...As Far as She Can!

There was no time to plan. She needed that bomb gone. Away from the train, and away from her. With a bit of a prayer, she wound her arm up, and threw it with all her might, deeper into the canyon. Tex was no shot-putter, but she managed to put some distance between her and that deadly bundle. The bomb clattered about, settling on the stones a ways away from them. Not knowing when it would blow, Tex got down to the ground and covered her head.

BOOOOOOOOOOMMM!!!

The canyon shook from the violent concussive blast, and the bridge swayed under the blast wave. Timbers creaked, and rocks clattered from all around them. However, everything had stayed intact.

Tex was a bit less lucky. A few stones had blasted her, bruising her and otherwise knocking the wind out of her. As she tried to get back up, she found herself looking at a leather boot. Marian had closed the distance, a bruise on her head from a rock of her own. Growling, she grabbed the sheriff by the shirt and lifted her face to face with her.

“Damn it all, Sheriff. Now look what you made me do. I just assaulted a lady of the law.” She growled, breath leaving condensation on her face. “It was supposed to be simple. Train departs, an unfortunate accident derails the back few cars, which just so happen to have a gold shipment in one of them. They fix the rails, recover the bars. A few go missing, no hard feelings. Just enough for a poor kitty to increase her standard of living a bit. And sheriff Texas Stanton is none the wiser. And Marian Ames is three counties over and no longer living off canned crap!” She threw Tex to the ground, knocking the wind out of her.

“Now you saw me bein’ a bit naughty, so I have to get rid of ya. Why’d you follow me? I had no hard feelings for ya.” The angry lion almost seemed… regretful.

“Because crime is crime…” the sheriff winced, before trying to get to her feet. She noticed her revolver, still where she left it, and now within her grasp. “And how can a poor gal like you get a horse and carriage, huh? Or all this dynamite? You’re a rotten liar on top of being a rotten thief.”

Marian spat to the side. “How else? Metalworkers need metal. And metal is in mines. Mines use dynamite…” She growled. “Ok, fine! I stole them. But once I had those bars, I could’ve retired from crime… for awhile, at least.” She took a step forward again. “I wasn’t after you or Gold Springs. I just wanted that damn gold!” Her fingers wrung the air a bit.

“Crime doesn’t pay. The only bars you’ll be getting are cell bars!” Tex drew her revolver from behind her!

But Marian was quicker! She grabbed the sheriff’s wrist and squeezed. With a yelp, she was **** to let it go. Snickering, she gave her a gut punch as well, stunning her. She wheezed a bit, vision blurring, as Marian picked up her gun, and lasso. She tucked the gun away in her bandoleer and bound Tex’s wrists behind her, before sticking her head into Tex’s armpit. With a grunt, she lifted the sheriff up, fireman-style, and started to walk out of the canyon with her.

Tex squirmed in her grasp, rubbing her wrists to try and break free. “Put me down! In the name of the law, I order you!” But her struggles were hopeless. She grunted, until she saw what they were headed for: An outhouse. “Ngh. What are ya doing?”

“Putting the outhouse to good use…” She grunted, heading inside with her prisoner. “now, in… you… go!” She threw Tex against the back wall. She landed on the seat, out of breath. Already the air was starting to smell. Putting a boot to her stomach to pin her against the wall, Marian pulled a few remaining sticks of dynamite from her bandoleer, tying them together in front of her. With a snicker, she slid a long fuse beneath the sheriff’s breasts, before connecting it to her bundle.

“Ngh! What? Gonna try ta blow me up again?” Tex growled, blushing as the larger woman got uncomfortably close to her chest. Her rogues gallery had their tropes, but this girl was being cliché even by wild west standards.

“Kinda.” She wagged the bomb in front of her, before dropping it between the sheriff’s legs, landing in the foul water with a plop. “Ya see, you saw too much, and I need ya gone. But this way, it’ll be even harder to ID ya… plus it’s nasty.” She snickered. “You ticked me off, what can I say?”

“You… you won’t get away with this!” Tex grunted and struggled greatly.

Marian in kind took the rest of her lasso and bound her arms to the fume pipe of the latrine. “We’ll see, darling. Enjoy being one with the filth.” The fat lion finally removed her boot. “Now I’m late for a train.” she threaded the long fuse through the moon-shaped window of the outhouse, before stepping outside.

Tex heard the sound of wood against wood. No doubt Marian was jamming the door. Intending to keep her in there until the end. A few seconds later, she heard the hissing of a fuse, and a sparkling flame entered through the window, and began burning towards her, and fast. “Marian, let me outta here!” She yelled out. She got no reply, naturally.

Now all alone, trapped in a latrine, with the world’s biggest stink bomb mere feet below her, she needed to think. Every second, that fuse burned closer to her bust, and closer to the payload below. Escaping without a time constraint was worry enough, but seconds mattered here. The bomb came first, and she had to stop it. That flame got closer to her face.