Benny, Leo and Johnny's Adventures of Short Stories

Return to the West Part 2
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Our heroes had been following their guide, Desert Tree, up to the gusty, hot and dry mountains through the sizzling and sweating afternoon. Throughout the entire trip, the heroes begin to wonder what kind of other crimes have they committed other than stealing gold. The mayor never mentioned that the Daisy Trio has other bounties on their head, but as far as the citizens' are concerned, stealing the hope that brought the town in prosperity is the worst crime of all.

All of the sudden, the baboon stopped.

"This is as far as I dare go," Desert Tree spoke. "You may go further on top at your own risk."

"Thank you," Ben said.

The heroes took a few more steps until suddenly, a dust devil came at them, blinding them. The dust devil only lasted a few minutes, starting to finally fade out. As the heroes regained their sight, they've noticed that they have reached to the top of the mountain and Desert Tree is nowhere in sight. Before they get to wonder where Desert Tree is, there are gunshots. The Daisy Trio's gunshots.

"It's an ambush!" Johnny shouted.

"Take cover!" Ben shouted.

The Daisy Trio--April Rose, Debbie June, and Sunny Dusk--revealed themselves, firing their guns at the heroes behind the mountain rocks. Shortly after they taken cover, the Trio stopped firing.

"Did Draken send you?" Sunny Dusk asked.

"Or are you after us to collect your bounty?" Debbie June asked.

"Tell us or you're buzzard food!" April Rose exclaimed.

One by one, Leonardo, Johnny, Rhea and Ben come out behind the rocks, then they put their guns on the ground.

"We have been sent by Nathaniel Draken, that's true," Ben explained. "You are stealing the town's gold and we came here to know why. Why are you doing this?"

The Trio put down their guns as well, climbed down and came in front of the heroes.

"Wait a minute," spoke Sunny Dusk. "That's the only reason you came up here to face us? To ask why?"

"You mean you're not here to arrest us or kill us ?" Debbie June asked.

"Kill you?" Leonardo asked. "Why would we want to kill you? Unless--?"

"I don't think your uncle is telling us the real reason why those girls are stealing," said Rhea Sue.

"Did any of Draken's men come up here before we did?" Johnny asked.

"They did," said April Rose. "We didn't kill them, but we sure taught them a lesson for creating a conspiracy."

"Conspiracy?" Johnny asked.

"Follow us and we'll show you what we mean," said Sunny Dusk.

The heroes and the Trio went inside the cave where they see massive piles of gold on each corner. But they noticed something funny and odd about the gold. As they get closer to investigate, they each saw a small trail of golden yellow paint and small amounts of pyrite, commonly known as fool's gold.

"So that's it, then," Leonardo spoke. "Draken has fooled us. He fooled everyone at Coyote Falls, thinking that the town is rich with gold. Once they found out, all the citizens will be bankrupt!"

"Coyote Falls is our hometown until the financial crisis," said Debbie June. "When Nathaniel Draken came to town and dug up the gold, everyone has gained their lives back. But the three of us found out his tricks--placing the painted rocks and pyrite underground to he would gain the town's trust and became mayor."

"We were about to expose his plans," said April Rose. "But he decided to have us arrested on the spot, until we escaped and we later formed the trio so we can give the town a hint that Draken is fooling us all."

There lay a moment of silence, for the heroes finally learned why Draken would do such a deed--to receive fame and to lose his status as a criminal for personal gain.

"There is one way to settle this once and for all," Leonardo finally spoke. "A showdown."

"A showdown?!" Sunny Dusk gasped. "But there's a chance that you'll get killed!"

"All of us on a showdown to reveal who he really is and to end his charade. I know it sounds risky, but we got to try. Who's with me on this?"

Everyone went through another moment of silence, looking at each other until they have reached a decision.

Night has fallen back at Coyote Falls. A messenger burst into Draken's office and delivered the letter that came from both the heroes and the Daisy Trio, challenging him to a showdown tomorrow at high noon.

"It's time to end this, nephew," Draken muttered angrily, crushing his quill pen into pieces.
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To Be Continued...