A wanderer, a criminal, and a man with no hope in sight are all ways in which Clifford 'the bullet' Thompson was referred. Thompson was on the run from a gang, the cutthroats, across a harsh and dry desert. In fear for his life, Thompson didn't have time to pack for his escape and had to resort to stealing a horse owned by the cutthroats. He was in hot water with the gang because he had stolen a large sum of money from the leader known as Dennis Black. Thompson knew that it wouldn't be long until he was found out and hunted, so he decided to take a chance with fate and never looked back on his way from Arlington to WestWorth.
Throughout the night and into the day, Thompson rode across the desert to WestWorth taking no breaks. He had been riding his stolen horse with no saddle for so long that he was beginning to feel sore all over his body. As the heat beamed down upon him, Thompson began to feel ill. He was sweating profoundly, experiencing a migraine, and losing his vision as he lay on top of his horse. His skin was beginning to turn a bright red as it burned from the harsh sun. The stench of death was in the air and, nearby vultures were well aware. Three vultures situated along a cliff began to trail behind the horse and Thompson.
Due to his lack of preparation on the night of his escape, Thompson had no food and no drink on hand. Although his situation was dire, Thompson knew that it was better than thinking about what could've happened to him if the cutthroats got hand of him. "Keep riding girl...we're almost there," said Thompson as he began to slowly lose consciousness. The three vultures took notice and began hissing for they knew a free meal was almost ready. "You fuckers! I'm not dying here... go away" said Thompson in a dry and raspy whisper. He took the reins of the horse and tied them around his hands before losing consciousness.
No longer awake, Thompson fell off of the horse and was now dangling along the side while his feet dragged through the sand beneath him. The vultures began swooping down and attempted to get a taste of Thomspon. The first two missed, while the third vulture accidentally took a bite of the horse's leg. This had startled the already frightened horse causing it to pick up speed on a hill. As the horse made its way over the hill before them, a town came into view. The horse knew it was close and began picking up speed.
As Thompson's feet dragged through the sand, his shoes came off as well as his pants. The horse's increased speed caused it to accidentally kick and run over Thompson's feet which badly bruised them and caused them to bleed. By now, the vultures had gone away and the horse was now entering the town. "Welcome to WestWorth" read a sign as the horse passed by townspeople in shock of the half-naked and half-dead man tied to the horse. "Stop that horse" yelled a man while a group of men ran after it. Thompson was untied from the horse, his body burned, bruised, and bloody, as he was taken to a doctor who lived in the town.
