Last Man Standing
Part 1
"Don't do this, kid."
The boy's hand was shaking as he slowly raised his other hand to cover the first on the revolver he pointed squarely at the center of Ezra's scarlet vest.
"He cheated."
"I don't think so, I think maybe he's just a better card player'n you, son."
"I do not cheat. I am an extremely gifted---"
"SHUT UP!"
Vin stepped slowly left, his eyes never leaving the boy's, his single hand steady on his own Colt. The saloon was silent, each and every person present frozen in the moment.
"You don't want to kill Ezra. He adds some, uh, color and uh . . . he kinda fancies up the place."
"Refinement, Mr Tanner. I add refinement to an otherwise---"
"Yeah, he's refinement, boy, he---"
"I am refined, Mr Tanner," Ezra corrected.
"Shut up, Ezra, you ain't helpin' yerself here. Maybe I oughta jes let him shoot ya."
"This ain't none'a your business, Mister," the boy's voice, shakier now, quavered angrily.
"Nope, don't reckon it is. But seein's the sheriff ain't here right now, best one'a us keeps you from killin' yourself."
"And I do appreciate that, Mr Tanner."
"Shut up Ezra. You ever killed anyone a'fore, kid, cause if you ain't you don't want to start now."
"I'm man enough to kill this cheater."
"I told you both, I do not---"
"You don't got to be much of a man to kill another man. First one's not the hardest, it's the last man you kill goes down hardest. Last one. You remember the first one you kill, and the last one. Cause it ain't gonna stop here, less you plan on dyin', and if you kill him, you're gonna have to die. You know that, don'tcha?"
"You ain't makin' no sense."
"Well, it don't make no sense to kill a man over a card game, boy." Vin straightened slightly. His gun was getting heavy in his hand, and the boy's gun was already dropping slightly, so that it pointed at Ezra's stomach, not his chest. "Just ain't that important."
"Mr Tanner, I beg to differ, the outcome of a game of skill is certainly of high import---"
"Ezra, we both asked you before to shut up, ain't you listenin?" Vin was starting to get annoyed. Did Ezra want to get shot, or not?
The boy's sweat drenched face was pale, and he reminded Vin of a coyote caught in a trap. From the boy's point of view, there just wasn't any way out.
"I can tell you about killin' son, a carcass ain't nuthin you want to look at or be aroun' nor be responsible for. You'll prob'ly never make a more important choice than you're makin' right now. Walk away," and, as an afterthought, in a voice just above a whisper, Vin added, "Please."
The boy's gun had dropped farther now, but he jerked it up to bring it back, dead center on, and shouted, "NO! He CHEATED ME, and I want my MONEY, it's all I got, and I WANT IT!" His hand shook even more, and Vin began shaking his head as Ezra frowned slightly. The gambler began, wisely, to raise one hand slowly towards his vest pocket, and the money he had collected. Too little, too late.
"NO! DON'T YOU MOVE!" It was a scream now, a trapped, wild, careless and disraught scream.
Ezra began to shake his head as Vin fired and the boy dropped, crimson splattering around them as he fell back and down. Vin dropped to one knee, pulled the bandana from his neck and pressed the wad of cloth briefly against the hole in the boy's chest, and rose again, tossing the wet fabric away in disgust. He lifted his chin to look at Ezra, and shrugged.
"Mr Tanner," Ezra nodded his head curtly in a gesture of appreciation.
Vin returned the nod and his eyes fell again to the young man on the floor. The other patrons began to move again, and Nathan came through the door, followed by Chris and Josiah.
"What hap---" Chris began, but as his eyes met Vin's, the question died on his lips.
"Last man standing," Vin said softly as he walked away.
Part 2
"Don't do this, kid."
The boy's hand was shaking as he slowly raised his other hand to cover the first on the revolver he pointed squarely at the center of Ezra's scarlet vest.
"He cheated."
"I don't think so, I think maybe he's just a better card player'n you, son."
"I do not cheat. I am an extremely gifted---"
"SHUT UP!"
Vin stepped slowly left, his eyes never leaving the boy's, his single hand steady on his own Colt. The saloon was silent, each and every person present frozen in the moment.
"You don't want to kill Ezra. He adds some, uh, color and uh . . . he kinda fancies up the place."
"Refinement, Mr Tanner. I add refinement to an otherwise---"
"Yeah, he's refinement, boy, he---"
"I am refined, Mr Tanner," Ezra corrected.
"Shut up, Ezra, you ain't helpin' yerself here. Maybe I oughta jes let him shoot ya."
"This ain't none'a your business, Mister," the boy's voice, shakier now, quavered angrily.
"Nope, don't reckon it is. But seein's the sheriff ain't here right now, best one'a us keeps you from killin' yourself."
"And I do appreciate that, Mr Tanner."
"Shut up Ezra. You ever killed anyone a'fore, kid, cause if you ain't you don't want to start now."
"I'm man enough to kill this cheater."
"I told you both, I do not---"
"You don't got to be much of a man to kill another man. First one's not the hardest, it's the last man you kill goes down hardest. Last one. You remember the first one you kill, and the last one. Cause it ain't gonna stop here, less you plan on dyin', and if you kill him, you're gonna have to die. You know that, don'tcha?"
"You ain't makin' no sense."
"Well, it don't make no sense to kill a man over a card game, boy." Vin straightened slightly. His gun was getting heavy in his hand, and the boy's gun was already dropping slightly, so that it pointed at Ezra's stomach, not his chest. "Just ain't that important."
"Mr Tanner, I beg to differ, the outcome of a game of skill is certainly of high import---"
"Ezra, we both asked you before to shut up, ain't you listenin?" Vin was starting to get annoyed. Did Ezra want to get shot, or not?
The boy's sweat drenched face was pale, and he reminded Vin of a coyote caught in a trap. From the boy's point of view, there just wasn't any way out.
"I can tell you about killin' son, a carcass ain't nuthin you want to look at or be aroun' nor be responsible for. You'll prob'ly never make a more important choice than you're makin' right now. Walk away," and, as an afterthought, in a voice just above a whisper, Vin added, "Please."
The boy's gun had dropped farther now, but he jerked it up to bring it back, dead center on, and shouted,
"NO! He CHEATED ME, and I want my MONEY, it's all I got, and I WANT IT!" His hand shook even more, and Vin began shaking his head as Ezra frowned slightly. The gambler began, wisely, to raise one hand slowly towards his vest pocket, and the money he had collected.
"NO! DON'T YOU MOVE!" It was a scream now, a trapped, wild, careless and disraught scream.
Ezra began to shake his head as Vin fired and the boy dropped, crimson splattering around them as he fell back and down. Vin dropped to one knee alongisde the boy, pulled the bandana from around his neck and pressed it to the gaping wound in his leg. "Just be still, kid, Doc'll be here in a minute." He lifted his chin to look at Ezra, and shrugged.
"Mr Tanner," Ezra nodded his head curtly in a gesture of appreciation.
Vin returned the nod and his eyes fell again to the young man on the floor. The other patrons began to move again, and Nathan came through the door, followed by Chris and Josiah.
"Got 'im in the leg, Nathan, bleedin' purty bad."
The comments were drowned out by a gunshot, Vin frowning and jerking away; in slow motion Vin watched Ezra stagger back, drop to his knees, covering his chest with his hands. The gambler's eyes appeared startled and defiant as he met Vin's, and the tracker barely got to his side before his head dropped back and struck the floor and did not rise again. The third shot, immediately following the second, knocked the boy's upper body down to the floor, his outstretched hand dropping the gun as Buck's shot rang true. The growing pool of red continued to spread in silence.
Part 3
"Don't do this, kid."
The boy's hand was shaking as he slowly raised his other hand to cover the first on the revolver he pointed squarely at the center of Ezra's scarlet vest.
"He cheated."
"I don't think so, I think maybe he's just a better card player'n you, son."
"I do not cheat. I am an extremely gifted---"
"SHUT UP!"
Vin stepped slowly left, his eyes never leaving the boy's, his single hand steady on his own Colt. The saloon was silent, each and every person present frozen in the moment.
"You don't want to kill Ezra. He adds some, uh, color and uh . . . he kinda fancies up the place."
"Refinement, Mr Tanner. I add refinement to an otherwise---"
"Yeah, he's refinement, boy, he---"
"I am refined, Mr Tanner," Ezra corrected.
"Shut up, Ezra, you ain't helpin' yerself here. Maybe I oughta jes let him shoot ya."
"This ain't none'a your business, Mister," the boy's voice, shakier now, quavered angrily.
"Nope, don't reckon it is. But seein's the sheriff ain't here right now, best one'a us keeps you from killin' yourself."
"And I do appreciate that, Mr Tanner."
"Shut up Ezra. You ever killed anyone a'fore, kid, cause if you ain't you don't want to start now."
"I'm man enough to kill this cheater."
"I told you both, I do not---"
"You don't got to be much of a man to kill another man. First one's not the hardest, it's the last man you kill goes down hardest. Last one. You remember the first one you kill, and the last one. Cause it ain't gonna stop here, less you plan on dyin', and if you kill him, you're gonna have to die. You know that, don'tcha?"
"You ain't makin' no sense."
"Well, it don't make no sense to kill a man over a card game, boy." Vin straightened slightly. His gun was getting heavy in his hand, and the boy's gun was already dropping slightly, so that it pointed at Ezra's stomach, not his chest. "Just ain't that important."
"Mr Tanner, I beg to differ, the outcome of a game of skill is certainly of high import---"
"Ezra, we both asked you before to shut up, ain't you listenin?" Vin was starting to get annoyed. Did Ezra want to get shot, or not?
The boy's sweat drenched face was pale, and he reminded Vin of a coyote caught in a trap. From the boy's point of view, there just wasn't any way out.
"I can tell you about killin' son, a carcass ain't nuthin you want to look at or be aroun' nor be responsible for. You'll prob'ly never make a more important choice than you're makin' right now. Walk away," and, as an afterthought, in a voice just above a whisper, Vin added, "Please."
The boy's gun had dropped farther now, but he jerked it up to bring it back, dead center on, and shouted,
"NO! He CHEATED ME, and I want my MONEY, it's all I got, and I WANT IT!" His hand shook even more, and Vin began shaking his head as Ezra frowned slightly. The gambler began, wisely, to raise one hand slowly towards his vest pocket, and the money he had collected.
"NO! DON'T YOU MOVE!" It was a scream now, a trapped, wild, careless and disraught scream, his hands shook wildly as he dropped his chin to his chest, and looked away from Vin and Ezra. The gun slid down and clattered on the wooden floorboards, the boy shaking his head angrily. "I jes' wanted . . ." his voice trailed off.
Vin holstered his weapon, and stood silently along with the rest of the patrons as the boy tried to compose himself. "It ain't worth dyin' over, boy, you done the smart thing here."
The boy nodded and walked out into the night. The bootsteps on the boardwalk woke him, or he imagined they did; Vin's head jerked up off his chest where it rested moments before. He peered across the table at Chris and Buck playing a silent hand of poker, and over across the room at Ezra, alone, shuffling a deck of cards, a grim look on his face, struggled stiffly to his feet and went to stand in the doorway. He gazed down the street to where a single lantern lit the undertaker's room, just down from the Clarion, as the undertaker prepared a coffin.
Josiah was suddenly beside him, watching the flickering light in the dark street.
"Stupid kid," Vin muttered.
Josiah nodded. "You'll feel better when it quits hurtin'."
Vin stole a sidelong glance. "What quits hurtin?"
"The hole in the kid." Silently he pushed past Vin and walked into the night, turned up the street and headed towards the church.
The End