The Showdown in Shadow Canyon

He stood in the entry way of the bank.  “Don’t even think about moving,” he said. 

His visage was cold, hard, and stern.  He was as tall as an old oak and equally as wide. 

“You again,” Blaine the outlaw replied, surprised with who was in the door way. 

You see, Blaine had already escaped Marshal John Buckwheat’s grasp 3 years back.  Blaine’s reputation was not small by any stretch of the imagination.  He was wanted in 13 states, hated by all states. He was caught three times and thanks to his two accomplices, Swifty Smithy and Fast Tony, he was able to escape all three times.  John was the only one to have ever captured Blaine for any extended amount of time and actually survived to tell about it.

 Blaine went for his hog leg and fired off a wild shot.  The Marshal, with his gun seated firmly in his hand by the time the shot is fired, lets two precise shots off.  The first, hits Blaine’s 44. The gun, now useless, is launched out of his hand and onto the floor behind him.  The second shot hit Swifty in the hand.  John knew that a gunman was only as good as his draw and Swifty, who had started going for his gun needed to know that Marshal John was in no mood to deal with hired killers.  Fast tony was yellow clear through.  John figured that and planned on it. Tony, having passed out because of the shooting and oozing blood from Swifty’s hand, was now of no use to Blaine. 

Doc Philips who was in the bank at the time looked at Smithy’s hand to see if he would be okay or if there would be lead poisoning that would ensue. John was a hard man, but he was not heartless.  He allowed the doc to help the outlaw because the outlaw was a person, and he deserved some medical attention.  Last time John tried to take in Blaine and his men, he was almost gunned down.  And he probably should have if it were not for a lucky shot and an angel.

  Blaine and his two gunmen were riding in a small canyon relaxed and enjoying the cool shade that the canyon provided.  John, trailing them because of their recent horse rustling, saw them enter the canyon and knew where the canyon emptied out into, so he dug his spurs into his horse and set for the exit of the canyon.  He checked his peacemakers and both were full.  His ’94, the one that his father gave to him the day he died, was loaded on the way to the other side of the canyon.  Would this finally be the day that he avenged his father’s death?  Blaine shot and killed John’s father 10 years ago next month and John swore to his father that he would watch Blaine die, either by watching him swing on the gallows or by his own lead.  One day Blaine would be dead.  John Buckwheat reached the end of the canyon. Not knowing where the three outlaws were he stayed at the top of the ridge so he could watch the entire opening.  One, two, three; all three men rode calmly and rejuvenated out of the canyon, in a single file line, due to the cool shade.  John, with both peacemakers out, sends a hurricane of bullets in the direction of the outlaws.  The distance was just too far. Not a single shot hit the outlaws. Blaine found where the fire was coming from and set off towards it. There were three outlaws and only one lawman; the odds were not in the favor of the lawman.  With all three of the gunmen barreling towards him, John holsters the .45s and shoulders the ’94; he chambered a round and with one harsh, loud crack he severs one of the reins on Blaine’s horse. With two more Tony falls to the ground with an arm shot and an upper shoulder shot.  There were only 3 shots left.  One went after Smithy, which missed, and the other two went after Blaine.  Blaine’s horse would never see a sunrise again, or the sunset for that matter.  Now out of bullets, John was defenseless; Blaine came up on him running and fired 3 quick shots off, all were aimed at John’s head.  Only one hit; John passed out due to the trauma delivered to his head.  Blaine walks up to the, what appeared to be dead Marshal, kicks him in the foot, and walks back to get Tony and his horse.

  John wakes up 3 days later in the same canyon. Only, there was someone different there.  A girl, one who seemed to be an angel sent from God. John was not an overly religious person, but he did believe there was a God.  In his words, “How can there not be a God, the west is just too beautiful.”  The girl that showed up was a new doctor; one of them feministic women from the east.  She thought that she could come west alone but did not realize how hard it was.  The stopped the bleeding in his head and saved his life.

  When he had gotten feeling better he went out and shot a deer.  He said it was because they needed food, but in his mind he knew that he needed to shoot something.  His patience was wearing thin because of all the feministic rants that she would go on.  He figured that if he didn’t kill a deer, then he might just shoot her to make her shut up.  Three more days passed and they headed into the town that she was to work in. He said his thanks and moved on.

  The thought of Blaine and what he did to his father would not escape John.  Beer did no good to help him forget; when he was asleep he would dream about how he would kill Blaine. 

Back in the bank, John knew that Blaine was done for.  Taking Blaine’s other gun; Marshal John Buckwheat took all three into custody and put them in separate cells.  Two days later the judge showed up in town and there was a trial.  All three were tried and found guilty.  The next sunrise would be Blaine’s last sunrise.  John held the promise he made to his father; John watched his brother, Blaine the outlaw, hang for his life of crime.