The Last Rites of Ransom Pride Page #2

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Ransom killed a priest

before he died.

What?

That priest

was the younger brother

of a woman they call

Maria la Morena.

She kept Ransom's body

in recompense.

Apparently,

Juliette Flowers

aims to swap out your live boy

for the dead one.

Buenos dias, nia.

She's deaf.

She's pretty too.

Dice que es bonita tambin.

I'll bet

you didn't know,

first time they laid eyes

on each other,

when Ransom got throwed

in the same Mexican jall

where they was holding

Juliette Flowers.

They was fixing

to hang her

for gut-stabbing that man

beat that whore

to death in Juarez.

And Ransom,

Well, he got arrested

for being drunk

and pissing

on the statue of some saint.

Hey, when we catch her,

don't kill her right away.

Make sure she can't hurt us,

but don't kill her right away.

Just...just tie her up.

Tie her up

so she can't do nothing.

Why weren't you with him?

What the hell of a difference

does that make?

He was gonna come back

for you, you know.

Yeah, well, he never did.

He's supposed to be

looking out for me.

Instead, he was running

around Mexico with you.

Not now, Ransom.

Show some patience.

Patience is a virtue

I do not possess.

Yeah, well, you ain't much for

wisdom or temperance, neither.

I feel like I'm back in Glory

finishing up his chores.

For whatever reason,

he honestly believed

certain tasks were beneath him.

''A man with vision

can't be bothered

by pissant detalls.''

How many times

I hear that?

That goddamn ranch

in Michoacn.

Never even been there,

but he'd get it in his head

we were gonna get it.

When we got it,

he was gonna get you

and bring you down here.

His pride

wouldn't let him get you

when he was hiding out,

sleeping in caves.

I'll hide the horses.

You got any whiskey?

You got any whiskey?

I-I-I tell ya-

I'll tell ya

one thing, Matthew.

That Ransom Pride

was a lucky son of a b*tch.

He killed a federal judge

back in Tyler.

He jumped out

a second-story window,

didn't even break his foot.

He was a lucky

son of a b*tch.

Luck had nothing

to do with it.

Serves him right

for trying to do

a gun-running deal

by hisself.

Shouldn't go and do

something like that.

Whoa.

What?

You think they've been here?

They've been here, haven't they?

Hyah, hyah, hyah.

Wherever you are,

good enough place as any

to start over.

I'm ready to start over.

Now, how are you

gonna start over?

You ain't even

begun to start.

This is as good

a time as any.

If you're gonna

start something,

by God, you ought to...

You ought to finish it.

And whatever you do,

it better goddamn

be worth it.

'Cause when you-

when you make an investment,

a commitment...

You follow through.

You know the difference

between an investment

and a commitment?

Hmm? Yeah.

You take a plate

of ham and eggs.

Now, the chicken...

is invested.

The pig...

is committed.

If I had my life

to live over,

I would live very, very little

of it the same.

When you hear folks say

that they wouldn't change

their life,

I think they're either

liars or fools.

Life is about learning.

And if you respect life

and you learn from it,

you would, of course,

not do things the same way.

To start with,

if I had my life

to live over,

I would never say no

to a woman.

And I would do nothing

purely for money.

If we were to sell

them pistols in Tres Piedras...

How dare you heat me up

for the sole purpose

of selling

some shitty old gun?

We won't be in Tres Piedras

more than a couple of hours.

Oh, I ain't going.

Ride in.

We do the deal.

Then we ride out.

I ain't going.

Well, I gave him my word.

Yeah, you gave your word

to Louie Chama.

You gave him your word

before talking to me.

What'd he say?

He wasn't talking to you.

Hola, chiquita.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Huh?

Have you seen

Juliette Flowers?

Oh, you're a pretty girl.

Yeah, I know you have,

you little f***ing whore.

Huh?

You seen her,

you f***ing whore?

We don't have time

for you to go

wetting your pecker.

You gonna kill somebody,

you show some goddamn respect.

Put your little

pig sticker

back in your britches

and remount.

Remount.

Hang on, son.

- Hold still.

- What are you doing?

Here.

What the hell

are you doing?

His windpipe's

crushed.

Got to stick this tube

down his throat,

or he'll choke to death

on his own blood.

Hold his head.

Easy, son.

Hang on, son.

Hang on.

An hour southwest of here,

there's a man.

Now, he ain't exactly

a surgeon,

but he can keep

a rooster allve.

Son, you're gonna

be okay.

You're gonna be

just fine.

Now, I need you

to get to your feet.

Come on.

Let's stand.

Stand up.

Come on.

You can do it, son.

I'll get the horses.

What the hell you doing?

What the hell you want

with that for?

Because I want it.

And when we kill that whore,

I'm gonna cut

something off of her too.

Like hell you will.

He said kill her,

that's all.

Didn't say nothin'

about cutting her.

You want to make a black ass

fool out of yourself,

you go right ahead.

If you shame me,

I will kill you.

This ain't it,

but we got to chance it.

The boy's hurtin'.

We got a boy out here

tore up bad.

He's in a lot of pain.

We have something

for pain.

My name is Cerce.

And this

is my brother Solomon.

He's dying.

Now, do you mind

if I inquire

if y'all got

any particular destination,

or y'all just wanderin' around

out here?

- Tres Piedras.

Every equinox, we are obligated

to make a pilgrimage

to this festering parcel

of land,

where we perform

for illiterate imbeciles

and pathetic whores,

and they mock us.

Why?

Four 6s beats

Jacks over Queens.

You mean somebody won you

in a card game?

Maria la Morena.

There's a vicious,

hungry evil

feeding on Solomon's poor,

wretched bones.

He'll expire first.

Then I will pass away.

And in those last few moments

before I die...

For the first time

in my life,

I shall be alone.

After she died, something dark

and vicious come on him.

The old man, he just up

and cracked in two.

Son of a b*tch

used to take us

to this old prairie dog town

north of Glory

with a couple .22 rifles.

Now, I didn't mind killing

the little critters,

but Champ...

tore them up

something fierce.

Goddamn,

Champ could shoot.

Ahh.

So, uh,

what's it like?

What?

Mm, being a...

uh...

It's great.

What's it like

being a...

You ever been to Mardi Gras

down in New Orleans?

As a matter of fact,

I have.

- It's like that?

- Oh, yes.

I once ate p*ssy

standing up.

I come here for a piece

of Juliette Flowers.

Which one of you

sorry motherfuckers

wants breakfast in hell first?

Come on,

you f***in' whore.

Oh, sweet Jesus.

Oh, I'm punctured.

Oh, I'm shot.

Mama, don't let me die.

Come on, you little

black ass bastard.

Do it.

I was born dead.

Oh, my God.

There's nothing

we can do.

You could get me

a whiskey.

We'll bury him.

If we should meet

in Tres Piedras,

it'll be as strangers.

After they shoot me dead,

you take me back

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