Blackbird of Bleak hope

 Sand and dust. Seen it since i was a kid. Lived my whole life out here in the waste. Well what else is there? Jet city? No i stay out here. Taking on protection jobs, and caravan guard. They call me Frenchy, because the colors on my mask. 

What i'm working on right now is diffrent, from what i usually do. This is personal. I had been on their trail for three days, and now i had then in my sight. Though i prefer taking job as a caravan guard, i could not say no to this job. It was Sam from a small shanty town called Bleak hope that i was working for. He lives with his wife and teenage daughter. I knew them by name from when i have been in town. His daughter was the only kid in town that was not scared of me and my mask.She always had a smile on her face, and loved to sing. One night a young dumb raider gang drank at the bar. on their way out of town they broke down the door to the familys house, and attacked them. Sam shoot one of them, but got shoot in the leg himself. He passed out and luckily for him they thought he was dead. No one came to their aid. When the raiders had take what they wanted, they shoot both women and left. I got into town next day, and Sam looked me up. I felt such anger when he told me the story. He did not need to pay me for this job. I do it for free. I used to call his daughter a blackbird. someone told me about them once and that their singning was beautiful. To me she was one, with her long dark hair and her  singing. Now i would never hear her sweet singing voice again. She was the only nice thing in a poor little town like that. And now she was gone. There were four left of them now since Sam shoot one that night. I had tracked them out in the waste to a old cabin. The sun was still up as i watched them. 

Yes i should wait til the night and sneak up and take them out one by one, quietly. But i don't want to kill them fast, quiet and little pain. I want them to suffer. Hear their screams, see their fear. Said and done i move forward. Only one stands guard. They feel secure out here. I take aim and fire. He goes down screaming with a bullet in his thigh. That wakes the other, as two comes out.

One stops to look at his wounded friend. The other continues forward,What an arogant prick. He don't know where i am and think his mer pressence will scare me, like it was a game. I fire again. hitting him in the gut. Wanna make him bleed out. He lies right out in the open. The door opens and the forth comes out fires all over the place, before goin inside again.

- Damn Larry what are you doin. Help me get Bill and Art in. Bill can't walk. And Art lies out there bleeding all over the place.

- Forget Art you can't reach him anyway. Have you seen where the shooter is?

- Yeah behind the rocks over there. Hey you out there why are you firing at us for? We got nothing of value. 

- That's right your lives got no value and that's what i want. I answer. 

- What for?

- You that got no value , took something of value from me. My blackbird.

- Blackbird? Are you nuts? what's that?

- The girl you killed in Bleak hope. I will never hear her sing again. 

BLAM! 

A bullet goes right next to me. the one in the house has come out covering by the house wall.  He must have come out of a back door.

- Keep him talking Robb, and i shot him. He says to his friend.

The one they call Art lies unconscious by the blood loss. The one called Robb goes for the door. Just what i was waiting for. I fire, but this time it's leathal.

- Larry, Robb can't answer right now. But maybe you can pick up in hell, where you soon meet him. I say.

- The bastard killed Robb. The wounded Bill scream to Larry.

I see by Larrys body language that he starts to get nervous.

- There must be something we can do? Somekind of deal, right? He ask.

- Today i only deal in lives and nothing else. I answer.

- Larry get me outha here. My leg hurts so bad.

- Shut up Bill. Get a hold of yourself. Get your gun and shot him.

- I droped it. Larry help me. Bill sobs.

- Yes go help him Larry. Bill got a bo bo. I say with a laugh.

-  GO TO HELL. Larry screams and fires several rounds at me. Some hits the rocks, but most miss. I move to some other rocks closer to Bill. It's time to take him out. I see that Art has bleed out. Shame i hoped it take longer. Apparently i did not hit him as presicely as i thought. Larry fires again and starts running. Trying to get away.

I walk over to Bill. I need to finish him before i take up the hunt for Larry. Bill tries to crawl away as i approach.

- No no! Come on man. I was not even with them in Bleak hope.

- LIAR I know you where five. Say hi to your friends when you meet them you bastard. I say before i fire. Seeing life vanish from Bills eyes. Only Larry is left. Then the door opens and another raider appears. Damn, i should have stakeout them out longer, to see if there where anyone when they arrived here. So dumb of me, rookie mistake. 

- Drop your gun slowly or you 're dead. He said. I do as i'm told.

- Well you're not so tuff now are ya? Poor Bill told you the truth. He was not with us in Bleak hope, I was. So you want to hear your Blackbird again? We heard her. oohh you should have been there that night. She sang so lovely for all of us. After that we took out the whole family.

I clenched my fists. I want to kill him so badly.

- It's over for you now. He says, as he is about to shoot. Pang! The body hits the ground. I'm still standing. Behind the raider Sam stands with his gun.

- Sam? I told you i take care of them. 

- Yeah i see that. 

Sam opend the door to the cabin to see that it was not more of them. 

- Yes, you're right. Thanks Sam you saved me. But one got away.

- You know better than playing with your prey like that. And no, he did not get away. He was so focused on having you after him that he walked right into me. I took him out queit with my knife.

- Usually i would not drag it out but i wanted them to suffer for what they did.

Sam just nods his head. We leave them as they are for animals to feast on. They don't desserve a burial, as we walk away.

The end