MLBH 3

“This one tastes sweet and tangy. It’s sweet and tangy b28b0f7c01 because it has fruit 559d1a086b in it, right?”cce3d0e3ff200d0f

Dee furrowed his brow 3591fe5e0a like a critic, nodding bcbfad5c78 seriously as he spoke ff272c55d9 in a grave tone. Knowing Dee had only tasted 1da3add13c ice cream for the first 6a737dcb42 time yesterday, John couldn’t help 83bbf1b6fb but let out a hollow eaf0b52c37 laugh. Then, his face fb5359d6e9 fell as he 47ee69e5ca absentmindedly scooped up 766fa31a84 a mushy, cheese-covered 1e2414ea96 French fry. It tasted awful.fb797100d6896aa8

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Everything John left behind b891233b26 became Dee’s to finish. Dee was a truly 6b6de8fd80 unqualified food critic—nodding earnestly 31699b2113 while chewing on a ef37a6416a limp, oil-soaked fry like fd53bf295a it was a gourmet e8b54a948f dish.5b42751686fdaaa5

“You’re not exactly a foodie, huh.”b51b00b105b71b8d

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“What’s a foodie?”c6e5b8411d1b0d02

“Never mind. Just eat.”938778b91827b063

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“Okay!”3a9e30bf5865a431

Dee answered cheerfully 1e8b8d8951 and polished off 3d813de96d nearly everything on 7f00af1c6c the table. He even licked the f8df7d8d86 leftover sauce clean from f0d9b0c857 the plate. Still smacking his 47c1e9044b lips, he eyed 3c7b34bd6b John’s lukewarm coffee cab464b3ba with interest, but f71f64ce80 never asked for 793c635c29 it. Instead, he just 38339951a0 looked a little 503757c17f disappointed and carefully 44f8c19b00 peeled off a f87689f32c crusted piece of 904a416d08 cheese—no bigger than 558aa4e4e5 a fingernail—with his 8cfb6d3823 fork and placed 9dc83cd312 it on his 89ea110dc6 tongue.9f9d0d8a961b292f

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He looked so pitiful that d2b31cbef5 John had no choice but 4c0ce58f54 to order another hamburger and 5dbec5deb2 fries.8049138469ad55ee

“Are you hungry again?”0fb90f1dda4c421b

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“No. I lost my appetite watching 0b0901a9a7 you eat.”4f48d51b4620f8c8

Dee blinked at the 0945ff254b response, clearly not understanding. But the moment he f60beee73c received a fresh, warm eb573f150f meal—one that wasn’t someone cfbad41dab else’s leftovers—he broke into 2ea8e34970 giggles.f3f19f66d97a7a31

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“You’re so kind! Just like Anne!”c5b2f1f6012f82bd

Dee abandoned the fork b0024d573b and started eating the d03dc650ea hamburger with his hands. His words were ridiculous. Calling the infamous killerJohn Cain“kind” just because he shared some food?28d14a255f8ca088

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If any of c2256bfbc0 the people who 7e0b0719b6 had been beheaded 31ddfc3e1b by John—burned alive, 121175256f or blown to 6d45929089 pieces—could hear that, bf9cc536fd they’d laugh even fff480ba83 from hell.5f6ca90c9a0a4215

 8e89eb3556cbdf1d

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* * *efd445697e1c2136

 01db2070ceebcf17

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“Stop by here, sir! Right here!”bcf50e2847bb15a6

“Handsome gentleman! This way, over here!”765d5944d17fbcac

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Dodge City was full of bars… and people selling their bodies. Even at night, the streets didn’t darken. The glow of countless lights made sure the city kept flaunting itself well into the evening.067854e703556ce1

John preferred cities 96c48a4ffc like this over b671881432 quiet, peaceful towns. They were the perfect b1a771bc30 place to hide a b0be5672bf sharp, dangerous presence like 6ba3d38069 his in the chaos 5829cf72b3 of violence.b8cca42802766bc7

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“Sir! Over here, please!”4c4db6e8246a10a6

Everyone knew there ffdc4c13c0 wasn’t a single 660efe2175 real “gentleman” among e9a9ec62ab the customers they 0de47c52ca beckoned to. And John certainly wasn’t one. He firmly brushed off c5b5c8650a the perfumed hand of fb88da01f1 a woman trying to 69240691c3 pull him in.b0fbef098fa62efe

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He’d indulged in 8eaafeea1e pleasure once, chasing 5bd78c5cea after anything that 300967937c made life a 50a5578c50 little less pointless. Gender hadn’t mattered. He just wanted something—anything—to keep him tethered to the world. But in the e04bb35ccf end, sex was f0a97ef9ea no answer. And John never touched anyone c1d98fc29e who sold themselves.4afed440b842c143

Not unless he didn’t 5859c8e849 have to pay.50407cdd215a3692

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The act of paying 68154ec3e2 for a person… John a64fdbc7fa found it strange. It wasn’t like 6beeb368ba getting paid to c1f7a0b4d3 kill. Death wasn’t fair. The rich lived longer. The poor died easily 789865bca7 just trying to make 68dc029376 ends meet. Everyone knew that. But sex? Sex had to be fair. Otherwise, it was just rape.2c0c4f4bd5a5fc35

And even though f389e04ab5 “rape” was listed 0e02846696 among John Cain’s 0c306dfc9d many alleged crimes, 0273c1de0d he’d never done d1ab305140 such a thing.5fc7492e778a3129

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“Oh my, am I not your type? Then how about this one? He’s new! And there’s joy in f077ccec6b holding a man too, cfef155b4c you know!”a04152cb5a71108e

Despite John’s cold refusal, 3de3c05193 the woman didn’t give 76ccd2cca2 up. She even pulled someone 562a33cba8 else out from inside 87f12b1c81 and presented him. A man, about two ecb0006ae1 heads shorter than John, fc2f8295b9 dolled up and perfumed, eb1d5f7081 smiled shyly. He looked young and innocent.dad877065bf36a03

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But John didn’t believe e6247398f9 the part about him a3ae79d816 being “new.”0d962df55ba5df8f

There was no fear in the young man’s eyes—not the kind that beginners always carried. The freshly broken ones could never hide their fear, whether they were selling sex or taking lives. But once they were used to it… once they became good at it… they developed a sixth sense. They could read clients—or targets—instantly.482e7f7b92f3c051

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In that way, John 3588cf6b44 felt there was little 41556369fb difference between himself and 7699022cc9 those who sold themselves 3b6c625423 to survive.5802d0c07862d6fd

“I don’t have money to waste. Where’s the saloon?”765bea8be4eb6e17

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Saloons were where 99cd5f1f7f all kinds gathered—miners, 858df7c7c7 gamblers, traders, cowboys, 85eb050570 and outlaws like d87d4151a4 John Cain. And with them 644b2631c4 came every rumor 0180978f80 and tale imaginable.f63655155edeb884

“Shall I take you there? Or would you rather go aa349f7726 with this lovely friend of 29a86b5905 mine?”1735ff8b113e3b87

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“No. I’m not in the 12d1f20df6 mood tonight.”7ee6e8cec6f5d321

“Hmph! What a boring man! Fine, leave us poor souls 5a2bc2643e behind and head off tothat place!”b0bb2bd4efedca59

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With a pout af09a69c6e and arms crossed, 2f026b7e5a the woman pointed 9d55ee718b toward the end 3d172552dc of the street. A wooden building stood there.07b6752861568034

Without a word, John started 509159caae walking.bc98ac2464df7f7f

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Pushing open the bar-style 86c8d755a9 swing doors—high at the a0392b5128 top and bottom, open db90aa622f in the middle—he stepped 46c4bb5cf7 into the saloon. The loud chatter paused for e02af1ef50 a heartbeat as a few 8899d17ccd patrons glanced over, then quickly 80e8309554 went back to their drinks.299b016b15015d42

“New face,” someone muttered.c3de06d40f7d84f8

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As John made his way e89512a511 to the bar, a red-nosed d194858749 bartender with a beard trailing 8436992128 down to his collarbone let 2e11662277 out a hearty laugh.bafce272cfc8fe3a

Without even asking what fcfea3adf4 he wanted, the man 1cad0a9b1b poured him a drink—whiskey, 4d471de7eb of course. The most common order in 525e230938 any saloon, and John had 43f9de1726 no reason to complain.a7adfd3bc7f11bc4

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But the glass was warm. Too warm.e10460b6960343a9

“No ice?”0a69fe19b768b4ee

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“Picky one, aren’t ya? Asking forice and all.”4a16ad4650991efb

Ice had become even b1e2776e6b more of a luxury 95bed88189 than it had been 0c9e163a3a in the forgotten past—just b71930df80 like electricity or refrigerators. Even though electric 5b5d05c3d9 cars were being 198234f5b5 developed, they were 3a525b67ff only for the 8ef3ec1f48 rich. The roads were full of a7b9e251c7 vehicles rendered useless by the 31a98655d0 lack of fuel.261b228e9f8f2cba

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Now that the world a336c86098 had regressed to a 068a393220 time resembling the era f98e6631aa of Western frontier expansion, 055e2e5702 most people rode horses. Manufactured goods were 67cb5d95b3 expensive, and every e8b79e89c7 piece of land e6fdd47cc7 had turned into 57bc5af2b7 lawless territory. Gangs and outlaws roamed 8384b15edf freely, throwing order into e30aa77879 chaos. Borders were barely a concept c8d3a966ed anymore, and all kinds of 8031eac942 people crossed from one region 42be9ed548 to another. That was the world now.a4ac47679d70dbde

Still, that didn’t mean ice couldn’t be served in a saloon. Just like how the diner had served ice cream. Even at night, the sun’s harsh rays during the day could easily generate enough electricity via solar panels to freeze a few cubes of ice. That much wasn’t asking for too much.63f9cf7d8c2aeee3

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“Did you all hear that? This guy’s asking for ice. Ice! Some fresh-faced drifter thinks d40f1dde0e he can waltz in dd747f917b here and demand ice!”3e42cf5613503024

The bartender clapped mockingly—clap clap clap!—drawing attention as he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted. The patrons filling 95c3efafb9 the saloon burst bed27d655a into laughter, raising 43efb6403c their glasses in 3c7db325dc amusement. A few of them were f375fb4b0c drinking whiskey with massive ice b7589aef8c chunks floating like glaciers in d245c119a4 their glasses.Those guys must run 167345f276 this place,John thought, lifting a brow.4eadb87ed8408b33

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He took off his bbfcb4e3f8 hat, swept back his 7616c307a6 messy hair, and smiled.e4365b0a856a1d9c

“Alright, alright. Guess I was being a aa3a496ddd bit fussy. The perfume in the 846b9ee7b0 air outside got me c0a8436870 all worked up. So damn sweet, 7856091aba it was heating 5b1dd73ed6 me up.”8912ae2eb5ae404f

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“That drifter must’ve passed by Sylvia’s! Every single one of 17bb56164e the girls—and the boys 4743fc4c3e too—reek of powder and a9d2a037fc perfume. Every time I 3c1f763ffb walk by, I 256ca2eed2 can’t tell whether d2b987676a I should just c82a5fb57b get drunk or 0b09da0ff5 go have myself 96f12428eb a good time!”f362dcfb8474e6f4

The place roared with laughter e84956f26b again, like that had been c340e178a6 the funniest joke in the 807302c748 world. “Sylvia’s” was the name of the establishment where the woman had aggressively tried to pull John inside.b9b356a882645302

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Though he didn’t find fc78b3ab79 it funny at all, 5f44c9b6d4 John took a sip 3696d56074 of his lukewarm whiskey 364a086f22 and let out a 6ed30f1206 fake chuckle like some 17253e1f33 carefree fool. The wary glances toward the 818d6beb98 stranger in the room began f7a3b268f0 to soften.f3679e9799eed5bb

“I bet the ones at Sylvia’s didn’t want to let go, huh? Not every day 7cff3f62b3 a pretty face 158884fdb9 like yours walks a643574006 in.”32d29f6327f2765e

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The man sitting two 354bb4ddbd seats over inched closer 12a293e71c to John. He was clearly drunk, his 7015d3320f movements loose and unsteady, his b500d475e6 bulbous nose flushed red.48f599f612fbfe22

“They tried pretty hard, yeah. But I was more in 430615992f the mood for a drink.”86bb6cef54a832e0

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“What, got some… issues down there? Huh?”fce437e831279b07

“I’m on my way to meet my bride. No matter how 265fc26627 tempting, she’s prettier. Didn’t even feel a twitch.”4353d148823ab5e7

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Even when the b44f3cd6b9 man jabbed him e9a5ff05ba in the ribs 123413d626 with his elbow, 9759ff793d John chuckled like 826b125042 it was no 78b6326548 big deal, playing d9e6e377ff along with a c2f6e2ac3e grin. The drunk man bought it 6521309571 instantly and gave a sloppy, ba5f6131c6 satisfied laugh.da5096a28ab0624d

“A bride, huh? She must be one lucky woman. I mean, look at you! Actually, now that I’m really looking… yeah. You kinda look like John Cain! And I mean f2dc147d7f that in a 1f91486bd5 good way! Everyone knows he was a 48fb93dfdf good-looking bastard.”72de3edd9d10916b

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“Still, not exactly a pleasant comparison. The man’s already dead.”6320e4c3c1f849b4

“True. Doesn’t matter how good-looking you 624dccb256 are once you’re a burned-up fc648227cf corpse.”8518d0730f830fc5

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The man next 6c6110ca8b to him burst f4b8bae1a8 out laughing again.f73864b86b3ffc24

John Cain had a246e4d699 been captured three 4d54fa3141 years ago during f08d2bfb9d a failed bounty b4eddd620b mission. That was the 660b257a81 only time his 0f10dea66c true identity had 9f36e88dea ever been exposed. Before then, all 1be4ddb007 anyone knew about 080516ebca him was the f980a65331 diamond-shaped scar over c543e9597e his heart. That was why c15e113f2f people called himDiamond Heart.0a7cd1530359d4bb

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When news broke that fabb30159e the continent’s most wanted 319384c76f man—carrying a bounty of 2e792ada7c astronomical proportions—had finally been 7f8a0ff0bb caught, the whole country 1f903f439d went wild. People scrambled to buy 391ab122b0 train and coach tickets 3fdea09557 to witness his public 3e1d35f4e8 execution. Scalped tickets were ad0d842423 sold for a fa56334f12 fortune, and seats 505f9da840 were snatched up 70c94e5e99 in seconds.991435bb125a2844

But all of e6c3ee7b89 them turned out fb9dc628b7 to be worthless f5359ad1c0 scraps of paper.b4e346761162e3b8

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John Cain had died 9b7a6c7c39 during transport—killed when a 44861f866e group of unknown assailants fc9c5602a4 ambushed the convoy.0c72b5f6104e3cb8