'Impossible… That's why she already knew,' Bonnie thought.
Evelyn knew about that power because she had it too. And that realization turned everything Bonnie thought she understood about this world completely on its head.
Growing up, she had always believed that newspaper headlines were pure exaggerations—crafted with the sole purpose of making money, a formula that had worked quite well over the years. But what if none of it was exaggeration? What if at least half of it had been a hidden truth?
Bonnie felt dizzy. This was too much to take in at once. Of course, she had that strange power too—it was what had helped her escape the Sheriff's deputies—but the idea that there were more people out there like her…
The world is a massive box of surprises, and Bonnie had spent her whole life sealed off from all of it. If only the "real" Bonnie knew something about this, it would have been incredibly helpful right now—but not even her knowledge of geography could help her make sense of what she was seeing. She'd had the misfortune of being just a sheltered girl from the county.
'I can't fully understand it—but it's like I can see the world moving in slow motion.'
Even though Evelyn had dodged the bullet aimed straight at her head in the blink of an eye, Bonnie had been able to see her move—just as she'd been able to see Wild Dog tilt his body slightly to one side, letting both shots pass within inches of his face and chest.
This was unheard of. These people were dodging bullets. Not even in Samuel's world did anything like this exist. Sure, there were bulletproof vests and specialized equipment—but nothing that made a person move like a hummingbird.
On her end, Thieving Cat pressed a hand to her abdomen in pain. Beneath her corset, a couple of drops of blood were already staining her shirt. She grimaced, because this wasn't going well.
"Damn it. If only I weren't in this condition," she muttered. She quickly reloaded the spent rounds into her revolvers and tried to peek around the corner.
Bang!
A bullet clipped the wooden edge of the wall, forcing Evelyn to duck back.
"That all you've got, Cat? Weren't you doing a lot of talking a minute ago?" said Wild Dog, keeping his revolver trained on the corner of the building.
'That man has fired twice, and it's a six-shot revolver. He has four bullets left before he has to reload,' Bonnie thought.
If she couldn't do anything, she was at least going to analyze the duel carefully. Maybe something useful would come out of all the chaos. But Bonnie's mistake was expecting Wild Dog to reload his weapon like any ordinary person.
Pulling a small silver disc from beneath his poncho—about the size of a coin — Wild Dog hurled it toward the building. It landed right next to Evelyn, who opened her eyes in horror before bolting toward the far end of the alley.
Boom!
The disc exploded, blowing out the corner of the building and leaving a small crater at the alley entrance. A thin layer of dust rose into the air.
Wild Dog moved toward the alley, revolver raised in case the gunfight resumed. He sharpened his gaze. His black eyes seemed to shift faintly to purple, and the irises expanded and contracted like the lens of a camera adjusting its focus.
Inside the alley… no one. But Wild Dog stayed on guard. He didn't dare step into the darkness. Instead, he waited—patient, watching for any sign of movement.
Bonnie studied the man's behavior. Even if his caution was an obvious choice for anyone in a duel, this particular man seemed exceptionally methodical. Even without Evelyn visible in the alley, he didn't push in after her—he held his ground and let her come to him.
To Thieving Cat's misfortune, that was exactly what she did. She leaned out from the alley of the neighboring building, both revolvers aimed at Wild Dog's head—but the man already had her in his sights.
Bang!
Another shot that clipped the corner of a building without hitting Evelyn, who disappeared back behind cover. The small bloodstains from before had spread into a wide dark patch across her white shirt.
'I can barely see anything. What is she doing? Why can't she see that she's losing this?'
Every person was a different world, and Samuel—who had come from a different world entirely—couldn't understand this woman's logic. Bonnie couldn't either, for that matter. She had never had the kind of close friendships that would have taught her how to read other people's actions.
Every move just seemed like another piece of nonsense layered into a chaotic symphony of gunshots and shadows.
Three bullets left in Wild Dog's cylinder.
"Maybe our luck runs deeper than most people's," the man said. "Or maybe our reflexes are even more remarkable than they realize. But what good is any of that if you can't use it, Thieving Cat?"
Evelyn laughed.
"Oh, I can use it just fine—you just don't know how I do it. Tell you what—why don't you come a little closer and I'll show you?"
Wild Dog spat.
"I'm not falling into the same trap twice," he answered, pulling out another disc.
As if flipping a coin for heads or tails, Wild Dog narrowed his eyes, pointed his index finger at the spot where the disc landed, and snapped his fingers.
Boom!
Another explosion.
Evelyn, who could barely run, was thrown by the blast. Her battered body rolled a few meters across the sand before coming to a stop against one of the nearby crates.
'I can't see a thing,' Bonnie thought.
She tightened her fists hard. She felt completely useless. She couldn't see or understand a thing about what was happening—only that there were supernatural forces at work, and they were changing the entire shape of the fight.
In fact, this looked nothing like a duel anymore. The whole thing had the wild energy of an animated show—ridiculously dangerous and constantly moving.
Swallowing those feelings, Bonnie stepped back from the window. She looked around, searching for a better vantage point. Then she remembered the window at the back of the inn—the one close to where she had first seen Evelyn—and started moving toward it, but the old woman stopped her.
"Girl. I don't care what choices you make, because I don't know you—but if you think it's worth risking your life just to get a closer look at a duel, let alone to stick your nose into someone else's fight, then let me be the first to tell you: you're an idiot."
Bonnie sighed. She closed her eyes tight, knowing the old woman was right—and yet…
"I've already died once, so don't talk about me like you know a thing. Besides, I would never risk my life if I didn't know how to defend myself. And at least now—I know how."
It wasn't that Bonnie wanted to throw herself into the fight—but she desperately needed to understand the power Evelyn had mentioned. This duel was the perfect chance to see it up close. So she ignored the old woman and headed toward the back of the inn.
The shotgun boy looked at his grandmother, confused.
"It's a shame—a girl that pretty wanting to die so young," he said.
The old woman let out a sigh.
"Young people always do stupid things. Look how your mother ended up. Look how your sister ended up. When is it going to be your turn to do something you can't take back?"
The boy looked at the floor. A lock of his black hair fell over his scarlet eyes.
"I couldn't…"
"Hmph. That's what everyone says."
Back with Bonnie—she threw herself out the window. She nearly face-planted into the crates but grabbed hold just in time to save her teeth.
Hand on her revolver, she moved through the back street to stay as far from the duel as possible. As she sprinted through the sandy lanes, she caught the heavy stares of people peering from half-shut windows.
It did look like one of those movie scenes—though even without the cinematic frame, it was just common sense. When there was trouble, hiding and keeping your distance was the smartest call anyone could make. Better that than catching a bullet with your face.
Finally, she managed to stop near an alley that opened up directly toward Wild Dog's position. From there, Bonnie could see the man standing at the edge of the alley while Evelyn had barely managed to take cover behind the crates, which conveniently blocked her entire body from view.
"I can smell you in there. Come out and face me, Cat. Pay for everything your gang stole from mine—with your life."
Evelyn laughed again. Still not a trace of fear.
"Why are you so full of yourself? At this point I'm pretty sure my girls have already put yours in the ground, and you're not going to be any different. I'm going to enjoy every bit of that haul we rightfully earned, you miserable bastard."
Wild Dog growled.
"That train job cost us everything—so why don't you let me put you down and we call it done? You've wasted enough of my time. I'm tired of playing games with you."
"Go to hell," Evelyn shot back, laughing. A trickle of blood slipped from her lip.
"Suit yourself," Wild Dog answered, cocking the hammer.
Bang!
The bullet tore straight through the crate and caught Evelyn in the arm. She cried out, writhing against the ground in pain. Hearing that voice of agony, Wild Dog let out a satisfied laugh.
"Looks like I don't need to make you show yourself after all. I just have to follow the scent."
Once again, the hammer was pulled back. But then—his eyes snapped open in shock.
Bang!
A shot rang out—but it hadn't come from Wild Dog's revolver, nor from Thieving Cat's.
The man threw himself sideways in a split second and nearly lost his footing. The bullet had come within inches of his neck.
Across the street, Bonnie stood with the golden revolver raised, her expression set and unflinching.