John stood on the dusty dirt road. The fingers of his right hand twitching towards his gun. He glared at the man he was here to kill. The man stood 25 feet down the road. All was silent as the civilians in the town looked on in a combination of fear and fascination. John heard the cry of a vulture circling up ahead. His tail swished anxiously.

Inhaling deeply, John cleared his mind of everything but the task. This man was a murderer. He had killed at least three women in the town and two men. The man merely stood there, a cocky grin on his face. He seemed unusually at ease considering that these were the last few minutes of his life. John spared a glance at the clock tower that loomed over the town. 

5 minutes left. 

John silently cursed whomever came up with the ‘wait till high noon’ for a shoot out rule. He’d rather just shoot the bastard now and be done with it. His muzzle drew back into a snarl as the man laughed from across the way. The townspeople immediately bursting into hushed tones. Most likely discussing the stupid courage this man was showing. 

4 minutes left

John grew more agitated as the seconds ticked by. Wishing he could just shoot the bastard now his fingers inched just a little closer to his gun holster that rested on a belt around his waist. He liked to mentally prepare himself for shooting an enemy. Envisioning the bullet exploding out of the barrel. He could practically hear the gunshot.

John spared another look at the clock tower. 2 minutes left.

The towns people were growing just as restless as John was. Time seemed to practically stand still at this point. The man across the way seemed to finally be taking this matter seriously. Any trace of his sneer was gone. His hand twitched towards his own gun mirroring John’s.

John’s tail no longer twitching. He was ready

The clock chimed noon.

Like a snake striking, John’s hand shot the last few inches to his gun. Whipping it out of the holster he shot

Once. 
Twice.

The man stood across from him, hand on his gun. He just stood there staring at John. Both men looked at his chest.

Blood stained his shirt like a rose in bloom. With a strangled gasp the man dropped to his knees and hinged forward splaying out into the dust road before him.

The town erupted in cheers. Hats flying skyward in celebration.

Tipping his own hat back John smirked and holstered his gun, his job now done.