Too dazed to keep standing, he crashed to the floor like a truckload of cement, causing Amelia to hurry towards him in a bid to curtail the bleeding bruise on the side of his head.
” Gallagher are you Okay? ” She whispered and stretched her trembling hands forward as if not sure of making contact with him. He wasn’t motionless but just seemed to be paused, faced to the ceilings of the cave.
” Don’t touch me you cursed Urchin. The only reason why I didn’t let that looser make a whore out of you is because only I have the sole right to make anyone suffer. All he needed to do was ask.” Gallagher said in coarse tune of stress as he gazed at the ceiling one last time before sitting upright in a flash of light that caused Amelia to disembark in fright.
” Thank you. I will be on my way now.” Amelia said, standing up as quick as she could and moving away from Gallagher who she also saw as another threat to her existence.
” Not so fast wench. You and I have a score to settle. Don’t even think of running less I make a paste from the flesh of your head and brains.” He enunciated and turned his gaze at her. With eyes glittering like that of a feline at night, she halted, in fear while she stood trembling, watching with utter fright as the giant figure approached her.
” Gallagher what have I done this time. I just want everyone to leave me alone.” She burst out crying, still holding her torn garments over her loins.
” Wouldn’t you have been dead if I let you be. Defiled and murdered! A death befitting for a lying urchin like you. I should have known that an ingrate
Would always be a ingrate. Liars and traitors as usual. You lied to me!” He bellowed, leaping Forward and grappling her neck with his coarse hands. Putting her Life before her modesty, she let go of her torn garments causing it to Sashay over her thighs, and coming to rest at her trembling feet. She was bare from the waist line down but she couldn’t care more about the chocking pain that eloped her throat as she tried to no avail to ungrasp his clutch for her neck. Certain, her strength was no match for his fury, she went limp from exhaustion, causing him to shove her to the floor in rage.
” Where is he?” He called out as he watched her choke loudly, scampering for breath.
” He was going to…” She protested, pausing only to inhale a jar of air into her nose. ” He was going to kill me if I said anything!”
” Liar! You whore. You gave him solace. You hid the beast away from us. I’m sorry to disappoint you but Maximin has a long history of making sushi out of little girls like you. I’m surprised he let you live this long. I may be bad but I have been the sole savior of the people of Texas.” Said Gallagher as he pulled an old colt pistol from his wrangler jean pocket. His wrinkled forehead was glossy with what appeared to be a mixture of sweat and blood. The right portion of his beard was covered in blood owing to the abrasion the bullet had left.
” I Don’t know where he is. He tried to kill me and I ran into this cave.” She cried out and began to crawl away from him, praying for it to all end.
” And the last place you saw him?”.
” The cottage. I saw him in the cottage and he chased after me.” For a while Gallagher went silent and suddenly and suddenly crotched on the floor like a wolf. He sniffed the air around and quickly sprang up again.
” His around. I thought as much! For the beast to keep you for this long without taking your life, only means he may have a special liking for you. The coward is probably scared to face me again after what I did to him at the dark tavern.” Said Gallagher as he turned around, hawking his gaze in circles. For all he cared, an attack was eminent and he was ready for it. The more he gazed around in circles, the more presence of Maximin he felt and suddenly there was a beastly intrusion into the cave and it was headed straight for him.
Chapter 11: The thing in the Cave.
” Durban! You bastard you scared me so much. You guys move slower than snails.” Said Gallagher and let his guard down. Durban was silent and had a strange pupil movement in his eyes.
” What’s with the silence you Devil for an Urchin. Where are the rest of… ” Was all he could sanely say before a ferocious boot came crashing against his jaw, disposing him off balance. He was almost back on his feet when he felt the full esteem Durban, towering against him and further altering his legs on the floor and causing him to stagger further away from his balance.
” Traitor.” He yelled at Durban who ricocheted off his body and fell to the ground head first.
” Master. It’s the beast. It’s Maximin.” Durban cried out to save his head, allowing Gallagher to get an idea of what had thrown him against his boss. Gallagher was quick to find his balance at the sound of the beastly nomenclature, gazed around but could neither find Maximin neither could he Find Amelia.
” You Bastard you let them go! Where are the rest?” Gallagher said and hurried out of the Cave to catch an air of Maximin.
” His is so strong and move so fast. The only other person I have seen move so fast is you Boss.” Said a Scared Durban. As he looked around, brandishing a dagger he had pulled out from his dangling scabbard. Gallagher was out and he could hardly keep on with the smell of the duo. The thought of having a billion dollar at hand and letting it go, sent him nuts. ” I have trained you all. I have cautioned you all over your excessive love for life. All you had to do was say a word or give a clue and I would have ensnared that beast. You were scared of getting killed huh?” Gallagher said and abruptly turned against Durban, pointing the old colt to his skull. Trying to run in such a situation was only going to provoke his boss the more. He stood gazing at his boss with a gaze of remorse while he innately prayed for a miracle. It didn’t come. The trigger went ajar sending forth two hot bullets, that narrowly brushed pass the scalp of Durban.
” Next time, I won’t be merciful to waste my bullets on you. I will serve you as an offering to the beast of the woods.” Said Gallagher and sniffed again after picking a familiar scent of humans.
” Master. Oh we found you. You move so fast.” Said Sacramento from an acre away as he led the dozen gang members to dawn on the boss and their colleague.
” I saw that beast. He is still injured. He won’t be able to travel so far carrying that wench on his shoulders. Split and get a hold of them and be careful. We have Company. The Ghost soldier and his men have joined the party. I saw him with my own eyes.” Gallagher said and sniffed again.
” The ghost soldier you say sir. You killed him two years ago in a duel. We all saw him burn to death.” Said Sacramento almost making a banter out of his bosses words.
” Ladies and Gentlemen. I’m now a liar.” Said Gallagher as he turned towards the lanky fellow, who never really took anything seriously in his life_ a trait well established by him amidst his gang members.
” No Boss. We saw him die boss. You killed him. We burnt him ourselves.” Said Sacramento as he slightly turned his gaze from left to right in a bid to get the reactions of his colleagues. They bent their gaze to the floor to shy away from his problems causing his grin to slowly disappear.
” And I said he isn’t dead you deranged Urchin. You two had just one job. Burn his corpse to cinder. Did it happen so?” Gallagher asked, turning around in majesty to get a glimpse of Durban who stood with his head bent to the floor. The duo were silent and said nothing bowing their heads further to the earth to avoid his heavy gaze.
” We burnt the body yes. To cinder though, we can’t be sure off. It was getting late and when we doused it with gasoline we lit it on fire. We saw it burn and we had to leave before his men led another assault on us.” Said Durban in sullen tone of apology.
” You good for nothing Urchins. I think it’s only fair I give you some hints on the devil you let loose from hell. I have the beast to think of and now, I have yet another demon to watch out for thanks to your Negligence.” He winced in rage ” Durban! When Sacramento has damned himself to be a forever Lunatic., I expect far better from you. Another glitch from your end and I shall have your head roasting on a stick.” Gallagher silvered and for the first time, eased his bleeding head with his right palm while slowly lowering the pistol against his laps. To the floor he went again, all limbs almost flat against the earth like some freak show.
” I smell the beast. Let’s get him!” Said Gallagher, sprang up and pounced further into the woods while his gangs followed suit.