An American Outlaw - John Harper

A Chapter by LastOutlaw

John Harper arrives in Sunnytown, but a notorious outlaw isn't far behind

Chapter 1

He was a man mountain. Scared of no man. You could say John Harper was the original macho man. Sheriff of a godforsaken town in a godforsaken time. The town of Sunnytown was a den of despicable behavior. Liars, robbers and hookers were only the first layer of filth. A stowaway for all sorts, the town was quickly becoming the shame of the American west. That was until John Harper came along.

Born the son of a poor cattle farmer, he knew hardship and violence from his birth. He stood 6 ft 9 and carried many a scar on his face. The biggest compliment the people of Sunnytown could give him was the town become a little less deprecated once he rolled in. John was always a cold, unforgiving man. No one knew why, then again he didn't let people get close to him to find out either. He lived in a tiny shack, down on the riverside. It was easy to see he was a man of simple means. He had no family, no wife, no children. All he cared about was the protection of the good folks in Sunnytown.

When John first started people were terrified. Not only due to his massive frame and scared face, he was totally unheard of. He carried to reputation and that worried the townsfolk. Was he a cruel, sadistic man? Or was he a genuine lawman? All those questions were answered one warm, humid night in July.

The town is serviced by two bars. “The Red Den” and the rougher bar entitled simply “The Pit”. John was only on the job two weeks when the Billy Carter gang rode through the town. While John had absolutely no reputation, Billy Carter and his cronies certainly had. Carters clan were famous for a series of bank robberies and stage coach hijackings. They had racked up incredible wealth and had eluded even the best lawmen and special agents the US had to offer. It had even gotten to the stage where the lawmen tasked with finding Carter would retire once they were handed the assignment. None of this worried John, however. He knew he had to make sure no one could doubt his intentions in Sunnytown.

Carter and his men hitched up at “The Red Den”, unsurprisingly the bar emptied out onto the street and the Carter gang had the bar to themselves. Loud and brash, Billy Carter ordered the best hooker in the place to come to his attention at once. Out of a backroom came a feeble, frail looking girl. She couldn't have been more than 18. “Do you know who I am?” shouted Billy. The girl nodded. “Well, strip for me” he added. “In front of your men?” she questioned, “I can't do th-”. Billy striked her across the face. She lay on the floor, crying and bleeding from her nose. “I won't say it again you little b***h, take off your clothes and get the f**k up!!”. The poor girl cowered in fear and she unbuttoned her corset. Carter and the men stared on, laughing and shouting abusive insults at the girl.

Then, the unthinkable happened. Someone walked into the bar and sat down and ordered a drink, despite the fact the gang had commandeered the bar. Billy looked shocked, “Who the f**k do you think you are? Get the f**k out before you regret it, boy”. Billy snarled. “You shouldn't be here, Billy” whispered John in his deep, baritone voice. “What was that, boy?!” Billy roared. John stood up and stared into Billy's eyes. “Get out of my town, before YOU regret it”. Billy was left speechless, “Well boy, that was a huge mi-” The sound of a bullet ripped through the tense Texan air, accompanied by a loud thud. Billy Carter was dead. His skull blown up by Colt Walker. Carters men were left like statues staring at their boss dead, so Unexpectedly and shockingly. Without thinking, John ripped through about 2 or 3 of his men in quick succession as the rest hurried out, unhitching their horses and riding away.

John had made a name for himself. He was feared.