The Electric West

Chapter Three

"You're bleeding Harvey," said the doctor looking down at my dark red arm.

"Oh that's just a scratch doc," I said realizing the seriousness on the doctor's face. Probably because of that wound is going to get infected soon.

One thing everyone knows in Twig or any other towns in the desert, is that medicine is scarce. The only medicine that we can get are remedies that we can make out of the desert plants or hot water. A bullet wound or hole is a difficult to heal and sometimes amputation is an option or using caustration techniques.

The doctor took me to his large mud house,and he sent me to his living room. The doctor's living room had buck mount and two Winchesters hanging at each side, with at least 10 bookshelves filled with books, and a big role of old electric wires at every corner of the room.

"Take off your shirt and fetch me some water from the cells," said the doctor opening a footlocker looking for any cruel equipment he could think of.

When I entered the first floor of the mud house which was underground,the water storage room are was dryer than the desert sand. Since the water pumps are by the water room, all he cool and moist air was being sucked out. Being there for more than five minutes could give you a bloody nose. All the moisture disappears as the vacuum-like mechanism sucks all the air. The only way that the pumps could get air is by having clay pipes coming from the surface, which almost half of them were clogged up.

The neat thing about the doctors water facility is that he owns the most unique and advanced technology in the area. The only way that the doctor receives energy is not only by old windmills and turbines outside his house, but with long-lasting hydrogen cells. By converting hydrogen atoms into oxygen, the chemical reaction produces electricity and creates the safest byproduct, water. The only way the doctor got his hands on these is by stealing them from electrical facilities during the great incident.

Just as I got two gallons of water from the water tank, I walked upstairs and heard the bodyguards talking about the doctor.

"Where the hell did the doctor get that thing?" said one of the bodyguards with the black hat, which I'm pretty sure his name was Garad.

"I don't know man, the only thing I'm worried about is that kid's dad, and I think we should bail the old guy and move to Sanai tonight."

"Are you crazy!? We can't go in the night you know how it gets knowing that those demons get out in the night!"

"Alight then we'll go in the morning and let the rookies to take over the watch," the bodyguard with the stylish moustache trying to calm down the anxious team mates.

As soon they stopped talking, I walked into their group with the two pitchers in my hands.

"Whoa what happened to your arm, is it going to be alright? Said Garad looking at my arm with a red and surprised look on his face.

Knowing that all know I heard their conversation, I asked the first thing that got my attention.

"Whose son did we kill and why should we worry?" I asked staring at Garad, while the two others were staring at me and were trying to walk out to the stairway. "Uh, I don't know what you're talking about kid," trying to act like he didn't know what he just said 30 seconds ago.

"Where are you two going? I'm asking why should we worry that dumb bastard is fried in front of the doctors font yard?" I questioned with an assertive voice trying to intimidate the three body guards.

"Look kid this doesn't concerns you and you better watch your mouth or I swear to god will shoot your brains out!" pointing with his old black leather glove at my face.

"Is something going on here?" asked the doctor behind the bodyguards with a golden Winchester in his hands. Which I'm very curious where he got it from.

Garad then turned around with his hands mid-way up and started to speak, "Look doc it was good working with ya, but killing that kid was out of hand and-"

"No need to apologize, if you can't handle this type of shit like a man then get out,"

"But sir."

"GET OUT, and don't think about heading back to Twig, or I'll both shoot you down like the others, and tell the whole town that you've abandoned me."

"Sir we have families, and we can't leave them like this!"

"Like what, having them live in a town that might become burned down and pillaged soon?" the doctor growled looking toward Garad with a serious look on his face.

The fact that our actions might lead to the destruction of the entire town raced my heart.

"No sir," said Garad looking down and then apologized the old man.

"When you feel doubtful or scared Garad," the doctor said in a lighter tone hold pulling up the bodyguard's head. " Make sure that your fear don't overcome you, or your paranoia will cloud your mind and kill you."

"Yes sir, my apologies," said Garad with his bewildered face staring down at the doctor.

"Very well then, I'll need you and your friends to ride to Twig and warn the marshal, thet're gonna need a warning."
Just as the doctor sent off his bodyguards away, he then layed his hand on my shoulder. "Harvey I'll need you to grab the two Winchesters in the living room, and grab get a big bucket," he said.

After pouring water in to the big bucket, the doctor came in the room with a long sharp knife. "Here sit down, let me see your arm", said the doctor while grabbing a machine that was shooting a small laser. "Don't worry about this boy, I'm just going to heat up a knife, so you better want to grab a shirt to bite on," laughing hysterically while I quickly trying to grab a couch pillow.

"Damn it," I yelled while the hot knife burned the bullet wound, not to mention the hit the old man made on my face. "Shut it! you're sounding like a girl, Old Lady Jenny could handle a childbirth better than you. "Here dab the wound with water, NO don't scrub unless you want to make it feel worse!"

"Sorry I've never been burned from a burning knife!" I yelled as while the excruciating pain wouldn't go away. After the doctor closed my wound, he tossed a Winchester and a bandoleer. "Here kid, you might want to need it."

"Why?" I asked bewildered, still confused from the situation with the bodyguards and the mentioning of that kid.

"Why what? You like asking questions a lot boy. Just reload the rifle or read some books, and meet me outside tomorrow morning." said the doctor, while he poured the water out the window and walked up stairs to his room.

The doctor is pretty mysterious sometimes, for a man knowing a lot of answers he sure is sorer than a thumb. Although without him I don't think I would've known anything about the past, or knowing how to survive in this godforsaken desert.

Which makes me wonder, why is he acting so suspicious? Like as if he messed something up or someone is coming here soon. I guess that's why those bodyguards were freaking out so much whatever it is, it's not good.