Free A Bullet for Billy by Bill Brooks

it’s tight in here and I don’t mean this,” she said, lifting the shift above her fat thighs. “I’m not laying in this stifling room any longer than necessary.”
    Sam cut his gaze away as Billy dropped his pants and climbed on top of the woman. Sam wished he could shut his ears as well—the ache of bedsprings and the woman grunting like a shoat hog. Then Billy climbed off and said, “Your turn.”
    It was something awful and at the same time fixating, Sam thought as he tried not to think at all. And when it was finished he and Billy went back into the bar while the woman cleaned herself up standing over the washbasin and had themselves a shot of tequila each, then left and headed for the river.
    And when they’d crossed the river and made camp for the night, Billy said, “How was that back there?”
    â€œPlain ugly,” Sam said.
    â€œYeah, but you liked it too, didn’t you?”
    â€œI guess it’s second best to using your hand.”
    Billy laughed and said, “Well, we’re both blooded now.”
    â€œI feel like I ought to jump in that river and warsh.”
    â€œGo ahead.”
    â€œThink I will.”
    â€œHell, I’ll join you.”
    And for a time, as the sun sank beyond the brown hills, they frolicked in the cool waters of the river like fishes until they were exhausted and climbed out and lay on the grass naked and wet, semi happy knowing they’d probably never cross north of the river again—that what had been home was home no more.
    Billy lay on the grass thinking, I guess what we have done can never be undone. I should have left Sam out of this , but too late , too late.
    The stars looked like God’s own eyes staring down at him.
    Sam said, “I hope we didn’t catch the pox from that fat whore.”
    â€œWhat do you know about the pox?” Billy said.
    â€œNothing, except it’s supposed to be something bad and something you get from whores. I heard it makes men go crazy and some blind. I heard old Wild Bill Hickok had it and he went near blind, and that’s how come that fellow shot himin Deadwood City because Bill couldn’t even see the fellow pull his pistol.”
    â€œI don’t think we caught the pox, do you?” Billy said.
    â€œI don’t know.”
    They closed their eyes and fell silent, each wrapped in his own thoughts. A coyote yipped from somewhere off in the dark hills. Another yipped back.

Chapter Nine
Jim & the Cap’n
    I eased my Merwin Hulbert from my holster and brought it out and ready waiting for the next footstep to crunch into the caliche. The Cap’n lay asleep, his snores light, rhythmic. I leaned and touched his shoulder, and he awoke instantly, sitting up, his hand full of pistol. I touched the back of his wrist to keep him from firing at me.
    â€œSomeone’s outside,” I whispered.
    We didn’t hear anything.
    â€œMaybe nothing,” I said.
    Then we heard it again, something, someone moving around outside. I rolled away from the Cap’n so that I was pressed up against the wall of the shed nearest the sound. There was a slightcrack between the weathered boards and I put my eye to it. The moon was bright enough to show a shadow of a man carrying an ax standing there several inches from the shed as though listening for us. I shifted back to the Cap’n and whispered, “Start snoring again,” then rolled back to the wall as soon as he did.
    As I watched through the crack, the figure outside simply stood there holding the ax down alongside his leg, and the hair on the back of my neck rose. But it rose even more when a second figure appeared and stood next to the first. He was also carrying something in his hands—a shotgun it looked like, judging by the short length of it. I heard them whispering.
    â€œYou know what to do,” the one said to the other. It was the voice of the old man who a couple of hours earlier