THE GUNMAN

Chapter 4 Clumsy X Less Clumsy

Jeremy slowly opened his eyes, his head throbbing with pain. He found himself in a dark, damp cave, the air thick with the smell of mold and smoke. Eli was standing over him, smoking a cigarette, the ember glowing bright red in the dim light. The smoke curled up towards the ceiling, casting eerie shadows on the walls.

Eli's eyes narrowed, his gaze piercing through the smoke. He took a slow drag on his cigarette, the sound of the smoke hissing through his teeth, as he said, "You disappointed me, kid." His voice was low and gravelly, like the sound of rocks being crushed beneath a boot. He exhaled slowly, the smoke drifting out of the corner of his mouth.

Jeremy tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness washed over him, making his stomach churn. He winced, his hand going to his head, where a tender lump was forming. "You took me," Jeremy said, his voice shaking, his mouth dry and sour-tasting. "You took me from the windmill."

Eli snorted, a wry smile spreading across his face. He flicked his cigarette ash onto the ground, the ember sparking in the darkness. "Figured we needed a maid, someone to clean up behind us. And you were the lucky winner." He took another drag on his cigarette, his eyes glazing over as he began to speak.

"I was nine when I killed my first man. It was in Horn's Mouth, a town on the edge of nowhere. He was a drunkard, pissing in the alley, and I tried to take some stack of cash from his back pocket." Eli's voice dropped to a whisper, and he paused, his eyes flashing with pain. He took another drag on his cigarette, the ember glowing brighter as he inhaled.

"He caught me, and his hands wrapped around my neck like a vice. I felt my airway closing, my vision blurring, and my thoughts racing. I thought I was going to pass out, but something inside me snapped. I grabbed a knife that was dangling from his wrist and drove it deep into his throat. Blood came out in a fountain, sprinkling my face like warm rain." Eli's eyes seemed to glaze over, lost in the memory. He stood there, frozen, the cigarette smoke curling up around him like a shroud.

As he spoke, his voice cracked, and he cleared his throat, the sound echoing off the cave walls. He took one final drag on his cigarette, then flicked it onto the ground, the ember dying with a faint hiss. "Newspapers were flying all over the five regions - 'Kid Slays a Giant'! That's when I got my first bounty. I kept blaming myself, but soon I realized that he was gonna kill me if I didn't fight back."

Eli's gaze snapped back to Jeremy, his eyes blazing with intensity. He took a step closer, his boots scraping against the rocky ground. "Look, kid, this is the Wild West. The moment you fail to put a bullet into your enemy's head, he'll put one in yours. And at that exact moment, you'll never live your dream of becoming the greatest gunslinger in the world."

Eli's voice dropped to a whisper, his words sending a shiver down Jeremy's spine. "Outlaws aren't monsters, kid. But sometimes, we need to be one. We need to be the ones who strike fear into the hearts of those who would do us harm. We need to be the ones who survive, no matter the cost. Because in this world, kid, the only way to become the greatest is to be willing to do whatever it takes to get there."

Eli's gaze snapped back to Jeremy, his eyes blazing with intensity in the dim light of the cave. "Follow me, kid," he said, his voice low and gravelly, echoing off the cold stone walls. Jeremy slowly got up, his head still throbbing with pain, and followed Eli deeper into the cave. The air grew thick with the smell of gunpowder and sweat, and the sound of dripping water echoed through the tunnels. Jeremy's mind raced with questions. "The other 'yous' I saw at the windmill... were they real?" He asked, his voice shaking slightly, and his eyes fixed on Eli's back. Eli's gaze didn't waver. "They're not just me, kid. We're decuplets. I have 9 brothers, and we're all very real." He said, his voice echoing off the walls. As they turned a corner, the cave opened up into a large underground chamber, with multiple shafts connecting to different tunnels. Jeremy's eyes widened in shock as he took in the sight before him. Seated around a table, their faces lit only by the faint glow of a lantern, were Eli, and then another Eli, and another, and another, and yet another. Jeremy's mind reeled as he tried to process what he was seeing. He had seen twins and triplets before, but never decuplets. The brothers were identical, their faces, their hair, their eyes, all the same. Jeremy's eyes darted from one to the other, trying to find some difference, some distinguishing feature, but there was none. It was as if he was looking at the same person, cloned nine times over. Five of the brothers sat around the table, their faces lit only by the faint glow of a lantern, casting flickering shadows on the walls. Two others stood near a fire, their faces illuminated by the flames, which crackled and popped in the silence. Another brother, who had been working on something with his back to Jeremy, suddenly turned and threw a knife. Jeremy's eyes widened in shock as the knife whizzed past his ear, hitting a target behind him with a loud thunk. He felt a jolt of adrenaline and his heart raced as he realized how close he had come to being hit. He took a step back, his eyes fixed on the brother who had thrown the knife, and his hand instinctively went to his ear, feeling for blood. The brother walked towards Jeremy, his eyes glinting with a mischievous light, and his boots scraping against the stone floor. "Whoa, you should be careful around here," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, as he reached out to pull the knife out of the target. "You might lose an eye." He turned to Jeremy, the knife glinting in his hand, and said, "I'm Efi, by the way." Efi's sudden question broke the silence, making Jeremy jump. "You say you want to be the greatest gunslinger in the world, kid? Your dream is quite interesting. Can you do a Quick Off-Hand Draw? Do you know?" He asked, his voice echoing off the walls. Jeremy shook his head, his eyes fixed on the cards in front of the silent figures. "No, but I can do a Hip Draw." He said, his voice barely above a whisper. Efi burst out laughing, the sound echoing off the walls. "A Hip Draw? Ha! Even a kid can do that! That's not impressive at all, Jeremy. Anyone can draw from their hip. What else you got?" He asked, his eyes glinting with amusement. Eli chuckled and added, "Yeah, and from what I've seen, you can't even shoot a target the size of a barn. You're a long way from being the greatest gunslinger, kid." He said, his voice low and gravelly. Jeremy looked around the room, taking in the silent figures, their faces expressionless, their eyes fixed intently on their cards. He realized, with a start, that they were playing poker - but silently. No banter, no jokes, no conversation at all. "They can't talk," Eli said, noticing Jeremy's gae.