Lifesaver [Engl.]

6. Dark figures

It was already pitch-dark. Rango sat on the floor next to Jake, pulling his blanket closer around himself. A small campfire burned in front of him to keep him warm. He sighed. Of course, none of the townspeople wanted to stay with him to supervise a snake.
"... I have something to do at home. ... "
"... I have to win one round more ..."
"... I have to close my shop ..."
Were the arguments he had heard. Rango hadn't forced them to stay.
Only Doc had agreed to drop by sometime during the evening, because he still had to do something in his office. But Rango suspected that the doctor just wanted to follow his evening drink, which he cured until noon.
If only Beans had stayed at least. But she had disagreed with his plan anyway and said she would give it some thought. Of course, it was out of the question for her to monitor a killer who nearly had killed her in the past. For this reason, it was understandable that Beans didn't want to keep him company.
The chameleon froze. His circulation slowly sank due to the cold.
How paradoxical. Extremely hot during the day and totally cold at night.
He snuggled deeper into the woolen blanket. Was everything okay with Jake?
Jake lay quietly on the floor and breathed evenly. It was a good thing that he was sleeping. Calm was the best what he needed now; Doc had said. Gently he stroked the rattlesnake's scaly skin. Jake moved a little, moaned briefly, then was quiet again.
The wind whistled over the landscape, causing a low, scary howl. The skeletons of the old covered wagons in the sand looked eerie.
The green lizard hoped the ghosts were really just a rumor.
Rango became frightened.
But ... maybe it was the ghosts who mistreated Jake. Maybe a rattlesnake had bitten one of them and now they wanted to take revenge on one. Bad luck that Jake came to this area, and then they had hung him up.
Rango shook his head. Nonsense! Spirits could never kill anyone.
Rango jumped in alarm. He thought he had heard a noise.
Anxiously, he pulled the blanket closer to himself.
What time was it? Maybe midnight? Ghost hour?
Rango felt his heart beat faster. An unpleasant tingling sensation spread through him that made him feel like jumping up and running away screamingly.
But he couldn't let Jake down. He didn't want that under no circumstances. He had no choice but to wait and see what would happen.
Maybe it was Doc, or even Beans?
Now he heard footsteps. He swallowed hard. Several crunching steps across the sandy floor.
Rango stood up anxiously.
"Hello?! Is anybody there?"
The steps fell silent.
Rango got scary. He knew, if it had been someone from the city, he would have contacted him. But here he received no feedback.
It had to be a stranger.
Rango felt for his revolver. Now the steps started again. Rango's hand tightened on the handle of his revolver.
Please, don't let it be a ghost, he thought quietly.
He winced. Around him, from the direction of the cemetery, the outlines of several figures appeared. Rango pressed himself against Jake. If he were awake at least.
The figures came closer. Step by step.
"Who's there?" Rango asked fearfully. His voice failed. Why didn't any of them answer?
The figures stopped. Rango was close to using his revolver when one of the figures detached himself from the group and stepped forward.
In the dim light of the campfire, Rango recognized a person in rags and dirty boots. When he was close enough to the campfire, he could see the animal more clearly.
But the person was still a complete stranger to him.
What kind of animal was that? It had fur like a ferret or something. But somehow, he remembered a ferret differently. His eyes narrowed. No, he had never seen an animal like this. Was it native to America at all?
"Who are you?" the ferret-looking person asked in a deep, dark voice.
"Would you rather tell me who you are?" Rango asked, who didn't want to show his fear.
"My name doesn't matter," the stranger answered.
"Well, in this case, my name is none of your business, too," Rango replied a little bolder. The figure didn't look like a ghost, but it wasn't exactly civilized either.
"What are you doing here?" the stranger asked in a monotone voice.
"I? ... This is a free country and you can spend the nights wherever you want, right?" Rango said.
Something inside told him that the stranger had no good intentions. And that's exactly what caused Rango sorrow. What if this stranger and his companions were the one who had Jake ...
"I repeat the question again," the strange figure said to him, this time in a slightly raised voice. "What are you doing here?"
Rango didn't know what to say. He couldn't hide Jake. It's a plain as the nose on someone's face what he was doing here. Then why did the stranger ask him these questions?
Given his minority, Rango thought it would be the best to finish the parody slowly. First, he tried the harmless tour.
"I found this creature here and I wondered why it hangs there. So I brought him down."
"Do you know who that is?"
Rango played the one with ignorance. "Uh ... no. Who is he?"
"It's the killer Rattlesnake Jake."
Rango pretended to be very surprised and held his head.
"Oh really? That is the notorious grim reaper? Good heavens! How should I know? But what difference does it make? Even a lawbreaker needs help."
"He doesn't deserve help!" The stranger snapped at him. "He doesn't even deserve to live."
Rango raised his eyebrows. He no longer liked the tone of the stranger at all.
"And what do you suggest?" Rango asked carefully but firmly.
The stranger raised his hand and the other figures stepped forward. Rango counted eight other ferret-like shapes that looked almost exactly like the stranger who was probably their leader. They were all wrapped up in dirty clothes and made a dangerous impression.
Rango's eyes wandered back to the stranger. His eyes fell on his belt. Did he recognize a whip there?
Now everything was clear to Rango. These men, who stood in front of him, had tortured Jake.