You enter a saloon. Who does the barkeep see?
[[The Crow|Witness 1]]
[[The Doctor|Doctor 1]]Dirt clings to your duster as you enter the saloon and scan the interior. The only people here are the barkeep and a drunk passed out in the corner.
"Ain't nobody gonna jump out and bite you, ma'am," the barkeep says with a chuckle, "Not before lunch, at least. I take it you just arrived with Willy's coach."
You nod and check the clock hanging on the wall. You've got some time.
"So, what brings you to Impasse?" he asks.
[["I'm looking for work."|Witness 4]]
[["I'm looking for somebody. Maybe you can help me out."|Witness 3]]"Morning, Doc," The barkeep greets you, "Thought I wouldn't be seeing you until this evening."
"I need some more whiskey for my medicine cabinet."
"Now, Doc," The barkeep teases, "at the rate you've been buying my whiskey, the preacher might start thinking he needs to pay you a house call."
[["The preacher needs to mind his own damn business."|Doctor 2]]
[["Any new folks come off of Willy's coach this morning?"|Doctor 3]]"I'm looking for somebody. Maybe you can help me."
"You're a bounty hunter, huh?" The barkeep's jaw sets. "I'm afraid you can't help you."
[["Relax. You're not my mark." (Bribe him.)|Witness 5]]
[["You should be afraid." (Threaten him.)|Witness 6]]"The preacher needs to mind his own damn business," You scoff. You swipe the bottle of whiskey off the counter. When you try to pay him, the barkeep stops you.
"It's on the house. Without you keeping my patrons out of their graves, I woulda gonna under years ago."
"I ain't been in Impasse that long."
The barkeep shrugs. "The point still stands. Death is bad for business."
[["The preacher would beg to differ."| Doctor 4]]
[["And new folks come off of Willy's coach this morning?"|Doctor 3]]"Any new folks come off of Willy's coach this morning?" You ask.
"Young woman looking for work stopped by. Didn't catch her name. I sent her the preacher's way."
Your fist clenches around the neck of the whiskey bottle.
[["What did she look like?"|Doctor 5]]
[["Hopefully he can make her feel right at home in Impasse."|Doctor 6]]"The preacher would beg to differ."
"I'll say. You know, I started going every Sunday after he showed me the plot of land he'd set aside for my grave."
"I hope it had a nice view, at least."
"Sure did. Straight shot down to the gallows."
"Damned bastard." You check the time on the clock and are startled to see how close it is to noon. A rush of fear washes over you as you realize how exposed you are here.
[["I have to get back to the office."|Doctor 8]]
[[Skip town.|Doctor 9 (End 1)]]"Work, huh? The preacher's been looking for someone to help him around the church. You could go talk to him.."
[["Thank you. I'll pay him a visit now."|Witness 8]]
[["I'm looking for somebody. Maybe you can help me."|Witness 3]]"What did she look like?" You eye the clock nervously and are startled to see how close it is to noon. A rush of fear washes over you as you realize how exposed you are here.
"Um... Dark hair. Old, black duster. Scar on her cheek that I didn't ask about," the barkeep remembers, "Oh, and she had a necklace with something big on it, but I didn't get a good look. Why, you expecting someone?"
Your blood runs cold.
[[Skip town.|Doctor 9 (End 1)]]
[[Confront her.|Doctor 10]]"Hopefully he can make her feel right at home in Impasse." You eye the clock nervously and are startled to see how close it is to noon. A rush of fear washes over you when you realize how exposed you are here.
"Doc, I do think that's the first near-to-kind thing you've said about our preacher," the barkeep says, "You thinking of finally asking him for your salvation?"
You hold up the whiskey with a shaking hand.
[["I've got all the salvation I need right here."|Doctor 7]]"Relax, you're not my mark." You reach into your duster's breast pocket and unfold the wanted poster just enough to show the reward but not the mark's face.
The barkeep folds his arms and considers the number.
"You're saying we can split that?"
"You can take the whole damn thing. I don't care about the money. [[I just want the kill."|Witness 9 (End 8)]]"You should be afraid." You nod down at your hip holster, where your gun has been drawn and aimed at him this whole time.
The barkeep laughs. "Put that away, girlie. The sheriff will have you strung up before my blood runs cold."
With your free hand you brush your long braid over you shoulder to reveal the pendant hanging around your neck. A black pocket watch with a crow etched in gold.
The barkeep's eyes widen when he recognizes The Crow's mark. He nervouly checks the clock over your shoulder then glances out the window.
"Sheriff! Hey, Sheriff! Get in here!"
[[You curse.|Witness 10 (End 9)]]You go to the church and find the preacher. He's practicing a sermon at the pulpit when you arrive.
"In the Old Testament, justice was defined as eye for an eye-- Hello, ma'am. How may I help you?"
[["I'm looking for work."|Witness 14]]
[["I'm looking for somebody. Maybe you can help me."|Witness 13]]"I just want the kill."
The barkeep gulps.
"They said you were insane," he says, mostly to himself.
You unfold the poster and tap it impatiently "He's wanted for two accounts of murder in Charleston."
The barkeep blinks in surprise. He recognizes the face.
"That's the doc," he says. Your heart picks up with excitement, but the barkeep cuts right through it, "I'm sorry, I really wish I could help you, especially with that reward, but he left about a week ago."
You snatch the poster away. "Dammit!"
"But he was only moving to the next town over. The stage coach makes a stop there, and it won't have left yet."
You check the time. The barkeep is right. You pass him some cash for his help and leave without another word.
//You smile to yourself as the stage coach lurches into motion. You love the chase, the hunt. He may have gotten away this time, but you'll catch him. [[You always do.|Impasse]]//"I've got all the salvation I need right here." You step out onto the main street of Impasse. Noon approaches and the usual dread starts to build. Your hand twitches to where your revolver is hidden. It only has one bullet in it.
[[Go to your office and wait.|Doctor 11]]
[[Skip town.|Doctor 9 (End 1)]]
[[Visit the preacher for your salvation.|Doctor 7b]]"I have to get back to the office," you tell the barkeep while trying to hide your shaking hands.
"Of course. I'll see you this evening." The barkeep doesn't question your sudden skittishness. He knows you always get like this come noon.
[[Go to your office and wait.|Doctor 11]]With nothing but the bottle of whiskey in your hand and a scant bit of cash, you leave the saloon.
"Doc? Doc, where're you headed?" the barkeep calls after you. You do not answer.
When you get to Willy's stables, the stage coach has already left and won't be back until next week. You hear the stablehands gossiping about the woman who arrived on it this morning.
They're arguing about whether her necklace had the symbol of The Crow on it.
You steal the nearest horse and ride out of town just as the clock tower strikes noon. The toll haunts you long after the sun sets.
//This isn't the first time you've run away, nor will it be the last. Soon enough, you find a town in need of a doctor and dare to settle in. You go by a different name, you keep your head down, but your paranoia never goes away. She'll find you again. [[She always does.|Impasse]]//"Pleasure knowing you," you tell the barkeep. You leave the saloon and step out onto the main street.
"Doc? Doc, where're you headed?" The barkeep calls after you. You do not answer.
Your hand twitches to where your gun is concealed. It only has one bullet in it.
[[Go to your office and wait.|Doctor 11]]
[[Go to the church anyway.|Doctor 12]]You arrive at your office just before noon.
As per your usual routine, you lock the door behind you. Next, you go to the window and glance out at the main street. You search the passersby for that old, black duster. When you don't see it, you breathe a sigh of relief. Then you sit at your desk and pour yourself a glass of whiskey. You open the sidedrawer of your desk and pull out your old revolver.
You sit in your dark office, whiskey in one hand, gun in the other, waiting for the stroke of noon to arrive.
Once the whiskey has hit your system, you're brave enough to reach under the false bottom of the drawer and take out the three black pocket watches hidden there. They've long since stopped ticking.
Finally, as per your routine, you examine the pocket watches one by one. Their exteriors are identical, all etched with a golden crow. When you press the release of the first, a torn photograph slips onto your desk.
[[The first one was Henry.|Henry 1]] You step into Impasse's church for the first time. Inside, the preacher and a woman in an old, black duster stand by the pulpit. The door creaks as you close it. She spins around and has her gun on you in the blink of an eye. You raise your hands in surrender.
"I heard you were looking for me," you say.
"You must be a damned fool," she spits.
"Sorry, preacher," you say, "There's hardly a chance this won't end in blood, so I'd be much obliged if you could absolve us of our sins before we get to that."
The preacher glares at the pair of you.
"If you had any decency, you'd take this outside."
You look to her. After a long moment, she holsters her gun.
"Decency," she scoffs.
"I meant what I said about being absolved, preacher," you say as you hold open the door for her to exit. "Right quick, if you would."
"If this is what it takes to get you into a church, I shutter to think about what sins have kept you out of it."
[["Absolution, preacher. Any time now."|Doctor 18]]The first one was Henry. She got him back in the days before any of you learned to keep your heads down. You happened to be away on errands, just walking back to the hideout in Charleston, when the clock chimed noon. The gunshot cracked through the air, and you bolted.
The ragged edges of the torn photograph don't lay flat on your desk. His cocky grin mocks you.
[[The next one was Sandra.|Sandra 1]]Sandra was next. She shot Sandra in broad daylight in downtown St. Louis. You hadn't been close enough to see it. You learned what had happened from the press.
"The Crow Kills Bounties on Stroke of 12" the headline read. Someone had pieced together that she was hunting members of your old gang and the story spread like wildfire. All the notoriety you'd ever dreamed of. Clarence found you that very night so you could drink to Sandra's name and celebrate.
Sandra's portion of the photograph fits next to Henry's.
[[Clarence was third.|Clarence 1]]Clarence was third. He hadn't wanted to leave Dodge. //"The money's good here. Everybody needs a doctor,"// he always said when you tried to convince him,//"She'll never find us."//
//"At least stay inside,"// you begged. Clarence laughed at your locked doors and shuttered windows.
//"Doc, if she does show up, I'll just shoot her."//
When she found him, he didn't have time to pull his gun.
You found these pocket watches on Clarence's body, each with the torn picture of the kill tucked inside. A message from The Crow.
When all the piece of the photograph fit together, there's still a hole missing in the center.
It's just you now. [[You and her.|Doctor 13]]She steps out of the shadows of your office, gun drawn.
"Sure is nice to reminisce about the good old days, Doc."
You stumble to your feet and point the revolver at her. Clarence's pocket watch is still clutched in your shaking hand.
"Leave now."
"Relax, you still have a minute or so." She reaches to her necklace and draws out the final pocket watch. She clicks it open, and your own torn portrait smiles back at you.
"You're insane."
"And you're easy to find. All it takes is asking the right people," she shrugs, "The preacher had a lot to say about you."
"Damn the man."
"Oh, certainly."
The seconds tick by as sweat drips down your neck. You watch the second hand twitch closer and closer to noon.
[[And then it stops.|Doctor 14]]The second hand misses a tick, than another. Then it stops. Your heartbeat picks up the wild tattoo. She doesn't notice at first, just holds out the frozen timepiece and waits.
She realizes something is wrong and she shifts, confused.
"It stopped," you say, astonished.
"It doesn't matter," she tries, "I was waiting for the clock tower."
You adjust your grip on your gun. The whiskey has made you lose confidence in your aim, even at point blank. More tense seconds pass. The clock tower does not chime. Finally, noon is undoubtedly gone.
[["You missed your shot." (Disuade her.)|Doctor 15]]
[[Shoot her.|Doctor 16 (End 2)]]"You missed your shot." You struggle to keep your voice steady as you stare down the barrel of her gun. "Noon is gone. You'll have to wait another day."
"I can still shoot you." There's a hard glint in her eye, but you can tell she's shaken with disappointment.
"It won't be the same," you insist, "I'm the last one. If you get it wrong, it'll follow you for the rest of you life."
"Shut your mouth," she snaps. You slowly set your gun back on the desk.
"Let me go. You can hunt me down again and get it right. You've chased me this far, you can do it again."
Her trigger finger twitches. You don't flinch.
She snarls in frustration and fires over your shoulder.
"Run."
[[You do.|Doctor 17 (End 3)]]In her moment of indecision, you pull the trigger.
Your shaking aim goes wide and the bullet strikes the pocket watch. It shatters in her hand.
"No!" She cries out as though she has lost a loved one. She clutches the twisted metal and her eyes fill with pain and rage. She levels her gun at you.
You shoot her again. She falls down, dead.
//You don't know how long you stand over her body. Time has lost its power over you. When the sheriff arrives at your door, you explain that this robber threatened your life. He helps you carry her body to the morgue in the back of your office and the preacher stops by later that day to perform the last rights.
When she's in the ground, you consider leaving Impasse and starting over. But then the barkeep stops by to check up on you. After sharing a couple drinks with him, you realize you want to stay. So you do.//You run.
Folks outside have heard the gunshot and are gathering around. You push through the crowd and run down the main street.
"Doc? Doc, what just happened?" the barkeep calls after you. You do not answer.
When you get to Willy's stables, the stage coach has already left and won't be back until next week. You hear the stablehands gossiping about the woman who arrived on it this morning.
You steal the nearest horse and ride out of town. In your head, you hear the ghost of the clock tower striking noon.
//This isn't the first time you've run away, nor will it be the last. Soon enough, you find a town in need of a doctor and dare to settle in. You go by a different name, you keep your head down, but your paranoia never goes away. She'll find you again. [[She always does.|Impasse]]//"Absolution, preacher. Any time now."
The preacher gives you the evil eye before he raises his hands and mutters prayers over the pair of you under his breath. You square up with The Crow on the main street of Impasse.
"This is what you wanted, isn't it?" You ask her. You rip open the bottle of whiskey you got from the barkeep and take a large swig. You relish the burning and throw the bottle to the ground. It smashes in the dirt. The passersby take notice of the standoff and a hush falls over the town.
"Been waiting a long time," she says with a wicked smile. "Kept you close to my heart." She shows you the black pocket watch hanging from her necklace. The crowd gasps when they recognize the mark of The Crow.
You are filled with rage at the sight and your hand goes to your gun. She moves the same instant you do and both of you freeze with your fingers inches from your holsters.
High noon is approaching. You don't need to look at the clock tower to know. By now, the countdown is ingrained in your immortal soul. You meet her eyes, and you know she feels the same. You measure out your last breaths.
[[The clock strikes twelve.|Doctor 19 (End 4)]]You both move in the same instant. A single gunshot cracks through the air.
[[//You fall to the ground, dead.//|Impasse]]You stop outside the doors of the church. Your hands are shaking, so you take a sip of the whiskey you got from the barkeep to calm your nerves.
You close your eyes and prepare yourself.
[[You enter the church.|Doctor 12]]"I'm looking for somebody. Maybe you can help me."
"A bounty hunter, eh?" The preacher regards you anew. "Is he wanted dead or alive?"
"He's wanted. That's all that matters."
The preacher notices the pocket watch hanging from your necklace. He goes pale when he recognizes the mark of The Crow. You both turn and check the time on the clock tower through the window. You smile. Noon is approaching.
"Who are you looking for?" The preacher asks, clutching his crucifix. You show him the wanted poster. "Th-that's that drunken doctor. I knew there was a reason he never came on Sundays."
"Where's the doctor's office?"
"It's on main street."
You turn to leave, but he catches your arm.
"You're not going to kill him."
"Try and stop me." You push him out of the way with the tip of your revolver. You leave the church. The preacher runs out after you but thinks better of crossing your gun again. Instead, he runs towards City Hall where the clock tower creeps closer to striking twelve. He's probably getting the sheriff.
[[You go straight to the doctor's office.|Witness 16]]"I'm looking for work."
"Oh, well! I've been needing someone to help me with my record keeping for some time now." The preacher adjusts his glasses. "These peepers aren't what they used to be."
The preacher leads to you his office where the town's records are kept in water damaged ledgers.
"We'll start with the most recent records," you tell the preacher.
You carefully scan each certificate for your mark's name, though you doubt he'd be so stupid as to use his real one, even in this backwater town. Your frustration mounts as noon comes and goes and you haven't found a trace of him.
Finally, just as the sun sets, you realize the truth has been in your face. The doctor's signature on every birth and death certificate you've looked at all day, it's his.
You slam the ledger closed.
"Where's the doctor's office?"
"It's on the main street. Are you feeling all right, my dear?"
You don't answer him. [[You go straight to the doctor's office.|Witness 15 (End 5)]]The doctor's office is dark and deserted when you arrive. His belongings are scattered like he left in a hurry. He must have gotten wind that you were in town.
You rifle through his desk. There's a half-empty bottle of whiskey, so you pour yourself a shot. You sigh and check the pocket watch hanging around your neck. His torn photograph tucked inside it mocks you.
He got away this time, but you'll catch him again. [[You always do.|Impasse]]The doctor's office is dark when you arrive. He's probably out on errands. But noon is approaching, so he'll be back. You lean against the wall in a dark corner and wait.
The only sound in the room is the ticking of the pocket watch around your neck. You examine the golden crow etched on its case.
Before your made this the mark of The Crow, it was the logo for your father's watch-making company back in [[Charleston]].You spent your girlhood in your parents' workshop, peering through magnifying glasses as your sat in their laps. Your father taught you how to wind the tension on a watch's escapement. Your mother taught you how to etch intricate designs into the metal casing.
[[You taught yourself how to shoot.|Witness 17]]The doctor returns. He stumbles into his office with a bottle of whiskey clutched in his shaking hand. You watch silently from your dark corner as he locks the door behind him and shutters the window to street.
You wait until he's poured himself a glass and the alchohol has hit his system before making yourself known by pulling your gun on him. He jumps to his feet.
"Leave now," He says. The revolver in his hand shakes.
"Relax, you still have another minute or so," you say. You can feel noon approaching. You press the release on the pocket watch around your neck to show him the torn photograph of his old gang you keep. His bleary eyes darken.
"You're insane."
"And you're easy to find." Excitement rises up in you. You're finally about to get justice for what he did to you. "All it takes is asking the right people. The preacher had a lot to say about you."
"Damn the man."
"Oh, certainly." Your thoughts stray for a moment to the preacher. You wonder if he actually did go get the sheriff. If so, he's certainly not fast. But it doesn't matter. The pocket watch ticks closer and closer to noon, and the doctor is paralyzed with fear.
[[Until he isn't.|Witness 18]]The doctor blinks in surprise. He's staring at the pocket watch. A second later, you realize why.
"It stopped," he says.
"It doesn't matter." You must have forgotten to wind it this morning. "I was waiting for the clock tower."
You're unnerved at losing the steady pulse, but you hold steady. You're going to kill him. Today. Finally. Any second now.
But the clock tower does not chime. Finally, noon is undoubtedly gone. Betrayal claws at your throat. If time isn't on your side, then you really are alone.
"You missed your shot," the doctor says carefully, eyes on your gun "Noon is gone. You'll have to wait another day."
"I can still shoot you," you realize. The idea is intoxicating, but terrifying.
"It won't be the same," he says. You know he's right. "I'm the last one. If you get it wrong, it'll follow you the rest of your life."
[["Shut your mouth."|Witness 19]] "Shut your mouth," you snap.
The doctor sets his revolver on his desk.
"Let me go. You can hunt me down again and get it right. You've chased me this far, you can do it again."
He's right. You've never thought about life after killing him. And the idea of not having revenge to drive you forward is terrifying. You could just let him go. This never has to end.
[[Shoot him.|Witness 20 (End 6)]]
[[Let him go.|Witness 21 (End 7)]]You pull the trigger. He drops to the floor, dead.
//You don't know how long you stand over the body. Ever since the pocket watch has stopped ticking, it feels like your heart has stopped too. You thought the hollow ache in your chest would go away once he was dead, but it's still there.
The sheriff arrives. You show him the doctor's wanted poster and he doesn't ask any more questions. You leave him to figure out what to do with the body since the town's only doctor is dead.
You numbly walk down the main street, ignoring the whispers and points from passersby. Without realizing it, your feet take you to the clock tower at City Hall. You stare up at the clock face, wondering why it didn't chime. The preacher exits City Hall and walks over to you. He takes one look at you and knows the deed is done.
"What will you do now?" he asks.
You stare at him blankly. There's nothing for you in Charleston. Or anywhere.
[["I don't know."|Impasse]]You snarl in frustration and pull the trigger, shifting your aim at the last moment. The bullet impacts the wall. Tears blur your vision.
"Run," you tell him. He does.
//You don't know how to long you stand in the empty office. Eventually the sheriff shows up. You show him the doctor's wanted poster and he doesn't ask anymore questions.
The stage coach has already left Impasse, so you're stuck here for another week. Plenty of time to investigate which direction the doctor might have run off to. This isn't the first time he's gotten away, nor will it be the last. He can go by different names, keep his head down, but your persistence will never waver. You love the chase, the hunt. You'll find him. [[You always do.|Impasse]]//"What seems to be the problem?" The sheriff pokes his head into the bar.
You subtly holster your gun.
"This woman came in my establishment with her weapon drawn and with hostile intent," the barkeep says.
The sheriff eyes you up and down. He clocks your holster and posture. He's seen your type before and he holds it against you.
"Ma'am, if you'll come with me to the sheriff's office," he says, "I don't want to cause a fuss now. I just have some questions for you."
//The sheriff keeps you in his office until late in the afternoon. By the time he lets you go, someone has tipped your mark off and he's skipped town.
The stage coach has already left, so you're stuck here for another week. No matter. You use the time to investigate where he might have gone next. You love the chase, the hunt. He may have gotten away this time, but you'll catch him again. [[You always do.|Impasse]]//