Insert romantic title

[3]

Chapter 3

I gently waved as the sheriff left. He told me he needed to talk, and I was afraid I was going to get arrested for having affiliated with the b****y black bandit, but instead he had me tell him about my run in with the bandit. I told him about the first run in at the bar, and how he chased and grabbed me.

But I left out how he bought me a whiskey. I didn't want to get arrested for being nice. And I didn't want to relive the trauma of having a g*n pointed at my head. So, I left the second bar encounter out.

As the sheriff left, I relocked my door and sat back down. I picked up my book, and stared at my favorite picture. It had a dark cloudy sky, with a few stars peeking through. The land was brown and dusty, with lots of cactuses and a few tumbleweeds. The moon was a dark grey, but cast everything into a pale grey light.

I stared at the picture, wondering if I would ever see something so beautiful. Time began to melt away as I daydreamed about being a place so amazing. But I was snapped out of my trance when I heard glass shatter. I looked out a window and saw the sun rising in the distance. Time really got away from me.

Then I heard metal plated boots running across my floor. I got up in an instant, ran to the door, and unlocked it. I had my first foot out the door when a strong hand grabbed my shoulder. Something cold got pressed up against the opposite side of me, right on my temple. Then I saw the sheriff run and stop when he saw me.

"Now, now, son, don't do nothin' you'll regret," he said. His voice was full of fear.

I started shaking, and my knees felt weak. The hand on my shoulder tightened, but not in a controlling way. Almost soothing. Why, though?

"You're going to get my horse, and bring me to the bank. Or, this woman dies," said a familiar voice.

No doubt about it, this was the black bandit. Why did the one time he speak up be when he was threatening my life?

I looked around for the cowboys, but I realized what time it was. Early. They'd be watching over and herding cattle. Not trying to help me!

The sheriff brought around the white horse, and he directed the bandit to the bank. The bandit kept his hand on my shoulder as he led me to the horse. As we passed the sheriff, I heard two gunshots.

The bandit caught me before I collapsed to the ground. There was pain tearing through my arm and leg. My vision became blurry. I could feel tears rush down my cheeks, and it hurt to keep my eyes open.

I heard more gunshots, but it sounded like they hit the ground. I closed my eyes, and let sleep overtake me. Again, I could only think I don't want to die in the arms of the b****y black bandit. Please god, I don't want to die.