blog alive.
Chapter Two.
Immediately after he swung the bat-wing doors open, he knew something had changed while he had been inside. Strolling down the centre of the street, his heels tapped tunelessly against a few loose stone and an uncomfortable feeling grew within his bowels, an uneasiness that caused him to rest his hand on the butt of the gun while nervously glancing from side to side.
Cautiously, he made his way along the street, then his heart almost skipped a beat when, in the distance, he spotted that there was an ancient sign hanging askew. It wasn’t how the sign was only held up by one remaining rusty chain that made him jumpy, it was because it was outside of a smithery.
Despite his anxiety, he knew he had to go to where the farrier used to work, yet he still remained fully alert for the slightest movement, even a drifting tumbleweed startled him and he almost unholstered his gun.
With surefootedness, he steadily walked along the broken-down street, yet his eyes continued to flicker from pillar to post, and then he was wholly taken aback when he saw a woman, who was dressed in a black latex suit and wearing black, six-inch stilettoes, standing in the middle of the street. He took another step towards her, and noticed that it appeared to be Celeste, one of the Mistresses from the sisterhood. He took another cautious step forward and, even from fifty yards, he could clearly see how she was holding a black leather whip.
Taking one further step towards her, he heard her as she began to softly laugh. Although he had barely spoken to the woman during his time at their mansion, he knew it was Celeste and just to confirm it, she said. “It’s no good you looking for your Aunt Jane, boy. She doesn’t want you...”
He did not even consider listening to anymore; without even thinking about it, he unexpectedly pulled the six-shooter out of its holster and aimed. The air was instantaneously filled with a blaring, thunderous clap, and he felt sick at what he had done. However, in one of those magical moments that can only happen in dreams, he watched as the bullet left the barrel, and how the outer shell seemed to fall apart. He continued to watch as it coasted through the air and he slowly realised that within the cartridge, was a tiny dart. Although he felt as if he was going to wrench, he watched with fascination as the projectile cruised through the air towards her, and how it eventually struck Celeste just above her heart.
She gazed at what had stung her for a second or two, then sounded a single, “HA.” before collapsing to the ground.
Whereas he truly didn’t want to be near her, he knew that he had to check to see if she was still alive. On shaky legs, he began to stumble towards her body, and though his legs initially tottered over a few loose stones, he soon began to walk with more confidence.
Although he was nowhere as fast as the ‘bullet’ had been, he was soon lowering his body and checking for a pulse. Finding that she was merely unconscious, he breathed a long sigh of relief.
Briskly standing, he peered around the town, worried that the thunderclap had alerted someone. He knew it might be unwise, but he turned around slowly, and when he was facing the stable again, he saw Mistress Alessia standing around sixty yards beyond Celestes’ dormant body.
The grin on her glossy red lips disturbed him more than the sight of the black leather strap she was holding. He wanted to call out, tell her that the woman was still alive, but his mind did not want to form the words. In spite of the fact that he did not want to move closer, his legs began to take a step towards the Mistress, and though he could not fully believe that all of bullets would only contain darts, he wrapped his fingers around the wooden butt of the gun.
Despite the anxiety he felt, the distance between them rapidly shrank to around forty-five yards. He again tried to make his mouth work, but when he saw how Alessia swung the strap around her head, his hand lifted the gun, took aim and he mechanically squeezed the trigger. Strangely, this time, there was virtually no roar from the gun, yet he could once again watch how the shell fell apart as it left the barrel, and unlike earlier, he could plainly hear the gently chiming of metal bouncing on the ground. With an almost casual expression on his face, he watched how the dart sailed towards her, and then it hit the woman in the same place as the first dart had stung Celeste. Wordlessly, she glanced at the dart before staring at who had short her, then, just like Celeste, Alessia tumbled to the ground.
This may have only been a dream, but he still could not believe his good fortune, and he swiftly strolled towards her. Finding a pulse beating strongly, he stood and like before, he unhurriedly turned around in a circle.
Seeing how the dilapidated town was empty of people, he returned to his task of going to the blacksmiths’ workshop.
Knowing he should hasten to find his aunt; he quickened his pace and despite his elegance, he walked as swiftly as he dared in six-inch heels, but somehow, he always remembered how treacherous it was underfoot, especially as he didn’t want to suffer from a twisted ankle and further delay finding his Aunt Jane.
Despite how he paused and reached for his pistol at every imagined movement, he soon reached the smithery. Yet, however close he imagined he was to finding his aunt, he had to control himself from simply rushing in. With a herculean drive, he pushed his feelings for his beloved aunt out of his mind and began to gingerly approach the door.
Spying a sizeable crack between the door and frame, he peered through the rift and was surprised that he could not see any rusty tools. Steadily easing the door open, but only until there was just enough space for him to slither through, then he removed his wide brimmed headwear, held his breath and side-stepped between the frame and the partially open door.
The moment he was through the gap, he simultaneously donned his hat and peered around the barnlike building. Having swiftly glanced around the open space at the front of the blacksmiths’ shop, he was concerned as to why it had fresh hay on the floor and before he took another step, he peered at the six open stables along each side and he noted how many of the uprights had a new rope attached to it.
Nearly making him take a step backwards, from one of the six stalls on the right, the head of a horse unexpectedly peeked out, then as the horse took another step forward, the young man could see the glossy sheen over the horses’ irregular body, and he realised it was how Mistress Giorgia enjoyed having her latex clad boys attired. As if directed, from the remaining five stalls on his right, an equal number of horses’ heads revealed themself.
With all of his focus being distracted by the two-legged creatures, he did not notice when Mistress Giorgia gracefully stepped out of the second stall on his left. However, he became abruptly aware of Giorgias’ presence, when she said. “Get him girls. It was him, he shot Mistress Alessia and Mistress Celeste.”
Whereas the feet of these creatures displayed shiny hoofs, the six, two legged horses quickly left their stalls and began to clip in his direction. He rapidly scanned the six horses and realised that he only had a single six-shooter, and he had used two rounds already. Waiting until the last possible second, he finally withdrew the gun and took careful aim. Without any warning, he fired at the closest four creatures in quick succession, his speed was such that he had little time to spare to watch the rounds discharge their outer casing. As the forth one peered at the dart in its chest, totally due to his tension, his hand spontaneously squeezed the trigger again; and to his amazement, another report filled the small space. The horse then brayed and fell to the ground. Imaging that this must be a prop from Hollywood, he aimed at the only remain horse and fired again and to his further astonishment, a further report rang out and the discharged round slowly revelled the dart within, before the projectile drifted towards the last standing horse.
Doubting his eyesight, and ears, he gazed at the six fallen animals, but he only looked at the creatures until Mistress Giorgia yelled. “You shoot my pets. I’ll get you for that.”
His eyes stared at her, and he understood how she had grabbed one of the ropes and was instantly twirling it like a lasso. He carefully observed how the Mistress was standing next to the second stall and finally realised that she was going to try to capture him, but miraculously, a seventh horse came out of the stall, and just as Giorgia was aiming the rope at his head, the head of the horse butted into her left arm.
Realising this might be his only chance, as Giorgia staggered to her right, he lined up the pistol and fired. He knew how the tool should only give a single dry click, but like the shoots he had previously taken, it voiced a clamorous blast. With one eye on the tan flushed horse, he watched as the casing fell apart and revelling a hidden dart that silently sailed through the air, finally hitting the Mistress in the chest.
As Mistress Giorgia slowly descended into a heap on the ground, the person within the latex costume peered at him, then leisurely stepped in his direction.
Distracted by the sight of the creature slothful walking towards him, he was taken by surprise when strong female voice rang out. “I’ll see you are sued for this.”
Recognising the voice to be the woman to be the lawyer that Mistress Alessia talked to, he took a step to his left, aimed and fired. Within a mere second, the lawyer dropped like the others before her. The person dressed up to be a horse, half turned, but then its eyes returned to gaze at the young man and it merely nodded its head.
Having fearlessly waited until the latex clad person came close, and truly feeling he knew who it was, he patted the creatures head, and soft said. “It’s alright.”
Curious as to how he should try to remove the latex head, and free the person inside, he inspected the suit. Unable to locate an open seam, he gentle whispered. “You are going to have to trust me.”
The horse sounded a soft bray and nodded its head. The young man withdrew the knife he had found in the room of the hotel, and searched for a spot in the latex suit that he could gently pull away from the skin of person inside. With extreme care, he slid the blade along the glossy latex until he had a slash about an inch long. Feeling more nervous than when Mistress Alessia had confronted him, he took a deep breath to calm himself, before steadily continuing.
Eventually, being able to lift the head away from the body of suit, he was reward with a sight of his aunt. He disregarded her unkempt appearance and gave her a delightful grin, while she sluggishly said. “Andy. Oh, thank you. You are so brave.”
Although her hair remained plastered to her scalp, the perspiration blanketing her face quickly began to evaporate from her skin, and as he watched how she took a few deep, cooling breaths, he gently said. “Auntie, we need to get you out of this costume. It really doesn’t suit you.”
It took great tenderness, but eventually he managed to safely cut and rip enough of the latex to open the suit, down to her breast.
Knowing how he had seen her naked several times prior to this, without showing any signs of embarrassment, she asked. “Are they all dead?”
“No Auntie. I used a special gun, they are merely taking a little sleep, but I don’t know how long they will stay like this, so we best hurry.” He said, then grunted while tugging apart a section of the shiny latex.
Finally able to pull the hot latex down her exquisite legs, he asked. “If I hold them steady, can you work your feet out of these hoofs?”
Following a great deal of wriggling her feet, along with some help from the young man she had called: Andy, Jane was able to completely step free of the repugnant hoofs. With one final gasp, she heaved her foot out of the second hoof.
As the cool air rested against her skin, she softly groaned to herself, and then Jane smiled as she watched him toss the suit into a stall, the same one she had been held in.
Although she was completely naked, she tenderly gazed at him, while he stood nervously before her. He was about to say something, but she stopped him by wrapping her arms around his neck, and whispered. “Thank you so much, darling.”