Two Shots


"You meet me outside right now and bring your pistol. How dare you bring a whore with a a face worth 10 cents of dog food to my mother's funeral?"

"Well, your mother was a whore. I figure it would be fitting to show this young lady what she could be," Clay Montana said in his southern drawl.

Clay had no respect for anyone. He had made his money on his family's plantation. When slave labor was outlawed, he moved west. Here, he became a wealthy land baron. Luck was always on his side. Pettiness was the only thing that drove him forward. He would rather make six dollars stomping on baby legs, than make one hundred for an honest days work. He showed up at this funeral to make sure a woman he had courted years ago was truly dead.

What he didn't know is that her son was William Mad Dog Cooper II. His father had been an outlaw. His mother fell in love with him while treating his wounds. He stayed gone most of the time, but he always came home to the woman and child he loved. Bring them some money, and gifts. Stay a few days, teach his son to be an outlaw. Tell him never be one then leave. William didn't become an outlaw like his father. But, he had his father's bad temper and he was always willing to punch above his weight class.

Clay stepped outside holding the wad of money in his hand. He had been challenged to dozens of duels. He would throw a wad of money on the ground. William would pick it up as every man before him did. There would be no duel, and clay would go on his way. This time he stepped outside and felt the bullet rip through his shoulder. His fancy white suit now covered in his own blood. Clay didn't fall right away. He was too shocked that anyone would shoot him.

Clay drew his gun and aimed at William. Another shot penetrated his brain before he could react. William would step over Clay's body and go back to mourning his mother. When asked why he shot Clay he would simply state he thought Clay was reaching for a gun, and he feared for his life. Nobody pressed the issue. Everyone thought Clay was an asshole.