Just a Movie

You Can't Go

We all exit the cabin, and after finding their gear and guns, we head for the cab, Chris and Roy leading the way.  

"Afternoon," Roy smiles, and the driver turns, shock and fear contorted on his face. 

"You shouldn't be in here," he warns with a shaky voice, slowly standing. 

"Oh no," he replies, lighting a cigarette, then puts a hand on his shoulder, sitting him back down.  "This is definitely where we need to be.  Isn't that right Chris?"

"Of course," he nods as they both corner the driver in his seat. 

He looks up at both of them, swallowing, waiting for what will happen next. 

"We have a bit of a problem," Roy says, blowing out a puff of smoke.  "You see, we've lost our train tickets, and of course, Chris here forgot where we were going!  So..."  He bends over, speaking in a low, firm tone.  "It'd be much appreciated if you could remind all of us where this train is headed."

The driver glances at me, Violet, then back at our friends. 

"Our plan was to drive into Daniel's Mountains," he trembles. 

Roy's eyes flicker to mine, anger and suspicion burning in them, then he turns back to the gentleman in the chair.

"But first we have to stop at the nearest town from here for fuel," he continues. 

"No doubt that's where Tenner planned to hang me," Roy muses, then plasters a big smile on his face.  "Thank you for filling us in.  If you have any trouble, let us know."

He nods, licking his lips, and we leave the compartment.  We enter a cabin, and Roy takes a seat, running a hand through his hair as he lets out a frustrated breath.  Chris approaches, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

"Hey," he says.  "You alright?"

He looks up at him. 

"Yeah," he replies, glaring at me, then stands.  "I'm fine."

He leaves the room, and Chris turns to me, shaking his head. 

"I'm not sure if he told the truth," he says.  "He tends to keep his emotions closed off."

"I'll talk to him," I reply, and go after him.  

I find Roy standing by a window, seeming deep in thought, his teeth clenched as he watches everything zoom by.  I carefully approach, not wanting to surprise him. 

"You told him, didn't you," he says, keeping his voice low and controlled.  He won't even look at me.  "You told Tenner about the gold."

"I had to," I tell him.  "I didn't know what he was going to do to you if I didn't."

He huffs, glancing at me.  

"Doesn't matter now, does it?  We'll just have to be faster than him."

He walks past me, and I close my eyes, sighing.  It does matter, because it matters to me.  All I want is to fix what happened between us, but he may never give me that chance.  As I make my way back, I hear something click, and I find Tenner with a gun pointed at Chris, while Roy's and Violet's six shooters are pointed at him. 

"Well, isn't this nice?" Tenner hisses.  "We're all here together.  And just in time too.  To watch your friend die."

He pushes the barrel against his head, and my heart drums against my chest.  How are we gonna get out of this one?  

"Fine.  Go ahead," Roy says nonchalantly.  He shrugs, putting his pistol back in its holster.  "Gettin tired of him anyway."  

We all look at him, surprised.  None of us expected this.  What in the world is he thinking?  

"You mean you don't care if your friend dies?" Tenner says, raising an eyebrow questionably.  

He shakes his head. 

"We're all gonna die anyway, aren't we," he points out. 

He glances side to side, speechless. 

"Yeah?" he hesitantly agrees. 

"The real question here is, does this benefit you?"

Does it benefit him?  Of course it does!  This is all Tenner has ever wanted.  To get rid of Chris and Roy so nothing can stand in his way.  We all remain silent, waiting for him to answer or for Roy to continue what he's saying.   

"Sure, you can kill him," he says, "and you can go on with no trouble at all."  He smirks.  "But that's too easy, even for you.  See, you and I both thrive on challenge and thrill.  Now if you finish this here, yeah, you get the gold no problem.  But where's the fun in that?"

Tenner starts to lower his gun, thinking, and my adrenaline slows down.  My God Roy is smart.  

"But if you wait, you can proudly say you fought and killed me and Chris, and all the town will see you win."

He smiles. 

"Fine," he agrees.  "Once we get there, you'll have until tomorrow afternoon.  Don't keep me waiting."

He leaves, and we all sigh in relief.  God, that could've been close. 

"Thanks Roy," Chris huffs. 

"Don't thank me yet.  We still gotta win this thing," he reminds him. 

"But how are we gonna beat them?" Violet questions, gesturing in the direction Tenner went.  "We'll be outnumbered."

Roy shrugs. 

"So?"

"So there's no chance we'll win!" she exclaims. 

"We have the heart and the courage," Chris points out.  "We'll get through."

"But there's no guarantee," she replies. 

"Hey, if we die, at least we die having fun taking them down with us," Roy grins. 

Die.  My eyes widen at the realization of something very important, but before I can say anything, the whistle blows, the train slowing down.  Wonderful.  We all make our way to the exit, and once everyone's off, we go our separate ways.  I look for Roy and spot him crossing a street, going towards a saloon, and I trail after him.  I find him standing at the bar, the bartender making a drink for him as he cleans his pistol. 

"What do you want Betty," he says gruffly.

I slowly come up beside him, not wanting to irritate him more than he is already.  He probably doesn't even want to be in the same room with me, but he needs to hear what I got to say. 

"You can't fight tomorrow," I tell him. 

He glances at me, his jaw tight.  Everything between us is tense, and I'm afraid any interruptions would only make it worse. 

"What did you say?" 

I swallow. 

"I said you can't fight tomorrow."

He chuckles, then slams his gun down on the counter, making me jolt. 

"I will not be told what I can and can't do with my life.  Nor am I a coward who shies away from danger," he hisses.  "I'm going, and nothing you say is gonna change that."

He walks away, and I sprint after, grabbing his arm and swinging him around to face me. 

"I'm not letting you go!"

"Why not?"

"Because you die!" I yell.  "You die."   

  

Author's Note: Work's got me by the throat this time folks!  Each chapter will be updated once and/or twice a week.  Thank you for reading!  Criticism and advice are appreciated.