The scorching evening sun slowly made its way across the sky as Cassidy rode down the empty dirt road. She squinted her eyes against that blasted sun, trying to see through its rays so she didn't wind up riding face first into a cactus.
Why did he have to insist on a place so far from everything?
When she'd stumbled upon Heath that night at the bar, both of them drinking their feelings away, it all sounded so magical. He'd gotten enough money farm-handing to buy out some mangled old war fort near Crimson Gulch. She remembered it as if it were yesterday.
He'd wanted to start up a band of mercenaries and asked her to join. He was one of the only people she'd met who didn't care about her blood. She figured that's what made her say yes, or maybe it was all the booze.
In all the time that'd passed, not only did they never find anyone else worth a damn to join. They'd gone from petty mercenary gigs that didn't pay worth a dime, to scamming and stealing from folks.
She didn't care much about doing the latter, but she knew deep down it ate away at Heath even if he'd never tell her.
Their run-down hideout came into view a few miles out. She rode past a tall batch of silver spike cacti and snapped the snake's reins, urging it to hurry up. Bandits around these parts would hide behind anything, especially human-sized cacti.
She placed a hand over her eyes and looked up at the sky, noting the sun's position. If she didn't hurry, bandits would be the least of her worries if she didn't make it to the fort before dusk fell.
Luckily, she managed to reach the fort's reinforced stone walls before the sun finished setting behind the mountains. The arid heat of the desert slowly gave way to a chill breeze that would nip at your nose before long. She unfurled her legs from atop her new scaled companion and hopped down to the ground.
The fireflies began their nightly duties of lighting the world as the sun rested. She often had to swat them when they came too close to her. She remembered the stories her mother used to say about them.
'Fireflies often trailed fae of prominence; they could sense one's worth and heart.'
Cassidy was about ninety percent sure they just mistook her glowing orange eyes for two other fireflies. She waved a hand in front of her face as she walked up to the gate of the fort. Reaching into her pocket to fetch the gate key, she heard the soft hiss of her escape companion from behind her.
She looked to the ground and sighed before turning around to look the snake in its beady, lidless eyes.
"Go on, get outta here!" She pointed down the dirt road that extended past the fort for at least twenty miles. The white scaled snake just looked at her and flicked its tongue towards the fort. She figured it also knew the dangers of wandering around at night. Smart beast, she thought.
"Shoo shoo", she cried out as she waved her hand in a dismissive motion.
Still, the snake just stared at her, blank black eyes that peered deep into her soul.
She guessed it would be rather helpful to have some means of transportation besides Heath's auto-wagon. 'That damn thing breaks down about twice a week anyway. '
She knew it was stupid to let it stay, but she was tired, it was getting dark, and she wasn't about to get into a fight with some stubborn python. She turned back and yanked her key out of her jean pocket.
"Fine, y'wanna stay here? Fine, but don't expect me to walk you".
The rickety mechanical gate turned and sputtered to life as it pulled to the side. The moment the gate locked into its open position, the snake bolted inside like a cave bat running from daylight.
She strode into the fort and pulled the gate lever on the inside of the wall without looking at it. With the slow meandering grace of a sidewinder, she walked for the singular dark wood building in the center of the fort.
She watched a snake curl up in a corner of the fort near where the building almost touched the wall. Most valley snakes in the wild were mountain-dwelling creatures. They enjoyed wedging themselves between rocks and crevices. She figured 'Maybe he's homesick or something. '
Cassidy opened the door to the old building. The familiar creak of the door's rusty hinges, and the stale smell of her quarters calmed her senses. She never had to worry about mercenaries or hangings around here.
Hell, she figured if someone did pass their fort, they'd probably figure the piece of shit was long abandoned. She plopped down on her rock-hard mattress and began taking off her boots. Even though riding on the snake had let her rest a bit, her feet still ached like she'd stepped on hot glass.
She threw her legs up onto the bed and lay there, only her thoughts to keep her company. Naturally, her mind drifted. She'd used focusing on 'getting home' as an excuse to not think about Heath.
Now that she lay at home without Heath, she couldn't help but wonder where he was. She felt fear and worry begin to creep in from the dark recesses of her mind.
'What if he got found out in the town and hanged?'
'What if that damn auto-wagon broke down and he's stranded out there?'
'What if-What if...'
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