beam. "Someone's mad now are we?" Rad replied.
"After all we did for you. Those jobs, those turf fights, you used us! I trusted you, just to be stabbed in the back!" Danny says with outrage.
Rad lets out a chortle after hearing Danny's statement. "That was your biggest mistake." Rad replies.
He stops leaning against the beam and stands up straight. His cold eyes stared directly at Danny. "Consider this my final lesson to you, little man. Thos streets are a harsh place, there is no one you can fully trust out in those parts. Everyone is bound to screw you over one way or another. It's like they say, 'there is no honor amongst thieves'."
Danny did not accept that sentiment. "That's it? That's all you have to say for yourself? You fooled me just to prove a point?"
"I am only telling you what's true, kid." Rad says while grabbing onto his gun belt.
"I've heard enough from you. How about you make things right and give me back my friends?" Danny says.
Rad started to laugh hysterically at Danny's request. He couldn't believe how naïve Danny appeared. "That's a good one. You think I’m gonna hand them over back to you just like that? By giving me puppy eyes and saying 'pwetty pwease'? That isn't how these things work, little man."
Rad stood there thinking to himself for a brief moment. He pauses his chuckling and stares back at Danny. "Now that you mention it, how about we bring those gremlins of yours out here?" Rad turns over and blows a loud whistle. Immediately the jail house entrance door blasts open and two ruggy-looking men step outside, each holding a hostage. The man on the left was keeping Brandon in a headlock, keeping a gun pressed onto the side of his head. As for the right, the other man had Jesse restrained with a knife loosely against her throat.
"I must say, you've always had an interesting choice of companions." Rad comments to Danny.
He walked towards Brandon first. He examines him, and afterward, he laughs to himself and looks back at Danny with an amused look mixed with confusion. "You really have someone like him tagging along with you? I always did thought he looked more useful typing on a computer at some lousy school than going around lawbreaking. Don't ya think so?"
Danny stood there hearing Rad's remarks. He doesn't take too kindly of those who insult the ones he's close with.
"What was your name again, son?" Rad asked Brandon.
"Brandon..." he said softly.
"Speak Up!" Rad said with a fierce tone. yelling directly at his face.
"Brandon!" he replied louder while being staggered by Rad's sudden shout.
"Attaboy. Wasn't so hard now, was it?" Rad tells him. He then walks towards the other man keeping Jesse captive. He seemed to be delighted to see her here.
"I must say this one here was quite the surprise. You had been associating with that brat Jesse." Rad states.
"Don't you dare call me that!" Jesse yells out in response to Rad calling her something derogatory.
"Getting all feisty now, are we?" Rad replies. He chuckles afterward. "Jesse has always been a thorn at my side. Many thanks to you for leading her to me. One less vermin to worry about."
Rad looks back to Danny. "You really care about these two don't ya? I'd be careful where you put your values, son. How long you think it will take for them to turn on you next, Hmm? How long until another feller like me comes along and offers them something more than you can? What will you do then kid?"
Meanwhile, Jesse kicks her captor right in the groan. This caused him to move the knife away from her, allowing her to get free. She enters a crazed state and lounges right towards Rad. She manages to strike a blow to his gut, then subsequently throws smaller punches. Rad attempts to get a hold of her but this results in him getting scratched in the face. Danny saw what was transpiring. He ponders on the chance to make a move while Rad is distracted. At that moment his eyes looked towards Brandon's detainer, he glanced back and gave Danny a wicked smile, he pressed the gun barrel harder against the side of Brandon's cranium as if to say "Make a move and he's dead." Moreover, Danny also takes into consideration that bullets don't always hit where you intend them to. And with multiple people confined close to each other, this could get Jesse hit in the crossfire. All Danny could do was wait there and watch, despite how great of an opportunity this presented. After all the failed attempts to control Jesse, Rad resorts to giving her a hard slap across her face. This knocked her to the ground leaving her stunned. The jagged man quickly restrains Jesse once again, keeping a much more firm grip on her. Rad recovers himself after being hassled by the young girl.
"Why you little freak of nature! Someone ought to put you in a damn zoo!" Rad says while scolding Jesse.
Danny steps forth and proposes. "Enough of this Rad! Let's finish this, right here, right now." Danny changes his stance by moving his legs further apart. Keeping him steady in place.
Rad understood what Danny was suggesting. He laughs at Danny's request. "You? Ha! You think a small twerp like you can draw?"
Rad turns himself around with his arms wide open facing the two henchmen. "You hear that boys? Little snowflake here thinks he is some kind of big shot!" Rad says. After this they all mock Danny by boisterously laughing at him. Not taking him seriously.
"I mean it, Rad!" Danny shouts. He then moves the right part of his jacket to the side, revealing a pistol tucked in at the side of his pants. "Just you and me."
Rad notices his sidearm. He subdues his laughter and transforms his expression into a devilish grin while giving a stone-cold gaze at the teenager.
"Okay, okay little man. I'll play your little game." Rad then walks down the rickety
stairs and slowly takes a few steps towards Danny. The heavy gait of Rad's boots was accompanied by the clang of his spurs and the harsh crackling of the gravel. He stops while maintaining a good distance away.
"Let's see what you're made of..."
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