The Promise

31. Do you have a plan?

Both reptiles raised their hands in the air when Roscoe released the safety catch of his gun with a metallic scary sound. Around him stood coyotes with raised torches.
The coyote boss grinned. "So, at least you are here. I thought you would never come. I waited in that damn area over one day."
Bill and Rango exchanged glances.
"How did you find out that the place would be here?" Rango asked.
"Your old friend was a good help."
He waved his hand back and Wounded Bird appeared, followed by Stump, Kinski and Chorizo.
Chorizo waved his hand. "Hi Bill."
Stump looked back where Bobby stood, still holding his plush rabbit in his hands. Stump moved his forehead and felt the arm of his destroyed stuff toy under his hat. Kinski gave him an encouraging side hit.
Meanwhile, Roscoe moved forward and pushed Rango and Bill aside. He bent down and grabbed one of the gold sacks.
Bill jumped up. "Hey! That's min..."
"Stay back!"
Bill stumbled backwards when Roscoe aimed his gun at him.
"It would be not smart to shoot us here," Rango said. "The mine walls are very sensitive."
"One reason more to make no wrong movement."
He gave some of his men a sign and they dragged the two reptiles to the other prisoners.
Chorizo took a thoughtful look at Bill's wounds. "Bill, you are looking worse than before."
"Shut your trap!" Bill hissed and gave him a head slap.
"Boss? What are we going to do with them?" one coyote asked.
Rango swallowed with bad guess in his mind.
Roscoe put the sack back into the box and shrugged his shoulders.
"What are we going to do with everyone who we don't need anymore?"
Rango pressed his eyes together. He didn't want to hear it.
"You would never dare," Bill growled threateningly.
"I bet yes." Roscoe grinned. "Bring them outside. I'm sure we will find a nice grave for you somewhere here."
The coyotes around them laughed. Rango embraced himself, while Bill and the others looked with stony glances. Wounded Bird lowered his eyes and said nothing.
Bobby placed himself in front of the group and pushed them in the direction of the tunnel where they came from.
Roscoe turned around and paid his attention back to the gold.
Suddenly, a big dark shadow shot out of the dark main tunnel. All cried in surprise and fear. Torches fell to the ground and defunct. Rango felt something circled around him and held him tight, that he had to gasp for air. The creature tugged him away and Rango could do nothing than to lay in his grip like paralyzed. The chameleon heard screams of fear and rage. Roscoe's protest and his mens' surprised reaction. Rango blinked, but he could see nothing in this darkness. Suddenly a light became visible at the end of the tunnel.
Dear Lord! I can't be dead, am I?
The light became smaller. It wasn't the light of the sun. It was an oil lamp.
Like on a roller coaster, Rango was thrown up into the air for a few seconds, and landed in the middle of the mine circle, still placed in a snake body.
"Rango!"
Rango blinked irritated when he heard the familiar voice.
"Beans? Is that you?"
Beans came with an oil lamp in her hands. Rango looked around and found the eyes of Jake, which looked at him with his familiar fire.
"You are here?"
"Who else?" Jake said and released the chameleon.
Beans couldn't help herself and hugged him. Jake watched it with an acidulous glance.
Beans let him go quickly and talked exited: "I was worried about you. At least, you are okay."
"How did you know where we are?"
"Mister Owlden told us that he guessed that the gold must be here. By the way, Jake found your trace and we could follow you through the tunnels."
"Oh, that explains all." He lowered his eyes. "Sorry for my irruption into your father's territory."
"That's okay for me. And maybe okay for him. I just don't like the others."
"Do you have a plan?"
"You ask me for a plan?" Jake asked. "I'm surprised."
Rango raised his eyebrows. "So, do you?"
"We not," Beans said. "But Mister Owlden is still in the tunnel of that mine way. He said, he would try to find a way to rout out them."
"What is he going to do?"

"After them! After them!" Roscoe shouted. "Find them! Kill them!"
He swung the oil lamp, which had survived the attack and looked around the coyotes, which slowly stood up again. Also Wounded Bird. The coyote boss twisted around. Bad Bill and his gang were disappeared.

"Are you sure, we are on the right way?" Kinski asked unsurely while they go down the tunnel.
"Of course I am!" Bill replied. "I just follow my instinct and my instinct says, that we have to go deeper into the mine."
Chorizo scratched his head. "Why?"
"Don't be so stupid," Bill spat. "They will think we would try to escape back through the main tunnel. In this case, we have to follow this side corridor to avoid that they can follow us. They will never bethink that we would take the way more inside the cave."
Stump went closer behind Kinski. "But do you know where the corridor ends?"
"No," Bill answered shortly. "But I think we are in safety... Ouch!"
The others stopped from fear. "What's happen?" Kinski asked and leaned forward where he could feel Bill's back.
"Nothing!" Bill muttered with pressed voice. "It was just a wall."
"What is it?" Stump asked. "Impasse?"
"No," Bill said and rubbed his nose. "It's just a curve. Be careful. Come on."
They touched the wall and continued their blind walking.
"Uh, Bill?" Chorizo asked.
Bill stopped. "What?"
"Sounds like we are in a bigger room."
"How do you know?"
"Listen. Our footsteps have another echo than before."
Bill moved along and heard it, too. Suddenly he crashed against something.
"Ouch! What the hell..."
He touched ahead and felt wooden surface.
"What is it, Bill?" Stump asked. "Another curve?"
"No. It is different. I don't know what it is," Bill muttered. "But I will find it out very soon."
He took out a matchstick and lighted it on.
"A good thing that I'm a smoker."
His henchmen blinked when the little fire lighted the cave. Bill lifted the matchstick higher to see more. They looked around.
Stump cried out with hoarse voice.
Chorizo gasped for air. "A bad thing that you are smoker."
In front of them wooden boxes labelled with red big letters: EXPLOSIVE.