My head throbbed. My vision was blurry, and I felt nauseous. I blinked a few times, and rubbed my eyes, and the world slowly came back into focus.
I was lying on a bare mattress. A single candle sat next to my impromptu bed, its tiny holographic light dancing before me. I couldn't quite figure out where I was, but my room (if you could call it that) looked like a cave. It was cool, and it smelled like wet earth.
I sat up very slowly, feeling a aching pain on the left side of my chest. I lifted my shirt and checked myself, finding a disconcertingly large multi-colored bruise. The pain was bad, but not bad enough to warrant the thought of having a cracked rib or two.
The sound of my heartbeat in my head was deafening, and the constant throbbing wouldn't let up. It seemed to get worse when I stood up. My head felt like my brain was trying to escape through my skull. I put my hand to my head, and felt bandages. My left temple felt wet and sticky. I didn't have to look at it to tell that I was bleeding, though it surely wasn't all that bad. "Where the hell is my hat?" I said to myself.
My cave wasn't tall enough for me to stand fully straight, and I had to stoop over like an old man. A wooden wall had been built over the entrance of the cave, but it had been done rather sloppily, as if by a child. Light shone through the large gaps between the wooden planks and the wall of the cave. There was a door built into the wall, and I approached it. It was locked, and not really knowing what else to do, I knocked on it.
"Hello?" I said. "Is their anyone there?" I pressed my ear up against the door.
I heard a faint voice...
"You see, in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig."
Where have I heard that before? I thought to myself. That voice -- and those words -- sounded so familiar.
"Hey is anyone out there?"
I heard a something fragile, like a glass bottle, hit the ground. "Hey Josey! I think our stranger is up!" I heard someone run past my door. The voice sounded like it belonged to a kid, probably a young boy.
Then I heard footstep -- slow and deliberately placed. Someone was coming, and they were taking their time. I stepped back a bit, unaware of what was one the other side.
My jailer stepped in front of the door, and they blocked out the light that was seeping under the door sill.
"Listen here stranger," said my jailer. "I'm gonna open this here door, okay?" I could hear a latch turning. "I ain't gonna hurt ya none."
His reassuring tone honestly felt a bit forced. I stepped back and sat down on my bed. The door opened, and light poured in. The light hurt my eyes and head, but I looked up to see a freckled face kid -- probably a teenager -- standing in front of me. He was wearing a pancho, and an old cowboy hat. Despite my leaking head, I recognized him instantly. "You... what happened? Where are me?"
The kid stepped in, and lit a cigarillo. He casually tossed away the match. "Well, If you can remember, I found you on the ridge out yonder." He gestured with his head away from the cave, the cigar resting in the corner of his mouth like a gangster. "I was about to part amicably, when that goddamn spider showed up." He touched the pair of blaster he wore on his hips, "I fired Sally and Tally as soon as I saw her, but with you standing in front of me, I couldn't get a good shot. And well -- I hate to say it -- I think I might of shot you. It was nothing bad mind you, I think I just nicked your temple there. But you fell and hit your head on a rock. Clean passed out."
"What happened to the spider? And where is all my gear? And my hat?" I said. The way he was speaking reminded me vaguely of someone.
"Well the spider..." He was searching for the correct thing to say. "I think I killed her. I don't really know." He leaned up against the wall of the cave. It shimmered and glistened in the light as if it was wet. "I fired at her, and she lost her footing, and fell right over the cliff. A fall like that probably killed her."
He blew a large smoke ring. "Your stuff is fine. Except for your rifle though, I think the spider ate it." He gave me a sardonic little smile. "Oh and I never found your hat."
I heard several people walking towards my cave.
"What's your name by the way?" he said.
My headache was starting to dissipate, but it still took me a minute to respond. "Uh... Manco. My name is Manco. What's yours?"
The kid inhaled deeply, and blew out a large cloud of smoke.
"The name is Josey. Josey Wales."
