FANFIC
LARAMIE
STARRING JESS HARPER
DEAD ON ARRIVAL
Written by Tony G
CHAPTER 5
The sound of gunfire was everywhere and the smell of burnt powder started to fill the air. Jess returned Clancy's fire but he could hardly get his head above the rock that he and Lonnie crouched behind without a hail of bullets coming at him.
"Give me a gun" yelled Lonnie.
"Stay down and stay quiet" retorted Jess. "I got enough on my mind without having to deal with you too."
"Give me a gun" persisted Lonnie, "You can't hold them off by yourself."
Jess knew he was right but there was a problem.
"The guns are in my saddle bags."
"Then cover me !"
Lonnie raced out towards Jess' horse and Jess fired at the posse to try to keep their heads down. Lonnie leapt into the saddle and galloped into the bushes out of site of the posse where he grabbed Jess' saddlebags and ran for all he was worth back to the safety of their rock.
"You crazy ?" yelled Jess.
"Worked didn't it ?"
Lonnie frantically ripped at Jess' saddlebags to get at the guns. It amused him to think that he would be using the guns taken from the posse yesterday. How would Clancy feel about being killed with his own gun ?
"Okay Mr Clancy, now we are both armed let's see how you do."
The gunfire kept reigning down on the two men, but now at least they both felt that there was some hope. Jess had never seen Lonnie use a gun and he was not prepared for what he was about to see.
Lonnie looked over the rock and fired at one of the gunmen. The bullet hit the man in the throat and he died instantly.
A shot came at them from the left and ricochet of the rock in front of them, at which point Lonnie swung round and fired instantly at where the shot came from. A man screamed as the slug hit him square in the chest.
Jess looked at Lonnie. That was some of the best gunplay he had ever seen, and he'd seen a lot !
Hatch yelled at Clancy "Drake and Kemp been hit Mr Clancy. What do you want to do ?"
"Keep firing, we ain't stoppin now !" replied Clancy.
Hatch was starting to get worried, things were not going to plan and he wasn't sticking around to see how this finished. He ran towards his horse, but Clancy saw him.
"Get back you coward" screamed Victor Clancy, but Hatch kept going.
Clancy fired and hit Hatch between the shoulders, fired again and hit him in the back of the head. Hatch was dead.
"Give it up Clancy" yelled Jess " you've lost."
Clancy replied with lead. He stood up and shot repeatedly at the rock that protected Jess and Lonnie. Jess saw him and fired, then fanning the hammer of his gun he fired twice more. All three shots hit Clancy and he fell.
"Don't shoot, don't shoot me" cried the last of the posse as he turned and ran. Lonnie fired in the air as the man ran but that was the wrong thing to do, because the gunman turned and thinking he was being fired at raised his gun to fire back. Lonnie saw this and dropped him with one shot to the head.
Jess and Lonnie walked out from behind the rock that had protected their lives, they moved cautiously with guns at the ready. But the fight was over, Clancy and his men were dead.
Jess turned to Lonnie.
"It's over" he said.
"What do we do now Jess ?"
"Cover the bodies and head onto Laramie just like we planned."
Jess motioned to Lonnie to hand over his gun, and when Lonnie hesitated Jess raised his own gun and pointed it at Lonnie. Lonnie grinned and handed the .45 to Jess.
They covered the bodies of Clancy and his men with rocks. That at least would keep the buzzards off them until they could be buried properly. Jess turned to Lonnie and gave him a gun. Lonnie looked puzzled but he took it and slipped it into his holster.
"Why?" he asked Jess.
"Because you are free to go. No charge to answer."
"You mean that Jess ?"
"Sure, get outta here before I change my mind."
"Thanks Jess."
Lonnie turned and walked towards one of the horses previously ridden by the posse. He took the horse and stopped by the body of his own horse, where he bent down and started dragging his saddlebags from under the remains of the dead animal.
"What you doin Lonnie ?" asked Jess.
"My saddlebags Jess, just gettin my saddle bags."
"They're stayin Lonnie, along with the money that's in them. I'm sending it back to the bank at Lovell where it belongs."
"Jess, that money's my start, my one chance to get ahead, I don't aim to leave it." His voice started to develop a menacing tone.
"It ain't worth going to jail for two thousand dollars."
"Oh yeah, well I guess I lied about the amount. There's a tad more than two thousand here."
"How much ?"
"Enough for both of us Jess, there's over twelve thousand dollars here. Six thousand a piece."
"Don't do this Lonnie. You got a chance to clear the slate, don't mess it up boy."
Lonnie glared at Jess and his gun was out in a flash. He pointed his gun at Jess and screamed.
"The Money's going with me and you better not try and stop me Jess."
"You gonna kill me in cold blood, cos your gonna have to." Jess' voice was solid, he meant every word.
Lonnie calmed down.
"No, I couldn't do that. Like I told you, you are the only man ever to speak up for me, so I can't shoot you down like a dog."
Lonnie put his gun back in it's holster and looked at Jess.
"But the money goes with me. Now you can try and stop me, but you've seen me handle a gun and I've seen you handle a gun, and I'm better than you Jess so you better just let me go."
Jess faced Lonnie. He knew that Lonnie was right, that he was better than Jess despite his young years. But Jess also knew that he had to stop him. The two men looked into each others eyes, and despite the respect that had grown and the friendship that had developed one of them was going to kill the other.
Both men went for their guns, Lonnie was faster and fired first. Jess knew this would be the case so as he drew he fell to the ground and Lonnie's bullet missed it's target. Jess' didn't. It hit Lonnie in the chest and he fell to the ground pole axed by the impact. Jess ran to his side and cradled his head in his arms.
"I couldn't go without the money Jess." said Lonnie, his voice only just a whisper.
"Don't talk. I'll get you to Laramie and get you patched up. We'll say you were shot in the fight with Clancy and no one need know about this. You can still walk away from this."
"No Jess, it's too late. I never had a friend before Jess. You been a friend."
His voice faded and Lonnie Dobbs died.
Jess wrapped his body in a blanket and tied it onto a horse. When he rode into Laramie people stopped to stare at the spectacle of the dead body. Jess pulled up outside Sheriff Mort Corey's office, dismounted and went inside. He filled Mort in on what had happened and while they were talking George Pitt the undertaker came and took Lonnie's body.
"Any next of kin ?" he asked.
Jess just shook his head.
When Jess had finished speaking with Mort they both walked outside to where Jess' horse was tethered.
"You going back to the ranch ?" asked Mort.
"Yes, sooner the better too."
"Well you be sure to say hello to Slim Daisy and Mike for me."
"Sure thing Mort. So long."
Jess turned his horse and started back out of town. He stopped outside the undertakers, got down. and went inside.
"Excuse me Mr Pitt, would you mind doing me a headstone for that boy."
"Sure Jess, be glad to. Why don't you just write on this here piece of paper what you want it to say."
He handed Jess a pencil and paper and Jess wrote down what he wanted to say then handed it back.
" Let me know what I owe you next time I'm in town."
"Sure. You headin home now ?"
Jess nodded "So long Mr Pitt."
"You alright boy, you seem a little upset?"
"I'm fine thanks."
Jess walked outside, mounted his horse and trotted slowly towards the edge of town. Once he reached the edge he nudged his mount into a gallop. Time to get home.
George Pitt watched him go and as he disappeared Pitt looked at the piece of paper in his hand. He wondered what Jess had written and read the words:
"LONNIE DOBBS - A MAN TO RIDE WITH.