Zach sits in his
jail cell awaiting his release. His facial hair has grown long and
his hair shaggy from the long years he spent behind these solid bars.
His wife, Amy the bar maiden of the town, once longed for his
release, but now fears it more than she ever longed for it.
Long ago, before
Zach had been incarcerated, Amy and Zach had a family. Three young
boys below the age of ten and a daughter aged twelve. He was a
cattle rancher and had a decent penny to his name when a rival cattle
rancher decided that he'd make a deal with Zach he couldn't turn
down. The deal was simple, his cattle for his kids lives.
Zach didn't take the
deal. He needed to provide for his family and he couldn't afford a
new stock of cattle, especially if it ran the risk of the same thing
happening again. He stood his ground, and then, with the help of
several of the other cattle rancher's men he was held down while they
murdered every one of his children in front of him.
The mayor of the
town, Tom Hinchcliffer, backed the new cattle rancher. It all got
spun that Zach went crazy and murdered his own family after his wife
rode their horse into town for food. The trial was quick, and Zach
spent the next lifetime behind those bars.
Amy originally
believed Zach's side of the story, but the longer she was away from
him the more crazy he became, at least in her mind.
Still, Zach's only
two cares were getting back to his wife and getting back at that
rancher and Tom Hinchcliffer. They were the only two things that
kept him going.
Tom Hinchcliffer was
voted out of being mayor five years ago and now spends his days in
his home listening to silence and getting a financial reward for
keeping the authority off of the door of that unnamed cattle rancher
that Zach so longed to get his hands on.
Amy had stopped
visiting Zach a couple years ago after her frequent visits gradually
decreased over time. At first she visited as frequently as she
could, but as time progressed she visited less and less frequently
until, finally, she stopped coming altogether. She had found comfort
in the various men that would frequent her establishment – the
establishment she setup with Zach's money. She was making more money
selling spirits in her tavern than Zach ever did with cattle, and she
had no intention on letting him have any of it.
Zach still spent
every day thinking about starting a new family after avenging his
previous family with Amy.
The day had finally
come for Zach's freedom, and freedom he craved. The sheriff slid the
key into the lock, twisted, and said, “off you go now. We'll be
watchin' ya so don't do nuthin' stupid.”
First thing was
first for Zach, he had to trim his wretched beard. He began his long
walk to his home on the outskirts of town. He had no idea that Amy
had sold the place, or that she had even opened up a tavern in town.
When he arrived to his previous home he found it abandoned of all
life. He leaned against the outside, thought for a moment, then
kicked the front door in and walked to the bathroom.
Most everything
inside the house had been sold off long ago, but things that couldn't
sell remained. There was broken dishes in the kitchen, a chair that
was heavily worn in the living room, a broken mirror in the bathroom,
and his shaving equipment in the medicine cabinet – just where he
left it.
He started shaving
off his beard, but after it had fallen into the sink he kept going
and removed the hair atop his head as well.
He left the bathroom
and started walking towards the front door, but stopped when he came
to the hallway. His bedroom, or what used to be his bedroom, door is
wide open. He walks down the hall half expecting someone to pop out
and attack him, this is where he was attacked all those years ago.
The memories flooded
into his mind. They started with his youngest son, Andrew. They
made it quick by shooting him in the head. Next was the next
youngest son, Allen, with the same story. The oldest son, and second
oldest overall, Adam, tried to fight back to save his sister and
Zach. Adam bit the arm of the one holding him down and almost
managed to make it to his sister before one of the other men kicked
him in the side of his head and knocked him to the ground. They
pulled Adam back and held him down beside his father while they had
their way with the oldest child, Andrea.
The first man raped
her while forcing Adam and Zach to watch, then when she laid there
crying – Zach and Adam also full of tears, helpless as the six men
stood there laughing at their victory – they shot Adam in the head.
“She isn't done suffering yet,” the ring leader said.
“Take all the
fucking cattle!” Zach had been yelling it for what seemed to be an
eternity, perhaps since Andrew had first been shot, but he couldn't
tell in his mental state. Zach thought for a moment that it all had
to be a bad dream, but it wasn't. The rope around his wrists caused
pain, real pain, and there was a gun pointed at his head as he yelled
for them to stop and save his daughter.
They didn't stop.
They took turns hitting her over and over. Then when they stopped
looking as though they enjoyed it they shot Andrea in the head. All
of Zach's children had died in front of his eyes.
The men cut Zach's
hands loose and sat the gun down a few feet from him, then walked out
of the house and into the distance.
Zach stared at the
gun, waiting for it to move, waiting for it to shoot him dead,
waiting for it to do anything. It didn't do anything. It sat there
staring at him and him staring back at it.
Zach picked the gun
up and placed the barrel into his mouth. Tears were streaming down
his face faster than any river in the world. He heard the door open
in the distance, but it didn't register as anything of this world.
“Honey!
What....!!!!” Amy stood in the doorway with her jaw on the floor
as she saw her four children laying in the room dead and her husband
with a gun firmly in his mouth.
“They... they...
they...they... kill... they... killed... they killed them all....
in... front... of... me...” The gun dropped to the ground.
Zach is searching
through his old bedroom. Even the bed has disappeared, leaving
nothing but a dust rectangle in the middle of the floor. A cowboy
hat was laying in the corner – the one he used to wear. He walked
to the corner, picked it up, and put it on before leaving the house
for the last time.
He walks to the shed
behind the house, opens the door, and walks to the back of the empty
area. He opens a cabinet door and feels the top of the opening. He
pulls out a pistol then reaches back in and pulls out a second
pistol, the exact same as the first, places them on top of a shelf,
and then pulls out a belt with two holsters attached to it. He puts
the belt on and drops the pistols into the pockets.
Amy is serving beers
to the same men she serves beers to every night. The biggest
decision she has to make tonight is which of these men she will take
back to her place. She wants all three of them, she'd even take two
at once if they'd let her, but she'll have to settle for just one.
Her cleavage hangs
out as much as she can let it without totally being exposed. She
flirts with every man she can, they are all fun to her.
A woman walks into
the tavern, a real looker. She carries about her a level of
sophistication that no one in the bar is used to seeing and they all
begin to berate her by hurling insults towards her to make her feel
out of place, which is to say that she belongs in the kitchen. She
is the new physician of the town, replacing the previous male doctor
who retired a couple months ago. The whole town knew who she was and
hated her since she came across as better than the rest of them.
“What can I get
ye?”
“I'll have
whatever they are having down there.”
“Now, woman, you
don't look like ya can handle yer liquor like dem men can.” Amy
says to the proper woman.
“I'll have what
they have, please.” the physician lady said with a level of self
assured tone that couldn't be rivaled by anyone in the room.
“Now, listen here,
lady. If you can drink that beer faster than I can then I'll give
you ten cents.” A man sitting a couple stools down from the
physician said.
“Start drinking.”
She finished before
he did, took her ten cents, and walked out of the bar.
“That Brandi is a
real bitch, huh, Amy?”
“Yeah. She thinks
she's better than the rest 'a us little folks.”
“I'd take her out
back and show her what a real man's 'a made of.” A laugh bellowed
out of the deepest part of the man's stomach. “Give me 'nother
round, Amy!”
Zach stumbled into
Amy's tavern by accident while looking for a drink. As soon as his
eyes hit her behind the bar he felt his heart sink to the floor and
shoot back up into his throat as though it was attached to a rubber
band. She glanced at him but clearly had no idea who he was. He sat
down at one of the tables near the door.
“What can I
getcha?” Amy's voice had never sounded more enthusiastic and for a
moment Zach swore she was just happy to see him.
“Amy... I've
missed you.”
The look in her eyes
ruined everything positive he felt. “What... I didn't recognize
ya, hun.”
“I've missed you
so much. It is so good to see you again.”
“I... I can't do
this, Zach.”
“What... do you...
mean?”
“I don't know
you.”
Zach found himself
in the bad part of town where the gamblers ran the tables and the
prostitutes took less than they were worth. He managed to weasel
himself into a few coins and was now gambling them on games he only
hoped he could win.
After winning
several hands of black jack and gathering up information on Tom
Hinchcliffer's where abouts he decided to spend some of his earned
money on some of the cheaper women He didn't have the money for the
high priced women so he went for what he could afford, which was the
cheapest woman there.
Several days had
passed when Zach noticed that he had a milky discharge coming from
his dick. He had to see a doctor so he made his way to the only
place in town.
“My name is Brandi
and, as I'm sure you've figured out, I'm a female physician. Let's
just get that out of the way now. So what problems are you having?”
“I've got a
dripping dong, ma'am.”
“Oh.. well...
let's take a look, shall we?”
As she is looking
over Zach he asks, “so how does a woman become a doc anyway?”
“The same way a
man does.” Her eyes don't even lift.
“I didn't mean
that to be offensive. I've just never seen a woman do your job
before.”
“Expect it to
start happening more often.”
“Good.” A smile
grew on Zach's face as Brandi peered her eyes up towards him from
between his legs. “I'd rather you be doing this than any man.”
“You're the first
person who seems alright with me being their physician.”
“You seem like
you're good at it.”
Brandi's touch had
lightened as she prodded at Zach. “I'll get you some antibiotics
that should clear this up within a week. Try to keep your drippy
dong out of cheap thrills from
now on.”
Zach
had been staying with one of those cheap thrills. It was the only
place he could find, but he had no intentions on going back there and
risking another infection. “Say, Brandi, I don't suppose you know
of a cheap place to stay, do ya? I'm sorta homeless right now.”
Her
face tilted to one side, then to the other side, then back again.
“You can stay with me.” Her eyes still looked confused, “but
you have to fix some things around my house for me.”
“Deal.”
“And
you can't be bringing home drippy dongs.”
“Definitely
deal.”
During
the days, while Brandi was working, Zach started digging into finding
out as much as he could about the cattle rancher that stole his life.
The cattle rancher was Tom Hinchcliffer's brother, Brian. Zach
started developing a plan to get his revenge, but as time progressed
he found himself more and more patient and careful with his plotting.
Brandi
and Zach grew ever closer. Brandi had already fallen in love with
Zach, though he didn't see it. He was also still very in love with
Amy though he knew it was over.
“So
what happened in your life to make you homeless?” Brandi asked –
it had been months of living together.
Zach
told her everything. He knew at this point that he could trust her
entirely. He watched her reactions as he told her everything. They
were full of sadness for everything that had happened, and she didn't
have any doubt that he was telling the truth.
A
couple weeks more passed and Brandi was treating a patient when Tom
Hinchcliffer came into her office. “Go to the next room over,
Tom.” Brandi finished up he bandages and sent the man on his way
before going into the next room over to meet with Tom.
“It's
always a pleasure to see you, Brandi.” Tom had a smirk on his
face. “It is just too bad you're playing doctor every time I see
you. You'd make a much better bedroom ornament.”
Brandi
didn't say anything and started checking his vitals.
“When
are you going to come back to my place and let me have my way with
you, show you what you've been missing your whole life.”
Brandi
continued to check the vitals without saying anything.
“I
bet you'd be just as quiet for me in the bedroom, too, huh? Probably
pretend to like it even if you didn't.”
“You
check out just fine. Here is your medicine. Get out of my office.”
“Such
a feisty little bitch, aren't ya? Don't worry, I'll get my chance
with ya.”
“No.
You won't.”
Later
that night while Zach and Brandi were at the kitchen table eating,
Brandi looked at Zach and says, “It is done. He took the pills.
He'll start feeling sick tomorrow at the earliest, definitely by the
day after. Do you know where he lives?”
“Yep.
I know where he lives. I'll head out to him in two days.”
The
days ticked by slowly as Zach finished the last of the repairs to
Brandi's house. He even made himself a bed in one of the spare
bedrooms, which was more comfortable than any place he could ever
recall sleeping. Even Brandi was jealous by the comfort of the bed,
though she would never tell him that she would sneak in there once in
a while after he would leave in order to smell him.
Tom's
house was a big place, but he lived alone. Zach sat off in the
distance and watched while Tom blew out the candle light of his room,
it was night. Zach then casually walked up to the front door, kicked
it in, and walked directly up the stairs. He heard Tom's voice
repeatedly asking who was there, but he said nothing in return.
“Hello,
Tom. Do you remember me?” Zach said while slowly opening the door
to the bedroom.
Tom
coughed hard and weakly sat up in his bed. “...Zach...?”
“That's
right, mother fucker. Do you remember what you did to me?”
“It
was my brother!” Tom's voice was weak, but he yelled as loud as he
could. “I had no choice!”
“There
is always a choice.” Zach raised his gun towards Tom. “I want
an apology.”
“I'm
sorry!” Sweat was pouring off of Tom's face while his whole body
trembled below the sheets. “I'm sorry! I didn't mean to ruin your
life!”
BANG
“You're
going to die on your own time, mother fucker. Just know that I could
have killed you right now. You're not safe.” Zach turned around
and walked out of the house while listening to Tom's cries fade the
further he got from him.
Zach
had also found out where Brian Hinchcliffer lived, and when the best
time would be to get to him – which was right now. He hops onto
one of Tom's horses and rides directly over to Brian's home, stopping
just before he made it to the house itself. He goes to the gate that
holds all the cattle in, opens it up, and fires a shot into the air.
The
cattle run off into the darkness, and Brian shouts, “What the FUCK
is going on out there?!?!?!”
BANG
– Zach fires another shot.
Brian,
in nothing but coveralls and carrying a shotgun, finds his way
outside and points the gun directly at Zach. “What the fuck do you
think you're doing here, boy?”
“Payback.”
“Zach...?”
“That's
right, mother fucker. You took my life. Now I'm taking yours, you
piece of shit.”
“You're
not even pointing that gun in the right direction to be hitting me,
boy.” He draws the shotgun up to shoulder level and plants it
firmly into his body.
“You're
stupid, old man.” A female voice from behind Brian drew his
attention away from Zach while he felt a cold metal pressed against
the side of his head. “Put the fucking gun down.”
Brian
drops the gun to the ground. “Alright, you two got me. Now what?”
The tone in his voice was sarcastic. Brian swings his right arm
around and knocks the gun out of Brandi's hand, but before he can
grab it – BANG – Zach fires a shot directly into his leg.
“Alright! ALRIGHT!” Fuck.”
“Do
you understand what you've done to me?”
“I
put you in jail. I took your whole fucking life and made you my
little bitch. Nothing you do today will change that. Nothing you do
today with make you less of my bitch.”
“That
is where you're wrong.” Zach shared a grin with his own world.
“You didn't make me your bitch, you made me stronger than you.
See. I'm the one with a gun to your head now. Would you have come
back after everything you put me through? Would you? Would you have
even stayed alive inside that cell for as long as I did, or would you
have given up and killed yourself? I'm the stronger man and now
you're my bitch.”
“And
how do you figure that? You may have the upper hand, but my brother
still has his hands in this town. I can still get away with
anything.”
“That's
what you think.” Another voice from the shadows calls out. It was
the sheriff. “I didn't believe Zach at all, I'll be honest. I
thought he was every bit as crazy as what you and your brother made
him out to be. When Brandi came to me and told me everything she
discovered about Zach I still had a hard time believing it, but I
went out on a limb. You're coming with me.” The sheriff placed
the hand cuffs around Brian's hands, threw him onto his horse, and
then rode off back to town.
“I
couldn't have done this without you, Brandi.” It was at this point
in time that he noticed the way her smile and eyes created the most
beautiful harmony he had ever seen. “I don't know that I'll ever
be able to repay you.”
“I
don't know how you will either.” The beauty grew. “You can
start by kissing me, though.”
-Dustin S. Stover
For more of my short stories, check below.
