Just a Movie

Cowboys?

I look around, dumbfounded.  How did I end up here?  Did I do something wild last night?  No, couldn't have.  I was at home.  God, it's hot.  I wave my hand frantically like a fan, trying to cool down.  Ok, keep it together, there's no point in overreacting.    

"HELP!" I shout, hoping someone will hear. 

I whirl in different directions, searching for signs of life, but there is none.  I close my eyes, thinking.  There must be a logical explanation for this.  I whimper.  

"Oh God, I'm gonna die."

Did Sam fly me here?  Is this some kind of joke?  Maybe that's it.  Yeah,  a prank on the annoying roommate.  I nod, stifling a laugh. 

"Very funny Sam," I holler to the air.  "You will not go unpunished!  I will have my revenge!"

I try to think of clever ways to get back at her, but nothing's coming.  I glance up, hoping for some clouds somewhere, but there's none.  Am I going to survive?  Oh God, my paper.  Wait, what am I wearing?  Long chaps?  Lasso?  

"Neigh!"

I whip around at the sound of a horse, and over the sand dunes, I can make out 5 riders.  Wait, scratch that.  6 riders.  I'm saved!

"Hey!  Over here!" 

I wave my arms like a maniac, trying to grab their attention, but instead of coming this way, they make a hard turn behind a hill.  Great, it would seem I am stranded on this God forsaken place.  God I could use water right now.  My mouth is as dry as this sand.  I start to trudge along, when I hear the gallop of hooves.  Could it be?  I run up to the top of a hill, nearly slipping.  I can see them!  They're coming!  Oh, bless the Lord.  I wave my arms again, more violently this time.  I'm not gonna miss them again.  I sigh with relief as they come closer, happy to not be alone.  Now all I have to do is find the nearest town and get a plane ticket back home.  Simple as that.  

"Hah!" the riders yell, forcing their steeds to go faster, their nostrils flaring as they press on.  

Wait a minute.  Why are they dressed up like cowboys?  It's not October yet, is it?  Once they finally reach me, they don't stop for any greetings.  They're circling me, keeping me pinned in one place.  I can't make out their faces with those masks up to their eyeballs.  The horses kick up sand, covering me with dirt, and I wipe sand out of my eyes.   Wonderful.  First I'm lost, now I might go blind.  The riders are all dressed in cowboy attire, from their hats down to the buckskins on their pants and the spurs on their boots.  I cross my arms, waiting for them to finally stop.  It's not like I have all day.  I got assignments!  Ok, fine, I got movies to watch, but assignments can come later.  One of the riders puts a hand up, signaling the other riders to slow down.  Once at a complete stop, the cowboy with the black outfit and a cigarette burning in his right hand dismounts, approaching me.  He looks me up and down, and I do the same.  Those are the greyest eyes I've ever seen in my life, like the sky on a rainy day.  And that's real leather, and real animal skin.  Am I missing something?  Is there a ranch nearby somewhere?  

After a long while of sizing each other up, he taps the cigarette, ash falling to the sand , and his eyes squint from a smile I can't see.  

"What are ya doin out here little missy?" he asks, putting a hand on his waist. 

"Mister, I can't tell you how glad I am to see you," I smile, trying to catch my breath. 

I didn't realize I'd been holding it.  He raises an eyebrow.  

"Oh?"

"Yeah!  Listen, I don't know where the hell I am, or how I got here, but if you could point me to the nearest town, that'd be great.  I'll pay you even!"

I pat myself down, looking for cash in my pockets on this cowgirl outfit.  Empty.  I smile embarrassingly.  

"If I had the money to pay, that is."

He smiles again, glancing at his cigarette, then tossing it before pointing a finger at me and replying, "Tell you what.  Why don't me and my boys take you there ourselves?  Free a charge."

"Really?" I say, surprised by this generosity.  "You'd do that?"

He nods.  

"Anything for the little lady."

I grab his hand, shaking it and thanking him.  He gestures to his horse, a brown mare with white socks.  Before I can take even two steps, everything goes black. 

I open my eyes, the back of my head throbbing, as if someone's got a hammer and is pounding my brain.  I'm tied to a chair, the ropes tight around my wrists.  I wriggle them, but it's not loosening.  I smell hay, and there's only one window up in a loft somewhere, giving some light to where I'm at.  Am I in an abandoned barn?  I look up to see myself surrounded by the same cowboys who'd offered to help me, their arms crossed as they glare at me.  You really did it this time Martha.  

"Ah, she's awake," one of them says, approaching. 

Wait, I recognize those grey eyes, like a rainy day.  It's so dark in here, I can't make out his face.  He takes a seat in front of me, lighting a cigarette.  

"Let's get straight to the point," he says quietly, inhaling the nicotine, "I know you're not just some nobody, and I know you didn't just happen to be in Ramsey's Desert.  So I'm gonna ask you this one time."

He leans forward, the light shining on his unmasked face. 

"Who are you, and what were you doing in that desert?"

My heart stops as I recognize his face.  It can't be.  Those sharp eyes, the scar across his bottom lip, and that handlebar mustache I admired every time I saw it.  I know him because he's Tenner, the main villain in Dust and Gold.