The jailhouse stank of sweat and gun oil.
Eli Dawson stood in the shadows across the street, watching as the guards changed shifts. The moon hung low, casting long fingers of light through the dusty windows. Inside, Holloway would be sitting in a cell, his fate already decided by men who wore the law like a cheap suit.
Lena's hand gripped his arm. *"This is suicide."*
Eli checked his revolver one last time. *"It's the only play we've got."*
He stepped into the light.
---
### **The Confession**
The sheriff's men spotted him before he made it halfway across the street. Rifles snapped up, hammers cocked.
*"Hold it right there, Dawson!"*
Eli raised his hands, fingers spread. *"I'm here to turn myself in."*
The guards hesitated. One spat tobacco into the dirt. *"For what?"*
*"The Silver Star robbery."* Eli kept his voice loud, carrying. *"Judge Holloway didn't do it. I did."*
A murmur rippled through the men. The sheriff, a bloated man with a star pinned crookedly to his vest, shouldered his way to the front.
*"You confessin' to a hanging offense, boy?"*
Eli met his gaze. *"I'm confessing to the truth."*
The sheriff grinned. *"Well then. Let's get you a cell next to your judge."*
---
### **The Cell**
Holloway looked up as the cell door clanged shut behind Eli. The old man's face was bruised, one eye swollen shut, but his voice was steady.
*"You're a damn fool."*
Eli sat on the opposite bunk. *"You got a better idea?"*
*"Yeah. Not walking into a noose."*
Outside, voices rose—townsfolk gathering, drawn by the spectacle. Eli leaned close. *"Bell's not going to hang you. He's going to hang *me*."*
Holloway's good eye narrowed. *"Why?"*
*"Because I made it personal."* Eli lowered his voice further. *"And because Lena's out there right now, making sure the whole town knows this trial's a sham."*
---
### **The Crowd**
By dawn, half of Silver Ridge had gathered in the square.
A gallows stood in the center, rough-cut wood still smelling of fresh sap. The sheriff dragged Eli and Holloway up the steps, their hands bound, as the crowd pressed closer.
Then the whispers started.
*"They're hanging the *judge*?"*
*"For a robbery Dawson confessed to?"*
*"Since when does Bell own the law?"*
Eli kept his head high, scanning the faces. Miners. Shopkeepers. Mothers clutching children. And there, near the back—Lena, her press already scratching notes.
Then the crowd parted.
Roderick Bell stepped forward, immaculate in a black suit, his pale eyes fixed on Eli. *"Quite the performance, Mr. Dawson."*
Eli spat blood onto the boards. *"You don't own this town, Bell. You just *rent* it."*
A ripple went through the crowd.
Bell's smile never wavered. *"Hang them both."*
---
### **The Shot**
The rope scratched Eli's neck.
Then—
***BANG.***
The sheriff dropped, a red flower blooming on his chest.
The crowd erupted.
Eli spun to see Lena atop a wagon, her rifle smoking. *"Enough!"* she shouted. *"This isn't justice—it's murder!"*
Bell's men drew their guns—but froze as a dozen miners stepped forward, picks and revolvers in hand.
*"Let 'em go,"* a grizzled man growled.
Bell's mask slipped. For the first time, uncertainty flickered across his face.
Then—
***"LAW'S COMING!"***
A shout from the edge of town. Horses thundered into the square—U.S. Marshals, their badges glinting in the dawn light.
Bell turned to run.
Eli tackled him off the gallows.
---
### **The Endgame**
It was over by noon.
The marshals arrested Bell for fraud, bribery, and half a dozen other charges Lena's evidence made undeniable. His men scattered like rats.
Holloway clapped Eli on the back as the crowd cheered. *"You realize you just *stole* a hanging from me, right?"*
Eli grinned. *"Next time, I'll let 'em pull the lever."*
Lena joined them, her face alight. *"The *Ledger*'s printing a special edition. By tomorrow, the whole territory will know what happened here."*
Eli looked around at the town—*his* town now. *"Good."*
Somewhere in the distance, a train whistle blew.
Silver Ridge was waking up.
---