SWITCHBLADE TRAVIS

PART TWO: CASTAWAY COWBOY

In Bullsnake, the town kept going strong thanks to a big inheritance and one man with his animal companions. Many people would be quick to think that the town of Bullsnake thrived upon its large population and lawyers. Yes, it used to be full of hardworking farmers, housewives, and pickup trucks. Everyone said that once the corporate economies made their move, this town would become nothing but a waste of time. Everyone left town and accepted their sad city lives except for one man, who was holding onto his way of life for as long as possible: Travis Smith. A six-foot-six country boy with brown hair slicked back so tight his hairline rose three inches, his dark tan wide-brimmed felt cowboy hat on top, covering every single lock of hair. He wore midnight black suede square toe boots and a pair of worn out blue jeans with a light grey button up shirt tucked in by a brass belt buckle so shiny that it caused a glare to anyone who looked at it. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbow and full of holes. A brown handlebar mustache lined tired lips that were stuck in a frown. Right above his mustache, a crooked nose and tired eyes completed the face of a worn out cowboy. Beneath all of the buttons and boots remained a tired soul, too weary to work. Ranching had become the only form of freedom and income for Travis, who was left in charge by his grandfather to keep the cities from taking the town. Apart from the ranch, Travis' grandpa also left ten million dollars in cash to pay things off just in case. Well, the time came pretty quickly to use that money, and it was surprisingly too little to get anything fully paid off. The land was being taxed heavily due to Travis being the only one around. The land tax alone was causing Travis to be more in-debt than ever before, racking up two hundred million dollars of debt. The only thing Travis could do about the debt was pretend not to be in it. It also did not help that Travis spent one-hundred-twenty-five thousand dollars on six horses. This was more or less a pity buy, for Travis had almost nothing to satisfy his happiness. That was a year ago, and most people think that with all of the new people coming in, demand would be high for dairy products and meat. That would be wrong, as the new city lifestyle included vegan diets, fake meat, and almond milk. Life was hard.