Just when they were about to leave the narrow alleyway, Billy left his hiding spot, turning to face them directly, much to the complete surprise and shock as the two screamed at the top of their lungs, stumbling backwards and falling to the ground, making the once serious cowboy burst into laughter from this comical reaction of theirs.
"AHH! STALKER!" Cinder squealed with wide eyes upon seeing this person showing up unexpectedly out of nowhere, embracing her dumbstruck friend's arm tightly while pointing at the supposed creep that was following them. "THE STRANGER IS FOLLOWING US! THE STRANGER IS FOLLOWING US!" The poor princess panicked, thinking they were going to be kidnapped and taken away.
Seth, however, stared in confusion at him as he stood up. "You were following us?" He asked, while the princess was still screaming hysterically about their impending doom, "Why?" His simple question caused Billy to raise an eyebrow.
She stopped after realizing who it was, retreating from her hug of death while coughing her throat. "Oh, its you..." Her expression completely changed from fearful to contempt upon seeing the jerk once again as she folded her arms in show of spite. "Of course, why do I not expect of you to stalk us like this?" Shaking her head, she let out an exasperated sigh of frustration.
Rolling his eyes, the sharpshooter answered his question, "I was curious, that's all," he stated bluntly to the nerd while keeping his poker face, "now that we are already acquainted, there ain't no point in hiding, is there?" Billy explained it in a quick summary of his intention of tailing them for a good while.
Looking back at his side for answers from the princess, Cinder groaned in annoyance while dragging her palm across her face. "Then why didn't you just come with us instead of being creepy?" She questioned Billy in an accusatory tone, "Were you really that afraid of making friends that you had to resort to spying on people, Mister Lone Ranger?" Adding salt to the wound
For a moment, Billy's face contorted into an angry snarl before replying with a growl, "I was being curious." The cowboy defended himself as Seth could tell his bully wasn't lying for reasons unknown to him: "That's all I'm doing." His excuse seemed genuine: "And I needed a way to find the exit of that castle, so I was just using you for the time being." Billy confessed to them his ulterior motive of tagging along: "Now that my mission is accomplished, there's no reason for me to follow either of you," turning around to walk away. "Besides, I have no reason to talk to the likes of you," waving his hand dismissively in a clear sign of distaste.
Scoffing at his arrogance, Cinder didn't like his attitude whatsoever: "You're nothing but a stubborn and heartless jerk." She commented on him with an irritated glare, "With your ugly and stupid-looking hat," pointing out Billy's getup while Seth is simply awkward in this situation.
Ignoring her, he was more than ready to start leaving, only to be stopped by Seth, who was preventing him from proceeding further. "Wait..." He called out, earning the cowboy's attention, "Would you like to hang out with us?" Seth proposed in his best attempt to befriend this tough individual.
The princess was bewildered by this offer and didn't agree with her friend. "Are you serious?" Cinder stared at him incredulously. "How could you allow a jerk like him to tag along with us? He insulted you and me yesterday."She protested in complete outrage.
Turning around to glance behind with his usual stoic expression, Billy narrowed his eyes at him and asked, "Are you serious?" Skeptical of Seth's idea of hanging out together before scoffing mockingly, "Look, I don't want to associate myself with some prissy spoiled princess and geek that'll just hold me back in life." He uttered those words harshly in reply: "It's best for you to leave me alone." But the response didn't change his mind about befriending someone like him.
On one hand, the princess sees the cowboy as an arrogant jackass who picks on people who he doesn't like while acting like a prick. On the other hand, he sees potential in him for becoming friends despite the harsh treatment he has received from people throughout his life.
"I want to understand you, Billy." He began with a stern and soft voice, catching his full attention. "If your reasoning for avoiding people is because you think they are a liability..." The princess listens to this in quiet astonishment: "Then please consider me to be useful for you." Seth pleaded with him in a gentle tone, "Because I will prove you wrong that I can become your friend that you can count on." The determination within his words was filled with honesty that neither of them had ever heard from him.
Listening closely to the words he speaks, the delinquent paused for a moment, looking down at his own feet with deep contemplation of the choice he is going to make, blankly staring before lifting his head up to look at them. "Fine," sighing heavily with exasperation, "I'll come with you; I wouldn't want to lose track of you or anything." Admitting nonchalantly to this.
Her mouth gaped as she glanced between the two boys. "What? Really? You will!?" She couldn't believe her ears. "Why did you change your mind so quickly like that?" The girl asked with disbelief towards him, "And don't lie or pull jokes on me, you big bully!" shooting an accusing glare at the blue-shirted boy.
Billy shrugged carelessly at her concerns, "Because this idiot here managed to convince me." The word rolled off his tongue casually as he tipped his hat in regard to Seth. "I'm giving you one chance to show me your worth, kid," his gaze fixated solely on Seth as he went on to explain further, "if not..."
Taking a few steps closer to the boy, the sharpshooter leaned forward until they were almost face-to-face. "My little friend here would have to remind your place." Bringing out the revolver to spin it around with his index finger while grinning at Seth, whose eyes widened upon hearing what he implied.
Obviously, the cowboy wasn't planning to kill him. He is simply using it as a bluff to intimidate Seth into submission, just as a test to see if the weakling is still worthy of being considered his comrade or not. "Do we have a deal or not, nerd?" Billy asked while offering him his free hand out in a gesture of goodwill.
Deep down, he was scared of the threat. Having been used to living in a post-apocalyptic world and experiencing hell firsthand for the longest time, he could recognize the danger when it was shown right before him. Yet despite being anxious, he chose to stare straight back at him rather than backing down.
"Deal," shaking his hand firmly, his new friend smirked in satisfaction at seeing the starting progress in not only their friendship but also becoming less of a wimp as their hands were then released afterwards. "Just don't hit or hurt either of us," Seth added in a reminder for the jerk to not cause any trouble for him and her.
Smiling back at his supposed friend, Billy replied, "Ha!" Snorting with disbelief, he scratched the back of his head with his free hand while muttering in a more cheerful tone, "I guess you aren't that much of a coward." His demeanor is becoming more relaxed compared to earlier: "But I won't hesitate to remind you if your antics starts to piss me off again."
Wiping the sweat on his forehead with a sleeve, Seth smiled for giving him a chance to build trust with somebody who was previously a stranger—a rude one, that is. Glancing to his side, he noticed Cinder's conflicted expression about accepting the jerk with her.
"Alright," Billy spun around, "were we going?" Asking them before walking away in the direction of the city's busy marketplace, where the sounds of crowds and sellers filled the area, forcing the two to follow him at his opposite side, "So far, there's nothing interesting here," he noted that none of the merchants or the locals seem to be doing anything else aside from what they normally do.
All shops were nearly packed with customers who were purchasing goods to keep themselves healthy or selling at their stores, which ranged from bread to vegetables to fish, depending on what they're selling. There are also people in lines buying products like milk or eggs depending on what they need to purchase, while others are buying fruit or clothing.
To them, this city appears lively, as if it hasn't fallen under the siege of being attacked constantly by monsters outside its walls. Everyone who passed by was usually friendly or minding their own business in order to make ends meet.
"Hey...um...Benny?" Misinterpreting his name, the gunslinger sighed irritably from this, resulting in Seth being flustered by this mistake before correcting himself, "Billy the Kid..." Nodding politely with a smile of apology for the minor error, "What was your life like?" He inquired innocently, curious about the outlaw.
"Just call me Billy," I corrected him again before responding with a shrug. "Anyways, where do I begin?" Thinking deeply for a second before deciding what to tell these newcomers, "I suppose it all started when my mother died after unfortunate circumstances that led me into becoming an infamous outlaw," he said nonchalantly without emotion. "Ever since then, I have been wandering to rob wealthy folks to get by for food and supplies."
Cinder softened her expression from this, feeling sympathy for Billy since she has lost her mother too. She finds their situations similar but doesn't comment on them since it's not her place to interfere in this conversation because of her indifferent opinion of the blue-shirt boy himself.
"Oh..." He murmured with remorse as Seth could relate to the loss of a loved one, seeing how the very person who was rude to him also had some common traits with the princess: "Sorry to hear that." The boy apologized before asking another question, "What about your world?" Although he already guessed this, he wanted to confirm his suspicions.
Raising an eyebrow towards him, "There is nothing fancy about my world other than a bunch of loose outlaws and crazy hicks that take advantage of the law to do whatever they want," he revealed it to them. "That's all there is to it," not giving any hint of regret towards his life decisions that led him here. "And since I am an outlaw, there's no reason to dwell on it more," the cowboy muttered.
He wanted to ask more, but seeing it as rude or greedy in trying to get more information on his companion, he remained silent until they arrived at the plaza, finding many people sitting on benches or on blankets as they ate food. There are some performing street magic for a few onlookers, including children who are fascinated by this trickery.
The trio were looking around, examining the surrounding area with growing curiosity in their faces, before a white-skinned, large, imposing fat-bald man with an enormous belly that was protruding outwards like a swollen pig pushed Seth aside, bumping shoulders roughly against the boy, who stumbled to the ground and fell onto the pavement with a loud thud, causing his friends to gasp in shock at this rudeness of this action.
"Hey!" The princess called out at the person who was walking away at a hurried pace, "Hey! I'm talking to you!" Calling out the attention of the person who was holding a wooden beer mug in his right hand as he turned angrily towards the girl.
Revealing his clothing to be a dirty orange coat with a yellow cravat over a white undershirt and brown pants as he glared daggers at this particular insolent child who dared to grab his attention, his bloodshot eyes began to bulge out from his red face as veins throbbed against flesh with boiling fury.
"What'dda you say?" A drunken voice roared angrily at her with a large volume of intensity that caused many of the crowd to stop and stare in discomfort at them, approaching the girl with each loud step as Billy went over to help Seth up from the floor.
Before she had the chance to say anything, Cinder was immediately punched in the face at blinding speed, sending her flying into the air before collapsing unconscious onto concrete with a bleeding lip and nose as blood dripped onto the floor beneath her head.
Everyone who witnessed the incident was utterly horrified; none of them made a move or even helped her when many didn't want to get involved in this fight nor risk getting caught in crossfire as the drunken man moved and looked down at her, picking the hair with his fingers.
"Answer me when I'm talking to you, you bloody brat!" Snarling through clenched teeth while grabbing hold of her blonde locks tightly, "maybe this will teach you not to disrespect me!" He yelled as he threw her onto the ground effortlessly, hitting her backside against the concrete.
Seth cried out in sadness as he dropped his knees onto the floor, covering his entire face with his own hands out of shame for failing to protect her despite knowing there's nothing he can do against this man that could easily overpower them.
"That'll teach you!" Laughing and smirking in a sadistic manner of being satisfied from teaching a lesson to some random kid who pissed him off by simply existing, "Never mess with adults or else you'll end up like that wench, brats like you will always lose!" Gesturing towards her beaten body with a mocking chuckle
Unsheathing his revolver, Billy narrowed his eyes, glaring intensely at the man in disgust before stepping behind him and saying, "You just signed your death warrant," growling menacingly as he pressed the barrel against his head, cocking back his hammer with his thumb as the sound of audible click instantly garnered the man's attention.
"Wha—"
