Unshaken

A Quiet Time

"So Lenny, I never got to introduce you to my friend Liam. The boy saved my head." Arthur said. Lenny, still shaking, said, "Nice to meet you. Sorry we couldn't have met under better circumstances." Liam felt bad. Lenny proceeded to tell the two everything that had happened as they rode to Valentine.

Arthur and the two teenagers walked into the the saloon. It was dark out and the place was filled with the people of Valentine. They leaned on the bar. "Just one or two, right Arthur?" Lenny asked. "'Course, just a drink. No big drama." Arthur replied. "Can we get three beers please?" Arthur asked the bartender. He slid bartender the money and gave him an extra to have for himself. "Thanks." The bartender said as Lenny started talking to Arthur about the Micah situation.

As Lenny was talking, an obnoxious drunk started to mock him. "Will you shut up?" Arthur asked. The man proceeded to mock him too. "Be quiet buddy." Arthur now demanded. The man laughed. "Oh, they're dullards! My lord... you men is dull!" He said. "Leave this fool alone." Lenny told Arthur. Liam wanted to see the man punched right in his face, but wasn't gonna admit to it. The man then mocked Lenny again. Liam was ready to throw the bottle and shatter it on the man's head. Arthur then stood up and faced the man. "Listen, buddy. You're a charming fellow... one of the best. But me and the kids here are trying to talk business, so could you possibly leave us alone? No offense intended." The man stared at Arthur for a second, and said "Ain't no pleasing some folk. Was just... trying to be friendly." As he walked off. The three then clinked their bottles in unison and started to chug.

They drank more than they could remember. Each time Liam opened his eyes, he, Lenny and Arthur were in a different place taking shots. He drunkenly laughed as he watched Arthur cheer the pianist on. "That's great, partner!" Arthur said as he laughed. "Lenny, Liam, where are y'all?" Arthur asked, looking around confused. Liam stumbled up to him. "I... don't have no clue where Lenny is, but I guess I'm right here!" He yelled. They then went and drunkenly searched for Lenny screaming his name. They both asked around looking for him in their sloppy state. They made their way up the stairs to find Lenny balancing a shot glass on his forehead. "You know what? I don't know!" He yelled as the shot glass fell and shattered on the bottom floor. They all laughed out loud. They proceeded to drink even more.

After a few more shots, Lenny asked Arthur, "Well, why ain't you never married?" And the conversation seemed to shift as they leaned on the railing. "No one would have me." Arthur slurred in a sad tone. It seemed like the next time Liam opened his eyes Arthur was jumping up and down as he and Lenny cheered him on laughing nonstop. Then from another conversation they were having, Liam was on the bottom floor talking to a stranger when he heard a crash. He looked at the bar to see Lenny standing on the bar screaming, "Get away from me!" as some men tried to pull him off yelling at him. "Get off him! He ain't done nothing!" Liam yelled as he stumbled towards the men. At that moment he also saw Arthur headed down the stairs toward the altercation. "Leave the kid alone, you goddamn animals!" Arthur yelled at them. They looked at Arthur and Liam. "Who do you think you're talking to?" One of the men yelled at them. "Nobody... we're taking to nobody." Arthur slurred as he walked down the stairs. "What did you say?" The man asked. "What?" Arthur obnoxiously replied. "I said, what did you say?" The man yelled again. Arthur shoved the man and said, "Get lost, buddy!" The music now stopped and everyone was staring. The man was angry and yelled, "Shut up mister!" back. Then the man near Liam assisted and yelled, "Yeah, shut your mouth mister!" Liam yelled at the man to not talk to Arthur like that and the next thing they all knew, they were can-canning with the entire bar laughing.

Liam was leaning on a rail when he saw Arthur come out of a room screaming in disgust. He vision was blurred and he stumbled up to Arthur. "Lenny!" They both yelled stumbling throughout the saloon. It caught them by surprise when Lenny turned them both around. "What're y'all doing?" He slurred grabbing their faces. Arthur paused for a second and slapped Lenny. Liam fell back in surprise and lost his footing, falling to the floor. Then the two were on the center floor having a slap contest with a crowd cheering on. Liam eventually stumbled between the two and dragged them to the bar.

Lenny then said, "You, you're a good friend to me, Arthur. And I need to get to know you better, Liam." Arthur looked at him for a second and told him, "Shut up... cheers!" And they all clinked their glasses together and drank. Then the man that had antagonized them when they had first gotten there appeared and said, "Cheers!". The three stared at him for a moment and Arthur said, "Not you again." and grabbed him by the shirt and drug him out back. He forced the man's head into the trough as Liam and Lenny cheered on. Liam didn't care if he'd lived or drowned in the moment. The man eventually escaped Arthur's grasp and sucker punched him in the stomach allowing him to escape. Liam tried to go after him but slipped and fell in the mud.

The next thing he knew they were in a pig pen behind the doctor's office laughing and tackling each other. Then they were on Valentine's main street. Lenny threw up and Liam had to turn away so he wouldn't. Arthur casually stumbled around until the three heard voices in the distance. "This way. There they are! There they are! Those are the men!" An officer yelled. A deputy tackled Lenny and shouted, "I got 'em! I got the bastard!". Liam panicked and took off towards the bank but another deputy tackled him and said, "I got another one of these crazy idiots!" As Liam's hands were being tied up he heard Sheriff Malloy yell, "Come here you drunken fool!" And chased Arthur into the alleyway. "Never!" Arthur yelled as he ran. As the deputy threw Liam over his shoulder, Liam heard Arthur yell, "You'll never take me alive!" Then he blacked out.