Joe woke to the sound of a dog hollering. He layed in an unknown bed wrapped in a blanket. A dull ache ran down his back as he pushed himself upward. Just as he was about to look around the room, he felt a breath of moist air on his shoulder. Realizing he had company he tugged at the blanket slightly.

  Lying hidden beneath it was a black haired woman, she was beautiful – and serene. He extended his hand, fingers nearly touching her face, but stopped

  “Hmmm” the woman groaned in her sleep as she smiled.

  Joe exhaled as his small smirk disappeared. Shaking his head, he moved his grainy frame so it sat on the bedside.

  He began quietly putting on his gear. His Winchester layed next to the bed. Strapping it on he turned around to look at the woman one last time.

  Exiting the room he found himself in the balcony of the Red rose. Rex must have gotten him a room. Joe grunted slightly – he hated owing people.

  Walking down the stairs towards the bar, he was greeted with the sight of Jenny, tirelessly mopping up some leftovers from yesterday's event.

  "Morning" Joe said, his deep voice resonating inside the empty room.

  " Monin " Jenny nodded, clearly tired, cleaning up after manning the bar the entire night. The air smelled like a mixture of wet wood and puke.

  "Know where I can get some chubb round here? "

  Jenny stooped mopping for a second to think

  " Clarksons got the best chubb in town – after us of course. Would have cooked you something if not for the gift I got by that sleazebag yesterday" she snorted.

  " Also, you should talk to the sheriff, he asked for ya"

  " I'm not into men" Joe said stone faced, causing jenny to look in dazzlement as he left the Red rose with a small chuckle.

  Piercing rays of sunlight greeted Joe as he left the Red Rose. There was a reason most took longer journeys during the evening instead of during noon.

  The square was filled with people as folk from surrounding villages came to trade. It became apparent to Joe that The Red Rose laid in the middle of what constituted the town's central area. Glancing quickly, Joe saw it consisted of adjacent buildings on each side of a large open dirt clearing. Lining up in the middle were opposing stands. All kinds of people could be seen haggling passerbyers as they showed off the wares of their stalls.

  "Finest tobacco on this side of the mississippi!"

  " 2 apples for the price of one, first 10 only"

  "Come get your fresh milk here, 5 cents a gallon!"

  Joe walked through the crowd as he went up to a vendor, flipping a dime, he grabbed an apple and a pack of leathers. Silently the vendor nodded and grabbed the coin. No unnecessary small talk, just the way he liked it. He then continued along inside the large square, eying both people and buildings.

  A black haired boy could be seen handing out papers looking somber. The people who were greeting him looked sympathetic.

  Joe's gut told him it was Johns son, the demeanor just matched.

  As he neared the boy the latter saw him

  "Hey Stranger!" He called out as the surrounding people began to look onto the pair.

  Joe turned around as he lit a cigarette.

  "Yeah?" He grunted

  " Please come to my fathers funeral next week" he said, as Joe could see him suppressing tears, he looked no older than 10. A sense of dejavu overcame him as he remembered something.

  Joes eyes darted around quickly before walking up to the boy

  "Sure kid" he said, grabbing the card and exhaling a large cloud of smoke into his face.

  "I'll be there so relax alright"

  "Thank you mister!" The wide cheeked kid yelled, revealing a large smile, for a second his troubles seemed to have been lifted.

  He shook his head at how soft he had become. Damn kids, he always had a soft spot for them. It was quite funny, many of the buckeyes he killed without battin an eye used to be kids, but he never felt a thing for them.

  Spontaneously he wondered where Samson was. That wild horse was always off doing something mischievous with mares. The black steed would always be there when he needed him though.

  Suddenly as if on cue, a white horse stopped right next to him

  “Hard man to find ” The rider smiled as he tipped his hat.

  “ Sheriff” Joe greeted with a slight nod

  “You needed somthing?”

  “ Looking for work?” Bill asked, Joe sighing as he knew it would be related to some chivalrous law man activities.

  “ Depends on the work”

  “As u know Im one man short” Bill said staring into the horizon

  “ Michael and Matthew already got their hands covered dealing with petty crimes”

  “ So u want me to work for you, as a law man?” Joe asked frowning

  “Not quite “ Bill said slightly grinning as he imagined Joe in a standard outfit

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “ I want to hire your services for the moment, think of it as a protection job, guard my city from criminals and I'll compensate you well – at least until I can find a replacement for John”

  Joe could still hear the pain coming from his voice. Dammit

  He stood silent for a good minute before looking up at Bill. Taking a deep inhale of his cigarette he spoke

  “ You need to know i'm a wanted man sheriff, people find out im here, Flints in danger”

  Bill eyed Joe, his demeanor changing but still friendly

  “ Reason?”

  “ A lot of things, but I recently killed the mayor's son over in Carod, it's how I got this piece” Joe said, slightly raising the reflective metallic revolver.

  Bill paused for a second

  “ Why?”

  Joe spat out his cigarette, crushin the ambers “ Damn family thought they could do whatever they wanted, bastard drew his gun on me and I had enough”

  Bill looked straight faced at Joe. He in fact already knew that Joe had killed the mayor's son. Being the closest part of their county, he had been there when the sheriffs of the area met up for their 5 year recap, he knew the The Mayor of Carod belonged to a corrupt family, but they had too much influence for him to do anything.

  They had their fingers in everything from the law to banking and even distillery. They had distant relatives who were judges. Nothing happened in Carod without them approving it, and at the same time, they could do whatever they wanted.

  “ Once a man draws a gun, you are allowed to use lethal force to defend yourself” Bill said somberly, as he retrieved the golden metallic star from this pocket

  “ So, you want the job or not?”

  “ Alright” Joe said, unenthusiastically. He had done worse jobs for less, back in the day.

  Clopping could be heard coming from behind as the sounds of hooves came galloping. A large muscular black steed stopped right in front of Joe, standing on its hind legs as it rose to the air neighing. When it came down on all fours, its nose instinctively went for the apple in Joe's pocket.

  Joe grabbed the apple, rotating it so that the red ball split clean into two halves.

  “Easy there boy” he said smiling, petting Samson as he fed him the other half. Samson licked Joe's hand as he bit the apple, he looked satisfied.

  “Figured the horse was urs. Come on Milk ” Bill chuckled as he gently flicked the reigns of his own horse, causing it to ride in front of Joe

  “Was just heading to Clarksons to grab some chubb, let's discuss business there”

  “ hah”

  The two men rode along down the trafficked street, the crowd parting ways for the large steeds, apparently no one wanted to be trampled by the gigantic beasts. A few blocks later they had reached a large establishment. It had a massive wooden saddle roof supported by a large rectangular wooden frame.

  Its facade consisted of fresh wooden plaques that laid vertically. Extending outside the existing frame was the roof covered entrance that was supported by large wooden beams. Wooden stairs encompassed the entire front of the establishment. To the side of the establishment, sheltered sports had been designated for stationing horses, where they had hay and water, although there were sports without, presumably cheaper. 4 large chimneys had been joined up, as smoke exited their tops.

  Expectantly the place was busy. Plenty of men wearing flannel shirts and jeans entering and exiting. Seemed like a certain crowd gathered here.

  “Welcome to Clarksons” Bill exclaimed produly

  “ One of the oldest stores west of the Mississippi”

  Joe clicked his tongue as he looked at the large wooden building. Both men tied their horses to a roof covered hitchingpost, Samson occupying 2 spots to fit. After walking up the stairs, two large men were met with massive swing oak doors. They had an engraved pattern of a pair of crossed revolvers.

  Pushing in the doors, Joe was met with the largest interior he had ever seen. A massive glass chandelier hung overhead as he scanned the open floor. Several round tables were distributed with space in between as patrons sat smoking and eating. Waiters could be seen delivering drinks and food, hurrying to supply what had to be at least 100 people. To the left, the entire wall was covered with a massive long bar, and to the right there was a kitchen area. Furthest in the back was a cleared square area where two burly men could be seen fighting with their bare knuckles, as rich patrons smoking cigars could be seen giving money to men in tuxedos, presumably placing bets. Joe felt a couple men equipped with rifles eye him as they stood in the far corner of the establishment, clearly security.

  “Well I’ll be damned,” Joe said, arms resting on his hips, his eyes slightly lit up. He had never seen something like this in a small town.

  “ Clarksons have been here ever since flint was founded, the owner is the fourth generation family head, and they take security very seriously “ Bill said, arms crossed as he also looked out into the massive crowd.

  Then having found his target, he dove towards an unoccupied table. Joe followed suit, both men getting a few stares from the surrounding folks.

  Joe could clearly tell that many of them were greenshots. Their gear and mannerisms were too obvious, looking like they had just stepped foot outside after buying their first gun. They were carefree. He didn’t worry about them.

  The ones that caught his eye, had a quick and piercing gaze. They never seemed entirely relaxed and radiated blood lust. They often wore simpler things, the bare minimum so to speak. Joe could tell a man's shooting arm from a mile away, but the real dangerous ones were tricky.

  They invited you to underestimate them. Most of them were equally good shots with both hands. You had to be.

  Bill stopped as he sat down at a table. It was located in the middle of the crowd. Just as Joe had joined him, a waiter could be seen approaching them.

  "Welcome gents, how can I help you?" The fine clothed man said calmly as he bowed towards the two gunmen.

  "Today's lunch will do fine for me" Bill said as he glanced over at Joe

  He leaned back on the small wooden chair he found him in. " What he said"

  "Very well gents, the chubb will be ready soon, until then, can I offer any refreshments?"

  " No" Joe said abruptly, eyes locking onto the waiter " And tell your guards to relax. If I was gonna cause trouble, I would've done it from the get go"

  The waiter's eyes slightly shot open, eyes quickly darting towards the guards and then back at Joe. " Ofcourse" he said, bowing slightly as he returned to the kitchen with his notes.

  Bill sighed as he looked at Joe " You gotta work on ya people skills"

  Joe responded with an emotionless expression. Either the man didn't hear him or he didn't care. Bill's eyebrows rose as he for a second seemed to have seen Joe looking intently at somthing. The air around them had become more solemn for some reason. It was as if almost all the patrons were watching them with the corner of their eye. He would have dismissed it if the attention had been directed at him.

  A few minutes passed by, their silence not affecting the loud ambience of the hall. The waiter came back with their requested items. Two large plates of bacon and eggs, along with two equally large glasses of beer.

  Just as Joe was about to bite down into some crispy bacon, a hand grabbed his shoulder.

  "Joe calligan" a deep solemn voice sounded , Bill catching a sliver of bloodlust.

  Joe proceeded to eat his bacon, not turning around to face the stranger.

  The chatting had almost entirely quieted down as most of the patrons looked onto the unfolding scene, some nervous, others entertained. The waiter had run off towards the guards whispering something.

  "Hey!" The stranger yelled, clearly taken aback at the reaction " Did you not hear me you ass?" as his arm went to grab Joes poncho

  Joe swallowed hard as he rose up, blocking the man's arm. In a swift motion he threw a punch that landed straight on his chin, causing the taller man to collapse onto the ground, knocking down the table behind him.

  Shocked gasps filled the room as the onlookers saw the large man fall down. The sound of multiple revolvers clicking could be heard as some seemingly prepared for the worst.

  Bill saw the guards standing in the corner, eyes on the scene but not moving. They clearly looked like they were restraining themselves for a reason.

  “You son of a bitch” The large man said as he clenched his Jaw

  “ I challenge you to a -”

  “ Enough Edward '' An authoritative voice interrupted, causing the large man to lose any sign of his previous boldness. The voice belonged to a white suited middle aged man, who sat loosley on a barstool near the scene. Clearly he had watched the entire scene unfold.

  “ I’ve allowed you to have your fun, but a duel is a sacred thing, once you challenge this man, no one will step in to help”

  A large gulp could be heard, as Edward seemed to have realized somthing. Bill eyed the large man, or rather large young man. It was clear to him he came from money. The arrogance, lack of respect. Looking at the disbelief in his face, it seemed like it was the first time he had taken a punch as well.

  Joe eyed the man in the white suit, eyebrows slightly rising.

  “Working as a babysitter now Carl?” he said, eyes glancing on the young man before darting towards the man in the white suit.

  “How low you have fallen”

  “ Joe calligan. The reaper – fastest gun west of the Mississippi, they say "Carl spoke loudly as he arose from his stool. The man was of normal height and weight, nothing seemed remarkable about him besides his suit and poise.

  “ Word sure goes fast around these parts – didn’t even have to sniff ya out” he said, creeks sounding against the oak plank floor. He walked in a nonchalant manner, hands gesturing in the air.

  “ Ghost!” Bill heard someone exclaim as he looked onto the white suited man.

  “ Looking to avenge your buddies?” Joe said, eyes locked at the man, as his hand slowly lowered towards his holster “ They shouldn’t have challenged me”

  Carl looked calm, but Joe could see him slightly clenching his teeth. He continued walking towards Joe until they stood 2 meters apart. “ Step outside Reaper” He hissed, before walking past him towards the door.

  A group of 3 men tailed behind him as they all proceeded to head out the entrance. Edward stopped at the door, eying Joe for a slight second before continuing out.

  Bill looked pale as he saw the scene unfold. Someone would die. Question was, how many?

  Joe stood still as he began lighting up a cigarette. He eyed Bill,

  “It's me they’re after sheriff, no need to get involved”

  He proceeded towards the exit.

  Bill sat in confliction as he contemplated his next move. Suddenly he rose up, dismissing the knots he felt tying in his stomach. “ This is my town. Besides, what employer does not help their employee?” He yelled towards Joe just as he was about to leave

  Joe slightly turned his head towards Bill as he exhaled a cloud of smoke. His eyes were looking ahead but Bill saw a small smirk escape his face.

  “ Can’t argue with that”

  He waited for the sheriff to stand beside his shoulder before putting a hand on the swing door. The two men exited the establishment, the interior still dead silent, as people looked on in excitement and horror. The sounds of several chairs creaking against the old wooden floor could be heard as several men followed suit, presumably to watch the show unfold.