We're Dead, No Redemption

Slaughter of Strawberry

Micah crossed his arms and glared out at the world. So a little bar brawl got out of control! Big deal! He was willing to bet he wasn't the only one that killed a man over the ordeal.
"Just you scumbags wait until my gang gets here!" He shouted at the guard again. "They'll blow this place apart! You don't mess with the Van Der Lindes!"
"Yeah!" Another man shouted. "You don't mess with the O'Driscolls, either!"
"Shut up, both of you," the guard mumbled vaguely. Micah huffed and went back to glaring out the window, though his interest perked when he saw familiar boots at the window.
"Arthur!" he stood up and rushed to the bars, grabbing on to them and pulling himself up slightly to see his friend. "You came!"
"With a great deal of convincing, yes." Arthur knelt down to see the blonde below him.
"You've gotta get me out, Arthur! They're gonna hang me!"
"I'm aware!" Arthur rubbed his hands together almost gleefully. "It'll be lovely watching you be silenced at last."
"You can't leave me here!" Micah argued. Arthur rolled his eyes.
"Relax, I ain't gonna leave you here. I just need a way to break you out."
Micah looked around through the bars, then pointed to a big wooden wheel-like object. "Use the mule!" He suggested. "It's over there."
"Does it still work?" Arthur asked, following his pointed finger.
"It should! If not, just use dynamite."
Arthur hesitated, then walked over to the mule. Bugger. Micah was hoping he's use the dynamite.
Turning back around, he noticed the guard wasn't paying any attention to what was going on, not like the other prisoners. The two O'Driscolls Micah had found himself with were grinning at each other in excitement.
Like fuck he's letting them leave with him.
A clatter startled him into turning around, followed by a grinding noise. The mule's chain was clipped around one of the window bars and was pulled taunt. Micah cheered internally. Despite all outward appearances, Arthur was willing to help him!
He dove for the gun that Arthur had thrown onto the floor, turned around and shot the two O'Driscolls and the guard in the head as the window bars finally gave way. A gloved hand quickly reached down and grabbed his arm, pulling him out of the opening. Micah stumbled slightly when he made it out. "Thank you, Arthur," he grinned at the other cowboy. "I appreciate it."
Arthur gave him an unimpressed look. "Get on Baylock."
"Baylock!" The bald-faced black stallion trotted up to his rider and nuzzled against him. "I thought they sold you!"
"They did." Arthur mounted his own horse, a draft mare Micah didn't recognize. "I bought him off the auction. He was expensive, I'll have you know."
"Aw, I'll assure you this trip will be worth every penny." Micah mounted his horse and steered him away.
"Where are you goin'?" Arthur trotted his horse up next to Baylock. "The law will be here soon! We've gotta go!"
"Just hang on," Micah said, his voice dripping with sweet reassurance. "I just need to pay someone a visit."
"You did pay someone a visit!" Arthur's voice dropped to a hiss. "Micah, the law moves very quick nowadays. We have to leave, now!"
"So we'll move quicker."
Micah dug his heels into Baylock's sides, gripping the horse's mane as he sprung forewords. The horse obeyed his rider without question, running down a few people in his path. Micah couldn't help guiding him to do it purposefully a few times as he led Arthur to a large white house at the end of one road. What could he say? He was an outlaw. It was part of the job description.
"Was that really needed?" Arthur asked when they arrived at the house. "You could just as easily have avoided half of those people."
"And you could have avoided cutting that poor man in half when the mule yanked the bars free," Micah snarked back. Arthur fell quiet after that.
Success.
There was a fair bit of noise coming from the other end of town by now, so Micah knew he had to work fast. He slid off Baylock's saddle and motioned for him to stay.
"Wait out here for me," he told Arthur. "I have some business to attend to."
"Make it quick!"
Micah couldn't help grinning as he kicked the door open. "Oh I'll make it quick, Arthur."
A man with short brown hair flinched when he stormed in, both guns drawn. The man scrambled away from the table he was at with a gasp.
"Who are you?!" He demanded. Micah grinned evilly and aimed one of his black pistols at him.
"Your worst nightmare~"
The outlaw made short work of the brown-haired man and anyone who came downstairs before heading up the stairs himself. One of his guns then chose a fine time to break on him, spilling bullets all down the stairs. He cursed and chased after them before spending a few moments struggling to reload the stubborn thing.
"Come one come on come on come on," he growled under his breath. "I'm not leavin' Arthur to fight the law alone, I just need you to work for one more thing-COME ON, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"
The gun loaded with a satisfying click. Micah glanced out the window and noticed Arthur was already trying to hold off several men. He seemed to be holding his own okay, so he headed up the stairs.
The feeling of another human's fear was almost intoxicating. Micah always loved feeling the hairs stand up along his arms and the back of his neck as mutual adrenaline flowed through him and his target. If it wasn't for the stupid promise he'd made to Dutch, he would've gone around killing people like cattle for this feeling daily.
Though he supposed the long gaps between getting the feeling was what made it so strong in the first place.
"Come out, Coraline," he taunted softly. "I just want something that you owe me~"
"G-GO AWAY!" A female voice yelled from a closed door. That's Micah's ex-wife for you: always talks shit when she's in a safe spot.
Micah walked over to the door the voice had come from and gave it a good kick under the doorknob. Something splintered under the force of his strike, causing Coraline to shriek in fear. Another well-placed kick cause the door to fly open. Micah stormed in, both guns drawn and aimed at the woman's breasts.
"Hello Caroline," Micah greeted his ex-wife darkly, pulling the hammer of both revolvers back. Coraline backed herself against the bed. She was shivering violently with fear and Micah loved every second of it.
"Micah-"
Two shots rang out. Blood splattered across the bedsheets and nearby window. Micah put his guns away, shoved his ex's body away and rooted around under the bed for the little silver box he knew was there.
He rushed back out the door after loot-sorry, gathering some more things, all of which he dropped into Baylock's saddlebag before sending the stallion away and taking cover beside Arthur.
"The Hell were you doing?!" The other cowboy yelled at him, shooting another lawman dead. "I thought you were doin' business, not killin' people!"
"That is my business, Arthur!" Micah pumped a closer lawman full of lead, dropping him like a stone. "Or have you forgotten what we're fightin' for?"
"Last I checked, Micah-LOOK OUT!"
Micah turned around and shoved back the teenager that was gunning for him out of the house, quickly turning him into a bullet pincushion before returning to the attack at hand. "Thanks, Arthur."
"Mention it. Many times."
Micah laughed at that, jumping over their cover and rushing to another one farther out.

"300 PEOPLE!" Micah whooped. "What a turn out!"
Arthur shook his head, struggling to calm his mare as the two men slowed down well away from town.
"Too bad we couldn't loot them!" Micah turned his prancing stallion towards his friend. "Alas, here we must part."
Arthur raised his eyebrow. "Since when did you say 'alas'?"
"Since now."
"You aren't coming back to camp?"
"HA! No." Micah started unbuckling one of the holsters at his side. "I've done a big oops, Arthur. I've gotta lay low until Dutch forgets about this whole thing."
"You know he won't," Arthur retorted.
Micah tossed him the holster, throwing the gun into the gift as well. "Here! For fighting so well, Mr. Honourable Man."
Arthur seemed genuinely pleased with the gift. "Oh...Thank you."
Micah gave him a two-fingered salute and headed into the mountains. He heard Arthur suddenly curse behind him and bit back a laugh.
Sounds like he gave him the broken gun. Whoops.