Snake Skins

Do Not Dilly-Dally

• Drama
• Fiction
• History
• Humour
• Mystery
• Religion
• Short story
• Spirituality & New Age
• Travel
• Action and Adventure

								
"Its tyme yew start earnin yer keep, kid." Rueban burps aloud.
Ani flinches with a disgusted look.
"Now if you comin with me on this job, I'm expectin no dilly-dallying. Distracted for even HALF a second and you are dead on the ground, boy. It's good to stay alert to stay alive." Reuban sniffs.

Ani nods "Understood. Let's head out through the river ditch, I found a short cut to the road they're gonna take."

Rueban gives him a nod and they both head out on their horses.

It was a pretty cold tonight, but it was quiet on the road. The sound of the night was taken over by the many frogs, crickets and various birds singing from their homes.
Ani rubs his hands together and puts his scarlett mask over his nose, warming the lower part of his face.

"Right, we should cover over faces if we're doing this." Reuban covers his face with his burnt sienna bandana.

"It will be a covered wagon, and you will likely hear their nasty mouth but you get the point" Rueban looks at Ani who's brushing his horse's mane as they walk. 
"...Hm?" Ani asks looking up with confused eyes
"I said it will be a covered wagon and you will likely hear- Bah nevermind!" Rueban rolls his eyes.
They start coming up on the path and see a covered wagon coming up in the distance.

They tread their horses into the side of the road and into the woods to hitch their horses.
"Let's hitch these guys and hurry up and take that damn wagon."

They reach a wooden bridge that arched over the wet, dirty road under it.

Ani grabbed his lasso and equipped it to his belt along with his hunting knife.
Inside the one holster tonight was his bronze revolver, with a walnut stock on the handle.

He re-adjusts his bandana to keep it from falling off, and starts sneaking behind the wooden bridge railing. Keeping himself out of sight on the bridge, waiting to jump down onto the wagon coming by. He ties two nooses to the railing of the bridge, keeping the noose out of sight just enough for the drivers to not see it coming. 

Rueban walks at a steady pace with a flask of whiskey in his hand. On his way, trying to keep his balance while heading towards the bridge, down the slope of dirt and small rocks.
He lazily gazes over at the wagon and realizes that its a lot closer than he thought it would be by the time he would get there. He begins to fast walk, almost running while keeping an eye on that wagon. He was making his stride pace toward his destination when he felt his foot knock against a large rock and felt himself in air for a brief moment before he hit the ground. Rolling down the hill he has his arms flailing in the air and squabbling down the slope of debris and some grass, at least. 
He slows his rolling down and got his bearings by latching onto some few patches of grass along the way. He whines and groans
"Dammit!" 
Realizing he should be paying attention; he looked over to the wagon about 10 feet away to see that it had already passed under the bridge with Ani jumping down from it. Looking towards the archway he sees two guards in uniform struggling from their necks by a noose tied to the bridge. Both of their feet looking like they've just became two dancing ballerinas on the stage, their toes are the only thing keeping them from choking. They have their fingers around the rope tied to their new collars, struggling to keep it from applying too much pressure around their trachea.

Ani jumps down from the wagon grinning at the struggling tip-toed guards when he feels a pair of eyes on him. He peered his head over to Rueban with the same grin and pointed at the flailing and coughing guards with pride and joy.

Rueban looks at Ani and closes his eyes and rubs them with his fingers. Then finally letting out a big sigh, he looks at the young boy with furrowed brows and shakes his head. 

Ani was now staring back at him with a blank face now which also turns into a confused look when he realized his mask was just hanging around his neck like he just walked out the saloon. 


"And now they've seen your face, goddammit, Ani!" Rueban shouts over to the poker faced child. 

"Oh.." Ani looks down, filled with shame and anger.

"This was supposed to be a clean job, boy. Now we just may as well go home and not even turn this thing in at this point. If your face is seen, and they're still alive. THAT will ALWAYS be a problem in the future. Now I ain't doing this for you again, you hear me on that?!" Rueban roared from where he was standing.

Feeling annoyed and hating himself for this, Ani nods at him. 

"What was that? Can you say that again?!"
Rueban starts walking over to him.

"Yes..sir." Ani looks down with anger he closes his eyes.
"Next time, you'll be doing this, so you gon' have to look." Rueban calls him over.

Ani opens his dark eyes and looks at the two hanging men in front of them, still hanging by the skin of their necks. Struggling and trying not to choke to death from the weight of their own bodies betraying their own tired feet.

"Sorry, fellers. This ain't personal.." Rueban states while reloading his gold rusted shotgun. Aiming at the two men hanging on their nooses, which are now wailing and panicking for help now that theres a gun pointed at one of them. 
Ruebans blows a fire through one of their heads as the other screamed in horror as the body just falls feet first then an open neck into the mud without a head.
Rueban reloads it again with the emptiest eyes looking through the last remaining victim to his weapon. He fires another blow in the screaming guards brain, releasing him from the noose.


"I'm sorry, but this is exactly what happens when you dilly-dally. Not realizing your mask slipping off IS dilly-dallying! IF this happens again, I'm done doing this with you, ya hear? Don't. Let it happen. Again."

Ani staring down at the two craters made by Rueban, he feels a bit uneasy.

After the disposal of the bodies,
they climb onto the bench of the wagon together and ride towards the fence to get paid.
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