What a Cowboy – High Noon II

 

The cast:

• Marshall Will Coe (Legend) – Simon
• Deputy Marshall Mel Pel (Shootist) – Simon
• Amy Coe (Greenhorn), Rifle – Simon
• Frank Lee Madier (Gunslinger) – Greg
• Win Dee Miller (Shootist) - Greg
• Jack Shitte (Gunslinger) – Dave
• Matt White (Greenhorn) – Dave

As the noon train puffed slowly into Hardlyville, Frank Madier and his three outlaw gang members stepped down from the carriage. Before they left this town, either Marshall Coe would be dead, or Frank would be lying in the dirt! (As it turned out, both would be sprawled in the dirt before the day was out!?).

Before the train had fully stopped, Madier & Miller were sprinting across the street, headed for the Trading Post and Jack & Matt headed right, behind the Bunk House.

Realising trouble had arrived, Marshall Coe & Deputy Marshall Pel tumbled out of the jail, with Will headed right toward the Saloon and Mel out to the left, to head off Shitte & White.

Unknown to almost everyone, Coe’s new wife, Amy, had camped-out behind the barn cradling her husband’s Winchester rifle. As Madier ran into her view, she stepped out but before she could get a shot off, Madier skidded, with unbelievable agility, back around the front of the trading post, out of sight.

Amy stared out in horror, unable to believe how fast Madier had dodged her shot, so she did not see Miller, who first spun her round with one shot, then callously stepped up and finished her off as she lay bleeding in the dirt!! Miller then headed back out down the main street.

Not suspecting what had happened to his wife, Marshall Coe leaned out from the Saloon door, to take a pot-shot at Miller, now advancing down the street, in front of the Trading Post. Drat, missed!

However, while the Marshall was busy trying to get another shot at Miller, Madier had sprinted around the back of the Saloon and burst in through the back door. As Madier’s eyes adjusted to the change of light, he was also momentarily confused by the manic piano playing! Before he could swing his gun back to Marshall Coe, the Marshall had spun round, planting a shot smack in the middle of Madier’s forehead!?

Back on the other side of the street, Shitte & Deputy Marshall Pel were trading long range shots, but achieving little except chipping away bits of wood. Shitte yelled at White go around the front of the Bunk House and get behind Mel, while he sprinted directly toward Pel. Shitte skidded to a stop, just a few yards from Pel and both of them blazed away at each other, achieving little except injuring the wagon between them!

Surprisingly White did manage to get around Pel and loosed off a couple shots. Neither hit Pel and in fact, one nicked Shitte, who simply rolled his eyes! Where did he find this side-kick?! However, this had distracted Pel and Shitte gunned him down!

Back at the Saloon, Miller had also worked his way around the back of the Saloon, but before he could try to follow Madier’s route in through the rear door of the Saloon, Marshall Coe burst out of the back door. The pair blazed away at each other for seconds, before the Marshall was forced to duck back around the corner.

Hah, thought Miller, now we have him! He had the Marshall caught between himself and Shitte & White, now crossing the street, behind the Marshall (and the Marshall was out of Bonanza chips!!).

Miller smiled to himself, as the Marshall dived to the dirt in front of him, but then the Marshall rolled and planted a killing shot in Miller’s chest, wiping off the smile! Shitte, now losing blood from his duel with Pel, stepped forward to finish-off the Marshall, but the Marshall yet again squirmed around and planted a shot in Shitte, dropping him too!

The Marshall was now only facing the Greenhorn, White, but the Marshall was hurting bad. He stumbled away from White, collapsing in through the back door of the saloon and he tried to kick the door shut. But, White followed him too closely and kicked the door open before shooting dead the Marshall, as he lay on the floor.

So ended ‘High Noon II’. The Marshall, his wife and Deputy Marshall lay dead. Most of the Madier gang also lay dead or dying. Only the greenhorn White remained on his feet. He starred down at his smoking gun, barely able to believe what had happened. How could he ever convince anyone that any of this was real and to cap it all, that lunatic piano player was still hammering away on the ivories!?