Skinwalkers by Bear Hill Page B

and cursed, but failed to free herself from his grasp.
    Captain Arrington drew his pistol and pointed it at the bounty hunter’s head.
    “What say you, boy?“
    “You leave him the fuck alone, Captain!“
    All but the captain turned to see Private Sanchez off the saloon table and on his feet. He cradled his bandaged torso, favoring his right side.
    Arrington called over his shoulder. “You are out of line, Priv —!“
    “Oh, don’t hand me that horse shit!“ Sanchez said. “If anyone’s out of line here, it’s you—It’s all of us. Oh, God, forgive us.“
    The captain spun on his heels to face Sanchez.
    “That’s enough, Private. Stand down!“
    “Fuck you, Captain! After what we seen, I ain’t scared of you, or any other man no more!
    “Not after what happened back there—“ Sanchez’s words caught in his throat.
    Arrington trained his pistol on the soldier.
    “Shut your goddamn mouth, right now, Private.“ The captain cocked the hammer on his pistol.
    “Fuck you!“ Pablo said, still rocking. “Fuck you!“
    “The captain gave you an order, Private,“ Corporal Martinez said. He stepped between Sanchez and Arrington. “Stand down, Sanchez,“ Martinez whispered. “Haven’t we seen enough death?“
    Sanchez turned his gaze to the corporal. His face went soft and pleading and he locked his left foreman over Martinez’s right.
    “Oh, sweet Jesus, Julio, what are we going to do?“
    “Oh, God. Those things! Did you fucking see what they did to the sarge ? Oh, God! Oh, Jesus!“
    “Shut him up, Corporal,“ Arrington commanded. “I want that man in ir —!“
    A gust of frigid air blew through the saloon entrance, shoving the batwing doors inward and extinguishing the candles and oil lamps that had been supplying the room’s light. Several coyotes howled in the distance.
    “It’s them!“ Sanchez shouted. “Oh, God! It’s them!“
    Making use of the darkness, the bounty hunter acted. He ripped his arms free of the soldiers’ grasp. He kicked one of his would-be jailer’s legs while he clotheslined the other in the back of his knees. Both soldiers went tumbling to floor.
    Two shots flashed and then shouts sliced through the darkness.
    “Hold your fire! Hold your fire!“
    “Nobody fucking move!“
    “Fuck you! Fuck you!“
    Arrington struck a match and all saw the bounty hunter’s huge, brown fist coming at him through the shadows. The sound of cracking bone echoed throughout the room as the punch connected. The captain was lifted into the air. He came crashing down on a table, knocking it over and finally landing among his men. Other matches took fire across the room. Within moments, the lamps along the walls were relit. Amazingly, no one had been shot.
    Maxine wrenched herself free of her captor and bolted to her son. She enveloped Pablo in her arms and then scurried to the back of the room. Maxine crouched there and petted him, trying to calm him down.
    The soldiers lifted their dazed and confused captain to his feet.
    “Unhand me!“ Arrington commanded. The captain’s words were nasal and distorted thanks to the bounty hunter’s rearranging of the officer’s face.   Arrington looked down and saw his pistol being lifted from his hand.
    “I’m relieving you of your command, sir,“ Martinez said.
    “The hell you are, Corporal! I’m in command, here!“ The captain writhed and struggled to free himself, but the soldiers held fast.
    Martinze sneered. “We’ve all seen how you command— sir. “ Martinez took the bounty hunter’s Henry rifle from one of his men, turned, and held it out to its owner. “I believe this belongs to you,“ Martinez said.
    The bounty hunter paused in the act of fastening his reclaimed gun belt, looked at his rifle, and then back up at Martinez.
    “Much obliged.“ The bounty hunter nodded as he took his rifle.
    Martinez nodded back and then gestured to the captain.
    “Tie him up.“
    “I’ll have you executed for treason, Corporal!“