Young Guns: Fire and Steel

Chapter 13: "Your Funeral"

William H. Bonney stared across the distance, shock washing over his features. What just happened? The dark rider had been riding at a decent pace towards them. He hadn't meant to shoot, at least not until he knew exactly who it was. If it had been the law or one of the Ring, he would have gladly shot them dead. But, he was waiting. Then the voices of Chavez and Charlie rang out startling him. His finger twitched and... "Shit!" He swore under his breath, now slipping his guns back into their holsters. The movement was slow as if he were lost in a bad dream.

"What have you done, Chivato?!" Chavez growled into his ear, a mixture of anger and worry edging his voice. "If you killed her..." He left that threat unfinished and hurried forward towards the body laying on the ground in the distance.

Billy couldn't move. He didn't hurt women or children. It was his own creed. He refused to harm a woman, ever, and anyone else who did made his blood boil. After all, his own mother had been dear to him before... He shook his head trying to shake himself out of the daze he had worked himself into. "I didn't mean to..." He began but the only one who heard him was Steve who was still standing back with him.

Charlie was already off, running after Chavez to check on the felled woman.

"God damnit!" The blond swore again and ran a hand through his hair, frustration, and fear fueling him. He knew his bullet couldn't have hit anything vital... but, then again... he wasn't completely sure. If she had moved, or... "Damn!"

"You need to stop beatin' yourself up, Billy," Steve said spitting some tobacco on the ground. "How were you to know? The woman dresses like a goddamn man." He shook his head and gently pushed the other boy forward. "C'mon. Might as well go find out the damage."

But Billy still couldn't move. He hated to admit, that if he had killed her, he never would be able to forgive himself. He stood back as Steve began to head to where the others were, just now reaching the body in the dirt. None of them knew how disturbed he was by his own actions. He had been so angry with her moments before - hurt even, but there was no way he would ever admit to that. She had left them, hadn't she? Why was she there now? Why did she come back? Maybe she should have stayed away because then he wouldn't have... Damn, being angry was so much easier... Now, he just felt... sick. Normally he was so sure of everything. Knew exactly what he wanted. And now... he felt suddenly lost, in a fog, he couldn't pull himself out of. He had a feeling it wasn't just because he had shot a woman, but that he had shot her.

~~~

Breathe. Slow breaths. Slow. Shallow. Breaths.

White-hot pain coursed through her shoulder, and her body ached from falling to the ground from her horse's back. What had happened? Kristal tried to think. She had been riding Midnight, following the trail the other Regulators had left. It had been easy. She could see the tobacco stains that littered the ground here and there, which she was almost certain had been Steve's doing - possibly Charlie too. Didn't they know how to hide a trail? Practically anyone could have followed them... Hopefully the law wasn't skilled in tracking. With any luck they were stupid...

Stop. Focus.

She had been riding, when she saw the figures pop up from a ravine not too far in the distance. She immediately recognized the blond Bonney and the dark-haired Chavez farther back by his horse. Before she could lift her hand or call out to them, to let them know she was a friend, the shot echoed, ringing through the air like one of those damn bells that serve as an alarm, warning people in hearing distance. Only this sound was no alarm, it was ear-splitting, a shatter of pain as a sharp jolt went through her, the force flinging her off Midnight's back.

Damn, son of a bitch.

Now, she was lying in the dirt, too astonished to move. Well, and the fact it hurt too much to move.