Dry Weather ~Doc Holliday FanFiction~

Chapter 1

Ah… Finally…

Thank God I was done traveling. Tombstone seemed like a dull prospect back at home, but the desert leaves you grateful for even the dustiest of places. However, there was much more life here than I anticipated. Much more. Looking around, I saw each building filled with goods and people. When I left home I was not expecting to be in the midst of a bustling town like this.

Unfortunately, I didn't have time for sightseeing. I needed to find a place to rest and then get to work, or at least try. I didn't come all the way out here, to Arizona, to sit around all day. My family relied on my success. And I was not planning to let them down. We were poor enough as it was, but funding my journey was a big investment for us. If it was all for naught, I'm not sure I, or my family could bear it.

My poor horse needed a break. So I hitched him to a post and dismounted. I purposefully left him near the entrance of a hotel. I would be needing a room.

Let's hope they don't charge too much.

Just before I entered the hotel, I read the large sign on the front of the building. 'The Grand Hotel' was its name. This would do. For now.

°°°°°

"Sir, please. There's no need for-" I was cut off.

"Listen lady, I don't care who you are, but you can't pay with that!" The red faced manager was telling me off. Yelling was not something I was accustomed to.

"I don't understand, it's worth the exact same as what you want." I pushed a silver pocket watch further across the counter towards the man.

"I just don't accept anything other than money." He insisted.

"But this is all I-", I stopped my words and continued with a new thought, "Oh too hell with it, nevermind." I would find somewhere else to sell it. Then I would pay. I left the hotel with my footsteps slightly heavier than normal and I could hear the man scoff as I stomped through the door.

Typical. Couldn't take a goddamn valuable.

Putting that behind me, I wandered the streets of Tombstone for a while. I was hoping to find a sort of pawn or fence shop that would buy my pocket watch. It was not the nicest watch, but it served its purpose dutifully. Surely that would be enough.

Not too long later, I came across an appropriate store. It was small, but pretty. The clerk, I learned, was a friendly boy who was a similar age to me. He advertised the shop as, "quiet, but dealing in many things". I assumed this meant that he was willing to buy my watch, regardless of the potential that it could have been stolen. It wasn't, but it could have been. The boy bought the watch gladly and immediately displayed it on a shelf in the corner of the room.

"I can take it for a price of ten dollars, missus." He said while he adjusted the position of the watch to a lower shelf.

"Hmm. That's fine. I assume that's the best I can get for it?" I inquired.

"In this town? Yep."

"Alright then. I'll take it." I took the money from him and quickly made my way back down the street. I used this time for my musings.

What did he mean by, "in this town"?

No. I was sure of it. This was going to be a better place to live than I thought. Interesting, at least.

Then I heard noise. Commotion. Like the other busy pedestrians, I strayed from my thoughts and followed the disturbance. I couldn't help myself. I was not used to such excitement. By the time I caught up with the crowd, I made an identification of the racket. Yelling. And lots of it. There must have been a gathering of six or seven men outside of a weathered saloon. The small crowd had given the men a considerable amount of distance between them and the belting humans. I didn't blame them. This looked like an intense argument. I judged them for it. God knows what their quarrel was about.

I made my way to the front of the gathering. The onlookers were whispering beside me, filling their curiosity with guesses about the cause of the fight. I now had a clear view of everything. I could see the men in their stance and a lady or two, begging their lovers to leave.

Then, as if competing with lightning, a loud bang rang through the air. Everyone was silent as more sounds followed. There had been gunshots. Rounds were fired off like they were nothing. Two, three… eight nine… Too many.

Suddenly it ended. Just as quickly as it started. The woman had been shot as well as their men. Injustice. Only four men remained. The dead faces of innocence struck the crowd. I had only just set foot in this town and already I was subjected to something unimaginable.

I left. Not wanting to think about what I had seen, or rather hoping. My face was hot. It was the feeling you get after you've done something bad, like disobedience over rules or stealing. In this case, it was much more intense. I hurried back to the hotel. My horse kept me company until I felt able to confront the hotel manager once again and I prayed that I wouldn't struggle in this town. It was imperative that I didn't.