Jump!

“Nowhere to run now, Tex!!” Georgia roared, swinging the shovel as hard as she could in a powerful sideways strike. Texas tensed her muscles and grit her teeth, knowing that the timing would have to be perfect, then leapt upwards and grabbed the small handle on the underside of the hatch, pulling her feet up just in time for the shovel to swish past underneath. Georgia snarled with rage and pulled back for another blow, but Texas landed a two-foot kick right square on the mare’s nose, sending her stumbling back and yelping with pain. Quick as a flash, Texas pushed open the hatch and clambered out onto the roof.

Texas’s boots clanged on the black metal of the locomotive roof, smoke stinging her eyes as it billowed from the chimney, and wind whipping all around her. She was without her gun, which was probably in Georgia’s fat hands right now, outmatched in strength, so there was only one thing for it. She’d just have to rely on her wits and cunning.

Down below, Georgia growled and scooped up Texas’s revolver, throwing her shovel aside. Raw strength was nice, but not even a slippery weasel like Texas could dodge a bullet. Stomping back out the locomotive’s door, the mare grabbed onto a black metal ladder and began to climb, making sure to pull herself up gun-first just in case the weasel tried to ambush her. But all Georgia was met with was smoke and wind, and not a single trace of the weasel. Up here, the smoke from the chimney enveloped everything, making it almost impossible to see, and giving the weasel all the cover she could hope for. But there were only so many places she could hide up here…

Squinting against the smoke and trying to cover her eyes with her arm as best she could, Georgia peered around, and saw exactly what she was hoping to: Up behind the chimney, she could just see the very edge of Texas’s jacket sticking out of her hiding spot and flapping in the wind. With a grin, the mare advanced.

“You’re tenacious, Tex… Frustratingly so…” She said loudly as she began to step forward. Texas hadn’t moved yet. She didn’t know Georgia was onto her. “But you’re always gonna lose, cause o’ one detail… You’re dumber than a sack of bricks.” She grinned, pulling the hammer back on the revolver as she reached the chimney. “You lose, Tex!” She shouted, quickly rounding the chimney and aiming her gun…

at the empty jacket hanging off a large metal bolt.

Texas, jacketless, hauled herself up over the edge of the roof, where she had been clinging on since she heard Georgia ascending the ladder, and kicked the gun from the mare’s hand as she tried to whip around. The revolver spun through the air, gleaming, and sailed straight over the edge of the train car. In a split second it was gone, lost to the desert sands as the train roared onwards, but Tex would have to worry about that later. For now, she had a beatdown to deliver.

Her fist smashed into the mare’s belly, doubling her over, enabling a quick uppercut to follow. Georgia stumbled back, teetering on the edge of the roof, but quickly regaining her balance just in time to block Texas’s next blow and counter with a vicious kick. The weasel sheriff leapt back, avoiding it and putting some distance between them, but having lost the element of surprise, she would have to fight smart. Georgia had taken some hits, winding her, and Texas could press that advantage and keep the mare on the back foot if she kept attacking. Or she could play it safe, back off and let Georgia tire herself out, but she’d be backing away from the chimney in that case, leaving her with more smoke in her eyes. Whatever she did though, she’d need to do it fast, as Georgia wasn’t going to wait for her.