The Showdown with Diablo
by John H. Stevens
The smoke from the hand-rolled cigarette billowed lazily to the rafters. Sam Burns took another drag, working up the courage to speak. He was stalling, hoping someone else would take the lead. He stared at his fingers, yellowed from years of smoking, and then to the tarnished badge he held in his other hand. He decided it was up to him to begin the inevitable discussion. After all, it was his idea to hire the shootist. He took a deep breath. “Do you think he’s coming back?” The silence slapped him in the face.
Old Bill Archer took aim at the spittoon and let loose. He wiped the excess off his long gray beard with the back of his hand. “We should’a started a bonfire using all our money for kindling. He’s probably halfway to Topeka by now.”
“Now Bill, we all agreed it was our best chance. You were there and you voted for it just like the rest of us.” Randy Steinfeld IV poured whiskey into three glasses. He used his left hand to steady his right but still left a pool on the mahogany bar. Sam noticed the trembling hands and figured Randy wasn’t going to be much help. Randy set the drinks on the table in front of his customers and pulled up a chair to join them. The sweat from his balding head ran down his face and he mopped it up with his apron. “I think he’ll be back. He’s a professional, and he’s got his reputation to think about. What kind of job is he going to get if word gets around that he hightailed it when Diablo got into town?”
“Yeah, that’s right. He’ll be back.” Sam took another drag and shook the butt from his fingers. “Dang it all.” He sucked on his burnt fingers. He continued with them still in his mouth. “This whole thing’s got me on edge. I can’t wait for him to get back here.”
Bill let out a laugh. “Even if he comes back, what do you think he’s gonna do when he finds out Slim was gunned down. He’s gonna skedaddle. That’s what he’s gonna do. Especially when he hears that Slim never got his gun out of holster when Diablo put a bullet through his head.”
“I hear his name ain’t even Diablo.” Randy’s voice was barely audible. He looked around the empty saloon before he continued. “I heard he changed it to Diablo because it sounded evil. Nobody knows what his real name is.”
Sam fetched the tobacco from his shirt pocket and set to rolling another cigarette. “Damn it, Randy. Who cares about his name? All I care about is burying him before he makes this a ghost town. Maybe Slim wasn’t fast enough but Jack is faster. We’ll see how good Diablo is when he gets back.”
“Listen to all of you. You’re all yellow-bellied.” Lilly Nye shot Randy a glare and covered the run in her stocking with her hand. She unconsciously fluffed the shopworn ruffles of her faded blue dress. She refused to believe the beauty of the young girl that came to this town had also faded. She straightened in her chair. “Instead of hiring a lawless thug to do your killing, why don’t you go out there and do your own dirty work. Sam, we pay you good money to be the sheriff. Do your duty and arrest Diablo.”
“Now Lilly, you know I wouldn’t stand a chance against him. It would be suicide.”
Lilly stood. “Then why don’t you deputize these two good-for-nothings? In fact, why don’t you deputize all the men of this town? Drag them out from behind their wives’ petticoats.”
A long slow creak stifled Lilly. The creaking slowed as the swinging doors of the saloon came together and stopped. Lilly quietly sat down.
“It’s good to see you back,” Sam stuttered.
“Whiskey!”
Randy scurried behind the bar and produced a glass and a bottle.
Jack Borowy swept the glass off the bar and grabbed the bottle. He finished it off with one long swig and threw it across the room. “You killed Slim.”
Randy stammered into the back bar.
Sam raised his hands in surrender. “It was Diablo. There was nothing we could do.”
Jack turned to Randy. “Don’t just stand there shaking. Get me another bottle.” He slowly strode to the table and lifted one foot onto the chair vacated by Randy. Lilly’s face screwed up in disgust but Jack merely doffed his hat to her. He bit off the end of a stogie and struck a match on the table. Smoke and words came out of his mouth simultaneously. “I hear he shot him in the back. That’s plain murder. As the sheriff, shouldn’t you arrest him?”
Sam’s hands were still in the air. “It wasn’t like that at all. Slim called him out. Diablo even let Slim make the first move.”
Jack’s hand flashed and Sam was looking down the barrel of Jack’s gun. “That’s a lie. Slim was too good to let anyone get the drop on him.” Jack cocked the gun and Sam wet himself. Jack saw the puddle under Sam’s chair and uncocked his gun. He let out a wry smile. “Tell Diablo I’ll meet him out at Sandy Flats. Tell him to hurry. I want to finish him off in time for dinner.” Jack holstered his gun, grabbed the bottle of whiskey, and strode through door.
The sand swirled around Jack but he kept his horse steady. Diablo slowly rode up to face him. “I heard you’re looking for me.”
Diablo’s voice sent chills through Jack. Jack never knew fear but now they were close friends. “I heard you murdered Slim.” Jack’s voice came out dry and brittle.
“I killed him and I’m going to kill you. I hope you’re more of a challenge.” The left side of Diablo’s mouth rose in what passed as a grin. “Make your move.”
Jack let his right arm hang limp and opened and closed his hand repeatedly. Once he felt relaxed, his hand stopped with the palm open three inches from his gun. He stared at Diablo. He’d done everything by the book. The sun was setting behind him and the wind was at his back. Diablo would have limited visibility. He reached for his gun and felt the pearl handle. His arm jerked back but the gun was still in its holster. Blood gushed from Jack’s wrist.
“You’re quicker than your partner. Slim never touched his gun.” Diablo leaned forward on his horse. “Let’s make this interesting. Since you can’t use your right hand, I’ll give you an advantage.” Diablo threw his gun into the sand ten feet away. “All you have to do is draw your gun and shoot before I dismount and reach my gun. Make your move.”
Jack wondered what Diablo was up to. Did he have another gun hidden? Hell, it didn’t matter. He was losing blood fast and was feeling lightheaded already. If he didn’t stop the bleeding soon, it would be over anyway. This time Jack didn’t go into his routine. He reached for his gun and was amazed that Diablo was already off his horse. Jack raised the gun but Diablo had already reached his. Jack fired off two wild shots before the bullet penetrated his skull. He slumped forward and fell off his horse.
Diablo rose to one knee and returned the gun to his holster. He set his left leg and rose only to fall back to the earth. He sat up and inspected the leg. Blue sludge oozed from a hole in his thigh. “That’s what I get for being cocky.” Diablo’s horse neighed and took off running. “Get back you old nag. Damn!” Diablo covered his wound with his hand and went into a deep trance. He removed his hand to reveal a bulbous scab.
Diablo shook his head. He had to give him his due. Jack was the best he’s met so far. This was the first time Diablo was scratched since coming here from Alpha Centuria. Even though his leg throbbed, he let out a hearty laugh. He was a petty criminal serving a twenty year sentence at home, nothing more than a runt really. On Earth, he was Diablo. A feared killer that took what he wanted.
Best of all, nobody would be looking for him here. Earth was the equivalent of an uncharted island. He found it quite accidentally while on the run. The lawlessness of this American West suit him perfectly. This was his new home.
Diablo stood gingerly and started the long walk back to town.
“One way or the other, it should be over by now.” Sam took another drag and continued pacing. “Do you think Jack got him?”
“I think we’ll be building Jack a home on Boot Hill,” Bill cackled. “It don’t matter much to me. I’m old. When Diablo walks through that door, I’m gonna have it out with him.”
Lilly chuckled. “We’ll bury you next to Jack. Sam, stop pacing and light me up one of your smokes.” Sam gave Lilly a cigarette and lit it. Lilly finished half the cigarette in three quick tokes. “I can’t take it anymore. I’m getting out of here. I’ll go to work in Durango. I still got what it takes to make a living.”
Randy wiped his brow with the bar towel. It didn’t help. The towel was soaking wet from previous trips to Randy’s face. “Lilly, we’ve got to stick together. It would be different if we all decided to leave.”
Sam slapped his hand on the bar. “Nobody’s leaving. If Jack don’t get him, we do the job right here.” The familiar squeaking sound of the swinging doors stopped Sam in his tracks.
“That’s some big talking you’re doing.” Diablo looked terrible but he wore a menacing grin. “I can’t think of anything I’d like better than settling it once and for all. Make your move.”
Sam, Bill, and Randy all reached for their guns but Diablo was already drawing a bead on Sam’s forehead. Just as Diablo pulled the trigger, his left leg buckled. His shot went into the wood floor, kicking up dust and splinters. Randy’s shot went high but Sam’s and Bill’s hit their mark. They emptied their guns into Diablo. Randy kept pulling the trigger long after he was out of bullets.
“Randy, you can stop firing now.” Sam inched closer to Diablo’s body. Diablo’s eyes stared vacantly. The blue gook oozed from holes all over his body. Sam didn’t get any closer. “I think he’s dead.”
Randy kept his empty gun trained on Diablo. “Are you sure? I thought I saw him move.”
“I’m sure,” Sam answered. “I wonder why his blood is blue?”
“Look out!” Bill screamed.
Diablo’s gun snapped up and fired three times. Sam, Randy, and Bill fell to the floor with identical bullet holes in their foreheads. Diablo covered Lilly with the gun. “Don’t make a move. There’s still three bullets left for you.” Diablo gingerly moved his hand from one wound to the next until all were covered with black, sickly, scabs.
Lilly couldn’t believe her eyes when Diablo rose to his feet. “Please don’t shoot me. I don’t want to die.”
“I don’t make it a habit of killing women but for you I might have to make an exception.”
Lilly spoke quickly. “No, don’t shoot me. I didn’t want anything to do with them. I wanted to leave town but they wouldn’t let me. I’m glad you killed them.” Lilly caught her breath and a small smile crossed her face. She straightened her hair and pulled her dress down off her shoulders. Lilly started again, this time slower and using a beguiling voice. “Yeah, I’m glad you killed them. I want to get out of this one-horse town. Take me with you.” Lilly took a step toward Diablo.
“Stay where you are or I’ll shoot.”
“I can make you happy.” Lilly drifted closer. “I can do things to you that you never knew possible.”
“Get back. I mean it.”
Lilly was inches from the barrel of the gun. “You’ve never been with a woman before, have you?” Lilly’s smile grew wider. “That’s okay. Give me your hand.” Lilly slowly reached for Diablo’s free hand and placed it upon her right breast. When Diablo’s hand lay limp upon her, Lilly moved it in a circular motion. She drew her face up to his and lightly kissed his lips. “Doesn’t that feel good?”
Diablo showed no signs of protest. Lilly’s serpentine tongue spread Diablo’s lips and probed his mouth. He moaned in pleasure. Lilly ravenously drank the air from him. Diablo let out another moan of pleasure. As Lilly continued inhaling, a look of terror covered Diablo’s face. His cheeks became gaunt. Her lips released their lock but Diablo could barely wheeze.
“Your kind makes me sick. For the first time in your life, you get a little power and it goes to your head. Do you think I let these animals touch me with their paws because I like it? No, the trick to not being found is to hide in plain sight—and nobody really looks at a ragged whore. You, on the other hand, attract attention to yourself. It wouldn’t take long for word to get out and then I’d be on the run again. Sorry but I plan to stay right here.
“It’s too bad. It would have been nice to talk to someone in my native language.”
Diablo’s eyes pled for mercy as she repositioned her lips on his. His body began to shrivel as the life was sucked out of him. When she was done, Lilly dropped the mummified body to the ground.
“That’s what happens when an Alpha Centurion messes with a girl from Proxima.”
John H. Stevens lives with his lovely wife, Geraldine, and daughter Katie in the suburbs of Chicago after growing up near Wrigley Field. During the day he’s a mild-mannered Systems Programmer. At night, he tries to come up with ideas for horror stories despite his dogs demanding he play with them. His scariest secret is he’s a Cub’s fan.
Pingback: The Great Geek Manual » Free Fiction Round-Up: May 24, 2011
Great dialogue and general feel to this. Well done!