The Promise

18. This time I will really kill you!

It was too late for Bill to recognize the danger. With a loud cry, the hawk grabbed the big lizard with his claws. Bill screamed and tried to free himself. Rango jumped behind a rock and pressed himself on the ground. He heard Bill's cries and the hawk's screeching. Trembling, he dared a look over the stone.
"GET OFF!" Bill yelled.
He drew his revolver and shot. The bullet hit the hawk's beak. For a moment, the hawk was like frozen. Then he screeched with rage. He pressed Bill on the ground. With one claw, he held Bill's feet, with the other one his upper body. Then he bent down and grabbed with his beak Bill's gun belt. He ripped it off and threw it meters away. After that, he lifted his head with triumph.
Bill hissed and scratched his nails in hawk's feet. The hawk cried annoyed. He bent his head down and bit into Bill's neck. Bill screamed in pain, but the predator did not intend to break his neck. Instead, he seemed to prolong his painful death. He pressed his claws together and embedded the sharp weapons into his flesh. Bill was unable to scream while the hawk still held his neck, only hushed coughing. A while the Gila monster fought, then his movements ended in exhaustion.
The hawk grinned triumphantly. He had won the fight.
Rango opened his eyes with horror when the hawk moved with all force his wings and flew upwards to the sky. Helpless Rango had to see how the hawk flew with the lizard higher and higher. No long and the bird will let him fall. In worse case, Bill will break his neck. As soon as his victim died, he will eat his meal.
Rango stood up and was unable to move, only watching.
Bill will die, but... Damn! He needed the paper!
He took his gun quickly. How many bullets were in his gun? Five.
Five tries.
"Alright," he thought. "Let's rumble."
Rango aimed the gun and pulled the trigger.
Missed!
Again a shoot.
The hawk cried annoyed when the bullet struck his wing.
That was number 3.
Rango's breath became faster. He narrowed his eyes.
He pressed the trigger again. Meet your target, he prayed.
As if the Spirit of the West had heard his call, the bullet struck the predator on the left chest.
With shrill cry, he let fall the lizard. It wasn't very high and Bill landed with a loud crash on the ground. The hawk flew a circle and scanned the earth to see who had dared to make him mad.
Rango waste no time and ran to Bill, who lay motionlessly on the belly.
Rango grabbed Bill's arm. "Stand up! We have to run away!"
Rango winced when he felt warm blood on his hands. The hawk had cut some wounds with his claws in Bill's body.
Rango turned around when he heard a threateningly loud cry. Rango's blood froze in his veins, when he saw the hawk came closer in their direction.
"BILL! Damn! Don't be silly! Stand up! Goddamn! Stand up!"
He gave Bill several times a slap in the face.
Bill blinked irritated. "W-wha-..."
"Stand up!" Rango gave him a kick with his foot.
With a loud hiss, Bill jumped up. But he had no time to say a word. The hawk reached his claws, but he grabbed at empty air. Bill and Rango ran in two directions.
Rango jumped aside. "Lord help me!"
Like a miracle, a big stone with a hollow became visible not far away. He stood up and ran to it. Also Bill had recognized the rocky hiding place and ran with last force under it.
Rango panicked when he felt the hawk's movement of the wings.
"NOOO!" He pressed ahead and slithered under the stone. He felt a sharp pain in his leg, but he didn't stop moving. Shortly afterwards, when he was under the stone he crawled on hands and knees on until his head bumped against a stony wall.
The hawk was too big and his feet too short to reach them. He cried loudly. With rage, the predator flew up and down and blew up a lot of dust. Rango cough like crazy when the sand landed in his lungs and eyes. It was impossible to see clearly.
He closed his eyes and pressed himself deeper into the stone corner of the rock.
"Get off! Get off!" he prayed. "Please, let him go away!"
He screamed in horror when he felt a gust because of the hawk's claw, which missed him only a few millimeters.
"Go away!" Rango screamed. "Or I shoot you!"
Shoot! He felt for his gun. A shoot. There was a last bullet in his gun.
For just one shoot. One last chance.
Coughing, he aimed the gun at the exit where he saw the light and the moving shadow of the hawk.
He pressed the trigger.
PENG!
A shrill scream cut the air. The big creature circled like crazy, then more dust twirled in the air. Then it became calmer. The wild wind died away. After a half minute, Rango dared to open his eyes again. He looked outside. There was no corpse. Maybe he only shot the hawk hardly but not deathly.
"He's gone," he thought in relief. "He left."
Exhausted and tired he let fall himself to the ground and stayed there a while. He licked his lips, which had covered with sand and dust. He felt so dried out and drained. So weak. He closed his eyes. He heard the wind, his breath, his pounding heart. He smelt dry air, mixed with earth and blood. Somebody coughed.
He opened his eyes. Not far away Bill lay on the ground on his belly, covered with dust and blood on his shirt. Rango wiped sand and dust from his face away.
"Bill? Bill?"
There was no reply. Slowly he crawled over to Bill.
"Bill? Can you hear me?"
He stopped when he saw a part of the paper, which was visible in one of Bill's pockets.
Rango swallowed and stretched out his hand. He pulled the paper out and unfolded it. He read the first symbols.
"M – 1 – N – 3."
What did that mean? A code?
Maybe someone in Dirt could answer his question.
He stood up, but he hesitated. What about Bill? Should he leave him alone? He was exhausted. Impossible that he could walk a long way. Silently, he let wander his eyes over the lizard's body. He was still breathing. He put his hand on Bill's shoulder. Suddenly Bill began to move and open his eyes. He breathed heavily and looked around nervously.
"It's okay," Rango said. "The hawk is gone."
Bill's eyes wandered on Rango's hand where the paper was. Bill's body clenched and his hand became fists.
Rango lifted his hand and looked at him unsurely. "Uh... Bill? Are you okay?"
"You damn creature!" Bill growled with pressed voice.
Rango looked at his hand with the paper. "Uh... Bill, don't get mad... I would never let you here, but I took this..."
Bill hissed sharply and lifted his upper body on his hands. Rango backed away.
"Calm down, calm down. Don't get upset! Bill, I had no bad intentions. Listen, let's go back to town and everything will be alright again."
The Gila monster still looked at him with hateful eyes.
Rango's eyes grew wide when the Gila monster really managed to stand up despite his injuries. The big lizard breathed heavily, but he held his position.
"You are a curse!" Bill yelled. Rango closed his ears.
"Since you came in town, you brought me bad luck."
Rango winced and opened his mouth. "Second! Come off it! I never did something wrong to you. It was always your fault when you got into troubles. Get it? And be glad, I saved your damn life again. I'm tired of to do it repeatedly. How small is your brain?!"
Bill pressed his hands together. Rango went a few more steps back.
"Alright. Come on. Let's go back."
He turned around. Suddenly Bill jumped forward and grabbed his shoulders. With one hand, he held his upper body, with the other his neck.
Rango breathed in the air when Bill pressed his hand together.
"You will go nowhere!" Bill scoffed.
Rango put his hand on his neck and tried to come free again.
"Stop that Bill! Be glad, that we survived."
Bill snorted loudly. "Only me... but not you!"
He threw him on the ground. Rango rolled on his back. Bill attacked him again and pressed the chameleon with his heavy weight to the ground. "This time I will really kill you!"
Rango struggled like crazy. "Bill! What's going on with you?! Bill, we will go back to town. What do you want more? Without my help, you will never survive here."
Bill narrowed his eyes. "I don't give a damn! I wanna see how you die!"
Rango tried to push him away. But Bill grabbed Rango's arm and held it tightly.
"Enjoy the death!"
Bill sank his teeth into Rango's arm. Rango screamed in pain. He tried to come free, but Bill made no move to let him go. Rango yelled when Bill moved his teeth in his injured flesh. Suddenly Rango felt something different and he knew what:
Venom!