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

28. Behind the Walls

The chameleon sucked the tic tac calmly and savored it slowly in his mouth. He wasn't going to follow the two reptiles. He knew where he would find them. His glance wandered down to the ranch. He had heard a lot of rumors about that area and decided to make a little walk. He only stopped when he heard voices.
"How many times?" an old man's voice said bitterly. "How many times did I tell you, you shouldn't talk with strange people?!"
"I don't think that he wanted to hurt me," a female voice replied feebly.
Carefully the chameleon peeked over the top of a hill where he could see how Rice helped her father up.
"Oh! And what's that?!"
Joel pointed at his bleeding shoulder.
"Please, don't get upset, daddy. Come, we have to tape your shoulder."
Nobody watched how the female lizard with the older one went into the house.
He let wander his glance and stopped at the old big shed. He thought a brief moment, then he walked at it.
He had no fear. The green lizard laughed while he was crossing several pitfalls.
"Nice toy," he muttered. With watchful eyes, he reached the building which stood a few meters away from the ranch house.
What had the old man to hide?
He opened the door. It had unblocked. He looked inside and was surprised.
The shed had filled with pipes and tubes and was lightened with old oil lamps. In the middle of it stood a big metal container.
The chameleon went through the door frame and walked at it. The floor had covered with old straw. After he reached the gigantic metal tank, he reached out his hand and touched the metal wall. He could feel coldness and the sound of fluent liquid.
He narrowed his eyes. "Hm. Interesting."
He winced. His moveable eyes discerned a quick movement at the far end of the shed.
Someone ran up to him. Shortly after a figure lunged at him. The chameleon ducked quickly and threw the attacker aside. The person tumbled on the floor.
He turned around and looked who dared to attack him. He stopped in his move to use his gun.
On the ground sat a lizard, brown skin, blue dress and half long brown hair with corkscrew curls.
"Well, do tell, look what we have. A little girl."
He put his gun back into the holster.
"I'm not a little girl!" she hissed.
"Alright, big girl." He grinned.
The female lizard stood up and stared at him with venomous look.
"Scram! You have no business here!"
The chameleon crossed his arms. "I will go when I ever want, sweetheart."
"Don't call me like that!"
The chameleon didn't pay attention to her words and glanced around. "You seem to be very inventive. Are you going to produce something special?"
"That's none of your damn business! Go away! Immediately!"
She wanted to push him away, but the chameleon turned around and used her force against herself. The girl twirled around, but found her balance again.
"You have more venom on your tongue like a rattlesnake in fangs," he smirked.
"If you don't disappear, I will throw you out!"
Nobody clicked with his tongue mockingly.
"I don't play with little girls."
The female lizard narrowed her eyes angrily. "Pack off!"
The chameleon raised its eyebrows and smirked. "Quiet venomous tongue you have for a girl, haven't you, shawty?"
The woman snorted with disgust. She jumped up and grabbed for a tree branch.
The chameleon eyed her with surprise. Then he smiled amusedly.
"Alright, I have nothing to do at the moment."
He took a similar stick and like two fencers they were opposing each other.
The woman started and ran to him. The chameleon yawned and made a few steps aside quickly. Her branch hit the air. But the girl wasn't unsettled by that. She turned around and started a new attack. Now the lizard struck back and their sticks clashed.
"Oh, what a nice rendezvous," the chameleon laughed. "Reminds me of a wedding of a friend."
The girl didn't want to talk. They climbed about tubes and pipes. She attacked him the whole time. The girl was the one who followed him again and again. And when she thought she could hit him, he avoided her hits. Suddenly the chameleon stumbled over a little tube on the floor. He got sidetracked for a few seconds. The young woman took her chance and hit the stick into his belly. The chameleon hunched with a moan.
"Nice strike for a girl," he hissed through the teeth.
But in the next second, he took a deep angry breath. "Alright, but now the party is over."
Now the male lizard pressed ahead. The woman was surprised for a moment. Like a professional sword fighter the chameleon let swing his stick like a lightning and in the next second the stick of the woman flew through the air.
He placed the end of the stick on her chin.
He smiled. "Weak girls shouldn't play with big boys."
She growled. Suddenly she grabbed for a cord and pulled it. Not far away a pipe rumbled down. The chameleon looked whether he had to avoid, but the metal piece only fell down on the floor. He looked ahead again, but the woman was gone.
He growled and looked around, but he couldn't see her.
"Come out, sweetie," he purred. "I don't wanna hurt you."
With slowly steps he walked along the pipes. A rumbling sound let him look into a corner.
He smirked. "Don't be a shy one."
He walked at the corner, but before he reached it, suddenly something very small flew through the air. The chameleon registered the object in a millisecond. Lightning-fast he shot out his tongue, grabbed the fly and let it disappear in his mouth. But to his big surprise the fly had an unbelievable force. The force let him fall forward and he opened his mouth again. The fly pulled him and flew up.
The chameleon could do nothing. His tongue stuck on it like glue. Without success, he grabbed his long-stretched tongue. In the light of the lamps, he could perceive a twine. Too late he realized that the fly wasn't a real fly, but a fishing bait. Like a fish on a fishing rod, he stood in front of a wooden beam and looked up a little worried that his tongue could rip off, if he wouldn't cut the string before. Helpless he stood there on his tiptoes. Carefully he tried to remove his tongue from it and pulled.
Suddenly someone stepped behind him and pressed his hands on his back. Shortly after he felt a blade at his throat.
He moved his eyes behind and seconds later his yellow eyes met the brown eyes of the girl.
"Who is the weak girl now?" She hissed. A satisfied smile placed her mouth.
The chameleon clenched his fists. "Damn it!" he muttered with lolled tongue. "I never can stifle it."
"Where is your compliment?" the girl asked mockingly.
"Not bad," Nobody growled with disgust. "For a girl."
He gasped for air when the female lizard added the pressure with the blade on his throat. "Don't move, and I will let your tongue. Or I will cut it off."
Nobody winced when the girl put the knife blade on his tongue.
"Get it?"
The chameleon nodded.
The green lizard didn't fight back while the girl tied together his hands on his back. He was so angry like never before in his whole life. The female lizard tied the cord tight.
"Is binding a hobby of you?" the chameleon asked, his tongue still outside.
The girl snorted. "No."
"And what now?" he asked. "Are you going to let me hang her for the rest of my life?"
"I don't know."
Suddenly the door was opened with a hard crash.
"BEANS!"
Joel aimed his gun at the chameleon.
The girl named Beans screamed.
[BANG!]
The chameleon opened his eyes wide when a sharp pain ran through his leg.
"No! DAD!"
The female lizard stepped back.
The old lizard winced and lowered his gun immediately. His daughter looked at him with shocked eyes and glared at the rifle.
"I'm sorry," her father apologized and ran to her.
Beans wrapped her arms around him and began to sob. "No more."
"Sorry, I forgot."
The chameleon looked at that scenario with confusion. The character of the girl had changed like from day to night. Her self-assurance was gone like after putting down a mask.
He trembled a little and looked down at his leg, where a little blood stain filled the jeans of his lower leg. It was just a grazing shot, but it hurt. He snorted.
That'll cost you dearly.
The chameleon narrowed his eyes while the father stroked the back of his daughter.
"What a damn day," the chameleon thought. "Knocked out by a girl. What a shame."