RANGO // OӘͶAЯ - Another Outlaw Story [Engl.]

12. Smoke and Flames

Jake crawled so fast through the desert like never in his life before. His lungs ached, but he didn't want to stop. He had no problems to backtrack where he came from. He didn't know how long, but some times he caught sign of a known hill. The snake flicked his tongue.
There was smoke in the air. Billows of dark smoke ascended to the sky.
He felt quick footsteps. Two peccaries ran to meet him. Jake eschewed them. Without to decrease his speed, he reached the top of the hill.
On the ranch, there was utter chaos.
Peccaries ran in all directions, inside and outside of the ranch area.
Riders on roadrunners circled around the farmer house. The shed was on fire.
Jake narrowed his eyes and recognized rodents on the riding animals.

Stump stood in the kitchen. His gun in his hands. Meggy and her sons sat in a corner together. Her arm was red of blood. Chorizo stood behind the window of the living room.
"How long do they want to beset us?" He asked more himself.
"Until they lost their interest," Stump guessed.
He jumped aside when a bullet broke through the already broken glass pane.
Meggy pulled their children closer.
"Come out!" an angry man's voice screamed. "Don't be so shy and fight like a man."
"There is no reason for me to combat against your gang."
"Oh, come on. Come out, and I will let you go... after we shellacked you."
Stump took a deep breath. "Alright. Take what you want, but let my family in peace."
"We only want to play with them," Joey mocked. "Like your ill son did it today. And I'm angry enough to hear that we had a bad day because of a damn snake, which you took under your roof."
"He came as a stranger. You would be wise to be hospitable like us."
"Oh, yes, I would be so hospitable that I had invited some guest to a snake fricassee."
"You are a bastard!" Meggy cried.
Suddenly a shower of shots crackled against the house walls. Stump and Chorizo threw themselves on the floor.
The boys began sobbing. That was too much for a mother's heart. Meggy jumped up, took a rifle from a wall, ran to the window and shot out.
The riders ducked their heads and dodged the bullets.
"Such a damn bitch," Joey cursed. "It's time for a little firework."
One of the Jenkins Brothers didn't wait long and threw a stick of dynamite into the flame inferno of the shed. The burning building exploded in a cloud of smoke and splinters of wood.
"That was to warm up", Joey cried. "Now we will freight your house to heaven for free."
Stump rubbed over his head nervously. His glance wandered at his wife.
"Meggy, take the children and run to the emergency exit beside the garden."
"Like hell I will!" she protested.
With a deep sigh, he put his hands on her shoulders. "I will follow you. I promise. It won't be long."
Meggy wanted to say something, but Stump took the children. "Kids, you know the secret way of the underground, don't you?"
The boys nodded. "Yes."
"Now, take your mother and go inside. I will come later."
"I want to stay here!" Meggy cried.
"Look at me, darling. Look at me. I said, I would take care for you and the children. I said it, and I will keep it. Now, do me the favor and hide until it's over."
He gave her a kiss on her forehead and bent down to his sons. "Keep an eye on her, my big boys."
Stanley and Portley nodded, then both took the hands of their mother.
"Come on, mum."
Reluctantly, she let guide away from her children, but she didn't leave him without to give him a kiss.
After they were gone to the back door. Stump looked at Chorizo.
"As I know you, you don't want to go, do you?"
"You know, I'm always behind you."
Stump nodded. He took a white towel and held it out of the window.
"We capitulate! Don't fire!"
"They are giving up," Joey muttered satisfied. "How smart. I knew, you will come to your senses."
Slowly Stump opened the door and walked out with raised hands.
Chorizo watched him, who stood behind a drape of a window.
Joey grimaced. "Where is your remainder?"
"First, give me your word, that you don't hurt them."
"Of course, I won't. After I gave you a lesson."
With these words he aimed his gun at him. "I hate people who let me wait so long."
He pressed the finger on the trigger.
Suddenly there was a movement around the house corner.
One of the Jenkins Brothers reacted and shot.
In response Meggy shot back, but she missed her target Joey.
Now the other Jenkins Bandits opened the fire. Two of them rode around the house. Meggy made big steps and ran back into the house through the back door.
Joey looked to the house door where Stump was going to run around the corner.
"Stay here!"
Stump kneeled on the ground, when Joey's bullet cut his skin on his leg.
Joey was ready to fire a new shot, but at this moment, Chorizo ran outside and placed himself with his long gun in front of him.
"Don't shoot!"
But the other Jenkins Brothers had fun firing shots around and shot like madmen on the house walls.
"Blast the house!" Joey ordered loudly.
One of the Jenkins Brothers didn't wait long and lighted a batch of dynamite.
Stump and Chorizo held their breaths when he raised the burning stick in his hand.

Jake watched how one of the Jenkins Brothers was ready to throw the dynamite.
He blinked. His inner conflict fought wars. It could be a mistake like he did many weeks ago. It could be his new black day. Why did he fight for the ranchers when they were attacked by the snake gang? And he became sorry that he did.
The Jenkins Clan member found his target.
Jake took stock of himself very deeply.
Suddenly he made a big jump and slithered down the hill. And while slithering he shot.
The roadrunner with the dynamite rodent, panicked and pitched his rider. But it was almost too late. The rodent already threw it, but he lost his momentum and the dynamite fell next to the house wall.
A loud explosion broke the air. After the first smoke was gone, a part of the house had crashed.
Stump and Chorizo stood there like frozen. They winced when some men aimed their guns at them. Suddenly a big shadow jumped at their side.
Both mammals didn't know what happened when the snake shot around like he would do nothing more in his life.
First the Jenkins Brothers tried to shoot back, but confronting with that force of a barrage of gunfire, they couldn't overcome.
There were screams. Many men held their legs or arms.
Jake interrupted a second when a rider came from behind to shoot him down. But the snake took a wood beam from the ground and smashed him from the roadrunner.
Then he continued shooting.
"Let's scram!" Joey screamed.
With that, they jumped on their roadrunners and took flight. Jake gave them some shots more, then he stopped. They were gone.
It became silent. Just the lambent flames crackled in the broken wood.
"Meggy! Meggy!"
Stump had run into the house. Chorizo followed him. "Be careful! The house can collapse every moment!"
Jake held his breath. But at least it didn't take much time and they came back. In their hands, they carried something out. They pulled it meters away from the house and put it on the ground. The rabbit woman had sooted and covered with dust.
Stump bent down and touched her face carefully.
"Meggy! Oh god! Talk to me!"
But his wife didn't give a sound. With heavy trembling hands he felt for her pulse.
Jake watched them silently and came a little closer. The woman still didn't move. Her husband was shortly before breaking out in tears.
"We need the doctor!"
"That will take too much time," Chorizo said. "We will bring her to town."
Jake's glance wandered at their children who watched all around a corner.