Sam''s watch was boring. She looked back and forth down the alley, but no one was watching or moving about town. So many of her days had been taken up by daily chores that she hadn''t realized how much of a ghost town Dry Gulch had become. She sighed as she rubbed her boot in the dust. With all the excitement of a stranger and something finally happening in town, she hadn''t realized how much waiting would be involved.


    Click.


    She heard the front door of the store open. Sam hesitated. She felt like her watch at the back wasn''t doing much good. She could sneak around the alley and take a peek at who came out.


    "What harm could there be in looking?"


    She slunk through the alley and peered around the corner. It only took one look for her to put her back against the wall and stand still. Deputy Silvertooth stood on the other side of the wall, his hands in his pockets as he looked over the street. Sam held her breath. Her heart beat too loudly in her chest. She tried to calm it down. Her entire body tensed.


    "You know, it isn''t polite to follow someone." Sam jumped back from the voice on her left, right out into the street.


    She fell, landing with her hands and rolling across the ground. When she came up, a second Silvertooth looked down on her. From the porch of the store to her left, the first Silvertooth walked calmly over, a smile on his face.


    "What?" She had a second as he loomed over her, but that was all she could think to say.


    "You know, I was just talking about you," the first Silvertooth said, taking his hands out of his pockets and cracking his knuckles. "Well, I was listening to someone talk about you. Fancy that you would show up right after."


    Sloan had been talking about her to Silvertooth. The thought slid across her mind. She couldn''t process it now, but instinctively, she knew it was a bad thing.


    "Now, I don''t think you were listening, but I don''t want to take the chance. Why don''t you come with me to the jailhouse real quick, and we''ll clear everything up," the second Silvertooth said as he reached for her.


    Sam didn''t think. She didn''t have time to. Her hands dug into the dirt, and she flung it up at the deputy''s face. She didn''t wait to see what happened. Instead, she was on her feet, sprinting as fast as she could down the street. She thought to run for the store, but it was too uncertain. Alex needed time, and she had messed up. Instead, she sprinted deeper into town, hoping that someone, anyone, would help her.


    The water tower was at the center of town, and almost everything was based around it. Sloan''s store was the one exception, as he didn''t need a water supply to do business. Sam ducked into an alley, keeping the water tower''s silhouette in mind. Behind her, she could hear stomping boots, but she didn''t dare turn back.


    "Split!" Silvertooth yelled behind her.


    A multi-colored light flashed, and Silvertooth appeared in front of her. Sam kicked up dirt as she slid to a stop. Sam still heard boots behind her as Silvertooth reached out to grab her. She chanced a look back, but he was there as well.


    "Cursed." She remembered Alex talking about it.


    She had never seen Silvertooth beyond the days when Goldfist had taken over. The giant of a sheriff had been scary enough, but she had never known what Silvertooth could do. The man could make copies of himself.


    "Now, stop running and get over here," Silvertooth said from both directions. "I don''t want to have to hurt you more than I need to."


    "Why are you after me?" Sam pushed back against the alley wall.


    She couldn''t go forward or back, so there was no place to run.


    "Well," the left Silvertooth said, rubbing at his chin. "After Sloan told me you might be a problem, you were just on my mind. I figured I could help with a family reunion of sorts when I saw you. It just popped into my head."


    "Family reunion?" Sam asked. "I''m not related to you."


    "Hah." The left Silvertooth laughed. "Too true. I''m talking about your brother, of course. We''ve had him working at the mine for two years now. If I need to take you later anyway, I might as well do it now."


    Sam froze. Her brother was gone. He had either died trying to escape Dry Gulch or died in the mist. He was good for nothing. He had abandoned her to live alone. He wasn''t at the mine.


    "You''re lying. Josh died two years ago."


    "What reason would I have to lie to you?" The Silvertooth on the left grinned, and his copy on the right mimicked him. "Telling you serves no purpose. You can''t run from me. You''re going to the mine either way. I just thought you would want to know what happened to him."


    Sam didn''t know how to respond to that. He was right. Silvertooth had no reason to lie to her. She clenched her fist. How had she been so blind? She had never thought he had just been caught and sent to the mine.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Oh, don''t be angry," Silvertooth said. "Truth is, your brother came to us. We didn''t need to catch him. He came to us with the sob story of his parents dying and his sister being too young for him to take care of on his own. Goldfist listened to him and granted him what he wanted. Goldfist freed him from his suffering and gave him a purpose. He would work in the mines until he died."


    Slap.


    Sam hit the Silvertooth on her left as hard as she could with her open hand. Her bones ached from the impact, but it felt good. She started to run, but Silvertooth grabbed hold of her hand. His grip bit into her arm as he spun her around and shoved her face into the wall.


    "Now, why''d you have to go and do that?" Silvertooth''s breath burned against the back of her neck. "Now, the way I see it, you have three options. You can go and work in the mines like your brother, you could go and work in the brothel, or you can just die right here. If you hit me again, I''ll make that choice for you."


    "You can rot," Sam said, spitting at his face but missing.


    Thump.


    Sam was slammed into the wall like a hard punch to the face. She gasped for air. Her vision blurred, and the bitter flavor of blood filled her mouth. Sam closed her eyes.


    "Now, don''t go making the easy choice," Silvertooth said.


    Sam kicked back with all her strength. She didn''t aim the kick. She wasn''t in a position to think about it. It was a kick fueled by instinct. She had the satisfaction of hearing a harsh grunt from Silvertooth before he fell to the ground.


    Thump.


    Sam didn''t question her newfound freedom. She ran to the right. She briefly saw both Silvertooths on the ground, their hands grasped between their legs. Sam smiled and felt liquid drip out of her mouth as she ran. She reached up to wipe her lips, and her hand came away bloody.


    She didn''t care.


    She exploded out of the alley and onto the road. She immediately pointed herself toward the water tower and sprinted for it. All rational thought had left her mind. All that was left was the destination she had set for herself.


    She didn''t remember how much she stumbled or how many times she fell. The entire experience felt like a faraway dream. All that had happened pushed away any conscious thought.


    She hit the doors to the saloon and rolled inside. She heard shouts, and hands grabbed her. They held her down. They demanded to know what she was thinking. Again, she lost herself in the blur as they lay her against the wall.


    "What should we do?"


    "We can''t just leave her."


    "Who do you think is after her, huh? It''s the deputy. We need to turn her over."


    "You do that, and you won''t make it to the door. I might have to live here, but that doesn''t make me a monster."


    "What about my kids? If we don''t hand her over, then Goldfist will come for them."


    Scuffling and shouting. Sam ignored it as she lay her head against the cool wood of the wall. Her head was still swimming back and forth as if she was still running. She didn''t have anything left in her. If the townspeople in the saloon decided to hand her over, she couldn''t run again.


    Bang.


    A gunshot rang through the air. A single point of sound gave Sam something to focus on. Her vision came back, along with her hearing. She was surrounded by people she knew. Thomas, the bartender. Joel and Frank played cards in the bar every day. Minnie, whom she hadn''t seen in years, was dressed in a fancy red dress. She knew all of them.


    Their eyes were locked on the saloon door. Five men stood at the door, one holding his gun pointed to the ceiling while the others leveled their own guns at the crowd. They all had the same face, the same clothes, and the same look. They were all Deputy Silvertooth.


    "Now that I have everyone''s attention," the centermost Silvertooth said, a smile cracking his face. "I have some business with that girl. It would benefit everyone here if you all stepped away."


    No one moved. Whether it was shock or because they didn''t want to give her up, all four of the group were frozen. Sam tried to push herself up, but her arm fell limply to the side when she tried to pick it up.


    "I said." The center Silvertooth cocked the hammer on his gun. "It would benefit everyone here if you all stepped away."


    "Yes, sir." Frank was the first to move, stepping off to the side with a slight bow of apology.


    Joel followed after, a deep frown on his face. Sam couldn''t blame him. They didn''t have a chance to survive standing up to Silvertooth. He had them outgunned, and if she understood his curse, he could practically bring his own army.


    "No." Thomas moved between Silvertooth and the gun, putting his hands out wide at his side. "Not until you explain what is going on in the least. The way I see it right now, this ain''t right."


    "Don''t make me do this, Thomas," Silvertooth said. "We''ve done business together for five years now. You do good work for us. Goldfist''ll be mad if we have to go find a new bartender."


    "Then put away the gun and talk," Thomas said. "Ain''t nothing in the world that can''t be fixed with a pint and a few words."


    Bang!


    A gunshot was Thomas'' only answer. Smoke curled around Silvertooth''s hand as the bartender dropped to the floor. Minnie screamed, dropping by the bartender''s side. Tears flowed from Sam''s eyes, but she didn''t have the strength to move or cry out.


    "Why?" Joel asked before jumping at Silvertooth with his hands balled into fists.


    Bang!


    He didn''t even get to throw the first punch before slumping to the ground. Frank''s face was solid white, but he didn''t move. Sam tried to stand but only managed to fall over on the floor.


    "Look what you made me do," Silvertooth said as his clones kept their guns trained on Frank and Minnie. "Are you happy? Neither of them would have died if you hadn''t run. If you hadn''t..."


    He paused but didn''t finish that particular thought.


    "Know you''re going to suffer for that. Those two got an easy end. You''re going to work in the mines and die slow. When the coyotes have their claws in you and their teeth on your neck, you''ll beg for a quick death."


    "You." Sam tried to talk, but she couldn''t even get herself off the floor.


    Strong hands grabbed her around the shoulders, and two of the copy deputies held her between them as they marched out of the saloon. The main Silvertooth led them out into the street.


    "You should save your words," he said. "I''m going to make you scream plenty tonight."


    Sam didn''t have the strength to respond. She hung her head, looking at the ground as tears fell out of her eyes. When she came to town, and Alex talked to her about doing something, she had never imagined that things would turn out like this. The dirt below her turned dark in little spots as her tears hit the dirt.


    Whir. Whir. Whir.


    Sam recognized that noise. The whirring sound of something rotating quickly through the air. She looked up through her bleary eyes and saw a dark figure standing near the water tower in the noonday sun.


    Thunk. Thunk. Thump.


    Sam hit the ground on her knees as the hands holding her disappeared. Like a glass figure, the copies of Silvertooth shattered around her. Sam caught herself on the heels of her palms. She looked up and could see Alex clearly after a few blinks.


    "Looks like you ran into trouble," he said as the staff returned to his hands after flying through its long arc. "And hello, deputy. It seems like we keep running into each other."