A job like every other

I ended up having a meal and another beer before finally heading off to the room I now had been able to rent, without any companions, just to make that clear.

The room was simple. A bed with starched sheets, a desk with a chair, a small oven for heating the room during the winter season and a small wardrobe.

Since the only clothes I owned at the time were the ones I had on me, the wardrobe was kind of useless, but I liked the opportunity to store things I would end up buying once.

Alcohol and the exhaustion of the day quickly guided me into a restless sleep. More than once I woke up because I simply continued dying in my sleep. Killed by a giant scorpion, beheaded by a jealous king, eaten alive by different  animals I had never seen so far nor would have expected them to be dangerous, betrayed by my best friend and hanged.

By the end of this night I felt more exhausted than before, but it couldn’t be helped. I had been told to meet the sheriff at dawn and the sky outside of the window already started to color into the blueish grey that always announced the suns arrival at the firmament.

My window was facing towards the main road and as I opened it, I had a clear view of the whole town.

The air was still slightly chilly and helped me to awaken my mind. I took a deep breath and sighed.

“One could almost think that this time they prepared a peaceful life for me.”, I mumbled to myself.

I left the window and closed it before putting on my shoes again, which I, just like the hat, had taken off for sleep.

Before I left my room I grabbed said hat and then locked the door behind me.

The innkeeper had been still awake when I had left for sleep and now awaited me at his old place behind the counter.

“Mornin’”, he said.

“Good morning.”, I replied politely. “You’ve got something for me to start the day with?”

I placed some of the left money from yesterday on the counter. He nodded shortly and left through a door to the right which probably leaded to the kitchen. He returned with a plate filled with some bread and dried meat, all in all of decent look and a steaming cup of something that was either coffee or very liquid tar.

The bread seemed to be a little old, which the innkeeper had tried to hide by roasting it. There was something off about its taste but I ate it anyways. I had a feeling that I would need every bit of energy during the day.

After I had finished my breakfast I headed off to the jail where I was expecting the sheriff’s office. Usually in such places they had two or three cells and the people who had to be locked up for a longer time would get transferred to the real state prisons.

I knocked at the front door and then entered.

The office was directly behind said entrance and next to it I saw the expected two cells which were empty at the moment.

The sheriff was sitting on a wooden chair, his feet on the desk, and pointed with a revolver to a wall somewhere towards the wall. He took his feet off the desk as he saw me entering.

“Reporting for duty.”, I saluted him,

“You are on time. Good. I had expected you to drink all night long with the money I gave you.”

“It had  been a long day. Also you told me to be here by dawn.”

“Well, yes, I did. Indeed. And yet I am surprised you actually made it.”

I took this remark less as a personal offense than a thing he had expected due to his experiences with the former deputy.

“Anyways. What are my tasks?”, I asked.

“Well you have to secure the law and protect the good people of this town, of course. To do so you need to be good at shooting and horse riding, mainly. You also should be able to protect yourself without any weapons, if needed. Come with me.”

I followed him as he left the building and headed off to the store.

He entered the store and looked around. Behind the counter stood a slender woman with red hair who was wearing a long light blue dress.

“Good morning, Sheriff Deryck!”, she greeted him and then looked at me.

“Good morning, Elisabeth!”

Sheriff Deryck looked back at me and slightly moved his head towards her. It took a second until I understood what he expected from me. Apparently, she hadn’t been present last night, so there was no way she would know me already.

“Shota Nakamori. Nice to meet you. I’m the new deputy.”, I introduced myseld while shaking her hand.

“Such an exotic name.”, she said. “Where are you from?”

“Ashborn.”, I replied shortly.

“Good people down there, I heard.”

The three of us nodded silently for a moment, acknowledging yet another time, that Ashborn seemed to be heaven on earth, as she shifted her attention back to the sheriff.

“What brings you here?”, she asked.

“Could your husband obtain what I had asked him to?”

“New ammunition and a Baker & West no. 1? Yes. He told me he had already gotten it somewhere. But where did he put it….”, she started to search the area around the counter before then excusing herself and heading down to the basement.

I looked at the sheriff, forming a question with my eyes. He looked back at me.

“The best weapon you can get out here. Never had any issues with it. They have quite a bit of personality, if you know what I mean, but after you get used to it.... just great.”

I nodded like I understood what he meant, while actually thinking about what he means with ‘personality’ in a weapon.

Elisabeth returned with a neatly packed box in her hands and a revolver lying at the top of it.

“Here it is.”, she said with a smile on her face.

“Thank you. Where is Frank by the way?”

“He should return soon. He said he was heading off to make some errands but was expecting to return before noon.”

She turned to check some receipts in a small box, took it out of it and started checking if everything was complete.

“The bullets, the gun, the belt…”, she looked around again. “Ah yes, here.”, she took a belt from under the counter and placed it next to the box. “Payment: In advance.”, she looked up.

“Delivered as ordered.”, she finished her examination.

“Perfect. The best service one can get out here. I will teach the newbie some shooting. Would you come to get us in case something happens? We won’t be far. Just a little south, far enough to not wake up the people.”

She nodded at the sheriff’s request.

We left the store and turned back to the direction we came from. So apparently this was the southern end of the town.

Since we didn’t plan to walk off too far, there was no need for horses. The sheriff took a mid-sized bag from his office as we passed by and then showed me the way.

“Basically this is a job like every other. Sometimes it’s more fun, sometimes less. But you always get paid for it.”, he explained.