The Promise

21. You are a fool

Beans stayed there for a while. Bill's moan let she found a way back in reality.
"STOP!" she screamed when she recognized how Bill tried to crawl away.
She ran forwards and stopped in front of him.
"Where do you want to go?" she asked and crossed her arms.
"Out of my way!" Bill said and hissed.
"You will go nowhere!" Beans cried with anger. "Why have you done that?! He is in danger to die!"
Bill snorted. "He deserved it."
Beans gasped for air and gave him a hard slap in his face. Bill staggered aside and landed on the ground.
"Never say that again!" Beans screamed. "He had never deserved it! Never! Never! He would sell his soul for every creature which needs help. He absolutely never deserved it! You are really the cruelest creature in the world which I..."
Suddenly Beans froze.
Bill breathed with relief. "What a luck."
He pressed his lips together and tried to stand up. His wounds still hurt, but he didn't have much time. Despite his pain he ran away. At this moment, Beans began to speak again.
"... ever seen! Take it back!" She stopped. "What...?"
Bill was few meters more away than before.
Beans touched her forehead. "Not again... Bill, stay there!"
She ran after him, while Bill didn't think about to stop.
"In your dreams, little lady."
Beans jumped forward, grabbed Bill's shoulders and threw him to the ground. Because of his wounds and exhausting, Bill fell down like a sack of potatoes.
"You damn born of a woman!" he yelled.
He jumped at her. But Beans had better reflexes than Rango. She jumped aside, so that Bill grabbed at empty air. With hard crash, the Gila monster landed on the stony ground. For a moment, it seemed that Bill wanted to attack her again. But then he gave up. The Gila monster had exhausted completely. Powerless, he lay with heavy panting on his belly.
Beans stood a few meters behind him and looked down at him. Her heart beat very quickly.
"Are you satisfied now?" She asked. "Or do you want to have a fight more?"
Bill sat up his upper body, but there was no force inside him and sank to the ground again.
Beans anger became less. She turned around, while she let Bill lay on the ground.
Seconds later, Bill heard footsteps of a roadrunner.
"Come on," Beans said calmer. "We will ride to the town."
Bill opened his eyes and looked at her. Then he shook his head.
"Never," he gasped. "That devil wants to kill me."
Beans raised her eyebrows. "Do you rather want to die here?"
First Bill was silent. Then he grinned. "Never mind. Maybe Roscoe will kill the town."
"Why should he do that? And what happened?"
"Hawk, that happened."
"I see. But what happened before that? What did Rango mean about, where it could be what?"
"Nothing for a woman," Bill spat.
"But for a rattlesnake, isn't it?" she countered darkly. "Bill, don't be a fool and tell me, what's going on here."
"I say nothing anymore."
Beans snorted. "You are a fool! You were always a fool. Tell me the truth."
"No! Just let me go."
He crawled again. Suddenly Beans took out her shotgun from her roadrunner and aimed it at Bill. "You stay here, and you come with me to town!"
Bill grasped for air when he tried to sit up again. He laughed with panting.
"You are really like your father. He always threatened with his shotgun, when he saw me."
"For good reason. You had stolen a peccary from our ranch."
"I borrowed it," Bill gasped. "I wanted to give it back to you later. Maybe tomorrow."
Beans ignored his sarcasms.
"Climb on the runner and let's go."
"Better you let me go alone."
Beans rolled his eyes. "No! You will come with me in town. Jake will be very angry if I come without you."
Bill shook his head. "Just in case, if your friend will not survive... Do you really think I will be so stupid and run into my own end?"
Beans tried to don't think about the worst case.
Rango will not die, she thought. Please don't.
She swallowed heavily. "Jake will also be annoyed if he will stay alive and you run away. Be realistic, do you think you will come far with these injuries? Well, do you? I could imagine that the hawk could come back and will take you."
Bill became silent for a moment. He stared to the ground and seemed to think about that.
He lifted his head. "But you have to promise that he doesn't kill me."
Beans narrowed her eyes. "Why shall I promise that?"
"Well, otherwise I will not talk where the thing is."
"What exactly do you mean?"
Bill crossed his arm. "Promise first."
Beans rolled her eyes. Was that a promise day or what? "I will never give promises anymore. It was enough for me yesterday."
She turned her head around and held her mouth to avoid sobbing.
Bill looked at her in surprise. "So, what have you done?"
"None of your business," Beans said quickly.
"Well, then I don't talk, too."
"Jake will be angry."
"In this case I will not go back to town."
Beans snorted with disgust. She hated that lizard.
"Then stay here!" she spat.
She climbed on her roadrunner and rode away.
Bill jumped high and fell down again. "HEY! Are you crazy? You can't let me here!"
"Then talk."
"No! I have a right of protection!"
Beans waved her hand. "Then goodbye."
Bill sighed deeply. "Alright, alright. You are the winner. I will come with you to town. But you have to promise me."
"I don't want to give a promise anymore!"
"Alright! Nice! I hope Roscoe will kill you all. Including your boyfriend."
Beans stopped.
"That green lizard has no knowledge what's going on here," Bill cried. "He knows nothing. I'm the only one who could say more."
She gave him an ugly look. "Bill. You are a fool."
"That's not new for me."
Beans snorted. "Alright. I give you my word that he will not kill you."
"Is that a promise or a..."
"Yes, it is a promise," Beans said annoyed.
Bill sighed in relief. "Good."

It wasn't easy for Beans to bring Bill on the chicken. First she tried to lift him up on his feet. The most difficult part was the way to help him up the roadrunner. After several tries, Bill sat on the runner. Beans took the reins and guided them through the desert.
Bill was still panting and rested his upper body on the roadrunner's neck.
For a while, they kept silent, until Bill asked a question, which he couldn't get out of his mind. "By the way, what was that? Did I understand right? You had a deal with that devil?"
Beans snorted and lifted their nose up. "Bill, I don't wanna talk about it. Please."
"Why?"
Beans stopped.
For a while, they kept silent, until Bill asked a question, which he couldn't get out of his mind. "By the way, what was that? Did I understand right? You had a deal with that devil?"
Beans snorted and lifted their nose up. "Bill, I don't wanna talk about it. Please."
"Why?"
Beans stopped.

Doc sat silently in his house in front of his desk. Bored he leafed through some old papers.
So much time had passed since he became the doctor of this town.
"Time. Where have you gone?"
He winced when somebody knocked against his door loudly.
"Open the door!"
Doc jumped from his chair and ran to the door.
He knew Jake's voice, but the first what he saw was a motionless chameleon in the snake's body.
"Sheriff? But how..."
"Don't ask," Jake interrupted him and pushed Rango into the room. Doc jumped forward to catch him before the lizard hit the floor.
"Not again, Mister Rango!" Doc cried. "What happened this time?"
Jake put his head into the antechamber. "This dirty cold-blooded reptile."
Doc didn't know what he meant. "Uh... Pardon?"
"Bill," Jake answered his questions with a short word.
"But what..." Doc interrupted himself when he recognized the towel around Rango's arm.
Doc put the chameleon gently on the floor and removed the bandages.
"Dear Lord," Doc muttered when he saw the bite wound. It was blue-red colored and swollen. Quickly Doc felt Rango's hand. The pulse was still perceptible.
"Thanks god, his heart is still in work."
Doc controlled Rango's pupils.
"Sheriff? Sheriff? Sheriff Rango? Can you hear me?"
He patted Rango's face, but there was no reply.
"He will be okay again, won't he?" Jake asked.
"Well. I can't promise..."
"He WILL be okay! Get it?"
Doc nodded hastily. "O-of course he will, Mister Jake."