“Tiger… Hey, Tiger”
Tiger groaned as he stirred himself awake, inhaling through his nostrils as his eyes slowly opened, looking up at the bright sky and the moving clouds. Looking down at him, a young woman with red hair that stopped at her neck looked down with a grin, light freckles on her face, wearing a yellow style woman’s dress with brown boots. She graced Tiger with a chuckle as she joked, “Didn’t you just get some sleep?”
“Well when you’re on the road for as long as we are, you gotta get all the sleep you can before another job.” Tiger answered as he sat up.
Along with them in the moving wagon was a scrawny man in a black suit. He wore crooked glasses with his black hair combed to the left, carrying a sniper rifle that was longer than he was. At the front of the stagecoach, getting the wagon moving, a large dark skinned man with his black hair shaved down into bizarre patterns, wearing nothing but baggy white pants and a blue vest, with sawed off shotgun by his side. Tiger turned his attention to the wide open plains, many buffalo and massive creatures as far as they could see. He pulled out a cigarette from his mouth and lit it before he asked, “So tell me, Coyote. What’s the job we got this time?”
Coyote, the scrawny man with the rifle, groaned and retorted, “Do you never pay attention to the job offerer?”
“Nah!” Tiger answered with a grin, “That’s what you’re here for.”
Coyote sighed before he answered, “There are a group of savages attacking a generals troops in the far off desert. They bought the land properly with their money and the savages are killing his men. We are tasked as bodyguards so he can get to the land and follow his orders from there on out. Once we accomplish our goal, we get fifteen percent of the gold they find there in the new land and we can be done with this life of being bodyguards and bounty hunters. Does that sound good?”
“Good?! Fifteen percent ain’t nothing to me. That’s just four percent for each of us. Bear’s got a family to feed, and Viper’s probably got a family with the way she flirts her way through”
“Piss off, Tiger!” Viper spoke through laughter.
Fort Mortis, a small encampment made within the span of just a few days, with little to no supplies and with few men that weren’t dead or dying. Tiger and his gang arrived into the settlement, the omen of death already hitting their senses. Soldiers with hacked limbs, bloodied and dirty bandages wrapped around few, all of them with little food and ammunition left. Tiger looked around at the soldiers before he turned to Bear with a joking grin, “Some army we got here. You really think they’re gonna survive before we get to the new land?”
“If not, we could always take some of their gear and sell it.” Bear said with a straight face
“I like the way you think.” Tiger joked
From the small tent to the north, a man approached them. The man had a monocle over his eye, a large moustache and beard covering half his mouth, but what was most noticeable was the cane he carried around a creaking leg. The man approached the group, looking between them all, before he spoke in a stern tone, “So, you are the outlaws that are gonna get my men through these godforsaken lands safely?”
“Only if the pays good.” Tiger answered, much to Coyote’s disapproval
The General kept his gaze on them, looking between the group of four, before he scoffed, “You four don’t look like trained soldiers. No honor in what you fight for. Not even in a set uniform.”
“Are you paying us to watch your ass or are you paying us to hear you complain?” Viper retorted.
“And a temper too.” The General added, before he shook his head, “Regardless, I am down to twelve good men. The rest are left dead and scattered on the fields before us. If we try to get any closer, those damned savages attack. If you can truly help us, then start by clearing out those savages!”
“Calm down, Tin Soldier” Tiger spoke in a calm manner before tossing his cigarette to the ground. He didn’t give The General another glance before he walked toward the open forest before them, pulling out his two revolvers.
“You see, taking care of people like this is our specialty. It’s dirty work, but work nonetheless. We wouldn’t be in this business if we weren’t good at what we do.”
Coyote wasted no time getting himself set up, resting with his sniper rifle aimed at the forest. Bear was already preparing his shotgun while Viper had a set of dynamite at hand along with a hunting rifle. As the four approached the forest, faint sounds of footsteps against the leaves could be heard. The noise of people panting in the woods as they rushed by, ready to flank them, or so they thought. With one more step into the woods, the booming noise of a battle cry could be heard, before a small army of warriors rushed them, clothed in animal skins and war paint as they rushed them with axes and bows and stolen firearms. With a nod and a smile, Tiger drew his revolver quickly and fired three shots, each one hitting a target, two in the chest, one struck in the neck, falling down. Tiger turned to the others and proclaimed, “That’s three shots. Let’s try and get them with what we got!”
“Then that gives me plenty of ammo!” Viper exclaimed as she aimed her rifle, firing at each one of the warriors with the firearms to keep them from firing, three of her four shots hitting their mark.
Bear kept his eyes on the warriors rushing them, firing his shotgun at them, blowing their insides open and sending them back, keeping himself in between the gang and the warriors. Coyote, from a safe distance, fired at the warriors with his rifle, the soldiers from the fort aiding with what they had, firing at the warriors with their muskets and rifles. Despite the number of soldiers, Tiger and his gang was able to kill more of them on their own, already slaying a large chunk of the army. It wasn’t even ten minutes into the battle before the warriors turned and ran deeper into the forest, hoping to ambush them once again. With the carnage ending and the army safe, Tiger laughed, reloaded his revolver, and exclaimed, “Is that the best they got? General, I think you need to up the training of your men. Maybe you should stop drafting school boys and get some actual fighters. It helps to take criticism, you know!”
The General was unamused by Tiger’s response, but shook it off anyway as he called to his troops, “Attention, soldiers! The enemy has evacuated, but they will return. Gather all the supplies you can carry and head out, and be prepared for another attack.”
Tiger disregarded the General’s orders and returned back to his gang, a chuckle on his face as he spoke, “I got fourteen kills. Bet you guys didn’t do that good!”
“Ha! Sixteen” Viper exclaimed
“Bullshit” Bear retorted “You’re fibbing!”
“Well if it helps my case, I know you only killed eight”
“Guys, please” Coyote groaned. “What’s important is that we all made it together. If we can keep this up, we’ll have this job finished by weeks end and we can finally live an easy life.”
“That’s the most sense you’ve made this entire trip here, Coyote” Tiger joked as he finally got to following the army out of the fort and deeper into the woods.
Four days had passed since the group arrived. Several attacks from warriors continued, but were quickly dispelled. The numbers were shrinking. Attacks were no longer common. In fact, most ‘attacks’ were nothing more than evacuations from the warriors. However, the orders were always the same from The General. Leave no survivors. The General was becoming more strict with his demands. He would even fire his own pistol at escaping warriors to ensure not one escaped. When those did escape, either due to missing or Tiger and his gang refusing to kill a fleeing foe, The General would get angry with the group, threatening to fire them and send them back to the east of the country without pay. His anger and tone was slowly wareing on the group. During the evening, while they were resting out of the soldier’s camp, eating what little rations the army had around a fire, Viper came with a small bag, groaning in frustration.
“That General prick is getting on my last nerves” Viper sighed
“We’re close to the new land” Coyote assured her. “We just gotta-
“Keep on going. Yeah, yeah. You’ve said that the past dozen or so times” Viper answered. She reached into her bag, looking over at the plains behind the group and the setting sun, and a grin came to her face.
“Hey, check out what I stole” She snickered
“Oh, Viper, you didn’t” Coyote said with worry
“Oh, Coyote, but I did!”
She pulled out a small device from the bag, a strange cylinder on the ground with a large slit at the bottom. Tiger looked at it curiously before he asked. “Okay, what is it?”
“Haven’t you ever heard of these cameras. Apparently The General wanted to use this to capture himself and his soldiers in the new land, but I thought, since this will be our last job, we could at least take a photo together?”
The group was silent, looking back at one another. The silence was then broken when Tiger laughed and spoke up, “Jeez, Viper, you sound like we’re going away forever. We’ll still be here, still friends and all that stuff. It’s not like we’re going to far off parts of the world once this job is over.”
“I know that” Viper said with a solid hmm before continuing, “But, you know, just in case”
Bear shrugged his shoulders and responded, “Sure, I’m up for it”
“Yeah” Tiger spoke, “Why not”
Coyote was a bit baffled, but he sighed and responded, “Okay, but you gotta return the camera after”
“No promises” Viper chuckled before setting the camera up. As the timer was counting, Viper ran back to the group and stood with them with a smile, all of the members smiling, even Coyote, if a bit of a nervous one, before a flash came. Tiger had to rub his eyes after the flash as the picture slowly developed out of the camera. Viper snatched the picture and looked at it, the others peering over her shoulder to look as well. As they did, Tiger joked, “Sheesh, Coyote, you look like a ravenous dog when you smile”
“Very funny, Tiger”
A week after leaving the fort, the gang was getting restless. The General was pushing them harder to fight the warriors, his army was nearing starvation, but he continued to push his orders, to slaughter the warriors, no matter if they were retreating or not. They were soon coming to the mountain range of the western area, the new land. Viper was on the verge of snapping at The General for his constant orders of the gang, and Tiger was not that far behind, but he had to keep himself calm. That night, as they were nearing the mountains, The General had ordered the army to set up camp, before he told Tiger and his gang to meet him in his tent, Inside, The General and two of his soldiers stood there with Tiger, Bear, Viper and Coyote. The General looked at the group for a single, silent minute, before he finally spoke, “We’re near the new land now. Your job is finally nearing its end.”
“And an enjoyable job it’s been, General” Tiger lied.
The General ignored his retort before continuing, “However, I have one final task. A task that could net you… far more than the gold offered before.”
Coyote was the first to jump on the offer and ask, “What are we talking about here?”
“Fifty percent of the gold. It is worth it for what must be done”
“And that is?” Tiger asked
“The warriors, the savages we’ve been fighting this entire trip, known as the Taleko. They have no purpose in this new world. They’ve slaughtered my men, my soldiers, in cold blood. They have no place in this world. The gold means nothing to me. What I want is a world where the people I fight for can live without fear of such… subhumans. We’ve crippled their defences and broke their spirit. The only thing separating us from that goal is their tribe. Slaughter them. Kill every last one of them. Leave not a single Taleko alive. Do we have a deal?”
Before Coyote could agree, Viper finally spoke up, letting her pent up frustration out, “Are you serious? You’ve lied to us this entire time about this being a search for gold to justify your genocide?!”
“You had no problem with it before.” The General added
“That was before we realized this was an extermination!” Viper shouted “We aren’t taking part in genocide. We took this job to help you and stop you from getting your dumbass killed. We don’t kill anyone that isn’t a threat to you or your job! We may be contract killers, but we have limits”
“You have no honor! No quarter! Nothing worth fighting for but money!” The General shouted, standing up now, slowly moving toward Viper “You have no right to call my actions evil, you worthless whore!”
The General grabbed Viper by the neck, gripping it tightly. The moment he did, Tiger and Bear pulled their guns out, aiming it at The General, the other two soldiers in the tent aiming their guns at the two. Coyote aimed his rifle at Tiger and shouted, “Tiger, are you stupid! You’re fucking things up!”
“I ain’t going to let some cripple hurt my partner, not for all the gold in the world!”
The General looked between the group, then at Viper, before he let go of her finally and responded, “You and your gang! Take your leave! I want no part of this. You or this slut!”
With that, Viper spat on The General’s face, and he responded by striking her across the face with his cane. In that moment, Tiger responded by firing his revolver at the General, striking him through the monocle and in the head, killing him instantly. Viper and Bear were quick to shoot and kill the other soldiers, the gun fire getting the attention of the other soldiers in the fort. Tiger looked at the General’s corpse, a part of him immediately regretting what he did. It was the only thing he thought to do after seeing him strike Viper. Coyote looked back and shouted, “Tiger… What the fuck did you do!?”
Before Tiger could respond, a soldier outside responded “General? Are you okay?”
Tiger knew that they had to escape now. They had no place here. He looked back at Coyote, giving him a nod to assure they had to escape. Coyote just stared at him for a moment, before taking Tiger’s gun while still in his grasp and making him pull the trigger, the bullet striking Coyote in the hip. Coyote fell to the ground, groaning in pain, and shouted, “T-The gang! They killed The General! They killed him!”
Tiger was baffled that Coyote turned, but couldn’t waste time with it, as the soldiers rushed into the tent and, without warning, opened fire. Tiger, Viper, and Bear were barely able to escape from the tent, bullets flying at them, the soldiers shouting at them from behind. As Tiger, Bear and Viper reached the horses, the soldiers were getting close. Bear looked back before he exclaimed, “You two go. I will hold them off!”
“No!” Viper shouted, “We can’t leave you here”
“No one’s getting left behind. I promise I’ll come back”
Viper hesitated, but didn’t argue. She got onto the horse with Tiger as the two rode off, leaving Bear there, ready to fight off the soldiers.
Bears corpse was found the next morning, his body riddled with bullets. He was discovered by a group of Taleko out scouting around the camp, unaware of what happened within.
Two days after escaping from the camp, the snow was starting to fall as they made their way north, travelling across the narrow mountains. Viper was shivering, yet Tiger was still furious about what Coyote had done. Viper, through chattering teeth, did her best to talk “Y-You think that B-B-Bear got out okay?”
“H-He had to” Tiger said, knowing full well that he didn’t “H-He’s got a wife and kid to look after. I doubt they’d kill him that easily.”
“A-And Coyote?”
“H-He’ll wish he’s dead when I find him” Tiger responded. But despite all of that, all Tiger was thinking was how this all could have been avoided, if he had kept his anger in check. He wanted to turn to Viper, to apologize to her for what he did, to apologize for what happened to Bear. But as he did so, he caught the gleam of something in the distance. It was difficult to make out in the snow, but Tiger caught a brief glimpse of something shining in the little sunlight that was in the frozen mountains. And that’s when Tiger’s instincts kicked in. It was the gleam from the scope of a sniper rifle. Before Tiger could maneuver the horse, a bullet was fired far off, striking the horse in the leg, causing the horse the swing about maddly, before it slipped off the edge of the mountain and fell down the steep slope. The horse cracked it’s bones as it tumbled down, while Tiger struck parts of the hill himself, Viper having long since fell to the ground as she was swung from the horse rather than falling with it. It felt like moments before Tiger finally hit the ground. His bones were broken, and his left eye had been cut on the jagged rocks. The horse was squirming, slowly dying from internal bleeding, while Viper was just across from Tiger. She landed on the rocks below head first, breaking her neck, her eyes wide open. She had died instantly on the fall. From her pocket, the sight of the picture could be seen. With what little strength was left, Tiger grabbed the picture, and held onto it, before finally blacking out.
Tiger slowly woke up in a small tent, a fire resting next to him within it. He looked at the patches around his body, before he started to look around in a panic for his clothes, sighing with relief when he saw them resting by his side, the picture still tucked in the pocket. But soon, he looked around in confusion as to how he got her. He noticed the bandages around his body, especially on his eye, covering where his eye used to be. But as he woke up, a small man with a wooden mask walked in, looking at him. Though he wore a mask, his fury was clear as day
“You!” The mask man shouted, “You were with the armed beasts that slaughtered our people! Why should we not kill you now!?”
Tiger looked up at the man, giving a shrug. That was all Tiger gave. He didn’t have a reason to speak, or a reason to live, according to what he thought. The masked man looked and spoke once more “You were attacked by the very monsters that you worked with, were you not? You are an enemy to them, but that doesn’t make you a friend of ours. We would kill you ourselves, but we have a more appropriate punishment for the likes of you”
Tiger was let loose into the woods at night, nothing but his clothes and his gun with three bullets left. The words of the masked man still ringing in his mind.
“In our woods, lies the feral beast. The Wendigo. Kill it, and you are welcome here. Die, and your punishment is repaid in full.”
The snow was especially harsh that night, a blizzard hitting the area with ferocity. The wind howled in a bone chilling manner, more so than any wolf or beast could. Tiger could barely make out the shapes in the dark, his only source of light being when he had to relight his cigarette and get a brief moment of sight from his lighter’s flame. But as he reached to light his cigarette a third time, a low growl, unlike that of the wind, could be heard. He flicked his cigarette once. Nothing. He gave it another flick. Nothing. The growling was louder and louder, until dead silent, until the stench of rotting flesh overwhelmed Tiger’s nostrils. He didn’t wish to try again, but his curiosity got the better of him. He gave the lighter one last flick, igniting a flame. Before his eyes, a large deer like beast, with chunks of rotted flesh exposing bone and tattered fur, an elongated deer skull staring back at him, stood before him. The creature was taller than any man, and was twice as strong. The creature stared Tiger in the eyes, before lunging forward at him, it’s jaw wide open, ready to bite down. Tiger was quick with the draw and fired two shots into the creature, one shot striking it’s shoulder and the other striking it in the belly. It wasn’t enough to stop the creature however, and Tiger couldn’t get a good look at the monster, his ankles were deep in snow, and all he could do was listen for the beast. He couldn’t run, even if he wanted to. He was only left with one shot from his gun, and once chance to get the monster. He steadied his breathing, and listened. He listened as the monster circled around him, ready to strike. He listened to his feral growls. And finally, he listened to it charge him, and leap off the ground with a roar, a roar that was ever closer. And with that, as the beast’s claws grazed Tiger’s shoulders, as it’s jaw was aimed at his neck, Tiger picked up the gun and fired.
Tiger was passed out on the ground, lying in the snow, nearly affected by frostbite, with a naked Taleko resting on top of him, a bullethole in his head. As Tiger woke up, he groaned in pain from the icy cold, pushing the corpse off of him, just in time for a group of scouting Taleko to come by, along with the masked man. They threw a large blanket over Tiger to warm him. The masked man looked at the corpse then at Tiger. “So, the Wendigo was one of our own all along… He was far too gone, affected by the form of a beast. It had to be done. You helped our people, and now we will help you. There is a mountain of gold near the hills. If that is your desi-”
“I don’t want the gold” Tiger interrupted. “I want something else. Besides, those soldiers are probably already there. I think you and your people could use that as an advantage”
The mountains of gold were not the riches the soldiers were expecting. Instead, it was nothing more than a chest of gold. Coyote was no longer with the group. He was sent to a hospital after the gang “attacked” him. The second in command was left in charge of the remaining twenty soldiers. Once he found the box of gold, he kicked the box into the wall and shouted, “We lost all those men for a fucking donation bin!? You gotta be shitting me!”
But, as he rambled, he was unaware of the Taleko people that waited just outside the cave, setting up remaining dynamite that Tiger had loaned them, along with his lighter. With the dynamite set and the fuse lit, the Taleko ran off back into the woods, the cave entrance exploding and trapping the soldiers from within. Their bones were found centuries later, as they partook in a mutiny of their new general, followed by cannibalism, until all of them went stir crazy and eventually perished.
Two weeks after the adventure, Coyote had decided to use the money he earned, as well as his honor from the countries leader, known as a president, to travel to a new world entirely. A part of him wanted to see the new world, but another part of him was worried that his past would haunt him if he stayed here any longer. He rented a room aboard a large cruise ship, a ship that was filled with a few guests and mostly shiphands. But that night, as Coyote walked into his room, he noticed the lights were on. He knew this was a bad sign, but he had left his gun in that room. He opened the door, seeing a man he hoped to never see. Tiger sat there in the room, an eyepatch covering his missing eye and several scars on his face. Tiger looked at Coyote and responded, “Hey, Coyote. How’ve you been? How’s the hip?”
Coyote was dumbfounded, unable to help but stutter, “T-Tiger, I-I thought you were-”
“Dead? Yeah, funny story. Those Taleko that we fought were far nicer than that General whose brains I blew out. I’m no doubt an enemy of the state. Can’t stay in this country anymore. Got far more than the police looking for me now. I’m a wanted man. Of course, I wasn’t expecting you to join us in being criminals. That was okay. That didn’t make me mad.”
Coyote felt slightly relieved at Tiger’s response, but was horrified against when Tiger pulled out a gun and continued, “But you really think I don’t notice the light shining off a sniper scope when I see one? Like the one that got Viper killed?!”
“T-Tiger, that wasn’t me, I swear it.”
“You really think I’m gonna believe that? If you weren’t out for blood, you wouldn’t have tried to get us killed back in the camp.”
“I-I panicked, Tiger. We needed that money. That money was going to change our lives, and you threw it away. All because Viper was hit for speaking back to him. What was I supposed to do?”
Tiger lowered his gun, yet didn’t drop it. He looked at Coyote in the eyes and responded, “Coyote, we’ve been friends for years. I want to believe you didn’t kill Viper. I want to believe that you didn’t murder her and let Bear get killed. But it’s not easy. Look me in the eyes… eye, and tell me you didn’t kill them. Tell me, and I’ll know you’re being true.”
“I didn’t fucking kill them!” Coyote shouted now
Tiger looked Coyote dead in the face, and his gun raised again, “Coyote… You’re a dead man”
In that instant, Coyote rushed at Tiger, grabbing the gun from his hand. But Coyote was only acting on instinct now. Tiger new Coyote was not a fighter, and that’s all Tiger needed. He punched Coyote hard in the face, sending him falling onto the bed. Tiger struck him in the face twice with his revolver to daze him before shoving a pillow onto his face, pressing the barrel of his gun against it. With one muffled shot, he fired into the pillow, a few feathers flying passed. Coyote immediately stopped struggling and his hands fell down, blood slowly starting to stain the pillow.
Tiger took a peek outside the door, making sure no one was around, before he dragged Coyote’s body out and quickly tossed him off the rails and into the sea, followed by the bullet ridden, bloodstained pillow. He went back into Coyote’s room, taking it for himself, wandering where he was heading in the new world. But as his thoughts went adrift, he reached into his pocket and took out the picture, the picture that Viper held onto, even in her last moments. Looking at it, he ripped Coyote from the picture and threw it into the trash, putting the remaining half of the picture in his pocket
Several years passed after that day. A rich nobleman in a kingdom in the icy north was making his way to his bed. He had guards set up all over the place, yet even he wouldn’t allow them in his personal chambers. This was his undoing. As he opened the chambers, he was shocked to see a man, a rugged man dressed in western attire with an eye that had a different color from his other, even looking fake. The cowboy was sitting at his desk, drinking his wine, giving it a good taste. He exclaimed, “Hmm, good stuff. Wander where you get it”
“W-What are you doing here?! Who are you!? I’ll have you killed for trespassing in here!”
“Oh, quick to anger, huh? No wonder they hired me. The names Tiger Lando, sir. I’m sure you got my letter.”
The nobleman did hear of Tiger Lando. He was responsible for assassinating several nobles and lords before. The nobleman was no stranger to having hits made on his life, but Tiger was different. Tiger was a man who never misses his target. The nobleman fell onto the ground, and began to beg, “P-Please, sir! I-I didn’t mean anything by it. L-l-listen, whatever they are paying you, I can pay you more! You’re a man of money, right? I can pay even more than what they-”
“Hey, fatty, shut up!” Tiger responded as he got up from the chair, already loading his revolver, continuing to speak, “Listen, I don’t do this job for the money. The money is just a nice bonus. I don’t do this for the fame. Heck, Tiger Lando isn’t even my real name. Who named their kid Tiger, come on. I certainly don’t do this out of the goodness of my heart to make the world a better place where degenerates like you don’t exist. I stopped being a charitable man years ago.”
The nobleman was starting to tear up now, sniffling as Tiger approached him. He was even more in a panic when Tiger raised his gun. Tiger looked at the sniveling nobleman and continued, “I do all of this because there is no greater joy than watching cocky, arrogant suckers like yourself think they are on top of the world, thinking nothing can touch them, only for me to come and bring their hopes and their safety crashing down. It all comes in the last moments of life, before they are driven to complete madness. I am the man that keeps idiots like you paranoid, giving them more guards, making them look under the bed every night. But no matter how powerful you are, no matter how much muscle you got, I always complete my contract in the end. Always!”
Before the man even had time to scream, Tiger fired two shots into his head. He could hear the guards running up the stairs now. He turned toward the window, finished off the glass of wine with a satisfied grin, and jumped out the window, congratulating himself on another successful job.
Tiger groaned as he stirred himself awake, inhaling through his nostrils as his eyes slowly opened, looking up at the bright sky and the moving clouds. Looking down at him, a young woman with red hair that stopped at her neck looked down with a grin, light freckles on her face, wearing a yellow style woman’s dress with brown boots. She graced Tiger with a chuckle as she joked, “Didn’t you just get some sleep?”
“Well when you’re on the road for as long as we are, you gotta get all the sleep you can before another job.” Tiger answered as he sat up.
Along with them in the moving wagon was a scrawny man in a black suit. He wore crooked glasses with his black hair combed to the left, carrying a sniper rifle that was longer than he was. At the front of the stagecoach, getting the wagon moving, a large dark skinned man with his black hair shaved down into bizarre patterns, wearing nothing but baggy white pants and a blue vest, with sawed off shotgun by his side. Tiger turned his attention to the wide open plains, many buffalo and massive creatures as far as they could see. He pulled out a cigarette from his mouth and lit it before he asked, “So tell me, Coyote. What’s the job we got this time?”
Coyote, the scrawny man with the rifle, groaned and retorted, “Do you never pay attention to the job offerer?”
“Nah!” Tiger answered with a grin, “That’s what you’re here for.”
Coyote sighed before he answered, “There are a group of savages attacking a generals troops in the far off desert. They bought the land properly with their money and the savages are killing his men. We are tasked as bodyguards so he can get to the land and follow his orders from there on out. Once we accomplish our goal, we get fifteen percent of the gold they find there in the new land and we can be done with this life of being bodyguards and bounty hunters. Does that sound good?”
“Good?! Fifteen percent ain’t nothing to me. That’s just four percent for each of us. Bear’s got a family to feed, and Viper’s probably got a family with the way she flirts her way through”
“Piss off, Tiger!” Viper spoke through laughter.
Fort Mortis, a small encampment made within the span of just a few days, with little to no supplies and with few men that weren’t dead or dying. Tiger and his gang arrived into the settlement, the omen of death already hitting their senses. Soldiers with hacked limbs, bloodied and dirty bandages wrapped around few, all of them with little food and ammunition left. Tiger looked around at the soldiers before he turned to Bear with a joking grin, “Some army we got here. You really think they’re gonna survive before we get to the new land?”
“If not, we could always take some of their gear and sell it.” Bear said with a straight face
“I like the way you think.” Tiger joked
From the small tent to the north, a man approached them. The man had a monocle over his eye, a large moustache and beard covering half his mouth, but what was most noticeable was the cane he carried around a creaking leg. The man approached the group, looking between them all, before he spoke in a stern tone, “So, you are the outlaws that are gonna get my men through these godforsaken lands safely?”
“Only if the pays good.” Tiger answered, much to Coyote’s disapproval
The General kept his gaze on them, looking between the group of four, before he scoffed, “You four don’t look like trained soldiers. No honor in what you fight for. Not even in a set uniform.”
“Are you paying us to watch your ass or are you paying us to hear you complain?” Viper retorted.
“And a temper too.” The General added, before he shook his head, “Regardless, I am down to twelve good men. The rest are left dead and scattered on the fields before us. If we try to get any closer, those damned savages attack. If you can truly help us, then start by clearing out those savages!”
“Calm down, Tin Soldier” Tiger spoke in a calm manner before tossing his cigarette to the ground. He didn’t give The General another glance before he walked toward the open forest before them, pulling out his two revolvers.
“You see, taking care of people like this is our specialty. It’s dirty work, but work nonetheless. We wouldn’t be in this business if we weren’t good at what we do.”
Coyote wasted no time getting himself set up, resting with his sniper rifle aimed at the forest. Bear was already preparing his shotgun while Viper had a set of dynamite at hand along with a hunting rifle. As the four approached the forest, faint sounds of footsteps against the leaves could be heard. The noise of people panting in the woods as they rushed by, ready to flank them, or so they thought. With one more step into the woods, the booming noise of a battle cry could be heard, before a small army of warriors rushed them, clothed in animal skins and war paint as they rushed them with axes and bows and stolen firearms. With a nod and a smile, Tiger drew his revolver quickly and fired three shots, each one hitting a target, two in the chest, one struck in the neck, falling down. Tiger turned to the others and proclaimed, “That’s three shots. Let’s try and get them with what we got!”
“Then that gives me plenty of ammo!” Viper exclaimed as she aimed her rifle, firing at each one of the warriors with the firearms to keep them from firing, three of her four shots hitting their mark.
Bear kept his eyes on the warriors rushing them, firing his shotgun at them, blowing their insides open and sending them back, keeping himself in between the gang and the warriors. Coyote, from a safe distance, fired at the warriors with his rifle, the soldiers from the fort aiding with what they had, firing at the warriors with their muskets and rifles. Despite the number of soldiers, Tiger and his gang was able to kill more of them on their own, already slaying a large chunk of the army. It wasn’t even ten minutes into the battle before the warriors turned and ran deeper into the forest, hoping to ambush them once again. With the carnage ending and the army safe, Tiger laughed, reloaded his revolver, and exclaimed, “Is that the best they got? General, I think you need to up the training of your men. Maybe you should stop drafting school boys and get some actual fighters. It helps to take criticism, you know!”
The General was unamused by Tiger’s response, but shook it off anyway as he called to his troops, “Attention, soldiers! The enemy has evacuated, but they will return. Gather all the supplies you can carry and head out, and be prepared for another attack.”
Tiger disregarded the General’s orders and returned back to his gang, a chuckle on his face as he spoke, “I got fourteen kills. Bet you guys didn’t do that good!”
“Ha! Sixteen” Viper exclaimed
“Bullshit” Bear retorted “You’re fibbing!”
“Well if it helps my case, I know you only killed eight”
“Guys, please” Coyote groaned. “What’s important is that we all made it together. If we can keep this up, we’ll have this job finished by weeks end and we can finally live an easy life.”
“That’s the most sense you’ve made this entire trip here, Coyote” Tiger joked as he finally got to following the army out of the fort and deeper into the woods.
Four days had passed since the group arrived. Several attacks from warriors continued, but were quickly dispelled. The numbers were shrinking. Attacks were no longer common. In fact, most ‘attacks’ were nothing more than evacuations from the warriors. However, the orders were always the same from The General. Leave no survivors. The General was becoming more strict with his demands. He would even fire his own pistol at escaping warriors to ensure not one escaped. When those did escape, either due to missing or Tiger and his gang refusing to kill a fleeing foe, The General would get angry with the group, threatening to fire them and send them back to the east of the country without pay. His anger and tone was slowly wareing on the group. During the evening, while they were resting out of the soldier’s camp, eating what little rations the army had around a fire, Viper came with a small bag, groaning in frustration.
“That General prick is getting on my last nerves” Viper sighed
“We’re close to the new land” Coyote assured her. “We just gotta-
“Keep on going. Yeah, yeah. You’ve said that the past dozen or so times” Viper answered. She reached into her bag, looking over at the plains behind the group and the setting sun, and a grin came to her face.
“Hey, check out what I stole” She snickered
“Oh, Viper, you didn’t” Coyote said with worry
“Oh, Coyote, but I did!”
She pulled out a small device from the bag, a strange cylinder on the ground with a large slit at the bottom. Tiger looked at it curiously before he asked. “Okay, what is it?”
“Haven’t you ever heard of these cameras. Apparently The General wanted to use this to capture himself and his soldiers in the new land, but I thought, since this will be our last job, we could at least take a photo together?”
The group was silent, looking back at one another. The silence was then broken when Tiger laughed and spoke up, “Jeez, Viper, you sound like we’re going away forever. We’ll still be here, still friends and all that stuff. It’s not like we’re going to far off parts of the world once this job is over.”
“I know that” Viper said with a solid hmm before continuing, “But, you know, just in case”
Bear shrugged his shoulders and responded, “Sure, I’m up for it”
“Yeah” Tiger spoke, “Why not”
Coyote was a bit baffled, but he sighed and responded, “Okay, but you gotta return the camera after”
“No promises” Viper chuckled before setting the camera up. As the timer was counting, Viper ran back to the group and stood with them with a smile, all of the members smiling, even Coyote, if a bit of a nervous one, before a flash came. Tiger had to rub his eyes after the flash as the picture slowly developed out of the camera. Viper snatched the picture and looked at it, the others peering over her shoulder to look as well. As they did, Tiger joked, “Sheesh, Coyote, you look like a ravenous dog when you smile”
“Very funny, Tiger”
A week after leaving the fort, the gang was getting restless. The General was pushing them harder to fight the warriors, his army was nearing starvation, but he continued to push his orders, to slaughter the warriors, no matter if they were retreating or not. They were soon coming to the mountain range of the western area, the new land. Viper was on the verge of snapping at The General for his constant orders of the gang, and Tiger was not that far behind, but he had to keep himself calm. That night, as they were nearing the mountains, The General had ordered the army to set up camp, before he told Tiger and his gang to meet him in his tent, Inside, The General and two of his soldiers stood there with Tiger, Bear, Viper and Coyote. The General looked at the group for a single, silent minute, before he finally spoke, “We’re near the new land now. Your job is finally nearing its end.”
“And an enjoyable job it’s been, General” Tiger lied.
The General ignored his retort before continuing, “However, I have one final task. A task that could net you… far more than the gold offered before.”
Coyote was the first to jump on the offer and ask, “What are we talking about here?”
“Fifty percent of the gold. It is worth it for what must be done”
“And that is?” Tiger asked
“The warriors, the savages we’ve been fighting this entire trip, known as the Taleko. They have no purpose in this new world. They’ve slaughtered my men, my soldiers, in cold blood. They have no place in this world. The gold means nothing to me. What I want is a world where the people I fight for can live without fear of such… subhumans. We’ve crippled their defences and broke their spirit. The only thing separating us from that goal is their tribe. Slaughter them. Kill every last one of them. Leave not a single Taleko alive. Do we have a deal?”
Before Coyote could agree, Viper finally spoke up, letting her pent up frustration out, “Are you serious? You’ve lied to us this entire time about this being a search for gold to justify your genocide?!”
“You had no problem with it before.” The General added
“That was before we realized this was an extermination!” Viper shouted “We aren’t taking part in genocide. We took this job to help you and stop you from getting your dumbass killed. We don’t kill anyone that isn’t a threat to you or your job! We may be contract killers, but we have limits”
“You have no honor! No quarter! Nothing worth fighting for but money!” The General shouted, standing up now, slowly moving toward Viper “You have no right to call my actions evil, you worthless whore!”
The General grabbed Viper by the neck, gripping it tightly. The moment he did, Tiger and Bear pulled their guns out, aiming it at The General, the other two soldiers in the tent aiming their guns at the two. Coyote aimed his rifle at Tiger and shouted, “Tiger, are you stupid! You’re fucking things up!”
“I ain’t going to let some cripple hurt my partner, not for all the gold in the world!”
The General looked between the group, then at Viper, before he let go of her finally and responded, “You and your gang! Take your leave! I want no part of this. You or this slut!”
With that, Viper spat on The General’s face, and he responded by striking her across the face with his cane. In that moment, Tiger responded by firing his revolver at the General, striking him through the monocle and in the head, killing him instantly. Viper and Bear were quick to shoot and kill the other soldiers, the gun fire getting the attention of the other soldiers in the fort. Tiger looked at the General’s corpse, a part of him immediately regretting what he did. It was the only thing he thought to do after seeing him strike Viper. Coyote looked back and shouted, “Tiger… What the fuck did you do!?”
Before Tiger could respond, a soldier outside responded “General? Are you okay?”
Tiger knew that they had to escape now. They had no place here. He looked back at Coyote, giving him a nod to assure they had to escape. Coyote just stared at him for a moment, before taking Tiger’s gun while still in his grasp and making him pull the trigger, the bullet striking Coyote in the hip. Coyote fell to the ground, groaning in pain, and shouted, “T-The gang! They killed The General! They killed him!”
Tiger was baffled that Coyote turned, but couldn’t waste time with it, as the soldiers rushed into the tent and, without warning, opened fire. Tiger, Viper, and Bear were barely able to escape from the tent, bullets flying at them, the soldiers shouting at them from behind. As Tiger, Bear and Viper reached the horses, the soldiers were getting close. Bear looked back before he exclaimed, “You two go. I will hold them off!”
“No!” Viper shouted, “We can’t leave you here”
“No one’s getting left behind. I promise I’ll come back”
Viper hesitated, but didn’t argue. She got onto the horse with Tiger as the two rode off, leaving Bear there, ready to fight off the soldiers.
Bears corpse was found the next morning, his body riddled with bullets. He was discovered by a group of Taleko out scouting around the camp, unaware of what happened within.
Two days after escaping from the camp, the snow was starting to fall as they made their way north, travelling across the narrow mountains. Viper was shivering, yet Tiger was still furious about what Coyote had done. Viper, through chattering teeth, did her best to talk “Y-You think that B-B-Bear got out okay?”
“H-He had to” Tiger said, knowing full well that he didn’t “H-He’s got a wife and kid to look after. I doubt they’d kill him that easily.”
“A-And Coyote?”
“H-He’ll wish he’s dead when I find him” Tiger responded. But despite all of that, all Tiger was thinking was how this all could have been avoided, if he had kept his anger in check. He wanted to turn to Viper, to apologize to her for what he did, to apologize for what happened to Bear. But as he did so, he caught the gleam of something in the distance. It was difficult to make out in the snow, but Tiger caught a brief glimpse of something shining in the little sunlight that was in the frozen mountains. And that’s when Tiger’s instincts kicked in. It was the gleam from the scope of a sniper rifle. Before Tiger could maneuver the horse, a bullet was fired far off, striking the horse in the leg, causing the horse the swing about maddly, before it slipped off the edge of the mountain and fell down the steep slope. The horse cracked it’s bones as it tumbled down, while Tiger struck parts of the hill himself, Viper having long since fell to the ground as she was swung from the horse rather than falling with it. It felt like moments before Tiger finally hit the ground. His bones were broken, and his left eye had been cut on the jagged rocks. The horse was squirming, slowly dying from internal bleeding, while Viper was just across from Tiger. She landed on the rocks below head first, breaking her neck, her eyes wide open. She had died instantly on the fall. From her pocket, the sight of the picture could be seen. With what little strength was left, Tiger grabbed the picture, and held onto it, before finally blacking out.
Tiger slowly woke up in a small tent, a fire resting next to him within it. He looked at the patches around his body, before he started to look around in a panic for his clothes, sighing with relief when he saw them resting by his side, the picture still tucked in the pocket. But soon, he looked around in confusion as to how he got her. He noticed the bandages around his body, especially on his eye, covering where his eye used to be. But as he woke up, a small man with a wooden mask walked in, looking at him. Though he wore a mask, his fury was clear as day
“You!” The mask man shouted, “You were with the armed beasts that slaughtered our people! Why should we not kill you now!?”
Tiger looked up at the man, giving a shrug. That was all Tiger gave. He didn’t have a reason to speak, or a reason to live, according to what he thought. The masked man looked and spoke once more “You were attacked by the very monsters that you worked with, were you not? You are an enemy to them, but that doesn’t make you a friend of ours. We would kill you ourselves, but we have a more appropriate punishment for the likes of you”
Tiger was let loose into the woods at night, nothing but his clothes and his gun with three bullets left. The words of the masked man still ringing in his mind.
“In our woods, lies the feral beast. The Wendigo. Kill it, and you are welcome here. Die, and your punishment is repaid in full.”
The snow was especially harsh that night, a blizzard hitting the area with ferocity. The wind howled in a bone chilling manner, more so than any wolf or beast could. Tiger could barely make out the shapes in the dark, his only source of light being when he had to relight his cigarette and get a brief moment of sight from his lighter’s flame. But as he reached to light his cigarette a third time, a low growl, unlike that of the wind, could be heard. He flicked his cigarette once. Nothing. He gave it another flick. Nothing. The growling was louder and louder, until dead silent, until the stench of rotting flesh overwhelmed Tiger’s nostrils. He didn’t wish to try again, but his curiosity got the better of him. He gave the lighter one last flick, igniting a flame. Before his eyes, a large deer like beast, with chunks of rotted flesh exposing bone and tattered fur, an elongated deer skull staring back at him, stood before him. The creature was taller than any man, and was twice as strong. The creature stared Tiger in the eyes, before lunging forward at him, it’s jaw wide open, ready to bite down. Tiger was quick with the draw and fired two shots into the creature, one shot striking it’s shoulder and the other striking it in the belly. It wasn’t enough to stop the creature however, and Tiger couldn’t get a good look at the monster, his ankles were deep in snow, and all he could do was listen for the beast. He couldn’t run, even if he wanted to. He was only left with one shot from his gun, and once chance to get the monster. He steadied his breathing, and listened. He listened as the monster circled around him, ready to strike. He listened to his feral growls. And finally, he listened to it charge him, and leap off the ground with a roar, a roar that was ever closer. And with that, as the beast’s claws grazed Tiger’s shoulders, as it’s jaw was aimed at his neck, Tiger picked up the gun and fired.
Tiger was passed out on the ground, lying in the snow, nearly affected by frostbite, with a naked Taleko resting on top of him, a bullethole in his head. As Tiger woke up, he groaned in pain from the icy cold, pushing the corpse off of him, just in time for a group of scouting Taleko to come by, along with the masked man. They threw a large blanket over Tiger to warm him. The masked man looked at the corpse then at Tiger. “So, the Wendigo was one of our own all along… He was far too gone, affected by the form of a beast. It had to be done. You helped our people, and now we will help you. There is a mountain of gold near the hills. If that is your desi-”
“I don’t want the gold” Tiger interrupted. “I want something else. Besides, those soldiers are probably already there. I think you and your people could use that as an advantage”
The mountains of gold were not the riches the soldiers were expecting. Instead, it was nothing more than a chest of gold. Coyote was no longer with the group. He was sent to a hospital after the gang “attacked” him. The second in command was left in charge of the remaining twenty soldiers. Once he found the box of gold, he kicked the box into the wall and shouted, “We lost all those men for a fucking donation bin!? You gotta be shitting me!”
But, as he rambled, he was unaware of the Taleko people that waited just outside the cave, setting up remaining dynamite that Tiger had loaned them, along with his lighter. With the dynamite set and the fuse lit, the Taleko ran off back into the woods, the cave entrance exploding and trapping the soldiers from within. Their bones were found centuries later, as they partook in a mutiny of their new general, followed by cannibalism, until all of them went stir crazy and eventually perished.
Two weeks after the adventure, Coyote had decided to use the money he earned, as well as his honor from the countries leader, known as a president, to travel to a new world entirely. A part of him wanted to see the new world, but another part of him was worried that his past would haunt him if he stayed here any longer. He rented a room aboard a large cruise ship, a ship that was filled with a few guests and mostly shiphands. But that night, as Coyote walked into his room, he noticed the lights were on. He knew this was a bad sign, but he had left his gun in that room. He opened the door, seeing a man he hoped to never see. Tiger sat there in the room, an eyepatch covering his missing eye and several scars on his face. Tiger looked at Coyote and responded, “Hey, Coyote. How’ve you been? How’s the hip?”
Coyote was dumbfounded, unable to help but stutter, “T-Tiger, I-I thought you were-”
“Dead? Yeah, funny story. Those Taleko that we fought were far nicer than that General whose brains I blew out. I’m no doubt an enemy of the state. Can’t stay in this country anymore. Got far more than the police looking for me now. I’m a wanted man. Of course, I wasn’t expecting you to join us in being criminals. That was okay. That didn’t make me mad.”
Coyote felt slightly relieved at Tiger’s response, but was horrified against when Tiger pulled out a gun and continued, “But you really think I don’t notice the light shining off a sniper scope when I see one? Like the one that got Viper killed?!”
“T-Tiger, that wasn’t me, I swear it.”
“You really think I’m gonna believe that? If you weren’t out for blood, you wouldn’t have tried to get us killed back in the camp.”
“I-I panicked, Tiger. We needed that money. That money was going to change our lives, and you threw it away. All because Viper was hit for speaking back to him. What was I supposed to do?”
Tiger lowered his gun, yet didn’t drop it. He looked at Coyote in the eyes and responded, “Coyote, we’ve been friends for years. I want to believe you didn’t kill Viper. I want to believe that you didn’t murder her and let Bear get killed. But it’s not easy. Look me in the eyes… eye, and tell me you didn’t kill them. Tell me, and I’ll know you’re being true.”
“I didn’t fucking kill them!” Coyote shouted now
Tiger looked Coyote dead in the face, and his gun raised again, “Coyote… You’re a dead man”
In that instant, Coyote rushed at Tiger, grabbing the gun from his hand. But Coyote was only acting on instinct now. Tiger new Coyote was not a fighter, and that’s all Tiger needed. He punched Coyote hard in the face, sending him falling onto the bed. Tiger struck him in the face twice with his revolver to daze him before shoving a pillow onto his face, pressing the barrel of his gun against it. With one muffled shot, he fired into the pillow, a few feathers flying passed. Coyote immediately stopped struggling and his hands fell down, blood slowly starting to stain the pillow.
Tiger took a peek outside the door, making sure no one was around, before he dragged Coyote’s body out and quickly tossed him off the rails and into the sea, followed by the bullet ridden, bloodstained pillow. He went back into Coyote’s room, taking it for himself, wandering where he was heading in the new world. But as his thoughts went adrift, he reached into his pocket and took out the picture, the picture that Viper held onto, even in her last moments. Looking at it, he ripped Coyote from the picture and threw it into the trash, putting the remaining half of the picture in his pocket
Several years passed after that day. A rich nobleman in a kingdom in the icy north was making his way to his bed. He had guards set up all over the place, yet even he wouldn’t allow them in his personal chambers. This was his undoing. As he opened the chambers, he was shocked to see a man, a rugged man dressed in western attire with an eye that had a different color from his other, even looking fake. The cowboy was sitting at his desk, drinking his wine, giving it a good taste. He exclaimed, “Hmm, good stuff. Wander where you get it”
“W-What are you doing here?! Who are you!? I’ll have you killed for trespassing in here!”
“Oh, quick to anger, huh? No wonder they hired me. The names Tiger Lando, sir. I’m sure you got my letter.”
The nobleman did hear of Tiger Lando. He was responsible for assassinating several nobles and lords before. The nobleman was no stranger to having hits made on his life, but Tiger was different. Tiger was a man who never misses his target. The nobleman fell onto the ground, and began to beg, “P-Please, sir! I-I didn’t mean anything by it. L-l-listen, whatever they are paying you, I can pay you more! You’re a man of money, right? I can pay even more than what they-”
“Hey, fatty, shut up!” Tiger responded as he got up from the chair, already loading his revolver, continuing to speak, “Listen, I don’t do this job for the money. The money is just a nice bonus. I don’t do this for the fame. Heck, Tiger Lando isn’t even my real name. Who named their kid Tiger, come on. I certainly don’t do this out of the goodness of my heart to make the world a better place where degenerates like you don’t exist. I stopped being a charitable man years ago.”
The nobleman was starting to tear up now, sniffling as Tiger approached him. He was even more in a panic when Tiger raised his gun. Tiger looked at the sniveling nobleman and continued, “I do all of this because there is no greater joy than watching cocky, arrogant suckers like yourself think they are on top of the world, thinking nothing can touch them, only for me to come and bring their hopes and their safety crashing down. It all comes in the last moments of life, before they are driven to complete madness. I am the man that keeps idiots like you paranoid, giving them more guards, making them look under the bed every night. But no matter how powerful you are, no matter how much muscle you got, I always complete my contract in the end. Always!”
Before the man even had time to scream, Tiger fired two shots into his head. He could hear the guards running up the stairs now. He turned toward the window, finished off the glass of wine with a satisfied grin, and jumped out the window, congratulating himself on another successful job.