The Next Step

The logs in the hearth cracked loudly, keeping the house warm from the whistling wind outside. A family of four sat around it, roasting scraps of meat while talking.

“The parsnip crop is almost ready to come in.” The father said, looking excited. “I think we’ll be able to afford to get the barn ready for rams.”

“Oh, rams would be so nice!” The daughter exclaimed with a gleam in her eye. “They’re so cute.”

The mother laughed, “You may not think so when they’re trying to bash you with their horns.”

The family laughed at the thought of that, but their conversation was interrupted by a hard, loud knocking at their door.

“Who in the hell would be out in this weather?” The father asked, standing up to check the door.

“Honey, hang on.” His wife got up, pulling a shotgun off a rack on the wall. She pointed it towards the door, ready to fire. “All right, go ahead.”

There was a moment of stiff silence before the father opened the door. The wind shrieked as it rushed into the house, causing the fire to wince. Standing in the doorway was a large figure dressed in a long black duster, their face covered with a red bandana. The family was frozen in fear as they stepped into the house, closing the door behind them. However, they let out a sigh of relief when the light of the fire illuminated the many belts that were wrapped around their arms and legs.

“What’s a bounty hunter doing out here?” The father asked, handing them a cup of hot coffee.

They removed their bandana and hood, revealing a beautiful woman underneath. Her blonde hair was tied in two buns over her ears, and her freckled face was interrupted by a long scar that ran diagonally down her face. “Thank you for letting me in.” She took a sip from the cup, smiling as the warmth spread through her body. “I was hunting a conman who was last seen somewhere around here when the storm hit. I didn’t expect it, I'm sorry to put y’all out like this.”

“Oh, nonsense.” the mother said, guiding her to the hearth. “There’s plenty here for all of us. Besides, it’s important work you do. You said it was a conman?”

The hunter sat down, warming her hands by the fire. “Yeah, some folks from the nearest town said they saw him coming this way. Don’t suppose you folks have seen anything in the past few days, have you?”

Both parents looked at one another, shaking their heads and shrugging. “Don’t hardly see anyone out here, let alone strangers.”

The bounty hunter turned to look at the daughter, who was looking away, fidgeting slightly. “Little lady, you got something you wanna tell me?”

The girl looked nervous, shaking her head. Her father looked at her sternly. “Sweetie, if you know something about this man, you need to tell Ms. Hunter here.”

“I… I promised not to tell…” She muttered sheepishly.

The bounty hunter knelt down to meet the girl at her eye level. “That man hurt a lot of nice people. If you don’t tell me what you know about him, he’s gonna hurt more people. Maybe even you.”

The girl shook her head vigorously. “He wouldn’t do that! He said we were friends!”

The hunter let out a sigh, “This is taking too long.” In one swift motion, she had the girl’s father in a chokehold, a knife pressed to his throat. “Now girl, if you don’t tell me what you know about that man right now, you’re gonna lose daddy here.” The mother screamed, and the father tried to escape, but the poke of the blade stopped him from acting rashly.

“No! Don’t hurt him!” the daughter began to cry.

"I don't want to sweetie, but if you don't help me I won't have any other choice."

The girl stuttered through her choked breaths, "I... I saw him in the woods when I was checking the rabbit traps. He said he was tired and asked if there was a place where he could rest. So…” She turned to look out the window, towards the old barn that sat a couple of yards away from the house.

The bounty hunter smiled innocently, releasing the father from her grip. She sheathed her knife and straightened out his wrinkled shirt. “Thank you for your cooperation. For your trouble, I'll make sure to bring you a portion of the reward once I turn that feller in.” The family only stared as she chugged the rest of her coffee, wished them well, and stepped back outside. The sound of her boots hitting the ground was drowned out by the wind. The only good thing about a storm like this, she thought.

She stood outside the barn, taking a deep breath as she watched a dim light flicker from the cracks in the wood. Nervously flexing her fingers around the handle of her revolver, she kicked the doors of the barn with such force that their rusted hinges couldn't withstand it, sending them to the ground with a loud boom.

A thin man wearing a tattered suit sat against the far wall of the barn, warming his hands in front of a small fire. He barely moved his head to look the bounty hunter in the eyes. “Evening.”

She took a cautious step towards him, glaring. “Eogan Durthact?”

He opened his arms wide, smiling weakly. “In the flesh. And who might you be?”

She lowered her bandana, and his face immediately turned as white as the snow outside. “You… I remember you!”

The bounty hunter smiled. “Oh, I am so glad you do.” She cocked the hammer of her gun, continuing towards him. He stood up, trying to keep the situation calm.

“Now, now hold on a moment.” he raised his hands as if trying to tame a wild animal. “Surely we can talk this out?”

Her face changed, from one of stoic focus to something deeper, more primal. She was close to him now, looking deep into his ratlike eyes. “Talk this out!?" She kicked his ankle, and his scream was accompanied by a sickening crack. “I have to track you across the damn Atlantic and you wanna talk your way out of killing my love, my Naoise?”

No longer able to stand, Eogan cowered on one knee. “W-wait! Please! If you let me go I'll tell you who gave me the order to do it!”

She smirked, taking aim. “You got about ten seconds.”

“My boss, Macnessa, he’s the one who wanted him dead!” He was crying now, holding his broken ankle. “Please… he’s the one you want.”

“Macnessa.” She said, savoring the word like a fine wine. “Thank you.” Before he could say another word, she fired, sending a small fountain of blood erupting from his back. As she began to tie the body up, she noticed the father standing in the broken doorway.

“Need a hand?”

“Sure, if you wouldn’t mind.” As the pair walked, the bounty hunter couldn’t help but feel guilty. “Hey, sorry for uh… threatening your life back there.”

The father chuckled. “Scared the hell outta the girls, but we’ll live. I understand this boy took your beloved, and I reckon I'd stop at nothing were I in your place.”

Having an extra pair of hands made tying the body on her horse a much quicker task, and she was grateful. “Here.” She handed him a decently-sized stack of bills. “I don’t know how much I'll get for a corpse, so this should cover that barn door and a little extra.” The father tried to refuse, but she was adamant. “Please, it would make me feel better about what happened.”

“Well, all right. Thank you kindly.” He extended his hand out to her, “You be safe out there.”

She smiled, taking it in her own. “Thank you, sir. You too.”