“Slicker” | 21 | Male | Member

“Okay, easy easy,” Slicker mumbled to Esther, his voice unusually soothing and more serious than normally as the woman raised a gun to William’s head for attempting to race to Scud. Slicker even gently placed his weapons on the ground and kept his hands in a non-violent and passive position to ensure he would not try anything as he tried to defuse the situation. “No friendly fire, right now ‘cause that is the last thing we need right now. Why don’t you just drop the gun and we can—”

Aaaaand Jacob interrupted him.

That was the one thing Slicker did not like about Jacob. It always felt like he tried too hard to be a leader and never addressed some situations that were much more dire. Of course, Slicker wanted to voice his concerns out loud, but he could only open his mouth in brief protest before silencing himself and listening. This did not stop him from scowling at Bertha briefly for suggesting the idea. Slicker loved the guy, he really did, but sometimes, sometimes, he dug his own grave with his decisions that he made, and there was absolutely no way Slicker supported his decision to send Morgan onto the roof no matter how happy she seemed by this prospect.

“Yesss!” Morgan whispered under her breath with enough excitement in her tone that her voice carried across the noisy bank. Slicker, despite his obvious frustrations, could not help but smile at the friend next to him. At least he would be partnered with William so Slicker would have someone reliable to—

A new voice.

Slicker picked up his guns again and raised them at the source, meeting eyes with a woman whose face looked vaguely familiar to him yet who he was sure he had never met. Was she another wanted criminal? Whoever she was, she sure had some balls showing up here.

“You’ve got some balls showing up here, but it’s best ya turn around, doll,” Bertha’s voice boomed, almost as loud as Jacob’s would command as she raised her rifle at the woman with sharp, dangerous eyes. Vera was still crouched next to Bertha but raised her fists as if she could miraculously jump up and punch the woman with the same speed everyone with a gun in their hands could shoot the stranger. Of course, Morgan also raised her weapon, but because she had seemingly been caught off guard, she raised her knife instead of her gun. Even William and Esther, for all of their fighting, seemed to put aside their fighting to aim their guns at the newcomer.

Slicker watched the rest of the gang out of the corner of his eyes before facing his full attention to the stranger. She could have killed at least one of them if she wanted to from the moment she managed to sneak in. She was not after their hides. What the hell was her deal? Whatever it was, Slicker slowly lowered his weapon seeing as she was probably not a threat until Jacob spoke once more.

As Jacob gave Slicker a look of caution and worry, Slicker broke his gaze from him and looked away, unable to face the man as he felt guilty for his own frustrations. Slicker knew Jacob was only human and that he was no omniscient god, but he could not help his slight frustration and he felt a pit in his stomach from that frustration. Slicker sighed before smiling at his leader. “We’ll be careful. Don’t worry about us, ya old hoot!”

“Alright, Vera, show Morgan where the opening to the roof is ‘n’ then I need ya to show me ‘n’ pretty boy here how to get outside before the waterworks start,” Slicker mumbled, slipping his guns in his holsters as he shuffled under the windows to make sure he was out of range. “No fightin’ near the horses either. I don’t want Snapple or the other horses shot so let’s keep things quiet.” If anything happened to Snapple, there would be hell to pay and Slicker would be taking the toll from anyone who hurt his precious pony.

“Got it,” Vera replied gruffly, her voice scratchy and hoarse as always as she kept her head low to avoid any stray bullets that might attempt to hit her.

“Okay so, just to clarify,” Morgan mumbled, scooting on her butt to get away from the window so she would not have to get in the same awkward crouching position Slicker and Vera were in at the cost of wooden splinters in her trousers, “I go onto the roof, blow the shit out of the water tower—”

“Just two or three shots into it should be enough,” Bertha interrupted, causing both Slicker and Morgan, who both shared a disdain for her constant know-it-all mannerisms and la-de-dah personality, to glare. Not Vera though. She practically idolized the woman. Slicker could not help but feel slight jealousy.

“Right. Sure, yeah. Two or three or whateva. After that, I jump off the roof, jump on a pony, and leave with you and Willie Billie and—” Morgan made a vague hand motion to the stranger— “that person.”

“That’s the plan,” Slicker replied shortly. “Vera, can you—”

“Mh-hm.” It was as if Vera knew Slicker’s question before he even asked. Vera gently tugged on Morgan’s sleeve. “This way.” Leading the group deeper into the bank, Vera opened a door to a room with a lone ladder that was no bigger than a closet and that appeared to have been recently broken open, most likely by Vera herself. “Go up there in just a second.” Vera’s voice was getting more scratchy the longer she spoke and Morgan had the heart not to ask her any questions and force her to talk more. A little deeper into the bank, in the employee’s only area, Vera crouched down to a wooden board that seemed to have been loose, easily removing it on the account that the board looked fresh and seemed to only be used to attempt to cover the gaping hole beneath it. “Here. You… three—” Vera had to pause as if she forgot the word or remembered that there was a third member, the odd woman, who was also with William and Slicker— “go in here once you hear—”

Sploooooooooosh!

Slicker did not need to see the water tower or Morgan to know that the woman had grown too trigger happy and fired without waiting.

“Shit…!” Slicker and Vera swore simultaneously.

“Okay, in hole now. I need to get back to Jacob and others,” Vera spewed out of her cracked lips, quickly rushing back to them as Slicker nodded and climbed into the hole without hesitation. Surprisingly, the hole was much bigger than it appeared, leaving Slicker with enough room to push through with ease. Then again, Slicker was relatively thin and lacked significantly defined muscle so it was pretty easy. It was still big enough for the other two that followed behind him but he imagined it might have been a little harder or at least made them a little dirtier considering the dampness of the worm filled ground that was a rare sight when most ground was covered in dry, hard ground with the occasional expensive fields of high grass.

As soon as Slicker pushed himself out of the hole, Slicker could see the coppers rushing to the water tower, oddly leaving the horses behind as all of them seemed temporarily occupied by the water tower. Using this to advantage, Slicker helped drag William and the stranger out of the hole. As soon as he did, Slicker snapped his head to where he heard the sighs and snorts of horses. Growing a dorkish smile of pure relief, Slicker studied his lovable dapple pony as she sniffed at the sandy ground. Her blonde hair was getting long and in dire need of a cut but her dapple yellowish brown fur was well kept and shiny. The poor, simple palomino had no clue of the dangers and death that surrounded her. Slicker quickly forced a more serious expression to focus less on his pony and back on the mission.

“William, you saddle up with the lass,” Slicker instructed sternly as he quickly made his way to the horses. “Once we get on, we can get their eyes on us and divide their attention, but first we need to—”

“Hey, they’re over here!!”

Shit.

Slicker could see a lawman drawing his gun at him from down the alley between the bank and the building next to it.

There was no way Slicker could draw his gun in time to fire first.

Please don’t hurt Snapple.

Bang! Bang!

Slicker felt a sharp pain in his arm but it quickly subsided from what Slicker could only presume was from adrenaline. The other shot did not seem to hit Slicker, however, and managed to… hit the lawman instead…?

“Jesus Christ, Slicker!” Morgan hissed as she slid off the roof, landing awkwardly but keeping her balance. “You were almost a goner!!” Striding over to him, Morgan drove her nail into his chest, causing Slicker to stumble back a step and Snapple to lift her head for once even despite the close gunshots. “What the hell were you thinking??”

Slicker blinked, nothing about what had happened was registering for a few seconds before he chuckled faintly. “Sorry, Morgan, I guess I wasn’t— Look out!!” More lawmen and more loud bangs. Slicker was thankful to be standing close enough to the building to not be hit along with the horses, but a bullet pierced Morgan’s side even as Slicker tried to pull her out of the range of fire.

“Fuck fuck fuck fu—” Morgan swallowed down harshly mid-sentence to cut herself off as Slicker pressed his hand to her wound. Morgan slapped his hands away.

“Shit, Morgan, are you—”

“Just go!! Get on your horses and go! I will bump off the lawmen here and hold the horses for the others,” Morgan replied, seeming more put together than her normal bombastic self. “Don’t get yourself hurt, ya dumbasses. That goes for you too, Willie Billie!!”

“See ya soon, Morgan?”

“Yeah.”

“At Purepoint?”

“Yes! Now get, ya lunkheads!!”

The pain in Slicker’s arm was finally catching up to him as he quickly mounted Snapple, glancing back at Morgan before turning to William and the stranger to see if they both were ready.

William Brant | 19 y/o | Male | Member

How could Jacob just let this stranger go with them? They didn't know who she was, for all they knew, she could be the reason for the large amount of coppers that had suddenly appeared. He didn't like this. Things had gotten way out of hand, way too quickly. There was something off about the situation and then all of a sudden a stranger appeared out of nowhere. Whoever she was, she had to be stupid to want part of this.

Even if William had several questions to ask, preferably while aiming a gun at the woman’s head, there was no time, they needed out. If he was lucky one of the lawmen would blow a hole in her skull so he didn't have to. He’d never been a fan of strangers, even less strangers during mysterious circumstances like these.

Once the others had gone over the plan with Morgan one last time, it was time to move. He watched Vera disappear with Morgan before the small woman returned to lead him and Slicker - and the stranger - into the back.

The one-eyed man holstered his gun as he followed after the other man but that didn't mean he didn't take every chance possible to glare back at the newcomer, making it clear to hear that just because he hadn't shot her, didn't mean he wasn't hoping for it to happen.

When the duo, turned trio, had managed to get out of the hole, William grabbed ahold of Slicker’s arm and pulled himself up as he looked on as the coppers ran towards the water tower. What was their plan? Did they really think they had any chance of stopping the water that was flowing out and down onto the street, idiots.

“William, you saddle up with the lass.”

The young man glared at Slicker, not with the same hateful and suspicious look that he'd given the woman but a more annoyed look. He wanted to talk back, no way he was letting the woman onto his horse. Something about Slicker’s tone stopped him from complaining though.

At the sound of a lawman, William went for his sawed-off shotgun as his eye searched for the source of it. A lawman was heading for them and had his gun drawn, aimed at Slicker. No one got to kill Slicker, if anyone was gonna have that man’s blood on their hands, it was William himself or no one. It wasn't that he hated the man, far from it, the man may annoy him to the world's end but he enjoyed his company and no one got to kill his friend.

Before even had time to aim the shotgun at the cop, two loud bangs rang through the air and he saw the lawman drop to the ground before William turned to look at Slicker, he’d been hit but only in the arm.

With a thud, Morgan slid off the roof and landed next to him before quickly making her way towards Slicker while telling him off for not being careful enough.

William was just relieved that neither of them had dropped dead yet and that his Scud was fine. He turned his gaze towards the mare, watching her pin her ears and bite in the air towards Esther’s Comanche who’d gotten a bit too close to her.

“Hey girl,” he mumbled softly as he approached the mare that only swished her tail in response and glanced at her rider. The brown-haired man looked over his horse quickly before swinging himself up onto the tall mare before looking towards the stranger who, to his surprise, had called her own horse over from somewhere. Not only that though, there was now another stranger. He didn't like this at all…

A quick glance at Slicker and Morgan, they were still talking. The young man gripped his shotgun, sliding a finger onto the trigger before looking towards the pair of strangers again, he could drop them right then and there and not have to worry about their intentions later. There was something off about them, he didn't li-

“Look out!!”

Slicker's voice interrupted his thoughts and William’s attention was ripped away from the pair of strangers and turned towards the coppers coming at them, firing wildly.

A screech came from the horse underneath him as she threw her head up and started stepping on the spot. She's been hit, and so had the man clenching the saddle horn of her saddle too. That was the downside with his big draft, they were easily seen and now they were more in the open as opposed to Slicker and Morgan. Blood trickled down the side of his face, a bullet having scraped his cheek but, for the time being, it didn't hurt too bad, he was more concerned with where Scud had been hit and getting out of here.

He raised his shotgun and started firing at the lawmen, his gaze dark with anger, one of them had hit his horse and they’d pay for it.

While reloading, William’s gaze flickered over to Morgan and Slicker, noticing the circle of crimson red staining the woman's shirt, she'd also been hit… These coppers were asking for death.

Turning his attention back to the cruel men in front of him, he fired again. The normally calm mare that he was sat on seemed to have been agitated by being shot herself and was not standing still for a second, bouncing on her hind legs and stepping around in circles, she was ready to go the moment William gave the command.

“Don’t get yourself hurt, ya dumbasses. That goes for you too, Willie Billie!!”

Time for another reload.

William glanced at the woman and then quickly at Slicker, was he letting her stay behind? Of course, if she wanted to, there wasn't much to say to convince her otherwise.

“Kill 'em all,” he called out to the woman, attempting an encouraging smile but failing due to pain jolting from the wound and through his body. He was cold to most of the gang but there were very few he hated. Morgan he did not hate and he did not want to leave but it was for the best, at least he told himself that.

Once more, he turned and fired at the lawmen while waiting for Slicker to mount his little palomino. He’d already seen the stranger's starting to take off out of the corner of his eye.

“Come on, let's go! If we don’t leave, that damn sheriff will have our heads on a pedestal!”

The voice of the redhead could be heard and William glanced at Slicker who was now sitting on his pony.

He fired another shot at the coppers before looking at Morgan before nodding at her. After that he clicked his tongue once and with a small leap, his mare took off after the stranger’s.

“Just you wait, I’ll have your heads…” the man muttered through gritted teeth. It wasn't unusual for the young man to be wary of strangers but these he seemed to have nothing but hatred for, most likely it was due to the whole situation though and not that he already hated them.

William threw a glance over his shoulder to make sure that Slicker was following, that little pony of his was like a thoroughbred against his draft so he was just hoping to see the horse dash past him any second now.

He didn't wish the rest of the gang any harm, well, maybe Esther, but Slicker he needed alive. He couldn't explain it but if he knew Slicker was next to him then it just felt more like things would work out eventually.

“Slicker” | 21 | Male | Member

Everyone else had already mounted; William, the stranger, and a new stranger— one who apparently also just arrived— were all ready to go. Despite his reluctance to leave Morgan outside by herself, Morgan was a stubborn bitch who would die on any hill that she stood on. That is what was so great about her.

Following after the other two horses, Slicker did not look back even as they were well out of range of the bank, loud gunshots still piercing the sky as their cries only grew more distant but never disappearing. Refusing to talk, Slicker’s lips remained shut tight and pressed together with silent frustration. So many dead, and for what? Money? Money that they could have lived without thanks to how the gang often lived: out in the wilderness in their tents, cooking food caught by some of the experienced hunters of the group, and surviving off of what they made. It would have just been so simple to continue to live like that. Maybe that was just wishful thinking on Slicker’s part that the rest of the gang could give up a life of crime like that but it would be so much better than watching his family die.

Their still corpses that had fallen into the bank with their blood spilling through the hole in Issac’s head and Rosa’s eyes wide with terror even in—

No, no. Slicker had to shake the images from his head as his hands tightened on Snapple’s reins until the tiny mare could take the pressure no more and tossed her head up with a snort. With a quiet apology, Slicker quickly loosened his grip. Taking a deep breath in, Slicker relaxed as the images faded from his brain. Slicker must have been zoned out for a while because, sure enough, Purepoint was in view.

Thank God. I could really use a smoke right now.

Snapple, who had already been gradually slowing down since the previous town had entirely disappeared over the horizon, slowed to a walk as they entered the town, sporting the same tired expression that Slicker bore as he dismounted and pulled Snapple’s reins over her head. Snapple rested her head in Slicker’s chest, bowing her head low enough so that he could kiss her pole as she heaved a heavy sigh. Slicker was very thankful that his companion was so cuddly as he greatly needed the support. Tying Snapple to the board by the metal water bin, Slicker’s expression shifted back to the one he held when was in the bank: a face of seriousness.

“Aight, you two have got quite a bit of explainin’ ta do,” Slicker growled as he reached into his horse’s saddle bag and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a tin lighter. Flicking the top of his lighter open with the flick of his wrist, Slicker held up the end of the cigarette to the flame. “Ya show up outta nowhere on a mission that went wrong, offer no explanation, and you’ve yet to make any demands.” Slicker placed the cigarette in his lips as his eyes narrowed at them. Dragging his heels across the dusty ground as he stalked closer to the two taking a long drag as his suspicion of them only grew. Slicker stopped in front of the two, less than a foot away from them as he invaded their space. “For all I know, you are just some bounty hunters that are better off dead to us. No offense to the both of you, of course, how can we even trust you?”

Slicker took a drag from his cigarette, letting the smoke fill his lungs and providing some relief to his nerves. Tilting his head to the side to let smoke spill from his lips and as to not be rude and puff the smoke in their faces, Slicker could see William dismounting his wounded horse and his eyes softened. Slicker shot a glare back at the two yet again as if to say ‘we’ll continue this discussion later’ before walking over to William and placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey are you and Scud both okay?” Slicker mumbled in a concerned voice as he pulled the cigarette from his lips. “I saw you both get hit and…” Studying the blood that spilled from William’s cheek, Slicker frowned. A pit of guilt filled his stomach as responsibility for William and Scud’s wounds fell onto Slicker since he was in charge of keeping them safe. Letting go of his shoulder and wiping the blood away with his thumb, Slicker forced a smile to feign confidence and comfort for William. “How about we go check Scud into a vet and get you patched up after that, pretty boy?”

Aiden | 18 | Male | Member

Aiden was compelled to murder him. After just having gotten most of the work done by getting a massive branch down from the dying tree using his ingenuity, Aiden was now being told that Del simply did not feel like doing work anymore like the mad dog he was. Did Del not understand that they had to do this work or else Nike would be mad? Did Del just ignore the overwhelming pressure of failing like it was nothing?

“You should punch him right in his smug, dumb face.”

“I could, but I probably shouldn’t….”

“Do it!” the snarling voice in Aiden’s head screamed, causing Aiden to flinch. “He needs to be taught order and by letting him get away with it you are only encouraging his bad behavior!! Snap his fingers, twist his arms, and punch him right in the—”

“If you won’t work,” Aiden spoke loudly in an attempt to drown out the voice that plagued his mind, “then I won’t work either and you get to be the one to explain to Nike why I was the only one competent enough to do anythin’!”

Aiden had grown accustomed to the voice that grinded into his brain like sandpaper on an open flesh wound. Its gurgling and nasally voice was deep and gravely and carried an echo everytime it spoke to Aiden with dissonance. It never gave Aiden a name, Aiden assumed that the voice— a voice that Aiden could somewhat remember as if it was the voice of an old friend or, more likely, an old evil—never was given a name to begin with. Some things were just too evil to be given a name. When he was younger though and when the demon intruded into his mind more frequently, Aiden had given this terrifying voice the name ‘Timmy’ as if the apparition was a kid his own age and not a man with skin sticking to his bones with a fat cigar between his teeth like the voice appeared to belong to.

As Aiden plopped on the ground in protest of Del, thankful that Timmy had gone quiet once more, Aiden looked up to see a horse behind where Del was standing. Aiden immediately perked up and smiled as he noticed the horses and his instinct to pet every animal he saw began to kick in as he stood.

“Oh hello there!~” Aiden said in a sing-song voice as he approached the horse with open palms. “My goodness you are so adorable and sweet looking!! Hi! Hello!!” Aiden giggled excitedly as he reached up to stroke the horse before freezing. A rustling sound emanated from the bushes. The sound was soft but definitely present.

“You know,” Aiden muttered softly to the horse, “I think it would be best if your owner came out, bud. I mean, it’s really creepy to be spyin’ on kids and I think I’d prefer it if your perv of an owner stopped.”

Ollie Bright | 31 | Male| Ex-Member of Philip’s Gang |

-

“We’re already going back to PurePoint?” Ollie whined.

“Yes, yes we are.” Roxie sighed. “I don’t like it either so don’t complain too much.”

A three day trip over and now they were already back within half a day, with no breaks in between this time.

Ollie despised the thought of having to go back after finally getting to Harmony’s Bank hardly two hours ago. If they went to PurePoint they’d immediately be found out as members of Philip’s Gang anyway, so keeping anything secret wasn’t going to work.

“You think Lucile’s doing okay?” Roxie looked back at him, worry in her blue eyes.

“She's fine.” he replied, glancing back at the two strangers they had riding with them. He narrowed his eyes and sneered. “Are you sure we can trust them? They don’t look very smart…”

“Eh, shut up Oliver.”

“They don’t look very trustworthy.”

“You told me, 10 years ago, that trust was the most important part of joining a gang. Therefore we must.”

“They don’t look like they belong to a very Philip-like gang.”

“It isn’t even our fuckin’ gang to whine about, would ya be quiet? Of course they probably ain’t like Philip, that man was a wonder beyond what our small brains can handle. I can’t tell if you’re complaining because you think these guys are ugly or if you changed your mind about joining a new gang.”

“The first one.”

“Of course.” Roxie scoffed.

They both stayed relatively quiet for the rest of the ride, glancing back only to see what the strangers were doing or if Ollie’s dog Gwynn was still following.

When they arrived at PurePoint, Roxie hopped off Bessie and helped Ollie and Maggie down. Ollie turned to see what the two strangers were doing when one of them walked up to them, getting uncomfortably close.

“We’re-”

“And he's gone.” Ollie sighed. The man was off to check on his friend before they could even answer.

“Ya think if we just tell 'em’ our names they’ll understand exactly who we are?”

“Roxie, I told you, they don’t look smart. Probably can’t read a bounty poster worth shit. And you really think everyone pays attention to that stuff? Not everyone is going to know who we are… maybe? Actually, that may be a false statement, we’ve done a lot…”

“Ashely’s working at the inn. If we go in she’ll give us away anyway so might as well.”

Ollie smirked. “Alright, we’ll go to the inn then. I need to change these bandages anyway.”

Roxie bent down and picked up her dog Maggie. They waited a few minutes for the two strangers to finish talking before walking over to them.

“If you wouldn’t mind, we’ll answer all your questions in the saloon.” Roxie dipped her head respectfully to the two men, not waiting for an answer as she walked up the stairs of a large, wooden building. Ollie followed her quietly, glancing back at the two strangers gloomily as he disappeared inside the saloon. Gwynn followed him closely, keeping a cautious eye on everything that was going on around them.

Inside it was relatively quiet, not too many people. It looked like a normal bar, tables dotting the room, an empty game of Poker in the corner, and stools lining a long stretch of counter. A young man worked the bar, standing patiently behind the counter as he waited for more customers to arrive. Next to him was a friendly looking young lady, probably somewhere in her twenties, arranging liquor bottles. She turned as Roxie and Ollie entered, a wide grin appearing on her face, but she didn’t go up to them and instead went back to arranging bottles.

Ollie and Roxie sat down at a peaceful table in the corner, keeping away from all the other customers. Roxie set Maggie on her lap, while Gwynn laid on the floor next to their feet.

Esther Reed | 28 y/o | Female | Second-In-Command

A shit show. That was what all this had turned into. A complete shit show. All that was left now was to hope that at least some of the remaining ones of them would make it out alive. Although, mostly Esther really just cared about herself and Jacob making it out alive, a gang could be rebuilt, there were always outlaws and orphans looking for a family but there was only one Jacob and he was like a father to her, she needed him by her.

When Vera left with the others, Jacob and Bertha leaned back against the walls, staying hidden and quiet. If the coppers thought they'd all snuck out back, they'd be even more likely to completely turn their attention away from the bank and make it easier for them to slip away.

“Once Morgan blows the water tower open, Esther, make a run for it with Vera, alright? We’ve got a crowd out there starin’ with open mouths, blend in with ‘em and once you can, you go,” Jacob explained to the remaining two of his gang as they waited for Vera’s return, “Bertha and I will go secure the horses.”

The blonde wished she could be the one going with Jacob in order to protect the leader, Bertha was competent but she still wished she could be the one to go with him. She understood his thinking though, Vera and her would have an easier time blending in, Vera with her height and Esther with her uncharacteristic looks for an outlaw. And the more they were, the harder their escape would be so she understood Jacob.

Esther barely had time to nod though before the sound of shots were heard from above and a new type of chaos spread through the streets outside, a chaos in their favor, thankfully.

When Vera came hurrying back to the front of the bank, it was go time. “Vera, on Esther! Bertha, on me! Go! If thing’s go south you shake ‘em off and we meet back at camp!” Jacob called out before getting on his feet, Bertha right behind him, before swinging the door open and bursting out.

For a second, Esther found herself holding her breath. Waiting to see that something had gone wrong. Waiting for the coppers to be right on the other side of the door and for Jacob to come tumbling back in with bullet holes covering his body, for his blood to spill out on the floor and to see his lifeless eyes staring into hers.

Nothing happened though. Jacob disappeared through the door followed by the other woman and to Esther's relief, he didn't come falling back into the bank.

“Blend it with the crowd, yeah?” Esther glanced over at Vera as she sprung to her feet and headed for the door. She wasn't particularly close to the small woman but she knew she was a resourceful and loyal one and that's really all she cared to know.

As she reached the streets, Esther turned to look towards the water tower, water was flooding out into the streets while the fools that were the law, ran towards it, not yet having realized the gang’s plan.

Without waiting for a reply from the other woman, or even checking that she was following her, Esther pushed her way into the crowd, people staring at her as she did, too stunned and confused by the move to speak it seemed. The woman wasted no time on them though, she found herself a spot surrounded by people where she'd be mostly out of sight but still be able to keep an eye on the cops.

After putting her rifle on her back again, she removed her hat from her head and with the other, she loosened the bun on her head and shook her head, letting her blonde hair fall down before running her fingers through it and putting on a shocked and confused expression like the people surrounding her.

They just had to wait for the coppers to head into the bank and that’s when they'd have their next window, that's when they could join Bertha and Jacob and get the hell out of here. The only problem was if someone played hero and called Vera and her out, then they'd be in big trouble but hopefully these people knew what was best for them.

Delaney O’Connor | 15 y/o | Male | Newcomer

The smirk on the boy’s lips grew wider as he could see the annoyance growing on Aiden’s face while the older one thought of what to reply. There wasn't much in it for Del to be cutting and snapping twigs of a branch, if he didn't do it, someone else was bound to and he would get his food either way, so why go through the trouble of working for something that would be handed to him if he just waited.

“If you won’t work, then I won’t work either and you get to be the one to explain to Nike why I was the only one competent enough to do anythin’!”

Del gave a light chuckle at the threat, “Or ya know… I explain nothin’ to her?” The boy looked down as he spoke at his hands and picked some dirt out from under his nails. “Or! Imma just give her me version. I'll let ya have your pick,” Del shrugged and looked back up from his hands only to see that Aiden had his attention directed elsewhere.

Following the other’s gaze, Del turned around only to see a saddled horse who had appeared out the bushes. He watched as the older boy approached the horse to pet it, typical Aiden…

The black-haired boy walked closer while looking around, studying the horse and the surroundings, this felt too much like an ambush. If any of the other gang members had been here they would most likely be yelling at the two to get away from the strange horse but they weren't.

What was, was the itchy feeling in Del’s hands, urging him to get closer and check the horse’s saddle bags.

Letting Aiden pet the horse, Del approached the flank of the horse, giving the horse a light pet with one hand as the other quickly got the saddle bag open and he started rummaging through it for something of value.

“Let ‘em watch if they wanna,” he told Aiden, shifting his gaze to look over towards the bushes, “But if they got sumthin’ important in these saddle bag they should be comin’ out of there in just a second I reckon,” he then continued, a bit louder this time to get a reaction out of the stranger in the bushes.

William Brant | 19 y/o | Male | Member

The one-eyed man rode in silence, a mix of worry and suspicion filling his head. Worry for his horse although since she was keeping up with the rest and not showing any strong signs of pain, there probably wasn't all that much to worry about. Instead it would probably be wiser to focus on the strangers and what they wanted.

As PurePoint came into view, he slowed his mare down slightly until they reached the town and he slowed her down into a walk.

While letting Scud follow after the others, he looked around slightly before pushing the hat on his head further down to cover his face. The moment people realized he only had one eye, they started staring and it bothered him.

He got off once the others had come to a full stop too and he quickly loosened the mare’s girth, he'd take the saddle off once he got her to a stable, and then he quickly started looking for the bullet wound.

It wasn't major by the looks of it, it was the side of the roan’s neck that had been shot but it looked like the bullet had only hit flesh but he wouldn't feel better until he knew the bullet was out and the wound clean.

The man was completely focused on his horse so he didn't even notice it when Slicker walked over to him, not until he felt a hand on his shoulder, causing him to flinch and a hand going instinctively towards the sawed-off shotgun in his holster. He was still on edge and ready to fire at any threats but lucky for Slicker, William recognized the man and relaxed slightly.

He gave a low sigh before nodding, “I'm aright, it's just a scratch,” William told the other man, slapping his hand away as he went to wipe the blood away with his thumb before once again pushing his hat down in an attempt to cover and hide himself from the curious eyes of the town folk, something Slicker never seemed concerned about.

“How about we go check Scud into a vet and get you patched up after that, pretty boy?”

William raised an eyebrow at that - though his hat did a good job of not showing anyone that - before shaking his head. Part of him almost felt tempted to push a finger into Slicker's own wound to remind the man that the brunet’s scrape on the cheek was the least of their concerns. He did decide against it though.

“How ‘bout we go check her into a vet and then get you patched up? It’s a damn scratch, I ain't the one who got shot in the arm ya slow idiot,” William told the man with a harsh tone. Any onlooker would probably think he was scolding the man and in a sense he was but it was more that he was worried, had it been anyone else, he wouldn't have cared but it was Slicker.

“If you wouldn’t mind, we’ll answer all your questions in the saloon.”

The voice of the female stranger interrupted them and William glared at the two strangers as they had already turned and were making their way over towards the saloon.

“If ya wouldn't mind, I'll blow a hole in those heads of yours,” the young man growled through gritted teeth. Just who did they think they were to be having that type of attitude? With a frustrated sigh, he turned back to face Slicker, snagging the cigarette from between the man's fingers and taking a long drag of it to attempt and calm himself at least slightly.

With his other hand, the hand with way less fingers, William pulled Scud’s reins over her head and put the end of them over his wrist as he started walking towards the stable in PurePoint, taking another drag of Slicker’s cigarette.

“Come on then, I’ve got a couple questions wanting answers from those two,” he told the other man. The sooner he got Scud to a stable and Slicker to the doctor’s office, the sooner he could get a drink and some answers.

Vera | 26 | Female | Member

In both her appearance and clothes, Vera was instantly recognizable. With burn scars along her side, her hair cut short like a boy’s, her goggles on her head, and her orange poncho with Mexican sewing and patterns, Vera sticks out in any crowd much less a crowd of scared, white townspeople who were watching the bank with terror and anticipation. This was why Vera’s face paled as she realized what Jacob wanted her to do and what she had to do. Esther only waited briefly for Vera as she was frozen with terror, giving Vera only a moment to glance at the townspeople who were still huddled in the bank who were also too scared to move. A mother and her son were still watching the blood pool from the man William had shot earlier.

Following sheepishly after Esther, Vera could not have seemed more unnatural in the crowd unless Vera was chained to a giant wooden sign with an arrow pointing down at her and big bold words wrote ‘this is a wanted criminal.’ Vera stuck close to Esther, stumbling into her twice and stepping on her heel once, while Vera could feel people’s eyes on her. Members of the crowd whispered to each other and murmured about how she looked odd, how she did not belong here, and how she was probably one of the wanted criminals. Vera knew she should have gone with Slicker. She was going to get Esther caught and killed and—

“Hey!” Vera stopped in her tracks as her arm was grabbed and pulled by a woman. Vera froze, clenched her fists, and prepared to. “I’ve never seen you in town before! Were you here to watch the drama unfold, I assume?”

¿Que?

Vera blinked in surprise. “¿Sí…?”

“Oh sorry, I didn’t realize you don’t speak English,” the blonde replied with her full, red lips pressed into a smile, linking her arm with Vera and getting very close. Her hands were gloved and her sleeves were long as she wanted to avoid contact with the sun by any means necessary. Her long black dress with red accents and red bows. Like all the wealthy women Vera had seen, the woman wore a bonnet over her head and she held a parasol gently in her gloved hands. “If you would like, I can teach you a bit more English in my room later.”

“N-No, I speak English…,” Vera mumbled softly, still caught off guard by the overt friendliness of the woman as her eyes flicked worriedly to Esther. “You just… startled me.”

“Oh! Oh my I am sorry for startling you, darlin’!” her voice chimed sweetly as she gave a musical giggle before giving Vera’s arm a gentle squeeze walking even closer to Vera who still followed beside Esther. “Don’t worry, I am very gentle! I’m only rough if you want me to be~” The woman’s voice, as Vera had just realized, seemed to have morphed from being very bubbly and flowy to it slowing down and becoming richer, more enticing, like heated molasses finally beginning to cool once more.

“And what about your friend? Is she—”

As the woman paused to study Esther, Vera began to panic.

“Say, your friend—”

Please don’t recognize her, please don’t recognize her!

“—looks like one of the ones in the bank—”

Nononononono!

“—who was shooting at the—”

Vera quickly clocked the woman over the head as subtly as possible before taking the parasol from the woman’s hand before it hit the ground and drew attention to the fact that the woman besides her lost consciousness and forced it into Esther’s hands. “Everything is fine!” Vera whispered to both Esther and herself as she wrapped an arm around the woman beside her and just pretended that the woman was totally fine and that they were just good pals. “Everything is normal, and everything is fine! Nothing to see here, no, no, absolutely nothing.”

“Slicker” | 21 | Male | Member

As William spoke, Slicker glanced at his wound as if realizing it for the first time while his mouth made a small ‘o.’ Slicker had been so preoccupied with his thoughts during the horse ride to Purepoint that he had almost entirely forgotten about his own wound. Perhaps it was the adrenaline or his easily distracted nature that allowed for Slicker not to have felt the pain. Until this very point at least. It was only when Slicker had brought attention to it did he even start to feel the burning sensation that filled his arm. His white shirt was stained red with his own blood and, though the wound was small, the bullet was still lodged in his arm. Had it landed less than half an inch to the side, Slicker would have probably been able to avoid seeing a doctor about it and Slicker cursed his unluckiness. Although, since the bullet very well could have landed a few inches in the other direction and lodged into his heart, Slicker supposed maybe what he got was not the worst case scenario. As he continued to stare at the bullet as if still registering its existence, both out of morbid curiosity and as if to test his own manliness, Slicker poked the bullet and let out a tiny hiss before nodding to William’s idea.

“Actually, that’s not too bad of a plan, pretty boy,” Slicker replied in a strained voice. Slicker had to force a smile to look positive but it seriously started to hurt as hell. Realizing they were probably going to need to go check into a stable as well, Slicker rummaged through Snapple’s side pouch for money. Finding a substantial amount, Slicker shoved it into his pocket. “Okay so, I’ll see the doc real quick and you go see the vet and the stable hand to get our girls a good place to sleep, but—” wrapping an arm around William and leaning into him, Slicker gently poked his cheek— “only if ya get yourself fixed up too. I’ll go see a doc about this,” Slicker motioned to his wound casually, “but you’re dotty if you think I am gonna let yuh not patch yer cheek up. How about that for a deal, ey?”

Slicker was briefly distracted from William as one of the strangers spoke, the woman of the two, saying something about how she was going to go wait in the saloon which was honestly understandable.

The ‘Hard Horse Saloon.’ A catchy name if someone's definition of ‘catchy’ was swapped with ‘uncatchable.’ The name filled his mind with dirty thoughts and good jokes, yet it still smelled of rich steak, warm stew, and thick cigars that poured out from the wooden batwing doors and into the streets, compelling those who had the day off to spend the rest of it eating and drinking. He had heard the saloon was a good place to eat from the town over and his mouth watered at the thought. Not to mention all the suckers who fell into Slicker’s trap of playing cards with him whenever he went into a saloon and he was sure Purepoint was no different. For now, he had just his cigarette to keep himself satisfied.

“Oi, play nice, feisty boy,” Slicker chuckled softly as he gently patted William’s shoulder, trying to get William to ease up on the not-so-casual threats he kept spewing. Though it was definitely an odd claim to say that he had become desensitized to William’s intense threats, Slicker had heard William’s mumblings time and time again and had since realized that this was probably not something that Slicker should continue to condone. “I know ya ain’t too fond of them, but just play along for a little while longer, okay? Once they are totally out of our hair, you can go back to your smack talkin’ again.” Slicker moved to bring the cigarette to his lips again when it was stolen straight from his hand. Slicker could only whine a weak “hey!” before huffing softly as he glared at William’s lips before looking back up to his eyes. “I could have just given ya a brand new smoke if ya wanted one, ya know.”

As William began walking on, Slicker just sighed and untied Snapple before following after him. The tiny mare just snorted as she followed behind him. Snapple and Scud seemed to get along so Slicker was not too worried about them being lonely without the other members of the herd. The members of their herd that would die because they ran off from the plan that went wrong and that would not be kept around anymore because their owners had died from something that Slicked could have stopped— something he could have prevented had he been more careful and thorough and— and— fuck!

Slicker’s hand had grown a bit twitchy as he could not help but gently grab William’s wrist as they walked and brought the cigarette up to his lips and inhaled deeply. Slicker pulled away and released a sigh of black smog, taking his hat off and wincing from moving his wounded arm as he reached up to comb a hand through his hair.

“Next time, you are getting your own cigarette so I can keep mine,” Slicked mumbled softly, his tone serious once more as they walked to the inn that also served as a stable and a doctor. Because of course it did. If anyone wanted enough money to stay afloat, one needed at least three businesses just to keep the building from crumbling. “Alright, here—” Slicker passed William Snapple’s reins— “can you take Snapple into one of the stalls for me while I go get checked out by the doc? It’d save me the stress since I know you’ll take good care of her! Oh and here!” Slicker got real close to William as he took some money out of his pocket before slipping it into William’s back pocket with a small smirk. “That should be more than enough to pay for Snapple, Scud, and a vet to look at her girlie. And keep the change, pretty boy!~” Slicker gave him a playful smack before sticking up finger guns and winking at William as Slicker sped off into the building before he could be scolded by William for his flirting.

Esther Reed | 28 y/o | Female | Second-In-Command

As the woman made her way into the crowd she caught a few glances to which she just gave a soft and innocent smile, along with a brief nod before she would turn her gaze away. Esther was well-aware of her good looks and was used to being able to charm her way through situations like this, surely no one would be suspecting the young blonde of such cruel and criminal acts.

She threw a glance over her own shoulder, making sure that Vera was still following her. She had felt the woman stumble into her a few times already but she didn't say anything about it, there was no need to draw any attention to them by telling the other off for something so minimal.

When someone started speaking and she heard Vera replying, Esther stopped and spun around on her heel with furrowed brows only to see her gang member having been grabbed by some, by the looks of it, rich man's wife. Esther had to silently pray that she would not be recognizing Vera who, out of the two of them, looked more like an outlaw than herself.

Placing a hand on the gun in her holster, the woman watched the other two carefully. There was something about the stranger that she didn't like, perhaps it was the fact that she'd once been that wealthy woman herself, well, not as nosy and loud. Sometimes she could miss that life, the comfort it had brought her, but nothing about that life beat the feeling of sitting around the campfire under the night sky and never would she be going back to it.

Catching the stranger’s gaze, Esther gave a soft smile, one which quickly dropped when she heard the woman’s words leave her mouth. How could she be recognizing Esther and not Vera?

Before she had time to act, she saw how Vera clocked the woman and she couldn't help but to smile as she grabbed the parasol Vera pushed into her hands. That was something she liked about the other, she was quick to act and resourceful.

In the next moment Esther threw on a worried expression as she put an arm around the stranger to help Vera support her. This was a perfect way away from the crowd.

“Oh my! See I told her she would not be able to handle seeing those outlaws and all the destruction they're causin’. Let's get her back home shall we?” Esther said, not loud enough to draw more attention but to anyone that might be suspecting something, to assure those that there was nothing to see.

She looked at Vera, hoping her gang member understood what she was trying to do as she started walking through the crowd while helping hold the stranger upright. The blonde walked slightly away from the bank, her plan being that once they were out of sight, they could circle back towards the back of the bank where Jacob and Bertha should be waiting for them with horses. She hoped that Comanche hadn't taken off with some of the other horses, she doubted he had but with the way things were going, she would be lucky to just have a horse to escape on.

As they got away from the crowd, Esther looked towards the bank and saw how some of the coppers had started heading back towards it with their guns and rifles drawn. Her grip on the stranger tightened slightly as she looked around for an escape route.

“There,” the blonde nodded towards the alleyway between two houses and turned her steps in the direction of it. “We’ll get out of sight and then make our way to Jacob and Bertha, ‘kay?” Esther explained her plan in a hushed tone as she looked around to make sure they were going unnoticed.

Once in the alleyway she dropped the parasol to the ground, that was something she didn't understand, why wear both the bonnet and the parasol? One was enough to protect from the sun. The other was just a fancy something else to show status and wealth.

When the three got out at the back of the houses, Esther looked around again. No coppers in sight yet. Perfect.

She looked over at the short-haired woman, making sure she was still keeping up, “Ready to get out of here?” Esther said with a soft grin on her lips. They were almost out of here now, they just needed to get undiscovered to their horses, Jacob and Bertha, then they could all four get the hell out of here, and alive.

The blonde looked down at the woman between them, questioning why they hadn't ditched her yet but she figured Vera had a plan in taking her, if anything she could be used to keep the coppers from trying to shoot them dead.

One more time the woman looked around before glancing at her gang member and then finally started to walk towards the back of the bank where she could see a couple of their horses and among them, Comanche. She felt incredibly thankful that he hadn't taken off, that horse and his tack had cost her a fortune and she knew that she was safe on his back, she would never get a horse like him again if she lost him.

When they got even closer to the back of the bank she could see Jacob and she let out a sigh of relief. Best thing was, the law hadn't discovered them yet, they would soon, she knew that, but hopefully not soon enough that they wouldn't be able to get out of here.

“Who’s that woman? What are you two doin’?” Jacob questioned as they got closer and he saw the unconscious woman.

“She recognized me so Vera handled it, now let's go, this is our chance before the coppers figure it out,” Esther quickly explained as she let go of the woman and walked over to her stallion, grabbing the lasso from his saddle before looking at Vera, “Are we leaving her here or taking her with?”

William Brant | 19 y/o | Male | Member

“It ain't smack talkin’, I’ll actually do it ya know, they’re shady…” William muttered as he kicked a rock in front of himself while walking. “Who just joins in on a bank robbery?” He questioned in a hushed tone before continuing, “And that fella she’s with? What's he even doin’ here?”

There was so much going on currently that he barely even knew what to be pissed off about and since it was Slicker he was with and not anyone else, he voiced his thoughts and complaints instead of keeping them for himself. It was unfortunate for Slicker perhaps but then again, it was the man's own fault for not leaving him alone from the beginning and instead sticking around him until he had no choice but to start liking him. As a friend, of course.

When he felt the other man’s hand around his wrist, he didn't even think about pulling away, he just let the man lead his hand to his mouth. He had stolen his cigarette after all so now he had to share.

“I have a brand new pack in my saddlebag,” William told him with a shrug as he took another drag of the cigarette after him, “Yours was closer and lit, and if ya don't want me paintin’ the walls of that saloon red, I need the smoke,” the man explained, kicking another rock. “We could just get everybody patched up and go, who says we need to stick around with ‘em?”

The one-eyed man grabbed the reins to the palomino when they were handed to him and as he opened his mouth to reply, the other man got close, too close. William clenched his jaw a bit and pulled his head back, at this point he didn't know how many times he’d told Slicker off for the man’s careless and tactless flirting.

Something he didn't expect though was a hand in his back pocket followed by a smack, causing his face to turn red. Now if it was from rage or embarrassment it turned red, it was hard to tell but one that didn't stick around to find out was Slicker. Had William not had both his hands full, he would probably have found something to throw after the man by now but instead he stood frozen in place with a red face and fumbled for something to yell after the man.

“Y-you..! Just- I’m gonna- Ugh! Edward!!” The man yelled out, only ever using the other's name when he was truly angry with him, which he currently was, mostly because the man had done all that in front of all these people but also because he’d done it at all, there was just never an off-button to that man it seemed.

When William noticed the looks he was receiving from the town folk, he turned his head down as he began grumbling about the things he would do to Slicker once he got ahold of him. He felt embarrassed enough already and it certainly did not help to have the judgemental looks of people burning into him, damn that man.

Taking a deep breath, William then clicked his tongue once and continued walking with the two mares to the stable and upon reaching it, he walked right inside, having composed himself enough for a friendly conversation by then. He took a look around before singling out a stable hand and walking right up to him with the two horses in tow.

“Howdy there, ya got some stalls for these two ladies? Just for a night or two,” he asked, instantly noticing the suspicious and hesitant look he got back and with a sigh he let go of his own mare and pulled out some of the money Slicker had stuck into his pocket before waving it in the air and then putting it back, “I’ll pay aright? I just need a roof over their heads and a vet for my roan, I ain't trying to get nothin’ for free,” he continued.

At the sight of the money the stable hand seemed to instantly warm up, “Right this way, we’ve got two stalls over here,” the man told him before leading the way to some stalls towards the back and upon reaching them, the man turned back around, “These two here. Did ya need a vet too?”

William opened a stall door and let his draft walk inside on her own before he shut it, he would tack her off in just a second, “Yeah, could you get ‘em for me?” The stable hand agreed and quickly disappeared as William led the palomino into the stall next to Scud before starting to untack the pony, hanging the saddle and bridle up outside the stall before grabbing his brush from his satchel and quickly dusting Snapple off with it, the mare being sweaty after their escape. He then quickly checked the horse’s hooves to make sure there were no stones stuck that could push on the hoof the wrong way. Once his check off Slicker’s mare was done, he pulled out an apple from his satchel.

“I’ve only got one so ya oughta share,” he mumbled in a soft tone as he cut the apple in half with his knife and feed one half to the horse in front of him before scratching her behind her ear a little, “Be good now, yer lunkhead of an owner should be back soon.”

Next he went into his own mare’s stall and fed her the other half of the apple before he started tending to her while waiting for the vet. While waiting, the brown-haired man hummed quietly on a song as he cared for the roan.

When he saw a woman approaching the stall he turned towards her, “You the vet?” He questioned as he leaned against Scud a bit.

“Yes, I am! Lois O'Connor, nice to meet you.”

“William,” the man replied, dipping his head in a greeting manner before continuing, “This is Scud, she’s a bit of a feisty one so Imma hold her for ya,” he explained as he stepped out of the stall and grabbed his lasso, tying it into a rope halter as he walked back in and slipped it onto the head of his horse, “She’s been shot, right there,” he pointed at the wound, “Nothing serious I think, she ain't said much about it at least but I want the bullet out and the wound cleaned.”

“I've dealt with plenty of feisty horses, this shouldn't be too hard. As long as I can take out the bullet and help with infection she should be fine.”

William nodded as he scratched his mare’s face to try and keep her calm. He was happy that the vet wasn't questioning how she’d been shot and just got to work immediately.