Dokis, whiskey, and gun powder Part 4

	It felt like time had slowed to a crawl after the hawk Screeched. Anon noticed there was no gunfire coming from Sayori. Was she hit? He looked over to see her kneeling to look for her gun. The fool had dropped it. Anon stepped in front of her, fanning his hammer.

Suddenly, the burning of a thousand suns filled his right thigh. He had been hit. He struggled to keep his balance. In an instance, the air had become silent. Anon looked down to see Sayori clutching his leg. He looked over to Monika, still fanning her revolver, despite clearly being empty. Natsuki had dropped to her knees and dropped her revolver in the snow. Yuri seemed to have handled the situation fairly well. He looked over to see her spin her revolver backwards and holster it.

Anon picked Sayori up off the ground, "Are you hit?"

"Is it over, Anon? did we make it?"

She didn't even notice the blood from Anon's wound turning the snow around them a crimson red. Anon began limping to the five bodies that lay before them. He was finishing this. He was finishing this today. His leg felt like it weighed a ton. He drug it through the snow, and the girls began to follow behind him. As he walked, he ejected the empty shells from his Colt, and began to load fresh ones.

He began to walk down the line of bodies.

Headshot, he's gone.
Lung wounds, he'll be dead in a few minutes.
The leader of the group was next, he lay writhing in pain.

"I'll be back in a minute, unitil then," Anon leaned down, and broke the wrist of the hand that held his foe's gun, "Don't go anywhere." The man began screaming in pain.

He moved to the next man, who was fumbling to find his gun.

"Don't do it." Anon warned him, before the man snapped around with his gun. Anon snapped a shot off in the man's face.

He's gone.

The last man seemed to have bleed out while Anon went down the line. Anon turned to make his way towards the leader.

"You just couldn't let it go, could you. That drunkard of a boss got himself and all of his employees killed. Do you feel proud that this is how your life is going to end? It's going to end because you're too fuckin' stupid to leave well enough alone." Anon stood up and cocked the hammer back, "Anything you wanna say, before I blow your brains out?"

The man looked at Anon, "Fuck you, and those whores!"

Anon shook his head, "You know, had you not got the girls involved I wouldn't have felt like I had to do this. But, you left me with no choice. Also," Anon fired his gun, "Poor choice of final words."

Anon had fell over in the snow and passed out.

****

	Anon awoke not long after in the cabin. All the girls were crowded around him, moving about in a panic.

"Yuri, he's awake!" Natsuki shouted.

Yuri came running over, "Anon! Thank god you're awake. You were hit in the leg. Luckily, it's a through and through wound. That means we should be able to heal it."

Despite his groggy state, Anon couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. The girls had stripped him naked to perform their surgery.

"Anon....we're gonna have to cauterize the wounds."

Anon knew this, but he wasn't ready for it. Yuri went to get her knife from the fireplace.

"Girls, get ready." Monika called out. They must have made a plan while Anon had passed out. Monika had taken her place above anons head with two rags in her hands. Sayori had grabbed Anon's leg to help hold it in place. Natsuki was waiting nearby with some bandages.

Yuri walked over with her heated knife, "Are we ready?"

They all nodded in unison.

Anon felt like a piece of ice had touched his leg. The, the pain came. Yuri at least knew what she was doing. She would touch the blade in two second bursts, so as not to cause tissue damage to his leg.

Anon reared his head up as he clenched his teeth on the rag. He felt Monika's hand on his head. She began running her fingers through his hair, "Sshh, it's okay Anon. It'll be over soon. I know it hurts but we're almost done."

Anon found it calming, despite have to hear and smell the searing of his own flesh. He just lay his head into her lap and let the girls do their job. Eventually, he passed out in Monika's lap.

****

	Anon rode hard to make it to the bank. Someone had reported it was being robbed by to people.

"That lazy drunkard of a sheriff! Where is he when you need him?"

He arrived at the front of the bank.

"Don't come in here! We're armed and we'll execute hostages if we have to!"

Anon called out, "Now, why would you wanna go and do something like that? Those fine people were just going about their day. Let them go and we'll talk about getting out of this situation."

"Can you do that? Could we walk free?"

"Well, we can try and get you for disturbing the peace, which is a day in jail. But, as long as you don't hurt nobody or take any money, there's no reason to try you for any of those crimes."

Anon wondered about the voice he was talking to. It sounded feminine.

"I beg pardon, but am I addressing a lady?"

"You are, deputy."

"Are you alone?"

"No sir, my fiance is in here with me."

"Why on earth is a young couple robbing a bank?"

"We are with our first child, sir. We have nothing, no way to raise him. The farm my parents left us yield no crop and our livestock have all died."

"Well, that's a shame. Farmin's hard work. But, we could get you set up with a job in town here. Come on out you two and we'll talk about it."

She peered around the corner, her pregnant belly showing.

"You look like you're about to burst! You oughtta be at home, waiting to deliver that thing."

She began to come out when an arm grabbed her and pulled her back.

"We ain't trusting you, lawman! You're full of shit! You won't help us!"

"I can't help you until you come out and let those people go. Now, if you don't want help that's fine, but she clearly did. Let her make her own choice."

"She don't know no better. You just convinced her to turn herself in. You won't take us!"

"Son, think about it; you're not just risking your life, you're risking hers and that baby's. Now come out with yer hands up and we'll talk about it."

The young man came out and had a shotgun in his hand.

Anon drew his sidearm and cocked the hammer back, "Drop it, son. You don't want to do this."

The young man leveled his shotgun at Anon.

Anon didn't hesitate and pulled the trigger. Anon had hit the man in the heart. The pregnant woman came running out to check on the man. She began to cry as she saw what had become of her fiance. She grabbed his hand as he left this world. She turned to Anon with tears streaming down her face. She grabbed the man's side arm from its holster.

Anon cocked his hammer back and leveled it at her, "Please, don't." Was all he could muster.

She turned the gun to her temple and closed her eyes. Anons scream of 'no' was muffled by a single shot.

"Somebody get a doctor!" A man screamed running towards the woman. "If we're quick we can still save the baby!"

Anon was walking towards the church where the undertaker was digging two graves. Anon joined him in digging a third, smaller grave.

*****

	Anon awoke in a startle. He looked around the room to see all the girls there, asleep. Yuri had fallen asleep in a chair next to the fireplace. Sayori has in a chair laying her head on the foot of the bed. Natsuki had rested her head on the end table near the bed.

Anon felt a squeeze on his hand. He turned to see Monika laying next to him.

"You had us worried, Anon." Monika gave him a smile. It looks like her cheeks were stained from crying.

"I'm sorry, Monika. I had you girls worried again."

She threw her arms around him, taking him by surprise, "I saw you step in front of Sayori during the duel. You were trying to protect us, all of us. You wanted to protect us and got hurt again doing it."

Anon placed his arm around her and pulled her close, "Ah, it weren't nothing. Are all the other girls okay?"

"That bullet that went through your leg, it turns out it grazed Sayori's shoulder. But we took care of it, it was barely a scratch."

"Good. You know, you girls did okay for your first duel."

He heard Natsuki whimper from the table she was laying at. His heart dropped, he knew exactly why she was doing it.

"She's been doing that since she fell asleep. It's not like her to be like that in her sleep."

"She's having a nightmare of the events from today, And she probably will for quite some time, unfortunately."

"Is that why you do it in your sleep, Anon?"

Anon turned his head away from her, "I don't know what you're talking about." He grumbled.

She grabbed his chin and turned his head towards her, "Anon, I heard you. You were talking in your sleep. What happened?"

"Monika, I had a life before I met you four, and I'll have a life after."

Monika began twisting her face in an attempt to not cry, "Anon, why can't you tell me? Why can't you tell us?"

Anon pulled her close, as she began to muffle her sobs with his chest.

"Monika, you needn't worry about me. What we need to worry about is getting you girls and this delivery safely over the mountain."

Monika looked up at anon with tears staining her face, "Okay, Anon. Can you promise me something?"

Anon gave it a minute, "Anything for you, Monika."

"You'll tell me someday, won't you?"

".....Someday, Monika."

****

	Anon awoke the next morning. The snow had stopped and the sun was shining through. Anon looked around the room to see all the girls were gone. He heard a commotion in the next room. He got up and hobbled out of the room.

"Anon! You're not in any condition to be out of bed." Sayori gave him a sharp look.

He gave her a dismissive wave, as he made his way to a chair to roll himself a cigarette. He lit it with a match and inhaled slowly, "So, what's for breakfast?"

All the girls looked concerned.

"There's nothing left, Anon. We used what was left of the vegetables that were good. Everything else had gone bad." Yuri said, sounding as though she might cry.

Anon got up and hobbled to his rifle.

"Anon, you're in no condition to go out there!"  Monika shouted, running over to him.

"Well, a deer isn't going to walk into the cabin now, is it?"

Natsuki looked up from her trance, "I could go with you, Anon."

Anon gave her a smile, "I could use the company. Besides, you might have to drag me back here if something happens."

She gave him a faint smile and walked over to him.

"If we're not back by sundown, something's happened. We'll try not to stray too far. Ready, Nat?"

She wordlessly nodded to him.

As they walked out of the cabin, he noticed her holster was empty.

"Natsuki, where's your gun?"

"I dropped it in the snow yesterday."

"Don't worry, we'll find it."

Natsuki lowered her head, as though she didn't want to find it.

Anon had found a spot for them to hunt. It wasn't too far from the cabin in case something happened. It's not like Anon could travel far anyway.

"Do you want to take one again, Natsuki?"

She shook her head as she grabbed the rifle.

It was a while before a deer crossed their path.

Anon leaned to Natsuki, "Just like last time. Whenever you're ready."

Natsuki began to violently shake. Anon place his hand on her shoulder, though it didn't seem to help much.

Natsuki closed her eyes and took the shot. The deer bucked and ran thirty feet before collapsing. Anon rubbed Natsuki's shoulder, "I'll go after it. You just sit here and take all the time you need, Or head back to the cabin if you need to."

Anon began limping towards the blood trail. He followed it to the deer, which was still gasping for air. Anon gave it a look of pity, "Forgive her, it wasn't her intention to make you suffer. I thank you, and the girls do."

Anon stuck his revolver to the area behind the deer's head and took it's life.


He got up to begin field stripping when he noticed Natsuki standing there with tears in her eyes.

"I hurt that deer. I killed that deer, and I killed those men, Anon."

Anon hobbled to her as fast as he could and embraced her. All he could do was stroke her hair as she sobbed.

"Anon, an I going to hell?"

A sharp pang went through his stomach. It had been so long since he even thought of the repercussion of ones actions.

"Natsuki, the great spirit that watches us understands our plight. We don't always get to choose our path in this life. We have to make decisions we don't want to. The best we can do is continue to make the best decisions we can when given the opportunity."

Anon desperately wanted to make her feel better. But, he didn't know how to answer that, and this was the best he could come up with. It was bullshit, but as long as the bullshit made her feel better then it was okay to him.

"I didn't want to kill those men, Anon. But....they made us. Why wouldn't they leave us alone?"

"I don't know, Natsuki."

He lay her down against a log, "I'll be back in a second, okay?"

Anon limped to the deer and began field stripping it as fast as he could. When he was done he tied a rope around the deer's neck, then tied the other end around his chest. He drug the deer behind him as he made his way to Natsuki. She was sitting there, lost in her thought. Anon knew she wasn't in a good way. He scooped her up in his arms and made his way through the snow to the cabin the best he could. The weight and strain on his leg was almost unbearable.

*****

Anon cut loose the rope around his chest when they made it back to the cabin. Anon carried Natsuki into the bedroom where he had lain earlier. He gently sat her on the bed, "Take it easy and get warm. We'll have something to eat soon."

Natsuki nodded, now out of tears to cry.

Anon began making his way out of the room. Monika went to walk in, but Anon blocked her path. She gave him a confused look. He simply shook his head and pointed the other direction. She obliged.

Anon walked out to finish cleaning the game they had harvested. Anon worked his fastest, as there was a lot to do still, and his leg was beginning to burn from the wound. He carried the meat into the cabin, where Yuri was now preparing to make their meal.

"Go ahead and start without me if I'm not back when it's done. I've got something I gotta do outside."

Anon made his way to the carcass of the deer and began to drag it to the woods for the scavengers. When he had moved it out far enough, he went to where he and the girls had stood for their duel. Anon knelt down to where he thought Nastuki dropped her weapon. It took him several minutes before he scooped it out of the snow.

He moved to the bodies of the men they had slain. One by one, he went through their pockets, trying to find anything they could use. He gathered seven cigarettes, twelve dollars, a book of matches, and various calibers of rounds. He also collected the guns they had on them.

"These will fetch a good price when I get back to town." He thought, and he drug himself through the snow. When he made it back to the cabin the other girls had started eating. That is, except for Natsuki.

"Did Natsuki grab something to eat?"

Monika shook her head, "I asked her if she wanted something, but she just kept looking out the window. I figured it might not be good to push it."

Anon gave her a nod, and moved to grab some food for both him and Natsuki. He walked in to see her staring out into the forest from the bed. He sat next to her and handed her a piece of deer, "I know it's hard, Nat. You have to know, it was either you or them."

"But I didn't have the right to take their life, just like they didn't have the right to take mine."

Anon thought about it hard. He knew of only one person who could help her. The same person who helped him, Chief Dakotah.

"Natsuki, when we get to the injun village there's someone I want you to talk to. Until we get there, can you try to eat for me? You don't want me to worry, do you?"

She grabbed the piece Anon was still holding for her and took a bite. He grabbed her and pulled her in for a one armed hug, "Thank you, Natsuki. I promise my friend in the village can help you."

"Anon, I want to thank you. For helping me. For helping us. You're a wonderful man."

Anon felt his stomach drop. He wished they would stop saying that.

Soon, the sun began to set. And Anon was feeling pretty tired. He lay down on the bed and set up a prop for his leg.

"Do you mind if I sleep next to you, Anon?"

"Of course, get under the covers and get comfortable."

Anon was quick to fall asleep that night.

****

Anon and the girls had woke up early the next morning. He had discussed his plan with Monika about Natsuki and the chief. She was skeptical, but willing if it would help Natsuki.

"Okay everyone! Sayori, Yuri, and I will be riding. Anon will be wagon security and Nat will be driving the wagon. Sound good?"

Everyone gave a 'yes' in unison as they loaded up the wagon. Anon had cooked the rest of the meat so they wouldn't have to stop on the way to the native's village. It would be a full day's ride to make it there, and Anon didn't want to waste any time.

Luckily, the worst of the storm had passed. It was flurrying on and off, but nothing that would debilitate their travels.

"So, Anon, can this chief help Natsuki like you say?"

"Well, he can. As long as we give him the time to help. It also depends on her." He said, trying to keep Natsuki from hearing the conversation.

"Well, since the storm passed quicker than we thought, we're ahead by almost 2 days now. I thought we would be holed up in that cabin for at least three days."

"Well, let's hope it doesn't get to that point." Anon said, trying to light a cigarette through the wind. He went through three matches before he finally got it.

"Anon, I heard you talk in your sleep last night, did you have a bad dream?" Natsuki said sheepishly.

"You could call it that, Nat."

"Do you... wanna talk about it?"

"Maybe another time. I can hardly even remember it now."

He hated lying to her. He remembered every detail of his dream. He remembered because they weren't dreams, but memories. Memories of the man Anon once was.

****

	The sun had set and it they had been traveling all day. He could see a small fire in the distance.

"Okay, everyone! We're almost there, just a bit further."

The group hurried towards the light. When they arrived they were met by a few natives brandishing various weapons.

"We're here to request an audience with chief Dakotah."

"Anon, it's been so long."

A voice called from the distance. The natives parted and a thin, old man came forward.

"We were beginning to think you left this world."

"I have several times actually, someone seems to think Hell is too good for me."

Anon and the chief shook hands.

"How have you been, chief? I see the place has changed a bit since I last saw it."

Anon had noticed the natives had been building cabins to replace their teepees. There were still some in the process of being built. Anon had also noticed they kept their longhouse for the families without their own cabin.

"Chief, I have someone in need of your wisdom. The same wisdom you gave to me."

"Of course, Anon. But, you've been gone for a while. You must have forgotten the rules."

Anon didn't forget, he just wasn't really in a condition to go that again.

"No, chief. I guess I can't get out of this?"

"No friend, you must prove yourself to the tribe if you want an audience with us."

He turned to look at the girls.

"Do they have to?"

"No Anon, you will fight on their behalf. You will all have an audience with the tribe."

Anon threw his coat off. His leg was burning from the wound. This cold was not doing him any favors. He threw his knife and gun to Yuri. She sat them on the wagon for him.

"Don't get involved. Ya'll understand?"

They all nodded.

The chief had now taken all clothes except his pants and shoes off.

Anon and the chief squared up.

"I hope you've gotten better since the last time we did this."

The whole tribe had come out to see the white man and the chief test each other.








END PART 4