Check out the book this remade cover is from on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Love-Against-Sin-Albert-Oon/dp/B08BVWTFLB/ref=sr_1_12?dchild=1&keywords=albert+oon&qid=1598799219&sr=8-12
Cover made by @Fhundeart and edited by @primerpersonaje both who can be found on Twitter.
“The good man though a slave, is free;
the wicked, though he reigns is a slave” – St. Augustine
Chapter 1 – Devil-Possessed
Prisoner
When a person sins, they open
themselves up to demons. The demons use this opportunity to make the sinner sin
more and in harsher ways. In this world, the demons sometimes manifest
themselves through the person. The sinners think that they are given a special
power over them when, in fact, the demons are just using them as their puppet,
and the more a person sins, the more a person loses themselves. The Church’s
division of exorcists is busier than ever because of this as the demons that
use gullible and prideful sinners to commit evil deeds while staying as far away
from them as possible.
There are three levels of demonic possession.
Disruptors are people who experience slight demonic possession, but mostly have
control of themselves and know that they should seek immediate help. Hallucinated
are people who think their abilities are natural or a gift from God that they
are just learning how to control. These kinds of people can recognize that the
condition they have is bad only when they sin in a way they didn’t intend. The
last and most dangerous level is keter. These people are sinners convinced that
they have control over the demons possessing them and use them to do whatever
they want or whatever the demons suggest. Keter level possession wipes a person’s
memory of who they are and restricts them to a barebones moral compass. People
with the keter level possession are actively sought out after by the Church who
go to extreme lengths to capture and contain them.
Currently, there is an escorted prison
carriage carrying a keter level possessed woman to the nearest demon treatment facility.
Her name is Estella and she’s been a high priority target who’s been causing
trouble in the area for months with her prostitution ring. In the carriage with
her is a nun who is constantly mentally praying with her eyes closed to suppress
Estella’s demonic power.
“What’s that red cross on your
head, sister? Does it mark you as someone special?” Estella asks.
“…”
“You must be if so many people
were dedicated to protecting you. What makes you special?”
“…”
“Does it have to do something with
your eyeshadow? I thought nuns weren’t supposed to wear makeup. You look like
one of my girls now that I have a good look at you.”
“…”
Aggravated by the nun’s silence, Estella’s
demon of persuasion manifests from her eye.
“You know all your people died
painfully because of me, my girls, and goons. I made sure you witnessed every
second of it to break you down so if we won, you would be easier to turn into
another willing toy to sell for a man’s pleasure.”
The nun opens her eyes with a disgusted
look on her face. Estella mischievously grins as she eagerly awaits her response
before being stabbed in the eye with a crucifix dagger that makes the demon dematerialize.
“Agh! You! You’re lucky that my eye
heals, and I’m restrained.”
“Silence, whore,” the nun says with
a stern voice that only further aggravates Estella.
“Do you think that my friends will just
let you take me away? I’m too valuable for them to just let go.”
“They can’t save you. Only God can.
You should be thanking us for bringing you to a place where you’re going to be
healed.”
“You don’t think my powers are a gift
from God? They’re a reward for providing an essential service to lonely people
who need to feel a sense of closeness to others.”
“You make people into mindless slaves
of pleasure.”
“Haha, call it what you want. I do
what I’m supposed to.” The prison carriage is abruptly attacked by Estella’s supporters.
“My friends have arrived. Beg for mercy now and I’ll ease you into your new
role.”
The nun goes back to her prayers
and tries to concentrate despite the action and the rocking of the carriage.
“Your prayers won’t help you,
sister! This is God’s will that you become mine!”
The fighting outside shakes the
carriage in a way that makes the nun fall on Estella’s lap. With this opportunity,
Estella’s demon comes out from her eye and a hand materializes from her
stomach. The demon’s hand holds the nun’s throat as the demon speaks through
Estella.
“Submit to me before it’s too late,”
it says before chanting a spell on her.
The nun manages to break free of
the trance and uses her crucifix dagger to stab Estella in the eye again. This dematerializes
the demon’s head and hand.
“Agh! Stop doing that!”
“I’ll stop if you stop being such a
filthy wretch!”
The carriage then flips over and
breaks. Estella and the nun aren’t seriously injured by the crash as both make
it to their feet, however, Estella’s demons make her get on her feet faster so
she can escape. Once she escapes, she finds that both her rescue and the Church’s
escort have been killed to the last man.
“Guess I’ll have to make my own way
back.”
Estella’s demons manifest from her
eye and stomach to try to break her bonds but can’t manage it. Even her
strengthened arms aren’t able to do anything to them. Meanwhile, the nun
manages to sneak up behind her and stab her crucifix dagger into her stomach.
“AAAAH!! You…”
The nun says a prayer while turning
the dagger like a key until the prayer is done. She takes out the dagger and
slowly walks away from Estella. Estella gets up and turns to the nun with a
gentle smile.
“Sister Astra. What’s the matter?”
Estella asks.
“You said that name the first time
we gave you a minor exorcism. How do you know my name?”
“I don’t know. I just somehow
recognize your face, and what do you mean minor exorcism? Can’t you fully exorcise
these demons from me?”
“I don’t have the authority to even
though I’m a Supreme Moderator nun. That’s why we have to hurry before you lose
control again.”
“I won’t lose control again. I promise. I'll do whatever I'm supposed to.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t
keep. Sinners like you typically fall into your filth over and over again without
much or any resistance to it.”
“Why did you have to say that,
Astra? It won’t help me stay in control.”
“Because it’s the truth. You and so
many others have done it before, and you’ll do it again if the demons aren’t
exorcised from you.”
“Okay…I understand.”
“We’ll be blessed if a patrol of exorcists
finds us. It’d be easier to get you to the closest demon treatment facility.
What are you waiting for? Follow me.”
“Ye-yes, Astra.”
“Stop calling me by my first name
and just call me sister.”
“Yes, sister.”
Astra and Estella make their way through
the wreckage of the failed rescue attempt and follow the road in the hopes of it
leading to a nearby town or place to rest. Meanwhile, Estella’s demons that are
sparked by Estella’s annoyance of Astra’s harshness slowly regain their energy
and wait for the right opportunity to strike.
Paperback ($9.99) - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GRSMM38
Kindle ($4.99) - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GQT794Q/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=albert+oon&qid=1598544015&sr=8-2
Any Sinner Can Become a Saint
Everyone sins, but it takes real strength to repent and change for the better. In the three stories included in this collection, each of the characters has something that's preventing them from becoming the person they're meant to. They will face many challenges and horrors while trying to overcome their pride on top of it all. Sainthood can only be obtained through hardship as these tales can either end in Heaven or Hell.
This collection includes Villains are People too, Beauty in Justice, and The Ballad of the Red King along with Behind the Story extras that details the thoughts and influences behind each story.
Download for free on Smashwords - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1039551
Sargrantina is an opportunistic woman who is looking to get rich quick, so she allies herself with the Red King, one of the most dangerous bounty hunters, on his quest for one of the most dangerous bounties of all, Black Jack. Both of these people seem to have a history between them as the Red King doesn't want the sixty-million dollar reward for killing Black Jack.
What will happen on this life-changing, gunslinging experience for the money-hungry Sargrantina? Will the dangerous Red King change her ways?
Chapter 5 – Father-Son Standoff
We finally make it to the shore
where Black Jack is. It looks like the law is here along with some mobsters who
are assumingly looking for Black Jack. At least Jackie knows the exact casino
he’s at. This place is full of bounty hunters, the law, and the lawless as
well. We act carefully as Jackie leads me to several spots that he said that his
dad might be around. The place that his dad met his mom at, the rooftop where
they had their wedding party, the bar where his mom won a drinking contest, and
the dance floor where his mom and dad danced. All of these places we checked
and waited around for Black Jack to appear only to be disappointed.
“You can’t identify him in the crowd?”
Jackie asks. He’s asked me at every place we’ve been to.
“No, I can’t. He’s either really
good at hiding his face or not here.”
“Where would he be?”
“Do you think all these people here
that are looking for him scared him off?”
“No. He told me stories about times
where he’s had to hide in cities where most of the population is after him.
This is nothing compared to that.”
“Is there another spot that he
would consider special enough to be in?”
“Hmmm. Maybe.”
Leaving the casino area, we sneak
into the basement to find a hidden passage behind a loose part of the wall. The
passage takes us down a long hallway and into a small house that looks like it’s
being lived in. In this house are several family pictures that catch Jackie’s
attention. He shakes his head as if shaking off a trance and begins to walk
through the house until he sees someone standing outside on the shore. It’s a
man dressed similarly to Jackie except all in black with a black hat on.
“That’s him,” Jackie says as he
walks towards the man with Alucard out.
Alucard is a pistol that’s more
like a magnum that he earned after hunting down a heretic to the Church. Jackie
only uses it for special occasions, but I wonder why he’s pulling it out if he
doesn’t want to kill his dad. Jackie approaches his dad who has his hand on his
gun holster.
“Dad…”
“Hey, Jackie. So, you’ve finally
found me, and you’ve brought along a woman with you. Is she your girlfriend?”
“No, she’s just my partner.”
“I said the same thing about your
mom before we eventually got married. You’re more like me than I thought.”
“Yes, we are, but here’s where the similarities
end. I want you to convince everyone that I’m the real Black Jack. I want to
pay my debts rather than run away from them like you did.”
“You call this running away? I’m
paying the past debts of my sins as well, Jackie.”
“You call this paying for your
sins? Do you know how sad you’ve made mom?”
“There isn’t a single day that I don’t
think about her. I pray that God helps her understand what I need to do.”
“What you need to do is pay off
your debt some other way and let me pay off mine on my own.”
“Or what? Are you going to shoot
me?”
“I’m going to force you to see
things my way. I may be a changed man, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know my
old ways.”
“Can you two stop this already?” I
interrupt, “Why can’t you both settle this more peacefully?”
“You wouldn’t understand. It’s the
bounty hunter way,” Jackie’s dad says.
“Even the bounty hunters of the
Church do this,” Jackie says.
“Maybe the bounty hunter’s way even
those from the Church aren’t God’s way? Did you think of that?”
Both seem to have a sudden
realization.
“Maybe not…”
“I don’t know actually…”
“Tch. Seriously, you two were so
stuck in your bounty hunter ways that you couldn’t think of any other way to
settle this other than death.”
“Well…the wages of sin is death
after all.”
“Isn’t there another way to pay for
your sins? I’m you too would know better than I do.”
“Yeah…”
“I guess…”
“Then that settles it.”
There’s an awkward silence as the
two men have to drop the trigger happy mentality.
“Haha! It’s a good thing you
brought your girlfriend along, Jackie. We would’ve-”
Someone snipped Jackie’s dad from a
distance! Jackie instantly turns around with MacMillan to look for the shooter,
finds him near the hill behind us, and kills him. He then drops his gun and
runs to his dad.
“Dad! Dad!” Jackie screams with
tears in his eyes as he holds his dad.
“Jackie…I’m sorry this happened.”
“No…no, don’t be. It’s my fault.”
“No, it isn’t your fault. Your dad
wanted this to happen. I blame myself for this too for telling the law where to
find your dad.”
“No, no, no. It’s okay,” Jackie says
as he crosses himself, “The wages of sin is death and they deserve death.”
“Jackie, you can’t just go in there
and kill everyone!”
“They’re going to come for us
anyway. We’ll bury my dad after. You can stay here if you want. In fact, it
might be better if you did because I don’t want you to end up like him.”
“No. I’ll be with you this all.”
“Okay.”
Jackie heads off with a purpose
back into the house. It’s hard to keep up with him and his footsteps sound
like he’s stomping the ground with every step. Once we get back to the casino, Jackie
draws everyone’s attention by firing into the air.
“I am Black Jack! The name the Red
King was just a cover! The wages of sin is death so pay your dues all ye who refuse
to repent!” Jackie announces.
What comes next is an absolute
slaughter out of a legend as Jackie and I fight off all the officers, outlaws,
and bounty hunters that come our way. I don’t there could be a single place in
this casino that doesn’t have bullet holes in them. It’s a good thing we
stocked up on ammo and got a good night’s sleep before we did this otherwise,
we wouldn’t have made it. Our body armor is more or less worthless now, so we
set it aside while burying Jackie’s father. We say our prayers and our goodbyes
to him and all who we killed before we leave the shore. It’s only now that I
realize that Jackie has stopped crying. I don’t think he stopped even during
the gunfight.
“I’m guessing you're not going to
claim the bounty on my head,” Jackie says.
“No, of course not. No amount of
money is worth shooting you.”
“Aren’t you disappointed that you
didn’t get anything out of this whole adventure?”
“I learned a lot because of you.
That makes it worth it.”
“Oh, you’re welcome. So, what are
you going to do now?”
“I think I’ll settle down somewhere
with a husband and kids. What about you?”
“I think I’ll do the same except
with a wife and not a husband, of course.”
“Sounds like a good plan.”
Once we make sure our tracks are
covered, Jackie and I settle down in our own little farm in an unmarked town.
We aren’t married or anything…yet, but for now, we’re happy to live together
away from all the death, bounty hunters, and chaos of the West. Taking my
chances on being with Jackie turned out to be a golden opportunity more profitable
than I thought it would be, and thank You, God, for it.
The End
Chapter 4 – Prison Shootout
I manage to wake up early and I haven’t
forgotten about yesterday, so I go over to Jackie and put my face close to his.
This has to get some kind of reaction out of him. Alright. He’s waking up.
“…what is it, Sargrantina?”
Oh, come on! How about I feign a
kiss? That should-nope. He just puts his hand on my mouth and pushes me away.
“Come on, stop messing around. We
have to get going.”
I’ll eventually find a way to get
to him. We get our stuff and go downstairs. Hmm. Something doesn’t seem right.
The guy at the desk is the only one downstairs and it isn’t even that early in
the morning.
“Wait,” I say while grabbing the
Red King’s arm and whispering to him.
“What is it?”
“Isn’t it strange that no one is
here?”
“Yeah, but the best way I found to
get out of traps is by triggering them first.”
“What kind of stupid plan-”
Ah! The owner grabs me from behind and
puts a gun to my head.
“Surrender, Red King or she dies,”
the owner says.
Jackie just stares at him as if not
threatened or doesn’t care about what’s happening to me. Fine. I’ll show him
that he shouldn’t care. I stomp on the owner’s foot with the blade in my heel
that gets him to release me. I then stab him in the chest with one of my bunny
ears then slowly lay him on the ground.
“You didn’t think he had anything
to tell us?” Jackie asks.
“He wouldn’t hold me at gunpoint
by himself with you here. He must have backup outside. Let’s take a peek.”
We take a look outside to see
groups of officers with a jail wagon.
“Look at your fans out there. They
never give us a break.”
“They’re your ‘fans’ too now
because you’re with me. Do you have a plan to deal with this?”
“I don’t have one right now. The
whole place is probably surrounded, so we can’t slip out from under their nose,
and drawing them in here could just back us into the corner.”
“This is why I just walk into traps.
It makes things less complicated.”
“What if they just shoot you when
you step outside?”
“I have bulletproof armor for that.
Don’t you?”
“I do, but isn’t as good as yours,
and we don’t have enough ammo to deal with these people.”
“We would’ve if we went my way.”
I’m not going to say he’s right. I’m
not going to say he’s right.
“Is that the chief of the law
enforcement of the state out there?”
“Looks like it.”
“Then you really do have fans in
high places.”
“Look in the distance. Are those
cannons manned by mobsters?”
“Yeah. We’re really in trouble now.
Get down!”
The cannons fire on the inn and
destroy quite a bit around us. What happens after is a series of gunfire, yelling,
and explosions that I get caught up in. After all that action, I find myself in
a jail cell with my arms chained to a wall. Jackie isn’t here. I don’t think he
was killed, so he either escaped or he’s in a different cell. This is a bit of
an awkward situation, but I should be able to get out of it without his help. First,
I have to deal with the officer of the state first. He’s probably here to
question me.
“Hello, Ms. Sargrantina. Today’s
not turning out to be a good one for you so far, is it?” the officer says with
a tip of his hat.
“Save the pleasantries. Just ask me
whatever you want.”
“Straight to business just how I like
it, but I don’t think I’ll get the answers out of you that I want without making
a deal with you. I’ve read your record and you have a history of being a
profitable businesswoman if you could call yourself that.”
“I sometimes use that title. Money
and making deals is my specialty.”
“It’s a shame that you ended up
this way. You should’ve stayed with your family on your farm and you would’ve
been plenty rich.”
“I don’t need to hear that again.
My family was shortsighted and wanted me to live in the dirt my whole life. I’m
happier without them and their useless advice.”
“Your current situation says
otherwise.”
“Get to the point.”
“I’m going to offer you a deal that
will clean your record and ten million dollars, as a starting price.”
“Oh, really? What’s the offer?”
“Tell me where the Red King is
heading to face Black Jack, and what’s the Red King’s name?”
That’s simple information to ask
for, but why am I hesitant to give it?
“You didn’t catch the Red King at
the inn? I thought those mobsters were with you.”
“They weren’t. Instead, one of my
men hired them and made the mistake of telling them I was there, so they turned
on him and tried to kill us along with you two. The Red King escaped in the
chaos despite our best efforts. He’s too good of a man to leave you, but just
in case he did, he would head off to finish his bounty with Black Jack. He’d
need to in order to get the money needed to free you from here.”
“He’s headed to a casino by the
shore. He didn’t tell me which one.”
“There aren’t that many, so it
shouldn’t be too much trouble searching them all with the number of forces I have.”
“Alright, so I can have my clean
record and payment.”
“Not so fast. I still need to know
his name.”
“What makes you think I know that?”
“When the owner of the inn called
us, he said that you two appeared to be close and he heard you call him something
that sounded like a name. He guessed it was either Jack or Jackie. What is it?”
Stop being so hesitant to say
anything! What is he to you?
“A bounty hunter’s name is one of
his most precious possessions besides his guns. Can’t that stay a secret?”
“We think he’s connected to Black
Jack in a way that may condemn him to a greater punishment and ruin his status
as a saint among bounty hunters, so no. We need to know to bring justice to
him.”
“He’s a God-fearing man. Why don’t
you ask a priest that he confesses to?”
“We already have, and they’re not
allowed to tell because of the seal of confession, and if you’re not willing to
confess, then I’ll give you a reason to. I’ll wait for three hours for you to
make a decision since you seem to know the answer and are hiding it for
whatever reason. Did you grow a conscience in the past couple of days?”
“Hmph.”
“Suit yourself.”
With him out of the room, I can
finally free myself. My sleeves have padding in them so my arms seem bigger
than they are and so I can slip out chains like these. Let’s see, ah! They may
have taken my bunny ears, my boots, and the little lockpicks inside them that can
double as knives, but I do have more. These people wouldn’t dare put their
hands near a lady’s private parts. After freeing myself from the chains, I take
a look outside the room to see if it’s clear before freeing myself from the
room.
This isn’t my first prison break,
so I use my typical strategy of going through the vents to make my escape.
Most of the doors here are tightly locked with some having an electronic lock
on them, so the vents are the only real escape. They may be mazes, but they can
lead to some places to overhear what the officers, guards, and other prisoners
might say. This vent is a little more linear than most. I hope it doesn’t end
up anywhere-! What the? It’s shaking. Maybe it hasn’t been repaired in a while-ah!
The bottom of the vent fell out and now I’m in a room surrounded by the officers
and the officer of the state.
“This isn’t my first prison break.
Everyone knows to go for the vents. Even a unique bunny like you,” the officer
of the state says before I’m beaten by the other officers and taken back to my
cell.
In the cell, they chain my arms and
legs to an uncomfortable bed.
“Now that we got that obvious
escape attempt and show of what will happen if you try it again, we can go back
to the question. What is the Red King’s name?”
I still can’t answer, and I don’t
know. I don’t know how many hours pass after that with times where he brought
in people to try to beat the answer out of me. A day passes then another. The
beatings no longer have any effect on me to the point where they almost thought
they killed me. Part of me wishes I was, but there’s another that doesn’t. I
don’t know why that is just like how I don’t know why I haven’t given them
Jackie’s name yet. He’s probably not coming for me, and yet, I wish he was.
“Why haven’t you given us his name
yet? It’s such a simple thing and your records show that you’ve betrayed others
for much less,” the officer of the state says.
“I’ve been thinking that for longer
than you have, and I think I have the reason figured out. It’s because he’s one
of the few honest men that I’ve met that I’ve made a promise to. No one else
has treated me the same way he has and so I will never tell you his name.”
“…I like your integrity and
determination. For that, I’ll give you a break and some actual food, but my
kindness ends after today. You’re blessed to have someone like me here, you
know? Some of my other coworkers would’ve cut off your arms, legs, and had
their way with you or sold you to the nearest brothel.”
“Good to know.”
I’m about to fall asleep until I hear
the noise of an explosion. Gunfire then breaks out as alarms start to blare. It’s
probably mobsters trying to break out their friends because they couldn’t get
the government to accept their terms. That usually happens. I guess my “real”
meal is going to have to wait a while. After trying to fall asleep for twenty
or so minutes, I hear my cell door open. Who is-!
“Jackie!”
“Save your strength, Sargrantina.
Here, I got your equipment and everything they took from you. What are you
doing?”
I gave him a kiss on the cheek and as
expected he doesn’t blush much.
“Thank you for saving me.”
“Don’t mention it. I’m sorry for making
you wait so long. Oh, do you want me to carry you or do you want to walk?”
He really remembered that?
“I wouldn’t mind getting carried.”
“Okay. Just hold on and I’ll get
you out of here.”
Jackie picks me up and starts to escort
me out of the jail. He uses Vash and Murphy’s Law on the officers that come
after us. Vash is a revolver that was taken from a famous bounty hunter that
never actually killed anyone and just had a toy gun on him the whole time. To keep
his legend going, Jackie modified the toy gun to be a real magnum so that
people would be fooled into believing the legend. Murphy’s Law, on the
other hand, is a burst pistol that was taken from a cop who was also a bounty
hunter.
The gun looks somewhat dull and unappealing
but is actually made to look that way to hide its deadly nature. People think that
the better the weapon looks, the better its damage, but Murphy’s Law proves differently.
I wonder if Jackie is using it because he’s fighting against officers and wants
to show them what he did to one of their most deadly members. Vash breaks
through the heavily armored officers while Murphy’s Law manages to kill three officers
in one burst.
“Impressive and stylish as always
Jackie,” I accidentally say out loud.
“Thank you.”
“Are you trying to amaze me because
it’s working.”
“Not really, but I’m surprised to
find you in such a good mood. I honestly thought you would’ve been yelling in
my face about not coming sooner.”
“Did you kill Black Jack yet?”
“No, I kept thinking about you, and
couldn’t continue forward, so I assumed it was God telling me to save you, so
that’s what I’m doing.”
“You organized a crew to come to get
me?”
“No, I just got a lot of people who
hate me to chase me here where I heard you were. I wanted them to be a
distraction, but I didn’t think they would blow open a hole in the wall for me.”
“Hahaha! What a plan!”
“It’s something that I thought you
would’ve come up with.”
“Haha, I guess you’re right.”
He did all this for me. He really
is a saint among bounty hunters. Oh, and the officer of the state is here
waiting for us at the safest exit with his men to ruin our reunion. Wait, does
he have a plate full of food in his hands?
“Red King, I’ve been taking care of
your partner as best I can despite what her injuries might say. I have to say
that you made an honest woman out of her even though she did try to break out
of here once,” the officer says.
“Thank you for that, officer. Are
you here to stop us?”
“I should, but my hands are full
with the meal I wanted to give her for her dedication to you. I wanted to have
this in my hand to prove my kindness toward her.”
Jackie looks at me as if to ask if
he’s telling the truth and I nod.
“I’ll let you go then.”
Before we go out the exit, I snatch
the sandwich the officer made for me off the plate.
“Huh. It’s actually good,” I say to
him.
“I told you so,” the officer says
as he tips his hat and walks away.
Once we leave the prison, Jackie
finds a safe place for us to hide in a nearby cave in a mountain that overlooks
the prison. I rest my head on his shoulders while we wait for things to quiet
down and for my strength to come back.
“Jackie.”
“Yes, Sargrantina?”
“I’m sorry for all those times I annoyed
you.”
“I forgive you.”
“I know you would forgive me somehow,
but I want to explain myself more. I don’t like it when people help me because
my parents raised me to be humble and live a traditional life with a husband
and kids on a farm. Before they could set me up with someone, I ran away and
tried to prove them wrong by making a good life on my own. I guess I proved
them right by failing, didn’t I?”
“No, there’s still time. Black Jack
should still be at the shore so you have time to claim that bounty on him.”
“Oh, that’s right, but…I don’t
know. The money doesn’t feel worth it anymore.”
“I see. I actually have a story to
tell you too. You were right when you said that Black Jack is my dad.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“So that’s why this bounty is
personal and why you don’t want to claim the money.”
“It’s not just that. It’s because I’m
actually Black Jack.”
“What? I guess it makes sense since
your name is Jackie, but still, what?”
“I lived a life of crime, gambling,
and killing the same way my dad did when he was young. I wasn’t happy with the
simple life I was given because I saw how rich the other bounty hunters were,
so I became one. He used my name, appearance, and convinced everyone that he
was Black Jack.”
“Why?”
“My mom told me he did that because
he didn’t want me to live the same life he did, but that’s it. The sorrow in
her eyes and his sacrifice helped me to repent to God and turn me into the new
man that I am today.”
“Where did the name Black Jack come
from?”
“Black Jack was the name of the
game that my dad won my mom’s hand in marriage in, and he won it with a black
jack or rather a black jack of spades. It’s the reason why they named me
Jackie. Despite hating them for the life they gave me, I couldn’t help but use
the name to remember them by.”
“What about the name the Red King?”
“My dad always used to call my mom
his red queen of hearts. My mom is special to me, so I took her nickname and
turned it into the Red King. It’s also why I carry a red king and queen of
hearts in my hat.”
“I get it now, but wait, you’re
going to kill your dad still?”
“Not exactly. I want him to give me
back the name and all the bounties and infamy associated with it. I want to pay
for my own sins rather than have my dad do it for me.”
“Jackie…”
“Once people know that I’m Black Jack,
you can kill me to claim your reward, Sargrantina.”
“What are you talking about? What
about the wife and kids that you want?”
“I have my debts to pay to God
first. A wife and kids are just a dream I keep in my head.”
“Jackie…”
I kiss him on the cheek, and he looks
at me.
“I’m sorry, Sargrantina, but nothing
will change my mind.”
“How about if we fake your death?
We can fake both our deaths and live happily together.”
“I don’t-”
“Shut up! Your dad took your debts
so you could live a better life and you’re just making it seem like it was all
in vain! You’re not even sure if he’s going to make you take your old identity
back.”
“I’ll make sure he does.”
Jackie gets up and heads out.
“And I’m going to make sure that
you don’t make the wrong choice.”
“Do whatever you want. It won’t
change what has to happen.”
Tch. Such a moody…I will change his
mind.
Chapter 3 – Gunslingers from Beyond
the Grave
Before we even make it to the
shortcut, we’re found by more of the Red King’s rivals and “fans”.
“You’re more popular than I thought
you were,” I say as I shoot at our pursuers.
“Just keep them off us.”
You’d think there was something on
the Red King because of how many times we’ve come across trouble while
traveling. I know bounty hunters make the most enemies out of everyone, but
this is ridiculous. At least we’re in the forest now. Huh. How did we manage to
get through the vines, but they’re trying to find another way around? I guess I
shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
“They’re off our tail, for now,” I
say.
“Good-”
Something tripped up the horse. We’re
fine, but the horse’s legs are tangled up in vines. I try to cut the vines with
one of my bunny ear blades.
“Man, these vines are thick. I don’t
think I can even scratch them,” I say.
“Maybe the rumors were true,” the
Red King suggests.
“What were the rumors anyway?” I
ask as I continue to try to cut the vine.
“The rumors were that a band of
dead bounty hunters lie in wait to kill the sinners that pass by. These bounty
hunters managed to make an act of final repentance pleasing enough for God, but they
must serve their penance by being instruments of His justice.”
“Well, you’re a saint and I just
got out of confession, so we should be good.”
“Not exactly. What I mean by
sinners is everyone with debts since everyone is a sinner with a debt to God
that they have to pay.”
“That doesn’t make sense. What if someone
innocent comes by to take this shortcut and gets gunned down?”
“Assuming they were in a state of grace,
they would just go straight to Heaven since this death would pay for whatever
sins they had left to pay for.”
“Geesh. I hope these rumors aren’t
true. What about the horse?”
“They’ll probably let it go when we
leave. We probably have to walk through the forest.”
“Well, it’s a good thing the walk isn’t
too long.”
We leave the horse, but I start to
regret our decision a few minutes in. The ground in the forest is uneven and it’s
a pain to walk on.
“Are you okay?”
“Not really. Walking in this place
is hard with my heel boots on.”
“Do you need help?”
“No, I got this-ah! Sprained my
ankle!”
“Are you sure you don’t need help?”
“No, I’ll just walk it off-hey!”
He picks me and carries me on his
back.
“Walking with an injured ankle will
only make it worse. I’ll carry you.”
“You have no right to carry me! You
should let a lady deal with her own problems that she can handle.”
“I think you’re making up the lady
things that you keep talking about.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Because you always mention it when
you disagree with me. It makes it seem like you use it just to be right.”
“That’s because I am right.”
“Okay, so I’ll let you walk on your
own.”
Wait, hold on. Ah! It’s harder to
walk than I thought-ah! I almost fell on my face, but the Red King caught me…and
is carrying me on his back again. I won’t say thank you to prove him right, so
I just let him carry me. At least he knows that he should help me when I need
it, unlike some other people that I’ve worked with before. He’s not such a bad guy,
but I won’t admit that to his face. Huh? What’s that shaking sound? I can hear
the horse behind us running away so something must be happening.
What the? Corpses are rising from the
ground. The rumors are true. They raise their guns and try to kill us. Our guns
can hardly do anything to them. The Red King keeps switching his pistols, but nothing
works. Even a handcannon like Brandon only stuns them for a few seconds. We
retreat to cover so he can look through his guns.
“Do you have anything that can deal
with them? Surely something like MacMillan or Vash can do something,” I say.
“I think Wesker will be a good
option.”
“I guess that makes sense. It’s
supposed to be effective against the undead, but I thought was just something
the owner made up.”
“You must’ve really done your
homework on the history behind this gun.”
“I’ve done my research on all your
guns now use it to see if the rumor is true!”
Wesker’s old owner was a traitorous
man who sought out immortality and experimented with countless people to try to obtain
it. He was serious about becoming a god and stopping his experiments that he
thought even came close to it so this pistol better work, and surprisingly, it
does. The pistol cuts through the undead like it should. A red light that comes
out of the pistol helps the Red King shoot better. I wish I had something like
that on my pistols, but I’m not sure if I’m technologically savvy enough to
make it.
“I cleared us a path. Let’s get out
of here,” the Red King says as he picks me up.
We use the many trees around us as
cover while the Red King shoots down the undead gunslingers, however, I don’t
shoot because my guns aren’t effective. Now I know what a damsel in distress
feels like. First, I was wrong about coming here and now I feel useless. What could
possibly…why do I even wonder? Another group of undead bounty hunters come out
of the ground, but this one is lead by a one that I’ve heard of before. He’s a
tall man with a missing right eye, a skull badge, and belt buckle, and a revolver
with a barrel that has a skull on it.
“Jericho the Wall, it’s an honor to
meet you,” the Red King says with a bow and tip of his hat.
“Haha, they gave me the nickname of
the wall?” Jericho asks.
“Your story is told to all the
bounty hunters who serve God and His Church. In fact, you’re going to be
canonized as a saint soon.”
Jericho’s story is told as history,
but most people think it’s just a legend. He gave up his evil ways and defended
a church by himself only to be gunned down at the front door. His blood then
somehow formed a barrier around the church that sucked in the sinners that
tried to harm it. It’s no wonder why most think this is a legend despite the
fact that no one has been able to scratch the church that Jericho defended even
to this day.
“I’m afraid that I still have a
debt to pay before I enter Heaven and claim the title of saint.”
“I’ll gladly get you there, Chris,”
the Red King says before firing Wesker only to find that the gun is empty.
The Red King puts away his gun,
puts me down, puts his red coat on a tree branch as if it were a coat hanger, and
takes out his shotgun Kar en Tuk. This is shotgun was made to kill demons or
rather demon-possessed people and the undead. The hulking man who owned it died
while fighting alongside the Red King. It was a gift to him who was a friend
and fellow bounty hunter of the Church.
“This is a fairer challenge. I’m
sorry, lady, but this is a dual between us two.”
“Let me handle this, Sargrantina. I
promise you that I won’t lose.”
“Always the gentleman, Jackie.”
Took the words right from my head-wait,
did he say the Red King’s real name? It’s Jackie?
“Is this going to be a fair fight
or are you going to let the other undead join the fight?”
“This is a fair fight.”
“Then I’ll take the first shot.”
Jericho dodges Jackie’s first shot
that hits and kills two undead. To even the odds, Jackie goes after the other
undead and kills them all in three shots with dodging Jericho’s shots by using
the trees as cover. Now that the battle is one-on-one, the two stand behind a
tree waiting for the other to pop out. Jackie pops out first before Jericho and
shoots him. The shotgun blast cuts a chunk out of the tree it hits along with
Jericho who it cuts in half. Jackie goes up to Jericho and points his shotgun
at him.
“Finally. My debt has been paid,”
Jericho says.
“Pray for me in Heaven, Chris,”
Jackie says while making the sign of the cross.
He then shoots Jericho and stands
still for a moment before coming back to put on his jacket and pick me back up.
Everything seems to have quieted down now, so it seems like we can finally take
it easy. It isn’t long before we make it to a small inn. There aren’t many people
who appear to be a threat here, so we should be safe. We buy the last room available
and go to rest in it to find that there’s only one bed big enough for two
people. When we bought the room, the man at the desk didn’t ask what kind of
room we wanted. He must’ve assumed we were a couple because Jackie was carrying
me and gave us a couple’s room.
“It looks like we’re going to have
to share-”
Jackie throws me on the bed and
goes to sit down on the floor. I’ve never felt so rejected before.
I get back up and ask the Red King,
“Jackie. Is that your real name?”
“Yes, it is. Please don’t use it in
front of other people.”
I get up in his face.
“The real names of bounty hunters
are worth a fortune, especially the real names of a top bounty hunter like you.”
“Can you put your love of money on
the side for now?”
“Why should I?”
“Shouldn’t my help in saving your
life, giving you all the reward money, and getting you to confession be enough
for you to at least be grateful to me?”
“…tch. I guess so, but what would
you do if I give up your real name?”
“Then I’d have to kill you and
everyone who heard it.”
“Why?”
“Because this is my last bounty.
After this, I want to find a wife, create a family, and live in seclusion.”
“Oh.”
“Can you please get out of my face
now? The only woman I want this close to my face is my future wife.”
“What if I am your future wife?” I
jokingly suggest.
“Hahaha!”
He laughed. A man known for being
no-nonsense and stoic just laughed. I want to feel proud of managing to pull a laugh
out of him, but he laughed in my face about the possibility of me being his
future wife.
“You got a lot of nerve laughing
about that!” I say while hitting him.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, hahaha! It’s
too funny! Hahaha!”
“You have to make this up to me for
laughing at me like I’m some kind of fool!”
“What, hahaha, what do you want me
to do?”
I try pulling Jackie up and onto
the bed, but he doesn’t move so I just throw myself at him.
“You have to sleep with me.”
“I told you-”
“I don’t mean that. I just mean to
sleep with me and nothing more.”
“Isn’t there anything else that I
can repay you?”
“No!”
“Fine. Do as you wish.”
I try to get myself comfortable
with him, but I can’t for some reason. His eyes as he looks at me get me to
blush when it’s usually me who makes the men blush.
“Sleep on the bed!” I say as I pull
him up.
“Okay, but we have to sleep as far
apart as we can.”
“There’s no argument from me.”
He’s finally on the bed, but I
thought I could get him to blush or reaction, however, it’s me who’s blushing
even more now, so I stay as far away from him on the bed as possible. I’m not
falling for him. I’m not falling for him! He’s already laughed at my face at
the thought of us being together. He probably doesn’t like me as a person
either because of my focus on money. Yeah. It’ll never happen, but…why does it
bother me? Maybe…no! I’m not going to prove my parents right! Never!
