Lifesaver [Engl.]

11. I'm not afraid!

Somehow Rango was reluctant to knock at the heavy door. But then he took a deep breath and knocked. No sound came from inside. He gently pushed the door open.
Jake stood on the threshold of the balcony door and stared outside. When he saw a movement at the door, he swung his revolver in Rango's direction.
Startled, Rango backed away. "It's just me!"
"Don't sneak up on me like that!"
"But I knocked."
Jake blinked irritated. "I didn't hear it."
With that, he turned and crawled back to the far corner of the room.
Rango closed the door without a word and unpacked the wrapped piece of meat.
"Here, I thought you might be hungry."
Jake looked at him critically.
Rango smiled slyly. "The seller hadn't had anything bigger."
"I'm not hungry," Jake said, laying his head on his body.
Disappointed, Rango packed up the piece of meat again. He could have sworn that Jake was a little hungry at least, but apparently, he was wrong.
"Well, maybe later," Rango murmured.
"And anyway, what do you want here?" Jake asked annoyed.
Rango looked up. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to give Jake time to think. Apparently, he had decided to switch to impudence and to save his face as a dangerous killer.
"I just wanted to help you and to look after you."
Jake raised his head and threateningly reared his torso.
"I don't need anyone to look after me," Jake said defiantly.
For a moment, Rango was speechless. Why was Jake so dismissive? Rango looked him in the eyes. He recognized fear in them. Although Jake tried to make his face look as dark as possible. But his eyes couldn't lie. They disclosed everything. And he knew that Jake was just trying to hide his fear behind a confident expression.
Jake felt that Rango had seen through his masquerade. And that was exactly what drove the anger inside him. The last thing he could suffer was when he felt weak. In addition, in front of someone who was smaller than himself.
Rango's eyes narrowed.
Blind rage rose in Jake and tried desperately to prove his dangerousness again. He pushed forward and wrapped his body around Rango, trying to squeeze him as tightly as possible.
Rango had screamed for a moment, but then he tried to look up at Jake again. He just shouldn't imagine that he could intimidate him with that.
"Don't you dare look at me so cheekily!" Jake snapped. "Or I'll kill you!"
He came closer to his face. He opened his mouth, whereupon his long fangs became visible.
Rango tried hard not to look at them, just to stare into Jake's eyes.
The eyes were the only thing where Jake had his weak point. He saw Jake's eyes were shaking again. As if they were trying to hide something, but couldn't use any strength. The fear was too deep inside Jake. And eyes were the mirror of the soul. Rango had learned that from Jake early enough.
Jake hissed and shouted at him. "Aren't you scared?! I can kill you anytime!"
You're the one who's scared, Rango thought.
Although Jake threatened to choke his breath, he did everything to hold his gaze. If he gave in now, Jake would feel superior again and play cat and mouse with him. He had to prevent that at all costs.
"What did they do to you?" Rango asked through gritted teeth. He felt that Jake wanted to break his ribs at any moment.
Jake blinked irritated. "Who should have done something to me?!"
"Well. Someone who catches a rattlesnake and lets it hang half dead must have thought it all through."
Jake backed his head slightly.
Rango noticed how he had loosened his grip on him a little.
Now he couldn't let up.
"Who did this to you?" Rango asked. "Who punished you? Was it the figures from last night?"
Jake moved away.
"Did they want to kill you, yes or no?"
Jake released him and Rango fell to the floor. Immediately Rango stood up, still keeping eye contact with Jake.
"I saw weals on your skin. Did they whip you?"
Jake backed away and huddled against the wall.
"What's that to you?" he asked in a slightly trembling voice.
"It concerns me. After all, this is my area of responsibility and as a sheriff I have the responsibility and task of knowing what happened."
Jake started to shiver again. It annoyed him the most, that Rango saw it.
"What happened?"
"Stop that!" Jake yelled and jumped at him.
Startled, Rango ran into a corner, but immediately recalled his courage. He turned around and was just able to catch Jake's gaze before he could pounce on him. They stared at each other intently.
"Keep calm," Rango said in a firm voice.
Jake gasped, but hesitated to attack Rango again.
They stayed in this position for a while.
Jake was the first one who broke the silence. His voice trembled and Rango felt that the snake was doing everything possible not to lose control.
"As long as you live," Jake said firmly. His lips trembled. "As long as you live, never ask me again."
With a quick movement, he turned and curled up in a corner.
Rango didn't move, he just stared at Jake.
"If I had wanted your death, I would have left you hanging there."
With these words, Rango broke his eye contact with Jake and turned to go. Jake watched him grimly.

When Rango stood outside in the hallway, he breathed a sigh of relief. That could have gone damn wrong. When he realized, in what danger he was, his legs dropped and he sank on his knees. Jake could have killed him. Without doubt. Whatever Jake had experienced it must have really shocked him, that he even dreaded the mere memory of it. Rango clenched his hands.
Whatever happened to Jake, he'll find out.