And Then There Was One (2019)

Chapter 11 - Roope Hintz

Dallas, Texas

July 1, 2019

"Keksit, whoa!" a silky blond haired man with shimmering blue eyes exclaims with a thickly bizarre southern accent. He pulls the reins to a gorgeous white gyspy horse. "Y'all almost ran over that lady! Easy there, ain't no rodeo now."

He pats the side of the horse, who whinnies in response to him with a massive eye-roll.

"Come on now, I done saw that! Don't ya roll your eyes at me!"

"OMG! It's Dallas Star Finnish star prospect, Roope Hintz!" a high-pitched girl scream shouts out.

Roope straightens up, spotting a teenage girl with a 'victory green' shirt on that is plastered with his face and hearts and the words, 'Roope's #1 Fangirl'. He grips the reins in one of his hands and tips his black cowboy hat in greeting. "How may I be of assistance, Miss? Need an autograph?"

The brunette girl blushes red, halting at the side of the horse, looking up at him. "Your eyes are so stunning...wow."

Roope smiles at her. "Thank you, ma'am."

She hands him up an action shot picture she took of him from a Stars game. He quickly signs with a sharpie pen and hands it back down to her with a curt but respectful, "Nice shot. Captured my awesomeness!"

"Thank you! I'm glad you like it! I try my best to get the best shots I can of my players. I was so proud of this one!" The girl hugs the picture to her, barely containing herself. "What's your horse's name?"

"His name's Keksit. My beautiful boy steed. His name means 'biscuits in Finnish," Roope chuckles. "Hey, don't worry about bitin' off more'n you can chew; your mouth is probably a whole lot bigger'n you think!"

She raises an eyebrow at him. "Uhhhh...okayyy?"

Keksit whinnies, stomping his hoof in place.

"Don't y'all ask now. I just heard it somewhere. Good advice I like to think!" Roope gently kicks the sides of his horse, Keksit. "Now, y'all have fun! I've gotta continue on my daily street trotting adventure here."

The girl nods and skips off from him.

Keksit nays and begins to journey onward with Roope on his back. The sun shines brightly overhead, a rare clear-sky summer day for the Texas city. He rounds a corner, heading up the street that would take him to his apartment. To his left side is a stunning park for kids and dogs. It is vacant today bizarrely.

"Would'ya look at that, Keksit, the park's all quiet today! Of all days for it to be unused, huh?"

Keksit snorts and then starts to spin his head to one side as a masked man, dressed in all black, rides up to him on a midnight black Appaloosa horse with beady red eyes. Keksit jerks to a halt with a terrified and confused whinny.

"What the hell man?" Roope questions, frowning and narrowing his eyes at the man.

The horse and rider just stand there, unmoving.

"Do y'all speak English?"

No response still.

"Do y'all speak period? Please move outta my way."

The man finally moves...his arm, whipping out a white envelope with a detailed masquerade sticker holding the flap in place. He then snaps it out toward Roope, signalling him to take it.

Roope shakes his head. "Look, Sir, I dunno ya. If it's mail, just put it in the mailbox. I really have to get back home!"

Keksit stomps in place, impatiently, flicking his long, wavy blond haired tail back and forth.

Still the man refuses to budge, holding the envelope out. But now he smiles at him and mouths, "Take it."

Roope sighs and tosses his eyes, puffing a strand of his hair from his visionpath with his mouth. "Fine. I'll take the dang thing." He reaches out, holding the reins to Keksit in one of his hands once more and takes the envelope. "Now can ya move?"

"Open it, Mr. Hintz. Then I MIGHT move," the man finally speaks.

Roope sighs and opens the envelope up, carefully. He withdraws the two folded papers from inside and then proceeds to unfold them. All while the black dressed man watches him. Roope scans the invite and shakes his head. "Not interested, man. Now move, or I'm callin' the cops!"

He balls the papers up and chucks them at the man and then flicks Keksit's reins, howling out, mightily, "YEEHAW!!"

Keksit steps back and begins to head around the black horse, when the man's hand shoots to his left side and whips out a coiled up lasso rope that had been attached to a holster on his leg and out of sight. He unravels it with ease and throws it into the air, before flinging it in Roope's direction.

The rope easily and quickly loops around Roope's upper body, pasting his arms to his sides.

"What in tar--?"

There is a shrill whistle like the kind blown by the refs in the NHL that blares through the air, cutting him off. Then he is grabbed off of Keksit's back and forced to the ground, his hat getting knocked off of his head. The rope is wrapped around his arms more, making it virtually impossible to move and then a white cloth is placed around his head and tied at the nape of his neck. And then a bag.

The last thing he sees is the terrified white Keksit rearing up and naying. Hands grab onto his hands and he is dragged toward a car of some kind. He is shoved inside and the nays of Keksit fade into the distance.