Cowboy

*Hazzard County 2005 Sometime in early January* A pair of hungry mismatched eyes watched from a strand of Georgian pines behind the market on the end of Maple St in the town of Hazzard. The thermometer on the side of the build was showing little red, the air was cold, the ground frozen with a dusting of snow. A freshly killed cow hung from the back of the market, the butcher there removing the outer fat from the beef before starting on cutting up the meat. Chet glanced from watching the butcher start on the fresh meet to the parking lot of the market. It was early morning and no customers had arrived yet, a perfect time to try snatch a piece of the meat without being seen. His stomach growled hungrily as he adverted his attention back on the deep red beef flesh. He couldn’t help but like his lips, the young Duke boy hadn’t touched a good meal in over a week. Blood dripped from the back of the cowboys black canvas jacket onto the frozen brown grass near the trees. A fresh wound in his shoulder evidence that he’d already failed in one attempt on a meal earlier that morning. The load of buckshot in his shoulder made the muscles quiver, the warm fresh blood steamed in the cold. But his patience loomed as he waited, the butcher would fill the large steal bowl full of the fresh meat and leave to take it into the market to be wrapped. Then would be his chance to snatch a chunk of the meat and be gone before anyone noticed it missing. ( CUE B.L. DAVENPORT )

"Your gonna get your hash cooked by them if you aint careful. This bunch is bad news, they'll burn this town down after they've toyed with it." Chet grumbled scooting back to sit up against the pillows. "And what exactly do you plan to do when you find there camp? What good is it gonna do us?" Chet raised his brow curiously at Konrad. (Cue Konrad.)

On the evening of the fourth night, the gang settled into the salloon for a card game, a hearty watered down drink and some female company. Chet lay awake listening to them whooping and hollering up a storm. "Boy we really dusted that kids ass. He screamed like a comachee when I shot him off his horse. That mismtached eyed green horn never knew what hit him." The sharp shooter of the gang bragged as he guzzled his beer, he'd shot Chet in the back with his rifle. Ears perked up at the mention of the attack on Chet, bringing the newest addition to the gang out of his own stressing thoughts. He knew they probably expected him to lay his claim to the beauty he had marked as his, and they would be right there watching. He knew it would be wrong as she was his sister but it was turning out the only way to keep her safe. Turning his attention to the one who spoke. "Really? A fine shooter like yourself, last i heard he was still alive...i though you would've killed him in one shot." Konrad said. Even though he was rather relaxed around them didn't mean his guard of them were held high. Chet straitened his back, he could here what the guy who'd saved him said. It dawned on him suddenly that quite possibly and most likely he'd saved him only so he could kill him himself. He gritted his teeth and scooted to the edge of the bed. Down stairs the gangs leader answered Konrad. "Alive? Impossible, we went back and finished him off. Laid him wide open, he was nothing but shreds for the coyotes." He nodded respectively and threw his head back to swallow the shot of whiskey. "Musta been the wind tellin' tales then" He shrugged. "Pitty i wanted him for myself. As you quiet possibly saw he tried to lay me out last week." He put down one card he didn't need, as he had a pretty good hand. He had told the painted lady to come and get him later so he could see the boy. The gang knew of her services so they would think he was just going up for some company. "Where are you going?" The painted lady watching over Chet asked when he got up and tried to get dressed. "Outta here. He only dragged me back here so he could kill me himself. Well if he thinks its gonna be that easy hes got something coming to him!" Chet growled out his answer and she shook her head and pressed him back down on the bed. It was hard, even with him weakened from his wounds he weighed nearly 200lbs and was solid muscle. "No please its not like that." She begged him. "Please stay, talk to him." Chet pressed his lips annoyed. She hurried out the door closing it behind her and went down rearraging herself quickly. Alittle hurriedly she wrapped herself around Konrad and whispered in his ear. "Hurry, hes tryin to leave, he thinks your betraying him." Allison whispered and giggled putting on a show. "Well hey there..." He smiled and looked as he felt arms around him. He looked at his cards then back up at her. Damn he was about to win too. Sighing he laid down his cards. "Gentlemen, i must take my leave." Each man in the gang nodded and continued without him. The painted lady lead him up the stairs like she was in a hurry to get down to business. Chet had managed to get his denims on and leaned against the window sill in the room weakly. His upper body still heavily bandaged. He let himself get pulled from the chair. At the stairs he grabbed her and pressed her up against the wall and kissed her, putting on a little show for the boys. Then let her lead him the rest of the way to the room. She kissed him back surprised, he was a damn good kisser. "Mmmm" She led him into the room relieved that Chet had not left. Chet exhaled a breath of smoke from his cigarrett. "I heard what you said down there." "Well look at that, sunshines awake." He grinned, then turned serious. "And hey im only sayin' what they wanna hear, i got double standards down there. they could turn on me faster then a rattlesnake." Chet snorted at the comment, he wasn't born with much of a sense of humor, it wasn't his fault just genetics. "Why did you save me?" Should he tell him? He frowned, concidering his options. "Because as the lady said, if ya die all the crap from keepin' this town safe would fall on me, and i don't plan ta be sickin' around here fer that long..." The younger mans head tilted curiously. "But isnt that what you came here for? To take my place as the top outlaw in this town?" Chet paused, considering. "Who the hell are you anyway?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "I came here for some rest, YOU are the one that dragged me into this crap. If ya woulda left me alone i woulda been long gone by now." He didn't answer the last question. Chet couldnt help but growl alittle, everything always seemed like his fault. "I never leave anyone alone, I make it my business to know what every drifter that comes in here keeps on drifting." He pressed his lips. "How'd you find me out there? How'd you know?" "Considering that i saw head off in the direction and 4 of the gang rode outta town like the devil were on their tails i followed." He answered. "Plus i ain't totally blind when it comes to outlaws as i am one myself i know how they act." The younger outlaw watched the older one, analizing him from head to toe. "Who are you?" He gazed now not intending to let the guy off the hook. "Whats it to you? I already told ya my name." He asked narrowing his eyes. "Im an outlaw too, and I know when I have a run in with someone... who's too damn much like myself. Someone like you." "There's nothing else to it, thats it." He persisited, if he told the younger his real last name and the Millitary caught wind of it, they'd be down here faster then bee's to honey. Chet gritted his teeth, he just couldnt get the guy to come clean with his true name. "The hell there aint. Thanks for your help, Ive got business to take care of." He grimaced pulling his shirt on and buckling on his guns. "Wheres my horse? And my rifle?" He moved and grabbed the younger and pressed him back into the bed. "Don't be stupid, in the condition you're in you'll be dead before you stepped outta the door, and so will i for that matter, like i said im critisied under double standards so if they find me in here with you and you're not dead, well goodbye to me too...courtesy of my new gang...." He saw the look on Chet's face. "And yes i had no choice but to join them and no i ain't gonna sell ya out to them." Chet didnt have any choice but to back up and lay back down on the bed. He was still too weak to argue or fight back against the older outlaw. "You always have a choice." He sighed, he trusted the other guy wouldn't sell him out. (Cue Konrad.)

The gang loomed around the town, feeling and acting as if they owned it. Taking what they wanted, who they wanted and when they wanted it. The leader however kept his promise and didn't allow any of his gents to lay a hand on Daisy. They gorged themselves on the towns weak treasures for three days, they were in no hurry. After three day Chet could sit up in bed and shovel down a good size bowl of stew that the painted lady had bright him. "Thank you Allison, I will owe you greatly after this." Chet replied as he handed her the empty bowl. She smiled at him. "You wont owe me anything, just as long as you live to keep the scum outta my bed." He chuckled and nodded. "Deal." (Cue Konrad)

Upstairs in the salloon the painted lady craddled the young Duke boys head in the crook of her arm as she spooned the broth into his mouth. Chet swallowed it because he knew if he didn't he'd choke on it, and she was damn pursistant in getting it in his belly. "If only people knew what trouble this towns gonna be in if ya savior out there don't come through." The soiled dove shoveled more of the broth down his throat. "Aint it funny how loosing this towns enemy would be like loosing a friend. Atleast they always knew you, these fellas... there strangers." Chet swallowed the brother his eyes narrow in pain from his wounds as he listened to her. Giving it all he had to hold onto his life. (Cue the one and only Konrad Duke)