Chapter (5) I Think... This is Where I'll Bury You

I stood frozen for a moment still taking in the situation, 'Has this guy been following me all day?' the tire tracks from earlier couldn't have been a coincidence. The machine meanwhile stood unmoving like a colossal statue towering over me.

"You have ten words to explain to me why I shouldn't turn you into a fucking vegetable planter," I warned him, keeping my cigarette hanging out of the corner of my mouth waiting for his response.

He seemed to pause processing my words for a moment before standing up straight and verbalizing, "Because I know what direction the man you're lookin' for went," the machine said before acting like he was in despair, "Oops! That was eleven! Please don't shoot me, sir," it said bringing the metal hands by its side together as if he were begging.

The way it acted made my skin crawl. Something about the way it tried to act like a human, the way it mimicked human interactions made me feel nauseated. It was easy to see it wasn't human, almost like knowing the difference between an original and a forged painting. It was a fake through and through and it was a bit of an insult that someone had sent this thing to watch and follow me.

"Oh yeah?" I asked to which it vigorously nodded up and down making the hair on my neck stand up, "Well don't keep me waiting. Spit it out, 'partner'," I popped the 'p' mocking the automaton in front of me.

Ignoring my verbal jab he began to voice while his hand motioned for me to slow down, "Woah there partner, slow down. My creator wants to see you prove yourself. Oh and by the way my name is Victor,"

'I must be going fucking crazy,' I thought infuriated, 'Because there is no way I am getting talked down to by a fucking rusted tin can,' I continued to mull around whether to shoot and ask questions later.

Gritting my teeth I spoke in a growl, "Uhuh, and what's he want me to do? Jump through a hoop? Do a couple of tricks while I'm at it?" I asked my eyes glaring daggers at the lifeless screen.

"Well, I'm glad you ask!" it rattled off with an enthusiastic act, "You simply have to brutally murder all of the nearby Powdergangers which will conveniently show up together in the morning,"

I didn't respond to what he said and simply stood there. My expression didn't change and my eyes darkened by the night and reflected by the lunar light looked like fireflies in the black. The only thing heard in Goodsprings was my silent breathing and the chirping of crickets and insects around me.

The machine after a minute reacted, "Task has been conveyed," it said in a more monotone voice lacking the cowboy appearance its previous words had, "Good evening then," and just like that it turned on a dime, and began to slowly make its way back up the hill and eventually out of sight. I stood watching it, my eyes tracing the exact spot I needed to hit to take down the robot in one shot, but I decided against destroying it.

I spun my revolver in my hand along my index finger before stowing it back into my coat, 'Why would I look a gift horse in the mouth,' I thought before heading down to the porch of the saloon, slowly finishing off my cigarette.

Eventually, I took a seat in the rocking chair beside the front door, a man dressed up like a prospector was sitting in it earlier but now he was nowhere to be seen. I decided to take the spot and kick my feet up before sliding my hat down to cover my face. My little shooting range would pop up in a couple hours and I wanted to get some shut-eye, otherwise, I would be a bit cranky.

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"RINGO GET OUT HERE" a loud voice woke me up as I knocked my head on the back of the chair I was sitting in. 

I rubbed the back of my head with my hands knocking my hat off, "Ah, fuck," I said to myself before looking to my right into the street toward where I had heard the voice, "COULD YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP" I yelled back continuing to massage my head.

Eventually, I stood up before slowly reaching down to pick up my hat off the ground. I slapped it against my thing knocking off some of the dust that it had gathered from simply sitting on the dirty porch. I placed it back on my noggin and walked to the edge of the porch and leaned against a wooden beam nonchalantly.

"psst hey!" I heard a voice behind my back. I glanced over my shoulder to see Ringo's face barely visible through the cracked door of Trudy's bar.

"Well hello, Mr. Ringo!" I said in a clear tone with enthusiasm, "I believe our guests out here are looking for you, my good sir!"

"Shut the fuck up!" he scrambled to say in a hurried whisper, "We had a deal! Why aren't you sticking to the plan!" he questioned.

"Hmm maybe because someone didn't wake me up like he was supposed to. Nor is he standing out here with me which was part of the plan," I said throwing a jab at him to which he froze for a moment before awkwardly smiling.

"Well what's the plan now," he asked with a voice as sweet as.... well not honey more like cyanide.

'This bitch,' I thought before I heard the sound of someone clearing their throat on the road. I sighed, "Just stay there," I said before swinging my head to the 6 enemies that I knew were standing there for quite some time.

"Gentleman, how are you doing on this fine morning?" I asked before sneakily pulling my revolver out and keeping it hidden under the sleeve of my jacket. I glanced around and could see that every citizen of the town was watching this interaction from a distance, 'Truly cowards,' I thought to myself with a small laugh, 'Too fearful to fight back, and yet too spineless to just give up a man to save themselves,'

"Mail boy! We are looking for Ringo and we know that you know where he is!" a young boy about 14 years old a good 3-4 years younger than me at the front of the group shouted. He wasn't wearing a shirt but did have a bandolier of grenades running diagonally across his chest. He wore jean shorts and had a buzz that was just asking for me to slap.

"Oho and if I don't?" I raised my chin in intrigue grinning as I exchanged the boy's 'shovel' for a stick of dynamite.

"Then...Then" he was struggling to think about what they would do to me. Seems this kid needs to work on his threatening. He glanced behind his back only to be met with Cobb's glare that threatened to butcher him, "We'll... feed you to Brahmin! Yeah, that's what we'll do!"

My grin dropped and a disappointed look filled my face, 'After all that time that was all he could come up with?' I thought before sighing, "Uhuh," I nodded enthusiastically rubbing the palm of my hand in my face, "Say, Mr. Cobb does this 'bare-chested bandit' speak for all of you as well?" I asked as I anticipated his response and pre-emptively tightened the grip on my gun.

"Tell us where Ringo is, and no one besides him will have to get hurt," he said caution evident in his voice.

'Will you look at that, he wised up a bit. Maybe he could have been a big shot,' I thought before yawning with my left hand that was parallel with the beam I was leaning against and attached to the same arm concealing my revolver, "I'll take that as a yes then," I said before my eyes suddenly narrowed.

In an instant, I had pushed off the beam and swung my right arm across my chest pointing the gun it held straight. Time slowed down, to a point that it seemed only I was able to comprehend what was happening. I held my breath as I leveled the gun in my hand and brought my left hand to give support before firing a .44-inch full-metal-jacket bullet traveling at 1500 feet per second set to destroy anything that was unfortunate to be in its path.

Which is why I loved this revolver so much, it was unforgiving.

The target of the explosive piece of metal was the 14-year-old boy's knee. In an instant, I had drawn my gun and crippled a young boy. The boy's knee literally exploded from the sheer amount of energy that was distributed from a projectile less than half of an inch long. The result was a complete mess, the boy's lower leg literally held onto the upper portion by a thread, or rather sinew...maybe muscle? Bah, I am no anatomy expert. Anyway, bone fragments along with blood splattered in all directions like a water balloon bursting. The boy immediately fell backward, like a table who had two legs knocked out, and immediately let out a scream so high I struggled to keep my eyes open. It was so high-pitched and loud that I figured he tore his vocal cords because after that he was silent, only his mouth opened as if he was letting out more screams except they were on mute, like a TV show.

"WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT" Cobb screamed as he sent one of his goons to check on the kid lying in a pool of his own blood that was quickly growing in size and depth.

'Hmm I must have nicked an artery,' I said as I lazily spun my pistol around in my right hand vertically. I stood there for a moment attempting to remember what the name of the artery was before I remembered that I hadn't responded causing me to snap out of my 'zoning out', "Oh that? I was just replying to his threat. What else could it have been?" I said yawning and covering my mouth before I started walking toward the road. The Powdergangers after the initial daze of watching their trainee bite it, immediately drew their weapons and pointed them at me.

I decided to fall off the side of the wooden floor instead of walking down the stairs. I already knew that they were too afraid to shoot me unless they had no other choice. It was illogical but I bet they were thinking that I was afraid of their numbers and as long as they stayed together, either they would gang up and kill me or I would give into their demand. Kinda like a school of bait fish, sadly I'm not like them.

I slowly strode until I stood above 'peg leg' and looked down at his knee. Looking at the bloody tubing-looking piece of meat I couldn't help but give a surprised whistle, "If I had to guess you have maybe 20 minutes before that faucet of blood leaves you dry as a bone," I said causing the boy to look up at me. His face was filled with the entire spectrum of emotions. From anger to sadness to obvious pain to clear hatred to fear, it reminded me of... well me. I bet if I could have seen my face inside of that false hell it would look like this. Meaning he would have a vendetta against me the same size as the one I had, and that we simply couldn't allow.

I chuckled and dropped down to his level keeping my gun visible and whispered into his ear, "Who am I kidding, in 5 your friends are going to be dead. And in ten I will have the grave picked out for you," I paused getting a contemplative look, "Say, do you want me to go ahead and start burying you, while you are, you know breathing?" I asked as the little color in his face drained to where I could see the white skull beneath his skin, "I was just thinking we could get a head start, and maybe by the time you are fully in the ground your headstone would be done. What do ya think?" I asked getting a violent head shake in response and he opened his mouth where I guessed he was begging for me NOT to bury him alive.

I simply shrugged, "Think about it," I said before standing back up and glancing not at Cobb's face but instead at the holster wrapped around his waist, 'That puppy is coming home with me,' I concluded as I walked around the group scanning the area before I found a nice place on the side of the road.

I looked around and smiled while nodding in satisfaction, "Yep, right here," I drew a line in the sand with my foot, "It's out of the way of traffic, has nice soft ground, and is still plainly visible," I said loudly grabbing attention from both the onlookers and gang members.

"What the fuck are you talking about freak," Cobb asked breathing deeply anger gushing from his eyes and mouth. Yet all action was held back by fear.

And I smiled, "Freak? Why that is quite harsh Mr. Cobb. But on the account that I am a gentleman, I will let it slide," I said turning to face him from the spot I had marked, "As for what I am talking about I said,"

I couldn't help but smile broadly showing my teeth. I pointed at the ground with my non-armed hand," I think... this is where I'll bury you," my finger was now pointed at him, and I could feel a venomous glint radiating from my visage.