And that’s how Ro found herself sitting on the porch of the general store, watching the eastern horizon for any sign of the Band of Misfits. Lucky for her, the general store stood on the edge of town, turned to face the open range, and it made the perfect lookout spot. Boone was making sure that anyone unable to fight was swept off into the desert with the rest of her crew. Some of her best fighters were protecting the Free Outlaws to make sure they remained safe. Boone added a few of his own, and made sure that whoever would be in danger in town was long gone before Les arrived. The children were protected at all costs, the elderly were carted on wagons, and those with no fighting experience were loaded up. If anyone had a gun, they could sit on porches in waves, keeping anyone from growing exhausted. Theo went around those gathered, passing out canteens of water and food to keep energy up. It was blazing hot, the sun still bringing a sweat to Ro’s skin even in the shade. Still, she sat on the porch and watched.
“You stare hard enough, you might make him appear, girl,” Jiminy grumbled, as he took a seat next to her some hours later.
“That’s the plan.” She turned to her friend. “What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be where he can see you.”
“I’m old, not useless,” he reminded her. “Besides, I already know what you’re gonna ask of me.”
“You know it’s necessary.” Ro wiped the sweat from her brow. “If he gets a hold of me, I don’t think he’d let me walk away a second time.”
“You’re not the same woman that held a shaking gun on a monster six years ago, Rowena. Don’t pretend you are. You saved our lives that day, even if you couldn’t pull the trigger.”
“I refused to let him hurt y’all.” She sighed. “The only reason we walked away is because his ego was too big to realize I wouldn’t come back.”
“And that was his weakness. Still is, if I know the man any. Because you care for these people, you won’t let them down. But if it comes to that, and he’s dragging you away. . .” He trailed off, clenching his new cane hard in frail fists. “I’ll take the shot if I have to.”
“Thank you, Jiminy. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Probably starve. You can’t cook to save your life.”
Ro snorted. “I can cook.”
“In your head,” he mumbled, but a smile pulled at his lips.
A roar echoed in the distance, and Ro jerked her head around, her body tensing. Embertown had been a soft murmur of chatter before, but at the sound of the roar, everyone dropped into silence, no one daring to move. Ro reached over and wrapped her hand around Jiminy’s.
“He’s coming,” she whispered, and another roar echoed. “He’s coming.”
The sun started to sink toward the horizon, painting the sky red.
All of Embertown burst into action at the same time, each person taking up their position and making sure their weapon was prepared. Most had kept their guns ready and loaded in case of an ambush, but some preferred to load when the fight drew close, to keep the oil in their guns fresh.
“Are you ready?” Clem asked, rolling her shoulders. They’d decided she would stay in her human form, since her Raptor wouldn’t be much good against a Spinosaurus. She would only shift if the Band of Misfits had a higher number of dinos than expected.
When Ro had left Les behind, his crew had been relatively small, the way he preferred it, but she’d heard rumors of its growth, of the many dinosaurs he’d recruited. If the numbers were too high, they’d need every dino on hand.
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
The dust cloud in the distance grew closer, the roars getting louder. It was like Les was letting them know he was coming, giving them a fighting chance, but Ro knew that for the lie it was. It was one of his tactics. The roar of a Spinosaurus would terrify most humans and small dinosaurs. He was hoping some of the people would run before he ever arrived. Problem was, Embertown was made of tougher stuff than other towns. They’d protect their paradise with their dying breath if need be, although Ro hoped it didn’t come to that.
Stepping from the general store porch, Ro made her way to the center of the street, exactly in the middle. To enter Embertown, Les would have to go through her and he’d be forced to stop outside of the town limits. King and Boone took up her left and right, their shoulders brushing hers in a show of solidarity. Behind them, a mixture of her crew and the townsfolk took up their position, their weapons ready. They wouldn’t raise them until the Band of Misfits stopped, saving their strength. Who knows how much hot air Les would blow?
The Band slowly came into focus and Ro cursed at the same time Boone did. “They have an airship.”
It was a small one, made more for racing than war, but it was still an advantage, or at least they’d think so.
Ro turned and ran her eyes over her crew, before she found who she was looking for. “Bernadette.” A woman no taller than five feet stepped forward. She was plump, her lips bright red, and she held a massive steam-powered rifle slung over her shoulder. “Can you dismantle the airship?”
Bernadette grinned. “With pleasure, Ro.”
“Are you insane? She’s tiny,” King exclaimed, looking Bernadette up and down. Bernadette glared in answer, but she didn’t respond. She didn’t need to.
“Just watch,” Ro instructed.
The cracking of bones followed her words, and the tiny woman turned into a massive pale pink Pterodactyl, her wingspan easily over ten feet.
“Jesus Christ,” Boone whispered, watching her raise into the air with two flaps of her wings. Dust stirred up around them at the force, but it settled fast when Bernadette rose higher.
“We found Bernadette in a traveling circus,” Clem commented, watching the woman soar. “She’d been in a cage with a poster on the side that read ‘the flying freak.’ It took her years to be able to fly again, years of breaking bones and setting them so she could use her wings. They’d never let her out of the cage, and it had been too small. Her bones had been forced to curl.”
A low rumble came from King’s chest, and he looked up at Bernadette again as she disappeared inside the cloud layer. “How can anyone call you less than a saint?” he questioned Ro, and she could tell he meant every word.
“It’s not being a saint to be human.” Ro grinned. “Now watch.”
Bernadette had come a long way since they’d found her. That woman had a backbone of steel, but the beauty of Bernadette Smith was her skillset. “She’s good with knives,” Clem added, on the same wavelength as Ro. There was awe in her voice.
The airship was probably a half a mile away, the Band of Misfits below it, but they could clearly see when something dropped from the sky like a bullet, when Bernadette flared open her wings and spun beside the airship. They saw the explosion first, the boom taking a few more seconds to follow. The Pterodactyl was gone before anyone even knew the airship was decimated. She landed behind them a few seconds later with a happy grin on her face.
“That was fun,” she chirped in Ro’s mind.
“You made knives for your wings,” Boone noticed, the shimmering steel catching the light of the dying sun. “Doesn’t that hinder your flight?”
Bernadette shifted back to her human form with a slow popping of bones and met the sheriff’s eyes. “When you live your life with crippled wings, you learn to test their strength.”
And Bernadette was strong, and also a huge asset to their crew.
In the distance, a roar of outrage reached their ears, closer than ever. Les was pissed, that much was clear. He was not happy about losing such an advantage.
That’s when Ro’s eyes found Les Chambers, marching in front of the Band of Misfits. His Spinosaurus form was exactly as she remembered—massive, red, and terrifying. When she was younger, she’d seen him as this unreachable god, someone she couldn’t ever hope to take on. Now, she knew she was stronger than she ever gave herself credit for, and with her friends at her back, and her Rexes beside her, perhaps they stood a chance of ending Le
s “The Croc” Chambers’ reign of terror.
No one spoke as the Spinosaurus stepped closer and closer, the vibrations from his steps filtering through their feet. Ro tilted her chin up and kept her hand on her revolver. King and Boone tensed beside her. It took Les a few seconds to even notice her, but he quickly picked out the red hat and came to a screeching halt.
Bones were popping before Ro could follow the action, and Les stood before them, with the rest of his crew stopping behind him. His band had grown, probably tripled in size, but many looked worn and malnourished. Had Les stopped keeping his crew in top shape?
“Rowena Wickham,” Les purred, completely ignoring the rest of the town behind her. “My, how I’ve looked for you.”
“How about you turn around and keep going?” she suggested, raising her brow.
Les laughed, the sound grating, insanity dancing on its edges. Ro was right, Les Chambers was crazier than she’d left him.
“That’s a nice try, Rowena. I’m happy to see you haven’t forgotten me.” He eyed his hat. “I’m surprised you still have that thing.” King growled beside her and Ro gently touched his shoulder with hers. Les didn’t miss the action, his eyes going right to King. “I see you’ve made some friends.”
Boone clenched his jaw. “Embertown is under my protection, Croc, so either turn around or submit to the law.”
Ro had expected Les to respect the rules of a gunfight—he always had before as a matter of pride—so it was a surprise when Les drew his revolver quicker than anyone could react. The gunshot rang out and Boone grunted when the bullet slammed into his bicep. Ro slapped her hand over the wound, but she didn’t move from her position. No one did. That’s what Les wanted. They couldn’t get divided.
Every gun rose. Every weapon trained on Les and his crew. The fucker just laughed and holstered his gun, content to banter some more. One of his men chuckled. “You shot the sheriff, boss.”
Les shrugged, a wide grin splitting his lips. “But I didn’t shoot the deputy.” His eyes met Ro’s. “Yet.”
The band of Misfits all laughed as one, as if not doing so would earn them punishment. Maybe it did. Les had certainly punished his men for less.
“You gonna be alright?” Ro whispered, ripping a piece of material from the bottom of her shirt and tying it tightly around his arm.
“The beauty of being a Rex is I don’t need my arms,” Boone answered earnestly, as if it was a simple fact.
Clem snorted behind them and they all turned to look at her. She covered her mouth. “I’m sorry. I just, I wasn’t expecting a short arm joke right now. Carry on.”
Ro fought her own smile, but she pulled her revolver and leveled it on Les. “This is your last chance. Leave and avoid bloodshed.”
“But it won’t be my blood spilled,” Les promised, and the sound of bones popping filled the air.
Over half of Les’ crew began to change, a range of species from a Compsenopsus to a few Triceratops. There weren’t any other large carnivores though. Les wouldn’t have been able to stand having them so close.
“Here we go,” King growled, his own bones popping.
It was a weird experience, listening to so many bones breaking around her. Ro flinched from the sounds. Clem placed her hand on Ro’s shoulder, and she nodded, letting her know that her Raptor form was needed.
At the end of the massive change, a Spinosaurus stood in front of them again, flanked by dozens of skinny dinosaurs, with anger flickering in his eyes. Ro realized she didn’t see much of the man she’d known seven years ago. Time hadn’t done him any favors.
“You never came back,” Les’ voice floated inside her mind.
“I told you I wouldn’t.”
“But you never came back!” he snarled, and then he charged.
Ro holstered her revolver and dove out of the way at the same moment King and Boone rushed forward. One thing Ro hoped she would forget was the sound of the massive carnivores colliding with each other in a barrage of snapping jaws and ferocious growls. Where King’s Rex was brown, Boone’s Rex was green. Both were covered in battle scars. Both were massive, but Les was still a bigger species. He used his claws to swing at Boone and King, their arms useless by some fucked up twist of fate, but they made up for it with their speed and bite. Ro just barely saw King take a chunk out of Les’ neck, before she had to hurry out of the way of the dinos in her crew rushing forward to meet the Band of Misfits. Ro drew her revolver and started firing rounds, because there was no other choice. It had turned into an all-out battle rather than the quick draw she’d hoped for. A shadow flew above her, and she looked up long enough to catch Bernadette soaring over Les’ crew and dragging her wing through their masses, much to the dismay of those in her way. Theo roared and charged into the fray, tossing humans and dinos alike into the air with his horns, while Clem pounced on anyone she could find.
And Ro just kept firing her revolver, reloading, and firing again. She was a quick shot, and that’s the only reason she kept the Misfits away from her, because many were doing their best to get close enough to grab her. No doubt Les had ordered her to be taken rather than killed. She didn’t plan on that happening.
She was so caught up in keeping the Band at bay, that she didn’t know a pissed off Spinosaurus was heading for her until a roar of pain reached her ears. She swiveled on her feet and Les’ snarling dino charged for her. Boone was shaking his head behind him and King was moving their way. A few of the smaller dinos attempted to slow Les down, but that wasn’t happening. And then Danny stepped in his path—
“Danny! No!” Ro shouted, sprinting forward, but she wasn’t fast enough.
Carnosaurs were about half the size of a Spinosaurus. While they were ferocious and fast, if a Spinosaurus got his teeth on him, they wouldn’t stand a chance.
Danny was only trying to help, to slow down The Croc enough for her to get out of the way, but he moved a split second too slow to avoid Les’ snout. The crunch brought bile up Ro’s throat, and then Danny was slamming onto the ground, the earth shaking with the force.
Cries went up through the fight, furious shouts, and everyone changed their tactics from fighting Les’ crew, to swamping Les himself. He was strong, stronger than a bunch of dinos and humans, but the sheer numbers forced him backwards, even as he snapped at the people, killing innocents, spraying blood. King joined the fight and wrapped his jaw around Les’ neck, shaking viciously, but it wasn’t enough. Not yet. Boone slammed into the Spinosaurus from the other side, the dinos around their feet attacking however they could, ripping with claws and spikes, as humans fired bullet after bullet into thick skin, slicing knives wherever they could reach, until Les gave a howl of frustration and stumbled back.
Danny didn’t move and Ro leaped over his body and joined the battle, but she didn’t attack his feet. Ro started to climb, dodging Rex teeth and barely hanging on as Les shook violently. Boone slammed against Les on one side, tilting the Spinosaurus violently, and Ro only just held onto his sail, but he kept falling. His balance shot, Les slammed into the ground hard, flinging Ro from his back and into a few of the townsfolks. They shoved her to her feet, and she sprinted back to where King and Boone were doing their best to hold The Croc down. Les was strong, and even with all the dinos piling on top of him, he still put up a big enough fight that they couldn’t get a decent hold on him.
That was the moment Ro knew it was up to her, that the battle wouldn’t be won with brute strength or luck. It would be won with Les’ weakness, with her. She leapt and dove, wading her way closer to where Les’ jaw snapped at anyone who drew too close, and when his large, yellow eye found her, he stilled. Ro took in the bloody cuts all over his face, and watched as two emotions flooded his eyes—hatred and love—and Ro wondered how intertwined they were, how he could even decipher the two at all.
“This has to stop,” Ro snarled, and everyone who wasn’t holding the Spinosaurus down stilled. Boone and King didn’t let down their guard, using their heads and necks to p
in the monster. “This is the end.”
“Are you the one to end it?” Les’ voice floated through her mind.
“I should have ended it six years ago.”
“But you didn’t. You still cared.”
Ro raised her revolver, fully loaded, and pointed it right at Les’ eye, the most vulnerable part of his skull. “That was when I wasn’t strong enough. I’m plenty strong enough now.”
“Then so be it,” he mumbled, and he stopped fighting against those on top of him. It shocked everyone so much that Ro almost didn’t know what to do. She was never one to shoot a dog with its tail between its legs. But mercy wasn’t something Les Chambers deserved, and mercy wasn’t something he should get. Someone cried Danny’s name again in the crowd and Ro’s eyes hardened with fury.
“Go to hell, Les Chambers,” she snarled.
His last words floated through her mind just before she pulled the trigger, again and again and again, until her revolver was empty, and even then, she pulled out her pistol and emptied that too. She screamed as she did it, the crowd around them silent, as The Croc went still, as his chest stopped moving. Les’ crew didn’t wait to see how their leader died, they turned tail and ran back the way they came, leaving the streets of Embertown peppered with the corpses of both sides.
“Go to hell,” she repeated. And then his last words danced across her mind again, a vicious replaying that she would hear in her nightmares.
I’ll see you there, Ghost.
Ro clenched her jaw hard, but it didn’t stop the tears from falling, from clouding her vision until she couldn’t see the blood or gore. The only way she knew it was Boone and King who caught her before she collapsed was by scent. Cries went up for the dead, for those they’d lost, and Ro wept for her friends, her family who had fought to end the reign of The Croc.
She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t function, but it was okay. Her family moved together and offered support, and together they mourned their losses. There was nothing to do but hope they hadn’t lost too many, to hope that there would never be another battle so large to crowd the dusty streets of Embertown.
Rexes & Robbers Page 18
