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

40. Dead People Don't Shoot

Still his gun raising he blew over the smoking barrel of his revolver. All what had eyes, stared at the chameleon which stood on the empty street behind the collected inhabitants. His face impression was more serious than while his first appearance. It was a difficult interpreting language of mimic and mimicry.
The gun in one hand, the barrel showed up to the sky, his other arm limber hanging down. His lips didn't smile, but wasn't angry at the same time. His face was a mixture of satisfaction, triumph, coldness and superiority.
"Interesting speech," he said. "But without content."
He put the revolver back in the holster with relaxed fingers. Then he laid his hands on the colts and walked forward through the still shocked crowd. Walking straight up to the rattlesnake. All people followed him with their eyes.
Coral narrowed her eyes with mistrustfulness. It was the same guy who had talked to Mrs. Daisy a short moment ago.
"What do you dare?" Spoons asked as the first one who managed to say a word.
The chameleon stopped abruptly. His glance cut the air that silenced all.
But then, a cheeky smile swiped his lips.
"You asked me for my name, didn't you?"
He didn't look at Spoons who had asked him that yesterday. His face directed at the ground, his fingers rubbing the revolvers in his holsters.
"I'm glad you asked me that."
He lifted his face completely, took a glance to the sky, just after that to look around with played secretiveness. His hands were still placed on his revolvers.
"And I'm happy to tell you that."
"I thought his name is Nobody, isn't it?" Somebody said to everybody around.
The lizard made a hard-curving movement, leaning against a pole. He had reached the sheriff office and was very close to Jake. The rattlesnake didn't say anything. His stomach cramped. There was something in the air what told him something bad was coming. While the chameleon was talking, he lowered his face so that his hat hid his eyes.
"I have many names. Many people call me Nobody, other people Mister Invisible. But in the past, the most people knew me under just one name."
He paused for effect.
"Name's –"
He looked up.
"Rango."
Confusion spread through the crowd. Everybody looked at his neighbor, didn't believe what the stranger had said.
"Rango?" somebody asked. "The Rango who can shoot faster than... whatever..., killed the whole Wild-Gun-Gang and has eyes on his back?"
The chameleon smiled.
"This can't be," Mr. Snuggles cried. "The one who wore that name is dead."
In a split second, the chameleon pulled his revolver and shot at him. The bullet hit Snuggles's hat and fired it to the ground.
All people were silent.
Rango grinned evilly. "Can dead people do this?"
Mr. Snuggles shook his head wildly and angled for his hat.
The chameleon relaxed and put his revolver away in a calm way.
"But well, you have a point. Indeed. I was declared legally dead. But not really."
He crossed his arms and looked around. "I just thought it would be time to retire into a new life and for this reason, I needed a grandiose finale."
He loosened himself from the pole and walked around. His steps chilled and casual.
"But now you are back?" somebody asked carefully.
"Yes, I came back." He glanced up to the sky. "Back, to take revenge."
His eyes wandered to the rattlesnake.
A murmur went around. All people had no idea what he was talking about.
Mayor John, who stood not far away rubbed his hands deep in thoughts.
Meanwhile, the chameleon had made a few steps closer to the snake. Both stared at each other.
"Well," Rango began with composed voice. "I heard you've been telling about how you want to bring back the water, wasn't it?"
Again, he let wander his glance. Stump, who stood in the near of Kinski, took his kids closer when the chameleon started to move. "And all these good folks here believe you, don't they?"
The green lizard strolled along the crowd. "Why, they believe you would do it? Seems these folks trust you? They think you're gonna save their little town. They think you're gonna save their little souls."
His hard eyes stuck on Coral who had taken Priscilla in her coils.
The yellow eyes turned back to Jake. "But we know better, don't we?"
While Jake narrowed his eyes with unsureness and presentiment, the chameleon clawed at Coral's scarf and pulled her down to his eye level.
"Listen, venom lady. Your at one time noble savior is a grim reaper of souls."
He looked back at the rattlesnake. Then the chameleon released the scared female snake and walked forward.
"What did you promise them?" he asked the snake. "That you would keep the water in town? You said, as long as you are in town, you would protect the water. But it's gone now."
His next words belonged to the people. "Do you really believe he will protect you? What do you know about him? Where do you think he came from? Was his behavior a normal way?"
All eyes wandered to Jake.
"You didn't tell them?" The chameleon sounded surprised, but he knew the snake haven't said it. "You didn't tell where you came from what town, or better said... from what farm?"
For the first time a wincing movement went through the rattlesnake.
The chameleon put his hands back on his colts and walked forward. With every step he counted a one word.
"One mother - one father - five children - one grandfather - one cook - two maidservants - ten workers... one estate owner."
He stopped. The eye contact very serious and hard.
"What does that tell you?"
The eyes of the rattlesnake had filled with shock and terrified.
Was he...?
When the snake didn't reply he continued.
"Did you really forget? Three weeks and four days ago?"
"What do you mean by that?" Kinski asked who had recovered from the chameleon's surprising appearing.
The chameleon didn't look at him, his eyes still directed at Jake.
"Didn't he tell that? Many days ago, there was a robbery on a big ranch."
He looked around.
"Attacked by a snake gang."
The rattlesnake lowered his glance, avoiding the staring eyes of the people.
"I had nothing to do with that," he hissed.
"You had been there," the chameleon reaffirmed.
"It had been a COINCIDENCE!"
Now the rattlesnake lifted his face again. Bitter and angry in the same time.
"I've already told the judge."
He lowered his glance a little again. His voice died.
"But nobody believed me."
Silence fell. Nobody said a word. Even the wind seemed to hold his breath.
Everybody didn't know what to think about the rattlesnake. Coral winced when she felt how Priscilla tapped her from the side and looked at her askingly. But the albino snake had no answer for her question.
All people seemed to be confused. Except for Rango who still stared down at the snake. He crossed his arms and showed no mercy for this situation.
"Eye witnesses saw you shooting."
"I didn't kill them!" Jake retorted back. "I just tried to defend them! I stood in the middle of the farm!"
"But they found your bullet in one of the corpse's legs."
The snake hissed growlingly. "Yes, my bullets were there, but nobody was killed by a bullet of mine! That had been a mistake. I hit him with my bullet because of the thick smoke. They had set the farm on fire."
"And they found a dead body in your coils."
The rattlesnake was on the point of losing his self-control. "I wanted to help him! I dragged him out of the burning house!"
"You came under arrest."
"Just because I am a snake! It had nothing to do with that!"
"And why did you flee before they could execute you?"
Jake breathed loudly and stressful. His eyes burned like fire, but they couldn't impress the stranger in front of him.
Finally, the snake gave in and lowered his glance. "They gave me no chance for a fair process."
He closed his eyes. "Who believes in a rattlesnake?"
All people looked at each other.
"How does it come that Rango, the famous killer in the west, is looking for a wanted by the justice person?"
All eyes stared at Kinski, who had enough from Rango's allegations.
"Yes," Chorizo added. "Why the whole work with destroying his hiding, if the justice will do the work?"
He stepped behind Kinski, just in case if Rango wanted to shoot him. But instead the chameleon replied.
"It was something personal."
Chorizo breathed in relief.
"The man who had been the estate owner of the ranch – the one who they found in the coils of this creature – he was my father."
A silent outcry went through the city people. Regardless whether they believe Jake or not, but everybody knew the snake was a dead man.
Even Jake seemed to know that very well and stood there like a death row inmate.
A loud shot let everyone scream. First, they expected a dead body somewhere, but instead the chameleon only shot into the air to get silence.
"Now, my search is over," he said as if his shooting was the most normal in the world. "I found you. But there is still one last thing to do."
He lowered his gun and aimed it at the rattlesnake who glared at the barrel. The chameleon moved his finger on the trigger. Slowly, very slowly the snake moved to the left side.
His gun followed the rattlesnake movements.
"You can't flee," Rango said mockingly. "There is no way where you can go."
He smiled. "I took special care for that."
"Oh my god!" Mrs. Daisy cried.
To the left and to the right of the end of the town street stood roadrunners with riders.
"The Jenkins Brothers," Elgin said loudly.
"And with their cousins," Spoons added when he counted more than seven men.
Step by step the riders rode down the street. In the evening light of the sun it was like a picture of a town apocalypse.
The city people went closer together. Joey Jenkins rode first, closely followed by his two brothers Josey and Jannie.
"Hello everybody," Joey greeted and lifted his hat politely. "Didn't I tell you we would meet again?"
"Did you?" Josey asked with surprise.
"Shut up," Joey hissed, but changed his face into a smile.
"And seeing old lost friends, how nice."
His glance fell on Coral who ducked her head. Priscilla had hidden behind her.
"Well, welcome to our little family meeting."
All Jenkinses laughed.
"Why did you come here?" Mayor John dared to ask.
"Nice question, shell roller," Joey said mockingly. "Your little intruder invited us for a little favor. We circle the snake; he can kill it and we get the town. How nice is that?"
"Nice, nice," his brother Jannie said. "But where is it now?"
All eyes looked at an empty place.
Joey looked around wildly. In a corner of a yard behind the houses he realized a little movement.
"He tries to flee! After him!"

The blood rushed through Jake's head, like a nightmare had found him.
He didn't know how, but he wanted to come away from here. The rattlesnake dashed through the houses until he reached the end of the town. But suddenly he stopped when two shadows rode in his direction with revolvers in their hands.
Two other Jenkins cousins had waited for him and rode at him with loaded guns.
Like in a trance the rattlesnake turned around by instinct to search shelter. Not too early and bullets flew through the air.
The other Jenkins members heard the shots and knew where the snake was now and opened the fire as well.
Jake had no other chance than to slither through the alleys like he did when the hawk hunted him.
Why didn't he shoot?
Damn. He twisted around and shot in all directions. But as long as he thought his hunters had enough, other shots flew over his head from behind.
The Jenkins family had hidden on every house.
Damn it was too many.
"You can't escape," he heard Joey's voice. "You are in a trap like a... trapped snake."
Suddenly a harsh arm pushed the Jenkins leader aside.
"Hurt him," Rango warned. "But don't kill him. He belongs to me."

Stressed and exhausted the snake pressed himself on a back house wall. It was a trap without a back door.
Back door?
Under door.
His eyes wandered to the bank. Without hesitation, he slithered over to the building. Suddenly he felt other eyes which had directed at him. A short glance back and the glaring chameleon eyes connected their visual contact for a limit of a second. That short time was enough for Jake to know, the chameleon had him in his gun target.
With a fast movement the rattlesnake turned around and fired. The chameleon wasn't on guard. One bullet hit him and he fell to the ground with a loud scream.
Jake didn't care more about him.
"He wants to hide?" Joey was more than surprised when he saw the snake disappearing in the bank. "In this case we have to buy him back."
Together with a few cousins and brothers, they ran over to the iron house and stopped in front of the door.
"I knew it. Snakes are and shall mean cowards. HEY! Nice, the game is over. Come out!"
But there was no reaction in the bank house.
Joey snorted amusedly.
"Josey, Jonny, Jeda, Josha. Rushing into the bank."
His companions chuckled. "With pleasure."
With a loud attack scream, they crashed the door and ran inside. But instead of a gunfire the voices died and silence fell.
"Joey?" Jonny said and looked out through the door outside. "He isn't inside."
"What do you mean?"
Quickly Joey ran through the entrance. His brother pointed ahead to the destroyed safe where a big hole gapped in the ground. "That's what I mean."
Joey opened his mouth in disbelief.
"What the damn cursed hell...?"
He didn't about what he should be angrier. About the gone snake or about the fact that the water tank was gone, too.
For a brief moment the leader was confused. Until his brain began to work again.
"After him!" Joey shouted. "Catch him!"

With pressed lips the chameleon who still lay on the street held his upper leg. Then he withdrew the hand, which was blood-red covered.
He hissed with pain and rage. His glancing eyes focused the bank where the snake was gone. He narrowed his eyes.
"Run away, run away. You can't escape. I will find you again. I will hunt you until down to hell."

With wide eyes Coral watched how eight of Joey's men jumped into the bank.
"What are they doing?" Priscilla asked.
But Coral didn't answer her question. Instead, she looked around wildly.
"You have to disappear."
"And what about you?"
"Don't care for me. I'm too big. But you..."
She stopped when she saw the two saloon ladies running down the street.
"Take her."
Melonee didn't ask and lifted her skirt. "Here you can hide."
The girl wanted to protest, but Coral pushed her forward and the Aye-Aye disappeared under the saloon lady's dress.
Fresca made sure that nobody could see her.
"Stay with us."
With worried face, the snake followed them with her eyes until they disappear in the next building.
A clicking sound behind her made her turn around where Joey's grinning face met hers.
"Nice outfit, but I don't think you want to dirty it in a cell, do you?"

Dry soil, dirt and dust trickled down his face and took his breath. He tasted sand in his mouth.
But he didn't care. He felt nothing anymore. His only instinct cried to run.
He thought about nothing. He didn't wonder why there were so many tunnels under the town; didn't ask where it went and where he will arrive.
There was no activity in his head, just darkness like darkness surrounded him. There was no light in the tunnel, but he trusted his senses. When he reached a junction, he didn't think and followed the smell what he had smelled on the entrance of the tunnel. If somebody had stolen the water, they must come out somewhere.
Suddenly he stopped. With shocked eyes he stared into a deep abyss. It hadn't need much and he would be falling down. Soft light filled the hall where he stood now.
What's that?
He flicked his tongue. A very, very weak smell of water lay in the thin air. Maybe it had been a natural underground tank for the water. But now it was dry.
Narrow plateaus on stone pillars formed a bridge-looking way through it.
"I'm sure he took this tunnel," loud voices echoed behind him.
He had no other chance. Carefully but quickly, he crossed the stony way. At least it wasn't long and he reached firm ground under his belly again. But to his terror the tunnel ended here. But how could it be? The smell had guided him to this point. And why was the light so colorful? He looked up.
Red sunlight shined down through a hole over him.
With last forces he climbed up. Fresh air filled his lungs when he pierced through the small opening. He stood in the desert. No one was there. The evening sun was almost gone and threw long shadows to the earth.
He remembered the Jenkinses. But if they would come out, he would be without protection.
Unless...
Hastily he crawled around until he found a little rock. With effort, he shoved it to the hole and put it on it. He didn't take the time to watch the improvised blockade. He wanted nothing. Just come away from that place.
He didn't know how long he slithered away. But when he thought he could break together every moment he sank down next to a hill. The last sun beams shined his face until it disappeared in the cold twilight.