Blood Moon

A reddish moon hung low and lazy in the western Nevada sky, casting long shadows over the scrubland of Five Mile Canyon, south of Virginia City. Cole Anders and Jesse “Buck” Tanner moved with a quiet purpose, their eyes fixed on the cabin where the three killers holed up.

Suddenly, a figure darted from the shadows—a killer, young but hardened by the desert’s harsh lessons, already shooting. Cole reacted first, his hand flashing to his Colt.

The air filled with the sharp crack of gunfire. Cole’s bullet found its mark, and the killer crumpled with a grunt.

But there were more of them. From the cabin burst two more men, their faces twisted in grim determination.

Buck Tanner, his eyes glinting like cold steel, swung the butt of his rifle in a wide arc. The solid thunk of wood meeting flesh was satisfying.

The killer staggered back, clutching his face.

Cole moved with the lithe grace of a mountain lion, closing the distance between himself and the remaining man. They grappled, fists flying in a brutal dance.

Cole’s knuckles met bone, and he felt the give of the man’s jaw. But the kidnapper was no slouch.

He swung a knife, the blade catching the moonlight. Cole felt a sting as the blade grazed his arm, but his focus never wavered.

Buck, meanwhile, was a whirlwind of motion. He dodged a wild swing, delivering a punishing blow to his opponent’s ribs.

The killer gasped, his breath escaping in a painful wheeze. Buck’s rifle came up again, this time slamming into the man’s temple. The killer dropped, his eyes rolling back in his head.

The last man standing, bloodied and desperate, lunged at Cole. But Cole was ready.

With a swift, practiced motion, he disarmed the killer, sending the knife spinning into the dirt. A final punch, delivered with all the power of a seasoned brawler, sent the man sprawling.

The fight was over as quickly as it had begun. Cole and Buck stood amidst the fallen killers, breathing hard but victorious.

The thousand-dollar bounty hung like the promise of rain in a parched desert. The pair would take it without a second thought, for in this unforgiving land, a man had to make his way however he could.