Riders in the Sky

 THE WILDS OF ULIMAROA

Four horses ride by. The badlands vanish beneath their hooves, the horses thundering towards the middle of the desert. Johnny McGraw checks his watch - they were making good time, the rendezvous approaching quickly but the horses approaching quicker. One of his fellow riders pulls up alongside him, the horse moving a bit faster. 

"We're on track to get there faster than I thought. You think the town'll have something to do yet?"

"Doubt it." McGraw replies. Grant Mason was a skilled hand with a gun, and had a strong history as a county sheriff, yet he often got jittery when he sat around too long. It was going to be hard to keep the man satisfied until the town got more established. 

Cracking a slight smile, McGraw keeps his thoughts to himself. Yet here he was, the ex-thief and ex-con, working side by side with a sheriff. Well, it'd be worth it, if all went according to plan. Besides, Grant was one thing. It wasn't like he was working with that damn skunk, Jake Marshall.

"All I need's a good customer base. I'll be happy with that!" 

"What'll you even sell?" asks Johnny. 

"You know, the staples. Tools, guns, explosives..."

Knoq'oth was one of the more surprising members of their group, and had nearly spooked half the posse the first time he'd shown up following their messages. They'd eventually learned he was from a small group of aliens that had crashed in the Old West after a solar flare. Knoq'oth had "gone native", finding he enjoyed living among the humans and embracing their ways and clothes. Even after most of the aliens had left, he had remained, and chosen to stay as a cowboy.

As long lived as his species was, he'd simply kept it up to the present day, going about more openly after aliens became more accepted in the world. It had taken some discussion, but the posse had chosen to accept him in the crew.

"I think we should have enough people to get a store going now. Not sure about entertainment.

I can ask David when we get there to prioritize that next time. Movies, maybe?"

"No need to strain yourself." says Johnny. "I think we can make do without that."

"Nah, it's not a big problem. You know he'll listen to the two of us more than just you."

It was true, Johnny reflected. David Hill had been a changed man when he got out of prison the previous year. He'd contacted Johnny with his ideas, and the concept had sounded absurd. A cowboy town? There were many across the American West. 

Then he'd gone more into detail. Something more than a cowboy town. Something deeper and truer. Johnny still wasn't sure about how well this would work out, but he'd wanted to see how it played out. He was sure the same was true of everyone with him.

Especially the younger sister. Eliza Hill, the only other person besides his old partner who could convince David Hill of anything. At least she, like Johnny, was a grounded person. He was counting on Eliza to help him rein in David if it came to that.

At this, Johnny can't help but crack a smile. When had he become the grounded man, and David the dreamer? Times had changed a long time since Jake had broken them up. 

The four horses keep riding on, towards the town of dreams. Towards New Deadwood.

COMING SPRING 2026:

THE NEW WEST