El viento de Texas ( the west Texas wind )

Chapter seven, the west Texas wind, 1889

Now one year after confronting Sam, Oscar found cascadia to be lonely and eventually realized what he truly had to do, Oscar was going to kill sam. Sam was going to burn down an oil field and loot the cascadia state bonds, Oscar would confront him with the help of an old friend.

"And how did you know Sam Marlin?" I asked the man sitting across from me, "I used to run with his gang, but the killings were too much." I scoffed before walking out of the bar, not like whiskey was that good anyway. I boarded a train soon after I left. Half way through the ride the train stopped, and I heard a few words outside the train. "Oscar raynott! You are wanted for thousands of dollars across the United States of America!" The law had finally found me, "Oscar raynott! You have ten seconds or we storm the train!" I ducked down and heard slowly as the train cars opened and loudly searched for me. As my train car opened, the lawmen stormed in, rifles and pistols poking around everywhere. I prayed as they finally got to me, the lawmen stared me down before moving on. My nerves cooled as they went to the next train car. a few hours later I had arrived back in Sioux, after a short ride I had made it back to the Ponca reservation. "So, what brings you here, Oscar?" Hawk asked, a sense of intrigue in his voice. "I need your help, Hawk," I replied, my voice filled with determination. "Sam Marlin is causing havoc west and plans to blow up an oil field, and it's time someone puts a stop to it." Hawk paused for a minute before answering me, "You know, Oscar, I've heard the tales of Sam Marlin's atrocities," Hawk confessed, his voice carrying a hint of sorrow. "I've never ridden with his gang, but that doesn't mean I can't stand against him." I nodded, understanding the weight of Hawk's decision to join the fight. "That's exactly why I need you, Hawk. We can't let him continue to destroy lives." Hawk stared into the distance for a moment before meeting my gaze. "Alright, Oscar. I'll join you. I'll rally my men and we'll head out right now and follow your word." I smiled, relief washing over me. "I couldn't agree more, Hawk. We need a solid plan if we want to take down Sam Marlin." Chief Broad Trees had listened intently, his face expressionless. After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice filled with wisdom and caution. "Oscar, Hawk Arrives, I understand your desire for justice. But violence only begets more violence. Let us seek a peaceful solution." "Chief Broad Trees, I respect your wisdom," I replied. "But We've seen what Sam Marlin is capable of. His gang has caused so much pain and suffering. We can't let him continue unchecked." Before I could continue, hawk cut me off, "you are acting cowardly uncle, Sam marlin is a bad man, not only hurting innocent people but he hurt Oscar. If you truly believe Oscar is one of us you'd send out men to help us stop him." The chief frustrated but still composing his demeanor nodded and let his men help Hawk and I in the fight against Sam. For two days nearly every Ponca man rode with hawk and I to cascadia, As the Ponca men and I rode towards Cascadia, anticipation filled the air. We knew that a confrontation with Sam Marlin and his gang was imminent. The journey had been long, but our determination burned bright. Stories of Sam Marlin's atrocities fueled our anger, and we were ready to put an end to his reign of terror. As we neared the outskirts of Cascadia, gunshots rang out in the distance. We quickly realized that the gang was already engaged in a shootout with the local Indian tribes. Without hesitation, we joined the fray, bullets whizzing past us as we fought for justice. The chaos was overwhelming, but our strength in numbers kept us focused. Bullets and arrows flew but in the chaos hawk spotted Sam, "Oscar look up near that oil bridge!" Sam's smile continued to burn across his face. "Hawk I need you to stay and cover me, Sams men will gun me down if they see me. I'll signal to you when they're open enough for a flank on top of the bridge." Hawk nodded and I ran for the ladder up to Sam, the oil burned behind me as I ran. Finally reaching the ladder I yelled to Sam, "It's over Sam! Give it up, your men are outnumbered!" He stopped throwing Molotovs and turned to me, "you think you can stop me Oscar? You're nothing but a thorn in my side. I'll kill those stupid Indians and burn every reservation in every state!" I ignored his taunts, my eyes locked on him as we ascended the tower. The flames roared around us, casting an ominous glow. Each step we took threatened to send us tumbling down into the inferno below. I signaled to hawk and the Ponca men flanked and killed all of Sam's men, "your men are gone, you have nowhere to run now Sam, give it up!" He laughed, a chilling sound that sent shivers down my spine. "You're weak, Oscar. Just like all the rest. You'll never kill me!" Sam jumped into the oil field and ran to another bridge. Before I could give chase he threw a Molotov at the bridge, through the fire and smoke I saw Sam and his smile but nothing would stop me, I drew my bow and shot his leg through the flames. Sam didn't let out a scream but instead laughed before running or limping away. I gave chase but to no use. The smoke continued rising, hawk had run up the bridge to get to me. "Oscar, we need to go, one of the scouts just said hundreds of lawmen are on the way with the military!" My heart beat fast. "Shit they must have followed me from the train.", my eyes still trying to focus on Sam, "get your men out of here, I have unfinished business. Goodbye hawk." Hawk was obviously conflicted about leaving me but after a few hesitant seconds he yelled to his men and they rode to the hills. Sam began firing his colt at me, I had never thought I'd be at the end of his gun. Drawing my bow back I shot his gun out of his hand, his smile began to fade with the rising smoke. Desperately he kept taunting me, "you'll never catch me Oscar! Even if you shot me twenty times I'd still get up!" As he was running with a limp I drew my bow back and yelled, "is that so?" And shot the back of his other leg. He grunted and threw a bunch of loosely tied dynamite at the oil fields, the smoke overwhelmed me and I began coughing uncontrollably on the wooden bridge. I must have stayed down for a minute or two because Sam ran towards me. "Pathetic Oscar, you really were the weak one!" He lunged at me with a knife, "I'm not the weak one! You're a sad man Sam!" I screamed at him, his knife less than an inch away from my chest. I looked Sam in his hate filled eyes as his knife drew closer, "AHHHH" a scream rang through the burning fields but it wasn't mine. Hawk rode back and shot an arrow into Sam's back, as he dropped the knife I punched him and nearly broke his nose so I could run across a bridge. I shook my head to hawk like a wordless thank you, he rode off back to the hill and my gaze returned to Sam. Sam was climbing up an oil tower, the law had begun getting close enough to shoot at us, I grabbed my knife from my hip and climbed the same tower Sam did. I could hear his laugh as he began throwing more molotovs and dynamite at the lawmen. The smoke carried the sound of Sam's laughter, echoing through the night. I tightened my grip on the knife, readying myself for the final confrontation. I  reached the top of the tower, sweat dripped down my face, mixing with the dust that clung to clothes. There stood Sam, his mouth dripping with snake oil to quell the pain from my arrows. The raging inferno of the oil fields cast an eerie glow on Sam's face, "Thought you could stop me, huh, Oscar?" Sam taunted, his voice dripping with venom. "Well, I reckon you've come to the wrong place." He snickered, "this is where your sins are going to be judged Sam, not by god, not by the devil, by me." With those few words I lunged at him once again, just barely nicking his side. He swung at me with his knife, bullets continuing to rain towards us from the law. The fight raged on, Sam's movements swift and lethal yet not enough to stop me. adrenaline surged through My veins as I saw Sam's knife plunge down with both his hands, grabbing and barely holding his knife back, "It's time to be judged!" I yelled at him as I stuck my knife deep in his stomach. His knife fell from his hands, now just his bloodshot eyes staring at me, "yo- you got me," he croaked "you got me pretty good." He fell to the ground yet right before I could look down at him he sprang back up with that smile digging into my soul and plunged his knife into my shoulder. "AHHH!" Blinded by bloody rage I pulled out Sam's knife and buried it in his arm and began stomping my knife deeper into his chest with everything I had left. As my vision blurred and smoke filled my lungs the lawmens firing stopped, only for the sound of lit dynamite to break the sudden silence. The towers foundation exploded into burning debris, as the platform me and Sam bled out on fell into fire and smoke Sam's smile finally died with us.