Morningside Fall(16)

“I do.”

Fletcher heard Cup grunt behind him, and then he heard something heavy smash something else, and whatever it was must’ve broke from the racket it made.

“Yeah? And what you got faith in, Mister Faith man?”

“I had faith I’d find you here.”

Nice and Lady were whining bad now, like they did when storms come up, and they was getting Sloan tangled in the leashes, and he kicked Nice once and Creed wasn’t laughing no more.

“Sloan, shut them dogs up, will ya?” Mull said.

“Shut yerself up, Mull!” Sloan said.

Fletcher licked his lips because his mouth was all dry and he was going to ask some more questions, but something just wasn’t right, so he decided he was done.

“Alright, Mull,” he said.

“Yep,” said Mull, and Mull stepped up, and Fletcher wondered if it was good or bad that ol’ Blindfold couldn’t see it coming. But all sudden-like Blindfold come up on one knee and he was close, way closer than Fletcher thought he could be, and there was a quick noise like water, and Nice and Lady broke running, and Mull made a little coughing sound.

“Fletcher…” Mull said, and he was looking down, and Fletcher looked down, and Mull had his hand on the jittergun – but the gun was still in the holster, and there was a piece of steel through his wrist and up deep into his belly and out his back, and Fletcher followed the steel back to Blindfold’s hand and realized it was a blade.

“Well…” said Fletcher, but he didn’t know why. And then Blindfold took his sword back and Mull fell down on his knees.

“Fletcher…” Mull said.

Creed and Yeager both went for their guns then – and Blindfold went backwards like he was on a cord that got yanked, and went past Sloan and cut Yeager, then turned a little half circle, and Creed fell down screaming. Blindfold made a little circle in front of him with his sword like he was cutting air, but it made red spray up, and then Creed quit screaming.

Sloan was used to having the dogs, so he was still trying to get out his knife when Blindfold went past him again fast; and Sloan didn’t make no noise, he just tip over.

Fletcher was backing up then, backing up past Cup and Mags, and Blindfold coming right at them. And Mags had got his two-gun out by then and he shot both barrels of it, and Blindfold went down in the street. But turned out he was rolling and Mags just hit Cup with all his shooting, and Cup fell down. And then Blindfold took Mags at the knees and did something else too fast to follow, and Mags went backwards making a sound like a whistle gurgling.

Then Cup went crazy.

He got up all bloody in the front and screamed, and picked up a broken chunk of street three times bigger than his head – and had it over his head like he was going to smash Blindfold, but Blindfold turned around real fast and Cup’s hands come off, and the piece of street fell on him, and his face hit the ground real hard, and he moved some and groaned, but his head was broke.

And then Blindfold was on one knee in front of Fletcher, and he had a sword in his hand and it had red on it, and Fletcher hurt in the middle, and his shirt and pants was all warm and wet, and he realized his gun was still in his holster – and he hadn’t even thought about getting it out until just now.

“I knew you wasn’t right,” he said, and his voice sounded funny, like he was talking out the bottom of a well. Maybe he could get his gun out now. “I knew it.”

Blindfold didn’t say nothing, he just stood up and slung his blade out to the side, and all the red went sliding right off it like it’d never even touched it, then he put it somewhere in his big coat. Fletcher realized he was setting down, but he couldn’t remember setting down; and he kept thinking if Fletcher could ask enough questions, he’d figure out what ol’ Blindfold was up to and maybe then he could get his gun out and kill him.

“You come all the way out here, just for us?” Fletcher asked.

“No,” Blindfold said. “You were on the way.”

It was going dark, and Fletcher wondered if it was just his eyes, but then one of them howlies made a cry somewhere not real far off, and that meant the sun was going down. Blindfold didn’t seem to be in no hurry though, just buttoning his rag-man coat like he was on his way to a funeral.

“Way to where?” he asked.

“East. There’s a city.”

Fletcher felt real tired and he figured if he laid down on his side, it’d be easier to get the pistol out the holster, and he was going to need that for killing Blindfold, and then again when the howlies come, so he leaned over sideways on an elbow. Blindfold started walking away, and Fletcher never had no worries about shooting a man in the back so long as he didn’t get too far off, so he called after him. It didn’t hurt none no more.