Jeff woke up confused and hurting. The desert sun was near the horizon, but he couldn't tell if it was dawn or dusk. His memory was slightly clouded and he guessed it was because of the large bump on his head.
Jeff sat up and looked around him more closely. The throbbing pain in his head brought him awake much quicker, along with jump-starting his memoryβ¦
Jeff sat across from a big brute of a man, peering over his three aces. The sneer on his face showed the contempt he held for Jeff. The mans friends, Billy and Jake, sat on each side of the table. Matthew, as his friends called him, wasn't having very good luck with the 5 card draw game. Neither were Billy and Jake.
The next two cards, dealt by Jake, came face down. Jeff looked at them one at a time. Two eights. Jeff now officially held the Dead Man's Hand.
"Read 'em and weep," Billy yelled, as he threw down two pair, kings and jacks.
"Ah, shit fire, Billy, that ain't nothin'," bellowed Jake, dropping three 4's on the table.
"Ya'll out of luck and mine has come back," grinned Matthew. He dropped three tens down and started to rake the pot his way.
"Hold your horses," said Jeff, lowering his cards with one hand.
"Ya cheatin' bastard," screamed Matthew. "That's the 13th hand in a row. It ain't possible!"
With that he pulled a knife and held it across the table at Jeff. In a flash, Jeff's other hand, cleverly hidden before under the table, placed the barrel of a Colt .45 between Matthew's eyes. "I've never dealt and I haven't cheated," said Jeff, quietly. He quickly picked the money off the table and slowly stood up.
Matthew put his knife away and sat back down. As Jeff backed away, putting the pistol back in it's holster, Matthew made one last threat. "I'll get you, stranger," he said. "I promise you that much. I'll get even."
That night, just after making camp not too far from the small, dusty western town, Jeff heard a rustling noise behind him before the hard blow to the back of his headβ¦
Jeff climbed to his feet and looked around. He was in some kind of a pit. There were nine statues around the center area, and if they were human, he would've considered himself a lucky man.
All nine were women, not a stitch of clothing on any of them. Their bodies were a man's dream come true. Tight, firm asses, slim waists that curved both up and down to beautiful thighs and breasts. The faces, if they were alive, would have had sensual parting lips, high cheekbones, a perfect nose and closed eyes.