Murderers And Justice Karl Winnebrock dismounted his silver stallion, Fury and stood still briefly, examining his surroundings. His revolver felt heavy in his pocket. The buildings were deserted, empty and dead. Karl knew better than to believe that. "Gerald!" He shouted, his voice echoing through the area. "Come out here!" One of the doors slowly opened and a man exited the house. He wore a set of battered shoes, some pale shorts and a white shirt. All were ripped and ruined from the passing of time. The man had dark blonde hair and a scraggly beard. He wore a revolver in his left pocket. "Karl" He said Karl nodded slowly. "I always said I would find you" "I never doubted it. You are one of the best bounty hunters this side of the canyon" The man responded calmly "Gerald Barreck. It is time you answered for your crimes of theft, sexual assault and armed robbery, resulting in the death of two innocents" Karl announced "I accept the charges and am prepared to face the consequences of my actions" Gerald replied "Why did you do it?" Karl asked quietly "My dad and brother told me to do it or they would kick me out" "I would have helped you through that. You did not need to become a killer" "No… yet it happened. I cannot erase the past. At least you were the one to catch me" "And now I have to kill you" "Make it quick my friend" Gerald brought out his gun and dropped it onto the floor. Karl pulled out his own and cocked it "Sleep tight" he muttered. And he aimed. His hand shook with sadness but he steadied himself and sniffed back a tear. Karl sighed and pulled the trigger. The bullet seemed to fly in slow-motion towards Karl's old friend. Gerald gave a peaceful sigh and collapsed as the bullet found its target. Karl put his gun away and walked over to Gerald's unmoving figure. He was dead, no doubt about it. Karl searched his pockets and found nothing. He felt guilt and grief over his friends death but knew Gerald deserved it. The man was a thief and murderer. But he was a friend. Karl brought out a knife from his pocket and cut off Gerald's ring finger as proof of his death and walked away. Karl mounted Fury and rode away. To collect his reward. Karl arrived at Soneson town a few hours later. The town was quite large and old. It had been the market town for decades until all the merchants started moving to the cities. Karl headed straight for the sheriffs office and left Fury outside. He opened the door to see Sheriff Douglas sitting at his desk reading. "Good evening Karl. What are you here for?" He asked dryly The sheriff was a young man, 22 years old but his dad had been sheriff before him, giving him influence and power. The sheriff was a friendly, short bald man who spent his days reading or drinking. "I am here for a reward" Karl said "Who for?" Douglas put down his book. "Gerald Franklin" "Wasn't he your friend?" Douglas began rummaging around inside a drawer at his desk. Karl nodded "Before he killed two people yes" Douglas smiled and pulled a small paper bag out of his desk. He passed it to Karl and Karl opened it. It was filled with cash. Karl chuckled to himself. "What else is going on?" He asked "The Rattlesnakes are dead. All killed by one of their own who was then shot by a few lawmen. So that is pretty big at the minute. There is someone else with a bounty on his head; Jamie Stratton, he killed some people last week down in Kiordon and is now on the run" "How much is the bounty?" "More than I make in a year. My deputy Will went missing yesterday. He is not in the saloon. He's not home. He's not at work. Nobody has seen him since Friday. There is a search party out but I doubt they will find anything. They couldn't find a dime if it was waved in front of their noses" Karl smiled "Would you like me to assist?" "No need, little idiot will have gotten drunk and ended up in someone else's house. Maybe even just gone to buy something from the city. No need for such a fuss" "Something might happened to him" "I doubt that, he may be an idiot but he is excellent with a gun" Douglas rose slowly "Either way, he will turn up. I presume you need to get going" "Not really but I could use a drink" Karl yawned "Enjoy. See you soon" Douglas raised his hand and Karl shook it. Karl awoke the next day in a rented room in the saloon. He got dressed, ate some bread and saddled up Fury. Karl decided to go after Jamie Stratton, the murderer from Kiordon. Sounded easy enough yet nothing was ever easy in that area. He went to Douglas for more information. "Jamie is holed up in an abandoned cottage in the desert with two friends of his; Bert and Clyde. Kill them quickly" Douglas advised the bounty hunter Karl left that morning and ,after a short ride, found the cottage. It was a beautiful setting upon a hill overlooking the tranquil yet eerie desert. Karl entered the house and shot both of Jamie's accomplices. Jamie himself however was not there. Karl returned to Soneson empty-handed. He met with Douglas that afternoon. "We found Will. He was passed out in his back yard with beer in his hand" Karl laughed "How did Jamie kill his victims?" He asked Douglas's face darkened and he spoke quietly "He attacked them, killed them and then ate them" Karl could not conceal his shock, horror and disgust "He was a cannibal and deserves to die. Jamie has switched location. That is why he was not in the cottage. He now resides in an abandoned mine shaft. Pass me your map, I will mark it down" He did so and passed it back "Good luck. Be careful Karl" Karl left for the mans hideout ten minutes later and arrived after an hour of riding. The mine shaft was built into a mountain like a mouth gaping for prey. Karl wandered in, revolver in hand. The tunnels snaked their way through the mountain like a rock maze. At the end of the maze stood Karl's prize. Jamie was tall and thin. He had short black hair and a small stubble growing on his chin. He held an axe in his hand and was waiting for Karl. Karl faced him and spoke first "I presume you are Jamie Stratton" "You are not as dumb as you look. If you were then you wouldn't have even worked out how to put your pants on" Jamie snapped "I am here to kill you" "I would like to see you try Karl" Jamie raised the axe and swing ferociously at one of the supports keeping the ceiling up. The wood cracked and began to break. As it did the ceiling shook and began to collapse. Karl turned and ran for his #life, the mountain crashing down behind him. He managed to escape but it was a close call. There had been no sign of Jamie escaping and Karl had not seem him even try to run. He would be buried under tons of rubble so chances of getting a finger to chop off for proof was unlikely. Douglas would just have to trust him