Shot Dead

A Dream

(Trigger Warning! Not for this chapter but for the story as a whole)

"Years ago my daddy told me that this land wasn't built for girls like me. He was right. Out here you can't be just a girl. If you want to survive on your own you have to become a killer."

Maggie Golden POV:
The campfire was the only thing I wanted to focus on right now. We were freezing out here and haven't eaten in a day. "When we gonna eat something Morris?" I asked rubbing my stomach. Morris Buckley was the man I was working to. Owed him a debt from a few towns back. "You asked me yesterday, and I told you that you eat when I eat. I don't have any food, so that answers your question," he said clearly mad at me. "Why you always mad at me?" I never could understand why he was so hateful. He had a big education and money, so what was there to be mad about? He chuckled looking up at me, "My problem is you. You are just another girl who looked up to her father too much, so you thought you would try your life out here. Guess what? You might have been lucky to still be kicking this long, but your luck will run out. You'll either be dead or wishing you were." What he said really hurt. I wasn't just some idiot out here surviving. I knew Buckley hated all people. He didn't hate people for the color of their skin or if they liked sleeping with the same gender. I didn't know why Buckley hated people since he never did say much about it. Didn't matter much though since he just paid me. I watched him get up from his seat and head for his tent meaning he wouldn't talk the rest of the night. I picked my riffle up from the ground and turned back to the empty field as it was my job to make sure nothing snuck up on us. A small sigh escaped my lips as it was just going to be another boring night. Might as well do something while I'm here and have the time. Eh screw it. By now Buck was out cold, so I laid back looking up at the night sky. I sure did like the pretty stars. Sometimes I wish I could go see them myself, but maybe one day my grandchildren will. Slowly my eyes began fighting to stay open, but I couldn't sleep! I couldn't sleep! It would happen again. All the bad dreams would happen again. Finally I couldn't take it and everything went dark.

My eyes opened as this time it was something new. I was in some cold room and could hear water dripping down. A torch suddenly lit the room and I could see a man's face. His face was heavily burnt and he had eyes two different colors. "I know you, but you have forgotten me," he said reaching his right hand towards me. I tried to pull my head back, but I had nowhere to go. "Don't touch me!" I yelled as he ran his hand up and down my face. "You will meet me very soon," he said putting the tips of his fingers against my cheek. A tear ran down my face as he pushed his fingers against my skin breaking it. I winced in pain feeling the blood run down my neck.

I gasped sitting up in a cold sweat looking around to see I was back at the fire. Putting my hand on my cheek I didn't feel any marks, but the pain in the dream was definitely real. I held my riffle up to my chest and waited for any sign of movement. Let that bastard try and get me! I'll kill him!

Morris Buckley POV
Getting my boots on I could see that dumb girl still sitting out there clinging onto her riffle. She was no good if she was too tired to work. "Maggie. Get some food in you. We are leaving soon," I yelled walking out of the tent. "Pack that tent up too," I ordered tossing her a little coin. "Yes sir," she said getting to work right away which was odd. I expected more attitude from her since that's what she usually gave. "You get any sleep last night?" I asked not getting an answer back. "Hey jackass. I asked you a question," I said kicking a pebble towards her. "Yes! Just let me do this," she yelled back getting that tent down. "I kill people. Killing people is what gets me paid. You can't help if you're too tired to kill, so do whatever you got to do to get woke up," I walked over to the horses and took a wanted poster out from the bag. "We will do this one. Takes us to a town called Grainer. Looking for a fella named who cut up some girls. A real freak," I said putting the poster in my back pocket. These kinds of people were becoming more common, but it meant more money for me. World wasn't a hateful place the people who lived on it are hateful. "Ever have any dreams Buckley?" I heard Maggie ask. "Everyone dreams Maggie. Only children believe in them though," I said getting up on my horse as she got saddled up as well. As we began to ride I was thinking about dreams I had now. Most of them weren't dreams. They were just memories I had that seemed better or worse. This town up ahead I had been there a few times and it was nothing special. Once had one of those freak show circus acts, but that was as good as it got. Those people weren't freaks. They were just people born with a disease in most cases. "Ride up ahead," I ordered and there she went again. No back talk or smartass comments. Maybe all of this strange attitude had something to do with that dream talk earlier. Idiot probably just had a ba-