The Promise

8. Where is he?

"Where is he?" Jake screamed.
Beans grasped for air when Jake squeezed the desert lizard in his coils.
In the morning, after Jake had recognized that Rango wasn't in his jail cell anymore, his first idea was Beans. Beans was hidden in town, until Jake found her in Furgus's store. Without a word, he caught her and hauled her on the street.
Beans had no time to defense herself, because Jake took her in a stranglehold and secured her in mayor's office. Later, one citizen after another landed in the room, like Doc, Furgus, Wounded Bird, Waffles and Spoons.
With wide eyes, they watched how Jake took Beans again in his body and began to choke her.
"Talk woman! I know, you know where he is, DON'T YOU?"
Jake was annoyed how a rattlesnake never could be. His eyes seemed to glow like fire.
"I – I don't – know –," Beans was on the verge of faint.
"Mister Jake..." Doc began.
Jake hissed loudly. "SHUT UP! You are all in cahoots with this damn creature, aren't you?! One word more, and I will reshape your hut village to a cemetery!"
"J-a—k" Beans gasped. Immediately, Jake loosened his grip a little before Beans smothered.
He forgot Doc's words for a moment. The big rattlesnake bent down to her and looked into her wide opened scared eyes. "If you had not so beautiful brown eyes, I would kill you right here right now. But dead you have no use for me."
Jake grinned bitterly. "I could imagine your friend would come voluntarily if he hears that you got an accident."
He came closer with his head. Shortly afterwards, Beans felt a gun on her head.
"I could do worse things to you than death."
He gave her a last big pressing hug, then he turned around his head and looked around in the other's eyes. "Well, if your sheriff wants to play a game, he will get it. YOU?!"
Wounded Bird blanched of fear inside when Jake looked at him like evil of hell. "We have still a score to each other. Didn't you want to shoot me for a long time ago? Yes, and I gave you a harmless wound. If you don't want, that I get more annoyed, find the sheriff and bring him back to town."
Beans was going to say something, but Jake gave her a squeeze again. She tensed up and was unable to speak for a moment.
"But hurry up!" Jake continued. "For every night, I will take a soul. GET IT?"
The other townspeople didn't dare to contradict him. Jake was unpredictable when he was in anger.
"What are you waiting for?" Jake asked. "Get off! Never come back without him. And... don't dare to come on stupid ideas. Otherwise, she won't live any longer."
He lifted Beans. "I'm not kidding! Go!"
Wounded Bird nodded hastily. He knew Jake was serous.
Without hesitation, Wounded Bird left the town hall and jumped on the next free roadrunner.
As soon as the Amerindian had left the room, Jake looked at Beans.
"If you are in luck, you will see your friend again very soon."
When Wounded Bird had left the town, he heard a threatening rattling in the air.

"Why you didn't shoot him?" Kinski asked confused.
Bill had given Rango a hard slap on his head with his second revolver. Now he lay unconscious on the ground. Silently Stump, Kinski and Chorizo looked at the motionless chameleon.
Bill snorted with disgust. "As I said before, a short death is a mild punishment for him. I just wanted to scare him, then we will give him something to think about he will never forget."
The three guys looked at each other.
"What are we going to do next, Bill?" Stump asked.
Bill packed away his guns. "First, we return."
"But what about him?" Stump asked again and pointed at Rango. "We have no time now."
"Yes," Chorizo said. "What about the train?"
Kinski nodded. "And more, what about Roscoe if he comes back? Didn't he tell something that he wanna rob the train, too?"
Bill rolled his eyes. "That's my business, alright? Maybe I have an idea."
With these words, he grabbed Rango's legs and dragged him over the ground. He had no regard for that chameleon and pulled him through dust and over stones. Fortunately, Rango was unconscious that he couldn't feel pain at the moment.