Part two: There goes the Wub

Jackson woke to find the green sleeping bag beside him was empty. The sound of hooves clopping spurred him onto his feet; he ran out of the shack, shielding his eyes from the light of day. ‘Ya were gonna leave, jus’ like that?’ He snapped his fingers.

‘I dunno what’t’ tell yer, I’m a loner.’

‘Ya weren’t much a loner las’ night!’ Jackson spat bitterly.

‘Well, I am t’day.’

Merrick sat in the saddle, and Tucker started walking up and away from the shack at a slow trot, ‘I’ll be seein’ ya around.’ Merrick twisted himself around and saluted down to Jackson, ‘Am sure I’ll be back at some point.’

‘Well, there ent far’t’ go round in circles in this god forsaken place!’

‘True,’ Merrick turned Tucker around so he was facing Jackson again, saluting him again, ‘True enough, Jack.’

‘But then, ‘ow come we never met ‘fore?’ Jackson jutted his chain.

‘I’ve passed through ‘fore. Probably jus’ din’t notice one another tha’s all.’ Merrick picked up the reigns and spun Tucker back the other way.

‘Think I’d notice if ya rode on ‘im ‘fore now.’ Jackson intoned.

‘Ya’d be amazed at’t’ things we miss.’ Merrick slapped Tucker’s neck gently, and they trotted away.

Merrick had been riding for a straight hour on the track, changing terrain from concrete to dust and back. He reached a narrowing dusty path, and ahead of him was a little house on a dead farm.

As Tucker and Merrick approached, a man dressed in all white came walking out, a woman behind him with a shotgun.

‘Now ya stop reet there!’ The man held a palm up to Merrick. He looked up at Merrick on Tucker with a stony face.

‘’E got them devil eyes, Ize.’ The man talked to the woman behind him from one side of his mouth.

‘Jus’ the one.’ Merrick corrected him as he dismounted.

The woman’s left eye twitched on an attractive face, but she had a very short neck making it look like her head was attached directly to her shoulders.

The man’s neck leant to one side, and he seemed unable to move his head. His eyes shifted up and down as he took in the scene. ‘Ya shall not pass!’ He spat, ‘Not with the devil eyed ‘orse of yours!’

‘An’ who made you gatekeeper of’t road?’ Merrick met the man’s steely face.

‘It’s the devil eye,’ The woman said, ‘Tell, ‘im Frank! It’s that devils eye!’

The woman stepped forward with the gun, jutting it in the air, ‘I will shoot! I will shoot that devil ‘orse reet ‘fore ya eyes!’ A crazed look in her eyes.

Merrick could see she was serious, her finger trigger ready.

‘Okay, okay!’ Merrick held up his hands and got back in the saddle, spinning Tucker around, ‘We’re leavin’’ he said, looking straight ahead, never looking back.

‘Don’t shoot,’ He called back again, ‘I’m goin’’ He continued until he was some distance away.

#

‘Fancy seein’ you back in these parts so soon!’ Jackson beamed up at him.

Merrick dismounted from Tucker, ‘Yea, there was a crazy lady with a gun.

Jackson placed a hand on the flank of Tucker gently with one hand, a gun in his other hand, ‘I oughta shoot ya right between ya eyes.’ Jackson spat bitterly.

Merrick turned squarely, ‘Can ya not jus’ pistol whip me across t’ face?’

Jackson held up the gun and mimed shooting him, ‘I really oughta.’ He shook his head, ‘Ya came on ‘ere, fucked me some, then jus’ up an’ left like that’s how ya treat another man.’

Merrick lit up a cigarette casually, ‘What did ya think would ‘appen?’

‘I jus’ want a liddle respec’ is all.’

‘Ya know, I missed ya while I was gone those few hours.’ Merrick told him while he looked Tucker over, ‘Ya got any water for Tuck?’

Jackson lowered the gun by his side, ‘Sure, there should be some in’t stable.’

Merrick and Jackson smoked, fucked and smoked some more till night glared in through the window of the little shack.

They were rolling lazily in their sleeping bags, cigarettes between their fingers. The shack full of haze from all the cigarettes and blunts they’d smoked.

Outside was upheaval; the sound of hooves made the shack’s wood vibrate.

Merrick turned to Jackson, ‘We might’ve got ourselves a problem, Jack.’ Smoke came out of Merrick’s mouth as he spoke, and they both started to laugh.

The sound outside grew closer and their laughter ceased abruptly. Merrick crept from his sleepin’ bag to the little window and looked outside.

‘Three men and four ‘orses.’

‘Why four ‘orses if there are only three men?’ Jackson asked.

Merrick turned to Jackson, ‘Meybe one of ‘em is invisible!’ They started to laugh again when there was a knock at the door.

‘’Ere, they may be after me.’ Merrick squinted through the little window, ‘Yea, they’re probably after me.’

‘Why? What ya done?’

Merrick waved a hand dismissively, ‘Never mind that, I need’t hide.’

‘They’ll recognise your flamin’ ‘orse.’ Jackson said nervously, ‘Anyone could recognise that bleedin’ ‘orse.’

There was a loud crashing sound, the wooden door splintered, and a man in big boots trounced in.

Merrick shot to the back of the room in the shadows, bollock naked. He crept behind the unfinished wooden wall that jutted out.

‘Where is ‘e?’ The man that had pounded his way in asked, ‘Where is Merrick Bowman Jr?’

Jackson stood in his boxers and t-shirt, hurriedly getting dressed and slipping as both his legs ended up in one leg of his trousers. ‘Fuck!’ He spat, lying on his back with his legs up in the air.

‘I’m not interested in you; slow yasel’ down. Am only after Merrick!’

‘I don’t know anyone by that name!’ Jackson squirmed, still on the floor.

‘Course ya do!’ The man jutted his chin, ‘Are ya callin’ the barman across the road a liar?’

‘Well, ah know a man who might or might not have been named Eric,’ Jackson drawled, ‘But ah never got ‘is name.’

The man laughed.

‘Stop playin’ t’ fool. Ya got ‘is ‘orse in that stable of yours!’ The man shook his head and put his foot on Jackson’s chest, spat brown liquid next to his head, ‘Ya wanna be careful wit’ men like Merrick.’

‘Oh?’ Jackson said, lifting his head shakily from the floor and looking at the man’s boot on his chest.

‘Yea, ‘e’s a perv and a killer.’

‘Well, ah wouldn’t know about that.’ Jackson tried innocently.

‘We got an ‘orse short of a man.’ The man jutted his chin, ‘We thought since Merrick loves his ‘orses ser much, we should bring ‘im’t ‘orse for ‘im to shoot dead ‘imsel.’

‘Why would ya want ‘im to do that?’

‘’Cause we know how much it would pain ‘im!’ The man laughed.

‘The ‘orse or Merrick?’

‘Merrick of course.’

‘I’m sure a bullet to the leg might pain ‘im too, sir.’

‘An’ I’m sure a bullet to that beloved ‘orse of his will be pain to ‘im too!’

‘Am sure a bullet to ‘is leg will be pain enough, sir.’ Jackson continued in protest.

Merrick peered around the wall, hands up in question, looking across at the shadow of Jackson, ‘The fuck?’ He mouthed.

‘Anyway,’ Jackson continued, ‘Why would ya want ‘im to kill one of ya ‘orses? Is it ill? Is it sufferin’?’

‘No the ‘orse is jus’ fine. But ah jus’ wanna see the pain reckon on Merrick’s face.

‘Why…Why did this Eric chap kill one of ya men, then?’

‘Merrick,’ The man corrected him, ‘As ah said, Merrick is a perv. You can’t rationalise why ‘e did anythin’

Merrick reached for his gun and stepped out from behind the wall.

‘Jameson,’ He smirked.

‘Merrick!’ Jameson beamed, he took his boot off Jackson’s chest and spat another load of brown liquid next to his head.

Seeing the gun, he held up his hands, ‘Now, now. No need fer this.’

Jameson looked Merrick up and down and laughed, ‘Christ! A sight for sore…’

Jackson stood and tapped him on the shoulder, and Jameson turned for only a millisecond, but it was enough for Merrick to swing a pillow in front of the gun and shoot him in the head.

Feathers floated around the room, and Jameson dropped to the wooden floorboard. Merrick grabbed at his legs and pulled him into the shadows of the shack behind the wall.

‘The fuck is this shit?’ Jackson said, now pointing a pistol towards Merrick again

‘Put ya damn gun down!’ Merrick told him in no uncertain terms, turning his back to Jackson and putting his own gun back in the holster.

‘You’re a killer!’ Jackson spat.

‘Self-defence!’

‘It wasn’t, he…’ Jackson shook his head, ‘Anyway I ent on about ‘im!’ His finger was on the trigger, sweat dripped down his face.

‘’E killed someone dear to me,’ Merrick turned to face him, ‘A man I loved very much.’

Jackson looked over his shoulder at the other men they could hear drinking and talking outside. ‘What are we gonna do ‘bout them?’ He said, waving the gun in Merrick’s face.

‘’Opefully, nothin.’ Merrick replied.

‘But…’

‘They’re gettin’ blind drunk!’ Merrick told him, ‘When they’re pissin’ themsel’ we’ll know we can get Tucker and ride on out of ‘ere, and they’ll be useless.’

Jackson’s hand dropped to his side, ‘Why’d they kill ya friend?’

‘’Cause ‘e was me boyfrien’’

‘If they killed I’m fer that, why ent they kill you too?’

‘’Cuz I wasn’t there when they killed ‘im.’