It was time for Mr. Desert Ranger to earn his pay.
His eyes narrowed in anger as he saw a rock the size of his fist fly from the crowd towards the poor girl. In what seemed to be a teleport, Vash closed the distance between him and the girl and caught it mere inches from her face.
There was gasps of shock and outrage from the assembled crowd which Vash ignored as he flipped his knife out of his jacket. Lifting the blade, he slowly turned to Rogue and looked the girl in the eyes. It was obvious that she feared that he would use it on her. That fear was banished when he used it to cut through the ancient nylon ropes holding her in place.
“How dare you!” exclaimed a rather simian looking man dressed in a homespun parody of a SS uniform who was hefting a grungy and poorly cared for AK47 as if it gave him the power of god himself. Two more men armed with other poorly maintained firearms, in similar but less elaborate “uniforms” rushed to their leader’s side.
Without a word Vash turned to acknowledge the challenge.
“Why are you doin’ this?” asked a Rogue in bewildered, southern accented tone. “You’re gonna get yourself killed!”
Vash lifted his left hand upwards signaling her to shush. Once he was sure she understood, he lowered his arm and looked at the enemy before him. He slowly lowered his right hand to hi and drew his revolver, and pointed it at the attackers. With a look of steady determination on his face, he pulled the trigger…
*Click*
Vash blinked and did so again…
*Click*
And again and again…
*Click* *Click*
*Click*
*Click*
Vash used him thumb to push the break open lever on the pistol.
No bullets.
“Ah, shit...” muttered Vash.
“DIE INFERIOR!” exclaimed the leader in rage, opening fire with his AK. His followers quickly following suit.
“You could really hurt someone with those things!” exclaimed Vash as he managed to dodge every single shot, dancing around the square, and looking like a total idiot.
Taking cover behind the stake, Rogue muttered, “You have got to be kidding me... This guys crazy!”
The three guards quickly ran dry of bullets and paused to reload. Vash took that as an opportunity to kick two logs into the lackeys knocking them out In a blur he drew a 9mm automatic and had it pointed at the leader’s face, giving him a nice view of the berrel. In a stone cold voice, he said, “This one isn’t empty. Drop the rifle”
The leader did so, and stepped back. “Don’t think you’ve won... You and the freak will not get out of here alive...”
Rogue blinked in surprise, and pale young lady huddled slowly stepping out from behind the post. She slowly and unsurely walked up to Vash, as if this just couldn’t be real.
“Why?” she asked. “Why did you rescue me? I don’t have anything.”
Vash looked over to her and smiled. It was an honest smile that reflected his deep concern for his fellow man. “Because...” He looked over to the leader, “And I want you to repear after me...”
The brutish neo-nazi gulped. “Oh... Okay...”
Vash smiled and nodded to Rogue “I helped you because this world is made of...” He looked back to the head of the guard. “Say it...”
“This world is made of...” whimpered the guard.
“LOVE AND PEACE!” exclaimed Vash.
Rogue blinked again. “What the...” She froze mid sentence as she looked to the side. “Mister, we got a problem...”
Vash looked to the side. There were about a dozen men in the same stupid knock-off nazi uniforms. “Well,” he muttered, “You might be onto something!”
Vash looked back to the guard and smiled wickedly. The guards eyes pressed shut as Vash pull the trigger.
*SQUIRT!*SQUIRT*SQUIRT*
Vash grinned, swept Rogue off her feat, and ran like hell for the gates. Behind him the town’s “fearless” leader screamed “Kill them both!” In a flash of action not really worth describing, Vash was out of the town, Rogue in arms, and back out into the wastes. After a few minutes of running like a bat outta hell, Vash stopped and placed Rogue down next to his car, panting like he’d just run from a bunch of crazed neo-nazis.
“Are you okay?” he asked between breaths.
Rogue blinked, looked at him, then looked back at the town. “What was that?”
Vash blinked. “What was what?”
“What was that back there, darlin’?”
“Oh, the rescue?”
Rogue nodded. “Could of taken it a bit more seriously.”
Vash shrugged. “Ah, it was no biggie...”
“Maybe for you, I almost had a heart attack a couple of times,“ Rogue looked down and sighed. “For a moment it looked like I was gonna go right back on the stake and all you’d done was give me some false hope.”
Vash winced. “I’m sorry about that... I just forgot to get bullets in the last town!”
Rogue chucked slightly. “Thank you for saving my life… I never got you name.” Vash smiled. “I am but a simple traveler, a lover of peace who chases the mayfly known as love, but you can call me ‘Vash the Stampede’.”
Rogue gawked in surprise. “As in THE Vash the Stampede?!”
“Yep! That’s me!”
In response to Rogue…
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(Posted Tue, 03 Jun 2003 10:04)
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