Blood in the Dust

He strode purposely down the dusty street.  He was on a mission to kill a man today.  Sure, he had killed men before but they weren’t men who amounted to much. Horse thieves, murders, robbers all the bottom of the barrel.  But the man he had to kill today was his friend.



Ever since he had hung this Silver Star on his chest he was aware that this day would ultimately come. Jess Rawlins and he had grown up in the same house. His mother had succumbed to whopping cough when he was five and Horace and Pam Rawlins had cared for him.  Since he and Jesse were the same age they became the best of friends.  They even got in trouble together and had their share of visits to the family wood shed.  Eventually however they went separate ways.  Jess became a gun for hire while he had chosen to become the deputy of this town.  That was a few years ago.  Now he was the marshal.  He was the image of law and order in a town that moving away from chaos into order. 



Jess Rawlins had come to his town and had killed a man over a game of cards.  He had to arrest him.  Jess had stated aloud that he would not go without a gun fight.  Jess was waiting for him at the livery stable.  There he was standing by the fence of the corral.  In just a moment it would all be over and some man’s blood would be soaking the dust of the street. 



He didn’t see anyone else but he knew he had an audience, hidden behind curtains and in darkened doorways.  They wanted to witness this showdown.



They stood apart, they drew their guns and fired.  Both men  died that day.





Word count 300