Sarcophagus

The Gunslinger and The Gorgon.

      The solid thud of the horse's hoof shook him from side to side. The blazing sun beat down upon the desolate plain and even though his dark skin was used to such heat, even he found it to be uncomfortable. The only relief from the sweltering sun was the desert passes, the water formed passages that cut through the rock. As he ducked into the cool cave air, he took a moment to rest his horse. They both drank deeply from the small stream that ran to the pass. He was closing in on this quarry, if his sources were right he would soon see the statues pointing him in the right direction.

      "Almost there girl, then we can find a cool place to rest." He comforted his mount. After he knelt down and drank again he deftly mounted his horse and gathered himself for a second, the long road was nearing its end. With a determined look across his weather-beaten face he started off towards his destiny. The sun was sitting low on the horizon when he saw the first one. Frozen in time this ancient warrior stood, his helmet glinted in the Sun, weather-beaten, armor hung in shreds. A half Broken Sword remained in his hand and pieces lay by his feet. The look of Terror on his face with etched and timeless. A mile down the path the second one came into view, this one was a man in full plate armor now rusted by the rain, his face contorted in pain as well. A few more he passed until he reached the entrance to the lair of his foe.

      Ezra never put much stock in the old stories he had heard. His mother would read him the Deeds of ancient Greek Heroes as they did battle with the monsters of old. He still could see her sitting there with him on her lap, those dusty old tomes she hid so no one knew about them. He put his hand on his chest, he could feel the cold metal of the crucifix on his skin. He shook himself out of his trance; he would need to focus now, to survive this battle. Ezra dismounted and led his horse to the nearest statue, this man looked as if the devil himself had come for him, the sheer terror of the man's vissage even shook Ezra and left him chilled to the bone. Blinking away the chills he quickly tied her up to the statue, with a couple of reassuring pats, he slid out the 30-30 rifle from his saddlebags and stared into the cave until the darkness within obscured his View.

      "I'll be back soon, don't leave without me." He muttered to his horse. With a determined gait he approached the entrance of the cave. Peering in he scans the opening. The cave ran some thirty yards before it turned sharply to the left. A solitary figure is still shrouded by the shadows, Ezra examined him intently until he realized it was just another statue like the others. Slipping out his torch he checked his guns and started making his way through the cave. With a few sharp strikes the torch flared to life. The figure came to light from the dark facing deeper into the cave. This figure was different though. There was no contorted look of fear, no screaming visage of pain etched forever in time, just to look at peace. The lone feather in his hair looked as if the wind could blow it out any second, he held a bow out in front, an arrow still securely knocked, but the eyes were closed. The first time he looked he almost misread it, with a second glance Ezra confirmed that the eyes were tightly shut.

       "But how does that happen?" Ezra inquired of the statue. Only the unrelenting silence answered him, with questions fresh in his mind the gunslinger continued on. More statues line the walls as he makes his way deeper the walls begin to narrow as the gunslinger moved deeper into the lair. As he  passed more statues of bygone eras suddenly the area ahead of him was bathed in a soft light,he finally found the beast. Kneeling behind one of the stone creations he quickly examined his guns and supplies. After he was satisfied he sat there for a moment listening to the way the water dripped on the cave floor and how sand crunched when someone walked on it. He opened his eyes and knew the time had come. Ezra quickly moved to the corner that was the last bit of cover before entering the antechamber. From his shirt pocket he produced a small hand mirror and held it out so he could scan the chamber. Laying amongst the bones of other victims was the Gorgon. The beast was just like you'd expect, green scale body, large tail instead of legs and a head with hair made of snakes. For a brief second The mirror flashed a stream of light in the Gorgons face alerting her of his presence.

      The hulking Beast rose up on its tail, snakes flayed out on its head and eyes turned to blood red hue. The beast hissed as it gazed in the mirror but nothing happened to Ezra. With a sly smile he knew that the legends were true, the reflection was safe. Backing around the corner he lofted his rifle over his shoulder and aimed. The shot rang out in the cave and he hit the Gorgon center mass, the loud shrill cry that escaped the lips of the beast was almost enough to make Ezra jump. Enraged, the Gorgon charged Ezra, at a rate of speed he was unprepared for. By the time he cocked his gun and took aim again the beast was on top of him. The Gorgon knocked the rifle out of Ezra's hand, the sound echoed throughout the cave and the bullet barely grazed the face of his ancient foe. As he ran for cover pulling his revolver and shooting off a few rounds as he scrambled away. He sprinted into the darkness and stumbled upon a small clutch of statues, using these as cover, he scanned the cave with a hand mirror and strained to hear any movement. He reloaded his revolver during the lull. His ears still ring from The gunshot so his mind played tricks on him.. 

      Back against the frozen inanimate figures he stared into the mirror, both pistols laid out before him. The ringing in his ears began to subside. Then he heard the slow scratching on the cave walls, it made Ezra think he may have done more damage than he had previously thought. As the monster came into view, bleeding from three bullet wounds to his torso, red blood ran from its wounds. He locked eyes with the beast in the mirror and they both knew this would be the last stand. With a shattering howl the Gorgon launched itself at the gunslinger using up any reserve energy it had left. Emptying  his revolvers into the chest of the Gorgon it fell to the floor and breathed its last breath. Ezra searched through his pack and pulled out a burlap sack being careful not to look at the head he carefully tied the back around the gorgon's head. With a loud crack the Gunslingers neck popped and he finally looked around.

      He pulled a small hand saw from his bag and began the slow process of removing the beast's head from his neck. Making his way back towards the entrance of the cave he collected his rifle and made his way back to his mount.  He made camp there that night. After he ate he heard a scream in the distance and wondered what foul thing was afoot.