Over the San Luis Valley, high-up in the Colorado mountains the sun shines bright while clouds pepper the sky and sharp mountain peaks surround the valley.

  It's late spring with the smell of cattle and grass that hits the nose, and standing on his porch a man, not young and not yet old, rugged with greying hair, brown leather jacket and a brown leathered stetson, hand on the handle of his peacemaker revolver fastened to his belt, stares out over his property.

  Riding up, two men on horseback, Rudy waits for them to near.

  "Where's my daughter?” Rudy, tired but stern asks the riders, concern and a note of bitterness evident in his voice.

  Bob, one of the men on horseback, fixes his eyes on Rudy. "Well, that depends on you. We were told to get that revolver from you, and in exchange you can get your daughter."

  Rudy looked calm, but his eyes told a different story. "The gun stays with me."

  "We hear that revolver shouldn't even be in the hands of an old piece of shit like you anyhow," growls Darrell, the second rider.

  Bob, eager to hasten things along, "Look Rudy, something about that gun just piqued our bosses interest, we’re sorry, but we can't take no for an answer."

  Rudy, slightly less tense, pauses for a moment, sun beating down, staring at Bob like a hawk might a field mouse. "That's fine." He draws his gun, shoot's, a bolt of lightning piercing Bob's chest, the horse and Bob fall to the ground. Rudy quickly turns the revolver on Darrell as he fiddles for his gun.

  Darrell, now hands up, spoke with an angry yet scared tone. "You dumb son of a bitch. You know your daughter is dead now."

  Rudy pauses for a moment, looks at his revolver, points it back at Bob nearly dead, and shoots him again, but this time no lighting but what seemed to be a regular bullet.

  Darrell, confused. "What the fuck are you do—"

  Bob sits up fast, nearly choking on his breath. "The fucking thing revives the dead!?"

  Rudy, "No, just heals—even men that should be dead.”

  The air stills. Rudy unhappily, "Now here's how this is gonna work, you're gonna tell me where Mary Anne is or y'all gonna kiss life and death all day and night; my house has all the ammo I need to keep this up for as long as I need.

  Darrell, irate. "We ain't gonna tell you shi!"

  Fire engulfed Darrell and his horse, his screams and yells fill the ears and field.

  Bob, noticeably scared. "Now look you, we can't tell you nothin, even if we want–"

  Wind cuts through Bob's leg. "Ghad dammit! You son ah bitch”.

  Rudy with an exhale. “You're gonna want to”.

  Rudy, calmly. "Wait here I need to grab more ammo." As only yelling can be heard.

  Rudy walks into his house prepared to get the information he needs.

  Hours pass, Rudy makes his way to a nearby ranch higher-up in the mountains not but 15 miles from his home across the valley to a ranch belonging to a man named Benji.

  Three men stood outside - Danny, Earl, and a man Rudy didn't know. Danny and Earl stood out to the right, one on the porch, the other with his hand resting on the grip of his gun, his eyes narrowed on Rudy. The third man near the cattle guard to the left, his expression unreadable.

  “Where's Darrell and Bob?” asked Danny, the man with his hand now wrapped around his gun's handle.

  “Fertilizing the fields.” Rudy said, stepping down from his horse. “Go now idlewise.” as Rudy slaps his horse on the backside sending it away.

  “Daaad!" yelled Mary Anne from inside the back of the house.

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  Rudy looks to the door with an air of concern in his eyes. A man, Benji walks out, blue jeans with a denim button up under a black leather vest topped with a black felted hat, a heavy set and sturdy man.

  “Good evening my friend.” Benji spout with a smile, loud and unashamed. I can see you got the message". As his smile fades to distaste.

  "You're making a mistake.” Rudy's voice firm and eyes square on Benji. “I've known you more years than I care to count and I think you're the donkeys ass of this valley but that don't mean things gotta get any worse nor go any further, send my daughter out here and we will be squared”.

  Benji's discontent slowly steps down his porch towards Rudy. “Things are changing quickly in the world, hell in our day none of this mutated superhero shit existed, magic realm bullshit, or so I thought, you had that gun–Mercy you call it, for decades.” He said with a slight grin. “Now I need it, the valley needs it, things are changing quickly and none here wanna be at-mercy by some freaks of nature.

  Benji and Rudy, now locking eyes. “Things are always changing Benji, that don't give nobody the right to take a woman, especially my daughter.”

  "Again you send Mary Anne out here or things gonna get messy for you, you hear me friend!”, Rudy's voice now raised in anger.

  “I told you now I need that gun and I'm gonna have it”, Benji gives a slight wink to one man on his right.

  Danny draws his gun and a shot is fired but not from Danny, Rudy or anyone else at the ranch. Danny drops to the ground dead, head shot.

  Everyone stood confused, the man on the left yells. “Sniper!”. Rudy, eyeing the men. “You didn't just piss me off ya damn fools,”.

  The other men draw but Rudy fires first, a blinding light engulfs the property in a flash.

  Another shot from outside the ranch, Earl drops to the ground. Benji, unable to see, stumbles back into his house firing out towards Rudy but misses.

  Rudy turns toward the unknown man and drops to the ground to avoid his shot and fires back, bullet piercing the ground then, dirt shattering up towards the man turning to crystal gashing his face and body. As he stumbles and falls back behind the barn.

  Rudy, standing back up, looking back behind him towards the mountain tips his hat. He walks in the house, lights off as light bleeds in through the windows. Soft mixed breaths can be heard, Rudy's daughter and Benji no doubt.

  With care and calm urgency Rudy say's. “It's okay, sunflower.” Rudy walks slowly past the kitchen on his right, past another room on his left and into the living room.

  As he walks in he sees on his right Benji behind Mary Anne, 20, blond hair, soft voice and blood down the right side of her head, Benji's gun to the back of her neck.

  “You brought that Nu-Gene freak with you" Benji says disgustedly, staring at Rudy.

  “Boone, you brought Boone with you!?” Mary Anne says with relief, you and a tired excitement.

  Rudy nod's concern growing with fury as he changes eye contact from Mary Anne to Benji.

  Mary Anne, confident but tired, “told you you were going to regret messing with me, he killed all four of those men and now you're gonna be next.”.

  Rudy's eyes twitch with deeper concern. "Four!?” A gun peers through the hallway behind Rudy out of the room he passed on his way in and it fires.

  Rudy attempts to dodge but not quick enough, the gun hits his shoulder.

  Benji shoves Mary Anne to the floor getting ready to fire, Rudy shoots back at the man behind him, scorching his head in fire, the man screams, “ghaaaah!”.

  Mary Anne, with her leg between Benji's legs, kicks up, knocking the wind out of him. “You pig ass!" Mary Anne said tired yet satisfied.

  Benji turns his gun on Mary Anne and he cocks his gun but Rudy fires and ice forms knocking Benji to the ground and back right side frozen to the wall yells, “You mother fucker," Benji said in anger.

  "You okay." Rudy says looking at his daughter as she nods to reassure him.

  “Y'all good in here” Boone yells in from the porch, “yeah we're good now”.

  Rudy turns the gun to his chest and fires, healing himself near instantly.

  Boone walks in, “Mary Anne!" Boone cuts through the rope and twine binding Mary Anne, they brace each other and share a brief kiss.

  “Take her out the front,” Rudy tells Boone, keeping a sharp eye on Benji. “What, you gonna kill me now?" Benji says, defeated in anger. Rudy takes a step forward.

  Rudy Now calm but fierce, “My father gave me this gun, he got it from his father and his father before him, I told you you couldn't have this gun, and I don't make deals with no jackasses nor crooks, now you're gonna get not what I want but what you deserve, you hear me Benji".

  Benji first looks away then back into Rudy's eyes. "I'll kill you, that Nu-Gene punk muty Boone and carve my knife in that whore daughter of yours face”. Benji spits blood and saliva hitting Rudy's boot.

  Rudy pauses then exhales through his nose, with an exhausted yet stern and angry tone. "You know why they call this gun Mercy?” As he looks Benji dead in the eye. "Because I know when not to have any,” Rudy fires at Benji.

  Benji, staring at Rudy, he then looks down at his chest at a little black dot at its center, he screams “aurgh," as crunching and breaking of bones can be heard.

  Slowly it pulls in the dust and air, then Benji's entire body into its center, shattering the ice that held him in place and shrinks into a small dark mass, it then drops to the ground.

  Rudy steps out of the house. Mary Anne and Boone on horse together as Rudy calls Idlewise over.

  Sun now starts to set as the three ride back to Rudy's ranch.

  “Thanks for calling me in, means a lot to me," Boone says to Rudy.

  “Told you he likes you." Mary Anne says with a relieved hugging to stay close to boone.

  “You're an ass but you're the ass my daughter loves." Rudy say's as Boone and Mary Anne look at each other with a smile.

  “Oh by the way, I'm gonna need your help when we get back to the ranch". Rudy say's to Boone.

  Boone in agreement but curious, “Sure what you have for me?”.

  Rudy, “Two assholes tied up in my barn.".