🂱 • 𝚍𝚊𝚒𝚜𝚢 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘 • 🂱 ~ 𝒹ℴ𝒸 𝒽ℴ𝓁𝓁𝒾𝒹𝒶𝓎

chapter three - the devil

As I sat alone by the bar of the Crystal Palace saloon, a fight broke out near the poker table.
     "I call bullshit." A man said, resting a balled fist on the table.
     "'scuse me?" A drunkard at the table slurred.
     "You said you were bettin' however many, but went back on yer word. Bullshit." He said slowly. The drunk snorted, taking another sip of beer. The other man stood, making his way over to the man. The intoxicated man slowly rose up. He flashed a drunken toothy grin and pulled out his gun.
    "Well then... let's settle t-this like some men..." the drunk said, lazily raising a floppy arm and sloppily aiming at the man. He pulled the trigger. Somehow, the bullet made its way to the man's heart. He slowly looked down at his chest, the blood seeping through his green shirt. He held his chest, slowly stumbling out of the saloon wide-eyed.

    The drunk chased after the man. Two men, Texas Jack Vermillion and Turkey Creek Jack Johnson followed him as well.

    I got up and walked slowly out to the porch to watch the interaction. The man who had called out the drunkard was on the ground, dead. A pool of blood surrounded him.
    "Son of a bitch!" The drunk roared. He started to wave his gun around at the bystanders. Vermillion and Johnson rushed over, their hands by their holstered guns.
    "Easy gents, private affair." Vermillion said in a deep, calm tone.
    "You bastard!" The drunk screamed, raising his gun at the two men. Turkey Creek Jack Johnson fired his gun. The man dropped in a heap on the ground.

    Johnson's gaze moves to group of men standing, watching. I hadn't noticed them either. My grip on the railing of the saloon tightened. Of course, it was my brothers. Standing next to them, was a thin, pale man with a pencil-roll mustache. He looked sickly, but a mysterious light shown in his eyes.

(switching to 3rd person for now, to make the storyline easier to understand!)

    Johnson and Vermillion said hello to the Earp brothers and their friend, Doc Holliday.
    "What was that all about?" Wyatt asked.
    "Drunkard. Crawfished a bet, called him a liar. We watched the whole thing." Vermillion said.
   "Sheriff," Doc turned to County Sheriff Behan. "May I present a pair of fellow sophisticates, Turkey Creek Jack Johnson and Texas Jack Vermillion. Watch your ear, Creek." Doc introduced, gesturing to Johnson's bleeding ear. Fred White, the town Marshall appeared.
    "'fraid I'll have to take those guns."
    "Fair fight. We was legal." Johnson argued.
    "Sorry boys. Gotta take you before Judge Spicer." White shrugged. Virgil looked over at the two dead men in the street, shaking his head.
    "What kinda town is this?" He asked his brothers.

    Doc Holliday looked up, noticing Cheyenne standing in front of the Crystal Palace. He noticed the way she stood there. She appeared guarded and angry. Holliday saw how her nails dug into the wooden railing. She wore chaps, trousers, a button-down blouse, and a jacket. Doc was intrigued by her. Her face and her demeanor felt very familiar to him. Her jarring blue eyes, fierce like a hawk. He couldn't quite put his finger on it.

    Doc noticed Cheyenne had a natural beauty to her. She certainly wasn't your usual makeup-wearing, corset flaunting lady. His heart fluttered a little. He pushed the feeling back. He couldn't risk actually loving anyone, not in his condition.

    Holliday noticed the red scarf on her side marking that she was a cowboy. Waste of potential, he thought to himself sadly.

     Holliday nudged his friend Wyatt Earp.
    "Wyatt, who is that over there?" Holliday murmured, nodding over to Cheyenne. Wyatt gulped. He turned to his friend and looked at him with sad eyes.
    "That would be my sister, Cheyenne Earp."
    "Why, I didn't know you had a sister, Wyatt." Holliday said, surprised. He now knew exactly why Cheyenne felt so familiar to him. She was Wyatt in female form.
    "Yeah." was all Wyatt could manage to say before turning away from his sister.